Gorgeous Little Things

Something New

mercyb — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:36:59 GMT

Saturday we're visiting Circus School! I've temporarily signed up August for classes on Sundays but we're checking it out first to make sure he likes it...which is like, DUH! Who wouldn't have fun with this?

Writer's Block: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

mercyb — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:59:35 GMT

No brainer. SKIING. I'm so not a snow sports gal. I have only recently made friends with the snow because I bought proper warm gear, but still not interested in skiing or snowboarding. And yes, I have tried them. Not fun. Cross-country skiing was mildly fun and I think I'd like snowshoeing, but skiing, unh unh. NEXT!

My order of these I'd be willing to give up:

Skiing
Swimming
Hiking
And lastly, biking. And this would break my heart if it came to that.

What a nice segue into my triathlon training discussion...no discussion, I'm still just running! I have it on the calendar to go swimming on Wednesday afternoon but we'll see if that happens! I think I'll just catch a cold the day before the tri and skip out. I need a new tri-attitude!

Writer's Block: Folktales of the City

mercyb — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:48:16 GMT

Well, I must say I was jazzed to find this on my friends page on Friday. annamaryse had answered it first thing in the morning and I squealed with delight to see the Writer's Block editors had selected my suggestion. I'd only submitted it this week and thought it'd never get picked.

Of course, I read almost every public write up and was shocked to see that like, 75% of the entries reported "Bloody Mary" as their favorite urban legend. ?? Wut? Really? To me it's more of a ghost story than an urban legend, but whatevs.

In the public entries, "The Clown Statue" came up quite frequently, as did the "Humans Lick, Too" story. I'd never heard those before and wish I was 20 years younger and able to tell them at camp!

I was surprised that I didn't see any mention of my favorite, about the American couple that visit Tijuana and smuggle a little dog back home across the border. When they bring their new pet to the vet for a check up and shots, they find out it's no dog at all. It's a sewer rat.

I also think frequently about the family who were enjoying dinner around the dining room table when they heard a crash in the other room and found a man fallen through their ceiling! He'd been squatting up in their attic for a year without them knowing it. I can't find this story on http://snopes.com, I'd heard it in high school from someone who swears the family was a friend of their family. I never believed it but since it hasn't gotten around it makes me wonder if it might have really happened. ??

I admit that I was duped by the urban legend of the gang members driving at night without headlights and shooting drivers who flash highbeams at them. When I first heard about this initiation rite I was scared to death to flash anyone driving without headlights on. And even after I learned it wasn't true, I still sort of duck slightly when I pass a car I've flashed. Ha.

Anyway, thanks LJ for making my day! And thanks to everyone who posted their responses publicly. I enjoyed the laughs.

Oh, how depressing

mercyb — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:35:58 GMT

September 18

7:30am

The heater just came on.

How I love me my Tintin

mercyb — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:04:42 GMT

Looks like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are collaborating on a trilogy of Tintin films in CGI. I'm psyched! And dreading the rise of Tintin popularity. I'll be pissed if MacDo's starts tucking Captain Haddock figurines into their Happy Meal boxes. Hopefully an over-promotion will not wear on the public. Our boy reporter deserves better props than that.

Still not here...

mercyb — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:55:52 GMT

...but at least we've made it safely into the sign of Taurus!

mercyb — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:47:47 GMT

The Braxton-Hicks labor pains are starting. I was having lunch with my old schoolmate and her 18 mo old yesterday when my false labor began. It's terribly exciting...my body is getting ready for birth!

I think it's time to start keeping the carseat in the car, ready for an any-moment trip to the hospital!

Well ain't that somethin

mercyb — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 09:08:39 GMT

The newlyweds are having a baby!

Feeling blue?

mercyb — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:46:25 GMT

Today, Jan 22, is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year.

Here's why...

Sour Death Balls!!

mercyb — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 18:00:19 GMT

Make sure you let it "buffer" all the way for full effect! Big file and totally worth it.

