Yo! I was just sitting here thinking, hey, remember that blogging thing I used to do? Whatever happened with that? Are we like, on a once a month sort of plan now or what? Answers. What I am looking for here, Self, are answers.
Here's what's been going on with me lately, which has contributed to the lack of blog attention. You guys, I got super mad this month. Like full on, frothy, red-eyeball mad. This may not seem like an event that would really merit comment, because anger is a normal human emotion, yes. And sure, I get mad on the regular because I am not some sort of Vulcan and never will decide to convert to being one just based on the haircut alone. (Vulcanism is probably not a conversionable thing, although isn't that what Spock's mom did? And you see how willing I am to take a conversation and steer it to a place where all of a sudden we are talking about Spock's MOM? Because that is the joy of knowing me, people). Anyhoodle. The level of mad I usually get is in the irritable realm of mad. Grumpy also makes more than a cameo appearance. Annoyed, sure. I would also cop to a regular dose of huffy. But this time, I got filled with a fiery wrath of the type that I haven't felt in a very long time. A person who I haven't talked to since like, 2010 or something, popped up just to write me a few paragraphs of smack-in-the-face via email. And jeez-oh Petey Wheat, it made me dingbusted pee oh'd. I mean, it was like, time to kick off the heels, take off my earrings, pull off my weave and flip a table Real Housewife style. (Just to be clear, I didn't actually do the heels/earrings/weave/table move. I just really, truly could have. And also, here's a business idea! How about we invent a weave that easily yanks off when you want to get into a melee? An anger-release weave. We could call it a PEEVE WEAVE. Trademark!). And being that mad? It's effing exhausting. Angry people of the world: wow. I am for shizzle way too lazy for this shit. So basically the thing I have been doing is withdrawing from society this month. Sorry, friends who have invited me to things. You do not wish me to come to your fun timey events because I am very busy seething within the privacy of my own home.
Not to worry, I am feeling much better than I was, and shall continue to do so. Being pissy is just too hard to maintain. And in the meantime, I have the pop cultures to help me de-froth.
Movies!
The Hobbit
As a librarian, one thing that is super helpful is to be able to differentiate between things that are good, things that are good for me, and things that are good for particular people. Sometimes these three things can overlap, but often they do not. This movie, I think, was a thing that was good for particular people. Hobbit people. Well, not actual Hobbit people, I mean people who are fans of Hobbit people. (I can just hear Barbra singing it now: "Peoplllllle...People who need Hobbit peopllle...are the luckiest people...). The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies are movies that are awesome for fans of the books as well as awesome/accessible for everyone else. The Hobbit? Not as much. But if you love the book and want to see every last sentence of it brought to life, this is it. Go nuts, Hobbit lovers! And just, can I say I love Martin Freeman? Because I do.
Pitch Perfect
Super fun movie. Are sing-off battles really a thing? I kind of don't think so but I really want it to be a thing. Like a dance battle just works logistically because you can overlap the movement with your opponent but how would you really do a sing off like that? Yes, I have thought out the engineering of dance battles versus singing battles.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
It's true what everyone is saying. That little kid is an eyeball magnet. I thought the movie was gorgeous.
Adjustment Bureau
Was this movie panned? I feel like it was, and ok so it wasn't the best movie of the year but I didn't think it a bad movie at all. Ok, so maybe I fell asleep in the middle of it a little bit (and I never fall asleep during movies) which was possibly a bad sign but also it might have been that I was just super tired. Ringing endorsement, party of one!
The Sessions
Have I seen a performance by John Hawkes that I didn't love? NO I HAVE NOT SIR. In summation, he's good.
Argo
I really wish I had seen this movie without knowing so much about it beforehand. I saw it late so I felt like I knew the plot, and the critiques, and the accolades way too well. As a movie, I really liked it. I also thought it had a monolithic islamophobic slant to it, which is to be expected since that seems to be the norm but it disappointed me nonetheless.
North By Northwest
I blame this movie for making me think that trains are sexy, because you know what? They ain't. Have you been on a train before? You aren't going to meet Cary Grant on there and take him back to your private seat of your private car to do private things. Not gon happen. Anyway. It should be no surprise to you that hoo-doggy I love this movie.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Does anyone else do "depressed and/or repressed lady who needs to find herself" like Diane Lane? She's done like 5 movies like that, and she's got it down. This is a weird thing to say but I think that Diane Lane has a particular talent for acting with herself. Like, do you remember that scene in "Unfaithful" where she is sitting on the subway or train or whatever and she has just cheated on her husband and she just sits there and cries, and laughs, and freaks out for a few minutes by herself? Hard to pull off, but she does it. There are a few scenes in this one where she acts alone and it doesn't seem hokey or unnatural.
Life of Pi
So, so pretty. Do your eyeballs a favor and see this one. The story was a little too God-dy for me, and I sort of get annoyed with Indians having to be freaking spirit guides for white people all the time- I loved the bulk of the movie but the 5% at the front and the 5% at the end drove me frigging crazy. Just so you know, yes, I am an Indian but no, I will not get you closer to God with my spiritual tales told in a soothing voice and then let you take my stories as your own to write a book all while cooking you fragrant Indian cuisine. I know we're supposed to exist to help you get spiritual but actually, some of us have got other stuff to do.
Ha ha, see I TOLD YOU I WAS GRUMPY.
Next week will be better, I am sure. Incredible Hulk over and out.
Bill Bixby, Meet Lou Ferrigno/Consumables #74
Consumables #73
Hey, so here are some things that happened this week. Last weekend there was a big librarian conference in town (tote bags! so many tote bags!) whereby approximately 10,000 of my people came through my work place from all over to say howdy.
I also ventured out on Saturday night to go to a librarian-conference-related party. This is notable because cliquey stuff? Stresses my shit OUT. Who got invited to the HarperCollins party to hang out with the hot new YA author? Sorry, I have to run because I am having a beer with famous comics writer dude. IT IS THE WORST. I don't know what's up with me because not caring in high school or professional dance or theater should equal the Olympic Triathalon of Cliques, but yet now this caca makes me feel like this.
Did you notice the bright side in that story? The door guy wouldn't let me in without my ID. RALPH MALPH IT WITH ME, everyone!: "I still got it."
