My Valentine's Rant

Well, I always posted a lovely rant on Valentine's Day when I used to have a blog. But this year things are a bit different... and I was just too out of it to actually post on the day. So this comes a little late and is more of a simple reflection than a rant. Oh well, here goes...

It used to be very easy to hate Valentine's Day. If I was single I could band together with all the other miserable single people and hate a day that was made for people in love. But still, I always knew, and mentioned in my rants, that things wouldn't be a while lot different if I wasn't single.

You see, my real problem with Valentine's Day is that it has become this stereotypical thing you must do. You must give/get a dozen roses, boxes of chocolates, and possibly little candy hearts. It is the most romantic day of the year, so if you're going to propose it'd be a good day to do it. I disagree.

For Valentine's Day I get lilies, not because you have to give flowers and be romantic but because they are one of the things in this world that I don't get every day and that makes me incredibly happy. I'm pretty sure Heaven smells like lilies all the time. Everyone gets roses, and I'm sure some people get lilies too. But I don't get them because everyone else does, but because that is what I want. And no to the chocolate- well the ones that come in those heart shaped boxes. I hate those. And if I was proposed to on Valentine's Day, I would say no.

I guess the thing is that it has become far too cliche. Yes, I celebrate Valentine's Day because it is nice to have a day in the middle of the awfulness of winter to go out and have a good time with my boyfriend. But we make it special in our own way rather that have people tell us what to do.

And about the proposing thing-it should be done in a way that is meaningful to your relationship. Valentine's Day is not inherently romantic. Feb 14 is not a day that just magically has romance floating through the air. You have to create it. So why not do it on a day that is special for you. There will be a lot more magical romance in the air on, for example, the day and location of your first date, than Vday. Unless your first date was on valentine's Day, in which case go right ahead and get engaged.

Ok, that's all I have this year. Vday is cliche, but it is perfectly reasonable to make it special and just be thankful that there are sales on flowers. hehe.



And for the record, this year John did get me my lilies, I got him a book about zombies. And we're going out to dinner some time this weekend. But I had class on Thursday and I've been fighting a cold, so it's just living right now.

My cold lunch room

So today I go to work, start my computer, and go to put my lunch in the fridge/make my morning tea in the break room. It's what I do every morning. But today I was startled by the sub-zero temperature of said break room. Ok, it wasn't sub-zero, but it was very, very cold. This was disturbing given that the rest of the office was just fine. Stepping inside was a total shock. And of course, I had to continue to go back to the break room every time I needed to refill my tea. I was not pleased.

Apparently, the heat in the break room was broken. I did not know it had its own system. That seems odd to me. At 11:00, there was still no heat in there so we were planning on bringing blankets to lunch. But, thank goodness, it was miraculously fixed by the time lunch rolled around.

That really was just the start of my cold day. I can't even talk about the icy roads right now. Who told me it was supposed to be sunny and 45 today?!

Those survey things

Actually these really annoy me most of the time. But today I just feel the need. So I went back to my log of emails that people have sent and found one to do. I guess I just really need the break between work and school work, so I'm doing something mindless. Forgive the horridness of surveys.

1. Are you taller than your best friend? Well, I have two but they are both taller than me.
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen? I have a favorite pen, it's not really a type. I'm sure if I got another identical pen it would not be my favorite any more.
3. Look at your planner for March 7th, what are you doing? Nothing!
4. What color are your toe nails usually? maroonish
5. What was the last thing you highlighted? essay for novel workshop
6. What color are the curtains in your bedroom? green
7. What color are the seats in your vehicle? Grey, I think...
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? No, I hate cats. But my brother has a black and white one.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? birthday cards to Mom and Matt
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming ? I don't think so
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? Cash for previously mentioned birthday cards
12. Who is the last baby that you held? little Emma...aww
13. Can you spell well? not really
14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste? No
15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago? uh I wasn't really driving, unless I was home and then I had the Cavalier
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators: Gators, for no reason
17. Last time you went to Six Flags? many moons ago
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? there's a border in one of the bathrooms, but otherwise, no
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow? post-it note
20. Last person you gave a business card? I don't have business cards, so no one
21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to? car payment
22. Closest framed picture to you? none at the moment, but if I were at home and on the computer, there would be one of me and John at Vic and Rachel's wedding
23. Last time you had someone cook for you? well John cooks a lot actually...
25. How many emails do you get in your inbox daily (excluding spam)? there's no average. today, I had 4, some days there are none.
26. Last time you received flowers? my birthday... but I should be getting some this week
28. Do you play air guitar? No
29. Has anyone ever proposed to you? No
30. Do you take anything in your coffee? cream (or milk) and sugar, unless I am eating it with mint chocolate chip ice cream, then it's best black
31. Do you own any Willow Tree figurines? I don't even know what those are
32. What is/was your high school's mascot? the mighty, mighty Celts!
33. Last person you spoke to from high school? Julie
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer? this afternoon
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? No
36. What color are the blinds in your living room? white
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? something about the elections
39. What was the last pageant you attended? I don't know that I have actually ever been to a pageant
40. What is the last place you bought pizza from? Papa Johns
41. Have you ever worn a crown? sure
42. What is the last thing you stapled? lessons at work
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? I hate Pepsi
44. Are you ticklish? Yes, very
45. Last time you saw fireworks? New Years
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut? heaven only knows... it's been some time
47. Last person that im’ed you, and you actually responded? Eric
48. Last time you parked under a carport? I have no idea
49. Do you have a black dog? No
51. Are you an aunt or uncle? Not that I know of. Someone will be in trouble if I am.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? Harrison
53. Last time you saw a semi truck? half an hour ago
54. What is the last song you belted out in the car? pretty much the entire soundtrack of Les Miserables
55. Do you have a little black dress? yes... and I need an excuse to wear it

Tipton Publication

Check out my recent publication in the Tipton Poetry Journal, Winter 08 edition!

http://tiptonpoetryjournal.com/tpj8/tpj_issue8.html

My dream world needs a snow day

So lately I have been plagued with some really insane dreams. Multiples in one night even. So I wake up very confused and sometimes a little worried. Often I will forget dreams as the day goes on or days later, but this week they just keep happening and keep lingering in my mind. As if I'm supposed to be learning something from them. So here's a glimpse into my subconscious-cause it must be shown once more how wild and crazy I really am.

