the happy haunted turtle

A Plea from a Fan (whose nickname is Viv (that’s me!)

adrienne — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:55:23 +0000

My Dear Red Sox,
It has come to my attention that, in two days, your season may be over. My dear team, that is socially unacceptable, as well you know. To go home so early speaks of a “conceited independence” (cheers, Ms. Austen) which is not altogether seemly. Do reconsider this, for the sake of your family, your position in society, and your fans.
Fondly,
Viv

A quick and dirty catch-up

adrienne — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:25:03 +0000

Yes, it’s been over a year since my last post, and lots of things have happened. A random sampling includes – a two-week seminar in London, a semester serving as President of the Library and Information Science Student Association, as well continuing to be Co-chair of Simmons International Relations student organization, graduating from Simmons, a crash course in teaching ESL, and now – the process of finding full-time employment. That’s a full-time job in and of itself.

I have written a lot of haiku poems over the past year, and have managed to read a few books for pleasure as well. Here are a couple of poems:

Each night, the sky burns.
Angry flames sweep the ocean
and touching it, drown.

Nothing but the rain.
Turbulent oceans of sound
cradled in chaos.

I’ll leave this for now, but as I go forward – there will be bits of library-ness, book reviews, and one or two more haiku from the slowly growing stash.

Behind on my Adventures

adrienne — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:16:02 +0000

but having fun, and will try to record later. In the meantime, I am behind on my daily haiku, but I have certainly been writing more. Here’s some recent stuff:

Sparkling in the light
of a million diamond stars,
oceans kiss the shore.

Sunlight drifting in,
smoothing away the cobwebs,
stirring consciousness.

Far away from Zen,
thousands of tiny needles
form traitorous tears.

Anticipation.
The moment comes to “Play ball!”
Hearts and Hopes break. Fast.

I’m still a weekly adventure behind, but

adrienne — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:52:01 +0000

here’s the 12th – a sweet little one. My birthday was this past Tuesday (don’t suppose turning 38 for the first time counts?), and I decided to celebrate the whole week. Some of my Northie friends threw me a birthday party, and I love them all for it! Wednesday, I met up with my cousin Josh at The Pru and went to The Cheesecake Factory. That’s the adventure – my first time there. I cannot complain if the majority of my adventures this year turn out to be eating at new places; in fact, that would be quite brilliant! I doubt it, but you never know!

Some New Haiku…

adrienne — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:03:28 +0000

If I ever write a book of poetry – I think I shall call it “Stash Haiku.”

The inertia hits
A wave that pulls you under
Soft and unyielding.
—————————————-

To Patsy Ann – a canine ship greeter in Juneau
who, though deaf, always knew when a ship was coming in. A statue
of her now sits on the dock to forever greet the ships:

Immortalized soul
Whose strange, gentle gift brought joy
to all travelers.
——————————————–

Thoughts flow unbidden
Blinding, enshrouding, until
All warmth surrenders.
———————————————

Two-parter on – What it’s like to think you might be about to have a seizure:

Throat tightens, hand grips.
Threat of the simple partial
Slaps me in the face.

Panic stops my heart.
Cannot have anyone see,
Cannot be alone.

The 8th and 10th are linked, with a shot of 9th in between

adrienne — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:01:37 +0000

My 8th adventure this year was to get one of my haiku poems accepted into the Simmons literary magazine, Sidelines. It was my second acceptance, though I had two last year (I must be slipping!). It’s a nice feeling, though.

My 10th was to join the Facebook group Haiku A Day. I hope to test my creativity – give it more of a push than I have recently. I reserve the right, however, to fall back on my older stash, and I firmly believe that haiku poems can be in two parts, like chapters. Themed haiku.

And the 9th – Going to Boston Beerworks for the first time on 12 March. I decided it was no longer fair that I wasn’t supposed to drink at all (thanks to issues from a brain tumor I didn’t ask for), and so after nearly 12 years of nothing more than a couple of sips of alcohol, I drank two beers and a little vodka (over the course of the entire evening). I’m not going to go crazy, of course, because that would be stupid, but I’m not always going to say no. A defiant adventure, it was, I suppose. Although the Beerworks is nice, and it was a fun evening with friends.