Let's get back to what really makes me happy. Books, movies, and teevees. Take that, SOCIETY.
Books!
33 Minutes, by Todd Lowy-Hasak
Imagine the show "24" but instead of Keifer Sutherland fighting terrorism in 24 hours, you have Sam, a 7th grader who is about to get his butt kicked at recess 33 minutes from now by his ex-best friend. Good for 4th-6th graders. I liked it because it wasn't a bullying book (not that there's anything wrong with that) but rather a story about friends who get mad at each other and fisticuffs get invoked. Which happens when you're a kid. Hopefully not after that.
Creepy Carrots, by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
A funny, scary story about carrots who stalk a greedy bunny. If you're a kid that can handle a little creepiness (something's watching you from inside of your closet! Ahhhh!), it's great. If you're a scaredy-kid, this one actually has a bit of freak out factor, so be careful. About carrots. Yes. I know. But I stand by this advice.
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes
The only criteria I have on deciding whether I read a book is if someone tells me to read it. "You should read this" is pretty much all it takes. As you can imagine this means that I get introduced to all types of things-- fiction, nonfiction, mystery, thriller, celebrity, western, historical, arty, sci-fi, fantasy, highbrow, lowbrow, whatever. One thing that I totally miss out on? Romance. For some reason, people don't tell me to read romances. I don't know if that's because they don't think I will like them or what. I know that people in my life are reading them. Anyway. I had this one in a pile of advance copies and had heard of it, so I read it without knowing anything about it other than it was maybe romancey. First of all, it was most definitely about love, so it totally counts. However, there was no sexy business in it. So, you know: CHECK, PLEASE. Just kidding. A little. It's the story of a woman who gets a job being a caregiver for a quadriplegic. A handsome quadriplegic, obvs. I would definitely recommend it for folks who like Nicholas Sparks and the like.
The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
Good for adults down to 5th grade or so, this one takes a post-apocalypse and adds humor to the whole thing. I thought the tone was just great. Good if you like Terry Pratchett type humor, or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The Good Braider, by Terry Farish
I know that novels in verse drive some people crazy, but it didn't take me long to forget about the format and just take in the story. Viola is a teenager living in South Sudan with her family and no part of her life is unaffected by the war between the north and the south, as she lives with death and fear on a daily basis. This short book follows her family as they become refugees and it covers a lot of ground and manages to not feel shallow.
Liar and Spy, by Rebecca Stead
10-year-old Georges' father has lost his job and they have had to sell their home and move into an apartment in Brooklyn. Georges makes a new friend there: a home-schooled kid who is seriously into becoming a spy. They both begin investigating Mr. X, a man in their building who only wears black and comes and goes at odd hours. Stead does such a great job at not talking down to her audience, and throws in twists that are surprising but never feel unrealistic. This one's good for grownups too.
Going in Circles, by Pamela Ribon
Dysfunctional but smart, witty lady finds redemption in roller derby. You know if you're the audience for this, and if you are, you'll like it.
The Brides of Rollrock Island, by Margo Lanagan
Ok, stay with me here. This takes place in a fishing community, where the seals who live on the beach have spells cast on them by a witch whereby girls emerge from inside the seals and fishermen take them for wives. I know, it's weird. But this novel that tells this selkie tale (real talk: I had never really heard of such a thing as a selkie before this) is poetic and strange and cool. It's marketed as a teen book, and that's fine, but it seemed more adult to me.
Ok, you know what? I fibbed. This one's just going to be about books this time. Next time: movies and teevee.
Gorge-ous birthday
It is Nordic Boy's birthday this month and we have pretty much celebrated it by stuffing our gaping maws with as much fancy feast as we can get. (Fancy feast, lower case, meaning actual deluxe vittles, not upper case Fancy Feast for kitties. Don't get grotty). First of all, Biogirl gave us a gift certificate to what is arguably the hoity toity-est restaurant in town so we pranced over there in our finest and got our grub on. It was really grand, and we felt like Kim and Kanye Lady Mary and Matthew Blake and Krystal Carrington. They had $100 beer there, you guys! We did not order any. The waiters all kept one hand behind their backs at all times like it was Darlington Hall from Remains of the Day and shit. We did the tasting menu and at one point the waiter brought us "pine foam made from the trees you see out your window here." And he pointed at the trees outside the window. Let me say that again. PINE FOAM. Get out of here! We also had this sweet crispy light vanilla-tasting biscuit that came with sorbet and berries and the server told us that the biscuit was made from mushrooms. Are you fucking with me, Mr. Belvidere? Because I think you may be fucking with me.
I tried to take pictures of some of the food there but the lighting was so bad that all of my photos came out looking like shadowy turds on a plate, so I shall refrain from posting those here. It was really a lovely dinner though.
Then I decided that Nordic Boy's birthday cake should be a Junior's cheesecake overnighted from NYC. Have you ever had one of those? They are so effing delicious. Just, if you get one, don't look at the ingredients label because there are many many things in it that do not come from nature. Whatever the heck is in there is the bomb though.
Then! Delium and Biogirl took us out for a birthday dinner to another lovely place. The most noteworthy thing about that evening wasn't the food (although that was so good), but rather that the conversation took a really wrong turn and one of us (all of us?) came up with a new sexual term called Butt Cobbler. Which, you don't even want to know, trust me on this. By the end of the night we had even composed a slow jam r&b song about Butt Cobbler, so that just gives you an idea of how classy us effers get.
In non-birthday, non-eating, non-butt-song news, this week there is a big librarian conference in my town. If you're a librarian and you're here for it and you want to meet up, email me! DO IT.
Mamma Mia
Happy birthday to my awesome mom. I am going to be a blog cheater and direct you back to another post I wrote about my mom, because that's just how it has to be today.
This is us when she was the age that I am now. Isn't she a stunner?
Consumables #72
Last time it was movies, this time let's catch up with some books I forgot to tell you about to close out my reading in 2012. There's a lot of them, so for this time let's only do books for grown ass people.
