Saturday, February 27, 2010
My favorite toy...
I loved my legos. I would spend hours just quietly building, tearing apart, and rebuilding, even up into my early teen years. Legos are the perfect toy for an overly imaginative child.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Favorite Toy
We were kind of poor when I was little… government cheese, shopping at thrift stores for new school clothes, health department doctors and dentists… the whole bit. Fortunately, I was a very happy child, blissfully unaware of what we didn’t have. I remember Christmas mornings very clearly. We were fortunate enough to get actual presents, but stockings were a different story. Our stockings were actually Dad’s old tube socks that Santa would fill with apples, oranges, rolls of pennies, packs of Wrigley’s gum, and various other cheap gifts, and I can still remember the joy of turning that sock upside down and feeling the contents slide out against the cloth underneath my hand, and being inordinately happy to have, all to myself, those things that were usually kept in the kitchen and shared.
So, obviously, you won’t expect me to say that my favorite toy was my pricey princess power wheels car (how's that for alliteration?) or my shiny blue huffy bike with streamers or my red ryder bb gun. In fact, I actually don’t remember getting any one toy that I was just nuts about. The thing that stands out most in my mind is being in third grade and getting a wonderfully, beautifully, inspirationally blank hardback book. It was all white. White cover, white binding, white pages with no restrictive lines. I was thrilled beyond belief. The options were almost crippling. I fantasized for months about what to do with this book. Journal?—too risky. Sketchbook?—too informal. Book?—perfect, of course. So I agonized for a few more months about what to write, until I finally decided that I would just set the book aside and save for a really (really) great idea.
I eventually did write a children’s book and had a friend of mine illustrate it for me. It was a lovely process. But I think I had that blank book for several years before actually taking action. I’m sure there’s potential there for some meaningful life metaphor… something about indecision or potential or something. But I’ll keep my theories to myself and leave some room for your own psychoanalysis.
What I do know is that there is still nothing quite as satisfying as a fresh, blank notebook, a smooth ball point pen, and a mind swirling with ideas.
So, obviously, you won’t expect me to say that my favorite toy was my pricey princess power wheels car (how's that for alliteration?) or my shiny blue huffy bike with streamers or my red ryder bb gun. In fact, I actually don’t remember getting any one toy that I was just nuts about. The thing that stands out most in my mind is being in third grade and getting a wonderfully, beautifully, inspirationally blank hardback book. It was all white. White cover, white binding, white pages with no restrictive lines. I was thrilled beyond belief. The options were almost crippling. I fantasized for months about what to do with this book. Journal?—too risky. Sketchbook?—too informal. Book?—perfect, of course. So I agonized for a few more months about what to write, until I finally decided that I would just set the book aside and save for a really (really) great idea.
I eventually did write a children’s book and had a friend of mine illustrate it for me. It was a lovely process. But I think I had that blank book for several years before actually taking action. I’m sure there’s potential there for some meaningful life metaphor… something about indecision or potential or something. But I’ll keep my theories to myself and leave some room for your own psychoanalysis.
What I do know is that there is still nothing quite as satisfying as a fresh, blank notebook, a smooth ball point pen, and a mind swirling with ideas.
My favorite toy was..
my lion. It really wasn't a toy but more of a security "blankie." Truthfully, I cannot remember a toy that I ever received that really excited me. Well, except my BOB, but that is another story entirely! It was the one stuffed animal that I protected with my life. My mother actually received this lion on my behalf during her baby shower. Yes, that means my lion is creeping up on 31 years of age!
My lion and I have been through many difficult times over the years. I would swing him by his tail like a helicopter, and during one of his "flights," he lost an eye--never to be found again. :( My sisters would make fun of my lion, saying that I was too old to have a stuffed animal. Little did I know that they each had their own! My eldest sister, Jen, still has her teddy bear (he is totally blind--lost both eyes). Her teddy is rounding the bend to 37 years of age!
Although Jen and I are closest out of all three of my sisters, she was the one that tormented me the most. Some time during elementary, I decided I no longer needed my lion. I got the kitchen scissors and proceeded to cut him up into pieces. I laid him down nicely on the top of the trash can and walked away. When my mom came home from work she became hysterical. I think my sister caught a beat-down that she deserved! hehehehe. (Side note: Our beat-downs came in the form of wooden spoons and/or the almighty fly swatter!)
Perhaps needless to say, my mother came to my lion's rescue and sewed him up. I was very happy to have him back, even if he had "stitches" of every color of the rainbow. He now resides in my sock drawer, scented by fabric softener sheets. I see him every morning, or at least the mornings I choose to put clean socks on! ha! My lion is so disfigured, my grandpa has called him a squirrel for many, many years. It used to make me very angry. Over the years, I have gained confidence in my self and the fact that I openly love my lion-squirrel.
