I need a broom.

 “The overdressed traveler betrays more interest in being seen than in seeing, while the true traveler knows that the novel world about her serves as the most appropriate accessory.”- Gregory Mcguaire (Wicked)

 Week of April 5th, courtesy of Rob Brezny:
Researchers report that the typical man falls in love 5.4 times over the course of his life, while the average woman basks in the glow of this great mystery on 4.6 occasions. I suspect you may be close to having a .4 or .6 type of experience, Sagittarius: sort of like infatuation, but without the crazed mania. That could actually be a good thing. The challenging spiritual project that relationship offers may be most viable when the two people involved are not electrifyingly interwoven with every last one of their karmic threads. Maybe we have more slack in our quest for intimacy if we love but are not obsessed. 


 I think I could easily accomplish this goal: http://www.theuniformproject.com/

 “Doubt was much more energy efficient than conviction.”- Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

 
“People always did like to talk, didn't they? That's why I call myself a witch now: the Wicked Witch of the West, if you want the full glory of it. As long as people are going to call you a lunatic anyway, why not get the benefit of it? It liberates you from convention.” - Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

In the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz, the character of the Wicked Witch of the West is played by Margaret Hamilton. The Wicked Witch is her most famous role. It appears on lists for Best Film Characters and Best Film Villains time after time.

Now, in adapting the classic children's novel by L. Frank Baum, the film makers made a few changes to the Witch. They switched the Witch's method of transportation from magical umbrella to a broom, which is an instantly recognizable witch symbol. They also made the crushed Witch of the East her sister, which makes her hatred of Dorothy understandable. But the most interesting change is kind of a big one. In the book, the Witch was not green.

I haven't found any reasons as to why they made that decision. I suppose the Witch has green skin for the same reason that there are ruby slippers instead of silver ones, they wanted to show off the new color film technology. But whatever the reason, it was a great choice. The image stuck. And when Gregory Maguire wrote his novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, he expanded on this character. He made her green skin a big part of the forming of her personality. He also gave her a name: Elphaba. Elphaba comes from a phonic pronunciation of L. Frank Baum's initials: L. F. B.

Without giving away any spoilers to those who haven't read it, here is what the Wicked Witch is like in the novel. Elphaba Thropp comes from Munchkinland, and is born with green skin. We don't really know what caused it even though there are several theories presented. She also has a bizarre allergy to water. She never allows herself to cry and only baths herself with oil because of this. Her green skin immediately makes her an outcast no matter where she goes. While in university, many people avoid her because she's perceived as odd and ugly. She wears a lot of black because everything else clashes with her skin tone. She has power that she can't control very well that mostly manifests itself when she's angry. Even though she's clearly upset that her sister is "the favorite," she dutifully cares for her anyways. As a young woman, she's a radical revolutionary. Despite being the daughter of a priest, she's an atheist. She's also a strong supporter of Animal rights (Animals are capable of human thought and speech in Oz). As she grows older, she becomes increasingly disillusioned and bitter. As a result, she does some pretty nasty things.
 
“She dropped her shyness like a nightgown, and in the liquid glare of sunlight on old boards she held up her hands-as if, in the terror of the upcoming skirmish, she had at last understood that she was beautiful. In her own way.”- Gregory Maguire (Wicked)


I need a broom. All the awesome characters have them. Harry Potter, The Wicked Witch. Nuff said.


“Animals are born who they are, accept it, and that is that. They live with greater peace than people do.” - Gregory Maguire (Wicked)

)