The Monkey Attacked Me

One girl's struggle against the bizarre.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Personal Vocabulary


Ever realize that a phrase has entered your personal vocabulary and wonder why that phrase or word made the cut?

I was talking to Donnie last night while driving home. I was coming up on a toll plaza and as I needed to exit right away, I opted to move to the right and use one of the 75 cent lanes. The car ahead of me was stopped. I noticed too late that the driver had dropped his change and was having to scoop it off the ground. So, in my frustration, I said, "Frick!" without even realizing what I was saying.

Donnie was all, did you just say frick? Yes. Yes, I had. Somehow that silly word from Scrubs had entered my vocabulary.

A few days earlier, I realized that I regularly say "pook" when something doesn't go right. Like there is a phantom car in the parking space or I break a nail. Pook! seems to be my standard response lately. I guess this is a good thing since my sailor-esque swearing was getting out of control. But pook? As in the expression that Ms. Meers used in Thoroughly Modern Millie? Pook? Really?

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Convos With YayCoffee

One of my favorite things is hanging out with YayCoffee at the Afrah Bakery. I don't know what it is about the place, but we immediately become the hugest dorks when we go there. It's possibly something in the coffee. A while back, YayCoffee and I were at the Afrah. If you haven't been, you must. It is highly entertaining and quite tasty. Try the Akawi or the Arayiss pie. You will thank me. Anyway, our servers always tend to be quite amusing. Sometimes, it is the way they think I am incredibly silly for wanting creamer in my Arabic coffee. Other times, it is the waitress' Valley Girl way of speaking.

Valley Girl Waitress: Oh, is that a puppy on your shirt? Cuuuuute.
YayCoffee: *opens cardigan* No, it's Billy Corgan.
VGW: Oh, cuuuuuuuute.
YC: *looks confused*
MAV: *stifles giggles*

Mind you, this is the shirt that features a bald, covered in blood or afterbirth or raspberry jam Billy Corgan. The shirt is many things, but cuuuuuuuuute really isn't one of them.

Another time, we were at the Afrah and asked for our bill with credit cards. The easily confused waiter brought out our receipts but neglected to bring a pen.

Easily Confused Waiter: Here are your receipts.
MAV: *sees there are no pens, immediately begins to root through her purse*
ECW: Oh no, I forgot the pens.
YC: No problem.
MAV: *pulls pen out with a flourish* Yeah, we are writers. We come armed.
ECW: Well, I guess that is better than a gun or something.
MAV & YC: *in unison* The pen is mightier than the sword.
ECW: *is confused*
MAV & YC: *are dorks, giggle uncontrollably*

The MAVS Make The MAV Drink

First, the MAVS have been making me oversleep. See, their games come on UPN. Well, that is the station that shows the ever addictive America's Next Top Model and Veronica Mars. And if the episodes are on, I want to see them. Therefore, I am forced, FORCED, to stay up to watch the new episodes until the wee hours of the evening. We are talking like MIDNIGHT. Whoa. That is late for me. I likes my sleep. Anyway, so as a result, I will end up oversleeping the next morning. So the MAVS make me late.

This morning, in my sleep deprived fog, I went to get my Tab Energy drink out of the fridge as I was leaving. But instead of the cute little pink drink, I picked up a Corona which I didn't realize until I was almost out the door. There are so many problems with that scenario, least of which is that everyone knows Corona does not have a twist off cap and requires a bottle opener. I don't keep on of those in my car anymore! Oh yeah, and the drinking in the morning thing. So, the MAVS make me drink. In the morning. On my way to work.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Convo with Diva

This is kind of an old conversation, but it is one of the favorite I have ever had with the Diva.

DIVA: this week flew by for me
MAV: Only one more.
DIVA: i know
MAV: I wrote that as moor.
DIVA: lol
MAV: Like the moors Heathcliff would be all emo on.
MAV: Heathcliff: original emo kid.
DIVA: TOTALLY.
DIVA: Heathcliff was one step away from eyeliner and torn frock coats.
DIVA: all in black, of course.
MAV: Are you certain he didn' thave torn frock coats?
DIVA: you know, i think his frock coats might have been a little ratty
DIVA: now that you mention it.

DIVA: snarky about fine literature. we rule.
MAV: Totally.

Convo With Z-Ho

This is a continuation of the previous day's conversation about whether I was fit to be the owner of a rabbit and how the rabbits oversized feet are one of the things that make them so freaking adorable...

MAV: Check this out. Big bunny...

Big Bunny Feet

Z-HO: There you go.....you should get one like that...the size of dog but the calmess of a rabbit. That one will chill with you on the couch.

