1. I took the recycling to the recycling dumpsters early this morning, before the heat came, and saw that the plastic dumpster, at least, was compromised. Someone had tossed heavy plastic shelving in the bins. We can only recycle items with "1" or "2" in the little recycling logo on the bottom of things. Heavy plastic shelving doesn't fall in that category.
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Thursday Thirteen
1. I took the recycling to the recycling dumpsters early this morning, before the heat came, and saw that the plastic dumpster, at least, was compromised. Someone had tossed heavy plastic shelving in the bins. We can only recycle items with "1" or "2" in the little recycling logo on the bottom of things. Heavy plastic shelving doesn't fall in that category.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Rural Living v. Farming
Sunday, June 09, 2024
Sunday Stealing
2. Can you curl your tongue?
3. Can you wiggle your ears?
4. Did you ever participate in a talent show?
5. Do you have any piercings or tattoos?
6. Do you prefer Mac or PC?
7. Do you still have your wisdom teeth?
9. Have you ever been hospitalized?
10. Have you had braces?
11. Were you ever a Girl or Boy Scout? (Or a brownie)
12. What is one food you refuse to eat?
13. What's the most expensive item of clothing that you own?
14. What's your favorite foreign food?
15. Who's your favorite fictional character?
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, June 08, 2024
Saturday 9: Footloose
Friday, June 07, 2024
Tomorrow's the Day
Thursday, June 06, 2024
Thursday Thirteen
1. Thursday sneaks up on me sometimes. Like today. It's Thursday and 2 p.m. and I've not done a Thursday 13! Whatever is going on!
Wednesday, June 05, 2024
Writers I'm Supposed to Love
When I was taking Advanced Placement English in high school (it was, in theory, college level English), I remember a little argument I had with Dr. Shots (she had a Ph.D. and insisted on the title) about the deconstruction of a piece of work.
Apparently, I had had enough of the "they used yellow here for sickness, green for jealousy, why do you think this lamp is placed here," because I told her I didn't think authors meant for their work to be analyzed in such depth and detail.
"Sometimes a lamp is just a lamp," I said. Or something to that effect.
You'd have thought I'd blasphemed the chin of God the way she came after me. Of course, every word was carefully chosen, every sofa, every lamp, every blade of grass, had a deeper meaning than just being a blade of grass. What was I doing in her class, telling her (with her Ph.D) that writers didn't always mean something else with what they wrote?
"Because I write, and I don't do that," I responded. "Not consciously."
"Then you're not a writer," she snapped, putting an end to the discussion.
She was the only teacher to ever say that to me.
After that, I kept my mouth shut and dutifully turned in my papers or spoke up in class saying that of course the lamp meant that the character had an idea or had seen the light about some issue. It wasn't put there simply so she could read the book in her hand.
Then I went to Hollins College, now Hollins University, which is a women's undergraduate degree school that is well-known for the writers it puts out. Think Margaret Wise Brown and Anne Dillard, just to name two. Or Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle.
There the poetry in particular was analyzed in great detail, even that which was written in the 17th century. I went on to read Virginia Woolf and numerous other writers while taking eight long years to get my bachelors.
And I always found the examination of works tedious, and I stubbornly (and secretly) held on to my conviction that sometimes a lamp is just a lamp. But I wrote the essays about the books secret meanings and dissected the poems as required.
Of course, sometimes imagery has double meaning, and of course sometimes the more literary authors put cute language in their works to add to the character. The book I'm currently listening to has a daughter of a woman who was dying of cancer eat a chicken pot pie with her mother and the hospice worker. What does the chicken pot pie symbolize?
Damn if I know. Dinner table scenes are great for conversation; they had to eat something. Maybe it symbolizes the daughter's fears about her mother's upcoming death (she's chicken, get it?). Maybe it was just there.
Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Gilbert, and now Ann Beattie (whom I am listening to - maybe it's something to do with the name "Ann"), are among the literary writers that I am supposed to like. They use great turns of phrases and create deep characters. Every word has been carefully chosen. I imagine these writers spend days pouring over one sentence until they are utterly sick of it, trying to make sure they've chosen chicken pot pie instead of Thai food for the correct reason.
And I listen or read their books and find they do not move me. Occasionally they write one that I find intriguing and enjoy, but overall, they are not my favorite authors. They may have a good sentence or two that makes its way into my little "writer's notebook," but the stories seldom stick with me.
Who do I like to read? I like Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Susan Wiggs, Kate DiCamillo, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Louise Penny, Kristin Hannah, etc. These are not literary giants, but they write well and have interesting stories that move along just fine. Sometimes they make me laugh and sometimes they make me think. I liked The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I like a lot of fantasy writers, like Neil Gaiman, Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Phillip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin, etc.
