My front door needs a sign reading, "Plague House," decorated with a skull and crossbones. Note to readers: IF YOU COME INSIDE, YOU WILL GET SICK. Brother-in-law and mother-in-law have stayed two days later than planned, while BIL heaved and hoed in our guest bathroom. They ship out tomorrow for FLA, after which you may glimpse me through the window (BUT DON'T COME OVER!) in my Hazmat suit, sanitizing the house.
I think it was Valentine's Day when this crazy ride all began with my illness I assumed was food poisoning. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING OVER, PEOPLE. YOU'RE NOT INVITED. After I bounced back, N got it. Then D and AC got it. Then my dad (visiting from ALA). Then my BIL (visiting from FLA). Then our babysitter (visiting from down the block). Then our nephew (visiting from Jersey). NO MORE GUESTS. Forgot to mention my pink-eye and the handful of family colds within this six week span. Oh yeah, and major surgery for one of the dogs.
Nine weeks until beach vacation. Nine weeks until beach vacation. Nine weeks until beach vacation. ...
p.s. I got some work done against all odds this week. MIL watched the kids while I went to Lowe's to get some garden supplies. Lesson learned: if you want good service, go on a weekday morning. And wear a tight sweater.
p.p.s. Should I be upset that the orthopedic surgeon did not look at the MRI films or even read the MRI report I brought him today? He assigned me some stretches and a return appointment in 6 weeks. Believe me, I'm fine with stretches.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Rare Moment to Catch Up
Where to start where to start? Parents arrived Friday night, bearing gifts. For my birthday, my mother painted me the most beautiful, and I mean the MOST beautiful pastel portrait of my boy N. It's from a photo she took at Christmas of him eating oatmeal at their dining table, a large cloth napkin tied as a bib around his neck. I remember that morning well. His back is to the plate glass windows letting in the morning sun. My mother is infinitely talented. Unfortunately, her eyes have been troubling her lately. It has been a mixed bag to have her as a role model, since there is basically nothing she can't do and do well.Then there were the presents for AC, whose birthday was Sunday. Many fun and pretty things for the one-year-old girl. We spent Friday and Saturday getting ready for Sunday's big party, then, Sunday morning, my father woke up very ill. So ill, in fact, that none of us wanted to risk inviting people into the house to meet his germs. After I called the guests and delivered the bad news, Mimi, Daddy, big brother N, and I gave AC a small celebration with cake and ice cream.
In other news, my dog W walked on all four feet today for the first time in, oh, seven or eight months. I took him very slowly about twenty yards. He had his left rear patella repaired two weeks ago, and I took his stitches out Tuesday. His incision looks great. We go back to the ortho vet the first week in April. Here's hoping he'll be healed soon.
D and I are off to see Pilots--wait--that's Pirates of Penzance tonight. Should be loads of fun.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Blogus Interruptus
Sorry I've been scarce. Ye olde washboard and mangle have been overworked dealing with the side effects of the family yakfest. D and AC are on day three and are still poorly, but N and I are so far glurge-free. Saints presarve us.
The bionic dog's newly re-routed knee-cap groove is healing nicely. Thursday's surgery added one more piece of metal to his already magnetic anatomy--the newest pin holds a piece of bone that had to be moved.
My parents arrive for a visit tomorrow night, and AC's first birthday is Sunday. Party that afternoon. The ILs arrive the following week. Can you say, GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?
In the interest of getting more shit done around here, I'll let Tess Gerritsen do my blogging for me. Today she's written a damn fascinating entry on how she arrived at her latest novel's title. I agree that THE MEPHISTO CLUB is a great title, and the novel sounds like a fun ride.
The bionic dog's newly re-routed knee-cap groove is healing nicely. Thursday's surgery added one more piece of metal to his already magnetic anatomy--the newest pin holds a piece of bone that had to be moved.
My parents arrive for a visit tomorrow night, and AC's first birthday is Sunday. Party that afternoon. The ILs arrive the following week. Can you say, GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?
