Whats that noise?
Softly in the distance it rumbles...
Or is someone rolling out a trashcan?
Once again there it is...
well the neighbors do have alot of trash...
no that definately sounds like...
Ahhhhh yes, there it is a bump in the air just over in the distance...
I think I hear it coming closer...
CRASH!
...A THUNDER CLAP
just like you hear rolling throught the valley in the hills of the place I love (Reno)
but not so much here...kinda unusual for this kind of thunder...
whats that tapping? is it getting stronger?
yes...the sky is opening up now...exploding, pouring down...
but where's my thunder? was that a flash?
God I love this! It's quite erotic...
I have butterflies in my tummy...
I am aching for more...
just another CRASH...
I want it, I need it, Give me what I yearn for...
That exhillaration.
no, no, no....
WAIT!
oohhh... man.
it's getting lighter
just drizzling now... just a few taps...
and the rolling... moving away from me now...
into the distance
my excitment now waning
Yes, it's very much like sex...
over way to soon
...a quicky!
how disappointing.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Annotation/Response : Amy Tan's "Two Kinds"
I enjoyed Amy Tan’s story. As a mother, I can relate to how her mother felt and the hopes and dreams she had for her daughter’s future. I myself hope that my son will someday play the piano, mostly because I wish I could. So perhaps we’ll take lessons together. I think that certain lessons are for a child’s good, something they may not appreciate at the time but when they are older will see the value in it. This is what I think the author was trying to convey at the end of the story after her mother died, it seemed she finally appreciated the lesson.
I could also relate to being at the other end of disappointed parents. I think although she sabotaged her training, she began to think of herself, the day of the talent show, as quite accomplished. She was actually embarrassed and disappointed that she did so bad. She accomplished her goal of both disappointing her mother with her performance but she disappointed herself too. She learned a lesson in that moment of embarrassment.
I found it interesting how she opened the story with: “…you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” Which is something many Americans seem to take for granted. I am not a world traveler but I do know that Americans have a pretty swell life compared to many people around the world.
I liked how she described her rant to her mother: “As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, as if this aweful side of me had surfaced, at last.” She comes from a background where obedience is very important and she finally couldn’t take it any more. This is her “rebellion” and when she takes the reins and unleashes herself she gets a little scared because not only is what she says hurtful to her mom, but it is her way of liberation and standing up for yourself (especially to a parent) is a little scary because once you go for it you have to just take whatever comes in the aftermath!
I thought the short paragraph where she was going through her mother’s things was a little sad. I remember when my dad died I had his jacket and wore it all the time because it smelled like him, then someone washed it and I was furious. The paragraph was just sentimental as she said for her and for me.
I didn’t quite understand what she meant at the end when she said the songs were two halves of the same song… did she mean that she was that pleading child (obviously) and now she was “perfectly contented”? I could see that if she was meaning she is content with her past and her childhood. I wasn’t satisfied with the end, I felt like I wanted more from them both especially after she said such a cruel thing to her mother and they continued to be at odds. I think I wanted them to have a weepy, heartfelt, mother-daughter meltdown… but I didn’t get it.
I could also relate to being at the other end of disappointed parents. I think although she sabotaged her training, she began to think of herself, the day of the talent show, as quite accomplished. She was actually embarrassed and disappointed that she did so bad. She accomplished her goal of both disappointing her mother with her performance but she disappointed herself too. She learned a lesson in that moment of embarrassment.
I found it interesting how she opened the story with: “…you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” Which is something many Americans seem to take for granted. I am not a world traveler but I do know that Americans have a pretty swell life compared to many people around the world.
I liked how she described her rant to her mother: “As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, as if this aweful side of me had surfaced, at last.” She comes from a background where obedience is very important and she finally couldn’t take it any more. This is her “rebellion” and when she takes the reins and unleashes herself she gets a little scared because not only is what she says hurtful to her mom, but it is her way of liberation and standing up for yourself (especially to a parent) is a little scary because once you go for it you have to just take whatever comes in the aftermath!
I thought the short paragraph where she was going through her mother’s things was a little sad. I remember when my dad died I had his jacket and wore it all the time because it smelled like him, then someone washed it and I was furious. The paragraph was just sentimental as she said for her and for me.
I didn’t quite understand what she meant at the end when she said the songs were two halves of the same song… did she mean that she was that pleading child (obviously) and now she was “perfectly contented”? I could see that if she was meaning she is content with her past and her childhood. I wasn’t satisfied with the end, I felt like I wanted more from them both especially after she said such a cruel thing to her mother and they continued to be at odds. I think I wanted them to have a weepy, heartfelt, mother-daughter meltdown… but I didn’t get it.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Annotations: Murakami
A1/A2: “On Meeting the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” by Haruki Murakami Notes: The subject of fate, destiny, true love fascinates me.