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
Listen, I am just as Tudor obsessed as the next person. What's not to like? King Henry and all his debauched sexy business, the parade of unfortunate wives, people getting all killed up every five minutes, the Church, the government, wars, drama, intrigue, secrets, power. So what if you already know the story? Didn't we all watch Jonathan Rhys-Meyers doing the naked bootango even though we already knew the story? However! There's a lot of details in this retelling. Some people will love all the particulars. Others will wonder why this is happening to them. As for me, I liked it, I appreciated it, but by the end, I was saturated in Tudorness in way where I thought I would never want to think about them again. It's like a huge Thanksgiving meal. You enjoy it while it's happening but at a certain point if you have to eat one more bite you are going to be like that barfy guy in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life." By the last page, I was all NOT ONE MORE TUDOR OR I SHALL BLOW LITERARY CHUNKS.
The Hope Factory, by Lavanya Sankaran
Two connected people in Bangalore: Anand, an unhappily married dedicated father and small factory owner, and Kamala, a widowed servant with a teenage son who works in Anand's house. Both try to live principled lives within complicated social and economic structures that make it almost impossible to do so. It worked on several levels: as a family story, as a social commentary, as an economic critique of globalization and more. Hey, lookee there, I had no annoying me-commentary to add about that one. That was like a straight up description and stuff. Weird.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
A funny satire with lots of inside jokes for Seattle people thrown in (well, I guess it's Seattle-specific in the same way Portlandia is Portland-specific. But really, isn't Portlandia just as much about Park Slope or wherever just as much as Portland?). I am always interested in books like this where it's funny and snarky but rides right along the edge of being a bit mean. I think it stays on the non-mean side of things, which I always like not only because it's nicer to be that way but more so because I think it's harder to do as a writer. It can be an easier choice to be mean sometimes. Or maybe it's because I just don't like mean and so that has more to do with me than the writing. I am always thinking that I want to be funny and maybe snarky but I really, really don't want to be an asshole. Hey, how about we make this review be all about me and my neuroses? Done and done.
The Crackle and the Frost, by Lorenzo Mattotti
Let me quote from the text of this graphic novel: "How was I to orient myself during my trip toward the frontiers of fear? The only compass I had on me was Alice's letter, with all of its silences." If you are the type of person who gets a rash from sentences like that, this one is mos def not for you. The illustrations are spooky and bold- I enjoyed looking at them.
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
The thing that was really working for me in this one was the setting. Morgenstern creates a really interesting world that is super fun to imagine and magical and romantic. I was lucky enough to have read this on a vacation where I pretty much read most of it all in one sitting, which only added to being totally immersed. The storytelling is a bit flowery, but I found that totally appropriate.
How Should a Person Be?, by Sheila Heti
So this one gets described as being part of the whole Lena Dunham pre-Girls oeuvre (yes, effers, I said oeuvre) where one of the central questions is about how the contemporary younger lady artist plays with her own representation via mixing up fictionalized versions of herself with real stuff, etc. This is just the type of question that drives some people buh-nay-nays, but for others it's the total shit. I come down on the loving this sort of thing end of the spectrum. At least usually I do. This time though, I just couldn't. It just went to a place where the intellectualizing of Heti's life got to be unbearable to me. And believe me, I have a high threshold for loving this sort of caca.
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
What everyone else says is true: compulsively readable, interesting, fun. It's interesting to me that so many people loved this book so much because I usually find that many people don't like to read unlikable characters and I found this one to be chock full of hah-rible people.
The Middlesteins, by Jami Attenberg
There are those sad novels about sad people who have dysfunctional families/relationships and bleak luck and reams of hopeless disappointment with no end in sight, and the author somehow makes it simultaneously depressing and beautiful. This book was one of those.
Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV, by Warren Littlefield
This books was so weirdly written. The format was distracting to me. Each chapter focused on a particular show (Seinfeld, for example) and the editor interviewed a bunch of people about that show (actors, executives, producers, writers) and then there are just a bunch of quotes from these people, one after another, like a disjointed script. That's it. Good for people that really care about things like time-slot wars (guilty!), and not so good for people that just want dish.
The Wandering Falcon, by Jamil Ahmad
A man and a woman have run away from their village and had a child just outside a military fort in the area where Afghanistan and Pakistan meet. This child's life is loosely followed as he travels from place to place until adulthood in this series of interconnected short stories that describes the region, politics, societies, and people of this area pre-9/11. The stories are that lovely mixture that can sometimes happen where everything is simply told but impossibly complex at the same time. I don't usually do favorites, but this one would be in the running for my top pick of 2012.
The Round House, by Louise Erdrich
This one would would also be in my top picks for the year. Essentially it's the story of a 13-year-old boy whose mother has been raped at the beginning of the book. He and his father, who is a tribal judge (they are Ojibwe) spend the book trying to find the perpetrator and bring him to justice. It's a family story, a story about tribal land rights and politics, a coming of age story, an everything story, really. Characters are great, the language is great, the pace and plot are engrossing, the setting is vivid, the story is straightforward if you want to read it that way but there are layers underneath everything too if you want to dig for them. Sometimes writers are so good at what they do that it sort of makes me a little mad. This was one of those.
Consumables #71
Crap, people. I have so much of the pop cultures to talk about that I'm drowning! Let's do an all-movies lightning round.
The Holiday
To finish out my holiday movie binge, I watched this romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black. First of all you have to get over the fact that Jack Black is his usual air-guitar-y toodley woodley self AS WELL AS being a love interest. He's cute, sort of, I guess, but really, do you want him to be giving Kate Winslet crazy eyes like that? Then, you have to get over the fact that Cameron Diaz seems like she is reading all of her lines off of a cue card and then hamming up any frustration by stomping and going "errrrrGHHHHHH!" a million times because really that's what ladies do when we are frustrated and it is HILARIOUS. If you can get past these two things, there are two other things that maybe might make up for those. One, Kate Winslet has a storyline where she befriends her elderly neighbor and their pal-ship is really sweet. And two, Jude Law is at his most charmy, least smarmy ever.
