Rochelle Weber--Author

Hi! I’m Rochelle Weber, and I write the Moon Rock series. ROCK BOUND—Jake saved Annie’s life. Now slaves on that God-forsaken rock, the Moon, how will they survive? ROCK CRAZY—Katie McGowan's abandoned, pregnant, bi-polar, and going crazy on that God-forsaken rock, the Moon! THE THIN PERSON INSIDE—when Kristen got help for her obesity, she never expected to fall in love—let alone with a rock star. Buy ROCK BOUND at Amazon. ROCK CRAZY and THE THIN PERSON INSIDE are at MuseItUp Publishing.

Showing posts with label Auguste Rodin. Show all posts

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Happy Birthday

She Who Was the Helmet-Maker's Once Beautiful Wife

After last week’s blog, I’m not quite sure what to write this week. I wrote about time flying, and my goals for this year, so this week, I think I’ll simply quote one of my favorite passages from one of my favorite authors, Robert A. Heinlein. In the book “Stranger in a Strange Land” Ben Caxton, a news reporter is having a discussion with Jubal Harshaw who is sort of the paternal figure of the book, in a room with replicas of Rodin’s sculptures. Ben has just made a derogatory comment on the nude of an old woman, “She Who Was The Helmet-Maker's Once Beautiful Wife.” This is Jubal’s response.

“Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist-a master—and that is what Auguste Rodin was—can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is...and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be...and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart...no matter what the merciless hours have done to her. Look at her, Ben. Growing old doesn't matter to you and me; we were never meant to be admired—but it does to them.”

At Twenty


September 2011, Age 60

Is there any one of us who doesn’t bop to a song from the year we were eighteen? Or glance in the mirror and wonder who that old woman is? Sure—I earned every wrinkle, laugh line, grey hair. I wouldn’t trade my kids or grandkids or great-granddaughter for all the gold in the world. But I still love rock and roll. I still have some good moves on the dance floor, and I don’t ever plan to get stodgy!