A Queer Query

Last night I went to sleep debating the possibility of participating in NaNoWriMo this month. Do I have time? Am I interested in writing a novel? Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus wrote autobiographies, so I’m old enough to write a memoir… right?

This morning my usual social network review turned up this post in which Bee determines to blog more in November.

Well.

Now.

That I could get into: regular posting, a return to a simpler, more prolific time. And, unlike NaNoWriMo, no one would be holding me to word counts. (Oh heeeeey, 50,000 words!)

I excitedly tweeted Bee to let her know I might steal her idea and the whole thing snowballed from there. Folks joining in, sharing ideas, and generally getting excited about writing. There was talk of writing prompts, blog community, and even media moguls… all of it queer.

Do I need to tell you what all of this did for this queer writing teacher’s heart? DO I?!

So… here I am. Writing the first post of my November attempt to blog more. Regularly.

And in this post, I’m going to set up the first prompt for our little queer blogger community. There are no rules, restrictions, or binaries; just respond to the prompt if you want to. I’ll probably come back later tonight to respond to the prompt myself. Here goes nothing!

What is your root?

I’m sure many of us have seen But I’m a Cheerleader. And many of us have joked about our “roots.” If you haven’t seen it, or you’d just like the refresher, enjoy:



Now, we all know that none of these things made our beloved characters gay. Graham’s mom’s wedding pants didn’t force her into lady love.

But.

It’s pretty damn funny to, as a grown ass lesbian, look back on my childhood and point out the queer bits that I didn’t notice at the time. I’d love to tell you about one of my queer roots and read about yours too.

What is one early memory that makes you nod your head and say, “Yep. I was born this way?” Tell us about your root.


Annnnd... Here’s a sneak preview for my root, if you’re interested:


Now... go forth and blog, my friends! About this prompt or about anything your hearts desire! If you do respond to the prompt though, let me know! Send me the link in the comments or on twitter. I want to read!

Thank you all for helping me get back on track with the blog world. : )

Perfect Costume for Today

Do you ever just happen upon the absolute most perfect thing to wear for a particular day?

I don't mean the big events that we plan for and stress over, I mean the day to day.

Because every day requires a costume, I hope you know. Observe:



See? Little Edie knows.

Well, last night I stayed up late. And this morning I snoozed the alarm a few times.

So by the time I found myself standing in my closet doing the debate thing, I was feeling uninspired and very any-old-thing-will-do.

But instead of tossing on any old thing, I reached for a particular old thing. Specifically, this mod-inspired dress I bought at the Goodwill for $3.99 this week.


I chose this dress because it was 1) hanging in the closet doorway, fresh from being laundered and 2) fairly wrinkle free. Perfect: I wouldn't have to go to great lengths to either find it or iron it.

Once I had my major piece picked out, I zsouzsed: sheer black cardigan, black leggings, and my grandmother's blue bead necklace.

Out the door I went. Looking something like this:


When I got to class and set up my projector, I realized that there was going to be an issue. The projector was set up to work with the screen... not the whiteboard. That's fine... I can deal with off kilter framing, I thought.

What I did not realize was that mid-class, I'd discover that I am woefully short and cannot write in the little tippy top space I'd allowed myself.


I looked at my students, I looked at the board. I looked at my students, I looked at my outfit. Then, while still listening my students, I pulled a chair from behind an empty desk, climbed atop it, and continued to take notes on their purposes for attending college.

My only hope is that one of their purposes for attending college is to have one really quirky instructor in their first semester. Because thanks to a Goodwill dress and some trusty ol' leggings, I was wearing the perfect costume for jumping up on a chair and teaching as if I am not a miniature human being.

DVD Bonus: I did not (by the grace of God) fall off the chair on any of my 8 trips onto it. I did, however, forget that it was behind me and run slam into it while on flat ground. Might have done a "Did she trip? No, she's jogging. No... she stopped. She tripped! You tripped!" Ellen move.

A Tweet Deferred...

"What happens to a [tweet] deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"

- bastardization of a Langston Hughes line

Some days I think in tweets. A lot of them.

And some days, I tweet all of them. Just throw them out there and say, "there you have it."

Other days (most days), I pick and choose. I tweet some. I send some to friends. I consider others and let them go.

But today... TODAY, kittens.

Ima compile them right here. For you.

Let's get started. In no particular order...

TWO DAYS AND A WAKE-UP.

There will be baking this afternoon. I have spoken; all depart.