B1/B5: “He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others.” Notes: The author seems to address anyone who has ever felt lonely, and average…yet he says like all the others, so as to say even if you feel that way you are not alone. His did apply to me…and everyone else!
B1/C5: “The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other’s 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met.” Note: While maybe it was a miracle that they had ever met, I disagree that they should not have tested it. I tend to believe that things are exactly as they were meant to be, and therefore, if they were truly 100% perfect for each other and “meant to be” they would find each other again and be together. Maybe they did not get back together the second time, not because they had been through so much and didn’t remember their love but because destiny, fate or the will of the universe conspired to keep them apart because they really weren’t 100% perfect for each other.
A2: “Yes, that’s it, that is what I should have said to her.” Notes: I think that everyone has had a moment where they think I should have said something to someone and maybe it would have changed the circumstances of the relationship or created a relationship where there was none.
A5: In my opinion, the story leaves the reader inspired to take chances. If He had only spoken to the girl maybe they’d be together.
B1/B5: “He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others.” Notes: The author seems to address anyone who has ever felt lonely, and average…yet he says like all the others, so as to say even if you feel that way you are not alone. His did apply to me…and everyone else!
B1/C5: “The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other’s 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met.” Note: While maybe it was a miracle that they had ever met, I disagree that they should not have tested it. I tend to believe that things are exactly as they were meant to be, and therefore, if they were truly 100% perfect for each other and “meant to be” they would find each other again and be together. Maybe they did not get back together the second time, not because they had been through so much and didn’t remember their love but because destiny, fate or the will of the universe conspired to keep them apart because they really weren’t 100% perfect for each other.
A2: “Yes, that’s it, that is what I should have said to her.” Notes: I think that everyone has had a moment where they think I should have said something to someone and maybe it would have changed the circumstances of the relationship or created a relationship where there was none.
A5: In my opinion, the story leaves the reader inspired to take chances. If He had only spoken to the girl maybe they’d be together.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Annotations: Mahfouz, Frost, Cullen
A1: “Who is Zaabalawi?” Notes: I wonder if this person really exists. I should Google him! Nope, just a character in Mahfouz’s essay.
B3: languor, motes, galabeya, divan, bards, fealty, demesne, ken, rue. Notes: I had to look these words up.
C3: The story’s ending Notes: I would ask the author what happened, did he ever find Zaabalawi and if he was ever cured.
B5: “Birches” by Robert Frost Notes: I think the author was appealing to most adults. Rather than the bows being heavy laden with cold ice he wanted to think of a young boy felling the branches through play. I think he was longing to be a boy again and that appeals to everyone at some point. I definitely long for times when the word, responsibility, was not a part of my vocabulary.
B1: “I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Notes: This was not part of our reading but it is one of my favorite poems. I often think of it when I have choices to make in my own life. It makes me think about my choices carefully and encourages me to take chances in life.
A1: “Incident” by Countee Cullen Notes: I think this poem is sad reading it today but times were different back then. Desegregation and civil rights did not begin until the 60’s. He is a typical gleeful child in a new place and innocent. He should have had many memories from his visit but the one simple act of racism by another “innocent” ruined the rest of his trip!
B3: languor, motes, galabeya, divan, bards, fealty, demesne, ken, rue. Notes: I had to look these words up.
C3: The story’s ending Notes: I would ask the author what happened, did he ever find Zaabalawi and if he was ever cured.
B5: “Birches” by Robert Frost Notes: I think the author was appealing to most adults. Rather than the bows being heavy laden with cold ice he wanted to think of a young boy felling the branches through play. I think he was longing to be a boy again and that appeals to everyone at some point. I definitely long for times when the word, responsibility, was not a part of my vocabulary.
B1: “I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Notes: This was not part of our reading but it is one of my favorite poems. I often think of it when I have choices to make in my own life. It makes me think about my choices carefully and encourages me to take chances in life.
A1: “Incident” by Countee Cullen Notes: I think this poem is sad reading it today but times were different back then. Desegregation and civil rights did not begin until the 60’s. He is a typical gleeful child in a new place and innocent. He should have had many memories from his visit but the one simple act of racism by another “innocent” ruined the rest of his trip!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Intro Essay & What this Blog is all About
This is a collection of essays, reviews, journals, annotations and articles I have written. So let's start with an intro:
The Secret Life of… Me!
