I've never been one of those people who equates song lyrics with poetry. I don't mean that as a value judgement; it's not as if I consider songs to be intrinsically less important than poems, it's just that I think their aims and concerns are different.
I think a song works alongside music and those mysterious notes that are proven to evoke certain emotions in the listener. A song is meant to be heard aloud (yes, I hear you poetry students: a poem is meant to be heard aloud as well. But how often does that really happen? There are no radio stations for poetry) whereas a poem is most often heard in the mind's ear. And because it is heard aloud, it can rely on the vocalist's tone and inflection in a different way than a poem can.
Though, still, I guess it's all a means of communication, the constant struggle to deliver meaning with imperfect words. And then, too, in poetry, one of the things I love best is to hear the language played with, manipulated: people taking pleasure in the sounds of words.
This is why I love rap. That always strikes me a slightly hilarious, that I find rap so much closer to poetry than anything else. But there is something about a really wonderfully crafted series of words (particularly when it's off color, but that may be just something about my taste) that can force a delighted giggle out of me.
I've been reading Billy Collins while I do my algebra. I often tell my students, as I bumble through my explanations of x and y, that specialization is fine and normal and that I specialized in words, but that they may specialize in math and that neither is more important than the other (although I secretly think that they are both pretty worthless as far as daily life is concerned for the majority of the population. It's not like anyone ever comes up to you on the street and demands to know the slope of the line or what the direct object is).
But I do vastly prefer my words. And Billy Collins is the God of Words, soothing my burning, math-laden brain.
Thesaurus by Billy Collins
It could be the name of a prehistoric beast
that roamed the Paleozoic earth, rising up
on its hind legs to show off its large vocabulary,
or some lover in a myth who is metamorphosed into a book.
It means treasury, but it is just a place
where words congregate with their relatives,
a big park where hundreds of family reunions
are always being held,
house, home, abode, dwelling, lodgings and digs
all sharing the same picnic basket and thermos;
hairy, hirisute, woolly, furry, fleecy and shaggy
all running a sack race or throwing horseshoes;
inert, static, motionless, fixed and immobile
standing and kneeling in rows for a group photograph.
Here father is next to sire and brother close
to sibling, separated only by fine shades of meaning.
And every group has its odd cousin, the one
who traveled the farthest to be here:
astereognosis, polydipsia, or some eleven
syllable, unpronouncable substitute for the word tool.
Even their own relatives have to squint at their nametags.
I can see my own copy up on a high shelf.
I rarely open it, because I know there is no
such thing as a synonym and because I get nervous
around people who always assemble with their own kind,
forming clubs and nailing signs to closed front doors
while others huddle alone in the dark streets.
I would rather see words out on their own, away
from their families and the warehouse of Roget,
wandering the world where they sometimes fall
in love with a completely different word.
Surely, you have seen pairs of them standing forever
next to each other on the same line inside a poem,
a small chapel where weddings like these,
between perfect strangers, can take place.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
The Best Birthday Present EVER
This was just presented to me by my two next door neighbors, Jack and Owen. They are 7 and 4.
Jack reports to me that I should not drink this because it has sleeping medicine in it. It also contains rosemary, flour, and sesame seeds, but not peanut butter.
As he left, he yelled, "Take it or leave it!" and then kindly reminded me to wash out and return the glass.
I love those two so much.
30 Years of Humiliation
And now for the moment we've all been waiting for...
I would just like to say that my husband, family and friends are more than any girl could ask for. I am filled with chocolate cake and my new iPod (thank you, Thomas!) is filled with songs. Hooray for 30! If I'd known it was going to be this good, I'd have done it a long time ago.
I would just like to say that my husband, family and friends are more than any girl could ask for. I am filled with chocolate cake and my new iPod (thank you, Thomas!) is filled with songs. Hooray for 30! If I'd known it was going to be this good, I'd have done it a long time ago.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Looking at the Bright Side
So, I thought of some more good things.
1. I got a really good haircut. This seems like it should not be a very big deal, since all I had was a trim, but since the last time I had my haircut the woman cutting it actually said, "Uh Oh" and went to get the manager, it feels awesome. The guy was lovely and took almost 35 minutes to trim an inch and a half off my hair, fixed some spots that were bothering me with their refusal to cooperate, and complemented my hair's color and texture. Rule. Now it takes less time to do and, dare I say it? I think I could actually skip blowdrying on the weekend without looking like I am wearing a helmet made of sticks.
2. I now understand why 4+(-3 times -2)/2 = 5. Thank you to my algebra tutor who tried not to giggle when I brought this problem to her, unable to get the answer 5, even though the book was telling me I should. Oops.
3. Everything I own is in bloom. I've made 2 bouquets for people without totally decimating my flower crop.
4. Summer school: 2 days down, 43 to go.
5. Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club is coming back to Wilmington on August 4th.
6. I ate a nice fat steak for dinner.
That is all.
1. I got a really good haircut. This seems like it should not be a very big deal, since all I had was a trim, but since the last time I had my haircut the woman cutting it actually said, "Uh Oh" and went to get the manager, it feels awesome. The guy was lovely and took almost 35 minutes to trim an inch and a half off my hair, fixed some spots that were bothering me with their refusal to cooperate, and complemented my hair's color and texture. Rule. Now it takes less time to do and, dare I say it? I think I could actually skip blowdrying on the weekend without looking like I am wearing a helmet made of sticks.
2. I now understand why 4+(-3 times -2)/2 = 5. Thank you to my algebra tutor who tried not to giggle when I brought this problem to her, unable to get the answer 5, even though the book was telling me I should. Oops.
3. Everything I own is in bloom. I've made 2 bouquets for people without totally decimating my flower crop.
4. Summer school: 2 days down, 43 to go.
5. Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club is coming back to Wilmington on August 4th.
6. I ate a nice fat steak for dinner.
That is all.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Meg and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Life
Dude, do you know what I've spent the last two days doing?
Relearning algebra.
Which is about par for the course these days.
This year in summer school we have an abundance of math kids. I don't teach math because I haven't taken it since I was in the 11th grade. But the other teacher desperately needs some help, so I've been solving for y and plotting my domains and ranges and I seriously think my brain is on fire.
