Should I Be Concerned?

Malia’s language arts class was given a writing prompt this morning. The prompt was “What is the most dangerous game in life?” This is what Malia came up with:

The most dangerous game in life? Russian Roulette. Why? You get shot. Why is that bad?Bullets can kill you. Or just leave you seriously maimed. And depending on who shot you it could turn into an emotional game as well, as long as you live long enough to make it such. In more depth, Russian Roulette is a game that gets played with a revolver. You put a single round into the gun, and spin the thing. Then you put the gun to your head and hope your brains don't get splattered. Or maybe someone else points the gun at you. Who knows. That would depend on the situation and whether or not you accidentally got yourself involved with some Italian Mafia Boss. Or maybe a gang that you owe money, but aren't exactly patient. Or hey, maybe it's a fun family evening activity. (I'm kidding, no one in their right mind would play Russian Roulette with their family. Just their enemies.) Its like a more intense version of the pie splat game, but you go splat instead, ya know? I also don't think it's quite as legal as the pie splat game. I wouldn't know, maybe you could find out for me? Yes, you, my dear reader. Or, actually, don't do that. That would end badly for everyone. Dangerous doesn't always mean fun. DON'T PLAY RUSSIAN ROULETTE:)

Malia says she is not a good writer. She claims that she isn’t good at adding details to her writing projects, and there is no love for her in writing fiction, persuasive essays, poetry, or pretty much anything else her teachers have asked of her. But maybe she just hasn’t been asked to write the appropriate things yet. Because I’m thinking humorous essays or maybe even satire just might be right up her alley. She certainly did seem to enjoy today’s assignment as she shared it with us over dinner. And I’ll admit it. I laughed. Out loud. 

Hopefully her teacher doesn’t see this expression of a bit of dark humor as a warning sign and send a referral to Malia’s counselor… 😜

Thoughts On Blogging

In the three and a half months I have been blogging, I have realized that I really enjoy it for several reasons. First of all, I have always enjoyed writing. I have never been a great writer of fiction, but I found I have a unique way of looking at life and am able to express that on paper (or computer screen). In high school and college I wrote all the time, and although none of it was great literature, I did have several things published in my high school's literary magazine. But most of it was simply a way of expressing my feelings and dealing with my life. In fact, I went through reams of paper trying to work through the angst that is the life of a teenage girl. But as I got older and gained a better perspective on life, I continued to write. In college I discovered a great joy when the words came together in just the right way. And there was something about making people laugh that was altogether euphoric. In the process, I learned to laugh at myself and was much happier for it. However, once I graduated from college and my structured opportunities to write disappeared, I gradually stopped. And lost that bit of happiness and self revelation in the process. So for all of you who encouraged me to blog, thank you for helping me find my way back to a skill that helps me make sense of the insanity that is my life.

All the way through school, college included, I was lucky enough to have really amazing girlfriends. There were different ones at different times of my life, but I always had a good group of pals surrounding me. These were the friends that were always there. We spent all our time together, knew everybody's deepest, darkest secrets and knew that no matter what happened, they would always be there. Although I have kept in contact with many of these dear friends over the years, once I graduated from college I lost the benefit of daily contact with the last of these comrades. Which leads me to the second reason I have learned to love blogging. I'm not the most outgoing person and it takes me a long time to make friends. As a busy stay at home mom, pretty much the only time I was seeing any other females my own age was on Sunday. And there just isn't time to get to know people in between "Do As I'm Doing" and "Shhh! That's not being reverent!" So in addition to participating in some wonderful weekday activities (I love book club!), participating in the wide world that is blogging has given me a chance to connect with other moms every day. I've gotten to know some of you fine ladies much quicker because I've been able to read about your daily joys and frustrations, many of which mirror my own. I've missed the camaraderie of a good group of girlfriends and I feel that I'm gaining that back, just with a twist of technology.

So there you have it. My top two reasons for my love of blogging. And just so you know, I just asked my one year old if I could sniff his bum. That is truly a question that would only be uttered by the tongue of a mother.