Hi there! Finding Delight is a lifestyle and lifelong learning blog written and curated by me in Alabama. Along the way, I attempt to tackle the rough real world with books, budget-livin', brainpower and all the beautiful stuff you can find when you really look. Won't you join me? The true delight is in the finding out.
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Hello lovelies! What a crazy week. Lots happening at work, TWO national championship runs to keep up with and no back to back days off. The days are just flying by (even as they get longer)!
If you’re in need of a food recommendation for this upcoming weekend, I have a couple. Monday, my family grabbed lunch at Limestone Blue. Very yummy, very Kentucky. And, while watching the game at Lynagh’s that same night, I ordered an O’round burger because it made the cut in The Chevy Chaser’s Top 5 burgers in town list. Both great options if you’re lookin’ to treat yourself after a busy week!
But enough about noms, let’s check out some links! Enjoy the rest of your week. : )
Recently, I decided to jazz up my desk at home in order to psychologically witch-craft myself into using it more often. I moved the desk next to a window for some natural light, hung some prints on the wall around it, and placed some pens in a pretty cup. One thing felt missing though…a simple, shabby-chic inspired calendar! I like this calendar DIY because you can write in the month/dates with dry erase (it’s framed in glass) and it can hang on the wall, gently reminding you of all your upcoming tasks. Here’s how to make your own—
What you’ll need:
– burlap
– ruler
– fine point Sharpie
– scissors
– square frame (with glass on top, not plastic)
– any little extra bits of cloth, stickers, ribbons, etc to take it to the next level
and how it all comes together:
– Cut a square of burlap so that it will fit in your chosen frame.
– Do a little measurement math and sketch out (probably with a pencil at first) the bones of your calendar. I chose to put a rectangle in the top right for writing in the Month and a large grid below it with 7 squares across and and 5 squares down to write in your days. Now, write the days of the week across the top of each square.
– Go over your outlines with a fine-tipped sharpie. The effect of Sharpie on burlap is pretty cool because it ends up looking like the outlines/writing have been stitched on. #crafthack
– Add some swag! I happened to have a bunch of those white/tan cloth stickers in my craft box so I put a few on to really up my Shabby-Chic game. Any cloth scraps cut into cool shapes would look super cute too.
– Frame that puppy up and stick it on your wall at home or in your office.
– Use dry-erase markers to write in the month and days (which I’ve done for April in the picture above) and all your important appointments (which I’ve yet to do in the picture above).
Yay! Crafting for the win….because this post was totes written at my cozy lil home desk. : )
When Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better Project” came out in 2010, a series of YouTube videos directed at teenagers who were the victims of homophobic bullying, something didn’t feel right to me. Here were a bunch of stories by people who had, yes, admittedly made it through to the other side, telling our youth a common tale–painstaking childhood, turning point, and a happily ever after. What struck me as unsettling was how un-nuanced this narrative arc was…surely there was more to the story than happenstance. Did we think that little of the children watching that we could only tell them things WOULD get better but not HOW to make them better? Yet, there seems to be a common truth for all those who’ve made it through the hallowed halls of secondary education–gay, straight, or otherwise–perhaps not entirely unscathed but made it through nonetheless; it IS better on the other side. So perhaps the question isn’t “How does this happen?” but “Why?” Why do the teens who didn’t have a spot at the cool cafeteria table end up as success stories in adulthood?
In this month’s book club we are going to attempt to uncover the answer to just that. Perhaps in analyzing why the losers, geeks, and outcasts in American teen culture gain access to a more promising future, we can finally solidify the “how” in our own stories and thereby paint a more holistic picture for our struggling youths than “it just will.” To do this, we will be reading “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School” by Alexandra Robbins. No stranger to writing great non-fiction about the youth of America, Robbins notes in “Geeks” that she kept encountering kids who felt like there was something catastrophically wrong with them because they weren’t popular or they were bullied. In my experience as an educator of middle/high school students at various forensics institutes over the years, I have answered these same worries in ways probably not uncommon to those of you who have found yourselves in a role-model situation. “There’s nothing wrong with you. High school is crazy. The stuff that makes you unique now is gonna make you popular later!” and “The popular people are probably miserable too.”
