Monsters in the Movies

Monsters in the Movies, by John Landis

If you are a fan of monster movies, this is the book for you. Director (and long-time monster movie fan) John Landis has written this new, 319-page coffee table book on one of his favorite subjects-Monsters in the Movies. Profusely illustrated  throughout (and this isn’t a book for kids due to some of the photos from more modern horror films), the book is divided into categories such as Vampires, Werewolves, Mad Scientists—even Monstrous Machines  (mostly robots, androids and cars!) There are also interviews with folks who work in the genre such as special effects artist Ray Harryhausen, makeup/prosthetic artist/monster maker Rick Baker, and director John Carpenter: it’s interesting how each of them defines “monster.”  Of course books like these reflect the tastes of their authors, so don’t expect to see every monster film listed—but there are quite a few, including silent films, golden age films and animated films, as well as newer ones. (Dorling Kindersley, 2011: $40.00)

Shelved in the 791.43675 area (adult non-fiction) at Fremont Main and Albany libraries.

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Library Is Closed Today ….

Hope you had a warm and very merry Christmas! 

Even library is closed today, please remember you can still use the virtual library 24/7 to read/listen to an ebooks, visit various databases to do you research, or renew your checked out items….. etc. 

Don’t let the less open hours discourges your experience with library services.  Try a few clicks for yourself and you will know: in terms of using the digital Alameda County Library, sky is the limit.

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My Gift to You

Here in the Bay Area we are a diverse society.  We have many beliefs,  customs, and  special days.  Alameda County Libraries do a wonderful job of celebrating these days throughout the year, and it is fun to learn about others’ traditions.  The library also has many books  and dvds that teach us about the customs of other cultures. I hope we all will take advantage of these resources.  The more we know about others, the more we learn to understand and  appreciate them.

Today, I would like to write about one of my traditions. I grew up with Santa Claus , and can remember the excitement and anticipation the night before Christmas.  At home we always had a Christmas tree, and presents. I remember leaving cookies and milk for Santa.  I also remember reading ‘The Night Before Christmas’, and then going to bed and trying to hear Santa’s sleigh before I fell asleep.  I hope that you and your family enjoy this poem as much as I have over the years.

A Visit from St Nicholas.

by Clement C. Moore.

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‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

‘Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!’

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound,

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

and filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

and laying his finger aside of his nose,

and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.
 

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 Clement Clarke Moore wrote the Christmas poem twas the night before Christmas for his children in 1822. Professor Moore’s Christmas poem or Christmas story twas the night before Christmas is a classic American Christmas story. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor of Greek and Oriental Literature at the Episcopal General Theological Seminary in New York City, wrote “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” for his son Robert in 1822. Robert liked to ride his pony, Lightening, in the woods and one day, he and his pony took a spill. Since his pony had broken 2 legs, they shot it. Robert loved his pony so much, so he did not try to get well, and each day he called pitifully for Lightening. His father had been working on a dictionary before the accident and thought if only he could write a Christmas story that would interest his son. He had written many books for college students, but never a children’s book. He finished writing “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” on Christmas eve. As he started to read, a few lines at a time, Robert responded with a tiny smile and by the time he was through reading the Christmas poem, he said, “Read it again.” Again his father read the story of a visit from St. Nicholas. This time when Moore finished reading the holiday poem, Robert asked if their tree was up. When his father said it was, Robert asked to see it. Moore’s holiday poem is now a classic American Christmas story.

Professor Moore was a private person and was embarrassed by the popularity of his Christmas poem or Christmas story twas the night before Christmas. Moore finally acknowledged writing the Christmas poem or Christmas story twas the night before Christmas in 1837. The sentinel published the Christmas story twas the night before Christmas poem a decade later.

In 1863 the cartoonist Thomas Nast created images of the Christmas story (twas the night before Christmas poem). We associate these Christmas story images (twas the night before Christmas poem) even today.

Mr. Moore spoke modestly of his Christmas story (twas the night before Christmas poem) but the Christmas story (twas the night before Christmas poem) is a special present to us all.

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Lighting

We  need  light.  We  need it to  read and  see .  We  need it for  our health.  We  also  use lights  to  create magic for the holidays -  Fourth of  July , Halloween , Diwali ,  Hanukkah,  Christmas, Kwanza….  There are a bunch of books about creating the right light in you home. Here is a video that shows how magic light can be:

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Holidays at the Library

When looking for ways to entertain your children during their school break don’t forget about the Library in your neighborhood. We offer fun arts and crafts, performances and special events. Check at your branch or go online to www.aclibrary.org and check out the calendar of events at one or all branches and plan some fun activities as a family.

There are fun events like family game nights, teen gaming, holiday movies and much much more. We will be open our regular hours most days. The closed days at the Libraries during this winter break will be December 25th and 26th, and then again on January 1st and 2nd.  We hope to see you at the Library.  Happy Holidays to all and a safe and prosperous New Year.

