what i did on my (week-long) summer vacation

by That Kind of Girl on September 3, 2010

Kittens! It’s been exactly a week since I’ve posted here, and I’ve been climbing the walls. So much for my life of leisure, eh? What I’ve done while I wasn’t updating here:

  1. Drank an awful lot of gin, in various milieux. Of course.
  2. Hung out at my desk, dancing to this hilarious mock-techno song on perma-repeat — without ever watching its horrifying music video in full.
  3. Read more pages than you’d think possible of Koopa Troopa fanfic.
  4. Emailed The Ex the entire Dinosaur Comics archives, one annotated link at a time.
  5. Waxed angsty on Secret Society of List Addicts about pre-pubescent crushes for whom I’m still carrying a serious torch.
  6. Wrote myself love notes from Alec Baldwin, all featuring the phrase “lush rainforest of chest hair”.
  7. Figured out what I’m doing with this blog.

Wait a minute! The last one is … sort of relevant? Let’s go with that.

It can’t surprise you to hear that this blog is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my erstwhile rather dishwater life, and, thus, it is my stated intention to continue it. So here’s the deal.

I am: committed to living a life filled with non-stop writing, self-improvement, and wildly public acts of utter humiliation.

I am not: quite insane enough to ever volunteer to do it five times a week again. Hey, a girl’s got to fit grad school applications into her life somehow, right?

Thus, my guarantee to you: between August 23, 2010 and August 23, 2011, I hereby commit to performing 100 more NTKOGs. Yes, one hundred mo-friggin’ more uncharacteristic acts of personal growth, social science, and more-than-moderate mortification. Awkwardness is my gift; sharing it with the world, my passion.

Starting Monday, September 6, the blog returns to regular-update status. Look forward to NTKOGs on Mondays and Wednesdays, and as-yet-undisclosed Fun Times Fridays.

Here’s to another year, baby. Let’s keep making magic.

{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }

Sister September 3, 2010 at 8:02 am

Yay!! Sister approves!

Reply

Ken O September 3, 2010 at 8:26 am

[loud cheering from Scotland} :-D

Je vais gloaterais tout le blessed afternoon.* #

* Literary quote; can you name author and title without a web search? 5 Internets prize for every correct answer**

** Internets have no monetary value or physical existance.

# I saw this at 13:25 local, so it really will be all afternoon.

Reply

The Tin Man September 3, 2010 at 10:32 am

I have no idea where the quote is from, but since it’s a quote does that mean it shouldn’t irk me that it uses the imperfect instead of the infinitive after “je vais”? I know it’s not attempting to have correct grammar or even vocabulary but I’m maybe a little bit anal about French despite not having taken a french class in over six years.

Reply

Ken O September 3, 2010 at 10:43 am

I’d never noticed that before, but since it’s from one of my favourite books of the period, I suspect it was deliberate on the author’s part, if not the characters’. Suspecting I know his reasoning for doing it is the only thing not bringing out my inner grammar Nazi now!

Reply

That Kind of Girl September 3, 2010 at 10:53 am

Okay, detective time. Unless it’s from a really, really rough draft of Remembrance, I’m guessing this isn’t exactly Proust… So we’re looking for someone English-speaking, and someone amusing. This is almost definitely my War and Peace bitterness speaking, but the quote’s casual assumption that all readers know French + your saying “the era” makes me want to say nineteenth century. Late nineteenth century, though, ’cause the tone’s pretty flippant.

I’m confused that you only suspect the grammatical error was deliberate, though. I was imagining some “decaying roots of the aristocracy” satire. Like maybe a line spoken by a puffed-up, ludicrously incompetent overseas ambassador or something. Oh, and I’m 90% sure it’s a work I haven’t read. So I’m ruling out Thomas Hardy.

That’s as close as I can get it, though. Did I get anything right?

Reply

Ken O September 6, 2010 at 4:34 am

You’re very close, almost freakishly so considering; it’s from Rudyard Kipling’s “Stalky and Co”, set in the late 1890s (first published 1899), in a minor English “public school” (fee-paying school).

I think he was aiming for Franglais before the term was even invented, rather than for actual French though.

Reply

The Tin Man September 3, 2010 at 10:38 am

Also despite having lost much of my ability to hear/speak and read/write the language in those 6+ years.

Reply

L September 3, 2010 at 8:38 am

Loud cheering from London too!

Reply

nikki September 3, 2010 at 8:58 am

Oh fantastic. I would have gone through NTKOG withdrawal. And it probably would have been ugly.

