5 Minutes of What I'd Want to Remember from 2010

Another reflective prompt from reverb10.

December 15 – 5 Minutes

Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Okay, timer started. I'd like to remember:

My daughter going strawberry picking for the first time and devouring a huge berry fresh from the plant.

Going camping with the three of us at a dance weekend. Hanging out with the community. The baby learned to give high fives. DH and I get to dance together for the first time in two years! A romanic, heartfelt waltz.

Calling to some of my favorite dance communities. Calling a dance I wrote at some friends' wedding, and they really liked it!

The baby when she first learned to walk - running back and forth between us, so excited and proud of herself.

Seeing a friend after more than 15 years on different continents! Warm and comfortable conversation.

Visiting another college friend and her family - hanging out, talking, noshing on dessert, and playing with toys.

The little girl getting taller and taller, and her delight at climbing and sliding and dancing and bouncing and talkingtalkingtalking. All the funny things she says. The way she comes running into our arms for a hug. She requests "sing barefeet" or "ead Orax." "Where 'Cuzi go? I go find 'Cuzi." " Ah heah Daddy peeling carrots!" "Ah make a big noise!"

Conversations with my husband in the middle of the night about our daughter and about life. We're tired, but it's so nice. Giggling at silly things.

Cooking projects - yummy! Making corn chowder and lasagna and peppermint bark. Crazy!

Tracking my Dad's progress as he ran the NYC marathon, and calling him moments after he crossed the finish line.

Hanging out with my cousins. Comfortable conversations about our parents and our children and our house projects.
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So Beautifully Different - Whoo!

Reverb10 has a cool series of writing prompts to prompt reflection at the end of the year. I'm behind - this one is from two days ago.

December 8 – Beautifully Different

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Karen Walrond)

This is an especially interesting exercise to me, because even though I've felt different since I was a child, I've never been able to really figure out HOW I am different, or WHY.

When I was younger, I think it was mostly because I noticed many things, and I reacted in unusual ways, and other people often treated me as if I were different (and reacted well or badly according to some mysterious algorithm). Yet I could never figure out why that was, or what, exactly, it was, much less what I was supposed to do to "fix" it to be more like other people.

In my adult life, I've come to know a variety of people who appreciate my differences and quirks. Sometimes I will get comments about my "great energy," but I'm still a little mystified.

And now as I try to think about what makes me different (and beautiful), I keep feeling that I am somehow letting my ego run away with me. Look at me! How wonderful I am! Har.


1. I have a way of taking people into an inclusive circle, especially when I am speaking publically. My husband calls this speaking as if I were "addressing each person personally." Not that this manifests in all areas of my life, but I do have the knack, and I have a hard time leaving someone out, so it often comes out in my tone.

2. Making quirky, wryly humorous remarks. Some people might say that was an aggravating flaw, but you can't deny that it sticks out. In a public role, it tends to entertain people.

3. I am easily moved. I typically get all choked up when someone graduates, sings, or crosses a finish line against all odds. Certain music brings me to weeping. I suppose I am still sensitive to the beauty in the world, including the beauty of beating out odds and throwing oneself against a noble task.

4. I am self-deprecating as all get-out. Another item that could be placed in the annoying category. Sorry, sorry.

5. I see beauty in mundane things. This is one of the reasons that I couldn't give up photography even when painting wasn't working for me; I need to capture what I am seeing. I cherish nearly everything. One of the biggest compliments that I ever got was from one of my students after she saw my Flickr site - "It's as if you appreciate ... everything!" Yes, it's true.

6. I have a glowing smile, apparently. I have a hard time judging this for myself, but I do feel a heady joy at times. I do light up. Sometimes I like to go by Joy! It's how I prefer to live life when I am not bitching and complaining.

7. I have a subtle and literate sense of humor. Can you tell? I am always delighted when I meet someone of a similar bent. Okay, okay, sometimes it is very punny too.

8. I was raised to exercise my artistic creativity and out of mainstream culture. When I say mainstream, I'm talking about middle class America values. My parents didn't want us to live with a tv in the house. They thought we should be free to exercise our creativity without resorting to pre-defined parameters. So no coloring books, just lots of blank paper. No tv, but lots of books and stories. Lot of outdoor playing in the yard and dead-end street. I guess it gave me an appreciation for thinking out of the lines.

9. I don't like tv as a daily part of my consciousness. I enjoy pop culture in moderation, and I like a good story, but I can't stand the tv culture of sound bite journalism and fast flashy cuts. Too much of it makes me feel a little ill. I'd rather be out walking, or dancing, or reading, or writingpaintingthinkingcookingcreating. I've seen maybe a third of an episode of the series Friends and none of any reality show, and I so don't care. Yes, I am odd.

10. I'm enthusiastic. I know it's considered uncool to show any enthusiasm about anything, but I really don't care. If I like something or find it worthy of interest, I'll point it out, rave about it, savor it. Life is good. Enthusiasm rocks! Whoo!
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Thursday's Made For Meme-ing

or Oo! Look! Another Meme!
 
