I Left My Heart

Did You Know?

That this week is Banned Books Week? I didn't. But now that I do, I'm really into it. Visit the American Library Association website for information about challenged books and protecting your Intellectual Freedom. If you happen to be lucky enough to know a kid, why not take them to the library this week?

The Summer of Magical Thinking

This is a picture of me doing my best Joan Didion:



And this is a picture of Dryfus doing his best Joan Didion (imagine a highball of scotch between his paws):



Here is Kyle doing his best Joan Did (at least i think that's what he's doing-- it's totally possible that this is simply kyle doing his best kyle):



And finally, Joan Didion doing her best self:



Joan, your prose may be icey, your blood a little too blue, but lady-- you know how to take a picture!

htm-hell

well, thanks to blogger having a bad day, i finally figured out how to add pictures to my blog using only html codes! jen, you should be so proud. anyway, there are new pics posted below. visit these blogs for more pics and to view much better images and descriptions than my own:

Some Cupid Kills

The Map-Makers' Colors

Southern Gothic

One night in August we gathered to honor Carson McCullers, fried green tomatoes, collard greens and a few other Southern notables. Naturally, it was really hot outside.




This is a picture of me of reading "One Art" by the magnificent Elizabeth Bishop.



The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.





i'm really great at the keys part...it's just everything else i've yet to master

Sometimes...

all you need in life are good friends, a little presecco, and a good, old-fashioned, erasure sing-along.

The Big One

Happy Birthday, Tai Shan!!!




Pandas Rule

1/1/06

There are ten seconds left of 2005. The countdown to 2006 begins. You rush to get champaign from the bar as the crowd gathers. The countdown reaches six! and you're not back. The numbers continue to cascade. Why so fast? Slow it down, asshole. M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I- three! M-I-S-S-I two! M-I one! "Happy New Year!" I shout and hug the others. I turn around. You are elbowing through the crowd, a plastic flute in each hand, both half empty. Your wide eyes shift, quick and hurried. Faker. You missed it. You did not stand next to me.

Thesis Post-Mortem

So, after three months and absolutely no social life, my thesis is finished. I sort of feel like I've given birth. But without the baby. I would post a link, but if you really want to read it, you'll have to go hunt it down in the NU library. The official title is "The Road to Reality: Ideological Misconceptions of Nelson Algren and Jack Kerouac." Happy reading, suckers. This whole experience has taught me the following:
1) I do my best work during the hours of 9 am to noon and 8 pm to midnight and the concept of a 9-5 workday is stupid.
2) All university administrators, no matter how prestigious the institution, are idiots.
3) Americans are suckers for romance.
4) Jack Kerouac is kind of a douche.
5) "Demolition" by Ryan Adams is genius.
6) I have a fucking master's degree from Northwestern University.
7) My paycheck should be muuuuuuuch bigger.

Bark in the Park

Hi Friends,

On Saturday, May 6th Dryfus and I will be participating in Bark in the Park, a 5k walk for people and pups along Lake Michigan to raise money for the Chicago Humane Society. You can help me support this organization by visiting my donation page and making a pledge. Because, don't all dogs deserve a loving home where they can dress like pirates and not be judged?

Thanks,
Regina

A Couple of Things...

A series of unrelated events has forced me to re-enter the blogosphere, and make contact with all three of my faithfull readers.

1. r's harrassment

2. jami's sweet new blog with my own personal character profile

3. a hot new quiz

4. my quiz results: Full-on Dork (Severe/Profound) –

There is basically no hope for you. You are the guy/girl that is constantly laughing at yourself. In fact, you’re probably doing it right now. You can’t listen to someone in conversation without trying to work over what they are saying in your head to come up with some sort of witty comment or a way to relate it to real life situations, sit coms or a movie you’ve seen at least 35 times. You enjoy practicing responses to seem spontaneous and quirky, but the levels of effort and awareness of your own awkwardness are off the chart which places you in the Full-on end of the Dork Spectrum. I’d say that you should think more about what you say before you say it, but you’d probably just be thinking of something witty to say and not really listen anyway. My best advice is to find someone who is just as Dorky as you and hold on to them. You will never find a better match than with another Full-on.


i have to admitt, i was a little disapointed with these results. i was expecting to be a little dorky (i do always laugh the hardest at my own jokes), but severe/profound?? come on! i answered 'never' to watching tv cooking shows! i thought that answer would buy me at least a little cool cred!
anyway, i'll let you guys try your hand...let me know your results!

Ga Ga for Grammar

I am in the middle of writing my thirteenth and (hopefully) final grammar lesson and I just wrote the following sentence:
"An apostrophe is a big tool wrapped in a little package."
This amuses me a great deal. It'll probably get published. My advise to anyone who reads this blog and has children--take a second look at home schooling, seriously.

You grows up and you grows up..

I seriously can't get enough of this guy!!! Thank goodness, though, i'm not the only one.

Doggy Style

This weekend, both human and canine friends came over to celebrate Dryfus' 1 year anniversary of finding his forever home. It was total chaos, and I loved it. Kids, dogs, birthday cake, and homemade doggy biscuits, what more could you ask for? Special thanks to Jaclyn for helping me out with party preparations and a mad dash through target and petsmart. Also, big thanks to Nilay for bringing some "butch" to the party and setting up a gate in the backyard so the pups could run around safely (hehe, if you're reading this, I know you're hating it!) and all my other friends who came over to help celebrate.
I will conclude with a short list I came up with that points out the similarities between my dog, Dryfus, and Jesus.
1. Shady/unknown parentage
2. Wandered the streets without a home
3. Spread hope and joy
4. Have many followers
5. Loyal friends
6. Forgive me if I sin
7. Have names that end in "us"
8. Need haircuts

if you are still reading this, thank you for your indulgence.

revelation of master proportion

Today my professor made me wonder if i would be able to recognize the devil when he commented, "satan comes through the backdoor."

Owen and Mzee

Besides the panda cam, my other online obsession is keeping track of Owen the baby hippo and Mzee the 103 year old tortoise. After last year's tsunami, Owen got seperated from his family and was stranded off the coast of Kenya. Local fisherman caught Owen in a net and he was taken to a wildlife sanctuary in Mombasa. As soon as they let Owen, he waddled right over to the sanctuary's long time resident, Mzee (which means "old man" in Swahili) the tortoise. At first, Mzee wasn't too happy about his young, new, sidekick, but Owen was determined to make Mzee his new family. Now, they are best friends and virtually inseperable. You can learn more about Owen and Mzee and read their caretaker's blog here.
I love Owen and Mzee's story so much that when I was doing a lit search for the grade 6 reading book, I got it put in. Now kids all over the country (hopefully, if the damn thing sells) will learn about Owen and Mzee!

I Want to be a Baby Panda Doctor!

Somehow, I'm Not Suprised

I knew all of those orgies and steak dinners would get me in the end!

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

What Book Are You?

Here are my results....

You're To Kill a Mockingbird!

by Harper Lee

Perceived as a revolutionary and groundbreaking person, you have
changed the minds of many people. While questioning the authority around you, you've
also taken a significant amount of flack. But you've had the admirable guts to
persevere. There's a weird guy in the neighborhood using dubious means to protect you,
but you're pretty sure it's worth it in the end. In the end, it remains unclear to you
whether finches and mockingbirds get along in real life.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Panda Cam

Check this out