Things still haven't settled down in Meg-land and my list of complaints could fill up this entire blog, but I will sum up today as the first day of summer school complete with cramps so bad that I think parts of my body are trying to secede from the union.
I'm so tired. Just emotionally, physically, mentally tired.
I'm sorry. I know it's my first post back and it's such a downer. I'm going to try to think of something good to say.
.
..
...
My nasturtiums are blooming.
My birthday is in 6 days.
Gonzo seems to be feeling better.
Relearning algebra.
Which is about par for the course these days.
This year in summer school we have an abundance of math kids. I don't teach math because I haven't taken it since I was in the 11th grade. But the other teacher desperately needs some help, so I've been solving for y and plotting my domains and ranges and I seriously think my brain is on fire.
Things still haven't settled down in Meg-land and my list of complaints could fill up this entire blog, but I will sum up today as the first day of summer school complete with cramps so bad that I think parts of my body are trying to secede from the union.
I'm so tired. Just emotionally, physically, mentally tired.
I'm sorry. I know it's my first post back and it's such a downer. I'm going to try to think of something good to say.
.
..
...
My nasturtiums are blooming.
My birthday is in 6 days.
Gonzo seems to be feeling better.
Monday, June 11, 2007
It Is Happening Again
Sorry, guys. I'm ok and I'm sorry that I'm not blogging right now. I'll be back as soon as I can.
In good news, I joined the LibraryThing early reviewers program and got my first book to review from Random House today! Whoot!
In bad news, real life continues to take precedence.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Secret Blog
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to blog when there is actually stuff going on in your life?
I mean, I find it easier to come home from work on a standard Tuesday, in which nothing out of the ordinary happened, and blog about how I'm not totally sure that I LOVE my new flip flops and isn't Thai food just the best? than I do when I have real things to talk about. Then, I'm either too busy, or constrained by the idea that 10,000 people are reading this.
I was reading a friend of mine's blog the other day and while I don't know if "introspective" is the word I would use to describe it, it is certainly more raw than what I have going on here. Which is fine. Because every blog has its own M.O. and that's as it should be. But do you ever wish you had a secret blog in which you could write all your horrible true thoughts? Or is that just what post secret is for?
I've never been sorry that my authorship is transparent. Although I admire the blogs that feature a list of pseudonyms for reoccurring characters, I could never keep track of one myself. And I feel I've been fair, for the most part, to my family and friends in being careful to never tell anyone's stories but my own, even if I do use their real names.
But just once, it would be nice to write coherently about what is actually going on with me. I find it odd to go back through a years worth of posting and think, well, that was about the time that ___________ happened, and find no evidence of it here.
Lately, I've been wondering if this is the resurgence of my actually wanting to write again, but then I have dreams in which someone is dying because of something I wrote--literally, I dreamed that a man was plucked off the street and crushed by a backhoe-type machine and it was all because of something I was writing a la Stranger than Fiction, or something. Or maybe I just have an overinflated sense of importance.
I mean, I find it easier to come home from work on a standard Tuesday, in which nothing out of the ordinary happened, and blog about how I'm not totally sure that I LOVE my new flip flops and isn't Thai food just the best? than I do when I have real things to talk about. Then, I'm either too busy, or constrained by the idea that 10,000 people are reading this.
I was reading a friend of mine's blog the other day and while I don't know if "introspective" is the word I would use to describe it, it is certainly more raw than what I have going on here. Which is fine. Because every blog has its own M.O. and that's as it should be. But do you ever wish you had a secret blog in which you could write all your horrible true thoughts? Or is that just what post secret is for?
I've never been sorry that my authorship is transparent. Although I admire the blogs that feature a list of pseudonyms for reoccurring characters, I could never keep track of one myself. And I feel I've been fair, for the most part, to my family and friends in being careful to never tell anyone's stories but my own, even if I do use their real names.
But just once, it would be nice to write coherently about what is actually going on with me. I find it odd to go back through a years worth of posting and think, well, that was about the time that ___________ happened, and find no evidence of it here.
Lately, I've been wondering if this is the resurgence of my actually wanting to write again, but then I have dreams in which someone is dying because of something I wrote--literally, I dreamed that a man was plucked off the street and crushed by a backhoe-type machine and it was all because of something I was writing a la Stranger than Fiction, or something. Or maybe I just have an overinflated sense of importance.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
5 Shot Friday Rears Its Ugly Head Again
But this time with a new cast of characters. I don't know if we'll be wearing funny hats, but we'll be shaking off this horrible week. Yeeeah.
I want to tell you that I will be 30 in a mere 23 days, so it won't be long now until I reveal 30 years of braces and bad hair. I know you're, like, peeing in your pants.
In honor of 5 Shot Friday, I thought I should complete one of these memes. Here's an interview with, check it out, 5 questions from Gina. Thanks, Gina, and sorry it took me so long.
Favorite Snack food? Havarti cheese with Dill or Breyers Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream. Washed down with my favorite summertime drink of Tropicana sugar-free lemonade. Yum.
If you could see any band in concert, who would it be? Nar. I don't know. As has been previously documented, I'm not much of a concert-goer. I guess if we're talking a big-stadium-world-tour thing, it'd have to be Radiohead. I missed out on their tour a couple of years ago because the date I had tickets for was cancelled due to mud. MUD, I tell you. I don't think I would have minded getting a little muddy.
Locally, I'd travel throughout a 3 state area to see Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club again.
What is the next big event you are going to? See, now this is the reason you answer the questions on time. I would have had an answer to this a week ago, but now I have to say....my school's graduation? It is kind of fun to do the whole faculty thing and wear my cap and gown and hood and all that...but seriously, year after year, I get mistaken for a graduating senior. When, oh when, will I look like a grown-up?
Chocolate or vanilla? So vanilla. Because you can add things, including chocolate, to vanilla, but you can't add to chocolate.
