Thursday, October 15, 2009
what if?
Me: "...I know that I'm freaking out about the little things, it's just that the little things grow up and gather together and sometimes become big things, which might be fine but if enough big things all decide to turn on me at once then I've seriously got some big things to worry about, you know? Does that make sense?"
Jonathan: "I feel like I just got to run around inside your head for about 3 minutes, and I want out."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
the mill
The other day, my friends and I went to the Louisburg Cider Mill to drink cider, pick out pumpkins, jump on hay bales, and soak in the last bits of fall before winter prematurely swept in to settle down for a while.
We decided to make the corn maze a little more interesting by sending Sara and Crystal in early to hide so we'd have something more to look for than...the way out.
As I wandered the maze, aimlessly turning right and left on impulse, I realized that this activity was not fun because it reminded me too much of how normal life really is. Stupid humans. What other species would go to such great lengths to invent a game where the point of it all is to get lost and try to find your way through stalks so high you can't see over them and paths that seem to be noble but lead you in circles and land you back where you started?
The muddy path along rows of un-harvested corn reminded me all too well that I don't know what I'm doing, where I'm going, or how I would get there even if I did.
I'm done with school in December, friends, and I'm starting to freak out about it.
We decided to make the corn maze a little more interesting by sending Sara and Crystal in early to hide so we'd have something more to look for than...the way out.
As I wandered the maze, aimlessly turning right and left on impulse, I realized that this activity was not fun because it reminded me too much of how normal life really is. Stupid humans. What other species would go to such great lengths to invent a game where the point of it all is to get lost and try to find your way through stalks so high you can't see over them and paths that seem to be noble but lead you in circles and land you back where you started?
The muddy path along rows of un-harvested corn reminded me all too well that I don't know what I'm doing, where I'm going, or how I would get there even if I did.
I'm done with school in December, friends, and I'm starting to freak out about it.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Scenes from this week
Me: "I have the flu."
Doctor: "You don't have the flu."
Me: "Then why do I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck?"
Doctor: "There's nothing wrong with you. Go home and go to bed. You can take off the flu-mask."
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Boss calls a meeting in her office and five of us pile in there. Two minutes into the meeting, boss's cell phone starts ringing an infectious techno beat. My foot immediately starts grooving to the melody and one of those silly unreasonable laughs starts bubbling up in my belly. She picks it up, studies it and says:
"I think I'm just going to let that ring", sets it down, and lets it keep going.
No! You have to turn it off! I can't contain the inner dance party! Don't you know that you only have to press one of those buttons to make it stop?!
Then, while the techno groove is still partying on her desk, she starts PRAYING to open the meeting! WITH HER EYES OPEN!
I can't escape! Don't laugh! Bite the insides of your cheeks! Don't dance and don't laugh!
I bowed my head real low and fought to still my shaking shoulders. I didn't dare look around at the collectively similar expressions around me in the room.
Finally, I regained composure and attempted to appear reasonable...just in time for techno groove beat to lay a dance revolution on our meeting again. I still have mollar marks on the insides of my cheeks.
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Leaving Wal-Mart, I arrive at my car and find a COMPLETELY flat tire. Pancake flat.
I stood there whimpering in the rain for a minute before deciding to drive it around to the tire center.
I sat in the waiting room and called Dad.
Me: "I don't have money for a flat tire."
Dad: "How'd you get it to the tire place?"
Me: "I was already at Wal-Mart. I just drove it around the back side of the store."
Dad: "Bethy! You can't drive on a flat tire!"
Me: "What was I supposed to do? Change it into the spare to drive 200 yards?"
Dad: "Do you even know how to change a tire?"
Me: "Nope."
Meanwhile they call my name, and I go up to find out the cost.
Tire-man: "That'll be $10."
Me: "What?!"
Tire-man: "You had 2 nails stuck in there. We just patched it up."
Me: "Bless you precious man!"
Tire-man: *looks uncomfortable*
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Roommate: "I made something weird."
Me: "Like what?"
Roommate: "Cheese pizza, with sausage. And tuna."
Me, looking disgusted: "Oh, Em...!"
Roommate: "Want to try some?"
Me: "Sure."
Doctor: "You don't have the flu."
Me: "Then why do I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck?"
Doctor: "There's nothing wrong with you. Go home and go to bed. You can take off the flu-mask."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boss calls a meeting in her office and five of us pile in there. Two minutes into the meeting, boss's cell phone starts ringing an infectious techno beat. My foot immediately starts grooving to the melody and one of those silly unreasonable laughs starts bubbling up in my belly. She picks it up, studies it and says:
"I think I'm just going to let that ring", sets it down, and lets it keep going.
No! You have to turn it off! I can't contain the inner dance party! Don't you know that you only have to press one of those buttons to make it stop?!
Then, while the techno groove is still partying on her desk, she starts PRAYING to open the meeting! WITH HER EYES OPEN!
I can't escape! Don't laugh! Bite the insides of your cheeks! Don't dance and don't laugh!
