I have a flight to catch tomorrow morning that begins my summer trip, but I figured I would leave you with one last post before I head off and the amount of blogging I'm able to accomplish becomes questionable. Here is a by no means complete list of music, poetry, and people that I draw inspiration and motivation from.
Bigger Than My Body - John Mayer
This song inspires me to be more than I'm capable of, and I love that.
You Gotta Be - Des'ree
When I was a baby this is the only song that would get me to stop crying. The minute my parents popped in the CD I shut right up. They were thankful for that. This song still motivates me to keep fighting when I've nearly given up.
Scratch and Dent Dreams - Eric Darby
Very creative poem that inspires me to pick up the things I gave up on (like soccer, which I'm starting again in the fall!).
The Information Man - Buddy Wakefield
More abstract but at the end it all comes together. He is a riot, his delivery is perfect, and the poem is a real celebration of humanity!
The Doctor (You know, like Doctor Who)
So not a real person as much as I have tried to convince myself otherwise, but how could this guy not inspire anyone? He's an alien who travels though space and time, is witty, charming, and compassionate! He's far from perfect and often makes huge mistakes, like, the universe could collapse kind of mistakes, but he fixes them. And he cares. I might be in love. But crushing on a fictional character is probably better than crushing on dead people (cough Jeff Magnum), or murderers, or something.
Vlogbrothers -
This may seem like an obvious choice to most of you, since most of my traffic comes from people who stumbled over here through Nerdfighteria. But how can I not include them. So much of who I am is defined by than channel. They've brought me so many odd facts and funny inside jokes, but the most valuable thing they teach me every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is how to wear myself with pride, which is the most daring, stunning outfit anyone can put on.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
When A Star Dies
This poem is basically about a star who stole too much light from the other stars, so she was banished from the sky by a wise moon and forced to live in the body of a little girl. I think this is worth saying because it's easier to appreciate someone's poetry if you know what the hell they're talking about.
in a cul-de-sac the same as every other
a girl ties fireflies together with blades of grass.
their striped bodies stacked like toy blocks,
or their faces pressed together, forming multi-point stars.
she likes to watch them stumble and see how far
they get before wincing, they collapse in her hands.
but after they sleep she weeps to the moon
for expelling her to the dim and doom
of a poorly lit house made of bread and sawdust
and answers to questions she never asked
in the first place, she was a lustrous omnipotent flame
with a name the whole galaxy knew.
in a universe like every other, they still see her
the common as comets commoners
and the fireflies choking beneath delinquent fingers.
they watch infamy burn slower than time can.
night is her most ironic fun house mirror
a reflected reminder, the loss of a winner.
in a cul-de-sac the same as every other
a girl ties fireflies together with blades of grass.
their striped bodies stacked like toy blocks,
or their faces pressed together, forming multi-point stars.
she likes to watch them stumble and see how far
they get before wincing, they collapse in her hands.
but after they sleep she weeps to the moon
for expelling her to the dim and doom
of a poorly lit house made of bread and sawdust
and answers to questions she never asked
in the first place, she was a lustrous omnipotent flame
with a name the whole galaxy knew.
in a universe like every other, they still see her
the common as comets commoners
and the fireflies choking beneath delinquent fingers.
they watch infamy burn slower than time can.
night is her most ironic fun house mirror
a reflected reminder, the loss of a winner.
Monday, June 20, 2011
EXCITING HAPPENINGS (and lice)
A few things have been brewing since we spoke last.
I finish school tomorrow, but I still have an algebra/trigonometry test to take which is simply no fun at all. I'm eagerly anticipating the announcement that Jo is going to make which is connected to a new website she launched called Pottermore. I’m less eagerly awaiting the arrival of my SAT scores. I thought I had Lice because three bugs fell out of my head. My Mom's friends came over and combed through my head for over an hour but I'm clear. So that's good.
