I love photos. Like, LOOOOOVE photos. In high school, I was the girl with her camera capturing every moment and creating silly photo albums so I'd remember everything about what I did with my friends in our extra curricular activities and free time.
And when I'm with a group of people, like a family gathering or a wedding, most of my photos have a purpose to them. I like for them to tell a story. I don't know anything fancy about lighting or pixels or other things. I just like to catch people in candid moments or frame the photo just right.
And I love to look at pictures. I like to get lost in them and I like how they evoke emotions. My grandpa took photos as a hobby and I adore his pictures. He actually knew what he was doing, so they're very pretty. My favorite picture of his is of a squirrel sitting on a table eating from a cob of corn. Every time I look at it, I can create a new story. That squirrel thinks he's people.
Today I learned about 365Project.org. It's a project aiming to document one year of your life through photos. A photo a day. I love this idea. There are so many ways to go about doing this. For instance, mothers could choose to take photos of their children and see exactly how much they've grown, physically and intellectually, in the year.
Fashionistas might want to challenge themselves to go a whole year without wearing the exact same outfit by changing up how they layer their clothes and accessorize. They can take pictures of how creative they get.
Walkers could document interesting things they see each day on their routes.
The ideas are endless and ridiculously interesting to me. Just as I love reading blogs to see what different lives are like, from happily married couples with kids to young college kids just starting their freshman year, I'm excited to do this project AND see how my friend's project develops.
I've decided that my photos will be a summary or highlight of my day. But I started with a photo that I thought told a little bit about myself.
http://365project.org/mmade/365
I won't tell what I plan to take a picture of tomorrow because I also plan to talk about it on here!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I see the moon and the moon sees me
Another day, another attempt.
First, I think I was just lazy and didn't make time for this blog.
Then, I intentionally stopped writing.
Then, I completely forgot I had this.
Well, that needs to stop. I want to write regularly. My friend told me to force myself to write everyday on here, then look back in a month and see what seems to be my theme. I shall take his advice.
Yes, it is 3 in the morning. I don't really like sleeping at night. I don't particularly like sleeping during the day, either, especially since I'm usually working or otherwise occupied.
Sleep and I have always been enemies. One of my earliest memories is being tucked in at a reasonable hour by my parents. They would read to me, we would say my bedtime prayer, I would be all cozy in my pajamas in my humongous bed and they'd turn off the lights and shut the door until just a tiny bit of light cast itself onto my floor. It was the perfect way to unwind in the perfect atmosphere.
But I wasn't having it. As soon as I heard their grown up feet walk out of the hall that separated my room from theirs, I would climb out of bed and walk over to my window. I was about 2 or 3, but I liked looking out my window and up at the moon, contemplating what I knew of life. Mainly, these thoughts involved how much fun I had playing with my next door neighbor and wondering if he also had to be in bed at 8. I looked at how my yard looked blue-ish in the moon's light and thought of the fun I'd had playing in that yard all day. I thought about daddies and mommies and how comforting they were. Those are the thoughts I remember having at 2 and 3 when I wasn't ready for bed. Eventually, looking at the moonlit yard became tiresome and I would crawl into my big bed, cover myself with my yellow duvet and fall asleep.
It's not as easy these days. I will read my book. I will say my prayer. I will turn out the light and wiggle around in bed. And then I'm still awake. I don't really wonder what my neighbors are doing, unless I hear their shower come on. Then I wonder why they are up as late as me. I don't stare at the moon unless my dog asks me to take him outside. But the moon doesn't seem to settle things for as long as it used to. It calms my pulse while I look at it. The act of looking at it does seem to make my hair blow back and cause my breathing to slow down. When I gaze at it and wonder how many people are doing the same at that moment, I can suddenly hear the sounds of nature that I couldn't hear before and my nerves seem more alive, feeling the air around me in a way it didn't seconds ago.
But the moment my eyes leave the moon, reality comes back to me. It used to seem that the moon took whatever worries my 3-year-old self had that kept me from wanting to sleep and held onto them for the night. The moon doesn't do that anymore.
