Wednesday, May 28, 2008

i'm leavin' on a jet plane...

so tomorrow i leave for the big chicago adventure that has been looming for the past month and a half. i don't know much about the windy city, and i know even less about public transportation, so this should be interesting.


it seems as though my neurotic "gotta have a lot of books to choose from" side has finally kicked in. as i write this my suitcase is loaded down with the following:

1:: "oyster: history on the half shell" by mark kurlansky
2:: "krakatoa" by simon winchester
3:: "the hamlet" by faulkner
4:: "paradise lost" by milton
5:: "the snows of kilimanjaro" by hemingway
6:: "lady chatterley's lover" by lawrence
7:: "across the river and into the trees" by hemingway


seven books. seven books for 5 days. is this overkill? maybe so, but i like to have options. and look at the range--early modern verse, victorian fiction, modern american fiction, and narrative nonfiction. how can i get bored with all these books to choose from?!


there's just one thing left to say: hello, my name is duessa and i have a book problem.

Monday, May 26, 2008

i'm bored.

so here's a survey to entertain me. at least momentarily.

turn your music player on the shuffle mode and record the first ten songs that come on. then, for each song write something about it (a personal anecdote, the reason you like it, etc). be honest and don't skip around!

1:: "liedown" by darcy and the amazing glowing guitar of light
--this is a song by an classmate of mine. in undergrad we took a creative writing class together and i fell in love with his band. they have since changed names, but still rock!

2:: "closer" by nine inch nails
--wow. this song reminds me of eighth grade. not for any perverted reasons, just because the girl i sat next to in reading class sang it all the time. she was SO hardcore. or at least she thought so.

3:: "on broadway" by the drifters
--no special meaning here. just thoroughly love this song. the music is great!

4:: "you're just to marvelous" by frank sinatra
--i got rear-ended while listening to this song. but i still love it. i think that says it all.

5:: "show you how to love again" by eli young band
--amazing band. i'm kind of a groupie. for more info see this.

6:: "i got love if you want it" by slim harpo
--a really fun and unique song. it always reminds me of louisiana. for no particular reason, it just does.

7: "eshten charlyyry berge" by paul pena and kongar ol-ondar
--three words: tuvan throat singing. you should totally check it out. especially the genghis blues soundtrack. the best song is kagyraa moan. these people are able to manipulate their voices in such an interesting way...

8:: "imaginate" by gallegos
--reminds me of summer and cruising around with the windows down. that and beer. cold beer.

9:: "the distance" by cake
--i f-ing love cake. my sister introduced me to them a really long time ago; i have since purchased everything they put out. brilliant. i don't care of it's hokey.

10:: "adrift" by jack johnson
--this pretty much sums up my thoughts on jack johnson

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

don't you love it when life wraps it up in a neat little package?

got my shakespeare dallas subscription today (thank you gabe). i am totally nerding out.


this season they are doing othello, merchant of venice, midsummer night's dream, and all's well that ends well. i cannot wait to see them all! everyone else should go and give them money as well. even if you don't understand the language, it's a fun time. check them out at shakespearedallas.org



on another note, i apparently read 300 words a minute. i'm not sure how that helps me in any way, or why i need to know it, but it's an interesting fact nonetheless.

by the way, i have totally crossed over into total dorkdom now. i'm going to go put tape on my glasses and buy a pocket protector.



that is all.






Friday, May 16, 2008

the countdown of my life...

10 PEOPLE YOU HOLD DEAR TO YOUR HEART
10:: christopher marlowe.
9:: john donne.
8:: philip sidney.

7:: william shakespeare.
6:: edmund spenser.
5::
ray bradbury.
4:: josh.
3:: gabe.
2:: my bff’s – erin and nick (they are tied, you see).
1:: my immediate family.

9 WAYS/THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY
9:: listening to ella fitzgerald on vinyl.
8:: snuggling with my doggies.
7:: the cute flirty bartender at smg.
6:: alcohol treats w/ friends.
5:: birthday cake w/ whipped frosting. yum.
4:: snuggling up with a good book for hours.
3:: organizing parties.
2:: baking. anything and everything.
1:: sarcasm.

8 THINGS YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR FREE TIME
8:: sleeping.
7:: reading non-fiction.
6:: surfing the internet.
5:: catching a late movie with erin.
4:: watching tv.
3:: watching movies.
2:: downloading music.
1:: baking.

7 PET PEEVES
7:: humidity.
6:: people who don't listen.
5:: people who say “john don” instead of “john done.”
4:: whining.
3:: computer problems.
2:: people who don’t understand how to use adverbs.
1:: people who use reflexive pronouns incorrectly.

