– girlboxer1970

Sep 25, 2012

Likes, Dislikes & Just don’t get

By Pattie Crider · 3 Comments

Just because this is my blog and I can.

LIKES:

making photograms

angry birds

mean comments about me on my own blog/facebook

poptarts

IUD’s

ties that don’t rip my hair out by the root

DISLIKES;

eyebrow mites

car that doesn’t start

carpet stains

liver

going over on my data plan

JUST DON’T GET:

math with weird symbols

blog awards

dogs that are fussy where they pee

where the magic in my eraser goes

telephone books

There you go! My likes, dislikes and what I don’t get.

What do you like, dislike or don’t get?

~P.

Filed Under: Just Life · Tagged: strange lists

Sep 25, 2012

No need for perfect

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

Her ear wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t matter. It seemed to me, her beauty came from within. Beauty in the twinkle of her eye, beauty in her giggle, beauty in the tassels of her hair. Very little hair indeed.

Even her tearful cries were beautiful-like that of a lamb separated from its mother. And once quieted, rocked to sleep-resting as a content angel-my most beautiful creation.

~~~To my beautiful daughter Tesla. We had three minutes to write about what we believe to be “the most beautiful thing.”

~P.

Filed Under: College, Professional Writing Class, Tesla · Tagged: complex sentences, dedication to daughter, most beautiful thing, writing with style, York College of PA

Sep 25, 2012

Can’t sleep~too many naps

By Pattie Crider · 2 Comments

Yes I know. It’s my own fault. I napped in the library on the ugly green couch and dozed off reading a short story on my comfy red couch. It happens.

Now I can’t sleep and the wheels in my head are turning, unlike the wheels on my car. I must fix my car and hopefully, I can. That 1992 Honda Accord must last at least two more years minimum. Even longer if possible since my credit is shot in the ass and the chances of getting a loan for even a used car are slim to none.

How ironic that John just bought another truck. I guess Kelly was up his ass to get her name off the truck she bought with him. You know, back when they were SO in love and life was grand. Like the ten grand she dropped on renovating the house. That worked out good for Heather you know. She has twice as many kids as Kelly so the renovations really made moving in with John a no-brainer. Just add house and instant family!

Back to the truck…The only reason John would get rid of the truck he had, all blinged out with Delauter’s A1 Moving Helpers on the windows, would be because Kelly and him had it titled together. So yeah, that pisses me off. Why does Kelly get to free her name up from that jackass and I don’t? I can not wait for our divorce to go before the divorce master. It’s impossible not to see the delay is because he doesn’t want to or can’t settle up what he started. Don’t file for divorce if your bark turns into a whimper and you piss on yourself rolling onto your back. Unless you mean to piss on yourself…Hey to each their own.

So I will work on my car today. I watched YouTube videos on how to remove the master fuel fuse whatcha-ma-call-it and how to repair it with the solder thinger. It has been years since I soldered but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike. Speaking of bike, I am hoping for nice weather so I can ride my cycle to school. Riding is fun and I really enjoy it. My Harley is one thing I’d like to keep post divorce. Of course, John’s name is on the title also. He is SO about having joint accounts. Hell, his first wife is still on the title to his Harley. How’s all that joint account shit working out for you now John? Not so great I bet. Trust me, the feeling is mutual.

I thought writing might tire me out. It’s not working…and the tires on my car are starting to look bare, like my checking account. No worries though. I’ll get through. It’s not like the day my Mercedes was repossessed. No one is taking my Honda away, or my Harley. I just fixed my Harley so I’m feeling confident. At least until I pull the bottom of my dashboard off. 🙂

Seriously, Dale and I just finished fixing all the rust spots that plague Honda’s so it has to run again. All that bondo can not go to waste. The grinding and mixing and sanding and sweating and blood it took to make it pass inspection must prevail! Maybe I should have just let it rust. I show it some love and attention and it just lets me sit. At least I was close to home and not in say….Georgia.

I’ll figure something out, I always do.

~P.

Hoping to see Tesla on Wednesday. I have asked several times now…

Filed Under: John, Just Life · Tagged: can't sleep, divorce, Honda Accord, joint accounts, naps