Reply

Alison September 3, 2010 at 10:21 am

This makes me mad excited. Like maaad excited.

Reply

The Tin Man September 3, 2010 at 10:36 am

Hoorah for more hijinks and tomfoolery! And self-improvement is good too, I guess.

Reply

Angela September 3, 2010 at 12:09 pm

Yay!
I missed you.

Reply

Tim September 3, 2010 at 12:11 pm

I love the blog.
I love this post.
I’m going to stop gushing before it gets embarrassing.

Reply

Todd H. Page September 3, 2010 at 1:18 pm

Also, you had an awesome gathering.
you guys are awesome.

come over and watch pro-ro or top chef sometime.

Reply

That Kind of Girl September 3, 2010 at 1:31 pm

Dude, what’s pro-ro? Please tell me the “ro” stands for robots. Please.

Um, also, robots or no, I am entirely convinced that we need to hang out again. Plus, my mother can’t stop talking about how much she adored you, so if we don’t set up a playdate, she will be severely disappointed.

Reply

Todd H. Page September 3, 2010 at 1:34 pm

Oh man, I so wish it did.

I’m also totally in for anything involving Robots, but pro-ro is how someone as ridiculous as me refers to Project Runway.

You know your life is sad when you abbreviate a design based tv show’s name.

I am too! I would totally be in for a play date! Lets make it happen. I wouldn’t want to disappoint your mother. You and your whole fam/friends were great! :D

Reply

Sister September 3, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Um, Mom AND Sister are still gushing about you, Todd. You’ve managed to steal a bit of both of our hearts (which, to date, only Alec Baldwin and Kevin Bacon have accomplished this).

Top Chef and Project Runway! It’s a date.

Reply

That Kind of Girl September 3, 2010 at 2:30 pm

Sis! You’ve broken the sacred covenant! Never speak Kevin Bacon and Alec Baldwin’s names in the same sentence! You’re going to give me a friggin’ heart condition!

Reply

Mom September 3, 2010 at 7:55 pm

Dears, you know I LOVE Tim Gunn. It really upsets BCdad. He rationalizes it by saying “He reminds her of all her art professors.”
Yes, well that is exactly what Tim Gunn originally was. Now, dears, he is a super star and way out of reach. Dears, I like all of your friends.

Reply

Todd H. Page September 10, 2010 at 3:40 pm

Tim Gunn is fantastically amazing. Especially after a few weeks ago!

It was lovely to meet you, TKOG’sM.

Reply

Todd H. Page September 10, 2010 at 3:41 pm

HELLS YES!

I am so in for this plan. It sounds wonderful. Top Chef finale is very soon. Y’all are both invited to come watch it at mi casa if you are so inclined!

Reply

Paula September 3, 2010 at 1:29 pm

Yay to you doing more crazy stunts! I live my crazy life vicariously through you. :)

Reply

Sada September 3, 2010 at 1:45 pm

Thank. God.

And how can you mention Koopa Troopa fanfic without dropping some plotlines on us? I mean…

Reply

That Kind of Girl September 3, 2010 at 1:55 pm

Oh, dude, if ever you need the Koopa Troopa fanfic, you know whom to go to for the hook-up. My favorite of the week was Cross-Dressing Koopa — although, regret to inform, it’s NOT the tale of an ambiguously gendered Bowserian footsoldier who, with the help of a plucky toadstool seamstress and judiciously applied blush, learns to come out of his shell.

Oh frig. Oh frig. Did I just storyboard MY OWN Koopa Troopa fanfic? Complete with awful-pun gimmicky ending? I’m … I’m just going to open a Word doc and see where this takes me…

Reply

Katie Mae September 3, 2010 at 5:21 pm

Hurray! So glad we get more NTKOGs!
You and Dinosaur Comics were kind of made for each other.

Reply

middleagedrunner September 4, 2010 at 7:04 am

OH THANK YOU 6 POUND 4 OUNCE Baby GEEZES!!
I have so missed my daily NTKOG fix.

Reply

Helen September 6, 2010 at 5:21 am

YAY! I was so scared that you would stop writing. Although we all knew it couldn’t happen. But still…

And I totally wathed the entire video. It was… well thanks for a song I can dance to at my desk!

Reply

terra September 8, 2010 at 9:00 am

Yay! Cheers to another year of awesome!

Reply

kahlia September 9, 2010 at 6:09 pm

yay! Oh, I’m so glad that you’re continuing so we can all continue here. :)

Reply

The Ex September 10, 2010 at 9:33 pm

Abiding encouragement and wry amusement from California!

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post:

Google Analytics Alternative