Here are the suggestions I've come up with so far to battle the cultural black hole of the impending Valentine's Day:
1. The old classic MC "wear orange" passive protest
2. Horror movie marathon
3. Candy open-heart surgery (except for classics like "Book Club," or the self-satirizing "Fax me" or "Email me")
4. Follow more sedate international customs, such as for China's "Lover's Day"
Let me know if you come up with any others, and I'll make you famous by publishing it in actual media.
Not just crappy online media, either.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
PSA: Books I've thrown because they upset me
And would recommend:
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
And would not recommend:
The Liar's Club, by Mary Carr
And would burn on sight:
Boy Meets Girl, by Joshua Harris
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
And would not recommend:
The Liar's Club, by Mary Carr
And would burn on sight:
Boy Meets Girl, by Joshua Harris
PSA: JERKFACE Man kills family because he's a JERK.
Another murder-suicide in the news caught my attention today, and I realized I'd never made it clear to the world exactly how pissed off these make me.
A man shot and killed his wife and two young children, Abigail (8) and Jimmy (5), then turned the gun on himself.
Well, at least he got that one thing right.
He left a suicide note, though police aren't disclosing the contents.
I don't even care what it says.
If this man were still alive, I would likely have to be tied down to keep myself from smacking him, hard and repeatedly (as in, for hours, until my fingers bleed) across the face.
I'm of the opinion that suicide is a self-centered act, in that suicide victims often describe their lives in terms of how terrible they are -- so terrible that they can't be allowed to live -- and how much pain they're in. I believe that suicidal people are in that much pain, and that they do believe themselves to be "evil," or unworthy of continuing to live. I mean, I've been there.
And I have a reserve of mercy for people who can't summon the supernatural amounts of discipline (and grace, and luck) it takes to get out of that mindset.
But when your mentality extends beyond self-destruction to killing other people -- and your family, no less, and your two small children -- in a murder-suicide, you need to choose the lesser of two evils, and reverse that order.
Start with yourself.
A man shot and killed his wife and two young children, Abigail (8) and Jimmy (5), then turned the gun on himself.
Well, at least he got that one thing right.
He left a suicide note, though police aren't disclosing the contents.
I don't even care what it says.
If this man were still alive, I would likely have to be tied down to keep myself from smacking him, hard and repeatedly (as in, for hours, until my fingers bleed) across the face.
I'm of the opinion that suicide is a self-centered act, in that suicide victims often describe their lives in terms of how terrible they are -- so terrible that they can't be allowed to live -- and how much pain they're in. I believe that suicidal people are in that much pain, and that they do believe themselves to be "evil," or unworthy of continuing to live. I mean, I've been there.
And I have a reserve of mercy for people who can't summon the supernatural amounts of discipline (and grace, and luck) it takes to get out of that mindset.
But when your mentality extends beyond self-destruction to killing other people -- and your family, no less, and your two small children -- in a murder-suicide, you need to choose the lesser of two evils, and reverse that order.
Start with yourself.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Local Trivia: Organ harvesting
Today I worked as a job coach at a soup kitchen a few towns over. Part of my client’s job was to sort candy and chips into little brown lunchbags for distribution.
It was the most surreal part of a generally surreal experience: seeing homeless people come in and be served at their places, as at a restaurant; watching them chat and thank the servers with kindness built more on familiarity than desperate gratitude; being approached no fewer than four times by staff asking if I was eating, or a volunteer. (My coat’s style, and the fact that I never took it off, seemed to help me blend into the homeless population more than the volunteers, even though I stood behind the serving area.)
The candy was, for the most part, old Halloween candy. I’m not one to scoff at giving out old candy, as anyone who’s seen my living room candy bowl knows, but these were mostly “Halloween themed” candy, as in Tootsie pops with “scary tattoos” inside -- just think for a second about the amount of investment needed on the part of a homeless person, for applying a temporary tattoo -- and “gummy body parts.”
There were two brands of “gummy body part,” one of which included red gummy swaths near what would have been the amputation points, the other of which was neutral and matter-of-fact: This is simply a severed thumb. No need to be grotesque about it (though the effect was almost more grotesque).
I was fascinated and couldn’t stop looking at them – feet, severed tongues, ears – knowing I’d eventually come across the body-part equivalent of those blobbed, unidentifiable elephantine animals you find in every box of animal crackers.
I did. There were two flaps and clearly a bone sticking out, and severed, from between them. I scrolled through every body part I could think of, even ones that the candy company obviously would not have allowed to be distributed to children (think of the liability), but none matched up. A hip? A chest with the arm ripped off? What else had a ball-and-socket joint? (Was this gummy detailed enough for me to conclusively decide it was a ball-and-socket joint? Probably not – putting all other bone-and-muscle points of contact back into contention…)
Any conjectures would be welcomed.
It was the most surreal part of a generally surreal experience: seeing homeless people come in and be served at their places, as at a restaurant; watching them chat and thank the servers with kindness built more on familiarity than desperate gratitude; being approached no fewer than four times by staff asking if I was eating, or a volunteer. (My coat’s style, and the fact that I never took it off, seemed to help me blend into the homeless population more than the volunteers, even though I stood behind the serving area.)
The candy was, for the most part, old Halloween candy. I’m not one to scoff at giving out old candy, as anyone who’s seen my living room candy bowl knows, but these were mostly “Halloween themed” candy, as in Tootsie pops with “scary tattoos” inside -- just think for a second about the amount of investment needed on the part of a homeless person, for applying a temporary tattoo -- and “gummy body parts.”
There were two brands of “gummy body part,” one of which included red gummy swaths near what would have been the amputation points, the other of which was neutral and matter-of-fact: This is simply a severed thumb. No need to be grotesque about it (though the effect was almost more grotesque).
I was fascinated and couldn’t stop looking at them – feet, severed tongues, ears – knowing I’d eventually come across the body-part equivalent of those blobbed, unidentifiable elephantine animals you find in every box of animal crackers.
I did. There were two flaps and clearly a bone sticking out, and severed, from between them. I scrolled through every body part I could think of, even ones that the candy company obviously would not have allowed to be distributed to children (think of the liability), but none matched up. A hip? A chest with the arm ripped off? What else had a ball-and-socket joint? (Was this gummy detailed enough for me to conclusively decide it was a ball-and-socket joint? Probably not – putting all other bone-and-muscle points of contact back into contention…)
Any conjectures would be welcomed.
Local Trivia: And not a penny less.
Observed: I-84 East, on-ramp at Exit 23, a sign saying “$219 fine for littering.”
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Confessions XXVIII
As a child, I used to think getting stuff out of people's curbside trash was awesome.
I still do.
At least half the furniture in my house is from the side of some road.
I still do.
At least half the furniture in my house is from the side of some road.
Guest Blog: An immovable object...
What was that miserable little philosophical quandry that people in college used to repeat to you at the local coffee joint to make them seem deep? Oh yes, they would say "an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. What happens?"
Well, I'll tell you. The unstoppable force is deflected away at a trajectory that can be anything except along the initial vector (which would imply that the force had to momentarily stop). If the force is simply deflected, then it retains some sort of velocity in some direction. The immovable object does not move, and the unstoppable object does not, in fact, stop.
Pretentious coffee shop philosophers beware: You bust that out on me ever again and raise your eyebrow as if to say "You can't figure that one out, can you?" and get ready to get the LONG version of the aforementioned explanation.
Well, stop it.
Well, I'll tell you. The unstoppable force is deflected away at a trajectory that can be anything except along the initial vector (which would imply that the force had to momentarily stop). If the force is simply deflected, then it retains some sort of velocity in some direction. The immovable object does not move, and the unstoppable object does not, in fact, stop.
Pretentious coffee shop philosophers beware: You bust that out on me ever again and raise your eyebrow as if to say "You can't figure that one out, can you?" and get ready to get the LONG version of the aforementioned explanation.
Well, stop it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
PSA: John Updike died.
Well. Somehow I wasn't expecting this.
Now I'll have to read his books, I suppose.
Now I'll have to read his books, I suppose.
Monday, January 26, 2009
"And gosh darn it..."
Me: “Do you need me to pile up those flyers again?”
My girl: “Yes. [I start to rearrange the stack] Wait. Wait a minute. [Piles a final flyer onto the cascade of tri-folded invitations] Okay, now do it.”
