Here are the things I’m loving this week:
—The cocktail question, by Doniree, a fantastic post that will make you think a lot about what it is you do, not just at work.
—An old story, yes, but still a good one, and one I shared with my students this week as we read Langston Hughes’ wonderful short story, “Thank You Ma’am.” A big thanks to Patti Digh for reminding me of it via Facebook.
—A post full of poetry by the lovely Hannah.
—Can I just say again that I want to be Gwen Bell? But her posts this week have been lovely.
—Also, I am coveting a pair of worn in cowboy boots, any color, in a size 6.5 with room for my apparently GINORMOUS calves. Anyone have a suggestion?!
Happy Friday, y’all.
I shamelessly stole this from Just A Small Town Girl. I love books AND surveys! Win-win! Since I’m an English teacher, this seems perfectly appropriate…here are a few answers about me and my books.
The book that’s been on your shelves the longest…
I am not sure, but I *think* it’s my copy of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. I still love that book. So much.
A book that reminds you of a specific person, place or time.
I have a little, tiny book called Whereyouwanttogo and Other Unlikely Tales that my friend Jamile gave me. I was her assistant counselor at camp and she read one of the stories out loud to the kids, and I LOVED IT. A few months after camp, I got a package with the book in it. Jamile (I’m pretty sure you’re reading!) may not know this, but it’s sat on my desk ever since, a tiny reminder of the good old days of camp, and of a friendship that was so vital during my formative years.
A book you treasure the most.
Um, as odd as it is, I used to always read The Omnivore’s Dilemma when we’d go to Jamba Juice. One day, when we were starting to get serious, Andrew brought it home for me as a surprise. It reminds me of a time when he showed his love and the fact that he was paying attention.
The newest book you’ve added to your shelves
Andrew and I have a little Friday tradition of bringing home a treat for the other. Last week? He brought me Drown by Junot Diaz.
Your current read, the last book you read, and what you’ll read next.
Finishing up The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Picture of Dorian Gray. The last book I read was a re-read of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. Don’t hit me, but I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. That’s next up.
How about you? What’s on your shelf right now?
Okay, so maybe I don’t get some things. But seriously?! Pop culture baffles the hell out of me. Here are current things I just don’t understand the appeal of:
—Kitschy, weird, “kooky” cutesy stuff. When Leslie and I visited the Renegade Craft Fair in SF this past summer, we noticed an abundance of cupcake stuff, which is cute—I get it. But the weird stuff that says things like, “I like to eat cupcakes while I poo” or “I bite people like cupcakes” or “RAWR! Poo-cupcakes-biting-I’m-MEAN!” all stitched onto a tiny pink pillow?! I just don’t get it.
—ZOMBIES. I laughed really hard at Shaun of the Dead. I’ve seen 28 Days later and I Am Legend (are those even zombie movies?! I don’t even know!) but that entire genre of films confuses me. I just don’t understand.
—Vampires. I’ve read Twilight and I thought it was a great, easy-to-read love story. But all of a sudden, the shows! The books! The movies! AHHH! I don’t understand it.
—Pirates. Please read above, it’s the same thing as zombies and vampires. But “Talk Like A Pirate Day” and pirate everything, and pirate clothes. Maybe my big issue is that ever since I was a kid, I’ve known about zombies, vampires AND pirates. What’s with the hype?!
—T-shirts that say things like “HOTTIE” or “BABE”. I know these have been around for a long time, but every single day, I see a grown woman wearing shirts like that. And I’m sorry, I don’t get it. If you are a “hottie” or a “babe” you shouldn’t have to advertise that fact.
—ZOMG. Can someone tell me what the hell the “z” means?! Thanks.
Please. Take the comments to try and convince me of why I should like these, or why I am wrong for not. I’m genuinely curious.
One of the new blogs I am really enjoying, Erin of State That I Am In wrote this post this week, about why people “waste their time” on the internet. Believe you me, once your offline friends find out that you spend an inordinate amount of time online, writing, waxing poetic on a website and talking to people that live in a totally different timezone (or at least not within driving distance) there are a lot of questions, namely, “What’s the point?”
It got me thinking. What is my purpose here? Why do I spend my time, behind a screen, when I could be doing any number of things?
I blog because I love writing. I love telling my story, as boring, unoriginal or lame as it may be. I get a thrill when I see that someone has commented my post to say, “Yeah, me too!” I like it when I write something I’m proud of, and people respond to it—either to agree or disagree. I like emails from readers who want to share their stories. I am more of myself because I am able to share what I am really thinking, with people who don’t know me, and for those that do to understand me a little bit better. I like getting things off my chest, I like putting my two cents into the world, both good and bad. Blogging has enabled me to WRITE, daily, for others and to get responses. No, I’m not famous or even all that “popular” in the blog world, but the responses I do receive mean the world to me.
