Gentle April Rain

It is a little rainy here today, breezy on the cool side. The kind of day you want to curl up on the couch with a book and a cup of mint tea, maybe with an oatmeal cookie or two. K and I went to the library last night and I got out two books – a newer Maeve Binchy, and one called “Something Dangerous” that was thick, with small type, and looked perfectly escapist  – when I’ll read them, I don’t know but I’m thinkin’ today would have been a perfect day to start, if that darn work didn’t get in the way.

 

I picked this poem because it seemed wonderfully whimsical, and whimsy is good thing on a Friday afternoon:

 

Weather

By Eve Merriam

 

Dot a dot dot dot a dot dot

Spotting the windowpane.

 

Spack a spack speck flick a flack fleck

Freckling the windowpane.

 

A spatter a scatter a wet cat a clatter

A splatter a rumble outside.

 

Umbrella umbrella umbrella umbrella

Bumbershoot barrel of rain.

 

Slosh a galosh slosh a galosh

Slither and slather a glide

 

A puddle a jump a puddle a jump

A puddle a jump puddle splosh

 

A juddle a pump a luddle a dump

A pudmuddle jump in and slide!

 

Apprentice Notes - Alex Goes Home

It’s sad, I know, that I care about this stupid show. But hey, at least I don’t watch American Idol! Cut me some slack!

 

(I don’t mean to totally rag on American Idol watchers – I follow the show through the 8 million recaps in the papers, and blogs, and TWP – so long, Constantine!)

 

So tonight’s task was to sell limited edition, artist designed t-shirts. Kendra and Craig, despite hating each other’s guts, managed to sell more of their shirts, albeit at a lower price, because they tipped off the artist’s fan base that they would have the shirts available for one day only. Tana and Alex lost because they had a crappy marketing strategy, although their shirts were higher priced and Tana’s “BeDazzling” of the shirts was popular with the customers.

 

I was kind of hoping that Kendra and Craig would hit the boardroom, if only because the cat-fight/shouting match that would ensue would have made excellent TV. . . And also I can’t stand Craig and I wanted him gone. For a while it looked like Tana would be the one fired, but then she brought up the fact that Alex has been on a number of losing teams and then Alex conveniently forgot how many time he lost as Project Manager, which totally sent Trump over the edge. In Alex’s exit monologue, he managed to be all ego, boasting that he has now learned how “easy it is” to start a business and be successful and he has a ton of ideas that he will start on tomorrow. Good luck, buddy! He always seemed to be good at setting other people up to fail, and then skating by blameless, so I was sooo happy to see him go. He should have gone two weeks ago, but for some odd reason Chris was given the axe – which was deserved, but just not for that task.

 

I’m betting on Kendra and Tana for the Final Two – if only because I have no faith in Craig’s condescending attitude. He’s no Kwame, that’s for sure . . . J

 

Balcony Garden Dreams

I’m in such a gardening mood today! I can’t wait until we can finally purchase stuff for our balcony and I can put some flowers and a couple of chairs out there. Until then, here is a poem along that theme.

 

City Garden

By Megan Harlan

 

After the restaurant, the miracle grew

so large we bought more wine,

took each other to bed. Outside, blocks of time

drifted from the traffic lights, and the ending

 

could not be told over the bus-brakes,

drunks and children wailing from the streets.

Like in any famous city, we could see no stars.

Astrology abandons us in times of excellence

 

and mischief. My best guess at forever

was the planter on the window-sill, filled with

store-bought herbs and soil, the Miracle-Gro

like a firmament of shameless chemical stars.

Sunshine - on my shoulder - makes me happy

. . . Opening up with a little John Denver for the crowd this morning. J

 

It’s another beautiful Spring day here in Northern VA. A beautiful blue sky with little fluffy clouds floating out in the distance. My mind wanders away from the task at hand, because the task I have at hand is, well, rather boring.

 

Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong . . .

 

Definitely not West Virginia, though. I am a misplaced Philadelphian and sometimes wish to return to the city of my youth. I realized the other day that I have now lived away from Philly much longer than I actually lived in it. I always call it home, even though, for all intent and purposes, Virginia is my home now. My husband is from a desert area of Southern California and is not that fond of big cities, so I doubt that we would ever be able to move back there. Not that I blame him – if I grew up running up and down mountains and strolling through open fields, I don’t think I’d be happy in a huge city either.

