The Freethinker

New York City - 12/28/08-12/30/08

We walked all over the place. We were considering driving but you can't really experience the way New York City is if you drive... It saves some wear and tear on your feet, but that's about it. Give some credit to that old saying... No pain no gain, correct?

We spent a lot of time in midtown Manhattan. That is a really lovely part of New York. I enjoyed myself the most in midtown. Downtown was less enjoyable, but I think I was too tired to keep up with the pace in downtown! Oh well, next time...

We also rode on the subway. That was an interesting experience... Pretty confusing. You really have to think logically and plan out your route. It was confusing at first, but a neat experience overall. That's how we got from midtown to downtown.

A good way to make your trip to New York a lot easier is to get a hotel in the midtown area. Getting a hotel outside of the city just won't do! Listen, the extra money is worth it, stay in the city. It won't keep you up at night, trust me, I'm a night owl and an insomnia sufferer. I slept fine! And when you're walking nearly 9 miles in New York in a day trying to see everything you want to see, you'll pass out at the end of the day, too. No problem.

Thanks to all you New Yorkers who made our trip a memorable one! We can't wait to visit again. Well, I can't wait. :) The only complaint we had was traffic! But we only had to deal with that for a limited amount of time. Next time we plan on visiting Little Italy, and maybe do some more shopping. And of course, I'm taking a lot more photos than I did! I took a ton but I need more nighttime skyline shots. That would be fabulous.

Well, I'll report more about New York soon but I did want to add a quick entry to update you all on what I've been doing.

Photos by Me.

Whos wedding is it anyway...

Now I'm beginning to understand why they called that one show on Style "Whos wedding is it anyway?" It seems as if the entire family here has jumped into "MASSIVE WEDDING PLANNING" mode, especially the mothers around here! Theres still a huge laundry list of things that need to be done...

X-All of the bridesmaid dresses need to be sewed properly and hemmed and so on and so forth. (Overall, four dresses!)

X-The brides' dress needs minor adjustments made to it

X-The cake needs decorated and assembled.

X-The programs need printed.

X-Camera cards need cleaned off and batteries charged.

X-My hair and my mothers' hair needs a test run.

X-My mom and my sister need their hair fixed up

X-I need to iron out the piano peice for the wedding (Argh!)

X-Limo contract needs to be signed.

X-Over 20 Songs need downloaded for the reception.

And most of these things need to be done by THURSDAY! And let me tell you, people, Cassandra and Chris's cake is no rinky dinky little cake! It's a massive four tier cake and two sattelite cakes! Oh boy... The drama ensues! Not to mention, the bridesmaids and I are still trying to plan a little get together for my sister (The bride). Sheesh! Lord willing, everything will go according to plan...

Be Glad You're Not Gladys

You most likely can recall the names of Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Carrey and Britney Spears. But if you would ask someone about the name Gladys Smith, most Americans will look at you with a dumbfounded look on their face and then proceed to ask: “Who?”

The paragraph you just read suggested in-between the lines that you should know of Mary Pickford if you know the names of those celebrities mentioned before, and maybe the names of their children, their husbands or wives, or ex husbands or wives, and you may even possibly know of the breed of dog these celebrities prefer. (And if you know their shoe size, you need a hobby!)

Here is what you should know if you like to follow all things Hollywood. Gladys Smith was born in Canada, a decade before the turn of the century. The 20th century, that is. She was the daughter of a British immigrant father and an Irish catholic mother. Her British father was basically just a shadow and a name attached to hers, and actually cast an eerie shadow upon the rest of her life. Gladys Smith showed special talent, in acting, at the young age of seven, and her aptitude to this certain field continued to blossom.

...So, what does this have to do with anything?

She traveled the country with her family, into the United States. She tirelessly poured her entire heart and soul into acting, and her mother became her spokesperson and somewhat of a manager. She was also an actress herself, but certainly not as devoted as Gladys.

During the same time, motion pictures were fast catching the countries’ attention. The most popular version of the primitive cinema, as we know it today, was the ‘Nickelodeon’. Thousands of people flocked to ‘nickelodeons’ to see the new fangled motion pictures. And suddenly, these nickelodeons were sprouting up across the nation. They were simply a sensation. (And as an odd note, nickelodeons were increasingly popular in the summer due to the recent invention of air conditioning!)

...And you once again ask, ‘So?’

Gladys Smith was temporarily out of work after being involved in Broadway, but the magical and mysterious world of motion pictures was soon opened up to her. It was a goldmine for the radiant young actress, although it was not easy treasure in the beginning. She wasn’t even initially chosen for a role in a motion picture, but the director had noticed a certain talent within Gladys and then did keep her within his company to produce motion pictures. She found it much simpler to act in motion pictures than in stage plays.

