It’s Not You… It’s Me. Oh, Wait. It is You.
dimanche, mars 25, 2007
Me: Hmm.
Mom: You do bathe every day, right?
Me: Mommy, Mommy… can we talk about important things?
Mom: …
While I was in one of Peace Corps book closets (BTW- There is some weird junk in the PC libraries… makes me wonder about my fellow volunteers… :/) the other day, I was thinking about how funny it is that books (I suppose movies/tv, also) are very much like people. What sparked this epiphany? Well, as some of you already know I am a major BookWhore™. Ya know how kids stash candy, magazines, and various other naughty things under their pillows and mattresses (or in the case of my thoughtful residents, in the shared folders on the network servers)? So when Mommy would come in to turn off the light…You know the deal. Listen for the receding footsteps… wait a few more moments… and whip it out. Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would be whipping out a Norton anthology and a flashlight. I would read several books a week (still do); you wouldn’t believe how many novels I read during my Genetic Engineering class. Anywho, my point is that I am always so caught up in BookLust™ , that I very rarely reread any of them.
You know the type. You pick it up cuz it catches your eye for no specific reason (or for several VERY specific ones); and you just cannot put it down. Not only that, but you have reread it several times. And it seems to get better each time. Almost as if it rewrites itself… like an autonomous robot. You want to have a cigarette after each read. And you’re not even a smoker.
Book Examples: A Wrinkle in Time, The Count of Monte Cristo, H2G2, etc.
People Examples: Angelina Jolie, Me, etc.
The Diamond in the Rough
That is one hideous-looking book over there in the corner… And what is that label it is wearing? Never heard of it. It is quite easy to avoid (or to altogether, fail to notice) the wallflower. No glamour, no glitz, no recognizable name. You cannot even tell what it is about by its title. But you decide to read it anyway; and you’re glad that you did:]
Book/Movie Examples: Flowers for Algernon, The Parable of the Sower, etc.
People Examples: Hahaha… hehehehe… teeheehee… hohoho… :D!
What is right, is rarely popular. And what is popular, (although often amusing as a form of entertainment) is rarely right. [i.e. –My Super Sweet 16, Flavor of Love, The DaVinci Code, Hummers, Leaders of Certain Free Nations – ya like how discrete I was there, huh? Big Brother is watching:p Especially now that someone linked my blog to the freakin Peace Corps Blog directory! >:O Who did it?! Thanks a lot, poopyface!! :::breathes fire!:::]… So, there’s that new book that everyone who is anyone has been talking about. And yah, it’s pretty-looking. But being intelligent, you initially avoid it like the plague. Until one day, out of a mixture of curiosity and boredom (and the fact that it was basically dropped in your lap), you decide to give it a shot. Lo, and behold! It has substance! Perhaps there is still a shred of hope left for mankind.
Book Examples: Harry Potter, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Me Talk Pretty One Day, etc.
People Examples: Edward Norton, Will Smith, etc.
To this day you do not know what made you lightly brush off your girls when they asked you this question. You just liked it, okay?! Your girls gave the cover of that one a quick once-over. They did not even need to see the book jacket. They just told you to put that mess down and to spend your time on bigger and better things. A part of you said that you should listen… but… why don’t they see how charming this little gem is?! After a brief (read- too long) infatuation, you also begin to wonder why you thought this one was so great. Good thing the next Harry Potter comes out soon.
Movie Examples: Save the Last Dance (Yah, yah. Leave me alone:p), Bring It On, etc.
People Examples: Come on. You think I’d take the cheap shot? Besides, in the words of DC3 “Cuz my momma taught me better than that!”
Okay. So you saw this wreck coming from miles away. But it was just so… SHINY!! Promising hours of sheer amusement and/or terror! You needed a senseless laugh that day. Man, YouTube is so great. You pick this one up… try to read it several times… have no idea what is going on or why… You eventually finish it… and you still have no idea what happened or why. But it had some pure schadenfreude moments.
Movie Examples: Welcome to the Dollhouse, Scary Movie, etc. (You laughed/cried too!)
People Examples: Jessie Spano when she was “So Excited.” Screech and his… erm… film debut.
Do you have a book or movie (or person:]) to add to one of these categories? I’m always up for recommendations, so leave me a comment :]
In Other News:
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO:
Kanene Jean!!! Miss you, Girl! Have a good one! Hope your man buys you something divine! :D I bet he doesn’t make you exploding not-so-microwaveable cookies :D! Though, that was all you… :/ When do I get my wedding invitation? :p
Sheldon!! :D Miss you, too! Hope you are not working too hard and find time to hold it down in the
posted by Me at 8:51 AM
9 comments
I Probably Think This Song is About Me
dimanche, mars 11, 2007
Earlier this week, I was having a super-fly day. My French was flowing like a gentle brook. I was understanding (or, at least, I thought that I was understanding… hmm… maybe that dude didn’t want me to pee into that cup…) some Fufulde. My clothes were clean. I was on top of my paperwork. I was making progress with the women’s group (some of you may recall the Infamous Pitoa Pousse-Pousse Disaster of 2006). In short, I could paint with all of the colors of the wind.
Anyhow, I got this electronic Sudoku thing for Christmas (Thanks Kwasifer!) and I have gotten into the habit of completing a puzzle from each level, each day. I flew through the levels, beating all of my record times. I was speeding through the last level (previous record: 4 min. 38 sec), when I caught a glimpse of something startling reflected in the screen. Puzzled, I froze… with only 6 more cells to fill and a time of 3 min, 5 sec. It was ME!! I will take a moment to remind you that I have no mirrors in my house (which is the last of my concerns, as far as things lacking in my house). I was so excited that I was finally gonna beat the most difficult level in well under 4 minutes! So, I figured that I could afford to revel in this beauty for a moment before continuing on with my cerebral endeavor. And so, I did. Except… I guess that… in the world of beautiful things… time operates differently… Cuz when I finally came to, with a sigh of the exquisite nature, I saw that my time now read 20 minutes, 32 seconds… So, much for beating that record… Did I fall into a fleeting coma?
* As I have previously mentioned, I have a family of bats living in between the aluminum plates of my roof. They like to wake me up multiple times every night. After one particularly awful night, I was walking home from the health center and thinking murderous thoughts about my housemates. I returned home, unlocked the door, and lying on the floor in the doorway was a dead bat. 1 down, 49 to go… :::goes to apply to MENSA::: BTW- If you don’t know who River is… shame on you.
1. Finish your freakin work, before taking your pleasures (As if RPI didn’t teach me this, but I guess I needed a reminder).
2. Watch your thoughts… for they become your actions.
PS- If you hear an earth-shattering cry of anguish anytime soon... that is me, crying that the batteries in my Sudoku game have died.
PPS:
For my fellow volunteers... Okay, which one of you posted this? I congratulate you. Whoever it was, just want to let you know that we ALL feel you:
To-Do List
For my fellow Africans... and other interested weirdos. As some of you may know, Ghana recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary. I heard it was quite the party! Virtually every station coming through my shortwave has had commentary and shows on it. The BBC did a pretty good job, so podcast away:
BBC World Service
BBC Africa Have Your Say
NPR- Ghana's 50th
CN- Ghana Celebrates
Town Hall- Celebrating What?
All Africa- Ghana
All Africa- Ghana's Future
Joy Online- Ghana
posted by Me at 8:39 AM
4 comments