procrastination-->creativity

(for the avid reader who wonders what life as a teacher is like: i measured today. i currently have exactly one foot, eleven inches of papers that need grading.)

let's talk for a minute about finding easier ways to do hard things.

for example, i could post on my blog some words with lots of weight and meaning, or lots of cleverness, or even lots of personality.

OR. i could just post a million pictures. (please see the previous 3 blog posts.....)

and so, for those of you who, like me, have decided there's more life to live than you have time for, this one is direct. from me to you. mwah.

filling up the gas tank completely full and never letting it get beneath the halfway mark VS. pulling into 7-11 at 6:45 on the way to work to get one gallon so you can at least make it there without running dry.

hanging all your shirts right side out VS. hanging them whichever way they come off your body in. (*sidenote: i once had a roommate ask me, very concerned, if there was some garb-savvy reason why half of my shirts i hung inside out. purely ease, michelle. purely ease.)

sparknotes. enough said?

gourmet lasagna VS. stouffers

doing laundry once a week VS. just buying a new set of underwear (*important sidenote: i am NOT guilty of this. however, i know someone who does this regularly. this person, not surprisingly, is also notorious for cutting down on chocolate-milk-making time by pouring chocolate syrup and milk in her mouth at the same time, then swishing and swallowing.)

a planner with all thoughts, ideas, goals, and deadlines neatly organized into a series of lists VS. sticky notes everywhere. (definition: 'every-where': on bedroom walls, on picture frames, around entire perimeter of computer monitor, on closet doors, on bathroom mirrors, on car dashboard. oh, and inside wishful-thinking planner.)

grocery lists, shopping, and preparing meals for the entire week VS. a carefully (albeit helter-skelter) planned week of club meetings, lunch dates, dinner groups, etc. to completely bypass having to supply your own food at all. conserve people. conserve.

orange juice in carton to orange juice in glass to orange juice dranken/ drinken/ drunken (who even knows anyways?) to glass with pulp encrusted on inside which must then be washed VS. orange juice in carton to orange juice in stomach. best trick i learned to date.

flossing your teeth every night VS. eating celery before bed (plus urban legend has it that celery takes more energy to burn than it actually gives you in calories, hence supplying another time-saving device: now i don't have to go to the gym. thank you celery.)

now, for those ecological, philanthropic, altruistic, health-conscious sort: i am fully aware that my choices are rotting my teeth, increasing the amount of empty stouffers pans in landfills, and killing trees and whatever other plant is used to make the sticky stuff on post-its. but with all that time you're spending using minty floss and from-scratch spaghetti sauces and energy star washing machines, i am also conserving. conserving my precious moments and my invaluable energy for someday when i may figure out just exactly what i am doing with my life.

oh maya! what a lovely song.

this song has captured my heart.

and this has captured my senses.

enjoi!

call for subjects, call for stories:

this week i am committed to doing something so uncharacteristically me that i might die. die, or find a new way of living. you should do the same. then post and tell your story.

here goes.

when i drive, the open road is freedom. anything between me and an open road is a cage. hence, i tailgate. i drive faster than anyone should. i do not enjoy driving because the road is somehow always closed to me, always someone or something getting in the way of me and openness. so. this week i am being different. i'm letting people pass me. i will not put lead in my shoes. i will not drive in the fast lane. i will not glare into the rearview mirror of cars in front of me.

me:

k, your turn.

holy cow.

michael just showed me this video. holy cow. ho. lee. cow.

serendipity and the library

to the bearded man with whom i shared an elevator this afternoon:

you asked if i was an artist. i smiled and shook my head no. you then asked, "what do you mean no? there's no such thing as an aspiring artist. no matter where you are in your progression, you are no less than the greatest of all. the only difference is how far you are willing to let your passion take you." then you got off and disappeared.

mythic.

thank you. i am now reconsidering my entire life.

DEFINITION:

artist [ahr-tist]: One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.

What, then, is art?

[ahrt]: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

sleepidelirium

do you ever wake up with specific lines to add to your scholarly article about derridean theory and shakespeare going through your head? here's what i woke up with after afternoonnap:

"you snake nmeses!"

nmeses, which of course means enemy, coming from "nemesis". and thus, with this evil, combined with her good, the whole is made complete. combining both, they are made one.

i dreamt i was on a precipice, in a hut balancing the line between two worlds. one after another, they walked the stone wall, one by one they conquered their fears. watching them reach the platform, one. by. one., my shaking shook more, my balance unbalanced itself, until i unraveled, there between drums, students, and unpainted canvases.

confession:

i get goosebumps every time i hear elton john sing "candle in the wind" and i don't know why. it kind of is bothering me.