Living Out Loud volume 6: Going home

Some may not see it that way, but I have the luxury of living a few hundred yards from my childhood home where my parents still live. We moved once and that was only across the street (and we never sold the old house, so it was more like expanding than moving). Norfolk, and in particular the Ocean View neighborhood, has always been my home. My old boss Harry lived in the temperate and beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia for decades and only recently left to live closer to his children (and granddaughters!) in central Virginia. He shocked himself recently by saying it was "only 90" degrees outside and as those words left his lips he realized he was becoming a local.

Our project for this month is to answer the question "where are you from?". Interpret that as you will - where you were born, what area you identify with, etc. Is where you would say you're from the same place your parents might answer? Has your answer changed over the years? Do you have different versions/levels of what you call home (your immediate dwelling versus Home with a capital H)? Are there certain sights, sounds or smells about Home that make it that way?

Thomas Wolfe says you can't go home again, but maybe it's just that the definition of home changes and is less about a zip code and more about the space that makes you feel safe and content.

Details include:

• Tell us about where you're from using the previous paragraphs as guidelines but interpreting it as you will. Remember the rules on these projects are loose so long as you follow the spirit of sharing something about yourself with us.

• Once you have completed your entry and posted it, please email me the link at genie [at] inabottle [dot] org.

• If you do not have a blog to host your story, you can email me the story directly and I will add it here as a guest post giving you credit.

• The due date for entries is Sunday, July 5th (the first Sunday of the month) at 5pm Eastern. That's a holiday weekend, so don't procrastinate too much.

• Once I have collected all the entries, I will post a wrap-up to list them all and announce a winner. The winner will receive some sort of prize to be determined but all participants will receive fame and glory and a link on our Living Out Loud blogroll.

I can't wait to read what you all produce!

Recap of 5th Living Out Loud project: personal folklore

Another month has passed and it's time to recap another collection of Living Out Loud projects. This past month, we delved into the subject of personal folklore. Without further ado, I give you our list of participants: Deb's Swimsuits, Punchlines and Trenches The punchline and trenches analogies are ones I could see using in my own life all the time. I also think it's a great way to smile over too less than pleasant circumstances. :)

Oriana's Folklore of a smart-@$$ father Reading this pleased me a lot to see all the smiles after having heard about all the sadness from her dad's passing recently. I also was reminded of the Halloween skeleton on the Oldcastle's front door shortly after Gyrth's amputation where one boney appendage had been trimmed to match. :)

Ben's Cangragolasis! Ben gave a veritable encyclopedia of his family's language! It's an etymological treasure trove and one that I look forward to expanding on ourselves as we get our own little talker soon.

Megan's Suck It Up Sometimes we say things and instantly regret it. Other times we say things and everything becomes clear. I can totally imagine the cringing at first followed by the satisfaction.

Rich's PORN!!! This is one of my all time favorite stories about his family ever. Who knew how much pornography could bring a family together?

and my own My mother, the sailor

This project was a bit more relaxing and fun for me than previous months and I hope you enjoy what we have all produced. If these entries have inspired you, feel free to create some of your own at your leisure or comment on those that spark memories.

I've decided that Deb wins this month because of all of the entries, I could see adding punchlines and trenches into my vocabulary basically immediately after reading about them. Deb will receive a $25 gift certificate to Threadless.com because I think their t-shirts are clever just like her entry. And as Deb is a new participant, she's added to the ranks of celebrities in our LOL members!

As always, stay tuned for the next theme in our Living Out Loud project repertoire!

My mother, the sailor

Since my father plays such a prominent role on this site, I decided to give Mom a little time for this latest Living Out Loud project. When my mother was a teenager (in the mid-50s as it were), she spent a bit of time on the phone. Being the mid-50s, they only had one phone that sat on a phone table (remember those?) in the hall with a chair next to it. My uncle is five years older than her and was still living at home at the time (or was at least around an awful lot even if he had his own place). As my mother chatted away, Jack walked by and being the older brother casually put his finger on the receiver to hang up the phone as he passed.

Those of you who have met my mother know her to be the most patient person on the planet and not someone prone to outbursts or rage. But something in her snapped that day and she picked up the ashtray from the phone table (one of those dark green lead crystal numbers from days of yore) and winged it at his head. As it narrowly missed his skull and took a chunk out of the door molding, she called him a "fucking asshole."

At that moment my grandfather (who spent many years in the Navy) bellowed her name from the living room. He called her in and in his most serious tone said, "Jesus! I don't know where in the hell you get your goddamn language from!"

My mother just looked at him blankly and then walked off to enjoy the irony herself.

As I have married a man who apparently took a class in the Army on how to fit the most curse words into casual conversation, we ourselves have used the "I don't know where in the hell you get your goddamn language from" line on many occasions.