Ruth Buchanan's Blog, page 28
February 21, 2014
Books I've Loved and How They've Hurt Me
In much the same way that it's possible to have a love-hate relationship with a person, it's also possible to have a love-hate relationship with a book. The books listed below are books that I have loved for their power but also hated for their ability to slash my heart into oozing little bits.
I am not a person who cries often, but somehow or another, each of these books slipped past my guard. Some made me cry a little and some made me cry a lot. At least one of these books caused me to start...
February 17, 2014
Honest Travel Photos
Let's face it. For as awesome as traveling is, there are moments in every trip during which we wonder if we probably should have just stayed home. Even the most seasoned travelers feel this way on even the most spectacular trips.
These moments rarely come across in post-vacation photos, however.
Oh, no.
To look at someone else's travel photos is to view a sun-drenched, adventure-filled getaway that makes us simply ache with jealousy.
It's good for us to remember, then, that most photo albums are...
These moments rarely come across in post-vacation photos, however.
Oh, no.
To look at someone else's travel photos is to view a sun-drenched, adventure-filled getaway that makes us simply ache with jealousy.
It's good for us to remember, then, that most photo albums are...
February 14, 2014
Please Say Yes (a hypothetical Valentine's Day proposal)
Please Say Yesa hypothetical Valentine's Day proposal
If I could take the evening skiesAnd stuff them deep into my eyesOr suck the sea into my earsOr cry spaghetti as my tears;If I could drink the Serpentine, Then would you be my Valentine?
If I could burp a chest of drawersOr use my toes as row-boat oarsOr climb a ladder with my skinOr grow a giant dorsal fin;If I could make a dead star shine,Then would you be my Valentine?
If I could bake a brilliant moonOr use a comma as a spoonOr suck u...
February 10, 2014
Ten Reasons to Love Joshua Chamberlain
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia CommonsOne night while I was hanging out with my parents, the topic of celebrity crushes came up, and my dad made a quip about how I don't have celebrity crushes: I have historical boyfriends instead. I'm sure you don't think poorly of me for this quirk. In fact, perhaps the supreme benefits of historical boyfriends have already impressed themselves upon you. Historical boyfriends are perfect because not only can you learn absolutely everything about the...
February 7, 2014
How to Watch the Olympics
1. Completely clear your schedule. For the next few weeks, nothing else matters but work, food, sleep, and Olympics.
2. Stretch your jaw muscles well prior to watching the opening ceremonies. Who doesn't remember the shock of seeing the Industrial Revolution rise out of the ground during the London games? Who didn't nearly faint to realize mid-way through the Beijing ceremony that the movable-type blocks were being controlled manually by nearly nine hundred performers in perfect synchronizatio...
February 3, 2014
How to Work from Home
1. The night before, set your alarm for super early so that you will be able to get a jump start on the day.
2. When the alarm goes off, hit snooze.
3. Hit snooze a few more times.
4. Feel guilty about hitting snooze.
5. Hit snooze again.
6. Realize that the sun is up. Panic.
7. Get up, get dressed, shower, eat. Theoretically, you could work un-showered and in your pajamas, but you'll regret it in the long run. Seriously.
8. Peek outside to check the weather. If foul, feel smug that you work from ho...
January 31, 2014
The Rime of the Florida Spider
The world is full of many things,And some of them are grim.When we first moved to Florida,Some warnings were prelim:
Beware the ocean's strong riptides.Beware the fire ants.Beware bad drivers from up NorthWho've moved here as transplants.Beware the alligator's tooth,Beware palmetto bug.Those things will kill you (gospel truth!)More quickly than a drug.
But such a list is incomplete,Without this one last rider:To live here is to grapple withThe great South Florida spider.
Spiders, spiders everywh...
January 27, 2014
Five Reasons to Love Deserts
I love deserts.
I absolutely love them.
If you think it odd that someone could love deserts, then you have probably never been in a desert. Because if you had, then you would understand. Deserts are amazing, and I can't think of a better time than now, while most of North America is buried under snow and ice, to tell you why.
Five Reasons to Love Deserts:
1. If you love the heat but hate to sweat. I have been living in the sub-tropics for more than twenty years. I understand heat. Not only d...
January 20, 2014
How to Say What You Mean
Although I do plan these blog posts in advance, they rarely wind up saying the things that I thought they would say when I first planned them.
This is due in part to my being an extrovert.
One of the interesting aspects of being an extrovert is that we must articulate our thoughts in order to process them rather than the other way around. As I've previously noted, this half-baked verbal processing often makes extroverts sound like idiots, especially to those of you who are actually capabl...
January 13, 2014
Mistakes: The Ties that Bind Us
In the winter of 2010, I was about to turn in for bed one night only to receive a surprise text message from a young male friend whom I don't hear from often. He wished me a good night.... which was normal, I guess...... and then told me that he was "so completely in love" with me.
Which was not.
Not long after that, a client with whom I was collaborating on an new writing project texted me to tell me that he, too, loved me..... and would I please pick up some milk on the way home?
It turn...