The reason she found motion pictures easier was for this: Most early motion pictures were only fifteen minutes long and had small, easy to follow plots. As such, as many as twenty motion pictures could be filmed in a regular day. You could learn the script in minutes, act out the part and you would have a motion picture ready for the masses to devour. Gladys Smith would be apart of this cycle, tirelessly creating these new and profitable moving pictures (Movies).

Within weeks of appearing in these moving pictures, nickelodeon viewers noticed Gladys right away, much like the director had personally noticed her. Credits did not scream who was who like most movies trumpet now to even sell tickets. All the audiences were able to identify at the time was, that they truly identified with Gladys Smith.

...And you continue to ask, ‘So?’

Her audience appeal was quite evident. So evident, that, in fact, she began earning privileges due to the money she raked in and began to make more demands in to how much she actually controlled these motion pictures (Which was not a hard thing to do at the time, since they didn’t even roll credits at the end of movies, indicating how small their staff was).

Since plots in these motion pictures were easy to guess and easy to follow, since they were silent, not a lot of lines were needed and longer motion pictures were actually frowned upon. Businessmen of the day thought, “Really, who would sit an hour and a half to see a motion picture? No one has the patience, or the money, for that.”

...And yet another resounding, ‘So?’

Gladys Smith had an eye for innovation, and she was slightly rebellious. The actress did not enjoy portraying the average damsel in distress, so with her new found producing and writing talents, she modified scripts and portrayed characters as she saw fit. One of her ‘Out of Gladys’ roles was a young wife posing as a male soldier in the Revolutionary war.

As another innovation, she proposed the first eighty-minute feature film. This film helped propel her to stardom, as she played a trodden maiden in poverty, with a deep intricate plot that most directors thought would fail. It was actually a success, due to the fame of Gladys’s name, the story itself and the new complicated storyline that most moviegoers were not accustomed to, but loved.

You’re probably going to ask (Once again), ‘So?’

One man noticed Gladys’s popularity with the masses, and he began to market her image to magazines, commercial businesses and newspapers. She was used to endorse a variety of products, and they sold primarily because of her face adorning the packaging. America had never seen anything like this before!

She led a charmed life. She traveled the world, as America’s unofficial ambassador to the world. Millions adored her, for her sweet child-like looks and her talent on the silver screen. Many would trample her just to touch her hair, and at one point she had to be put in a cage that was in a cart to see the people. And although Gladys was adored, horrendously rich and talented, her charmed life and face was a stale façade, which hid her real life that many did not know about.

Her first marriage was to a drunk, named Owen Moore, who she had acted with on stage before. Ironically, her father had also been a drunk. There have been rumors that she was pregnant with his child, but either a miscarriage or an abortion rendered her barren. She grew weary of this man, and, despite the advice of those around her that suggested her popularity would plummet if she did this, she divorced him when a new attractive actor entered her life.

This new attractive suitor was Douglas Fairbanks. The two married soon after she divorced Owen, and the two didn’t suffer in regards to their popularity. Strangely enough, the public roared with support when they found out about the happy couple. But alas, their happiness did not last, Douglas traveled abroad too much, and was found to be having an affair then they divorced. She later remarried to Charles Rogers, but never seemed to recover from the loss of Douglas Fairbanks, as she often called Charles ‘Douglas’ by mistake.

Gladys adopted two children, but they claim that they never felt much love from her, and she was far too self absorbed to care for them although they held admiration for her. She suffered from alcoholism, like her father, her brother and sister, her mother and her very first husband. At the same time, she held many honors and had many awards presented to her, despite the fact she became a hermit and would only speak to few select people. While her husband was giving tours of their lavish home, Gladys stayed confined to her chambers, in a deep depression.

At the end of her life, Gladys Smith was not the feisty and sweet idealized All-American girl in the world’s imagination, an image which they had grown to love very much. She was an average human being. Many were shocked to see the state she was in within her elderly years. She was feeble and broken down as she accepted the Academy Honorary Award. She had her troubles, and sadly, like most of America, she didn’t know how to deal with these issues that permeated her life.

It was almost as if Gladys Smith, most actually only known by her stage name as Mary Pickford, had laid the blueprint for the out of control life almost all celebrities today endure. Not only did she carry out acting in the movie theaters, she was a thespian in the public eye. Her stage make up was not wiped off at the end of a film shoot, and her costumes were not hung on their appropriate rung when the day came to an end. Her risqué romance roles were not left to the confines of paper, and the drama continued to unfold off the set.

