Lest I forget or neglect, a few more things to add to my previous offerings...
Twizzlers as appetizers before dinner (Thanks, Dave!)
An unexpected birthday card from my lovely and talented niece (Thanks Mikayla! You rock! I love you too!)
A thoroughly appreciated contribution to the "Mo needs to golf" fund from my equally lovely and talented in-laws in honor of my upcoming "twenty-ninth" birthday (Ditto Gramma and Poppy!)
...carry on!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Finer Things
Isn't life funny? The ebb and flow and all that? As anyone who breathes knows, life come at you fast. And usually all at once. Just as you think you're getting on top of everything, life throws a curve ball at you. Yes, life is just that bold. So when that curve ball comes, it helps not to stare it down as it whizzes past your head. (Did I mention that curve ball intends to reduce you to tears at the first available opportunity?) In fact, it helps not to focus on it at all. You see, life has a way of offering proportional diversions - the little moments that bring unexpected levity, joy, and rapture to any given day. And for those diversions I will be eternally grateful. For just as the latest curve ball advanced on its potentially vicious trajectory, the finer things emerged and took my breath away. What might those things be you wonder? Well.....
Wildly dancing about the kitchen to the Tarzan soundtrack with my very own Twila Tharp and Martha Graham
The ambient sounds of lawnmowers around the neighborhood accompanied by the exquisite smell of freshly cut grass
Trying to dance about in the car to the Tarzan soundtrack while all of the drivers around us stare and laugh (Did I mention the girls are on a Tarzan kick?)
Beating another car to the merge on Victory Road while driving to my Grandma's house for our weekly visit
Finding out my great-great uncle literally ran away with the circus
Finding out that same great-great uncle homesteaded in Wyoming after the circus abandoned him following a fall off of the tightrope
Reading a book about my favorite bookstore on the planet (Curious? Email me and I will send you the title!)
Sunshine (It's been a LONG and wet winter/spring!)
Listening to Brian Stokes Mitchell sing "Some Enchanted Evening"
Dipping fresh french bread in cool, tangy pesto
Dave shaving his winter beard into a 70s 'stache worthy of Starsky and Hutch
A ridiculously fun field trip to Chuck E. Cheese's with Ellie's preschool
Finding the perfect top to go with a denim skirt that has been relegated to the depths of my closet for far too long
Being in possession of "favorite books" lists from independent bookstores from across the country
Being in possession of "favorite books" lists for every conceivable genre from my favorite bookstore on the planet
Realizing I have a LOT of books to read before I can consider myself well-read in any way, shape, or form
The butterflies in my stomach I feel when I settle on my next literary conquest - a little Salman Rushdie, anyone?
...And so it goes. Yes, life has been a wicked pitcher lately, throwing the aforementioned curve balls with some serious heat. Thank goodness it also offers the finer things in life to provide a little balance. Isn't life funny?
Wildly dancing about the kitchen to the Tarzan soundtrack with my very own Twila Tharp and Martha Graham
The ambient sounds of lawnmowers around the neighborhood accompanied by the exquisite smell of freshly cut grass
Trying to dance about in the car to the Tarzan soundtrack while all of the drivers around us stare and laugh (Did I mention the girls are on a Tarzan kick?)
Beating another car to the merge on Victory Road while driving to my Grandma's house for our weekly visit
Finding out my great-great uncle literally ran away with the circus
Finding out that same great-great uncle homesteaded in Wyoming after the circus abandoned him following a fall off of the tightrope
Reading a book about my favorite bookstore on the planet (Curious? Email me and I will send you the title!)
Sunshine (It's been a LONG and wet winter/spring!)