Me: “Hey, who’s the boss here?”
My girl: “I am!”
Me: “Why should you be the boss?”
My girl: “Because I’m smart, and pretty.”
Me: “And people like you.”
My girl: “Yeah!”
Me: “People like me, too!”
My girl: “Yeah. I like you, Alicia. You know that.”
Me: “Yes, I know.”
My girl: “Yes. [I start to rearrange the stack] Wait. Wait a minute. [Piles a final flyer onto the cascade of tri-folded invitations] Okay, now do it.”
Me: “Hey, who’s the boss here?”
My girl: “I am!”
Me: “Why should you be the boss?”
My girl: “Because I’m smart, and pretty.”
Me: “And people like you.”
My girl: “Yeah!”
Me: “People like me, too!”
My girl: “Yeah. I like you, Alicia. You know that.”
Me: “Yes, I know.”
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Forget about the future
My girl: “Forget about the past. Think of the future.”
Me: “Okay. I don’t mind the past, though.”
My girl: “Me neither.”
Me: “Okay. I don’t mind the past, though.”
My girl: “Me neither.”
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Hiatus
Hmm. Unexpected hiatus.
Feel free to browse your local library or something while I get my act together again.
Feel free to browse your local library or something while I get my act together again.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
SPAM: New Year Award!!!!
"This is to inform you that you have been selected for a cash prize of One Million British Pounds held on the 19th of January 2009 in London Uk."
Sadly, it doesn't say where in London the cash is being held.
Sadly, it doesn't say where in London the cash is being held.
PSA: I'd like to become a Vowell.
A few months ago, friend Marc said to me, "you're Sarah Vowell." Then he made me read two of her books.
I scoffed: "But she's so patriotic! It's like her religion! I'm totally not like that."
Then I proved his point more than mine when I side-tracked everyone I knew to the Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery passing by into (or out of) Harrisburg. I've spent hours there by now, spread over at least five different trips, despite the fact that it's a military cemetery, and I consider myself a pacifist.
One of the draws is that the memorial reminds me of a ruined cathedral -- and I love ruins.
This weekend, I picked up The Partly Cloudy Patriot again, searching for a way to express unbridled political optimism in a grown-up essayist way, and noted the following:
Sarah Vowell went to the inauguration in 2000, despite being anti-Bush, and cried at the ceremony.
She also was a member of an online political group -- then via email, since "Town Hall" technology didn't exist yet -- that tracked the campaign, especially during the final days to the election.
I joined an online political group this year, and though I didn't go to the inauguration, I was this close to it.
So while I'm not Sarah Vowell, the only way I can really, honestly end that sentence these days, is "yet."
I scoffed: "But she's so patriotic! It's like her religion! I'm totally not like that."
Then I proved his point more than mine when I side-tracked everyone I knew to the Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery passing by into (or out of) Harrisburg. I've spent hours there by now, spread over at least five different trips, despite the fact that it's a military cemetery, and I consider myself a pacifist.
One of the draws is that the memorial reminds me of a ruined cathedral -- and I love ruins.
This weekend, I picked up The Partly Cloudy Patriot again, searching for a way to express unbridled political optimism in a grown-up essayist way, and noted the following:
Sarah Vowell went to the inauguration in 2000, despite being anti-Bush, and cried at the ceremony.
She also was a member of an online political group -- then via email, since "Town Hall" technology didn't exist yet -- that tracked the campaign, especially during the final days to the election.
I joined an online political group this year, and though I didn't go to the inauguration, I was this close to it.
So while I'm not Sarah Vowell, the only way I can really, honestly end that sentence these days, is "yet."
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama and MVS
On the front page of today's local paper is a picture of now-President Obama working in and on the Sasha Bruce house in Washington, D.C.
Just like my MVS housemate Erin used to do.
Just like my MVS housemate Erin used to do.
Monday, January 19, 2009
In Defense of Poppery, VIII: "RoboCop"
Pop example: Kanye West's "RoboCop"
What redeems it: This song is misogynist. Let's get that out of the way, first thing.
That said, we've likely come to expect this from rap in general, if we've read any feminist writing on the subject at all (or ever listened to any rap), and from Kanye West in particular. I mean, no one that I know of has ever said of "Gold Digger," "well, at least it's not sexist."
This isn't necessarily the best context to look at any popular song in, but it is worth mentioning -- if for no other reason than to set "RoboCop" against the more serious backdrop of, for example, El-P's "The Overly Dramatic Truth," in which the singer describes exactly what he'll do to the subject of the song if she doesn't "jet."
My defense of "RoboCop" comes down to one two-word sentence: It's funny.
From the sound of a sci-fi-like factory machine affixing rivets or bolts to an unidentified product (a car, maybe?) that's supposed to be the moving joints of Kanye's "RoboCop" girlfriend, to the soaring, pseudo-epic orchestration of the chorus, this song is clearly designed to make fun of overbearing women -- in particular, the "L.A. girl" Kanye finds himself involved with.
The question of whether Kanye's parole-officer-like girlfriend has a right to question his activities isn't presented seriously in the song. Kanye admits that he's made mistakes in the past, and reprimands his gf in part because she just "get[s] mad" when he tells her where he's been -- presumably with another woman. His answer is that she should stop asking.
Monogamy factors into many (or most) of Kanye's songs, though it's usually presented as an untenable or problematic setup for relationships. In "See You In My Nightmares," for instance, the narrator finds himself in the position of being cheated on, and protests -- but his "I thought we were committed" is spoken in such an Urkel-esque voice that it satirizes itself even as it expresses real pain. In "Gold Digger," Kanye's ode to the prenup, women are depicted as enemies to men's success...until the last verse, when Kanye joyously crows (or admits) that if she sticks by her man, the faithful woman is likely to be dumped "for a white girl."
This is the context for Kanye's "let's keep it lighthearted" perspective on his relationship with the "L.A. girl": Not keeping things lighthearted leads to trouble and heartbreak.
And in this way, form fits content. The "RoboCop" sounds are obviously meant to mock the girlfriend, but they also mock the song, whose premise is ridiculous to begin with. The addition of an orchestra adds gravitas and the sense that the song transcends its cultural milieu and immediate context (the way an emotional film score helps the viewer to suspend disbelief enough to become absorbed in the picture); the funny thing about this is that the song never does transcend its subject, which is quotidian, tedious and narrow.
The girlfriend's obsessive focus on Kanye's activities, set into the expansive orchestral background, seems even sillier than it does as Kanye sings about it.
Kanye sews up his diminution of his gf and her concerns with his talking at the end: "Just an L.A. girl / Just a spoiled little L.A. girl...[Laughing] That was a good one. You haven't had a good one in a long time."
But Kanye's singing about this issue, despite his lightheartedness and ironic take on it, makes him complicit in treating it like a serious situation, too. His mockery of his girlfriend for what he says is not an issue proves that it is. He satirizes himself by making much of the chorus, set over the epic orchestral lines, a repetition of the word "okay." The narrator is portrayed more as flabbergasted by his girlfriend's behavior than hostile.
This self-satirizing doesn't go so far as to admit that Kanye is just as much involved in the situation as his gf is, but it is present enough to allow listeners to transcend the song -- "wow, this is a silly song on a silly subject, and involving silly people" -- while still being able to identify with Kanye (or, alternatively, with his girlfriend).
3.5 trips around the Sunset Strip.
What redeems it: This song is misogynist. Let's get that out of the way, first thing.
That said, we've likely come to expect this from rap in general, if we've read any feminist writing on the subject at all (or ever listened to any rap), and from Kanye West in particular. I mean, no one that I know of has ever said of "Gold Digger," "well, at least it's not sexist."
This isn't necessarily the best context to look at any popular song in, but it is worth mentioning -- if for no other reason than to set "RoboCop" against the more serious backdrop of, for example, El-P's "The Overly Dramatic Truth," in which the singer describes exactly what he'll do to the subject of the song if she doesn't "jet."
My defense of "RoboCop" comes down to one two-word sentence: It's funny.
From the sound of a sci-fi-like factory machine affixing rivets or bolts to an unidentified product (a car, maybe?) that's supposed to be the moving joints of Kanye's "RoboCop" girlfriend, to the soaring, pseudo-epic orchestration of the chorus, this song is clearly designed to make fun of overbearing women -- in particular, the "L.A. girl" Kanye finds himself involved with.