 

D.C.’s not that bad a place anyway – it’s a pretty small town, actually, smaller than you would think. Since I worked on a lot of local political campaigns in my 20s, I got to know, at least by sight, a ton of people. Also, the same 50 people tend to show up at the same local events so you get to know a bunch of people quick. “Oh yeah, I saw you at the Blah-Blah Cookout last week.”

 

The only problem I have with this area is that everyone is so job driven. I totally understand it, because if you come here it is because you want to make a difference, but sometimes I wish folks were a little more laid back and less frantic. But then it wouldn’t be D.C., would it? J

 

Anyway . . . I’ve lost my train of thought. I suppose I should actually do the work I get paid for now. I’ll probably revisit this another time – hope everyone is having a good day today!

. . . Another Call Done, 8 More to Go

My conference call is over and actually went pretty well. I’m not the best moderator because I don’t know how to tell people that they should kindly SHUT UP. You know - the sort of folks that commandeer a conference call with their minor insights on random things? Actually, I do think of things to say to them, but they would probably get me fired. But this month’s call, we had several guest speakers and a lot of important information to get out, so it was not as much of a problem.

 

Main point of call

 

• Changes to Medicare Part D = BAD
• Medicare recipients who need medications = SCREWED
• CMS’s outreach efforts to notify everyone about the changes in this important program = SUCKY. A message in a bottle thrown into the Pacific Ocean would inform people more effectively than what they are doing right now.

 

. . . To blow off steam, I am now reading the Television Without Pity review of last week’s The Apprentice. Yes, I actually do watch that show and yes, I actually enjoy it. I was bummed when Bren was fired, but you could tell he didn’t want to go through the hassle anymore – he purposely said the one thing that you knew Trump would fire him for. Yes, he was kind of sleazy, but given the folks who are left, he could have had a shot. Tana will probably go all the way unless she gets way too cocky – which it looks like has been happening the past few weeks. Craig is an idiot, especially the way he talks down to Kendra – if I were Kendra, I would have slapped him for his dripping condescension by now. Kendra seems kind of whiny and immature, but she does have some serious skills. Alex – ugh! I don’t even want to go there. He’s just all show. He thinks he’s the total Schwartz though . . .

 

Time to start winding down here at the office. Have choir practice tonight and hope to get some knitting in before bedtime, that is if I don’t fall asleep on the couch by 9:45 like I did last night. J

Sunlight peeking through the clouds

Man! The past few entries sound horrible . . . I swear that I am not suicidal or anything, just being moody. I’m really a cheerful, optimistic person normally, I swear.

 

. . . Can I also say that I love the “E-mail your post” feature of Blogger?  The formatting is sometimes funky, but it does make my life much easier.  J

 

Also on the good news front, I may not have to proof that proposal after all. The COO said that they someone had already asked someone else to do it, even though she is off-site. And he also said that he would have preferred that I did it anyway. It’s rare that folks give me spoken-out-loud credit for being good at stuff I do, so I lap it up eagerly.

 

My mood is improving! . . . And it doesn’t take much! J

 

Poems for a Cranky Day

I am having the crankiest time at work this week. Sometimes other people’s poems are the best way to describe how I feel when my own words are not forthcoming.

 

Did you ever feel like you are somewhere and stuff is happening all around you, but you are not really there and the whole thing is just surreal? That’s where I am right now. I need a change of scenery ASAP.

 

It is beautiful outside – a lovely, clear, sunny, Spring afternoon – and K and I took a short walk at lunch. I wish I could have just kept walking on home – there I would sit on the balcony in quiet, sitting among at the blooming trees, getting a good chunk of knitting done. M the cat sunning herself, me enjoying the breezes.

 

However, here I am, back inside, waiting to proofread a 100 page grant proposal that won’t be given to me until 4 PM, meanwhile editing some newsletters and getting ready for a conference call at 3. I’ll be burning the midnight oil again . . . oh, joy and rapture!

 

I hope my mood shifts soon . . . I’m sure this is such an uplifting read today.

 

The Big Bad Wolf Is Real

By Rane Arroyo

 

We don't leave our terrible jobs

as the same humans that showed up

with bag lunches and optimism because

of a good night's sleep. Something's

been milked from us, something that time

sells to abstract powers. No wonder

that happy hour is three hours long,

that rush to be useless. At least our sins

are ours, although profiteers have plans.

