If anyone every asks me for the favorite book with an explanation—
The Orchid Thief:
I have always been drawn to peoples’ obsessions and hobbies, the things they choose to be a part of during their few moments of spare time. They often lead to an entire world I knew nothing about with rules and rulers that don’t apply anywhere else. People invest so much time, money, and effort into hobbies they love and it often comes out looking so strange to people who are not a part of it. I always find it fascinating that there are these epic, life-changing events happening right next to us. There are victories, defeats, scandals, and fame—half the time we never even notice that something wonderful or tragic is playing out. These obsessions showed me to never take things at face value. There are stories that seem ordinary and straight-forward but if you keep looking into it, you find facts that flip everything over. What makes a person spend thousands of dollars buying customized wet suits and surfboards so that they can surf with their dogs? Why do people use their free time to practice eating as many hot dogs as they can in ten minutes? Who would work two jobs so that they can open a Bigfoot museum in the middle of the woods that is only open on weekends? Who is willing to let people die to have a single orchid plant? The world is crazy, horrifying, and amazing.
Susan Orleans is the best at venturing into these worlds and exploring them with warmth and an open mind. She can find art, beauty, love, pain, suffering, and humanity in unexpected places most people never give a second thought to. This one in particular goes into the world orchid collecting, and to this day, I can never look at orchids the same. Even the ones they have in the front corner of grocery stores stop me dead in my tracks and I have to go over to look at them. Books like this make me notice things I wouldn’t have otherwise. It makes the world seem magical again. It’s the closet I have ever been able to getting the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa back.
I have always been drawn to peoples’ obsessions and hobbies, the things they choose to be a part of during their few moments of spare time. They often lead to an entire world I knew nothing about with rules and rulers that don’t apply anywhere else. People invest so much time, money, and effort into hobbies they love and it often comes out looking so strange to people who are not a part of it. I always find it fascinating that there are these epic, life-changing events happening right next to us. There are victories, defeats, scandals, and fame—half the time we never even notice that something wonderful or tragic is playing out. These obsessions showed me to never take things at face value. There are stories that seem ordinary and straight-forward but if you keep looking into it, you find facts that flip everything over. What makes a person spend thousands of dollars buying customized wet suits and surfboards so that they can surf with their dogs? Why do people use their free time to practice eating as many hot dogs as they can in ten minutes? Who would work two jobs so that they can open a Bigfoot museum in the middle of the woods that is only open on weekends? Who is willing to let people die to have a single orchid plant? The world is crazy, horrifying, and amazing.
Susan Orleans is the best at venturing into these worlds and exploring them with warmth and an open mind. She can find art, beauty, love, pain, suffering, and humanity in unexpected places most people never give a second thought to. This one in particular goes into the world orchid collecting, and to this day, I can never look at orchids the same. Even the ones they have in the front corner of grocery stores stop me dead in my tracks and I have to go over to look at them. Books like this make me notice things I wouldn’t have otherwise. It makes the world seem magical again. It’s the closet I have ever been able to getting the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa back.
Where the Red Fern Grows:
This is the book I was reading when I moved from LA to Orange County, around the time I was ten. I had always liked reading before this, but this was the book that made me realize how powerful words can be. It effected me so physically in a way no book had before, or really has since. It made me ache and was the first book that made me cry. I think I cried on and off for about two weeks after finishing this book. It has played a huge role in what made me want to be a writer.
This also changed the way that I viewed dogs. They went from being pets to being part of the family as I read this. The only friend I had that first summer after the move was Seana and her brother, Sky. Even though they were entirely different breeds, I pictured Seana as Little Anne—the smaller, prettier, and smarter one. And Sky as the broader and very particular one. When I started reading this book, dogs slept outside. By the time I finished, I was sneaking Seana inside to sleep in my bed with me when I thought my parents were asleep. Dogs soon became my babies, and we know that loving dogs is roughly 40% of my personality. Even at work, they know how to tell which work jacket is mine because it’s coated in dog hair.
August 19: For the first day of school, our main activity was to create the classroom agreements we would focus on this year. They usually went for rules like “don’t bully” and “don’t exclude”. But this year, they focused on positive things they could do. They listed “have fun” and “love yourself”. I was really warmed by this until we had a group chat about why we chose these agreements. Allisson thought that loving yourself was really important because a lot of people are made to hate their bodies, the shape of it and the color of their skin. Milo agreed and added that suicide rates have been going up and they continue to spike every time a celebrity commits suicide.This is the book I was reading when I moved from LA to Orange County, around the time I was ten. I had always liked reading before this, but this was the book that made me realize how powerful words can be. It effected me so physically in a way no book had before, or really has since. It made me ache and was the first book that made me cry. I think I cried on and off for about two weeks after finishing this book. It has played a huge role in what made me want to be a writer.
This also changed the way that I viewed dogs. They went from being pets to being part of the family as I read this. The only friend I had that first summer after the move was Seana and her brother, Sky. Even though they were entirely different breeds, I pictured Seana as Little Anne—the smaller, prettier, and smarter one. And Sky as the broader and very particular one. When I started reading this book, dogs slept outside. By the time I finished, I was sneaking Seana inside to sleep in my bed with me when I thought my parents were asleep. Dogs soon became my babies, and we know that loving dogs is roughly 40% of my personality. Even at work, they know how to tell which work jacket is mine because it’s coated in dog hair.
August 20: Edwin fell asleep about two minutes into meditation. He slept for an hour, right through our chapter book reading, Camp Read-A-Lot, homework, and cleanup. He is much easier to deal with when he is unconscious.
August 21: The instructions said it would take 15 minutes to build the new equipment shed. Our last one broke halfway through the last school year when the part lock latch fell off. Kids spent their recesses shoving each other inside and then leaning against the door so no one could escape. The new one all pops into place with no hinges or nails. It’s so flimsy that the smart kids will be able to bypass the lock, find a seam, and pop it apart with their bare hands.
August 22: At the start of the week, I warned the entire class that I would not be buying replacements for any of the toys that they break. They already popped one of the squish toys. They kept feeding all the liquid through on tiny hole in the fishnet and the net dug into it until it started leaking green goo everywhere. It didn’t even last one full week with them.
August 23: Now that Vivi has Jai’von in her class, she has been the subject of his mom’s resentment. When closing time came and went, Vivi called her to see if she was on her way and how long it would take for her to get here. As soon as she arrived, she started yelling at Vivi for harassing her. Vivi managed to hold it together in from of Jai’von, but as soon as they were out the door, she was the angriest I have ever seen her in the three years we have worked together. She threw he things into her purse shouting that she was wasn’t going to be taking that kind of shit from her.
August 24: I always felt like I stuck out in Orange County. I was too Filipino to be seen as American by most of the people in town. When I went to Chapman, I went to a meeting of the Asian and Pacific Islander Club. I was excited to finally find a place where I felt like I belonged. But when I got there, the Asian side told me that I wasn’t one of them, I was Pacific Islander. The Pacific Islander side told me I didn’t fit in with them either, that I was actually considered Asian.
I didn’t go to a second meeting.
much love,
hedgie
No comments:
Post a Comment