Are you a homebody or would you rather be traveling? I'm a complete and total homebody. 5 Shot Friday is being held at someone else's house tonight and I feel like I'm going to get hives from it. I'm the kind of person who is totally willing to invite everyone and their mother over to hang out, but I can't spend a great deal of time in other people's homes without getting itchy. When I was in college, the girls in my hall used to give me a really hard time about it. "Meg's hibernating again," was the constant refrain. But I really don't mean any offense by it. I just like to be at home.
I want to tell you that I will be 30 in a mere 23 days, so it won't be long now until I reveal 30 years of braces and bad hair. I know you're, like, peeing in your pants.
In honor of 5 Shot Friday, I thought I should complete one of these memes. Here's an interview with, check it out, 5 questions from Gina. Thanks, Gina, and sorry it took me so long.
Favorite Snack food? Havarti cheese with Dill or Breyers Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream. Washed down with my favorite summertime drink of Tropicana sugar-free lemonade. Yum.
If you could see any band in concert, who would it be? Nar. I don't know. As has been previously documented, I'm not much of a concert-goer. I guess if we're talking a big-stadium-world-tour thing, it'd have to be Radiohead. I missed out on their tour a couple of years ago because the date I had tickets for was cancelled due to mud. MUD, I tell you. I don't think I would have minded getting a little muddy.
Locally, I'd travel throughout a 3 state area to see Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club again.
What is the next big event you are going to? See, now this is the reason you answer the questions on time. I would have had an answer to this a week ago, but now I have to say....my school's graduation? It is kind of fun to do the whole faculty thing and wear my cap and gown and hood and all that...but seriously, year after year, I get mistaken for a graduating senior. When, oh when, will I look like a grown-up?
Chocolate or vanilla? So vanilla. Because you can add things, including chocolate, to vanilla, but you can't add to chocolate.
Are you a homebody or would you rather be traveling? I'm a complete and total homebody. 5 Shot Friday is being held at someone else's house tonight and I feel like I'm going to get hives from it. I'm the kind of person who is totally willing to invite everyone and their mother over to hang out, but I can't spend a great deal of time in other people's homes without getting itchy. When I was in college, the girls in my hall used to give me a really hard time about it. "Meg's hibernating again," was the constant refrain. But I really don't mean any offense by it. I just like to be at home.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Smartest Woman ALIVE
So, on Sunday night at WE Fest (yes, I promise to stop talking about WE Fest soon and do all those memes that are staring at me from beside the computer) I saw this guy who looked really familiar to me. I start elbowing Thomas and insisting that the guy who played the older brother in Little Miss Sunshine is standing behind me. Thomas looks and doesn't see the guy I mean.
Periodically throughout the night I see him again and become more and more insistant that I'm seeing the guy from Little Miss Sunshine and Fast Food Nation. My friends are non-committal in a sort of yes, dear, I guess that could be him, sort of way.
I go home and IMDB him, discovering that his name is Paul Dano and that he is in a band, and between that and his picture, which is EXACTLY the person I saw, I am convinced in my own mind.
Today the WE Fest Website confirms that Paul Dano's band, Mook, did a surprise show on Monday. I've just called every person that I know to announce that, in fact, I am the SMARTEST WOMAN ALIVE.
I can't believe I missed his band, though. By Monday, I had hit the end of my ability to rock out and was laying in bed eating pizza and watching movies. But I'm still the smartest woman alive.
Periodically throughout the night I see him again and become more and more insistant that I'm seeing the guy from Little Miss Sunshine and Fast Food Nation. My friends are non-committal in a sort of yes, dear, I guess that could be him, sort of way.
I go home and IMDB him, discovering that his name is Paul Dano and that he is in a band, and between that and his picture, which is EXACTLY the person I saw, I am convinced in my own mind.
Today the WE Fest Website confirms that Paul Dano's band, Mook, did a surprise show on Monday. I've just called every person that I know to announce that, in fact, I am the SMARTEST WOMAN ALIVE.
I can't believe I missed his band, though. By Monday, I had hit the end of my ability to rock out and was laying in bed eating pizza and watching movies. But I'm still the smartest woman alive.
Monday, May 28, 2007
WE FEST 2007
I'm back.
This weekend was WE FEST in Wilmington, a totally DIY art/music show that lasts all weekend. Thomas was on the board of it, and so we have been recieving CDs from bands for the last couple of weeks. We'd been listening and developing favorites and went into WE Fest this year with a vengeance.
Here were some of the highlights:
Second Dan, an awesome band from New York that has a very driving, melodic, "Old Radiohead" kind of feel to it. They were my favorite from the outset, and I was very excited to see them Friday night. On Saturday, they did a show from Thomas's store's parking lot, which is what you see here. They were awesome people, and very enthusiastic just to be heard and get their music out there, even if it meant playing in the sweltering parking lot of the comic book store. Initially, we had intended for them to do an acoustic set indoors, but since all the other stores in the strip mall were closed, we decided to go ahead and do the whole thing outside. It was awesome. And the awesome was compounded by the fact that the whole time we felt like the police could show up, a la the concert from Apple Studios.
Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club was another great band from New York. I was really impressed with these bands who drove all night to get here in Memorial Day traffic to play for free. What incredible, talented people made up this band. Thomas arranged for them to play a pre-show gig at Lula's (our favorite bar downtown). I was not a believer in this idea, as Lula's is tiny and I thought it would be too crowded...too loud. As usual, I was totally wrong and it was brilliant. I'm hard pressed to say whether I enjoyed them more plugged or unplugged. Excellent lyrics, vocals, harmonies, and seriously, some of the nicest people I've met in a long time. They sound a bit like the Counting Crows.
Other highlights:
The Sammies (The song "Falling Out" kills me).
Olivia and the Housemates (Very nice horns--a bit of a ska feeling to it).
FilthyBird (Awesome girl vocalist: Grace Slick meets Robert Smith).
I had a great time all around and consumed enough beer to fell a small elephant. Today I feel moody and silent because of it.
I kept thinking throughout the festival that I'm so proud of Thomas for getting involved in these things and grateful to him for bringing me out of my shell about them. I would have never, ever gone to WE Fest without him and I had a wonderful time.
I also thought a lot about the fact that although sometimes the ticking of the biological clock in my ear drowns out all other noise, I'm glad to still just be the two of us, going to music festivals and getting drunk and staying out all night.
