What I Read

Silly me, I thought this would count as a "W" post and make it look like I'm still chugging along with the A to Z, but I'm a day behind, even as a faux-participant! Oh well.


Street Gang by Michael Davis. I've always been a huge fan of Sesame Street, so it was interesting to have this glimpse behind the scenes of the show. The book actually begins with an older era of children's shows, because many of the staff of Sesame Street got their start on other shows. It helped put Sesame Street's impact into perspective. The book starts with the idea of the show, then backtracks to follow all of the staff's lives and previous work. It was refreshing that this book didn't focus heavily on Jim Henson, as many works do, because there was so much about this show and the creators that I had never known! It was a great read and has inspired me to research the show even more.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Read on the nook, bought the day it was released. I've read a lot of books since I read If I Stay, the precursor of Where She Went, and I probably should have re-read it right before this book was released. However, I remember If I Stay as being very emotional, and not just because it centered around death. I felt very close to Mia, very in tune with her thoughts and feelings, very aware of who she was as a person. Where She Went is set three years after If I Stay, and is told from Adam's (her boyfriend in the first book) point of view. I'm not sure if it was the time lapse or the character himself, but I didn't feel any emotional ties to the book. I don't feel like I know Adam on a deeper level than "Oh, he's a rock star." That was pretty disappointing. While I liked the setup of the book, I think the beginning was a bit too rushed to get us to that place, and then the middle stretched on much too long without anything pushing it on, and then the end rushed again. I'm glad I read it, though only to have finished the story that If I Stay told.

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. I was contacted by the publisher to receive a free ARC of this book. I read it in two days. Stevens knows how to write an amazing suspense novel. I should have suspected some continuity from the title - Never Knowing... Still Missing? Yes, this book also stars Nadine, the therapist from Stevens' first book. I like the idea that we're getting a peek into her case files, but I also hope that Stevens' next book is different. I think this one could have been more suspenseful if it wasn't told within the framework of therapy sessions. It worked for Still Missing because we were hearing about what had happened before. In Never Knowing, the story is happening as we read. I felt removed from the action because I was being told secondhand, through the sessions, instead of actually "experiencing" it. I think the sessions gave too much introspection and analysis to the action, almost telling the reader what to think instead of allowing ourselves to interpret.
     There was also the twist ending, much like the one in Still Missing. I hope this is also discarded in Stevens' next novel. Some people may think the whole premise of the novel is far-fetched, but in my opinion the twist ending makes it more unbelievable. When things were wrapped up and twenty pages remained, I knew what was coming. In Still Missing, the twist helped wrap up the case. In Never Knowing, it seemed like Stevens was trying to pack in more punch. I think the story would have been stronger without it.
     Like I said - I read this in two days. When I wasn't reading it, I was telling people about it. When I wasn't talking about it, I was thinking about it. It gets stuck in your head and makes your heart pound the entire time. I was reading it in broad daylight and it still creeped me out. It got under my skin. I loved it, and will re-read it and still be entertained by it.

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen. This story followed a woman as she left her abusive husband, bringing her son along as they started a secret new life. There were vivid flashbacks, but also a lot of current action. It had a good narrative structure, but overall felt very stream-of-consciousness, which worked perfectly. As the woman adjusted to her new life, you were living day-to-day right along with her. When she was struck by fear of her husband finding her, you were jolted into that emotion as well. It was very powerful, very realistic, and very suspenseful. The prose was beautiful in many parts, but never too flowery. The characters were realistic and likable, and I find myself thinking about them even after finishing the book.

A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary. This book was very well-written, with vivid descriptions and language both child and adult can enjoy. A lot of Cleary's childhood is inspiration for her books, and it always made me smile when I read a bit that had been adapted into one of her stories. Cleary grew up during the depression, and this book covers that time until she leaves for college (where her next book, My Own Two Feet, picks up). For addressing a sometimes-difficult childhood, the book lacked emotion, which might be because of the distance from her childhood, or because she's learned to let a lot of hurt feelings go. A must-read for any Cleary fan, as well as those who have an interest in the Depression era.
     It reminded me of stories my Gran used to tell, so I loved reading it and envisioning my grandmother's life on her family farm. It's been especially nice to have this book in mind while reading some of my Gran's childhood memories and looking at her old pictures.

