You love nature and have a fascination with wild animals -- and wild men. You're a very lively, curious, and adventurous woman. But you don't hide behind a tomboy image. You love to dress up and show off your feminine side. You do occasionally get yourself into spots of trouble, due to your work as a scientist, but you would never trade that for living safely in a lab and never exploring the great outdoors. Good for you! Just remember, next time there might not be a jungle man to save you from a pack of angry primates. You may want to take a little more precaution, and bring along something more useful than an umbrella.
And as I wish upon a star,
please tell me where these princes are... ( 11:28 PM ) Meghan
Sunday, July 28, 2002
Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride,
Nobody gonna slow me down.
Oh no.
I've got to keep on movin'.
Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride,
I'm runnin' and I won't touch ground.
Oh no.
I've got to keep on movin'... ( 12:04 PM ) Meghan
For lack of better wording, some days I feel really tempted to just take the hint.
Although, how sketchy is it to accept advice from a source that misspells "spiritual" regarding a religion that does not accept the idea of reincarnation to begin with?
Continue the research.
( 7:01 PM ) Meghan
Thursday, July 25, 2002
It was a hot and hazy day at 12:44 when Posey opened the door to the apartment for the first time. It reeked of a generic Home Depot with its cheaply caulked edges and fresh-laid linoleum. But the deal had been settled; signed away was 1718-B to Posey and her delayed roommates. She would put up with it. It was home for a little while.
Within minutes, Posey was joined by her friends Maslow and D.B. and the fourth roommate, Funboy, that none of the others knew very well. He had known D.B. from before and they had even arrived together, but he was more than an odd one. First of all, his cutting sense of humor seemed to come from another planet. And who could even begin to understand a guy that gave pet names to his ironing board?
( "Boardy," for all of you wondering)
But as the day wore on, it was clear that D.B. understood. Even as she and Maslow relaxed in the living room critiquing The Thin Red Line that afternoon,
("The swing, the swing!" they cried)
the others could plainly see that D.B. had eyes not for cinema, but only for Funboy.
Posey suggested that the night's activities include a few hands of poker. Maslow was pleased at the opportunity to teach them this classic pastime, and under his tutelage, they quickly mastered the basics. Then began the fun.
Elementary five-card draw was soon enhanced with Chicago highs, Crystal City lows, Jamaican Hold 'em (douches wild), and every other concoction of play that the four could create. It was something to behold…rounds passed and sanity broke. Through mouthful after mouthful of Cheez-its and black olives, they swore and cheered and bet themselves out--all in the name of a grand time.
As Posey polished off her last swallow of Black Dog, the evening's focus began its shift from cards to, well, everything else. They talked about it all--race relations to political affairs, pop music to bad seafood…the walls were denied no conversational genre that night. It was when Maslow had just finished explaining to Posey the patriarchal implications of MTV: Undressed that nothing at all unexpected happened. The two glanced to the far side of the table to find D.B. and Funboy locked into one another's gaze and grasp. Maslow nodded at Posey, signaling silently that they should take their cue and head to sleep. Posey hesitated for a moment and looked over at her friend who turned with smiling eyes. And then the exchange:
Do you know?
Yes, more than anything.
Because I worry.
I know…but what's worth more is that you listened.
Posey wept quietly as she left the table, undone by the certainty of it all. Something she had never been so privileged to witness until now.
It was a hot and hazy day at 12:44 when Posey and Maslow stood in the apartment breezeway. They called out best wishes to D.B. and Funboy as the two set out for new life and another day together. As their car passed beyond the hills and their friends could see no more, Maslow touched his hand to Posey's shoulder. She turned to him, already tearing:
You know, we did it…1718-B style.
Your MOM did it 1718-B style.
He grinned.
Yeah…I know.
( 8:27 PM ) Meghan
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
New post, coming soon...no doubt you were sick of these others. They were so last week!
( 9:19 AM ) Meghan
Monday, July 15, 2002
In an effort to delay going up to Northern Virginia for the night, I thought I might finally publish the results of...(dah, dah, DAH)...
Meghan's Love Life in the Movies!
As you might have heard elsewhere, this is supposedly a relationship test. The theory is that the first movie that you see with someone sets the theme for the remainder of your time with said person. Now, as I have had only one defined relationship ever, my list is inclusive of anyone I have ever dated or had serious interest in.
