jannygirl: UGA

Showing posts with label UGA. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Athens Banner Herald's readers' choice awards 2008

The awards are now posted on the newspaper's website. For the most part, the winners are predictable and boring. No big surprises there.

I was really sad to see this:

Bookstore
1st place - Barnes & Noble
2nd place - Borders

People! This is terrible! In the town we all love so much and believe is cool, independent, and creative, our favorite bookstores are national chains? (Not that there's much of a choice--that is, until I am able to open my store.)

The end.

Monday, March 24, 2008

another MTM Show celebrity spoken to!

(A note before you begin: I tried and tried to fix the font size in here but can't seem to get the swing of it. Sorry!)

I went to see Cloris Leachman at the UGA Fine Arts Building. She was giving a lecture (more of a question & answer session, really) as a follow-up to her one-woman career retrospective show (that I didn't get to see...). If you have ever met me or seen my walls, you know that I am a ridiculously huge fan of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I first saw Cloris on MTM--she plays the ever-on-the-go, perfectionistic neighbor/landlady who's friends with Mary and always at odds with Rhoda (Valerie Harper, an actress I *almost* saw years ago but who was unable to perform in the play I attended--boo!). She is brilliant. Most recently I've seen her as the loving, half-drunk, serious-when-she's-gotta-be mother of Tea Leoni in Spanglish--but she's done lots of work before Mary, lots of work in between Mary and Spanglish, and is still really active.

Jim & I went to see her today. The theatre wasn't the fancy one I remembered--we must have been in a different studio or something. Harsh overhead fluorescent lights, a smattering of fans and actors-in-training, and a microphone that didn't work. With the heat (or AC?) blasting continuously the entire time, I missed out on about 1/2 of what was said. Despite the frustration that accompanied that, I was thrilled to see her in person. She looks amazing at almost 82 years old--in good shape, able to walk swiftly up and down stairs, and really quick witted and extremely silly.

I wish I'd taken a photo of when she started scooching her chair closer and closer and closer to the host, prompting lots of laughter from the crows. I did get a few good shots, though. Here's one of her in a girlish pose, feet hung over the side of the chair.

When Jim & I went to leave, I had a feeling she was going to call us out. She did. We started walking quietly toward the exit and she said, "Excuse me," to the crowd. Looking towards us, she asked, "Where are you going?!' I told her I was going to work; she asked me what I did. Then she looked at Jim and pointed. "What about you?"

"Oh, I have to go to the doctor," he explained. She, like any woman over 60 (or perhaps any woman of any age?) was charmed by Jim and expressed genuine concern for his back problem. After their quick talk, she snapped back into stage-Cloris and said, "All right. You can go."

I love her.

The end.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

http://findcayle.blogspot.com/

A site has been launched to help consolidate all information related to missing UGA grad student Cayle Bywater. I copied some information from an Athens Banner-Herald article about her disappearance a few days ago and have gotten some comments and messages from friends and people on the search team thanking me. As in all cases when someone is missing, I suppose every little bit counts.

Walking around downtown Athens this weekend, I saw her face on the MISSING posters in several windows of stores, bars, and restaurants. You can hear people here and there talking about her in hushed tones, people who don't know her at all or who have seen her around. People who wonder where she could be, people who hope she has just wandered off for a bit and will soon be discovered. My friend Paul told me that six years ago or so a young woman in Athens just up and vanished and was never heard from again. I don't know what the details of that story are or how sensationalized it is, but it made me go cold inside, just as I went cold when I first read about Cayle, whom I've never even met.

The local and national news channels are going haywire covering what little information they have on the missing Georgia hiker and her dog, but there's been virtually nothing on Cayle. In no way am I trying to minimize the anguish of the missing hiker, who is, according to the news reports I read this evening, now believed to be dead. That is awful. But how is one human being's utter disappearance any more important than another's? It seems we're stepping into elusive territory here. One friend said, "Maybe that's 'cause going missing in the mountains is creepier somehow." I disagree. I think it's far scarier, far more menacing to go missing from your own home.

