Friday, January 9, 2009

I'm it

This is my 50th blog post. Sure, not a huge number, especially considering the fact that I started over a year ago. But at least I'm hanging in there, sticking to it, showing I have determination and can follow things through. Or at least can talk a fair amount.

So my friend Shankar tagged me. And here are the rules:

(1) Share 6 non- (though not necessarily un-) important things about yourself on your blog.
(2) Tag 6 blogging friends to then do the same.
(3) Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
(4) Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I love bluegrass music. Love it. I'd capitalize all four letters of that verb, but I don't want you to think I'm yelling at you. I love it so much that I took a bluegrass harmony class about 4 years back. Twice. And, yes, bluegrass harmony is different from other harmonies. I'd offer you a lengthy explanation, but if you aren't a fan, you probably won't care. If you're a fan or simply curious, however, go here for more information. What I love most about bluegrass, I think, is the honesty and earnestness, the purity of the lyrics as well as the voices. Some of the singers have phenomenal voices that just make you ache with their sincerity; others have average voices that simply say what you're feeling. When my father passed away in '04, my sister and I sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" in 2-part bluegrass harmony. It's an old hymn, but we sang the bluegrass tune. Miraculously, I made it through without crying until the very last verse. Here is the Carter-Cash family singing it with their lyrics. Like I said: these aren't beautiful voices, but they mean every word.

2. I totally lack any sense of direction. Ron says I've put up my own roadblock here and that I could have a better one if I weren't convinced I can't. But he's wrong. I took Owen to the doctor earlier this week and didn't realize until we were on our way that Ron had taken my GPS out of the car. I had the directions written down, so I figured I could get there and then would just reverse those directions to get home. Yet I went west instead of east at a crucial point and kept going. I knew I was heading in the wrong direction on the right street, but I got so flustered I had to pull over to look at a map and calm down for a few minutes. Looking at the map was useless because I still couldn't figure out where the heck I was on that street. Any normal person would have simply turned around 15 minutes earlier, but I was afraid that maybe I really heading in the right direction and would eventually hit home. Or Iowa. What should have been a 15-minute ride home turned into almost an hour. And I blame Ron for taking out that GPS. Yes, that's right. It's his fault, not mine, that I don't know east from west.

3. I spent a summer in college working at a vegetarian cafe on Kauai and during the three months I was there, I ended up at the beach no more than 5 times. I may as well have been on the mainland, but I adored (most of) the customers and all of the people I worked with, so the experience was still amazing. My favorite fellow employee was a talented artist who washed dishes and was a descendant of Ponce de Leon. My least favorite customer was a man who owned a sushi bar a few doors down and propositioned me for $1500 after throwing me up against a wall. When I said no, he threatened to make things "unpleasant" for me if I ever told anyone. His name was Brad and if I knew his last name I'd tell you that, too. The worst part of that experience, however, was having my boyfriend's father ask what I'd done to lead him on. Nice.

4. I tend to have a hard time letting things go from my past. But I rarely actually get angry at or hurt by people anymore. Anger and hurt are wasted emotions, and my energies are better spent on taking care of myself and the people I love.

5. When I was 3, I had a pair of shiny red vinyl boots that I wore everywhere. I came across a picture of myself in them a couple of days ago and was surpised at how young I was. I had always thought I was 6 or 7 when I owned them because I remember them so vividly: the way they felt on me, the way they smelled, the sound they made when I walked. In the picture, I'm pushing my baby brother, Sean, around in a doll carriage. Sean was born at home--a planned home birth because the doctor said it was cheaper than going to the hospital. And since Mom had already had 6 of us before him, she kind of had the hang of the delivery thing. But then the doctor charged her an exorbitant amount for the housecall and my parents didn't save a penny in the end. After he was born, my dad brought me into the room to meet Sean. I left to go get a photo album and then proceeded to show my parents pictures of myself. Apparently, I wasn't fond of being upstaged.

6. I tend to ramble on.

Tag time:

1.Rachel K.
2.Marian
3. David S.
4. Nathaniel
5. Jenny P.
6. Sherry

2 comments:

Jenny said...

Thanks for sending me your blog address. Reading your post brought back some memories for me. I grew up listening to old time gospel bluegrass. My dad loved the banjo and could pick a few songs. It was always a lot of fun to listen to. And yes, I can hear "will the cirlce be unbroken" in my mind. A great song.

The boots story reminded me of an aweful blue sweater I wore weather it was hot or cold. I loved it and determined to save it for my own daughter so she could wear it. I actually do still have the sweater but would NEVER EVER put it on her, it is pretty ugly.

rachel said...

Alright, Bobbie, just wanted to let you know I posted a response to your tag. I hope all is well with you and the family!