Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Second Place...I DO!
Isn't it funny how our ideas, ideals, thoughts, dreams and plans evolve as we age?
Case in point:
When I was a teenager, desperate to belong to someone and to be loved, I had it all planned out. (I'm certain that most of us little girls do.) I would be married and starting a family by the time I was twenty-five. This person would be my entire world, we would be extremely happy, and of course, all my issues would be solved because someone could finally love me, even the way I was. (For those of you who don't know how I was, or thought I was, that was fat, ugly, worthless and unloveable.) I know, quite a feat for anyone, especially since I was doing my best to be absolutely certain that I was completely unlovable, although it took me till a few years ago to realize I was doing so. I mean, I didn't want to be incapable, like I couldn't do anything on my own, but I basically wanted someone to be my life.
Older and a little, very little, wiser my plans seemed to have shifted a slightly.
Recently, I was reading some articles and checking out websites having to do with the Avengers movie and its stars, and I came across an article about Jeremy Renner which talked about how he found dating to be difficult since he couldn't find a woman who wanted to be second chair to his career. My first reaction was, well duh!, but I began to think about it. At this point in my life, nearly thirty-one years old, still single, never dated, still screwed up in the head, what do I really want from a relationship? Forget my childish plans, what do I want now?
At this time, this moment, I want to have security, stability, companionship, respect, and of course love. I think I could be perfectly happy in a relationship where we each had our own projects, our own goals and things to do, but we acted as a mutual support to the other. I don't want one person to be my life. By this point, I've lived on my own long enough to have become independent and sort of set in my ways, so I want the freedom to be me, with the security of knowing that someone is there with me to enjoy life, love me, and be there when I really need them. As long as two people work on their relationship and can agree to the terms, I don't think I'd mind being second.
Yes, I can see it—husband off filming movies while I dig into my writing, welding and other hobbies. We enjoy time together in between, and of course communicate regularly when apart. Hmm, I rather think it could work!
So, Jeremy if you're reading this, I'd give it a shot...just give me a call!
Case in point:
When I was a teenager, desperate to belong to someone and to be loved, I had it all planned out. (I'm certain that most of us little girls do.) I would be married and starting a family by the time I was twenty-five. This person would be my entire world, we would be extremely happy, and of course, all my issues would be solved because someone could finally love me, even the way I was. (For those of you who don't know how I was, or thought I was, that was fat, ugly, worthless and unloveable.) I know, quite a feat for anyone, especially since I was doing my best to be absolutely certain that I was completely unlovable, although it took me till a few years ago to realize I was doing so. I mean, I didn't want to be incapable, like I couldn't do anything on my own, but I basically wanted someone to be my life.
Older and a little, very little, wiser my plans seemed to have shifted a slightly.
Recently, I was reading some articles and checking out websites having to do with the Avengers movie and its stars, and I came across an article about Jeremy Renner which talked about how he found dating to be difficult since he couldn't find a woman who wanted to be second chair to his career. My first reaction was, well duh!, but I began to think about it. At this point in my life, nearly thirty-one years old, still single, never dated, still screwed up in the head, what do I really want from a relationship? Forget my childish plans, what do I want now?
At this time, this moment, I want to have security, stability, companionship, respect, and of course love. I think I could be perfectly happy in a relationship where we each had our own projects, our own goals and things to do, but we acted as a mutual support to the other. I don't want one person to be my life. By this point, I've lived on my own long enough to have become independent and sort of set in my ways, so I want the freedom to be me, with the security of knowing that someone is there with me to enjoy life, love me, and be there when I really need them. As long as two people work on their relationship and can agree to the terms, I don't think I'd mind being second.
Yes, I can see it—husband off filming movies while I dig into my writing, welding and other hobbies. We enjoy time together in between, and of course communicate regularly when apart. Hmm, I rather think it could work!
So, Jeremy if you're reading this, I'd give it a shot...just give me a call!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Long Weekend
Well, my long holiday weekend was long, for certain!
