On the Tenth Day of Christamas and The Other 15 Films Meme

illustration from Beatrix Potter's Rabbits' Christmas Party

I am almost out of steam for the last two days of Christmas but I'm still all fired up about the lists of fifteen films some of you groovy readers have left for me in comments or on your blog. Those of you who said fifteen films is too few to list - I agree!

Here is the second list of fifteen and I'm sure I could still come up with more, quite quickly.

 1. Hannah and Her Sisters - Woody Allen

 2. Priscilla of the Desert 

 3. Boys Don't Cry 

 4. Fargo (thanks for the reminder!)

 5. Run, Lola, Run

 6. E.T. (another one I was reminded of)

 7. The Wizard of Oz

8.  Love and Anarchy - Lina Wurtmuller

9.  The Red Violin

10.The Song Remains the Same - the Led Zeplin movie

11. Pecker - John Waters

12. I Shot Andy Warhol

13. Capote

14. The Last Picture Show

15. Monster's Ball

15 Films Meme

Just when I thought I was done with memes, up pops a blog called The Banksyboy Brief and here I go...okay...I admit to being a bit bored this holiday break and looking forward to getting back into my regular routine tomorrow.

Anyway, don't take too long to think about it and come up with a list of fifteen films that you will never forget. Leave me a link, won't you.

1.  Taxi Driver

2. Breaking the Waves

The incomparible Emily Watson as Bess McNeil in  Breaking the Waves directed by Lars von Trier

3. Midnight Cowboy
4. The Piano
5. Knife in the Water

7. Black Orpheus

8. The Bicycle Thief
9. I Am Sam
10. The Hours
11. Annie Hall

12. Blood Simple



13. The Graduate
14. The Last Waltz
15. The Girl with a Pearl Earring



All the Memes (A lot, anyway)

Hello and welcome to the Pagan Sphinx blog, from which I will be launching my entry to a handful of photo memes I like to participate in. Mainly I post my photos to the Pagan's Eye, as TPS is mostly an art blog. But every once in a while I get a wild hare and switch things around a bit. I thought it would be nice to show my Pagan Sphinx visitors a slice of my surroundings, if they don't usually visit the Pagan's Eye Photo Blog. (Though you should check the haunted house in my neighborhood). 


For those who are not familiar with them, a meme, in this case, is a photo sharing game between bloggers, usually around a specific theme and posted weekly on a consistent day. I'm combining themes in one post:  Sky Watch, Water Wednesday, Yard Art and My World.  Most of these are international and it's always a blast to see other people's lives, their skies, their water and views. 


At the end of the post, all the memes will be linked to their respective sites, should you choose to wander over and see for yourself the gorgeous photographs that people post from around the globe.


Below are some recent shots I took in my front yard in western Massachusetts, on a quiet street with lots of trees and mostly well-preserved houses built in the early 1950's. Our house is across the road from a clearing that shows off a panoramic view of the Connecticut River Valley. I'm not sure that I can ever completely leave this river valley home, despite the harsh winters. 

Have a great weekend.

Peace and love,

Pagan Sphinx 

The same view as above, but from a lot further back. We put up the plastic skeleton every year and the red object in the tree is a birdhouse we bought in Nova Scotia this summer.

And my mums and gourds to keep me company.  ;-)

Pagan Sphinx Photo © All Rights Reserved

SKY WATCH

TODAY'S FLOWERS

WATERY WEDNESDAY

Think Green Thursday; A New Meme

(click to enlarge)

A note about the photograph: it was taken by me after a visit to the Smith College Greenhouse in Northampton, Mass. I had to smile because I agree with virtually every sentiment depicted on the bumper sticker laden vehicle. The Happy Valley is chock-full of bumper stickers like these; lots of Obama bumper stickers, etc. But this is really over the top in terms of the number of slogans.

In case you haven't taken note, I'm fairly addicted to what bloggers call "photo memes". After many years of taking photographs in spurts, I've decided I don't want to ever miss another photo opportunity again. Whether it's my family or a place I visit; something to do while I'm waiting for something else to happen or a visual record of my every move, I've really taken to the digi-cam. I don't have a fancy camera, nor do I consider myself any type of real photographer. My interest in photography isn't to crow about how good my photo is but to experiment with images in a sort of diary-like way. I've also found that taking digital snapshots allows me to photograph a lot of signs and description cards in art museums, so I don't forget who the artist was who created the piece. I have frequently photographed street signs, addresses and storefronts, hours of operation and labels on products.

