megolomaniac » Words to Live By

An Irish Woman

mego — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:47:57 +0000

One of my mom’s most adorable habits is the saving and mailing of clippings. Anytime she finds an article, a comic, a quote or a photo that makes her think of someone, she cuts it out and sends it to them. Usually she’ll write a little note on the clipping, like “Isn’t this great? Love you!” or “FYenjoyment.” Sometimes when she sends serious or heavy material, she seems to worry that she’s overstepping her bounds, so her notes will say “Take what you like and leave the rest.” or “A little hokey, but I liked the part about personal responsibility.” Sometimes these clippings make it onto my fridge or into a box of keepsakes under my bed, but even if they go into the recycling bin, they still make my day.

When I was cleaning today, I found a magazine my mom sent me months ago. I flipped through it and a couple clippings fell out. They must be at least 8 months old, because one of them was this obituary, cut out of the Missoula newspaper. My mom’s scribbled message at the top says, “This is the best obit I ever read! Too bad I didn’t know her.”

In case you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, here are some of my favorite parts:

“In an obituary, you generally give the timeline of a person’s life through a list of dates and geographic locations where they spent time. Grandma Fran represents the end of an era. She represents the end of a long cultural and family journey which begins in Ireland and ends in America and this type of ending must be marked with a large sound so that the descendants have the great comfort to remember who they are and where they came from and the ties that bind them. This type of death cannot be summed up in linear dates; it must be understood in the abstract chaos of the Irish.”

“She loved humor, blood relatives, canned food, the Democratic Party, and the sense that you’d better enjoy the moment due to the inevitability of bad luck showing its face. She detested the royal family, corporate greed and Republican dogma.”

“Grandma Fran had in her long life moments of great strength. She gathered the strength to leave her husband to protect her children during a period of time when women could not leave or support themselves.”

“Grandma Fran had in her long life moments of great blessing… Of all the blessings that she experienced in her long life, none were as important to her as her family.”

What an incredible woman. I agree, mom – too bad we didn’t know her.

Quotable

mego — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:45:54 +0000

“It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”
- Samuel Johnson

Quotable

mego — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:47:00 +0000

Today’s quote comes from a really cute birthday card I got today in the mail from my friend Abby. (I know, I opened it a day early, but it’s so exciting to get something fun in the mail!)

“We don’t stop playing
Because we grow old;
We grow old because
We stop playing.”

- George Bernard Shaw

Quotable

mego — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:04:31 +0000

“I know at last what I want to be when I grow up. When I grow up I want to be a little boy.”
- Robert Slocum, in Something Happened, by Joseph Heller.

When I grow up, I want to be a little kid. My dad sent me this quote. Apparently he understands.

Quotable

mego — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:04:32 +0000

“There are two kinds of truths. It’s true that electrons have a negative charge. It’s also true that Harry Potter’s middle name is James.”

- My friend Zach

Hummingbirds

mego — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:28:17 +0000

I’ve always liked hummingbirds. At one point I thought if I ever got a tattoo, it would be of a hummingbird (although I soon realized that it would probably look like it was pointing at something… and depending on where you got the tattoo, that could be awkward).

Anyway, a friend gave me a card from the company Papyrus not too long ago, whose symbol is a hummingbird. I really liked the explanation on the back of the card, and I was reminded today when I saw it on my fridge how happy it makes me.

“Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. Hummingbirds open our eyes to the wonder of the world and inspire us to open our hearts to loved ones and friends. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.”

Happy Friday, everyone!

Quotable

mego — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:49:25 +0000

“No one succeeds at failure better than FOX.”

- Seth MacFarlane, in Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show

To Powell’s with Love

mego — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:51:35 +0000

“The idea… The fact that there is a place like this that people are keeping alive… is a sign that there is good in the world.”

- Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of The Shadow of the Wind, talking about Powell’s Books.

Proof that people are funnier than I give them credit for

mego — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:39:57 +0000

Highest-Rated Ruminations

Some of these are really just… Too good.

Quotable

mego — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:50:52 +0000

“Maybe one day my dad will ask me a question about my 401(k) or Roth IRA and I’ll say something other than, “Yes, eleventeen. Negative three. Colorado.”
- Sarah Brown, The Best Man