I snagged this one from Schmutzie. I love Schmutzie and I can't resist a meme, so here goes. I know it's not Thursday any more, but Oh Welllll!


What are your current obsessions?
Writing in my blog. I can hardly go to bed without writing something. I regularly sacrifice sleep to do this, something I am *desperate* for these days, so I know blogging qualifies as obsession.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear the most often?
Not so much in the Summer, but at other times of the year, I wear my black fleece pullover very often. It's extremely versatile. It's a thin fleece that's gotten only thinner with time, so it layers well. It has a zip neck vent so I can adjust the temperature. It's black, so it hides dirt. It's fleece so it comes out of the dryer fluffy, but also self-dries well while I'm wearing it. It wicks well, so it's great for aerobic activities of light to heavy exertion. I appropriated it from my husband on our first camping trip together, and I've worn it to every backpacking or camping trip and every dance weekend I've been to since. And over the last decade, that's a lot of use! I'm actually a little worried that I will wear it out, and then where would I be? The only way this could be improved would be if I could get away with wearing it on formal occasions.

What's for dinner?
Let'see... We've already eaten all the pizza leftovers. Heck if I know! Maybe Indian takeout.

What is your greatest fear at the moment?
That I'll screw up my daughter somehow by not doing all the right Mom things. Sometimes I'm so tired, I don't have the energy to give her as much attention as I'd like. I'm reverting to the time-honored phrase: I'm doing the best I can.

My other on-going fear is that I'll never get back to any kind of career enough to save money for retirement.

What are you listening to?
Tracks on Blip, and Baby Genius CDs, songs in my heads (see: Water of Love).

If you were a god/goddess what would you be?
Benevolent goddess of people who need a little extra encouragement. I would give pep talks in the form of show tunes. And then I'd cry because the world is so beautiful.

What are your favourite holiday spots?
Hard to say. The mountains. The beach. The nice thing about NC is that much of the state is roughly equidistant between the beach and the mountains. I could say something about Italy and Arizona. But I really love hiking in the Rocky Mountains too.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished reading Welcome to Fred by ___. This was a fun read. Humorous, at times moving.
I'm also reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice for something like the fifth time. It's the paperback I'm currently using to while some of the time spent breastfeeding.

What are four words that describe you?
Reclusive, wry, joyful, gregarious.

What is your guilty pleasure?
I don't know. 80's music? Schmaltzy stuff from the 50's? Carousel? Tearjerkers. Nutella. Responding flippantly.

Who or what makes you laugh?
I love reading the daily comics page. Something on the page (or often, the online comics I follow) will make me giggle out loud. I also love certain kind of parodies and ridiculous humor. Think Monty Python. My husband does this kind of situational humor well too, and unless I'm a very grouchy mood, he will always get a laugh out of me. We cope with the travails of parenthood by making up humorous names for things or creating situational dialogue. I also make myself laugh sometimes.

What is your favourite spring thing to do?
Seeing what is coming up and blooming every day, and planning what I will plant for Summer.

Where are you planning to travel next?
I don't have any big travel plans this year. We hope to travel more to get the kidlet used to it, and then go to Chicago for a big family reunion. Don't know if that will work out.

What is the best thing you ate or drank lately?
That would have to be the sushi a friend took me out to eat a few weeks ago. The restaurant had a two-for-one sushi special (that's why we went there), so we really indulged, ordering about ten kinds of rolls and sashimi total. By the time the food arrived, we had mostly forgotten what, exactly, we had ordered and who had gotten what, so we just dove in. One of my favorites was a large tempura-fried roll with I think, asparagus, crab stick and something else? And then it was thin sliced and each slice topped with a dollop of chilled "spicy seafood mix."

When was the last time you were tipsy?
I think it was about 15 years ago when the guy I was working for invited me to share a dinner at the restaurant next door (we were at the mall) so that he wouldn't have to eat by himself on his birthday. He wanted to buy me a drink, so I ordered one of those mixed juice drinks which, unbeknownst to me, usually come mixed with vodka. Good on on me, huh? He offered to drink it himself and get me another one, but I politely drank half of it, then didn't dare leave the bar stool for another 45 minutes.

No, I take that back. It was almost exactly eleven years ago at a beach weekend with friends just before I met the man who would become my husband. It was May Day and one friend had brought the traditional white flowers (Sweet Woodruff) to float in white wine. It was good. I was a little tipsy.

What is you favourite ever film?
Groundhog Day always puts me in a good mood. I could watch it over, and over, and over ... well, you get the idea. Not only is it a humorous take on the classic redemption story, but the cinematography is well done.

What is the biggest life lesson you've learned from your kids?
Hmm. I've barely gotten started raising my child. Probably that much of what we get in life is incidental to what we think we want. Or rather, it's the other way around. And that a dispassionate attitude helps me get through all sorts of unpleasant things.

What song can't you get out of your head?
Pretty much any catchy thing I hear, tunes or songs. This ranges from fiddle tunes to Weird Al Yankovitch (Eat it), New England folk songs (Three Huntsmen Went A-Riding), and Bob Marley (Redemption). Whatever it is, I go around singing it in my head and sometimes out loud until it is either worn out or replaced.

