I’ve Been Tagged

Sharon, my dear friend, of Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature, tagged me! She has really cool lists of books with deaf characters in almost all genres, including comic books.

Here’s the deal:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I have to answer questions and people I tag have to answer the same questions, so here I go.

What was I doing 10 years ago:

I was working at a Lutheran camp that has year around camping programs. While I was there, I did weekend retreats with churches and taught classes in maple syrup, forest study, stream study, and cooperative learning. I learned so many skills that I still use today: showing enthusiasm, staying motivated, finding a hook to grab people’s attention regardless of their ages, performing on stage, and learning about cooperative activities.

Five Snacks I enjoy:

1. Bagel with cream cheese and a mocha latte with a book to read outside (hence my name: Moxie Mocha)
2. Salt & Vinegar Chips
3. Toblerone Chocolate
4. Chocolate Raspberry Cake with a glass of red win
5. Pretzels

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Pay off all of my debt and buy a house.
2. Invest in Barnes & Noble so I can always get books
3. Co-Establish a scholarship program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing youth with Sharon )
4. Establish a philanthropy program to give out grants to churches to launch new ministries and to expand their ministries.
5. Establish trust funds for my nieces.

Five jobs that I have had:

1. Library Aide

2. Missionary Intern in Alabama (Upper Sand Mountain Parish)

3. Camp Counselor & Program Staff (Lutheran Memorial Camp)

4. Tutor

5. Teacher

Three of my habits:

1. Reading
2. Annoying my husband

3. Exercising

Five places I have lived:

1. Belle Valley, Ohio

2. New Concord, Ohio

3. Sylvania, Alabama

4. Mt. Gilead, Ohio

5. Kent, Ohio

6. Staunton, Virginia

Name your irrational phobias: Snakes, Heights (While working at camp, I had to take care of the snake and clean its cage. The snake did bite me. I also climbed the wall and “tolerated” the heights.

Add one new part:

Name your five favorite books of all time: Jane Eyre, The Chosen, The World According to Garp, The Diary of a Young Girl, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:

1. Nevada Girl – she left comments on my blog about my book reviews. She has an interesting blog
2. Ear of My Heart – She has a beautiful and inspiring blog
3. Deaf Mom Shares Her World – I love her blog and she shares her passion about her children. She is also involved with Hands & Voices, a parent organization for parents with deaf children.
4. Josh Swiller – I read his book and I absolutely love his writing style. I hope he continues to write
5. Chris Heuer – I just met him a couple of weeks ago to listen to him speak about his new book and his other stories he has written. He’s a blogging member of DeafDC.com

Thanksgiving

As I was researching for something to say about Thanksgiving, I came across this profound thought from a young teenager.

“I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.”
– Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank

The Brothers Grimm

Last night, I saw “The Brothers Grimm,” a Terry Gilliam movie. First of all, I’m quite impressed with the cinematography. The way they filmed it makes you feel like you’re there with the brothers. Angles and camera sweeps are “realistic”, especially in the scene of The Red Riding Hood. The colors in the setting are beautiful; it’s much richer compared to other films, in my opinion.

On the second point, the plot is intriguing. They started the plot with the brothers fooling the small village as if they were getting rid of the demons for them. Instead they used magic tricks. It’s a fantasy movie with references to several fairy tales. The ending was a typical fairy tale ending: “they lived happily ever after.”

I don’t know much about the Grimm Brothers, other than the supposed fact that they collected and wrote the fairy tales. I’m not so sure if they actually did exorcisms of so-called demons in these small villages. According to my quick research, they did not. They went to law school and became fascinated with local folk stories. So they collected and wrote the stories.

Lastly, this is not the movie to show to kids. It has some really scary, gory and unexpected scenes. I was a little disappointed, because it would be cool to show to kids and have them identify and analyze different fairy tales. Strong language was also used. The overall grade I would give this movie is 4 out of 5.

Faith Club

Recently, I read The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner. These three women represent the following religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. When I started to read this book, I couldn’t put it down. Each woman had an interesting perspective, and all three of them were striven to understand each other’s religion. I would like to start my own faith club one day with three deaf women representing these religions. The experience would be powerful and would make a huge impact on my life.

Here is the website for your own perusal.

Medea

Today, I went to Richmond to see “Medea.” I thoroughly enjoyed watching the play since it’s been a while for me to see a play with deaf actors. The interesting thing about the play was that there were several levels of communication between Medea and other characters. For example, her husband, Jason, did it in sim-com. Her father used an interpreter and signed some words that he knew. The king, of course, used an interpreter. Other than that, deafness was not an issue. The issue that Medea made was that women were being oppressed in Greece, as it was originally written. I like the fact deafness was not an issue; it’s a part of the character’s life.

Mary Vreeland, a student at VCU for MFA, did an excellent job portraying Medea. The cast also really showed that they took the time to study ASL along with the play. Not all cast members signed; only a select few signed.

Costumes on the other hand were not clear in sense of purpose. Some clothes were modern. Medea’s costume looked like it was from medieval times. The guards had machine guns. What is the point of the discrepancy in the time periods? Is the artistic director trying to tell us that the play is timeless? I don’t know.

