Winter 2012/2013 Quarterly Speed Bump Magazine

Quarterly Speed BumpWinter 2012/2013

magazine

Volume 2

No.

Slow Down & Relax Slow Down & Relax Slow Down & Relax Slow Down & Relax Slow Down & Relax

QSB

ContentsQSB: Winter 2012/2013

3 Frontage: A letter fromthe EditorIt' s dark out there

4 Red Light: BackyardAstronomyWe're seeing stars. Or, wait,where'd they go?!

7 Detour: ThingsWe LikeOut ofthe darkness theyspring.

15 Roadside StandWhat's up, Doc?

18 The ForkRetro tastes good.

24 On the Road to...HeraldryLots ofwords to tell you aboutsomething that says a lot withfew words.

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33 Work AheadLet's make light of it.

37 InterchangePictures worth thousands ofwords.

39 Offthe BeatenTracksIf sound can be smoky,we've found it.

40 CrossroadsIs a puzzlement.

41 UndulationsTeacher, teacher!

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Contents

Editor/Publisher:Rebecca L.Wendt

Columnists:Jessica HerrickSebastian Nelson

Puzzler & More:ScottWendt

Contributors:Barbara HerrickJosephVaughn

Hello,Wonderful Readers. It's good to have you reading these pages again.This winter I've been suffering from the seasonal blues and getting any extrathings done has been a slog. The weather has been pretty mild so it's notcabin fever; it's simply the lack of enough daylight. To get myself throughthe dark season, I decided that this issue would focus on the dark to make itseem a little less daunting. To that end we have articles on such things aswhat happens when it's not dark enough, recipes to help you see in the dark,making your own light sources, and a spotlight on photography (aka"writing with light") among many others. If you, too, are suffering fromthe winter blues, I'm sorry to hear it, but we hope this issue will perk youright up. If you're one of the lucky ones who has been just fine and outfrolicking all winter, we have lots of articles for you, too. Fortunately, asSpring approaches, the available light improves. I can't wait. May you enjoythese last days of winter and join us back here once again in Spring.

Frontage

From the Editor

Rebecca [email protected]

Cheers,

J.Vaughn


Red Light

HeyQSB Readers, it's time for some citizen science. The InternationalDark-SkyAssociation (www.darksky.org) is sponsoring a Globe at Nightinternational observation to measure light pollution. It's easy andinteresting even ifyou don't go outside and stare up at the night skyduring their set dates (Ifyou're going to be part ofthe internationalreporting effort, the next window for observations is March 3 - March 12.Or, you can wait for the Spring opportunity and look for Leo: April 29 -May 8.)

DarkEnoughfor Ya?

We have a problem in the developedworld. We're creating too much light. Tosee for yourself, go outside after the sunhas been down for a couple of hours andlook up. You probably can't see very maystars because of the light pollution; youshould be able to see many including theMilkyWay. If you want to see specialastronomical events, you usually have todrive a long way from the city. Mostnights there's a sulfurous tint—urban skyglow—to the sky that, too, is caused bytoo much unnatural lighting. There arestudies that indicate that the lack ofenough darkness is causing humans'circadian rhythms to be impaired.Animals' migratory patterns, matingbehavior, and health also seem to benegatively impacted by light pollution.On top of all that, we're wasting energy.

There are things you can do. If you haveoutdoor lights, turn off the unecessaryones and replace the remaining fixtureswith lights that shine downward instead ofup and out. Unoccupied commercialbuildings with no window coverings butwith lights left on inside add to the lightpollution and the energy bills. Turn off alllights not needed for security. Askbusinesses and government entities to dothe same.

Help bring attention to the light pollutionissue by joining in on reporting your skyconditions during March 3 - March 1 2.You'll need to do a few simple things thatwe've outlined on the next page.

Let's bring back the night.Let's see stars.


Red LightWhat do you have to do?

1 . Figure out where you are (i. e. your latitude andlongitude). You can use your GPS or go online tofigure it out if you don't already know.

2. During the winter observation, look for theconstellation Orion. If you're in the northernhemisphere like QSB world headquarters is, Orionwill be to the southwest.

3. Use the magnitude charts atwww.globeatnight.org/observe_magnitude_orion.html to match up what you're seeing (or notseeing, really) up in the sky with their charts. Also,unless you're well outside of a city, prepareyourself to be depressed about what you could beseeing compared to what you're actually seeing.

4. Make your observations official by reporting inon the project website:www.globeatnight.org/webapp.

Visit www.globeatnight.org for more information.You can see the project results atwww.globeatnight.org/analyze.html.

What's Orion and what does it look like?

Orion is one of the easiest constellations to find.You've probably heard of its two brightest starsalready: Betelgeuse (sometimes pronounced"Beetle Juice") and Rigel. He's a hunter in Greekmythology and apparently fastidious enough towear a belt when he's out stalking prey. On anextraordinarily clear night, Orion looks like thedepiction at left. For ease in seeing him, thefollowing page shows the constellation's outline.You will note his prominent three-star belt (thestars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka), his right armraised to strike, as well as the weapon (or possiblyhis latest kill) held in his left hand. Rigel is his leftfoot, Betelgeuse his right shoulder. Of course,some depictions show Orion standing with his backto us in which case everything I just said would bereversed. Constellations are all about using yourimagination. Do what works best for you.

Red Light


Report:March3-March12


Red Light

MushroomMadness

Detour: Things We Like


Become a mycophile: one who lovesmushrooms. We're not necessarilytalking about eating mushrooms(though a fine batch ofmorels would notbe unwelcome) or picking up a bagful atyour local supermarket. We're talkingabout noticing the amazing and variedforms that these "fruiting bodies" offungi display out in nature, noticing themushrooms lurking in yourneighborhood, and learning a little moreabout these fascinating life forms. Thatmeans that you will have to go outsideunless you are unlucky enough to live ina house sprouting an indoor fungus likePeziza domiciliana from the carpet.Bundle up and tread carefully—youdon't want to squish the poormushrooms. Look up in trees, on fallenbranches, at cracks in the sidewalk, andon the ground.