I might have put brown sugar in my coffee this morning. Mama's walkin' on the wild side!

I've been happily singing Gasoline & Matches for the past two days. You're welcome, huddled masses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCT17rUr_Jo #babybabybabybaby

Me: "What are some concepts, theories, principles associated with college?" Student: "Don't get caught." #touche

I wouldn't let myself bake earlier this week, so the pent up baking need is STRONG. This could get messy. (cc: @TheKateSullivan)

Things I want to do: blog, bake, nap. Things I need to do: emails, class prep, workout. If I get 4 out of 6, I'll be ecstatic.

Dear God: I'd like clouds all day while I teach (shades up, projector on, FTW) and a thunderstorm when I arrive home. Thanks in advance, Amanda

TWO DAYS AND A WAKE-UP.

Yeah. See? A smathering.

I assure you, my head is a fun place to see from the inside.

But... I really should get back to it.

(And by "it" I mean work and actually tweeting.)

Comfort Food: Three Ways

because sometimes one is just not going to cut it.

Who has these days? The days when everything is slightly off and nothing is easy? When you have a doctor's appointment and your car breaks down before you get the chance to buy groceries? And the baby's fussy and those pants are getting tight? And that student keeps emailing about that one thing and Netflix keeps pausing to "retrieve" something or other?

No one?

Just me?

Well, now I know you're lying. Because those things happened to me, my boyfriend, me, my BFF, me, me, and everyone who uses Netflix. This week. In that order.

So let's take comfort in food, shall we?

It's the right thing to do.

Let's start with the good ol' American brown bag staple.


The PB & J. Peanut butter and strawberry jam, in this case.

Our first way is simple.


PB & J, sliced on the diagonal (requirement), in a ziploc bag (requirement).

The unrequired elements of overenthusiastic, early morning posing will no doubt provide some level of comfort. But warm up to this advanced placement, day improving activity, please. I don't want you to pull something.

Our second PB & J manipulation came to me direct from the boyfriend.


Well. The idea did. I wish she made it for me, but I had to handle this one myself.

Anyway... enough of that. Grilled PB & J!


It's as easy as it is delicious. Take any ol' PB & J sandwich, butter the outside pieces of bread, and toss that thing into a frying pan or onto your panini grill (my choice).

The bread gets buttery toasty like a grilled cheese and the peanut butter and jam get warm and omgamazing.

Try it tonight with a glass of milk as a late night snack and you will not be disappointed. The comfort will be overwhelming.

Finally, our third PB & J is...

can you guess?


PB & J French toast. : )

Shock and awe, right? Okay... the shock I'll let go. But the awe you should keep. Because it's really, really tasty.

And just like our other manips, super easy to do: Take a PB & J sandwich, soak it (one side at a time) in an egg, milk, vanilla mixture, brown it on both sides in a frying pan, and bake it until it puffs up and is firm to the touch.

Pair it as you would any other sweet, filled french toast. I chose scrambled eggs with some serious hot sauce. And syrup. Because I like it. And butter. Because how would one compose a picture of french toast without a pat of butter?

Mmmm... Are you feeling comforted yet?

In all honesty, I am. These PB & Js might have been made over a week ago, at different occasions, but... just writing about them has calmed down a bit.

So... let me take my small bit of comfort and go back to my busy day. And just maybe, when it's all over, I'll comfort myself with something other than food. Or... maybe not. : )

I'm curious. What's your comfort food of choice?

Kitchen Dancing: Better with Two

Hello, blogfriends. If there are... in fact... any of you left.

I haven't been blogging of late because I've been far too busy, well, not blogging. But! You probably arrived here from Facebook or Twitter and just want to see the latest kitchen dancing video.

So here it is, lads and lassies. Me, dancing in the kitchen, with (and here's the good bit) my new favorite dance partner.

Just... drink in the fabulosity.



Now, I'll leave you all with one question: why, if you have a webcam, are you not making videos of yourself dancing in your kitchen?

Right. No reason not to.

So, go do it and come back when you have a link for me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to search for kitchen dancing videos on YouTube.

Bedhead Breakfast

Morning deliciousness.

Both on my head and on my plate.



P.S. How does YouTube decide what screenshot gets to be on the play screen? Because... seriously.

Video Post: My Workout Buddy

Oh heyyy...

So, here's the thing. In this last phase of P90x, I've picked up a workout partner!

Annnnnd... today we made this video to introduce him. Enjoy, loves!