Poems While You Wait

I turned a corner in the crowded Randolph Street Market yesterday, and almost ran right into “Poems While You Wait”, a group of poets, five yesterday, who routinely makes the Market/Charity Event/Art Festival circuit, or so I was told. Sadly, I had never heard of them before.They directed me to their Tumblr here for more detailed information.

Never mind what they were actually doing. Writing poetry on the spot for a $5.00 donation. The fact that they set up a makeshift writing shop on simple cafe tables, used only vintage manual typewriters, with real typing paper, almost gave me the thrill chills. 

My daughter even responded, “This is so cool!” 

It is! And it was!!!

Of course, my daughter also thought the typewriters were prehistoric. But to me, it felt like a comforting sigh, so nostalgic. I received one right before I left for college, typed all my term papers on it, changed the ribbons, and fixed type bars. It probably would have been wise, at the time, to purchase stock in “White Out”.

So this is the concept of “Poems While You Wait” (taken directly from their Tumblr):

• Step 1

We show up ~ with Royal, Smithy, & Olly.

• Step 2

You show up ~ with your poetry topic ~ & for a suggested donation of $5 commission an original poem from us.

• Step 3

You go away ~ this is the “wait” part of Poems While You Wait.

• Step 4

You return ~ 15-20 minutes later ~ & retrieve the poem we typed out for you.

• Step 5

You go away again ~ this time with an artifact, a souvenir, a gift from us to you & from you to who-knows-who, a memory of an unpretentious human interaction which resulted in … fun, which is just another word for poetry.

• 100% of proceeds go to support the non-profit literary publisher Rose Metal Press

Here’s a picture from yesterday:

The topic on the sheet ahead of mine was “He proposed to me on a horse. He is allergic to horses.” This made me laugh, but what a great poem this will be!!!

Here are a few examples I pulled off their Tumblr page:

Love them!!!

Mine are clever and quirky and will become framed gifts, and I am so excited to give them. Maybe more than anything else.

The best part of this for me???

See Step 5.

Unpretentious human interaction!!!!! A special gift. FUN!!!!!

I am going to stalk them.

My New and Improved Valentine's Day Outlook

Stuffpoint.com

In preparation for writing today, I went back to see what I wrote on Valentine’s Day last year. There were probably only four of you who read it (or my blog in general) back then and understood my thoughts on the “big” day. I do remember being a little grouchy about the whole thing.

I prefer random displays of affection.

Spontaneous anythings on an otherwise nothing day.

Grand gestures? Not necessary.

Plus, I don’t like being told what to do (like celebrating something just because someone say so) but last year my feelings for, arguably, the sweetest day of the year were quickly changed the moment my doorbell chimed in the middle of a purely average day. That memory has been tucked away, with pleasure, since then.

So I woke up this morning, very early I’ll add, to find myself excited for today. It was unexpected because, as I said, this day doesn’t hold any more weight than any other day of the year for me.

I have a confession to make though. I’m also feeling guilty about being excited.

I’ve been asked on a date, a rendezvous for dinner at an Italian restaurant in the city, when we usually stay home and I cook. It’s always exciting to be in the city. It's equally exciting to be on a date.

I bet there will be a heartfelt (more likely inappropriate) card for me with handwritten sentiments inside. I love that.

And I think there will be a gift…

But we don’t “do” gifts for Valentine’s Day.

How do I know this?

I was looking everywhere for the PINK tickets I bought last fall (which I paid $250 each and are not going for $800 a piece) since the concert is quickly approaching. And I looked everywhere. I tore my desk apart. I tore his desk apart. Oops!!!

(I lose things. A lot. This is not a surprise to anyone who knows me or reads my blog. I don’t like it. It stresses me out but it’s me. Part of living with me is knowing and understanding that I spend time almost everyday looking for something (usually important) and it’s gotten worse since I hit my head last summer)

That was yesterday afternoon and I’ve purposely stayed away from the family room, which houses his desk. I’m ignoring it as best as I can because I don’t want to look again to see if it’s gone.

What if it’s like in the movie “Love Actually” where Emma Thompson’s character finds a necklace in her husband’s coat pocket and gets a CD instead for Christmas?

What if that happens to me? 

What if he took it to work for someone else (the silver box from a store he doesn’t usually frequent but has lots of things I love) and at dinner he only pulls out a card?

That’s why I’m feeling guilty. I busted his surprise. It was a mistake. No, REALLY!!!

Obviously, I know it’s for me (it’s gorgeous). It is a wonderful, unexpected gesture that means something to him. He will want me to be surprised and just as excited. He knows I don't/won't expect anything.

I want his eyes and his heart filled with anticipation and excitement as he presents me with the box. I don’t want to burst that bubble or see his disappointment that I found it ahead of time.

I’ll be doing the right thing by not saying anything, right?

wallpapersdb.org (This looks blissful, doesn't it?)

Have a fantastic day. However you choose to spend it.