A Friend at Midnight by Caroline B. Cooney. As a kid, I loved Cooney's books because they were suspenseful and edgy. Maybe it was because I was young, maybe it's because I've progressively read more twisted things and it takes more to disturb me, but I only finished this book out of obligation. I didn't like it at all. There was so much potential to make it disturbing, or even to explain what had been set up. Instead, I didn't get a lot of it. A father abandons his 9-yr-old son at the airport with no food, money, or belongings. It's kept a secret for awhile, then the family finds out and doesn't even get incredibly angry or decide to take any sort of action against the dad... I didn't understand that at all. The whole thing lacked emotion for being such a sensitive topic. Definitely donating this one to the library. SOON.

Aftermath by Brian Shawver. I've never read Russell Banks' Affliction (to which a comparison is made on the back cover), but this book reminded me a lot of Banks' The Sweet Hereafter. (In fact, I could have sworn I saw the comparison somewhere, but endless Googling tells me I must be crazy. I probably saw Banks' name and linked it to his other novel.) Shawver's novel seemed like a more modern telling of The Sweet Hereafter, which explores a town's emotions after a bus crash kills or injuries many of their children. In Aftermath, the town boys are divided and fight in a local restaurant's parking lot until one boy is critically injured. The book is told from two different points of view - the restaurant manager's, and the injured boy's mother. I love how diplomatically Shawver presents both POVs, so at times you're on each character's side, hating the other. He makes it very hard to pick sides in the way you traditionally would when reading such a news story, because he delves into the characters and makes them seem completely real. Each time I'd end a chapter, I'd convince myself to read just one more. It was very compelling.
     I'm still rolling the resolution around in my head. It didn't come out of the blue, but I think there could have been a little more foreshadowing, or even just a few details stressed more in the beginning that would have made it seem like less of a jump. As it was, the resolution didn't shock me either way - I wasn't disappointed by it, but it didn't really "resolve" things like I thought it would. Still a great book, one I will re-read.

Underachiever

It sounds so much better than quitter, doesn't it?

I know it's lame to quit the A to Z Challenge this far in, right before the difficult letters, but that's exactly what I'm doing. I've posted more in April than I had in the first quarter of 2011! That's pretty insane. I'm not used to so much blogging - writing mine and reading others.

It got to where I could only read the posts from those I had started following, whereas initially I tried to hit 100+ blogs every few days. And it looks like others slacked off too, so my comments seem to reflect - the same new followers commenting, less and less new people stumbling across my posts. I'm sure I got a bit boring after posting so frequently.

I thought I could push through, like I do with NaNo. But see, NaNo is private. If I write crappy words, no one ever has to read them. People read this stuff posted on the Internet, or so I've heard. I'm not going to put you through that.

I'd rather just go back to posting twice a week, max, only if I have stuff to say, instead of posting junk out of obligation. Back to our irregularly unscheduled programming!

Timeline

I took this idea from Lisa Kilian's blog, What Not To Do as a Writer - a timeline of my writing "career" if you will.

It should be known that I went to a school where writing a "book" was a requirement at the end of the year in every grade level, so I already have some publishing credit under my belt.

Kindergarten - wrote a book about ducklings

1st Grade - wrote a book called The Pig's Sister. Proof that I have been funny forever and ever: "Peter is a happy pig, but he has one wish. He wishes he had someone to play with. Because if he had someone to play with, he would be in hog heaven!"

     I also started "making up stories" in first grade: I drew a family picture and added a baby carriage because I wanted a younger sibling like all my classmates. My teacher said she didn't know Mom had been pregnant and asked the baby's name. I said "We haven't named her yet."

2nd Grade - wrote a mystery starring all my classmates - I felt clever, they were not amused. It was called The Case of the Missing Tutu and had a 3d cover of a puff-paint-encrusted tulle tutu popping out of a gym bag. One chapter was titled "Goll!" and my family still talks about it today.
     I also used to sit on my bedroom floor after school and frantically scribble on paper, wanting to write in quick cursive like my dad.

3rd, 4th and 5th Grade - wrote stories that are apparently not memorable. One may or may not have been entitled The Twirly Heads, about the shavings that stay intact when you carefully use a handheld pencil sharpener.
     Somewhere in there, I wrote letter to Ann M. Martin. She sent back a personalized letter and an autographed picture. I licked the ink to make sure her signature was real, then wrote to her again wanting another picture since I ruined first. Still waiting.