This weekend was WE FEST in Wilmington, a totally DIY art/music show that lasts all weekend. Thomas was on the board of it, and so we have been recieving CDs from bands for the last couple of weeks. We'd been listening and developing favorites and went into WE Fest this year with a vengeance.
Here were some of the highlights:
Second Dan, an awesome band from New York that has a very driving, melodic, "Old Radiohead" kind of feel to it. They were my favorite from the outset, and I was very excited to see them Friday night. On Saturday, they did a show from Thomas's store's parking lot, which is what you see here. They were awesome people, and very enthusiastic just to be heard and get their music out there, even if it meant playing in the sweltering parking lot of the comic book store. Initially, we had intended for them to do an acoustic set indoors, but since all the other stores in the strip mall were closed, we decided to go ahead and do the whole thing outside. It was awesome. And the awesome was compounded by the fact that the whole time we felt like the police could show up, a la the concert from Apple Studios.
Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club was another great band from New York. I was really impressed with these bands who drove all night to get here in Memorial Day traffic to play for free. What incredible, talented people made up this band. Thomas arranged for them to play a pre-show gig at Lula's (our favorite bar downtown). I was not a believer in this idea, as Lula's is tiny and I thought it would be too crowded...too loud. As usual, I was totally wrong and it was brilliant. I'm hard pressed to say whether I enjoyed them more plugged or unplugged. Excellent lyrics, vocals, harmonies, and seriously, some of the nicest people I've met in a long time. They sound a bit like the Counting Crows.
Other highlights:
The Sammies (The song "Falling Out" kills me).
Olivia and the Housemates (Very nice horns--a bit of a ska feeling to it).
FilthyBird (Awesome girl vocalist: Grace Slick meets Robert Smith).
I had a great time all around and consumed enough beer to fell a small elephant. Today I feel moody and silent because of it.
I kept thinking throughout the festival that I'm so proud of Thomas for getting involved in these things and grateful to him for bringing me out of my shell about them. I would have never, ever gone to WE Fest without him and I had a wonderful time.
I also thought a lot about the fact that although sometimes the ticking of the biological clock in my ear drowns out all other noise, I'm glad to still just be the two of us, going to music festivals and getting drunk and staying out all night.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Apologies
for this mini-hiatus. I have 3 memes stored up and I promise a blogging extravaganza when I return...but right now, I have some real-life shit to deal with.
I miss you, blog.
I miss you, blog.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Meg, Meg, Bo-beg, Banana-fanna-fo-feg
I know you are not going to believe this, but I've been tagged with the 8 weird things AGAIN. For real.
Last night, I was telling Thomas that he had to help me think of more weird things, and I was like, ARE there even any more weird things about me? And we both agreed that, of course there are. Thomas said, "You kill slugs with beer," and I said, "Yeah, but I've already posted about that!"
So here we go...
1. I'm a compulsive worrier. Last weekend I was sitting on my front porch talking with my friend Kathy, when all of a sudden she hugged me fiercely and told me that I had.to.stop.worrying.so.much. I was kind of baffled. I hadn't even really felt like I was worrying; I was just kind of...vocalizing. So I tried to explain to her my theory which is this: the world is a strange and dangerous place. And it will attack you for no good reason. I don't say this to be dramatic; I've just found that it's true. And the world's MO is to catch you blindsided; it wants to hit you with something you've never considered and are totally unprepared for. So, by worrying about a broad range of scenarios all the time, I'm actually reducing the number of bad things that will happen. Or something. My worrying is kind of like backward prayer.
2. I swear way too much. Sometimes it seems I don't know any adjectives except colorful ones. And yet, the thing I'm most ashamed of (vocally anyway) wasn't technically swearing, though the situation might have called for it. I was on a one way street that has lots of diagonal parking. And I was stopped at a light, about 3 cars back, with several cars behind me, when all of a sudden, a car that was diagonally parked on my left side starts pulling out of its space. I had nowhere to go, so I laid on the horn and the car actually sped up and slammed into my driver's side door. After the car pulled back into its space, I wrenched the door open and screamed, "Are you retarded?!?" I still feel bad about that. The woman cried and kept repeating, "I'm not retarded." Oh, god.
3. I'm always cold. Right now, it's 76 degrees in the house and I feel like my fingers are going to snap off my body. Summer is always the time for the air conditioning wars in my house, in which Thomas and I both surreptiously creep to the thermostat and change it and hope the other person doesn't notice for a while. I'm usually reduced to wearing my pajamas full time.
4. I have trouble calling people on the phone if I've never called them before. I'm sure that is a little bit true for everyone, but I'm kind of neurotic on the subject. I don't mind calling strangers (ok, I do mind, but not overly) but I do have a problem calling my own friends if we've never talked on the phone before. Today I was brave and called my friend Steve (we've been friends for 6 years). Saying, "Hey Steve, it's Meg" nearly gave me a panic attack. I always feel like the person is going to say, "Meg who?" so then I worry (ha!) about whether I should say my last name, too, but then, when you've known each other so long that just seems weird and too formal...and oh, it's just so hard.
5. I seriously would die without the internet. When we have trouble with our machine or our internet service, I feel like parts of me are on fire. I don't even do anything that important or fascinating online. I don't even read the news! I check my usually non-existant email; I read blogs and occasionally blog myself; I check the weather, check myspace, librarything and flickr...and that's it. But if I can't do that, I feel painfully isolated from the world.
6. I hate being called Meaghan. I know I've mentioned that before, but it bears repeating, as lately, many of my friends have taken to occasionally calling me by my full name. And it's always weird when it happens, and right afterward they'll apologize and say, "I have no idea why I called you that." And I'm always like, well, ok...THIS TIME. But seriously, don't call me Meaghan. It's not that I don't think it's a perfectly nice name. I don't hate my name. It's just that I'm Meg and I always have been. I don't know who Meaghan is. A long time ago, my high school boyfriend asked if he could call me Meaghan, and I remember deliberating about it and finally I told him that I would really prefer that he didn't, because I didn't want Meaghan to be someone different than Meg, and I'm still proud of myself for realizing that that could happen when I was so young.