 

 

 

 

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A view from Treasure Island

Because of its name alone, I’ve always wanted to visit Treasure Island just outside San Francisco but it’s been one of those things, taken for granted because the place is right there and I’ve really had no compelling reason to make the trip.  And then, one evening earlier this month, on our way home after dinner in San Francisco, my husband took a turn off the Bay Bridge, and there we were.   “Treasure Island“, of course, is Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale of pirates and buried gold.  On this Treasure Island, I saw Bliss Dance, the 40-ft dancing female sculpture by Marco Cochrane, first viewed at Burning Man 2010.  Bliss Dance is a light show at night.

My husband had lived on Treasure Island before we were married; now he wanted me to see the view.  I think that was just an excuse for him to stop by the water and to take his place beside others who, like him, wanted to take advantage of the fog-free evening.  Here’s one shot he took (without a tripod, he said proudly) of a wonderland by night, San Francisco and the Bay Bridge.   May your holiday season be just as light-filled and enchanting.

SF Bay Bridge

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Holiday Food Drive at Alameda County Libraries

As you go about shopping and thinking of gifts to give to your loved ones and friends, please don’t forget those who are less fortunate than you, especially those who are hungry.

You can drop off your food at any of the County libraries: Fremont, Newark, Union City, Irvington, Centerville, Niles, San Lorenzo, Castor Valley, Dublin, and Albany.

You can give food 3 ways:

• In Library food donations until January 31^st – by dropping off the food into food barrels in our libraries
• Virtual food drive – the link on our website to the Alameda County Community Food Bank for e-donations until January 31st. This is a first time the Alameda County Library System is offering a Virtual Food Drive
• Food for Fines until December 31st

 If you have any questions as to how this works, please consult our Question and Answer Guide. Food 4 Fines Q & A

Happy Holidays!

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Where to buy a book

It  was  hard to  watch  our  book  stores close in Fremont. I love  to  give  books  as gifts , and  I  really  love  to stumbled upon  books that I  didn’t  even  know were out  there .  But  where to go for books?   This  Saturday  December  17th  from about  11-  4 pm ,  I  suggest  the Fremont  Main  Library  Lobby.   In  the lobby  you  will find  all kinds of  gently  used  books  that  have  been  donated to  library .   As  a  bonus , the money  you  use to  buy  a  gift, will be  a gift t o  library  as  well.  All  the  money from  the book sale is  used to  put  on  various  programs  at  the  library.

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Make a snowflake

 

How to make a snowflake:
	Step 1: draw a circle on your piece of paper. (Using the compass here is super easy, but you could print a circle off of the computer, or trace around a plate or another circular object).
	Step 2: Fold your circle in half.
	Step 3: Fold the circle in half again (you should have a quarter of a circle now).
	Step 4: Fold the circle in half one more time. You should be left with a folded triangular shape (looks like a piece of pie).
	Step 5: Draw some patterns on your snowflake. Start with simple geometric shapes. Maybe half a heart, some half circles, and a few triangles? After you practice, you can make more intricate shapes. Important to remember: you do not want to cut all of the folded side of your snowflake. You may cut some shapes out of the folded side, but leave at least a few small spaces uncut. This will keep your snowflake together.
	Step 6: Cut out the shapes you drew. Take your time and make them look as nice as you possibly can. The cleaner the cuts, the nicer your snowflake will look.
	Step 7: Carefully unfold your snowflake. You’re all finished! Now you can add glitter, or paint or whatever else you like to decorate your snowflake.

 Just a few notes if you are curious about how to tell which part of the snowflake you are working on. If you cut a shape out of the tip of the folded paper, you will end up with a hole in the center of your snowflake. If you want the center of your snowflake to be solid, leave the tip of the folded paper uncut.

The top curved edge of the folded paper will be the outside edge of your snowflake. You can play around with designs to see what you like.

Any designs you cut on either long side of the folded paper will end up being the designs on the quadrants of the finished snowflake.

There are plenty of otehr designs for snowflakes available on the internet. Do a search for snowflake patterns or snowflake templates and you should find quite a few. Enjoy!

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Considering Meditation

Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
-Lao Tzu

Meditation is a glorious link to connect and harmonize the two ends of life – material and spiritual.
-Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

One hour’s meditation on the work of the Creator is better than seventy years of prayer.
-Muhammad

My greatest wealth is the deep stillness in which I strive and grow and win what the world cannot take from me with fire or sword.
-Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Within you is a stillness, a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.
-Herman Hess

I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.
-Einstein

To meet everything and everyone through stillness instead of mental noise is the greatest gift you can offer the universe.
-Eckhart Tolle

Our greatest experiences are our quietest moments.
-Nietzsche

Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come
back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there
is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we
know what to do and what not to do to help.
-Thich Nhat Hanh

I have discovered that all of mans unhappiness derives from
only one source, not being able to sit quietly in a room.
-Blaise Pascal

Titles on Meditation @ ACLibrary

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