Monster©

Just looking out the window, procrastinating, at my lovely neighbor at the playground and I thought I'd post a poem I wrote one hot night last summer:


Behind the flawless
hedges and flowers
that decorate the
lawn, lives the monster.

You can’t see it, just
lipstick and a smile.
But late at night in
the heat, screens open,

listen and you can
hear the monster rage;
shouts, insults, slammed doors
and smacks on skin echo.

If nothing’s said, does
it think we can’t hear?
Perfect mother,
perfect life.

Monster lies.

Walleee - Eevaa

We saw Wall E today at the movies. I noticed Stephen King’s name on the opening screens and got excited, but I can’t find that he had anything to do with it. The first scene in the movie is a city where the piles of garbage were higher than the buildings. What a thought. It was horrible, yet even though it was a movie, it was somewhat believable. King’s influence it would seem to me, although perhaps I’m nuts and it was someone else. It really was a good movie, and it made some serious points. Yes, we are a wasteful society. Then it had all of the humans in hover chairs drinking their meals, with computer screens directly in front of their faces. They were waited on hand a foot by bots. They did not see anything beyond their screens. Sound familiar? To me it does, I get lost out there in cyberspace. They were all so overweight and lazy that they couldn’t even get up if they fell out of their chairs. What a statement on our inactive overweight society. They had stopped thinking and just listed to the politician in charge, you can imagine where that leads.

I won’t give away the movie but it was really cute. There was hardly any dialogue. The robots only said each other’s names, but you knew by their actions exactly what was going on, wonderful characterization. I thought the lack of dialogue was beautiful. I kept saying to my daughter, “See that is what happens to people who don’t eat right.” “See that is what happens when people don’t clean up.” “See we need to take care of our Earth.” (I might be annoying to go to the movies with, haha.) In the end love wins, of course, it’s a kid’s movie. That is one of the perks of being a parent though, you get to go to all of the kids movies! Although I would say this was more than a kid’s movie. Don’t we all want someone to chase us across the galaxy?

Now I know what marvelous is...

I finished the Life of Pi and let me tell you the ending was the best part of the entire book. It was so amazing I want to read it again. My brain is dancing! I can’t even pick up another book now; I have to let my brain marinade in this one. It was so incredibly brilliant. When you read it, don’t neglect the extra chapter at the end, it will toy with your mind, make you wonder, and remind you why we read and why a story is a story. Yann Martel is a genius, an absolute genius.

Finally - sweet summertime!

I am so excited; I don’t even know what to do. Enjoy the moments is what I figured out so far. Yesterday for my first day off, we went to the pool for a bit, visited a friend, cleaned the house, and went back to the pool. (We have a city pool nearby, it's wonderful.) Then it rained. So after supper, we went for a lovely walk and jumped in all of the puddles. While we're splashing, my daughter looks over and asks if I am enjoying reliving my childhood. Yes I was, those moments I was just in the moment. I am trying to work on that and it is hard to stop the endless stream of worries, list making, and what should I do next in my brain. I am reading Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth; okay - honestly, it is one of the five books I have been reading for a couple months. However, I would like to be enlightened; I would like to help the world be a better place by dealing with things in a calm Zenlike manner so others can emulate me. The first thing is staying in the now. I am going to try to stay in the now, although I have to fly in the beginning of august and I can’t help worrying about that, and then I remember I’m not supposed to worry and push it away. Well with all of those thoughts going on, how can I stay in the now?

Another book I am chipping away at his Anna Karenina, a classic, it is my second time around but the first time was twenty years ago. I have spent these first two days of vacation after my child is in bed finishing Life of Pi. Again brings another question for Tolle, how can I stay in the now when I prefer to slip away into someone else’s reality or story. If you haven’t read this book, you will love it. Pi ends up in a lifeboat on the Pacific with a Bengal tiger. Who even thinks of that, well Yann Martel I guess. This book is so wonderful, I was up until 1:30 in the morning reading, and I couldn’t put it down until my eyes started shutting. I recommend this book to everyone. I do admit to my book addiction and admitting it is the first step. The second step is scoring the best edition of Life of Pi with illustrations by Tomislav Torjanac. The illustrations are pictures of incredible paintings the vivid colors, and the depictions actually match what you see in your mind’s eye as you read. Books like this remind you of the triumph of the human spirit and even though it is a novel the reader questions what he or she really has to bitch about in life. I'm thinking I'm good!

I have Water for Elephants and Sea Glasson deck, finds from a yard sale for 50 cents. Yard sales rock to buy books! Ooh, and I want to read Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and then I will have read everything she’s done. She is absolutely transporting. I have Teaching a Stone to Talk as my pocketbook book right now. Short stories are excellent for pocketbook books or car books. Before that, I had Andre Dupuis, his short stories are modern and realistic.

