Thursday, June 17, 2010
Letter from Texas Summer Gymnastics Camp
I posted this on fb, but had to share it, again. Been on my mind after taking HH to gymnastics 2x this week. This was a letter I wrote my parents from Texas Summer Gymnastics Camp in Kerrville, TX when I was about 8 or 9. I remember liking the camp. My 2nd overnight camp. Better than church camp. Foam pits and balance beams in the middle of the woods and being starving between lunch and dinner and getting to buy a candy bar. What a luxurious treat. I also remember shocking myself plugging in a fan after getting out of the shower. Here's what I wrote my parents.
Dilemma of Bilbliophile
I got an Austin Public Library card yesterday. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I went through my Amazon wishlist, and deleted books one by one while adding them to my APL list. Unfortunately, APL does not keep your list, it just makes it for you once, to print or email. I was able to back out of the browser to print and email it. 21 pages. Not going to abandon Amazon, after all. There were several "more scholarly" books APL didn't have, and my revised, bookless wish list looked like one of a 10 year-old Asian girl, a 13 year-old white girl, and a 40 year-old Latino. Not that there's anything wrong with any of those, but my fiction wishlist just sort of mushed everything into looking like that of a somewhat sane person.
I've been a little disappointed in a few of the "classics" I started reading and didn't finish - Lady Chatterly's Lover for one. I realize it's the historical context that is the importance to note, but it was so SLOW and so unscandalous, I was too bored to get a little past halfway when she hooks up with her woodsman lover. Number 2, The French Lieutenant's Woman. I usually like the whole secret, repressed like of far-off love, (typical of English films) but again, not scandalous enough for me, and too slow. Oh, Tiger Woods, and Elliot Spitzer, your debauchery has ruined me for enjoying lesser debaucheries. I was thinking about Tiger Woods when speculative news of his 2nd lovechild surfaced. Those poor, adultery-committing men leave evidence in every tryst. If a woman is unfaithful, she is in control of the offspring, or lack thereof. I guess John Edwards' gal either made a mistake or a very calculated decision. I'm not going to throw any stones, just thinking about the rights of women in most parts of the world, American women have more freedom in every area of their lives.
For the record, I 100% approve of President Obama's performance in office. He is doing the best he can, and I appreciate how he talks with us like we are adults. I wish he hadn't said, "make no mistake," the other night, though. Sounded too W.
Watched the first 2 episodes of Band of Brothers. While I appreciate the subject matter and the producers' objective of accuracy, I found the dialogue and human interactions too contrite and irritating. Especially David Schwimmer. I realize his character was supposed to be annoying, but it was too annoying to enjoy. Not going to watch any more of the series.
HH is back in gymnastics and loving it. There is one rowdy boy in his class, and the rest are girls. He is a cautious dare-devil. I see a lot of me in his behavior. If there's a herd of kids around something, he goes where no one is. Before he really lets loose on something, he observes. Still not crazy about the bouncy jumper. But once he gets going on something, that wide-mouthed grin. Wow. It's non-sexually orgasmic to see.
Oh, yeah, the dilemma. To buy paperbacks and eat the cost ($1-$5) or buy hard backs and sell them back at a small loss (from Costco or Amazon to Amazon), or keep either because they are so good, or use this cumbersome, transient APL list, which requires leaving the house 2x for 1 book. Doesn't seem as easy a decision as I initially thought. Right now I am selling off Twilight stars' magazines - Bazaar with KS and RP - $10! People with the same cover stars- $5! Also just got $5 for a 1994 Clyde Drexler, Portland Trailblazers magnet card. That was totally worth keeping for 16 years. : / Speaking of Portland, congratulations to my longtime, good friend Dawn on her recent nuptials!!!
I've been a little disappointed in a few of the "classics" I started reading and didn't finish - Lady Chatterly's Lover for one. I realize it's the historical context that is the importance to note, but it was so SLOW and so unscandalous, I was too bored to get a little past halfway when she hooks up with her woodsman lover. Number 2, The French Lieutenant's Woman. I usually like the whole secret, repressed like of far-off love, (typical of English films) but again, not scandalous enough for me, and too slow. Oh, Tiger Woods, and Elliot Spitzer, your debauchery has ruined me for enjoying lesser debaucheries. I was thinking about Tiger Woods when speculative news of his 2nd lovechild surfaced. Those poor, adultery-committing men leave evidence in every tryst. If a woman is unfaithful, she is in control of the offspring, or lack thereof. I guess John Edwards' gal either made a mistake or a very calculated decision. I'm not going to throw any stones, just thinking about the rights of women in most parts of the world, American women have more freedom in every area of their lives.
