You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December, 2007.
Well.
I feel very overwhelmed right now, but not sure if I have a reason to feel that way. I guess I do. Holidays. You know. Going to court. Being told I have to come back to court.
Christmas! My Christmas Eve was… AMAZINGLY wonderful. Robin (hey Robin!) invited me to dinner with her extended family and it was awesome. I didn’t know those people, but I did not for a minute feel awkward or out of place or like I was intruding on someone’s family celebration. As an introvert… I don’t know if I have ever felt that way. In fact, it went beyond simply not feeling awkward to actually enjoying myself and the company. Hospitality, thy name is Bolash.
I drove down to SC for Christmas day and family time… gifts were exchanged. Way too much food was eaten. Nieces were entertained and celebrated. Speaking of nieces… I’m getting a new one! 
My brother and his wife are having a second little girl in April.
I had to be back in Raleigh for my court date of Dec. 27th at 1.30. I learned a lot, actually. Everyone goes in together and sits in benches in the back of the courtroom. The judge called everyone who was present and then handled the fastest cases immediately… these were mostly evictions. It was actually really heartbreaking. The property management had about 15 or so eviction cases and there were only two people there who were actually trying to fight it… both of their stories were awful and you could tell that, like most of us, these were people just trying to get along who couldn’t help what had happened to them to keep them from paying their rent. The judge really didn’t listen to their cases, making notes and processing paperwork while they spoke, which I got legally but was a little upset by morally. Not my favorite place to be, all in all…
And I get to go back! When I filed my paperwork I filed the suit against David W. Kenney, Nine Sages, Inc. And what I was supposed to file was: Nine Sages, Inc, David W. Kenney.
SERIOUSLY.
Apparently the company name has to be written first. Right. Whatever. I am going back down tomorrow to resubmit the paperwork. Or at least I hope that is what I am doing. The clerks in the courthouse are not allowed to help anyone with these matters and this situation was not covered in the “small claims court guide” I got from legal aid. So. I am slightly winging it.
When I got home I read the headline that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated. This tears me up so desperately. I don’t have words for it right here tonight but for now I will just say that the world scares me.
More soon.
Today I took Madeleine out on our first public adventure. I took her to my special place here in Raleigh, Durant Nature Park. I had no idea how this would go. I was hoping she’d last about 20 minutes and wouldn’t stand in one spot the entire time.
She did great!
We walked for over an hour and over a mile… the funniest part was that about halfway through the walk I picked her up and then put her down… she did a complete 180 and hightailed it backwards in the direction we had come. I thought she had seen a squirrel or something, but she just kept running and ran us all the way back to the parking lot. I think maybe she was telling me that she wanted to go home?
At the very end of our walk Madeleine and I met up with a deer… normally Madeleine would freak out by any weird thing… people… bicycles… engines… anything makes her run for the hills. But she didn’t seem to be interested in anything more than staring at the deer. It was all terribly cute.
More later. I just wanted to post some cute kitty photos is all.
It’s late. I should be in bed. It’s really late, actually, now that I look at the clock. I’d say that kitty is confused, but she’s usually up at this hour so why should she be?
First of all, I must pause and reflect on the fact that I am not going in to W O R K for ten whole days. Ten. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten. Ten.
Tonight I decided to treat myself to a mini-celebration of the long break by going to see a movie I’d heard good things about… ahem… Sweeney Todd. (Yes, the cast is also probably a lot of the reason why I went. Johnny Depp AND Helena Bonham Carter and yes I am there.) Next to The Hills, which is actually now that I think about it not that different, this was the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. I knew the general plot, but I confess that I had not read the play nor seen the musical… I guess I was thinking that despite the obviousness of the plot that it was still… funny?
Not so much. There were funny parts of course, but this was not a funny movie.
Naturally, I loved it. I love to be disturbed. I am weird that way. If any of you have seen it let’s please discuss some time. I won’t spell it out here for fear of spoiling things for someone, but my fascinated/appalled self needs to bounce this one around some.
There are a couple of things I want to write about, but they both need more attention than I have to give them here tonight. In the meantime, to those of you who read and respond, many many many thanks. And to those of you who took note of my need for encouragement and responded to that as well… even more thanks. I won’t say that things are really better, but they aren’t worse. Does that count?
P.S. SHOUTOUT to Jessica for telling me about the Diane Rehm program on A Wrinkle in Time. It was only after listening to that that I realized that Madeleine had recorded audiobooks of the trilogy, which I promptly downloaded and am now allowing myself to savor. It’s fascinating and wonderful to have her voice, and all of it together makes me both miss her and want to spend a great deal more time with her work.
One of my favorite things to do, for reasons I don’t know that I can explain, is to send notes of appreciation to people whom I appreciate. I guess that doesn’t sound so unusual after all until I tell you that I have sent an email to Nina Totenberg… the legal affairs correspondent for NPR… yeahhhh…. and I TRULY meant every word I said. (I LOVE Nina! Every time she is on the air I turn the radio up because I love the way she explains things and I always learn from her!) Other folks I have sent notes of appreciation to are: bloggers, famous authors, not-so-famous authors, artists, comics, musicians, professors, fellow students, etc. And it never ceases to amaze me how grateful the individual is to have been appreciated.
