Top 10 Tuesday

1. Sarah--So, I was tagged in this BuzzFeed article about the experiences and nuances of being named Sarah. I read through the article, nodding and tilting my head in understanding. Why yes, I did--in first grade--learn to ignore my name being called because there was a more popular, adorable Sarah in my class. My mom even seemed to prefer her--Oh, that Sarah sings like an angel! I used to hate my name. Not for the typical, rebellious reasons but because I couldn't pronounce it. Growing up, I had a speech impediment where my r sounded like an l. I was that kid being pulled out of class to attend speech therapy sessions. I sure hope speech therapy has made some strides since I went because all I can remember is numerous games of playing "Sorry"--I mean "Solly"--with another unfortunate kid who couldn't pronounce her s. I don't recall any actual lessons. I may have been asked to repeat very r-y words, but for the most part I was just kicking ass--or ath--at boardgames. But anyway, after reading this article, I read through the comments (all written by Sarahs/Saras/Sarras, etc.). Seeing my name over and over again in the printed form eventually sparked semantic satiation--which is when a repeated word loses its meaning. Repeating my name over and over again in my head led to the word Sarah becoming more and more foreign and therefore more and more sexy and exotic. Then all of a sudden I was lost in a spiral of What? This gorgeous sound is what people have been calling me for 32 years?! That...that's my name?! Do I deserve this sound?! I was in a trance. I was proud of the sound but was eventually brought down from my high by the fact that, yes, Sarah is a very generic name. And there are so many of us. I even fell in love with the way my name looked. Instead of a bunch of letters, it became an image that I enjoyed doodling for the rest of the week. Oh, and here's a fun fact: Sally is short for Sarah. I wouldn't mind people calling me Sally. I wish I knew that when I had a speech impediment. So, feel free to call me Sally.

2. MIT--So, MIT has made its courses public domain. This means that you can go to this website, choose a course that interests you, and download its course materials for your own perusal. What courses interest you? I personally look forward to browsing through "Darwin & Design", "End of Nature", "Evolution & Society", and some classes on global warming, geology, feminism, and the solar system.

3. Mountain Biking--This past summer, I bought myself a mountain bike (Specialized Pitch) because for the past couple of years I wanted to start riding in the mountains. Plus, it's a great low-impact sport that allows for me to go fast in the woods again. Granted I have only made time to mountain bike a handful of times since I've gotten it, I'm in love. I have a lot of learn and a lot of progress to make, but I'll get there if I keep at it. I'm working on climbing and navigating small rock gardens so I'm not really anywhere close to doing anything too technical. I still don't know how to bunny-hop, but there is plenty of time to learn. I wipe out a lot, too, which is how I lost my glasses several weeks ago. My only qualm with riding is that for the most part I do it alone and I'm afraid of wiping out too hard when I'm by myself. If I'm going to learn to do more risky business on my bike, I have to be willing to fail pretty hard by crashing, falling, slipping, etc. And for the most part, I'm riding where my phone doesn't have any service. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. I make sure that I am safe--that I ride on trails, have my phone, wear a helmet, and tell people where I am. So, no worries. This past week, I rode in the game lands since I now have some blaze-orange shirts to wear. I saw nearly 10 deer while riding.

4. Philadelphia Cheesesteak Festival--This event began two years ago and I always wanted to attend it to experience my first cheesesteak sandwich. Brian bought us tickets months ago and we made it happen this past weekend! We went with our friends and tried cheesesteak samples from various vendors. Believe it or not, Pat's and Geno's were not present (I was very disappointed) but I still had some delicious samples. I particularly enjoyed cheesesteak tacos and may need to make some myself. The highlight of the festival, though, was the cheesesteak eating competition. Nine men and one woman competed, a platter of 15 cheesesteaks (for each person!) awaiting consumption. I wasn't too impressed by the competitors--with the exception of the winner who was the epitome of what I imagined a competitive food-eater to be. He downed, I believe 6 (I think?) cheesesteaks in 10 minutes.

5. Ebright Azimuth--Since we were in Philadelphia, we decided to take a quick drive to Delaware to bag its high-point. With an unimpressive elevation of 447.85 feet above sea level, it is located within some flat suburbs of Delaware. Florida's high-point is the only state high-point below Ebright Azimuth's elevation. This is my 15th state high-point; I started bagging them two years ago. This will most likely be my last state high-point this year. Others I bagged this past year were Mt Rogers (Virginia), Mt Frissell (Massachusetts), and Mt Greylock (Connecticut). Next year, I will get Utah, Maine, and hopefully a southern state like North Carolina.

6. Issabella--On Sunday around 1:00, when we were driving home from our adventures in Philly, I mentioned to Brian, Huh, I wonder when my niece is going to pop. She's due any day now. Hours later (while I'm still driving home), I got a call from my mom telling me that Haley had her baby girl, Issabella, around 1:00. So, I am a great-aunt again! I do feel kind of bad that I am not that close to my niece and nephew. I was young when they were born (eight, ten) and we pretty much grew up together. Now they're young adults and I live hours away. I'm hoping to meet Issabella this weekend when I go home to see my family.

7. Feels like Fall--It's finally feeling spooky outside. Let the horrors commence! I'm anticipating reading some good horrors by candle light, watching Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House (but first, reading the book from which it's based; I love Shirley Jackson), and going to see the new Halloween movie with my horror-whore sister, Jeanette. Brian and I finally bought some pumpkins this past weekend. We need to find the time to carve them.

8. Apple Slingshot--While driving back from Delaware, we all stopped at Linvilla Orchards for its festival at Pumpkinland. This is where we bought our pumpkins for the season but it is also where we spent five bucks (well worth it) to slingshot 20 apples into a field. It was a blast as you can tell from my derpy face.

9. This quote--"Remember that you are comma curling into continuity, that you must pause to keep going." -Andy Winter

10. My Friend the Widow--I recently lost someone very special to many people and in the wake of his death, his wife is doing her best to hold everything together. I imagine her walking around in their big home like a ghost herself, her intellectually disabled son being the only anchor that tethers her to groundedness. Yes, she continues her late husband's business and keeps herself occupied with lawyer-talk and the micro-issues of being the landlord to large businesses. But we can all imagine the uncomfortable air of a quiet home where the slippers are in a constant state of waiting for his feet, the cookies in his cookie jar go stale, and his side of the bed will never again feel his weight and warmth. I sat and talked with her a little bit, noting her reclusiveness. She's not ready to go back to the bowling league, all those people. But she knows she should get out; her son is probably getting sick of her. No, she didn't see yesterday evening's sunset. She was in her living room watching TV. Maybe she'll go to the movies, but she's not sure if she'll see "A Star is Born" because she really liked the one with Barbara Streisand. She asks me if I like that Thai restaurant downtown; that she (a woman who loves to cook) has gotten takeout there about four days a week since Dave passed away in their bath tub that early Wednesday morning. She asks how my dad (who was recently diagnosed with cancer) is doing. She asks if I like my parents' new home. He's doing just fine. The doctor called it a 'good cancer', whatever that is. And, yes, I love it.