stringless

I've taken an interest in different traditional forms of drama, which include to some extent puppetry. Not necessarily the American, Western hemisphere type but the Oriental, Eastern variety, although we share some similar traits. Puppetry has in many ways become an art estranged from its psyche, perhaps because, like most things, it attracts the attention and imagination of children, so we decide to clean & shape it up so that it will better serve our purposes as a training tool. Add to that the dissolution we've taken upon ourselves to nullify religious subjects in our art & entertainment and we are left with, well, shadows. Shadows which don't permit any contrast, opacity or illumination. The traditional tales & characters from the East seem better equipped psychologically- thus reflecting an aptitude of it's creators & community- to deal with a greater scope of life in a common measure. Here the sacred commingle with the profane & the crude interact with the cultured, all in high spirits & good fun, with little self censoring or obfuscation of the truth, whether divinely inspired or deviously fabricated. The world is complicated nexus of possible worlds & penetrable precepts which are not exclusive or limited to a select few. Puppetry has found its niche, one of simplicity before the courts and alleys of the commonwealth where all alike are invited to celebrate the joys & woes, the victories & defeats found in our book of days, where we rub shoulders equally with the God of Holiness as well as the Lord of misrule. That is the threshold & thrust of our stage in life for we all are shadows, ever changing apertures which permit & obscure, reflect & transcend light and truth.

meet Tomoko- our crazy delightful genius friend

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tomoko for a couple of years now. She is a good friend of Cheryl's & one of the many fringe benefits that come with getting married- you incorporate one another's wonderful friends. Tomoko makes these humorous little characters which she calls Po, and they are about the size of your fingernail. I told you she is crazy. If you can imagine that, then just move on further and consider that she makes dozens of these on a semi-daily basis. The Po characters come in all colors and types with their own very small costumes and props. What do you do with a Po? Give them to your friends, exchange them, keep them nearby to remind you that, beside and beneath it all, the world has some unexpected, hidden surprises yet to be discovered. They never fail to brighten a face when someone sees them. She is marketing them through Flickr and Etsy. Come check them out & get to know our wonderful, incredible Tomoko better. She's our bestest Po- we should all be so fortunate to know one.

my amazing wife

meet cheryl. there is much to be said about my wife but it would take forever to even break into a fair description. she pretty much does it all- writes, designs (which she does for a living), makes her own cards & journals and recently had some of her own beautiful designs made into paper prints. and can she knit- she can knit designer chainmail out of snowflakes. why anyone should want to do such a thing i'm not so sure. if you are a knitting freak like she is you should check out her blog at http://yarnbee.blogspot.com/