Confession Tuesday

Dear Reader, it has been one week since I confessed and from my eyes, you would think I have been crying for weeks, but no, just a bad allergy attack, my first confession...


I am highly allergic to grass. Yep, regular grass--rye, wheat--you name it. All types of grass. My allergies last from late April until mid July. They peak around the July 4th. I'm thinking because we've had all these sunny days and 23 days of no rain, they are worse. My eyes are a mess and itch like crazy... even though I'm taking my prescription.


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I get so annoyed when I start to read a book and there's a prologue. Just start already, don't go into background or try to get me set up. I have just started skipping them. If you can't write your prologue info somewhere in your book, don't include it. It's like going to a play and having the playwright come up and give you some information you might need to enjoy the play...no, just start the story, we'll catch up!


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I think I'm crankier because my eyes itch.

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I am wearing my new reading glasses as I type this.

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I am also allergic to cockroaches.

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I finished Bad Mother and recommend it except for chapter 17 which was a bit preachy or self-involved, but I guess that's what a memoir is, self-involved.

The only other thing that became annoying in the book was her constant referral to where she lives, "We're in Berkeley. We're in Berkeley." We get it, everyone is open-minded, non-racist, liberal, well-educated, diverse, gay-friendly, comfortable, happy, democrat, etc. etc. That was the only thing that was getting old. She seemed so honest about everything else, but set Berkeley up as this Utopian society where everyone gets along and while I'm sure there are many open-minded, wonderful people there, I always get a little worried one someone shares only the good stuff and not the bad.

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I went mountain biking yesterday and crashed when a friend sort-of dared me to jump a log. I tend to believe my athletic abilities are just a little better than they actually are.

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I think my allergies are so bad because of all my riding through the dust yesterday and going through trails of scotchbroom, though that is one thing I'm not allergic too--thankfully, because it's everywhere here!

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I had my first ever violin recital on Saturday. I was one of 2 adults and we sort of looked like the musical version of "Elf" around the young kids. I played violin in grade school and high school, but was never any good (read: public school orchestra). I still don't know how I will ever master vibrato, but I will keep trying. After the recital they gave out awards (which I didn't realize they were doing) and I received a Level 2 tassel and I can't tell you how happy that made me.

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I wish I had the extra money to buy a piano.



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Comments

  1. A piano is on my life list of things to own someday.

    Sorry about your allergies. The weather is just the opposite on the East Coast: 23 days of rain, or something like that.

    I've never heard of anyone allergic to cockroaches. Do you break out in hives and sneeze? Just curious.

    And I agree 100 percent about prologue.

    Feel better, and thanks for confessing.

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  2. The cockroach allergy is weird because there are no cockroaches where I live. They think at one time when I was traveling, I came into contact with them in Spain or Mexico and developed a reaction to them.

    It was one of the things I was tested for when they were trying to find out my allergies.

    Because I've never been around cockroaches, I don't know what my body would do...but when they gave me the pin-prick test some years ago, my skin reacted by swelling up red.

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  3. Just seem to me like it should be a given that everyone should be allergic to cockroaches; they are such nasty little creatures. Hell, I think even cockroaches should be allergic to other roaches. [shuttering as I type]

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  4. I love this post, Kelli, from the grass allergies (I get them so bad I look like I have the dreaded PINK EYE...EWWW!) to the prologue, to the Berkeley, but most of all I want to congratulate you on your recital and I caught myself thinking I wish I could be your teacher because it's what I do and I'm good at it and I could show you a trick for your vibrato, but I will tell you what I tell my students, which is whenever you have free time, if you're watching tv or a movie or even reading, which is to hold a pencil in your right hand and practice rolling the fingers of your left hand on the pencil. Just roll them back and forth. Vibrato is hard to learn but like any other kind of musical instrument, particularly a stringed instrument, it's all muscle memory, tissue memory.

    Rebecca

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  5. I've heard of roaches aggravating people's asthma (family members with asthma have reported that they've experienced this). Makes sense that you could be allergic.

    There's something just transcendent about playing a violin, isn't there?

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  6. Rebecca--

    Thank you! I did not know that technique (I have been manically waving at myself for weeks with not a lot of success when it comes to vibrato.) I will try this. I could never do vibrato in my youth, so this is a new skill for me. Thank you dearly!

    Michael-- that cockroach allergy may fall under TMI as it's too icky.


    Lyle-- yes, the violin has improved my life for the better.

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