Having an outlet for using these images, photo memes are a fun way to see where other people live, what their interests and passions are and what their families and surroundings are like, who their pets are, what they do for a living. It's all interesting. Blogs that highlight great places to visit do more to attract me there than a boring travel site. I really love this virtual travel!

I've really not gotten to the point, have I? Being as addicted to these photographs blogs with their themes and challenges, I had to, of course, start my own. A few weeks ago, I thought it would a small challenge to create a weekly meme (with or without photos) that dealt with the environment in some way. Think Green Thursday is off and running. Trouble is, I'm not sure how I'm going to keep it up once summer is in full swing. I've going to have a very active summer! But I'll deal with that when the times gets closer.

One of the things I'm already liking about the first few weeks of Think Green Thursday is that it keeps me honest about my own efforts at doing my part for the environment. And the more I learn when I do my net research for it or when I read the posts that others have contributed to the meme, the more I'm aware of how I should do my part and how. One of the things I'm becoming increasingly aware of is what is called "green washing". One can see this in TV commercials for large corporations, some (most?) of whom think they can sell you their energy products and cars by painting their slogans green. This phenomenon exists in small retail shops as well. You have to be careful what you're buying. Some cute little porcelain dish in the local coop may very well be made in China, one of the world's worst polluters. While it's impossible to avoid products made in China, if I can I will and I do. It's also a reminder not to buy a lot of crap you don't really need.

Think Green Thursday has attracted the attention of several excellent bloggers who post on the environment and I'm thrilled they've agreed to participate whenever they can. I want to give a hat tip to these groovy people. The badges for TGT have been created and contributed to the effort by the people noted below. A huge thanks to you all.

Blog badge by Mary

Mary The Teach, who is a brilliant professor, writer and photographer, created the above badge for me using one of my own photos. Mary has contributed some really excellent posts to the meme. She's a veteran blogger with two really popular photo memes of her own. Sorry that I may not have time to link you to them all: Ruby Tuesday, Window Views; just to name a few.

badge by Christine Gram

This one was created by Christine Gram using her photograph. Christine's blog Strange Pilgram is new to me but what a gem I've found. Since most of my bloggie buds are women, you'll enjoy the post Going With the Flow. But men who are affected by how weird we women become during regular monthly intervals may be able to relate to it, too.


Gemma Weisman of Melbourne, Australia is the author of Greyscale Territory, a wonderful blog chock-full of original poetry, photography and magic. She created the button for my new blog you see below.

Badge by Gemma Weisman

Amanda Guthrie's Green Scene. Amanda is doing all sorts of interesting projects at Green Scene: posting all sorts of interesting sites, networking and educating like crazy! You can tell Amanda realizes that when it comes to the environment, we can't afford to waste time. I highly suggest you visit her and give her a thumbs-up on all her efforts.

Amanda created this badge for the new meme:

badge by Amanda Guthrie

My gal-pal Betmo in upstate New York has a really groovy and political blog, Got Green? that focuses on the environment, sustainability and green living. She doesn't bullshit or pull any punches, so it may not always be cute. But I guarantee you'll learn something and Bet will have you wanting to do something about it.

Thorne's Blog on Smog which contains the contributions of several other authors, is loaded with interesting articles and resources on green technology, recycling, fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, etc. It is a very professionally put-together effort with potential to reach a lot of readers. Please check out this blog as well as Thorne's World.

Last but no means least, is my dear friend Bobbie of the blog Almost There. Bobbie never fails to hold up her end of the responsibility when comes to issues that matter. The environment is no exception. Her contributions to the new meme have been excellent and informative. I really appreciate your efforts on this, Bobbie!

If you have anything you'd like to contribute to Think Green Thursday, please email me with resources for posts or create your own post and link back to me. Or just create your "green" post! Come on! You know it's important!

All the love,
Pagan Sphinx

REM, Earth Day and Thinking Green...

or trying to.

Somehow in my insane mind, this song Crush With Eyeliner by REM connects somewhat to the honest scrap stuff I revealed about myself. Nothing too serious goin' on in this brain right now... You can count on that... ;-) This one goes to the one I love - Omar.

Oh, go on - hug it! :-)

I hope you've enjoyed a memorable Earth Day
Wanna see the new blog? a meme called Think Green Thursday. Don't let the color name fool you, I'm really hoping it will have more substance than that, given its eco-conotations.
Come by and take a look. Perhaps you have something of your very own to offer? I'd like it to be eclectic and educational and creative, too.

Dogs of Lust - The The

I'm playing Kay's Seven Deadly Sins meme. The first of which is - Lust.

So because I'm a pathetically lazy blogger, my contribution is a song. Kinda lame, I know but put on your headphones and turn it up. You know you want to listen to it...

