Wednesday, February 22, 2017

THE MOVIE "HIDDEN FIGURES" BROUGHT BACK 3 VIVID MEMORIES



Today I saw "HIDDEN FIGURES", based on the TRUE STORY about 3 BRILLIANT BLACK WOMEN who had an impact on successes at NASA in the 1960's. Up for an OSCAR for BEST PICTURE, it is an EXCELLENT movie. The acting was wonderful too, with OCTAVIA SPENCER competing for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

The movie brought back THREE VERY VIVID CHILDHOOD MEMORIES for me - about "COLOREDS", MATH, and THE SPACE PROGRAM.

MEMORY #1
  • In 1962, at 10 years old, I traveled with my grandparents from PA to NC with a stop at THE NATURAL BRIDGE in VA. There were 2 drinking fountains there - one had a sign that said "COLOREDS". I asked my grandparents what that meant and they explained it to me - my grandfather actually said "That's for the Niggers." They grew up in the SOUTH and were no strangers to prejudice. I remember being stunned by the concept that "COLOREDS" couldn't drink from the same drinking fountain as us, nor use the same bathroom. I'll never forget that. 
MEMORY #2
  • MATH was always a VERY EASY subject for me. I consistently got 100% on my quizzes and tests (or more if there were bonus questions), particularly in ALGEBRA. In my senior year, in 1970, someone came to my ENGLISH LITERATURE class and said there was a NATIONAL MATH EXAM taking place upstairs, in case anyone wanted to participate. Since I couldn't stand ENGLISH LIT, it was a perfect excuse to leave class - taking the TEST would be FUN!! Was I ever surprised to find out on GRADUATION DAY that I got the HIGHEST TEST SCORE in my school. And there were some REALLY SMART BOYS in my class too!
MEMORY #3
  • Since MATH was my easiest subject, I decided to MAJOR in it at college. I was thinking it would be interesting and fun to work in the SPACE PROGRAM (just like in this movie) - our solar system, the stars, the Milky Way, MARS and VENUS all fascinated me. My other dream job was to do RESEARCH about DNA (a new field then). My first semester in college I took CALCULUS, with no prior knowledge of what it entailed. Unfortunately, it was like a foreign language to me. I was shocked that I couldn't make heads or tails over it and barely passed with a D!! (Might it have had something to do with my BUSY SOCIAL LIFE?????!!!). Sooooooo, I figured that I had better change majors right then and there. But, I had the darnedest time trying to figure out what else I could do with my life....... so I fumbled around with basic Freshman and Sophomore classes, while "thinking". Then in Junior year, when I transferred, I decided to major in ART EDUCATION and taught HIGH SCHOOL ART for 4 years after I graduated.

Back to the movie....... although it was EXCELLENT, MY pick for BEST PICTURE this year is "LION".  But I have yet to see LA LA LAND, which seems to have all of the BUZZ......

JOAN



Monday, February 20, 2017

"60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60'S" - 2017 GOALS

You can look back to my Blog post on March 9, 2016, where I wrote about my "LIST" - "60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60'S". If you remember, I was arguing with myself about turning age 60 and HAD to make a POSITIVE out of it - thus my "WISH LIST".

I turned 65 last week and I'm a bit behind schedule!!  

Last year I accomplished 3 on the list, which brought me up to 21 -
  1. Visit PROVENCE, FRANCE when LAVENDER is in full bloom
  2. Visit CUCURON, FRANCE in PROVENCE
  3. Eat a TRIPLE-DECKER ICE CREAM CONE
Ok, so here is my focus for this year:
  1. Visit SAVANNAH, GA
  2. Visit the WOLF SANCTUARY in LITITZ, PA
  3. Take my nephew and his wife on a trip - their choice of destination
  4. Visit the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM in WASHINGTON, DC
  5. Tour ALEXANDRIA, VA
  6. Tour GETTYSBURG, PA
  7. Attend the TEXAS CRAB FESTIVAL in CRYSTAL BEACH, TX
I've already accomplished #1 and #2. 
#3 is planned for MAY. 
#4 and #5 are in the works - to be scheduled after my hip and knee replacements this year - hopefully for this Fall. 
#6 has been "almost accomplished" several years in a row now.
I have to check the date for #7 and plan a visit to my friend LISA'S home in TEXAS!!

Oh darn it, I just checked the date for the CRAB FESTIVAL...... it's MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND in MAY, so I'm going to have to wait until next year.  I can't be gone from CLOVER!!! for THAT many days in MAY!

STAY TUNED...........

JOAN



Thursday, February 16, 2017

BOOK - "AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER" (NO SPOILERS!!)



WOW!! What a wonderful book!! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it - decidedly now one of my all-time favorite books. Thank you to WELLINGTON SQUARE BOOKSHOP for choosing this for our FEBRUARY BOOK CLUB!