Robbins takes a more academic approach to her answer and presents “The Quirk Theory,” explaining that the passions, idiosyncrasies, interests and all the stuff that makes one considered weird as a kid are the very quirks that will turn them into cool, interesting, and successful adults. And it’s true–as adults we reward passion; children, for whatever reason, tear it down. As my peers and I settle in comfortably on “the other side,” all it takes is a quick voyeuristic scan on social media to see endless examples of this theory in practice. Oh you can build a computer in your spare time? Awesome! I bet you’re making a shit ton of money. You’re working for an NGO in Botswana? Killer! Your stories are probably super interesting. You just crocheted a whole blanket? WHUT?! The patience! The creativity! Sell that shit on Etsy, dawg! The computer geek. The dirty hippie. The shy girl who sat by herself at lunch. In a matter of years these labels become completely reframed.
Robbins’ book follows 7 high school students labeled as, “the loner, the popular bitch, the nerd, the new girl, the gamer, the weird girl, and the band geek.” Following each student for a school year, you begin to recognize these people. Maybe you see yourself or someone you knew. Peppered in between these narratives are essays on popularity, how schools make the social scene more intense and the psychology of exclusion; all of which seek to help answer our underlying question–why did everything we hated about ourselves in high school, all the things that made us different and therefore BAD, suddenly turn us into the best versions of ourselves? How in Jesus’ name did we grow-up and suddenly get cool?
In a world where we’re spending tons of money on anti-bullying campaigns and initiatives, as I begin this book, the glaring systemic problem seems to be something we’ve yet to address. By promoting certain activities over others, the school systems are basically telling kids who should be bullied and who should do the bullying. As adults, I think we can do better. This discrepancy obviously hits close to home. I was a speech dork in high school–competing for a team who split their time 50/50 between practice and fundraising. We rehearsed on the same loop upstairs that the cross-country team ran on; as we spoke to walls, snickering runners continuously lapped us in a never-ending stampede. Would our popularity trajectories have looked differently if the school was buying US new suits instead of the swim team? Who’s to say?
Any initial thoughts? Do you feel like you had a label in high school? What weird things about your high school self do you find gains you positive attention as an adult? What would you tell a student who is struggling with their outcast status today? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments below! And tune in each Friday!
Around the same time I came out to the World Wide Web at large as a “blogger,” I noticed that one of my very talented friends, Richard Heyne, was diving into a new and exciting project of his own. And yes, this spoken-word artist, writer and educator is making quite the splash. Dick Does Poetry brings weekly videos of Richard’s self-written poems to your computer screen in a social media blitzkrieg.
I was intrigued by this project from the beginning–I’ve been a huge fan of slam and spoken-word poetry for years but have always felt a little shy about the process. I’d much rather hide behind the words on the page in the hopes that if an audience hears their own voice, as well as mine, in what I write, they won’t…well….hate it. Dick Does Poetry completely turns this fear on it’s head by taking the internet oath to bring you new content each week. The poems themselves are diverse and vulnerable, they aren’t always perfect. But, as Richard points out, that’s the point. Desensitizing us to the grittiness and honesty of a quick turnaround poem could do a lot to encourage the masses to share their art, too. Richard’s project also attempts to ameliorate writer’s block for his audience. A unique twist in a genre that can sometimes come off as a little self-aggrandizing. And Dick Does Poetry offers this new, accessible approach to poetry and community all through the power of YouTube…
Eager to learn more about Dick Does Poetry, I set up a chat with the Dick behind the poetry…Check it out!
First things first, give us a rundown of your project.
Okay, so basically, Dick Does Poetry is a YouTube channel that celebrates the spoken word. Every week I upload at least one new poem. One element that makes this project unique is the video description for each of these videos includes the prompt that I used to write whatever poem people are listening to. This was inspired by the fact that no one is really out there doing what I’m doing right now. YouTube is such an awesome resource for performance artists. Yet, when you try to find spoken word (or any poetry for that matter) you get a lot of performances in coffee shops or poetry slams. While these are awesome, the video quality is usually so bad that you can’t fully enjoy the poetry. I’m hoping that my channel will inspire others to follow suit–start their own channels and share their own poetry. The prompts are there to help keep them inspired and writing.That being said, my project is also for anyone who just wants to enjoy some poetry. It is nice to have a source that is constantly adding new material. So, I want to provide that as well.
You mentioned that you share the method (prompt, inspiration, etc) that informed each of your poems in the “About” section of their video. Where did that idea come from?
Well, I don’t want this to be something only I do. Right now the project is growing and starting to pick up steam. I’m hoping as it becomes more established, similar channels will emerge. People will use those prompts and write their own poems. Maybe post video responses to my original video. I mean, wouldn’t it be cool to have all these different channels where everyone is just writing and sharing and providing feedback? I’m a dreamer. I love poetry. I think this can happen.
How did you initially stumble upon the spoken word community?
