17 posts tagged “friends”
Sooo I just scored a new job as a PR Director for a big tech firm, helping grow the PR program for one of their newer divisions. It will be a good challenge for me and I'm really excited.
The tough part is telling people at my current job that I'm leaving. My timing is bad, so that doesn't help as we're hiring a new PR firm and we're going to be doing a lot of transition related to that change, much less having to transition my own work. Some people are worried about the hole I'm leaving and I can sense frustration when I mention I'm going. Many understand my reasons. Others are outright joyful that I'll be doing something good for me. But for the most part people have been sad, as I have felt--sad that I won't be working with such great people anymore.
But it's spring now and the peepers are out--I heard them yesterday. What a wonderful sound!
The crabapple and cherry trees will bloom in a few weeks and the grass is starting to pop up through the dirt. The temperature will be 70 today! Everything is poised to start bursting and blooming, to follow along the cyclical change and flux of the seasons.
It's a good time to change things up. Fall and spring always seem to represent new transitions for me. New job, new creative infusion, new possibilities.
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BBQs with friends
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fireflies
- evening thunderstorms, especially if there is heat lightning
- the sound of cicadas
- the beach (although I have yet to go this year, sigh)
- sangria
- books books and more books to read
- ice cream
- champagne grapes
Laurel came to visit so Jenna, her husband, Kelev, Raf and I headed down to Cambridge 1 and had some tasty pizza pies and great conversation!
One of the best things, to me, about Vox, is the fact that when Voxers get together in a meetup like we did last night, that there is already a camaraderie between us. As soon as I walked in and found Kelev and Laurel at the bar, we fell into very easy conversation, as though we were old friends, not like the three of us had just met. And when the others joined us, it was no different. I had met Raf previously and we talk a lot, but it was the same easy comfortability with all of us. Funny how some software and pixels on a screen can foster those kind of friendships. It was a fun night. A good time was definitely had by all.
We're back! Quebec was a blast and seeing Greg and meeting Masa was wonderful. Here are a few pics from the trip!
We HIGHLY recommend going to Toast if you ever go up to Quebec City. Wow, what an incredible meal we had there. The atmosphere was magical, the food was delish and the owner was very charming. If you are a foodie, mark that for visitation!
We did so much walking, thankfully, as we ate pretty richly and drank quite well! But really, a good time was had by all this weekend!
This has been circulating for a few years now but figured I'd resurrect it here. Because I'm a freak for books.
Name Five People To Carry On This Meme:
Greg
Angela
Reese
Suzychapstick
Bookmole
Total number of books owned:
I would say at least a thousand, half of which are probably in boxes in the attic. It's sad actually, how we're really lacking in bookshelves. I need to go through them and get rid of the crappy ones. But I love love love books and owning books. And yes, I do often re-read them.
Last book bought:
Margot Livesey spoke at the Grub Street conference I attended last weekend. The odd thing was, I didn't attend her session, but was drawn to two of her books at the sale table at the end of the day. Now I'm kicking myself that I wasn't able to sit in on her session. I picked up this gem of a book about a woman who grew up with two mysterious ghost "companions." I already sucked this one down and I highly recommend it.
Last book read:
See above. Except that I'm still reading other books, so I suppose it's only partially accurate. I read Catch-22 at lunchtime, Le Chanson de Roland in the bathroom, Fragile Things before I go to sleep (although that may not be the wisest bedtime choice) and Aristophanes is waiting in the wings. Sad, I know.
Five books that mean a lot to you:
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
This was the first book I read by Carson and it forever introduced me to new possibilities in poetry. Carson is an expert in classical myth and literature and in this book she draws upon the myth of Herakles and the red winged monster, Geryon, that Herakles slayed as part of his numerous labors. Except in this incredible piece of literature, a lot of the slaying going on was that of the heart as Geryon and Herakles were both strange friends and lovers. The piece is at once classical but takes place in contemporary settings. It made me realize the infinite possibilities when it comes to verse, that deep, intricate stories can be buried in poetry and there is immeasurable joy of discovering a story told in such a way. It tears into you in a way that prose pieces cannot. This is a beautiful, haunting, disturbing, creative, imaginative, inspiring book that I think everyone should read.
New and Collected Poems 1931-2000 by Czeslaw Milosz
I felt such genuine sorrow when Milosz passed away a few years ago. He wrote some of the most accessible poetry I have ever come across, drawing upon his unique vision of the world and the people in that world. I actually would recommend reading anything he has written, but if you could only get one book of his, this would be it. I was introduced to Milosz by a co-worker many years ago. He gave me his copy of A Treatise of Poetry, a very long and great poem about pre and post war Europe. But back to his collected poems...here is a snippet-- And Yet the Books.
Split Infinity by Piers Anthony
I haven't read this in years but I have very very fond memories of this book. I read it for the first time when I was probably ten. I used to pick up all my dad's sci-fi and fantasy novels that he would leave lying around (I do remember that he wasn't happy when I ran across his Gor books but other than that he never seemed to notice that I read the leave-behinds even though I was most likely way too young for much of the material). I loved Split Infinity, a story about a man who lives in two separate worlds that are side by side, one of science and one of magic. I remember one summer I explained the story (and its follow up, Blue Adept--don't think Juxtaposition was out yet) to my cousin Rhett. We spent the entire month acting out the books. Silly perhaps but we had a great time. I loved the idea of magic and technology existing in the same book.
