WOTD and more...

With all of my awesome new projects going on, I'm wondering if this blog is going to fall by the wayside...

While I think about that, you can ruminate on this awesome, lovely word: perspicacious.

Yep. It rocks. Totally.

WOTD

(That's Word of the Day for you non-logomaniacs)

Hubris

Thanks to The Fluent Self for introducing me to this one! Definitely going on the Fall 2009 vocab list!

{clears throat}

i may not write in here a lot, but at least it's not password-protected!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re-Fueling Session

Amidst a very hectic weekend, I got a voicemail from A.J. saying she had one hour to meet with me on Saturday--did I want it? I assumed it was a rhetorical question, but called her back to confirm anyway. I had been toying around with my "Indian student/cranky-white-lady teacher" story, in between feelings of what? I don't need to write anymore. I 'm a mom...that's my identity. writing is something I used to do because I didn't know how to do anything else and, actually, had boldly emailed A.J. a few weeks ago to get a quick refresher on multiple storylines. To which, she had suggested we meet during the residency, and, I guess the rest is history. Or, the rest is what I'm supposed to be blogging about right now, which is that meeting with her (or, probably, anyone that believes in you) is so inspirational. It's like going to church for writers. I left feeling not only confident but really quite interested in the story I was halfheartedly writing. All of this action conveniently coincides with Henri's first week of "mornings with his French babysitter"...so, yes, I'm writing again. Wow.

Also...
A.J. told me this stunning quote by Toni Morrison (the writer she studied with) that goes something like, "If, at the end of a story, you've learned something about yourself, then the story isn't sad." I hope that I can one day use this against anyone that calls me writing sad and, if not, at the least, I plan to tattoo it on myself as a daily reminder of what I'm aiming to write, when I am writing.

a new strategy for gas

this morning, a nice person stopped to let me cross the street in front of them and as i raised my hand to wave a nice "thank you" wave, i realized they were driving a HUMMER. WTF? is there any decency left in the world? as if it isn't bad enough that we're all whipping around in our little cars, pretending like whatever pretentious errand we're on is necessary to keep our lives running smoothly, there are people driving gas-guzzling monster machines around. OBVIOUSLY, we are not suffering enough here people!

if the oil companies/government truly wants there to be a depression part duex, they need to up their strategies a litte bit. simply raising the prices to nearly five dollars is not doing a gosh darn thing. we will always continue to buy.

i have an idea for a quicker and more interesting way to bring in some quick cash: diversify. offer cheaper (and more expensive) gas. the cheaper gas would, of course, be a "knock off" and, therefore, not really gas. anyone buying this would have to keep re-buying (think of those of us who shop at old navy or target) because our gas goes "out of style." those buying the more expensive brands (and i'm not talking the difference between regular and premium, here; i'm talking the difference between "back of the truck" and Authentic) would need to get more for their money. thus, gas stations with a niche: clean, longer lasting fuel. then, there would be back alley gas stations, for the under-the-radar gas purchasers. and, of course, mainstream marketed stations would have to offer "sale" and "clearance" gas, to reach the widest audience of purchasers--those who want to pay less but get the same value and are stupid enough to think such a concept actually exists. with branding, you get all kinds of options. celebrities could start endorsing certain gas stations over others and the kind of gas that's IN one day might just be OUT the next. this would really keep gas purveyors on their toes.

why is gas Just One Price anyway??? is it because all the oil companies are run by lazy & rich white men? or, do they just want to see how long far they can stretch it before some people really can't afford to buy it?

decorating thoughts

i've been doing a little research on what makes a great room great (yes, watching HGTV non-stop from after work until 1 AM counts as "Research") and i've come to believe it is A) all in the details (duh!) and B) the most important detail is the artwork. i would love to be able to afford real artwork, even local artwork, especially self-portraits other than my own...but, i can't. even as an artist, it's one of those things i have trouble spending dough on (unlike, everything else i buy to decorate a room...). why, i don't know. will have to think on that more later. but, what i DO know is that i need to start making some art for our space to be decorated with instead of just thinking of art that would look great in our space, only to forget the idea before i make it. i don't know if this is feasible before the housewarming party, because i think it's something that's probably best done after you have furniture and other things all in place...plus, it takes time (despite what TLC and HGTV and DIY and all those other networks might lead you to believe)...plus, even when doing it yourself, it still takes *some* money. i wonder if the idea is just to make art when you feel inspired/have some cash and THEN decide where to put it. if it doesn't match, then re-do the room. ha ha. just kidding. if it doesn't match, give it away... ?

update: i'm still an ethical egoist, just not the kind you thought

i thought i was this, but i guess i'm really this. either way; i am not alone. who knew?

p.s. i love circular logic. i think it exists for my pleasure.

a wedding, among other things

i admit; i was slightly annoyed when i found out i had to attend a wedding the weekend after moving into a new apartment, and that the wedding was four hours away, and that the wedding was a, well, wedding. because, honestly, i wouldn't have wanted to go to ANY wedding at any time in any place. but mark already knows that, so i figured if he asked me to go it was pretty important. i am learning more about this compromise thing all the time.

it turns out there are a Few Good Things about weddings, which makes it hard for me to complain that i had to go to a wedding; however, i can easily combat those things with something ridiculous, annoying or disappointing:

