The Writer's Almanac

I subscribe to the podcast of Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac, where he gives a bit of history about writers and this day in literary history and then reads a poem. They're all fantastic, but I liked today's especially. The image is by one Paul living in London. It popped up on Google image search, and I loved it too much to not use it. You can see more of Paul's work at his Livejournal.



The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Wine Induced Rantings

Despite the Malbec, I will actually endeavor NOT to rant. My friend Jennie was castigating me for failing to post, and I explained that I feel like a lot of blogs are just collections of rants, and my Mayflower-Protestant ancestors object to my engaging in such things. Don't get me wrong - I adore reading them, but I just feel all glompy if I start doing it. New word - glompy.

I had a funny story . . . and it was . . . my addiction to Gilmore Girls? No. Although I am addicted. I have found my television soulmates. Them and Hugh Laurie's House. Sit me down with Lorelei, Rory, and House and I would feel 100% at home. It's not lupus! Let's reference obscure English literature and pop culture! Yay! This is what it feels like to talk as fast as you think!

What else, what else. Ok - another one of my blog posting paranoias is a fear that I will reveal personal information and then find myself victim of my imprudent revelation. For example, if I reveal my deep and abiding affection for my new Vera Bradley Little Betsy bag (in Mod Blue), someone might use the knowledge against me. Like - you might purposefully spill coffee on my bag! To be mean! You now, this actually illuminates a deep and abiding self-obsession that can only be called narcissism. No wonder I loved The Truman Show so much. I was all - I knew it . . .

I fear the Malbec is wearing thin. The dangers of a psychotic metabolism. However, I will go ahead and report that Operation Get Lisa in Shape is advancing, thanks to a lot of help from my ridiculously nice and supportive friends. My summer roommate Meredith is including me in her runs. This involves us jogging slowly around Viele Lake while I attempt to distract myself from agony by gossiping and then me stopping due to tunnel vision setting in or sharp stabbing pains under my rib cage and then her going on an actual run while I hobble home. Also, Tanya is endeavoring to teach me to play tennis. Tanya - I close my eyes right before the ball hits my racket in case it's actually going to hit my head. Sorry. The end goal is to find out what I look like naked if I actually try. I have a sneaking suspicion that the thighs and ass, while undoubtedly toneable, are here to stay. Also I may manage to shrink portions of my upper half that I have no desire to shrink. But - you know - exercise really does give you endorphins, and I don't want to kill my nonexistent husband, so it's all good.

Goodnight, my pretty ones, I will post again.

Crappity crap crap. People are linking to me. Now I have to post like a good girl.

Here are some upcoming posts:

1) Lisa's life calling
2) Lisa's amusing love life (maybe - this is a public blog)
3) Lisa's desire to go live in a canyon off the Colorado
4) Lisa goes to IKEA
5) Lisa goes to Ecuador
6) Lisa's get in shape uber-fast plan (please, oh please, help me achieve this)
7) Lisa's need to rob a bank or banks

It will be AWESOME.

For now, here's a cool picture I took in Moab.