6 THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
6:: caffeine.
5:: sugar.
4:: a constant influx of new music.
3:: claritin d.
2:: the internet.
1:: friends and family.

5 WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY

5:: curious.
4:: moody.
3:: slightly OCD.
2:: cynical.
1:: sarcastic.

4 THINGS YOU'RE FOCUSED ON AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE
4:: new experiences.
3:: enjoying life.
2:: relaxing.
1:: new job.

3 SHORT TERM GOALS
3:: be a good teacher.
2:: write daily.
1:: bring something new to the table each day.

2 THINGS THAT KEEP YOU GOING EACH DAY
2:: caffeine.
1:: sarcasm.

#1 PURPOSE FOR LIVING
1:: the quest for that elusive creature called knowledge.

Monday, May 12, 2008

my thoughts on commencement

so graduation was friday. it was, to say the least, a big build up for a little payoff. or at least that's what it felt like. 


my fam came into town. that was nice. don't get to see them enough. we drag ourselves up to denton and take pics before the ceremony. embarrassing to say the least. for those of you who don't know, i DO NOT enjoy being the center of attention. wearing a polyester gown, cardboard hat, and green and white striped hood is not a good way to stay out of the spotlight. i just about died.


i leave my fam and get to the ceremony where i stand in what i have lovingly titled "the cattle corral" for an hour and a half. it's hot, i'm wearing polyester, and i know no one. it SUCKED. we finally get marched into the superpit and get to sit for the ceremony.


fave part: the musical interlude of pachabel's canon and green day's basketcase on the marimba(only in denton)


least fave part: the north texas exes sales pitch--seriously, send us a post card or something. don't try to sell us during comencement.


i went out with nick, erin, and gabe that night. we did all the denton staples--chopsticks, beth marie's, etc. good times.


then saturday morning it was back to the superpit to watch nick's commencement (which wasn't nearly as long and boring as i thought it would be).


my parents threw a party for us on saturday, and it was great fun.


graduation has made me realize how lucky i am to have the people i have in my life. seriously--my friends and family are the best possible. they're great and i could not ask for more.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

amazed. simply amazed.

so i saw ironman last night. it was freaking great.

i am NOT a comic book movie type person. i've only seen one batman, one spiderman, and no superman in my entire life. so i have to admit i was a little skeptical going in--i knew it would, at the very least, keep me entertained for a couple hours, but probably would not be "amazing."

robert downey jr. was really good. he has terrific comedic timing, and the humor in the movie really makes it. the music was quite good as well (even with an orchestral version of "ironman").

all in all it's a really enjoyable movie, even for those who don't really like comic books.

oh, and don't bother to wait through the credits for the little special feature. it's like 10 seconds long and just lets you know there will be a sequel.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

american folk song

so my daddy and i went fishing this past weekend. let's just say i had my mojo working. my daddy, not so much.

we recently bought some new ultralite rods and reels, so we had to play. after our last time out with the new gear i was feeling like mine was cursed. the line broke or got snared everytime i put it in the water (needless to say i gave the rod a very ugly nickname). so off we head to our favorite perch spot. perch is fun to catch, especially on an ultralite, 'cause they fight like hell. and it's the best possible fishing scenario for me because you get the thrill of catching the fish, looking at it (perch is really pretty w/ lots of different colors and patterns), then letting it go.

so my daddy had the first catch of the day. it looked something like this:

after that, i got one:


from there, it was on. i caught a total of twelve fish that day. my dad caught four. it was a thing of pure beauty. every time i put my hook in the water i was pulling out a fish. i think this one is number 5:
my favorite moment of the day--telling my daddy "not that i'm counting or anything, but this makes number twelve"


but, for all the crap i gave him, i was duly rewarded. in typical duessa fashion i forgot to bring sunscreen. i'm now a lobster. but a lobster who totally outfished her daddy.

Friday, May 2, 2008

life lately...


...has been extraordinarily busy. busy like christmas. rushing about, trying to tie up all the loose ends just in time for a large group of family to descend on your home.

yup. that's how it feels.

thursday was my last official day as an employee at {job}. i'm officially unemployed for two weeks. yay vacation! too bad it's going to be filled with paper writing and worrying about grades and graduation ceremonies. hopefully there will be some fishing in there too.

yesterday was my daddy's 55th birthday and in honor of the occasion, i busted out the baking supplies. here's the super-fly cake i made him.


duessa, out.