My lion and I have been through many difficult times over the years. I would swing him by his tail like a helicopter, and during one of his "flights," he lost an eye--never to be found again. :( My sisters would make fun of my lion, saying that I was too old to have a stuffed animal. Little did I know that they each had their own! My eldest sister, Jen, still has her teddy bear (he is totally blind--lost both eyes). Her teddy is rounding the bend to 37 years of age!
Although Jen and I are closest out of all three of my sisters, she was the one that tormented me the most. Some time during elementary, I decided I no longer needed my lion. I got the kitchen scissors and proceeded to cut him up into pieces. I laid him down nicely on the top of the trash can and walked away. When my mom came home from work she became hysterical. I think my sister caught a beat-down that she deserved! hehehehe. (Side note: Our beat-downs came in the form of wooden spoons and/or the almighty fly swatter!)
Perhaps needless to say, my mother came to my lion's rescue and sewed him up. I was very happy to have him back, even if he had "stitches" of every color of the rainbow. He now resides in my sock drawer, scented by fabric softener sheets. I see him every morning, or at least the mornings I choose to put clean socks on! ha! My lion is so disfigured, my grandpa has called him a squirrel for many, many years. It used to make me very angry. Over the years, I have gained confidence in my self and the fact that I openly love my lion-squirrel.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My Favorite Toy as a Child
One Christmas, 1978, perhaps, I received my first art studio--well, actually, a yellow-plastic Crayola turntable. This glorious artistic wheel held a tower of 64 crayons, 8 markers, 16 color pencils, 8 water colors, and 3 paint jars in primary colors. Paper not included. Paired with the Spirograph that year, the world was at my finger tips . . .
What was your favorite toy as a child?
What was your favorite toy as a child?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Winner of the Fall Writing Contest
The Writing Center is pleased to announce the winner of the 2010 Fall Writing Contest: Turning Points. Tracy Pederson, a current nursing student, won a first place gift card worth $75.00 to the OU-C Book Store with her submission "The Great Bear Hunt."
Congratulations, Tracy!
Congratulations, Tracy!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Of Snow and Studies
I'm so glad that good ol' Jack Frost has blown in our direction! My evening class is canceled! Now I have all evening to snuggle under my electric blanket and finish the novel I'm reading for African American Literature, Alfred French's Billy. I'm approximately 1/3 of the way through it so far, and it's definitely a page-turner! (Which is good because there was an assignment due on the novel yesterday!) Like other African American literature I've read, I really enjoy the book's use of dialect, candid, unsentimental tone, and the way it stirs up emotions about true-to-life happenings! I'm looking forward to reading Toni Morrison this quarter as well.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Definitions
I am currently enrolled in online Human Geography course. I was surprised when I realized all homework will consist of definitions. However, after looking things up in the handy-dandy glossary, I suppose it makes me concentrate on the key terms. Here is a new one that I thought some people may enjoy. It makes sense to me.
Deb, this is for you!
Ecofeminism: A new doctrine proposing that women are inherently better environmental preservationists than men because the traditional roles of women involved creating and nurturing life, whereas the traditional roles of men too often necessitated death and destruction.
....any thoughts....
2 blog entries, I'm on a roll...I think this is more than I typed all last quarter.
Deb, this is for you!
Ecofeminism: A new doctrine proposing that women are inherently better environmental preservationists than men because the traditional roles of women involved creating and nurturing life, whereas the traditional roles of men too often necessitated death and destruction.
....any thoughts....
2 blog entries, I'm on a roll...I think this is more than I typed all last quarter.
Winter break and other stuff
First off, my break was nice; although, I was not ready to come back. I can officially say that I will be graduating this year! Woooohooo! After this quarter I will have three classes and student teaching. I am taking a couple courses in Lancaster this quarter. I like the teachers, but the snowy drive leaves a bit to be desired; good thing I got new tires the end of November.
Now for the funny story: yesterday evening I backed out of my garage PRIOR to opening the garage door. OOPS! The door is stuck. I have been housing a friend's old corvette and we had to push that out of the other garage bay and then do a lot of maneuvering to get my car out. It was quite the scene. The end. I know that there are far worse things that could have happened to me. Over winter break I have learned NOT to sweat the small stuff. A lot of the "stuff" we think is disastrous really isn't. My advice to all: Keep things in perspective; everything can always be WORSE!
I am keeping my eye on the prize and looking forward to graduation.
Now for the funny story: yesterday evening I backed out of my garage PRIOR to opening the garage door. OOPS! The door is stuck. I have been housing a friend's old corvette and we had to push that out of the other garage bay and then do a lot of maneuvering to get my car out. It was quite the scene. The end. I know that there are far worse things that could have happened to me. Over winter break I have learned NOT to sweat the small stuff. A lot of the "stuff" we think is disastrous really isn't. My advice to all: Keep things in perspective; everything can always be WORSE!
I am keeping my eye on the prize and looking forward to graduation.
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