It's almost been a month since Scott has burned down my kitchen, and I still haven't cleaned all the soot off of all of our possessions.
It feels like my entire life will always be contained to boxes. I have acquired a lot of things overs the years, mostly books and shoes, and I have not been entirely unpacked and moved into a space since 2010. Between living in dorms, moving out of my childhood home, house sitting, living in Caldwell for my first summer, and house fire.... I haven't felt like I haven't been in my own space for a very long time. And now I have to unpack boxes just to pack them all up again and move them somewhere else.
But finally that somewhere else is going to be my own place with my own decorations and my own books on the shelves and the walls and running boards will be clean and I don't have to pull other people's hair out of the bathtub drain. I can't wait to unpack.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Blogception
This is a blog about a blog.
Whoa.
Anyways.
My favorite blog doesn't really exist any more.
When I was first dipping my toes into the vast waters of the Internet, someone shared the blog Hyperbole and a Half with me, saying that the girl responsible reminded them of me.
Allie from Hyperbole and a Half describes herself as "heroic, caring, alert, and flammable."
These things do describe me, so I gave it a shot.
Allie is hilarious. Her simple art work accompanies real-life adventures that are enjoyable and which most readers can easily relate.
Her last post was about depression, however, and despite promises of a book, the blog hasn't been updated since 2011. I think about her a lot, and hope that she is doing well and still creating.
Allie is still a big part of the Internet. Her illustrations of the 'alot' still roam the Interwebs, as well as the meme "all the things!" which is a self-portrait.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Better Than a Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick
I grew up hearing these words. They were supposed to be a comfort for a scrapped knee, bonked head, or hair pulled by a grumpy sister.
It was the response to complaints about dinner, movie choice, or uncomfortable car rides.
Variations also occurred. It came about during playful teasing: "I'm going to poke you in the eye with a sharp stick!" when somebody actually found a sharp stick: "Hey hold still so I can poke you with this!" when someone didn't want to wake up: "I could poke you in the eye with a sharp stick, that would get you out of bed." Although never serious, these threats are scattered across my childhood. Morbid? Maybe. But it's better than a real poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
A Passion for Education: but not the kind you're expecting
There are many things I'm passionate about; Harry Potter, tattoos, writing, art, dance, music, the Internet, cats, gay rights, women's rights, clean water for everybody... but my latest passion and almost obsession has been advocacy. Training to be an advocate at the College of Idaho has consumed my life this semester. I have learned more about the cycle of abuse than I can possibly imagine, and one of the most important things about the cycle of abuse is how little people know about it.
Recently on Reddit there was a picture depicting
the cycle of abuse. This image shows how if a child is abused, he or she may grow up to also be an abuser. What isn't shown is how children start to associate abuse with love and aren't aware that what they are doing is wrong. Daddy wouldn't hit me if he didn't love me. This thinking is then carried on to when that child becomes a parent.
Reading the hundreds of comments on this photo was actually very heartwarming. Many of the posters had been abused as a child and took that experience and turned it around. "My dad hit me and because of that I will never raise a hand to my children." These statements gave me such hope for humanity.
What this picture doesn't explain is that there are two cycles of abuse. The second one happens later in life, and is usually associated with women. If a woman's first relationship is with an abusive partner, that woman is more likely to have another abusive relationship in the future. It's the same ideology; equating love with violence. Manipulative charmers--men who are most likely to become abusive--pick up on this psyche. Women who have been in abusive relationships are usually vulnerable and more susceptible to abusive partners. Until they get outside help or come to a great epiphany, the circle of abuse will continue.
Education is key in stopping both circles. With the power of the Internet and other accessible materials, people are becoming more aware that an abusive childhood is not the norm. People are still afraid to talk about abuse, and this taboo subject needs to be more open. If the cycle of abuse was taught in grade school, the cycle could be broken before it continues. But no one wants to talk about it, and no one wants to expose their children to that kind of violence. But the reality is that some children are in the middle of that kind of violence, and there is no excuse for that.
Recently on Reddit there was a picture depicting
Reading the hundreds of comments on this photo was actually very heartwarming. Many of the posters had been abused as a child and took that experience and turned it around. "My dad hit me and because of that I will never raise a hand to my children." These statements gave me such hope for humanity.
What this picture doesn't explain is that there are two cycles of abuse. The second one happens later in life, and is usually associated with women. If a woman's first relationship is with an abusive partner, that woman is more likely to have another abusive relationship in the future. It's the same ideology; equating love with violence. Manipulative charmers--men who are most likely to become abusive--pick up on this psyche. Women who have been in abusive relationships are usually vulnerable and more susceptible to abusive partners. Until they get outside help or come to a great epiphany, the circle of abuse will continue.