Fabulous Blog Award

I've recently ventured out farther into the blogosphere and have discovered some very fine blogs. Gobs of blogs. Largely, the new blogs I've been reading have been introduced to me by people who like to take pictures and post them to various theme memes such as Ruby Tuesday and Shadow Shot Sunday, to name my two favorites.

Honestly, I don't know how I ended up at Thorne's World but as I did, she had just moved out of blogger and into her new space on Word Press. First of all, I immediately admired her courage in doing this, as Word Press is exactly where I should be renting. But I'm scared to lose all of my blog possessions. And when I went to Thorne's World and was immediately treated to a laugh in just the first sentence of the first post I read, I knew that I would want to have Thorne as one of my bloggy friends.

So, friends of the Pagan Sphinx, please meet Thorne from California, whom I am only just getting to know but already think highly of. I'm honored to have been recognized by you with this award.

And today when I read my comments I was invited to Thorne's World to pick this up:



I love the yellow dress. I could never pull off yellow, not even when my hair was deep brown. Maybe because my skin is light but an olive undertone. And the heels are something my size 91/2 feet could never tolerate. Though I do have a thing for nice shoes, especially strappy sandals. I don't care for hats and I only wear one when I absolutely have to in scortching heat or heavy rain or bittere below zero temps. Oh and the dog. I always think I'd like to have a sassy little dog one day - isn't that some sort of little terrier she's walking? They're cute and jaunty and everything but my experienes with them have not been good: too barky and annoying and nippy. I have never been that skinny, either. Especially at this stage of my life.

I would not have written so much about the blog award picture if it didn't love it, which I do. It's very 60's Paris. And I loved getting from Thorne, my new blog bud, who, as it turns out is a blog bud of Betmo, who also recieved this award because she is awesomelly well-informed and tells it like it is. Bet (whom I have taken to called Betty in my head) is also a really nice person and dedicated blog bud.

Now. For the rules:

I'm supposed to name five addictions:

1) blogging
2) taking pictures
3) carbonated spring water
4) collecting home renovation ideas (but rarely following through)
5) that first sip of coffee in the morning

Now I'm supposed to give the Fabulous Blogger Award of the lady with the little dog to five other bloggers who are not only deserving but will also play the 5 addictions game. It's really a win-win situation, if I think you're deserving you don't have to play the game to get the award. See? I'll still like you even if you don't play the game, in other words.

Steve at Color Sweet Tooth: a consumate artist, Steve is also a highly thoughtful commentator and kind and generous soul. You should check out his paintings. I actually own one and if I ever get around to affording the mat and frame for it, I will post a photo of it hanging on my wall. Meanwhile, you can view it here. It is even more beautiful in person, I assure you. If you like that, also please have a look at this one. It was inspired by my daughter and daughter-in-law's wedding at San Francisco City Hall. I still get chocked up when I think about how much this painting means to me and how grateful I am to know someone who was able to capture so beautifully the love between two young people just embarking on their future together. Thank you, Steve for your art and your friendship.

Hey, Harriet deserves this award. Tracey from Brisbane has treasures gallore about life and art in her city and she's a very fine photographer so her readers are treated to spectacular and creative photos of her environment. Tracey also hosts Shadown Shot Sunday, which can easily boast about the talent and dedication of a good number of participants weekly; all of whom are very intelligent, articualte and friendly. I highly recommend you visit, except that you will be swept off your feet by the beauty of Brisbane and then you won't stop chewing your partner's ear off about how you have to go there some day. Like me. ;-) And tracey, I'm thrilled that you've been coming by the Pagan Sphinx as well as "the eye". I enjoy your comments very much. Oh, and I love the "random surrel generator" thingie you have on your blog. I look forward to it. :-)

Bobbie at Almost There. She tells lots of stories about her Norman Rockwell past and her children and grandchildren but she's not stuck in the past and that's obvious by the posts she writes on the state of our nation and the world and her caring and concern for the earth and its people. I admire this lady a whole lot and I can't go a day without at least checking in quickly to see what she has to say. Bobbie also takes great photographs which she posts to various memes like Ruby Tuesday and Sky Watch Friday. In fact, it was through Bobbie's blog that I first discovered Sky Watch. And also how I met this wonderful blogger:

Dianne at Forks Off The Moment. What can I say? I adore her. She's sweet and very funny; down to earth and also creative and political and oh, so very cool. And she's a native of the greatest freakin' city on earth -New York. Dianne has an exceptional knack for writing posts that draw people like moths to a flame. And her photos are really good too. Check them out on Do You See What I See.