Shame on the moon.
First, I think I was just lazy and didn't make time for this blog.
Then, I intentionally stopped writing.
Then, I completely forgot I had this.
Well, that needs to stop. I want to write regularly. My friend told me to force myself to write everyday on here, then look back in a month and see what seems to be my theme. I shall take his advice.
Yes, it is 3 in the morning. I don't really like sleeping at night. I don't particularly like sleeping during the day, either, especially since I'm usually working or otherwise occupied.
Sleep and I have always been enemies. One of my earliest memories is being tucked in at a reasonable hour by my parents. They would read to me, we would say my bedtime prayer, I would be all cozy in my pajamas in my humongous bed and they'd turn off the lights and shut the door until just a tiny bit of light cast itself onto my floor. It was the perfect way to unwind in the perfect atmosphere.
But I wasn't having it. As soon as I heard their grown up feet walk out of the hall that separated my room from theirs, I would climb out of bed and walk over to my window. I was about 2 or 3, but I liked looking out my window and up at the moon, contemplating what I knew of life. Mainly, these thoughts involved how much fun I had playing with my next door neighbor and wondering if he also had to be in bed at 8. I looked at how my yard looked blue-ish in the moon's light and thought of the fun I'd had playing in that yard all day. I thought about daddies and mommies and how comforting they were. Those are the thoughts I remember having at 2 and 3 when I wasn't ready for bed. Eventually, looking at the moonlit yard became tiresome and I would crawl into my big bed, cover myself with my yellow duvet and fall asleep.
It's not as easy these days. I will read my book. I will say my prayer. I will turn out the light and wiggle around in bed. And then I'm still awake. I don't really wonder what my neighbors are doing, unless I hear their shower come on. Then I wonder why they are up as late as me. I don't stare at the moon unless my dog asks me to take him outside. But the moon doesn't seem to settle things for as long as it used to. It calms my pulse while I look at it. The act of looking at it does seem to make my hair blow back and cause my breathing to slow down. When I gaze at it and wonder how many people are doing the same at that moment, I can suddenly hear the sounds of nature that I couldn't hear before and my nerves seem more alive, feeling the air around me in a way it didn't seconds ago.
But the moment my eyes leave the moon, reality comes back to me. It used to seem that the moon took whatever worries my 3-year-old self had that kept me from wanting to sleep and held onto them for the night. The moon doesn't do that anymore.
Shame on the moon.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Simple Things- Chocolate Chip Cookies!!
I am OH so thankful for homemade chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips, fresh out of the oven so the chips are still melting when you split the cookie apart. The simple things in life are what bring me the most joy and that is one of them. The cookie is soooo warm and comforting, chocolate is my favorite sweet and when it is melted it is OH so tasty. This treat always brings a smile to my face.
I'm craving it, just thinking about it!!
I'm craving it, just thinking about it!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
My Health
I've had a rough time with the ol' health since I hit my 20s, but things seem to be working themselves out. With the help of my VNS and working (a lot) with meds, I think I'm getting to a point where I remember what normal feels like.
The rough patch was awful, to say the least. Above all else, it was emotionally draining. But the best part about the hard times in life is that you grow stronger from them. So I am thankful for the strength I've gotten from getting through rough times. And I'm thankful that I'm feeling better. I can go out with friends and not pay for it for a week. I mean, I can go out with friends, period. I can have a job. I can be 27. And I'm a stronger girl than I would have been if I didn't have a hard time getting to this point.
The rough patch was awful, to say the least. Above all else, it was emotionally draining. But the best part about the hard times in life is that you grow stronger from them. So I am thankful for the strength I've gotten from getting through rough times. And I'm thankful that I'm feeling better. I can go out with friends and not pay for it for a week. I mean, I can go out with friends, period. I can have a job. I can be 27. And I'm a stronger girl than I would have been if I didn't have a hard time getting to this point.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Month of Giving Thanks
Oh my. So, I was going to try to spend all of November blogging each day about one thing that I am thankful for, from something superficial to things that are very deep. I'd get it if I started on the first of November and fell behind, but I didn't even get that far! Goodness.
