Author: Katie L. Carroll (Page 132 of 142)

The Simple Perfection of Autumn in New England

October 8, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

If winter in New England is long and harsh, summer in New England is short and hot, and spring in New England is cool and rainy, then fall in New England may just be the perfect season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a summer baby and have no problem playing soccer in 90-degree heat, but fall has a certain magical quality about it here in CT.

I love the fresh crispness of the air contrasted with the earthy scent of decay, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the full moon clear in the sky, the spicy sweetness of apple cider, and the bite of a cool breeze on the tip of my nose and ears.

The temperature is pleasant (64 degrees today), the sun is usually shining (except for the October I got married when it poured for a full 13 days, leading right up to my wedding day…if rain on your wedding day is good luck, then I must have the best marriage luck in the world), and there’s plenty of fun fall activities.

I’ve already gone apple picking at Bishop’s Orchard, and I plan on making some great pies. Oh, and I got fresh apple-cider doughnuts, which were awesome. I have yet to pick—okay, not so much pick as in harvest, but pick as in select—pumpkins, but that’s definitely on the to-do list. There are also corn mazes, great hiking weather, and all the great fall foliage to check out. Of course, there are all the different haunted activities in the area as well.

Yep, fall is quite wonderful around here (knock on wood because I don’t want to jinx it!).

A Monster Mash-Up

September 30, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

Now that it’s almost October, I’ve decided it’s not too early to share this little bit of silly Halloween fun. Courtesy of the Oriental Trading Company (which is a good place to shop if you’re hosting a themed party), I made a Monster Mash-Up.

I created several of these with various people in my family and e-mailed the results to them. Admittedly, uploading and cropping those pictures to get the heads just right was way more fun than it should have been.

The one you got to see featured me, me, and more me (at various stages of my life). There’s me at a Yankees game, me sitting in a river with shorts on my head while on a girls’ camping trip, me in a swimming pool, me dressed up as a pirate for my Halloween party, and me sitting on a lawn with my sisters (we’re all in dresses). I picked the rock version of the song because, of course, I’m a rock star!

So often, it’s the little things in life that put a smile on my face. What makes you smile? (Oh, and if you decide to make your own Monster Mash-Up be sure to post a link for me…pretty please.)

Karaoke and My Favorite Punctuation

September 24, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

I think I heard “I Love You Period” at a karaoke night (I generally don’t get up and sing myself, except to maybe provide backup when the girls get up and do “Baby Got Back” or “Ice Ice Baby“). It’s really quite a terrible song, but I thought it fitting for National Punctuation Day (yeah, yeah, we all know I’m a big dork). Here’s the full chorus in all its glory:

I love you period
Do you love me question mark
Please, please exclamation point
I want to hold you in parentheses

I’ve been thinking about what my favorite punctuation mark is, and I have to say I don’t think I can decide. I’m a big fan of the semicolon; yet I also really enjoy ellipses…and I’m sure you have all noticed how often I like to use parentheses (they’re great for asides). What’s your favorite?

Rivers of Fire

September 13, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

WaterFire Providence is an interactive work of art that was designed by Barnaby Evans. It consists of 100 iron braziers that seem to defy physics as they float on three rivers in downtown Providence. The fires are lit at sunset and keep going until after midnight.

(Here’s Waterplace Park in the daytime. You can see the braziers are stacked with wood. On the left is the Courtyard Marriott and on the right is the Westin Hotel. Even more buildings have been put up since this picture was taken a few years ago. This area of Providence has gone through a real growth period over the last ten years.)

The WaterFire experience is really something that can’t be described, but I’ll give it a try. Imagine a communal ritual based around fire—very natural and primal—but in a modern, urban setting. The juxtaposition is part of the beauty. In order to really appreciate the full work of art, the hubby and I walk down the riverside in a slow procession of people, surrounded by the sounds, smells, and sights of city and art. For once, I don’t mind having to take a minute to pause and experience all the moment has to offer. All my senses are engaged.

(Here’s the park at night from a different angle. Providence Place Mall is in the background.)

Sight is obvious. The bright orange flames glow in the braziers, reflecting off the inky waters. Bright ash flits by us. The boats move up and down the river: the pontoons full of people, the romantic gondola designed for two, and the staff boat with the black-clad volunteers that steal up to the braziers like some kind of fire phantoms. Then there’s the city scape: the Bank of America Building (locally known as the Superman Building), which always reminds me of Dana’s apartment building in Ghostbusters; the cars driving by; the mall; the people; the bridges; and all those the city lights. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the street performers dressed as gargoyles and fortune-tellers.

Smell is pretty obvious too, given that the scent of fire is pretty distinct. These fires smell of pine and cedar. But there’s also the city smells: car exhaust, street vendors, and all those unidentifiable, funky smells that are part of city life.

Sound is prevalent as well. The wood cackles and pops as the flames hit air pockets, and the musical program that is part of the art experience echoes along the walkway (my favorite song this visit is Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major” performed by Daniel Barenboim). And of course, there’s the sounds of the city: car horns, the shuffle of feet along the walkway, quiet murmurs of the crowd, and the whir of motors of both cars and boats.

Touch is more subtle. The fires send a wave of warmth across my skin. A light breeze blows my hair around my face. The stone walkway is cool and uneven beneath my sandals.

Taste is the most elusive sense. On this trip, I have the delicious memory of the previous night’s dinner. The hubby and I went to Constantino’s on Federal Hill. We started with carpaccio (which neither of us had ever eaten) and some Riesling. Then I had gnocchi and the hubby had chicken parmigiana. Both were awesome! For dessert, I had a cannoli platter…of course! But none of that really has anything to do with the WaterFires. Sure, there’s a bunch of restaurants along the rivers, but I want a better connection between taste and fire. Well, the program informs me that Indian Buddhists believe the element water is associated with taste (fire is sight, earth is smell, and air is touch).

Even with having to stretch a little for taste, it was still a lovely evening.

Feeling A Story Despite A Language Barrier

September 2, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

My nephew and sister showed me this clip of the Ukraine’s Got Talent winner and it was so moving I had to share it. (And for once I had something to show my husband on YouTube that he hadn’t already seen!)

I won’t pretend to understand all the symbolism of the piece (seeing as I’ve never been to the Ukraine or lived in a war-torn country), but it was certainly impressive. The speed and accuracy with which Ms. Simonova drops, moves, and swipes the sand around the light board is amazing. I love how she layers the images to merge one into another instead of wiping the whole board clean and starting over. Her musical choices (my favorite was Apocalypitca’s rendition of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”) were also effective in setting the tone of the piece and assisting the transitions.

As a writer, I felt like this was a lesson in story-telling. There was so much to learn from this piece: establishing voice and tone, use of symbolism, flawless transitions, engaging multiple senses, drama, story arch, relevance to the real world, emotional connection, character. It was all there. And even though it was on a Ukrainian television show, there was really no language barrier to deal with. I love words and language, but this piece just goes to show that they are limited in ways that art isn’t.

What did you think? Oh, and keep an eye out for my next post about another multisensory art form (one I have actually experienced first-hand).