In the Spirit of Autumn

Here Comes the Gourd

Some people grow them, some smash them, but others are a bit more creative. For Halloween, trick-or-treaters like a traditional welcome from you…a pumpkin or more gracefully called: a jack-o-lantern. You do not need to be an artist or be skilled in the ways of knives to fashion a pumpkin. With tenacity, you can become a master pumpkin carver. 

That One!

First, you will need to visit your grocery store or pumpkin patch to find your pumpkin. Choose a size—too big a pumpkin could frustrate you when it comes to cleaning it out, but too small a pumpkin could send the knife right through your new kitchen counter. A good size is about 15 to 20 inches (diameter). Next, select a shape. Some folks like their pumpkins oval-shaped and others like them low and round. Make sure that your pumpkin has a sturdy stem, for ornamental purposes or as it may be employed later. It is a good idea to imagine what kind of makeover you will give your pumpkin when choosing one. For example, a pumpkin with white bumps can go for the witches’ warts effect and a spotted one appears a bit ghastly. Whichever one you opt for, be proud and happy with your pumpkin, as you are in control of what becomes of it!  

Prepare for Surgery

Now is the right time to get the knives. Gather an assortment; a serrated knife is very handy. Get a big spoon and a pen/pencil as well. You may want to grab a paper towel roll or something to wipe your hands with. Also, get a bowl big enough to hold your pumpkin’s organs. Don’t forget proper attire as there is a possibility of orange stains. Finally, pick your operating table—a desk, the floor, the patio. Cover it with newspaper. 

The Cutting

There are two options in making the first incision: the top or the bottom. If you cut your pumpkin from the top it would require you to cut around the stem, but you risk burning your hand when lighting your candle. Cutting from the bottom would allow you to lift your pumpkin up and safely place the candle inside. But whatever floats your boat will do.

Grab your pen/pencil and draw a circle (or a hexagon to be more sophisticated) to prepare for the cut. Take your knife of choice, long enough to get through the tough skin.  At an angle, cut towards the center using a back and forth motion. Cutting at an angle avoids certain complications. If cutting from the top, you prevent producing a pumpkin with no lid (a result of cutting straight in).  If it’s from the bottom, the piece may never come out.

Be persistent, as your pumpkin may resist! Dig in (at an angle)! But not too much; you don’t want permanent damage. If your knife isn’t cooperating, swap it with another. The pumpkin’s lid will put up a fight before coming out; there will be twining organs hanging on for dear life. It will come out. After it has, grab the lid from the stem and put it aside for a moment.

Going in

The opportunity to get your hands slimy has come. You may choose to opt out by using that big spoon you acquired earlier. Take out the limbs and whatever else is invading your pumpkin. Scrape it clean, including the sides but be delicate so as not to wound it. Next, take the lid and scrape off any seeds or pulp. Put all of the remains in the big bowl and discard.

Face the Moment

Jack-o-lanterns have lots of face potential. Many come to rely on triangles: eyes, nose, and mouth. Why? Angles! This involves three cuts, making face carving much easier. However, this doesn’t have to be the route you take. Cut circles, squares, or invent a new shape. It may be harder but the end result is your reward. Make a face the trick-or-treaters will remember!

First, draw the pattern for your pumpkin’s face using your pen/pencil. Don’t make your facial features small when you have a big knife—that’ll give you a hard time. For a big makeover add eyebrows, depth for the eyes (partially cut through the skin), dimples (if possible!), and whatnot. Then, think about how you will cut, to avoid cutting out parts that weren’t meant to be. This will forever blemish your pumpkin!  Consider coloring in the parts that need to be cut out. Follow your pattern when carving. Push out the cut-outs, put those in the big bowl, and discard. Lastly, clean up your work area.

Illumination and Exhibition

Absolutely no colored light bulbs! Go for the spirit…the candle. Make sure it is tall enough to light up your jack-o-lantern but not so big as to torch it. The flame should be at about the middle, if viewed from eye level. If you cut from the top, place the unlit candle down into the base of the pumpkin. The candle must sit on a stable surface. Light the candle with a long match or a lighter. Put the lid on and move it to its display area. If you cut from the bottom, pick a display location first. Place the candle on the base, light it, and set the pumpkin on top. Ensure it is dark enough for the jack-o-lantern to achieve its eerie glow.

Operation Complete

Congratulations! You have created your own jack-o-lantern. Don’t be ashamed of the results; this took time and effort. You’ve conquered the knife, performed surgery, and constructed a face.  If anything, guard your masterpiece from enemies that want to steal or destroy it. Halloween will be the night when you showcase your work. Make the evening last. 

Warnings:  

• Working with knives should be done with adult supervision.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended. 

