Tag: blog

But she knew how to use her imagination…

Happy Rockford Day.

Rockford Day takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month (8/15) and our main area code is 815. Now you know why today is Rockford Day.

The first Rockford Day took place in 2016. Since then, the city’s small businesses and non-profits have offered specials and discounted rates to celebrate the day. For instance, if you go to a local restaurant and if you say, “Happy Rockford Day” you’ll get a 8.15% discount off of your bill. If that doesn’t make you have 8.15 orgasms, I don’t know what will.

***

When I studied foreign languages in high school and college, the teachers and profs encouraged my classmates and me to choose names that reflected the language and culture we were learning. So in Spanish class, I was Constanza. In Greek class, I was Konstantina (Κωνσταντίνα). In Russian class, I was Konstancia (Констанция).

This wasn’t the same as being called “Punky” or “Muffy.” These weren’t nicknames, for crying out loud. These were cultural expressions. We were expected to think of ourselves — and each other — existing in the culture we were studying. There were giggles at first, but by the end of the year, we were addressing each other with serious respect and admiration for each other and the cultures we were studying.

***

Going from “Connie” to Constanza/Konstantina or Konstancia put a peculiar grit in my heart. It made me itch for something else, something beyond Rockford.

Being a foreign version of myself challenged me to think in new ways, not just about myself, but about my classmates, teachers and profs. There are still some classmates and teachers I automatically refer to in their “foreign” names. There’s Alexandros, Boris, Hermana, Mercedes, Rodrigo…to name a few. I may think of them very often, but when I do, I feel happiness for them. I also feel the grit shift a little bit in my heart, and I go back to longing for something beyond Rockford and Rockford Day.

***

A few days ago, I read the book Constancia and Other Stories for Virgins by Carlos Fuentes. I bought the used book from Powell’s Books Chicago simply because my name (a version of it) is in the title. You might consider this is egotistical. It is! But it’s also therapeutic and mind-opening, so if you ever see a book with your name (or a version of it) in the title, grab it!

Fuentes’s “Constancia” is a 61-year-old menopausal Andalusian who likes to take naps. I’m a 54-year-old perimenopausal Rockfordian who likes to take naps! I found myself laughing and sighing as I read her story and before I knew it, I was transported to that “place” that only exists when I think of myself by a foreign name, studying a foreign language. I love it so much.

Here is a short slideshow that explains what I mean:

***

My kids took ballet lessons for several years. They learned some French along the way and, for a short time, studied the language through Rosetta Stone, an online language-learning program. One early morning Angelo, then a very sleepy six- or seven-year-old, came down the stairs one step at a time. Before he reached the bottom, he paused and said, “Bon jour, Maman” in perfect French, then turned around and went back upstairs.

Since then I have never heard him utter a single word of French. Was he sleep-walking? Sleep-talking? It was a delightfully strange and fleeting moment. I saw him in a whole new light and was instantly reminded of that feeling of being in Spanish, Greek and Russian classes. Angelo starts high school this year and I was delighted to see that he signed up to take French.

***

Thanks for reading. I had to write this quickly because this Rockford Day, I’m going to Madison, Wisconsin! -Connie

P.P.S. I also studied Latin. I didn’t have a name but often went by “puella” which means “girl.”

He won’t believe it, not even in heaven

Bloganuary writing prompt
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
View all responses

The morning after the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, I saw my neighbor in his front yard. I was neatening my little library and he was walking toward his car which was parked on the street. It was unusual for his car to be there. He usually parks in his driveway, which has a “Cubs Fan Only” sign in it.

“You must be in a pretty good mood today,” I said to him.

He crossed over to me and said, “I am.” He was smiling and looked joyous.

He shared with me me how he had “watched” the game with his adult daughters over the phone and how stressful and fun it was. He told me how happy they all were when the Cubs won. He was still smiling.

“I picked up a few extra copies of the paper this morning,” he said as he patted the newspaper that was tucked under his arm.

He told me he was on his way to meet his brother at their dad’s gravesite. He unfurled his newspaper. It had CUBS WIN plastered across the front page.