But I am a very blessed person and I try my best not to take anything for granted, any time of the year. I just want to take time to share with the Internet some things that I have to be thankful for. I am going to start with 11 things and HOPE that I am good enough to return each day with another thing to add to the list. Otherwise, I know I'll be back on Thanksgiving.
In no particular order, 11 things I am thankful to have for.
1. I have to bundle this up in one big package and just say FAMILY. It would take up more than my list if I tried to narrow it down to my mom, my grampa, my brothers, my husband, individual cousins, my in-laws and on and on...
This has been a very painful year with the passing of my very special grampa, but he left me with so many memories and so many life lessons that I feel him with me every single day and plan to live with his life lessons in my mind. His passing also brought me closer to some incredibly special relatives when I needed them the most. And this year wasn't just about losing him, but also about my cousin's wedding, which was so, very special. That was another time when I felt extra close to family. I got to spend a week with that cousin and her family and felt more like a sister than just a cousin. My cousin is incredibly blessed with her sweet-hearted husband, which makes *me* feel blessed and I'm so happy that he is a part of our family!
In a quick summary, I always know that I have a beautiful family. But this year, something extremely sad happened and something very happy happened. During those two extremes, I learned just how very special my family is. I am very blessed.
2. The roof over my head. In this time when the economy is rough, people are losing their homes or having trouble making rent or paying their mortgages. My husband and I still own a house AND rent, but we're able to do it. We have trustworthy renters for the house and an affordable apartment that is comfortable and in a good neighborhood. I absolutely do not want to take this situation for granted, when so many people are facing tough times. I'm very lucky to have a safe, cozy home that we know we can afford.
3. Which leads me to our jobs. I bet everyone either has or knows someone who has been laid off. My husband works in a field that is safe from lay-offs and my job won't be going anywhere. How very lucky we are right now!!
4. And THAT leads me to food. I'm sitting here snacking on Chex Mix, something that was a luxury when I was in college and lived off canned veggies and soup! I pass a lot of jobless people when I go to work. I don't know their stories, but I know that they're not in good shape. I'm glad that we can support ourselves and afford this tasty food. Even the naughty Chex Mix!
5. My puppy. Sure, he belongs in the "family" category, I suppose. But he's so much more! He makes me laugh when times are hard, he snuggles when I'm just relaxing, and he just makes me feel good! All of that from a little furry critter who doesn't realize what he's doing. He's just living. But he brings me so much joy!!
6. My clothes. I'm a cheap shopper. I don't like to spend a lot of money on clothing. But I do like to have fun with what I buy. Some people don't have that luxury. People come in to my job all the time wearing the same outfit for weeks, or wearing clothes that don't fit because they had to accept hand-me-downs. I'm a blessed girl.
7. My friends. I have met so many great people in my life. I'm usually drawn to them by their sense of humor, then what I learn about them keeps me hanging around. All of my friends are intelligent, kind people who inspire me because they are so wonderful. Yay for funny, fun friends!
8. Iowa City. You heard me. This whole area is awesome and full of opportunities to seize. You wanna go out? There are a variety of things to do. You wanna volunteer? Pick your cause, there are tons of organizations here. You wanna build up your resume? There are places everywhere that need your help and in return, you just might be led to an awesome job opportunity. You just have to poke around a bit. PLUS, I like this area because people generally seem to leave their judgements at the city limits. Unless you're a Cyclone fan.
9. Music. Usually, I love music because I love to hum along and dance to it. Sometimes I like it because I'm in a low mood and the lyrics can make me feel completely validated. Others understand. No matter how I'm feeling, music gets me. :)
10. High heels. It's funny, but I really don't think I'm that short until I meet someone new and they point out how very short I am, at 5'1. But when I wear high heels and stand at 5'4, the world looks totally different and I feel even more confident... and usually the shoes look super cute. Something so small can make me feel so good.
