Alice Munro

"Writer's don't know more than other people; they see more than other people."

Alice Munro

I love it when I find a writer that is old to many, but new to me. I read a couple of short stories by Alice Munro yesterday and I fell in love with her style. She writes, to me, like a southern writer, and I have always loved southern writers. They remind me of my family: People who are proud of being southern, but not in the way of the "redneck southerner." People who respect the past without glorifying it, who recognize hatred as incompatible with southern grace. The above quote from Munro made me think of my very special friend who sees things in ways that I cannot, and then records them in the most beautiful language. Here's to writer's that feel compelled to write. The world is a softer place because of you.

Beautiful Sunday

These cute little chickens were in a display window on St. Simons. The kids and I went to the park this weekend and enjoyed a beautiful day at the pier. I could not resist taking a picture of this.

Happiness Is . . .

Brandi will forgive my theft of title I am sure.

Going to the Friends of the Library sale in Brunswick and finding no one around the literature section. In that section I find beautiful, old copies of The Bell Jar, War & Peace, Jane Eyre, Villette, The Great Short Stories of Tolstoy, a book by Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (I thought I would give him another chance), a collection of essays by Roland Barthes, a love story written by Simone de Beauvoir (did not know she had one), and Slaughterhouse Five. All of these great books with unusual covers for a grand total of 5.00. Bliss.

Nice Guys Sometimes Finish First

I watched the news this morning because I was curious to see who had won the 365 million dollar jackpot. I was so happy to see that it was eight co-workers from a meat packing plant somewhere in Nebraska. It was wonderful to see the faces of guys and girls who have worked hard ,and would probably have worked hard until retirement, find themselves set for life. One of the winners said "I always thought I would buy a plane if I won, but I really don't care that much for flying. I said I would buy an island, but i don't care too much for water." Another guy said, "We couldn't all just quit, management has been too good to us." I am always amazed at the kindness and sensibility of people. I am ashamed that at times what I do have is never good enough. 365 million would be nice, but really, would the me that is me be any different? I am not opposed to experimenting, but I don't think my soul would be any better off.

Unsure and Upset

Brandi has tagged me and I am unsure of what to do. There are two options: (1) I could answer on her blog, or (2) I could answer on mine. I am going to answer on mine and see if she scolds me later. If that happens, I will rush to the computer and answer on hers.

Four jobs you've had:
1. American Greetings clerk -- we hated Hallmark clerks -- they thought they were the gold standard of the card world -- no offense Brandi
2. Waitress
3. Front Desk clerk
4. Graduate assistant

Four Movies I can watch over and over:
1. An Affair to Remember
2. The Royal Tennenbaums
3. Serendipity
4. Napolean Dynamite

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Brunswick, Ga
2. St. Simons Island, GA
Sorry for myself, but that's it

Four TV shows I love:
1. Law and Order
2. The Office
3. My Name is Earl
4. CSI

Four Places I've vacationed:
1. Baltimore, Maryland
2. Atlanta, Ga
3. Washington, DC
4. Clearwater Beach, Florida

Four of my favorite Dishes
1. Drunken Noodles
2. Chicken Salad sandwiches
3. mac & cheese
4. pimento cheese

Four sites I visited daily:
Way more than four, but . . .
1. Brandi's blog
2. Kirsten's blog
3.Malinda's blog
4. Christy's blog

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. San Diego, CA
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Gloucester, MA
4. Anywhere in Vermont

Four bloggers I'm tagging:
1. Christy
2. Kasey
3. Malinda
4. Kirsten

Laughing and Thinking

Things that make me laugh:
When I use the computer at work, go to "Favorites," and see a new addition: "Filipino Friend Finder: The leading personals for finding a woman."

Things that make me think:
"How is it possible to defeat not the author but the function of the author, the idea that behind each book there is someone who guarantees a truth in that world of ghosts and inventions by the mere fact of having invested in it his own truth, of having identified himself in that construction of words?"
Italo Calvino

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope all of you have a very happy Valentines Day.

Four things I love and cannot live without:
1. Reese, Hope and Trey (I am counting them as a collective noun)
2. My friends
3. Great books
4. The prospects of the future -- whatever they may be --

(btw, that is NOT me dressed up like a Bill Clinton cupid!)

Stupid Signs

Here are a couple of stupid signs that I saw today:

Barnes Restaurant on Waters:
"Come and try our wild shrimp! They are great!"
I was not aware that there were "Tame" shrimp being served anywhere. Maybe I am being snotty about this.

Sticky Fingers Rib House:
"Do you really think she deserves fine dining?"
I think this is stupid on many levels.