I took Friday off since last week was the only week this month I could take vacation, and I thought I would have a nice relaxing weekend and really dig into this story that's been tumbling around in my head. Mom took Friday off, so we just kinda bummed around and didn't do anything serious. Saturday we slept in and then mom had to go to work in the early afternoon. Ok, I thought, here's my chance to put some meat on the bones of this story. I didn't get right into it, I took my time getting dressed and such and then checked my email and facebook. Then I decided I would watch a little bit of Neo Ned while I finally ate a sandwich. Somewhere not too far in to the movie, my aunt Joy called and said that my grandpa was bringing my grandma up to the ER with chest pains.
Needless to say, I dropped everything and went to the ER where I sat with Grandpa for nigh on 6 hours.
All is well, however! It turned out to be diverticulitis—an infection in her intestines. She's on antibiotics and should be fine.
WHEW!
I took Friday off since last week was the only week this month I could take vacation, and I thought I would have a nice relaxing weekend and really dig into this story that's been tumbling around in my head. Mom took Friday off, so we just kinda bummed around and didn't do anything serious. Saturday we slept in and then mom had to go to work in the early afternoon. Ok, I thought, here's my chance to put some meat on the bones of this story. I didn't get right into it, I took my time getting dressed and such and then checked my email and facebook. Then I decided I would watch a little bit of Neo Ned while I finally ate a sandwich. Somewhere not too far in to the movie, my aunt Joy called and said that my grandpa was bringing my grandma up to the ER with chest pains.
Needless to say, I dropped everything and went to the ER where I sat with Grandpa for nigh on 6 hours.
All is well, however! It turned out to be diverticulitis—an infection in her intestines. She's on antibiotics and should be fine.
WHEW!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
MCC professor wins Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award - TimesRepublican.com
This is an article about my instructor and colleague. Congrats Carolyn!
MCC professor wins Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award - TimesRepublican.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community info - Times Republican
MCC professor wins Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award - TimesRepublican.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community info - Times Republican
MCC professor wins Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award
Briggs honored for her ‘Higher Ground’ screenplay
May 13, 2012
, Times-Republican
The last few years have been extremely momentous for Carolyn Briggs, a small-town woman with large ambitions and the evident willpower to achieve them. Briggs, a professor of English at Marshalltown Community College, is a long-time writer whose book has seen much recent success; both in print and in film.
In 2002, Briggs's memoir was published as "This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost." The book details the true story of Briggs's hardships and blessings of growing up with an extremely Christian community, family and culture.
After a few years of trying to find its place among various screenwriters in an attempt to make a movie of the book, the memoir finally found who was meant to write the screenplay: the author herself.
When Briggs was approached by Vera Farmiga, a successful name in Hollywood acting and filmmaking, a friendship was started that led to an eight-month collaboration in the making of the screen adaption, titled "Higher Ground."
The film was just as exciting for Farmiga as it was for Briggs as it was the actress's directorial debut.
"Vera flew to Iowa and sat in my living room with me. We looked -chapter-by-chapter - through my book and chose which scenes we thought would work for a movie. Her husband even showed me how to use a computer program that would help me write the screenplay. The entire experience was so surreal; it's still so unbelievable to me," said Briggs.
"Higher Ground" saw outstanding reviews as soon as it was released in mid-2011, following the honor of being showcased at the Sundance Film Festival.
Over time, the film has received even more praise from well-known critics.
"Just when I thought all the hype over the film was fading, I was notified that Roger Ebert had chosen the film as one of twelve films for his Ebertfest, which is held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois," said Briggs. Briggs and her husband David were flown out to attend the festival, which played the film to a crowd of 1,600 people.
After the film was shown at the festival, Briggs was presented with an award known as the Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award, which is an actual cast of the critic's hand and is made by the same people who make the Oscars.
"I knelt beside Mr. Ebert at the festival and told him how appreciative and ecstatic I was of his review of the film. He didn't have a voice at the time, so he responded by writing on a piece of paper: 'What's not to like?'" said Briggs. "I still find it difficult to fully comprehend how thrilling this entire experience has been."