(an introductory essay)
What could I say to impress you? Let me think on this for a bit. If I told you that I survived a deadly disease, would you search these lines for the details? Or perhaps my philosophy on life would give you a new thought or two. I wonder how interesting my dreams of the future would really be. Who among us doesn’t have grand accomplishments and miserable failures? Unique qualities or skills? Those seem like napping topics to me, so I’ll skip those. You want to know who I am? Delve into my words and follow my free spirited, sparkling personality…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” wait, scratch that. It was significantly worse than the worst of times. I was 34 and about to become a mother for the first time. It should have been the best time of my life, something most cherish as uniquely woman. It should have been, but it wasn’t. I was robbed. In the place of my joy was excessive vomiting and anguish. Not your typical morning sickness, nope, I was one of the rare (approximately 2% of the population) that gets to experience the complete and utter misery that is known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum, HG to you and me, a deadly pregnancy related disease. I was hospitalized numerous times and at one point told I would have to choose between my life and my unborn child’s. It was not a choice I was willing to make so I placed both our lives in God’s hands. This leads me to my philosophy of life…
Now I am not a very religious sort, but I am spiritual to no end. I believe in God, but do not want a go-between. If he is indeed the “father” of all creation, why couldn’t I just speak to him as such? Why do I need to confess my sins and be absolved by someone ordained and in a robe? I believe in having a personal relationship with God and try not to piss him off. I am a firm believer in karma. Basically, in the universe exists an equal and opposite reaction to all of your actions. Or something like that, I suppose Newton said it better. I do believe whatever energy you put into this world will eventually come back to you, so I try to make my ripples in the pool count for something good. I like to take chances and see what happens. I am of the predilection that if you don’t just go for it; it being that unattainable, wanton thing, you will never know what could have been. You might now be thinking… she likes to take chances, she must be adventurous, a little bit of a rebel. I wonder if she’s gone sky-diving? Heck no! Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is just crazy! I want to live to reach my goals…
I remember once I wanted to be a teacher. Did I accomplish that goal? No. My hopes and dreams are like butterflies avoiding the net of a curious child. They flutter here and there, and as I grow older, change in mid flight. I have been a nursery worker, massage therapist, animal care taker, thoroughbred horserace handicapper, a mentor to children, a casino pit boss, a master herbalist, and a wanna be writer. At 37, I suppose I have come full circle to where my goals were so many years ago. I have gone back to school. For one who believes you should never stop learning new things, my new thing is finally get that degree. I would enjoy being an English teacher. At least that is where my hopes and dreams are today. Who is to say where my path will lead me in the future. There is much to be said for curiosity and gumption.
So there you have it. Was it curiosity that got you through these paragraphs? When you are interested in something it keeps your attention, at least for a moment, which was my plan. I hope you did find something interesting here. Be it my life or death struggle, my philosophy, or my fanciful life path. These are what make life unique. This is the secret life of me.
The Secret Life of… Me!
(an introductory essay)
What could I say to impress you? Let me think on this for a bit. If I told you that I survived a deadly disease, would you search these lines for the details? Or perhaps my philosophy on life would give you a new thought or two. I wonder how interesting my dreams of the future would really be. Who among us doesn’t have grand accomplishments and miserable failures? Unique qualities or skills? Those seem like napping topics to me, so I’ll skip those. You want to know who I am? Delve into my words and follow my free spirited, sparkling personality…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” wait, scratch that. It was significantly worse than the worst of times. I was 34 and about to become a mother for the first time. It should have been the best time of my life, something most cherish as uniquely woman. It should have been, but it wasn’t. I was robbed. In the place of my joy was excessive vomiting and anguish. Not your typical morning sickness, nope, I was one of the rare (approximately 2% of the population) that gets to experience the complete and utter misery that is known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum, HG to you and me, a deadly pregnancy related disease. I was hospitalized numerous times and at one point told I would have to choose between my life and my unborn child’s. It was not a choice I was willing to make so I placed both our lives in God’s hands. This leads me to my philosophy of life…
Now I am not a very religious sort, but I am spiritual to no end. I believe in God, but do not want a go-between. If he is indeed the “father” of all creation, why couldn’t I just speak to him as such? Why do I need to confess my sins and be absolved by someone ordained and in a robe? I believe in having a personal relationship with God and try not to piss him off. I am a firm believer in karma. Basically, in the universe exists an equal and opposite reaction to all of your actions. Or something like that, I suppose Newton said it better. I do believe whatever energy you put into this world will eventually come back to you, so I try to make my ripples in the pool count for something good. I like to take chances and see what happens. I am of the predilection that if you don’t just go for it; it being that unattainable, wanton thing, you will never know what could have been. You might now be thinking… she likes to take chances, she must be adventurous, a little bit of a rebel. I wonder if she’s gone sky-diving? Heck no! Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is just crazy! I want to live to reach my goals…
I remember once I wanted to be a teacher. Did I accomplish that goal? No. My hopes and dreams are like butterflies avoiding the net of a curious child. They flutter here and there, and as I grow older, change in mid flight. I have been a nursery worker, massage therapist, animal care taker, thoroughbred horserace handicapper, a mentor to children, a casino pit boss, a master herbalist, and a wanna be writer. At 37, I suppose I have come full circle to where my goals were so many years ago. I have gone back to school. For one who believes you should never stop learning new things, my new thing is finally get that degree. I would enjoy being an English teacher. At least that is where my hopes and dreams are today. Who is to say where my path will lead me in the future. There is much to be said for curiosity and gumption.