In the interest of getting more shit done around here, I'll let Tess Gerritsen do my blogging for me. Today she's written a damn fascinating entry on how she arrived at her latest novel's title. I agree that THE MEPHISTO CLUB is a great title, and the novel sounds like a fun ride.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Anne Frasier Has Another Winner on the Way
I won a contest at Anne Frasier's blog recently, and just received the most incredible prize in the mail. It was the video book trailer DVD for her upcoming novel, PALE IMMORTAL. The book will be out in September, and I plan to buy up a copy as soon as it's available. You should too! Meanwhile, have a look at the video HERE. Also in the package was the self-titled debut CD by The Chambermaids, who provided the soundtrack for the PALE IMMORTAL video. Her two kids are in the band, and her daughter directed the PI video. Talented family!
While you wait for PALE IMMORTAL's release, have a look at Anne's other books.
While you wait for PALE IMMORTAL's release, have a look at Anne's other books.
One Flu East, One Flu West
I'm not a very fearful person, not typically paranoid. But this bird flu thing has been pecking at the back of my mind. If we can't deal with an urban hurricane catastrophe that had been predicted for years, then how the hell are we going to manage a nationwide outbreak of a potentially fatal disease?
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Two Wheel Revolution
I love, love, love researching things. I also love writing. (Note the imbalance of the verb repetition.) Some days it's not at all clear whether I write to justify my research or the other way round. On my quest for factual details, I find countless rabbit holes down which I could disappear for hours. Fortunately (I suppose), my time to write is limited, so I must cut short the information chase before it's hardly begun. Then it's back to the novel manuscript.
Some resources are just too exciting to keep to myself, though. Scootergirl extraordinaire Crystal Waters rides a Vespa that will knock your socks off. Look at "Ilene" here! When I checked out her blog, I found an entry reproducing an ad in the February 21 NYT. Seems Paolo Timoni, the President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas (Piaggio manufactures Vespas) has written an open letter to US Mayors recommending scootering to alleviate our reliance on oil. Bravo, Mr. Timoni.
One of my lead characters rides a Vespa, probably because I've had a secret hankering for one myself since I first visited Italy ten years ago. My main protagonist drives an old Honda Civic. Mr. Timoni doesn't have to tell my characters that conservation is cool.
Some resources are just too exciting to keep to myself, though. Scootergirl extraordinaire Crystal Waters rides a Vespa that will knock your socks off. Look at "Ilene" here! When I checked out her blog, I found an entry reproducing an ad in the February 21 NYT. Seems Paolo Timoni, the President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas (Piaggio manufactures Vespas) has written an open letter to US Mayors recommending scootering to alleviate our reliance on oil. Bravo, Mr. Timoni.
One of my lead characters rides a Vespa, probably because I've had a secret hankering for one myself since I first visited Italy ten years ago. My main protagonist drives an old Honda Civic. Mr. Timoni doesn't have to tell my characters that conservation is cool.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Martial Plan
This started a few days ago: "Momma, you do NOT talk to your boy that way."
You might call that sassing. And believe me, I don't enjoy hearing that from my 2.5yo. But when your son is "the quiet one" at daycare--never the instigator and never standing up to the bully--it can be a relief to hear him finally assert himself.
I checked with his lead teacher today, who told me N is just now starting to speak up when someone hits him. I'll help him practice those verbal responses in make-believe situations here at home.
Here's the thing, though. With his sister, the boy can dish it out in spades. Pushing AC around is the highlight of his day. But since she's still basically a sitting duck--or at least a slow-moving one--and won't be defending herself any time soon, a part of me wants to show N how to push back. And it is not the Buddhist part.
You might call that sassing. And believe me, I don't enjoy hearing that from my 2.5yo. But when your son is "the quiet one" at daycare--never the instigator and never standing up to the bully--it can be a relief to hear him finally assert himself.
I checked with his lead teacher today, who told me N is just now starting to speak up when someone hits him. I'll help him practice those verbal responses in make-believe situations here at home.
Here's the thing, though. With his sister, the boy can dish it out in spades. Pushing AC around is the highlight of his day. But since she's still basically a sitting duck--or at least a slow-moving one--and won't be defending herself any time soon, a part of me wants to show N how to push back. And it is not the Buddhist part.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Good Health Is Overrated
Or so I'm trying to convince myself as my left eye weeps from behind my spectacles. Yes, I have pinkeye for the forty-leventh time since my older kid first brought it home from his daycare two years ago. I guess it's the viral world's revenge for my almost four decades of eyeballs so clean you could eat off them. Now every time I blink I pick up another goddam parasite. (I've even gotten two new pairs of contacts since the first visitation. And I don't wear the cheap kind, either.)