How About You
I am not sure if this originally aired on tv or as an indie movie or what, but this one is a great pick for you Hallmark Channel holiday movie enthusiasts. This isn't the romance-y kind of HC movie, it's the young upstart bringing joy back into the lives of grumpy old people kind. First of all, the grumpy old people are fancy actors: Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Fricker, and old Umbridge herself, Imelda Staunton. The young upstart is famous in the UK I am sure but all I could think of when I looked at her is that she looks like Kate Beckinsale 10 years ago. Sorry, young actress. But it's got all the elements of an HC movie: poor man's Kate B shows up from the big city where people are mean and life is not satisfying. She needs a job so although she thinks the country is BO-RING she starts work at an assisted living place that houses the crusty old people. She spruces things up with her feisty ways, and their withered up hearts get warmer. And it's Christmas.
Total Recall
Speaking of Kate Beckinsale, I saw the remake of Total Recall starring her, Mrs. Timberlake, and Colin Farrell. My expectations on this were way, way, way low, so it turned out better than I thought it would be. Lots of chases, cool futuristic world, fights. Good times. And can we just take a moment to discuss Kate B's hair? That shit is the shiniest, bounciest, Alberto-V-05-iest mane in all the land.
Looper
Here's my thing with time travel movies. If they are sloppily done, or if they are well done but super complicated, I can't tell the difference. Because if I perceive holes in the time travel logic, I either feel like the movie writers are dumb, or I am dumb because maybe there aren't holes but it's just going above my head. I felt like this one was right down the middle for me: it was complicated enough to be interesting, but not so complicated that I was all "huh?" Britney style. There are some kids in peril in this movie, so those parts can be hard to watch- fair warning.
Magic Mike
I went into it thinking that I knew from strip clubs. I know strip clubs, I have been in strip clubs, I have friends who have stripped, the family that lived three doors down from my parents when I was growing up owned a mom and pop strip club, blah blah. Really, the job of stripper is very normalized to me. But you know what I don't know about and I didn't realize? Male stripping. And you know what Magic Mike taught me? That a big part of male stripping is burly men dry humping women customers in the FACE with their sequined, oiled up banana hammocks. In the FACE, you guys. Which, WHAT??? That's what it is??? Ladies pay for this service? I just... I mean...e-GADS, people. EWWWWW. I wanted to Purell my eyeballs.
Hope Springs
We can pretty much prop Meryl Streep up in anything and she's luminous, so there's that. I was also surprised that Tommy Lee Jones managed to do something that didn't immediately bring to mind "search every foxhouse, outhouse, doghouse and henhouse" because usually I can't get past that point with him. It wasn't the best movie ever, but I got some laughs out of it.
Lincoln
Come to think of it, Tommy Lee Jones does that again in this one, so twofer! I mean, he's still a grumpy cuss in both movies, but still- he stretched. So this one is a good movie in that Oscar-bait sort of way. It doesn't really surprise- it's just what you picture a movie about Lincoln to look like and be about. That doesn't mean it isn't compelling: I was quite happy with it. Daniel Day-Lewis is once again inhabiting a character to the point of creepiness, plus he wears shawls, which I loved a lot. Can we bring back the presidential shawl please? Or perhaps we update and have Obama sport a Slanket or something. Anyway. James Spader was all kinds of awesome in this one, and I wished that they could have brought more richness or layers to Mary Todd, because she just came off as shrieky and hysterical and tiresome. I don't blame Sally Field- I think the part was just written that way. So, this movie will not make you see nuance or the contradictions of the time or push any envelopes, but it will make you feel super "yay, democracy!" and "Lincoln was a cool dude," which I am totally behind, obvs. It's a feel-good.
Katy Perry: Part of Me
I maybe watched this on one of my days off over the holidays where I never got out of my pajamas. That's the appropriate venue to watch it, if there is one.
Arbitrage
This is a weird comparison, but I felt the same way watching this as I feel when watching Gossip Girl. Pretty clothes, pretty people, and posh New York City locations that are pretty. The story was sort of secondary to me. Still, Richard Gere as a ruthless businessman who makes a habit of morally equivocating was convincing. Bonus: everyone's least favorite boyfriend of Lorelei Gilmore- Jason Stiles- shows up.
Skyfall
Ooh, those Tom Ford suits, honey. Put people in good fashion and I will see the movie. And like it. Ok, so I probably would have liked this even without that, but it's a major factor. It's so CHASE! BAM! POW! SEXY! PRETTY! PEW PEW! EXPLOSION! I like it. I also liked how they did a lot more winks to the old Bond movies than in the previous couple. I wasn't really feeling the Bardem character, was the only thing.
That's all I have time for today, peoples. Hope your Monday is grand.
Wait a minute Mr. Postman
Hey, I totally forgot that I sort of do have a New Year's Resolution! It's a small-ish one, but I am disproportionately proud of it, as is my wont. And yes, I know that you don't really get to be proud of making a resolution, but rather the pats on the back should come after you actually maybe follow through with some part of it, but whatevs. And also, I feel the need to share this one because maybe a couple of you will think about doing something similar, and that would be cool. Not only do I all of a sudden have a resolution but I went from having one to being evangelical about it RIGHT QUICK, didn't I? So charming.
When Biogirl left the state for her fancy book learning many a year ago, we had a deal. We sent each other a piece of mail every week. Not email, but a real honest-to-goodness, Kevin-Costner-in-the-post-apocalypse-Civil-War-delivering, hold it in your hand piece of mail. It could be a postcard, a magazine clipping, a letter, a gift, a card, a photo, a dirty limerick, whatever. Something had to show up in the other person's mailbox each week. Biogirl was going to get doctorated, so she was going to be gone for at least 5 years. That's over 500 pieces of mail between the two of us. And there may have been a couple of times that one of us didn't do it, but for the most part, we did. We kept up with it, we made the effort, and it was super fun.
Since then, I have tried to make this sort of thing more a part of my life. If you are friends with me, you may have gotten a random card in the mail from me at some point or another, if I have your address. But it's few and far between, because unlike the deal I had with Biogirl, I haven't made it a part of my routine, and so many things in life depend upon making them a part of your routine. Eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising- we all know that these things need to be made into a pattern to really be effective, but so do things like thoughtfulness and reaching out. We have to prioritize those things and practice them. So, I have become The Decider about mailings and the decision is thus: I am going to send a piece of mail to someone I like every week. Randomly, but on a schedule. Because people love non-junk mail and isn't that all that mail really is anymore? Isn't the entire post office run on the fact that Walmart wants to tell you that it has 2000 Flushes on sale? I just know that when Biogirl would send me stuff in the mail, no matter if it was a letter or a silly photo, I was always happy to get it.
