this post is brought to you by the letter E

I learned about the letter meme when reading this post from Marilyn, which was prompted by this one from Patry (which it seems was inspired by a post from this guy ...).  It's not as if we bloggers don't have plenty of fodder to write about, but sometimes it's fun to get pointed somewhere you might not ordinarily look, so fun ideas like these just seem to burn through the blogosphere like wildfire.

The idea behind this exercise is to use a letter as inspiration - but beyond that, there are no rules.  And the cool twist is, you don't just pick a letter randomly, you ask for one ... and Patry was handing out letters.  When I asked to play she said: " ... you strike me as a vowel kind of person.  How about E?"

So in the spirit of Sesame Street, this post is brought to you by the letter E ...

-- As I simmered with the possibilities of the letter E, I realized that many words that start with E are favorites of mine. 

Eccentric, engaging, entertaining, express(ive), emotional, extreme, extrovert(ed), eclectic, electric, eloquent, euphoric, energetic, ebullient, exuberant, effervescent, elated, emancipated, endearing, erotic, exotic, evolved, emboldened, exposed, embraced, essence, enriched, ecstatic, epiphany, encouraging, emerging, extend, expand, explore. 

-- A list of words starting with E that would not be used to describe me: ectomorph, early, elegant, efficient, easy ("although in certain circumstances, maybe ..." she said suggestively).

-- A few more thorough explorations of E words:

East Coast - Where I live (in the U.S.).  Spent some time on the west coast and a few years in Australia.  (but i was on the east coast in australia too ...)

Expatriate (aka: expat) - what I was when I lived in Australia.  I'd never really heard that word much before I moved to Oz, but anyone who lived there who was originally from somewhere else was known as an expat.  I loved being an expat. 

Epitome - First time I heard this word, someone mispronounced it (EPP-eh-tome) and the mispronunciation almost always plays in my head when I read it.  (and thinking of it with that incorrect pronunciation always helped me to spell it ...)  The epitome of a memorable spelling story.

Elvis - I am a fan.  Well, maybe not a fan, since (although the guy could really sing) my appreciation of him has more to do with the kitch factor that's sprung up in the wake of his death.  (i love the mojo nixon/skid roper song 'elvis is everywhere' ... it kinda speaks to the groove/kitchness of elvis ...)  So maybe it's not Elvis that I'm a fan of per se, but the Cult of Elvis.  (the fact that I am now 3 years older than he was when he died kinda wigs me out, cause back then, i thought he was bordering on old ...)

Ego - I have one.  I try to separate what it wants from what matters; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  A recent-ish example: when I learned that a man who I once thought had a crush on me did not actually ever have that crush, I found that I was loathe to let the old story in my head go.  Not that I wanted him to have that crush cause I wasn't interested in HIM, but what do you mean he didn't have a crush on me?  What was wrong with me?  Was I unappealing?  Was I too bodacious? fat? unattractive?  If he really didn't have a crush on me, then why did he pay so much attention to me?  What was that all about?  Are you SURE he didn't actually have a crush on me?  (he didn't?  really?  fool.)  Damn, that ego really wants to be front and center all the time, doesn't it?  It's always running commentary, judging and categorizing and blah, blah, blah.  Thank god for meditation ... occasionally I get glimpses of life where the ego is not backseat driving, distracting and detouring me.  (oops, a digression into the letter "d" ...)

... and speaking of ego (sort of) ...

Envy - If I think about people I envy and why, I usually discover where I'm selling out on myself and not going for what I really want.

Etiquette - When I was in college I did a spring break internship with Letitia Baldrige - emissary of all things etiquette, Jackie Kennedy's former Social Secretary, and owner of her own PR firm.  Baldrige was a trustee of my college at the time, and while don't remember how I managed to snag the gig, I do remember that it was an incredible experience.  Rather than the typical internship where you're regulated to all the grunt work that nobody in the office wants to do, Ms. Baldrige took the mentoring charge seriously and made sure I got a real taste of what it was like to work in PR.  She included me in almost everything in the office ... I stuffed envelopes with her account exec's, but I also went to a book release party at "21" (where i rubbed elbows with the rich and fabulous of NY and actually got to meet and chat for a few minutes with kurt vonnegut ... cool!).  I filed press clippings, but I also tagged along to a big presentation with a fashion designer.  She had me take a stab at writing a press release or two, and she also had me meet her at her home before going to a lunch meeting at The Palm Room in the Plaza hotel with the beauty editor of the now defunct McCall's magazine (i reaped fabulous free cosmetic rewards from that meeting).  She was incredibly gracious, took care in building relationships, and respected people equally whether they were a big hooha like Kurt Vonnegut, or a 20 year old college student like me.  I learned a lot about PR from her in a very short time.  (hint: it's got a lot to do with good etiquette ...)

Earrings - I have three holes in my ears.  One in the right, two in the left.  The first two were put in when I was 12 or 13 at a jewelry store with one of those punch guns ... it happened so fast, I barely felt it.  As for the third hole?  Armed with ice cubes and a potato (to hold behind the ear for leverage), my mother sterilized a needle in our kitchen and did the deed herself when I was 15-ish.  Causing her child pain was not something mom wanted to do, so when the needle got halfway through my earlobe and it was clear that it had reached a part that the ice hadn't quite numbed, she retreated to the other side of the kitchen waving her hands around saying she couldn't go through with it ... couldn't go through with it.  I encouraged her (loudly and with much feeling) to finish the job ... and she did.  I think it was the first time I said "fuck" in her presence.  (it would not be the last.)

... and speaking of which ...

Expletives - I heard somewhere that swearing is for people who have lousy vocabularies and no imagination.  I have a pretty good vocabulary and quite the imagination, and I still think there are times when nothing can replace a good "fuck."   

(... and then there are those great double entendre's ...)    ;)

Edge - Happy when looking for mine, and then pushing it.

End - This is it.

Comments

[GoGo]

Very fun. I will most definetly be back!

[Marilyn]

FABULOUS post! I'm right there with ya on the expletives... ;)

[patry]

I knew you the E was your letter! Very intrigued by Letitia Baldridge. Thanks for reminding me that the world in general (and me in particular) could do with more Etiquette and less Ego.