More importantly, I am going on a trip across the country for five weeks! I leave on Sunday. It's part of a program called Etgar 36, which provides a group of Jewish teenagers the opportunity to travel across the United States and hear from political leaders, artists, activists, and educators about hot topic issues that the country is dealing with currently. To say I am insanely obscenely excited about this trip is a huge understatement. Social action is totally up my alley, and after taking U.S. history this year, I feel like I will be able to appreciate everything I see so much more. We hit 22 different states and do a bunch of fun things besides the educational stuff like theme parks (I’m a rollercoaster junkie), movies, and shows. And we go to a Poetry slam! I have always loved poetry and more recently developed a slam poetry obsession, so I'm very excited to see some slam poets perform live!
The downer of this trip is that I won't have my laptop with me. I will have my droid which has fairly good internet access but is pretty difficult to type on comfortably. So basically, I don't know how much blogging I'm going to get done. I'm going to have so many wonderful things to write about, but I'm not sure if I should wait till I get back and do a few blogs based on my handwritten journal entries, or if I should try and update with the iffy technology I will have at my disposal. Also, pictures will be pretty much impossible to provide while on the trip, but I could upload some when I get home. Any advice on what I should do?
Let's chat again before I leave, okay? And I'm going to try and finish a few poems I've been working at.
Best Wishes,
Jaime
I finish school tomorrow, but I still have an algebra/trigonometry test to take which is simply no fun at all. I'm eagerly anticipating the announcement that Jo is going to make which is connected to a new website she launched called Pottermore. I’m less eagerly awaiting the arrival of my SAT scores. I thought I had Lice because three bugs fell out of my head. My Mom's friends came over and combed through my head for over an hour but I'm clear. So that's good.
More importantly, I am going on a trip across the country for five weeks! I leave on Sunday. It's part of a program called Etgar 36, which provides a group of Jewish teenagers the opportunity to travel across the United States and hear from political leaders, artists, activists, and educators about hot topic issues that the country is dealing with currently. To say I am insanely obscenely excited about this trip is a huge understatement. Social action is totally up my alley, and after taking U.S. history this year, I feel like I will be able to appreciate everything I see so much more. We hit 22 different states and do a bunch of fun things besides the educational stuff like theme parks (I’m a rollercoaster junkie), movies, and shows. And we go to a Poetry slam! I have always loved poetry and more recently developed a slam poetry obsession, so I'm very excited to see some slam poets perform live!
The downer of this trip is that I won't have my laptop with me. I will have my droid which has fairly good internet access but is pretty difficult to type on comfortably. So basically, I don't know how much blogging I'm going to get done. I'm going to have so many wonderful things to write about, but I'm not sure if I should wait till I get back and do a few blogs based on my handwritten journal entries, or if I should try and update with the iffy technology I will have at my disposal. Also, pictures will be pretty much impossible to provide while on the trip, but I could upload some when I get home. Any advice on what I should do?
Let's chat again before I leave, okay? And I'm going to try and finish a few poems I've been working at.
Best Wishes,
Jaime
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Dear Gym Class...
For my 4th quarter Gym assignment (yes we get Gym homework), I had to write about my "thoughts on the Physical Education program over the past 3 years of your high school experience." This is not what I wrote, but it should have been.
Dear Gym Class,
I know you just rolled your metaphorical eyes at me for addressing you as "Gym" rather than your less common and much more pompous title, "Physical Education" but honestly dude, get over yourself! You're indisputably the least important class in the curriculum which gives you no right to demand a longer name than any other course on my schedule! What a waste of Ink! You leave students all sweaty and smelly and since a substantial portion of the high school population does not know what hygiene is, we must all brave the narrow, malodorous hallways.
Look, it's nothing personal, you and I just don't get along and frankly, I don't think we ever will! Your mandatory attendance and unnecessary assignments that require sports knowledge I will never posses only makes me resent you that much more! Maybe you are just trying to help, make the student body healthier and more active but...well...you don't do that. At all. How much actual exercise does 40 minutes of softball give the student who stands in the outfield the whole time texting? Or the the one who is thinking up Haikus during Field Hockey? That last one is me by the way. I am not a rolling ball of fat, and I managed that without your lame attempts to combat obesity.