This semester I had a wonderful professor… the kind of professor I was so spoiled to have so often at Anderson… she was invested in the class, she was witty and engaging, every assignment she gave us had a purpose and a goal that I could actually follow myself and understand why it was given… she brought in guest lecturers who were equally engaging and fascinating and who added so much to the material already taught. I loved her. And as a result I really loved the course. Want to know what it was? Research Methods. Who loves research methods?!?! With the right instructor, I sort of think that we all do.
So, in my usual manner, I waited until after grades were posted to send my note of appreciation. And I received the sweetest note in response. Again, I am just always amazed at how much it means to people to know that they are appreciated. The responses I’ve received from various people whom I have sent notes to is really really encouraging and special to me. Nina Totenberg said that I had given her the encouragement she needed to keep going, my professor this semester said that I have made her holiday, some of my favorite authors have expressed profound grattitude and identified me as a “kindred soul.” It means almost more to me to hear from them how much they appreciated my appreciation than it means to them to receive it.
ALL of this is to say… it’s the holidays!!! Tell someone how much you appreciate them!!! Bonus points in particular if the someone you appreciate is random or would never normally get such a note. I can say from experience that it will be just one big love-fest when you do.
This was not a really good week for me. Well, officially today being Monday means that last week was not a good week for me. Whatever. Details.
Let’s start with the obvious. My good friend Holly is moving away. Holly is one of the three friends that I have really made and connected with here in Raleigh and it is a great loss to see her go. I am happy for her as the move is one for love. (This staggers me! I am so impressed by this. Truly, it is a miracle and a wonder to see love grow… or even exist at all.) But, of course, it is sad for those of us who will miss her. This weekend we all spent a lot of time with Holly and there was a going away party and a brunch and other great, but sad times together.
The rest of the week was reallllllly hard emotionally in ways that I can’t really write about publicly, but it has definitely felt like a setback. I am trying to remember and believe that it is all somehow worth it in the end, but I will confess that I have doubts about that. I could use a little encouragement… maybe borrow a little hope from other people for a short time.
Life is bizarre and confusing and strange and ridiculous and I do not understand it at all.
Oh I mean The Princess Bride. Ooops. Sorry about that.
I know I could get hate mail (haha!) for this, but I am going to write it anyway: The Princess Bride is one screwed-up book. I mean, I know everyone likes the movie. It’s truly truly witty, I’m sure. However. Have any of you read the book? I am arguing (as a feminist) that the book should be read and the movie watched with a healthy dose of honest criticism.
Let’s start with the beginning. Buttercup is both stupid and vain, treating Westley like crap and being idiotic all over the place. When Westley rescues her and they are arguing just before entering the Fire Swamp, he asks her:
“When was the last time you read a book? The truth now. And picture books don’t count – I mean something with print in it.”
Buttercup then pouts, gets angry, threatens to leave, and immediately changes her mind. Westley, of course graciously forgives all her shortcomings.
Perhaps the most offensive portion of the book comes close to the end. Buttercup has just been “married” to the evil Prince and she is waiting in stupidity for Westley to come and rescue her. Wandering back to her room after the wedding, Buttercup muses calmly over her eminent suicide:
“She had never seriously contemplated suicide before. Oh, of course she’d thought about it; every girl does from time to time. But never seriously. To her quiet surprise, she found it was going to be the easiest thing in the world.”
EXCUSE ME?!?! I have no words for this. Really. So awful I can’t even discuss it.
When Westley comes to rescue the poor useless Buttercup he tells her to tie up the evil Prince.
“‘You’d do it so much better,’ Buttercup replied. ‘I’ll get the sashes, but I really think you should do the actual tying.’
‘Woman,’ Westley roared, ‘you are the property of the Dread Pirate Roberts and you . . . do . . . what . . . you’re . . . told!’” [Westley is the Dread Pirate Roberts in case you didn't know.]
Again… EXCUSE ME?!?!
Top these awful bits off with the repeated women-bashing during William Goldman’s author-asides (he bashes his wife, talks about how he wants to seduce the family representative, etc. etc. etc.) and it all amounts to the grand sum of one male-chauvinist piece of work.
back in the saddle again…
Madeleine’s favorite toy in all the world this week? A fast-food wrapper.
I have not voluntarily gone to Taco Bell in about 8 years, literally, but for whatever reason I went last week and I tossed the wrapper at her afterwards.
And oh my god. I have started a revolution.
Now, granted, Madeleine used to fetch with tin foil balls (reduce, reuse recycle! ALL IN ONE!!!), but I think she prefers the wrapper because its lighter and easier to get a hold of.
At any rate, enjoy the videos of my cat being hilarious and awesome.
This. This is hilarious. She will do this for HOURS.