1. I am trying to convince my boyfriend that it is a tragedy I have not found and dead starfish lying on the beaches of Ocean City. He says there are no starfish in this are of the world. Then I find a man with a giant pan-like you bake a turkey in-filled with starfish. But they are boring and sand-colored, not red and exciting, so I dump them over the man's head and call him a fake.

2. I am trapped in a mini van with my mom, brothers, and a few professors. A cop comes by and tells us we can't park on a gravel lot, but does nothing when we tell him we're trapped. I should mention here that I have no idea why we're trapped. I was perfectly able to open doors and windows, but could not exit the car. Anyway, somewhere in there one professor decides the key to letting us out is to say my mother is a child abuser. I was not pleased. And promised to drop that professor's class. and Sue the university. I really have nothing to say about that one-just wow.

3. John is expecting a visit from his ring designer, (because they make house calls in my dreams?!) but can't get me out of the house. Ends up hiding a prototype for the ring in a glass of water, which I of course find. And I am not pleased. (it was ugly!) So I hide and make him think I'm gone. When the ring designer comes in and they start talking, I bust into the room and flat out tell them it's awful. Ring Designer Lady tries to explain that most of the design is really too far in the process to change, but we could work out a few things. Which leads us to her home where she decides fabric and flowers go on diamond rings, and John feeds the prototype ring to her cat, and we go to a real ring store.

Skittles

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today I am a liberal

My family was off to the polls in Missouri today, and it is a little bit frightening. I am pretty sure they are not voting for anyone I would want in office. Them voting for Republicans and all. It's confusing because I really didn't grow up in the same environment that I am faced with now. Once upon a time, I was surrounded by Democrats. Then religion got involved and people got confused. And I am left with a whole lot of family who would probably disagree with most of my political viewpoints. What really gets me is thinking about how I turned out one way and my siblings another. What really helps shape your outlook on the world around you if not how you are raised?

I have no answers to this, really. Sure there are expectations that siblings do not become clones of one another, but it seems for every thing we have in common we are different in two ways. It seems odd. It is said that two children will be very different-the second will become the things the first is not to balance the family. For example, a shy first child will result in an outgoing second child. But that idea still doesn't seem enough. Is it simple enough to say that because I am a liberal, my brother must be conservation? Is it right in saying it is useless for us both to vote because we just cancel each other out? Are we all just canceling each other out in more ways than just politics?

Ok, I just got really deep and on the border of coming up with more philosophical questions that I do not want to answer. So we'll leave it at that.

Catch and Release

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/catchandrelease/index.html

While my web browsing led me to many interesting websites, I didn't really have much to say about them. I did find some interesting ideas on romantic movies-Shindler's List? Romantic? I don't think so. But ok. There's just some wild people out there. There was also a really scary cloth dog here: http://en.dawanda.com/product/138902-Cloth-dog that apparently would make a great Valentine's gift. Frankly, it just freaked me out. So ok, the internet is a fin place, but not necessary narrative or creative. Just weird.

So for my last website, I figured a movie website is pretty narrative- in both telling about the story of the film itself, but also about what was involved in making it-two stories in one! I picked the Catch and Release site because I'm missing Colorado and sort of planning my next vacation there, so it's been on my mind.

Some fun things about this site- You can scroll across a bookshelf like screen and see all kinds of fun things from the movie-pictures, woodsy things like pine cones, a wedding cake bride and groom, etc. It's very homey and personal to the characters. And then, you can click on all these little things to get information about the movie. Scenes hidden behind the daises, for example.

The website is fun and so is the movie (even if I didn't get to be an extra! boo) so go check out both.

Tegan and Sara

http://www.teganandsara.com/

I've pretty much been in love with Tegan and Sara since my freshman year of college. Some think it's because I am an angry feminist and have an odd need to listen to music about men fucking up. While sometimes that kind of song is really needed, that's not why I love them. To answer why would be far to complicated. But really, I just like their music. I can party to it, I can write to it, I can put it on when brushing my teeth. There's a song for everything. But none of that is really the point here. The point is the website.

I hadn't been here in awhile as I don't often just browse websites anymore. Sad, I know. But anyway, it's a neat site. Nothing too complicated and fairly straight forward. But there is certainly a narrative- that of Tegan and Sara, their journey to music and through it. And some things are pretty fun. I especially enjoy the book format of their current album "Con". And for some reason I am ticked by the scrabble tiles under "gallery". I don't know why. The images that come up when you click on a section aren't especially grand, but I like them.

The one thing the site is lacking is music, which seems really important for a musical group. But you can always follow the link to their myspace and hear music there.

New blog

Well it's been a few years since I had a blog, and I decided I needed a new one. Or, I had to make one for class. Electronic Publishing here I come!

So for friends, I'm sure I'll post some things here that are not school related. And you can spy on my school assignments and not wonder what I do all the time.

That's all for now, just wanted to get something up here. More to come.