So the eye pain and redness just popped up about three hours ago. If I'd had an inkling this morning when I was having my hip and knee examined at the doctor's, I could've gotten her opinion on the infection too. So, yeah, on that note, I'm going in for an MRI on Wednesday to find out why a) when I go down the stairs or kneel, some invisible lunatic stabs my right knee with his or her invisible icepick, and b) when I stand up from a sitting position, whatever attaches my right thigh to my right hip decides not to support me without a massive fight lasting about one minute.
Later.
So the eye pain and redness just popped up about three hours ago. If I'd had an inkling this morning when I was having my hip and knee examined at the doctor's, I could've gotten her opinion on the infection too. So, yeah, on that note, I'm going in for an MRI on Wednesday to find out why a) when I go down the stairs or kneel, some invisible lunatic stabs my right knee with his or her invisible icepick, and b) when I stand up from a sitting position, whatever attaches my right thigh to my right hip decides not to support me without a massive fight lasting about one minute.
Later.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Return to the Land of the Living
The stomach virus got me. Or was it food poisoning? Does anyone know how to tell the difference (without going into TOO much detail)? At this point I'm living mostly on grits, oatmeal, cheese toast, and decaf. A little apple juice.
Happily, I'm lucid enough to get back to revising the novel draft. I've gotten some wonderful feedback on chapter one already (thanks Christa and Annette), and will try to incorporate some of that soon. However, I'm thick into chapter two revisions at the moment, and my mind is on my older secondary character rather than my sleuth. It's hard to flip back and forth, I find.
I will try to get back to some internet reading soon. I miss my bulletin board buddies and my blog friends!
Happily, I'm lucid enough to get back to revising the novel draft. I've gotten some wonderful feedback on chapter one already (thanks Christa and Annette), and will try to incorporate some of that soon. However, I'm thick into chapter two revisions at the moment, and my mind is on my older secondary character rather than my sleuth. It's hard to flip back and forth, I find.
I will try to get back to some internet reading soon. I miss my bulletin board buddies and my blog friends!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
And a Fun Time Was Had by All
The foot of snow we got really bummed the dogs out (the taller is 17" at the shoulder), but the rest of the family enjoyed the heck out of it today.Even though AC started walking last month, there was no way she could even take a step in this stuff. So we pulled her around in her little purple sled. D pulled N around in the bigger red one. N fell out on several occasions. He told me tonight, "I had trouble three times."
Monday, February 06, 2006
Quite Contrary...
...has been my computer. But now it seems to be functioning at its old capacity. It looked to be a hardware issue. Happily, D accidentally fixed it when he took my RAM out to install a replacement. When he found that he had brought the wrong size RAM, he put mine back in the other slot. Well, problem solved. WTFBBQ! There are some lingering [strange] issues of hibernation/power saver settings, but these have caused no problems with my work. Back in the saddle am I.
And how does my garden grow? Well, I gave the raised beds a rest last year, so now I'm ready to get back to my vegetable gardening. Here's the menu:
Little Caesar romaine; Sungold cherry tomatoes (SOOOOO sweet); Mixed lettuces, arugula, spinach; Royal Chantenay and Sweet Sunshine carrots; Tenderpick green snap beans; Fukagawa bunching onions; Bonanza Hybrid broccoli; First White cauliflower; Joy Choi Hybrid mini-pak choi; Carola potatoes (golden flesh); Hot Lemon peppers; Blushing Beauty bell peppers; Sugar Crunch Hybrid cucumbers; Saffron squash; and Purple Rain Hybrid eggplant. I'll try to keep my current herbs alive (rosemary, thyme, oregano), and add some Italian parsley and basil to the patch.
Everything except the spinach seeds and the organic seed potatoes (from Wood Prairie Farms in Maine) will be grown from seeds I've had for three years. That's right folks. My seeds live in their folded up seed packets, within zipper bags, inside a plastic grocery sack, in their own refrigerator vegetable drawer. I've done it this way for many years, and I always have great sprouting percentage. Saves lots of $$$, too.
