Charmed, I'm Sure

A photo of the person you do the most fucked up things with.

That’s Jen.  We met on a John Mayer message board, of all places.  Our friendship started out as concert buddies and quickly evolved into her becoming my best friend.  The summer this photo was taken we road tripped to Ohio like absolute crazy people to see a John Mayer show together.  I swear we have real lives!  Anyway, that trip was a blast and I can’t even talk about some of the fucked up things we did.  Good times.

Jen and I have had our ups and downs—partly because we live 2 hours apart so unless both of us make communication a priority it’s easy to be disconnected.  Things have been great and rotten and good at various points along the linear equation that is our friendship.  We’re finally in a place where things seem effortless, which is really the way a friendship should be.

A photo of the person who has gotten you through the most.

All right.  So when the majority of the crap in my life happened, I was the one that got myself through it.  I’ve always kept to myself and had a small circle of friends.  And, to be totally honest, I rarely go to others with my problems even now.  It seems like a rather lonely way to live, and maybe it is, but I honestly don’t feel that way. 

…I’m not going to post a picture of myself; you know what I look like.

I could, however, talk about things that have gotten me through rough times.  Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, which is exceptionally dark, helped me learn to battle my demons… though I do NOT recommend it to anyone who is even remotely unstable emotionally because it will eff you up.  Also, James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man had a profound effect on me and the way I approached my 20s.  And, not to be completely weepy or cheesy here, John Mayer’s music has also helped me work through some particularly difficult times.

So, there you have it.

fakescience:

Make sure to use a couple of pots after visiting our friends at Snooki In Wonderland.

A photo that makes you laugh.

I took this in the car as we were driving home from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the first time I ever got a chance to go.  We had seen Much Ado About Nothing, which was phenomenal, by the way.  And I bought this stuffed William Shakespeare doll (among other things) because, really, this kind of thing was made for someone like me.

In this photo, Wills is preparing to attack because Allan does not share my love of his plays.  I make him say, in a very angry British accent, “did you like my play?  DID YOU?!”  So looking at this photo always makes me laugh.

Yeah.  I’m an adult.  I swear.

English nerds unite.

A photo of your most treasured item.

That’s my car.  (I know nothing about cars. At all. But it’s a pretty effing awesome car. Well, to me anyway). It’s a 2010 Honda Fit Sport.  Now, wait a minute, this is not as superficial as you think.  And, yes, there are significant items like photos that I would save if my house was on fire.  But let me explain what the car represents.

I’ve always been fiercely independent.  Even in serious relationships I am the furthest thing from clingy.  I think I offended my significant other the first time I told him I like my alone time.  Now he’s used to it.  I think.

But before I had my own car things were different.  We shared one and, thus, went everywhere together.  I was also in school working toward completing both of my undergrad degrees, making no money of my own, etc.  When I graduated and became employed by the school board (and in a very difficult and competitive job market no less) I needed, and was finally able to afford, my own car.

The day I got my car I felt like I regained (or finally attained) my freedom. 

And that was huge.

A photo of a person you’d love to trade places with for a day.

I have a couple answers for this question…

First, President Obama.  Because that would be a REALLY interesting day.

Second, Atom Egoyan.  Because, for a film nerd like me, it would be the ultimate to be in his head for a day.  He is so brilliant though that I think my head would explode.

And last, but not least…

Scarlett Johansson.  Because, come on, I would love to experience just one day being THAT hot.

A photo of your favorite memory.

This is a difficult one because I have a lot of favorite memories.  Most recently though, last summer sticks out in my mind.  I went on a cruise in August 2010 with Allan, his sister, Nicole (my best friend), and Nicole’s boyfriend’s family.  There were 12 of us and we called ourselves The Dirty Dozen.  We had such a good time creating havoc wherever we went on board the ship or in port.  You think a group of Italians from Brooklyn are fun?  Put them on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean for 9 nights.  One night we were leaving karaoke in one of the bars and someone sadly said, “aww Jersey Shore is leaving us”.

This photo is all of us in the elevator.  It’s the way we always traveled on board: all together, laughing and singing.  I clearly remember that in this photo we were in the middle of a moving rendition of “Love in an Elevator”.  haha.  It was 3 am and we had just left the club and were on our way to the cafe for one of our nightly coffee and pizza hangouts.

I miss that.  So much. 

A photo of your night.

