Simone de Beauvoir LIVE ! Sort of

I have found footage of Simone de Beauvoir and would like to share it with you, my dear reader.  I hope you enjoy it!  This footage was taken from youtube.com.  Modern technology never ceases to amaze me.

A First! So What's Next?

Having read my first book by Madame de Beauvoir and recorded my thoughts, I find myself excited at the prospect of a new challenge:  reading all eight of the books currently in my possession written by Simone de Beauvoir. 

Hardly an arduous task, but one that finds me trying to decide which one to start.  My collection--don't I sound like a bibliophile--of de Beauvoir consists of the following:

A Very Easy Death

All Said and Done

Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter

The Prime of Life

The Woman Destroyed

After the War Force of Circumstance

Force of Circumstance volume II

When Things of the Spirit Come First

So, beloved readers, if you have a preference or would care to encourage me to one particular book or another, I'd be forever in your gratitude.  At this moment, I think I may try Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter since it might flow nicely after the post about A Very Easy Death.  I can't help but be intrigued by The Woman Destroyed simply because of its title.

Non-Traditional

A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir

This small paperback, a mere 123 pages in length, is the firsthand account of the death of her mother. I chose to read this book for a number of reasons, the least of which was its length, which explained how I was able to read it in two nights. I’d never read any of Madame de Beauvoir’s work prior to this one and was interested as to her style of writing as well as her work in general. A Very Easy Death presented a way to appease my curiosity in addition to provide a possible connection between Simone and me. That it did.

I saw a number of commonalities, and in the end, I realized that despite language, lifestyle, and beliefs, Simone de Beauvoir and I do have commonalities. For example, we are both daughters, and although she had one sister, I have two. We both lost a parent rather suddenly; mine in less than twenty-four hours and hers in less than a year. Both our deceased parents died as a result of the same malady.  It is the relationship between mother and daughter that struck a chord with me. 
The mother-daughter relationship is as complex as it is simple. Simone describes hers as “a dependence both cherished and detested.” Well said, Madame de Beauvoir. Luckily my blog is not a psychological endeavor so Science and statistics will not be included: I will speak from personal experience. Furthermore, since the comments and thoughts are mine, I have the benefit of not citing any works, which, dear reader, is a complete joy!

According to my research, Francoise de Beauvoir was domineering and her religious beliefs clashed with those of her atheist daughter, Simone. It has been said that Francoise wanted the lives of her daughters—Simone and younger daughter, Poupette—to be the way she envisioned them and befitting the bourgeois lifestyle in which she grew up. To return to the list of commonalities with Madame de Beauvoir, suffice it to say that reading about her “daughter-hood” was akin to reading about my own .

To me, there is no greater weapon of mass destruction then imposing your will on someone else. I draw your attention to the strained relationship between mother and daughter de Beauvoir. The younger de Beauvoir wanted nothing to do with such traditions and way of life that her mother preferred. My mother wanted a traditional lifestyle for me as well: earn a college degree, get married, have babies while being the best wife (i.e., supporting my husband’s career through proper social behavior and attending events as the dutiful wife), raise the child(ren), send them off to college and watch the circle continue.

Since tradition was all I’d known, I didn’t have the opportunity to take in the bigger picture—that of Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, and all our “Foremothers” who pioneered the path of equality for women. I was raised on all those “happily ever after” stories. Too bad they don’t come with “troubleshooting” instructions since I never had a fairy godmother, seven short guys, a mermaid’s tail, or even a wicked stepmother to feed me apples.

I wanted my parents to be proud of me, and associating pride with love, I tried my darnedest to achieve that pride. When I went to college, I set about finding my college sweetheart so that we could live “happily ever after” despite my lack of a mermaid tail. The man I met and dated was a brilliant scholar, clearly on the corporate ladder and destined to achieve greatness. He earned his undergrad and graduate degrees quickly and with honors, and went about finding his niche. I earned my “Mrs.” Degree by choosing a man of whom my parents would approve and proceeded my walk down the traditional path. I packed my bags and followed along as the young wife. My parents approved of him whole heartedly. Why wouldn’t they? He was intelligent, ambitious, good-looking, and would take care of me “til death do us part”.

Update: we are both alive, but the marriage is not. Our daughter just graduated from college and our son completed his freshman year. He socializes with my family.

It is now, many years later, that I am living a somewhat non-traditional lifestyle. I am finishing the degree I started way back when and I’m certain of my major. Really! Granted the chances for a job were far greater had I graduated “on time”, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. To me, being non-traditional means attending the collegiate commencement exercises of your child and finding it an inspiration to attend your own.

Housework in Space !

I was quickly reminded of Madame deBeauvoir's thoughts on domestic chores:  “Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day.”

Even in space, domestic chores are futile!

For more amazing photos from space, click here

Prizes! Prizes! Oh My Prizes!

The prizes have started to arrive and my excitement continues to build about the contest.  Maybe it's the amazingly good-looking UPS man and his flirtatious ways that have me "twitterpaited" as Bambi would say. 

I know I have plenty of readers who are creative, so put on your "Re-Purposing" caps and get started.  One artistic reader offered using a beer stein as a pencil holder, a vase as a toothbrush holder (which counts as two re-purposes since the word can be pronounced with a long "a" or short one), and making a bracelet out of buttons.  Dare I say this reminded me of THE WATCH at Funky Chicken Art Project so much so that I needed a moment to collect myself before continuing to read. 