East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated in 1859 by Sir George Webbe Dasent
I loved fairy tales when I was growing up and this has always been one of my favorite books. It's a collection of dozens of Norwegian fairy tales, of which the most well known is probably the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I read this book from cover to cover when I was a kid, playing out some of the stories in my room when I was probably supposed to be napping or going to sleep. You can read the complete book here.
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
My parents used to subscribe to book clubs way back when that allowed you to get volumes of classic works sent to your house on a monthly basis. I have a nice red volume of Wilde's works that I used to paw through for interesting quotes when I was an early teen. I think I became a hardcore convert in high school, however, when I discovered that he was an inspiration for Morrissey, then with The Smiths. I read everything I could by Wilde, absorbing all the nuances of his poetry and plays and reading as many biographies I could about his life. From Wilde I learned to like drama and I also had my first understanding of homosexual love--not that of physical love--but emotional love between people of the same sex. It helped me to be more understanding when my best guy friend came out to me when I was 15. Knowing about Wilde's life enabled me to understand more about sexual repression, discrimination and hatred. As a teenager, I felt an affinity to Wilde because he was passionate, talkative and full of unrequited or forbidden love (not that I loved girls, just that I loved people I couldn't have and who didn't love me back). Wilde also helped me see that there was a lot of value and interest in works that weren't contemporary or based in fantasy and fairy tales, which were my primary love as a kid. It was late in high school that I found that he also wrote fairy tales (which are wonderful!) and that only endeared me to him further.
Joe and I are going to hook up with one of my oldest friends, Greg, and his partner, Masa, and meet up in Quebec City soon. Any recommends for good places to stay, eat, visit, etc?
Will be so awesome to see him and to finally meet Masa. And it will be good to have someone who can sort of translate French, of which I remember nothing, despite having minored in it in college. Not that it would matter since the French Canadians morphed it into something different. But I hate feeling stupid when I go into a restaurant and they start talking to me in French and I just look at them blankly, not understanding anything beyond Bonjour! Greg's been living in Montreal for awhile now so hopefully he can help us navigate. I can read it just fine and can probably speak a few halting sentences, but can't understand much of what is spoken to me, sigh.
Well, red seems to be the shockingly popular winner. I also polled friends on a message board I frequent and I had some good, ego-boosting responses (mostly guys over there). The tally thus far is 31 red/11 blonde and a handful of suggestions for brown or black. Was a huge surprise to me-- I really thought everyone would say blonde. I was blonde my whole life until about two years ago and have been trying to decide if I like it or if I should swap back (which would be an expensive, long hassle). Maybe I'll toy with lighter red or black highlights to give it some kick. Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a girl!
But mostly this little exercise has given me some much needed self-confidence that I've been lacking lately, for reasons previously chattered about. I've been trying to pinpoint when I lost some of that loving feeling and it really started when we had the car accident. I was telling Reesie about this the other day--I felt so ugly afterward and there was a period of many months were I was afraid I would always have a massive scar running from my lip to my nose. Thankfully, it faded nearly completely (if I'm wearing makeup), but at the time I was really struggling with how to accept my potentially changed face. Yes, I was incredibly thankful just to be alive and that Joe was alive and okay but when you are disfigured as the result of someone else's stupidity and carelessness, it's a hard pill to swallow--we both had a tough time with it. I'd post a picture so you could see what I mean but Joe would freak--he hates seeing those pictures and I don't really blame him.
Shortly after I changed to red, hoping to give myself a burst of newness but after 33 years of blonde, the red has been slow getting used to. It's just now at a length where I feel like it looks good, but I've just been trying to figure out if it really does look okay--I like it quite a bit actually, but there is a stupid part of me that worries about looking like a freak and no one will tell me. But WOW...I have been so surprised by the responses that I've received. It came across loud and clear that I don't look like a freak after all--just the opposite really. So thanks for all that, everyone.
Tomorrow, while Joe is scrimmaging with his baseball buds, I'm going shopping for some new spring duds to go with my ravishing red locks!
Just what I need, another useless distraction. THANKS REESIE. Right now she's my only friend on Twitter and I don't know anyone else who might even be remotely interested in it, so if you want to take pity on me and add me to your friends list, let me know! I think I give Twitter a lifespan interest of perhaps 3 weeks for me... ;-) We'll see.
edit: I'm crystallyn if anyone wants to add me. And yes, Kelev, I need all the pity I can get!
Okay, so Reese nudged me into checking last.fm out again (I had ages ago and for some reason or another never really got into it). Soooo if you are already there, hook me up as crystallynk! I've been obsessed with it for the last day or so!
Well they would have said that last Thursday when Joe turned older. I made a cake for him yesterday, and also snagged day 23 of Project 365:
Some pics...of friends Ryan and Carol, Martin with Joe, the pate, olives and chorizo, Jess in her amazing super cool furry hat, the cake, the very yummy rose champagne we drank and since I missed a picture of the cake with the candles, Ryan created a fun substitute with the rest of his cake. Joe's cousin Jeff also came but I don't have a great picture of him in the batch.