I first started doing spoken word in 10th grade, and competed in my first slam that same year. My Speech & Debate coach (Travis Kiger) was somewhat of a spoken word guru and took me under his wing. He took a group of us to go compete in this slam at the Write Side Café in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I wish I had filmed this whole process. It was for sure a little comical. There were like eight students from my school competing and maybe ten other poets who actually knew what they were doing. The slam was set up to find members for the Ft. Lauderdale Brave New Voices team. (Brave New Voices is the largest high school slam in the world). Well, this slam was somewhat of a train wreck. We weren’t memorized. We were shy. It just didn’t go well.To make the team you had to finish top four. I managed to get 5th after performing a poem about breaking up with God that was received really well. I got a perfect 30, and it gave me just enough of a bump to almost make the team. But, alas, you needed to get top four.However! Team Jacksonville was at that slam, scoping out the competition. Long story short, they liked me. They reached out to me. I went to Brave New Voices with them. Out of the 50 teams there from around the world, we made it to the final stage.I performed for over three thousand people, and I’ve pretty much been hooked since.
Web-based projects like yours are awesome because they make art so wonderfully accessible but they can also act as educational tools. What new knowledge do you think Dick Does Poetry followers can take away from your project?
The biggest takeaway from this project is there is nothing to fear with sharing your poetry. That is easily everyone’s greatest fear, and I suspect the reason why this kind of project doesn’t exist. Yes, I have gotten some really mean comments. Yes, people send me feedback that is helpful, but also hurtful. Hell, I recently got my first dislike! That sucked! But, that is just part of what we do. Poets are special because they know how to capture beauty and vulnerability and things that normal people only feel, but don’t understand. We are the interpreters of life. Unfortunately, we’re also a closeted bunch. Sure, the prompts are fun. The poetry is pretty decent and getting better. But, when I have a poet message me and say they started writing again because of this channel, or they think they’re ready to do their first poetry reading because of what I’m doing… THAT’S what I want to teach. Screw the haters. They’re going to exist in your life, regardless of what you’re doing. So why not do something beautiful? Enough people will be there to love and support you.
Were you nervous about starting such a visible project?
YES! I was scared as hell starting this thing. I’ve had this idea since my sophomore year in college. I’m a second semester senior and I’m just now starting it. Understand a lot of these poems I’m writing the week before. It is very Trey Parker and Matt Stone of me. I write on Saturday, revise Sunday and Monday, film Tuesday, edit Wednesday, record the outro and upload to YouTube on Thursday. A lot of poetry we see has gone through workshops, several rounds of revision, performance work, memorization, etc. I’m kind of just winging it. It’s scary. I stumble in the videos. I make odd inflections with my voice. But, that is what this channel is all about. Making mistakes. Learning. Growing.
We’re always in pursuit of lifelong learning here on the ol’ blog, I’d love to know–what resources would you recommend for readers who would like to delve deeper?
Okay, with these questions, people like to leave a laundry list of things. I’ve always found that overwhelming. Anyone who wants to delve deeper, go on Amazon and buy The Monkey and The Wrench edited by Mary Biddinger and John Gallaher. You can get it for like fifteen dollars and it will change your entire outlook on poetry. I’ve read it like eight times.
Finally, who do you write FOR?
I write for who I used to be. For who “we” used to be. So much of poetry, and life for that matter, is based on reflecting upon what has happened up until this point. I’m constantly trying to evolve, and take a lot of pride in each step I take forward. In that process, we lose pieces of ourselves. One of the most heartbreaking facts of life is no one will ever be the same forever. I want to capture every version of myself in a time capsule- type fashion. I write for the homophobic middle school Richard. I write for the awkward high school Richard. I write for yesterday’s Richard who I’m still trying to figure out. Hopefully along the way I write a lot of truth. Hopefully people take something from that. Hopefully it lasts for a lot of lifetimes. The quotation I live by is from my favorite author Chuck Palahniuk: “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”
Now, scoot on over to Richard’s channel and watch some poetry videos! Make today the day you write a poem! If you’re feeling newly inspired and brave…record it, upload it to YouTube and share it with Dick Does Poetry! There is no stopping a community of words, a community of voices bound together. And as Richard would say…
Spring has sprung and I couldn’t be happier!!! Has anyone else noticed a correlation between the rise in temperatures and a rise in social invitations? Everyone is coming out of hibernation, at long last. As for last weekend, I had a magnificent time in BG, KY at the WKU Alumni Work Weekend. I visited several vAry Bowling Greenian restaurants (I started to type them out but then got a little embarr-barr at how MANY places I was able to go in the span of basically 2 days lol), caught up with my WKY fam, and saw fantastic forensics performances. I know, as time continues to pass, that team and those people will always feel like home to me. Now, this weekend is filled to the brim with my favorite spectator sports–the American Forensics Association national tournament and the NCAA FINAL FOUR!!! I’ll be wearing blue with my 4’s held high in the hopes that both the Kentucky Wildcat Men’s Basketball Team and the Western Kentucky University Forensics Team bring championships back to the Commonwealth.