Shrooms grow best when temperatures are abovefreezing but not too much above 70ºF. They likemoisture. as well. so late winter and early springshould bring at least a few out of hiding—itdepends on your local climate, of course. Investin a good mushroom guide to help you identifywhat you're seeing. If you live in western NorthAmerica, we really like the hefty MushroomsDemystified by David Arora as well as his colorfulpocket guide, All That the Rain Promises andMore. Mushroom identification can be tricky andwe're not advocating eating any of your finds untilyou know what you're doing (look into taking aclass or joining a foraging expedition led by a trueexpert). At this stage of your mycophiliainitiation, we recommend appreciation withoutingestion because there are definitely poisonousmushrooms out there. Don't worry abouthandling specimens; they are only poisonous ifeaten. Mushroom toxins do not go through theskin.

But, mushrooms are not the whole organism.Like we said above, they're just the fruiting bodiesthat are visible to the world. Underground or in

the stump from whence the mushrooms sprout,there is the fungus proper, the mycelium. Themycelium can live for decades or centuries. It's amass made up of the threadlike structures(hyphae) that grow from mushroom spores anddigest the fungus's meals. The mycelia can bemicroscopic or very large. In fact, the largestliving organism in the known world is a myceliumliving under parts of eastern Oregon—it takes upnearly four square miles and is probably 2400-8600 years old. That's a humongous fungus (and anancient one, too)! The cycle goes like this: spore,hyphae/mycelium, repeat. Which came first?What are you going to do, ask us about thechicken and the egg next?!

Let's concentrate on the parts we can see. Mostmushrooms have a cap with gills underneath, astem (aka a stipe), and spores which they releaseto reproduce. As we'll see in the followingimages, some of these structures are missing ormodified. Differences in these features help toidentify species. For example, when trying toidentify a mushroom. you will look at how the capattaches to the stem, what kind of gills themushroom has (if any), relative size, color ofspores, and on and on. Sometimes you can onlytell which mushroom you have by making a sporeprint. To do so, take a white sheet of paper andtear the cap off of the mushroom. Place the cap,gill side down on the paper and cover withsomething (a drinking glass works). Leave the capalone for several hours until the spores havedropped to the paper and you can see what colorthey are. Compare your results to descriptions inyour field guide. This printmaking only workspart of the time depending on the age of themushroom and the availability of spores. Theidentification game can be tricky and there are lotsof look-alikes.

Mushrooms grow from the ground (sometimes ondecaying tree roots), on live trees, and on deadtrees to name a few locations. You'll notice themmore frequently a few days after a rainstorm hasgone through the area. Kicking over mushroomswon't kill the fungus but it's no end of annoying


Detour

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Detour

when people destroy mushrooms because ofsome misguided phobia. Most are beautiful andfew do any harm (there are some that will causeliving trees to rot and die but usually they're notthe cause of such tree death but rather a symptomof an existing sickness). In fact, without myceliato digest detritus, we'd all be covered by fathomsdeep in dead material. Some mycelia are able toabsorb and break down toxins. Save the mycelia,save the world.

Prominent gills onthe underside ofthecap ofan agingspecimen ofmilkcap mushroom.

Instead ofgills,the Echinodontiumhas spines. Thisone growsdirectly on wood(dead or alive)and is reallytough like wood,itself.



Detour

Sulfur Shelf, Laetiporussulphureus, growing on alive tree. Note the absenceofgills and the presence ofpores on the underside.

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Detour

SulfurTuft,Hypholomafasciculare, growing ondecaying tree rootsbeneath the lawn.

Growing on a decayingstump and breaking itdown.

A milk cap growing inthe ground beneath itsassociated oak trees. Youmay see that somemushrooms only appearin conjunction withparticular trees. Takenote.

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Witches Butter,Tremella mesenterica isusually noticeableonly after rain andquite gelatinous. Itseems to prefer, ashere, the sameconditions as lichen.

Puffball mushroomslook like golfballs onfirst appearance.They're tenuouslyattached to fibers but,when they're older,may go rollingaround thecountryside in thewind. Spores escapeby puffing through ahole in the top likesmoke.

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Detour

An Earthstar pushes up through the groundand opens its rays to reveal a spore case.Spores escape through a hole in the center insmokelike puffs. Some species arehydroscopic and curl into a ball again whenit's dry.


Detour


Detour

Inky capmushrooms are allover the place. I'veeven seen an entiregroup pushing upthough a narrowsidewalk crack.

Bracket fungi are usuallyextremely tough. They'repolypores (no gills) andwill be found on dead andtrees or logs. This tree wasa fire victim butmushrooms love it.

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Roadside Stand

THE CARROT(Not the Stick)


That carrots can help you improve youreyesight is something ofan urban myth, alas.However, they are full ofbeta-carotene thatwonderful precursor toVitamin A. AndVitamin A,as you may know, helps ward offcataracts and thehorrifying macular degeneration. Ofcourse,you'd probably turn yourselforange (i. e. you'dgive yourselfcarotenaemia and havecarotenoderma) before you got enough beta-carotene from carrots to make huge differences inyour eye health. Nil desperandum: carrots canstill come to the rescue ifyou have poor nightvision caused by low levels ofVitamin A. So eatup.

But, forget all the eye stuff. We're featuringcarrots this season because carrots are readilyavailable in winter and their usual orange coloris cheering in a gray season. Ifyou're tired ofeating your "baby" carrots straight out ofthe bagwith hummus, here are a few different recipes totry featuring that ubiquitous root veggie.

Carrot MuffinsMakes 1 dozen

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon ground ginger¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg2 cups freshly grated carrots2 eggs, slightly beaten½ cup maple syrup1 /3 cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)2 tablespoons vegetable oil½ cup dried cranberries

Mix flour, leaveners, salt, and spices together in alarge bowl. In a medium bowl mix the carrotsand wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients intothe dry, being careful not to overwork and quicklystir in the dried cranberries. Spoon the muffinbatter into a well-greased muffin tin. Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes outclean and the tops are lightly golden. Let themuffins cool in the pan for 1 0 minutes, thencarefully remove to a wire rack. Eat warm withjam if desired. Freeze any muffins that you're notplanning to eat right away. They can be revived inthe microwave or a warm oven later.

Carrot Jam

1 pound cleaned and peeled carrots, cut into 2inch lengths1 cup fresh cranberries1 orange - zest and juice2 cups sugar1 cup water½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Steam the carrots until completely tender thenplace in food processor with the fresh cranberriesand puree. Leave some texture but not too manychunks. Move the carrot mixture to heavy-

Roadside Stand


bottomed pot and add 2 cups of sugar, the zestand juice of 1 orange, and 1 cup water. Stir tocombine and then add the pepper flakes. Heatover medium high heat until the mixture comes toa boil then reduce the heat to low and cook untilmost of the liquid has evaporated, stirringfrequently so it doesn't scorch. Spoon jam intosterilized jars, place new lids and clean rings onthe jars, and process by boiling water method orjust refrigerate.