7. My mom used to make me peanut butter and butter sandwiches when I was little and THEY WERE SO GOOD.
8. Once I left my sunroof open and a bird pooped on my gearshift.
That's all I got folks. I'm going to have to cultivate some new weird habits for the next time around. Maybe at the end of this year I'll do another compilation.
If you would like to participate in this Meme, knock yourself out. But I'm tagging Andrea
Kim
Joshua
Kathy
and Lauren
In other news, we found out yesterday that Gertie has developed a heart murmur sometime during the last 3 months. (We are positive that she did not have one in February prior to the tooth surgery). I'm sure you can imagine my worry.
Last night, I was telling Thomas that he had to help me think of more weird things, and I was like, ARE there even any more weird things about me? And we both agreed that, of course there are. Thomas said, "You kill slugs with beer," and I said, "Yeah, but I've already posted about that!"
So here we go...
1. I'm a compulsive worrier. Last weekend I was sitting on my front porch talking with my friend Kathy, when all of a sudden she hugged me fiercely and told me that I had.to.stop.worrying.so.much. I was kind of baffled. I hadn't even really felt like I was worrying; I was just kind of...vocalizing. So I tried to explain to her my theory which is this: the world is a strange and dangerous place. And it will attack you for no good reason. I don't say this to be dramatic; I've just found that it's true. And the world's MO is to catch you blindsided; it wants to hit you with something you've never considered and are totally unprepared for. So, by worrying about a broad range of scenarios all the time, I'm actually reducing the number of bad things that will happen. Or something. My worrying is kind of like backward prayer.
2. I swear way too much. Sometimes it seems I don't know any adjectives except colorful ones. And yet, the thing I'm most ashamed of (vocally anyway) wasn't technically swearing, though the situation might have called for it. I was on a one way street that has lots of diagonal parking. And I was stopped at a light, about 3 cars back, with several cars behind me, when all of a sudden, a car that was diagonally parked on my left side starts pulling out of its space. I had nowhere to go, so I laid on the horn and the car actually sped up and slammed into my driver's side door. After the car pulled back into its space, I wrenched the door open and screamed, "Are you retarded?!?" I still feel bad about that. The woman cried and kept repeating, "I'm not retarded." Oh, god.
3. I'm always cold. Right now, it's 76 degrees in the house and I feel like my fingers are going to snap off my body. Summer is always the time for the air conditioning wars in my house, in which Thomas and I both surreptiously creep to the thermostat and change it and hope the other person doesn't notice for a while. I'm usually reduced to wearing my pajamas full time.
4. I have trouble calling people on the phone if I've never called them before. I'm sure that is a little bit true for everyone, but I'm kind of neurotic on the subject. I don't mind calling strangers (ok, I do mind, but not overly) but I do have a problem calling my own friends if we've never talked on the phone before. Today I was brave and called my friend Steve (we've been friends for 6 years). Saying, "Hey Steve, it's Meg" nearly gave me a panic attack. I always feel like the person is going to say, "Meg who?" so then I worry (ha!) about whether I should say my last name, too, but then, when you've known each other so long that just seems weird and too formal...and oh, it's just so hard.
5. I seriously would die without the internet. When we have trouble with our machine or our internet service, I feel like parts of me are on fire. I don't even do anything that important or fascinating online. I don't even read the news! I check my usually non-existant email; I read blogs and occasionally blog myself; I check the weather, check myspace, librarything and flickr...and that's it. But if I can't do that, I feel painfully isolated from the world.
6. I hate being called Meaghan. I know I've mentioned that before, but it bears repeating, as lately, many of my friends have taken to occasionally calling me by my full name. And it's always weird when it happens, and right afterward they'll apologize and say, "I have no idea why I called you that." And I'm always like, well, ok...THIS TIME. But seriously, don't call me Meaghan. It's not that I don't think it's a perfectly nice name. I don't hate my name. It's just that I'm Meg and I always have been. I don't know who Meaghan is. A long time ago, my high school boyfriend asked if he could call me Meaghan, and I remember deliberating about it and finally I told him that I would really prefer that he didn't, because I didn't want Meaghan to be someone different than Meg, and I'm still proud of myself for realizing that that could happen when I was so young.
7. My mom used to make me peanut butter and butter sandwiches when I was little and THEY WERE SO GOOD.
8. Once I left my sunroof open and a bird pooped on my gearshift.
That's all I got folks. I'm going to have to cultivate some new weird habits for the next time around. Maybe at the end of this year I'll do another compilation.
If you would like to participate in this Meme, knock yourself out. But I'm tagging Andrea
Kim
Joshua
Kathy
and Lauren
In other news, we found out yesterday that Gertie has developed a heart murmur sometime during the last 3 months. (We are positive that she did not have one in February prior to the tooth surgery). I'm sure you can imagine my worry.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Adventures with Wildlife
So, Oscar Peterson is a yellow bellied slider. Thanks goes to my friend Doug for identifying him. I went online to check, and oh yeah, that's him. So I'm happy, because now I know better how to care for him. There aren't very good instructions for "little turtle that must have crawled up from Greenfield Lake." We got him a UV lamp this weekend. He's eating a little more. So far, so good.
We found a litter of 5 kittens in the front yard last night and I am very, very upset about it. I've almost posted several rants about my neighbors and their insistence on feeding the stray cats who are now so numerous that they travel in packs up and down the street. These cats are sickly and flea-ridden and carrying god knows what diseases. They poop in our yards and live under our houses, peeing and pooping under there like it's a huge litterbox put erected for their convenience. They yowl all night and kitten at all times of the year, including January, causing me to have to spend countless hours combing the yard for kittens before letting my dogs out. Because, people, my dogs WILL eat the cats.
It's no life for them. They're always gummy-eyed and being run over by cars. They're not wild because they don't have to hunt, but they're not domesticated because they're not CARED for. Animal control won't come and pick them up--they say they'll come and get them if I rent traps and catch them, but otherwise, it's my problem. The supposed fine for keeping strays is something like $50 for every instance of an unlicensed animal, and $50 for an animal with no rabies shot. I'd love to somehow sic animal control on the neighbors and have them charged for every single cat and kitten within a 2 block radius. Perhaps then it wouldn't be so "cute" to see them all come running up at feeding time.
