It's 2009. The last time I used this thing to blog and not just to keep track of books, it was 2007 and my life was totally different. OK, not totally, but 2008 brought me to my knees to re-evaluate everything I thought was real. 2008 will not be a year I soon forget, but I wish I could. Life is new. A strange thing for a girl like me whose every move has always been plotted, planned, calculated carefully to achieve certain results. 2008 saw all that crash and burn. Have to plan anew.
New
Everything is new
eyes that were blind
open now and confused
deciphering meaning from new
shapes against old shadows.
The old shapes I knew
that moved predictably
in and out
of an old backdrop, faded
like memories beneath memories,
tooth decay, graying roots, and dirt.
What spring bud will grow here?
One long stalk to stand
and face the sun, the light
alone or more than
one stem, braver together
than alone?
When this frost melts,
the dirt ready to give way,
whatever comes is new
life unto the world.
Give it space to revel in new light.
This is a new game,
rules unwritten, ephemeral
from piece to piece,
space to space, move to move,
heart to heart.
There is no strategy for me
to conceive and use to dominate
because winning and losing
come from the same font
at the same time, a steady stream
of catch 22. Lost and found
when what you find is never the same
as what you lost.
Everything I seek to find is
something new.
How did I not know about Pandora Radio before this?? I love it!!
Yesterday was my first real day of summer. Woo-hoo! I'm free for a few months. I plan to go see some sights and read a bunch of books...if I don't end up chained to this damned computer tooling around and looking at a bunch of useless garbage. I'm watching Wimbledon, which reminds me that I ought to make it out to the US Open this year. I missed it last year and I don't even remember why. There was a point, either last year or the year before, that they opened up the USTA Tennis Center to anyone who could show that they live in Queens because attendance was so low. Maybe it had been raining. Either way, Jim had been maintaining a residence in Corona, Qns. but both of us still have our MA ID's, so no go. Poop. I've been a few times, or maybe just a couple, with Adam and Billy. It's strange because there is absolutely no other sport that I will go out of my way to watch. I mean, of course I'd attend sporting events if given the tickets and good company, but I'll actually purchase my own tickets and can even see myself popping over to London someday for the express purpose of going to Wimbledon. I wish I'd had the $$ last year to go out and visit Adam.
Anyways, Rayden got a haircut yesterday. He's a cutie as usual.
What do you think your pets would act like if they were people? Do you think you'd get along with them?
Submitted by Melissa.
Rayden would be a needy attention whore for sure. He's cute and white with big eyes, so he'd probably be a big brown-eyed towhead. I honestly haven't had a blond friend since Jessica and Jason. He's unreliable, sleeps way too much, takes very little responsibility for his actions, and only follows directions when there's something in it for him. I already have a friend like that; it's not good to have more than one of those people in your life. He also cannot bathe of his own accord and wipes his but by dragging it along the sidewalk...also undesirable traits in a friend. On the other hand, he's pretty smart and independent at times, which are qualities I like in a friend. He is very loving and would be a good person to have around when I'm sad since he's a great listener and wants to comfort me. He also likes to play games, which I love too. Hmmm...I think I could deal with keeping him around as a friend.
Bold the places you've been and italicize the places you long to see. Add one place you've been and one place you'd like to go to the bottom.
1. Times Square, New York City, NY: 35 million visitors every year
2.
National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C. (Washington
Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the war memorials): About 25
million
3. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.: 16.6 million
4. Trafalgar Square, London, England: 15 million
5. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif.: 14.7 million
6. Niagara Falls, Ontario and New York: 14 million
7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, Calif.: 13 million
8. Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan: 12.9 million
9. Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France: 12 million
10. Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France: 10.6 million
11. The Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China: About 10 million
12. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina: 9.2 million
13. Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan: 8.5 million
14. Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France: 8 million
15. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France: 7.5 million
16. Everland (amusement park), Kyonggi-Do, South Korea: 7.5 million
17. The Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China: At least 7 million
18. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France: 6.7 million
19. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, Fla: 6 million
20. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, Fla: 5,740,000
21. Pleasure Beach (amusement park), Blackpool, England: 5.7 million
22. Lotte World (amusement park), Seoul, South Korea: 5.5 million
23. Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan: 5.4 million
24. Hong Kong Disneyland, China: 5.2 million
25. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France: 5.1 million
26. Tate Modern, London, England: 4.9 million
27. British Museum, London, England: 4.8 million
28. Universal Studios Los Angeles, Calif.: 4.7 million
29. National Gallery, London, England: 4.6 million
30. Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY: 4.5 million
31. Grand Canyon, Ariz.: 4.4 million
32. Tivoli Gardens (amusement park), Copenhagen, Denmark: 4.4 million
33. Ocean Park (amusement park), Hong Kong, China: 4.38 million
34. Busch Gardens (amusement park), Tampa Bay, Fla.: 4.36 million
35. SeaWorld California, San Diego, Calif.: 4.26 million
36. Statue of Liberty, New York, NY: 4.24 million
37. The Vatican and its museums, Rome, Italy: 4.2 million
38. Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia: More than 4 million
39. The Coliseum, Rome, Italy: 4 million
40. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY: 4 million
41. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, Calif.: 4 million
42. Empire State Building, New York, NY: 4 million
43. Natural History Museum, London, England: 3.7 million
44. The London Eye, London, England: 3.5 million
45. Palace of Versailles, France: 3.45 million
46. Yosemite National Park, Calif.: 3.44 million
47. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: 3 million
48. Pompeii, Italy: 2.5 million
49. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia: 2.5 million
50. Taj Mahal, Agra, India: 2.4 million
51. Angel Falls, Venezuela
52. Pyramid Kukulcan in Chichen Itza, Yucatan Mexico
53. Temple of the Descending God in Tulum, Quintana Roo Mexico
54. Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
55. Star Trek: The Experience, Las Vegas, NV
56. Space Needle Seattle, WA
57. Machu Pichu, Peru
58. Gateway Arch, St Louis, MO
59. Amber Palace in Jaipur, India
60. The Smithsonian in Washington DC
61. The Galapagos Islands
62. Stone Mountain, GA
63. San Diego Zoo, CA
64. The Mayon Volcano, Albay, Bicol, Philippines
65. The Acropolis, Athens, Greece
I need a vacation. VACATION. I want to go far from here and relax with no cares. I think I may just give my husband one good slug and toss him on a plane...that way I can avoid all the kicking and screaming. I need a new passport.
