Archives for February 2010

The Ol’ Apartment

02/25/2010 by Barbara

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My apartment in Athens. Ahhhh, memories!

For seven years I lived in the same apartment, in the town I fell in love with while getting a college education. I loved Athens so much, I stuck around and got my master’s there. Through about half a dozen jobs, most of which I loved, I paid my rent for the ol’ place on Sycamore Drive. And now, over five years later, I have these random dreams, all taking place at that apartment. Many times, I’m trying to move out of the apartment, and find nooks and corners of accumulated “stuff” holding me back (okay, the meaning there is pretty clear). Other times, I’m just …..there. Yet even in the dream, my mind knows I’ve already moved out, and -like a running narration- I’ll remark on how to use something seen in the apartment in some aspect of my real, non-dream life.

   During high school, my undergrad days, and even after my graduate work was completed, I would have dreams about being on the diving board again. I figured out years and years ago that those dreams were about control. Typically, I was trying to gain control of something in my life, and it would be mirrored by how much control I had on the diving board, and by what I was able to execute from the air. Those dreams were pretty clear. I loved those dreams. I always awoke from those dreams freshly, warmly nostalgic, longing for the days at Vermack Swim Club, where I would spend carefree hours upon hours, just soaring off the board. Never mind that I was never that good — diving was simply a passion I enjoyed. Dearly.

   Yet, as I grew older and moved away, I hadn’t access to a diving board. Thus, my subconscious indulged me now and then with its own version of The Board.

   Fittingly, the last time I vividly recall having a great diving dream, was when I really felt like things were coming together, and I had absolute control over my life. If memory serves, I had finished my masters, had just put a wedding behind me (oh blissful newlywed days*), felt confident in the beginnings of my second year of teaching, and Tim and I had just closed on the home of our dreams. Thus, I felt in complete control of my life, and I nailed every dive in that dream!

   It seems, however, these dreams about control and diving have been replaced with dreams of my ol’ apartment and …..? I’m still struggling to determine precisely WHAT these dreams are truly about. What I do know is that -pardon the expression- if those walls could talk, they would bring back all kinds of memories, with about half a dozen roommates! All of whom, with one exception, I have nothing but fond memories.

   And so, it makes sense that a place where I spent a significant chunk of the beginnings of adult life will frequently be the setting of my dreams. It just nags at me that I cannot determine the meaning behind these dreams. I’ll keep turning ideas and hypotheses over and over in my head.

   Until then, well, I’ll just keep dreaming.
______________________________________________________________
* – for the record, Tim and I are still blissfully living our lives, almost four years later.

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
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Filed Under: Uncategorized

“I’m sorry, but…”

02/19/2010 by Barbara

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“I’m sorry.”

Why are those two words so very difficult to say? Even more so, why must they be followed by some excuse or rationale for the behavior in question?!??!?

   It’s something we’ve all done. We did something wrong, and apologized. Yet within the very same breath, we try to explain our actions, to make sure that we really weren’t the awful person we were made out to be. We’ve also all been on the receiving end of an “I’m sorry, but…” apology. They sound anything but sincere.

   If I can teach my very special 4th graders to correctly make and accept apologies, anyone can do it. They went like this: “I’m sorry [insert name here] for [insert behavior worthy of an apology].”, while apologizer extends hand. The apologizee shakes his/her hand and says “I accept your apology.”

   And they move on. Just like that.

     When you make an apology, just humble yourself. By trying to explain your actions, or -even worse- trying to justify them, you defeat the purpose of the apology. Obviously, you have wronged someone, in a big way or a small way, and those two words can go a long way. When adding a “but….” to that apology, it strongly negates those two words.

   So, take a big ol’ swallow of humble pie, and just say “I’m sorry.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Enjoy the Silence

02/04/2010 by Barbara

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A fellow Facebook friend sent this selection to a mutual FB friend:

“Silence frees us from the need to control others … A frantic stream of words flows from us in an attempt to straighten others out. We want so desperately for them to agree with us, to see things our way. We evaluate people, judge people, condemn people. We devour people with our words. Silence is one of the deepest Disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on that.” –Richard Foster, from his book Freedom of Simplicity

I am reminded of my stance when dealing with people who simply insist on being right. Many times in my life, I have encountered these people who are so convinced that they are right, and no matter how sound and reasonable my arguement(s) are, they simply cannot see beyond their own opinions. Therefore, I give them my silence. I have practiced this many times, even amongst loved ones, not out of agreement with what they are saying, but out of sheer logic. Afterall, what is that old saying, and I paraphrase terribly here: “only a fool will argue with a fool?”

