Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I haven't/I have

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

I haven't blogged, I've rarely written anything new, I haven't gotten very far in book number 3 of this series I'm reading, I haven't cooked much at my place, I haven't gotten that volunteer thing off the ground (although I'm looking at other options), I haven't done anything all that exciting.

But I've been out living and having a wonderful time. I've been cooking up a storm with a friend and making delicious food I might add! Our own BBQ sauce, potato salad, homemade pizza, stir-fry. It's been fun to hang out with someone who loves to eat as much as I do.

I've also been laughing. A LOT. That really doesn't say much considering two things. One, I'm a riot. And two, I laugh at everything. But laughter is better when shared.

I've genuinely enjoyed my days. When not at work (work has been very busy lately, which we like,) but when I'm off I tend to spend that time with a big grin on my face.

I've sent in my second piece to a magazine. I sent a piece written about the Minneapolis public transit system and human connection and I sent it to a local magazine. I'm not going to say which one until I get notified of a yes or no. Keep your fingers crossed!

I've also noticed that spending money on cat toys is stupid. You know when you give a kid a giant present and all they do for the rest of the evening is play in the box it came in? Well my cat is kind of like that. The toys I buy consist of foam balls, catnip filled mice, feathers on springy poles.
The toys he plays with are his tail, twist ties, rubber bands, my hair ties, that damn spring door-stop that is on the bottom corner of many household doors. He will also stalk my sock-monkey slippers as I'm walking around my apartment. It's a very clumsy sneak attack to my ankles and then a mad dash in the other direction. Poorly played, Kitty, poorly played.

But man is he cute. And funny. And snuggly. Best purchase I've made in a long time.

I haven't done much that I thought I was going to do. But I've been having a fabulous time doing everything else!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

My Certificate

I DID IT!!

And there is the proof.

I spent a few hours this morning editing a few of my pieces from this finished class to send out to magazines. Am I really going this? Am I really ready to submit my stuff? I guess so.

Wow, I'm proud of myself.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Discrimination in schools

And these people teach our children.

I have found this story thanks to the miracles of facebook. But I have also responded to the schools superintendent and the principal with an email thanks to Dan Savage of Savage Love. You can ignore the first few letters but scroll down to the CONFIDENTIAL TO SAVAGE LOVE READERS section.

I find it so hard to fathom that we really are still sitting in a place of ignorance and hate in this country. I just re-watched the movie Milk last weekend. About the first openly gay person elected to public office, Harvey Milk. He was killed by another public official. All Milk wanted was equal rights. I don't think that is too much to ask.

And here 30 years later, we are still telling people who they should let into their hearts, be attracted to, love. It's ridiculous!

Here is my letter to the shallow people who told Constance she couldn't go to prom with her girlfriend.

Dear Teresa McNeece and Trae Wiygul,
You don't know me and we probably will never meet. But I am writing as a supporter of Constance McMillen. I am appalled at the school for telling Constance "no" when asked if she could take her girlfriend to prom. She was mature enough to ask, that should have been enough for a "yes." I'm appalled at the school board for then canceling prom. What a way to be adults and bury your heads in the sand about an issue that is so much bigger than a dance.
Constance doesn't only deserve to take whomever she chooses to prom, but she also deserves the support of her mentors, her teachers, her guides throughout the tough years of being a teenager. But instead she is pushed aside by adults and now bullied by her peers. It's hard enough to be a teenager, to suffer through high school, but to do it as an openly gay teenager, the people who do that are some of the bravest souls around.
You should be ashamed of yourselves. This has become a nation-wide issue, you and your fears are known to so many others. Constance can come to my city of Minneapolis and go to any prom she would like. I hope you slap yourselves across the face, realize the damage you have done, swallow your pride and your words, support your students, ALL your students and allow each and every one of them to not only go to prom but also to care for one another.

Sincerely,
Sarah Riley

Monday, March 15, 2010

Warning: Not for children's or prudes ears

Nutty the Neighbor is at it again! It's now warm enough where she will sit outside on the stoop for hours, (with no cushion, my rear falls asleep and it's not comfortable) with the lap top and her headphones. Which isn't all that odd, I sit outside too. But I wonder what she can be looking at online for hours. I get bored after a while.

But today was a doozy. I was walking back up from starting a load of laundry and I hear her singing. Now before I give you the link to the song that was spouting from this extremely tone deaf woman's apartment, I need to give warning. First off, it's by Lil' Kim and she is the epitome of nasty. This song is dirrty. (When there are 2 R's you know it's really raunchy.) This song is very inappropriate. If you are easily offended, know that I gave you full warning to NOT click the link and you have no one else to blame but your own curiosity.

And you'll know when you get to the lyrics that Nutty was singing.

THE SONG

Now imagine if you will, that song sang with no key signature chosen, and loudly. Like can hear her around the hallway corner. It's like she stands at her apartment's door and thinks "What can I do that will shock people?" She'll sing that. She'll give the building the Miranda Rights. Yep, it happened. She'll just yell out "I fucked your mom." Heard that too back when I first moved in.