6th Grade - wrote a lot of stories in English class, studied poetry and made a book, and decided I wanted to be a writer. The grading rubric for my book that year, the Oddballs, shows that I earned a perfect score, except in one area where two points were deducted: "An exciting, action packed middle that involves a problem." Yeahhh, still working on that one.

7th Grade - wrote unrequited love poetry.

8th Grade - wrote comedy sketches, commercial parodies, and silly songs; joined songwriting club and purchased rhyming dictionary. Decided I would be on Saturday Night Live. Allowed two friends to read my sketches, who thought they were brilliant and wanted my autograph. I wonder if they've thrown them out yet?

9th Grade - wrote bad song lyrics (no musical talent and therefore strikingly similar to 7th grade poetry)

10th Grade - started writing a story with a friend, with plans to alternate chapters from different points of view. Was going to be epic. Still have my 3 pages.

11th Grade to One Year Post-Graduation - hated school too much to write, worked in a library and with baseball players - too distracted to write

1st Year College - went into journalism because I wanted to write again

2nd Year College - started writing 3 novels, all sound similar, none complete

3rd Year College - changed major to creative writing, took first workshop and completed 2 short stories. Won NaNo with a novel that isn't completely horrible.

4th Year College - took more workshops, finished more stories. Took poetry, wrote some decent stuff (finally!). Applied to MFA programs.

1st Year MFA - wrote virtually nothing, dropped out for sanity's sake. Took two sketch writing courses to make sure I can still laugh at myself.

1st Year Post-MFA - kinda felt like writing again

And here I am today, finally becoming comfortable with my style, but realizing I don't have to be stuck in a certain genre and can write whatever I want. And I am. And I love it.

Sippable Stories

After I tweeted this, I got an idea.




You just wait. Sippable Story Sundays, anyone?

R =

really don't feel like bloggin' today

QUESTION TIME.

I was going to do a Twenty Questions-type interview for today, but... really? This has been all about me Me ME! I know the saying "Give the people what they want," but today I want to learn about YOU.

If you'd be so kind as to answer any or all of the following questions in the comments, I'd appreciate it! I want to get to know you all.

What is your name / Twitter handle?
What do you blog about and what is the link?
What did you like about my blog?
What is your favorite candy? Brand name, not "chocolate."
What is your favorite cereal?
Do you know anyone who DOESN'T like FRIENDS? Not hasn't seen... doesn't like.

Pets and Pen Pals

My parents didn't want family pets when my brother and I were kids, because they were smart enough to know we wouldn't take care of a dog. As a result, I'm not used to animals. I like them as I like children – in short visits, when they belong to someone else. I had a hamster for a year after using him for a science project (a maze experiment; nothing inhumane, I swear.), then another hamster several years later, who lasted just a week. When I had my first apartment, I adopted a bunny and owned her for three days before deciding our personalities clashed. During the return transaction, I told the clerk my roommate was allergic. I lived alone.
     When I actually had a roommate, we decided to adopt a puppy someone had brought up to her work. This pet lasted only one day before we realized he needed a person around all the time. A true attention whore, he once bit my butt when I answered my phone – a video was up on YouTube until not long ago. Recently I've been thinking about getting a pet, but I'm probably still not ready for the responsibility.

Pen Pals, on the other hand, are much more manageable. I am able to juggle quite a few with no attention problems, and as far as I know, none feel unloved. They usually even have their own dwellings, and don't require any food or toys from me – unless I find something special to send.

My Mail Call entry showed that a lot of you love writing letters, too! But don't have anyone to write to! Well, here I am. I love writing letters, and as long as none of my pen pals call me out publicly, I will say I write amazing letters! Ok, that's too much pressure, I take it back. I tried to think of a way to hook up everyone who wanted a pen pal, but kept drawing a blank, or coming up with really elaborate ideas. SO, lets keep it simple:

+ If you want to write to me, email me your address at allison (at) allisonwrites.com.

+ If you want to write to a lot of people, leave a comment! Include your name, your email address, and maybe some interests. People can peruse the comments and email those they'd be interested in writing to!

What do you think? Maybe I should open a platonic non-dating site for letter lovers.

