Sometimes I feel slightly cheated when I tune my harp but then don’t play it before it goes out of tune again. Several points against me here: one, I should have played it after tuning, or at the least the next day when it’s still in reasonable tune; two, it’s good for the harp to tune it every day even if I’m not playing it every day–the more regular the tension of the strings on the wood, the more likely… Read more »
Posts By: Claire
Flash fiction // 01
She was stretched against the castle, one arm shielding her face from the sunlight. Somehow she had managed a relaxed sprawl even though the concrete banks of the empty moat wedged her in. Windows like pinpricks let the light through in threads, wavering across her t-shirt and faded jeans, teasing the outlines of her arms and hands. Above her, the towers cast disproportionate shadows, appearing to loom high and away though they would reach only to her waist if she… Read more »
Mixed bag
A subway story Two middle-aged women on the train: Woman 1, complaining about her husband’s kissing style: “I want all lip! Nothing but lip. Did they get BIGGER in the last seven years? I did not sign up for this. I shouldn’t feel teeth. I don’t want to feel your goddamn teeth!” Woman 2, making best efforts at sympathy: “Well, James is not the best kisser. He’s a sucker.” An exchange Me to young student: “What do you want… Read more »
The Taglines of our Lives
You can make almost any title better by taking a cue from nature TV and bestowing the subtitle “Spy in the Huddle.” (I actually wish they had confined that brilliance to Penguins: Spy in the Huddle rather than extending it to a trope. Spy in the forest! Spy in the nest! Kind of dilutes it.) But I also like to play with the Lifetime Original Movie structure and add “The __________ story.” E.g. Serious Colors: The Claire Dunnington Story. Or Herd Subjectivity: The Internet Story. Or… Read more »
Site Specific.
Every Valentine’s Day–or when I realize it’s coming–I put on Outkast’s “Happy Valentine’s Day,” and every year I find myself wishing for more date specific songs. There’s Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September,” which narrows down to the particular day (21st) within its lyrics, and there’s “Oh What a Night,” which never actually specifies which night in late December but does get bonus points for naming the year (1963). I’m sure I could find others via Google, but I guess I’m… Read more »
Oddsam and Endsam.
Being a child is confusing, and there were numerous things that confused me as a kid, but only a few that truly baffled me. One was Groundhog’s Day. Okay, if he sees his shadow he gets scared and goes back in the hole, and that means six more weeks of winter? But if he’s seeing his shadow, that means the SUN is out. If he DOESN’T see his shadow that should mean more winter. Also: poinsettias. It was utterly beyond… Read more »
Vision Boards, Tarot Cards, and other Blank Slates
Last weekend I made a vision board, an activity I also partook in last year with a group of other ladies. Any time I told someone what I was doing on Sunday, I felt the need to hastily tack on “not that I’m a believer in The Secret or anything!” And I’m not (I feel ornery about The Secret, but I have to admit I kind of sort of believe in a branch of magical thinking that could be described as… Read more »
Things my students have said, Part 3
Of various ages, and from long ago. Me to student: “Where was Andrew Jackson born?” Student: “Iowa? No wait…he’s from the south, right? One of those shady places.” Me: “Shady places?” Student: “Yeah, where all those pageant people come from.” Me to young student: “…and discord is the opposite of accord, when things are not in agreement or harmony.” Student: “Like…a discordant note was struck in our conversation when someone brought up the lawsuit?” Me: “Is that from something?” Student:… Read more »
Seasoning
I noticed the seasons shifting a couple of years ago, when October started to stay in the 60s and my birthday, at the end of April, was no longer guaranteed to be warm. When was the last time March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb? May has taken that over; April if we’re lucky. It’s not that climate change has been a secret, but the last few years have been the first times I’ve noticed not… Read more »
Heard in yoga class
Yoga teacher, instructing students to relax in savasana: “Now unhinge your jaw…” #areyousurethatswhatyoumean Pilates teacher: “Really beautiful neutral pelvises, guys.” I was hoping for a bold or metallic pelvis myself. Pilates teacher losing her zen: “Lift your butts…OK. Your head is not your butt. I know it can sometimes seem that way–” Yoga teach encouraging students to releve: “Now shift your weight into your balls…” Well, they do say every body is different.