“I’m going to leave this for my dad,” he said. “He won’t believe it, not even in heaven.” And off he went.

I loved that moment, but I don’t watch or play sports or necessarily believe in heaven. But I love it when my friends’ and families’ teams win.

Thanks for reading. -Connie

P.S. I live in Rockford have been commuting weekly to Chicago for several years. It was fun to see the city skyline light up in different ways to support their team during the games.

Push it, leisurely

Bloganuary writing prompt
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?
View all responses

I like figuring out what happens when I push all the buttons.

WordPress has all sorts of buttons I can insert into my blog but not a lot of instruction so I learn by trial and error.

(1) I started inserting the “Subscribe” button. If you enter your email, then my blog post goes directly to your inbox.

(2) A few days ago, I inserted a poll into my post Poll-lease come up with a fresh prompt. I instantly became addicted with the poll results. What can I say? I like engagement! Here’s another one.

(3) Event Countdowns make me not want to participate. They also remind me that my brain naturally remembers stupid dates.

1707112800

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

My Ex-Boyfriend’s Son’s Birthday!

Mind you, this was not a serious boyfriend. It was a fling that lasted a few weeks in the 90s. A blip. A flash in the pan. But every year on the fifth of February, I remember my ex-boyfriend’s son’s birthday. Why?

(4) Here’s a “rate button.” (Located below picture of Barbara.) Please give the expression on my dog’s face a five-star rating.

Barbara

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Edited: The rating button does not work. Here’s a “thumbs” option instead. Click the thumb that best expresses your opinion of the expression on Barbara’s face:

(5) This is a “carousel,” apparently. Click an arrow and it will take you round and round my most recent blog posts. Is this merry-go-round fun or does it make you wanna barf?

(6) Often, playbills will include a timeline of plays that are historical or implement time travel or a combination of the two. I used to love studying these timelines.

THINGS CONNIE REMEMBERS BECAUSE OF TIMELINES IN PLAYBILLS

  • 1937 – Tom Stoppard is born in Czechoslovakia.

  • 2024 – Realizes the only reason she remembers that detail is because she co-wrote the playbill timeline for Arcadia by Tom Stoppard when she was the “assistant to the dramaturg.” Damn. Assistant to the dramaturg? Realizes that’s kind of pathetic. However, the assistant to the dramaturg loved the play so much she was willing to do anything for it.

  • 2019 – Immediately resented having to scan QR codes instead of playbills when going to see live theatre. Wondered, “Am I a Karen?”

  • 2024 – Decided inserting timelines into playbills is a silly but necessary part of producing and marketing certain genres and sub-genres of theatre.

  • 2024 – Still prefers playbills to QR codes but will accept QR codes as a supplement. Does not see herself as anti-environment or a Karen.

  • 2024 – Still considers Tom Stoppard her favorite playwright. Still loves Arcadia.

(7) You can also insert verse or a pull-quote.

From the song “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa

Yo, yo, yo, yo, baby-pop
Yeah, you! Come here, gimme a kiss
Better make it fast or else I’m gonna get pissed
Can’t you hear the music pumping hard? Like I wish you would
Now push it

(8) This is a “featured image.” That means WordPress cannot use one of their photos for your blog. This image of my dog napping while a squirrel scurries by, even though it has nothing to do with today’s blog post, will show up on the WordPress reader and everywhere else. The difference between a “featured image” and a regular image is I cannot insert a caption with the featured image.

(9) I am also experimenting with the “category” button. Today’s the first day I assigned this the “bloganuary” category. I wonder what will happen!

There are dozens of other “buttons” but I am out of leisure time. Thanks for reading and letting me experiment with the buttons! Now it’s time for me to publish and see if any of them work! -Connie

Seven free (or low-cost) things I do every week for fun

Bloganuary writing prompt
List five things you do for fun.
View all responses
Witch-adjacent woman waits for Aldi to open during an ice storm. What fun!