Overanalyzing

I'm guilty of this in almost all aspects of my life. I will take one tiny interaction – a look, a smile, a line of dialogue, and analyze it until I'm not sure it really happened.

I've never done this much with fiction, be it something I'm reading or something I'm writing. Even after countless literature courses (or perhaps because of them), I never read too much into a novel. The story being told was on paper and I took it at face value. An open ending would give my imagination room to wonder what actually happened, but I never took a random line and dissected it to death.

Then came writing workshops. When it came to my own writing, I've found that most classmates read into it more than I intended, but in a way that makes me sound introspective and incredibly intelligent. I kept my face neutral in these workshops, a slight smile across my lips as if I were pleased they caught what I had hidden so carefully.

Now I find myself thinking about my stories as I write them. I wonder what people will think, how they'll interpret this one line, if they'll pick up these clues and find the underlying big picture. I've started analyzing things on my own. When I finish my daily writing, I'll make a page of bullet points about what I want the story convey, the purpose of this character, why he did that, etc. It helps me restructure the story, because it often veers off from what I intended. So far it's been helpful, but I'm always looking for ideas.

What do you do when you don't have a reader to grill about your work? How do you get through any problem areas?

Names

I used to hate my name growing up. There were a lot of other Allisons at my school, my middle name made everyone laugh, and no one could pronounce my last name, despite the straightforward spelling. My grandfather was the only one to call me "Alli" - which isn't to say my family didn't have nicknames for me, but I wasn't eager to go by "Tootie" or "Tater Tot" in the classroom.

High school was about the time I learned to love my middle name, because it was also my grandmother's and my mother's. That's when I learned to laugh at people who couldn't pronounce my simple last name. But I didn't start feeling like a true Allison until college. Now I think I have Allison down pat.

Character names are also hard for me to get used to. Luckily, since I write short stories, I can often get away without naming the main character. I've never heard any complaints about this, but I suppose it could get annoying. I've tried to name all of my characters lately, even if it never comes up in the story. Finding the right name is hard. I've written an entire draft with one name, changed it in the next draft, and still referred to the original name, even though it didn't fit in the first place. I find myself using the same names over and over in first drafts, then have to change it so readers won't think it's the same character from story X.

I have a list of awesome names for kids I never plan to have, and for some reason I can’t bring myself to use them in stories. I usually have a letter in mind for a character, then flip through a baby book until I find a decent name. Other times, there are names that come to me, names so good I have to write them down until I can come up with the perfect character to fit.

Do you have name issues with your characters (or yourself)?
Do you have any tips on how to resolve it?

Mail Call

The other week, I wrote a bunch of letters to WWII veterans. There is a local charity that is like Make-a-Wish for senior citizens whose biggest project is taking veterans to Washington, DC to see the monuments. They have mail call in the mornings, just like they did during the war. I wanted to write a lot of extra letters so everyone could have one, in case they didn't have family, and also because my grandfathers (both WWII vets) never had a chance to see the monument in person. It made me feel really good to do, and I hope it means a lot to the soldiers that I'm honored by their fighting for us. They should actually be getting their mail today!

I love writing letters in general - I have a handful of pen pals I regularly write to, and sometimes I send out random packages or postcards. I saw this ad not too long ago, and knew I had to send it to my brother:

Listen

I love to lay on the den floor on sunny days, listening to records.




I have a decent collection of classic rock LPs and 45s, including Aerosmith, the Eagles, the Guess Who, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, the Knack, the Kinks, some newer releases, the Ghostbusters soundtrack, and of course:


GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!
Random number picked Margaret to win The Year of Magical Thinking.
Being the only commenter allowed NatalieAdele to win The Song is You.
Which means, since she's the only one who mentioned it - if Eileen wants it, she has won Just to Watch Him Die, with a note of which stories I recommend.

Send your addresses to allison (at) allisonwrites.com
and I'll get the books in the mail ASAP!

Kimochi

I have trouble expressing my emotions, so I was given a Kimochi, a "toy with feelings inside."

I have a lovely purple Huggtopus, who is, "needless to say, all smiles and hugs. She is very affectionate and strong and sometimes gets carried away by her affectionate personality. ... She always means well but has to learn about boundaries. ... Her favorite number is 8, and her favorite color is pink. Huggs loves to eat EVERYTHING but has a special fondness for bubble gum. Huggtopus plays the xylophone."