Now enjoy some links in this calm before the storm aka the wildest weekend imaginable for lovers of college basketball and college forensics:
This rad sweatshirt featuring a classic moment from the film “The Breakfast Club.”
Chicks cannot hold their smoke, dat’s what it is.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this movie. It’s one of my all time faves (and so freakin’ quotable). So, I would wear this sweatshirt at every appropriate juncture. Although there may not be many.
This is a super simple project to do on a lazy weekend afternoon. I made mine for myself because I like invoking Little House on the Prairie with my style choices. Why? I dont know. I have a weird obsession with the prairie, so sue me. If you’re not as into the Laura Ingalls look, this would make a great gift for the teachers in your life.
What you’ll need:
– a bezel pendant or some sort of charm that has a distinct frame around a flat surface
– a chain
– a spool of sweet ribbon
– chalkboard spray paint
– painter’s tape
– E-6000 glue
– chalk
and how it all comes together:
– Lay out some newspaper or those annoying circulars you get in the mail on the weekly that you really wish stores would stop sending you.
– Use your painter’s tape to completely tape over the frame portion of your charm. This will keep the chalkboard paint from getting on this part AND tape the charm down to the newspaper.
– If you’re not already outside or in a well-ventilated area, make your way there.
– Spray paint your charm with chalkboard paint following the directions on the can. You’ll probably want to apply 2-3 coats.
– After the can and common sense tells you the paint is dry, peel off the painter’s tape.
– Unspool a little bit of ribbon and tie it into a tiny bow.
– Use your E-6000 glue to affix the bow to the top of the charm. Press down hard and let this dry too.
– String the charm on to the chain.
– Draw a little something on your new teeny-tiny blackboard and wear immediately, place in a little jewelry bag with a piece of chalk and give it away, or tuck it in your “Christmas Box” to be doled out in time.
(top photo of Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim on the set of Little House on the Prairie)
“Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed is the story of one woman on two concurrent journeys–forging a path through her own grief towards healing, acceptance and self-forgiveness as well as blazing the physical Pacific Crest Trail on an eleven-hundred mile solo hike. As mentioned before in our little virtual book club, I initially heard about this travel memoir on one of my favorite radio programs and felt reading it was of the utmost importance after stumbling upon Vanessa Veselka’s essay about the lack of female road narratives and why it matters.
For the last year or so, admittedly, I’ve been pretty obsessed with the idea of long-distance hiking, spending hours researching various trails and reading books and blogs about those who have made these trips.
Suddenly, reading Veselka’s essay made me put 2 and 2 together–there were and ARE women out there who are going on magnificent journeys! They are walking from Georgia to Maine, from the Mexican border to the Canadian, they’re seeing our country in new ways, they are heroic and SOMETIMES–they are doing all of this ALONE. Strayed does not spend time justifying her ability or right to tell this story. She just tells it.
Whether you relate to the physical pain she endures; carrying her huge backpack lovingly nicknamed “Monster” and doctoring banged up feet from ill-fitting boots, or her emotional pain; the death of her mother and the end of her marriage–there are moments of palpable empathy throughout.
Do not let the fact that this book is so heavily touted by Oprah (it is emblazoned with her Obrah Book Club sticker/seal of approval) dissuade you. Oprah knows what’s up and this is no Nicholas Sparks feel-good novela. Instead, it is an honest depiction of a normal woman who went from “lost” to “found.”
Strayed doesn’t leave anything out when painting you a picture of herself as “lost.” Even though this depiction is far from from flattering. This candid portrait of Strayed’s miserable life reminds me of a part I played in college forensics, a woman on the road who put it very simply,
“When you’re laying face down on the ground there’s nowhere left to fall.”
Strayed hit rock bottom. There was no place left to climb but out.
I truly believe this book is a great introductory read for anyone who is seeking out female road narratives. We’ve demonstrated over the last 3 weeks that stories like this one are hard to find. Reading it will hopefully reveal how women on their own and on the road can have a place in not only our literature but our cultural landscape, too.