Even if you think trying to send a piece of mail a week is cuckoo, consider sending something to one of your homies this year, or two. Just 'cause it's nice.
Yearly Beloved
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Some acquaintances did, but no one super close. I think that's a first- these past few years I have been very fertile-adjacent.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No! Thankee Young Jeezy.
5. What trips did you take?
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Less tiredness. I'm just getting less spry, perhaps. As evidenced by my use of the word "spry."
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and whyI sent out a Facebook message to people in my hometown to meet up with me for a drink when I was visiting and saw some people that I have known since before kindergarten. It was pretty cool- everyone was so different, yet at the core they were still the same.
After a lifelong quest, my discovery of the Detroit Cooler finally happened. My precioussssssss.
9. What was your biggest failure?
There are many things that I don't think that I am failing but that I always want to be better about. A better friend and a better co-worker, mainly. I think about those things a lot. Probably a little too much.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not anything big. I did have the flu, and either I am the biggest wuss on planet earth or I have never really had the flu before and I did not handle it with one iota of grace.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A new oven and cooktop. I now have all major appliances that completely and totally work as they are supposed to. CALL ROBIN LEACH.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Ok, I am going to say something barfy. Just close your eyes and think of England if you get queasy. Nordic Boy. I often am taken by surprise when there are things that I don't even realize that he's thinking about to make my day easier. The ice scraped off the car in the mornings, the snack left for me before he goes out, the text sent to me because he's remembered that I have a hard meeting at work at a specific time. He's always thinking of ways to make my life better, and making me laugh, and making me food, and making me a better house, and just doing every last thing to show me he loves me. And he's just so consistently, unfailingly kind to me. I love that guy.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mostly political things on a national/international scale is where the appalling/depressing stuff has happened. Luckily I didn't have many appalling or depressing people in my personal life though. I think I have managed to cut all the fools out of here. Harsh of me, sort of. But mostly halle-fricking-lujah.
14. Where did most of your money go?
As always, our house ate our money. The house is getting shinier and better looking though, so apparently the money has an Oil of Olay effect.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. I remember being kind of down in the mouth at this time last year.
ii. thinner or fatter? Same
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, just a smidge.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing. Bloggy and otherwise.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Being cold.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Already happened! Movies, reading, eating, cozyville.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Constantly! What a hoochie. A monogamous hoochie.
23. How many one-night stands?
A 365 stand.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
The Round House by Louise Erdrich and Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad. In nonfiction, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isable Wilkerson, Just Kids by Patti Smith, and The Tiger by John Valiant. Kid novels were The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire LeGrand, The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, and The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis. Picture books? Why yes. I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black, and The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, by Lemony Snicket. Ok so that's 12 books, not one, but HELLO. LIBRARIAN.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I have one. Hipster points: DOCKED. How about I just say an artistic discovery? I saw the Cedar Lake Dance Company this year and they fricking killed me, they were so good.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Carol Channing documentary was honestly my most favorite thing maybe ever.
29. What did you do on your birthday?
My birthday was really good this year. An unseasonably warm night, friends, drinks, low key, ahhhh.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I had so many great times with people I love that live far away- I wish that I could see every last one of them more often.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
I ventured into the world of sweaters! Good for me, but honestly I am not convinced about the knits. In related fashion news I have a brand new Nordic-Boy-Built closet so all my pretty dresses look pretty in the pretty hangy box.
32. What kept you sane?
Sane in the membrane! My circle of peeps felt extra close and small this year and they kept me in good shape.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ok, so I had this thought a month or two ago and every time I think about it I want to laugh until a peepee dance occurs. My dude is 50% Ben and 50% Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. You have to know him to think this is funny but SHEE-YOOT it's funny. I shared this with Delium and we busted a freaking gut over it. So I guess in a way I am saying both of those guys?
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election, Hurricane Sandy, the Connecticut shooting, and gay marriage passing in Washington State.
35. Who did you miss?
So many people. Can everyone I love just move to live near me, please? I mean, really.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Katie! A long time blog friend becomes REALITY. Again! I am batting a thousand on these blog friends, you guys. Is that the right term? Batting a thousand? I am batting a really good high perfect number.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Put time and energy where you intend to- with purpose- and let go of the rest.
38. A song lyric that sums up your year.
6 and 3 and 1 and 1
My goal for the last few days was to lie in a heap on my couch (time off work! My favorite thing about Christmas!) and read books and watch movies and never get out of my jimmer jams. The icy rain that seems to always be coming at me sideways was telling me that's what I wanted to do, anyway. Yes, I now hear rain voices, what OF it?
I did get some of that accomplished with some busting out for certain very important things. Such as:
1. I went out to see two movies (and the couple who brought their 3-year-old to see Lincoln and he was mesmerized the whole 2.5 hours? Either that child is a genius or that there is scientific proof that Daniel Day-Lewis is mesmerizing).
2. We went out for our annual Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner. I sort of felt bad for the waitstaff because that place was so completely slammed with all us non-Christmasy folk it was sort of on the ridiculous side. Wall-to-wall humanity! They probably all got tipped really well that night though right?
3. I spent an afternoon with my brother and nephew. Dudes, my nephew is 11 and is so into reading right now. After all those years where he could barely give me the time of day because Uncle Nordic Boy was so much more fascinating (Nordic Boy + tools + a red truck = me/chopped liver), this is SPLENDID NEWS. How long will having a librarian aunt be cool? I don't know, but I am loving it.
4. I spent a day with Biogirl, her mom, and her mom's dude, walking all over Seattle. My town is really fun in general but it's a special kind of fun with out-of-towners.
5. Dinner with Delium. That dude cracks me up.
6. We have a new oven and cooktop and Nordic Boy made us a frigging feast on Tuesday. Channa masala, aloo with black eye peas, egg curry. Awwww yeah.
These are all awesome things. Here are some not awesome things, just to counterbalance.