The question of whether Kanye's parole-officer-like girlfriend has a right to question his activities isn't presented seriously in the song. Kanye admits that he's made mistakes in the past, and reprimands his gf in part because she just "get[s] mad" when he tells her where he's been -- presumably with another woman. His answer is that she should stop asking.
Monogamy factors into many (or most) of Kanye's songs, though it's usually presented as an untenable or problematic setup for relationships. In "See You In My Nightmares," for instance, the narrator finds himself in the position of being cheated on, and protests -- but his "I thought we were committed" is spoken in such an Urkel-esque voice that it satirizes itself even as it expresses real pain. In "Gold Digger," Kanye's ode to the prenup, women are depicted as enemies to men's success...until the last verse, when Kanye joyously crows (or admits) that if she sticks by her man, the faithful woman is likely to be dumped "for a white girl."
This is the context for Kanye's "let's keep it lighthearted" perspective on his relationship with the "L.A. girl": Not keeping things lighthearted leads to trouble and heartbreak.
And in this way, form fits content. The "RoboCop" sounds are obviously meant to mock the girlfriend, but they also mock the song, whose premise is ridiculous to begin with. The addition of an orchestra adds gravitas and the sense that the song transcends its cultural milieu and immediate context (the way an emotional film score helps the viewer to suspend disbelief enough to become absorbed in the picture); the funny thing about this is that the song never does transcend its subject, which is quotidian, tedious and narrow.
The girlfriend's obsessive focus on Kanye's activities, set into the expansive orchestral background, seems even sillier than it does as Kanye sings about it.
Kanye sews up his diminution of his gf and her concerns with his talking at the end: "Just an L.A. girl / Just a spoiled little L.A. girl...[Laughing] That was a good one. You haven't had a good one in a long time."
But Kanye's singing about this issue, despite his lightheartedness and ironic take on it, makes him complicit in treating it like a serious situation, too. His mockery of his girlfriend for what he says is not an issue proves that it is. He satirizes himself by making much of the chorus, set over the epic orchestral lines, a repetition of the word "okay." The narrator is portrayed more as flabbergasted by his girlfriend's behavior than hostile.
This self-satirizing doesn't go so far as to admit that Kanye is just as much involved in the situation as his gf is, but it is present enough to allow listeners to transcend the song -- "wow, this is a silly song on a silly subject, and involving silly people" -- while still being able to identify with Kanye (or, alternatively, with his girlfriend).
3.5 trips around the Sunset Strip.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
New word: Inoughtguration
n. The feeling that despite the crowds, inevitable lines at the portable toilets, and guarantee that physically present spectators will not see any portion of the ceremony itself, one should still have gone to the inauguration
Mix: NOW 4.0
"Five Year Plan" -- You Say Party! We Say Die!
"Bat's Mouth" -- Bat For Lashes
"Time to Pretend" -- MGMT
"We Used to Be Friends" -- The Dandy Warhols
"Wandering Star" -- Portishead
"Hang Them All" -- Tapes 'N Tapes
"Feel Good Inc." -- Gorillaz
"Invent the Alphabet" -- The Sterling Stitches
"Bukowski" -- Modest Mouse
"This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)" -- Peter Gabriel
"Here With Me" -- Dido
"Mirando" -- Ratatat
"Space Oddity" -- David Bowie
"How Soon Is Now" -- T.A.T.U.
"I Grieve" -- Peter Gabriel
"Bat's Mouth" -- Bat For Lashes
"Time to Pretend" -- MGMT
"We Used to Be Friends" -- The Dandy Warhols
"Wandering Star" -- Portishead
"Hang Them All" -- Tapes 'N Tapes
"Feel Good Inc." -- Gorillaz
"Invent the Alphabet" -- The Sterling Stitches
"Bukowski" -- Modest Mouse
"This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)" -- Peter Gabriel
"Here With Me" -- Dido
"Mirando" -- Ratatat
"Space Oddity" -- David Bowie
"How Soon Is Now" -- T.A.T.U.
"I Grieve" -- Peter Gabriel
Saturday, January 17, 2009
PSA: Dr. Who?
From a CL friend:
"Doctor Who has aired 752, I believe, full-hour episodes. The Prisoner, which I just Wikipidia'ed ran for 17. I think my not having seen The Prisoner, therefore, cannot be compared to your not seeing Doctor Who, which is blasphemy. All of humanity should, in fact, watch Doctor Who. To not is on the same scale as missing
out on puberty, or worse, never watching Monty Python. What is at stake is one's fulfillment as a human being."
New word: FBBFF
(n.) "Facebook best friends forever," that is, someone to whom you send "flair" and "wall" messages, whose statuses you track in detail, but who you would never meet or pay attention to in "real life"
Friday, January 16, 2009
PSA: Lead shoes
So thanks to a new law, children's materials -- meaning clothes, toys, and books, even at Goodwills or libraries -- now need to be tested for lead. If they can't afford the testing, places now housing secondhand or used materials for kids will have to throw those out.
Because what we really need is more waste.
And less opportunity to reuse existing materials.
I propose that instead, people who have kids should be required to seal their children into safe, nontoxic, hermetic plastic bubbles.
Because what we really need is more waste.
And less opportunity to reuse existing materials.
I propose that instead, people who have kids should be required to seal their children into safe, nontoxic, hermetic plastic bubbles.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
PSA: Who watches the Foxmen?
Yes, it turns out, Fox is suing the WB over the upcoming Watchmen movie.
Fox owns some of the rights to distributing the movie, though it relinquished many of its rights in 1991. Ownership of the rights currently in question was the result of Fox's purchase in the 80s.
Anyone who loves Watchmen probably also knows Fox as the channel that canceled Firefly. And Arrested Development.
In other words, you're on thin ice already, Fox.
Be careful you don't fall through.
Fox owns some of the rights to distributing the movie, though it relinquished many of its rights in 1991. Ownership of the rights currently in question was the result of Fox's purchase in the 80s.
Anyone who loves Watchmen probably also knows Fox as the channel that canceled Firefly. And Arrested Development.
In other words, you're on thin ice already, Fox.
Be careful you don't fall through.
CL response: "the bad kind of nerd"
"I actually hadn't thought about the "mad scientist" variety of nerd until you brought it up, but yes, I'd say that would be a bad kind of nerd...I think what I meant to reference in my post was the kind of nerd with no social life or interest in people. Though who's to say they're not ultimately the same? If comic books have taught us anything, it's that smart people on the fringe of society can turn out to be evil genius scientists."
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Local Trivia: Barack O'Berry soda
Avery's Beverages in New Britain, CT, has put out its Inauguration Day soda, "Barack O'Berry."
It's blue raspberry and pineapple.
Anyone who wants some, let me know. I'll see what I can do.
It's blue raspberry and pineapple.
Anyone who wants some, let me know. I'll see what I can do.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
FAActs
The Federal Aviation Administration is about to be in big trouble. Thanks to Reagan firing and re-hiring all new air traffic controllers in the 80's, we're now facing the retirement of almost all of the veteran, "nerves-of-steel" air traffic controllers out there. The mandatory retirement age is 57.
I just hope they let us know when the wave of newbies comes in.
High-speed trains sound more and more like "the way of the future..."
I just hope they let us know when the wave of newbies comes in.
High-speed trains sound more and more like "the way of the future..."
Local Trivia: Not-a-winner (NAW) 1
The guy who IMed me on Thursday night asked what, exactly, I meant by saying I would be "just friends" with whoever I met on Craigslist, then proceeded to ask increasingly explicit questions trying, I assume, to figure out where, precisely, my line would be.
We haven't talked again since he figured out the answer.
We haven't talked again since he figured out the answer.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Simpatico
Me: "I dropped my mug this weekend, and it broke. The top broke, and it leaks now."
My girl: "Oh no! I'm sorry."
Me: "I know. I was really disappointed. Thanks for your sympathy."
My girl: "I'm really sorry about that, Alicia."
*****
Me, pulling onto the highway: "Eeew!"
My girl: "What?"
Me, pointing: "That's one of those cars I hate, a Honda Element."
My girl, looking benignly at the Element: "Oh, that's nasty."
My girl: "Oh no! I'm sorry."