In 2002, Briggs's memoir was published as "This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost." The book details the true story of Briggs's hardships and blessings of growing up with an extremely Christian community, family and culture.
After a few years of trying to find its place among various screenwriters in an attempt to make a movie of the book, the memoir finally found who was meant to write the screenplay: the author herself.
When Briggs was approached by Vera Farmiga, a successful name in Hollywood acting and filmmaking, a friendship was started that led to an eight-month collaboration in the making of the screen adaption, titled "Higher Ground."
The film was just as exciting for Farmiga as it was for Briggs as it was the actress's directorial debut.
"Vera flew to Iowa and sat in my living room with me. We looked -chapter-by-chapter - through my book and chose which scenes we thought would work for a movie. Her husband even showed me how to use a computer program that would help me write the screenplay. The entire experience was so surreal; it's still so unbelievable to me," said Briggs.
"Higher Ground" saw outstanding reviews as soon as it was released in mid-2011, following the honor of being showcased at the Sundance Film Festival.
Over time, the film has received even more praise from well-known critics.
"Just when I thought all the hype over the film was fading, I was notified that Roger Ebert had chosen the film as one of twelve films for his Ebertfest, which is held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois," said Briggs. Briggs and her husband David were flown out to attend the festival, which played the film to a crowd of 1,600 people.
After the film was shown at the festival, Briggs was presented with an award known as the Roger Ebert Thumbs Up award, which is an actual cast of the critic's hand and is made by the same people who make the Oscars.
"I knelt beside Mr. Ebert at the festival and told him how appreciative and ecstatic I was of his review of the film. He didn't have a voice at the time, so he responded by writing on a piece of paper: 'What's not to like?'" said Briggs. "I still find it difficult to fully comprehend how thrilling this entire experience has been."
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Which Road Shall I Travel...
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I, I took the one...
Since the little bubble of my life has been tumbled around by a mixture of foreseen and unforeseen events, and in the shadow of my looming thirty-first birthday, I have started thinking—I need to take a good look at my life and decide what it is that I really want. Which road shall I take? Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I want to occupy my time? Who do I want to be with? What do I believe? When am I going to man up and take life by the balls?
Upon hearing the news that my supervisor was retiring, colleagues began asking me if I was going to apply for her position. I suppose I should be flattered by that, although perhaps they were hoping I wouldn't. At first, I dismissed their questions saying that they would never hire me, I don't have the correct degree or much experience. In fact, I don't have any "management" experience and, although I think I could do a bang-up job in that position, I just blew it off. (I also questioned whether I wanted the added responsibility, and to be working closer with the administration.)
Then, as time went on and I saw how things were developing—how slowly the hiring process would actually be, the fact that no other staff would be hired until a supervisor was in place, the fact that my mother wants to move and I cannot afford to live on my own—all of these things caused me to ask myself what do I want, what would be best for me? If I apply for the supervisor position, the worst that can happen is that they don't hire me. On the other hand, they might hire me. That would mean a raise and, of course, more responsibilities, however, since I'm the one who has been dragging the library along with me in order to update, I don't think it will be a problem.
The pluses: better pay, great experience, looks good on a résumé, being able to live on my own. Combined with my new position as YFU coordinator, it would be very good for the ol' résumé. That's all in the not so distant future. Looking ahead, what do I want in the long run?
Who am I?
I am insecure. I am self-conscious. I am intelligent. I can, at times, swear like a sailor. I am clumsy. I am messy. At times, I am lazy. I am very negative. I also have a very tender heart, and am very emotional. Sometimes, I am too shy and just let things pass me by.
Who do I want to be?
I want to be graceful and elegant. I want to be a lady with class and poise. I want to be so beautiful on the inside that it spills over onto the outside. I want to be able to focus on the positive, so that when something comes along that just isn't fair, I can look it in the eye, say "this isn't fair, I don't like it, but I'm going to make the best of it!" I want to be that person around whom everyone enjoys being. I want to be able to put my creativity to good use. I want to see life as an adventure!