I wrote for newspapers. I wrote to educate and inform, not to puzzle people and have them wonder about the significance of someone eating chicken pot pie. I like my fiction to be straight up and to the point, anymore. I read Overstory and while it received rave reviews, I found it incredibly boring. Great concept, but my goodness, couldn't that have been put out into the world in some way that wasn't so long and drawn out?
It is good for me to listen to authors I do not like, to stories I don't always enjoy. I never know what I may find in such tales. I do it now as a part of my life's growth cycle, so I don't get stale. I listen to or read everything from memoir to nonfiction self-help to the aforesaid authors to Catch-22. I seldom listen to or read something a second time (Tolkien being the exception).
Life is a learning experience. This is part of how I live it. But sometimes it frustrates me, because I still think I'm right. A lamp sometimes is just a lamp.
Monday, June 03, 2024
Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico
This morning the news comes with the word that Mexico has elected a female president.
More than 100 countries, including the United States, have never been led by a woman.
We're supposed to be the leader in the free world, but that's just poppycock. We're so far behind the times in true freedom and liberty that it's a joke. We have lots of freedoms to do things, but not freedoms from things. Like the freedom to go to the movie theater and know we won't get shot in our seat. Or the freedom to be rid of advertisements we don't want. Or spam phone calls. Stuff like that.
I love my country, but the bass ackwards mindset of its citizens in among the more perplexing and aggravating things about it.
My state has never had a female governor. Other states have, but not mine.
My local Board of Supervisors has had females on it, and currently has one of five. Shouldn't that be more like three of two, when women make up half of the citizenry?
We have a female vice president and that scares a lot of people. Oh no, she might become president! She might do some good in the world! Horrors.
Crickey.
Sunday, June 02, 2024
Sunday Stealing
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, June 01, 2024
Saturday 9
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Thursday Thirteen
Songs that young folks today may not understand:
1. Operator, by Jim Croce. The song captures a heartfelt conversation with a telephone operator, where the speaker attempts to reconnect with a former lover who has moved away with his best friend. The narrative conveys a mix of sorrow and resignation, as the speaker ultimately decides not to complete the call, telling the operator to “keep the dime” — a reference to the cost of the call at the time.
2. Kodachrome, by Paul Simon. The song’s title refers to the Kodak film known for its rich color saturation, symbolizing the vivid memories of youth. With catchy lyrics Simon reflects on how life seems more radiant and full of possibility when seen through the ‘Kodachrome’ lens.
3. Wichita Lineman, by Glenn Campbell. The song tells the story of a solitary lineman working on the telephone lines in the vastness of the American Midwest, capturing the essence of loneliness and longing.
4. White Rabbit, by Jefferson Airplane. The song is renowned for its allusions to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass,” using the fantastical tales as metaphors for the psychedelic experience. With its famous lines “One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small,” the song became an anthem of the 1960s counterculture, inviting listeners to explore altered states of consciousness and to “feed your head” with knowledge and new experiences.
5. American Pie, by Don McLean: This iconic song is a tribute to the late Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, who died in a plane crash (often referred to as “The Day the Music Died”). The lyrics are rich with cultural references from the 1950s and 1960s.
6. Vincent (Starry Starry Night), by Don McLean: Another gem by Don McLean, this song is a heartfelt tribute to the artist Vincent van Gogh. It beautifully captures the essence of van Gogh’s life and struggles.
7. Piano Man, by Billy Joel: This classic tells the story of patrons at a piano bar and their interactions with the pianist. The lyrics mention various characters, including the “real estate novelist” and the “waitress practicing politics.”
8. Sixteen Tons, by Tennessee Ernie Ford: This folk song describes the hardships faced by coal miners. The line “I owe my soul to the company store” refers to the practice of miners being paid in company scrip, which could only be used at the company-owned store.
9. Big Yellow Taxi, by Joni Mitchell: While not necessarily historical, this song laments environmental issues and the loss of natural beauty. The line “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot” has become a well-known phrase.
10. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot: A haunting ballad about the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior. The song pays tribute to the crew members who lost their lives.
11. Space Oddity, by David Bowie: Released in 1969, this song tells the story of an astronaut named Major Tom during a space mission. It captures the fascination with space exploration during that era.
12. In the Year 2525, by Zager and Evans: A futuristic song that imagines the world’s evolution over centuries. It’s a thought-provoking reflection on humanity’s trajectory.
13. The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down, by Joan Baez. The song is a narrative set during the American Civil War, told from the perspective of a Southern farmer named Virgil Caine. It captures the pain and loss experienced by those on the losing side of the war, with vivid imagery of the fall of the Confederacy.