I plan to start the greens, the onions, and the cole crops inside in another week, or whenever I can clean off the table and set up my grow light--whichever comes first. The seed potatoes will go into their bed in mid-March. (They will be shipped on March 7.) I will not grow peas or sugar snap peas this year, as the limited space of my raised beds and the time spent preparing them made the payoff poor the last few times I tried them.
I will NOT be doing a CSA subscription this year, but we do have a local pesticide-free farm/orchard I will buy from as needed. I HIGHLY recommend to those of you who can, to get a CSA subscription to a local organic farm. Eat in season, support your local growers!
So, just as the weather has become downright wintry again, let's dream of spring! What are you all going to grow?
And how does my garden grow? Well, I gave the raised beds a rest last year, so now I'm ready to get back to my vegetable gardening. Here's the menu:
Little Caesar romaine; Sungold cherry tomatoes (SOOOOO sweet); Mixed lettuces, arugula, spinach; Royal Chantenay and Sweet Sunshine carrots; Tenderpick green snap beans; Fukagawa bunching onions; Bonanza Hybrid broccoli; First White cauliflower; Joy Choi Hybrid mini-pak choi; Carola potatoes (golden flesh); Hot Lemon peppers; Blushing Beauty bell peppers; Sugar Crunch Hybrid cucumbers; Saffron squash; and Purple Rain Hybrid eggplant. I'll try to keep my current herbs alive (rosemary, thyme, oregano), and add some Italian parsley and basil to the patch.
Everything except the spinach seeds and the organic seed potatoes (from Wood Prairie Farms in Maine) will be grown from seeds I've had for three years. That's right folks. My seeds live in their folded up seed packets, within zipper bags, inside a plastic grocery sack, in their own refrigerator vegetable drawer. I've done it this way for many years, and I always have great sprouting percentage. Saves lots of $$$, too.
I plan to start the greens, the onions, and the cole crops inside in another week, or whenever I can clean off the table and set up my grow light--whichever comes first. The seed potatoes will go into their bed in mid-March. (They will be shipped on March 7.) I will not grow peas or sugar snap peas this year, as the limited space of my raised beds and the time spent preparing them made the payoff poor the last few times I tried them.
I will NOT be doing a CSA subscription this year, but we do have a local pesticide-free farm/orchard I will buy from as needed. I HIGHLY recommend to those of you who can, to get a CSA subscription to a local organic farm. Eat in season, support your local growers!
So, just as the weather has become downright wintry again, let's dream of spring! What are you all going to grow?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Computer Crapped Out
Last post for a while, mates. My laptop is crazy-sick. No, not a virus. We think it's a problem with a driver. It's doing wonders for my writing. Yeah. No. Really. I'm not getting any writing done. Just bummed. I'll check ya later, folks.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Guests Check In, Then Bug Out
Whenever I get the travel bug, I remind myself of bugs who like travelers.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
How Do You Find Me?
I've noticed that other bloggers besides me enjoy researching how people around the world come to find their blogs. Lee Goldberg maintains that a steady stream of visitors find him in their search for Lindsey Lohan's nipples, and surely the Book Tarts at The Lipstick Chronicles get hit on by folks looking for shoes, views, booze, and writing news.
Me? I've gotten some crazy weird visits over the last few years. The most frequent search phrase that brought peeps to my blog in 2005 was..."whine the pooh." No, no typos there. I've had visitors from all over the world who searched on..."whine the pooh" (WTF?) and then chose to visit to my blog. One from Manilla, I think. And Mexico City. And Togo. Go figure. Why that phrase? Yes, I whine. And the word "Pooh" used to appear on my list of movies watched in 2005. That's as close as we get, folks.
Now even though I'm not sure how a reader in Taipei, Taiwan arrived at my blog, I am delighted that I was translated into what I have to assume (sorry if I'm wrong) was Mandarin Chinese. Here's the page. Pretty, don't you think? I cling to the illusion that the thousands of multilingual typing monkeys who work for Yahoo/SYSTRAN captured the full range of my brilliance.