I waste my time because I like to read other people’s thoughts. I like knowing that I’m not alone. I like having new friends that I can email, G-Chat, Facebook, Skype and Tweet with. I like that there are people who I can turn to that understand exactly what I’m going through. I like laughing on a daily basis at the stories I read. I like that I read posts that make me cry and that infuriate me. I like the fact that my world view has been expanded because of reading about those of others.
So, while some my write off my blog as a dumb project or a silly waste of time, to me? It’s amazing. It’s friendship. It’s people I enjoy and value and treasure. It’s an outlet. It’s a voice. Even if I never end up blogging full-time (a dream, seriously!) or getting a book deal or anything else, it’s been a great experience.
And? There’s no way I’ll be quitting any time soon. Sorry, y’all.
Current Book(s): Soooo many books, soooo little time. Currently, I’m loving Drown by Junot Diaz. I’m also listening to some “classics” in the car on the way to work, and love that. I’m just wrapping up The Picture of Dorian Gray and am going to start Pride and Prejudice next!
Current Playlist: Damien Rice, Diane Birch, Sia, Camera Obscura, Silversun Pickups, and “This American Life” podcasts
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Um, I’m not really ashamed of it, but I suppose Glee would qualify here. Best new show, seriously.
Current Color: Black! ALWAYS. It’s my wardrobe staple.
Current Fetish: Erm, what?! Do Pumpkin Scones count?
Current Drink: Water. Coffee. Diet Coke. In copious amounts.
Current Food: Zucchini bread. My homemade chili.
Current Favorite Show: Mad Men! And on Thursday? It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. SO EXCITED. This week is TV awesomeness.
Current Wishlist: First and foremost, for my dad’s chemo and radiation to go well, and for grandma to keep getting better. More shallow? A new, cute, pink cruiser bike, a new camera, and some cute fall dresses.
Current Needs: For payday to happen, like, super early. Kidding, sort of. I don’t know of anything I need. It sounds so serious!
Current Triumphs: Not gonna lie, I’ve had a great teaching week so far. I’ve been working out. I’ve written every single day and been handlin’ business. Pretty proud of myself. Oh, and I did a painting tonight I’m semi-proud of.
Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Cardio.
Current Celebrity Crush: Jon Hamm, always and forever.
Current Indulgence: A glass of delicious Gewurztraminer…
Current #1 Blessing: My family
Current Slang or Saying: I hate myself for saying this, but lately, I’ve been laying down the law with kids, so I hear myself saying the phrase, “END OF STORY!” a lot. UGH. How annoying!
Current Outfit: Comfy, black, adorable, empire waisted dress by Ann Taylor Loft I scored secondhand for $10! WOO!
Current Excitement: Hanging out with Leslie tomorrow night! New Thursday TV! Fall break starts on October 2nd!
Current Mood: A little lonely, but overall content.
Current Link: A little shameless self-promotion never hurts, right? Read me over here (I’m a new contributor!) and over here, where I talk about how you can help your child learn to enjoy reading! Seriously, let’s be real: I earn money when you check me out there AND if you leave a comment.
*Stolen from this lovely lady, whose blog I am TOTALLY enjoying!
So, the thing is, I’m a big Facebook fan. I used to be a MySpacer, and then found out I could play Scrabble on Facebook, and I was all, “Peace out, MySpace!” Still, I have to admit that this article made me do a lot of thinking about why Facebook, in all honesty, sucks. I don’t want you to suck, okay? And I sure as hell don’t want to suck. Here are my rules for using Facebook without being a jerk.
- I don’t want to have a political discussion. Okay, okay, so I did post a link to what I wrote here about Obama’s speech, but other than that? I keep the political crazy on the downlow, thanks. I have multiple friends on my list who use FB as a way to post links to every article about how Obama is sending the world to hell, OR how the Republicans have really lost it. I don’t mind an occasional article, but the constant firestorm of links to crazytown? That train is leavin’ without me.
- Your kid’s every move is NOT important to me—or anyone else.I realize that some people are going to be all, “Wow, Amy, I didn’t know you hated babies!” I don’t. But here’s the general rule: I don’t want to read about your child pooping, barfing, potty training or anything else. Why? Because your kid is going to grow up and hate you if they hear that you posted about every time they pooped. No, really. They don’t want that. In my opinion, if it’s not something you’d post about yourself, don’t post it about your kid. I don’t want to read about your gastrointestinal issues, so I don’t want to read about your kid’s either. One of my favorite sites, EVER, because it’s so true is STFU, Parents. Read it, and understand. It’s too much information, guys, whether it’s about your 6-month-old or you.