Look, I don't mean to sound cold-hearted. There are 5 adorable days-old baby kittens in my front yard. Yes, they're sweet, but I know what they are going to grow up into. And I take my responsibilities as a pet owner very seriously.
I tried to capture the kittens, but I only got one (because it's already ill, I think) and it didn't seem fair to take him away from the others all scared and sick, so I put him back and I'm going to try again to get them all together and then take them to the shelter. Until then, it's yard patrol.
In final wildlife news, I'm on a crusade against the slugs that are eating my daylilies. As you know, I'm deathly afraid of worms and slugs are pretty much the same concept. When I unearthed a huge nest of them under the garden edging I nearly died of disgust and fear and rage and shock. So I put out dishes of beer around the daylilies and for the first 12 hours, nothing seemed to be happening. But the next morning, there were 25 dead slugs at the bottom of the beer. I almost took a picture of the death pool to show you, but I also almost puked when I saw it. So I don't think that needs to live on my blog.
We found a litter of 5 kittens in the front yard last night and I am very, very upset about it. I've almost posted several rants about my neighbors and their insistence on feeding the stray cats who are now so numerous that they travel in packs up and down the street. These cats are sickly and flea-ridden and carrying god knows what diseases. They poop in our yards and live under our houses, peeing and pooping under there like it's a huge litterbox put erected for their convenience. They yowl all night and kitten at all times of the year, including January, causing me to have to spend countless hours combing the yard for kittens before letting my dogs out. Because, people, my dogs WILL eat the cats.
It's no life for them. They're always gummy-eyed and being run over by cars. They're not wild because they don't have to hunt, but they're not domesticated because they're not CARED for. Animal control won't come and pick them up--they say they'll come and get them if I rent traps and catch them, but otherwise, it's my problem. The supposed fine for keeping strays is something like $50 for every instance of an unlicensed animal, and $50 for an animal with no rabies shot. I'd love to somehow sic animal control on the neighbors and have them charged for every single cat and kitten within a 2 block radius. Perhaps then it wouldn't be so "cute" to see them all come running up at feeding time.
Look, I don't mean to sound cold-hearted. There are 5 adorable days-old baby kittens in my front yard. Yes, they're sweet, but I know what they are going to grow up into. And I take my responsibilities as a pet owner very seriously.
I tried to capture the kittens, but I only got one (because it's already ill, I think) and it didn't seem fair to take him away from the others all scared and sick, so I put him back and I'm going to try again to get them all together and then take them to the shelter. Until then, it's yard patrol.
In final wildlife news, I'm on a crusade against the slugs that are eating my daylilies. As you know, I'm deathly afraid of worms and slugs are pretty much the same concept. When I unearthed a huge nest of them under the garden edging I nearly died of disgust and fear and rage and shock. So I put out dishes of beer around the daylilies and for the first 12 hours, nothing seemed to be happening. But the next morning, there were 25 dead slugs at the bottom of the beer. I almost took a picture of the death pool to show you, but I also almost puked when I saw it. So I don't think that needs to live on my blog.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Currently
Life is quiet in Meg-land.
Read:
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Here We Are in Paradise by Tony Earley
Reading:
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
Listening:
Here Comes Your Man by the Pixies
Slept Through:
For Your Consideration
Actually Watched:
Revenge of the Nerds
Worried about:
Oscar Peterson (isn't eating properly all of a sudden)
Gonzo (screamed when I pet him yesterday)
Rejoicing:
Tax refund arrival
Planted:
Angelonia
Ageratum
Amaryllis
(didn't notice until now that it was "A" day)
Yard Sale-ing Yield:
negligable
Ate:
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tempura fried crab in lueysuan sauce
Spicy Eggplant and Tofu with Thai Basil
Read:
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Here We Are in Paradise by Tony Earley
Reading:
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
Listening:
Here Comes Your Man by the Pixies
Slept Through:
For Your Consideration
Actually Watched:
Revenge of the Nerds
Worried about:
Oscar Peterson (isn't eating properly all of a sudden)
Gonzo (screamed when I pet him yesterday)
Rejoicing:
Tax refund arrival
Planted:
Angelonia
Ageratum
Amaryllis
(didn't notice until now that it was "A" day)
Yard Sale-ing Yield:
negligable
Ate:
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tempura fried crab in lueysuan sauce
Spicy Eggplant and Tofu with Thai Basil
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Pender Pines
Yesterday, Jennifer and I ventured out to Pender Pines, which is an awesome nursery and garden center in Pender County.
They have an incredible selection of plants and Jen and I shopped for about 2 hours.
I got: Red Butler (hehe) lantana, a pink penta, 3 gerbera daisies, some bronze snapdragons, and mixed coleus babies. Jen got me some cacti that rule. One looks like it has purple eyes and antenna.
Here I am standing beside our purchases (the bulk of which are obviously Jennifer's).
They have beautiful gardens to walk through, with all manner of ponds and bridges and garden ornaments, including this very awesome sea serpent made of mosses and things:
Finally, we visited their on-site emus. Last year, you could feed the emus. This year not so much. I must admit that it did kind of hurt, but I was still dissapointed not to be able to do it again.
They have an incredible selection of plants and Jen and I shopped for about 2 hours.
I got: Red Butler (hehe) lantana, a pink penta, 3 gerbera daisies, some bronze snapdragons, and mixed coleus babies. Jen got me some cacti that rule. One looks like it has purple eyes and antenna.
Here I am standing beside our purchases (the bulk of which are obviously Jennifer's).
They have beautiful gardens to walk through, with all manner of ponds and bridges and garden ornaments, including this very awesome sea serpent made of mosses and things:
Finally, we visited their on-site emus. Last year, you could feed the emus. This year not so much. I must admit that it did kind of hurt, but I was still dissapointed not to be able to do it again.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Odds and Ends
So, I want to blog, but not much of note has been happening.