She, along with others, fabricated the American celebrity, as we know it today, and yet, most Americans do not know who she is, and if they do know of her, they most certainly don’t know her life was not as pleasant as her name. Mary Pickford was the first American celebrity. And yet, she will be forgotten, as she already has begun the process of receding into the back of the worlds’ mind.

But you should know the story of Mary Pickford. Why? So you are not fed the same line as all other young and naïve roaring Twenties guys and dolls were fed, that celebrities have it all together. As the old saying goes, you can’t have everything. Mary did have more than most Americans could have ever imagined. But she paid a dear price for it.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? - Matthew 16:26

Sorry about the unannounced hiatus...

Hey folks, sorry that I flew the coop and didn't tell anyone. I have been very very busy this year. It really has only felt like a week since I last updated my blog. (Well, sort of.)

Check out my new photography website!

http://www.amenphotography.net

:)

I've been featured!

What a pleasant surprise!

I've been featured on BlogoftheDay.org! I must say I never quite expected this. (Just another reason to love Autumn, I guess!)

Oh, I've also updated the link to Faces and Places Ministries. They have a new updated website. I urge you all to take a look. :)

New Blog Layout

It was promised three months ago and it didn't happen until now! Whoopsie. Well either way I guess its better late than never. Do you all like it? :)

The Early Years

No, the title isn't a slogan for a new DVD set for some first seasons of a famous television show. It's some of my early years of Homeschooling! (This may be an entry just for John!)

Who can forget the co-op science projects...

(John, Me)

Or seeing The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe on stage at the Mishler Theater...

(John, Alice, Me)

And what homeschooled kid could ever forget making mustaches out of CLAY!

(Alice, Me, John and Alisha)

It makes me feel littler all over again. :) (Notice I said "littler". I'm still quite small, I can't say I used to be little because I still am.) All of these photos were taken in 1999. (I was nine years old! John was eight!)

Broken!

Ouch, ever wonder whats been going around in my parts anymore? Everything has been BREAKING!

A month or so ago, we have these large lights in our bathroom that we've had for about six years. They're pretty bright, they made the bathroom look really nice. But while my dad was in the bathroom one of them bursted! Glass went everywhere in the bathroom. That was pretty hazardous. But guess who was on the list of getting bursted at? Me! I had just gotten out of the shower when, POW! The second and last light bursted and shattered onto the floor in a whole bunch of tiny little glass shards! Thankfully nobody suffered any injuries from either of the "explosions". But that was only the beginning!

Last month our camera lense for our "new" camera broke! We're currently having a hard time getting this camera fixed or exchanged. There's just too many details that go along with that, I'm not going to start with that. Lets just say, don't purchase an Olympus camera, people, just take my word for it.

Around last week, our SUV broke down. (Ouch, I know?) But that was after our trip to Pittsburgh, so we consider it a blessing that it broke down at my grandmothers house up the block.

A week or so ago our dryer broke, but that got fixed! We had to temporarily hang out clothes out on a line hung through our tree to make them dry. That was a pretty odd sight I must admit! A bit fun too, but it's nice having our dryer working again.

Well, and guess what broke for me two days ago? My lil iPod! Poor thing stopped working a few days ago, he's going to be sent all the way over to Cali to be fixed. Wish him luck on his trip! (Yes, I have decided that he is a "HE". I even named him. I know, I'm odd. Hehe.)

Something funny happened to my video camera also, and I thought my videos from Spruce Lake were lost for good, but thankfully it was just a management file error and my video files were fine. *PHEW!*

I don't want to add anything else to the list of breaking. I just want everything to get fixed now! I find it a bit odd I had a dream that essentially would be interpreted into suffering multiple disappointments. But that's alright, I have God on my side. :)

That's just one part of my million part update. Next; Expect an update on my trip to Pittsburgh. It will mostly be a photo essay sort of thing. :)

Until then! Later!

Coming soon...

Adventures in the life of Annette! Expect these episodes, coming soon!

Cockatiel Entree!

Learn the story of how the family thought their beloved pet bird was made into a dinner when they came home from a nice shopping trip at the Mall!

The Adventures Spruce Lake!

Ever wonder what a zipline is? Or what cliff rapelling is like? Learn it all here at Annette's blog!

Zap, Crackle, Pop!

Lightning, Thunder and Strikes! Oh my! Learn a bit of lightning safety and see some near zap experiences at the Nagle household!

Dear Friend

On a more serious note, there are still blessings among times when you lose your dear friends.

Home of Fort Pitt!

Enjoy some beautiful scenery of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Gimme some of that SONSHINE!

Learn about SONSHINEFEST 2006! It's going to be a blast! Continuing coverage will ensue. :)

This and much much more coming soon, folks. As soon as I get time to UPDATE!!! I haven't forgotten you all. :)

Updating to say...

