Month: March 2008

Resolution 2008 Update. Letters written March 11-20.

Mid-month saw the arrival of my Letter Exchange magazine and provided relief from poor Sara who would probably get a letter every other day if I hadn’t found discovered this great source. She would like the letter getting, but then feel guilty when she didn’t respond promptly, which I’ve told her isn’t a huge deal as she certainly hasn’t resolved to write a letter a day, but you know how she is. When I wrote a letter to a LEX member, I’ve included what they wrote in their listing.

  • March 11. Sara. Letter.
  • March 12. Sara. Letter.
  • Letter back! Nestor Ramos.
  • March 13. LEX Letter. Do you blog? Where? What about?
  • March 14. LEX Letter. Charm bracelets. Tell me the story behind your favorite charm. If you don’t have one pretend you do and tell me the fictional version of your favorite charm.
  • March 15. LEX Letter. 1.5 miles from an empty mailbox.
  • March 16. Jenna. Letter.
  • March 17. LEX Letter. Let’s write topic letters. Simple start: five favorite T.V. shoes and why. Initially, no politics or religion. Your topic next.
  • March 18. LEX Letter. College student living in Savannah, Ga. Send me your tips on surviving college life.
  • March 19. None. Bad mood.
  • March 20. LEX Letter. Thirtysomething writer looking for a penpal who can be supportive like the perfect bra in a world where gravity wins.

Nestor Ramos is my movie review boyfriend, as I think I’ve mentioned before. I enjoy him because he is very funny, as his letter back proved. An excerpt:

Thanks for writing! Always nice to hear from someone who enjoys my work. Actually, you’re the first. But I imagine the second will be pretty nice too. Mostly I just get mail from people who are upset because I’ve mocked some movie in which they were an extra. The time I said Cher was built from wax and car parts, some lady offered to spit on my grave.

I sent off a big packet of five letters to the letter exchange on March 19. It will be interesting to see if I get any letters back. It’s a little weird writing letters to people you don’t know. But I excel at blathering on both on and off topic, so it isn’t too bad. I really need to work on my handwriting. I hope people can read my blathering. Perhaps I should have had a year of resolving to write neatly before my year of letter writing.

Do you want to write to any of the LEX Letter people? Tell me by posting a comment and I’ll tell you how you can, even without being a member of LEX. Though you should be a member of LEX. It’s very fun.

Dental Arts.

Another city block is being transformed. It is happening a lot downtown right now. The block to the right, which appears to have nothing on it, was a parking lot a year and a half ago. They tore up the parking lot, built and underground garage and this spring will install a park. “Tear up a parking lot and build a park” or something like that was the tag line with that project. It had “Big Yellow Taxi” in my head for weeks on end. The block north of the soon to be park is also coming down. A big mixed use office tower/retail and maybe condos? will be sprouting there next. The Virgina Cafe moved down the street and around the corner, but I’m most sad about the Mercantile, which was a clothing store too fancy for me to shop in, but which always had nice window displays. It has moved around the corner and down the street too, but now it’s not on my walking route.

I wanted to take a picture of the dental arts building before it goes, as it always seemed like such a nice little upright building.

New Kings of Nonfiction. Ira Glass, Ed.

A fabulous collection of nonfiction writers. It turns out I’m a somewhat “king reader of nonfiction” as I have read three of the pieces in the book in various sources. (Dan Savage’s Republican Journey, Michael Pollan’s Power Steer and James McManus’ World Series of Poker.) Ira Glass, my radio boyfriend, says in the introduction:

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re living in an age of great nonfication wiritng, in the same way that the 1920s and 30s were a golden age for American Popular Song. Giants walk among us. Cole Porters and George Gershwins and Duke Ellington’s of nonfiction storytelling. They’re trying new things and doing pirouettes with the form. But nobody talks about it that way.”

I loved almost all of the pieces in this collection and reading it, I lamented that I don’t have time in my life right now for a subscription to Harpers and Atlantic Monthly where I used to read great nonfiction like this all the time. I can still remember reading the World Series of Poker article. I was completely absorbed and not only do I not play poker, I don’t really understand the rules of the game. The way the article was written, however, pulled me in. How far would James McManus make it in the World Series? From that point on, any reference to poker in my life was immediately linked to that article.