For the record, I 100% approve of President Obama's performance in office. He is doing the best he can, and I appreciate how he talks with us like we are adults. I wish he hadn't said, "make no mistake," the other night, though. Sounded too W.
Watched the first 2 episodes of Band of Brothers. While I appreciate the subject matter and the producers' objective of accuracy, I found the dialogue and human interactions too contrite and irritating. Especially David Schwimmer. I realize his character was supposed to be annoying, but it was too annoying to enjoy. Not going to watch any more of the series.
HH is back in gymnastics and loving it. There is one rowdy boy in his class, and the rest are girls. He is a cautious dare-devil. I see a lot of me in his behavior. If there's a herd of kids around something, he goes where no one is. Before he really lets loose on something, he observes. Still not crazy about the bouncy jumper. But once he gets going on something, that wide-mouthed grin. Wow. It's non-sexually orgasmic to see.
Oh, yeah, the dilemma. To buy paperbacks and eat the cost ($1-$5) or buy hard backs and sell them back at a small loss (from Costco or Amazon to Amazon), or keep either because they are so good, or use this cumbersome, transient APL list, which requires leaving the house 2x for 1 book. Doesn't seem as easy a decision as I initially thought. Right now I am selling off Twilight stars' magazines - Bazaar with KS and RP - $10! People with the same cover stars- $5! Also just got $5 for a 1994 Clyde Drexler, Portland Trailblazers magnet card. That was totally worth keeping for 16 years. : / Speaking of Portland, congratulations to my longtime, good friend Dawn on her recent nuptials!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Don't worry, I'm just pregnant
Sorry for neglecting you, world. I have been pregnant and tired. I am still pregnant (15.5 weeks, but am feeling a little peppier). No drama to report or process. No longer friends with the friend who received much press. Finished teaching my UT class, and it was awesome. I hope I can do it again, sometime. I just applied to teach online courses from Western International University. I will find out in 2 weeks if my online powerpoint presentation with Madonna microphone narration was acceptable. Been dancing, but not nearly as much. BH is working like crazy, of course, and between that and being tired, I haven't been going to group classes. Back with DID as my regular teacher. I think we have reached an understanding, and I have reached a level of comfortability with my body, moving my body, and someone else touching my body while dancing. The C&W dances come easiest to me. I think because they require relative rigidity without demanding ballroom posture. I still love the Latin stuff, though. DID showed me a shine the other day we are going to add to and work on. I can work on it at home because I finally got a mirror in the exercise room. It's 3 door mirrors glued together and hung on the wall. $18 total cost. I kept looking and looking, Craigslist, 2nd hand shops, Target, Hobby Lobby. Mirrors are expensive! Who knew. Thrift stores don't accept wall mirrors because of the high probability for breakage. Craigslist has wall mirrors, but the ones I found were always in Lakeway or Kyle or Cedar Park, and now this Austinite does not like to go anywhere that's more than about 15 minutes away. Most things are about 10 minutes away.
Well, I seem to have a lot to tell you, after all. Here are some books I have recently (past few months) read and movies I have recently seen.
Books:
The Kite Runner and 1000 Splendid Suns - VERY sad. People had been telling me these were "good," but failed to mention they are extremely heart-breaking. DO NOT want to see the movie!
War by Sebastian Junger. Really liked it. Heard him on NPR. Missed him at Book People. Gets into the drive for returning to combat - all about meaning and brotherly love.
Midnight Sun first 12 chapters. I found a bit torrent download so I could print the thing out. I don't know why Stephanie Meyers wanted us to have to read it on the computer. I have not commercially reproduced my copy. 2 pages per 8.5x11 page on the back of paper that was already printed on. Not too many dead trees.
Just started Other Voice, Other Rooms. Wanted something good, but not too dark. Want to read as many of the Pulitzer Prize winners as possible. I can't remember if he won for that one, might have been for In Cold Blood, but I can't handle hearing about any more cold blood for a while. Next The Old Man and the Sea.
