Happy Halloween!

From Ariel, Prince Eric, and our little Sebastian!

The Moth

 
Like my father, I'm somewhat of an insomniac. We both listen to podcasts at odd hours in the middle of the night to help pacify our racing minds. Anxiety is passed down, I think. Genetic or learned, passed down all the same.

Having caught up on all my favs -This American Life, Stuff You Should Know, Stuff Mom Never Told You, The Story, and Freakanomics - (yeah, I know, that's a lot of time in the middle of the night) - I've turned to yet another suggestion from Dad: The Moth.

The Moth has been a huge source of inspiration to me because it's performed by WRITERS! There is a theme of the night and the performers/writers have to come up with a story that fits that theme. They have to stick to a 15 minute story or they get cut off (don't you wish that happened in real life?) and they tell their story to a live audience.

Here is what I love:

• You can hear the author's voice. Literally. Other than David Sedaris, I have rarely heard a story told from the author's own voice. It is done so beautifully that I have cried after listening to several episodes

• The stories are true. I am all about fiction. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who reads as much fiction as I do, but when it comes to writing, I love autobiographical stories with a theme. There is something so painfully wonderful about someone laying out the truth for everyone to see. This sort of bravery I hope to achieve one day.

• Author's Purpose: So I went to have wine and cheese with two of my besties last week and we all happen to have graduated with the ever-so-useful English degree and we spent a large part of the night discussing author's purpose in writing, specifically blogs. Okay, so maybe we'll never be Carrie Bradshaw and friends but we are definitely putting our critical thinking skills to good use. Take that, Avenue Q! Anyway, my point is, I was inspired to write with more purpose (which might be why I haven't written since).

I'll be blatant in my purpose for this blog: Check out The Moth and then let me know what you think. I recommend the epiosodes "A Doll's House" by Bill Burr and "Spanish Harlem" by Ernesto Quionez". Nothing inspires good writing like good writing!

Yeah, I really do think.

I was teaching irony yesterday and I tried to make a joke about how Alanis Morissette's song "Isn't it Ironic" isn't ironic at all and guess what? No one had ever heard of Alanis Morissette. No. one.

I started to feel a little old and a bit disconnected when one of my brilliant (No sarcasm here.This year they really are brilliant) kids quickly responded, "Well, if her song about irony isn't ironic, then it's ironic, right?"

See what I mean?

This is what I've waited my whole life for.

Teaching Honors English  has changed my life. Yeah, yeah, a hyperbole of sorts, but really, not too far off. For the first time ever, I can say with 100% certainty, I love my job. If someone offered to pay me what I get paid now and I could stay home instead of teaching, I wouldn't take it. No way.

It definitely helps that I'm part-time, but I actually look forward to going to work. Cool, huh? (This little colloquialism was pointed out to me and Dan when we were in Greece. Our Kiwi friends explained that they can always tell if someone is American because they use the phrase: "Cool, huh?" We didn't believe them either, but it's true).

By the way, did you notice all the literary terms I threw in here? And watch for the elevated vocabulary in the future. Honors is making me smarter, too. 

Cool, huh?

3 months ago

i was writing all the time.

thinking. reflecting. creating.

sometimes i feel paralyzed when i open my blog. the cursor blinking. waiting. waiting. waiting.

and nothing good comes.

do i write just to write? for writing sake? i'm not so sure. i sometimes wish people wrote less, ya know? thought more and wrote less. kinda like talking.

that's all i got.

it's a start, right?