*Names have been changed to preserve confidentiality (i.e., me getting in too much trouble)
Jim - Mission: Impossible. Jim later turned out to be gay. I don't think I need elaborate on the irony.
Ron - Twister. Ron and I dated seriously for five years and the winds of change were potentially blowing him toward Seminary. We're still working on the aftermath.
Richard - Fight Club. We've had our share of disagreements, but no fatalities or bloodshed so far. Sometimes I feel like we share a brain, which has made me go crazy on occasion...
Sven: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, if you don't count all the anime we watched (brr!) He'd had a crush on me sometime before, but I saw the movie with him and his girlfriend. Pure magic, I tell you.
Mack - Dirty Work. Mack was about four feet tall and looked not unlike a hobbit. He picked me up at the dining hall one afternoon, asked me to give him a massage on our one "date," and told me that he really wanted me to meet his parents after I had known of his existence for 48 hours. I cut the whole filthy affair short before my skin could crawl any further than I could run.
And there you have it, my relationships in all their cinematic wonderment. A little eerie, yes. I'll just have to make sure the next good gent that comes along is on my couch watching Ever After before the night is over.
( 2:13 PM ) Meghan
I have valiantly returned from my weekend in Lexington! Never again will I consider Harrisonburg to be rural, for I have seen the rural standard.
Mike and I had a great time...we went swimming in the river behind his house, followed by pizza and an evening at the drive-in movie theatre (at which I unfortunately fell asleep, trying to view "The Sum of All Fears" through the rain). I was actually more excited by the 1950s pop that they played over the speakers before the show.
The next morning after he and I attended Church (filthy Protestant and dirty Catholic, respectively) we went out for lunch and homemade ice cream and he took me to Berkey's (the main hangout, re: video games), where we played Ms. PacMan, Deer Hunter, and Jurassic Park III. Tiring of simulated shooting (and running out of quarters), we headed to Wal-Mart and the Tractor Supply Company to obtain materials for the Real Deal.
Yes, it's true. Mike placed me in charge of a .22 and a .357 Magnum handgun and (please forgive the raw, juvenile emotion) it was so cool! We fired at targets, shot apples, and blew the hell out of some pre-shaken, canned sodas. And the scariest part? Mike said I was a natural...
Sometimes I wonder in what setting I was meant to find my niche. After this weekend, not to mention the last four years, I often feel like I was built for the country. I do enjoy the modern finery...good movie theatres, malls, restaurants. But what is that to a supportive community, fresh air, and the stars I will eventually see this summer on Skyline Drive...
NoVA is a nice place to visit. But do I really want to live there?
( 12:42 PM ) Meghan
Friday, July 12, 2002
Here I am, back in the Valley. I needed to get away, to come back to a home that felt safe and familiar. Wow...four years ago, I never thought I would say that about another place, least of all Harrisonburg.
It's not to say that my weekend in NoVA didn't have its good moments:
I visited Rob's vineyard (Chrysalis) and got some pretty decent wine and a private tour; Justinne, Ginger and I went all-out Italian at Maggiano's; for some inexplicable reason, Justinne and I ended up at a petting zoo (we saw peacocks!); I had the best smoothie of my life (flavor: Mango-a-go-go) at Jamba Juice in D.C.; I had fun with glowsticks, dancing to a re-mix of the "Six Feet Under" theme at Carson's rave; I got to dish with Catherine, Cindy, and Justin (which included the Olive Garden's Chocolate Lasagna somewhere in there); I finally met my mom's junior prom date (Cindy's uncle) and received from him the prom pictures that he had withheld for the past 36 years.
It then goes without saying that I had a productive and fun-filled weekend.
(Insert disclaimer of less than fun-filled subject matter here)
My need to escape originated from the illness of my dog. Cookie, who lives with my Grandmother, ended up in the hospital for three days. The emotional distress caused by the simple thought of my puppy being sick was enough. What I didn't need was the arguing, the insensitivity, and least of all, that my family was trying to hide from me the debate over whether or not to have her put to sleep.
Here's the part where I allow some arrogance.