Education is key in stopping both circles. With the power of the Internet and other accessible materials, people are becoming more aware that an abusive childhood is not the norm. People are still afraid to talk about abuse, and this taboo subject needs to be more open. If the cycle of abuse was taught in grade school, the cycle could be broken before it continues. But no one wants to talk about it, and no one wants to expose their children to that kind of violence. But the reality is that some children are in the middle of that kind of violence, and there is no excuse for that.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Three Part Blog: A Visit, A Photograph, and A White Suite
A Visit from the Weekly
I was really dreading coming to class last Thursday. I was stressed about my fiction writing class. I woke to a campus crisis that implicated me personally as well as an organization that I have come to care about deeply in the last nine weeks. I was not ready to interact with people who may be directly influential on my future. When I sat down across from George Prentice and Tara Morgan from the Boise Weekly, I was immediately put at ease. George Prentice in particular has a large presence that didn't overwhelm or intimidate me. I went from dreading class to enjoying it in a matter of minutes. Listening to both editors tell their stories made me remember why I wanted to be a journalism minor in the first place. I want to tell stories. Other people's stories. I want to find the interesting things that are happening around me and share them with the world. I sent in an application to intern at the Boise Weekly. Full disclosure, more than anything I just want to listen to George Prentice tell more stories.
Finding a Photograph
Flash Nonfiction Essay
Anne Panning wrote a story about her father. Not about the wonderful moments they had together or the fun times growing up. Anne Panning wrote about the death of her father's mind, and the cruel twist of irony that resulted from it. "The White Suit" in particular struck me because of the subject matter. Talking about your father losing his mind and being locked up in a mental institute isn't something you drop into casual conversation. Anne Panning wrote this story in the space of a page length. It's maybe 700 words. I've read blogs about cake that lasted longer than this story. And yet it's so poignant, so beautifully crafted. Anne Panning spent so much time putting this page together. Each word was very carefully thought out and selected you would never know that this page was plucked from the pages of a much larger narrative. It stands alone, and in that it is beautiful.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
My Grandma's Coat
It's been called my Superman coat, my hipster coat, a worn-out, out-dated thing that needed to be replaced. But my step-grandma's ski jacket is special, even though the tassels have fallen off the pockets and the zipper needed to be replaced and it is in desperate need of a wash. One of the pockets is torn and pens and pieces of gum sometimes make their way into the lining. It's blue, with an orange and yellow diamond on the back; iconic of the styles of the late 70s, early 80s with its big color and tight fit. I don't remember when I got it, sometime in high school because I have a vivid memory of the dashing school president complimenting it when I was a sophomore. I've had countless strangers ask me where I bought it or if it were a Goodwill find. Last winter, the metal zipper older than I finally went out, but I cared enough to get it replaced with a sturdy plastic version; amazingly in the same dark blue color. It's my armor against the cold, a hug from a long-gone relative, a reminder that sometimes the old is better than the new.
A Home Among the Books
The Terteling Library has become somewhat of a second home to me over the last three years. Its heavy doors welcome me, and I have come to view this passage as a test of my moxie. If I can successfully maneuver through this unwieldy portal without embarrassment or injury than I have passed the first test. Navigating the book catalog is yet another challenge. Wading through the ocean of information to find the one book by Roald Dahl is worthy quest; the maze of novels proves to be quite the opponent. Discovering my target is a victory; I have defeated the worthy shelving system and have not fallen pray to thieves or ne'er-do-wells.
My favorite reading place is a green chair, old and worn in just the right places, located in the quiet comfort of the second floor. This chair holds a great deal of memories: long study sessions, countless assigned readings, naps, even as an occasional procrastination destination. However, towards the end of my second year, this green chair disappeared from its place by Meeting Room B, never to be seen again. I mourned for this chair, and I think of it fondly. A not-as-comfortable brownish chair has taken its place, but I can't help feel a pang of regret every time I sit in this replacement.
Sometimes I get lost looking at titles. There is a certain charm that comes from looking at the rows and rows of books. I think of all the hard work that each author has pouring into each bound treasure, and cross my fingers and hope someday my name will be placed among these noble predecessors. I'll pull out a particularly old book, frayed with age, with titles such as The Viking Age: A Reader, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, and Every Molecule Tells a Story.
The Terteling Library is a place of inspiration, a place of stories, a place of learning.