Some aspects of the human experience remind us of our similarities...

http://www.lumeneclipse.com/gallery/11/Yu/

Windstorm '06

mercyb — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:11:30 GMT

Melio called from San Francisco this morning. "I'm reading about your windstorms! Are you guys okay?" I told her we were fine and that it was just a noisy night for sleep. And as I was reassuring the Mother Hen, I looked outside and saw our 6ft fence blown over! Poor John had his car scraped up pretty badly on the fence's way down.

'Course, this is nothing compared to several of my friends without power for the week, or suffering from flooding (like Boy Stacey).

mercyb — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:46:47 GMT

My movie rental recommendation: "The Secret Lives of Dentists"
An indie film bursting with heart and intelligence. The married couple's struggles are so real and identifiable. Dennis Leary has a brilliant role. Hope Davis shows off her fine acting skills.

Tip: If you're like me and you relish continuity mishaps, look for the glaring one where the boom mic makes it into a scene when the camera moves back! I feel ridiculously smug when I catch stuff like that...

Movie Recommendation

mercyb — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 04:32:55 GMT

I LOVED "Little Miss Sunshine"! I laughed myself silly in the theater tonight! It's uber intelligent and it might even make you cry for a moment.

Will definitely want to own this one...

How I'm feeling of late...

mercyb — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:39:59 GMT

Credit: BoyStacey

Guess the baggage people complained?

mercyb — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:22:48 GMT

Wish this had been in effect two weeks ago when I flew to Oakland!! My new carry-on I had to check really got filthy and mangled.

Travelers, enjoy the news! You can carry liquids on board now:

http://alaskasworld.com/NEWS/2006/09/25_RevisedRuels.asp

I scream, you scream...

mercyb — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 15:11:29 GMT

My buddy Dave wrote a blog entry about Ben and Jerry's latest release of ice cream flavors. The controversy is fascinating. And the most important question I have is, why haven't I tried "Neopolitan Dynamite" before??

Enjoy!

Dance Fever - Norwegian Style

mercyb — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:25:13 GMT

Need a mid-week pick me up?

http://www.wimp.com/lesson/

dream

mercyb — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:56:50 GMT

I dreamed last night that I was trapped in a witch's house and some friends pulled an operation to sneak me out. My biggest difficulty was carrying out my belongings. One of my friends magically shrunk my belongings down to the size of kippot, one for her head, one for mine. We made it outta' there just fine.

El Niño. El Cubano.

mercyb — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:14:12 GMT

This rain is too too much. Good thing I'm in love.

Class Picture Day

mercyb — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 19:21:08 GMT

Just great. The day we had a blackout in the neighborhood and I had to fix my hair in the dark!

Thank you letters

mercyb — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:58:43 GMT

I found this link on the linguaphiles community blog:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4583594.stm

I've given the assignment to my 5th graders today, "Play with punctuation!"

If any strong/humorous pieces float to the top, I'll transcribe them for your reading pleasure...

Today's Should

mercyb — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 23:26:09 GMT

If you ever have outta' town guests come to Seattle, take 'em on the Undergound Tour. I went w/ Melanie yesterday - let's be more accurate, I was dragged by Melanie yesterday - and the tour was much more interesting than I expected!

Bad news about an old teacher...

mercyb — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 15:49:39 GMT

I remember this guy always had mouthwash on his breath. Even an 11 year old could pick up that he was drinking on the job. Plus, I thought he was creepy and tried too hard to be friends with us.

Returning from San Diego

mercyb — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 09:36:02 GMT

Well, the sunshine's over. Kaput. It's hard not to feel down with this cold Seattle rain, so I try to stay grateful for the rays I caught at the beach just today. A mere 6 hours ago, I watched the surfers catch waves at LaJolla, and girls in bikinis tanning in the sand. The roadtrip inland to wine country (Temecula Hills) was beautiful too, and I made off with 3 exquisite bottles of vino, but really I liked the beach scene the best. Or maybe I just didn't realize I was on vacation until I got to the beach two days into my stay. And suddenly it was time to hop back on the plane to work and schedules. *sigh* A few more weekends like this a year, and I'll be a happy camper.

