In The Minority

My collection consists mostly of Black dolls. In a previous post, I highlighted my Hispanic/Latino dolls. In this post, I highlight my non-Black and non-Hispanic/Latino dolls.

40th Anniversary Ken	Babydoll knock-off on Phicen S02A	Mattel Becky
Talking Presidents William J. Clinton	Liv Daniela	Dollar Store Guy
Fun To Dress Barbie 1988 on DML Amy	Mattel Harry Potter on Obitsu	Happy Family Grandma
Takara Jenny R&B Calendar Girl	Justin Bieber	Mattel Kevin
Phicen PLLB2014-S08 Large Bust Tan	Flavas Liam	Dragon Linh
Momoko	My Scene Kennedy	High School Musical Sharpay
Sideshow Mandy	Star Trek Barbie	Star Trek Ken
Mattel Todd	Ken	Hairspray Tracy Turnblad

 Here is a group photo.

And here is the complete Star Trek set.

Having these dolls out reminded me of something that I've been meaning to do for a while.

I got Liv Daniela from the thrift store last year with one purpose in mind: to give one of my dolls an articulated body. Now Sharpay is posing much better!

Justin Bieber approves of Sharpay's transformation. I think that these two are going to be singing a lot of duets together.

Calista's Diary Entry - When It Clicks

Dear Diary,

When I began my keyboard lessons, Jay told me that "the most important thing to remember is that Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge".  I was confused and asked him what boys and fudge have to do with playing a musical instrument?  Well his mnemonic devices helped me learn the lines and spaces of the treble and base clefs quickly and easily.  The hard part was recognizing the notes quickly and getting my fingers to do exactly what I wanted them to do, when I wanted them to do it.  There's a lot going on at the same time!  Recognize the note on the sheet music, find the right note on the keyboard, hold it for the correct length of time, do or do not use the damper pedal...  Okay, this is hard!

During the first month, I spent so much time just leaning the proper techniques, practicing scales, and playing simple songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mary Had a Little Lamb (and why would anyone want to sing about being Down in the Valley anyway).  I kept asking Jay when we would get to the fun part.  He kept telling me to just keep practicing, and he promised it would pay off.  So I did.  I practiced 2 hours a day like he told me to, and sometimes more.  It became easier to play the scales and to play the notes from sheet music.  I got to play songs that were a little bit more complicated, but they were still songs that people sang like 100 years ago.

Jay asked me if I wanted to learn how to play by ear, as well as read music.  I said that I thought that was something that only musical geniuses could do.  He told me that some people are naturally gifted and can pick that up right away, but he said that some people can be taught.  He told me that I had a good ear and that he could teach me.  I told him yes, I wanted to learn to play by ear.  He told me that there would be a lot more work.  I was ready for it.  I learned the 12 major chords and I learned about chord progressions.  Jay gave me charts and diagrams and there was a lot of memorization.  One day, Jay gave me the assignment of picking out a popular song that's a favorite of mine, listening to the chorus, playing the melody of the chorus on the keyboard, and writing the notes down on a piece of paper.  He told me to make sure that I had a recording of the song at our next lesson.  I did as he instructed.  It was pretty easy to listen to the melody and play it.

At my next lesson, Jay told me to look at the notes that I had written and to tell me what key the song was in.  I didn't answer right way, but then I recognized that there were no sharps or flats, so I said "Is it C?"  Then Jay told me to play the melody with my right hand, and to try the common chord progressions for the key of C with my left.  I hummed the song as I played, and I found a progression that fit!  I was actually playing the song, and it actually SOUNDED LIKE THE SONG!  "OMG!  I'm playing my favorite song!"  Jay was excited, too.  He told me that this is his favorite part of teaching, when all of the hard work pays off and it all clicks, and the fun part begins.  He told me that of course, I still had a lot to learn and a lot of practicing to do.  He told me that he would teach me some embellishments that would really make the song sound good.  

Jay instructed me that for my next lesson, I should write down the notes of the melody for the rest of my song, and below those notes to write the chords, and to practice my song (but don't forget to practice my scales and practice my sheet music songs).  Well, playing my favorite song will not be work at all for me.  I am so excited!

Jay told me that I have a nice singing voice and that I should try out for the performing choir when school starts.  Really?  Me?  That's not something that I had considered before.  I guess I sort of frowned because then he said that he thinks it will be a good fit for me, since I like to perform and I love music.  He told me that many of their musical numbers include choreographed moves, and he told me I would be really good at that part.  He told me that they also read sheet music, and that I would learn some music theory.  I told him that I would consider it.

When school starts, we will continue the lessons, but we will cut back to 1 lesson per week, and I will cut my practice time back to an hour a day, 6 days a week.

Calista's Diary Entry - Play Time

Dear Diary,

As the summer began, I spent most of my time relaxing and watching TV.  I didn't want to do much of anything.  It was just nice being able to hang out in my pajamas and relax.

