The Blog
I can’t really say for sure what the purpose of this blog is. I’m guessing just to jot down some of the stuff that runs through my head whenever I catch a break long enough to actually open the laptop and type. It’ll probably evolve into more than that one of these days (at least I hope it will). I’d like to keep you up-to-date on our family, pontificate about faith and ideas, review movies and music, muse on my favorite foods and shows, and maybe even be brave enough to confess a few deeper things, but for now, light ramblings are all I’ve got to offer.
Me
I’m a full-time, stay-at-home mom to a beautiful baby girl, Caelyn, who turned a year old this past June. I’m also a wife, to Chris, a web/graphic designer who’s talented enough to get to work for himself and be at home with us (and our dog, Maverick) every day. I like to consider myself a writer and even a poet, but I know for sure that I’m a lover of music, movies, and books, and I’m a definite victim of the television sitcom. I love stories (telling mine, hearing yours, and reading others). From time to time, I do a little professional writing/editing. My friends accuse me of having an incredible memory and being a nerd. (What? It’s not okay to miss being in school?) I guess I’m a bit of a romantic and an idealist, but I’m also laid-back and sarcastic. I’m shy at heart, but not a lot of people realize it. And although I wish I were hanging out in Stars Hollow or Mayberry, if you’re looking for me, you can probably find me in my DFW apartment.
My Favs (in case you’re into that kind of thing)
TV (not in order)
- The Andy Griffith Show, Arrested Development, Boy Meets World, The Cosby Show, Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Leave It to Beaver, LOST, The Office, Seinfeld, most classic TV sitcoms
- I’m guilty of watching almost anything with a feel-good theme song.
Movies
A list really wouldn’t do, since there are too many for me to remember. So how ’bout some criteria?
- Old movies, particularly Hitchcock films
- Movies that “feel” like movies, whatever that means
- Historical movies that trick me into reading the book
- Movies that still require a suspension of belief, instead of leading me through the schmuck of the regular-man’s real life under the guise of “Independent”
- Okay, I’ll watch pretty much anything at least once.
Books (not in order)
- The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Light in August, The Violent Bear It Away, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird
- I like most things with beautiful language like Fitzgerald’s and a narrative tone like Salinger’s. (And on the other end of the spectrum, I dig Hemingway too. Oh, and don’t forget the middle. Raymond Carver can write one heck of a short story.) And I love Southern Literature, but I like a wide variety of other things too.
Music (not in order)
Again, my tastes are pretty wide (though I wouldn’t say that I “like everything” or deny having been called a snob), so a list is pretty silly, but here are a few from different ends that should show you a bit of my range.
- Elliott Smith, Wilco, Belle & Sebastian, Centro-matic, Andrew Osenga/The Normals, Spoon, The Beach Boys, Oldies, Indie Pop/Rock and the like, Alt-country, Acoustic Folk Rock/Pop
5 Comments
May 8, 2007 at 10:25 am
KATY!
1. Yay for old movies! My mom and little sister bond over classic black and whites, especially Hitchcock. They wipe the floor with everyone in the room each time we play the TCM edition of Scene It! And I am also all about movies that trick you into reading the book, non-fiction or fiction.
2. Jay Gatsby is one of my top 5 favorite fictional characters of all time! Bravo!
3. Sadly, I think I’ve seen 5 episodes of Gilmore Girls in my entire life. One of my dear, dear friends, Colie, is addicted and whenever I was over at her place and it was on, I had no choice but to sit down and shut up.
But Everwood. Wow. I completely forgot about this show!!! I used to watch it religiously with my friend Tyler and though it was cheesy and kind of stupid, I couldn’t help but watch it every single week. I must admit, however, from back in WB days, my worst guilty pleasure was (and to some extent still is) Dawson’s Creek.
And I kind of miss the first three seasons of Felicity.
May 8, 2007 at 12:35 pm
CHELSEA! Yay for leaving a comment on my about page! WOW!
1. Watching old movies with my parents is one of our long-standing family traditions too. I love that your mom and your sister have bonded over something as good as Hitchcock. I hope Caelyn and I have lots of special things like that together too. In the first two weeks after she was born, my husband and I watched the first two seasons of Lost. After that, he went back to working and Caelyn and I had the pleasure of “Hitchcock month” via the Free Movies On Demand. I must’ve watched 15 Hitchocks then and a lot that I hadn’t ever seen before. (Note: if you ever have a baby, I’d recommend taking naps during those first weeks when she/he sleeps all the time, not watching ridiculous amounts of TV and movie entertainment.)
I too am a sucker for both fiction and nonfiction movies that get me to read the book. I said “historical” just because it’s a safe bet that if I see a “true” movie, I won’t be able to resist at least googling the main character when we get home. I have to know what really happened!