Listening to Brian Stokes Mitchell sing "Some Enchanted Evening"
Dipping fresh french bread in cool, tangy pesto
Dave shaving his winter beard into a 70s 'stache worthy of Starsky and Hutch
A ridiculously fun field trip to Chuck E. Cheese's with Ellie's preschool
Finding the perfect top to go with a denim skirt that has been relegated to the depths of my closet for far too long
Being in possession of "favorite books" lists from independent bookstores from across the country
Being in possession of "favorite books" lists for every conceivable genre from my favorite bookstore on the planet
Realizing I have a LOT of books to read before I can consider myself well-read in any way, shape, or form
The butterflies in my stomach I feel when I settle on my next literary conquest - a little Salman Rushdie, anyone?
...And so it goes. Yes, life has been a wicked pitcher lately, throwing the aforementioned curve balls with some serious heat. Thank goodness it also offers the finer things in life to provide a little balance. Isn't life funny?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
So Long Old Friend.....
I usually don't watch much television. (This is primarily because nothing I enjoy stays on the air for very long, but we've been there and done that. Let's move on, shall we?) It seems lately, however, this strange square box that emanates all sorts of weird light has been on the forefront of my mind. Or at least at the forefront of my interaction with the outside world. (It's amazing how limited one's existence becomes with sick kiddos in tow!)
Tonight I felt compelled to watch the series finale of ER. I have not seen so much as an episode since that fateful night back in 1998 when George Clooney literally walked off into the sunset. I have no idea who the new characters are or anything about their stories. Nevertheless, I had to watch. If only to pay tribute to one of the happiest memories I have of my adult life.
ER premiered during my sophomore year in college. (Yes, I was a college sophomore fifteen years ago. Again, let's move on, shall we?) After a tumultuous freshman year (to say the least!), I found myself living in a lovely apartment, in the heart of a lovely campus, with five of the loveliest women one could ever hope to meet. We truly enjoyed each other's company. And every Thursday night, we had a sacred ritual. Must see TV. With religious regularity, we would put down our week's work for two hours to watch Seinfeld, Friends, and ER. It was our time. It was not to be missed. And it was not to be infiltrated by outsiders - no matter who anyone might be dating at the time.
And so as I sat here tonight, weeping as characters of old made their obligatory appearances on the screen, I thought of them - Kim, Kristen, Stephanie, Amanda, and Sam. I have lost track of them over the years, but just for tonight the memory of all of us on the imitation foam couch in Merrill Hall was alive and well. And for a blissful moment, I was back there with them. Of all my undergrad memories, I believe this is the one I cherish most. It was such a simple little ritual, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable one. So thank you, my girls from 428. It was divine while it lasted. And tonight was for you........and the new world monkeys.
Tonight I felt compelled to watch the series finale of ER. I have not seen so much as an episode since that fateful night back in 1998 when George Clooney literally walked off into the sunset. I have no idea who the new characters are or anything about their stories. Nevertheless, I had to watch. If only to pay tribute to one of the happiest memories I have of my adult life.
ER premiered during my sophomore year in college. (Yes, I was a college sophomore fifteen years ago. Again, let's move on, shall we?) After a tumultuous freshman year (to say the least!), I found myself living in a lovely apartment, in the heart of a lovely campus, with five of the loveliest women one could ever hope to meet. We truly enjoyed each other's company. And every Thursday night, we had a sacred ritual. Must see TV. With religious regularity, we would put down our week's work for two hours to watch Seinfeld, Friends, and ER. It was our time. It was not to be missed. And it was not to be infiltrated by outsiders - no matter who anyone might be dating at the time.
And so as I sat here tonight, weeping as characters of old made their obligatory appearances on the screen, I thought of them - Kim, Kristen, Stephanie, Amanda, and Sam. I have lost track of them over the years, but just for tonight the memory of all of us on the imitation foam couch in Merrill Hall was alive and well. And for a blissful moment, I was back there with them. Of all my undergrad memories, I believe this is the one I cherish most. It was such a simple little ritual, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable one. So thank you, my girls from 428. It was divine while it lasted. And tonight was for you........and the new world monkeys.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Viewer Discretion Advised
It's happened again. It seems to be a ritual with me. I have fallen for a television show. Hard. So buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
I have a love/hate relationship with television. Once I discover a show I love, the networks seem to show it nothing but hate, and I wind up depressed and without a shred of hope that anything witty, smart, or simply entertaining will ever appear on my TV screen again. My family often muses that I am a pox upon any series - once I love it, it's cancelled. Period. Eli Stone anyone? Sports Night? (I'm still not over that one! Forever will I mourn the loss of Dan and Casey.) Need I say more?
