A loss in the family

There's one main reason that I haven't blogged lately. But before we go into it, let's go back. Waaaaaaaaaaaay back.

I went to a magnet elementary school (yes, this is going to connect to the title of this blog post somehow). From my experience I can gather that a magnet school, elementary or otherwise, is a public school option, requiring a lottery selection to be able to enroll, and resulting in special classes like 'problem solving'

(where we did exercises like this:

FIG. A (what was handed out)


FIG B. (what I'd hand back)


)
and 'drama' and 'dance' alongside other, more standard classes like 'math' and 'reading' and 'gym'. At my magnet school (which was called Westover, in case you're curious, and had a mascot of a...Crocodile? or something? Alligator?...even though we were all too busy dancing around to play sports seriously/have a team) we focused on individual learning styles (um...mine was 'abstract random'...telling, isn't it?) and let's not forget the 'thinking talents'.

Kate, Josh, anyone else from Westover, if you read this, tell me if I got this right. So, we did these things in elementary school, I think to introduce and then conclude units, called 'thinking talents'. When we were younger (relatively, of course, since 5th grade seems 'old' in elementary school but is still young in the grand scheme of, I don't know, life?!) we'd sit on the colorful carpet and come up with 'many, varied and unusual words to describe the sun' or 'the rain forest' or 'poems' or things like that. The list, at the beginning of the unit, would usually be short, because, I mean, we hadn't learned about it yet! But, by the end of the week or two of rain forest themed learning, when we would revisit 'the thinking talent' list we'd generated, we'd have so much more to say! So, we would sit, in a group, and do it again.

Now, the reason I bring this up is because we're going to do a short thinking talent here. List many, varied and unusual reasons why I haven't been able to blog.

GO!

If you've talked to me recently, you might know of a certain SOMEONE, who has really been bugging me, who I see regularly...not when I'm out for fun or at my apartment...think about it...think about it...

Well, this person, should be at the top of your thinking talent lists because they're the reason I haven't blogged. I just...haven't had TIME! And the time I have had I've needed to just sit and be sloth-like so I can recharge the 'ol batterinos. Life is tough for me. Whine Whine. Wine? Yes, please!

Now, the real subject of this blog, has to do with a recent loss that I...didn't really 'suffer'...but...went through.

You might recall that the day after my 25th birthday party (NICKELODEON THEME - WHAT'S UP?!), I got my ears pierced. I got a third hole in my ear lobe, because, I WAS FEELING SO RECKLESS AND Cr@zY but also because my first and second holes were very close together which made it really hard (tear) for me to wear two sets of earrings at the same time, which, DUH, is the reason you get more than one hole!

Kate took me to Claire's, because even though I had celebrated my 25th birthday the night before, I was turning 16. The lady? girl? woman? (you know I have a hard time with that) was friendly and funny. We chatted as she dotted my ear for the prospective earring hole. I inspected her work in the mirror and agreed to the location of the piercing. I was wiped down with antiseptic (and pudding. too soon?), bam!, bam! and then done.

I was really happy with the piercings. They were in the PERFECT location and I mused about all the possibilities in life. I can do anything I set my mind to! I can be a lawyer! I can adopt kids from one of the Dakotas and raise them like they're my own! I can wear danglies, and studs, and studs, and STUD (I have one cartilage piercing) ALL AT ONCE! AH! EEP! EEK!

But then, I could tell, something was off. The scar tissue never quite went away from the piercing. And my ears were constantly getting funky (not in a good way if you know what I'm sayin'). I continued to clean them long after the 6 week acclamation period...hoping that if there was dirt or some type of infection inside I'd be able to take care of it.

But it didn't work. And so on Monday, I took the piercings out. By Monday night, they were closed up.

(Any move with Randy Quaid has to be good, right?)

So, now, I want to ask you to join me in a moment of silence for my long-lost, but not forgotten, third piercings. They were born with potential and hope. But, they got lost along the way and now we have to say 'goodbye'. I wasn't prepared for this. I don't know if I'll ever completely move on (but then again, what parent does?). But, I had to do what was right. I had to shut the door, close the holes (holes is kind of a gross word, isn't it?), and now I have to sink in my heels to deal with this loss.

I'll pierce again, but it will never be the same. A part of me is lost. Actually...that's not true. I did gain this weird bump on my ears where each of the piercings were...uh...why did I choose to include that and why am I not deleting it now?

BYE!

[insert thoughtful moment of silence here]