Goodbye to the Cinner!*

And it is time to say goodbye to Cinquain November! I have to say this poem type has been a lot of fun to write, it kind of defies writer's block because you can at least start a poem which makes it easier to proceed.  So thanks again to AVR who suggest this poem type.

Stay tuned to see what poetry type I will be using in December!!

Cinquains.
Simple.  Descriptive.
Building, counting, publishing.
Quatrain plus some more.
Poetic Pentagon.

*That is my nickname for the cinquain.  We had such a nice run together.

Monica Is Getting Old

Today is my friend Monica's birthday. If you don't know her personally, then you should know this, she is one of the world's nicest people. She and my mother tie for kindest people I know, though I believe that may be about to change.  They may have to share that title in a three way tie because there is a baby on the way very soon.

In fact, I imagine this new baby as her apprentice. Even though she is having a boy, I picture him being strongly influenced by having a mom who knows how to TCB!* Monica manages to juggle a bad ass job, friends, taking care of her husband (also a great influence for baby H,) an already large family, being a landlord, and always looking really freakin cute.

So happy birthday Mon! This is your last birthday with just you and B and I can't wait for the new Baby H era to start!!

Monica
Kind. Comforting.
Organizing, accomplishing, enjoying.
Caretaker and role model.
Future mom!
 
* Take Care of Business. What, you don't like Elvis?

(Tweedle)Dumb Cinematic Vision

Ok, I'm as excited as the next Lewis Carroll-themed blogger about the new Alice in Wonderland movie coming out next year. In fact I have been keeping fairly up to date with everything they have released about the movie.  I am a Tim Burton fan and I can't wait to see what he does with this piece of work!

Random fact: Tweedledee and Tweedledum are the ones that recite the Walrus and the Carpenter poem which I am so fond of that it headlines this blog.

But I do have one objection to a recent release: WTF was he thinking with Tweedledee and Tweedledum?  If the twins from the shining grew up, married the twins from Nothing But Trouble, and drank while they were pregnant, and fed the babies only raw dough, the result would be Tim Burton's idea of Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Creepy!!!

Tweedle Dee.
Rotund.  Mischievous.
Dancing, singing, confusing. 
Spewing balderdash and gibberish. 
Tweedle Dum.

Half-Black Friday

I do not know why this day came to be known as Black Friday and between you, me, and the deep blue sea I don't really care enough to research it.  Tryptophan-induced honesty!  But I am on a serious budget reduction so I shall do no shopping on this day, even though a brand new discount store opened recently and is apparently giving away fabulous clothing.

[Sigh and wistful look towards the NorthPark area.]

So in the partial spirit of the day, this blog is having a Half-Black Friday.  So this is a shout out to Obama, who I think is doing a very good job.  I am not sure what magic wand his critics thought he was going to wave to fix our issues, but that is not how it works.  Here is reality-ville, I think he is doing an excellent job at staying on top of what needs to be done, not pandering to the media, and considering an incredible number of variables to come to a solution.  We need elbow grease folks, not pixie dust!

Obama
Organized.  Determined.
Planning, executing, persisting.
Miracles...in baby steps.
Rescuer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[Soapbox speech alert!]

This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for not being homeless.  That is true both in that I have a place to live but I also have a home.

Even if I fell on hard times and had to leave my home, I have a family and friends and an infrastructure to fall back on.  Even so, some people who are now homeless also had some or all of these "safeties" at one point in their lives.

I know some of my friends, good people, who are reticent to support efforts to end homelessness.  I think this is because sometimes it is hard to admit that our hard work, mutual love for others, and good choices is not absolute protection from being in very bad life situations.  Everyone wants to believe that they would not take the road that leads to that kind of life and that homeless people did something wrong and therefore are reaping what they have sown. 

When I recognize this rationalization in others, it is easy for me to forgive them for what may seem like a lack of compassion.  It is easier for us to think of homeless people as drunks, drug addicts, or mentally unhealthy.  To think of "the homeless" instead of homeless people, people who have nowhere to brush their teeth or get their mail or store their things or just sit down for a little while.

But they are people.  Please check out this blog entry from my old boss's blog about a guy named Gary Reid.  People are homeless for a variety of reasons, not all of which people like me (educated, with a big family, relatively well off) are immune to experiencing.  And that is scary.

On this Thanksgiving you may not be spending time thinking about homeless people, but I hope you at least take a look around and give thanks for what you do have whether big or small.  Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Homeless
Unwanted.  Unprotected.
Begging, walking, freezing.
Owning only what's carried.
Helpless

Confidential Letter

Dear Retailers,

Look, I didn't want to get anyone in trouble about this so let's just keep it between you and me.  I understand that the economy sucks and people are in a generally blah mood which makes them feel less shop-y.  I feel for you, I really do.  But did you need to start Christmas so early?  At the beginning of November?

