Saturday, December 26, 2009

2009 Reflections of a fucked up year

No apologies, I keep wanting to apologize for my abrupt stark outlook at the past year but why should I? I just hope 2010 holds so much more for me than 2009 possibly could.

I want to create a collage of snippets of the year.
SuperBowl 43 with Jill Wilson - extraordinary woman who died way too soon life. She touched me deeply during the short time I spent with her. Oh yea and getting to be IN the SuperBowl and see the Boss during Dress  rehearsals and the actual SuperBowl with how many umpteen millions of people watching was just a surreal account of a dream. SO MUCH FUN and over way too soon. Also met great others like Jill Deisler, Tim Nickens, Kelly and Tom French at SPT. Many others.
Practicing Power Yoga with Kelly enriched my life and body and soul.
Concerts and music events from NINJA, Heatwave with WMNF, The Killers, Blue October, Plain White T's, Geri X's CD release party, HGWT, The Beauvilles, Say Anything, Pete Yorn, All American Rejects, Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy seem to round out all I can remember right now.  Not all I planned on seeing. Many I won tickets to so it was for free and spur of the moment to go.

SunScreen Film Fest here in St. Pete met lots of great folks and went with a few great ones: Jon, James, Brad, Brent, you know who the rest of you are. Met Patrick Wilson and John Jackson. Had a ball and appreciated indie films for what they are a bit more. Liked short films a whole lot more than ever and got to meet and greet those who created, directed and or produced them all.

The lows will be another post altogether. Safe for now.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Named After a Saint - my Title-sake Premier Post




So what, named after a Saint. I was meant to be a pretty girl’s name, not a Saintly woman’s name I’d have to live up to somehow. Never would live up to anyone’s expectations of me, let alone a SAINT’S! St. Teresa. Great. Born on a Saint’s Day, named after a Saint.  Roman Catholic Families need to get a real life if this is only what makes them happy. Joseph, James, Martin, John (4 brothers) and me. Rose and Marylou were not born on or near a Saint’s Day and escaped what is my fateful demise.
I continually get, “which Saint Teresa were you named after?” Like, why is there more than ONE St. Teresa (Theresa, etc.?) Who cares, I am not a saint as you shall see.
Mom and Dad, so the recent story goes, argued over it and you had to have a name for your baby before you could leave the hospital, back in the day. Dad won. Much as I love my dad, God rest his soul, I hate the name Teresa and how my family says it very slowly “TEREEE-SA!” Cringe.
Teresa Ann it was and so it stayed. Until we got home.
Aunt Lottie said, “We are neither Italian nor Spanish!” There’s no way she looks like a Teresa. Tess is her name.” Whew, thank goodness for Dear Great Aunts from Connecticut and Cape Cod by way of NE PA!

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas HardyTess the 1979 Movie starring Nastassja Kinski of the book. Miss Tess Mocker. Tess Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s girlfriend. Tess McGill of Working Girl movie. TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) a planned satellite for discovering exoplanets. Me, Tess. TesstheFirst. I’ve not yet met another Tess and hope never to. It’s unique. Unlike the millions of Teresa’s out there all of us named after a saint.
I have many plays on my own name and nicknames by many friends and family:
Tree, Tessera, Tessica, TesstheHostesswiththeMostest, TesstheOneandOnly, TesstheFirst, JustTess. My favorite is Tree but is not socially accepted to be called an object as your name. Except “Dick” is? Let’s not go there. For now.
My real name picked out before I was born on St. Teresa’s Day was “Valerie”.  I secretly wish to be renamed Valerie but instead stick with Tess and all the expectations of living up to that name, but it suits me well, Tess does. And so I shall stay the course. Pay $100 to change it officially someday from Teresa to Tess. That’ll show ya.  Dad will roll over in his grave. Sorry Dad, I love ya but wish to reflect how I really feel and do what I really want to do someday.
Until I think of another nifty idea to post, Here’s my first blog post and there’s the reason for my blog’s name in a nutshell. I could go on. But I shall withhold.
-Best, Tess