Hike. I love hiking in northern Illinois. It doesn’t matter if I’m alone, with the Rockford Fringe, or with my family — it’s always marvelous. But I love hiking out of town (or state) even more. I frequently daydream about where I get to hike next.

Blog. It’s good writing practice and always takes me on new paths of truth. Blogging is like hiking for the mind.

Mushrooms. Foraging for choice mushrooms brings gladness to my heart every single time. I also love cooking ’em up!

Witchcraft. I started reading about witchcraft several years ago when a friend of mine asked me rather seriously, “Are you a witch?” I was like, “Uhhh, no….” He patiently pointed out that I love nature and the outdoors and gave off a certain vibe and should look into it. I don’t usually like being mansplained, but I trusted him enough to read up on the subject and very quickly understood what he was implying. Witchcraft isn’t as scary as it sounds and it’s really just a new way of paying attention to the environment and each other.

If you’re curious about “witching,” here’s something simple you can do: Pay attention to whatever wild animals you see this week. Notice which one you see the most. That animal is trying to tell you something. Google their spiritual meaning and see if you can make sense of the message. Example: If you see several hawks this week, that can mean you are angry about something and need to work through it.

Fasting. In the spring, I fast for 19 days in solidarity with my Baha’i and Baha’i-adjacent friends. I rarely see these friends anymore so this practice helps keep me in touch with them, at least spiritually. It is fun to think of them and pray for them.

Read Romance Novels. Here’s a link to some NPR-recommended romance novels. NPR also introduced me to Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. I’ll admit I’m a little embarrassed whenever anyone catches me reading a romance novel but the truth is these books can be a lot of fun.

Aldi. I used to detest grocery shopping but a few years ago, I decided to give Aldi a try. My whole world brightened when I discovered this small, approachable store with self-checkout. Now I look forward to shopping. I only wish I thought cooking was fun.

Math. I wrote most of today’s blog when I was in the parking lot at Aldi, waiting for it to open. I don’t usually write on my phone, but I thought I’d give it a try. As such, I wasn’t paying technical attention to what I was writing, lost count and went over the “five item maximum.” I hope you don’t call the #bloganuary police on me!

Thanks for reading. I hope you had fun! -Connie

My first spore print! Another fun thing you can do for free. Place your mushroom “gills down” on a piece of paper and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the spores will have fallen onto the paper and you will be able to properly ID your mushroom AND you’ll have a lovely piece of art!

Quiet! You Have Entered Your Comfort Zone!

Whether I’m writing plays or planning some creative event, I am consistently “out there” (online and in person) risking failure, misunderstanding and rejection. I’ve been living this way so long that said states of failure, misunderstanding and rejection actually *are* my comfort zones; that is if I believed such things existed.

What would a comfort zone even look like? A narrow hallway with non-slip rugs? A room with a soft easy chair and a stack of Better Homes & Gardens? Would there be signage?

I know a “comfort zone” is a metaphor (at least I hope it is), but I honestly can’t think of a single person who lives comfortably or lazily or without risk. Most (if not all) of the people I know are working toward their own personal greater good.

We are all constantly putting ourselves in the line of fire at work, in our relationships, in our faith and with ourselves. Not just artists (holla!) but teachers, nurses, doctors, managers, laborers, first responders, morticians, waiters, waitresses, pizza delivery guys, stylists, lawyers, journalists and on and on.

Who and where are the people living inside their comfort zones?

According to National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), more than 40 million adults have an anxiety disorder and this number doesn’t account for children. “Anxiety disorders,” NAMI says, “are the most common mental health concern.” Comfort Zone, take me away!

I wish I could believe in comfort zones.

I will say I do believe in being “in the zone.” That precious “good vibes only” place when we are each doing our thing. Whether they are teaching, reading, writing, diagnosing, parallel parking, sewing, cleaning, packing, locking up, hugging or whatever, I love to watch my friends and family when they are in their respective zones. Their posture and gaze shift into a peaceful intensity that is so beautiful to behold.

Hey, thank you for reading my blog. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go zone out. -Connie