Carrot Sorbet

½ cup water½ cup honey2-inch piece of ginger cut into coinszest of 1 lemon3 cups carrot juice

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except thecarrot juice and simmer, stirring occasionally,until the liquid boils. Immediately remove from

heat and let the mixture steep until it cools toroom temperature. Strain the ginger and zest outof the simple syrup and discard them. Blend inthe carrot juice and chill thoroughly. Freezeaccording to the instructions of your ice creammaker. Transfer the churned sorbet to a freezercontainer for storage and freeze until solid. Letthe sorbet sit at room temperature for a whilebefore serving so that it's not as hard as a rock.

Roadside Stand

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RetroDiningRemix

The Fork


Swedish MeatballsServes 6

You might be wondering why you should go to allthe trouble ofmaking these meatballs when youcan wander into a particular blue and yellow bigbox store (that sells items in flat boxes) and buy1 5 for not a lot ofmoney. I can't answer thatquestion for you but, with this recipe, you doknow exactly what's going into yourmouth when you're eating. The meatballrecipe comes from my mother's collegeroommate (as does my middle name).I've tweaked the ingredients just a littlebecause that's what I do but the tasteremains the same. Don't skip thenutmeg.

Meatballs:1 pound ground beef (85/1 5 ispreferred)1 cup fine, plain breadcrumbs1 /3 cup milk1 /4 cup finely chopped onion1 egg, slightly beaten1 1 /2 teaspoons salt1 /2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Addonion, beef, egg, and seasonings. Mixthoroughly but do not overwork. Shapeinto 1 inch balls. Sauté in 2 tablespoonsof butter in a skillet until lightlybrowned on all sides. Remove the meatfrom the pan.

Gravy:To the remaining butter and meat drippings in thepan add3 tablespoons of flour

Whisk to blend then add3 cups beef stock (low sodium)1 /2 cup milk (not nonfat)1 /2 cup half & half

The Fork

This winter has been a rough one for a lot ofpeople. Seems like a good time tohunt up some old favorite recipes and give them new life on the pages ofthemagazine. Unlike carrot sorbet, you might recognize these from your own past (orare we underestimating your past?) but the ingredients and methods have beenmodernized. The occasional dose ofcomfort food does no harm and makes one able toface the dark days ofwinter. Ifyou're worried about the upcoming swimsuit season,eat more ofthe brussels sprouts! Heck, everyone should eat more brussels sprouts. Wehave spoken. Go forth and munch.


Cook and stir over medium heat until the gravy issmooth and starting to thicken—about 2 minutes.Add meatballs, cover, and simmer for 1 5 minutes.Taste the gravy and add salt and/or pepper asneeded. Serve the meatballs and gravy withsteamed potatoes and Brussels sprouts (eat moresprouts! ). A side of lingonberry or cranberry sauce(not shown) adds color and tang to the plate. Thenmove on to dessert.

Potatoes with Butter and ParsleyMore of a suggestion that a recipe.

Use 4 ounces of red potatoes per person.Cut potatoes in quarters and steam until tender.Top with salted butter, salt and pepper if desired,and freshly chopped italian parsley. Tastes great witha bit of the gravy. Told you this wasn't a recipe!

Roasted Brussels SproutsAnother suggestion rather than a real recipe.

Use 4 ounces of Brussels sprouts per person. Slice asliver off the stem end then halve each sprout.Remove any past-their-prime outer leaves. Placesprouts in a baking dish and toss them in olive oiland salt and pepper until they are all lightly coated.

Roast at 475ºF for 20-25 minutes untilcaramelized in spots but not burned. Stir onceduring roasting process. Remove from oven andenjoy. The roasting gives the sprouts an excellentflavor and they don't taste of boiled cabbage ifthat's what you were worried about.

Layers ofLove Dessert8"x8" serves 6-9

The original recipe for this calls for whipped non-dairy topping and instant pudding to which I say"NOTHANKYOU" and make it my own way. Itbarely takes much more time and tastes so muchcleaner and better. I'm not saying my recipe ishealthy 'cause it's not but at least it's not fake.

Brownie Crust (First Layer):4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar2 tablespoons cocoa powder1 egg2/3 cup flour2 tablespoons milkpinch of salt1 /2 teaspoon vanilla extract(no leavener)

Mix all the brownie ingredients in a food processorfor several minutes. Spread the batter evenly in agreased 8"x8" pan. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes oruntil an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Letcool before continuing. If you're in a rush, stash it inthe freezer while you get on with the next layers.

Creamy Cheese (Second Layer):1 /2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature1 /2 cup powdered sugar, divided1 cup heavy cream

Whip the mascarpone and half the powdered sugartogether. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy creamwith the remaining powdered sugar until soft peaksform. Fold the whipped cream into the cheesemixture and spread evenly over the cooled browniecrust.

The Fork


The Fork



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The Fork

Chocolate Pudding (Third Layer):

1 /4 cup sugar2 tablespoons cornstarch3 tablespoons cocoa powder3/4 cup milk (fat level of your choice)pinch of salt2 egg yolks, slightly beaten2 tablespoons butter1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder,and salt. Using a whisk, stir in the milk until the mixtureis smooth. While whisking constantly, cook over mediumheat until the liquid has thickened and starts to boil. Boilfor 1 minute and remove from heat. Add a small portionof the hot liquid to the beaten egg yolks to temper themixture (keep stirring so you don't make chocolatescrambled eggs). Slowly pour the eggs into the remainderof the mixture in the saucepan and heat until mix is thicklike pudding. Don't forget to stir.

Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the butterand vanilla extract until completely combined. Let cooland spread the pudding atop the creamy cheese mixturebeing careful not to mix the layers. If you want to speedthe cooling process for the pudding, place the saucepan ina large bowl full of ice water (don't get water in thepudding).

CreamTopping (Fourth Layer):

Whip 1 cup heavy cream with 1 /4 cup powdered sugaruntil soft peaks form. Carefully spread the sweetenedwhipped cream over the chocolate pudding layer. Top itall off with chocolate sprinkles or other decoration ofyour choice (chocolate curls? chopped nuts? sifted cocoapowder). Chill your beautiful dessert in the refrigeratorfor at least two hours before serving so you get nice,distinct layers when you cut into it. Enjoy and feel oh soretro while doing so.