11. Short people. Very rarely, I will find myself standing behind a man who is shorter than me. Probably 5 feet tall. I get so excited that I will stand just inches behind him and straighten up my posture so I can see what it feels like to other adults to stand in a crowd of adults. It's really satisfying. Probably creepy on my part and I don't really notice that I'm doing it until after the fact, but... it makes me feel good about myself. =-D
But I am a very blessed person and I try my best not to take anything for granted, any time of the year. I just want to take time to share with the Internet some things that I have to be thankful for. I am going to start with 11 things and HOPE that I am good enough to return each day with another thing to add to the list. Otherwise, I know I'll be back on Thanksgiving.
In no particular order, 11 things I am thankful to have for.
1. I have to bundle this up in one big package and just say FAMILY. It would take up more than my list if I tried to narrow it down to my mom, my grampa, my brothers, my husband, individual cousins, my in-laws and on and on...
This has been a very painful year with the passing of my very special grampa, but he left me with so many memories and so many life lessons that I feel him with me every single day and plan to live with his life lessons in my mind. His passing also brought me closer to some incredibly special relatives when I needed them the most. And this year wasn't just about losing him, but also about my cousin's wedding, which was so, very special. That was another time when I felt extra close to family. I got to spend a week with that cousin and her family and felt more like a sister than just a cousin. My cousin is incredibly blessed with her sweet-hearted husband, which makes *me* feel blessed and I'm so happy that he is a part of our family!
In a quick summary, I always know that I have a beautiful family. But this year, something extremely sad happened and something very happy happened. During those two extremes, I learned just how very special my family is. I am very blessed.
2. The roof over my head. In this time when the economy is rough, people are losing their homes or having trouble making rent or paying their mortgages. My husband and I still own a house AND rent, but we're able to do it. We have trustworthy renters for the house and an affordable apartment that is comfortable and in a good neighborhood. I absolutely do not want to take this situation for granted, when so many people are facing tough times. I'm very lucky to have a safe, cozy home that we know we can afford.
3. Which leads me to our jobs. I bet everyone either has or knows someone who has been laid off. My husband works in a field that is safe from lay-offs and my job won't be going anywhere. How very lucky we are right now!!
4. And THAT leads me to food. I'm sitting here snacking on Chex Mix, something that was a luxury when I was in college and lived off canned veggies and soup! I pass a lot of jobless people when I go to work. I don't know their stories, but I know that they're not in good shape. I'm glad that we can support ourselves and afford this tasty food. Even the naughty Chex Mix!
5. My puppy. Sure, he belongs in the "family" category, I suppose. But he's so much more! He makes me laugh when times are hard, he snuggles when I'm just relaxing, and he just makes me feel good! All of that from a little furry critter who doesn't realize what he's doing. He's just living. But he brings me so much joy!!
6. My clothes. I'm a cheap shopper. I don't like to spend a lot of money on clothing. But I do like to have fun with what I buy. Some people don't have that luxury. People come in to my job all the time wearing the same outfit for weeks, or wearing clothes that don't fit because they had to accept hand-me-downs. I'm a blessed girl.
7. My friends. I have met so many great people in my life. I'm usually drawn to them by their sense of humor, then what I learn about them keeps me hanging around. All of my friends are intelligent, kind people who inspire me because they are so wonderful. Yay for funny, fun friends!
8. Iowa City. You heard me. This whole area is awesome and full of opportunities to seize. You wanna go out? There are a variety of things to do. You wanna volunteer? Pick your cause, there are tons of organizations here. You wanna build up your resume? There are places everywhere that need your help and in return, you just might be led to an awesome job opportunity. You just have to poke around a bit. PLUS, I like this area because people generally seem to leave their judgements at the city limits. Unless you're a Cyclone fan.
9. Music. Usually, I love music because I love to hum along and dance to it. Sometimes I like it because I'm in a low mood and the lyrics can make me feel completely validated. Others understand. No matter how I'm feeling, music gets me. :)
10. High heels. It's funny, but I really don't think I'm that short until I meet someone new and they point out how very short I am, at 5'1. But when I wear high heels and stand at 5'4, the world looks totally different and I feel even more confident... and usually the shoes look super cute. Something so small can make me feel so good.
