Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Four
Formulae be damned. A friend asks me to do a meme, I have no good reason to refuse. Here you are Dale.
Four Jobs I have had.
Shelving books
I have worked in the Detroit and Salt Lake libraries for a total of about a decade. Always part time, always shelving books for minimal pay, usually going to school, and felt lucky to have had that. There is a wonderful zen quality to putting books in order. I know Dewey by heart. And I had a list of books to read always in my mind. I cannot ever return books on time today, because for so long I worked in libraries - staff are not charged overdues. I consider it my way of giving back to pay the fines these days. After I was working as an RN, and making a living wage, I returned as a volunteer,giving tours at the new library in Salt Lake , signed up to be a docent because I couldn't wait to see inside as it was being built. I saw it before floors were in. Maybe when I eventually retire, I can shelve books again.
Radio DJ
I didn't want to go to college right out of high school. Didn't know what to study, didn't feel smart enough. Odd, since I was offered a Merit Scholarship, full ride, on the strength of my SAT and ACTs, the highest in my school. I instead took a radio announcer course, and at the end got hired at an automated country station in northern Michigan. I produced local radio spots, and recorded weather and traffic annoucements, and sat there while the tapes played. I made sure it kept working and built up a tolerance for country music. It was an awful, lonely, strange interlude in my life. I was very young, and miserable, and had no adequate coping mechanisms. But I got to see SCTV when it was great.
Podiatrist assistant
While failing as an acting student, I lucked into a weird little job working for a podiatrist who was forced to be a doctor by his parents. I washed feet and took x-rays and pushed the doctor from room to room. I was a good gopher, and I liked the patients, and it was a preliminary experiment that showed promising results.
Dance instructor
It was, as a business, selling and a bit of a scam. But I can dance, and I can teach, so I liked that part. Got fired because I wouldn't push people into the high priced packages.
Perioperative RN.
It has marked me. And so I stand with my hands close in front of me, held between nipples and navel level. I think it polite to cross my arms and turn my back on others. I can go an entire day not saying anything not directly related to the job. I can put away utensils by the pile with one hand. I rarely drop anything without catching it, but if it drops below my waist, it's gone. My husband takes scissors and pens as I drop them into his hand in the manner he can immediately use them, as well as any surgeon takes an instrument. I hate watching TV shows with operating room scenes.
Four movies I can watch over and over.
Life of Brian
For all the silliness, it is real history, and has a heart. And the funniest full frontal nudity ever. So much intelligence and knowledge in an exuberantly ridiculous film.
Rivers and Tides
Real philosophy, genuine art. The art I would do, had I any talent. Resonant and lovely and powerful. I like putting the movie on as background when friends are gathered, and watch as it sucks them in, unobtrusively compelling. Andy Goldsworthy is an enlightened master, quietly doing what he does.
Princess Bride
So fun, so warm, so full of wonderful dialogue and wit, so very silly and endearing. With fabulous fight scenes. "I'm left handed too."
Seven Samurai
Breathtaking and complex and the stuff of myth, never ceasing to be human and vulnerable and genuine and humorous. Kurosawa and Mifune and Shimura.
Four places I have lived
Detroit
First two decades of my life. A dirty old town, good if you got money, which I ain't. A place to be from. Detroiters are not more violent than anyone else. We are just better shots.
Kalkaska
Just south of Traverse City. It has a giant fiberglass trout. It has lots of pine trees. When I was there, it had two stoplights, that local sheriffs ignored.
Salt Lake City
A strange place with a vibrant subculture if you know where to look. Great brew pubs. I lived between the Opening Ceremony venue and the Medal stages during the 2002 Troubles. No, I'm not Mormon.
Boston
An easy place to love, a difficult place to live. Not having to have a car, in fact better not, is the best. I love not driving. Trains are cool. And, yes, I do like winter.
Four tv shows I love to watch.
New Tricks
From the BBC and PBS. Wow. Just a police procedural, but well written, and such wonderful older Brit actors.
Joan of Arcadia
Charm and an honest exploration of god, on TV. Astonishing. What if god were one of us, indeed? Not sad it ended, since it was about to jump the shark, but those ideas, those characters, will live on with me.
Frank's Place
An old show that didn't last long, but it was so well written, it tackled race face on. I still miss it. Strange Luck as well.
COPS!
My guilty pleasure. I cannot defend it.
Four places I've been on vacation
Lava Hot Springs
Getting older while soaking in hot water while snow falls on my head is just fine.
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Bagpipes. Parades with big bellied men with faces painted on said tums. And my mother signing out $10 & $20 traveler checks to pay $300 to fix the transmission.
Moab
Red Rock country, bare and stark beauty. Switching entrees in a restaurant, each liking what the other ordered.
Ocean Beach
Friends and surf, and a restaurant on a pier heaving as a storm blew in. Hot cocoa and chili fries.
Four blogs I visit daily
Random Acts of Reality
London EMT, that particular sense of humor.
LanguageHat
What is the difference between an entomologist and an etymologist? Only the etymologist knows for sure.
