Naperthrill

A bit of my last post reminded me of a small rant I've been wanting to do.

Would people please stop offering up my old hometown as the epitome of the materialistic bourgois class? Yes, a lot of people in Naperville were wealthy. Yes, it was an excellent school district because of all those property taxes. Yes, it was predominantly WASPy -- or at least the white part, probably a whole lot more Polish Catholics than Protestants, but WPC isn't as handy an acronym. But please, Oprah, show the rest of the town besides the south side and it's monstrous homes! And there are other wealthy burbs in Chicagoland you could focus on! Geez, just go to Winnetka.

We lived in the older part of Naperville. I went to one of the oldest elementary schools and the original junior high, my sister went to the original high school. Most of my friends lived in modest split-levels. I rode my bike to the old downtown, went to an independant music store, bookstore, ice cream shop, clothes store, etc. Where we lived had a remarkable sense of being a town, not just a burb. Granted, we were on the very edge of that part, but my life centered on old Naperville and district 203, not the sprawl of 204. (Not that that means anything to anyone other than my sister and Angela)

Sadly, I probably wouldn't even recognize downtown anymore. I hear there's a GAP, a Starbucks, etc. So maybe the town I knew is gone. And I'm sure Amanda has a different take since she was there as a teenager more than I was. But still, back off, Oprah!

McNausea

I just watched Super Size Me, and I don't feel very well. The film is disturbing, of course, and a bit far-fetched in that the man ate all his meals at McDonald's for a month and super sized when asked. He had to eat everything on the menu once, but of course he didn't have to eat the Bic Mac and friends all the time, could have mainly eaten their salads -- even if they are nasty iceberg lettuce monstrosities. But still, ick. The worsening of his health was incredibly fast. And the sizing comparisons were unreal. The original size drink is now the kid's size -- and the largest offered in Europe. Anyone remember the paper bag of fries, not the paperboard sleeve? I'm just so thankful that I almost never eat fast food, and if I do it's Chick-fil-A or Wendy's, where you can be a bit more sane. And while Abigail love's those Chick-fil-A nuggets and waffle fries, she's also perfectly happy just to get a few fries and chow down on her fruit cup. But after this, I'm even going to rethink how many fries I let her have -- and make myself not finish them off.

They intereviewed people at Madison Junior High, which was in my old town of Naperville and was built right as I went to high school. What the kids bought from the line was of course attrocious, and I know a lot of schools are finally changing, but kids are kids. I remember in high school in Naperville, I would eat my lunch from home, then go buy a soft pretzel with cheese, a Twix and a fruit punch. No wonder I had weight issues! There was this little cubicle set up in the cafeteria that sold nothing but candy and chips and the like. Crazy. Thank God my Pittsburgh school didn't have quiet the options -- though I did love those gingerbread men they sold after school.

I slogged through gym every day in Illinois, then just two or three times a week in the 'Burgh. Now, thanks to good ol' No Child Left Behind, our local school district only does gym once a week for 20 minutes in elementary school. Now, I always hated gym, but that's insane! (Besides, where will these children learn to square dance?) I have heard countless teachers say No Child Left Behind is destroying American education, but that's a whole different topic ...

Later addendum: Oops, Madison was a preexisting junior high, I was thinking of Kennedy. But it's all moot since I went to Washington. Go Warriors! Or rather, Wildcats since our really rather racist caricature of an Indian was finally deemed offensive. Oh well. My sister's high school was the Redskins. Guess who's now the Redhawks?

Should ... not ... give ... in ...

But of course I will. Feel free not to read the following 101 self-absorbed questions (gee, thanks, Carrots):

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
The lovely bikini slash across my abdomen, thanks to Abigail. Or rather pre-eclampsia.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
My degree, pictures of college family, a plate of my first front page, a comic featuring Brad drawn by his best friend, pictures of my family.

3. DO YOU GRIND YOUR TEETH OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP?
No, but I think I clench them.

4. MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Last one I wanted to hear was Coldplay, but of course I forgot to put the CD in. Otherwise, most recently heard were Athlete and Jay Clifford.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
7:04 a.m.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
A better coffee pot.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
Travel

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?
All my many books. And my new dress that I really hope I can wear to an upcoming wedding.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?
5'6" or 5'7", depending on my mood

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
Not often, but yes when it's really hot and humid or when I'm shoved into a street with thousands of Germans and can't move

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
Not more than the ocassional creepy feeling requiring a dash upstairs at night.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
I guess Brad, but it was really just me being over-tired and defensive in an argument

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOGNE FOR A GUY?
None.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Dark hair, dark eyes

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING/ BEING PROPOSED TO?
It was at Freedom Park, under the willow

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
Cooooooffffffeeeeeeee

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
Ham and pineapple. Or mushroom, spinach and an egg if in Europe.

18. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Very rich, chocolate pastry

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
Of the assorted baby toys, I think I'd say Mousie, the amorphous gray stuffed mouse

22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
I generally give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
No.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
I generally have the most luck at Gap Outlet.

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Mom's cat is technically mine.

27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
A Maine coon.

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
Yes

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
Listen attentively and sympathetically.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
29

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
Brunettes.

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN?
Mom's.

33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
Geez, I don't even think I can start here. Let's say SUVs.

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
If you don't know this answer, you don't know me.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Chocolate. Television.

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
I don't think so.

37. FIRST JOB?
Besides baby-sitting, cashier at T-Bones, a small grocery store in the 'Burgh.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Maybe a few in junior high.

39. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS?
Preparing to take a shower.

40. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
Several.

41. HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOUR WISDOM TEETH REMOVED?
Yes. How old is the target audience for this thing?

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
Lately, my hair.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Yes.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
A new coffee pot.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Two.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My middle name is for my dad's mom.

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
No, clasps of necklaces and green and yellow M&Ms.

48. WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?
Drank coffee, read the paper, read Babar the Elephant.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
Pantene Brunette Expressions.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Kind of, it's like Dad's.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast beef?

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
Loads and loads, most notably procrastination (exhibit A).

53. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?
I think I've shed the truly embarassing, like Mariah Carey from when I was 13 that I swear I never listened to all the way through.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Hopefully, but I'm very shy.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Yes.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
Get snippy, go for a drive or walk, throw things, sometimes just cry.

58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
Clemson, SC.

59. WHO IS YOUR FAMOUS/ ACTOR/SINGER CRUSH?
Don't have one.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
maybe 20

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A KID?
Rubble, sure. Much more predictable than Fred

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Loads

64. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
No.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Sense of humor, literary appreciation, desire to eat really well and travel.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Once upon a time, I was Cowgirl, Tiger, Bucky, Buxton, Jasmine, Heather Feather.

67. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE BAND/SINGER?
Jump, Little Children.

69. WHAT WAS YOUR ACT/SAT SCORE?
I used to claim 1490, but I think it was 1410.

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Maybe Moose Tracks. In France, Cassis.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Yes

72. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
Yesterday.

73. WHO/WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST RIGHT NOW?
Dad.

74. WHATS THE FASTEST YOU HAVE GONE IN A CAR?
Once Brad made it past the ATL airport in four hours -- I stopped looking at the speedometer out of fear.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Why not

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Traffic.

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Coffee.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Mother-in-law.

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Face.

80. FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?
That one by Blue October that makes me want to cry.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
Conspicuous materialism.

82. FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR?
October

83. FAVORITE SPORT?
Hiking.

84. YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?
Leo.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown.

86. EYE COLOR?
Brown.

87. WHAT IS YOUR HERITAGE?
In descending order: German, English, Scots-Irish, Cherokee, French.

88. SIBLINGS?
1 sister

89. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTURANT?
Don't eat it much. Do Steak-n-Shake or McAlister's count?

90. YOU LIKE SUSHI?
I've tried, but no.

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
Egad, "Wife Swap." I needed something while I ironed.

92. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
Christmas Eve.

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
Flute and piano.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
Democrat.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Hugs.

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
Can anyone honestly see me in a one-night stand?

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
Earrings.

98. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
Honda Civic.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
The Inheritance of Loss.

100. ARE YOU BORED?
No.

101. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
Uh, potatoes, I guess.

Lone Jumper

The spouse and I got out for a rare date -- and on a Tuesday, no less -- to see Jay Clifford, the lead singer for the late Jump, Little Children. It was an interesting show, just Jay up on a bar stool wearing an old t-shirt and jeans, playing a couple of accoustic guitars with the occasional pre-recorded backup from a record player. The crowd was a bunch of Jump die-hards, and his set list consisted of shouted out requests. The requests were tentative at first but became very demanding by the end of the show, especially the encores.