I really think you may have jumped the gun on this one.  I mean you skipped Thanksgiving all together.  I am telling you this now though it is too late to change anything because frankly we are friends and I thought you should know people were talking.  Ever since college when my roommate Annie showed me the joys of shopping I have really felt that you and I had something special going on.  I could not just forget what we have and go on without saying anything.

Now you know that your desperation is showing a bit, I hope we can move past this and you can pull it together for Black Friday.

Sincerely,

You know who

Holidays
Celebration.  Remembrance.
Sharing, eating, decorating
Attached to specific months.
Festival

CSI: Miami

Ok stop snickering.  Yea, I watch CSI Miami.  I would be more embarrassed but odds are that one of the three people who read this blog watch it too.  It is fabulously ridiculous and I embrace it.  Here are my top 5 favorite things about this show.

5. Colorful cameras. Whatever video equipment they use to film episodes makes it look like everyone is getting a good tan just by standing there. The colors are exaggerated, overly pastel, and barely this side of outrageous. Just like real Miami.

4.Ugly people. There aren't any at all, except for your occasional hired mercenary killer but even he has unusually nice skin.

3.Swift Justice. Most of the cases are solved in about 24 hours. The only other place were justice is doled out so swiftly is in Judge Judy's court. It is incredible that DNA results, interviews, trace tests, background checks, etc etc can be finished in one day. My favorite part is when they bring in someone, interview them, do some tests, and bring that same person back. Did they not JUST leave seventeen minutes ago on your schedule? Cause according to the camera work it is still just after lunch on a sunny day.

2.Fake Science. Oh, you can tell by someone's sweat his name, address, what kind of car he drives, and preferred pastel color shirt.  That is incredible.  How annoying does this crap make real crime scene investigators who have an eleven month backup to determine if that is human or animal blood at the triple homicide scene?  I don't know for a fact but I've got my money on pretty peeved.

1. Lieutenant.  Horatio. Caine.  I used to be so annoyed that the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders coreographed hair flips into their routine (that's not dancing!) but after a while of watching it you kind of had to respect how they used the flip and swoop.  Horatio Caine is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader of glasses-acting.  I have never seen an actor so successfully substitute a simple prop for acted emotions. Exhibit A.

Ok, I've run an optical test on you based on the newest technology that says rapid eye movement in the fifteenth quadrant indicates boredom so I will wrap this up now.  [How great would it be create fake science to support everything you say!?!]

CSI: Miami
Technical.  Exact.
Measuring, whispering, story-telling.
Beautiful people, beautiful clothes
Science-fiction

No News is Not Always Good News

So it's not only me who thinks today is a slow news day, a "top story" in the New York Times was that the NFL is changing they way the respond to concussions. 

[Mental picture of 1930s newspaper reporter in fedora and vest at at typewriter slowly shaking head and wiping away a tear.]

News.
Extra! Extra!
Probing, breaking, informing.
Hot off the presses.
Tidbits.

Regime Change

Here is something interesting, recent increased use of the word regime.

I am not sure exactly when it started, sometime in the last five years or so.  I suspect it started with what I would consider the Bush administration's best strength: naming things.  And the administration chose the phrase "regime change" to describe it's goal in Iraq.  Then that was ironic when people called for "regime change" here to get rid of Bush.  I am totally on board up to this point, but then it starts getting hokey.

People use the term regime to mean "time during which something happened."  That is not a Webster sanctioned meaning.  For example "Kathryn never went out to clubs back then, but that was during the boyfriend regime."  That is not really what regime means.  It has to do with government.  At furtrest stretch it means a system of something not exactly governmental.  It does not refer to the period of time during which someone cut your hair or your stint in a fraternity.

Glad we got a chance to clear that up.

Furthermore, I think this new (mis)use of the word is particularly ironic, because before regime referred to something stable and dependable, now it is used to refer to some kind of change.  Oh English language, I am so sorry for what we do to you.

Regime
Government.  Monarchy.
Dictating, Leading, Overpowering.
The next new thing.
Anti-establishment.

Nugget

Soooo there may be an addition to the household. The little nugget pictured above is currently staying with me and may be here for good.

He doesn't like sleeping, puts everything in his mouth, annoys the monster* but somehow he is still adorable.

Puppy
Deer-like. Needy.
Whining, licking, staring.
Climbing into my lap.
Heart- melter.
*My original monster, that is.

