Grade School Story: “The Boy that Santa Forgot”

I found copies of the story below when I was cleaning out my dad’s house last year. (Describing him as a “hoarder” is understatement.) I think I wrote it in sixth grade or so.

Escalade Power Wheels
“They see us rollin’. They hatin’.”

My family was relatively poor when I was a kid—welfare, food stamps, hand-me-down clothing, and chewed-up or broken toys from the Salvation Army were the norm. That wasn’t unusual in my neighborhood. But I was painfully aware from the commercials on TV and the stories from classmates that this was not how some kids lived, and I was envious. So, so envious. I dreamt of unwrapping the most incredible gifts on Christmas morning: remote-controlled cars, Rubik’s Cubes, Easy Bake Ovens, cameras, Lego space sets, Power Wheels…Omg, Power Wheels! I’d be the most stuntin’ Power Wheels driver EVER. I’d win Power Wheels competitions! Everyone would admire my amazing Power Wheels skills. If only I had a Power Wheels truck, I knew my life would be THE BEST. Such were my covetous Walter Mitty dreams. Continue reading “Grade School Story: “The Boy that Santa Forgot””

Different, Yet Still the Same: My Fourth Grade English Writing Assignments

I created this blog a year ago (September 11, 2011) partly because I wanted a casual environment to practice writing in. Since last year, I’ve written twelve posts here, seven on Skepchick, and one for the CFI On Campus blog—the most I’d ever blogged, I guess, but I need to write more often.

While unpacking old boxes in my apartment last weekend, I came across my English “Morning Work” notebook from fourth grade. Interesting coincidence: the first assignment in there was written on September 11, 1989, exactly 22 years from the very day this blog was founded last year. Whoa, right? Continue reading “Different, Yet Still the Same: My Fourth Grade English Writing Assignments”

Puberbiebs: Did Justin Bieber’s Voice Drop Yet? A Quick Investigation for No Good Reason.

Recent pictures suggest that Justin Bieber is not a kid anymore. A few nights ago I wondered if his voice has broken yet and how that might have affected his singing—or does he still sound like a chipmunk version of Usher? Because I generally don’t give a crap about Bieber, I didn’t know, so I decided to spend some time online looking for an answer. What can I say? The Internet is great for that sort of activity.

A quick YouTube search for “justin bieber 2011” turned up this treacly bit of holiday fluff: Continue reading “Puberbiebs: Did Justin Bieber’s Voice Drop Yet? A Quick Investigation for No Good Reason.”

Conversations with Spambots, Part 2

Sexy Spambot with HatToday  I sat down at the computer to see a new IM from a potential new friend.  I didn’t recognize the screenname, but that’s not unusual. I considered briefly that it may have been from a spambot, but “mattp204” didn’t seem like a sexbot’s screenname, so I responded. After a couple of lines, however, the text coming in turned pink and the conversation turned familiar. I gotta say—some of the responses really surprised me.

mattp204: I got you now !lol was up
CFI Debbie: ?
mattp204: 🙂 hi cutie what’s up?
CFI Debbie: Just working. Do I know you? Continue reading “Conversations with Spambots, Part 2”

Fortune Cookie Consideration: Letting Things Be “Good Enough”

I always read the little slips of paper that come in fortune cookies, and if I get a good one, I save it in my wallet for a while. My favorites are the actual fortunes, like this one from last week: “Tomorrow will be a productive day. Don’t oversleep.” Thanks, Fate! That’s a great fortune, and it’s advice I thought I’d try to follow (…I said to myself, as I worked at the computer until 2:00 am. But I shifted the goalposts and set my alarm for noon, so when I woke up at 11:00 am—mission accomplished! That still counts, right, Fate?).

I opened up this gem last week:

"It could be better, but its good enough."

Continue reading “Fortune Cookie Consideration: Letting Things Be “Good Enough””

On Writing Things for Stuff (or, How I Didn’t Do That Last Weekend but Am Doing So Right Now)


Cake, mmmm…

Last weekend I set a goal of finishing a blog post for Skepchick and writing a new post for this here personal blog thing. On Saturday night, I sat down in my office and started poking at the things on my computer screen. But my roommate was hosting a birthday party in the living room, and at some point the cake and the merriment were just too enticing to ignore. There went Saturday.

On Sunday evening I gave it another shot. It seemed like a good night for writing—my boyfriend was also in his office writing; the temperature was perfect; there was a kegger next door a few feet from my office window, but the fan in my office did a pretty good job of drowning out the party sounds; and I didn’t have anything urgent happening to draw my attention from the task at hand.

I finished neither post. I wasn’t feeling inspired, and I didn’t want to create sub par writing. Continue reading “On Writing Things for Stuff (or, How I Didn’t Do That Last Weekend but Am Doing So Right Now)”