Me: "I know. I was really disappointed. Thanks for your sympathy."
My girl: "I'm really sorry about that, Alicia."
*****
Me, pulling onto the highway: "Eeew!"
My girl: "What?"
Me, pointing: "That's one of those cars I hate, a Honda Element."
My girl, looking benignly at the Element: "Oh, that's nasty."
PSA: Inotguration
Well, my people, I've decided, for the sake of Betty, that I'm not going to the inauguration.
Physically.
But I'll certainly be there in spirit.
Physically.
But I'll certainly be there in spirit.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Mix: NOW 3.0
"Downtown Mayors Goodnight, Alley Kids Rule!" -- You Say Party! We Say Die!
"Ghost Under Rocks" -- Ra Ra Riot
"Welcome To Heartbreak" -- Kanye West
"Move You" -- Anya Marina
"Southern Belles in London Sing" -- The Faint
"Boom" -- Flight Of The Conchords
"Mayday!!!" -- The Flobots
"Conquistarte Bien" -- Los Abandoned
"No Surprises" -- Radiohead
"Poor Man's Ice Cream" -- Tilly and the Wall
"Veronika" -- Tricky
" Death On Sunday" -- Goodbye July
"Walk This World" -- Heather Nova
"Hide and Seek" -- Imogen Heap
"Hurt" -- Johnny Cash
"Strawberries" -- Asobi Seksu
"Take You on a Cruise" -- Interpol
"The Limit To Your Love" -- Feist
"Someone Wake Me Up" -- The Veronicas
"Follow the Cops Back Home" -- Placebo
"Ghost Under Rocks" -- Ra Ra Riot
"Welcome To Heartbreak" -- Kanye West
"Move You" -- Anya Marina
"Southern Belles in London Sing" -- The Faint
"Boom" -- Flight Of The Conchords
"Mayday!!!" -- The Flobots
"Conquistarte Bien" -- Los Abandoned
"No Surprises" -- Radiohead
"Poor Man's Ice Cream" -- Tilly and the Wall
"Veronika" -- Tricky
" Death On Sunday" -- Goodbye July
"Walk This World" -- Heather Nova
"Hide and Seek" -- Imogen Heap
"Hurt" -- Johnny Cash
"Strawberries" -- Asobi Seksu
"Take You on a Cruise" -- Interpol
"The Limit To Your Love" -- Feist
"Someone Wake Me Up" -- The Veronicas
"Follow the Cops Back Home" -- Placebo
PSA: We've seen the new Dear Abby, and she's us.
Letter in response to "New Mom," who reports being bored with playing with her 8-month-old all day:
"DEAR ABBY: I enjoyed caring for my children, but there were times when I thought if I had to drive one more toy car across the carpet making car noises with my mouth, I would literally fling myself out the window. I woke up with the Barney theme song in my head and couldn't stop cutting all food into bite-size pieces. How many games of peek-a-boo can you play before you wonder if the liquor store delivers? No one prepares you for this type of job.
Things will change as her child gets older, and she can benefit from the support of other moms if she finds a playgroup. Please tell her not to feel guilty!
-- BEEN THERE, DONE THAT (WITHOUT ALCOHOL)
I suggest we all address our concerns and questions to "BTDT" from now on. Her advice is both more salient and more amusing than Abby's ever is.
"DEAR ABBY: I enjoyed caring for my children, but there were times when I thought if I had to drive one more toy car across the carpet making car noises with my mouth, I would literally fling myself out the window. I woke up with the Barney theme song in my head and couldn't stop cutting all food into bite-size pieces. How many games of peek-a-boo can you play before you wonder if the liquor store delivers? No one prepares you for this type of job.
Things will change as her child gets older, and she can benefit from the support of other moms if she finds a playgroup. Please tell her not to feel guilty!
-- BEEN THERE, DONE THAT (WITHOUT ALCOHOL)
I suggest we all address our concerns and questions to "BTDT" from now on. Her advice is both more salient and more amusing than Abby's ever is.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
PSA: Some of these MUST be spambots.
Number of different email addresses I've received mail from indicating interest in my CL ad as of this minute: 47
PSA: CL & me
So I posted a personal ad on Craigslist in the pursuit of more local people to hang out with, Thursday night. Here's what it said:
Hey. That's me on the left in the pedestrian walkway photo, in blue. [Two photos included; thanks for this one, J-net.]
So some stuff about me: I work part-time in direct care human services and volunteer much of the rest of the time – when I’m not filling out grad school applications – wherever I’m needed and can learn something new. I’ve lived in
foreign countries (England and China) and would again. I have a degree in English (writing) and am using it as a freelance writer.
I’m told that I’m funny, and cute, and I tend to immerse myself in things that interest me. Right now I’m into newspapers and traditional/digital media,
independent or non-mainstream music (Interpol, Modest Mouse, Matt & Kim,
Cassettes Won’t Listen, El-P), and comic books. I’ve always been into movies and reading. I love road trips.
I’m not going to be here forever; I plan on moving to Boston, or if I have
to, New York, in a few months, so I’m not looking for anything long-term right
now. I’m also not looking to “hook up,” and I’m serious about that. I'm just
interested in meeting new people.
I don’t drink, smoke or do any drugs.
I’d like to spend time with someone who has a sense of humor and
intelligence, curiosity about the world and a willingness to look for answers to
those questions. A common interest would give us something to talk about/do, but
I’m also eager to learn more about almost any subject and would gladly listen or
join in on most new things – though I am a spectator rather than participant when it comes to organized sports, games, and dancing.
I’m not looking to be impressed with elegant dinners out or “romance”; I’m happier at a coffee place, hanging out at home or doing something interesting. I’m honest and sometimes awkward, but I get better the longer you know me.
I'll keep you posted on the responses I've gotten and how they work out.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Mix: Inaugaural!
"It Ends Tonight" -- The All-American Rejects
"One In A Million" -- 2005 Million Man March
"Return to Innocence" -- Enigma
"Fake Empire" -- The National [as featured on Obama campaign ad]
"Come on to the Future" -- Skillet
"Kingdom Come" -- The Mae Shi
"Dance, Dance" -- Fall Out Boy
"I Really Hope" -- The Cranberries
"Like I Do" -- Minipop
"Change Everything" -- Game Theory
"I Wanna Shout!" -- The Story of Little Tree
"No More Running Away - Live" -- Air Traffic
"Another Bleeding Heart" -- Alex Parker
"Float On" -- Modest Mouse
"The National Anthem" -- Radiohead
Bonus Track: "Jesus Was A Democrat" -- Everclear
"One In A Million" -- 2005 Million Man March
"Return to Innocence" -- Enigma
"Fake Empire" -- The National [as featured on Obama campaign ad]
"Come on to the Future" -- Skillet
"Kingdom Come" -- The Mae Shi
"Dance, Dance" -- Fall Out Boy
"I Really Hope" -- The Cranberries
"Like I Do" -- Minipop
"Change Everything" -- Game Theory
"I Wanna Shout!" -- The Story of Little Tree
"No More Running Away - Live" -- Air Traffic
"Another Bleeding Heart" -- Alex Parker
"Float On" -- Modest Mouse
"The National Anthem" -- Radiohead
Bonus Track: "Jesus Was A Democrat" -- Everclear
Thursday, January 8, 2009
What I sent my sister.
Deanna,
No problem on the delay -- I figured the holidays were hectic, and I've been busy myself.
It's hard to decide where to start in describing myself, and I've been thinking about how to reply since I got your email. I'm 27, and my birthday is August 23, making me by most calendars also a Virgo (some say I'm Leo), though I don't really pay much attention to horoscopes. Especially growing up, I went to church a lot and was a very serious Christian. I still am, though I spend my Sundays now up in Boston rather than in church.
I moved back to Connecticut to be near family this year, and planned on leaving at the beginning of the 08-09 school year (so last September) to attend whatever grad school I got into. I applied to two last year and was accepted to both, but one was in L.A. -- I decided I didn't want to move there -- and UCONN didn't have any scholarship money this year. (I didn't really want to stick around CT anyway.) I decided to apply to schools near Boston this year, since one of my friends from college is teaching there now, but I've also applied to NYU because even though I hate New York City, they had the program I wanted and excellent scholarships for everyone who's accepted to a PhD program.