I'm sure that hundreds of people go missing each year, and the media become obsessed with one or two of them. We can make it our job to make sure they pay attention to both these Georgia women. Perhaps you can write a quick email to your news channel, even if it's just to direct them to http://findcayle.blogspot.com/ They'll find all the news articles and links there.
Below I've created a quick list to get you started. Won't you take a minute to do this? Thanks.

1. Here is an article on the 11Alive website. You can post a comment to ask them to cover the story more prominently. (I just wrote a comment--writing it took one minute!)

2. Here's the Fox 5 Atlanta article. Same ol', same ol'. Here's their contact form--why not ask them to feature it on the news and not just on the webpage?

3. Write The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ask that they make the story a feature. Their contact address is: newstips@ajc.com Be sure to send them the link to the blog with all the news articles! (http://findcayle.blogspot.com/)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

9/3/07 - the most important thing you'll ever read

September 3, 2007 - Monday

(This may not be the most thrilling blog for people who aren't wanting to know a lot about me, but I wanted to have a place to preserve it. And this seemed a suitable venue!)

8:17 PM - the most important thing you’ll ever read
Current mood: bouncy

(Yes, I've finally broken down to do one of these!)

10 years ago...

1.) How old were you?:
17

2.) Where did you go to school?:
I had just begun my senior year at Milton High School in Alpharetta. This wasn't the quarter of two independent studies, I don't think. That was the best. First period doing an "independent study" in lit mag with Mrs. Davis and last period hanging out on the front lawn with Meggan Harris, Andrea Erlich, and Chris Reardon during our respective TAG independent studies. (I was doing women's lit.) That was the best quarter ever.

3) Where did you work?
I had eschewed what I'd considered the dorkiness of babysitting, favoring instead to hit up my bottomlessly-pocketed father so I could hang out at Starbucks with my friends. Truly, though, I had a hectic school and play schedule much of the time. I was a little social butterfly kitty when not doing school or clubs or theatre.

4) Where did you live?:
The perfectly cultivated, beautiful but beastly monstrosity we call Windward. The older part. On the lake in the "weathered New England fishing village" called "The Spinnakers." If you don't know what I mean, I'm sorry. I'll break it down briefly: Mobil (yes, the gas company) owns several huge developments across the country, developments spanning several highway exits that encompass large geographical features around which the subdivisions develop. We had manmade Lake Windward, created in/from/on/around Alpharetta's wetlands. When I moved in in 1993, The Spinnakers was the second or third of 17 subdivisions within Windward. When I left it was one of 32. And counting. The place is HUGE.

5.) Where did you hang out?:
Village Playhouses of Roswell (even if i wasn't doing a play, I'd hang out there a lot), Starbucks on Alpharetta Highway & Mansell Rd. (best/easiest place for me to meet up with Lieeish, Dallas, and Peyton since we didn't all go to the same h.s. or live nearby--plus we had an affection for long, aimless, hilarious conversation and had nowhere else to go), Dallas's house, Kate's house, Kim's, etc.

6.) Did you wear glasses?:
I did once in awhile. I'd just gotten them in summer of '97 for driving. I wore them in that one senior picture where I have the baby blue tank top on and my hair is freshly dyed blond and I have pudgy not-quite-grown-up-face. It's cute but cheesy.

7.) Who was your best friend?:
I had lots, as usual. Kate, Kim, Dallas, Lieeish, Peyton, Apy, Sarah C., Tapey, Proph, and many others I'm neglecting to even mention.

8.) How many tattoos did you have?:
zero

9.) How many piercings did you have?
I think by then I had two in each ear. Maybe three in one, two in the other. Maybe just two and two. Yes, as I recall, it was at least two and two. I'd begged my mom for years for that second hole and she'd said no, not a chance in hell. But suddenly one of her younger sisters up and got the second set o' holes poked and that made it okay!!