I also have an expansion pack of feelings, so I can now convey frustrated, guilty, surprised, silly, happy, excited, embarrassed, and sleepy when I am too cranky to talk. There is also a blank one that came with a special pen, so I can draw a cute little expression to tell you to Fuck Off as needed.

Junk into Jewels*

I've been on a Do-It-Yourself kick lately; the biggest project has been giving an old bookshelf a makeover.

This bookshelf hung above my desk in high school, and held my stereo and favorite CDs. I decorated it beautifully with stickers, magazine cut-outs, plastic jewels and stick-on earrings. I know that sounds gorgeous, but then get this - I painted over almost everything with glow-in-the-dark nail polish. I know! How do I not have a show on the Home and Garden channel?


After I moved out, my dad used this shelf for his tools, so it got scuffed up and dirty, but the best part is - he didn't remove the jewels!

Even though I have several buckets of paint dying to be used in a project, I didn't want to do the prep work - scraping off my old decorations, sanding the old paint, and applying a couple of coats of the new colors. Instead, I popped off the dimensional decorations, found an outdated MLA handbook, used an Xacto knife to cut the pages from the binding, and covered the bookcase with those.

I used regular Elmer's glue, and the pages stuck to the painted wood just fine! You can also dilute the glue with some water and coat the finished project to seal it, but I like touching the pages, even if they are a little crinkly. (I did the removable shelf, too, but forgot to put it in for pictures.) A literal bookshelf...

*Ok, so maybe I took the jewels off the junk to make it nice again, but I love the double-word score titles, so I fudged a bit.

Influence

I hate to say it, blog-world, but I am easily influenced. I pretend I'm not, but I'm frontin'. Don’t get me wrong - I can resist commercials and ad campaigns (though I admit and respect when they're witty, clever, and well-done) but when it comes to others' opinions, I'm a bit of a pushover.

It's to the extent where I don't like to read reviews of books I loved. If someone else says something negative about it, like that one character bugged them, I think back and remember the annoying moments of the character I once loved. If they say a plot line wasn't resolved and it bothered them, something I previously found mysterious now becomes a loose thread that a lazy author didn't sew up.

I love recommending books to people I know. I'll say "I just read this great book, you should read it. I really think you'd love it!" They ask what it's about, and I try to explain without giving away spoilers. As I describe it, I study the person and change my tune, "Nah, maybe you wouldn't like it. It's kind of ____." I don't want someone I love to hate a book I love. I want us all to get along. I want peace.

It's not all bad, though. If a book gets rave reviews from people or bloggers I know, I'll check it out. Books are pretty much my limit for this influence. You can recommend a movie or TV show all you want, but I'm not going to see it until I'm insanely bored and there's nothing else for me to do.

Hair Update

I started the No Poo lifestyle/experiment at the beginning of February. I gave up shampoo and conditioner to instead wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with vinegar. In my initial post, I raved about how wonderful my hair looked and felt.

Then the transition period hit, and I was angry. I wanted to give up the idea, except I didn't want to give it up at all. I loved not buying or using shampoo, even though I was back to washing my hair every day to make it look only half-greasy.

I'm a bit into my 3rd month now, and I'm loving No Poo again. I'm back to washing every three days without it looking dirty. My hair's been great for the past five or so weeks, which means my transition period only lasted three. (It felt like longer, but some people say it can last up to six months!)

PERKS
+ I don't have to use any hair products. I would put anti-frizz serum on my hair while it was still damp, but now I don't need it at all. Which means…

+ I'm saving a lot of money. I'm not buying shampoo and conditioner, which was at least $12/month. The frizz stuff lasted a lot longer, but I probably used a bottle or two a year.
     I've been using the same box of baking soda and bottle of vinegar since I started, which means I'll be spending $12/year on stuff to wash my hair. That's saving over $100/year.

+ I don't have to brush. Well, not entirely true. I comb my hair after washing, but then I sleep on it and it looks fine when I get up. Even on the second day, after another night's sleep, my hair doesn't need brushing. That being said, I have straight hair that I don't really style...

TIPS
I recommend this to everyone - guys can do it too! You'll find better instructions elsewhere, but I thought I'd share some tips I wish I'd known at the start. The biggest secret is to get the baking soda/water mixture on your scalp, not just pour it over your hair. Really massage it in! You don't need to apply the baking soda mixture to the ends of your hair.

