chewy crunchy words.

As I migrated all over the rainy south last week, various issues worthy of discussion began swarming in el braino.  And we go:

Thoughts about same-side-booth-sitters (SSBSers):

Here's the thing:  I consider myself a very romantic person.  I go bonkers over love stories. Love songs make my arms tingle.  I am highly affectionate.  And yet, and yet.  When it comes to sitting on the same side of a table and/or booth as the handsome guy I'm all gushy over (when it's just the two of us) ... meh.  I don't really see the point. Obviously you want to sit beside someone if there are lots of people.  But what about when it's just a regular date?  When there's no TV you're watching?  When there's really no reason to sit on the same side?  How is that convenient?

Example: I took my Dad to one of my favorite restaurants this weekend, a burger place in Knoxville called Litton's that is a pinnacle of deliciousity. While there, I noticed an adorable (high school) couple at the table behind us.  It was just the two of them.  He pulled out her chair for her (aw :) then moved to sit down across from her.  She said, "No, sit by me." SSBSers. Sometimes that situation becomes too much.  Sometimes I see SSBSers feed each other.  I've never understood why feeding another person is sometimes perceived as romantic.  Just in general same-side-booth-sitting lends itself to problems.  Isn't it a little bit harder to talk when you're sitting side by side?  I guess the perk is that, if you're a messy eater, nobody is going to see ketchup squeeze out of the bun and onto your shirt.  I wanted to put a poll here but I don't know how to make it show up, so you tell me:

In your opinion SSBSers are ... 

A.) adorable and romantic.  "Sit by me sweetie, and I will feed you all the fries on my heart shaped plate."

B.) annoying.  "Back off, Bucko.  I'm trying to eat my burger."

Thoughts about magazines and music:

The new issue of Rolling Stone has a picture of ... (I don't know his name.  Looking ... looking ... looking ... found it!) ... Lil Wayne on the cover.  It would appear that he has tattoos on his eyelids.  ON HIS EYELIDS.  I think tattoos are cool; gorgeous even. But on your eyelids?!  In the book Pretties (or was it Specials?), Tally got a funky tattoo around her eye that spun and swirled.  That was cool.  In one of the Indiana Jones movies, I remember a girl writing "love you" on her eyelids and then batting her lashes at Professor Jones.  That was funny.  In real life, I cannot fathom the pain tattooed eyelids would entail.  Also, I cannot fathom the point of having a tattoo in that location but perhaps I'm just not seeing the big picture. 

That's not what I was going to rant about.  I just get carried away sometimes. 

RS mentions the new Decemberists album, The Hazards of Love, which my brother has been raving about.  RS calls Love a rock opera and Chase says that is accurate.  I really like it when musicians make a story of a whole album.  I listened to a few songs yesterday and they were lovely.  (A note: any cool music I hear is usually because my brother told me to listen to it.  The rest of the time, I google the song I heard playing on Smallville).  In RS, Colin Meloy lists some of the art that has inspired his music over the years (I love it when artists write about the art that inspires them!).  Most are folk CDs (Anne Briggs, Belle and Sebastian, etc.), but he also lists Under the Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas.  Meloy says this: 

"If there is something nonmusical that has influenced me, it's this.  It was a radio play - a play for voices, Thomas called it.  It's part prose, part poetry, telling about a day in the life of a Welsh fishing village.  The musicality of the language is gorgeous - if you read it aloud, you can chew the words." (p.26, April issue)

I like that :)  Well done, Colin!  The last song on your new CD is my favorite.

On things that make me nervous (and booky information :):

I'm doing a couple of interviews for Paperdoll this week plus a few little radio blurbs.  This means  you'll have an opportunity to pipe my twang through your very own speakers in a matter of weeks.   Confetti, etc.  

On a more serious note, this venture is giving me heartburn. :)

Both interviewers are kind, intelligent, sweet people with great ministries. They both liked the book (yay :). I'm floored (and more than a little surprised) they wanted to talk about it on their podcasts.  But, if I have to be honest (and I do because honesty is valued here in the swamp) ... I'm all kinds of jittery nervous.  I'm better at writing than I am when it comes to talking about what I write.* I tend to trip over words a great deal or say something I think is funny that isn't really funny at all.  I'm anticipating many flubs.  Still, I figure everybody gets nervous about something, si? And it's good to occasionally get over yourself and do something you're afraid of.  I'm happy with what the book became and the message made a big impression on me.  It will be fun to have some conversation about it (not scary - FUN - this is what I keep telling myself).  And if I say something stupid, like if I say "fart" instead of "part"** or whatever, we can all laugh about it and still be friends.  

Also in the way of booky news:  even though the release date isn't technically until May, Paperdoll is already in stock over on Amazon (click the book in the side to get there if you're procrastinating).  Wah!  It will be in stock over on CBD.com pretty soon too (and it's cheaper over there :)  And get a load of this: 

*electronic drumkit roll*

It's on a shelf!

I went to dinner with my two best friends on Friday night.  Before meeting up with Sarah, Melanie and I ran in a bookstore to see if it was there, and had minor-nervous breakdowns when we found it.  I didn't even have to plant one there for pictorial purposes.  Not that I had considered that, of course.  We did do a bit of modification though.  Paperdoll was pretty and pink and all alone on the shelf so we pushed some books over beside it.  :)  Friends who help you manipulate coolness are keepers.  

About comments:

I hear from various sources that leaving comments on here is sometimes difficult.  Blog is a cranky monster.  My apologies. :)  First of all, you don't have to have a blogger or wordpress or anything like that to comment.  You can click the Name/URL category (and you don't even have to leave a URL) and use that to leave a comment.  Friends with Firefox seem to be able to leave comments easier.  If you use Explorer, you might have to click it twice or click for a preview and then click "post".  Let me know if Blog is still being feisty and I'll get my technology wizards (ie: my awesome friends) to check it out again.  

Happy Monday! :) 

* This is a bit different with fiction.  Why is it harder to talk about something real?

** Actually happened.  Back when I was a youth intern, I was talking about a passage in Corinthians and I said "a fart" instead of "a part".  Lovely.

Love (and eye tattoos),

Natalie