QSB: What is the proper term for someonewho practices the gentle art ofheraldry?

Sebastian: An enthusiast is called a heraldist. Aherald, on the other hand, practices heraldry byprofession and usually works for a government orstate. There are only a handful of real heralds lefttoday. The yearly salary for an English herald, setin the 1 830s, is £1 7.80, or about $27.95 but it isone of the very few professions to getgovernment-issued wands (like something out ofHarry Potter).

QSB: What about heraldry attracted you?

Sebastian: I really loved the visual way of encodingfamily history and genealogy with colors and shapes.

That's what first caught my attention. There are about a

million rules and a lot of them are unwritten and then

there are a million exceptions. It's very strict and formal,

but the shield itself is like a stage where strange and other

worldly creatures can exist, so it is also really creative. I

really like that tension.

QSB: How long have you been intoheraldry?

Sebastian: I got started when I found a book onheraldry at the school library when I was in juniorhigh school. In high school the internet was just

coming into play so I couldfind more information.

QSB: What do you

recommend to others who

might be interested?

Sebastian: You don't needmuch to begin. . . just a librarycard and access to theinternet. The basic skillneeded to practice heraldry isto be able to interpret blazon,which is the verbal descriptionof coats of arms. “Blazon" isthe technical language. It'svery detailed--almost liketechno-babble.Whenheraldry first appeared in themiddle ages, the rules andterminology of blazon soon followed. Somepeople believe that the rules of blazon were sotechnical as a kind of job security for heralds. Asmore and more coats of arms were designed andadopted, the risk of duplication rose (there werelots ofmedieval court cases over coats of arms).Blazon helps allow for small details anddifferences to be described in great detail. It isalmost like musical notation.

Figure A

On the Road to...

Heraldry

QSBWINRWLOVESJV

For the "On the Road to. . ." column a Quarterly Speed Bump writer sits downwith a hobbyist and finds out about how to get into their particular hobby and whatthey find to be rewarding about it. In this issue we're on the road to heraldry. Wewere pleased to turn the tables on regularQSB columnist Sebastian Nelson to learnmore. Sebastian also supplied the images and wrote the blazons that are includedwith and follow the interview so he didn't get out ofwriting after all!

With Sebastian Nelson


There are many helpful types of reference books,including dictionaries of blazon, armories andordinaries of arms. An armory is a written list ofblazons arranged alphabetically by the surname ofthe person or family who used a particular coat ofarms, kind of like the white pages. An ordinary ofarms is a written list of blazons arrangedalphabetically by the main design elements (axesover here. . .unicorns over there). They're like theyellow pages. Heraldry can even help people likeart historians to identify things like portraits basedon the coats of arms in the painting. There's nouniversal armory or ordinary of arms. There aremany different ones for different countries anddifferent time periods.

QSB: Tell me about what thebasics ofheraldry are.

Sebastian: Heraldry is thesystematic and hereditary use ofdesigns on shields, and it firstappears inWestern Europe in thetwelfth century. It appeared onshields so that people could bedistinguishedin battle. The earliest survivingexample of heraldry is the coat ofarms of Geoffrey ofAnjou. Hewas a given a gift of a shield withlions, and his grandson,WilliamLongespée, continued using thesame design. Ironically, mostcoats of arms date from thecenturies after shields werediscarded by soldiers, and almost

all heraldry is paper-based now.

There are many misconceptions about heraldry.The worst is that heraldry is snobbish. Althoughcoats of arms were first used by people of highstatus, it was quickly adopted for use on sealswhich are very useful for documents like landdeeds. It caught on like wildfire in a pre-literateage. Within just a few decades, many people from

all ranks ofmedieval European society startedusing heraldry, so it was very democratic from theearliest years. It's a shame that heraldry isassociated with snobbery, because it isn't true andbecause I think that restricts its popularity inAmerica.

In the 1 500s and 1 600s, European governmentsincreasingly looked at heraldry as a revenuesource. Edicts restricting coats of arms to certainclasses prompted the nouveau riche and others toregister coats of arms, and these registration feeswere very lucrative. In France, the government atone point forced many to take coats of armswhether they wanted them or not, so they wouldhave to pay the fees. These coats of arms weredesigned on an industrial scale. . . almost like anassembly-line. English heralds around the sametime enforced rules and collected fees by travelingto the countryside during inspection trips calledvisitations. Those summoned had to presentevidence about the origins of their coats of arms,and surviving visitation records contain a wealth

Figure A

On the Road to...

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Figure A: The coat of arms of an English

noblemanThomas Stanley, Earl of Derby (1485-

1521). Stanley was the Lord the Isle of Man, a

large island located in the Irish Sea between

Great Britain and Ireland. The arms of Man are

displayed twice in the second and third quarters

of Stanley's arms. The verbal description, or

blazon, is "Gules (red) three legs conjoined in

the fesse point in armour proper garnished and

spurred Or (gold)." The three legs, or triskelion,

is a design motif used by the ancient Greeks and

Celts. This design is still used as the official flag

of the Isle of Man today. Image from "Facsimile

of a contemporary roll with the names and the

arms of the sovereign and of the spiritual and

temporal peers who sat in Parliament held at

Westminster on the 5th of February in the sixth

year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth,

anno domini, 1515" published byThomas

Willement in London in 1829.


of genealogical and historical information.

Since many heraldic rules originated during themiddle ages, they reflect some of the biases andinequities present in that age. For instance,although coats of arms are hereditary, they almostonly pass down the paternal line, reflecting a timewhen property passed from father to son. Womenalso typically use coats of arms on diamond-

shaped objects (lozenges) or sometimes on anoval, rather than on a shield, reflecting the factthat women were typically excluded frommedieval combat. These rules are in many placesbeing modified to make them more egalitarian.Canada, which has had its own official heraldic

authority since the 1 980s, is very progressive inthis area. Its chief herald is a woman, which is aworld first.

Another misconception is that having a particularsurname automatically means your family has aparticular coat of arms. This misconception isexploited by the many companies that offer to sellpeople their “family coat of arms.” We call thesecompanies "bucket shops. " For a person to use apre-existing coat of arms, they usually need toshow that they are descended from the originalperson or family that used that design. Sharingthe same surname is not necessarily proof thattwo people are related. There is nothing wrongabout designing and adopting a new coat of armsif your family never had one. It can actually be avery fun and rewarding experience. Many designsare visual puns on either a name, profession orsome other characteristic, and these designs cansometimes be very humorous. In some countriesthat had clan-based societies, like Poland orScotland, people with the same surname usuallyuse the same or very similar looking coats ofarms, but this is the exception rather than therule.