11. Short people. Very rarely, I will find myself standing behind a man who is shorter than me. Probably 5 feet tall. I get so excited that I will stand just inches behind him and straighten up my posture so I can see what it feels like to other adults to stand in a crowd of adults. It's really satisfying. Probably creepy on my part and I don't really notice that I'm doing it until after the fact, but... it makes me feel good about myself. =-D
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The ones who entertain & the ones who observe...
Okay, lame, I know. The title of this blog is the second part of a verse in Britney's Circus song... "There are two types of people in this world..." and then the title. The whole verse was too long to be my title.
Anyway, despite my disposition in certain settings that often leads people in party settings to ask if I'm drunk (no) because they're so used to seeing me in my quiet demeanor, I really do like being the center of attention. REALLY like it. For instance, when I karaoked in Memphis, I was scared at first, because I knew my voice wasn't going to be good. But when I got up there and sang and people cheered me on, I didn't want to leave. So I sang again. And if we didn't have to meet our hotel van at a specific time, I honestly think I would have spent the whole night singing, because no one else was that eager. It would have been Meghan's Night at Wet Willie's. That was also the night I was dancing while we had dinner at BB King's Bar and the blues band noticed and called me up to the stage. I felt hesitant at first, but Kevin encouraged me and once I was up there, I drank in the attention. And because these two things happened that same night, when Kevin and I walked down that street to find our hotel van, we were stopped three times. Twice by people who remembered me from karaoke and one by a guy in the blues band who wanted to thank me for being cool about dancing with them.
Honestly, my natural tendency on a day-to-day basis is to be a homebody. Nothing speaks to me like pajamas and my super-cozy blanket, writing or reading or something quiet. But I loved being narcissitic and feeling like that night was all about me.
And that's what I did last night. My job gave us the opportunity to be a part of a huge parade for the university I attended. A Big 10 school that every college sports fan knows the details about, and I was raised to be a fan, though I've backed off since I went to school there. But I wanted to get into the spirit for homecoming. I'm proud of being an alumna, AND my Grampa absolutely LOVED this school and their sports. I wanted to do this for him and knew I'd have a great time.
Seeing as how I work at a library, they chose to make our theme "Read Banned Books" and celebrate the fact that we do have the freedom in our country to read books, like Dr. Seuss's The Lorax or Where's Waldo or 1984 or James and the Giant Peach (the list of surprising titles goes on and on), that certain schools or organizations may try to ban. This meant we got to dress as characters from books that have been banned. I chose to dress as Little Red Riding Hood, which was banned because in one edition, Little Red Riding hood was taking alcohol to her sick grandmother. We also had Where's Waldo, Tom Sawyer, Harry Potter, a witch, and other characters that I'm already forgetting. There were 14 of us, I think.
Being in this parade was such an amazing experience. Even my hometown's biggest parades aren't as big as this. I got to our meeting spot an hour and a half before the parade. We warmed up by eating pizza and stealing candy from our neighbors. Actually, I attempted, with a coworker, to ask for candy, and I just froze when we got to the group. We stood there and stared at them. My coworker tried to say their name, but no one paid attention, so after 3 minutes of awkwardly standing, we ran full speed back to our spot. Everyone threw their hands open, expecting us to have something for them and we explained what happened. Two friends went back and returned with candy. They said that the folks saw us standing there awkwardly and didn't know what our deal was. Embarassing? Yes.
After a while, we practiced our moves for the parade. Ten of us had book carts and are big move was to maneuver around in a single line, like a big snake. It sounded great, but during the first try, my shoe fell off and I screamed the whole time. I was swung every which way and was terrified of the possibilities during the parade. The second maneuver was a mess. We were supposed to criss-cross, but we didn't have the talent for it. Instead, our leader, Where's Waldo, changed it to Freestyle and we would just go crazy and then return to our spots.