Oh! And, Mama Testa's Taqueria was a highlight and must-see for anyone headed to SD! I had a brilliant dish of mashed potato tacos called, "Empapados" - topped with their mango/papaya salsa and tomatillo/parmesan salsa...Mama mia!!! Can't wait to go back...

Job hazards or inspiration?

mercyb — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:03:33 GMT

When I first transitioned from corporate life to theatre education, conversations with friends and family were filled with anecdotes and impersonations of hilarious kids I interacted with by day. I remembered every little funny thing any student said and passed them around my social circles for weeks. There was the 5 year old who explained to her classmates, "I'm Spanish, she's Vietnamese, he's Ethiopian, she's Samoan," and to two African American classmates she matter-of-factly pointed out, "and you two are homies." Or the time my ADHD 5th grade student, with green marker scribbled all over his face to resemble camouflage, sneaked up behind me and made me jump when he barked the orders, "YOU STAND UP STRAIGHT WHEN YOU TALK TO ME, PRIVATE!" Or the 6 year old standing next to me with a finger grinding in her snotty nose and the bright idea, "I think we should all hold hands and make a circle." I used to love sharing how these creatures breathed life into my day. Now, I hate to say, I hardly ever mentally record the conversations kids have with each other anymore, or the hilarious questions they ask me, or the brutally honest observations they make. Either I've lost the brain space for it, or I *gulp* am turning into a jaded teacher...

I could be turning a bit jaded, heaven forbid. Today I escorted some 8 year old artistes to the restroom to wash paper mache gel off their hands. One girl bolted in behind us and jetted toward the bathroom stalls. "Wash your hands first," I called out. "They'll be no good for you in there with all that gel on them!" She turned around, ran knees high to the sink, and stood jogging in place on her tip toes, "Ooooh, I have to go to the bathroom!" She turned and dashed to a stall, but I called her back to turn off the water running at full pressure. She jogged back to the sink on tiptoes, absentmindedly grabbed some papertowels to dry her hands, and spun around toward the stall. The water is still rushing at full force. I called her back again to turn off the water. Frazzled, she jogged back, turned off the water and trotted around the corner to the stalls. And then I heard her stop. Uh oh, I thought. "Maddy? Maddy, take a deeeeeeeeep breath. You can hold it, don't panic." Silence. As I came around the corner I watched her jeans turn dark blue in the inner seams and urine run over her shoes and puddle on the bathroom floor. There was a short moment of calm. The storm was over. I grabbed some paper towels to start sopping up the mess right away. "Okay, go inside the stall and clean off as best you can. I'll bring you some soapy towels and call your dad to bring you new jeans." All was still in the girls bathroom but for a sniffling little chiquita in Stall One.

Not 5 minutes later another girl stepped sheepishly into the bathroom with sad eyes and dark blue jeans at the inner seams. Completely oblivious to Maddy's situation, she'd had her own accident, only outside the bathroom door. Oh Lord. I shuffled her carefully into Stall Two to clean herself up, found a teacher to call her mom to bring her new jeans, and returned to finish cleaning up the puddle outside the door. Most unfortunately, another classmate had reached the puddle first. She was sitting in it! She'd slipped on her friend's pee and fell ass-backwards right into it. At this point, I couldn't not laugh. Three girls drenched in pee. Of course, the latter was the prissy, whiny princess of the class. A magnet for landing in urine puddles.

As I sorted out the misfortunes of these girls I felt savvy and in control. My friends in business and finances are savvy with number crunching, Toosh can tackle all things computer hardware related. I can handle a 3rd grader with pee-soaked pants. As I drove home, I started naming things I was grateful for in my job. My list included: I get paid to be creative, I help positively impact young people, urine-filled afternoons remind me to not take life so seriously.

===================

My favorite discussion of the day:

Maddy: "One time my ex-boyfriend [trailing]..."

Me [interrupting]: "Wait, you've had a boyfriend already? You just got through saying how much you hate boys!"

Maddy: "Well, yeah, I didn't like him. One day he just came up to me and said, 'I'm your boyfriend now.' And then he gave me a broken watch."