Sep 17, 2012

O’Connor on James Joyce~Araby

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

O’Connor describes Joyce’s short story writing style as pictorial comparing his stories to “a beautifully illustrated book.” I agree with O’Connor’s description of Joyce’s style because Araby paints a picture in the reader’s mind without the need of illustration.

Araby is a short story compared to others we have read for this class, but it does not leave one questioning the characters or setting. The first paragraph opens with the description of the street the characters live on. It is a dead-end street but Joyce makes the street much more with his description, “…being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers’ School set the boys free.” His writing brings the houses to life giving them abilities not usually attributed to inanimate objects. The houses “…gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” painting a somber picture of brownstones lining a quiet street.

O’Connor also comments that Joyce creates a “hypnotic effect” in his writing. I also found such an effect in Araby. “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.” This sentence has a rhythm to it that is distinguishable and could be lyrics to a song. He repeats words or uses a different form of a word such as light and lit to create a pattern unique to his style of work.

Joyce also writes multiple adjectives without the use of punctuation. This was noticeable to me prior to reading O’Connor’s review of Joyce’s writing style. I particularly appreciated his description of the gardens and horse stables. A garden and horse stable have little in common but one word-dark-pulls them together in the sentence. “…the dark dripping gardens…to the dark odorous stables…” Joyce uses no punctuation and repeats words describing two unlike places. And it works beautifully.

Joyce’s use of simile also presents an image a reader “can accept or reject but can’t modify to suit one’s own mood or environment” as O’Connor points out. Two sentences that did indeed illustrate the boy’s embarrassment with having a crush on the neighbor can be visualized in “…yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood” and carries an impact that a simple statement such as, “her name makes me blush” cannot do. The same is true with “But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.” The mental image these sentences create give understanding to his deep feelings for this young lady.

It is this unique, hypnotic effect throughout Araby that confirms O’Connor’s pictorial description of Joyce’s style of writing. The sentence rhythm, form and word choices create a beautiful picture in the mind of a reader just as Joyce had intended.

Filed Under: College, Professional Writing Class · Tagged: Araby, Frank O'Connor, James Joyce, reviews, short story, writing style

Sep 17, 2012

cast cutting and bone pins pulled

By Pattie Crider · 2 Comments

Tesla was a bit scared at the thought and sound of the cast cutting saw. Even after the nurse put the saw against her own hand to show her it couldn’t cut skin. The sound is intimidating.

Dr. Bixler told Tesla that she had super strong bones. When he went to pull the four pins out, they didn’t want to budge. He said normally they slide right out. What Dr. Bixler didn’t know was for the two years of her life, she only wanted milk. I’d say she survived on 95% milk, 5% food. Her doctor said that she was perfectly healthy and eventually she would want more than milk. He was right, now she only wants McDonald’s. 🙂

Tesla was a trouper for the pin removal. Even with it being more difficult than expected, she winced a little bit but didn’t cry out or shed a tear. Her doctor and nurse complimented her on being such a good patient, better than most all their other patients. I was very proud of her and her toughness. That’s my girl, chip off the ole block.

If my camera battery hadn’t died, I would have recorded the pin removal. I only managed a few pictures of her Frankenelbow.

Cross your fingers….no more broken bones!

: Frankenelbow

: Surgical tools purchased at Ace Hardware

Filed Under: Tesla · Tagged: broken arm, cast removal, cast saw, surgical pin, video cast cut off

Sep 17, 2012

Ying woke

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

Ying woke early Saturday morning, stretching his long furry legs on the luxurious king size memory foam mattress fitted with six hundred thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, a silky comforter embellished with beautiful geometric shapes in various sizes, sixteen pillows matching the comforter’s pattern and colors all situated on an expensive handmade dark mahogany four poster bed passed down through eight generations of his owner’s family-German in descent-and shoved his cold nose into her hand, eager to get their morning routine started.