Finally, after eating, dancing, having chanting wars with our neighbors, and screaming through the practice of "The Snake," it was time to walk into the parade. I noticed that I was doing my "catwalk." I realized this was probably not the look that Little Red went for. So I changed it to a friendly smile and we were engulfed by hundreds of people. I couldn't hold myself back. My "All About Me" side just had to look into the crowd and point, smile, wave and say "Yeah, hi!" and nod and turn to the other side and do it again. I did this a few times and then found a girl who actually was waving at us and waved and screamed, "HELLO!!" So she would feel cool. Or maybe so I would feel cool.
We did the snake several times and my shoe stayed put. Cameras were everywhere, so I made sure to pose while we snaked JUST in case they wanted to use THIS face in the paper, which I don't think anyone did. I only screamed once during a snake when I felt like one of my arms was going to have to fall out in order for the sequence to work.
Kids would yell, "WE WANT THE CANDY." My coworker cleverly responded, "We've got free books ABOUT candy!" I couldn't think of anything clever to yell... so I kept walking and smiling, sometimes yelling, "Read!" or "Life's a book!" I don't really know what I meant. So I stopped yelling and pretended those hundreds of people showed up just to see me. Me!
When we were done, I still had a high from the attention. Besides the angry kids who wanted candy, we did get claps for our Snake and people shouting, "The Library!!" I would "Woo!" right back to encourage more.
I like being in the middle of it all. Even if I'm dressed in a ridiculous costume and pigtails. It was a fun night.
I wonder what else I can do and, in my head, make it all about me.
Guess I'll go google myself.
Anyway, despite my disposition in certain settings that often leads people in party settings to ask if I'm drunk (no) because they're so used to seeing me in my quiet demeanor, I really do like being the center of attention. REALLY like it. For instance, when I karaoked in Memphis, I was scared at first, because I knew my voice wasn't going to be good. But when I got up there and sang and people cheered me on, I didn't want to leave. So I sang again. And if we didn't have to meet our hotel van at a specific time, I honestly think I would have spent the whole night singing, because no one else was that eager. It would have been Meghan's Night at Wet Willie's. That was also the night I was dancing while we had dinner at BB King's Bar and the blues band noticed and called me up to the stage. I felt hesitant at first, but Kevin encouraged me and once I was up there, I drank in the attention. And because these two things happened that same night, when Kevin and I walked down that street to find our hotel van, we were stopped three times. Twice by people who remembered me from karaoke and one by a guy in the blues band who wanted to thank me for being cool about dancing with them.
Honestly, my natural tendency on a day-to-day basis is to be a homebody. Nothing speaks to me like pajamas and my super-cozy blanket, writing or reading or something quiet. But I loved being narcissitic and feeling like that night was all about me.
And that's what I did last night. My job gave us the opportunity to be a part of a huge parade for the university I attended. A Big 10 school that every college sports fan knows the details about, and I was raised to be a fan, though I've backed off since I went to school there. But I wanted to get into the spirit for homecoming. I'm proud of being an alumna, AND my Grampa absolutely LOVED this school and their sports. I wanted to do this for him and knew I'd have a great time.
Seeing as how I work at a library, they chose to make our theme "Read Banned Books" and celebrate the fact that we do have the freedom in our country to read books, like Dr. Seuss's The Lorax or Where's Waldo or 1984 or James and the Giant Peach (the list of surprising titles goes on and on), that certain schools or organizations may try to ban. This meant we got to dress as characters from books that have been banned. I chose to dress as Little Red Riding Hood, which was banned because in one edition, Little Red Riding hood was taking alcohol to her sick grandmother. We also had Where's Waldo, Tom Sawyer, Harry Potter, a witch, and other characters that I'm already forgetting. There were 14 of us, I think.
