Ten years ago I sold my 87 Pontiac Sunbird for scrap, packed an army duffel, got on a plane, and landed in Los Angeles. The near-year I spent there encompassed some of the most fun I’ve had along with the absolute worst point in my life so far. I do not regret a minute of [...]
Surplus Cats
occasional updates, always elizabeth
growing up
my cartoon friends
When I was little I got into trouble at daycare for lying because I told a fellow classmate that Snoopy had stopped by my apartment to bring me a balloon. The teacher told my mom when she picked me up and mom said, “But Snoopy did bring her a balloon. Elizabeth isn’t making up stories.”
On [...]
Of engineers and princesses
As a child I would’ve been absolutely stoked to go to Legoland. In my head, it’s always been a place filled with so many primary colored bits and pieces that the sky is the limit — where you could build something that exceeded the constraints of your lesser Lego collection at home. Truly epic possibilities!
My [...]
Peace and pancakes with a side of smoke
I quit smoking when I was a teenager. (Started at 11.) Cigarette smoke in my hair and clothes, and then transferred from my clothes to the car, and then into my home stinking up the laundry hamper is –irrationally– much more offensive to me than the second-hand carcinogens. Yes, I know, I’m just being honest. [...]
On teenage rebellion
Sam Ogden inquired on Skepchick last month about whether geek chic was yet another passing trend or if it has some quality that sets it apart and will help it endure. This got me thinking about where I’ve fit into the trend spectrum and how that has changed over time.
I look at trends and subcultures [...]
lost and found
October is passing quickly and so goes my last scramble to move out of the Hobo Alley apartment. I keep finding things that I’m not even sure how I’ve managed to hold onto through years of annual moves. And then, completely unexpected, a bit of the past found me.
The subject line read, “J. K. sent [...]
Fish Stories
When I was four, I was given two goldfish on Valentine’s Day; Stripe and Spot. One morning a few weeks later only Spot, twice his usual size, was in the bowl. When I asked Mom what happened she said, “When two fishes love each other very much they stick together and become one.”
I’ve been thinking [...]
The Grandma Gambit
My gramma had a dachshund for nearly thirty years — at least as far as she was concerned. In reality my grandfather would go to the pound for a new one of similar size when Sally would pass, and pass her off as the previous Sally. He didn’t mean to trick her.
The first time he [...]