“It’s Saturday mutt! Get away!” she yelled.

(Assignment was to write one sentence of at least 75 words followed by a short sentence)

Filed Under: Pets, Professional Writing Class · Tagged: writing with style, York College of PA

Sep 15, 2012

Deer Here

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

York County is country. Farms and fields, acre after acre. Woods and animals, mile after mile…

Practice went well and the whole team was pumped for the game the following afternoon. I loaded up the van with our gear: bats, balls, gloves, helmets. Half the team depended on me for a ride to the games. Anything smaller than a van wasn’t going to get us to the ball field.

It was getting dark after dropping off my team mates. I was exhausted after a long day of classes, followed by practice, followed by delivering my girls to their homes. Calculus was on my brain, calculating how long it would take to do my homework after a hot, relaxing shower. The showering thoughts made me sigh.

He came out of nowhere. My mind was still lingering on the shower when the white of his chest caught my eye, just not quickly enough. I slammed on the brakes. They squealed loud, the rear of the van began to fish-tail. The impact slowed my momentum but sped up my heart rate.

I put the van in park to see how much damage he did. The front passenger side was crushed. Headlight obliterated, turn signal broken and hanging from various wires. Damn it! I walked around to the side and realized the door was also crushed. Fucking deer. Must have swung around to do double damage, just my luck.

It was completely dark now and I only had one headlight. I glanced over at the fucking buck, my guts twisting when I realized he wasn’t dead. All that damage to my van and the son of a bitch is still kicking two of his four legs. One was missing completely and the other bent at an unnatural angle. This didn’t stop him from attempting to get up. His struggling, snorting and blood coming from various injuries should have evoked sympathy for the white-tail. It didn’t.

I walked to the back of my van and opened one of the double doors. I pulled out the team’s equipment bag and dragged it around to the front. Two solid swings and his escape attempts ceased.

“You’re outta here!” I yelled, to no one in particular.

Filed Under: Professional Writing Class · Tagged: car, creative non-fiction, deer, hitting deer with car, microshort story, softball, york county

Sep 13, 2012

Meeting Evil~Movie Review

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

“Meeting Evil” 2012

Luke Wilson and Samuel L. Jackson star in this direct-to-video, mystery drama by Chris Fisher. The setting is in an upscale neighborhood with most of the homes up for sale, including Wilson’s character’s home. John Fleton (Wilson) is a beaten down man. He is fired from his realtor job, is unable to sell his house he has not been able to afford and the backyard is a giant hole, waiting to become a swimming pool.

Richie, played by Jackson, knocks on John’s front door asking for a hand at getting his car started. John, being that helpful type of guy, stops sulking long enough to give Richie’s car a running start. Richie’s car backfires, injuring John and beginning an adventure of brutal murder and senseless crime with John as a kidnapped victim.

“Meeting Evil” adequately describes Jackson’s character. If you liked Jackson in “Pulp Fiction” you will appreciate his performance as Richie. Beyond that, the characters are flat and the plot is stretched thin. The situations the characters are placed in are less than believable. This would work if the movie wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. It has an “R” rating and could have taken the leap to “slasher thriller” with over-the-top, bloody scenes. Instead, the movie falls somewhere in-between. The actors are top-notch from the main characters to the supporting actors portraying police officers. The problem is the stiff dialogue between them. Jackson’s character is the exception as his dark, sarcastic and often vulgar language lifts Richie out of the flat character persona that keeps the remaining characters from rising.

While I had solved the mystery of this film prior to the end, I did not expect the last few frame’s twists. Ultimately, it is that twist and Jackson as a psychopathic killer that saves this movie from complete failure.

Filed Under: College, Professional Writing Class · Tagged: Luke Wilson, Meeting Evil, movie review, Samuel L Jackson

Sep 13, 2012

Girl in a glance

By Pattie Crider · 4 Comments