1. I was at a party recently and got asked by a complete stranger if I was planning on having children. When I gave him my reply I got sad, pathetic face as if I needed a telethon of some sort. Listen, I am not naive and I know that people have opinions about ladies who do not have the babies but you do not have to look at me like I am Tiny Tim from a Christmas Carol. I am fine. I promise you: me and my desolate womb are just fine.
2. I went to this perogi place the other day and ordered a potato one, and the lady at the counter said "you Indians, always ordering POTATOES." Really, lady? You are telling me that Indians eating potatoes is a stereotype? Like, that it's even a thing? You are just making shit up and assigning it to my Indian-ness now. Next thing you know it'll be all "You Indians! Look at you! WALKING AROUND LIKE YOU DO." Isn't potato-loving universal? Like, shouldn't humanity be defined by breathing, sleeping, loving, and potato-eating? Some racial shit happens to me pretty dang regularly but that one was just weird.
3. A bird had explosive diarrhea all over my car this morning. Well, from the looks of it, it may have been a bird or a pterodactyl.
And one neutral thing:
1. I have been trying to wear more sweaters lately. I am not known for my sweater wearing as I think for some reason they look lumpy on me, and I don't like to look lumpy, my lovely lady-lumps notwithstanding. My sweater stance results in me being cold from October through May, which is also no good. This year I have made an attempt at buying some sweaters. I bought 5 and returned 3 for lumpy reasons. Still, that's progress, right?
And one dumb thing:
1. Am I the only adult on planet earth that feels bad when I hear other adults talk about Santa to little kids? The blatant lying of it makes me feel uncomfortable. Those sweet trusting faces! I kind of can't handle it. But you may have heard that I'm a Scrooge. Plus my womb instincts are broken according to random party dudes.
6 Awesome Things, 3 Not Awesome Things, One Neutral Thing, and One Dumb Thing. And the Not Awesome Things aren't really that bad in the grand scheme. I'll take that math.
Consumables #70, Holiday edition
Last week I was at work and I saw a colleague that I haven't seen in a long time. She was really busily walking somewhere and I was really busily walking somewhere (did you know that sometimes I catch myself at work doing a very scary speedwalk? It is the prissiest rushed walk ever and I am embarrassed on behalf of me and my whole family whenever I realize I am doing it because the priss reaches across generations) and we were passing in the hallway. We spotted each other right at the last minute and she said "oh hey!" and I said "great to see you!" and she sort of reached out (for a handshake? a hug? a pat on the arm? a high five?) and so I reached out but we both kept walking past each other and neither of us knew why we were reaching so as I passed her I sort of grabbed her forearm in what I hope was a grasp of warmth but she was sort of waving so, well, to be honest, she smacked me pretty good and this about sums up my whole month so far. Just that whole exchange. That's what I stand for this December.
There is also the possibility that she clocked me on purpose. Sure, true.
As you know, I am not a huge fan of Christmas. I have given it a good college try some years, but it has just never seeped in and I am just going to have to face it that I just can't get it up for Santa. (I just made you shrivel up a little with that mental picture, didn't I?). There are people who gather around the tree and hang stockings and eat turkey legs and hamhocks or whatever the hell it is on Christmas Eve, and there are people who get Chinese takeout, and I am solidly in group B. I think, as a grown ass woman, I am finally starting to be ok with this, but it's hard. I know it's a dumb thing to say (that it's hard), but whatever. Feel free to judge me. I just think that for some of us who have never quite felt a part of majority culture on a regular day, there is nothing quite like the Christmas season to make us feel like outsiders. It's the only time of year where I get sad about not being invited to things or included in yuletide infrastructure, but then confused because I don't really want to have yuletide infrastructure, do I? I mean, really, do I? I am asking. Because I never have figured that one out. Mostly I am ok with it but I think there will always be that 7-year-old me that feels like I am pressing my nose up against the window, looking at Christmas, knowing it's not for me.
Hey, I just admitted something really embarrassing on the interwebs. Wheeee! Just know that I know it's stupid. And stop looking at me about it. STOP LOOKING.
Anyhoodle. The one thing that I do like and can heartily participate in for Christmas is to take in holiday-related pop culture. Surprise! I like watching movies and stuff. Did you know this?
Here are some Christmas things I have been tasting. I have lots but I shall limit to 5.
Christmas in Connecticut
Barbara Stanwyck, the only thing that I feel sad about regarding you is that the first time I encountered you was when you were playing that creepy old lady in The Thorn Birds. Of all things. Little did I know the bastion of awesomeness that came before until I was in my twenties. The shame of it! Carl from Casablanca and Schultz from The Great Dictator are in this one too, which can never be a bad thing.
Love, Actually
Everybody sing! "I feel it in my fangers, I feel it in my toooooes..."
Holiday Inn
Ok, so remember I told you once, a very long time ago, about the crush I had, an even longer time ago, on a boy I unfortunately called Taco when I was 15 years old? There was a significant evening I had with Taco, where we were at a party sitting next to each other on a couch with our friends, watching a movie, and his hand was next to my hand, and he pressed the back of his hand onto the back of my hand, and my knickers went up in flames because of it. I call it the Famous Knuckle Makeout. Anyway, the relevant thing here is that I remember that the movie we were watching during this event was Holiday Inn. It is a nice memory. The other night, I made Nordic Boy and Biogirl watch this with me, thinking it would be a lovely way to keep my Christmas in Connecticut feelings going. All of this is preface to say that YOU GUYS BING CROSBY BROKE MY HEART. Because he does a very long, very upsetting song in that movie in full on blackface. I know, I know, it was part of the times back then blah blah things were shitty that way. But dudes! I just! Oy. How could I have not remembered Bing blacking up from my night with Taco? His knuckles were just that overpowering I guess. Oh Bing. Not even cool. Irving Berlin, I blame you also.
Holiday in Handcuffs
I have been partaking in my usual amounts of Hallmark Christmas movies (or should I say Hallmark style, since Lifetime and Ion and others are getting in on this action too), and this one stars Mario Lopez and Sabrina the Teenage Witch and it was really weird. Sabrina's boyfriend breaks up with her right before Christmas and so she has no one to take home to meet her parents so she picks up a fake gun and kidnaps a cute man (Mario) in a restaurant and makes him meet her parents. I guess we are supposed to think: WACKY! Which, mission accomplished. I really loved it a lot and when I say that I mean that I am totally JKing you.