• Good--Toasts. i soooo love this literary outpouring of feelings by everyone who's ever known the groom/bridge. well, really it seemed to be limited to a few key people--but more than i thought would be allowed to speak for a lengthy amount of time while dinner was not being served so that they could outpour their feelings. but, truly, do not omit these from your wedding (just serve the food DURING instead of AFTER) because i didn't know one single thing about either the bride or groom prior to these toasts (though, i could presume they were the "hip" and down-to-earth sort of couple from their choice of locale and "not another wedding" url for their wedding website). whereas, afterwards, i really knew that they were hip and down to earth. i also learned about their shared love of books & music and that dave matthews band isn't cool to like anymore (ever?). oops....do not mention that i like DMB at my wedding when you give the toast!!! in fact, of all the things i did not absolutely hate about this wedding, the toasts are definitely the thing that would get me to say I Do in public once again. only this time, i'd skip the singing, crying, walking down the aisle and the 15 cakes on an antique planter, and just ask everyone to show up and read a toast. but, i guess i will save this for my funeral. (you will understand this when you've finished this post)
  
• Bad--the humanist wedding statement and a very philosophical officiant. i am usually pretty good at following a wedding ceremony; it's like, do you want to do this and do you want to do that...you know, fairly simple, hand-holding instructions on the very complex idea of spending your the rest of your life with one person who you may or may not like at any given moment. face it: the bride & groom are A) exhausted and B) very weepy; so, they're not really listening. save the rilke quotes and the existentialist theories about communal love and just Marry Them, Already. later, when they realize that sex doth not a marriage make, they will seek out such advice and then you can wax and wane to your heart's content about how if they give love to everyone around them they will also somehow impart it to each other and, in their desperation not to be the first sibling to get divorced, they will believe you.
  
• Good--open bar all night long. Brilliant idea: instead of inviting everyone you know to your wedding, having an open bar for an hour and then overcharging them the rest of the time for watered down drinks to make up for what you're going to have to spend on the open bar tab, only invite those people you truly love and, as a display of that love, give them an all-night open bar. also, you should advertise this in some way, especially since it's completely kosher these days to list wedding details online instead of having aunt marge tell aunt sue who will tell uncle joe, etc. etc. because, it is a proven statistic that guests who are attending an open bar wedding are 10 times more likely to bring you cash. lastly, for alcoholics like myself and my stepfather, a timed open bar can actually be much more detrimental to the overall mood of your wedding reception. take my word for that.
  
• Bad--Jewish weddings that aren't really Jewish. honestly, it's weird to have a chuppah and the breaking of the glass when the bride doesn't have 5 ugly uncles to carry her around in a chair and sing Tradition! i was actually lucky enough to sit at the matchmaker's table and he wasn't a little old lady who offered endless matches even to people who are already matched. wait, i think i'm getting weddings confused with musicals. well, still. the mixing of faiths clearly calls for ignoring such a thing all together! i, for one, was very uncomfortable when they forgot to mention that weddings are simply a precursory obligation to legally sanctioned procreation.
  
• Good--Salmon and a Veggie option.
• Bad--roasted rack of lamb. am i really the only person on the planet that thinks lamb should NOT be eaten??? sigh. whimper. throw up.
• Good--non-church affiliated locations. having your wedding at a winery is a brilliant idea because it conjures up that beloved tale of wine at a wedding without actually having to book jesus. that's a stress you don't need when planning a low-key, modern wedding.
  
• Bad--the winery was fake! well, no longer functioning is more accurate. Worse--the bartender refused to tell guests that the wine was from the winery because he "isn't a liar." i find a bartender that says he isn't a liar much like a single person marrying off two young lovers-- laughable and slightly dirty. (disclaimer: other than this, i thought the bartender was nice and kinda cute. i can say this because most of the other people working the event thought my boyfriend was nice and kinda cute. so there!)
  

honestly, all jokes aside, this wedding wasn't so bad...and i am *i hope you're sitting down for this* grateful that i got to go because i know how much thought and preparation goes into such things as a guest list and seating arrangements and the cost of a plate for someone you don't really know but they are dating your cousin after all.

now that i've said that, i can probably go ahead and kill myself. for the end is nigh... don't you think?

this is a neat trick i saw on someone else's blog

Happy National Healthcare Decisions Day

National Healthcare Decisions Day is a nationwide activity to increase public awareness of advance directives such as health care proxies, with two key goals:

• encourage individuals to express their wishes regarding who will make health care decisions for them if and when they cannot, and
• stimulate discussion with providers regarding these wishes.

(from my job's intranet site)

After becoming a mom, I followed my sister's lead and decided to do both a living will/health care proxy and a last will & testament. I pay for legal assistance through my job and was able to download a DIY legal documents application from ARAG. Basically, I just entered my information in their templates and Woila! I had a will. Of course, I haven't had anyone witness or sign it yet...so it's "technically" not valid.

More importantly, I discussed what was in the will with my immediate family and partner. I strongly believe that decisions made regarding the future of your child should not be kept a secret! My parents took it well that Mark would be the legal guardian in the event of my demise, but I think we still need to make his relationship with Henri legal in some way.

You always think you have "time" but, really, you never know. I'm pretty cynical about death (especially suicide--my favorite type of death) but--all joking aside--you can't expect anyone--even those closest to you--to be able to read your mind. If you have an opinion, which, I'm sure you do, then let someone know, write it down and have a witness sign it. That way, you can rest peacefully for the rest of your death, knowing everything is still being controlled by you.