10) What car did you drive?
Um, I think by then I was driving hte '96 black Nissan 200SX-SER that I drove on and off until a couple years ago when I sold it to a friend.

11.) Had you been to a real party?
No. I was angelic.

-----------5 years ago-----------

1.) How old were you?:
22.

2.) Where did you go to school?
I had finished my undergrad at NYU in May of that year (2002) and was living in Lake Worth, FL (Palm Beach County) doing Literacy*AmeriCorps.

3.) Where did you work?
Toussaint L'Ouverture High School for Arts & Social Justice. I was a tutor & literacy advocate there for L*AC (see above).

4.) Where did you live?:
Lake Worth, FL

5.) Where did you hang out?
At my apartment (Count de Hoernle Student Village..ew. In the ghettooooo...), at South Shore or Dave's, at the beach, in Delray, or at my parents' two hours north. I didn't really go out much. I was pooped a lot. I did enjoy driving on A1A.

6.) Did you wear glasses?:
Occasionally.

7.) Who was your best friend?:
Um, lots of people far and near.

8.) How many tattoos did you have?:
Zero.

9.) How many piercings did you have?:
Ears (3 in one, 2 in the other), belly (oh why?) and the never-placed tongue piercing (why part II?).

10.) What car did you drive?
Same ol' black 1996 Nissan 200 SX-SER

11.) Had your heart broken?:
yes, you could say that.

12.) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?:
Single Sally, with no local prospects in sight and only an occasional faraway crush to keep me entertained once in awhile.

----------------2 years ago-------------------

1.) How old were you?:
25

2.) Where did you go to school?:
I was beginning my second year of my M.Ed. in gifted & creative education at UGA.

3.) Where did you work?:
I was the editorial assistant at the _Journal for Secondary Gifted Education_ and also a research assistant on a bibliotherapy project. And a babysitter. And a Ropes course facilitator.

4.) Where did you live?
The Purple Pagoda!!

5.where did you hang out?:
The Dub-P, the Manhattan, ERC, Hot Corner, 283, Caledonia, 40 Watt, anywhere with Siobhan or Tamara or Nancy or Bethany or Daniel or Denise or _______* (insert fun favorite Athens friends here...I'm tired of listing.)

6.) Did you wear glasses?:
Yes, frequently.

7.) Who was your best friend?
This feels like a silly question. All the former people combined plus the new Athens folks I'd acquired.

8.) How many tattoos did you have?
Stop asking me this. The answer will always be no.

9.) How many piercings did you have?
Same as at age 22.

10.) What car did you drive?
I think this was the last time period during which I drove the black Nissan deluxe.

11.) Had your heart broken?:
Not since the last time I'd mentioned.

12.) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?:
Single Sally McGee.

--------------------Today--------------------

1.) How old are you?:
27

3.) Where do you work?
Athens Regional Library (storyteller)
Clarke County Dept of Ed (tutor)
Babysitter

4.) Where do you live?
Purple Pagoda (in Addieville!)

5.) Do you wear glasses?:
I wish! Mine are missing a lens. Need new ones but need money first.

6.) Where do you hang out?:
Flicker. Home. Parties if I can take it. Flicker some more. My room some more. Liz's before she up and LEFT ME. With Jim. Downtown. The usual.

7.) Do you talk to your old friends?
Yes, but I've been beating myself up about how infrequent it's become. I guess others could call me more frequently, too, bu t still. I feel bad.

8.) Who is your best friend?:
Don't make me choose just one! I've never liked that, even from a very early age.

9.) How many piercings do you have:
why reverse the order of tattoos & piercings questions now?

10.) How many tattoos?:
zero, fools!

11.) What kind of car do you have?
Perma-borrowing my dad's 2003 Acura 2003 RSX.

12.) Has your heart been broken?
Not since you last checked in on me.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?:
Taken like a bandit in the night.