On DVD:
Freaks and Geeks Season 1. Painful like Dazed and Confused. James Franco's character is so irritating, it's hard to enjoy his hotness. Lots of future ER actors
James Dean made for TNT movie with James Franco as Dean. Good. Stuff I didn't know about Dean.
The Hurt Locker. Good, but I am glad I read War, first. Adrenaline, yes, but these characters feel little of the love, it seems. Impressive that it was directed by a woman, and that Ralph Fiennes was the only star in the movie. The main character who is black looks like a black Tim Hodgkinson, FYI.
Osama Couldn't get through the whole thing. It was SOOOOOOO dark. Laos, subtitled in Arabic, and I don't actually get to "watch" many movies.
Brothers Netflix recommended it to me, which is unusual because I told Netflix I liked Brokeback Mountain, and all I get recommended to me are gay male movies. I didn't like Brokeback Mountain BECAUSE it was about gay men, although I do like gay men, catagorically, as a whole, I liked the movie because it was an excellent film. FYI, Netflix. Anyway, this sleeper was pretty good. And happy ending. Fairly happy for an Afghanistan War movie.
10 Things I Hate About You. I don't know why I thought this would be watchable. Beyond Bad. Sorry, Heath Ledger, RIP.
The Machinist. Yes, C Bale was GOOD in it, but the movie was just painful and boring.
Strictly Ballroom. Cute, mostly because it's Australian. The eccentricities of the ballroom world x 10.
Cumbia Callera. I loved this movie. Spanish language, but it's practically a silent film. Filmed in Monterrey, Mex. Just a quirky, very low budget movie about a young woman living in poverty who finds amusement with 2 completely different men. Callera means quiet, FYI. Cumbia is a dance.
Sooner than later.
Well, I seem to have a lot to tell you, after all. Here are some books I have recently (past few months) read and movies I have recently seen.
Books:
The Kite Runner and 1000 Splendid Suns - VERY sad. People had been telling me these were "good," but failed to mention they are extremely heart-breaking. DO NOT want to see the movie!
War by Sebastian Junger. Really liked it. Heard him on NPR. Missed him at Book People. Gets into the drive for returning to combat - all about meaning and brotherly love.
Midnight Sun first 12 chapters. I found a bit torrent download so I could print the thing out. I don't know why Stephanie Meyers wanted us to have to read it on the computer. I have not commercially reproduced my copy. 2 pages per 8.5x11 page on the back of paper that was already printed on. Not too many dead trees.
Just started Other Voice, Other Rooms. Wanted something good, but not too dark. Want to read as many of the Pulitzer Prize winners as possible. I can't remember if he won for that one, might have been for In Cold Blood, but I can't handle hearing about any more cold blood for a while. Next The Old Man and the Sea.
On DVD:
Freaks and Geeks Season 1. Painful like Dazed and Confused. James Franco's character is so irritating, it's hard to enjoy his hotness. Lots of future ER actors
James Dean made for TNT movie with James Franco as Dean. Good. Stuff I didn't know about Dean.
The Hurt Locker. Good, but I am glad I read War, first. Adrenaline, yes, but these characters feel little of the love, it seems. Impressive that it was directed by a woman, and that Ralph Fiennes was the only star in the movie. The main character who is black looks like a black Tim Hodgkinson, FYI.
Osama Couldn't get through the whole thing. It was SOOOOOOO dark. Laos, subtitled in Arabic, and I don't actually get to "watch" many movies.
Brothers Netflix recommended it to me, which is unusual because I told Netflix I liked Brokeback Mountain, and all I get recommended to me are gay male movies. I didn't like Brokeback Mountain BECAUSE it was about gay men, although I do like gay men, catagorically, as a whole, I liked the movie because it was an excellent film. FYI, Netflix. Anyway, this sleeper was pretty good. And happy ending. Fairly happy for an Afghanistan War movie.
10 Things I Hate About You. I don't know why I thought this would be watchable. Beyond Bad. Sorry, Heath Ledger, RIP.
The Machinist. Yes, C Bale was GOOD in it, but the movie was just painful and boring.
Strictly Ballroom. Cute, mostly because it's Australian. The eccentricities of the ballroom world x 10.
Cumbia Callera. I loved this movie. Spanish language, but it's practically a silent film. Filmed in Monterrey, Mex. Just a quirky, very low budget movie about a young woman living in poverty who finds amusement with 2 completely different men. Callera means quiet, FYI. Cumbia is a dance.
Sooner than later.
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