So there you have it. Was it curiosity that got you through these paragraphs? When you are interested in something it keeps your attention, at least for a moment, which was my plan. I hope you did find something interesting here. Be it my life or death struggle, my philosophy, or my fanciful life path. These are what make life unique. This is the secret life of me.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Movie Review
Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(written as a Staff Writer for my college newspaper)
“My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances…”
It’s no wonder that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was nominated for five Golden Globes. The adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story follows the extraordinary life of Benjamin Button. Born in New Orleans just after World War I, Button is abandoned by his father and raised by “Queenie” a care taker of the elderly residents of a seniors home.
He is born with a rare affliction in which he ages in reverse. The interesting story superbly intertwines the lives of Button, Played by Brad Pitt, and Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett, from childhood to death. They are at opposite ends of the life spectrum but fall in love somewhere in the middle proving that “life isn’t measures in minutes, but in moments.”
The aging of the characters throughout the film, from young to old and vice versa, is amazing. Following the characters as they discover life, love, death, and what matters most is what I treasured most about this film. Full of great inspirational scripting I feel like I actually learned something from the movie. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is my new favorite.
(written as a Staff Writer for my college newspaper)
“My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances…”
It’s no wonder that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was nominated for five Golden Globes. The adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story follows the extraordinary life of Benjamin Button. Born in New Orleans just after World War I, Button is abandoned by his father and raised by “Queenie” a care taker of the elderly residents of a seniors home.
He is born with a rare affliction in which he ages in reverse. The interesting story superbly intertwines the lives of Button, Played by Brad Pitt, and Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett, from childhood to death. They are at opposite ends of the life spectrum but fall in love somewhere in the middle proving that “life isn’t measures in minutes, but in moments.”
The aging of the characters throughout the film, from young to old and vice versa, is amazing. Following the characters as they discover life, love, death, and what matters most is what I treasured most about this film. Full of great inspirational scripting I feel like I actually learned something from the movie. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is my new favorite.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Movie Review #2
“The Role Models” Movie Review
(written as a Staff Writer for my college newspaper)
From start to finish I was rolling. “The Role Models” features a comedic pairing of Seann William Scott who plays Wheeler and Paul Rudd who plays Danny. In an energy drink fueled binge mixed with relationship woes Rudd flips out and drives their company truck into a statue.
Their antics as energy drink spokesmen land them in court where they are given a choice between hard time or community service. They choose the community service route and are required to be “Role Models” for children. This is where the real fun begins. Jane Lynch is the director of the center that Wheeler and Danny are appointed to by the court. Her character has some very interesting issues of her own that only add to the hilarity.
Wheeler is paired with a kid who is obsessed with boobies and has a foul mouth, while Danny is paired with a young teen who lives in another world altogether. Their interaction with these kids is too funny to miss. I would definitely go see “The Role Models” again. I found myself spitting out my soda and choking on my popcorn. This movie is funny and definately worth the price of a movie ticket.
(written as a Staff Writer for my college newspaper)
From start to finish I was rolling. “The Role Models” features a comedic pairing of Seann William Scott who plays Wheeler and Paul Rudd who plays Danny. In an energy drink fueled binge mixed with relationship woes Rudd flips out and drives their company truck into a statue.
Their antics as energy drink spokesmen land them in court where they are given a choice between hard time or community service. They choose the community service route and are required to be “Role Models” for children. This is where the real fun begins. Jane Lynch is the director of the center that Wheeler and Danny are appointed to by the court. Her character has some very interesting issues of her own that only add to the hilarity.
Wheeler is paired with a kid who is obsessed with boobies and has a foul mouth, while Danny is paired with a young teen who lives in another world altogether. Their interaction with these kids is too funny to miss. I would definitely go see “The Role Models” again. I found myself spitting out my soda and choking on my popcorn. This movie is funny and definately worth the price of a movie ticket.
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