QSB: What supplies/materials do you use,and what would you recommend to abeginner?

Sebastian: I use armories andordinaries. . .mostly printed works. Manyheraldists are heraldic artists, and also use ink andpaint.

QSB: Tell me about the process ofdesigning your coat ofarms. How did youmake decisions and so on...?

Sebastian: As far as I know, my family never hada coat of arms, so I designed and adopted one inthe mid-1 990s. The shield has a geometric designfeaturing shapes called chevronels, which arediminutive versions of chevrons. I came up with

Figure B

QSBWINRWLOVESJV

On the Road to...


the design purely based on aesthetics. The crest,which is the object on top of the helmet, featuresgolden poppies (for the California connection)and a lozenge that is blue with a yellow cross.This is from the Swedish flag which is where a lotofmy family came from.

Good heraldry uses a design which is both uniqueand easily identifiable from far away. This goesback to the middle ages when coats of arms wereused on shields and flags in battle. Historyrecords some battles that were won or lostbecause troops mistook the flags of friendly forcesfor those of their enemies. It's bad heraldry if noone can figure out what the design is.

I registered my coat of arms with the Governmentof Scotland. Scotland has the most pure system ofheraldry in the world; it's practically the onlyplace on earth where using someone else's coat ofarms without authority can result in fines andpenalties. I also wanted to register the design to“set in stone” so I wouldn't keep tinkering withthe design.

QSB: Did heraldry match yourexpectations? What surprised you most?

Sebastian: I'm surprised that I'm still interestedafter twenty years. There's always so much moreto learn.

QSB: What have you gotten out ofheraldry?

Sebastian: I did my master's thesis on medievalpainted lists of coats of arms called rolls of arms atPembroke College in the University ofOxford. Imade a lot of good friends interested inheraldry in Britain. England is home to theCollege ofArms, the government corporationwhere English heralds work. It was founded in1 484 by King Richard III, and it's like Mecca.

When I first went to Britain, before I evenshowered or went to my hotel room, I went to theCollege ofArms. It was great fun, but afterreturning to the States I realized that there isn'tmuch call for history graduates versed in heraldry,so I ended up going to library school.

QSB: Do you have favorite coats ofarmsor attributes? Which ones and why?

Sebastian: I really love Spanish heraldry becausemany Spanish coats of arms seem more bizarreor grotesque that those of other countries. As aCalifornian I like Spanish heraldry because mostearly heraldry in theWest was Spanish or Mexicanin origin. Most American heraldic resources arefocused on heraldry used in New England byAmericans of British descent, and tend to neglect

QSBWINRWLOVESJV

Figure B, opposite page: Thecoat ofarms ofSebastian Nelson.Designed by Sebastian andregistered with the Government ofScotland in 2004, the crest featurestwo California golden poppies and isa rare instance ofEschscholziacalifornica in heraldry. Coats ofArms can consist ofmore objects thatjust a shield. Typically, shields areshown surmounted by a helmetwhich itselfis usually topped by athree dimensional object called acrest. Some people use the termsCoat ofArms and crest or familycrest interchangeably, but this isincorrect. The arms or Coat ofArmscan refer to the heraldic shield aloneor to the shield in conjunction with ahelmet and crest. The term crestrefers only to the object on top ofahelmet.

On the Road to...


theWest. I really like bizarre animals in heraldry.There's one animal that shows up occasionally: thebonacon. They shoot burning excrement atpeople.

QSB: What's your favorite heraldicdiscovery or tantalizing tidbit?

Sebastian: Bernardo de Galvez, a governor ofSpanish colonial Louisiana, was a friend ofThomasJefferson. During the American Revolution hefought against the British along the Gulf coast andin Florida using a ship captured from the British by theAmerican Navy. His victories helped us gain our

independence, and as a reward the King of Spain granted

Galvez a special addition to his family's coat of arms. . . . a

small depiction of the captured ship. [Editor's note:

Sebastian has written an article about this as well as many

other articles on heraldry. ] . I love it because it shows how

heraldry was in full flower even at the very birth of our

country.

QSB: Are there any heraldry-related

books/websites that you'd recommend?

Sebastian: The American Heraldry Society is awonderful organization with a great articles ontheir website: www.americanheraldry.org.

A good book to start with is Simple HeraldryCheerfully Illustrated [by Iain Moncreiffe & DonPottinger]. It illustrates and explains differentheraldic practices like blazon, marshalling andquartering in a very simple and engaging way.Quartering is a form ofmarshalling two or morecoats of arms from people you are descendedfrom. It's a way of taking multiple coats of armsand combining them into one new coat of arms,and it can be really fun because you can work outbackwards who someone's descended from.

QSB: Anything else you'd like to add?

Sebastian: Heraldry is a very visual hobby and Ithink that's what I like about it. You can say a lotwith few or no words. Some of the artists are justincredible. . . I look at the artwork and I'm justfascinated and want to know more about it. Itwould probably be the most interesting job todesign new coats of arms. You sit down andinterview people to find out about them. There'sa finite number of colors and shapes that you canuse to make a unique and attractive coat of armsand tell a story about a person's background.

Sebastian is an archivist atthe California StateArchives and a nativeCalifornian. He enjoyssleeping, CivilWarreenacting, the gentle artofheraldry, and thingsthat go bump in the night.

QSBWINRWLOVESJV

On the Road to...


Figure C: A line drawing of an heraldic flag, or standard,

used byThomas Stanley, Earl of Derby (1485-1521). The

standard incorporates Stanley's crest of an Eagle preying

upon an infant, which is itself based on the legend told of

Stanley's ancestor SirThomas Latham. SirThomas and his

wife were without a son and heir, and one day while taking

a walk they saw a baby boy trapped in an eagle's nest.They

rescued the infant and adopted him as their son. This child,

as the legend goes, was actually Latham's illegitimate son by

his mistress. Image from "Banners, standards, and badges,

from aTudor manuscript in the College of Arms" published

by DeWalden Library in London in 1904.