Being in this parade was such an amazing experience. Even my hometown's biggest parades aren't as big as this. I got to our meeting spot an hour and a half before the parade. We warmed up by eating pizza and stealing candy from our neighbors. Actually, I attempted, with a coworker, to ask for candy, and I just froze when we got to the group. We stood there and stared at them. My coworker tried to say their name, but no one paid attention, so after 3 minutes of awkwardly standing, we ran full speed back to our spot. Everyone threw their hands open, expecting us to have something for them and we explained what happened. Two friends went back and returned with candy. They said that the folks saw us standing there awkwardly and didn't know what our deal was. Embarassing? Yes.
After a while, we practiced our moves for the parade. Ten of us had book carts and are big move was to maneuver around in a single line, like a big snake. It sounded great, but during the first try, my shoe fell off and I screamed the whole time. I was swung every which way and was terrified of the possibilities during the parade. The second maneuver was a mess. We were supposed to criss-cross, but we didn't have the talent for it. Instead, our leader, Where's Waldo, changed it to Freestyle and we would just go crazy and then return to our spots.
Finally, after eating, dancing, having chanting wars with our neighbors, and screaming through the practice of "The Snake," it was time to walk into the parade. I noticed that I was doing my "catwalk." I realized this was probably not the look that Little Red went for. So I changed it to a friendly smile and we were engulfed by hundreds of people. I couldn't hold myself back. My "All About Me" side just had to look into the crowd and point, smile, wave and say "Yeah, hi!" and nod and turn to the other side and do it again. I did this a few times and then found a girl who actually was waving at us and waved and screamed, "HELLO!!" So she would feel cool. Or maybe so I would feel cool.
We did the snake several times and my shoe stayed put. Cameras were everywhere, so I made sure to pose while we snaked JUST in case they wanted to use THIS face in the paper, which I don't think anyone did. I only screamed once during a snake when I felt like one of my arms was going to have to fall out in order for the sequence to work.
Kids would yell, "WE WANT THE CANDY." My coworker cleverly responded, "We've got free books ABOUT candy!" I couldn't think of anything clever to yell... so I kept walking and smiling, sometimes yelling, "Read!" or "Life's a book!" I don't really know what I meant. So I stopped yelling and pretended those hundreds of people showed up just to see me. Me!
When we were done, I still had a high from the attention. Besides the angry kids who wanted candy, we did get claps for our Snake and people shouting, "The Library!!" I would "Woo!" right back to encourage more.
I like being in the middle of it all. Even if I'm dressed in a ridiculous costume and pigtails. It was a fun night.
I wonder what else I can do and, in my head, make it all about me.
Guess I'll go google myself.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Catching up
I've been busy with a lot of fun things lately.
I turned 27, an age that sounds shockingly high and I'm not sure how I got here so soon, but also an age that I used to think sounded so cool. So I guess I'm okay with being here.
The Husband gave me a surprise birthday dinner with my best friend, her boyfriend and my brother on my birthday. My first surprise party! That was awesome... and a surprise gift, which was tickets to my second most favorite pop singer--Britney Spears. My first favorite is Christina Aguilera. I was so excited I laaaaughed and had tears in my eyes. Silly me.
So we enjoyed that and were in the online edition of the Register because I made a silly homemade shirt. hee
The weekend after that, I went to Kansas City to celebrate The Husband's 29th birthday. I'm more stunned that he's actually 29 than that I'm 27! It's just, I met him when he was 19... right around this time of year. How is it that I can say I've known him for 10 years?? Anyway, we went to KC and stayed at his brother's girlfriends house and had an AMAZING weekend. He and his brother went to a KC football game while the girlfriend and I had coffee and went window shopping. If you have never heard of Anthropologie, it's about time you learn. That store is A-MA-ZING. I could have spent the whole day there. The sold clothes and accessories, home decor, books... the works. They even had THE MOST adorable hardware for your dressers or cabinets or whatever you want! Loved. it. We had a great time.
The weekend after that, we stayed in town and enjoyed a good ol' BBQ with my best friend and her boyfriend. I love that I've known this girl since I was 11. We did middle school, high school AND college together. We even lived together for a year. They say don't live with your best friend, but we didn't have a problem. That year is a blur now, so it surprises me when I can say, "Remember when we lived together and we'd hide the pinata and fake dog poop for the other to find? That was funny."
