I've Been "Ruined"
Thursday, May 29, 2008
"Yet do I marvel at this curious thing; To make a poet black, and bid him sing!" - Countee CullenSo here I am, in Merida. The Yucatan. In Mexico. What is this place, you ask? It's a ruines sito. This one is called Dzibichultan. Nope, I've seen the word for a week and still don't know how to say it (the "d" is silent). I'm still shocked that I am here. Some people had faith in me, though. Believed that I would be here. Believed that it wasn't just a graduation trip. (HOLY MACARONI! I GRADUATED! ME! FROM A SWANKY COLLEGE, EVEN!!!!) I have loaded up pictures into photobucket. I think you can put in username "ggiinnaak" and password "password" to look at the pics. Go to "Merida pictures" and see all that I could load. In the meantime, I'm going to get hot and sweaty. Have a great day!
Labels: Pics
Diez Cosas Esta Martes
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"Love and a cough cannot be hid." - George Herbert
So I'm in Mexico. I've got pictures and I'll have to post it for Wordless Wednesday. Until then...
Ten things I learned about what to do in Merida:
1. If you see a mosquito, kill that sucker! It will eat you alive!
2. Don't flush the toilet tissue down the toilet. The septic systems here don't flush down to this mass thingie like they do in the states. They sit in this tank and have to be emptied out by people.
3. Don't drink the water. Seriously.
4. Don't eat the food unless...
5. ...the restaurants are clean (you can tell--the ice has holes in it).
6. ...or during Noche Mexicana--the food is government-regulated.
7. Regardless, do not eat the food unless you want to lose weight the painful way--hurling everything including your own spit.
8. Dirty looks need no translating.
9. Drinking water can save your life--literally.
10. Drink the water. The clean water. Seriously.
So I'm in Mexico. I've got pictures and I'll have to post it for Wordless Wednesday. Until then...
Ten things I learned about what to do in Merida:
1. If you see a mosquito, kill that sucker! It will eat you alive!
2. Don't flush the toilet tissue down the toilet. The septic systems here don't flush down to this mass thingie like they do in the states. They sit in this tank and have to be emptied out by people.
3. Don't drink the water. Seriously.
4. Don't eat the food unless...
5. ...the restaurants are clean (you can tell--the ice has holes in it).
6. ...or during Noche Mexicana--the food is government-regulated.
7. Regardless, do not eat the food unless you want to lose weight the painful way--hurling everything including your own spit.
8. Dirty looks need no translating.
9. Drinking water can save your life--literally.
10. Drink the water. The clean water. Seriously.
Labels: Ten Things This Tuesday
Ten Things This Tuesday
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
"Things should be made as simple as possible - no simpler." - Albert Einstein
So, it's definitely my last Tuesday here...before I graduate!!!!!! I just checked my grades and I got a B+ and two A's! All I have to do is just coast. I'm trying to have a day where I'm not looking at the bad, just the good. That said, here are...
Ten things I can say I have done because of my education at Millsaps College!!!!
1. Read Middlemarch by George Eliot.
2. Learned more about playwrighting.
3. Had a leading role in a play...
4. As the only Black woman in a play set in 19th century Germany!
5. Got my poetry published in a textbook--well, my work was required reading for the next year's incoming students.
6. Was a 40-year-old transfer student living in a dorm.
7. Read Catullus.
8. Co-interviewed Ann Patchett.
9. Took classes by a published poet (two of them--Austin Wilson and Aleda Shirley), an actress/dancer/director, and some frighteningly smart people.
10. Met and chatted with Pulitzer winners Richard Ford and Natasha Trethewey.
BONUS: I'M GOING TO TRAVEL ABROAD!
So, it's definitely my last Tuesday here...before I graduate!!!!!! I just checked my grades and I got a B+ and two A's! All I have to do is just coast. I'm trying to have a day where I'm not looking at the bad, just the good. That said, here are...
Ten things I can say I have done because of my education at Millsaps College!!!!
1. Read Middlemarch by George Eliot.
2. Learned more about playwrighting.
3. Had a leading role in a play...
4. As the only Black woman in a play set in 19th century Germany!
5. Got my poetry published in a textbook--well, my work was required reading for the next year's incoming students.
6. Was a 40-year-old transfer student living in a dorm.
7. Read Catullus.
8. Co-interviewed Ann Patchett.
9. Took classes by a published poet (two of them--Austin Wilson and Aleda Shirley), an actress/dancer/director, and some frighteningly smart people.
10. Met and chatted with Pulitzer winners Richard Ford and Natasha Trethewey.
BONUS: I'M GOING TO TRAVEL ABROAD!
A Daily OM Dose of Thought
Saturday, May 03, 2008
"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are consequences." - Robert G. Ingersoll
If Only
Locating The Underlying Cause
Often, when we’re unhappy, we fall into the habit of thinking that, if only one or two particular things in our life would change, everything would be fine. We might focus on the fact that we need a new car, or a raise, or a change in our living situation. We dwell on this one thing and strategize, or complain, or daydream about what it would be like to have it. Meanwhile, underneath the surface, the real reason for our unhappiness sits unrecognized and unaddressed. And yet, if we are able to locate and explore the underlying cause of our discontent, all the surface concerns have a way of working themselves out in the light of our realization.
Maybe we really do just need a new car, and maybe moving to another city would improve our life situation. However, it can only help to take some time to explore what’s going on at a deeper level. Sometimes, when we take a moment and stop focusing on external concerns, we get to the heart of the matter. We might realize that all our lives we’ve been dissatisfied, grasping at one thing after another, only to be dissatisfied about something else once we get what we want. Or perhaps we’ll notice a pattern of running away from a place, or a relationship, when things get too hard. We might then wonder why this keeps happening, and how we might work through the difficulty rather than just escaping it. The point is, slowing down and turning our attention within can save us a lot of energy in the long run, because it is very often the case that there is no external change that will make us happy.
Once you’ve taken the time to inquire within, you can begin to make changes that address the deeper issue. This can be hard at first, especially if you’ve grown used to grasping for outside sources in order to quell your discontent, but in the end, you will be solving the problem at a deeper level, and it will be much less likely to recur.
If Only
Locating The Underlying Cause
Often, when we’re unhappy, we fall into the habit of thinking that, if only one or two particular things in our life would change, everything would be fine. We might focus on the fact that we need a new car, or a raise, or a change in our living situation. We dwell on this one thing and strategize, or complain, or daydream about what it would be like to have it. Meanwhile, underneath the surface, the real reason for our unhappiness sits unrecognized and unaddressed. And yet, if we are able to locate and explore the underlying cause of our discontent, all the surface concerns have a way of working themselves out in the light of our realization.
Maybe we really do just need a new car, and maybe moving to another city would improve our life situation. However, it can only help to take some time to explore what’s going on at a deeper level. Sometimes, when we take a moment and stop focusing on external concerns, we get to the heart of the matter. We might realize that all our lives we’ve been dissatisfied, grasping at one thing after another, only to be dissatisfied about something else once we get what we want. Or perhaps we’ll notice a pattern of running away from a place, or a relationship, when things get too hard. We might then wonder why this keeps happening, and how we might work through the difficulty rather than just escaping it. The point is, slowing down and turning our attention within can save us a lot of energy in the long run, because it is very often the case that there is no external change that will make us happy.
Once you’ve taken the time to inquire within, you can begin to make changes that address the deeper issue. This can be hard at first, especially if you’ve grown used to grasping for outside sources in order to quell your discontent, but in the end, you will be solving the problem at a deeper level, and it will be much less likely to recur.
Labels: Daily OM