A Christmas Tale (Un Conte de Noel)
This movie is the Frenchest shit I have ever seen in my life. It stars Catherine Deneuve as a mom who has just learned that she has cancer and all of her grown children come home for the holiday and there is lots of introspection and speaking in soft tones about life's absurdities. Also, it is about 5 million minutes long. I'm not saying it wasn't a good movie, but festive it certainly was not.
What are some other holiday movies that I should watch, especially ones that maybe get forgotten about? Email them to me or tell me in the comments.
Laters, peoples!
Bust a recap
See, what I was doing was, like, a thing where instead of doing NaBloPoMo, I was doing the opposite, see, a sort of Bizarro world thing, where I posted nothing every day for the month of November instead of posting every day, so it's totally legit because I meant to do it on purpose and stuff. Buying it?
Anyway, let's not dwell on my shortcomings because if we start off on that road we shall be here all day and no one wants that.
Here are some of the things that happened this month, in memoriam of November.
There was this big election that happened, first of all, don't know if you heard about it. My neighborhood celebrated in much the same way as the last time: a kid across the street ran outside and played a celebratory tune on his trumpet. 4 years ago it was "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and this time it was the national anthem. It was still wobbly but that kid has stuck with it for four years! I see how the anthem was a better choice, objectively speaking, but really, I kind of missed Mary and the lamb.
We got a new, fancy, delightful microwave/oven/convection combo dealie and I love it so much I want to take over the job of being the primary cook in my house. Ha ha, there is a fib in that last sentence somewhere.
Oh yeah, and I fired a gun for the first time in my life. And probably the last, unless the zombies come in which case I am ready. My friends- all liberal non-gun-toters every one- decided this was an experience we needed to have, and so we went to the local gun range and shot the shit out of some paper hanging up by clothespin type clippy things. I found it a bit anti-climatic, to tell the truth. I don't know, I thought it would be more exciting or scary. Plus, our instructor was kind of a dick so that was not enjoyable either. We left after like a half hour. My verdict: guns = a snoozefest. Who knew?
I had four glorious days off over Thanksgiving, during which we cooked a bunch of food (new oven! new oven!) and had our besties over and that's really it but dang it was good times.
And then, um, some other stuff? I'm sure happened? I am sure? This month?
No, I guess not. Election, oven, guns, Thanksgiving. God bless America, dudes.
Nerd is the word
Driving with Biogirl, we see a "Do Not Pass" sign.
Her: None shall pass!
Me: You shall not pass! Fly, you fools!
Her: Wait, what?
Me: Gandalf. We're doing Gandalf, right?
Her: I was doing Monty Python.
Me: NERD WAR!
Recipe for a good month
I saw this birthday card recently that said the following: "Martin Luther King. Jr. gets one day where we celebrate his birthday. So calm down, Birthday Month People." It sort of cracked me up.
I mention that only because I want to emphasize that I didn't even set out to be a birthday month person this year, and yet, it just happened. This whole month has been super terrific happy times. These are among the things that have been making it grand.
1. Delium took me to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company who just so happened to be in town. They were so delicious and unitardy. I loved every minute of it.
2. Nordic Boy and I went to a fancypants restaurant and did a million-course tasting menu. The final course was brought out and the waiter explained what it was using not one word that either of us could define. It was also visually indecipherable. "You taste it first and tell me what it is," I said after the server had gone. Nordic Boy took a big bite and said "Oh, you'll like it. It tastes like a lemon muffin with Cool Whip!" Really, when eating fancy food you should take Nordic Boy with you for descriptive assistance.
3. Biogirl took me for a road trip down the Oregon coast for a weekend. In the car, she invented what might be the best mash up of all time: Demi Lovato's "Give Your Heart A Break" mixed with "Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar."
4. My brother took me out to another fancy dinner and regaled me with stories about my nephew who recently, after scoring a goal during one of his soccer games, with no forethought whatsoever, busted out into the Gangnam style dance in joyous celebration which led to all his little friends joining right in. Trust me, I know you don't know my nephew but this is hysterically adorable.
5. My coworkers made a really big deal about my birthday this year. I know that work-related birthdays are usually cheesy and excruciating but this one felt really genuine. I felt appreciated.
6. I sent out a blanket invite to a bunch of friends to meet up with me at my local pub for a drink on my actual birthday and it was just the lovliest night. The weather was gorgeous, we sat outside, I got to soak in the awesomeness that is my life, and my friend Kevin actually brought me some Vernor's so I could indulge my newfound love for the Detroit Cooler.
7. All of my favorite faraway people called me or texted me funny, thoughtful messages. My parents, Alli, her husband Chris who I also adore, Map, Palindrome, my brothers, my cousin R, just my small but steadfast group.
8. I have discovered that there is a thing called a pajancho. Yes, I am taking this fact as a personal birthday present to me. Not the item. The word. Don't you just want to say it every day of your life? Pajancho, pajancho, pajancho.
Consumables #69
Holy smokes, so many Consumables to talk about! Let's DO THIS.
Movies!
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Documentary about an 85-year-old master sushi chef. Even if you are not into sushi specifically, this film essentially functions as a portrait of a great artist. If you are into sushi, it'll make you want to lick the screen.
Prometheus
The special effects are pretty dang cool in this one. The characters were a bit too much of a rehash for me- I mean I know it's Alien-related, but something new? Anything? The entire scene where poor-man's Sigourney Weaver takes an alien out of her belly was just dumb. Also, there's too much set up. The whole thing is setting up, which I guess will feel better when the sequel comes out but as a stand alone movie, not so much.
Deep Blue Sea
The other night, Nordic Boy and I were in a mood to snuggle up and see something romantical. The description of this movie made us think: doomed love in post World War II times, with pretty Rachel Weisz and pretty Tom Hiddleston. Sign us up! Only, oops, nope, do NOT sign us up. The following phrases were used while we were watching this movie. "Wow, that's messed up." Also, "dude, these people have got PROBLEMS." Then "someone PLEASE separate these suckers, for the love of god!" As the credits rolled, Nordic Boy just summed it up by saying: "well, shit." Precisely, my good fellow. Well, shit.