Ready for how wild and crazy I get on a Thursday night?…

That’s right.  Sweats and socks, tea in a Shakespeare mug, a book, some nailpolish, and my laptop.  The only thing missing is the iphone that took this photo.  And the sound of Switchfoot in the background.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s almost time for Jersey Shore.

A photo of the cast of your favorite show.

Ok, so this is a tricky one. 

If we mean ‘show that is currently on the air’, that would be Glee:

If we mean favorite show EVER, there are a few contenders:

Dawson’s Creek

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

and

My So-Called Life

Honorable mentions go to: Saved by the Bell, Felicity, Party of Five

and probably a bunch of others…. I like TV.

When I was in high school I was horribly shy.  And when I walked into Mr. Flynn’s English class in tenth grade, I sat quietly in the second row.  All I ever wanted to do was be invisible and get my work done well.  But Mr. Flynn had other plans for us.  He told us on the first day of class that we would speak in front of the class EVERY single day.

I wanted to die.  Or, at the very least, switch sections.

Over the course of that semester I started to come out of my shell.  From timid steps to the front of the room in September, came an audible loud speaking voice and the confidence to square my shoulders and make eye contact by the end of the year.  Not only was I loving the material, I was loving the way I changed. 

I have always remembered the little grammar tricks he taught us, and the fact that we read Taming of the Shrew instead of Julius Caesar like all of the other grade 10 classes because it was more “fun”.  But more than anything I have always been conscious of who I became in that class, and the confidence he cultivated in me.  And I have always been grateful.

I wouldn’t or couldn’t have become a teacher (and an English teacher at that!) if it wasn’t for Mr. Flynn.  Pure and simple.

Today I was substitute teaching at a high school.  I was in the Guidance department for half the day and I happened to see his name on the list of Guidance counselors.  I quickly found his office and walked by to make sure it was him.  I couldn’t help but smile when I knocked on the door and he looked up.

“You might not remember me, but I have to tell you that you are the reason I am a teacher”

To my complete surprise, he did remember me.  We talked for a while about my experience in his class and how immensely I valued what he had done for me.  What surprised me the most was that he had no idea what he had done for me; that I would not be the person I am today without the support and guidance he had given me in his class.  And I realized how enormous it is to have the ability to shape who a student is with your words and your actions and your support—or tear them down with a lack thereof.

I am so appreciative to have had the opportunity to thank him.

And if I can do what he did for me for even one student, it will be worth it.

A photo of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

This is me and my sister, Dawn.  She’s in the blue sweater, I’m in the pink one.  Taken about 15 minutes ago (what up, Instagram!) because the most recent picture I had of us was 3 years old.  I’ve called her “Doodles” since she was about 10 years old (the root of where this nickname came from is not entirely clear, but is somehow tied to the old Magna Doodle commercials…) and I pretty much never use her first name. 

Growing up she drove me absolutely nuts, the way that little sisters do.  She’s 5 years younger than me so that explains it, I suppose.  In the last 10 years our relationship has changed completely and she went from being an annoying little sister who followed me around and “borrowed” my stuff, to a friend.

A photo of yourself with 10 facts.

That’s me.  I took it myself back when I thought I knew something about photography.

1.  My baby toes both look like demented jellybeans

2.  My nickname growing up was “Kissy” an obvious play on Krissy.  Some of my family members STILL call me that.  I’ve also had “Kiki” given to me by a little girl I used to babysit and that one stuck for years.  I miss being called that, it made me feel like I could take myself less seriously.

3.  I cannot eat mashed potatoes.  Grosses me right out.

4.  No matter how much weight I lose, I’ll always be a chubby girl inside.  Mentally speaking.  I’m not sure if that comforts or scares me.

5.  Several of my friends came my way via a shared love of John Mayer’s music and two online message boards.  Special shout out to the hoes from the Anti.  I have so much love for every one of you <3

6.  I worry about things that I probably shouldn’t worry about for completely irrational reasons.  It’s something I’m working on.

7.  The last four digits of my phone number spell KISY (for the aforementioned nickname)

8.  I feel bad for people who don’t have any religious beliefs.  I cannot fathom not having something to believe in.  My faith is really important to me.  But I refuse to engage in religious debate.  At any point.  Ever.

9.  I played softball (second base) for 10 years and I miss it so much.

10.  I am perfectly content to spend entire days alone.  I love nothing more than just being in my room alone with music and a cup of coffee.