Twilight

Remember when twilight was just a time of the day? I wish I had a dollar for every Facebook comment today about a full grown adult who stayed up until 3am last night to go see the new twilight movie.

These kind of people even have a word for themselves: "twihards" (Twilight + Die Hard [fans] = twihards). My sister is a twihard so I have to be careful what I say here, but let me just say this toned down comment: how ridiculous!

I did read the Twilight books, but I have to say I am not so engrossed in the story line that I am spending a day at work after four hours sleep. That stuff is for tweenagers.

But seriously, as I have said on this blog before that I am not a fan of twitter and growing tired of the Twilight saga. Next I am giving up eating Twizlers or hanging out with anyone I know who is a twin. Or a twit.

Dusk
Glow. Calm.
Ebbing, darkening, cooling.
Winding down the day
Twilight

Tim Gunn

So the person of the week on this blog is Tim Gunn. In case you don't know, Tim Gunn is a major part of the show Project Runway: he counsels the would-be designers on their creations and he is always right. My favorite (and everyone's favorite) Tim Gunn saying is "Make it work" which he says when the contestants on Project Runway are either having a breakdown or working with a terrible mess of a garment.

Also this week in Tim Gunn news, he was the guest star on The Biggest Loser because it was makeover week. He just has that special way about him that makes him seem avuncular but cool. He can give criticism but still build you up and feel like he he is in your corner.

That having been said, on tonight's Project Runway season finale, I think he loses his cool and I can't wait to see it!

Tim Gunn.
Elegant. Tasteful.
Critiquing, suggesting, helping.
Always making it work
Mentor

Ian McKellen

There was a three night special programming on AMC called The Prisoner starring Ian McKellen earlier this week.  It was very confusing and if you didn't stick with it past the first installment then you probably wouldn't be able to make sense of it.  I stuck with it because I love that kind of confusing stuff and because I love Ian McKellen.

I had the privilege of seeing him on the live stage in London.  He played Gogo with Patrick Steward as Vlad and it was the singular best acting I have ever seen in my life.  If you read this blog you know that I am an avid TV watcher, I love movies, and you may know I like theater too.  Anyway, I have seen a lot of acting.  More of it than I would like to admit was terrible, most of it was so so, but every now and then there was a really incredible performance.  McKellen was better than all of those.

Aside from his incredible acting talent, I think he is just a cool guy.  If you want to know more, check out his performance in Extras which was effing hilarious (and I may have blogged about this before but it's good enough to blog about twice) or do some research on the work he does for gay rights. Basically I will support anything this guy does. Aaaannnd...scene.

McKellen 
Thespian.  Artist.
Acting, creating, inspiring.
Becoming invisible inside characters.
Chameleon

Indian summer

Ok so our indian summer in Dallas is officially over.  It was so lovely for a while there...breezy, sunny, lovely weather.  I love the idea of an indian summer, you get one last week to say goodbye to warm weather. Just as you are walking forward into fall, you metaphorically pause as you are adjusting your scarf, then look back towards summer and have a brief memory of the season past.  Love it!

Here is something that has not ended: my dog's indian summer.  I am using that phrase because she is getting up there in years, but  lately she has had a surge of energy.  She is jumping around like a puppy and wanting to play all the time.  She drags toys out of her toy bin and tries to get me interested in throwing a ball or pulling a rope.  I see it as a brief look back on to being a puppy before the winter of her lifetime begins, but I hope her indian summer never ends.

Indian summer
Warm. Peppy.
Dazzling, flaring...fading.
Past youth's short burst
Reminder

LOL

Ok, I am worried that people have forgotten what LOL means. It was spawned to indicate over email/text/instant messenger that someone is "laughing out loud" and yet, I think we have moved so far away from that original meaning. So I have decided to put some basic requirements on the use of "LOL," for all of our sake.

First, laughing means actual laughing. Not eye rolling, snickering, or groaning. If you are not actually laughing, do not use "LOL."

Second, are you trying to lessen the blow of something harsh you just said? Don't use LOL. For example "Yea, you were really flirting with her boyfriend last night. LOL." NO! If you are afraid that something is going to sound rude then don't say it.  Adding LOL won't suddenly make it playful and light. For demonstrative purposes only, see below. Though there are many things wrong with this cartoon (which for the record I did not create) but Jesus here does not lessen the blow with his LOL.

Third, if you are making a joking comment and the nature is not clear from what you have written, don't finish it with LOL to make it clear you are joking. Be aware: your joke may not be that funny. See an example below, picture is cute, but the joke - not that funny.

I'm so glad we cleared this up.  Good talk.

Laugh
Guffaw. Giggle.
Bubbling, rolling, tearing.
Tickle your funny bone.
Chuckle