Life's Dangerous Moments

I usually judge the importance of a holiday based on the kind of delicious treats that will be present. Thanksgiving is of course the dessert heavy holiday. You can always expect pies and cakes to be present for at least a few weeks after this day has passed -- my french professor love just went running past my office, literally running -- and these heavy desserts often grow old. At christmas, I look forward to chocolate covered cherries. I usually grow tired of them, but only because I have eaten my weight in them.
However, this time of year the most dangerous temptation for me arrives in stores. It is the Cadbury Bunny. As soon as I see Easter grass, I know that the Cadbury Cream Egg is right aound the corner. Brandi has her organic raspberry chocolate, Kirsten has Cool Ranch Dorito's, and the last time I checked, Malinda has her Cake Batter Milk Shake. For me, I have the Cadbury Cream Egg. If you have not tried one, I reccommend that you avoid them at all costs. That is, if you value your waistline. It is no wonder that the eggs appear this time of year. They are the second easter miracle. I say WWJE (What Would Jesus Eat): Cadbury creme Eggs of course. Hopefully, I can restrain myself this year. It helps me to say to myself that I should not waste the hour I spend at the gym every morning by eating an egg, but that may not be enough to deter an egg binge. I am not good at avoiding temptation, whether it be an egg or a bad boy, I seem to have no self-restraint. What is your weakness and how do you keep yourself fom overindulging in the things you love but know are bad for you?

In other equally important news, my interesting friend Malinda has started a blog. I am sure she will shock you with funny and insightful commentaries. Visit her at http://underthetefloncouch.typepad.com/.

My Own "No Wire Hanger's" Moment

I just got the most annoying phone call. I will provide a transcript:
Phone Rings:
Me: Coastal Georia Writing Project
Annoying Girl: Yes, hello. I would like to know if you are still doing the Kid's Cafe downtown.
Me: Yes, we are in the process of organizing the Kid's Literacy Cafe, but I am not sure of the details yet.
Annoying Girl: Well, what do you like do at the Kid's Cafe?
Me: We provide after school tutoring to kid's. We help with reading and make sure they have somewhere to go and something to eat when they get out of school.
Annoying Girl: Well, are these like, you know, bad kids. I mean, are they like troubled?
Me: Are you an education major?
Annoying girl: No, I jut want to like get some like community service hours for Sigma Crap Something (my words here), and I like want to help kids, but not, like bad kids.
Me: OK, well you need to call back and talk to Ms. West.
Annoying girl: OK, so like when should I like call back?
Me: Never

The actual conversation was not as bad as her whiney, stupid, slow voice. I had to take a moment not to scream "No dumb-asses ever!!!!!"

New meaning to the word "Google"

The Banned Word List

Back by popular demand, and frankly necessity, is the banned word list. This is an evolving list of words that are used either too often or in the wrong context by the dope at work or the show-off in one of your classes. Here are the entries for today:
1." Perhaps" -- Example: "Perhaps Austen was trying to critique the upper-class by making her heroine a member of the working class." "Perhaps Nabokov was just showing off his liguistic skills."

2. "Thusly" I got this word second hand, but from a reliable source. I cannot imagine the context in which this clown used the word "thusly."

You are encouraged to add words to the list. You don't have to include examples; sometimes just the word is enough to make you roll your eyes.

Right now

Although some of you have some serious reservations about my lovely little french professor, Right now, I am listening him speak the most beautiful french (in his god-awful sweater) to his class while they laugh and enjoy his sense of humor. I understand your horror at the vest, I too admit it tempered my attraction to him, but like the guy who speaks with a British accent in Brandi's class, some men have attractions in other areas.

Update

Just a quick note to let you know what is going on with me this week, or at least today. It is official: I am officially in love with the French professor. Although he could possibly be gay, I am beginning to seriously doubt it.
However, if the thing with the French professor does not work out, then I have another target in my Contemporary lit. class.
On another note, someone hurt my sweet friend's feelings and it makes me mad. Just so she knows, she is perfect and it was not her fault.

New Beginnings

I have a movie recommendation for you. It is The Constant Gardener with Ralph Fiennes and a beautiful Rachel Weitz. It is a spy movie, but more than that, it is a love story on many different levels. There is the love of a man and his wife, but also, there is the love story of one human to another. People unknown, but still loved. I wanted to rush out to Africa after watching this film and help those that are so helpless, but I started to think about the many children that are in need here. I am so unsure of my future in teaching, but I think back to my first days of college when I was an early childhood education major. It is easy to lose sight of what you want to do in life, but you have to look back and ask yourself, "What have I been consistent in wanting to accomplish?" When I ask myself that question, it is always the same answer, I want to help the kid who has no hope. I want to mean something to someone with nothing. I have no desire to teach the prep school brat who has everything, but sees no responsibility to the world around them. Noblesse oblige exists for few today anyway. Maybe it is for my own selfish reasons. I fear leaving nothing behind that says I was here, or knowing I will not be missed. The other day I was listening to Dr. Laura, who I hate for her lack of compassion but admire for her common sense, and she told a man something that made me gasp in horror. She said "Right now, I bet there is not a single person in the world that would care if you were dead and gone because you have lived your life for anger." I cried in the parking lot of Target while I thought about how it must have felt to hear those words. Of course, it is probably not true, but imagine if it was. The sad reality is that there are people in this world that are seen as "disposable." After watching The Constant Gardener, I was renewed in my sense of wanting to actually do something valuable in this world. I want to put aside my qualms about teaching and just dive in and do it. Forgive me for rambling.