It's also a place of free printing, which is always extremely appreciated to the broke college student that I am.
My favorite reading place is a green chair, old and worn in just the right places, located in the quiet comfort of the second floor. This chair holds a great deal of memories: long study sessions, countless assigned readings, naps, even as an occasional procrastination destination. However, towards the end of my second year, this green chair disappeared from its place by Meeting Room B, never to be seen again. I mourned for this chair, and I think of it fondly. A not-as-comfortable brownish chair has taken its place, but I can't help feel a pang of regret every time I sit in this replacement.
Sometimes I get lost looking at titles. There is a certain charm that comes from looking at the rows and rows of books. I think of all the hard work that each author has pouring into each bound treasure, and cross my fingers and hope someday my name will be placed among these noble predecessors. I'll pull out a particularly old book, frayed with age, with titles such as The Viking Age: A Reader, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, and Every Molecule Tells a Story.
The Terteling Library is a place of inspiration, a place of stories, a place of learning.
It's also a place of free printing, which is always extremely appreciated to the broke college student that I am.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
10 Reasons Why I Read the Harry Potter Series Every Year
1. Reading Harry Potter is like visiting old friends that you haven't seen in while. You get to see how they're feeling and what's going on in their lives.
2. I always catch something new every time I read HP. JK is a wonderfully thorough writer, and she has beautifully integrated symbols, ideas, and foreshadowing throughout all seven books.
3. I always actually laugh out loud. Not every book can make me laugh every time I read it. The series is hilarious, and JK has mastered the difficult task of humor writing. Fred and George are the most well-written comic relief characters I have ever seen.
4. Neville Longbottom.
5.I like to catch inconsistencies in the series. Even though JK is incredibly thorough, she still misses a few things, such as the password to Dumbledore's office being "lemon drop" in Chamber of Secrets mistaken for "sherbet lemon" in Goblet of Fire. (I was incredibly excited when I discovered this).
6. Harry Potter was the first chapter book I read by myself in the second grade. My mom started reading it out loud but I got inpatient and stole it from her nightstand and read it by myself. I had to take the AR test in the "big kids" classroom in my two-room elementary school.
7. I grew up with Harry Potter. I was with him from the beginning and again at the end. The dedication for the Deathly Hallows might have made me cry.
8. I read to escape. I've never found a more complete world in which to escape.
9. There will always be people I can relate to through Harry Potter. Having the same obsession as someone else is the fastest way to make friends.
10. It's how I keep the magic alive.
and for Professor Minskoff:
https://twitter.com/awkward_addy
2. I always catch something new every time I read HP. JK is a wonderfully thorough writer, and she has beautifully integrated symbols, ideas, and foreshadowing throughout all seven books.
3. I always actually laugh out loud. Not every book can make me laugh every time I read it. The series is hilarious, and JK has mastered the difficult task of humor writing. Fred and George are the most well-written comic relief characters I have ever seen.
4. Neville Longbottom.
5.I like to catch inconsistencies in the series. Even though JK is incredibly thorough, she still misses a few things, such as the password to Dumbledore's office being "lemon drop" in Chamber of Secrets mistaken for "sherbet lemon" in Goblet of Fire. (I was incredibly excited when I discovered this).
6. Harry Potter was the first chapter book I read by myself in the second grade. My mom started reading it out loud but I got inpatient and stole it from her nightstand and read it by myself. I had to take the AR test in the "big kids" classroom in my two-room elementary school.
7. I grew up with Harry Potter. I was with him from the beginning and again at the end. The dedication for the Deathly Hallows might have made me cry.
8. I read to escape. I've never found a more complete world in which to escape.
9. There will always be people I can relate to through Harry Potter. Having the same obsession as someone else is the fastest way to make friends.
10. It's how I keep the magic alive.
and for Professor Minskoff:
https://twitter.com/awkward_addy
Thursday, March 7, 2013
How to Keep from Going Crazy in Caldwell over Spring Break
It's starting to look like Spring around the College of Idaho, and with Spring comes the wonderful realization that Spring break is approaching. A whole week off from crazy professors, tedious homework assignments, and the underlying feeling of dread when you realize you forgot to do your online Spanish homework for the second time in a row. But what to do with a whole week of freedom? The end of March isn't exactly swimsuit season in Caldwell, so a nice trip to Lake Lowell is probably out. Getting far away from Caldwell and the sugar beet refinery is probably preferable, but what if you can't escape the campus because you live in China or North Dakota or some equally foreign land? I give you seven ideas for Spring Break activities right here in little ole Caldwell:
1. Find a New Hang Out
Believe it or not, Caldwell has some pretty cool coffee shops. There is Imelda's, which is right next to the campus, across the street from Anderson. Most of the students are aware of this little restaurant but perhaps have never ventured inside. Then there's The Bird Stop, a cute little coffee house on Arthur Street that is actually pretty cool. They sometimes have live music or an open mic and they're working on getting a lunch menufr together. You could also walk through the historical district of down town Caldwell (which deserves its own category) to the Caldwell Public Library. You could work on your break-assigned essay in a new environment or even (gasp!) read a book! The Flying M in Boise is an obvious must.