I get a few hits a month from folks researching abdominal muscle diastasis, a condition to which I'm apparently doomed. Two big babies twenty months apart and pregnancy weight gain of almost fifty pounds each time (although I'm happy to say I'm now back to fighting weight) have torn my six-pack into two parallel three-packs. A one-inch wide "fault-line" runs down my middle now. I haven't given up, though. I'm working on strengthening the underlying transverse muscles by doing what are called "elevator" exercises, but it's doubtful that the abs on top will ever meet in the middle again. If you are a fellow sufferer, this article from Fit Pregnancy may help.
I can't neglect to mention the great feeling I get when readers visit me from the links on my fellow bloggers' sites. Thanks, y'all who have listed me. If I haven't listed your blog yet, please let me know and I'll reciprocate.
How did YOU find me? No matter how you got here, I'll close by saying a simple "thank you" to my lovely readers. I appreciate having you there at your monitors, reading my posts, and--when you are so moved--weighing in on the comments page. You are what makes this endeavor worthwhile. *smooches*
p.s. Rest in Peace, Paul Guyot's Bog. Paul, I enjoyed reading anything and everything you had to say and, especially, savoring the exquisite illustrations you provided.
Me? I've gotten some crazy weird visits over the last few years. The most frequent search phrase that brought peeps to my blog in 2005 was..."whine the pooh." No, no typos there. I've had visitors from all over the world who searched on..."whine the pooh" (WTF?) and then chose to visit to my blog. One from Manilla, I think. And Mexico City. And Togo. Go figure. Why that phrase? Yes, I whine. And the word "Pooh" used to appear on my list of movies watched in 2005. That's as close as we get, folks.
Now even though I'm not sure how a reader in Taipei, Taiwan arrived at my blog, I am delighted that I was translated into what I have to assume (sorry if I'm wrong) was Mandarin Chinese. Here's the page. Pretty, don't you think? I cling to the illusion that the thousands of multilingual typing monkeys who work for Yahoo/SYSTRAN captured the full range of my brilliance.
I get a few hits a month from folks researching abdominal muscle diastasis, a condition to which I'm apparently doomed. Two big babies twenty months apart and pregnancy weight gain of almost fifty pounds each time (although I'm happy to say I'm now back to fighting weight) have torn my six-pack into two parallel three-packs. A one-inch wide "fault-line" runs down my middle now. I haven't given up, though. I'm working on strengthening the underlying transverse muscles by doing what are called "elevator" exercises, but it's doubtful that the abs on top will ever meet in the middle again. If you are a fellow sufferer, this article from Fit Pregnancy may help.
I can't neglect to mention the great feeling I get when readers visit me from the links on my fellow bloggers' sites. Thanks, y'all who have listed me. If I haven't listed your blog yet, please let me know and I'll reciprocate.
How did YOU find me? No matter how you got here, I'll close by saying a simple "thank you" to my lovely readers. I appreciate having you there at your monitors, reading my posts, and--when you are so moved--weighing in on the comments page. You are what makes this endeavor worthwhile. *smooches*
p.s. Rest in Peace, Paul Guyot's Bog. Paul, I enjoyed reading anything and everything you had to say and, especially, savoring the exquisite illustrations you provided.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The Meme of Four
Yes, another meme, wherein I am afforded the exhilerating opportunity to talk about MYSELF, and know that others will be GLUED to their monitors with RAPTURE-glue. Vanity, thy name is MEEEEEEEEme.
The lovely Alphabeter has tagged me.
The FOUR Meme
Four jobs you have had in your life:
Winn-Dixie checker
English professor
Computer-lab attendant
Dancer
Four movies you watch over and over:
I think I did this one already (see Seven Things Meme for seven of them, then subtract three)
Four places you've lived:
Tallahassee
Sylacauga
Carrboro
Farmville
Four Shows you love to watch:
ummmm, I don't watch t.v. anymore. We just rent DVDs when we want to go back and see a series.
So, 4 shows I watch on DVD are
Arrested Development
The Office
Sex and the City
and that was three
Four places you've been on vacation:
The Swag
The Homestead
The Beaver Creek
The London
Four of your favourite foods:
[Did a Canadian write this meme?]