MAV: That one could possibly trample me.

Z-HO: No way, might cut off some circulation if you let it sit on your lap for a while but if you avoid you'd be fine.

MAV: He would probably borrow my shoes and stretch them out.

Z-HO: Ooooooh.....maybe!!! and that would be bad...but I don't think so...it looks like that "i'm just going to chill" kind of rabbit.

MAV: An "I'm just going to chill in your new Nine West heels" kind of rabbit.

Z-HO: they don't know which ones are Nine West silly....

Monday, April 24, 2006

I've Been Omar-ized

It was an event-filled weekend.

The highlights:
Dinner at Outback with YayCoffee. Steak = good. We won't discuss the fact that Delicious Dish stood me up.

But she made up for it by arriving at Ozona early on Saturday and had a Bloody Mary waiting on me. Well, at least the ginormous glass of vodka was waiting on me. While the food at Ozona might be overpriced and a tad underwhelming, the Bloody Mary bar more than makes up for it. So yeah, I had two bloody marys for breakfast/lunch. What? That's healthy. I practically had a salad.

Next, DD and I headed out to Om where we bought some ridiculously large glasses for ourselves and YayCoffee. They are really, really big. Nicole Ritchie would even dismiss them as a little much. But they make me and DD endlessly happy.

Then we went to Gachet (home of the best coffee in the world according to YC) for some caffeine before the Black Angels show at Good Records. I didn't know much about the Black Angels, but it was a REALLY good show. I had a lot of fun. Plus, the hot intern was there. He hugged me. I haven't bathed since. DD is right about the Black Angels. They do sound like dirty rockers that hang out in a basement, smoking pot for days at a time. Normally, I am not into the dirty rockers, but I was seriously contemplating becoming a groupie. Hot rockers!

We hit Snuffer's for some cheese fries and drinks next. I would like to say that after one margarita and two Coronas I was by no means drunk (too hot outside for that) and not letting me drive seemed silly.

After some hanging at Bagboy's, we went to see Friends With Money. It was underwhelming also. It seriously brought me down. I had to go home and watch some History Channel to get over it.

YayCoffee and I met up at Waffle House the next morning for brunch. The hashbrowns and waffles there make me want to weep with joy. If only the tables weren't so limited, it would be the perfect place.

We followed up brunch with another movie: American Dreamz....Dreams with a Z. Hee. See this movie. It is HILARIOUS. I laughed so hard that my sides hurt a little after the movie. Social satires rock! No one is safe from this movie. The best were the showtune singing Iraqi guy, Omar, and his possibly-gay cousin. You've been Omar-ized. Hee.

So, that was my action packed weekend, jealous?

Friday, April 21, 2006

Little Caesar's Girl

Dear Girl Outside of Little Caesar's That Smiled At Me,

You could have TOLD me my pants were unzipped instead of just laughing at me.

Thanks,
MAV

Thursday, April 13, 2006

How to Write a Gothic Poem

An awesome WikiHow I discovered today.

Do you daily suffer the torments of a thousand deaths? Is your soul aching to express your unfathomable pain? Look no further! Here's a quick overview of crafting a work in one of the world's most highly esteemed poetic genres.

Note: This is intended to be a guide for writing simple and stereotypical, even humerous, gothic poetry, nothing to be taken too seriously.

Steps
Start with a topic. This expansive genre encompasses a huge range of topics -- just kidding.

Choose either "death" or "pain," anything else isn't truly goth. Anger is okay sometimes, but make sure that your anger involves either death or pain. Rejection is out. You aren't allowed to fall in love in the first place. Note: Feeling really adventurous? Try both at once!

Think of a title. Choose either one simple, minimalistic word (i.e. "Anger" or "Darkness") OR an incredibly long, flowing title with at 'least' five syllables. It still has to be abstract, though, and throwing in oxymorons can always help. Think "The First Light of Midnight" or "Exotic Darkness' Hidden Mistress."

With the hard part out of the way, outline the poem. Anything goes in this step, as you'll soon revise it. A short example: "my twisted soul can no longer fly//darkness rips at my blinding eyes"

Take out all capitalization, especially of the word "I." The only things allowed to be capitalized are references to Death, Pain, Torment, and the names of Greek gods/goddesses (see "Tips").

Remove all punctuation that might either improve the flow of the poem or be grammatically correct. Add random ellipses to at least half the lines.

Read through your poem. If there's any hint of hope, happiness, etc., cut that section, or change it to something about darkness.

The poem cannot rhyme at all. Also, it must contain the words "darkness," "torment," "black," and "soul" at least once.