Figure C

On the Road to...

exampleswith

blazons

QuarterlySpeedBump.com

by Sebastian Nelson

29

Figure D: The coat of arms of John Lambert,

alderman of the London ward of Aldersgate (died

1555). His arms are canting arms, which is to

say that the design (three lambs) is a visual pun

on his name Lambert. Image from "Facsimile of a

heraldic manuscript entitled 'The names and

armes of them that hath beene alldermen of the

warde of Alldersgate since the tyme of King

Henry 6, beginning at the 30 yeeare of his reigne

vntil this present yeeare of our Lord 1616"

published by Francis Compton Price in London in

1878.

Figure E: The Scottish coat of arms of

Ormiston of that Ilk features three "pelicans

vulning themselves." Medieval Europeans

mistakenly believed that pelican mothers would

sometimes wound themselves and feed their young

with drops of blood. Bizarre animals and bizarre

behaviors popularized by medieval bestiaries are

frequently encountered in heraldry. Image from

"Facsimile of an ancient heraldic manuscript

emblazoned by Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount,

Lyon King of Arms, 1542" published byW & D

Laing in Edinburgh in 1822.

Figure F: The coat of arms ofWilliam Conyers,

1st Baron Conyers (1468-1524). The Conyers

arms feature a maunch repeated in the first and

fourth quarters. A maunch is a stylized

representation of the sleeve of a medieval

woman's garment cut off at the shoulder and

featuring a long lappet hanging down from the

cuff. Heraldic objects are almost always depicted

in a highly stylized manner. Image from

"Facsimile of a contemporary roll with the names

and the arms of the sovereign and of the spiritual

and temporal peers who sat in Parliament held at

Westminster on the 5th of February in the sixth

year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth, anno

domini, 1515" published byThomasWillement in

London in 1829.

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

On the Road to...


Figure G: A line drawing of an heraldic flag, or

banner, used by Piers Butler, Earl of Ormond

(1467-1539). The banner is held by an heraldic

male griffin. Griffins are usually shown with

wings, but in the heraldic universe male griffins

are of course born without wings and have sharp

spikes protruding from their bodies. Image from

"Banners, standards, and badges, from aTudor

manuscript in the College of Arms" published by

DeWalden Library in London in 1904.

Figure H: A line drawing of the crest of

Thomas Palmar featuring an heraldic panther

Argent (silver) incensed Gules (red) semee of

pellets and torteaux (covered with black and red

dots). Heraldic panthers are always shown

breathing fire and covered with multi-colored

spots. Heraldic animals can be depicted as have

certain attributes. A creature with flames issuing

from its mouth and ears is described as being

incensed. An animal shown dripping or spattered

with blood is described as being embrued, and an

animal shown without a tail can be referred to as

being defamed. There are dozens of different

attributes. Image from "Banners, standards, and

badges, from aTudor manuscript in the College of

Arms" published by DeWalden Library in London

in 1904.

Figure G

Figure H

On the Road to...


Figure I: A page from a fifteenth century French

collection of painted coats of arms called the

Armorial Le Breton. Armorials are books or

manuscripts concerning coats of arms. Painted lists

of coats of arms were sometimes used during the

Middle Ages to identify participants in

tournaments. Such lists could help people identify

two individuals jousting based on their shields in a

manner similar to how modern day horse jockeys

are identifiable from their multicolored jerseys.

From the collections of the Musée des Archives

nationales...image from

archive.org/details/ArmorialLeBreton

Figure J: Heraldry is defined as the systematic and

hereditary use of symbols on shields. It first

appears inWestern Europe in the mid-12th century,

and is thought to have developed to better identify

mounted warriors whose armor often obscured their

faces. This was essential as the death of a military

leader in battle during the Middle Ages could mean

the difference between victory and defeat. False

rumors of a commander's death during battle was

just as devastating. In 1066 during the Battle of

Hastings, DukeWilliam of Normandy was the

victim of just such a rumor, and he had to remove

his helmet during battle to let his troops know that

he was still alive. This incident is represented in a

famous embroidery called the BayeuxTapestry made

after his victory. Image from "The book of the

Bayeux tapestry" published by Chatto &Windus in

London in 1914.

Figure I

Figure J

On the Road to...

Z


Let There"BEE"Light!

Work Ahead


Pure beeswax has an intoxicating dusty honeyaroma that seems to cause happiness and anaddiction to rolling candles. Candles made fromit burn cleanly and for a long time unlike nastyparaffin candles (and beeswax candles are safelyedible though why you'd want to eat them isbeyond me). Plus they have a wonderful glowabout them and don't drip much if at all.Although you can find beeswax candlemakingsupplies at craft stores, you will usually find thesame items at beekeeping supply stores for muchless money. Shop around. Of course, if you wantcolored wax sheets, you might have to go the craftstore route.

What are wax foundation sheets? They're thinsheets of pure beeswax embossed with ahoneycomb pattern (interlocking hexagons).Beekeepers use them in their hive boxes to fill aframe and give the bees a foundation on which tobuild their own hexagon beeswax cells (called"drawing out the comb") which makes for anorderly honeycomb. You'll find foundation sheets

to be slightly tacky or sticky and ideal for makingrolled candles.

Supplies for rolled candles:

•Unwired wax foundation for deep hives(8 1 /2" x 1 6 3/4" sheets) - 1 sheet for twostandard candles to fit into standard candlesticks•Wick•Cutting implement•Straight edge/ruler

Making rolled candles is simplicity itself. Cut awax foundation sheet in half the short direction.Cut a piece of wick a 1 /2 inch longer that the

height of the soon-to-be-candle (in this case, 9inches long). Press the wick into the wax in astraight line next to the recently cut edge.

Work Ahead


Roll the wax tightly over the wick making surethere is full contact between the two materials.

Then continue to roll up the wax. If your candleis not rolling straight, just unroll slightly and startagain.

When you get to the end, use your thumb to pressthe edge of the wax firmly into the body of thecandle to seal.

You can experiment with different candle heightsor diameters. For pillars, I cut my wax to a fiveinch height and use three sheets--butting eachnew sheet tightly against the old edge as I roll.The shorter leftover pieces can be used too. Justremember that, if the diameter gets too wide, youmay need more than one wick.

Supplies for poured candles:

•Pure beeswax (it's cheaper to buy in a block butyou can buy beads)•Large sharp knife for chopping beeswax•Double boiler (for the top of the double boiler(use something you don't mind ruining withwaxy buildup)•Wick•Wick clips (also known as tabs)•Needle nose pliers•Candy thermometer•Heatproof glass jars (small canning jars workwell)•Cutting implement•Stick (I use the handle of a wooden spoon)•Heat-proof container larger than your glass jar

•An excess of caution!