Blue Abstractions
Best friend, as I hope for a new post.
Bob Ishmael
Hoping for a post at all.
Four favorite foods
Chocolate
Obviously.
Eggs on toast
Fried eggs with chipotle pepper, on maple raisin bread with smoked mozzarella cheese.
Oranges with candles
So you peel the orange, close to a candle.Then you twist the peels into the flame. The volatile oils are, well. Um. I have some pyro tendencies.
Hot and sour soup
From Wok 'n Roll. They mean it when they say hot.
Four places I'd rather be
Nearer friends, but still here.
In a hot tub or hot springs.
Being massaged, a real professional therapeutic full on, breathing through the pain massage.
Nowhere at all, I am in the best place. Everywhere is here anyway.
Four albums I love. No, only bands, or singers. MP3's mean I don't listen to albums, and have not for years now.
Joan Osborn
She rocks.
3 Mustafas 3
They still take my breath away, and make me dance.
They Might Be Giants
So witty and wonderful, and in concert, they rock. And they have a rock to wind a string around.
Squirrel Nut Zippers
They rock and swing.
Four vehicles I've owned
Banged up, second-hand, blue, no-speed, coaster brakes, bicycle.
LPCs (leather personnel carriers)
MBTA
Emerald green neon.
Four others, to pass the chain on...
Moira
Bob Ishmael
Mary
Udge
There would be more, but I'm tired of urls. Feel free to consider yourself "it" if you have posted a comment, ever.
Four Jobs I have had.
Shelving books
I have worked in the Detroit and Salt Lake libraries for a total of about a decade. Always part time, always shelving books for minimal pay, usually going to school, and felt lucky to have had that. There is a wonderful zen quality to putting books in order. I know Dewey by heart. And I had a list of books to read always in my mind. I cannot ever return books on time today, because for so long I worked in libraries - staff are not charged overdues. I consider it my way of giving back to pay the fines these days. After I was working as an RN, and making a living wage, I returned as a volunteer,giving tours at the new library in Salt Lake , signed up to be a docent because I couldn't wait to see inside as it was being built. I saw it before floors were in. Maybe when I eventually retire, I can shelve books again.
Radio DJ
I didn't want to go to college right out of high school. Didn't know what to study, didn't feel smart enough. Odd, since I was offered a Merit Scholarship, full ride, on the strength of my SAT and ACTs, the highest in my school. I instead took a radio announcer course, and at the end got hired at an automated country station in northern Michigan. I produced local radio spots, and recorded weather and traffic annoucements, and sat there while the tapes played. I made sure it kept working and built up a tolerance for country music. It was an awful, lonely, strange interlude in my life. I was very young, and miserable, and had no adequate coping mechanisms. But I got to see SCTV when it was great.
Podiatrist assistant
While failing as an acting student, I lucked into a weird little job working for a podiatrist who was forced to be a doctor by his parents. I washed feet and took x-rays and pushed the doctor from room to room. I was a good gopher, and I liked the patients, and it was a preliminary experiment that showed promising results.
Dance instructor
It was, as a business, selling and a bit of a scam. But I can dance, and I can teach, so I liked that part. Got fired because I wouldn't push people into the high priced packages.
Perioperative RN.
It has marked me. And so I stand with my hands close in front of me, held between nipples and navel level. I think it polite to cross my arms and turn my back on others. I can go an entire day not saying anything not directly related to the job. I can put away utensils by the pile with one hand. I rarely drop anything without catching it, but if it drops below my waist, it's gone. My husband takes scissors and pens as I drop them into his hand in the manner he can immediately use them, as well as any surgeon takes an instrument. I hate watching TV shows with operating room scenes.
Four movies I can watch over and over.
Life of Brian
For all the silliness, it is real history, and has a heart. And the funniest full frontal nudity ever. So much intelligence and knowledge in an exuberantly ridiculous film.
Rivers and Tides
Real philosophy, genuine art. The art I would do, had I any talent. Resonant and lovely and powerful. I like putting the movie on as background when friends are gathered, and watch as it sucks them in, unobtrusively compelling. Andy Goldsworthy is an enlightened master, quietly doing what he does.
Princess Bride
So fun, so warm, so full of wonderful dialogue and wit, so very silly and endearing. With fabulous fight scenes. "I'm left handed too."
Seven Samurai
Breathtaking and complex and the stuff of myth, never ceasing to be human and vulnerable and genuine and humorous. Kurosawa and Mifune and Shimura.
Four places I have lived
Detroit
First two decades of my life. A dirty old town, good if you got money, which I ain't. A place to be from. Detroiters are not more violent than anyone else. We are just better shots.
Kalkaska
Just south of Traverse City. It has a giant fiberglass trout. It has lots of pine trees. When I was there, it had two stoplights, that local sheriffs ignored.
Salt Lake City
A strange place with a vibrant subculture if you know where to look. Great brew pubs. I lived between the Opening Ceremony venue and the Medal stages during the 2002 Troubles. No, I'm not Mormon.