How did you meet your current, or most recent, significant other?
Jim and I went to middle school together. He was one of the group of "Malden boys" who came to St. Mary's instead of going to Malden Middle School. We girls, used to our core of boys who has been in our classes for years and years, descended on them like fresh meat. It's funny because I paid no attention to him at all. I was smitten with Steve, who is now one of my best friends and absolutely gay (see, I've been a fag hag since before I even knew it). Anyways, Steve and I went out in a very seventh-grade-gay-guy-dates-girl kind of way. We went out on a few double dates with my good friend Ashley and her 7th grade bf, Jim. More often than not, Steve would flake and I would be stuck as a 3rd wheel with Ashley and Jim. I remember going with them to the movies to see one of the Batman movies and ending up seeing Bridges of Madison County instead because Batman was sold out. During one of the long, silent, supposedly tense scenes, I hear a really loud kissy noise from them. I elbowed Ashley for that one. I also recall a mall date where Steve didn't show up and I walked around the mall with Jim and Ashley, straggling behind their hand-holding and shopping while they made out on a bench. Yup, so much fun. Anyways, Jim and I became friends through Ashley, and when they broke up they said it was mutual and I didn't have to choose any sides, so I stayed friends with Jim. We would talk on the phone now and then, when I wasn't on the phone with Jason, Jessica, Ashley, or Holly (in that order). I was a phone whore, but who wasn't in middle school?
Our actual first meeting where we introduced ourselves and all was at Papa Gino's, the pizza place I worked at in high school. I was making student council posters and was asking for volunteers to help me make posters. He turned me down. I don't remember who ended up helping me, if anyone did, but I very clearly remember him refusing to help me. So, that's a little of the long and the entirety of the short of our meeting. Wow...that was 1995...we're old...and married...
What is your pet peeve, the one thing which really drives you mad?
Submitted by Beki.
Professionally, I hate when people use apostrophes incorrectly, especially when they are making things plural or conjugating verbs. Argh. I have spent at least a week per semester on apostrophe use alone.
Otherwise, I have this ridiculous pet peeve about people who scrape dip up the side and on the rim of the dip bowl. I don't know why it gets me because I'm not really anal and no one would ever mistake me for super-neat (or even neat at all). I had a guest once who was doing that with tortilla chips and salsa con queso and I had to grit my teeth and resist yelling at him or ripping his offending hand off.
What do you collect?
I keep everything. I'm a pack rat. I have receipts dating back to 1994. It's ridiculous. I used to collect keychains from all the places I've been, but I think I'm going to start on magnets instead. They are just as cheap and much easier to keep functionally.
After a wonderfully relaxing honeymoon on a boat in the Atlantic, I had to come back to work. Boo. After a horrible time last week, with my stuff getting stolen and me feeling immense trepidation at being much less prepared for this school year than the past two, my spirits are back up and the rhythm of the school year has sucked me back in. Every once in a while I think about how 3 weeks ago I was enjoying my first night on the cruise, and two weeks ago I was trying to savor every minute of my last night on the boat...and I fill myself with ideas of finding a job that pays twice what I make and allows me to take vacation whenever I want. Or regret for not being born a too rich jet-setter with an overblown sense of entitlement. Instead I trudge into work every day at inhumane hours and deal with other people's children, settling for a salary that barely allows me to afford travel and a schedule that restricts me to peak vacation time. Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do. Like when I come back from summer vacation to find that the most promising student in the whole school is pregnant, due in June, and seems to have given up on finishing high school; and finding out that one of the boys who seemed the most promiscuous last year has had HIV all along because he was born with it; and wondering where that ridiculously talented-yet-troubled boy is, then finding out he has been shipped off to the south somewhere because he fathered a child in Brooklyn and his mother doesn't want him to have anything to do with the still -unborn baby. Yes, I work at that school where teachers are afraid to work, going there is the threat that kids hear when they get bad grades, and fully grown adults cross the street when they approach to avoid getting jumped. There are times when it's all worth it, like when students I had as 9th graders come to me as 11th graders to show me poems and stories they had written, not for class, but because they wanted to; and when I see that moment on a student's face that says that everything all of a sudden became clear because of something I did or said. These things happen a lot because, frankly, I'm a damn good teacher and not many kids need a damn good teacher as much these kids do. So, while I sometimes find myself at Dunkin Donuts envying the cashier's job, I am good where I am at the moment.
on Back in Black, Baby