Susan and co-blogger Crow of Phantsythat. Susan is another amazing, imaginative, whimsical, creative, loving soul. The artwork she shares is so special and dear and lovingly rendered, that I'm always touched by what I see there and so grateful that I am fortunate enough to view her wonderful paintings and hand-painted silk scarves and purses and jewelry. Oh and did I mention how she can write, too? The kind Susan is well-traveled and shares many vignettes, adventures and pursuits through her other blogs: Adventures Ink and Baby Days a little illustrated story that I fell in love with on first read. Do have a look. Don't miss a thing.

Bookworm Meme

Susan has tagged me for a bookworm meme that includes this racy badge, which makes it all that much more fun!

Am I a bookworm? I don't read nearly as much as when, as a child, I earned the title, but I'm surrounded by books both at home and at work, which is an elementary school. Books have played a tremendous role in my life as the shapers of values, ideals, ideas and common sense. I credit my appetite for books with helping shape an art and literature lover whose experiences were not vast due to the limits of a Portuguese immigrant upbringing.

When I think about my love of books and reading and learning, I invariably think of my father, who died in 2005. He was a working class, immigrant man with a veracious appetite for reading. While his English was far from perfect, even after having lived in the U.S. for 20 years, he read three U.S. dailies from cover to cover, as well as books in Portuguese and French.

I recall family shopping trips to the local Mars department store, where in the toy department, I would seek out these cheap, hardbound copies of children's classics, which I would ask my father to buy for me to which he would almost always oblige. Some of these included Heidi, Little Women and Gulliver's Travels. I've managed to hang on to the ragged copy of Heidi, which I must have read at least 25 times.

Now, you may think that reading Heidi was a nine-year-old isn't very sexy but I had a hell of a crush on Peter, the goat keeper! ;-) Besides, before I knew it I had graduated to D.H. Lawrence!

Okay. Now for the rules of the meme. If you play, you are instructed to find a nearby book, turn to page 46, select the fifth sentence and type if out, including subsequent sentences. I interpret this to mean that whatever after the fifth sentence makes sense, should be included.

Like Susan, I picked up a couple of handy books that didn't quite work out. One was a book of the artwork of Nick Bantock, the creater of the Griffin and Sabine books, but the pages were not numbered and there is very little text. The other was a book I just bought at The Book Mill where I also ran into the problem of not enough text on the page due to the art plates. Finally, I resorted to grabbing a random book among several that were on top of one stack on a bookshelf:
Wintering by Kate Moses, a fictionalized account based on documented events and the work of Sylvia Plath. The book chronicles Plath's last six months living in a London flat before she killed herself, as well as weaving in and out of the pasdelving into much of what may have gone on during the period when Plath wrote Ariel, the last collection of her work. It's a beautifully written novel, clearly written by a scholar who both appreciated and understood Plath's work.

Here we go.

In truth, they are moving eagerly on, their life telescoping out fromthis claustrophobic walk-up; what does it matter to them who takes their exiguos flat? But surprisingly, it does.

"Hullo?", Sylvia says, elbows on the kitchen table, her free hand fingering her braided bun. "Assia, this is Sylvia Hughes - "

Her voice carries through the apartment, moving over it lightly, like a fine mist. It settles over the painted floors and glossy molding that traces the rooms. " - you'll have to visit us there. It's Ted's dreamscape. Our own Avalon, complete with apple trees and the bones of pagans."





Is reading sexy?

You can play too, just let me know if you do, so I can read your post.

Meaningless Meme

Ed tagged me for the Meaningless Meme and I, being unable to say no to such easy frivolity, am playing along.



1. Five names you go by:
* Gina
* Mommy
* Baby (at least it's not "Babe". which always reminds me of the pig)
* Mrs. P (which is not accurate but people always assume we're married)
* Pagan Sphinx (you know, in the blog world)

2. Three things you are wearing right now:
* earrings (always)
* an Indian print scarf
* purple tights

3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:

* a vacation
* a new work environment

4. Three people who will probably fill this out:

* Sherry
* Steve (because I'm curious as to what movie clip he'll choose)
* You!

5. Two things you did last night:

* Watched the movie Zodiac with WP
* Ordered a pizza

6. Two things you ate today:

* toast with butter
* black coffee

7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:

* SG2
* one known as a "busybody" - don't ask :-/

8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:

* go to work
* pay bills

9. Two longest car rides:

* Paris to Lisbon (as a wee lass)
* Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

10. Two of your favorite beverages:

* wine
* sparkling spring water


And finally, my favorite part: a clip from a favorite movie, Breaking the Waves with the incomparable Emily Watson as Bess McNeil, and a stellar soundtrack.