Aw, inside jokes.
Anyway, it was nice to have a night in with them. We ended up watching a few episodes of Punky Brewster. I remember ADORING Punky Brewster back in the day, but I didn't remember a thing that we saw!! Except how Punky dressed and what she and the foster dad looked like. Back in the day, though, I loved Punky so much that I had Punky Brewster shoes. They were basically tri-colored converses.
Oh, sometime last month and last weekend I got to go to musicals and critique them in my quest to be a freelance writer. Please don't judge my freelance writing skills based on this ol' thing. The musicals were amazing... writing about them was HARD, but fun. I hope this opportunity leads to something in my career at some point. I need to find more opportunities and make myself better known. This is a big town when it comes to the arts. Lots of competition, BUT certainly I can dig up lots of opportunities. Really, I don't feel like opportunities necessarily come to you (although this one did ~thanks Sharon~). I feel like you create your own opportunities.
So now I've summed up September. Next up: I have a brain appointment and no expectations. I have no clue what we're going to discuss. The day after that, I'm going to be in the homecoming parade (yay!!). And that evening, I may find out if I'm going to be a juror next week.
*dramatic music*
I turned 27, an age that sounds shockingly high and I'm not sure how I got here so soon, but also an age that I used to think sounded so cool. So I guess I'm okay with being here.
The Husband gave me a surprise birthday dinner with my best friend, her boyfriend and my brother on my birthday. My first surprise party! That was awesome... and a surprise gift, which was tickets to my second most favorite pop singer--Britney Spears. My first favorite is Christina Aguilera. I was so excited I laaaaughed and had tears in my eyes. Silly me.
So we enjoyed that and were in the online edition of the Register because I made a silly homemade shirt. hee
The weekend after that, I went to Kansas City to celebrate The Husband's 29th birthday. I'm more stunned that he's actually 29 than that I'm 27! It's just, I met him when he was 19... right around this time of year. How is it that I can say I've known him for 10 years?? Anyway, we went to KC and stayed at his brother's girlfriends house and had an AMAZING weekend. He and his brother went to a KC football game while the girlfriend and I had coffee and went window shopping. If you have never heard of Anthropologie, it's about time you learn. That store is A-MA-ZING. I could have spent the whole day there. The sold clothes and accessories, home decor, books... the works. They even had THE MOST adorable hardware for your dressers or cabinets or whatever you want! Loved. it. We had a great time.
The weekend after that, we stayed in town and enjoyed a good ol' BBQ with my best friend and her boyfriend. I love that I've known this girl since I was 11. We did middle school, high school AND college together. We even lived together for a year. They say don't live with your best friend, but we didn't have a problem. That year is a blur now, so it surprises me when I can say, "Remember when we lived together and we'd hide the pinata and fake dog poop for the other to find? That was funny."
Aw, inside jokes.
Anyway, it was nice to have a night in with them. We ended up watching a few episodes of Punky Brewster. I remember ADORING Punky Brewster back in the day, but I didn't remember a thing that we saw!! Except how Punky dressed and what she and the foster dad looked like. Back in the day, though, I loved Punky so much that I had Punky Brewster shoes. They were basically tri-colored converses.
Oh, sometime last month and last weekend I got to go to musicals and critique them in my quest to be a freelance writer. Please don't judge my freelance writing skills based on this ol' thing. The musicals were amazing... writing about them was HARD, but fun. I hope this opportunity leads to something in my career at some point. I need to find more opportunities and make myself better known. This is a big town when it comes to the arts. Lots of competition, BUT certainly I can dig up lots of opportunities. Really, I don't feel like opportunities necessarily come to you (although this one did ~thanks Sharon~). I feel like you create your own opportunities.
So now I've summed up September. Next up: I have a brain appointment and no expectations. I have no clue what we're going to discuss. The day after that, I'm going to be in the homecoming parade (yay!!). And that evening, I may find out if I'm going to be a juror next week.
*dramatic music*
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