Today is the start of Free Comic Book Day (Weekend) at Fanboy, so Thomas has been absent and/or frazzled all week. I've been lazy. I re-read A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel and remembered how very much I like it. I rejoiced that Beat Box Blake was not kicked off of Idol. I drank some wine.
I went back into my old archives and discovered that some old IHOKians did, in fact, come to find me, but that I never noticed as it was last July. I've unearthed some old pictures of some of these people and have been reminiscing, but only with myself, as I have no way of getting in touch with these fine people.
Gina posted a prom retrospective prompting me to want to write about the prom, but I'm saving most of my crazy prom pictures for my birthday next month. But here are some funny ones, just to tide you over.
Please note my perm (top) and recent baldness (bottom).
All in all, I went to 7 formal dances at my high school and although they were as horrifying as formal dances can be expected to be, I would still go to one now. There's a great element of camp, and also I like to dress up and then make fun of myself later. Thomas and I started dating when my friend Michelle held an 80's prom for her birthday (5 years ago this weekend, incidentally). I still like to tell people that Thomas asked me to the prom.
I loved shopping for that hideous dress. I had my mom fed ex me my crimping iron. Thomas got me a corsage so big it actually dwarfed my boob. It was awesome.
Today is the start of Free Comic Book Day (Weekend) at Fanboy, so Thomas has been absent and/or frazzled all week. I've been lazy. I re-read A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel and remembered how very much I like it. I rejoiced that Beat Box Blake was not kicked off of Idol. I drank some wine.
I went back into my old archives and discovered that some old IHOKians did, in fact, come to find me, but that I never noticed as it was last July. I've unearthed some old pictures of some of these people and have been reminiscing, but only with myself, as I have no way of getting in touch with these fine people.
Gina posted a prom retrospective prompting me to want to write about the prom, but I'm saving most of my crazy prom pictures for my birthday next month. But here are some funny ones, just to tide you over.
Please note my perm (top) and recent baldness (bottom).
All in all, I went to 7 formal dances at my high school and although they were as horrifying as formal dances can be expected to be, I would still go to one now. There's a great element of camp, and also I like to dress up and then make fun of myself later. Thomas and I started dating when my friend Michelle held an 80's prom for her birthday (5 years ago this weekend, incidentally). I still like to tell people that Thomas asked me to the prom.
I loved shopping for that hideous dress. I had my mom fed ex me my crimping iron. Thomas got me a corsage so big it actually dwarfed my boob. It was awesome.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
By the Book
Today I've been thinking about my schedule.
I'm a person who likes a plan. It's not that I don't love spontaneity; I do. And it's not that I'm not brave about new things, because I'd like to think that I am. But in my ordinary, day-to-day life, I like to know what's about to happen. Though I think I'm a bit more rigorous about my schedule than most people.
Here's how it goes:
6:00 am: Wake. Feed dogs and turtle. Pee and brush teeth. Let dogs out. Check email. Let dogs in. Take shower, blow dry hair, dress. Make salad for lunch. Water back garden.
7:10 Go to work. Stop at gas station or grocery store if necessary. Write tests, distribute folders.
8:30-2:30 Teach
2:45 Walk a mile.
3:00 Visit Thomas at Fanboy. Head home.
3:30 Feed dogs and turtle. Water front and back gardens. Eat snack. Check bloglines, myspace and email. Clean turtle's cage.
4:15 Grade student work.
5:00 Walk 4 miles, with various people.
6:00 Watch/help Thomas prepare dinner
7:00 Eat. Watch TV.
9:00 Get in bed. Read. Sleep.
Begin again.
This is every day of my life. Today, 3 minor deviations caused stress: I forgot to put on deoderant (um, it's 90 degrees out and I smell horrifying), I forgot to write tests for my students last night and had to write 5 this morning at 7:30 and, last but not least, I had an extra minute between watering and leaving this morning so I called to check my bank balance and realized I was about to overdraw by 10 dollars.
This has cast a shadow over my otherwise predictable day.
How wedded are you to your schedule?
I'm a person who likes a plan. It's not that I don't love spontaneity; I do. And it's not that I'm not brave about new things, because I'd like to think that I am. But in my ordinary, day-to-day life, I like to know what's about to happen. Though I think I'm a bit more rigorous about my schedule than most people.
Here's how it goes:
6:00 am: Wake. Feed dogs and turtle. Pee and brush teeth. Let dogs out. Check email. Let dogs in. Take shower, blow dry hair, dress. Make salad for lunch. Water back garden.
7:10 Go to work. Stop at gas station or grocery store if necessary. Write tests, distribute folders.
8:30-2:30 Teach
2:45 Walk a mile.
3:00 Visit Thomas at Fanboy. Head home.
3:30 Feed dogs and turtle. Water front and back gardens. Eat snack. Check bloglines, myspace and email. Clean turtle's cage.
4:15 Grade student work.
5:00 Walk 4 miles, with various people.
6:00 Watch/help Thomas prepare dinner
7:00 Eat. Watch TV.
9:00 Get in bed. Read. Sleep.
Begin again.
This is every day of my life. Today, 3 minor deviations caused stress: I forgot to put on deoderant (um, it's 90 degrees out and I smell horrifying), I forgot to write tests for my students last night and had to write 5 this morning at 7:30 and, last but not least, I had an extra minute between watering and leaving this morning so I called to check my bank balance and realized I was about to overdraw by 10 dollars.
This has cast a shadow over my otherwise predictable day.
How wedded are you to your schedule?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Items of Interest
Yesterday at the grocery store, I knocked over a 2 liter of Mountain Dew. It exploded all over my shoes. I squish-squished Mountain Dew all the way home and now I don't know how to clean my shoes. Do you think I should just put them in the washing machine? I had to wear new shoes to work today and now I am blistery.
I am preparing questions for those requesting interviews, but you guys need to make sure I have an email address to mail them to. Please use my "contact me" address to send your current email. Even if you think I have it. Cause I don't. I'm trouble like that.