- A comment doesn’t equal a conversation. I don’t mean to be rude here, but seriously? The art of the text, email and letter have not died. Give me a call, send a text or email and let’s really chat. I get sad when I realize that some friendships have been reduced to a simple “thumbs up” brief “That’s great!”. I am guilty of this too, it just bothers me so much that communication with friends has gotten lazy. I miss y’all.
- Don’t use FB to make others feel bad. I admit it: I’m a baby. But when we’re close friends and I find out via Facebook that you’re having our mutual friends over for dinner or there’s a girls night planned and I’m very obviously left out? It bothers me. And it hurts my feelings. I realize that sometimes, it’s inadvertent, but sometimes? Well, sometimes it feels just a little too planned. See: status updates about plans, updates during said plans, and morning after “HAD A BLAST!” posts. If you’re trying to leave people out via a website, well…it’s likely that we probably shouldn’t hang out anyways. And if it’s unintentional, then just tell me that.
- Also? Don’t use FB to post your passive-aggressive updates. If you’re mad at your boyfriend, discuss it with him offline. If your friends forgot your birthday, you had a fight with your mom, your roommate didn’t clean the apartment, WHATEVER, please, please, please handle it out of your status update. I will, however, totally read your “wall-to-wall” nonsense if it’s juicy.
- STOP SENDING ME HUGS, BUMPER STICKERS, MAFIA WARS INVITES, PUPPIES, SORORITY, YO-VILLE AND ALL THAT CRAP. I’ll take a hug in person, or a real drink. But seriously? Cut it out. The one exception? I have a soft spot for SuperPoking. I like “shopping” and “rolling in the hay” with people. Sorry, I think it’s cute, AND I don’t have to get some stupid notification at the top of my page when I log in.
- Don’t make your profile private if you think I have any interest in stalking you. Okay, fine. I know this makes me horrible, but if you are: an ex-boyfriend, a girlfriend of an ex-boyfriend, a friend I don’t talk to any longer, etc. please, please, please do me a solid and leave that profile wide open. 546 pictures? YES PLEASE! Seeing how ridiculous you’ve become since we broke up? YESSSSS.
If I offended you with this post, sorry. It’s not you, it’s me and my picky FB preferences.
I love categorizing music by season, and my newest Fall find is Diane Birch.
She reminds me of Norah Jones, a touch of Adele and generally makes me want to wrap up in a sweater, put something yummy in the oven and hang out inside, away from the rain.
Check out her newest album, Bible Belt.
Saturday morning, I decided to get up semi-early and clean out my closet, and attempt to sell clothes at Crossroads, which is always an exercise in embarrassment. Still, I had some good stuff (in my humble and apparently unfashionable opinion) so I thought it was worth a shot.
I sold a few things at the first Crossroads (there are TWO opportunities to humiliate yourself near my house!) so I was able to buy a super cute sweater dress, which was a HUGE win, since most sweater dresses make me look like a sausage in yarn casing. I was pretty thrilled. Still, the girl referred to my clothes as “basics” that were “nice” but “not trendy.” Um, whatevs. I can’t say I was a huge fan of her short shorts over tights and weird vest, but do your thing, girl.
Next, I stopped at Panera Bread to get an iced Americano. It was nearly 10:30 and I hadn’t had my coffee yet, so I was going for POWER! at that point. I walked in and ordered my drink (and resisted a Cinnamon Crunch bagel, WIN!). Seriously, as soon as I said “iced Americano” the girl taking my order looked at me like I was insane.
“A latte?”
Nope.
“Frozen-caramel-latte-explosion-cinno?” (whatever their frozen beverage was called.)
Nope.
Finally, a girl with an ASSOCIATE TRAINER badge came over.
“I’ll make you an iced Americano!”
She pulled two shots of espresso and handed them to me in a paper cup, with a plastic cup of ice. I stared at her.
“Ma’am, an Americano is just espresso and water, so you can use the hot water for tea to make it!”
I explained—very nicely—at this point that I wanted an iced Americano, meaning that it should be mixed with cold water, so that it was delicious, and also so that the cup didn’t melt alllll over my hands. ASSOCIATE TRAINER piped up again and explained what was in an Americano.
I took a deep breath and refrained from screaming, “LOOK, YOU 16-YEAR-OLD TRAINER, I’VE BEEN ADDICTED TO COFFEE SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE BORN!” I explained again: iced Americano’s required COLD WATER and ice.