Dunkin Donut's Boston Creme donut
waffles with butter and maple syrup (does that count as three?)
my mother's meatless moussaka
black bean taco salad
Four places you'd rather be right now:
somewhere WARMer
my local Brew-Ha-Ha
I honestly can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be, though. I'm pretty content right here at the kitchen table.
Four sites I visit daily:
Bloglines for my list of updated blogs
weather.com
cnn.com
sitemeter.com, to see who has visited
Four bloggers you are tagging:
this is always a tough one because we are all so incestuous.
So, if you WANT to be tagged for this meme, consider yourself SO!
Four sheep breeds you could recognise in a field:
[Okay, so maybe the meme-writer is British. Scottish?]
black, brown, white, and white with black faces?
Four people you'd really like to meet (who are alive) and what you would ask them:
Thich Nhat Hanh - Will you adopt me?
Elizabeth George - How the h*ll do you write such long yet compelling books?
Nicole Kidman - C'mon. Lenny Kravitz??? WTHWYT?
Paul Farmer - Can I just tag along for a little while and absorb some of your superhumanness?
The lovely Alphabeter has tagged me.
The FOUR Meme
Four jobs you have had in your life:
Winn-Dixie checker
English professor
Computer-lab attendant
Dancer
Four movies you watch over and over:
I think I did this one already (see Seven Things Meme for seven of them, then subtract three)
Four places you've lived:
Tallahassee
Sylacauga
Carrboro
Farmville
Four Shows you love to watch:
ummmm, I don't watch t.v. anymore. We just rent DVDs when we want to go back and see a series.
So, 4 shows I watch on DVD are
Arrested Development
The Office
Sex and the City
and that was three
Four places you've been on vacation:
The Swag
The Homestead
The Beaver Creek
The London
Four of your favourite foods:
[Did a Canadian write this meme?]
Dunkin Donut's Boston Creme donut
waffles with butter and maple syrup (does that count as three?)
my mother's meatless moussaka
black bean taco salad
Four places you'd rather be right now:
somewhere WARMer
my local Brew-Ha-Ha
I honestly can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be, though. I'm pretty content right here at the kitchen table.
Four sites I visit daily:
Bloglines for my list of updated blogs
weather.com
cnn.com
sitemeter.com, to see who has visited
Four bloggers you are tagging:
this is always a tough one because we are all so incestuous.
So, if you WANT to be tagged for this meme, consider yourself SO!
Four sheep breeds you could recognise in a field:
[Okay, so maybe the meme-writer is British. Scottish?]
black, brown, white, and white with black faces?
Four people you'd really like to meet (who are alive) and what you would ask them:
Thich Nhat Hanh - Will you adopt me?
Elizabeth George - How the h*ll do you write such long yet compelling books?
Nicole Kidman - C'mon. Lenny Kravitz??? WTHWYT?
Paul Farmer - Can I just tag along for a little while and absorb some of your superhumanness?
Monday, January 16, 2006
Professor AC
I've been bumming on this question, lately: Why. Does. It. Take. So. Long. To. Feed. My. Daughter. Her. Tiny. Little. Meals. Of. Peas. And. Cut. Peaches. And. Rice?
Today, I digested the lesson. In the course of my day, NOTHING is more important than to be here for my children. So I'm in a hurry. Big deal. What's the emergency? I might get behind on my blog reading?
This stage will pass, to be replaced by another one, equally important to AC, and therefore, to me. Instead of trying to rush her through for my sake, I'm going to breathe us through for both our sakes.
Sometimes I just need to be driven round the bend...slowly...to see where I am. And she's just the guide to do it. By. Gumming. Her. Bits. Of. Soft. Food. Very. Very. Slowly.
Today, I digested the lesson. In the course of my day, NOTHING is more important than to be here for my children. So I'm in a hurry. Big deal. What's the emergency? I might get behind on my blog reading?
This stage will pass, to be replaced by another one, equally important to AC, and therefore, to me. Instead of trying to rush her through for my sake, I'm going to breathe us through for both our sakes.
Sometimes I just need to be driven round the bend...slowly...to see where I am. And she's just the guide to do it. By. Gumming. Her. Bits. Of. Soft. Food. Very. Very. Slowly.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Grab Blag
Double take of the week: At a stoplight, I see a Honda Insight with cigarette smoke billowing out of the driver's side window. Whatever green he was going for has turned brown by now. Probably even black.
