The Karagöz puppets vote…İznik vs. mid-century modern tiles

Posted on November 9, 2012 by lizcameron

 

Too expensive for a whole bathroom, this may become the kitchen backsplash in Provincetown…with clementine colored paint above it on one accent wall, if M. has any say in the matter (I quite like the idea) (Image by Liz Cameron)

These days, my shoulder hurts more than one might imagine possible, and those Karagöz puppets, well, they are trying to keep me still, but my right hand *needs* to type occasionally.

Luckily, I am somewhat ambidextrous, and I can both use scissors and take photos with my iPhone using my right hand.

Therefore, the puppets have been egging me on to take and post photos.

So, that leads me to tell the story of the day M. and I woke up to a horde of sobbing puppets, looking lovingly at page after page of İznik ceramics in the book that graces our coffee table.

Turkish Iznik tile

Turkish Iznik tile (Photo credit: Scott MacLeod Liddle)

It was, of course, and they knew it, the day we were to set off looking for tile for our bathroom renovations in Provincetown. Here, the puppets share their favorites – what do you vote on?

Simple, elegant pale blue pennyround tiles with brown edges (Image by Liz Cameron)

Olive-ish in nature, this is also too expensive, and might drive us nuts after a while, so it too, may become kitchen backsplash materia instead of the above…(Image by Liz Cameron)

 

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Karagöz shrugs his shoulders – the other puppets celebrate!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by lizcameron

Dia de los Muertos 2012 election presidential obama ted kennedy

The Dia de los Muertos puppets educated by Turkish Karagoz puppets about last night’s election – and the venerable Senatory Ted Kennedy who would likely be thrilled at the new promise this election brings for Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act) not to mention the election of our new Senator, Elizabeth Warren (Image by Liz Cameron)

Last night, the night of the elections in the U.S., Karagöz stayed up late with M. to see if Green Party candidate Jill Stein would win, shrugged his shoulders & did some “cheer up” somersaults when she didn’t.

I was exhausted from physical therapy and a painful time after grading, not to mention the anxiety of watching the electoral vote tally. So, off to bed early with a late night whisper of great news from M. that I thought was a dream until early morning insomnia revealed the truth of an out LGBT senator, a “binder of women” heading to DC – including both the first Asian-American and practicing Hindu women elected to the Senate ever – dubbed by some a “Fox News Nightmare”.  And so much more good news as well.  I wish all in our country saw it this way – and I wish that the presidential race had not broken down on embarrassing racial lines, but all in all I’m thrilled and most of the puppets are as well.

Mr. & Mrs. Obama, dancing (Image by Liz Cameron)

Walking the mile to my doc’s appointment today, the puppets were all a-flutter as I listened to the morning-after, sleep-deprived political pundits on my iPhone as the snow began to swirl. Stopping their a-flutterness upon spotting some of their kind, namely, puppets, they stopped for a good chat with the Mexican Dia de Los Muertos puppets who were celebrating in a store window – and who educated my Karagöz puppets about the venerable late Senator Kennedy as well.  You can see one of those Mexican puppets dressed up like Senator Ted Kennedy – as well as a couple of puppets dressed up like Mr. and Mrs. O. dancing on their inauguration night.

A Dia de los Muertos puppet in honor of the late Senator Ted Kennedy (Image by Liz Cameron)

After battling with doctors, it was a tiring day and despite a good larger reality in the U.S. tonight, I have a sore right hand, so I’m stopping.  The puppets nod their approval, even Karagöz.

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The puppets consult Rumi re: the U.S. Presidential election: Karagöz goes green – the rest of the puppets yell Gobama!

Posted on November 6, 2012 by lizcameron

English: President Barack Obama, First Lady Mi...

English: President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Malia Obama watch as Sasha Obama lights a candle in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Français : Le président Barack Obama, la First Lady Michelle Obama et Malia Obama regardent Sasha Obama allumer un cierge dans la cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Karagöz has been heckling me for weeks, saying things like  “Vote your conscience, and wreak havoc!”  M. agrees with the first part of the sentence, but not the second,  I think Karagöz has been whispering in his ears at night again.

 

As for the rest of the Karagöz puppets, now that I am off the computer most of the time, they have mastered the art of the iPad, and are searching up a storm about how the U.S. presidential candidates would impact the Ottoman Empire…if only they really understood that those days are *over* – they are a little confused. Safiye Rakkase, the vainglorious dancing girl, explains she will vote for Obama because he and his wife have the best dance moves and that Mrs. O. has the best clothes.  Esma rolls her eyes at that.

 

Overall, the majority of the Karagöz puppet troupe have decided on their candidate after consulting the works of Rumi, and have taken to parading around the house yelling “Gobama!” on an endless, cacophonous basis.  They are, of course, inspired by the Million Puppet March, in honor of PBS and Big Bird (see links below).

 

“What was it,” I asked quietly, “that you read in Rumi’s work that made you decide on Obama?”

 

“It was this quote,” Esma the hippie puppet said, pointing to the book on my nightstand, “right here:”

 

“People of the world don’t look at themselves, and so they blame one another.”

 

“Obama seemed as though he looked at himself the most.”

 

…and now that *that* is settled, how shall I break it to them that they are not eligible to vote today?

 

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