My thoughts on Physical Education? You want to hear what I learned from you? You taught me that getting picked last and getting assigned to a team by the teacher because your one of the remaining few who was not picked is practically the same thing, except in the latter scenario at least someone pointed to you and said your name. I now know that volleyballs gravitate toward my head like it's the most massive object in the room or something. It never is unless measured in Harry Potter trivia, in which case my head is almost always the heaviest. I learned that the only sport I can perform with some skill is Pickleball, a pretty goofy sounding sport to be good at. I learned that boys are way too into you. I'll see you next fall gym class, I won't be missing you one bit.
Much Love,
Jaime
Dear Gym Class,
I know you just rolled your metaphorical eyes at me for addressing you as "Gym" rather than your less common and much more pompous title, "Physical Education" but honestly dude, get over yourself! You're indisputably the least important class in the curriculum which gives you no right to demand a longer name than any other course on my schedule! What a waste of Ink! You leave students all sweaty and smelly and since a substantial portion of the high school population does not know what hygiene is, we must all brave the narrow, malodorous hallways.
Look, it's nothing personal, you and I just don't get along and frankly, I don't think we ever will! Your mandatory attendance and unnecessary assignments that require sports knowledge I will never posses only makes me resent you that much more! Maybe you are just trying to help, make the student body healthier and more active but...well...you don't do that. At all. How much actual exercise does 40 minutes of softball give the student who stands in the outfield the whole time texting? Or the the one who is thinking up Haikus during Field Hockey? That last one is me by the way. I am not a rolling ball of fat, and I managed that without your lame attempts to combat obesity.
My thoughts on Physical Education? You want to hear what I learned from you? You taught me that getting picked last and getting assigned to a team by the teacher because your one of the remaining few who was not picked is practically the same thing, except in the latter scenario at least someone pointed to you and said your name. I now know that volleyballs gravitate toward my head like it's the most massive object in the room or something. It never is unless measured in Harry Potter trivia, in which case my head is almost always the heaviest. I learned that the only sport I can perform with some skill is Pickleball, a pretty goofy sounding sport to be good at. I learned that boys are way too into you. I'll see you next fall gym class, I won't be missing you one bit.
Much Love,
Jaime
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wordy Gurdy
About a week ago, Wordy Gurdy became the game to play at my household. My Dad and I spent all dinner on Thursday coming up with them, and my Mom has been going crazy from all the Wordy Gurdy madness. It goes like this: You say a a sentence, usually not a complete sentence, and the other person has to guess the two words that rhyme, have the same number of syllables, and mean the same thing.
For example: "To worship a small metal object"
Didjya get it? The Word Gurd was Hail Nail.
I'm horrible at thinking of these, but surprisingly good at guessing them. And I think it actually has been helping to expand my vocabulary! If the SAT I took yesterday had Wordy Gurdys on them, I would have aced that shit! Pretty unfortunate for every other student in the country, but hey, all is fair in word and war.
Here's a few more. If you get one and write it in the comments, you win a super sexy special secret prize.*
A Tired flower
A Melancholy Man
A Cold storage Unit for an Eccentric old man
Best,
Jaime
PS: Sorry if I don't sound like myself today. That is what camping outside on a field for twelve hours will do to you. Teenagers are a very strange breed.
*But not really.
For example: "To worship a small metal object"
Didjya get it? The Word Gurd was Hail Nail.
I'm horrible at thinking of these, but surprisingly good at guessing them. And I think it actually has been helping to expand my vocabulary! If the SAT I took yesterday had Wordy Gurdys on them, I would have aced that shit! Pretty unfortunate for every other student in the country, but hey, all is fair in word and war.
Here's a few more. If you get one and write it in the comments, you win a super sexy special secret prize.*
A Tired flower
A Melancholy Man
A Cold storage Unit for an Eccentric old man
Best,
Jaime
PS: Sorry if I don't sound like myself today. That is what camping outside on a field for twelve hours will do to you. Teenagers are a very strange breed.
*But not really.
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