Contest Prizes

Yes, my beloved readers, you may quiet your minds for I have prizes for the "Re-Purposing" Contest.  They are expected to arrive soon--my anticipation grows as does my desire to keep them for myself--and will be photographed for posting and your viewing promptly. 

It's my hope that they exceed my expectations.  Granted, an expectation is a resentment waiting to happen--something which I learned the hard way and may I also add that it's a lesson that's worth repeating, so I do it periodically--and I therefore hope the prizes do not disappoint.

All that having been said, my dear reader, I haven't heard a peep from you regarding entries.  I do hope the silence is a result of your brains working diligently on entries and not apathy. 

For  my newer readers who might find themselves intrigued and yearning for details about the contest, I encourage you to view the post of Monday, June 14 below.

Selfishly I might add that should no one enter the contest, I will happily enjoy the prizes myself and be forever grateful to you, my dear readers! 

Wouldn't that be an interesting twist on re-purposing?

Funky Chicken Art Project

I had the opportunity to visit a wonderful, inspiring, and fun place today:  The Funky Chicken Art Project.  It's name describes it perfectly.  The location is a studio and gallery with droves of artwork.  Live animals abound.  In fact, my greeter was an adorable dog named Mouse.  I felt like I was visiting family as he joyfully approached me as I stepped out of my vehicle.
My next greeter was two-legged, Christina White, owner and artist in resident.  I shared that I had visited the website and was curious to see what artistic talent lurked within the primitive barn-like structure.  Ms. White was a fountain of information about the artists represented as well as the gallery. 

The bright colors burst from artwork of all forms and media.  An artist traveled from Pennsylvania and left a number of hand-painted "people".  I think the benches were hers as well, but I could be mistaken.  If you really need to know for sure, you can send an email with your question here.  I don't think Mouse handles e-mails, but I could be wrong. 

As a courtesy, I asked if it would be alright to photograph items and post them on my blog because,  I am offering a wonderful contest for my beloved readers, and I was hoping photos would serve as inspiration.   Specifically, I wanted to see a piece of jewelry that had been shown on the FCAP website.  It was an incredible example re-purposed jewelry. 

Having ogled it on the website, planned my day around a trip to FCAP in order to purchase it, and justifying the $150 purchase with the idea that would have made the perfect accessory for every outfit I could design from my wardrobe, I asked to see the watch.  Sadly, it was no longer in the studio.  I was wallowing in disappointment, so I don't know if it was sold or if Mouse decided to learn to tell time. 

It's important to share that I haven't worn a watch in probably eight years.  Why?  There are plenty of clocks around to let me know the time:  bedroom, bathroom, computer, cell phone, microwave, car, stove, and the frequent announcement from the DJ.  Clearly this had to be some sort of watch to break my watchless rebellion. 

You might also need to know that the website clearly states that the inventory is currently sold out.  Apparently I was too busy fantasizing about the watch on my wrist that I didn't see that silly little sentence.

Enough about the watch.  I'm over it, really.  Did I mention that I was silver?  I only wear silver jewelry--or white gold and probably wouldn't turn down platinum--and find constant frustration with all those gold pieces.

Anyway, Christina enlightened me to the idea of artwork is copyrighted.  In other words, if I took a photo of something--a watch, perhaps--and someone copied the watch, they'd be guilty of copyright infringement.  She went on to share that people actually go to art shows, photograph various items, have the items mass produced overseas and leave an artist empty-handed for their time and effort.  It is my hope that my shock was somewhat masked. 

I've heard about plagiarism ad nausea.  As a photographer, I've signed copyright agreements.  Copyright for artists?  Who knew?!?  I didn't, that's for sure.  Clearly the only solution was to keep my camera safely fastened in its case and walk through the gallery, taking only memories. 

It seemed like a wonderful plan until I stepped into the sculpture garden and found myself with a trigger finger.  OK, I could photograph the animals.  But wait, does God have a (c) on His creatures?  I'd hate to go up against Him in a courtroom.  What about the plants? 

I am not making light of this.  Reproducing ideas is stealing.  STEALING.  It doesn't matter if it's printed matter or a fabulous sculpture.  Stealing is stealing.  I went so far as to Google "Copyrights for Artists" and found this at the website  Copyright for Artists

You also have the moral imperative to respect the rights of other artists, and to have your rights treated with the same consideration.

Regrettably, I can't share photos of the wonderful works of art I experienced today because it worries me.  I can share my memories Mouse, the roosters, the pheasants, and the two pieces of art that gave me pause. 

The first one is a wonderful woman with a broad-brimmed hat among plants.  The instant I saw her, I decided her name should be "Mother Earth" because, donned in a colorful apron, sitting among her beloved greenery, she epitomized a loving female, tending to her loved ones.  Her name is Otha and she is the work of Virginia Bullman and LaNelle Davis. 

A little farther down the path, there stands a marvelous two pieced work of art.  Two female figures face each other with their hands raised.  It's titled "Time Passages" and is also the work of Virginia Bullman and LaNelle Davis.  The dress of one is decorated with the phases of the moon; the other various designs of the sun.  I strolled by the piece and reflected on how time passes--all too often it passes quickly--and how Simone once said, "live with no time out". 

I can--and will--happily share the FCAP website with you and you can plan your trip. Check out  funkychicken.  If you go, tell Mouse I said hello, give my regards to the roosters, and maybe you can bring me back a souvenir in the form of a watch ?