She explained yet again, and then added that she’d been to some coffee training school through Panera. I cut her off and said I had been a barista before, and could she please just get me some iced coffee. She rolled her eyes, and huffed and puffed.
And then she handed me a paper cup, the same plastic cup of ice and pointed at the hot coffee. AND THEN MY BRAIN EXPLODED.
Still, I just took it and it was fine because it had caffeine and I got to get away from two ridiculous people who have no business discussing coffee.
Next, I went to Crossroads #2, where they took NOTHING of mine, and the girl seemed SUPER ANNOYED that I’d even bothered coming in. How do I know?
Oh, because, as soon as I turned a corner, she proceeded to insult the hell out of my clothes. Not cool, sister. NOT COOL. Anyways, I left and went home and pouted. Boo.
The final kicker came this morning at the gym when a girl in the locker room said, “Oooh, your hair is sooooo curly! You know you can straighten it, right? It’d look so pretty.”
Um, for the record: I know of straighteners as I haven’t been living under a rock for the past 30+ years. Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe I like having curly hair?! That I think it’s fun and funky and pretty? That enjoy having hair that’s a little different and cute and doesn’t take 30 years to style? Is there something WRONG with curls? I get this question/comment 3-4 times per week. For the record: I like my curls.
I also like my clothes and my iced Americanos. Mkay?
/rant
Since it’s Saturday, I have to highlight a few good things. For me? The best good thing is that yesterday afternoon, I got to have a conversation with my grandma. Last Wednesday, I went to the hospital and was basically told that she would need a miracle—and she’s gotten it. To be able to hold her hand and tell her I love her and have her say the same…well, there’s no words for how grateful I am. She has a long road to recovery, but she’s going to be moved out of ICU and hopefully keep getting better.
My dad had some exploratory surgery this week and it turns out that they will be doing chemo and radiation instead of what would have been a horrendously invasive surgery. He has meetings this week that will determine when this will begin. If you could keep my family in your continued prayers and good thoughts, that would be amazing—things are clearly getting better, but chemo and radiation are tough. We are staying positive and hoping for the best.
Okay, on to other good things for the week:
—My newest blog crush is Hannah Just Breathe. Seriously, she’s amazing. Check it out.
—If you like Zen Habits than you’ll probably love Mnmlist. Some of his posts scare me—like only owning 100 Things (clothing included! AHHH!) but it’s inspirational nonetheless. Definitely worth a read for those of you who like making your life easier.
—I am IN LOVE with Little Brown Pen. I’ve been obsessed with Paris lately, and I’m loving her new Flickr group “Your Paris.”
—My friend Gina has long recommended a local consignment store called Boho Boutique, and this week, I finally went. I fell in love—the owner is so passionate about what she does, and has her store set up so sweetly! I loved it and will definitely be back. If you’re in the Sacramento area, it’s worth checking out!
—The Demoiselles have started a new project called Getting Healthy. The stories of women of all shapes and sizes getting healthy in their own ways is so inspirational and fabulous. I love it.
—Joanna is always, always, always lovely, but while she’s been on her honeymoon, bloggers and writers have been sharing their secrets to a happy marriage. Whether you’re married or not, the advice is amazing for any relationship—some really good things there.
So, what are YOU up to this weekend? I have a big, fun to-do list, including cleaning out my closet (again—all part of the Style Statement journey!), getting my hands on some paints/charcoals/art stuff, making some chili to eat and to freeze for lunches, swimming some laps and going back to Zumba!
Hope your Saturday is lovely!
Andrew and I had this little exchange a few days ago, and as I went to blog it {obviously!} he got frustrated with my lack of humor. So, here is a post directly from Andrew himself regarding a little bit of an Urban Dictionary fail, at least in my opinion.
The true meaning of “Titch”
If the readers of this blog are anything like me, you use Google about as frequently as *INSERT JOKE THAT WOULD APPEAL TO BLOGGERS*. I would imagine I do 2 or 3 dozen searches everyday, with subjects running the gamut from sports trivia to historical events to word definitions. It was this last type of search that I was engaged in when I thought to myself “I wonder if ‘titch’ is a real word or if anything will turn up if I google it” Low and behold, the word is a little more common than I originally thought. In fact, it turned up a number of hits, the first of which was Urban Dictionary — a tremendous resource for colloquial expressions. There were 14 different definitions listed for “titch”, but I didn’t need to read any further than the first:
1. titch
little annoying person. especially a girl. Tiny + Bitch = Titch
that short chick talks alot of shit, shes such a titch.
Amazing.
Disclaimer: The views and ideas expressed by urbandictionary.com do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster of this blog entry.
He BETTER have included that disclaimer.
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