I've seen a lot of stuff where people give up quickly because they can smell the vinegar in their hair, but that shouldn't be an issue. You dilute just a tablespoon in a cup of water and rinse your hair with it. Then use cool water to rinse your hair over and over again, until the smell is gone. You can try less vinegar and more water, too. Now I actually soak my ends in vinegar (it helps split ends) and use less than a tablespoon to rinse. Everyone's hair is different, so you have to experiment.

Giveaway!

I'm not sure how this idea will go over, but I wanted to start doing giveaways. Book giveaways.

Are you excited?
The thing is… I want to give away books I own. I love having tons of books, don't get me wrong. I love needing a new book to read and being able to find one on my shelf, though at times I'm embarrassed I haven't read everything I own.

But I also like having an uncluttered home, and I like the idea of not having 17 crates of books next time I move, and I like the idea of not having to buy another bookshelf because I've already filled five.

The books I'll give away have been reviewed by me, so you'll have an idea if you'll like the book or not. I'm not sure if I'll do one at a time or lumps of three or what, but I figured:

+ You would comment if you want the book.
+ Specify which book, if there are more than one title.
+ If you want to be entered for all of them, just say all. Or rank them in order of your preference.
+ If you're the only one who wants that book, it's yours! I'll ship it to ya!
+ Random number generator will pick winners if there is more than one comment per book.
+ If no one wants the book, I'll donate it to the library.

What do you think? Yes, they're used previously read books, but they're still FREE BOOKS shipped right to your door for the price of a comment. You'll be happy to have something new to read and own or pass along, and I'll be happy to thin out my shelves knowing someone will enjoy this book.

Let's give it a whirl! I have three books up today...
The Song is You by Arthur Phillips
Just to Watch Him Die edited by Caleb S. Cage (review is about halfway down the page, sorry!)
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Comments to win will be open until Wednesday April 13th!

Favorites

My friends and I used to play a game called "Top Three." Actually, it was less of a game and more of something to say when there was nothing else, to make people think, to learn more about those you thought you knew. Someone would say "Top three books?" and we'd have a few minutes to think, and then we'd all list our favorites. Sometimes we'd explain why, sometimes we'd just let it stand.

I don't think I've ever given the same answers if a top three question was repeated, but I thought it'd be fun to list some here, and see what you guys answer!

Top Three Books
The Great Gatsby
Of Mice and Men
The Odd Sea

Top Three Authors
Raymond Carver
Joshilyn Jackson
Tom Perrotta

Top Three Bands
Aerosmith
Tantric
Red Hot Chili Peppers
runner-up: Seven Mary Three

Top Three Live-Action Movies
Wayne's World (BOTH.)
Face/Off
The Wedding Singer

Top Three Animated Movies
Toy Story (trilogy totally counts as one...)
Monsters, Inc.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Top Three TV Shows
Seinfeld
NewsRadio
3rd Rock From the Sun

What are your top threes in any of these lists? Or whatever other topics you can think of!

Elephant Enthusiasm

Double-word score!
I love elephants. And I don't think I've ever told anyone why.

Part of it is because the elephants being bathed to a soundtrack of "Splish Splash" on Sesame Street was my favorite, and I can't resist the video of the elephant drawing a self-portrait - check out those luscious legs!

I like elephants because of Aerosmith. Don't give me those crazy eyes; it's a long story…

My friend Kim used to tape Aero-related things for me because I didn't have cable. So one day in 10th grade, she presented me with a VHS of Making the Video for "Jaded." In it, Tom Hamilton (the self-described "funny one") makes a joke about elephants, because they have an old-timey circus in the video. I still have this VHS (ALL my VHS tapes, actually) but I'm not dedicated enough to actually re-watch the show and transcribe the joke here. Anyway, it cracked me up and redefined my love of elephants.

Since then I have been given many elephant-related gifts such as the handmade elephant my grandmother made for me, a sapphire elephant charm necklace, a diamond-encrusted elephant necklace, a stuffed elephant named Ellery, and a canvas of a girl riding an elephant (especially loved because Kelly said the girl reminded her of me).