If anything she is entertaining. Well, that's because she's crazy!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

A possible crossroads

So I didn't get the job. Within a half an hour of asking questions, answering questions, I feel like my hope was built up and knocked down in one full swoop. Oh well. Disappointment comes in and goes out nearly as quickly. Moving on.

Sort of. I feel like I'm now at an impasse. I like my job, I'm good at my job, I have benefits and I get to leave my work at my work. But do I want to do this forever? And forever is a long time. Do I go back to school? Do I find another job in an economy that isn't hiring? Seeing as how I wasn't given the opportunity that I surely thought would be gladly handed over, I now have all these doors in front of me.

And I don't even know which one to open first. This was not how I wanted to start off my stay-cation. I don't know where to begin. The options have always been there, I just don't like the unknown. I don't like the what ifs and the buts and the not knowing the definite outcome.

But that is life. (So deep of me. Sheesh.) But it's true. One never knows what will happen until one just does. I have a lot of thinking to do. And at the same time, more to improve on in my current job than I thought.

Change is good. Improving is good. Both together is better.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

8 days since last post

I haven't blogged in over a week. Ain't got much to say, I guess. No news is good news, right?

Work is good. My assistant and I laughed till we cried on Monday. And I don't want to j-i-n-x myself here, but there is a position open that I'm interviewing for today. And that is all I'm going to say about that.

My writing is still around. Now that I don't have this class I really need to kick my own ass in gear and write the best I can and send out my pieces. I'm going to enter the Writer's Digest Writing Competition. There are a number of categories, I've entered it the past 2 years, the prizes are decent, I haven't won. The grand prize is $3000 and a trip to NYC to meet with editors and agents. I'd be happy with just an honorable mention.

I'm moving. But not until October. In my spare time I like to look at apartments on line but with no rent dollar limit and see what kind of palaces there are out there. But in actuality, I can't afford those fancy shcmancy digs, so I'm will be looking in a range I can afford the closer we get to October. And since I don't own a car, I'm planning on staying in Uptown on the 6 bus line. It gets me to work and to my mom's in one shot. Location location location. You couldn't pay me enough to commute from the suburbs. No sir.

I'm on a stay-cation for the next 6 days. And it's supposed to be raining the ENTIRE time. Awesome. (there needs to be a sarcasm font) But I have very little planned. I may go to the Institute of Arts. I may go to the Weisman Museum. You know, that god-awful ugly metal building that when driving towards it at sunset, you get blinded by the light of the setting sun because the whole damn building is metal. I'm telling you, it's ugliest building the Twin Cities. And the new Walker is a close close second.

Anywho, my stay-cation. I had vacation time to use by the end of April so I just figured I'd take a little time off. I'm going to write, read, walk if it's not too wet out, pretty much what I do when I'm not working but I get to do it all day.

My cat is nutters. Last week I was leaning over my bathroom sink, putting on mascara (and I do not open my mouth to do so. Those that do I think are weird. It is not necessary to catch flies in order to put on eye makeup.) But there I am, with a brush covered in goo near my eyeball and here comes my cat leaping up and attempting to get into the mirror itself. He jumps right in front of me, hits the mirror head-on and falls into the sink. Idiot. He scared the shit out of me, I don't know if he was trying to attack my reflection or thought it was a window or what. But after he landed in the sink, his face was all "Crap. That didn't go the way I thought. I'm a fool." And away he ran. Having him around surly has made me laugh out loud more often in my apartment than ever before. Right now he's attacking a brown paper bag from Target. Probably because he can.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Happy

"feeling happy. and knowing that that happiness does not come from having everything just right. or surviving in this economy. or even a happy marriage or the blessing of kids. it's just there, and it is a culmination of gratitude, creativity, love and awareness of good things. little things."
This quote came from a new blog I've been following, she embodies loveliness and gratitude.

And that quote I think is the simplest way to live the happiest you can. Be grateful, be aware, be creative, be joyful. And hold onto the memories that come from that.

Simple things

I got back my last assignment yesterday. It came back with rave reviews and with some punctuation and spelling corrections, it's ready to be submitted. Yea me! I will get a certificate for completing this course which I think I'll hang right up there with my first rejection letter.

Now I just need to keep writing. With no assignments and no due dates it really does all rest on my shoulders. Write, read, submit, repeat.

On another note, I've been cooking a lot with a friend and have figured out why I don't cook by myself. I learn by doing and when I open a cook book I'm all "I don't get it, this doesn't make sense." But with cooking with this friend I get to actually do it and learn along the way. I made risotto last week! It's been really fun.

Spring is just around the corner. It's so close I can smell it. Well not quite actually, because when you can smell spring you know it. But all the sidewalks are ginormous puddles and the sun has been out bright and beaming for the past few days. I bought some flowers for myself today, daisies, they're my favorite. Such happy flowers. They brighten up my kitchen table and hopefully encourage spring to not be shy.

My cat has become a fun little furry rocket around my house. He'll run and leap off the furniture and stalk my sock monkey slippers. But he's also a lap kitty and will snuggle down and go to sleep. He's my four-legged pal.