---
N (2.5y) has a little Jar Jar Binks action figure someone gave my husband back in the '90s. The arms are bent like goal posts, and when you flip them up and down his tongue goes in and out of his mouth. Heinous, heinous tchotchka. So N had it out yesterday, flip flip flip go the arms, in and out goes the tongue. And he shouts out with glee, "This YOU, Mama!" Moving right along...
---
I've decided to hang out my tutoring shingle. Not the shingle that tutors, mind you, but the shingle that says I do the tutoring. "Ye Olde Tewter Shoppe, Mary Louisa - Proprietesse," it shall read. I'm going to be tutoring in writing, grammar, vocabulary, literature, the works. Most sessions will be local (N. Delaware), but I'm also offering online sessions. College prep, test prep, course work help, business writing, the works. E-mail me if you're interested in more info.
---
Someone has to stop me. When I became a stay-at-home-mom last year, I thought I was prepared for the mental adjustment to living on one paycheck. Today, I'm not so sure I haven't moved through that to come out on...THE CRAZY BAG LADY SIDE. I seriously contemplated how I could make us some dishtowels out of something we already had lying around the house. Fraying bathtowels? Quite possible. Old tee shirts? Less likely. Too thin. Really, Mary Louisa, HOW MUCH DOES A DISHTOWEL COST? I think I can afford one. Maybe not two, but certainly one. Did I mention that our gas/electric bill for December was $319? No? What was yours?
---
Now you see why I am hanging out that shingle. It's partly because I am starting to miss teaching a little. But it's mostly because no one has yet driven a dump-truck full of money up to my front door.
---
N (2.5y) has a little Jar Jar Binks action figure someone gave my husband back in the '90s. The arms are bent like goal posts, and when you flip them up and down his tongue goes in and out of his mouth. Heinous, heinous tchotchka. So N had it out yesterday, flip flip flip go the arms, in and out goes the tongue. And he shouts out with glee, "This YOU, Mama!" Moving right along...
---
I've decided to hang out my tutoring shingle. Not the shingle that tutors, mind you, but the shingle that says I do the tutoring. "Ye Olde Tewter Shoppe, Mary Louisa - Proprietesse," it shall read. I'm going to be tutoring in writing, grammar, vocabulary, literature, the works. Most sessions will be local (N. Delaware), but I'm also offering online sessions. College prep, test prep, course work help, business writing, the works. E-mail me if you're interested in more info.
---
Someone has to stop me. When I became a stay-at-home-mom last year, I thought I was prepared for the mental adjustment to living on one paycheck. Today, I'm not so sure I haven't moved through that to come out on...THE CRAZY BAG LADY SIDE. I seriously contemplated how I could make us some dishtowels out of something we already had lying around the house. Fraying bathtowels? Quite possible. Old tee shirts? Less likely. Too thin. Really, Mary Louisa, HOW MUCH DOES A DISHTOWEL COST? I think I can afford one. Maybe not two, but certainly one. Did I mention that our gas/electric bill for December was $319? No? What was yours?
---
Now you see why I am hanging out that shingle. It's partly because I am starting to miss teaching a little. But it's mostly because no one has yet driven a dump-truck full of money up to my front door.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Saturday Morning Quickie
Started Laura Lippman's CHARM CITY night before last. It's my first novel by her, but won't be my last. I've heard so many good things about TO THE POWER OF THREE that I will get it next.
Still trying to slog, and I mean SLOG, through Jane Smiley's 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A NOVEL. *yawn* Will try to skim some TALE OF GENJI in the next few days, as that is the first of one hundred and one "novels" she read in her post-9/11 recovery period.
Have a couple more chapters to reread of Maass's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. I'm revising the first half of my novel before continuing, and reminding myself of some ideas I had and didn't put into play during the first draft.
There has been some fun in the house: We watched four episodes of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT last night. I nearly passed out from laughter-induced oxygen deprivation. At 12:30am we knew we had to go to bed, but we could've easily continued.
I pledge to update my template soon to revamp my links.
Still trying to slog, and I mean SLOG, through Jane Smiley's 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A NOVEL. *yawn* Will try to skim some TALE OF GENJI in the next few days, as that is the first of one hundred and one "novels" she read in her post-9/11 recovery period.