 

 

They Had Torn Off My Face at the Office

By Ted Kooser

 

They had torn off my face at the office.

The night that I finally noticed

that it was not growing back, I decided

to slit my wrists. Nothing ran out;

I was empty. Both of my hands fell off

shortly thereafter. Now at my job

they allow me to type with the stumps.

It pleases them to have helped me,

and I gain in speed and confidence.

 

Poem of the day

April is National Poetry Month.

 

I’ve been discovering a lot of new poets and am intrigued by all that is out there, so I may keep this up after the month is over . . .

 

This one felt right today. I’ve been in quite a bummer mood for the past few days – can’t quite tell why.

 

Man Drowning in Restaurant
By David Kirby

A man is drowning in a crowded restaurant.

Something about his meal upset him,

and he wanted to cry, but he was afraid

that the other customers would make fun of him,

so now he is filling up with his own tears.

Waitresses hurry past with cups of soup

and slices of pâté, plates of chicken and fish,

ice cream and coffee, while the drowning man

struggles to free himself from his light brown jacket

and cream shantung shirt, tries to kick off

his dark trousers, his brown shirt and white shoes.

 

He is an embarrassment to his friends.

He will have to drop his club memberships,

his fianceé will break with him,

and almost certainly he will lose his job,

but right now he is trying so hard to reach

the pure air near the ceiling
that he cannot begin to say what it is

that upset him so in the first place;

to drown has become his raison d'être.

 

The other customers continue to eat;

either everything is to their satisfaction

or they know better than to take disappointment

to heart. The drowning man wants them to notice

how well he drowns, but now they are putting on

their coats and unwrapping the little mints

the waitresses have given them along with their checks.

In the half-light of the empty restaurant

the drowning man looks like a dancer

doing something difficult but beautiful

and useless, something to live for.

 

 

 

 

Snapshots from an Ordinary Life

I picked this title because:

(1) My life is kind of . . . well, ordinary. At least compared to the people in the circles that I travel these days . . . I'm not a lawyer, or a lobbyist, or a journalist, or a consultant, or a fundraiser, or a defense contractor. My husband and I work for a teetering non-profit trying to do a lot of good in the world for bupkiss money, but which allows plenty of off hours to indulge our many interests.

(2) Snapshots are amazing things. They capture a moment in time for future generations to ponder. "What are they wearing? Why are they smiling? Why is he frowning? Hey, that building looks different!" Not that I have any pretensions of grandeur here, but I like to think of this blog as snapshots of my mood and thoughts at a given time. They may be wildly inconsistent, they may evolve over time, but they will be here.

I was always lousy at written journals. I would start off dutifully recording things every night and then a couple of days would pass, and then some more , and then next thing I know I'm looking at the last entry that says "May 4, 1999."

Since I read and comment on other people's blogs pretty regularly, I'm thinking that this should work a bit better.

If you've gotten this far, I really thank you for reading! This should be an interesting journey . . .

BOOKTAG! I'm IT . . .

I’ve only had my blog a few days, and I’ve already been booktagged by Justrose! Here’s my thoughts – feel free to critique.

you're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

I’d want to be The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe. The language! The imagery! The cadences! Being able to tell scary stories, recite poetry, and share Poe’s warped sense of humor.

The Cask of Amontillado: “The thousand injuries of Fortunado I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge . . .”
Annabel Lee: “It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea . . .”
The Raven: “Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume for forgotten lore . . .”

– See, I’m part of the way there already!

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Gilbert Blythe, Anne of Green Gables & Anne of Avonlea. Especially after watching the PBS miniseries . . .

The last book you bought is?

The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, by Eric Idle. I bought it for K for his birthday . . . and as soon as he’s done, it’s my turn!

What are you currently reading?

Michael Kelly’s Things Worth Fighting For. A first rate writer, editor and all around good person. I did not agree with all of his views, but I really respected his writing. Gone much too soon – K and I tried to go to the celebrity reading of his essays at Politics and Prose (local specialty bookstore) and we couldn’t get in – the place was packed. We did get to see Bob Woodward and Ted Koppel in person though (both are much shorter than you’d think.) Right after his death in Iraq, the WP reprinted a column he wrote about Christmas at his house with his two little boys that had me in a puddle of tears.

Five books on a desert island?

1. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
2. The Portable Dorothy Parker
3. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
4. The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe
5. The Collected Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

. . . and if I could smuggle two more in, I’d have to bring The Paris Review Book for Planes, Trains, and Waiting Rooms and The Paris Review Book of Heartbreak, Madness, Sex, Love, Betrayal, Outsiders, Intoxication, War, Whimsy, Horrors, God, Death, Dinner, Baseball, Travel. It is all about having variety!

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Goodness, I don’t know many other folks around me who blog . . . but if pressed, I might put it on the Fool message boards and see if my friends JT, RB and PD take the bait.

Oh, I guess it did work . . .

How odd . . . the e-mail had bounced back to me, but it did post. Oh, well.

Not Ignoring Anyone . . .

Got incredibly busy at work today, and I am trying to hold off on putting entries into my blog until I'm at home - otherwise I will get NO work done. :-)

Have to finish the booktag that justrose sent to me, rant about some stuff I read this weekend, and talk about the blog title . . .

Questions to anyone reading: How do you get the automatic emoticons? How do I get the post titles to automatically look different (such as different color and bold.) And has anyone successfully e-mailed posts to their blog? Inquiring minds want to know . . .

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 . . .

This will seem like an odd post, but I just wanted to see if I can actually update the blog by sending an e-mail, which will make constant posting MUCH easier for me.

I still have to finish the booktag that justrose sent me, explain the Blog name, AND comment on all of the interesting articles I read this weekend. Too many thougthts . . . not enough time!

The story begins

Today I finally started the blog I have been threatening to for ages.

I was thinking about it early this morning as I was running - and yes, I actually ran for 1 hour today! It was slow and steady, but I didn't stop. It was a gorgeous morning for running - it hadn't started raining yet, and it was a little cool - although you can tell that the humidity is atrting to roll in. I am training to do a 10 Mile race sometime in the summer and hope to do the Army 10 Miler in the fall. I have not been running long - I started two years ago when I barely finshed a 5K in Annapolis. I have come a long way, but it takes a lot of work and I have had many setbacks. My husband, K, is going to run in his *5th* Marine Corps Marathon this year, and I started running to be able to share in this activity someday. I also started running because I am in horrible shape and needed to do SOMETHING - and for running, in theory, all you need is a pair of shoes. (All of you who actually run will go "HA!" at this, but for a very beginner, yes, all you need are running shoes.)

At the moment, I am also trying to finish two knitting projects that I have - one, a baby blanket that needs to be finished by May, and another, a wrap for K's Grandmother that I need to finish by end of July. The problem is that I get SO distracted with all of the other stuff I need to be doing, and when I do try to focus on knitting I am usually exhausted and fall asleep in front of the TV, rather than work dilligently on my knitting. But now I have deadlines and people to give the projects to, so that should put my fanny in gear. :-)

I was also approached on Friday to take B&W photos at an anniversary party in December where a co-worker of mine is going to renew her vows. I was extremely flattered and now extremely freaked out - I've never taken pictures for a "real" event before, and I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. I haven't developed any pictures in months, but then I haven't had much time to practice. I work mostly with B&W film - I love working in the darkroom! - but K and I may have to invest in a decent digital by the end of the summer. In the meanwhile, I have many months to brush up on my skills and a couple of opportunities to do some event shooting before the end of the year.

What else is going on? Um, . . . K and I are still settling into the condo that we bought last summer. We are starting to list all of the improvements we need to make and things that need to be replaced - some sooner than later. We have no money to do so, but we'll get there some day. I have a lull in May where I have a bit of a vacation from teaching - I volunteer teach ESL in the area once a week, and the semester just ended and the next one starts in June. I love teaching - it is so much fun! - but English is . . . so hard to explain to people who were not born here. We have so many funky rules and exceptions and random words and slang and cultural references - I don't think I could learn a foreign language such as ours in such a short time - but most of my students are SUCH troopers!

Well, I hope that this is a good start, blogwise. Tomorrow, I may have to describe why I picked my Blog title . . .

. . . And We're Off!

Hello, everyone!

I am a first time blogger, so be kind! Over the next month or so things may be a little lean until I figure everything out and start setting everything up the way I like it.

To those who may wander their way over here, let me just send out a cheerful hello and a hearty handshake. This should be an interesting ride . . .

I'll try to get a good introductory paragraph together soon. Welcome!