On a different issue, some of the signing was to the back rather than to the audience, which made it hard for me to see some of what is being said. At the end, Medea was above the audience and I was seated next to the scaffolding. That made it difficult for me to look up and watch. So my kind friend interpreted what Medea said to her husband Jason.

Overall, it was a good play and was a great outing for me. It was cool to meet and eat with the “star” along with other deaf attendees. It was a blast.

Nalaga’at

I found this really cool theatre group via Deaf Digest (www.deafdigest.com). Nalaga’at, “do touch,” is a theatre group of 12 people who have Usher’s syndrome. (Those who have Usher’s tend to be blind and deaf.) They are based in Jerusalem, and have already traveled around the world. Their current performance is called “Light is heard in Zig Zag,” and their upcoming Carabet style performance, “Not on Bread Alone.” There is a short video clip and some pictures on their website. When they come back to the states, I’m going to see this wonderful group. I advise you to do the same.

Gil Eastman & Deaf Mosaic

I just received the news that Gil Eastman has passed away yesterday. He died of cancer. I grew up watching the television program called “Deaf Mosaic” in which he was a co-host. I loved that program, and that was where I learned so much about deaf history and culture, considering the fact that I was mainstreamed with a few other deaf students. This past summer, I went to Gallaudet for their summer program, and I stayed in the dorm. I was able to watch the re-runs late at night, and remembered some of the episodes. I remember thinking I wish it was re-running on PBS or Discovery Channel again, so that I can watch them again at home. “Deaf Mosaic” chronicles deaf events, recollections of the history, deaf professionals, and so forth. I remember the young couple decided to quit their jobs and start the chicken farm. I wonder what they’re doing now. I also remember the famous episode on “Deaf President Now,” 1988 protest. Another favorite is about the history of different deaf schools.

Gil Eastman was truly great, and he shall be remembered for his work on “Deaf Mosaic,” ASL and drama. I hope there will be a memorial on Gallaudet campus or American School for the Deaf.

I tried to find links and/or images to help you learn more about “Deaf Mosaic.” Unfortunately, there are only videos from Captioned Media Program, and that’s not much to read online. If you are deaf, you can borrow them for free. Here is one blog honoring Gil Eastman. I also did a Google search on Gil Eastman, and again, I got videos on his interviews from Captioned Media Program.

UPDATE as of 12.5.06: Gallaudet University now has a video library, where you can access to “Deaf Mosaic.” All of the “Deaf Mosaic” episodes will be online by the end of January.

UPDATE as of 12.9.06: Thanks to my friend and colleague, he sent me this lovely tribute. Check it out. Those of you who remember Gil Eastman, it will bring tears to your eyes.

John Irving’s books

I have read three of his books: The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany and Cider House Rules. I have to say that A Prayer for Owen Meany is the best of the three. All of them are good books; all of them have been made into movies. I have only seen Garp and Cider House Rules. I have not yet seen Simon Birch, which was a loose adaption of Owen Meany.

Why do I like Owen Meany the best? It’s about a relationship between two young men growing up together in the same town. Johnny is the main character; Owen is his best friend. It’s a tragic comedy; it’ll make you laugh and cry. Johnny lives with his grandmother; Owen accidentally killed Johnny’s mother. Because of that, Owen believes he is an instrument of God. Owen is not your typical best friend; he has dwarfism and has a strange, high-pitched voice. Johnny doesn’t know his father and searches for him, which turns out not to be the major plot. The major plot revolves around the relationship between these two young men.

It’s a long novel, yet it’s a page turner once you get into it. There are religious themes that I find it to be enlightening and funny to read. If you have time to read, read this book. You won’t regret reading it.

D-PAN

Deaf Performing Artists Network, D-PAN, is a non-profit organization that makes music videos for the deaf and hard of hearing. One video that they have recently produced is called “Where’d you go,” a song by Fort Minor. Deaf performing artists signed the song like it’s a music video. This is my first time seeing anything like this, and at a good quality. They incorporated the use of ASL, captioning, and visual media, and they did an excellent job. There are other videos which were sent to them by other deaf performing artists. Check it out!

Review of Dreamcatcher

I recently got “Dreamcatcher” in the mail from Blockbuster.com. Somehow that movie got into my queue. I am not a fan of Stephen King, nor will I ever be. (Sorry Stephen King fans!) I watched the movie anyway. I never read any of his horror books; I have started to read the Dark Towers series.

First of all, it had a good, gripping plot. At the beginning of the movie, it was quite mild and just like any other movie. But the horror began, I wanted to stop the movie. I couldn’t, because I wanted to have closure and to know what happened at the end.

What I don’t understand about the movie is the connection between the dream catcher and the boys’ (later who grew up to be men) ability to predict and to read other people’s minds. It wasn’t explained in the movie. Also, there was an odd boy who introduced these boys to that special ability. I know that his purpose in life was to save the world from aliens. What does that have to do with the dream catcher? Does anyone know?

I would give this movie 1 1/2 star out of four stars.