It seems this uncomfortable phenomenon works retroactively as well. After viewing (and viewing and viewing.....) the film Serenity, I recently became obsessed with it and its television predecessor Firefly. The story! The wit! The snark! Nathan Fillion! It was perfect. It was ingenious. And it was cancelled after eleven episodes aired - sporadically and out of order, I might add.
We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a momentary rant....
Seriously - Fox couldn't make a go out of something that was so good it seems a crime to call it a television series?!?!?! Really?!?!?! Another inane reality show knocking on the door with the promise of appealing to the lowest common cultural denomonator? Heaven forbid we should miss out on someone marrying a stranger for money, or yet another night of American Idol!
We now return you to our regularly scheduled musings.....
Even knowing the fate of a series beforehand, I could not help but become enamored. It appears as though I am a browncoat to the core. Who knew! Incidentally, if you haven't seen Serenity or Firefly, you must do so. Now. Type in the address of your favorite purveyor of DVDs into your browser immediately and buy them. I'll wait.......
And so, once more into the breach I go. Falling in love with a series that has no chance of survival now that I am firmly ensconced in its fan base. What series could entice me into the inevitable emotional freefall, you might ask? It's a little show called Castle. And like the others that have gone before, it is witty, smart, and more fun than one has any right to expect from a television series any more. Oh yes, and did I mention it stars the incomporable (and adorable) Nathan Fillion, our beloved Captain Mal Reynolds from the aforementioned and utterly beloved Firefly/Serenity?
So strap in boys and girls and enjoy it while you can. With me on board, the ride is sure to end in unceremonious cancellation. But what a ride it will be!
I have a love/hate relationship with television. Once I discover a show I love, the networks seem to show it nothing but hate, and I wind up depressed and without a shred of hope that anything witty, smart, or simply entertaining will ever appear on my TV screen again. My family often muses that I am a pox upon any series - once I love it, it's cancelled. Period. Eli Stone anyone? Sports Night? (I'm still not over that one! Forever will I mourn the loss of Dan and Casey.) Need I say more?
It seems this uncomfortable phenomenon works retroactively as well. After viewing (and viewing and viewing.....) the film Serenity, I recently became obsessed with it and its television predecessor Firefly. The story! The wit! The snark! Nathan Fillion! It was perfect. It was ingenious. And it was cancelled after eleven episodes aired - sporadically and out of order, I might add.
We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a momentary rant....
Seriously - Fox couldn't make a go out of something that was so good it seems a crime to call it a television series?!?!?! Really?!?!?! Another inane reality show knocking on the door with the promise of appealing to the lowest common cultural denomonator? Heaven forbid we should miss out on someone marrying a stranger for money, or yet another night of American Idol!
We now return you to our regularly scheduled musings.....
Even knowing the fate of a series beforehand, I could not help but become enamored. It appears as though I am a browncoat to the core. Who knew! Incidentally, if you haven't seen Serenity or Firefly, you must do so. Now. Type in the address of your favorite purveyor of DVDs into your browser immediately and buy them. I'll wait.......
And so, once more into the breach I go. Falling in love with a series that has no chance of survival now that I am firmly ensconced in its fan base. What series could entice me into the inevitable emotional freefall, you might ask? It's a little show called Castle. And like the others that have gone before, it is witty, smart, and more fun than one has any right to expect from a television series any more. Oh yes, and did I mention it stars the incomporable (and adorable) Nathan Fillion, our beloved Captain Mal Reynolds from the aforementioned and utterly beloved Firefly/Serenity?
So strap in boys and girls and enjoy it while you can. With me on board, the ride is sure to end in unceremonious cancellation. But what a ride it will be!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)