What I'm hoping to study is cultural studies, mostly related to media and television. I'd basically watch a lot of TV and write papers about it. I'm hoping to work in a think tank, though that might not be as fun as I think it would be. I'm glad to hear that you love your job -- I worked at a CVS in high school and a few summers in college, and it is kind of satisfying work, since you get to deal with people (who are unpredictable and interesting) and also put things in order, which I like to do. You wouldn't know it to look at my apartment, though, which is a disaster area. I pretty much only use table space for piling stuff on.
I don't know what my mom told you about my history, but before I moved back here (in August of 07), I actually lived and worked in DC for two years. I loved the city. I lived in Columbia Heights, which is now all built up with condos and shopping centers, and worked as a full-time volunteer with the Mennonite Voluntary Service (and Americorps) as a GED instructor. It was a great job the first year, but the second year a lot of things changed and I didn't like it as much. Before that, I taught English in China for two years, the first year to elementary-high schoolers and the second year to college students. I went to China with a team of Americans each year, though a different team each time.
Now I live in my own three-room apartment, which I like very much, though I don't really like Plainville. I went to high school in Plainville, which is exactly as it sounds, but before that I grew up in New Britain, which is more urban. Plainville kids are more suburban and cliquish and had a hard time accepting me being from the city, so I didn't keep many of my friends when I left for college. I went to M****** College, which is near Harrisburg, PA, and got a degree in English (writing) with a minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages. My mom probably told you I studied abroad in England while I was there -- that was really fun. If I could live in England again, I would.
So obviously, I like to travel. I've also been to Mexico (on a short-term missions trip before college), Thailand (for mid-year conferences while in China), Italy and Belgium (while in England), and last spring when I went up to my brother Tyler's wedding in Vermont, two friends and I went up to Montreal. Last summer I drove a loop down to a graduation in DC to visit a friend in TN, then to a wedding in PA -- so I like road trips, too. I'm sure we can schedule some time to meet at some point, though the next month is already packed for me (and winter in New England...yeesh).
Right now I'm working as a job coach for a girl with mental disabilities, which is pretty fun and pays the bills, and I volunteer as a copyeditor for the local paper I used to deliver as a kid. I also write a column, which I'm sure you know by now. That's been pretty fun -- I started interning when I went to a book reading (because I'm a nerd) in the public library basement and was interviewed by the paper's executive editor. He seemed cool, and I hadn't met many cool people in the months I'd lived back here, so I contacted him and asked if the paper could use a volunteer. A few months later, he offered me the column.
I'm glad to hear you're into art and science centers. My housemates in DC and I actually visited the Baltimore Aquarium in the spring or summer of 2007 -- that's kind of weird that you were probably in the city at the same time. I also helped a friend move to Baltimore in the fall of '07. (Baltimore County, actually.) When I was in DC, I didn't go to the museums every week or anything, but my favorite one was actually the Freer and Sackler galleries, which had/have free foreign films almost every week. I'm still on their emailing list, though it doesn't make sense anymore since I can never go. (Eight hours one way is a long time to drive for a free movie.)
My mom probably told you that I cook. I guess I taught myself how when I was in China and wanted to make something that would last a long time (so I wouldn't have to do it again anytime soon), but I started actually enjoying it when I was in DC. I read a lot, and I used to go to the library in my neighborhood and pick out random books, then see what I could learn from them. Once I picked up a biography of a French chef named Bernard Loiseau (sp?), The Perfectionist, which introduced me to the world of haute cuisine. French food is too fancy for me, but in DC I had to cook for my five housemates once a week, which afforded a lot of practice and experimentation. There are a few things I can make really well, most of which are some kind of Mexican food (burritos, black bean dip, etc.) and almost all of those things involve pepper-jack cheese.
I hear that you like to bake. I used to bake a lot more when I was in high school -- peanut butter cookies and cream puffs, for some reason. I go through phases in those sorts of things.
I like all kinds of food, except McDonald's, especially (obviously) Chinese -- REAL Chinese, though, not like the Chinese food you'd get in most places. If we visit, I'll have to bring hot pot mix or the fixings for jiaozi (potstickers). In China, those foods are particularly good for having a party, because they take a long time to prepare and eat, so there's a lot of time for chatting.
Right now, I'm into comic books and independent music, actually. The editor of the paper, who's become a friend, introduced me to both, but I've expanded well beyond his recommendations at this point. And I can't really say "independent music," since that's not really a KIND of music, but I like pretty much everything except country. (Even most bluegrass I like, but not popular country.)
Let's see...what else do I like and dislike?
I hate lima beans and olives, and I like things cooked with garlic, ginger, cumin and cilantro. I hate country music, like I said. I like writing, generally, though sometimes it seems a bit like a chore when I'm on deadline. I generally like my job, which is pretty flexible in terms of what I do most days, but I hate getting up early (it's not even that early -- I leave the house at 8:30 a.m., but I am NOT an early riser), and I hate going to Pizza Hut where my girl has work. (I like pizza, though.) I like reading, though lately I've been watching a lot of movies and TV on DVD instead of reading as much as I might.
I like thinking about stuff, and especially in the last few years I've been more willing to go outside of my interests to learn about new things.
My favorite color used to be blue -- like cornflower blue -- but two or three years ago it switched to orange. I'm not sure what it is now, but I wear a lot of cranberry and red now, which I never used to do, partly because I now have a pair of red glasses that I wear a lot, and because I've finally figured out that I look better in red than most other colors.
That reminds me: my favorite juice is cranberry. I hate grape and apple juices. I used to like orange juice a lot, but when I was in DC, I volunteered for amino acid studies at the NIH that required me to drink a very bitter solution that tasted like orange juice, which I threw up, so I haven't been drinking much orange juice since then. (Kind of a gross story, but the pay was pretty good for those studies, and I didn't take any drugs, just amino acids.)
I don't drink, for reasons that are probably obvious to you, and because I just never felt like starting. I don't smoke or do any kind of drugs -- you know, unless they're prescribed or ibuprofen or allergy meds during allergy season.
I'm allergic to dust and cats, which is sad since I used to have a lot of parakeets. I can't have them anymore, since they create so much dust; even visiting my mom, who took over my bird empire and now has something like ten cockatiels, makes me feel allergic. I also love cats, but if I pet one now I have to wash my hands before I touch my face or clothes. I suppose I could have a dog if I wanted one (and my lease didn't forbid it), but I'm not that interested in dogs. If I did get a dog, it would be a whippet.
Mom's probably told you about my side of my family: two brothers, Tyler and Spencer, both younger. My extended family isn't related, as my mom was taken from her birth parents when she was four; my grandparents were her foster parents for a year, and when I was born, my grandma agreed to be a grandmother to me. I've known this for as long as I can remember, but I've always felt like just a normal grandchild, and I've never questioned my place with her. My grandfather had a harder time adjusting and it's only been in the last few years that he's seemed to feel affection toward me and accept me as his granddaughter. They have two children who I call uncles, and those uncles are married and have kids -- but I don't see that much extended family much, though I live really closeby.
My mom said that your mother had some trouble when you were younger, leading maybe to hospitalization, and that our father raised you for awhile? I may be reading my own experience into that, though -- maybe you can explain the situation more clearly, as I didn't ask my mom any questions about it. It's especially interesting and strange to me to hear that, since (I'm not sure if my mom would've told you) my mom was also hospitalized when I was in middle school and high school. She'd be in for several weeks at a time sometimes, and my brothers and I would either be split up among church people or staying with our grandparents. Her hospitalizations were psychiatric, so it was never clear to outsiders when they'd be coming, though I always saw the signs in advance and began preparing.
It's strange to think about the same situations I went through, which I've deliberately worked through (emotionally) to have a better perspective and be a healthier person, would have happened to you. It's even weirder to think about what it would've been like if we'd had another parent there to watch us while mom was in the hospitals. I just never used to think about having a father when I was younger, like I never thought about how my grandma wasn't really biologically related to me -- I still don't think about it much -- so I never thought "what if he were here?" when we encountered difficulties. Thinking about it now is kind of like figuring out what kind of person I'd be in an alternate universe.
I haven't looked on myspace yet, and I don't have a myspace account (though I am on Facebook), so I haven't seen your picture, but I'm interested that you think we look like each other. People have always told me I look like my mom, and when I look at pictures of her when she was my age, I can see what they mean. I only have one picture of our father, so there's not much to compare to there. But I'll be interested to see your picture.