2. Take a Hike
No really. The Boise foothills and the Owyhee mountains are great places to spend an afternoon. Go find the waterfall up Jump Creek, or climb up to Table Rock at night to see the automated beauty of Boise at night.
3. Grab a Burger
Caldwell is home to three amazing burger joints. Jack's Drive-In, Hamburger Connection, and The Gem Stop serve quality burgers and frickin' fantastic milkshakes (be sure to try the pink elephant from Jack's). Take advantage of the caf being closed and go get some real food.
4. Hold a Marathon
A week off from school means the lobby of your dorm might be more vacant than usual (unless you live in Voorhees, but then the people living in the lobby will probably approve of this plan). This is an opportune time to get together for some trilogy time. Star Wars, LOTR, Indiana Jones... heck, you could watch all 8 Harry Potter movies in a week (I've done it). Get some friends, get some popcorn, make some memories.
5. Play Your Favorite Video Game from Start to Finish
I recently started playing Pokemon for the first time ever. My starter just evolved; brb need to go work on my pokedex.
6. Netflix
Breaking Bad. How I Met Your Mother. Psych. Dr. Who. Avatar: the Last Air Bender. 30 Rock. Lost. Whatever. Start a show, become a fan, get inside jokes on the Internet.
ALSO! Netflix is adding Adventure Time and Regular Show as well as some Adult Swim content at the end of March. Mathematical.
7. Start an Art Project
Especially for those of you trapped in PEAK and unable to take any art or writing classes. Start a project! A week is a long time to spend perfecting a poem or painting a masterpiece portrait of the squirrels on campus. Utilize this time to your artistic advantage.
1. Find a New Hang Out
Believe it or not, Caldwell has some pretty cool coffee shops. There is Imelda's, which is right next to the campus, across the street from Anderson. Most of the students are aware of this little restaurant but perhaps have never ventured inside. Then there's The Bird Stop, a cute little coffee house on Arthur Street that is actually pretty cool. They sometimes have live music or an open mic and they're working on getting a lunch menufr together. You could also walk through the historical district of down town Caldwell (which deserves its own category) to the Caldwell Public Library. You could work on your break-assigned essay in a new environment or even (gasp!) read a book! The Flying M in Boise is an obvious must.
2. Take a Hike
No really. The Boise foothills and the Owyhee mountains are great places to spend an afternoon. Go find the waterfall up Jump Creek, or climb up to Table Rock at night to see the automated beauty of Boise at night.
3. Grab a Burger
Caldwell is home to three amazing burger joints. Jack's Drive-In, Hamburger Connection, and The Gem Stop serve quality burgers and frickin' fantastic milkshakes (be sure to try the pink elephant from Jack's). Take advantage of the caf being closed and go get some real food.
4. Hold a Marathon
A week off from school means the lobby of your dorm might be more vacant than usual (unless you live in Voorhees, but then the people living in the lobby will probably approve of this plan). This is an opportune time to get together for some trilogy time. Star Wars, LOTR, Indiana Jones... heck, you could watch all 8 Harry Potter movies in a week (I've done it). Get some friends, get some popcorn, make some memories.
5. Play Your Favorite Video Game from Start to Finish
I recently started playing Pokemon for the first time ever. My starter just evolved; brb need to go work on my pokedex.
6. Netflix
Breaking Bad. How I Met Your Mother. Psych. Dr. Who. Avatar: the Last Air Bender. 30 Rock. Lost. Whatever. Start a show, become a fan, get inside jokes on the Internet.
ALSO! Netflix is adding Adventure Time and Regular Show as well as some Adult Swim content at the end of March. Mathematical.
7. Start an Art Project
Especially for those of you trapped in PEAK and unable to take any art or writing classes. Start a project! A week is a long time to spend perfecting a poem or painting a masterpiece portrait of the squirrels on campus. Utilize this time to your artistic advantage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)