Learning

Lots Of Fun, Slightly Different

/ Ally Bean / 11 Comments

Last night Z-D and I went to dinner, and then to the zoo, with some people who Z-D knows through business.  Technically it was a business event but these people aren’t in the least bit uptight, so it really was quite fun.

[Not all business events are, you know?  Trust me.]

We went to a small, old-fashioned Italian restaurant for dinner.  I’d heard of the place, but had never been there so I was psyched to try it.  The restaurant was charming in that hodge-podge way of older establishments– rooms added every which way over the years and decorated in a mix of 1970s tables & chairs + fake plastic flowers + framed b&w photos + updated 2011 light fixtures.  Unique, but very practical.  Clean and friendly.

The menu was only Italian fare, and the food was good and plentiful.  But what caught us all by surprise was that along with the usual Chianti and beer selections on the menu, this Italian restaurant offered flights of Bourbon.  Apparently, they are known for having one of the best Bourbon tasting menus in the area.  So, naturally we ordered one flight, lots of glasses and started tasting Bourbon.

[Bottom line: I like Bourbon and appreciate the differences in flavor of the various distilleries.  But I feel that lasagna + bourbon are not a tasty combo.  Either one separately is delish.  Together– not so much.]

After dinner we went to the zoo to see all the holiday lights– 2+ million LED lights to be exact.  The weather was dry (finally) and the temps were in the 40s so we were comfortable while walking around.  Programmed music coordinated with the lights to create a fun series of colorful displays.  And, of course, the little kids were fun to watch watching the lights.  They were really into it.

Most of the animals looked tired and were trying to ignore the lights– and us crazy human beings wandering around after hours.  That would be all the animals except those animals in the petting zoo who were very interested in the human visitors to their area.  Especially the large herd of goats that live beside the 25¢ Goat Chow Dispenser.

Goats are born hungry, pushy, noisy– so I’m accustomed to seeing goats stand by their fence with their front legs on the horizontal supports and their skinny faces staring alternately at the dispenser and passing human beings.  *bleat, bleat*  Ever hopeful.

But what caught our attention and kept us laughing all night was one large fluffy sheep who had infiltrated the goat-herd.  This sheep had adopted the exact stance of the goats, sticking its wide dopey head above the fence rail hoping to get a handful of Goat Chow.  And then, oddly enough, eating the Goat Chow from the hand of a human being.

This I’d never seen before and it entertained me to no end.  Not enough to squander 25¢ on a handful of Goat Chow, but enough to tip my hat to the one uppity sheep in the zoo.

Here’s to the crazy ones…

Know Thyself– And Continue On Anyway

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

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I remember taking an online quiz about narcissism.  It was a serious one, not one of those silly quizzes with results that tell you nothing about yourself.

The quiz that I took involved lots of question, none of which I remember– and then a nifty summation about your personality at the end.  The scale of the results of the quiz went from 1 to 30.  One was someone like a cloistered nun, and thirty was someone like a movie star or national politician.  Most people in the USA scored around 20.

I got a 6.  That was about as low as a person who was not part of a conservative religious community could get.

At the time I was concerned that I scored so low, but had to admit that I’m just kind of who I am— which would not be the mind-set of a person who is suffering from extreme narcissism.

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I’d forgotten all about that quiz until last night when I was thinking about what I’ve learned from this NaBloPoMo project.  I agree that I am a bit more disciplined in my writing now.  But I’ve earned a B.A. in English Lit & a M.A. in Communication so I’ve already proved to myself and to the world that I can do that when need be.  And I agree that I’ve found new ways to discover other bloggers.  But searching for other people online is not really a calling for me.

In reality, I think what I’ve learned is that for me the stress of this project has been trying to convince myself that I want to focus on me every day.  And considering my innate personality type, this is no surprise.

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I’ve continued through to the end of the month and I’ve done my best.  It’s good to challenge yourself once in a while.  But I can say that I now completely understand why Deb on the Rocks referred to this as “glorious madness.”  Because it is.

Thanks for keeping up with me, gentle readers.  I appreciate your attention & your comments & your suggestions about what I should write about next.  It has helped me more than you can imagine.

But as of today I shall return to being the casual blogger who posts when I have something to say— whenever I feel like it– when I’m in the mood.

You know, like the free spirit that I am.

Later, kids!

It Takes All Kinds To Make The Holidays Go Round

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

Every so often I cross paths with a certain woman who I respect professionally but wonder about personally. Frequently I find that her thoughts on various matters challenge my preconceived ideas.  I like talking with her because she always gets me thinking.  Which I like to do.

So, when I saw her this last time she was opining about Christmas.  Specifically she was talking about presents (give gift cards only) and alcoholic drinks (a must for all festive meals) and holiday greeting cards.  It was this last point that caught me by surprise.

This woman hates holiday cards.  Thinks that they’re a complete waste of time, money and resources.  In fact, she shared with me, that when a friend sends her one, she doesn’t even open it and just throws it away.

That’s how much she dislikes holiday cards.

I’m fascinated and appalled by this woman’s cavalier approach to holiday cards– and by extension, I believe, to friendship.  I like receiving cards of all sorts, so it has never occurred to me to not at least open a card addressed to me.

Yet here was someone I’ve known for years telling me quite casually that a card from a friend is of no consequence to her.  That the effort involved in sending it means nothing to her.  And that her friends should really know better and not bother her with holiday cards.

I don’t know that her point of view is going to change my card sending behavior;  I’ll continue doing what I do.  But she did remind me to not make any assumptions about anything.  No matter how innocuous it may seem to me, I now realize that there is a possibility that someone somewhere is tossing aside my gift of friendship holiday card… unopened.

Duly noted.

You Suggested. I Answered.

/ Ally Bean / 10 Comments

Yesterday I didn’t know what to talk about.  And then you came to my rescue…

•  Zazzy of zazamataz.com suggested that I “post more photos of your pretty area.”

I like that idea… except that it is gray and rainy today.  And quite frankly, if you’ve seen one bleak midwestern day, you’ve seen them all.  So I’ll do that when the sun shines again.

•  Katie of slow down & savor suggested that I could “always use a silly #NaBloPoMo prompt from the BlogHer website.”

If I were a more rational person I’d do that.  My problem with those prompts is that all they seem to do is make my mind go completely blank.  They remind me of a sinister essay test question—  which is going to count for 90% of my grade.  And true to form, when I see them I immediately have nothing to say.  My ability to think & write vanishes.

•  Kristen of Kristen Loves Design suggested, among other things, that I “talk about my favorite color.”

Naturally, me being me, I don’t have one favorite color.  I like all of them– depending on the shade.  So, for instance, I like crimson red [not tomato red];  pumpkin orange [not football team orange];  lemon yellow [not neon yellow];  kiwi green [not kelly green];  denim blue [not baby blue];  plummy purple [not royal purple];  mahogany brown [not mustardy brown];  warm gray [not purplish gray];  golden or greenish white [not pinkish or taupe white];  and greenish black [not bluish black].

•  Margaret of Stargazer suggested, among other things, that I “could do a book review of a book I’ve recently read that I hated or loved.”

Under normal circumstances I’d be delighted to do that.  But the reality is that I’ve stopped reading during the month of November because all my free time has gone into NaBloPoMo.  Doing this project has become a part-time job for me and uses up my daily allotment of wordiness.

•  Laura of Team Tantrum suggested, in her own quiet way, that posting a “declaration of quit” is always an option.

I agree with her as a matter of fact.  There’s no indignity in not making it through the entire month.  Sometimes just giving something new a go is all that one needs to do— to learn what he or she needs to know about something.