Water of love/deep in the ground/for there ain't no water here to be found/someday baby when the river runs free/gonna carry that water of love to me/

It's sometimes hard for me to look for new songs on blip because once I am reminded of a great song, I'll hear it in my head for days and I don't really want to hear anything else!

What book do you know you should read but refuse to?
Most of what 0prah promotes, for instance. There are some great books out there, but if everyone is raving about something, I automatically suspect it is overhyped. I prefer to discover great books on my own. I browse through the library, friends' bookshelves, the used bookstore and some newspaper book reviews. Some books I know I should read, but I have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. That can take years.

What is your physical abnormality/abnormal physical ability?
Thanks to the podiatrist I visited last year, I know that a little bone in my knee isn't straight, thus throwing off my gait just enough to give me foot problems at times.

Okay, that's it! Thanks for reading!
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The Latest Meme Filler

I have nothing to write about right now. All the good stuff is too personal to share on the web at the moment, and my brain is too befuzzled to come up with alternate interesting stuff. So, I swiped a meme from ThisWoman'sWork, e voila! A post! I'll be back later with actual substance.


1) In five words, explain what ended your last friendship?

Crazy vindictive narcissistic tantrum self-respect

2) How was your prom night?

I didn't go. Too shy.

3) Do you have any famous relatives?

My great-uncle was a semi-famous artist, at least in New England writer-painter circles. He also drew an old-fashioned comic strip that nobody remembers any more.

4) Have you taken out loans to pay for college?

No.

5) What did you receive last in the mail?

A pledge card for a Senate campaign.

6) What beverages have you drank today?

Water.

7) Do you leave nasty messages on people’s answering machines?

Nope. If I'm going to go through the bother of being nasty, I save it for in person!

8 ) What’s the most painful surgical procedure you’ve had done?

You mean I have to pick only one? Dental surgery? How about the laparoscopy that screwed up my inner ear for a week?

9) What is out your back door?

A concrete slab. A cinder blog. A blue tarp. A cat skeleton (haven't decided what to do with it yet). Loads of overgrown bushes.

10) Do you usually go out on the weekends?

Except for dancing, no.

11) Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

NO.

12) Have you ever visited a planetarium or do you even know what one is?

Yes, many times over the years. We are lucky to have a local planetarium with lots of interesting programs.

13) What is your favorite flavor of pudding?

Chocolate or pistachio.

14) Describe your keychains:

A simple ring with an LED light, a tiny swiss army knife, and car/house keys attached. I don't keep track of my hub's keychain except it has a very cool red-light LED I gave him that he likes to use during observing sessions.

15) Where do you keep your change?

In my wallet in the change pocket.

16) When was the last time you got up and spoke in front of a large crowd?

I called a contra dance to a crowd of ~100 people a couple weekends ago. I talk all night.

17) What kind of winter coat do you have?

Long, wool, dark green. Downside: it has massive shoulder pads. Upside: I only wear it a couple weeks out of the year, and it keeps me toasty warm.

18) What was the weather like on your graduation day?

Sunny.

19) Do you sleep with the door to your bedroom open or closed?

Open to allow free passage of air and cats.

20) Is there anything purple within 20 feet of you?

A small purple stapler, purple post-it notepads, post card of the Grand Canyon, the walls of my bedroom.

21) What is the strangest thing you’ve put in the microwave?

I don't remember. Maybe my buckwheat hull neck heater.

22) Can you speak any Japanese?

Maybe Sayonara? Konishiwa! Sushi!

23) Do you look good in the color yellow?

Heck, no.

24) Do you spit or smoke?

Yuck, no.

25) What is your favorite color(s)?

I like so many colors that I never know what to say. Purples, greens.

26) Ever played an instrument?

Piano and violin in 4th grade. Attempted again in later years, but without much success.

27) Do you believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch?

No.

28) Ever been to a palm reader?

No, but I had an international friend read my palm at a party once 23 years ago.

29) Did they tell you the truth about your future?

What do you mean, "truth"? They said I'd be rich but have no kids. How far in the future would that apply?

30) What are you thinking about at this very moment?

Errands to do, friends to talk to.

31) Have you ever received a black eye?

No.

32) What is your biggest current disappointment?

Hmmm. That I'm not going to be able to visit my cousin in Tampa next Jan or Feb as I had hoped. But it's not too bad because it's due to a bigger satisfaction, so it evens out.

33) What are some of your favorite drinks?

Limeade, real ginger ale, chocolate malted milkshake.

34) Do you have anything that hurts on your body at this time?

My neck/back (a little), a little nausea.

35) Have you ever ridden in a taxi?

Yes, returning from the airport after my trip to Italy. The car was 4-5 times as long as most Italian cars; I felt like I was riding in a tank.

36) What is the last alcoholic drink you had?

An ounce of chocolate port with a chocolate dessert - Yum! My friend was giving me a thank-you lunch for helping her with brides' tasks. This was several years ago.

37) Did you do anything special last night?

No.

38) What is your very favorite food?

It's usually a toss up between ice cream and sushi.


Okay! That's it! More stuff later.