I am wondering tonight if I lack a sense of humor or whether television, in particular the Comedy channel, lacks humor.
Kyle is often drawn to this channel, but I spend most of my time surfing the web and shaking my head in dismay at all the stupid stuff. But then I wonder, do I just lack a sense of humor? After all, I was in the 1.1% of humans that didn't really "get" the hangover. Everyone vowed it was the funniest movie of all time! And yes, I laughed a few times, but my "funniest movie of all time" meter was not chiming.
I do laugh sometimes, though. I even snort a little if I get really tickled. Then I'm embarrassed and I try to stop laughing all-together which only makes me snort again!
I am trying to think tonight what movies I would rate among funniest of all time. Steve Carrell's Dan in Real Life is in the top ten. Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes are a favorite way of unwinding from a particularly wretched week. And National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase will always be held in high esteem for its ability to capture my memories of family Christmases. A recent favorite was Baby Mama which made me fall in love with Tina Fey. The Doris Day/Rock Hudson combo always makes me laugh. And of course, Amelie will always be my favorite romantic comedy.
I realize as I write this, that despite the insane number of DVDs we own in this home, there are very few that make me laugh out loud. It's not because none of them are funny. I think I just fail to see the humor in most things. I am drawn much more strongly to dramas. I prefer stories of agonizing decisions, compelling strengths, and heart-wrenching situations. It's not that I don't like to laugh, but it's more that I "get" drama, whereas it often escapes me as to why something is funny. It's as if I can understand sadness and seriousness, and I can't quite grasp or see why or how some things are supposed to be funny.
But sometimes, a person just needs to laugh, already! So, leave me a comment with the title of your favorite funny film or sitcom, and I'll make a list to watch on days when I need some humor to lighten up life.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Froggy
I've had my froggy, Petrie, for about 8 months now, and I never get tired of seeing his cute little froggy face.
He gets wildly active at times, zipping around the aquarium and bouncing off the glass walls. Our three lovely large snails routinely get bumped into and sink to the bottom of the tank. Then they restart their trek to the top of the aquarium until they get slammed into by Petrie once again. It happens repeatedly.
All I have to do is tap on the lid to the aquarium and he bobs to the surface, ready and eager for a bite to eat. It doesn't matter how many times a day I do this, he reacts the same way every time. If I would allow it, he'd be the size of a bullfrog by now and would have eaten us out of house and home.
He doesn't have teeth, so it's especially entertaining to put my finger in the water and have him jump up out of it like a bass after a fisherman's fly. He latches onto my finger with jaws of steel, and then releases, plopping back into the water. He will do this as long as I stand there.
This plastic flower is one of his favorite "toys". I had it securely rooted in the rocks at the bottom of the aquarium, but one day it came loose and drifted to the top. Petrie discovered how much fun it can be to swim into it and cause it to swirl around. I just left it floating in the water. I couldn't take away something that brought him so much pleasure and makes me laugh out loud at him.
Petrie is a delight and has an amazingly big personality for something so little. He never fails to bring a smile to my face, even on the roughest of days.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Have We Learned Nothing?
Before you read my post today, you might want to check out this article from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle:
Schools Prohibit Anti-Hate Banner
To sum it up, the school board in Wheatland, Wyoming voted to remove anti-hate banners from school walls because the anti-bullying and tolerance campaign is sponsored in part by a gay and lesbian organization. According to Mr. Dunham of the board, Wheatland is an "ultraconservative community" and the community is not yet ready to accept "that group".
That group.
Generally I am proud of my home state of Wyoming. I love the open spaces and they way most people offer a friendly wave when I drive by. I love the wildlife, the bright blue sky and the sense that I'm living in a little piece of heaven. But when I see judgmental people like those on the Wheatland school board and in every small community across the state, I wish I lived in a more open-minded place where tolerance is not only promoted but expected.
Has it really been so long, Wyoming, that we've already forgotten a young man named Matthew Shephard? Did his life stand for nothing? Because I thought his life stood for the importance of teaching and promoting tolerance. Did we learn nothing from the devastating impact his death had on our glorious state? Because, as I recall, every Wyomingite that was interviewed by the national media at that time emphatically proclaimed that Matt's killers were not representative of the people or of the sentiment in Wyoming. Yet, here we are. Promoting intolerance. What an absolute disgrace to our great state. What an absolute shame! Shame on you, Wheatland school board, and shame on your supporters.
Short lesson: Tolerance is not equivalent to acceptance, nor does tolerance promote that which is tolerated. It means to agree in allowing the right of something that one does not approve.
Today I am not proud of being a Wyomingite. Not that the attitudes expressed in Wyoming this week haven't been expressed in every state and every town across the nation, but because we had such an opportunity to learn and grow when Matthew was killed in 1998. And clearly, we've still got a long way to go.
Schools Prohibit Anti-Hate Banner
To sum it up, the school board in Wheatland, Wyoming voted to remove anti-hate banners from school walls because the anti-bullying and tolerance campaign is sponsored in part by a gay and lesbian organization. According to Mr. Dunham of the board, Wheatland is an "ultraconservative community" and the community is not yet ready to accept "that group".