Prep you glass containers first. Make sure the jarsare scrupulously clean and dry. Cut a length ofwick at least two inches longer than the height ofyour desired candle. Thread wick into a wick clipso the flat side of the clip can hang down. Pullwick through until just a tiny amount remains

Work Ahead


visible at the bottom of the clip then crimp thetube with the pliers. Suspend the clipped wickover your glass jar so that it is centered and justskims the bottom of the jar. Fasten the wick toyour stick that you've balanced across the lip ofthe jar. Then set the empty jar in a container ofjust-boiled water so that the water comes near thetop of (but not over! ) the jar.

Chop enough beeswax to fill your desiredcontainers. Place your beeswax in the top of adouble boiler. To melt beeswax, use a doubleboiler over a pot of simmering water. Don't letthe water touch the bottom of the melting pot.

Beeswax melts at about 144ºF. Use a candythermometer in your melting wax to makesure that the temperature doesn't get toohigh. The flash point ofbeeswax—thetemperature at which it will catch fire,flame up, and possibly injure you—is

399.9ºF. Don't let your wax get anywherenear that temperature. In fact, you don'teven want it to get above 185ºF becausethe higher temperature will cause the waxto discolor.

When the wax has melted, CAREFULLY pour itinto your prepared jars. It will solidify quicklywhich is why you must set the jar in the just-boiled water. Let the candles cool completelythen trim the wick to 1 /2 inch above the top ofthe wax.

Enjoy your candles but never leave aburning candle unattended!

Work Ahead


A Little LightWriting& Reading

I'm sure almost everyone has heard that the wordphotography means "drawing with light." Ah hah! yousay. Light. The need for such in winter is great. So, weexplore another aspect oflight and darkness in thisseason's reading material when we focus (hahahaha)our attention on books about photography. Two arenonfiction (noted with an asterisk) and the rest, whilefictional, take their cues from real events or artifacts.All are about pre-digital photography and all arefascinating. This magazine couldn't exist without thewonderful world ofdigital photography but sometimesit's much more fun to go back in time to when allcameras used film or plates and there was a morephysical aspect to the whole hobby.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Childrenby Ransom Riggs (201 1 ). Riggs is a collector ofodd vintage photographs. In this novel he hastaken real vintage photographs and woven a storyaround them. In the pictures and the story, girls

levitate, boys are covered withbees. Jacob's grandfather tellsstories about the strange andmagical children he lived within an orphanage duringWWIIand shows the photos as proof.These all seemed like fakedimages and wild stories untilsomething terrible happens to

Jacob's grandfather and he sets out to the scene ofthe orphanage inWales. Strange and magicalevents follow. A very entertaining read that leavesplenty of room for a sequel. Notes: If you have ane-reader that doesn't render photographs well orallow you to enlarge them, you're missing out ona good part of the novel. Also, if you like oddphotographs, Riggs has released a collection offound vintage photographs (this time without a

novel woven around them) inTalking Pictures:Images and Messages Rescued from the Past (201 2).

* Short Nights ofthe Shadow Catcher byTimothy Egan (201 2). Edward Curtis, asuccessful Seattle photographer became obsessedwith the dying of the American Indian traditionalway of life and left the studio work to follow hisidea. For decades, starting in 1 895, he dedicatedhis life to completing what becameThe North

American Indian, a work in 20volumes. Forced to beg therich and famous for projectsupport (he made no moneyfrom the project), Curtisworked incredibly hard to gethis master work completed.His personal life and healthsuffered as he chased all over

the country taking photographs. Curtis ended upmaking sound recordings of native languages anddid much more than take pictures (which he did atan astonishing rate on large format glass plates for

Interchange


the most part). A fascinating story about adifferent time with sample photographsthroughout.

Shooting the Sun byMax Byrd (2004). In1 840 Charles Babbage sends an expedition out toview an eclipse predicted by his prototypecomputer. Among the expeditionary force is

photographer (i. e.daguerreotyper) Selena Cottwho will be charged withproving the reliability ofBabbage's prediction. Thegroup races to the AmericanSouthwest. Will they make it intime battling hostile forces,distance, and a cunning plot?

Yes, Charles Babbage did invent the DifferenceEngine. But, was there an eclipse? Read more.Note: Byrd specializes in historical fiction (he wasalso one of the best college professors that QSB'seditor ever had). If you liked this, you'll probablyalso like Byrd's latest novel:The Paris Deadline(201 2).

* River ofShadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the

TechnologicalWildWest by Rebecca Solnit (2003).

Eadweard Muybridge was one weird dude (he chose that

name and spelling). He hobnobbed with the rich andpowerful in the AmericanWest. And, he got away

with murder. His advances inmotion study and high speedphotography led directly tomotion pictures. This is a storynot just of advances inphotography but of theWest(particularly California) as itheads into the 20th century atthe breakneck pace created bynew technology and social

changes. Note: if you prefer a fictional account ofMuybridge's dramatic life, try Moments Captured byRobert J. Seidman (201 2). Or, there is therecently released history,The Inventor and theTycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth ofMovingPictures by Edward Ball (201 3). The Solnit workwins in QSB's book.

Eight GirlsTaking Pictures byWhitney Otto(201 2), in one respect, is about eight womenphotographers. But it's more about the strugglesthat women artists have to overcome in order tobe true to their artistic callings and still havefamilies, lovers, or non-artistic lives. The author

starts each chapter with anexample of the photographer'swork and then weaves a storyabout how each photographcame to be. The twist is thatthe photographs are real byreal women photographers.Otto takes some of theinformation from these reallives and fictionalizes them

(changing names and other details). Althoughcharacters traipse, briefly, through the others'stories, each chapter can almost stand alone as anovella. Thought provoking. Be sure to read thenotes at the end so you can learn about the realphotographers behind the stories.

All the books reviewed this season feature B&Wphotography using real film or plates. Now thatdigital is king and many older film cameras can behad for a song, it's a great time to experimentwith them. If you've forgotten how thosetraditional cameras work try this excellent seriesbyAnsel Adams: The Camera,The Negative,andThe Print (1 980) to (re)familiarize yourself.Now go find an old camera and buy yourself somefilm

If you have difficulty finding a shop to developyour film, tryThe Darkroom Cookbook by SteveAnchell (2008) for DIY.