Boston
An easy place to love, a difficult place to live. Not having to have a car, in fact better not, is the best. I love not driving. Trains are cool. And, yes, I do like winter.
Four tv shows I love to watch.
New Tricks
From the BBC and PBS. Wow. Just a police procedural, but well written, and such wonderful older Brit actors.
Joan of Arcadia
Charm and an honest exploration of god, on TV. Astonishing. What if god were one of us, indeed? Not sad it ended, since it was about to jump the shark, but those ideas, those characters, will live on with me.
Frank's Place
An old show that didn't last long, but it was so well written, it tackled race face on. I still miss it. Strange Luck as well.
COPS!
My guilty pleasure. I cannot defend it.
Four places I've been on vacation
Lava Hot Springs
Getting older while soaking in hot water while snow falls on my head is just fine.
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Bagpipes. Parades with big bellied men with faces painted on said tums. And my mother signing out $10 & $20 traveler checks to pay $300 to fix the transmission.
Moab
Red Rock country, bare and stark beauty. Switching entrees in a restaurant, each liking what the other ordered.
Ocean Beach
Friends and surf, and a restaurant on a pier heaving as a storm blew in. Hot cocoa and chili fries.
Four blogs I visit daily
Random Acts of Reality
London EMT, that particular sense of humor.
LanguageHat
What is the difference between an entomologist and an etymologist? Only the etymologist knows for sure.
Blue Abstractions
Best friend, as I hope for a new post.
Bob Ishmael
Hoping for a post at all.
Four favorite foods
Chocolate
Obviously.
Eggs on toast
Fried eggs with chipotle pepper, on maple raisin bread with smoked mozzarella cheese.
Oranges with candles
So you peel the orange, close to a candle.Then you twist the peels into the flame. The volatile oils are, well. Um. I have some pyro tendencies.
Hot and sour soup
From Wok 'n Roll. They mean it when they say hot.
Four places I'd rather be
Nearer friends, but still here.
In a hot tub or hot springs.
Being massaged, a real professional therapeutic full on, breathing through the pain massage.
Nowhere at all, I am in the best place. Everywhere is here anyway.
Four albums I love. No, only bands, or singers. MP3's mean I don't listen to albums, and have not for years now.
Joan Osborn
She rocks.
3 Mustafas 3
They still take my breath away, and make me dance.
They Might Be Giants
So witty and wonderful, and in concert, they rock. And they have a rock to wind a string around.
Squirrel Nut Zippers
They rock and swing.
Four vehicles I've owned
Banged up, second-hand, blue, no-speed, coaster brakes, bicycle.
LPCs (leather personnel carriers)
MBTA
Emerald green neon.
Four others, to pass the chain on...
Moira
Bob Ishmael
Mary
Udge
There would be more, but I'm tired of urls. Feel free to consider yourself "it" if you have posted a comment, ever.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Monday, January 09, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Exception
I don't do this, but I laughed so, and it is New Year's Day, so here is my utterly atypical post. Via Language Hat.
http://www.languagehat.com/
Joy to all.
"I'm in New York for the American Philosophical Association's Eastern Division meetings, and I'm having breakfast at the Art Cafe on Broadway, at 52nd Street. It's all bustling efficiency, staff zooming hither and thither. Two eggs up with bacon and wheat toast arrive within a couple of minutes. Suddenly there's a shattering crash from behind the counter, and the Greek proprietor is looking down mournfully at the coffee cup he dropped on the tile floor to smash into a thousand pieces. Four or five nearby waitresses turn in shock. For two seconds of silence they stare at the scene of the accident. And then one of the waitresses yells excitedly: "Opa!" — the traditional Greek cry of encouragement to dancers and musicians and drinkers at those wild parties where they smash plates on the floor as they dance just to show what a great time is being had. And then the entire staff cracks up, and they all resume working at high speed, but now laughing till tears come to their eyes — the boss included. It's only breakfast time in New York, but already, thanks to one well-chosen interjection, it's like a party."
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002737.html
http://www.languagehat.com/
Joy to all.
"I'm in New York for the American Philosophical Association's Eastern Division meetings, and I'm having breakfast at the Art Cafe on Broadway, at 52nd Street. It's all bustling efficiency, staff zooming hither and thither. Two eggs up with bacon and wheat toast arrive within a couple of minutes. Suddenly there's a shattering crash from behind the counter, and the Greek proprietor is looking down mournfully at the coffee cup he dropped on the tile floor to smash into a thousand pieces. Four or five nearby waitresses turn in shock. For two seconds of silence they stare at the scene of the accident. And then one of the waitresses yells excitedly: "Opa!" — the traditional Greek cry of encouragement to dancers and musicians and drinkers at those wild parties where they smash plates on the floor as they dance just to show what a great time is being had. And then the entire staff cracks up, and they all resume working at high speed, but now laughing till tears come to their eyes — the boss included. It's only breakfast time in New York, but already, thanks to one well-chosen interjection, it's like a party."
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002737.html
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