2. I’ve loved Gatsby since I met him in high school. (Sadly, it’s one of the few required books that I actually read instead of fooling my English teachers by skimming and taking excellent discussion notes. I was my own dose of reality when I taught college composition and lit. courses.) Since then, I’ve probably read that one 10 times. I want to hang out with Jay right now, actually, but all my books are stacked high in storage boxes in the porch closet. Nursery smursery. (The office of our apartment recently became Caelyn’s room.)
3. That is sad! You know, they do have DVDs and reruns. There’s still time to let the girls change your life. I’m sure Colie would agree. :) Honestly, I didn’t want to like the Gilmores. It was a WB show. About girls. I figured this couldn’t be good. But then I watched an episode. Then another. And I found out that it really IS good. So good. There was no turning back.
Totally with you on the couldn’t help it with Everwood. I became a victim when ABC Family ran the series from beginning to end recently. I caught an episode after a Gilmore rerun. I knew it was cheesy. I knew it was another teen drama. And I actually thought it ran a little slow. But I watched the next day. And, well, then I had to find out if Amy and Ephraim were really going to have sex, didn’t I? I justified my vice with, “They’re really great actors,” and, “It makes sense for them to be thinking and talking like grown-ups. His mom just died. And her boyfriend’s in a coma.” Then I gave up and admitted that it’s a good show. The rest is history.
Of course, I’m guilty of watching a little Dawson’s, but I never got my heart involved with Dawson, Pacey, and Joey like I did with Amy and Ephraim. So I managed not to become a bona-fide victim. :)
What I said about “a feel-good theme song” is no lie. Give me some heartfelt music, cheese, and nostalgia and I’ll get mushy over the stupidest shows. But at least I know how to recognize the good stuff too. :)
May 9, 2007 at 9:43 am
1. When Jim and I have our babies, I will definitely follow your advice.
Did you ever see The Prestige? If you didn’t, you should (and The Illusionist, while you’re at it.). But you should definitely read that book, too. Sometimes I really enjoy reading the book after I’ve seen the movie. If I know the basic story progression or what points it is supposed to hit along the way, I feel like I have more attention to give to the smaller, thoughtful details of the writing.
2. True story: I used to (and still do) take a lot my lecture notes in my books, so my Gatsby copy is just busting at the seams with post it notes and hilighter and pen markings. Well, it was busting at the seams with all that. I had given it to a friend to borrow on a plane ride because he had never read it and I haven’t seen it since. Grrrr! Truly a one-of-a-kind copy.
Ha. I know that high school strategy :) Luckily, I only did it with my English I teacher, Mr. Johnson. He was such an idiot and I just didn’t respect him enough to do the reading. And I would also take great notes for tests and quizzes. So, I guess it wouldn’t be fair for me to say I didn’t like anything we read that year, as much as I just really didn’t like his lectures :) The teacher I had for Gatsby was one of my favorites. In fact, so much of what we read in that class is definitely considered some of my favorite literature, a fact I attribute to the awesome teacher.
3. Someday I’ll catch up on all the good tv shows I’ve missed over the years. And there are a lot. Jeeez. I only have two shows under my belt as “religiously viewed” right now, but my “wanna watch” list is growing impossibly long.
May 9, 2007 at 2:27 pm
1. Jim is going to be such a great daddy! ;)
I have seen The Prestige. LOVE IT! (Can you ever go wrong with Nolan and Bale?) I wanted to watch it again the moment the credits rolled. And I did. But the next day because it was late. So good. It’s definitely in my 2006 favorites, at the very least. And it’s the kind of movie I mean when I say, “Movies that ‘feel’ like movies, whatever that means.” I know better, but that’s the kind of story I could totally buy in to. Movie magic at its best. I’m totally excited about your recommendation to read the book! Can’t wait.
I haven’t seen The Illusionist yet, but I’ve heard it’s good. We’ve got to work that one it. I love being a mommy, but I miss the theater too.
2. I’m so sad for your Gatsby! Somewhere some plane passenger is enjoying a priceless book. I took all my notes in my book margins throughout college and grad school too. Well, “all” isn’t really true. I’ve got more full notebooks from my graduate English courses than I know what to do with. (Yeah, that’s right. On this page I’ve told you that I have an MA in English and taught college-level English courses, but I just ended that baby with a preposition. And I’m not sorry.) I respected all my high school English teachers, except Mrs. Herring, and two or three of them I’d call inspirations and friends. I owe my writing heart to Mrs. Irwin. My ability to construct an argument to Mrs. York. And my vocabulary to Ms. Pellam. Don’t even get me started on my professors. I’ve since read all the required reading. But I had a bad habit of doing only as much as I had to to get by. (I was a silly kid. But don’t think too badly of me. By “get by” I mean “make an A.”)
3. I know the feeling!
January 22, 2008 at 5:29 pm
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