For CRYING OUT LOUD! I knew better than anyone else in this situation the costs, benefits, and scenarios of euthanasia. Not to mention that I'm not a stupid, little kid anymore and can see tension and anger without anyone having to explain it to me, using diagrams and a jackhammer in my skull. Thus, I love how everyone tried to duke this out amongst themselves in the most juvenile way possible without my consultation. Especially after years of telling me that Cookie was my dog and my responsibility when I saw her. Which I never once in 14 years complained about and even relished because I had longed since I was 10 months old for a dog to take care of.
Cookie is home now and seems to be recuperating normally. The family has reconciled and we have clearly defined our wishes should we need to confront this decision again. In a way, it was good to have the scare so that we'll be more supportive of one another when it does come time to say goodbye. Which I hope and pray doesn't happen for many, many years. I love Cookie, but Grandma needs her.
Back to my original point (eons and eons ago), I needed to get away from the stress. Although I love my family, I honestly don't know how I'm going to manage living with them for the next two years. It's going to be a struggle integrating my two lives: I have to learn how to bring to Northern Virginia the adult and professional that I've become in Harrisonburg. I have to foster my independence in a way that doesn't conflict with parental respect.
I have to take the plunge and grow up.
( 11:52 AM ) Meghan
Thursday, July 04, 2002
God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?
--Inscription at the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Over the past several days since the federal ruling on the pledge of allegiance, I have been doing a great deal of thinking about what could be changed and why. Was adding "under God" to the pledge in 1954 an act of tyranny? Is asking children to state the pledge in school a violation of civil rights? Should the mention of any deity be removed from all Government-issued materials and Congressional procedures?
The bigger question is, where would this country be without the Divine? How much would we lack in physical, emotional, and spiritual support without faith-based organizations such as the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and the thousands of churches and temples throughout our borders? What would have happened had Americans not recognized a Force greater than their individual selves on September 11, 2001? Where would we be had we not modeled the American philosophy after God's greatest gift--free will?
The American flag symbolizes our freedom of speech, including the freedom to burn the flag if we choose. The Almighty provided us free will, a will that includes the right to turn against Him. I find it interesting that given the choice, many people see something inherently wrong with burning the flag. Where is that rooted instinct when it comes time to acknowledge a higher power?
Goddess...Vishnu...Yahweh...God...Allah...the collectivity of American minds and spirits...
We could burn the flag. But if we wake up in the morning and see justice in the state of the union, we pledge our allegiance. If not, we make a statement. We work harder for our liberties. We do something for America.
We could ignore the Infinite. But if we wake up in the morning and are grateful for even one small blessing in our lives, we say "thank you." If not, we ask God "why." We make changes in our lives. We do something for America.
( 10:57 PM ) Meghan
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Overheard the other night:
Me: So what instrument did she play?
Anonymous Roommate: Hm, what did she play? I think it was the oboe. Or maybe the bassoon.
Me: But you're pretty sure it was the oboe?
Anonymous Roommate: Your mom's an oboe.
Me: Of course.
Anonymous Roommate: Don't you love how you can just see it coming and you somehow can't help but let it hit?
( 3:39 PM ) Meghan
Monday, July 01, 2002
I heard a most interesting commercial on the radio today. While the wording is not verbatim, it is almost exactly the following:
"Face it...people love to eat. Because of that, many Americans are overweight or obese. But in this society, to be attractive, you have to be thin. If you're interested in losing weight, the following diet supplement may be for you."
Now I do not recall the product name, nor do I remember precisely its method. This is because I was SO BLOODY ENRAGED at such a disgusting marketing ploy. Never have I heard an attempt so blatant at destroying people's self-esteem for the purposes of retail. Why not just come all the way out with it since you've made it this far?
"Those of you in the plus-sizes are hideous and your attempts at impressing others romantically are futile. Because our 'miracle' product is readily available, you have no excuse for being fat. Therefore, if you don't buy it, you must have no desire for people to like you. You may as well remain a beached whale because you'd be a social outcast anyway."
I cannot even describe how sickened I am. We have enough problems with eating disorders in this country, merely from the subtle messages in the media. We, especially the younger listeners who tend to take these more concrete messages to heart, don't need to be bombarded with garbage like this.
I would also add that I know plenty of "gravity-friendly" people who are pretty damn hot.
( 9:29 PM ) Meghan
