Meme-ing kills the time!

Yo Mella Honey.

Three things that scare me:

1. Small, dark, enclosed spaces.
2. The big evil space bug that crawled out of our tub drain.
3. Extremism.

Three people that make me laugh (brought to you by the letter "S"):

1. My son.
2. My sister.
3. Steven Colbert.

Three things I hate:

1. That our government will allow a man and a woman with no prior relationship, no true intention for commitment, no understanding or appreciation for a lifelong love to get married, but will not allow another couple who have been together for 15 years (and adopted and raised 2 children to be loving, moral individuals) to get married because they're both guys.

2. That my husband still has health problems that fight us to be the center of our lives. They're not winning, but I hate that they're still there.

3. Onions. Blech.

Three things I don’t understand:

1. Financial Management.
2. Obsession with celebrities.
3. Yo Gabba Gabba.

Three things I’m doing right now:

1. Listening to Corinne Bailey Rae
2. Watching my son play with his "new" trains.
3. Wishing it wasn't so freakishly hot. It's almost October! I want my 60 degrees!

Three things I want to do before I die:

1. Go to France.
2. Live near the ocean.
3. Be a grandmother.

Three things I can do:

1. Imitate the voices of other people to the point where I can fool my family and friends over the phone.
2. Make an amazing grilled cheese sandwich.
3. Read bizarrely fast.

Three ways to describe my personality:

1. Extroverted
2. Instinctive
3. Odd

Three things I can’t do:

1. Make another person's life happy all by myself.
2. Protect my children from everything bad.
3. Pull my legs behind my head (anymore).

Three things I’d like to learn:

1. How to balance my checkbook.
2. How to do anything with my hair. (I repeat Mella)
3. How to play the drums like Meg White.

Three favorite foods:

1. Salmon.
2. French Bread.
3. Peanut Butter.

Three beverages I drink regularly:

1. Frappuccino
2. Water
3. Milk

Three shows I watched as a kid:

1. The Cosby Show
2. Cheers (NBC Thursday nights were big at my house)
3. Happy Days

I walked out of the mall at 10pm

to what I can only describe as a perfect Autumn night. I wore a long sleeved shirt, but no jacket was needed. A breeze lifted my hair and cooled my tired skin. I breathed in, and a smell both sharp and damp, filled my head, rolled behind my eyes, and cleaned out my lungs of stale mall air. Purification.

Though we associate this season with decay, don't we?

Is that why some people think Autumn is a sad? I understand that, I guess. I have felt it as well. It's the kind of feeling you have before a gentle, satisfying cry or when you remember a loved one who died a long time ago.

I suppose it's because humans connect the seasons to life cycles. Autumn comes before everything dies in Winter.

I'd rather think of it as a long day, than a short life. Autumn is the time when we're snuggled into bed, the worries of the day done with, covered by colorful leaves. Before we drift of to hibernation.

The Stuff I Read: Comics: True Story Swear To God: Chances Are

Life is not comedy or tragedy. It’s a little of both, and a whole lot of stuff in the middle. The best writers get that, and whether or not the story they write is true, it rings true.

In case you didn’t guess by the title...this one's true. Tom Beland (read his bio here) went to Florida, and met Lily Garcia on his way to a Stevie Wonder concert. “Chances Are” tells the story of how their relationship began and developed into love. It’s also about Tom and his large, loving family. It’s romantic, sad, uplifting, and the when Tom’s brother gets married it is oh so funny. It’s a very realistic portrayal of a long distance love, and individuals who have experienced pain and healed wounds.

Tom Beland isn’t really a writer of graphic novels. He’s a cartoonist, his strips are autobiographical. “Chances Are” began as a gift for Lily, that she urged him to publish.

The art plays second to the narrative. Best in true stories, I think, because the words are more important. Beland does a lot with his clean, simple cartooning, The single lines that serve as smiles seem happier and more authentic than they would if he had someone else give it a “realistic” style.

I would suggest this to so many people who would never think to enter a comic shop, or read a comic book. People who think they're all tights, fights, and improbable bosoms. Also people who think that all Romance comcis are cliché and saccharin...and bad.

A friend of mine let me borrow this book over 2 years ago. Then I accidentally left my car windows open and it got water damage. I bought him a new one and kept the slightly damaged copy for myself.

Doesn’t really have anything to do with why I like it so much, but just in case my friend stops by, I want him to know I credit him with my discovering this story.

It's as sweet and satisfying as homemade flan de leche.

The Stuff I Read: Comics

My top 5. Next week I'll tell you why.

1. True Story Swear To God: Chances Are Tom Beland
2. The New Frontier, Darwyn Cooke
3. The Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci/Jim Rugg
4. Watchmen, Alan Moore
5. Dark Victory, Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale (the comic bloggers roll their eyes)

Up to:

Been a bit stressed out. I've been working a lot more. 4 hours a night, 6 nights a week. It's left little time for anything else, so I had myself a nice meltdown and Beloved Husband and I rebuilt our priorities. Still going to be working a lot, but I am going to sit down to write for fifteen minutes at least every single day. It will be held at greater importance that every household duty that doesn't directly involve my son.

So this week you will start to see content that has a point other than my brain vomit. Important, yes, but not why I have this blog.

A list this week. Next week, elaboration.