Interchange


Offthe

BeatenTracksby JLV & RLW

When we startedworking on thisseason's musicchoices, the image wehad in mind was ofasmoky nightclub witha jazz chanteusemellowing us out (notthat either one ofuscan handle the secondhand smoke for morethan 2 seconds).Oddly, all these mentalimages were in blackand white and manydecades ago. That'swhat winter does tous. All five oftheseartists fit right intothat B&W idea. Doyou agree?

Patricia BarberSmash (2013)www.patriciabarber.comThis album sneaks up on you bybecoming part of the regular musicrotation without conscious effort.Barber has a unique voice and shesings like she's seen it all. Not thebest music if you're already in alow mood but mellowing if you'refeeling okay. Favorite tracks:"Devil's Food" and "Missing. "

CassandraWilsonAnother Country (2012)www.cassandrawilson.comWilson's latest album (of at least20) has a world music flair withEuropean and African influences.Her voice is meltingly rich andworks well with the mainlyacoustic guitar accompaniment.Heartily recommended.Favorite tracks: "WhenWill ISeeYou Again" and "Red Guitar. "

QuarterlySpeedBump.com

Denise DonatelliSoul Shadows (2012)denisedonatelli.comDonatelli's voice has amazing range and hersinging is effortless. It's surprising she isn't betterknown (maybe we've been living under a rock).Very rich sound. Favorite tracks: "All or Nothingat All" and "Postcards and Messages. "

Luciana SouzaBook ofChet (2012)www.lucianasouza.comBrazilian-born Souza interpretsthe music of the late, great jazzartist Chet Baker. Very relaxingafter a long day at work and thealbum that best fits that initialsmoky image we had whenreviewing for this article.Maybe this is gateway jazz forthe non jazz fan? Favoritetracks: "TheTouch ofYourLips" and "You Go to MyHead. "

Sara GazarekBlossom &Bee (2012)www.saragazarek.comGazarek almost didn't make the cutbecause she's almost too upbeat attimes. But, this one is just funwith a mix of jazz and jazzed-uppop and show tunes so it stayed.Gazarek is joined by other artistsfor vocals or instrument solos.Favorite tracks: "Blossom & Bee"and "The Lies of Handsome Men. "

39

At the Crossroads

Pile-Up: A Scrambled Letters Gameby ScottWendt

A case ofmistakenidentity...

Answer:

HWALE

ALPEP

WTEMALREON

TPINR


Answers will appear at quarterlyspeedbump.com/puzzles-from-the-mag.

40

Back in 1 998, I found myself confronted with oneof those life-altering, “two roads diverged in ayellow wood” choices. At the time, I was rushingthrough my final semester as a Master's degreecandidate, heading, I thought, toward a doctoralprogram at a well-known university. After that,

armed with a PhD and bursting with historicalknowledge, I planned to embark on a prestigiouscareer in academia. I thought I had it all figuredout.

Then, however, I hit a roadblock. I realized Ididn't want to teach. I didn't want to gradepapers, formulate tests, struggle for tenure. Ididn't want to have students reliant upon me fortheir academic and professional futures. And,most of all, I didn't want public speaking to be analmost daily part ofmy life.

After agonizing for weeks, I finally made mydecision. I abandoned the academic career path,to the horror ofmy professors and the concern ofmy family and friends. I didn't know what wouldcome next, but I knew that teaching was not forme.

Fast forward about fifteen years, to a small dancestudio in Sacramento. Take a look at their list ofteachers, and who will you find? Me.

I'm teaching. And I'm loving every second of it.

I certainly didn't set out to become a ballroomdance instructor. Djimi started to use me as hisdemonstration partner in his beginning ballroomclass. The people in class, assuming that I knewwhat I was doing, began to ask me questions whenDjimi was busy with other students, and Ianswered. Gradually, I realized that I enjoyedhelping the other students as much as I enjoyedlearning new dance moves and techniques. I began

EEssays in Danceby Jessica Herrick

Un

dulations

“Master technique and then forget about it and be natural.” ~Anna Pavlova

B. Herrick

A case ofmistakenidentity...


to pay attention to my dance instructors in a newway. I wanted to not only learn how to dance, butalso how to teach it.

There is a wonder in teaching dance that I have notfound in any other aspect ofmy life. I cannotdescribe the feeling of taking someone whoknows, to the depths of their soul, that they havetwo left feet, and showing them that they havemisjudged themselves, that they CAN learn thesteps of a waltz, a foxtrot, a cha cha, and that theycan have a great deal of fun doing it. Everybeginning dancer has an “Aha! ” moment when theyrealize that, despite all of their expectations, theirbodies are moving with the music, they areconnecting with their partner, and they areDANCING. That moment is a treasure too greatfor words, for both the student and the teacher.

I now team-teach two classes weekly with Djimi,and I also have my first private student. Eachweek, I learn something new from our students,and I like to think that they learn something fromus. The most important thing I can teach,however, is not a dance step, not a technique tomove your hips or rotate your torso, not where toposition your feet. The most important thing I

strive to impart is that dancing is fun, dancing ismagic made real and rhythmic, and everyone,absolutely everyone, can do it. As teachers, wejust need to find the right words to igniteunderstanding and lead our students to their“Aha! ” moments. Once you have one, I guaranteeyou will never be the same.

So thank you. Thank you to my own teachers,Djimi, Jamie, and Danny, for finding the rightwords. Thank you to our students, for giving methe opportunity to share in your discovery ofsound and movement and connection. Thank youto anyone who has ever fought to find just theright way to answer a question, ever taken thetime to patiently walk a student, a child, a friend,through an exercise or explanation again and againand again, in the certain knowledge that eventuallythat person will get it.

And thank you to each person who has everstruggled to learn, to understand, even if theysecretly felt that they couldn't, that there was nopossible way that it was ever going to make sense.Keep trying. Eventually, you will hear that littlevoice inside saying “AHA!” The triumph is worththe effort.

Jessica Herrick is a regularcolumnist for QSB. Followher continuing adventuresin ballroom dance in ournext issue. Learn more atwww. any2cantango. com.


Undulations

42

Don'tforgettoenjoythejourney.

We'll see youagain in Spring!

Enjoy the restof your Winter.

Winter 2012/2013 Quarterly Speed Bump Magazine

Documents

Transcript of Winter 2012/2013 Quarterly Speed Bump Magazine