Congratulations on getting married! I imagine there are a few adjustments to make, there, though I'm also imagining that being together two years before marrying means you may have been living together before(?), so that would be much less adjustment. I'm not involved with anyone right now, and it's only in the last year or so that I've started thinking about actually dating; my focus before that was on getting to the point where I felt like a healthy enough person to be in a relationship. I'm a pretty deep thinker, too, so I don't tend to get into things lightly. It takes a lot to convince me that I'm ready for that kind of risk.
I'm becoming more lighthearted, though, and taking things more as they come. Now that I've been an adult for awhile and had all these different experiences -- it sounds like you have, too, having to adjust to a different life than you'd expected after blowing out your knee -- I'm more confident that I'll be able to handle whatever happens next without having to be a control freak about it. (A lot of my control-freak tendencies come from my childhood and mom being in the hospitals, I think.)
I have lots of experience being an older sister, as do you, I imagine -- or did you grow up with older siblings? I can't really imagine being a middle or younger child.
No problem re: your cell phone. As you can see from the length of my email, here, I like writing -- and since both of our lives are busy these days, it's probably easier to find time to reply than to coordinate time to talk on the phone. I hope you get it fixed, though. I imagine that as manager, you probably get quite a few urgent calls -- but maybe my idea of how hectic a manager's life is has been skewed by how many hours/week the editor of the paper works. (Also 70-hour weeks, I'm afraid.) At any rate, make sure to take care of yourself!
Hmm...I can't think of anything else random that I like or am into right now, but that's probably for the best, anyway. This email is already pages and pages long, I bet. So until next time, I hope you're doing well. Tell Rachel I said hi, if she'd like to hear that, and our nephew, and hi to your husband.
Alicia.
No problem on the delay -- I figured the holidays were hectic, and I've been busy myself.
It's hard to decide where to start in describing myself, and I've been thinking about how to reply since I got your email. I'm 27, and my birthday is August 23, making me by most calendars also a Virgo (some say I'm Leo), though I don't really pay much attention to horoscopes. Especially growing up, I went to church a lot and was a very serious Christian. I still am, though I spend my Sundays now up in Boston rather than in church.
I moved back to Connecticut to be near family this year, and planned on leaving at the beginning of the 08-09 school year (so last September) to attend whatever grad school I got into. I applied to two last year and was accepted to both, but one was in L.A. -- I decided I didn't want to move there -- and UCONN didn't have any scholarship money this year. (I didn't really want to stick around CT anyway.) I decided to apply to schools near Boston this year, since one of my friends from college is teaching there now, but I've also applied to NYU because even though I hate New York City, they had the program I wanted and excellent scholarships for everyone who's accepted to a PhD program.
What I'm hoping to study is cultural studies, mostly related to media and television. I'd basically watch a lot of TV and write papers about it. I'm hoping to work in a think tank, though that might not be as fun as I think it would be. I'm glad to hear that you love your job -- I worked at a CVS in high school and a few summers in college, and it is kind of satisfying work, since you get to deal with people (who are unpredictable and interesting) and also put things in order, which I like to do. You wouldn't know it to look at my apartment, though, which is a disaster area. I pretty much only use table space for piling stuff on.
I don't know what my mom told you about my history, but before I moved back here (in August of 07), I actually lived and worked in DC for two years. I loved the city. I lived in Columbia Heights, which is now all built up with condos and shopping centers, and worked as a full-time volunteer with the Mennonite Voluntary Service (and Americorps) as a GED instructor. It was a great job the first year, but the second year a lot of things changed and I didn't like it as much. Before that, I taught English in China for two years, the first year to elementary-high schoolers and the second year to college students. I went to China with a team of Americans each year, though a different team each time.
Now I live in my own three-room apartment, which I like very much, though I don't really like Plainville. I went to high school in Plainville, which is exactly as it sounds, but before that I grew up in New Britain, which is more urban. Plainville kids are more suburban and cliquish and had a hard time accepting me being from the city, so I didn't keep many of my friends when I left for college. I went to M****** College, which is near Harrisburg, PA, and got a degree in English (writing) with a minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages. My mom probably told you I studied abroad in England while I was there -- that was really fun. If I could live in England again, I would.
So obviously, I like to travel. I've also been to Mexico (on a short-term missions trip before college), Thailand (for mid-year conferences while in China), Italy and Belgium (while in England), and last spring when I went up to my brother Tyler's wedding in Vermont, two friends and I went up to Montreal. Last summer I drove a loop down to a graduation in DC to visit a friend in TN, then to a wedding in PA -- so I like road trips, too. I'm sure we can schedule some time to meet at some point, though the next month is already packed for me (and winter in New England...yeesh).
Right now I'm working as a job coach for a girl with mental disabilities, which is pretty fun and pays the bills, and I volunteer as a copyeditor for the local paper I used to deliver as a kid. I also write a column, which I'm sure you know by now. That's been pretty fun -- I started interning when I went to a book reading (because I'm a nerd) in the public library basement and was interviewed by the paper's executive editor. He seemed cool, and I hadn't met many cool people in the months I'd lived back here, so I contacted him and asked if the paper could use a volunteer. A few months later, he offered me the column.
I'm glad to hear you're into art and science centers. My housemates in DC and I actually visited the Baltimore Aquarium in the spring or summer of 2007 -- that's kind of weird that you were probably in the city at the same time. I also helped a friend move to Baltimore in the fall of '07. (Baltimore County, actually.) When I was in DC, I didn't go to the museums every week or anything, but my favorite one was actually the Freer and Sackler galleries, which had/have free foreign films almost every week. I'm still on their emailing list, though it doesn't make sense anymore since I can never go. (Eight hours one way is a long time to drive for a free movie.)
My mom probably told you that I cook. I guess I taught myself how when I was in China and wanted to make something that would last a long time (so I wouldn't have to do it again anytime soon), but I started actually enjoying it when I was in DC. I read a lot, and I used to go to the library in my neighborhood and pick out random books, then see what I could learn from them. Once I picked up a biography of a French chef named Bernard Loiseau (sp?), The Perfectionist, which introduced me to the world of haute cuisine. French food is too fancy for me, but in DC I had to cook for my five housemates once a week, which afforded a lot of practice and experimentation. There are a few things I can make really well, most of which are some kind of Mexican food (burritos, black bean dip, etc.) and almost all of those things involve pepper-jack cheese.
I hear that you like to bake. I used to bake a lot more when I was in high school -- peanut butter cookies and cream puffs, for some reason. I go through phases in those sorts of things.
I like all kinds of food, except McDonald's, especially (obviously) Chinese -- REAL Chinese, though, not like the Chinese food you'd get in most places. If we visit, I'll have to bring hot pot mix or the fixings for jiaozi (potstickers). In China, those foods are particularly good for having a party, because they take a long time to prepare and eat, so there's a lot of time for chatting.
Right now, I'm into comic books and independent music, actually. The editor of the paper, who's become a friend, introduced me to both, but I've expanded well beyond his recommendations at this point. And I can't really say "independent music," since that's not really a KIND of music, but I like pretty much everything except country. (Even most bluegrass I like, but not popular country.)
Let's see...what else do I like and dislike?
I hate lima beans and olives, and I like things cooked with garlic, ginger, cumin and cilantro. I hate country music, like I said. I like writing, generally, though sometimes it seems a bit like a chore when I'm on deadline. I generally like my job, which is pretty flexible in terms of what I do most days, but I hate getting up early (it's not even that early -- I leave the house at 8:30 a.m., but I am NOT an early riser), and I hate going to Pizza Hut where my girl has work. (I like pizza, though.) I like reading, though lately I've been watching a lot of movies and TV on DVD instead of reading as much as I might.
I like thinking about stuff, and especially in the last few years I've been more willing to go outside of my interests to learn about new things.
My favorite color used to be blue -- like cornflower blue -- but two or three years ago it switched to orange. I'm not sure what it is now, but I wear a lot of cranberry and red now, which I never used to do, partly because I now have a pair of red glasses that I wear a lot, and because I've finally figured out that I look better in red than most other colors.