In "AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER" by STEPHANIE DRAY and LAURA KAMOIE, each chapter begins with a short excerpt from one of THOMAS JEFFERSON'S letters. The story-line was very well constructed, followed a chronological timeline (thank you!!) and the writing was divine - very easy to read and not too many characters to keep track of. HISTORICAL FICTION seems to "speak to me" because I enjoy learning about things from our past. Every day I looked forward to getting back to the story and simply DIDN'T WANT IT TO END!!

The book is NOT about THOMAS JEFFERSON, but instead it's about his daughter, MARTHA (called "PATSY" as young girl), which made it even more interesting to me. From her perspective, I feel as if I got to know THOMAS JEFFERSON on a personal level not just as a former PRESIDENT. MARTHA shares what he was like as a husband, lover, father and grandfather, as well as his life as a public figure. You truly get a feel for what it might have been like to be "AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER". The story WAS about HER.

There was a whirlwind of activity while PATSY (later called MARTHA) lived as a young teen, with her father, in PARIS. Falling in love for the first time at age 16 with WILLIAM SHORT - I found myself wanting to know more about him (and just might write to the author to request it!). 

Naturally I was also curious to read about JEFFERSON'S relationship with SALLY HEMINGS (his slave and "romantic interest"), because it's been such a scandalous topic throughout history. It's difficult to believe that MARTHA had 11 children (or was it more?) and that she and SALLY each had to endure the loss of so many babies. Life was hard in the early 1800's.

I was intrigued by how similarly the challenges of THOMAS JEFFERSON'S PRESIDENCY and his GOVERNMENT were to that of current day (some as recent as the past year). I was shaking my head, thinking that "things never really change - history repeats itself"........  

While reading, I tagged a number of political references, shared here. See if you agree -

Page 346
     "He's surrounded by virulent men who will do anything to prevent him coming to power."

Page 349
     After the House of Representatives voted thirty-five times in a deadlock, on the thirty-sixth ballot my father was elected, peacefully and democratically, to the presidency of the United States.

Page 376
     "Would the entirety of my father's presidency find him under constant attack? How could they print such a thing?"

Page 410
     He had virulent enemies in Congress......

Page 413
     "Your father's plans are ambitious," Dolley explained. "They won't be passed without the support of the congressmen's wives.  We'll have to win them over."

Page 416
     "In your Congress, where your husband serves, everyone has the right to speak?"
     "The members do, yes," I replied.
    He laughed.  "Then it will take years to finish any business! In my country, all matters are decided swiftly and with final resolution. In fact, if I don't succeed in my mission here, they'll behead me."

Page 452
     John Randolph had miscalculated the damage ladies could do. We couldn't fight in the war, but reputations were won or lost on our fields of battle."

Page 481
     "Because of the panic, they're calling in the loan in total. Hamilton is dead, but his banking system is still ruining the country."

Page 504
     But after thirty-four years of marriage, I now saw union between man and woman was the same as union among the states - as a series of debates and compromises that might hold it all together for a few more years, or end in a painful separation.

Page 575
     We live only two blocks from the President's House, which has been rebuilt since the war. It's now inhabited by Andrew Jackson, whose riotous inauguration has scandalized my lady friends. They've all warned of the new administration's vulgarity.


"AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER" didn't share too much about the DAILY LIFE of the slaves, but it did get across THOMAS JEFFERSON'S (and MARTHA'S) desire to abolish it. He was conflicted, because in that time period a farm couldn't be run without the help. However it was clear that HE NOR MARTHA ever got used to the concept.


Page 533
     Lafayette said, "I gave my best services to, and spent my fortune on behalf of Americans because I felt you were fighting for a great and noble principle - the freedom of mankind. But instead of all being free a portion were held in bondage. My old friend surely you must concur that it would be mutually beneficial to masters and slaves if the latter were educated an emancipated."

Page 534
     "But I put this to you.  Whatever be the complexion of the enslaved, it does not, in my opinion, alter the complexion of the crime the enslaver commits. A crime much blacker than any African face. It's a matter of great anxiety and concern to find that this trade is sometimes carried on under the flag of liberty, our dear and noble stripes, to which virtue and glory have been constant standard-bearers."

Page 550
     My father used his life, his talent, and his fotune to secure the rights of men to control their own destinies, and he still intended to command his."

Page 505
     Only men who owned fifty acres could vote or hold political office.

Well, in several ways, we've come a LONG way from this last statement!!

Perhaps I so enjoyed this book, because I recently visited MONTICELLO and also JAMES MADISON'S MONTPELIER. While reading, I could literally visualize their lives there.

I can't imagine anyone NOT liking this book. HISTORICAL FICTION at its finest!!


JOAN