That group.
Generally I am proud of my home state of Wyoming. I love the open spaces and they way most people offer a friendly wave when I drive by. I love the wildlife, the bright blue sky and the sense that I'm living in a little piece of heaven. But when I see judgmental people like those on the Wheatland school board and in every small community across the state, I wish I lived in a more open-minded place where tolerance is not only promoted but expected.
Has it really been so long, Wyoming, that we've already forgotten a young man named Matthew Shephard? Did his life stand for nothing? Because I thought his life stood for the importance of teaching and promoting tolerance. Did we learn nothing from the devastating impact his death had on our glorious state? Because, as I recall, every Wyomingite that was interviewed by the national media at that time emphatically proclaimed that Matt's killers were not representative of the people or of the sentiment in Wyoming. Yet, here we are. Promoting intolerance. What an absolute disgrace to our great state. What an absolute shame! Shame on you, Wheatland school board, and shame on your supporters.
Short lesson: Tolerance is not equivalent to acceptance, nor does tolerance promote that which is tolerated. It means to agree in allowing the right of something that one does not approve.
Today I am not proud of being a Wyomingite. Not that the attitudes expressed in Wyoming this week haven't been expressed in every state and every town across the nation, but because we had such an opportunity to learn and grow when Matthew was killed in 1998. And clearly, we've still got a long way to go.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Crafter's Paradise...
I am a firm believer that there are two keys to a happy marriage. 1) A woman should always have her own bathroom. 2) If possible, each person should have his/her own space to create - be it paint, write, craft, daydream, etc. If these two pieces fall into place, a couple can get through anything.
I spent much of late November and early December creating my own craft space. It occupies one half of our office, and has slowly been transformed into a place that I can keep my paper-crafting supplies neatly organized and at my fingertips. Because, really, who wants to craft when it takes two hours to take everything out, three hours to fit it all back where it gets stored, and the crafter has no idea what her supply inventory even contains?
I knew that an essential piece of my craft area was to have sufficient containers for my various writing and coloring supplies. Anyone who knows me know what a hoarder of writing instruments I am, and I need a nice place to store my Sharpies, Le Plume pens and colored pencils. Target has a wonderful $1 area that sometimes has some really nifty little items. I found these adorable little buckets there, and I loved that they hang with pink ribbons. So with the help of Scotch brand sticky hangers, I was able to devote plenty of space to storage of pens and scissors without using precious work table room.
Because, come on! Just think about all the potential for amazing ideas to happen here!
I spent much of late November and early December creating my own craft space. It occupies one half of our office, and has slowly been transformed into a place that I can keep my paper-crafting supplies neatly organized and at my fingertips. Because, really, who wants to craft when it takes two hours to take everything out, three hours to fit it all back where it gets stored, and the crafter has no idea what her supply inventory even contains?
I knew that an essential piece of my craft area was to have sufficient containers for my various writing and coloring supplies. Anyone who knows me know what a hoarder of writing instruments I am, and I need a nice place to store my Sharpies, Le Plume pens and colored pencils. Target has a wonderful $1 area that sometimes has some really nifty little items. I found these adorable little buckets there, and I loved that they hang with pink ribbons. So with the help of Scotch brand sticky hangers, I was able to devote plenty of space to storage of pens and scissors without using precious work table room.
Next, I wanted something that could store all my tiny embellishments, (think brads, clips, and little adornments). I found an amazing little spice rack that works perfectly. The lids are clear and they screw on, so no unfortunate spills. The containers holding the embellishments have a magnetic bottom that sticks to a metal tray that they all sit in. I can hang the tray on the wall, or leave it sitting on my desk. It is the perfect solution to my challenge of storing tiny but lovely pieces.
Ribbon and letter stamps can be hard to store, but they are fun to put in clear containers because it makes it easy to find what I am looking for as well as add a little decor to a room.
As any person who crafts a lot knows, there are a lot of odds and ends that take up space and need to be accessible but neatly stored. I'm a bit of a neat freak, so I like a place for everything and everything in its place. And if that place can be labeled, even better! So, with the help of some shelving cubes and Rubbermaid storage baskets from Target, I organized the rest of my supplies here and then used my new handy-dandy labelmaker to give everything a permanent home.
Paper storage was the hardest element of organizing my supplies. Obviously you don't want it getting bent, creased or folded. It comes in so many shapes and sizes it can be complicated to figure out how to group it and where to put it. My solution came in finding 3 drawer organizers that held my 12x12 papers flat. Those are the bins that are in the top part of the organization picture. I divided those papers by color, floral, striped, patterned, holiday, solids, etc. For the remaining solid papers in 8x8 and 81/2 by 11 I put magazine holders on the bottom row and tried to sort by color.
