Well, Hello Blue Eyes

“People felt themselves watching [her] even before they knew that there was anything different about [her]. [Her] eyes made a person think that [s]he heard things that no one else had ever heard, that [s]he knew things no one had ever guessed before. [S]he did not seem quite human.” 

― 

Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

My mom had a lot of babies. I was number four. But by five, she was still at a loss. Not a single one of her offspring had blue eyes. When Liberty was born, we looked a lot alike. This continued as she matured into full-fledged babyhood. The only way you could tell our baby pictures apart is that hers are cuter. She had this coquettish smile, significantly more beautiful ringlets and to my mother's delight, big, beautiful, blue eyes.

As Liberty has grown up, she's maintained her slightly different and magical perspective, seeing through the pretense of most things and creating a space which is both welcoming and very much her own.

On her birthday, we wish her joy, wonder, success, love, BABIES (not announcing anything, just trying to inappropriately prod, as Liberty will confirm, I always do) and a universe that continues to reveal magic to your gorgeous, blue eyes. 

We love you Libby!!

Distractions

They say that "with age comes responsibility," and with my last month (and recent birthday) as evidence, I'm inclined to believe "society" on this one. I'm not going to go into full detail here on what all of these responsibilities are (because though I'm not the most mystically-inclined soul, I do have a weakness for superstition), but I will say that exciting things seem to be in the works! Instead, I'm sharing a roundup of my favorite diversions that have been keeping me me, in spite of the piles of contracts that seem intent of transforming me into a soulless zombie (which, if I'm being honest, is not the worst fate I've ever entertained).

Brilliant ways to elevate your camping game.

I'm always impressed by how comprehensive R29's dress your body guides are.

True stories about love and living.

Five out of Five TD sisters agree, this is the only way to bike.

Speaking of biking, the perfect biker jacket?

Is this cheating?

Crazy beautiful music inspired by Lyme disease?

Dirty politics.

I've been trolling some of my sisters' old recipes recently because I miss them, and their cooking.

For a Good Time Call me. lol jk.

As you may or may not know, solitude can oftentimes lead to super fun and sexy times. I'm living in an unattached single this semester, and over the past three days, I've read books, wrestled seven giant boxes of assorted schmutes into exquisite order, homemade prescription sunglasses, watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle alone in the dark while hula hooping in my underwear -- it's been like camp. . . except all alone and actually not at all like camp. This newly appreciated freedom to do whatever the swear word I want has leaked through the cracks of my nice, red, automatically locking door and sometime in between strolling the lamp-lit streets of New Haven -- a large bar of high proof chocolate in one hand and a glass bottle of low proof ginger beer in the other -- and reclining on an ivy-shaded gravestone reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I rerealized that my own company is maybe one of the best things. And not in the 'I'm doing my best to cope with my debilitating friendlessness' way, but rather the 'I now actively avoid the rest of humanity. Seriously. **** people.' way. Not quite, but hear me out: I'm totally into all of the weird things I'm into; I'm always up to doing or not doing whatever I want to do or not do; I never stare uncomfortably to the side when I mention unemployment or heinous acts of porcine mutilation (I bet just reading that phrase made you ask 'dear heavens what is wrong with this girl?' I didn't ask that when I wrote it. I was totally non-judgmental). It is excellent. I don't want to end this with some pitiful insistence that you 'Be Your Own Best Friend!' You do whatever you want; attach yourself to as many people as you fancy and spend every waking moment holding pinkies with them. Just know not to despair when you find yourself in the wilderness of human independence, because (to use the immortal words of the title of that one Tyler Perry movie) you can do bad all by yourself.

Not Sweet

I like this blog, but it's been a little sweet lately. Crafts and delicious food and friends and poems are alright and all, but there's only so much of that that I can handle. So please take some makes-you-feel-like-a-bad-person joy in the following links:

How to Tick People Off
some of my favorites:
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
Ask people what gender they are.
Sing along at the opera.


and


List of Unusual Deaths
some of my favorites (don't you dare judge me)
207 BC: Chrysippus died of laughter after giving his donkey wine then seeing it attempt to eat figs.
1814: On October 17th [my birthday!], 9 people died when 323,000 gallons of beer burst their vats and gushed into the streets of London.
1940: Marcus Garvey died as a result of two strokes after reading a negative premature obituary of himself.
1974: Basil Brown, a 48-year-old health food advocate, drank himself to death with carrot juice.
1991: Carl Hulsey, 77, was butted to death by a pet goat he had been training to act as a "guard dog".
1998: An entire visiting soccer team playing against Basanga was killed by lightning during a match. Everyone on Basanga, the home team, survived.
2010: Jimi Heselden, owner of Segway, was killed when he accidentally drove off a cliff on a Segway at his estate and drowned.
2011: Jose Luis Ochoa, 35, died after being stabbed in the leg at a cockfight by one of the birds that had a knife attached to its limb.