I absolutely love that most of you remember the spelling word that took you down in elementary school.
The word that Meredith will remember for the rest of her life? Defiantly.
The great news? Meredith finished in third place. (Of course, because she’s just like me, she HATES that she came in third. She’s PISSED that she came in third. This anger will drive her to work extra hard next year.) ((She knew Defiantly. She got nervous and tripped. Many of the other participants did the same thing. In fact, the very first speller missed his very first (and only) word. My heart broke for him.)) (((Confession: I cried before, during, and after the bee. Before? Just seeing Meredith sitting up there with the seven other students did me in. She looked so small. During? When Meredith missed her word and the round ended and everyone cheered for her? It destroyed me. After? When a fifth grade girl correctly spelled her final word and was declared the winner, she immediately began to do the ugly cry. So did I. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I need a prescription.)))
I’m abruptly changing the subject now, because it’s Saturday night and I’m seriously considering having a tiny silver ball pierced into the side of my nose. It just might be the crab rangoon talking (Happy Chinese New Year!), so I wanted to put it out there and see what you think. I just searched out some photos on Flickr, and I’m liking the tininess of this woman’s diamond, but I don’t want a diamond. (I know. I know! Actually, this photo made me take a step back, but now I’ve moved forward again. Because look! And look!)
Meredith has a friend over. The girls are dancing in the front room. Jeff is playing guitar in the dining room. The dogs are running around in the back yard. I’m just sitting around drawing dots on my nose with eyeliner…
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I used to have my eyebrow pierced. I loved it. The only reason it’s gone is because my body started rejecting it. Some times I think about getting it re-pierced. I have too much sinus stuff to get my nose done.
Yes, definitely! And defiantly!
I love crab rangoon. I tried to make some this evening, but it wasn’t delicious. I do not love nose rings, but I do love you. So I say: Do it if it makes you happy.
(Oh and also: Congratulations Meredith! She remains awesome.)
I will always remember fourfold. And the way I spelled it — forefolde. I thought it was a fancy golf term.
Anyway… I’ve had my nose pierced since I was 18 and am now nearing my 35th birthday. I will never take it out. I love it.
I got my nose pierced once. My allergies did me in within a few months. Too much nose-blowing and getting stabbed with the post. If it weren’t for that, I would still have it. I loved it. Go for it!
Congrats to Meredith. She rocks!
(oooh… first guy opinion!)
nose = yes
Yay Meredith! 3rd place in the whole school is AWESOME! Also, I would have cried AT LEAST 3 times. In fact, I’m a little teary eyed now… Oh I how love the nerdy drama of a spelling bee!
My word was please. I got 2nd place. If I had just remembered the e on the end I have a feeling my entire life would have turned out differently.
Angie, go for the nose piercing!!! But *please* go to a reputable body piercer to have it done. Do *not* have it done at the mall (or any place that does it with a gun).
I vote yes.
(we should convo off piste as I have a post peeve)
Good job, Meredith!
On the nose piercing, you would look great with one, but they can be a pain in the butt (or nose). And if you decide you want to take it out, you’ll probably have a little dot of scar tissue on the side of your nose. (I had mine pierced on a bamboo mat in South Korea, so I would definitely echo Jen on going somewhere reputable.)
Yes on the nose.
My word was Ostrich….I only missed it because our principal pronounced it Ostrage, which is clearly incorrect. :)
Mine is “receive.” Because of all of the times in my life to go braindead on the i-before-e-except-after-c rule that I’ve known since birth, it had to happen while I was trying out for the really big spelling bee. I still blush thinking about it because it was such a weak word to go down from.
I’ve had my nose pierced for forever and have been sporting a tiny stud (nose screw) for a really long time. It’s barely noticeable, but I love that it’s there. Just be aware that the actual piercing of your nose hurts pretty bad.
Congrats to Meredith! I can’t actually remember being in a spelling be, but I do remember winning a ribbon for poetry reading in 7th grade and beating one of the popular girls. It felt really good! I think the nose ring would be perfect for you.
I vote no just on general principles. If everyone tells you to do something, it remains suspect in my mind. David<~~~Contrarian! FULL DISCLOSURE: I took my earing out when every Tom, Dick and Harry pierced their left ear. ::continues to swim against the current::
I missed the Post Dispatch spelling bee because I lost on buffoon. Am I spelling that right? I hope so. I also cried when my oldest lost the spelling bee last year because his eyes welled up with tears so I understand.