She stretches out in her chair.
Long, lean legs, feet draped in sandals.
Ivory leather weaving in and out of her toes.
Soft from wear, intricate knots holding fast.
Her piggies so cute….painted dark green.
Shiny, sexy…I try not to stare.

She crosses her legs, beginning a rhythmic rocking to unheard music.
Wiggling her toes..inviting for horsey rides.
Expertly shaven, they beg for touch.
A test for smoothness and search for skipped hairs.

Denim cut-offs, short but not Daisy in style.
Frayed on the end, pocket tips peak out at the bottom.
Belted at her waist, silver rivets in double rows wrapped-round in cotton.

Brilliant orange t-shirt, long-sleeve, tightly fitting her form.
Breasts beg for attention, not caring if she agrees.
Tiny buttons, open -inviting a glance.
A deep V forged, tantalizing….forbidden.

Ponytail -barely there.
Wisps of dirty blonde hair escape or were never captured.
Limp curls frame her face.
Clean and clear….natural beauty.

Eyes of brown, bright and alert.
Button nose with slight flare.
Balanced lips, quick to smile.
Perfect ears punctuated with piercings.
Tiny stones glinting- with the rocking of her sandaled foot and shiny toes.

Filed Under: classmates, College · Tagged: poetry, pretty girl, prose

Sep 10, 2012

Tyler Lyons~Interview of a photographer

By Pattie Crider · Leave a Comment

Tyler Lyons, from Hampstead, MD is a graphic design major with a minor in photography at York College of PA. Lyons’ photography on Facebook and Woodpress caught my attention and I requested an interview.

You’re a junior? I’m technically a senior, but I’m graduating the fall of 2013 due to me being a transfer student from Penn College of Technology.

How long have you been interested in photography? In Penn College’s Graphic Design program, an introductory photography course was required. They taught the basics of how to shoot black & white film. We learned everything from how to shoot, as well as developing the film and producing prints in the darkroom a very “old-school” process. One of the assignments was portraiture. I went home and did my first “photo shoot” of my two best friends. That’s when I fell in love with portraiture.

What got you interested in photography? The surprising success that came out of that first film shoot I did with my friends. I asked Santa for a Canon Rebel XSi for Christmas. As soon as he delivered, I started using my friends for shoots. Once I started posting them on Facebook, people started coming to me and asking for shoots. In no way was I trying to do photography as anything more than a hobby, but I feel very blessed that I’ve ended up pursuing it.

Inspired by any specific photographers? Sally Mann sticks out in my mind. Her portraits are more than just people. They’re dark, they’re intense, and they tell stories. Many photographers that inspire me are less known, my age, and I follow on Facebook. Kyle Thompson, Steven Sites, and Shane Black are the ones I find myself looking at the most. And oddly enough, America’s Next Top Model. I don’t watch the show for the drama, but rather to see how professional photographers go about doing more legitimate shoots. I write down their name, and look at their portfolios online later.

Particularly interesting photo shoot? Last year, I did a photo shoot similar to Keith Major’s powdered paint, but instead used liquid paints and it turned out extremely well. I had a male model, with cool tones of blue-green and purple, and a female model with warm tones of red and yellow. The male model submitted his photos to the American Eagles’ Best Shot contest, and placed 5th in the nation. The prize was a gift card to AE, as well as my photograph being shown on their billboard in Times Square.

Other shoots that stick out were with my dancer friends. In my opinion, dancers are the best people to photograph because the compositions they can create by the contortion of their bodies are fantastic. These were featured in Google Plus’ photography contest as ‘best of’ under the category ‘fashion.’ Another dance shoot I did with the female model included some powdered paint, and smoke bombs. These colorful clouds of smoke gave it the interesting look.

Career hopes/plans after college? Ultimately, the goal is to get to NYC and become a photographer for big time clothing lines or Vogue! The only thing you need to succeed in life is an extreme passion for the thing you do, and a little luck. I’m determined to make it happen.

Funny story or shoot gone wrong? During the shoot with the paint and smoke bombs, the model slipped on a rock and took a less than graceful dive into the river. Was she hurt? Yes… Was it hilarious? Absolutely.

More of Lyons’ photography can be viewed at http://tylerlyons.wordpress.com/