As "I" become the world...

“I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been, seen, done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone, everything whose being-in-the-world affected, was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I've gone, which would not have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each "I", everyone of the now-six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time: to understand me, you'll have to swallow a world.”

-- Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children

Yo se que aun estoy a tiempo

La luz ya no alcanza

No quieras caminar sobre el dolor

Descalza

Un Angel te cuida

Y puso en mi boca la verdad para mostrarte la salida.

de Camila

This is the sound that's made...

Life, for now, I've come to fear
You've dropped me off and left me here
With nothing here to find my way
But the light you take as you pull away

Far ahead the brush is moving
There's others here and good still proving
Nothing's wrong, it's in my mind
Nothing's wrong and I'll be fine

(lyrics by the funny and charming dave barnes)

On Memory...many thanks to my students this semester

I've been thinking about memory a lot these past six months. Last semester, in my class on the Global South, we read texts that triggered memories I needed to face. Or rather, these texts made me realize that I needed to face certain memories in a different way. And it has been hard. Memories can't be swept under the rug; unfortunately, that's the way I've dealt with the most troubling ones. I feel a need to forget. But if I believe that the past is always present, and that my past is the foundation for the construction of my subjectivity--a glimpse into the question, "who am I?"--then perhaps there must also be a need to confront the past. I'm working on it.

I gave my students a writing prompt early in the semester: You have suddenly been given enhanced brain power and you can remember everything that's ever happened to you nearly at the same time. What do you remember that causes you to change how you behave currently? What are some lessons you learned that you promptly forgot?

They have phenomenal responses. Their writing has meaning and resonance in my life. It reminds me that no matter how much we focus on race, class, gender, and other categories that continually separate and/or demarcate us, we share humanity. For me, memory is perhaps the most salient thread about and for humanity. With that, here are some things my students shared:

"Though I may wish to promptly forget them [bad memories], I resolve to build upon them."

"The power of memory is vastly underestimated. Although some believe the past is the past for a reason and it should not be brought up in the present. I believe that the past is where our greatest adventures and lessons lay."

"I may never forget the bad memories of the past but I can overshadow them with good."

"Memories are more fickle than snowflakes...It is through clarity of the past that we strive for a better future."

"My behavior and disposition is a product of what I was taught by the people in my life."

"Being able to remember everything is a frightening thought."

Why do we write?

We...write to heighten our own awareness of life...We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection...We write to be able to transcend our life, to reach beyond it...to teach ourselves to speak with others, to record the journey into the labyrinth...to expand our world, when we feel strangled, constricted, lonely...When I don't write I feel my world shrinking. I feel I lose my fire, my color.

--Anais Nin

The Diary of Anais Nin, v. 5

20 Ways to Relieve Stress. I need this.

1. Work it off. Blow off steam physically with activities.
2. Talk out your worries. It helps to share concerns with someone you trust and respect. Sometimes another person can help you see a new side to your problem and, thus, a new solution.
3. Say "no" more often. Refuse inappropriate requests and turn down invitations you really don't have time for.
4. Learn to accept what you cannot change. If the problem is beyond your control at this time, try to your best to accept it until you can change it.
5. Relax your standards. Doing everything perfectly is not only unnecessary--it's boring. Life's a lot easier when you ignore a little dirt, take shortcuts when appropriate, let the grass grow a bit higher.
6. Find the humor in it. Every dilemma has something funny about it if you look for it.
7. Change your perspective. Instead of worrying, "what will happen if...", ask, "so what?"
8. Avoid self-medication. Speaks for itself.
9. Get enough sleep and rest. Ditto.
10. Get help with the jobs you hate. Barter or pay for the help if you need to; it's worth it.
11. Establish a serene place of your own. Even if it's just a comfortable chair in a quiet corner.
12. Count your blessings. Rarely is anything so bad that it couldn't be worse, and it helps to remember that. Appreciate what's going well.
13. Balance work and play. Amen.
14. Take time out. Breathe deeply, stretch your muscles, nap, meditate, anything.
15. Do something for others. Sometimes when you're distressed, you concentrate too much on yourself and your situation. Get your mind off yourself.
16. Take one thing at a time. It's self-defeating to tackle all your tasks at once. Set some aside and work on the most urgent.
17. Unclutter your life. Anything you do to simplify your life helps reduce stress.
18. Give in once in a while. IF you find the source of your stress is other people, try giving in instead of fighting and insisting you're always right. Other might begin to give in, too.
19. Reward yourself after stressful activities. Stop for a special lunch or treat, relax with a favorite tv show or book.
20. Make yourself available. When you're bored, stressed or feeling left out, go where there are people. Sitting alone can get frustrating.