That reminds me: my favorite juice is cranberry. I hate grape and apple juices. I used to like orange juice a lot, but when I was in DC, I volunteered for amino acid studies at the NIH that required me to drink a very bitter solution that tasted like orange juice, which I threw up, so I haven't been drinking much orange juice since then. (Kind of a gross story, but the pay was pretty good for those studies, and I didn't take any drugs, just amino acids.)
I don't drink, for reasons that are probably obvious to you, and because I just never felt like starting. I don't smoke or do any kind of drugs -- you know, unless they're prescribed or ibuprofen or allergy meds during allergy season.
I'm allergic to dust and cats, which is sad since I used to have a lot of parakeets. I can't have them anymore, since they create so much dust; even visiting my mom, who took over my bird empire and now has something like ten cockatiels, makes me feel allergic. I also love cats, but if I pet one now I have to wash my hands before I touch my face or clothes. I suppose I could have a dog if I wanted one (and my lease didn't forbid it), but I'm not that interested in dogs. If I did get a dog, it would be a whippet.
Mom's probably told you about my side of my family: two brothers, Tyler and Spencer, both younger. My extended family isn't related, as my mom was taken from her birth parents when she was four; my grandparents were her foster parents for a year, and when I was born, my grandma agreed to be a grandmother to me. I've known this for as long as I can remember, but I've always felt like just a normal grandchild, and I've never questioned my place with her. My grandfather had a harder time adjusting and it's only been in the last few years that he's seemed to feel affection toward me and accept me as his granddaughter. They have two children who I call uncles, and those uncles are married and have kids -- but I don't see that much extended family much, though I live really closeby.
My mom said that your mother had some trouble when you were younger, leading maybe to hospitalization, and that our father raised you for awhile? I may be reading my own experience into that, though -- maybe you can explain the situation more clearly, as I didn't ask my mom any questions about it. It's especially interesting and strange to me to hear that, since (I'm not sure if my mom would've told you) my mom was also hospitalized when I was in middle school and high school. She'd be in for several weeks at a time sometimes, and my brothers and I would either be split up among church people or staying with our grandparents. Her hospitalizations were psychiatric, so it was never clear to outsiders when they'd be coming, though I always saw the signs in advance and began preparing.
It's strange to think about the same situations I went through, which I've deliberately worked through (emotionally) to have a better perspective and be a healthier person, would have happened to you. It's even weirder to think about what it would've been like if we'd had another parent there to watch us while mom was in the hospitals. I just never used to think about having a father when I was younger, like I never thought about how my grandma wasn't really biologically related to me -- I still don't think about it much -- so I never thought "what if he were here?" when we encountered difficulties. Thinking about it now is kind of like figuring out what kind of person I'd be in an alternate universe.
I haven't looked on myspace yet, and I don't have a myspace account (though I am on Facebook), so I haven't seen your picture, but I'm interested that you think we look like each other. People have always told me I look like my mom, and when I look at pictures of her when she was my age, I can see what they mean. I only have one picture of our father, so there's not much to compare to there. But I'll be interested to see your picture.
Congratulations on getting married! I imagine there are a few adjustments to make, there, though I'm also imagining that being together two years before marrying means you may have been living together before(?), so that would be much less adjustment. I'm not involved with anyone right now, and it's only in the last year or so that I've started thinking about actually dating; my focus before that was on getting to the point where I felt like a healthy enough person to be in a relationship. I'm a pretty deep thinker, too, so I don't tend to get into things lightly. It takes a lot to convince me that I'm ready for that kind of risk.
I'm becoming more lighthearted, though, and taking things more as they come. Now that I've been an adult for awhile and had all these different experiences -- it sounds like you have, too, having to adjust to a different life than you'd expected after blowing out your knee -- I'm more confident that I'll be able to handle whatever happens next without having to be a control freak about it. (A lot of my control-freak tendencies come from my childhood and mom being in the hospitals, I think.)
I have lots of experience being an older sister, as do you, I imagine -- or did you grow up with older siblings? I can't really imagine being a middle or younger child.
No problem re: your cell phone. As you can see from the length of my email, here, I like writing -- and since both of our lives are busy these days, it's probably easier to find time to reply than to coordinate time to talk on the phone. I hope you get it fixed, though. I imagine that as manager, you probably get quite a few urgent calls -- but maybe my idea of how hectic a manager's life is has been skewed by how many hours/week the editor of the paper works. (Also 70-hour weeks, I'm afraid.) At any rate, make sure to take care of yourself!
Hmm...I can't think of anything else random that I like or am into right now, but that's probably for the best, anyway. This email is already pages and pages long, I bet. So until next time, I hope you're doing well. Tell Rachel I said hi, if she'd like to hear that, and our nephew, and hi to your husband.
Alicia.
Comic books I read in 2008
The entire Cerebus series (Dave Sim) *sixteen volumes, ~6000 pgs.
The complete Bone (Jeff Smith) *one volume, 1300 pgs.
The complete Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Frank Miller)
Best American Comics 2006
Blankets (Craig Thompson)
Contract With God Trilogy (Will Eisner)
Epileptic (David B.)
From Hell (Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell)
Robot Dreams (Sara Varon)
Sin City (Frank Miller)
The Cowboy Wally Show (Kyle Baker)
Watchmen (Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons)
Why I Hate Saturn (Kyle Baker)
You Are Here (Kyle Baker)
The complete Bone (Jeff Smith) *one volume, 1300 pgs.
The complete Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Frank Miller)
Best American Comics 2006
Blankets (Craig Thompson)
Contract With God Trilogy (Will Eisner)
Epileptic (David B.)
From Hell (Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell)
Robot Dreams (Sara Varon)
Sin City (Frank Miller)
The Cowboy Wally Show (Kyle Baker)
Watchmen (Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons)
Why I Hate Saturn (Kyle Baker)
You Are Here (Kyle Baker)
Mix: [Guess the theme, win a prize!]
"Black Mirror" -- Arcade Fire
"White Composition" -- Darker My Love
"Red Rain" -- Peter Gabriel
"Pot Kettle Black" -- Tilly and the Wall
"Black and White People" -- Matchbox Twenty
"White Whisper" -- Deep Forest
"Brick Is Red" -- Pixies
"Black Math" -- The White Stripes
"White Flag" -- Dido
"Black & White" -- Sarah McLachlan
"Infra-Red" -- Placebo
"Many Shades of Black" -- The Raconteurs
"White Light" -- Gorillaz
"Black Like Me" -- Spoon
"Red House" -- Jimi Hendrix
"White Composition" -- Darker My Love
"Red Rain" -- Peter Gabriel
"Pot Kettle Black" -- Tilly and the Wall
"Black and White People" -- Matchbox Twenty
"White Whisper" -- Deep Forest
"Brick Is Red" -- Pixies
"Black Math" -- The White Stripes
"White Flag" -- Dido
"Black & White" -- Sarah McLachlan
"Infra-Red" -- Placebo
"Many Shades of Black" -- The Raconteurs
"White Light" -- Gorillaz
"Black Like Me" -- Spoon
"Red House" -- Jimi Hendrix
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Songs from my girl's mix CD "New New Tunes" that we sing in harmony
"Move Along," The All American Rejects (I sing high, she sings low.)
"Time After Time," Cyndy Lauper (She sings high, I sing low.)
"Time After Time," Cyndy Lauper (She sings high, I sing low.)
Local Trivia: Extra, extra, read all about it! Papers saved!
The Herald and The Bristol Press will be continuing operations under a new publisher after the Journal Register Company's end-date (Jan. 16).
Viva la free press.
Viva la free press.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
"No good deed goes unpunished"...*shudder*
As I drove my mom to the Stop & Shop to pick up her free antibiotics (they're giving them away if you have a prescription, until March, according to the sign) to cure a serious foot infection, I searched for the parking space closest to the store. There was a Honda Element right next to it, but I bit the bullet and pulled in anyway.
Then as I got out of my side, I saw the car on my side: a PT Cruiser.
Gah.
Then as I got out of my side, I saw the car on my side: a PT Cruiser.
Gah.
PSA: A new pilgrimage
The New York Times has an article in today's paper about some Catholic churches in MA that were supposed to be shut down after the priest abuse scandals a few years ago, in part to pay the settlement the church reached with the victims. Parishioners didn't want their churches sacrificed for money, particularly in one case -- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini church in Scituate, MA -- where the parish was financially solvent and the church in good condition.