PS: Check out my piece today on Six Sentences - Without You

Death and Devotion

After rapidly declining for the past month, my grandmother passed away yesterday morning while her husband slept in the next room. Just two hours later, my grandfather died in his sleep. He never woke up; he was never told that his wife was gone, but I think he knew.

They would have been married sixty-eight years this June. Sixty-eight years. 68! I can't even imagine living 68 years, much less living with someone else for that long.

I've previously posted the first love letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmother. A few years ago, I interviewed them for a sociology paper on marriage and family; they said some mornings they wake up and just have to embrace before sharing breakfast. Last Monday, a week before they died, my grandfather steered his wheelchair in to my grandmother's room and they held hands across the hospital bed rails, as they had been doing nightly for some time.

I can't imagine that degree of devotion and dedication. Long marriages run in my family, with my paternal grandparents lasting 58 years before death did they part, my maternal grandparents almost 68, and my parents just celebrating 36. It's inspiring (...and a little intimidating).

I'm incredibly thankful that both grandparents had such long, amazing lives before leaving together, and that I got to spend 25 years with them.

Chuckles

Chuck Klosterman wrote an essay in Eating the Dinosaur criticizing laugh tracks. Or, more precisely, criticizing why TV execs think the general public needs laugh tracks. Don't we know on our own what is funny? Can't we laugh when we feel the need as opposed to when we're told?

I had mixed feelings on the essay. It wasn't particularly well-written, it (ironically) wasn't funny, and honestly? Sometimes I like laugh tracks. I like listening for the same laugh that tells me yes, they really are recycling the track. Sometimes I like noting what they play the laugh track for, because it's often not actually a funny remark. And sometimes, well, sometimes I just like to feel I'm laughing along with others even though I'm watching a show all alone.

One statement that stood out was Klosterman saying that German citizens don't laugh in regular conversation. You know those polite laughs you give like a gift, even when your coworker isn't being funny at all? You know those awkward silences you chuckle over to make it seem a tad more bearable? Apparently they don't do that in Germany.

The idea is frightening, but fascinating. Since reading the essay, I have noticed exactly how much I laugh to fill silences, to be polite, to be making a contribution to the conversation. And I really want to stop. I want to be that person that just stares blankly at you when your joke flops.

But that's just when I'm feeling rebellious. Most of the time I realize laughter of any sort makes me feel happier, so why should I limit myself?

booknerd.

I own a lot of books.

Not pictured: two and a half other bookcases.
I've always earmarked a certain amount of my money as book-buying funds. Our library has one of the best used bookstores I've ever visited, which means I can spend $20 and come away with almost that many books, even twice as many during the sales! I'm also lucky to be surrounded by people who pass books along and give them as gifts.

As a result, there are a lot of books on those shelves that I haven't read yet. I've made it my goal to read all of them before I turn 30. That way I'll still have time to read (and, undoubtedly, buy) new books, too.

PS: After yesterday's post being a hit (WHAT?! THANKS YOU GUYS!), I got scared that today's entry was tame in comparison. I mean, look at the title! It's a nerdy post! So I'd like to link my new Best Of page, which you can see in the menu bar under the header. I picked my favorite (and funniest) posts, so if you're bored by today's post and want some funny, check it out!

Aloominium

I thought long and hard about how to kick off the A to Z Challenge. At first I was going to literally kick, because I can kick high. Like, my foot over a short person's head. Seriously.

But a video of me kicking really high is not something I want on the Internet. I can't explain why, it just weirds me out.

I decided to go with a regular post, because there are so many fabulous words that start with A. Allison. Apple. That word that comes out when you hold your tongue while saying "Apple."

Then I overheard someone talking about aluminum foil, and this memory rushed back to me. I haven't thought of this in ages, but it made me crack up and I knew my A would be Aluminum Foil.

When I was in 8th grade, my friends discovered my initials were AFR. Because I am never serious, and because I'm good at keeping a straight face while being perfectly ridiculous, I convinced them that my real name was Aluminum Foil, and I went by Allison just to prevent ridicule in school.

What did the R stand for, you ask? Why, Reynolds, of course! Heiress to the Reynolds Wrap fortune, that's me. (The best part is a lot of people mispronounce my last name as "Reynolds" anyway. Don't ask me where they get the extra letters.)

I actually have a photo album from middle school with my name written in the front… Yup, Aluminum Foil! When I play a joke, I really follow through.