I bowed my head real low and fought to still my shaking shoulders. I didn't dare look around at the collectively similar expressions around me in the room.
Finally, I regained composure and attempted to appear reasonable...just in time for techno groove beat to lay a dance revolution on our meeting again. I still have mollar marks on the insides of my cheeks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving Wal-Mart, I arrive at my car and find a COMPLETELY flat tire. Pancake flat.
I stood there whimpering in the rain for a minute before deciding to drive it around to the tire center.
I sat in the waiting room and called Dad.
Me: "I don't have money for a flat tire."
Dad: "How'd you get it to the tire place?"
Me: "I was already at Wal-Mart. I just drove it around the back side of the store."
Dad: "Bethy! You can't drive on a flat tire!"
Me: "What was I supposed to do? Change it into the spare to drive 200 yards?"
Dad: "Do you even know how to change a tire?"
Me: "Nope."
Meanwhile they call my name, and I go up to find out the cost.
Tire-man: "That'll be $10."
Me: "What?!"
Tire-man: "You had 2 nails stuck in there. We just patched it up."
Me: "Bless you precious man!"
Tire-man: *looks uncomfortable*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roommate: "I made something weird."
Me: "Like what?"
Roommate: "Cheese pizza, with sausage. And tuna."
Me, looking disgusted: "Oh, Em...!"
Roommate: "Want to try some?"
Me: "Sure."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
on blakecity
Blakely: "Small, measurable goals...that's my life right now"
Me: "Why not just stare a mountain in the face and cry?"
Blakely: "Crying will come. I'm just going to try to hold off for a while."
"This hill, though high, I covet to ascend.
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way to life lies here
Come, pluck up, heart, let's neither faint nor fear
Better, though difficult, the right way to go
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe"
--Christian, The Pilgrim's Progress
Thursday, October 1, 2009
this one's for Amy
Scene: Lori's living room.
Lori reached down to pick up 16-month-old Murphy and realized that she had pooped her diaper. Then, while carrying her to the nursery, felt that it had leaked through her cute little dress.
Me to Blakely: "Oh man. The learning curve on being a mom is going to be really steep."
Lori, over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs: "It's BRUTAL"
Lori reached down to pick up 16-month-old Murphy and realized that she had pooped her diaper. Then, while carrying her to the nursery, felt that it had leaked through her cute little dress.
Me to Blakely: "Oh man. The learning curve on being a mom is going to be really steep."
Lori, over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs: "It's BRUTAL"
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
2 funnies
I went to an Avett Brothers concert with Cari, Jon, Julie, and Scott a few weekends ago. Since I've never heard the brothers, I got onto Pandora.com and listened to some of their stuff before going. Guitar, violin, drums, folksy rock, yelling, got it...not my favorite, but I could definitely appreciate them live.
The concert was supposed to start at 7pm. We all got lost in the rain, waited in line for tickets, and ate pizza for a while before going in to the venue at 8.30. The band went on and everyone cheered. Hippies started dancing and singing the indecipherable words to the songs. The 6 guys on stage all looked alike...they probably were brothers. They were playing guitars, violins, violas, drums...they even had one of their guys play two saxophones at the same time! I loved it.
About three songs into their set, I leaned over and told Jonathan: "This is so much better than their stuff I listened to online!" He looked over and laughed and informed me that we weren't watching the Avett Brothers...the guys onstage were the opening act.
--slap forehead now--
But, hey: check out Railroad Earth.
Today, I trecked across campus under the hot August sun with $212.46 worth of new heavy textbooks and landed at the Roasterie with Blakely. After heaving my load onto the table, I dramatically planted my head on my notebook for a second to cool off. When I sat up, my damp face had made a perfect forehead and nose-print on my notebook. I looked down at it for a second, then looked across the table at Blakely, who kindly responded: "If it's any consolation, it doesn't look that bad from here."
The concert was supposed to start at 7pm. We all got lost in the rain, waited in line for tickets, and ate pizza for a while before going in to the venue at 8.30. The band went on and everyone cheered. Hippies started dancing and singing the indecipherable words to the songs. The 6 guys on stage all looked alike...they probably were brothers. They were playing guitars, violins, violas, drums...they even had one of their guys play two saxophones at the same time! I loved it.
About three songs into their set, I leaned over and told Jonathan: "This is so much better than their stuff I listened to online!" He looked over and laughed and informed me that we weren't watching the Avett Brothers...the guys onstage were the opening act.
--slap forehead now--
But, hey: check out Railroad Earth.
Today, I trecked across campus under the hot August sun with $212.46 worth of new heavy textbooks and landed at the Roasterie with Blakely. After heaving my load onto the table, I dramatically planted my head on my notebook for a second to cool off. When I sat up, my damp face had made a perfect forehead and nose-print on my notebook. I looked down at it for a second, then looked across the table at Blakely, who kindly responded: "If it's any consolation, it doesn't look that bad from here."
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