In this book, I particularly enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s titled “Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg.” Do you know Lois? I wouldn’t be surpised. I also liked “Losing the War” by Lee Sandlin. In 50 pages Lee Sandlin gave an overview of World War II and challenged me to think differently about the D-Day invasion. I’m ashamed to say that “Host” was only the second or third piece I’ve read by David Foster Wallace though I have read a lot about him. I love his footnotes (see rant in the review of “The Year of Living Biblically”) and his footnotes within footnotes were particularly delightful. I think his writing style most emulates how people read things on the internet.

Great short nonfiction informs people without the time or inclination to immerse themselves in a subject, for it provides enough information to get them asking questions. When done right, it successfully transports the reader to another world.

Recycled Fashion.

Today was a teacher planning day so there was no school. On these days, Art4Life, the before and after school care program at our school has “all days.” They usually do something fun, like today when they made clothing out of recycled materials:

B’s stunning hat:
I’s sassy shirt:
M’s spotted skirt and hat ensemble.
B’s fabulous purse. That would be a four-square ball she has repurposed.
P’s lovely headband/hat.
M had a fabulous dress made for her. The front:
The excellent sleeves in the back.

My So-Called Life.

I got the complete series from the library and I love it. I missed it the first time around because I was in college and had no time for tv, but it’s almost better that I’m seeing it now. The pilot was filmed during my senior year in high school and it’s like a free pass back to adolescence for me. I also have the added bonus of now being halfway in age between Angela and her parents and I can see both perspectives.

The writing is smart and funny and perfectly captures the dramatic, self-centered, grandiose thoughts that are so cringe-worthy when rereading your own journals, but so delightful when someone else is thinking them. A perfect example from “Why Jordan Can’t Read”:

“Love is when you look into some one’s eyes, and suddenly, you go all the way inside, to their soul… and you both know, instantly. I always imagined I would fall in love, nursing a blind soldier. Who was wounded in battle. Or maybe while rescuing someone in the middle of a blizzard, seconds before the avalanche hits. I thought, at least, by the age of fifteen, I would have a love life. But, I don’t even have a “like” life.”

The only thing better than the writing is Claire Danes’ delivery.

The characters are also incredibly realistic for a television series. The main character is confused about who she wants to be, the “bad girl” isn’t one dimensional and the “maybe bi” character doesn’t collapse under gay stereotypes. The parents don’t just flit in to deliver the moral message once per episode, they have their own struggles and bad judgments during the crucial split-seconds of parenting.

And the clothes! My god, the clothes! There was a whole ugly floral thing going on in the 90’s I had completely blocked out of my brain. It’s wonderful to see what was actually being worn. And the flannel! And the baby doll dresses with the little clip in the back! And the flannel baby doll dresses! In episode two Rayanne is wearing a flowery long skirt and black Converse high tops, a look I wore at least once a week through high school and during college.

I’m excited to see what happens as the series develops. And I rejoice that complete series are released on DVD.

The Letter Exchange Arrived Today!

I’m so excited! It’s a little magazine, with articles about writing and letters but I’m most excited about the listings. I won’t run out of correspondents for many weeks, and maybe even some will write me back. I wrote my first letter tonight to someone who wrote:

Do you blog? Where? What about?

Others that sound interesting to me:

  • Charm bracelets. Tell me the story behind your favorite charm. If you don’t have one pretend you do and tell me the fictional version of your favorite charm.
  • Define the good life.
  • How does understanding your family history contribute to your sense of self?

I can’t wait for the summer issue to come out to see if anyone writes to my listings.

The only time I like flowering plum trees…

…is right now in the spring when they are blooming. The rest of the time I find them to be an “eh” tree. Sadly, there is one right in front of the house. I think it clashes with the paint job and dream of it taking sick and having to be removed. I could then replace it with a more color appropriate choice. I’m so superficial.