Monthly Archives: July 2008

Reading

Green, mindless, unkillable ghosts

Where I grew up, kudzu is inescapable.

At this time of year the trees along the highway stop being trees and they become big green shapes, as if someone threw a leafy tarp over all the oaks. Some of them look like other things, like oversized animals with a general shape but no real detail. Like looking at clouds miles and miles away that look like dragons or clowns or something. This is summer in the Southeast, where kudzu is king.

Some people I grew up with actually found uses for kudzu besides “erosion control,” which it was originally brought to the region to help with. Some old ladies at the local flea markets would use the big rubbery vines to make baskets or other such things. Other capitalist ventures included using the blossoms to make kudzu jelly. It tasted a lot like grape jelly to me.
Continue reading Green, mindless, unkillable ghosts →

Flotsam / Jetsam

A little something that isn't working for me

I’ve tried to share some helpful ideas since hopping on the Works for Me Wednesday bandwagon. This week, though, I can’t think of a single helpful thing. I’ve sort of felt like my brain was broken all week.

I have a pretty good idea of the things that have broken my brain. One is the fact that we’re moving next month. That little ball of stress is entirely of my own making, though, and I know how to fix it. (Get crackin’ on the packing.)

The thing that I can’t figure out how to fix, though, is the level of whining around here. When things aren’t going her way — for example, when I don’t drop what I’m doing to retrieve a balloon that’s floated out of her reach, or when her sock has twisted into a less-than-optimal position on her toes — a certain someone resorts to a whimpery, weepy mode of communication. And it’s driving me up the wall. I’m sure that the general moving-related stress level is contributing to her behavior, and that’ll ease off a bit once we move. In the meantime, though, does anyone have any suggestions?

Visit Rocks in My Dryer for links to people who actually have Works for Me Wednesday tips to share.

Screen time

Dark of Knight

There are few movies I have looked forward to more than “The Dark Knight.” That’s why this hurts more than most other reviews I might give.

I didn’t enjoy “The Dark Knight.”

Not only did I not enjoy it, it makes me angry that a movie this dark and this sadistic is being targeted toward kids. Some of you may say that I am somewhat of a hypocrite because of other films that I like, such as “No Country for Old Men” or “Blade Runner.” Well, allow me try and pull my reputation up and explain why I feel the way I do.
Continue reading Dark of Knight →