My Creatively Random Life

Jesters were entertainers in medieval times who were employed to entertain nobility or entertain commoners at fairs and markets.  They employed a wide variety of skills including music, storytelling, acrobatics, juggling and song usually in a comic style.  Many jesters made jokes about people or events known to their audience.                1) Use of the word "jester" in the modern sense did not begin until the mid-16th century.                2) Jesters served both to amuse and criticize their master/mistress and their guests.                3) They enjoyed a privileged status in a noble household.                4) Jesters could give bad news that no one else dare deliver.

  Geisha are traditional female Japanese entertainers whose skills include classical music, dance and games.  There is so much here to be fascinated with that it's like being a kid in a candy store...you don't know where to look first.  I learned some really neat stuff and I think there are great stories there. The most interesting thing I learned is that there is (like most things) a process of apprenticeship for becoming a a geisha.  As, they progress towards becoming a full geisha their dress, hairstyle and makeup all become simpler.   Other things I learned are: 1) There were (and still are a few) male geisha. 2) Geisha must retire if they marry.   Geisha can work well into later life which is just fascinating to me as I said. 

I was always more than a little fascinated with dance even though I have less than no rhythm.  What little girl doesn't?  The long graceful lines, the glittery costumes and the adoring fans.  Turns out not only did I not have any rhythm I have massive stage fright as well.  So no dance career for me. Naturally, wanting to be a dancer I wanted to be a ballerina because they are the best of the best.  Anyhow, I did some research and learned some neat things about ballerinas: 1) The term ballerina is a critical accolade reserved for well-trained and highly accomplished female classical ballet dancers. 2) The rank of Prima Ballerina Assoluta was bestowed on a ballerina who was considered to be exceptionally talented and above the standard of other leading ballerinas though now the title is rarely used and is mostly symbolic and used in recognition of a notable career. I know when I think of ballets I usually think of Swan Lake or The Nutcracker but the ...

When I signed up to do the A to Z challenge this year I completely forgot that I was going to be away for almost the entire first week of the challenge....eek!  With that in mind I decided to go with a slightly less research heavy topic than the one I was holding over from last year.  Which makes me a little sad because I really wanted to do it but really excited because instead I am going to talk about something that really presses on my mind all the time. My theme for this year is going to be a person, place or thing list of stuff I have always wanted to write about.  I don't know about you but I have entire notebooks and tons of scraps of paper everywhere with words, phrases and sentences on them of stuff that popped into my head that I thought would make a good story.  Or at least a good jumping point for a story. So I have decided to make an alphabetical list of them and put a little research into them, with the hope that next year's A to Z will feature shor...