Things to do:

Many of you know that I have a morbid fear of death. I guess it is the unknown that frightens me so much, but I am also afraid that I will fail to do many of the things I want to accomplish in my life. Here is a list, in no particular order, of what I am afraid I will miss out on:

1. I want to go to Paris, England, Africa, Egypt and Ireland before I am too old to enjoy it.
2. I want to be a photojournalist and be dropped into a volcano to take pictures for National Geographic.
3. I want to be able to run a marathon.
4. I want to see Elton John in concert.
5. Read Moby Dick
6. Kiss my grandchildren (many, many years from now)
7. Vote for Malinda to be president
8. Read a novel written by Brandi Kincaid
9. Hold Kirsten's babies (and not kittens)
10. Watch my children graduate from college and marry the love of their life (preferably before #6)
11. Fly to Chile for the wedding of Christy and Gerado where I will meet some handsome Argentian man and we will be the godparents to Christy and Gerado's 8 children. ok, so maybe that is excessive, both the 8 kids and the man, but I hope Christy will be very happy either way.
What do you most want to do in life? Give me your wildest dream.

Oh well

Since my life has been pretty routine of late, I thought I would just update you on the small things that have happened.
1. My hair is now brown. Close really to its original color. No big whoop.
2. I bought a new blender.
3. Bought two new books: One is Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir by Lauren Slater and Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. Don't know when I will read them.
4. Watched all of the episodes of CSI that I missed the past two weeks.
5. Found out that a dear friend was not dead, merely busy.
6. Bought a new notebook to keep as a food journal so I will keep up with my food choices.
7. Talked several times to a boy toy from the past that I love to fantasize about running away with (I never can forget the ones that treat me bad).
8. Contemplated going to Loco's and participating in a game of trivia. Sean, you have provoked my interest.

I really hope to have better things to say next week. I may stop taking the Slutcillin; it is working to well.

Happy Birthday MLK! It would be nice to have you around today.

Changes

Today I am going to go from a partial blonde to a warm brown. I have been frightened by the appearance of four grey hairs, counted to precision by Trey, standing up prominently in the middle of my part. Those grey hairs are witness to what I want to deny: I am getting old, and being old in America is not a good position to be in. I was sickened when I saw a club at Armstrong named "Help, I have an old person in my class!" I thought of beautiful Ms. Judy. How could anyone be angry at her for taking the later years of her life and finding something she enjoys and doing it? We should all be so courageous. Sean says our blogs are depressing, and I guess they can be, but as I thought about it, I don't feel sorry for Ms. Judy, I feel sorry for the people that dismiss her as irrelevant. Who could be more relevant?

Hatred Is . . .

Brandi does this really cute thing where she says "Happiness Is . . ." and then she lists a really nice moment where someone or something made her happy. I am going to go negative here and talk about things that make me sad and annoyed and, almost, violent.

First on my list is the girl at the gym that has a great body and wears skimpy outfits. You know the girl that walks to the middle of the cardio room and does her stretching and push-up's using the treadmill or stair stepper as a prop. She always picks the machine in front of a guy, who sits and watches, just as she wants him too. I just hate her.

Next is the student that does not know what class they are taking, who their instructor is, or where the room is located. They expect you to know their schedule and cannot follow directions to the LLP office. They just annoy me.

Where To Begin

I really don't know where to begin this post, but I knew I had to write something. Last night, when I went to sleep, it was with a light heart. Reese and I had been watching the news all night and praying for the 12 miners that were still trapped 260 feet under the ground. Like Brandi, we could not imagine how frightening it must be to feel the weight of the world, literally, on top of you. Reese was captivated by the story and I watched as he became genuinely vested in the fate of these men he did not, and would probably never, know. We were so happy to see the faces of the families as they cried and celebrated what seemed to be a miracle. Who wouldn't?

I was shocked when I woke up and saw the news. It was a case of "miscommunication." The families celebrated the miracle that would return their husbands, fathers, sons and uncles back to them. No doubt some made promises to treat them better, to love them more, and appreciate even the largest fault they possessed. I cannot imagine the pain they felt when they realized they would be denied their resolutions. I cried when one grieving wife said, "We may be dumb, but we love our family. We should not have been treated like this." As if she had internalized the view of working-class, country people as dumb. As if she thought that the world would view the loss of these men as somehow less-than the loss of others, either more affluent or educated, than these men who went deep into the earth to bring out coal. Another lady said, "We have been praising God for the miracle, and now we wonder if there is a God. We are Christian people, and that was a hard thing to say." I am sure it was. It is hard to hear.

Now the blame game will start. The first blamed will probably be the media. They pushed for information and got it wrong. The next will be the owners of the mine, who probably does bear a lot of the blame, and then some one will politicized this tragedy, much like Hurricane Katrina. The mine had over 200 violations. People will blame them and Fox News will turn around and defend business. I can hear Bill O'Reilly now, "No one forced these guys to do this work. They were paid well and they did it. It is a tragedy, but what can you do?" All of this will detract from the real tragedy: loved ones were lost. It is hard to make sense of this.