The Avengers
Can it be true that I haven't mentioned the Avengers until now? I saw it in the theater ages ago. This is everything you expect it to be: cheesy, fun, explosion-y, bubbly goodness. Some random thoughts: will we ever see Robert Downey Jr in a non-sardonic role ever again? Because he can do that too, remember? And why wasn't Gwyneth Paltrow allowed to wear shoes in this movie? I want Pepper Potts to be in a suit and acting smartly buttoned up, not a Daisy Duke wearing hippy dip. Lastly, I think it's probably an uncool choice but the Hulk is sort of my favorite.
Margin Call
I think that the thing I enjoyed most about this movie was the convergence of pop culture that happens in it. Dan Humphrey plus neo-Spock plus the Mentalist guy plus leathery old Jeremy Irons plus Demi Moore plus Aasif Mandvi and of course, Stanely Tucci. I say of course because isn't the Tooch in everything? Also, this movie made me think about suspenders. In order to wear suspenders, you have to either be a Wall Street business dude or a lumberjack. There isn't a lot of middle ground on suspenders.
Winter's Bone
If this movie was in a heartbreaking contest with Wendy and Lucy, which would win? Probably this one, but it would be close. All I really need to say is that I love John Hawkes, ever since he played Sol Star in Deadwood, so that was good enough for me.
TeeVee!
Smash
I am just now catching up with this, and is it weird that the ingenue person that we're supposed to root for (Katherine McPhee) is the one I do not like? I wish that the show had a bit more of a wink to it. I think it suffers because it takes itself too seriously. Come on! You are singing show tunes and having soapy plot twists and you have Anjelica Houston making out with that One Life To Live Irish guy! Own your ridiculousness!
Revolution
These are the most clean, stylish, shiny-haired, lip-glossed apocalypse survivors I have ever seen. And doesn't the guy that plays Miles have a distinctly Herb-from-WKRP vibe going on?
Oh my god, I'm so tired.
Books!
Blindness, by Jose Saramago
Trippy story about a plague that sweeps through an unnamed city that causes some people to lose their sight. The fear of the plague causes the government to quarantine these people in an abandoned asylum, and the book describes the social breakdown that occurs within as well as outside of its walls. The characters in the story all remain nameless throughout, and the baseness and despair that occur are awful. The poetic language is the draw here, but there are seriously no rainbows anywhere to be found.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson
A big mammer jammer of a nonfiction book that tells the story of the migrations that occurred in droves (1920s through 1960s or so) of African American people who fled the Jim Crow south. I loved how it had an engaging, readable narrative that focused on representative individuals, but it doesn't rely too heavily on anecdotes.
The Sparrow, by Mary Dora Russell
A Jesuit priest leads a team on a space mission to discover an alien civilization on another planet. Think Contact mixed with The Mission and you've got it.
Habibi, by Craig Thompson
There are some gorgeous drawings in this graphic novel, but the stuff that didn't work for me outweighed that. There was some serious race, gender, and sexuality trouble of the kind that was so glaring that I couldn't see past it. And the gratuitous naked ladies with the idealized bodies in every single scene, alRIGHT already. I will forever think that this book should have been called Haboobie.
Castle Waiting series, by Linda Medley
Graphic novel re-tellings of fairy tales that are fun and soothing. I think this is a great series for kids in upper elementary because it has a tongue-in-cheek sort of humor that they will get an especial kick out of.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts, by Susan Cain
These kind of anecdotal sciencey books are always a bit of a frustration for me. On the one hand, it's interesting, but on the other hand, I just end up having so many questions about the meanings of the various studies and conclusions that are discussed that it ends up being not so convincing to me. Also, the author's definition of introversion seemed hazy at best. I understand that this term is not one that has definitive boundaries, but in this case there were times when things got so broad as to seem kind of meaningless.
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, by Simon Garfield
A fun, informative book that talks about font history and theory in an entertaining way. It was fontastic! (Come on, I had to).
I AM SPENT.
Birthday
My birthday is this weekend, and I gotta say, I am feeling super good about the birthday this year. Like, not just an excited birthday feeling because I have a lot of things planned (which I am because I do), but a bigger, better birthday feeling. I know that birthdays are sort of meaningless, really- I mean we are aging all the time and so marking a particular day and feeling like we are all of a sudden older on that day is sort of weird when you think about it. But birthdays are a time to look around at one's life, and take stock, and think about how things are going. And for me, this week, I have been feeling good, just deep down in my soul. 2011 was, in a way, about letting go of 2 people that I was trying to keep in my life who- when I really took a look at the truth of it-didn't really want to be there. So I let them go, and it was really, really sad, and I was sort of preoccupied a lot of the time with the fact that those people were missing. 2 core people who had kind of always been there for me for years and years and years, were just gone. Even though I didn't wallow, I did sort of feel like it was in the back of my mind a lot of the time. It was like I was walking around with these ghosts of people who I loved so much that just didn't love me back. It was hard to eat that, but eat it I did. I kind of didn't have a choice, I guess. I have to say that as hard as it was, I took it like a champ, which is something.
This past year though, I feel like that phase is finally passing, and just in the past month or so it really feels different. I just feel... better. More than better. I feel really good. I think the ghosts are- if not gone- then at least they don't live with me all the time now.
Last night, Nordic Boy was doing the dishes, and I was reading a book, and the new Tegan and Sara song came on, and Nordic Boy came out of the kitchen swinging a dish towel around in that silly way of his, and pulled me out of my chair, hit "repeat" and we danced. We laughed, and jumped, and Saturday-Night-Fevered, and dipped, and were breathless, and just got our boogie on in our living room, and I thought to myself, yay for me. I am still loved, and I'm not even talking about that gorgeous Nordic Boy of mine. I'm talking about me. I heard my own laugh and I felt my body moving around and I felt the parts of my soul that are still open to things, to people, to fun, to life, and I thought: ah, yes, now I remember. I am kind of awesome. I really love being me. Look at that girl, I thought to myself. She pretty much rocks it. I love her.
Go dance around and think about how awesome you are. It's really so necessary, you guys.
Librarianwonder.blogspot.com by Pop Culture Librarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.