I had my nose pierced about eight years ago on a whim (a friend had decided to have hers done, and while there under the pretense of moral support, decided it sounded like a good idea to undertake myself. Ah youth) I still have it and most of the time I forget it’s there. I love it, though, and have never once regretted my choice. I have, instead, decided that it was a long stewing desire that simply took it’s time to manifest in the form of a snap decision.
I definitely echo the above sentiments, however. If you choose to go for it, find a sterile, reputable shop and avoid guns at all cost. Better to deal with clinically clean tattooed hipsters than the less than savory alternative.
My word was pitcher. I THOUGHT THEY SAID PICTURE! OH THE HUMANITY!
also, I had a nose stud. took it out, but the hole remains. thinking about throwing a ring in there this summer.
Seeing Meredith up there with her shoes reminded me of my spelling bee experience: http://everydaytalesofwoe.blogspot.com/2010/04/fond-childhood-memory-spelling-bee.html
Also, I have sinus issues, so having something in my nose would be a disaster. I did have a belly button piercing, but forgot to put my bar back in after the spay and it closed up. Haven’t worn earrings for a gazillion years, those holes have NEVER closed up… go figure
I LOVE the teeny tiny nose studs. If I were not (a)deathly afraid of needles and (b)in a conservative field, I would so get one.
In my school the first and second place kids go on to county, and third is the stand-in if one of them can’t do it. Maybe Meredith could go all Tonya Harding on them and make it to the next level?
I was SO disappointed when one of my students, about a month after studying soil in my science class, lost the spelling bee with “loam.” Really? How hard is loam? Ugh.
I’m anti nose piercings but only because the thought of boogers all up in the post grosses me out. I do, however, love the idea of getting those sticky fake jewels that Indian women wear (I think they’re called Bindis) and wearing them on my nose. I did this in grad school for a while, to differentiate myself more from the pack of men in my class. Because being a woman mathematician apparently wasn’t enough.
Also, in junior high I *won* the vocab bee. Like a spelling bee, but you have to define the words. I won on “dearth”. I never made it past the classroom competition in any spelling bee.
Oh, and I’m tearing up just thinking about Young MC up there. It would have been a 2 purse-pack sort of day for me.
Third place is still pretty great!
And I think a little silver nose ball would be perfect on you!
I came in third in my school spelling bee when I was in fourth grade! I do not remember the word that knocked me out. What I remember most is that the girl who won (also a fourth-grader, a girl I liked a lot) wept with relief and hugged me and said that her parents would have been so angry with her if she had lost.
That made such a huge impression on me – my parents took me out for ice cream for third place. Hers would not have been pleased with anything but first. I didn’t even enter the next two years because I felt weird about competing against her knowing this.
There’s a parenting lesson in there somewhere…
ANYWAY – Congratulations Meredith! Well done!
SHE WAS ROBBED!
It’s so great that she has that attitude of getting pissed and then working extra hard. My kid is a defeatist. This worries me to no end. Except it’s sort of hilarious why she’s like that–she doesn’t want to stress. She wants her life to be easy. She’s very upfront about this.
Does it have to not be a jewel? What about a RUBY? How cool would that be? A ruby in your nose. Or emerald.
hmmm, I think very teeny, tiny nose studs/jewels are cute…that’s about the only piercing besides ears that I like. My son had his lip pierced and I couldn’t stop thinking about the thousands of dollars of orthodontia that metal ring was grinding against. He removed it for a job interview and it’s never returned.
I’ve been going to yoga and it’s almost mandatory to have a tattoo…so, I’m trying to talk myself into something very small…Probably won’t do it though…but I do waste time looking for the perfect small tattoo…
I had a teeny little nose piercing and loved how it looked. Mine never healed right though so it was always itchy and had uglies on the inside of my nose. I took it out a year ago and I still miss it. It was so darn cute!
My daughter just lost her spelling bee with “Thermos.” Are proper nouns allowed? Anyway, she was so relieved — she didn’t want to win and feel all the awkward attention of her peers. Sadly, I totally understand.
We don’t have spelling bees at all. I always thought it must be a niche thing. Really? Everyone does it?
It’s sometimes funny, the places and events that cause us to turn on the waterworks, isn’t it? I always get misty-eyed at my kids’ school Xmas programs, and I’m not sure why. It’s a happy event, and it’s not like they’re the star of the show or anything; they’re just up there singing Xmas songs with all the other 3rd graders……gah. Kids! Anyway, hope she’s feeling “jazzy” again soon!
Yay for Meredith! 3rd place is pretty darn good! Buy some tiny stick on bling and wear it for a while…see if you like it.
Captain.
Or Captian.
I still screw it up if I’m typing too quickly or am handwriting it.