...Hey ya'll, just a quite update telling you that I won't be able to update too much for the next few weeks. Things are going haywire right now, so don't expect a whole lot of activity from me right now.

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

I'm going to the dentist tomorrow morning... Thus, it's time for a funny comic. Let's hope this won't be me...

Layout Modification

Hey guys, new layout. Let me know what you think of it. It's not too different, I edited some coding in the template, but it's my coding idea nonetheless. Also let me know if something looks wonky!

:)

Update and Pro-Life Plugs

I guess I haven't had much to blog about this week. I've spent most of the week writing, catching up on school, thats why I haven't found time to reply to the Secular Vs. Christian music post. But I will certainly try to get to it this week, but I can't make any promises.

Yesterday we attended the Precious Life banquet. Precious Life is an organization in central Pennsylvania that specializes in teaching pregnant women about Christ and help them to choose life instead of abortion. A woman from Romania spoke, her name was Mahaela Fedor-Visan. She was from My Brothers Keeper ministries. She is helping to direct a new crisis pregnancy center in Romania. She spoke to us about the tyrany of controlling the population - only backwards. The government wanted the population climb exponentially, and invasively made sure it did so. Thus, when abortion was legalized, women thought it was their right to get an abortion.

It certainly was a moving and informative speech.

Thursday wasn't all that interesting. Aside from half of the basses ADD syndrome, stories about guys wearing red choo-choo train pants, "kackers" instead of "crackers", dancing half way across the room, socks, and the bells of heaven ringing, it wasn't all that great. (Don't you just envy the excitement?! :p)

Today we went to the movies, we saw "Eight Below". I'd tell you about the movie, but I'd rather you see it and not give it away! :)

Thats all for now, folks.

Mischellaneous Procrastinating

What a large title. Deary me! But its true, I am procrastinating. I should be writing about the challenges facing a homeschooler in Pennsylvania, but I'm just cool like that, I can procrastinate and be creative at the same time.

Anyway, it's time for some show and tell. I'll post more on the Christian Vs. Secular Music later, do read up on it folks, its good stuff, good stuff.

World Cultures Night

World Cultures night is a night that our co-op has to help others learn about other cultures of the world. I chose Italy for my display, because, well. Yeah.

From left to right, is my dad, my grandpa and me. My grandpa is demonstrating his art of playing the accordion. He's FBI... No, he's not affiliated with the FBI, smartypants, he's Full Blooded Italian. :p

There is me, and my display. (My grandpa counts as part of the display. Right, right?!)

You can't say that doesn't look tasty...

(What is that thing?! Lets get a close up!)

Warning: If you are extremely arachnophobic, scroll down as fast as you can until I say stop!

It's a beetle from Madagascar, and its a boy, thats all I know, and thats all I want to know.

*** YOU MAY STOP SCROLLING NOW ***

*Cough*

Check it out, it's my iPod. I just HAD to cover up Bono on the case, just, because, I'm cool like that. Michael W. Smith is better looking than Bono anyway.

*Proceeds to run away from the swarms of tomatoes now proceeding in her direction*

Yes, I'm cruel, I know this.

What must be done...

Yes, here we go, its that busy time of year again. I think I will list all I have to accomplish this month and I'll continue to update on them.

First, I must practice lines to be a gossiper in our easter musical. Sure, I'm trying out for it. But why not try singing, you ask? Because I don't want to. It's as simple as that.

When do I need to have a good tone of voice down for a gossiper? By tomorrow morning. Yay. Wish me luck. But how hard is it to talk in front of a choir director and drama director? Not hard at all, I think. I did fine before, accept for the fact that I flew through the lines I was asked to do. Eek. I gotta work on that, yo.

Second, I must, uhm. I'm drawing a mind blank here. Oh thats write, begin working on my project for Italy. Hoo rah. I was thinking about waiting until we go to the library to work on that, but regardless of when I must go to the library, I need this project finished by February 20th. Wish me luck.

Then, I must finish my article for a magazine by Sunday. Eesh. I shall post it once I'm finished with it. You all will be my test audience! Don't you just love it?! :p

I also must finish some headers for my homeschool co-op group. Thats this Thursday coming up. >_< Ouchie.

And today?! I need to go over my italian words (Benissimo! Er, thats not one of my italian words for today though. Heh.), read a chapter of the Cancer Answer, Adam and His Kin, review my history and bio vocab words, write down my assignment for history, go over my new math lesson, I'll probably end up doing a chapter of bio, and then go over my bio vocab words...

Then maybe write a chapter in mah book. Yessum.

Good thing I don't need daylight to work by... O_o

Yep. Laterz.