In her essay, Veselka argues, “True quest is about agency.” Meaning, when we relegate women’s journeys to mistakes, escape or a plot twist only to end in tragedy, we are robbing them of just that. Instead, we need to afford women the possibility and ability to tell stories like Strayed’s.
Veselka explains, “You can go on a quest to save your father, dress like a man and get discovered upon injury, get martyred and raped, but God forbid you go out the door just to see what’s out there.” I want women to see what’s out there. I want to see what’s out there.
…So I read. I go on adventures. And I encourage you to do the same.
Thank you so much for participating in this inaugural virtual book club on Finding Delight. I loved discussing everything with you and hope you felt just the teensiest bit inspired! I hope to do it again real soon. : )
If there is one thing my sister and I can agree upon it is the importance of television (aka welevision). When she mentioned her plans to go all out for the series finale of “How I Met Your Mother” I asked if she would share her menu plan with us over on the blog! If you’re gonna tune in on Monday, why not make it an event? You see, in my family, we’re all about some themed food. World Cupcakes representing soccer teams during the World Cup, Island/Dharma Initiative dinner for the series finale of Lost, Fifty Nifty United Pizzas–I think by now Katie is an expert. : ) Enjoy!
Kids, in the Spring of 2014, one of my favorite television shows gave it’s final toast .
This show was incredibly special to me. True, it was a comedy on the surface, complete with running gags, a laugh track, and Bob Saget, but at its core it was a heartwarming story of friendship, connection, and the universe taking care of us. It taught me a lot of lessons about the age I was entering at the time – the unchartered territory of my twenty somethings – and before I knew it, I was connecting with the characters on a level I wasn’t prepared for. Because of this, for its final episode, I would throw a party. It really was the only way.
Now kids, I had to make sure that the menu matched the spirit of the show. I had to find the perfect thing to capture the essence of McLaren’s pub – to the cookbook shelf!!
Drinks:
The Minnesota Tidal Wave/The Robin Scherbatsky (coconut rum, peach schnapps, vanilla vodka, strawberry creme liqueur, cranberry juice, sugar,maraschino cherries.)
The Pineapple Incident (Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, garnished with a cherry)
Kids, as I was planning this shindig, making these treats, and binge watching a few episodes for nostalgia’s sake, I couldn’t help but think about all of the things this show has shown me throughout its nine seasons. Here’s a few lessons I would like to pass on to you…
– Perfect isn’t always perfect. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be. And that’s ok.
– Nothing good happens after 2am. Just…go to bed.
– Don’t settle for someone who accepts your quirks, be with someone who loves them.
– Your friends are your family.
– When you’re sad, stop being sad and start being awesome instead.
– New York really is the greatest city on earth.
– Sometimes you just have to let the universe take over. Everything happens for a reason.
– Don’t postpone joy.
– Don’t ever think something or someone will last forever. They won’t.
And most importantly:
– Life is hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be legen…wait for it I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the next word is…DARY.
Kids, there will come a time where you find something in popular culture that speaks to you. Since you’re my hypothetical future children, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love television, so if you find a show that you watch obsessively, don’t be embarrassed. Share it with your friends, have discussions about topics it brings up, make connections with people who also enjoy it, and hell…suit up and THROW A PARTY!
Thanks, Katie!!! Any HIMYM fans out there? What series finales have been especially epic for you? Lost was a pretty big one for me and I can remember crying during the finale of Home Improvement, lol. Tune in for the hour long finale of How I Met Your Mother next Monday at 8 pm (7 central) on CBS.
My sister’s time as a Kentucky Rose came to an end this weekend at the Kentucky Rose Ball. No ball is complete without a delicious catered meal, booze flowing, and a local celebrity on the mic–we had all three. Not to mention, Katie made this former speech coach proud with her poised and eloquent interview segment and then she brought the house down singing “The Fields of Athenry” (accompanied by her ukulele, no less).
Of course earlier in the week she stopped by my house for some practice. My dining room floor is as good a spot as any. : )
The ball gave me an excuse to get dressed up…
and make Katie pose for hilarious photos.
The event was held in the theater of my old Catholic school which, since my attendance, has seen some legit upgrades. Their theater (which is where the ball was held) is now fancy enough that people book it for wedding receptions! I roamed the halls snapping pics and sending them to my friend Jessica who also attended the school once nick-named, “Ghetto Catholic.”
I had to do some digging but I eventually stumbled upon a crawl space that had maintained some of the school’s original charms. ; )
I also felt the need to take sev-uh-ral selfies (as ya do)…
Anywho…Congratulations Katie! You did your homeland and the Commonwealth proud!
Finding delight. 