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Weblog Archives June Saturday, June 28, 2003 I have always thought of myself as having a great sense of humour but the boy has made me realize that I have been missing all sorts of comic possibilities. I have spent years laughing at jokes and weird situations and mine and the man's weird perspective on the world but many ridiculously silly things just slid right by me. Yep, apparently I could have been laughing hysterically at all manner of things for years but I was blithely ignoring the hilarity all around. In fact, it has taken hanging out with a 19-month-old to really clue me in to humour. Did you know that noses are funny? How about graham crackers? And how funny is filling a pool with a hose? Darn funny I tell you! Now before you start to that think I live with a 2.5 foot tall prop comic, I should let you know that the above items are inherently funny, they require no manipulation or imagination to inspire laughter. A graham cracker in each of his hands can set him off for a full five minutes. Pointing to his nose and saying 'no' is as good as a pun to you or me. And the hose and pool gag? That requires him to actually bend double in laughter. Who knew? These are just some of the things that have set him off this week. Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn't post this - perhaps some good intentioned soul will send a baby shrink to my door afraid that the little guy has lost his marbles. Before you do that, good-intentioned soul, rest assured that he also finds regular things to be cause for laughter - dropping things, playing with a ball, Daddy acting like a monkey, all of these create giggles. But do you know what beats all? Peeing on the living room floor. Saturday, June 28, 2003 Well, I hate to jump on the bandwagon but boy am I disappointed in Liz Phair. After a sudden jump in my fortunes yesterday I was able to pick up Liz Phair's 'Liz Phair' and give it a listen. I had read a bunch of reviews that said she is courting commercial success and that her album reflects that. I was hoping that the kick I get from Liz Phair's earlier stuff wouldn't be affected. I got a kick from this new album all right, unfortunately that kick was in my teeth. The first Liz Phair album I heard was whitechocolatespacegg (which some fans describe as her first sell out) and it took a little while to grow on me but after maybe three listens I loved it. I bought Exile in Guyville and loved it immediately. I guess I identified with her ass-kicking attitude that comes through not only in her lyrics but in her music and her vocals. I could sing along both of those albums and feel good about it. I mean I couldn't really identify with a lot of her experiences, I've been with the man since I was 18 - not a lot of opportunity to try picking people up - but I could identify with her feelings and her turn of phrase impressed me. I sort of felt like Liz Phair is letting me in on stuff that an older sister would have, if I had an older sister that is. I felt like I was part of the club because I knew what she was talking about. Now I feel like I'm a full fledged member of the club and she's begging to get in. I'm the big sister and she's the pest who Mom makes me drag along. Yep, somewhere between whitechocolatespacegg and Liz Phair, I got older and she got younger. A lot younger. Now she sounds like she's trying to appeal to some 10 years younger than me. She sounds like she doesn't know what she's talking about, like she's trying to impress that 20 year old with her vast knowledge and she's only succeeding in making a fool of herself to the other 30 odd year olds who overhear her. Sadly, the problem is not even with her lyrics, many of which still pack the same punch. The problem is the music and her delivery. She sounds like Avril Lavigne trying to sound world-weary and wise but Avril Lavigne has an excuse for poor judgment - She's 19 and besides I think Lavigne knows better than to try and pull this stuff off. GAH! I guess I'll just listen to Liz's old stuff and brace myself for when one of my Improv team asks me if I've heard of this new singer called Liz Phair. Tuesday, June 17, 2003 A major triumph in Mombie-dom. Last night we got him to go to sleep without nursing or pushing the stroller in an endless loop in the hallway. It took us an hour but between back rubs, stories and songs but eventually he went off to sleep. Only a sleep deprived person would see an hour's work as a victory but hopefully it's a step in the right direction- him learning to sleep on his own. My fondest dream these days is to be able to bring him upstairs, put him in bed, read him a story and leave the room to let him drift off on his own. I think that will be a long time yet but hopefully we are on our way! Tuesday, June 17, 2003 Last night the weirdest thing happened to me. I felt compelled to write. That has never happened before, I've always had to force myself to write or at least when I felt compelled to write I never had anything to say. But this time I had lots to say and some of it was even funny. I think I'll post it to my website later this week. This must be what other writers are talking about when they feel overwhelmed by the need to write about a topic. It's great! I only hope that it continues and I think it will. I think finishing the contract worked freed me of my last obligations to other work and now I'm free to work on my own. For the first time in my life I don't owe my working hours to anyone else. I don't feel more pressured (by myself) to 'get a real job' than I do to write. I have a real job - looking after the boy - and if I can write and sell that writing I can fulfill my own need to do something more and I can make some money. It's a good system really and I finally have the mental space and freedom to follow this dream. Jeez, don't I sound all self-help-ish... Monday, June 16, 2003 Well, I guess now is when I try to recapture the brilliance that got lost last night. Sorry for the lame entries but some sort of computer/web snafu resulting in me sending only test messages until I got it straightened out. The jist of my message last night was that I finally finished the contract work I've been struggling with for 19 months. And I have a 19 month old child - a coincidence? I think not. When you can only concentrate for 20 minutes at a time due to sleep deprivation and you don't know when the next 20 minutes will come, it's hard to finish any extended task. But I did it! I did it, I did it (oh wait, this is my blog, not Dora the Explorer there's no need for a song). Now I am free, absolutely free. To write whatever I want. When the boy goes down for a nap, I don't have to include that godforsaken contract work in the decision as to what to do. I can work on my play, my short stories, my web page or, (pause) my business! Hurrah for me. You know, I didn't realize how much space that work was taking up in my head until it was done. The vacuum it left behind has attracted all sorts of cool ideas for web blurbs, short stories and fun things to do. That totally rocks, I feel like a creative person again. A sleepy, cranky creative person but a creative person nonetheless.I guess I can write all sorts of cool things on a regular basis now. Whoot Whoot! Sunday, June 15, 2003 The boy is squirmy on my lap now. Something weird is going on, a whole page of brilliance just got lost. Wednesday, June 04, 2003 I'm glad I took the daily part out of the title of these ravings 'cause here I am roaring back after 2.5 months. This sleeplessness stuff is for the birds. I hate it. A lot. I also hate beign so tired that I can't type clearly. I'll have to come back to this. © Christine C. Hennebury |
