truth

like rain falling from the sky
no one can feel an entire storm
only the drops that hit them

oh to be above the cloud
every drop in site

Bottles

I think
someday
I'll meet myself -
find my way
to the a place where
everyone else lives -
I'll bring with me
all the things -
forgotten lost
in the fray of
life's second act -
so much time spent
throwing bottles
over the parapets -
notes to the world
asking how it is
what it's like
how it feels -
where connections happen -
people refuse to stare

afraid of me
afraid of the things
I will see looking
in through the windows -
my eyes burn -
flames behind glass block -
it's hard work
only being not to be -
always climbing the walls -
reaching the top
only to add
more
stones

My Song of the Day

Love this. Today.

Assignment:

Self-initiated homework assignment:
Read "The Lottery" 4 times.
Write an exploratory analysis of it.
Learn from it.
Apply that learning.

Pet Peeve #153: TRAILER HITCH BALLS

(AKA Bumper Nuts) Enough with the stop light tea bagging! I guess if your 3-story-tall truck wasn't compensation enough - then trailer hitch balls are an obvious next move. [ref: http://www.bumpernuts.com for visual explanation]

Pet Peeve #65: GROWN ASS MEN WHO WEAR FLIP-FLOPS

No one wants to see your gnarled, 40-year-old, yellow claws. Go get some Lamicil and put some shoes on.

ROOM

A Book Review

I recently purchased a copy of ROOM, the recent (late last year) best seller by Emma Donoghue. In a non-spoiler-style nutshell, it is the story of a young woman (Ma) and her child Jack who are held captive in an 11' x 11' room - with heavy emphasis on how this limited environment has shaped and affected young Jack.

OK. As a reader who tends NOT to skim, preferring to read every word and feel the full effect of the writing - I was having a tough time by page 50. The story is told in first person from the perspective of the 5-year-old Jack. Though he is an extremely intelligent child whose Ma has done a remarkable job of teaching and raising him, his language is very childlike. His language, grammar, and sometimes his vocabulary made for a pretty difficult slog. I felt like I was reading Notes from Underground all over again. Yes, I exaggerate, but the read was disrupting the flow of the story for me. Maybe I'm just lazy, maybe I'm getting old and crotchety, but I just didn't have the patience for it.

However, I was enjoying the story SO MUCH I decided to hit my Audible account and download the audio book. (Cop Out!)

This changed the flow and the meter of the read entirely. Not only was the voice talent used for the audio book excellent, but the added clarity to Jack's speaking style helped to better convey his intentions as he spoke.

Now that I had found a way to comfortably absorb the book, I couldn't take my headphones out (and occasionally couldn't put down the hard copy book). The first 2/3 of the book were riveting. Ms. Donoghue pulls you into Jack's head, presenting his strange world as an almost idyllic place. Since his birth, Jack's mother has sacrificed herself completely to his protection, shielding him from their situation and providing him with a remarkable upbringing as close to normal as she can manage. She puts their health and Jack's mental stimulation and development first without fail. She creates an almost fantasy-like world that allows him to grow and understand much of the "real" world without raising the questions of where they are and why. Her answers allow Jack to stay protected within his own natural blanket of naivety as he grows. There is nothing in their simple, limited space that Jack doesn't have an answer for. All the while Donoghue manages not to pull any punches as she describes the disturbing events going on around Jack – despite his own inability to understand them.

Though the book shifts gears, dropping almost back to an idle about 2/3 of the way through, the author doesn't lose you. The pages that follow bring you deeper into the characters and help to further illustrate their tragedy and illuminate the amazing preparation and protection provided by Jack's mother. Even though this shift was a let down (a bit like the moment the roller coaster levels off and begins to slow), after the fact, I don't feel the book could have been completed meaningfully without them.

ROOM is a wonderfully insightful, often beautiful and sweet, often dark and disturbing look at our world and human nature through the untainted eyes of a 5-year-old child - and from the walls of his 11' x 11' universe. I highly recommend it.

Pet Peeve #39: EXPLOSIVELY DIRTY PUBLIC REST ROOMS

You know the place. It looks like a bomb went off in there (and not just in the stall). Assuming the employees who hand out the giant 18" 2x4 keychain that provides access to the facilities use these restrooms too, one must wonder if they have crap on the walls and pubic hair in the sink at home...

Pet Peeve #2: NON-HANDICAPPED HANDICAPPED PARKERS

Debilitating disregard and crippling rudeness does NOT constitute a handicap. Someone should help you earn a real wheelchair tag.

(ALSO INCLUDES OTHER NO PARKING ZONES)

BYOB - and please invite your friends...

Pet peeve partaaaaay!

Pet Peeve #1: EVERYBODY WINS!

Competition is a great thing. It teaches us to work hard and to strive for bigger and better things. Giving the 17th place soccer team a trophy only teaches our kids that they are entitled to a reward in life no matter how crappie they play the game. Welcome to the Entitlement Generation folks. (contrary to my opening post, I did make this #1 on purpose)

And so it begins...

We'll keep the red pen warmed up with some humorous (?) if not pithy peeves.
Issues that all patriotic and/or sane (take your pick) citizens should take issue with. They are in no particular order - so prioritize at your whim.

Oh, there will be other more fiery red pen posts along the way, but the pet peeves will be a staple. Enjoy.

** All pet peeves included in this blog are © 2011 Jeff Snider Designs. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication without express written consent... might just land you in court. :)