Okay so summer goals, love my kid, write my book but not stress about it, and read books as I did when I was a teen. I remember I used to take two brown bags full of books from the bookmobile at the beginning of every summer and give them back read at the end. They would park at the school the first week of summer vacation. It was in a coverted jetstream-like camper, silver and tubular, and inside was like heaven, books, books, and more books. My folks knew that it would take me a while to pick out what I wanted, so I always got to go alone. Although carrying the books home was a bear, I remember trying to run so I could start reading faster. Every year the books changed too, so you could never read through the whole bookmobile. If I won the lottery maybe I would start a bookmobile somewhere in the world where kids need more books. The bookmobile and summer, wow. It is funny how the older I get, or maybe it is just because of what I’m experience this year, that the more I remember about my youth. I remember gardening with my dad, so we planted a small garden outback (the landlord hasn't commented yet. I remember joy. Pure joy at the littlest things, a new book, running in the hose, building a bike ramp and jumping, playing kickball in the street at night with all the neighborhood kids. Joy because there was no tomorrow to worry about and no what I said or did yesterday or today to dwell on. This summer (when I'm not writing my book) I will play games, jump in puddles, paint pictures, read books, take nature walks, make crafts, dig in the dirt, and watch my child smile. I will strive to stay in the now and let the now be play and joy.

I wish you all play and joy this summer as well. Smiles on rainy days are as warming as the sun!

Does anyone think Entwistle didn't do it?

Although people as supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, I think everyone thinks that this Entwistle is guilty. the information that we are getting on the news is so strange, it seems like he did do it. After he saw his wife and baby dead, he covered them back up with a blanket... and doesn’t know why. I think this guy needs a psychological profile. He’s shady looking too. And flying right off to England, what was he doing. He said he didn’t know. I have been listening to the news briefly trying to follow the trial and I just don’t see how he didn’t do it. It would be very surprising his he isn't convicted.

It has been rather busy closing up my first year of teaching, Yay. I’ll write more after finals are finished next week!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's day to all the fathers.

I have no time to write... it was a great weekend with my family up for my daughter's seventh birthday. I can't believe it has been seven years! What a wonderful seven years. Gotta get ready for finals.

Glad to be with my dad of Father's Day. I hope that everyone was able to be with their fathers as well. Happy Day!

End of School Year

Oh my goodness, there are only nine days of school left. We get out on the 24th. Three of those days are finals, so essentially there is only six days of school left. How am I going to get them ready for finals in that short of a time? Aaahhh! It is so crazy! I am out of my head...

I love teaching! Hee Hee Hee

Book Review

I just finished A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas. It is a beautiful memoir. In a short, easy read, we hear an honest voice telling us about how her husband sustained a traumatic brain injury and how it changed her life. It is odd because I am researching and reading as many memoirs as I can write now, as I am trying to write one. I have passed this book by, picked it up, and but it back down on numerous occasions. Then one day thanks to Borders coupons and buying a gift for someone else, I was able to purchase it for half price ($6.50). Well it only took a few hours to read, but I am glad I did. With all of the talk these days about staying in the present moment, here comes a book that exemplifies that concept. Perhaps teaching us in our own situations, at our own ages, how to rethink that concept and apply it to our own lives. Ms. Thomas didn’t start writing until she was 47, and this book was wonderful, so there is hope for the rest of us!

Be Kind or Get Out of My Way

It has been a long few days. Whew. Stupid politics at work and trying to get along with everyone, even though some people are quite difficult to get along with. I think there are two kinds of people in the world, people who love the drama and people who have had enough drama in their lives already. Not only do I not want any drama in my life, I really don’t want to hear anyone else’s drama unless it is on General Hospital or a movie. I don’t know. I am kind, I try to be pleasant, and not talk about people or anything, and yet. Yet always, always it is inevitable that someone has to start drama. What is the point? Why do some people thrive on controversy? This is a mindset I don’t understand, because I actually try to avoid any controversy. I think the way I relate to others works for me because I get along with everyone at work, and that is a lot of people, except one. The one. Grrr. I don’t see why people need to get into other people’s business and share their negativity with the world when life is full of so many blessings and wonderful people, experiences, etc. What is the point of not doing all you can to be happy and project your happiness out into the world and off to others. Life is too good to let someone get me down I know because I am so blessed to be a successful person, to contribute to the betterment of the world everyday. So, here’s what I think, screw the miserable bitches and bastards and joy to the world. I’m going to keep singing, keep dreaming, keep loving and hopefully these people can find their own happiness or at least stay out of my way.