Parishioners at that church have been holding a vigil since 2004, one that's lasted 1,533 days now, to keep the archdiocese from selling the property. They claim they've been singled out to be sold along with churches in disrepair and dire financial straits because the church's assessed value is $4.4 million. But the situation, to me, seems less important than what's come as a result.
People who participate in the vigil, which has gone on every day, 24 hours/day, since the official closing of the church, hold their own church services run entirely by lay people, minus consecrating the sacrament. Before Christmas, they held a service officiated entirely by women.
Several parishioners quoted in the article cite their way of running things as the way of the future (with the priesthood dwindling, lay people should take over most of their duties, they say), and some aren't sure they'd ever like to go back to the old way. They still consider themselves Catholic but no longer think of themselves as "mainstream."
The church is open to visitors, too: People seeking respite or someone to listen find it there.
Vigilants -- vigilanties, maybe -- report that they experience their faith in ways they never had before, as an active part of their lives and a source of passionate investment in the church and faith.
I suspect this is one of the most significant things happening in the regional Catholic church, and I'm surprised and impressed by it -- enough that were I to plan a modern-day New England pilgrimage, I would include St. Frances on my stop list. I might include all five churches that are vigilant against their closing.
In fact, I might plan a pilgrimage around them.
Let me know if you're interested in going.
Parishioners at that church have been holding a vigil since 2004, one that's lasted 1,533 days now, to keep the archdiocese from selling the property. They claim they've been singled out to be sold along with churches in disrepair and dire financial straits because the church's assessed value is $4.4 million. But the situation, to me, seems less important than what's come as a result.
People who participate in the vigil, which has gone on every day, 24 hours/day, since the official closing of the church, hold their own church services run entirely by lay people, minus consecrating the sacrament. Before Christmas, they held a service officiated entirely by women.
Several parishioners quoted in the article cite their way of running things as the way of the future (with the priesthood dwindling, lay people should take over most of their duties, they say), and some aren't sure they'd ever like to go back to the old way. They still consider themselves Catholic but no longer think of themselves as "mainstream."
The church is open to visitors, too: People seeking respite or someone to listen find it there.
Vigilants -- vigilanties, maybe -- report that they experience their faith in ways they never had before, as an active part of their lives and a source of passionate investment in the church and faith.
I suspect this is one of the most significant things happening in the regional Catholic church, and I'm surprised and impressed by it -- enough that were I to plan a modern-day New England pilgrimage, I would include St. Frances on my stop list. I might include all five churches that are vigilant against their closing.
In fact, I might plan a pilgrimage around them.
Let me know if you're interested in going.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Recent trick-heist films, in approximate order of quality
The Usual Suspects
The Thomas Crown Affair
Ocean's Eleven
The Score
The Italian Job
Ocean's Twelve
The Heist
The Thomas Crown Affair
Ocean's Eleven
The Score
The Italian Job
Ocean's Twelve
The Heist
Exposed to the Elements
Number of Honda Elements I observed yesterday on the way to, in, and coming home from Cambridge, MA, including the one in my neighbor's driveway: 45
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Confessions
I had about 8 oz. of A&W cream soda after midnight on New Year's, after drinking only 4 sips of soda in 2008.
It made me feel heady and anxious, likely answering forever my questions of what soda does for my health.
I kind of wish I had some more right now, anyway.
It made me feel heady and anxious, likely answering forever my questions of what soda does for my health.
I kind of wish I had some more right now, anyway.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
PSA: Ten albums and two tracks that changed my life (in 2008)
In alphabetical order:
El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Good's Good EP
Interpol's Our Love to Admire
Los Abandoned's Mixtape
Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Peter Gabriel's So
Radiohead's OK Computer
The National's Boxer
Tilly and the Wall's O
White Stripes' Icky Thump
Single tracks that changed my life:
Cassettes Won't Listen's "Small Answering Machine"
Matt & Kim's "Daylight"
Albums I expect to change my life in 2009:
Kanye West's 808 & Heartbreak
The Dandy Warhols' Welcome to the Monkey House
You Say Party! We Say Die!'s Lose All Time
El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Good's Good EP
Interpol's Our Love to Admire
Los Abandoned's Mixtape
Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Peter Gabriel's So
Radiohead's OK Computer
The National's Boxer
Tilly and the Wall's O
White Stripes' Icky Thump
Single tracks that changed my life:
Cassettes Won't Listen's "Small Answering Machine"
Matt & Kim's "Daylight"
Albums I expect to change my life in 2009:
Kanye West's 808 & Heartbreak
The Dandy Warhols' Welcome to the Monkey House
You Say Party! We Say Die!'s Lose All Time
Friday, January 2, 2009
PSQ: Who am I?
I got a reply email from my sister on my father's side (is that the proper way to express that? It sounds like "brother-in-law" or a way to talk about an aunt or something), and she wants to know what I'm like.
How do I respond to that?
What do I choose to tell?
It's like something between a first date and an arranged marriage. We're not deciding whether we like each other enough to see the other again, exactly -- it's not one strike and you're out -- but we're not necessarily making a lifelong commitment at this point. (Are we?)
She knows nothing about me, and suddenly I'm on the other side of the looking glass, if you'll pardon the cliche: I'm the one my father never talked about. I'm the taboo subject, as he was ours. We shut our mouths against each other.
She wants to meet. She lives in Baltimore, where he lived when we took the train down to visit when I was six. She says she's into science museums. She says she looks like me.
I was in Baltimore last year with D.C. housemates. We went to the aquarium. Do I tell her that?
She says she's sorry we didn't grow up together, but I'm not. (How could I tell her that?)
She says she wants to create "a sisterly bond." (Help: I don't even know what that means.)
Her email came with his last name. Somehow, I hadn't considered that, that she might have his name. She just got married -- maybe she just hasn't had a chance to change her email ID yet. Or maybe she didn't change her name at all. Maybe she kept his.
He kept her, I guess. Maybe it all makes sense.
I feel startlingly nonplussed about all this, but earlier this evening, I broke a saucer I liked and was dizzy with rage -- actually dizzy. Who knows what that was really about.
Who knows any of this.
What am I like?
How do I respond to that?
What do I choose to tell?
It's like something between a first date and an arranged marriage. We're not deciding whether we like each other enough to see the other again, exactly -- it's not one strike and you're out -- but we're not necessarily making a lifelong commitment at this point. (Are we?)
She knows nothing about me, and suddenly I'm on the other side of the looking glass, if you'll pardon the cliche: I'm the one my father never talked about. I'm the taboo subject, as he was ours. We shut our mouths against each other.
She wants to meet. She lives in Baltimore, where he lived when we took the train down to visit when I was six. She says she's into science museums. She says she looks like me.
I was in Baltimore last year with D.C. housemates. We went to the aquarium. Do I tell her that?
She says she's sorry we didn't grow up together, but I'm not. (How could I tell her that?)
She says she wants to create "a sisterly bond." (Help: I don't even know what that means.)
Her email came with his last name. Somehow, I hadn't considered that, that she might have his name. She just got married -- maybe she just hasn't had a chance to change her email ID yet. Or maybe she didn't change her name at all. Maybe she kept his.
He kept her, I guess. Maybe it all makes sense.
I feel startlingly nonplussed about all this, but earlier this evening, I broke a saucer I liked and was dizzy with rage -- actually dizzy. Who knows what that was really about.
Who knows any of this.
What am I like?
Gladness
Me, commenting on my girl's speed at constructing Pizza Hut boxes: You seem to be going slower than usual today.
My girl: I wanna go home.
Me: I'm glad to be back at work. Too much vacation!
My girl: You are?
Me: Yes, definitely. Maybe my gladness will rub off on you. [I go over and rub my forearm on her upper arm.]
My girl: You're right! It worked! [She starts constructing boxes twice as quickly as before.]
My girl: I wanna go home.
Me: I'm glad to be back at work. Too much vacation!
My girl: You are?
Me: Yes, definitely. Maybe my gladness will rub off on you. [I go over and rub my forearm on her upper arm.]
My girl: You're right! It worked! [She starts constructing boxes twice as quickly as before.]
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New word: Computerocalypse
(n.) The eagerly anticipated historical event in which computers take their true and rightful place as human overlords
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