If you read this blog regularly...

...you know by now that I am a very big fan of the blog PostSecret.

Very simple concept. People, much like me and you, too afraid to share their true feelings in public, will write it down in an artful way on the back of a postcard and very often in a uniquely artistic manner. Very clever. It is most often the highlight of my week, quite honestly.

Especially this week. Secrets were late being posted this week (they are usually up by Sunday midnight by were delayed due to the storm on the East coast) and I almost panicked when I saw they hadn't been posted by noon today. When I got back from my card-making event and (reluctantly) watching the Stupid Bowl, I was very excited to see a host of great secrets posted.

The first one is the one I identify most with tonight (and this winter).



I also love that not only does the site contain this secret today, which I could have written and the girl in the photo could have easily been me, but at the very end of the secrets this week, this secret popped up, almost as a conclusion to the first one. Very clever again, and I could have written this one too.



There is hope for all of us misplaced southerners! Hang in there. What do you do when you are feeling down about the weather?

Photo mini-essay, Flashback to winter: Menogyn Style

A life time of SERVICE

So I had this conversation with a friend this afternoon, and it was hilarious. Inspired by our bitterness for the world and no job prospects, we've come up with a solution to keeping our idea for a creative and innovative business idea. And, I need to keep my commitment to SERVICE America for life. Here goes. Edited for clarity, and occasionally stupidity.

me: I'm so going into business for myself when I have the resources
Mary: a-men!!!

Mary: what kinda business??? prostiution?
me: we should go into business together
hahaha
yeah
you in?
:-P
Mary: hell yeah!!!
me: I know a house we can use as a Brothel!
we just need clientele
Mary: really???
me: it would require you to relocate
Mary: ooooh -- i know men,..that could be easy to handle :)

Mary: the colder the better -- we would get more clients that way -- people get itchy for fun in the cold :)
i cant wait to tell the guy i started dating about our new plan :) he knows all about the cat woman status
i even made him listen to the I love you because soundtrack :)
me: hahahahahaha
that's AWESOME
I'm glad you like it
Mary: I LOVE IT!!!!!!
me: yeah
let's go to Cicely alaska
small town
not likely to get caught
or we can stay in Minneapolis
and use PPL's College House
Mary: awesome :)
can we paint the bedrooms racy colors?

me: tutoring program house
slightly immoral
but I"m sick of my moralls
yes please!
Mary: and put mirrors everywhere
heck -- we "technically" are offering a tutoring service in a way :)
me: only if you help paign
paint
:)
ohhhhh good idea!
LMAO here
oh we are servicing alright
tutoring...sure
we're tutoring
now we need a catchy slogan when I first started americorps up here
the joke was
"What do we do as AmeriCorps members?"
"We SERVICE the community"

Mary: HAHAHAHA -- I LOVE IT!!!!]
me: yeah
so that's it
servicing the community in creative ways
EVERYDAY
Mary: WOOOHOOO :)
me: so you are IN
now it's time to start recruiting
I have a pretty good network
up here
tired of being broke...
poor
want to make a difference in the life of a lonely man/woman/transvestite?
creative solutions inc...might have the OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR YOU
we need a catchy name
serve, unlimited
Mary: HEHhehe :)
me: creative expressions
Mary: we could totally hit on that every guy wants to sleep with a teacher thing
me: express yourself
hahahahaha
yeah
"Do you want to be TAUGHT?"
hey, I'm shockingly good at this
Mary: How about : Teach Me Something
me: ohhhh good one
Mary: eeee kinda boring -- not scandalous at a time
enough
me: teach me something....racy
teach me something exciting
teach me sex
Mary: you can be the slutty brains behind the busines
me: too explicit
that's funny
Mary: i will work on our list of dervices :)
services i mean :)
12:48 PM me: I can totally play up the virgin thing
men love the idea of seducing a virgin, no?
list of services
Mary: oh totally :)
me: nice
so, I'm workin' on the slogan
Mary: its like a crusade for them :)
me: yes it IS
Mary: i hate to do this, but i gotta run :(
i would love to continue our business plan later though
i will keep brainstorming :)


So that's that. That's my Life After AmeriCorps. Ha!

I'm back!!!

From the frozen wasteland/wilderness/Camp Menogyn having slept in a quincy hut/igloo and having jumped in a hole in a frozen lake. Yikes. This makes me sound crazy, but I had tons of fun while doing it, I promise. I haven't lost all my marbles...yet! Because on our way home I saw not one, but TWO moose on the side of the road and an eagle later on closer to home. I love holidays.

And, I found out that I just got 5/6 on my writing section of the GRE. Worst essay I've ever written too. Weird. I'll take it and go apply to schools now. Sweet.

To many...

decisions, resolutions, changes, year-end general cleaning up and maintenance to do. No, I don't want to go to grad school if I'm not truly sure it is what I want to do. But I don't want my two years worth of education award from AmeriCorps to go to waste either.

No, sitting home ALONE on a Saturday night does not usually lead to good thoughts about anything, particularly not such heady things as what my future will hold in three or four years from now. But I think, because that's what I do. I think and then I write. And it's not always coherent writing. But that's OK.

Do the JET Programme? Sure, I certainly know two people that have done it and loved every minute of it. And I certainly know someone in Japan too! It might be cool to be close to my long time pen pal again. But it's such a risk! I can do it, and there shouldn't be anything to loose there, and it would be quite the experience.

I need to gather more information.

That's the bottom line here people. More information needed.

Is it sad when...

19 degrees is considered warm?

This is the view from my back bedroom window...I am so screwed this winter

All I want for Christmas...

Is for my car to be magically dug out of the snow itself. Or to get out of this fabulous state of Minnesota. Either one will work. I seriously just did my first snow shoveling of the winter (of my life, really) and wow! What a workout. And I didn't even shovel the sidewalks. I just shoveled my poor car out of the snow on the street so that I could go grocery shopping and not starve this week. And my wheels still ended up spinning and spinning and spinning. I do feel like I know the true definition of the phrase "I'm just spinning my wheels." Oh, which is another idiom I can take to Ms. P's fifth graders. They'll eat it up, which, consequently, is another figure of speech. I can't escape them. And unfortunately, I can't escape the snow or Minnesota. Pictures to come.