Monday Listicles: "Oh No You Didn't" Gifts

This is an easy one because receiving physical, material things is not important to me. At ALL. I’m not into gifts and am much happier if I’m giving one to you. Watching someone unwrap a gift I’ve chosen makes me tingle with excitement and anticipation. That’s enough present for me.

Since I am playing along today at Sasha’s place and the theme is “Oh No You Didn’t Gifts”, here is what I came up with in preparation for the “big” day. The following are things that either I wouldn’t like or would be a waste of money because they aren’t important to me.

10 “Oh No You Didn’t Gifts”

1.    The latest/greatest thing in the world of technology. I would give it to you because you like that stuff. I only take hand-me-downs and I’m totally okay with that.

2.    Money. Never give me money for two reasons. I do better not having cash on hand (and I have my coffee shops that will float me a loan). I have memorized pin and credit card numbers, expiration date, security code etc. for every piece of plastic we have. And I have a love/hate relationship with money anyway.

3.    Another frying pan. So I got one once, didn’t ask for it though I believe I accepted it graciously, but it’s a cast iron beauty and I use it all the time. Actually, no kitchen items at all as gifts.

4.    Expensive jewelry. I don’t wear it. It usually sits on my messy bathroom counter when it should be safely tucked away in my jewelry box (and then you get upset thinking I’m going to lose it (which I could) or that I’m not wearing it (which I should)).

5.    Books. Well, you could try but you really don’t know what I’m reading. I suppose I could give you my password to Amazon and you could lovingly empty my shopping cart. Now that would be great because it’s full!

6.    A Cat. Just because…and you wouldn’t anyway.

7.    Chocolate/Candy/Cupcakes. Giving up sweets for Lent is always a tremendous challenge. I couldn’t eat them if you were so inspired to gift them.

8.    Dinner Out at the Fanciest Restaurant in Chicago. I wouldn’t appreciate it enough because of the cost. And that’s not to say I don’t like FABULOUS food because I do. Just not worth it to me.

9.    Carnations. Now I’m just getting picky at the end of this list because I’m running out of ideas of gift no-no’s. I don’t care for Carnations but I DO love flowers though not on Valentines Day. I love getting them on random days (except last year those roses were the BIGGEST surprise I’ve received in a long, long time but it won’t work this year because now I’m probably expecting them).

10.      Card Without a Handwritten Note.

If you must get me something, a massage, lingerie, perfume, pretty (costume) earrings, an orchid would all do the trick.

To: Mom, From: Santa, Re: Your Present

Do you ever think about going "off the grid"?

I do, once a day at least;

Traveling to a place no one will find me.

A remote place where there’s no accessing Facebook or Twitter or email or even phone calls, maybe.

It’s like I want to exist but not, both at the same time, 

Sometimes wanting to disappear. 

So I planned in advance to do just that

And taking not just me

Off the grid.

**************************

Every year since my kids were babies, I'd wrap a present,

            To: Mom

            From: Santa

Something that hadn’t quite made my Christmas list (purposely maybe). Always using the same special, as if by gloved hand, big bubble print in red and green marker and the same secret Santa paper. 

As our kids passed out Santa’s gifts on Christmas morning, they’d say with excitement, “Mom! He didn’t forget you or Dad!” Because, of course, Mom always included one under the tree for Dad, too.  

My college kids don’t believe in Santa anymore, obviously, although they believed until they were quite old. There are always presents under the tree from him still. They enjoy pretending.

And with Christmas working a bit differently this time, some gifts will be opened early in anticipation of our first trip together, just us four, in more than that many years. And while everyone else receives new swimsuits and books from Santa on Friday evening, I envision a wrapped note like this, for me:

            To: Mom

            From: Santa

            Re: Your Present

“For your trip to a far away island off the coast of a third world Central American country, I, Santa, am granting your wish. There shall be: 

 NO

Cellphones,

Computers,

“i”Anythings,

Only books and playing cards and conversations.

NO 

Texting boys/girls, 

Facebooking, Tweeting,

Or

Instagraming Mom in swimsuits.

Your family's complete and undistracted “presence”

Is your present.

They're all you need.”

It's only a wish, my wish, but I'll anticipate and embrace life "off the grid" if even only for moments.

*********************

This week's Trifecta prompt is the third definition of anticipation: 3. a : visualization of a future event or state

b : an object or form that anticipates a later type

I Should Change My Mind?

Took the time just now to peruse the Chicago Tribune which is a luxury today. While turning the pages, my eyes gravitated to an ad with a beautiful diamond filigree necklace. It is just my taste in jewelry... elegant, understated, etc. The best, and most clever I might add, caption was stated simply below the lovely piece. It said, "Give The Gift That Keeps On Giving You Golf Trips".

This is one fantastic advertisement. The creative team who came up with this is spot on for placement and target market. This ad will pop up on desks, in dressers or just plain on the counter top of many suburban Chicago homes this evening.

Here is my dilemma. My husband loves, loves, loves golf trips but should I change my Christmas list which only included leather gloves, a robe, wine glasses and a teapot? What is the "cost" to me in a new Christmas list featuring this gorgeous thing?  Hmmmm, I need to weigh this out because I might be able to swing it. What should I do?