Shirley's Mind Grapes

Shirley's Mind Grapes

The answers to questions nobody asked

1970s

Dailies 01/29/14

Dailies 01/29/14

Daily Doodle: Single Asian Female

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Song of the Day: Car Wash by Rose Royce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFVcqVM9vhw

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Musical Pipe Dream: I’m wearing a jumpsuit and dancing at a gas station.

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Blurb 1/365: Sometimes when I’m in a conversation, I realize that the person I’m speaking with and I are from completely different worlds. There are some similarities because we are human, but overall we have nothing in common and the only thing that keeps us talking is pleasantries. This doesn’t make me angry or anything, but being aware of it makes me ponder if the people this has happened with realize the same thing about me or if they believe that I am like them.

Dailies 01/23/14

Dailies 01/23/14

Daily Doodle: Walrus King

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Song of the Day: Crazy on You by Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpNqB4dnT4

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Musical Pipe Dream: I’m manning the lights while the band plays.

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Blurb 1/365:

Short Fictional Story: The Little Toad That Could

The toad observed her surroundings. She sat on what was left of a lily pad in the middle of a shallow swamp. Most of the water had evaporated and the remaining water was full of toxins and the dark red sky reflected off the layer of oil slick.

She hadn’t seen a live human for sixteen days. Other than the lifeless corpse that lay rotting several feet away from her on the muddy shore, she had no company. Just as she was pondering this, she glanced at the corpse to witness a hermit crab crawling out of an empty eye socket. There was no use in trying to converse with a hermit crab. All they are interested in doing is burrowing.

Feeling like there was nothing left for her at the swamp, she decided to brave the toxic water and leapt off her lily pad life raft. She plunged into the sludge until it was up to her shoulders and shimmied to a nearby bush that had some crispy leaves left clinging to the branches. Jumping into the branches and hopping from one section of the bush to another helped clean off the mess.

After traveling for some time, she made it to a road. There was endless land to travel but nowhere to go. Instead of grasping onto hopelessness, she held onto nothing and charged forward with a hop and a skip to the other side where she well knew the grass was not any greener.

Dailies 01/21/14

Dailies 01/21/14

Daily Doodle: Chubby Puppy Nap

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Song of the Day: Torn Between Two Lovers by Mary MacGregor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8LIYS7sKqU

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Musical Pipe Dream: I’m playing the piano and singing backup in a wedding band. As we’re playing, the bride and groom are slow dancing in the center of the dance floor. It’s awkward, but we’re really jamming.

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Blurb 1/365: Balancing.

Dailies 01/07/14

Dailies 01/07/14

Daily Doodle: Shark

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Song of the Day: I Miss You by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey2JUUrBFs8

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Musical Pipe Dream: We’re opening for another band and I’m singing lead. The fans of the headliner are bored and not appreciating our talent. We’re in minute twenty of the first song. Three more songs to go …

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Blurb 1/365: I ate two spaghetti dinners.

Dailies 01/03/14

Dailies 01/03/14

Daily Doodle: Oh hey!

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Song of the Day: Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sIjSNTS7Fs

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Musical Pipe Dream: I’m in casual clothes and singing this song to my best ability. During the breakdown, I squat down slightly and do a dance move where my foot steps in and out and alternates right and left. My arms occasionally flap like wings.

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Blurb 1/365: There’s been an open bag of potato chips on my couch for five days.

Dailies 12/14/13

Dailies 12/14/13

Daily Doodle: Cat Sandals

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Song of the Day: Handy Man by Jimmy Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVyBRdBVCiU

and James Taylor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGdWA93e-Ls

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Musical Pipe Dream: In the Jimmy Jones version, I’m singing backup and clapping and two-stepping emphatically. In the James Taylor version, I’m playing the drums with stick straight hair in my face and I’m wearing a denim vest.

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Blurb 1/365: Setting deadlines for myself is the only way I can get things done. I’ve had verbal arguments with myself out loud about why I need to finish this or that or why I don’t have time or I’m too tired to do this or that or to calm the f down about not finishing this or that. Sometimes I don’t even want to get out of bed. I gotta keep motivated, like, I get up and get ready, and then I can have McDonald’s breakfast. Setting deadlines is also a good way to keep busy. It keeps me away from my triggers. Triggers that make me unhealthy. Even if I have to swim through triggers everyday, if I keep busy, it really only leaves me with one option to keep my mind on; whatever I’m keeping busy with. Once I’ve finished with all the day to day stuff, I don’t come home and reminisce about things that pissed me off, I complete the next deadline. Then I get to eat something I like with the people I love. (Futurama reference!) I also reward myself with things like binges on Futurama/Simpsons/Bob’s Burgers/House Hunters, movies on Netflix, shaking trees on Animal Crossing.

The most important and difficult deadlines for me to make are for the things that I want to do. I just have to make those deadlines just like I make every other deadline. It’s just that hard and it’s just that simple.

Dailies 11/24/13

Dailies 11/24/13

Daily Doodle: Pachyderm Pilot

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Song of the Day: I Do Love You by GQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKq1VmEbtc

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Musical Pipe Dream: I am standing still with my head down looking at my toes. When the music starts up, I start strumming the guitar. We all two-steps in unison and then tap our toes to the front and back. I do a turn in four counts being careful not to trip over any wires.

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Blurb 1/365: I think Johnny Depp and I have the same facial hair patterns.