Make some random line breaks. This is called "free verse." This step serves many purposes, including making the poem seem longer and making your ideas more abstract. Put as many as you like -- there is no limit. If a line almost actually sounds poetic, slice it in half. Or put the last word on its own line.

Tips
No "good" gothic poem can get by without a reference to razors. There are two typical ways to look at them: either love them ("i long to feel the touch of the blade once more") or treat them like a drug you want to quit ("if only the blood could stop flowing//i cannot stop this//sweet Escape").

Reference Persephone (who was kidnapped by Hades and forced to live half of every year in the underworld), Orpheus (a poet who tried to rescue his wife from Hades), Eurydice (the wife of Orpheus), Tantalus (doomed to forever sit in pool of water with grapes hanging overhead but not be able to touch them), the Cimmerii (people who lived in eternal darkness), or other ancient Greek/Roman tragic stories. These make your poem seem almost like real poetry!

Diction is what can make or break your poem. Use words that sound goth -- ephemeral, vorpal, evanescent, phlegmatic, atramentous, etc. It doesn't even matter if you use them correctly, as long as your audience doesn't know the difference. Also, use the word "rape" generously ("the Darkness rapes my tortured//soul").

Blood is never red. It can be crimson, cerise -- even erubescent -- but never red. Also, instead of "bloody," try "ensanguined."

Throw in some random Latin. "Memento mori" (literally, "remember mortality," but commonly used as "remember you must die") is a big hit, as are "nox" (night), "clavicula" (key), and "caligo" (gloom or mental darkness). It doesn't matter if you actually know Latin...just use some random phrases and mock anyone who questions you. Note: Latin can make for some good titles.

Keep all of your poems in a small, black notebook hidden somewhere in your room. If your notebook isn't black, draw abstract designs on it with a black pen. Don't let your mom see it.
Have a computer read your poems with a text-to-speech program. There is no match for the ensuing artistic beauty.

Always write out numbers, but the only numbers you actually need to use in any of your poems would be thirteen and six (six feet under).

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Nyquil in the Dark

You know what sucks more than being sick? Stumbling to the medicine cabinet in the dark and realizing one restless, sleepless night later that you took Dayquil instead of Nyquil. Yeah. Sucks.

Match.com Mix-up

I joined Match.com recently in an attempt to find myself a man. I filled out my profile information, attempting to be witty yet clear about my requirements. Then, I anxiously awaited my matches. I didn't get any winks or emails the first few days. That seemed odd, but I didn't think much of it. I got my first set of matches. I eagerly sifted through them. I ran across one that was amusing...
It is also important that anyone I become friends with have a very adept and off sense of humour, that is you find shows like "South Park" and "Family Guy" funny, and you know how to tell a joke with out messing up the punch line, or getting all embarrassed if it's lewd or off colour. Therefore, to sum up every thing I am shy straight acting guy that is looking to make new acquaintances in the Dallas area, which share like interests and would be willing to get to know me and let me get to know you. I am looking to settle down with that special guy some day, but not right away, after the first time we meet. You know…friends first.
DivaJess and I giggled over that "special guy" part, assuming that it was just a typo or editing mistake. It happens to the best of us.

A few days later, I got some more matches. There were some really good guys in the mix. So, I sent out a few winks and emails and hoped for the best. Nothing. Oh, well, I thought, these things probably take time. I received another batch of matches. I started looking a little more closely at the matches. I noticed this one has man seeking man. I know I am not going to find my perfect match, but orientation seems like a deal breaker. I looked at another profile. It was also man seeking man. I looked at all the people to whom I had sent winks. All of them were men seeking men. What was going on? I checked my profile. Somehow, my gender had gotten inadvertently switched to male. Oopsy. Well, that explains the lack of response.

I am just curious about what these poor guys thought.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Flags

I heard a report on the news today that many Dallas schools have banned flags of any kind to be worn, displayed or flown. Apparently, the animosity between Hispanic and American students was reaching a fever pitch with the flags of their respective countries being displayed like gang symbols. Thoughts?

Suicide

A teenager in my hometown committed suicide yesterday. She hung herself in her home and was found by her mother. Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough. She was life flighted to Houston where she remained in a coma with no brain activity. She was on life support until they could better access the brain damage. She died this morning.

I don't have any of the facts. No one seems to know why she did it. She was my neighbor, part of the family that owned Zoe, the fat wiener dog. She was a smart, pretty, popular girl. While a little too wild and rebellious, she was very likeable. When I substituted at her school, we talked about colleges and how she really wanted to go to Europe after graduation. It is just unbelievable that such a girl would feel so desperate.

