In a Faire State

Goodreau Vampire guards the money box from anime fans

Today we teachers get the day off for the State Fair of Texas -- as you can see in the title, my fingers did the walking and used the ren spelling for "fair." Not a surprise, since we spend much of our time on the faire grounds in East Texas during the spring. The official State Fair is huge, and except for the new fried foods, there isn't much to tempt me to walk all day and check out displays ... Compared to Six Flags, the Midway isn't as fun as it was when I was in high school; altough the ticket gives us free admission, it doesn't pay for all the tickets you'd need to eat, drink and be merry ... Besides, I don't want to see any of my students during my "down time" this weekend.

After I grade some papers -- yes, I'm trying not to drown in student papers this 6 weeks -- I shall begin to bead. I found an interesting book on bead embroidery, which might tempt the BJD ladies into parting with some cash ... we shall see. Plus, I have bison earrings to create for the theater teacher and others. A few students are interested; the rules may bend for teachers who want jewelry, but they are adamant about student sales ... Too many dirty deeds done at DISD during the Naughty Nineties, I'm sure, when many higher-ups and business managers used district funds to feather their own nests. Most of the earrings are simple ones -- beads on a headpin (I almost wrote beads on a stick ...) or simple beadweaving. I hope some are bought, since we spent $$ at Intergem and Rock Barrell to obtain purple and white pearls and crystals.

So -- who's the little vampire in the picture? He's an ABC vinyl BJD created by Paulette Goudreau; Joy spotted the little man at BJDC Austin ... but bought a smaller magician instead since he resembled her chara Harry St. Cloud. She'd given Paulette a jewelry pendant; to our surprise, Paulette sent this little guy our way ... A few resin purists insist that he shouldn't be called a BJD since they insist that only an "Asian-inspired" aesthetic defines a true ball-jointed doll. Oh, please ... first, he has the changeable hair and wig; he also has joints; he's strung, even if he is made of vinyl ... And if you're looking for an "Asian aesthetic," he still fits the definition because many manga and anime will create a "chibi" version of all but the most serious chara. He's just a chibi Dracula ... a distinction that some BJD purists wouldn't know because they don't know the entire "Asian aesthetic" that influences the sculptors who create the dolls. I think they're narrowing the definition more and more because they don't want outsiders to invade their private party ... Now I'm the first to agree that reborn dolls (dolls which look like newborn babies, complete with the redness associated with babies who are just born) are not BJDs ... and neither are most Barbie dolls or many fashion dolls since they don't have changeable eyes or hair ... but Goodreau's dolls (and some other lines, too) DO follow the definition. Check them out for yourself and see.

Dance Quote: "I could dance with you till the cows come home...On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows when you came home."(Groucho Marx, Duck Soup (1933))