Well, the longer I did that, the more agitated my parents seemed to become.  I heard my dad talking to my mom, saying something about me regressing.  One Saturday, I was in the kitchen fixing myself a bowl of cereal for lunch, and my dad said "Don't you think that you're a little old to be playing with toys?"  I said "What, this?  This isn't a toy, it's my teddy bear.  And I don't play with him, I just..." and then I couldn't think of anything that I could say that would erase the frown from my dad's face.  My dad said "You've been carrying that thing around everywhere you go."  My mother came in and patted my dad on the arm and said "It's alright, I'll talk to her."

My dad walked away and I fixed my cereal really fast, hoping that my mom would walk away too.  But she followed me to my room and closed the door.  I tried to hide my eye rolling from her.  She said "You really do miss that boy, don't you?"  I said "Who?"  My mom didn't even try to hide her eye roll from me.  She said "Bob.  That's the boy who gave you that bear, right?"  I nodded hesitantly.  My mom continued "Yeah, we talk to his dad Brad sometimes at church.  Brad said that his son would be gone almost the entire summer.  Calista, he will be back before you know it."  I said "Ok.", hoping that would end the conversation.

My mom said "In the meantime, we are not about to let you spend your summer moping around and hugging on a stuffed bear.  You need to find an activity."  I said "Isn't it a little late for that?"  My mom said "No, there's still plenty of things that you can do.  If you can't find anything, your dad and I will choose something.  Hey, Vacation Bible School is coming up next week..."  I said "No!"  I didn't mean to say it so loudly.  I said "I'll find something."  My mother said "Ok, you have 1 week."

I went to the Community Center that same day to try to find something to occupy my time this summer.  As I expected, there wasn't a lot left to choose from.  But something did catch my eye.  A local musician was offering music lessons.  I've always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, so it seemed like a good idea to me.

I called the number from the ad and I set up an initial meeting.  When I arrived, I was surprised to see that the "local musician" was actually an older boy from my school named Jay.  He didn't recognize me, even after I told him that I had been on the Junior Spirit Squad.  I recognized him right away.  He performed in school talent shows, and he's really good.  He also has a bit of a reputation for being a jerk.  And from what I've heard, he skips school and drinks.

I told him that I thought I needed to find an instructor who was a bit more mature.  He told me fine, he didn't need my money anyway, and that the lessons were for my benefit and not for his.  He said that he was trying to share the gift of music with someone who was willing to work hard.  I told him that I am no stranger to hard work, but I need to make sure that I get someone who is reliable, and I shared my concerns about him skipping school.  He told me "So what!"  He went on a rant about how music is his life, his passion, and when it comes to music, he does not cut corners.  He works really hard, he's good at what he does, and he does not disappoint.  He told me that it was up to me, but if we chose to work together, I would definitely be impressed.  He said that I would not find another person who was as passionate about music, especially within my budget.

I told him that I would give him a chance.  He told me that he would give me a chance also, but that he would drop me if I didn't work hard.  I said "Drop ME?  I'm the one paying!"  He said it didn't matter, he didn't want to waste his time on someone who wasn't serious.  He said "Are you serious, Clarissa?"  I said "It's CALISTA, and yes I'm serious."

So he showed me his instruments.  He asked me if I was interested in playing the drums and I told him no, and that I thought that was too easy.  He told me that there's a lot more to it than what I think.  He let me play his drums, and I sounded awful.  Still, I wouldn't want to pay anyone to teach me to play the drums.  That seems like something that I could learn on my own. 

Then he let me play his guitar.  He showed me how to play a couple of chords.

I liked the guitar, but I knew that I wanted to take lessons on the keyboard.  Jay said that the guitar is more his thing, but that he can definitely teach me to play the keyboard.  We agreed to have my lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  He told me that I needed to practice 2 hours a day, 6 days a week.  I said "2 HOURS!"  He said "Hey, you said you were serious, and not a stranger to hard work, right?"  I replied "Right."

I played Jay a song that my dad had taught me on his keyboard when I was a little girl - Chopsticks.  Jay said that I would be blown away by the songs that I would be able to play by the end of this summer.  I hope he's right.

More Stuff

I've wanted this one for a while, and now Kwanzaa Barbie has finally come to join me.

She came with her box, but the box has been opened.

For now I will display her in her box.

I'd never wanted a Justin Bieber doll.  I've walked right by them time and time again in stores (but I did buy one of the clothing sets for my other teen boys).  But then someone on Facebook posted about how the prices of these dolls had been falling rapidly amid the recent troubles that the singer has been having.  Someone else made the point that it would be worth the cheap prices just to get the clothes, and that caught my attention.  I remembered seeing a JB playset that I liked on Vanessa's blog, and decided to finally search for one and I picked this one up since the price was right.

I need some doctors and nurses around here.  My dolly infirmary is overflowing, and my dolls are not getting any help from me.  I have a GI Jane nurse, but she came here without any of her gear.  She would probably try to punch me in the face if I put her in this, but SOMEBODY'S got to step up and help my injured dollies.

 Here are a couple of additional photos of my Phicen (that they are not calling Jinx).  Also, here is a video of my Jinx vs. Jinx vs. Phicen comparison that includes some new photos and some video footage.