Thomas and I went with Kathy to see this awesome Korean monster movie called The Host. They got me to agree to come along by describing it as a cross between The Royal Tennenbaums and Godzilla. Somehow I misunderstood that to mean that it was The Royal Tennenbaums, with super-special crazy re-dubbing, and was kind of dissapointed to learn that it was not, but I should not have worried. It was great fun: funny and with really remarkably good CGI. Highly recommended.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Interview-o-rama
Many thanks once again to Velocibadgergirl for interviewing me as part of a meme that's going around. I saw it first on Amy's blog, but I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to ask her to interview me. Here's the deal:
To participate:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions of my choice, but probably not until early next week.
3. Then, you should update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You have to include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you get to ask them five questions.
1. Why did you start blogging and what do you like best about it?
I started blogging after I realized that I was checking my friends' blogs on a daily basis. When people first emailed me links to their blogs, I was a sporadic reader and then slowly it became a part of my daily life. I have an MFA in fiction, but what I always wanted was a "slice of life" column...some forum in which I could write short pithy pieces about my daily existence. It became clear to me that that was what my friends had, essentially, and I wanted in.
I like that, finally, when people ask if I'm writing, I can say yes. And I love the community of blogging. I've met so many awesome people and I love reading all the different writing styles and subjects. I feel more connected to myself as an artist, even though I'm not doing anything that most people would consider particularly artistic.
2. If you could see one band or singer in concert--living, dead, broken up, or still together--who would it be?
Dude, all these music questions, after I just did a huge post on music! I don't know quite how to answer this, but I guess the obvious answer is the truest one for me: the Beatles. I've been a Beatles fan since I was practically in utero; when I first listened to A Hard Day's Night at 11, I found I already knew all the words. My love for them intensified over the years and I became a big collector. I'm not so much anymore, but there is an entire room of my house dedicated to them.
I'd want to see them between the time of Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album, when they became more of a studio band and the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney was fragmenting a bit. I'd love to see how that would be recreated live.
3. Name one book you think everyone should read and explain your choice.
This is tough. Because, of course, I think it's tempting to try to name my favorite book. But I think I'm going to say....oh, crap. I'm torn. I'm giving a top three. This question be damned! The Temple of Gold by William Goldman. This is the first book I ever read that made me want to be a writer. And it cemented my ability to live vicariously through a character, to totally commit to a person who doesn't exist and just...be...in his or her life. I feel like I turned out to be a better person, more accepting somehow, because I read this book so early in life. Ok, I'll stick with that. The Temple of Gold by William Goldman. Read it.
4. If money and time off work were not a problem, what vacation would you take?
I'm not a very big vacation person. Vacations in which travel is involved always feel to me like their own kind of work, like I need a vacation from them by the time I'm done! But I very much would like to leave this country, as I never have, not even to Canada. You know what I'd like? I'd like to have a couple of months to travel the world visiting the shooting sites of movies and tv shows I've loved. I'd take me back to Washington State, which I love, where I saw the shooting site of Twin Peaks (it ruled! My best vacation ever!) but this time I'd go to Roslyn, WA as well to see the Northern Exposure sites...then off to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth...New York (I've never been)....
5. If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
I suck, cause I kind of did this last week.
The Beatles: The White Album
Radiohead: OK Computer
Kent: Isola
They Might be Giants: Flood
Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP
Ok, comment away if you'd like to play. And read Pardon the Eggsalad because she was nice enough to interview me and the Billy Collin's poem after which her blog is named gives me the shivers (as all good poems should).
To participate:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions of my choice, but probably not until early next week.
3. Then, you should update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You have to include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you get to ask them five questions.
1. Why did you start blogging and what do you like best about it?
I started blogging after I realized that I was checking my friends' blogs on a daily basis. When people first emailed me links to their blogs, I was a sporadic reader and then slowly it became a part of my daily life. I have an MFA in fiction, but what I always wanted was a "slice of life" column...some forum in which I could write short pithy pieces about my daily existence. It became clear to me that that was what my friends had, essentially, and I wanted in.
I like that, finally, when people ask if I'm writing, I can say yes. And I love the community of blogging. I've met so many awesome people and I love reading all the different writing styles and subjects. I feel more connected to myself as an artist, even though I'm not doing anything that most people would consider particularly artistic.
2. If you could see one band or singer in concert--living, dead, broken up, or still together--who would it be?
Dude, all these music questions, after I just did a huge post on music! I don't know quite how to answer this, but I guess the obvious answer is the truest one for me: the Beatles. I've been a Beatles fan since I was practically in utero; when I first listened to A Hard Day's Night at 11, I found I already knew all the words. My love for them intensified over the years and I became a big collector. I'm not so much anymore, but there is an entire room of my house dedicated to them.
I'd want to see them between the time of Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album, when they became more of a studio band and the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney was fragmenting a bit. I'd love to see how that would be recreated live.
3. Name one book you think everyone should read and explain your choice.
This is tough. Because, of course, I think it's tempting to try to name my favorite book. But I think I'm going to say....oh, crap. I'm torn. I'm giving a top three. This question be damned! The Temple of Gold by William Goldman. This is the first book I ever read that made me want to be a writer. And it cemented my ability to live vicariously through a character, to totally commit to a person who doesn't exist and just...be...in his or her life. I feel like I turned out to be a better person, more accepting somehow, because I read this book so early in life. Ok, I'll stick with that. The Temple of Gold by William Goldman. Read it.
4. If money and time off work were not a problem, what vacation would you take?
I'm not a very big vacation person. Vacations in which travel is involved always feel to me like their own kind of work, like I need a vacation from them by the time I'm done! But I very much would like to leave this country, as I never have, not even to Canada. You know what I'd like? I'd like to have a couple of months to travel the world visiting the shooting sites of movies and tv shows I've loved. I'd take me back to Washington State, which I love, where I saw the shooting site of Twin Peaks (it ruled! My best vacation ever!) but this time I'd go to Roslyn, WA as well to see the Northern Exposure sites...then off to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth...New York (I've never been)....
5. If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
I suck, cause I kind of did this last week.
The Beatles: The White Album
Radiohead: OK Computer
Kent: Isola
They Might be Giants: Flood
Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP
Ok, comment away if you'd like to play. And read Pardon the Eggsalad because she was nice enough to interview me and the Billy Collin's poem after which her blog is named gives me the shivers (as all good poems should).
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