As a die-hard myself, it was great. He played my two requests (which he heard from other people) "Cathedrals" and "Close Your Eyes," the latter one of Abigail's lullabies, and did a wonderful, slower, more poignant version of "Mexico" that had a definite Latin tinge to the chords. He also played some vintage JLC, "Dancing Virginia" and "Quiet" as well as "Come Out Clean," which he forgot large swaths of. It was cute, he was a bit sheepish, but the crowd just chipped in for him.

Jay did also play some new solo stuff, some of which can be heard at the above MySpace site.

The opener was a decent singer/songwriter named Megan Coffee. I really liked her voice -- a slightly huskier, richer sound than many women -- but what was great about her set was the song "Rockefeller Center," written by her then-4-year-old son. Since I have my own 4-year-old, I of course loved it. The song was all about the bustle of New York and his fear of losing his mom and not being able to keep up the pace -- not bad for a little kid from Decatur, Ga. He even had two great lines, one stolen from PBS: "Rockefeller Center, for what it's worth/ has overarching themes about life and rebirth," and the final one just darn cute: "I don't know how I came to be this four."

All in all, a very pleasant night. Accoustic music, most of which I knew by heart, in a very laid-back setting, the darkness punctuated by the flickering of cell phones like fireflies in the darkness; the kind of thing I want to do more often.

This ... is ... Jeopardy!

Eeek, I've got an audition for Jeopardy! I took the online test months ago and just got an e-mail about auditions in Atlanta on Oct. 12. Now, you have to take a 50 question test, and if you pass, then take a mock test and have a interview. Even if you pass, you aren't guaranteed a spot on the show. I have two days to RSVP, so I need a poll: Should I truck on down even though the odds aren't great? I have watched Jeopardy! for years, have always known tons of the questions, have been told by many people I should try to get on. I'm no Ken Jennings, but whaddya think?

And what would I WEAR?!

Mmmm, four packets of cream cheese

For everyone who wanted their own shot at the Tiramisu Cheesecake creamy goodness, here is the recipe.

Where I was

A newspaper friend of mine was asked to talk about her Sept. 11 memories for her official blog. Many of her memories echoed mine, and I naturally started replaying that day in my head.

After working second shift the night before, I was sleeping in to my normal 10 or so when I heard my phone ring. I ignored it, then it rang again. I finally got up and checked the message. It was another newspaper friend, Meg, saying very shakily, "Turn on the TV. Something terrible has happened." I switched it on, and there was smoke billowing over New York, both towers collapsed. I called Meg and we talked/sat in stunned silence for an hour or so. I remember thinking, "Oh God, how many people could have been in there?"

Around noon I pulled myself together for a shower and went ahead to a dentist appointment. I wasn't needed at work yet and frankly was too stunned to know what else to do. The radio in the waiting room was tuned to news, which was even eerier without pictures. Then I was called back and greeted by a cheerful hygienist who chirped, "How are you today?" Uh, a bit disturbed, actually. "Why? Oh, yeah, isn't it awful?" That's putting it mildly. After my cleaning, I went to my church to pray for a while before reporting to the newsroom. I don't even know if I prayed consciously or if I just repeated "Help us" over and over.

I got to the newsroom early, and it was sheer chaos. They were just finishing up the special edition, and I was immediately put to work reading wire stories and going through pictures. And it seems that's what I did for the next eight days straight. Everyone was bombarded with images and stories in those days, but you have no idea how many more there were. We had to filter through them all, decide which were the most powerful, which were the most compelling, which were too gruesome to print. Thousands of pictures. News alerts every two minutes as the information trickled in. You couldn't actually lay out a page until nearly deadline because the stories kept changing. We never stopped; the adrenaline dripped from the walls. And when I went home, all I did was switch on the TV and watch more. I couldn't stop the horror. (Newseum.org has a gallery of front pages from that day.)

I remember calling my sister in London, probably the next day. I tried to get a free circuit for more than two hours. We were both so relieved to hear from each other, even though neither of us were directly affected. Amanda had been in New York not a week before, had even stopped in the Krispy Kreme in the World Trade Center on something like the 9th. We talked for at least an hour even though I didn't have an international plan. You just had to reach out to your family.

I don't think anyone in the newsroom was able to actually process what was happening for days. We were constant motion. You couldn't let emotion take over or you wouldn't be able to function. I remember all the copy editors gathering in the graphic artists' room one evening a few days into it, theoretically to get on the same page about who was working what overtime (I normally had Wednesdays and Thursdays off -- that didn't happen), but what we did was finally talk about how all of this information overload was affecting us. What images were haunting us. How we weren't separating from it at home. We were four women, all under 30, watching history in a tailspin.