11th – First time at a JPLicks for ice cream. Newbury Street. 19 March. Kahlua – try it. Be sure to get a cup – it’s very drippy.

The 7th…

adrienne — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:40:39 +0000

Posting a review on Barnes and Noble! It’s on Atwood’s The Year of the Flood, which is also just a couple of posts down. They’re always asking for reviews of products, and I this time I thought – why not? Last semester’s class in book publishing rekindled an excitement for books that, ironically enough, library school had nearly stamped out of me. The small mountain of free uncorrected proofs and advance reader copies that I lugged back from ALA Midwinter, sitting in two corners, quietly tempting me to read, makes me long to give up this librarian notion and become a reviewer.

So, my seventh adventure was to put my thoughts out there on the bookseller’s website for anyone to read, and
I intend to do more. Such fun! My name for reviews is pixie-girl.

Adventure the Sixth and possibly the best of all of the year…

adrienne — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:41:23 +0000

Yes, it’s early days in 2010, I know that. But this will likely overshadow many an adventure with its utter fantasticness!!! On Monday the 15th my friend Kim and I went to the Museum of Science, passed through the barrier and landed at Hogwarts. The train was there, but it took no time time get to the school and get sorted.

From then on it was a self-directed tour of actual props and costumes used in the movies, and it was wonderful…I just can’t get over it. All I could do was drink it in. Hermione’s Yule Ball gown was there, and I would have loved to have tried it on. Ron’s and Harry’s beds with the curtains, wands, portraits, the Marauder’s Map – it was all there. I threw a Quaffle through a hoop, pulled up a Mandrake, and sat in Hagrid’s huge chair. Buckbeak, two centaurs, Dobby, Kreacher, and a Dementor were present as well.

I don’t know what else to say. It was brilliant.

The Year of the Flood ~ Margaret Atwood

adrienne — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:46:56 +0000

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this cover is literally covered with elements from the novel, and begs to be picked up and read. I loved it. This novel, set at some point in the future, is clearly a companion piece to Oryx and Crake, but if you haven’t read it, it’s not a problem. It’s got some of the same funny names for animals genetically spliced together (like rakunks), high-end spas called AnooYoo, and pleebs with their pleebrats. These terms can get slightly irritating at first, but just read through it and the words will become second nature and practically normal in Atwood’s dystopian creation. The Year of the Flood also has a religious sect called God’s Gardeners, a group of people who are preparing themselves for a Second Flood, the Waterless Flood. As the book opens, the Flood has occurred, and two women, Ren and Toby, have managed to survive in different places. The story unfolds through their eyes, mostly spent in remembering the years leading up to the Flood and how their two lives have intertwined as they each prepare to face living in a world where there are no more people. And if there are, what will life be like from now on?

Atwood doesn’t pull any punches in telling us that we are destroying the earth rather than being stewards of the land, and that a heavy price will be paid for our consumerism. The God’s Gardeners’ leader, Adam One, gives lessons on different saints’ days (St. Rachel Carson, St. Dian Fossey, to mention a few), praising their efforts to live harmoniously with the land and the animals. The first Flood wiped out most of humanity, and the second will do the same. It’s a book about relationships, too, and sometimes you get slapped in the face when something that touches your own life comes up. It can often make you tear up in spite of yourself. And then, I will find myself laughing at sentences about death and maggots, and wondering about myself. But that’s how Margaret Atwood works much of the time, in my opinion. You get lost in her words, and then your life is suddenly engaged with the story. Great read:)

Testing a Haiku or Two…

adrienne — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:11:23 +0000

Surrounded by fear,
One beating heart is stilled by
A forest of ghosts.

Rising from nowhere,
The fog blinds and terrifies,
And is gone once more.