One of my favorite poems

Several years ago, a very good friend of mine introduced me to a poem that has taken time to become one of my favorites. When I first read this poem I was not impressed. The horses, the seemingly corny language, the presumption of the author that he knows how animals feel... I just didn't like it. But the last three lines of the poem are heart-wrenchingly perfect, and I eventually came around to the rest of the poem. It has grown on me over the years, and I've learned to look past the overt subject matter, which is the primary reason that I initially didn't identify with the poem, and think of it in terms of experience. The few times in my life in which I have had experiences that give me that free floating, soaking-it-all-in feeling have been hard to describe and even harder to re-create. Wright describes his experience in a way that inspires me to keep trying to describe mine.

A Blessing
by James Wright

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.

A blog about blogging

I found a great website! It's a random blog topic generator. You pick the category and click a button, and it generates a topic for you. The category options are: All, Opinion, Health, Religion, Science, Art, World, Music, Business, Personal, Technology, People, and Recreation. I chose to leave it on "all." Here are the first 5 blog topics that I received:

• Math or English?
• Getting your first job
• History of football
• Altering photo colors in photoshop
• Using public restrooms

While the last one is tempting, I think the topic would quickly go down the toilet. Pardon the pun. So, I will talk about the first one, which is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

I am (or was, I guess I should say) an English major. For me, reading is abundantly more entertaining and enjoyable than watching TV. Alternately, math makes me feel like I am drowning. I sit and listen, focusing intently, and yet I inevitably reach the point at which everything being said loses all meaning. So I took the required math classes, one of which I would have most certainly failed if not for the professor's generous curve, and shouted with joy the day that I realized that I would never have to worry about a math grade again (the GRE wasn't on my radar back then). And I continued on my merry English way.

People that love math actually confound me. I am glad there are people out there who actually enjoy it, but I cannot even begin to comprehend that frame of mind. My brother-in-law has been out of school for about 10 years, but he sits and does calculus at home for fun. Insane!!!

So, if I haven't made myself clear, let me reiterate: I love English, but math is the devil.

(Good thing none of the math tutors read this blog...)

Hold on while I try to think of a title...

Hello :) Hmm... I really don't know what to write about, but I feel bad that I haven't blogged for a few weeks. I just had to put on my hoodie, not because I'm cold but because I'm a bit self-conscious about my bruises from ju-jitsu class. I re-bruised a bruise from last week that was fading to yellow-green, but now it's a lovely mauve color with a background of yellow-green. I have a doozy forming on my elbow; it's deep purple and hasn't fully formed yet, so it's deep. Once it comes to the surface, it'll either be dark or big... or both. While grappling in ju-jitsu, we're supposed to grab each other's gis for take-downs or throws, but occasionally we accidently grab sleeve and skin rather than fabric alone. I think that's what happened to me last night. Oh well. Injuries of all kinds come with the territory.

I've gained a few pounds this past week thanks to Easter over-indulgence. Ugh. Hate it. I was doing well with at least maintaining my current weight if not losing, but with the gain I am now shifting my focus back to losing. Adding karate to my weekly martial art classes might help, too. And bike riding. I've really been wanting to get back into bike riding.

Four more weeks of grad school. I'm sort of overwhelmed with stuff that needs done, especially since a healthy case of senioritis has set in. My motivation waxes and wanes. I want to be done, but in order to be done, I have to do stuff. I don't wanna do stuff. I want to ride my bike, and read what I want, and take walks, and draw, and garden.

The finish line is in sight... but I am questioning the reserves of strength that will get me there.

What happened to the blog jar?

As I was pondering topics for my mandatory blog, I noticed that the blog jar was missing! This makes brainstorming ideas for my blog a bit more difficult!

My only source of inspiration right now is the honest sky, the toasty sun, and the sweet breeze that is all around. This breathtaking weather is certainly boosting my psyche after a long episode of the winter blahs! The last thing I want to do is to sit in an OULN cave (no windows) for my Linguistics class. Sadly, this is where I'll be at 3:10--at least physically. Mentally I'll be lying in a hammock half asleep with sunglasses on and a copy of a book of MY choice. It's been so long since I've read one of those that I don't even know what the book would be...but it would be something...good.

This time of the year, being so inspiring, would be a wonderful time to write, paint, or do any of the other activities I never have time to do anymore. I'm not complaining though! Every second I get the chance to I've been spending outside in the sun reading for my classes!

I love the 80s--and not just the decade--the temperatures too! :)

A Publishing Friend

A publishing friend of mine will be doing some serious work for Writer's Digest, which is writer's community focused on getting people published: Check it Out.

The Writing Center website

I think Caleb has done an outstanding job! The only thing that is missing is Deb's picture next to her bio! hmmm.

Spring quarter and Spring thus far...

It has been ok. I am enjoying my lighter than usual course load of only three classes! This will give me time to take Cameron to baseball practices and games and continue on HIS goal of fishing almost every other day! I am keeping track of the places we have fished and the amount of time we stay. After only two weeks, I have logged over 30 hours of fishing time! Yowza! Perhaps I should stop logging my time??

Over Spring Break I read Cion by Zakes Mda. He is a professor at OU-Athens. It was interesting and overall a good story. It only took me two or three fishing sessions to read it! That is a monumental step in my, almost nonexistent, "pleasure" reading escapades.

Hope all who read this had a relaxing Spring Break. Everyone deserves a break.

(post 1 of 2 for the quarter)...yeah baby.

My Favorite Toy...

(I would have responded to this days and days ago but I couldn't figure out what my password was!)

Like Julie, I was also poor when I was little, but also blissfully unaware. My favorite toy when I was a child was my imagination.

While anything related to horses enamoured me, and anything small with wheels was fun to roll around, what fascinated me more was that those little toy horses were an intricate family and had herd issues as they galloped over the plains of the kitchen floor. My little Garfield in a jeep (one of the best McDonald's toys EVAR!), with its reliable 4x4 system, could easily tackle the rocks, hills, and valleys created by the blankets on my bed.

I also spent a lot of time outside. Though I can appreciate the convenience of living in a city, I have always been a country girl--and one of my favorite cartoons was David the Gnome. Oh, how I loved going out into the forest--or even simply into our front yard!--to climb trees, "talk" to animals and nature, and explore all the great world has to offer (or at least "all" that a small, shy girl can get to).

I am 30 now, and my imagination is still my favorite toy. I write and create art. I imagine ways to decorate my living space. And on some days, I still find shapes in the clouds and hear the trees whispering to me.