It all finally became too much for me that Saturday -- I know because I remember the t-shirt I was wearing. The Associated Press had just that evening started to release the pictures of people jumping from the top of the towers, the fuzzy closeups of people stripped to their underwear because of the unbearable heat. The pictures of faces peering out over the smoke, judging what was the worse way to die. And I saw the picture of a man and woman holding hands as they jumped. I still cry when I think of that picture, my whole body is tingling even now. I had to run away from that, had to leave work for a while. Brad walked me out to my car, and I just broke down and sobbed on him for several minutes. I think we made a pact not to turn on the TV that night.

What's strange is that before that day, had you asked me to describe the World Trade Center, I don't think I could have. I don't think I even knew what that phrase meant. I remember seeing the towers from an airplane while making a connection in Newark, remember the little thrill of thinking, "That's New York!," but the fact they were the World Trade Center may have been acknowledged by the pilot, not me. Amazing how something I didn't really know existed is now such a touchstone in my life.

So that's where I was; where were you?

Pass the dutchie on the lefthand side

A movie is going to be filmed in my humble little town -- the third in one month! -- and it's going to star Cheech Marin and two "even bigger stars." I find that very amusing :)

Not quite so girlie

I've already finished "Anne of Green Gables," and while it may just be young adult lit, it got some very adult thoughts going through my head.

The book is set about 1870 in a farming community on Prince Edward Island. While I know it glosses over the hardships of Victorian life, I find myself wishing my life was more like that. I'm a very smart woman, but they had so much practical knowledge. They canned, made all their breads, raised their livestock, grew their vegetables, and could name just about any plant under the sun. They were so connected to the natural world, to the rhythms of the seasons and the weather. I'm amazed by the lavish descriptions of little hollows and wooded paths, even when I can't begin to picture the fauna they're talking about. If some monumental natural disaster or nuclear winter ever occured that shut down our interstate/international economy, I would probably wind up among the dead. All I can grow is zinnias and petunias, and while I make a lot of my food from scratch, I'd hardly know where to begin if I couldn't buy my staples at a megastore. Our Earth has just become earth; we have lost so much wisdom and destroyed so many resources by our vanity and ignorance.

I also found myself wondering at the blackness or their nights. We had Abigail out a bit late last night, and when we got out of the car at home, I eagerly pointed out a star, which she doesn't often see. Of course, I knew that given our well lit parking lot, that sparkle was no doubt a satelite. My poor little girl has no idea what the actual sky looks like -- she was no doubt very confused when we went to a planetarium a while back. I myself have a very limited concept of the sky. I know the main constellations and a few minor ones thanks to a very late night under the stars on a Clemson rugby field. And I have seen the Milky Way and understand its monniker: The Buxton clan held a party for my grandpa's 80th birthday more than 10 years ago now, way out at the ancestral homestead in rural Missouri. My sister and I had just come back from an evening in St. Louis, and we were transfixed in the driveway by the stars. My suburban youth gave me no inkling that so much existed overhead.

We're so isolated in our modern world, it's scary. We have bottles and cans full of chemicals guaranteed to clean our homes, but what are they doing to us? We exercise in gyms, maybe stopping at a park to walk, but we have no idea what the world around is actually like. It's so sad.

But despite it's wholesome lifestyle and oodles of romanticism, I won't be finishing the Anne series again. The first book is always my favorite, follwed by the eighth, and I just don't have time to read all the others in between. I skimmed "Anne of Avonlea," and while I remember every scene, it just didn't call to me like "Green Gables." So away they go again on a shelf, waiting for my little one to hit about 10 and discover their magic. But time for just one more quote, one of my favorites and why I always thought I was a romantic (until I encountered Byron's "Don Juan"):

"... perhaps ... perhaps ... love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath." -- Anne of Avonlea

Wonders of Wally World

Bath time is approaching quickly, but I just had to share what I saw today in line at Wal-Mart. I saw light up plastic shoes -- on an adult. Clear plastic flip-flops with sparkles in the straps and two-inch stiletto heels that lit up as the woman walked. Ah, yes, Wal-Mart.

Separately, there is a brand new, enormous miracle of ultra plush squishyness in my room where the board-hard, squeaky implement of torture used to be! Hooray for my first good night's sleep in four years!