Growing up in a small town is extremely difficult for anyone who is different. It is hard to go unnoticed in such small numbers. In larger schools, there are so many people that you can just stick to your friends and fly under the radar for the most part. But when there are only 7 other people in your English class, you can't just go unnoticed. To the adults, you are supposed to be a good, Christian girl who wants to meet a good Christian boy, get married and start a family. To your peers, you are supposed to go with the crowd. If there is a party, you should be there. If there is drinking, you should partake. If there is weed, you are supposed to take a hit. You should listen to the same music and share the same like and dislikes. The worst thing you can do is be labeled as different. Unique is not a good thing.

And worse, is that it seems like there is no one to talk to. No one can truly understand your misery. I cannot even imagine what some of my gay friends must have went through in high school, carrying either that stigma or that secret. My struggle was nothing compared to theirs, I am sure. The point being is that in a small town, you feel very lonely if you are different. The days just seem to drag on, one after the other. Nothing new seems to happen. You just wait until that day when you can finally be through with it.

It makes me very sad that this girl felt so desperate. Was it drugs? Was it a boy? Was it a girl? Was it a friend? Was it lack of friends? Was it just plain misery? No one knows at this point. Everyone is just left with questions without answers. I wish that this girl had been able to find the happiness or acceptance that she must have wanted so badly.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Thank You For Smoking and more

Special T and I saw Thank You For Smoking yesterday. First, movies at the Magnolia rock. I want to go to this theater more often. Sure, it can be a little hectic finding parking, but the full bar more than makes up for it! Second, the movie rocked. HiLARious! Aaron Eckhart had me giggling the entire movie. Imagine Buddy the Elf (from Elf) as a tobacco lobbiest. Rick Naylor (AE's character) was just so happy. Nothing got him down. Plus, the rest of the cast was awesome. Seriously, go see this movie. It is worth $8.50. It is worth $8.50, a bag of popcorn and a large soda. Most movies I have seen recently have been good, but they drug in parts and could have benefited from a stern editing (V for Vendetta, I am looking at you). Not this movie. I was entertained from the first moment of the movie until the very end. Really, see this movie. I will go with you if you need a movie buddy. But don't get mad if I keep jabbing you in the ribs and saying, "Oh, this part is going to be really funny. Oh, and this part coming up, it's gonna be really hilarious. Oh, this next part, GENIUS!"

So, I went to Canton on Saturday for the First Monday Trade Days with Special T and YayCoffee. I was really excited because I was taking my friends with me for the first time. Sure, Special T has gone with me before, but this time, I was the leader. I was the veteran. Normally, I go with my mom and sister. I didn't realize how much I just followed them around. I was certain I would be able to find the good potpourri place and the good candle place. I was wrong. I got overwhelmed. I was hot. It just didn't work out like I wanted. I couldn't find anything I was looking for. It was frustrating. So, I ended up driving 2 hours for a $5 scoop of potpourri. Not exactly a fruitful journey.

HOWEVER, we did go over to Dog Alley (the flea market section) to look at the animals. For years now, I have heard of people getting dogs at Canton. Poodles, maltese, weiner dogs, yorkies, labs, whatever. So, I guess I was expecting like a ginormous outdoor pet store. I was mistaken. There didn't seem to be a wide dog selection. There were lots of little nervous, yippy rat dogs. There were lots of labs and other such puppies which were REALLY cute. They were just so fluffy. Fluff goes a long way! But no weiner dogs (well, one place had a couple of minitures, but I disapprove of miniture dogs as they tend to be all twitchy)! I was very sad. I guess it is a good thing that I never did go there with my mom. She would have been heartbroken at the lack of weiner dogs. She had been plotting to bring one back from Canton for about a year. Boy would Dad have been surprised! Anyway, what Dog Alley did have were LOTS of cute bunnies. I really regret not taking pictures. Because there were some interesting rabbits there. There were at least three GIANT rabbits. And by giant, I mean there were at least two feet long. They were like DOG sized! When the rabbit is larger than the goat in the next cage, you know you have a big rabbit. One of the giants was an English Lop with these freakishly long ears. Seriously, they drug the ground. It just doesn't seem practical. I did find some cute little Holland Lops that really wanted to come home with me. But sadly, I did not purchase a rabbit this past weekend. I can't make the same guarantee for this coming weekend. I am going to the North Texas Rabbit Sanctuary. Did you know such a thing existed? It is a shelter for rabbits. Awesome. And, in McKinney, they have a rabbit habitat for all the rabbits that have not found a home. They can stay there for as long as necessary or forever. Pretty cool. They get to hang out and hop around. Sounds cool to me.

I should get to work. More later.