In any case, I prefer Murphy’s Law of “never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference.”

So many times in life we are so sure that we are right, that we cannot see any other point of view. We so desperately want others to take ahold of what we’re saying, and envelop these ideas as wholeheartedly as we have. In doing so, sometimes, we lose sight of the bigger picture, or of the fundamental purposes for our beliefs. We end up alienating and un-inspiring those around us. All for the need to control….

Which leads me to a bumper sticker I saw the other day:

“Wag more, bark less.”

Doesn’t that just say it all? If only we could all do more wagging, and less barking…

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The Simpsons Channel

02/01/2010 by Barbara

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Dear Matt Groening and/or Fox Studio executives (whoever has the most power),

I would like to propose something to help The Simpsons live on forever: create an entire T.V. channel especially for them. I’m sure that you’ve had this idea pitched at you before, but just hear ME out. My ideas are better than your run-of-the-mill Simpsons nut.

For starters, the show has been on the air for over 20 years. Just looping through each episode would take up quite a bit of time, right?

You could even have theme days, or WEEKS, for that matter. You could feature slightly obscure characters: Hans Moleman day, Disco Stu day, Comic Book guy day (and I love it that THAT is his name!), Milhouse day, Patti and/or Selma day, and even Lunch Lady Dorris. Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz, and any other character played by Phil Hartman (God rest his witty soul!) could take up at least an entire day. Hell, you could have Homer week! Themes could be based around holidays, traveling (“The Simpsons are going to Delaware!”), episodes with Itchy and Scratchy cartoons, celebrity guest apppearances……

The possibilities are limitless, like the Cosby Mysteries!

Hell, you could even run that God-awful movie with the same name.

You recently had an hour-long special for the show’s 20th anniversary. I’m sure there’s enough other media clips surrounding the show, the cast, and its characters, you could have time set aside for archived news-type clips. …and I’m sure you could even develop themes around that!

This idea grows from my concern over my local T.V. networks taking The Simpsons out of their syndication lineup. I only survive now on the occasional new episodes that air on Sundays. Although I will not go in to much explanation here, I will simply say that these new episodes just aren’t the same. I need seasons 1-15 to survive! Seeing the show in its heyday would mean so much, not just to me, but to loyal fans everywhere! Seriously, I’m going through withdrawals, and my memory is growing fuzzy of even my favorite episodes!

I was in the 4th grade when the show began, just like Bart. I, however, have since gone on to graduate from high school, finish my undergraduate work, and then obtain my masters degree. In fact, I looked in to majoring in The Simpsons while at the University of Georgia, but -similar to the fate of Homer’s beloved Skittlebrau- such a major does not exist. (Don’t worry, I’m writing to them NEXT!) In that time, I have remained a loyal fan to the show: as a child I had a variety of Simpson tees (including “Don’t Have a Cow”, the less-popular “Underachiever and Proud of it” from the Bart collection, and the coveted Homer’s “Doh! Nuts! Donuts” tee shirt); I have acquired all the episode guides (oh! They’re like crack to a loyal fan!); and other figurines and books along the way.

But don’t worry, I’m not one of those nuts with a Simpson-themed house. My husband won’t let me.

Now, I know you all are reading this and thinking, “how can we possibly make money off of having our own channel, especially compared to having our fans BUY the seasons on DVD?” It’s simple: make the channel a premium channel, like Showtime or HBO. YOUR FANS WOULD BUY IT!!!

In conclusion, I propose creating a premium cable channel devoted entirely to The Simpsons. The channel can keep it’s variety by showing episodes in sequential order, by various themes of which their are infinite possibilities, media clips about the show, and -in a desperate pinch- that movie. You have such a loyal fan base (I’ve heard rumors of bigger fans than myself out there?), that we would be willing to pay for such a channel. Don’t let the networks showing The Simpsons in syndication control how your fans get their fix! Take back control over this vast, glorious (money-making) empire.

Thank you for taking the time to explore my idea. As I stated, I’m sure you’ve had this idea pitched to you before, but not by me. Remember, I’m your biggest fan.

Thanks again, and I look forward to my complimentary subscription to The Simpsons: The Channel.

Devotedly yours,
Barbara Burns

P.S. I would also gladly come and work for the Channel. I already have a handful of theme ideas, as seen above. I would gladly sit around and come up with more themes. Just let me know!