why ‘orange gearle’?

Gearle is easy to explain. It’s pronounced “girl”, and it means “girl”, as you might expect. Why the spelling? One of my most favorite singer/songwriters is Steve Earle. I actually think he’s a hero in a sense. The word hero is sometimes over used, so I hesitate to use it here, but it’s the best I could do. Chritmas in Washington is one of my favorites from the album El Corazon. “It’s not about Christmas, and it sure as hell ain’t about Washington” (Steve said that in a live performance of the song). It’s about heroes. I urge you to give it a listen. Lyrics here. I agree with his list of heroes. If I had written the song, he would be a person included on the list. I chose to spell girl “gearle” (g+earle) because of Steve Earle and his sister Stacey Earle. I completely stole the idea from Stacey Earle, actually. Simple Gearle is the title track to a CD of hers, and the song is one of my favorites. It’s basically about not needing much and just wanting to be happily married to a good man and have babies. No diamond rings, no fancy cars, just a simple gearle. That’s me. I’m not simple, heh, just ask my ex-boyfriend, but I want for simple things. ☺ Anyway, Stacey Earle and her hubby Mark Stuart are two of my favorites, also.

Orange. Well, I love the color orange. All shades. If you know me, you know that. But my love of orange is because it represents me, I connect with it, it’s more than just a favorite color. Orange can be bold. When mixed with the right colors, it can really make a statement. As I’ve aged I’ve become more bold, more outgoing, more ‘out there’. I’ve always told my mother that I really wish I’d have been a teen/early twenties person in the 60’s. I would’ve loved to burn my bra – make a statement -- all that stuff (some of which didn’t even happen, probably). Fortunately for me, unfortunately for the country, being a responsible citizen in the USA is now requiring some of that mindset to return. We need a few revolutionaries. I beg of you, become involved in the next election (2006). Sign petitions, go to rallies, make phone calls. Read Crashing the Gate. Pay ATTENTION!! Get mad as hell. I digress. My point -- orange can make a statement. I connect with this shade of orange when I am teaching, when I am interacting in highly social settings, when I am talking about politics, doing my happy dance, when I am impatient, or having the bold kind of fun. It represents my enthusiastic, rock'n'roll self.

If you think only in black and white, you might think that’s it. At first glance I am an outgoing gearle. I don’t mind the spotlight, when in the right setting. I meet people quickly and easily. I’m not afraid to state my mind. But that’s not all of me. There are definitely times that I like “taking a seat by the door in the back, trying to be invisible trying to slip through the cracks” (thanks, zoOTDAze). I’m certainly not going to go into my deepest darkest secrets or anything here, but let’s just say, I’m also a person that requires time for reflection and loves and respects nature. Orange can be natural. I like very natural or no make-up. I will let my hair grey naturally. I love pottery in its natural state. I enjoy music best in the “unplugged” version. I like an earthy orange, combined with browns and greens and yellows. This kind of orange represents me when I am being reflective, when I am jogging, walking on the nature trails, playing the guitar, or otherwise being curious and inquisitive. This is the orange that is probably most ‘me’.

So there you have it – the basic reasons for the name. Several asked why, I hope I’ve delivered.