Now I have a beautiful crafting area, and I put it by the window hoping to get as much natural light as possible in these short winter days. The only problem is, I am so content with it being all organized, I hesitate to actually sit down and craft! I have to get over this silliness.
I think I need a little bit larger worktable, though, because this one is too rocky and too crowded. But it's time I kept waiting for the area to be perfect and just started to enjoy using it.
A Dream...
It would be a dream come true to attend one of Natalie Goldberg's workshops. I'm going to start saving my pennies now, and maybe by the time I am 60 I will be able to afford one.
Natalie Goldberg Workshop
Natalie Goldberg Workshop
And So It Begins...
I decided to start a blog because I can't seem to keep a commitment I made to myself to write every day. I haven't even been journaling consistently. I thought that if I had a pretty new blog to write in, I might be more inspired. And even though I miss the feel of a pen in my hand and a fresh sheet of notebook paper in front of me, I have to admit that I love how much faster my typing fingers can keep up with my monkey mind, and I also love having a thesaurus and dictionary at the end of my fingertips.
I spent two days decorating my new blog. It was a bit more complicated than I originally expected, but fun. I tried to imagine the sort of room I would want to write in, and create that on my blog page. I'm really into this "shabby chic" motif - I think Target is to blame because their shabby chic line of bedding and home decor is so pretty and feminine that the Jane Austin in me can't get enough. My pocketbook, however, is crying "Uncle!" I hope you find the decor as warm and welcoming as I do.
Someone asked me, "Why the title?" Well, there are a couple of reasons for this particular title. The main inspiration for it comes from a song "Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. It's a cute, simple and sappy little song about accepting the one you love just they way they are. When Kyle and I met, this song was new and played on the radio often. It made me think of Kyle whenever I heard it because he truly does love me the way that I am - blemishes, baggage and all. Aside from my parents, I had never encountered such unconditional love - (and Mom and Dad don't count because they're sort of obligated to love me). In fact, in the beginning I couldn't believe Kyle was for real. How could anyone possibly love me? And yet, he did. That someone loves me just the way I am has been continually comforting, motivating, and slightly unnerving - after all, just how sane can he be, considering he puts up with all this - (wild gesture at self).
The other reason for the title is a little bit deeper. I've spent the past few months trying to figure out who I really am. And why I am the way I am. And most importantly, that it's okay to be the me I really am. I have struggled to figure out my authentic self; partly because I've ignored much of the inner signals that would have helped me figure that out long ago, and also because I have tried too hard to please other people instead of pleasing me.
It perplexes me that a person can inhabit a body for nearly thirty years and suddenly come to the realization that there is no real connection there. It's as if my body is a shell - a house that my mind rented for all these years. They are isolated and independent of one another, yet in order for each to function separately, they must also work in unison.
As I work to find answers, I've made the commitment to myself to accept me the way I am. Now I just have to figure out how to do that. So I suppose this blog is my way of exploring who I am, recording the lessons along the way, and essentially ripping off the band-aids so I can't hide behind them anymore. Please join me on what I hope to be a life-altering journey.
I spent two days decorating my new blog. It was a bit more complicated than I originally expected, but fun. I tried to imagine the sort of room I would want to write in, and create that on my blog page. I'm really into this "shabby chic" motif - I think Target is to blame because their shabby chic line of bedding and home decor is so pretty and feminine that the Jane Austin in me can't get enough. My pocketbook, however, is crying "Uncle!" I hope you find the decor as warm and welcoming as I do.
Someone asked me, "Why the title?" Well, there are a couple of reasons for this particular title. The main inspiration for it comes from a song "Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. It's a cute, simple and sappy little song about accepting the one you love just they way they are. When Kyle and I met, this song was new and played on the radio often. It made me think of Kyle whenever I heard it because he truly does love me the way that I am - blemishes, baggage and all. Aside from my parents, I had never encountered such unconditional love - (and Mom and Dad don't count because they're sort of obligated to love me). In fact, in the beginning I couldn't believe Kyle was for real. How could anyone possibly love me? And yet, he did. That someone loves me just the way I am has been continually comforting, motivating, and slightly unnerving - after all, just how sane can he be, considering he puts up with all this - (wild gesture at self).
The other reason for the title is a little bit deeper. I've spent the past few months trying to figure out who I really am. And why I am the way I am. And most importantly, that it's okay to be the me I really am. I have struggled to figure out my authentic self; partly because I've ignored much of the inner signals that would have helped me figure that out long ago, and also because I have tried too hard to please other people instead of pleasing me.
It perplexes me that a person can inhabit a body for nearly thirty years and suddenly come to the realization that there is no real connection there. It's as if my body is a shell - a house that my mind rented for all these years. They are isolated and independent of one another, yet in order for each to function separately, they must also work in unison.
As I work to find answers, I've made the commitment to myself to accept me the way I am. Now I just have to figure out how to do that. So I suppose this blog is my way of exploring who I am, recording the lessons along the way, and essentially ripping off the band-aids so I can't hide behind them anymore. Please join me on what I hope to be a life-altering journey.
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