I want to leave a positive impact on the world.
I want to be a wife and mother. I want to be a soul mate. I want to matter to someone.
I want to write. I want to travel. I want to paint and weld. I want to take photographs. I want to drive a race car. I want to act.
I want to not be obese, I want to be curvy and sensuous.
I want to find value in myself.
I want to find a man who can love me as I am, but who inspires me to be better—who will be my coach and my cheerleader. I want a man who brings out the best in me and whose best I can bring out. I want a man who will respect me and whom I can respect. I want someone mature, solid in himself.
So, I have the path that I have been traveling on which has brought unhappiness and unfulfillment, or a new path, barely tread upon, which leads to fulfillment, happiness and contentment. The old path is worn and clear, easy to find my way. The new one is thick with grass and there are many obstacles.
The only question left is, which will I choose...
Since the little bubble of my life has been tumbled around by a mixture of foreseen and unforeseen events, and in the shadow of my looming thirty-first birthday, I have started thinking—I need to take a good look at my life and decide what it is that I really want. Which road shall I take? Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I want to occupy my time? Who do I want to be with? What do I believe? When am I going to man up and take life by the balls?
Upon hearing the news that my supervisor was retiring, colleagues began asking me if I was going to apply for her position. I suppose I should be flattered by that, although perhaps they were hoping I wouldn't. At first, I dismissed their questions saying that they would never hire me, I don't have the correct degree or much experience. In fact, I don't have any "management" experience and, although I think I could do a bang-up job in that position, I just blew it off. (I also questioned whether I wanted the added responsibility, and to be working closer with the administration.)
Then, as time went on and I saw how things were developing—how slowly the hiring process would actually be, the fact that no other staff would be hired until a supervisor was in place, the fact that my mother wants to move and I cannot afford to live on my own—all of these things caused me to ask myself what do I want, what would be best for me? If I apply for the supervisor position, the worst that can happen is that they don't hire me. On the other hand, they might hire me. That would mean a raise and, of course, more responsibilities, however, since I'm the one who has been dragging the library along with me in order to update, I don't think it will be a problem.
The pluses: better pay, great experience, looks good on a résumé, being able to live on my own. Combined with my new position as YFU coordinator, it would be very good for the ol' résumé. That's all in the not so distant future. Looking ahead, what do I want in the long run?
Who am I?
I am insecure. I am self-conscious. I am intelligent. I can, at times, swear like a sailor. I am clumsy. I am messy. At times, I am lazy. I am very negative. I also have a very tender heart, and am very emotional. Sometimes, I am too shy and just let things pass me by.
Who do I want to be?
I want to be graceful and elegant. I want to be a lady with class and poise. I want to be so beautiful on the inside that it spills over onto the outside. I want to be able to focus on the positive, so that when something comes along that just isn't fair, I can look it in the eye, say "this isn't fair, I don't like it, but I'm going to make the best of it!" I want to be that person around whom everyone enjoys being. I want to be able to put my creativity to good use. I want to see life as an adventure!
I want to leave a positive impact on the world.
I want to be a wife and mother. I want to be a soul mate. I want to matter to someone.
I want to write. I want to travel. I want to paint and weld. I want to take photographs. I want to drive a race car. I want to act.
I want to not be obese, I want to be curvy and sensuous.
I want to find value in myself.
I want to find a man who can love me as I am, but who inspires me to be better—who will be my coach and my cheerleader. I want a man who brings out the best in me and whose best I can bring out. I want a man who will respect me and whom I can respect. I want someone mature, solid in himself.
So, I have the path that I have been traveling on which has brought unhappiness and unfulfillment, or a new path, barely tread upon, which leads to fulfillment, happiness and contentment. The old path is worn and clear, easy to find my way. The new one is thick with grass and there are many obstacles.
The only question left is, which will I choose...
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn the really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn the really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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Curveball
I've been excitedly awaiting my gastric sleeve surgery and this weekend was a three day weekend. I was planning to get so much done. Boy...