Have a couple more chapters to reread of Maass's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. I'm revising the first half of my novel before continuing, and reminding myself of some ideas I had and didn't put into play during the first draft.
There has been some fun in the house: We watched four episodes of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT last night. I nearly passed out from laughter-induced oxygen deprivation. At 12:30am we knew we had to go to bed, but we could've easily continued.
I pledge to update my template soon to revamp my links.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Mother + Small Children = No Time to Write
I've done the math. The numbers are pretty depressing.
Today I have finally admitted to myself that there is just no quality time to write. I'm about halfway through my mystery manuscript, but chances of finishing within the next six months are bleak.
At this point I'm getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, with at least one--sometimes two--wake-ups to nurse A during that stretch. I simply can't cut back there, or I will be worth less than I already am during the day. I'm on kid duty from about 8am to about 11pm when A finally goes down to sleep for a reasonable stretch.
Save your shouts about having my husband help more. D already gets N up in the morning, dresses him, and feeds him breakfast. When he manages to get home before 8pm, he either holds A or puts N to bed. But then he must eat his dinner and do the dishes (bless him), and he isn't done with that till about 10pm. He doesn't watch TV, he doesn't play video games, and he doesn't do chat, so there's no fat in his schedule. He is a wonderful partner and father, but he just works a lot.
I can catch ten minutes here and twenty minutes there throughout my days, but that's not even enough time to open my chapter-in-progress and remind myself of where I left off.
My writer friends who are also mothers of small children bemoan similar situations. However, I'd pretty successfully steered clear of facing it by adopting a once-a-week writing schedule in 2005. Generally, every Thursday that D could swing it, he would come home by 6:30, and I'd head out to the coffee shop with my laptop and stay until closing at 9pm. Occasionally, I'd also get two hours on a Saturday or Sunday.
I was okay with that schedule, thinking that somehow in 2006 I could get my butt in gear and carve out more time. But for the past three days I've looked at the daily schedule a million different ways, and working on the book more than once or twice a week just ain't gonna happen.
(And I do let the housework go. And N goes to daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)
I am amenable to any and all suggestions that don't involve spending money. I predict, though, that the solution for now is for me to practice acceptance, and just write as well as I can, as often as I can.
Today I have finally admitted to myself that there is just no quality time to write. I'm about halfway through my mystery manuscript, but chances of finishing within the next six months are bleak.
At this point I'm getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, with at least one--sometimes two--wake-ups to nurse A during that stretch. I simply can't cut back there, or I will be worth less than I already am during the day. I'm on kid duty from about 8am to about 11pm when A finally goes down to sleep for a reasonable stretch.
Save your shouts about having my husband help more. D already gets N up in the morning, dresses him, and feeds him breakfast. When he manages to get home before 8pm, he either holds A or puts N to bed. But then he must eat his dinner and do the dishes (bless him), and he isn't done with that till about 10pm. He doesn't watch TV, he doesn't play video games, and he doesn't do chat, so there's no fat in his schedule. He is a wonderful partner and father, but he just works a lot.
I can catch ten minutes here and twenty minutes there throughout my days, but that's not even enough time to open my chapter-in-progress and remind myself of where I left off.
My writer friends who are also mothers of small children bemoan similar situations. However, I'd pretty successfully steered clear of facing it by adopting a once-a-week writing schedule in 2005. Generally, every Thursday that D could swing it, he would come home by 6:30, and I'd head out to the coffee shop with my laptop and stay until closing at 9pm. Occasionally, I'd also get two hours on a Saturday or Sunday.
I was okay with that schedule, thinking that somehow in 2006 I could get my butt in gear and carve out more time. But for the past three days I've looked at the daily schedule a million different ways, and working on the book more than once or twice a week just ain't gonna happen.
(And I do let the housework go. And N goes to daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)
I am amenable to any and all suggestions that don't involve spending money. I predict, though, that the solution for now is for me to practice acceptance, and just write as well as I can, as often as I can.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Irresolutions
I don't do resolutions. I do goals. So, along with every other motivated Jane- and Joe-blogger, I hereby state my willingness to think about moving toward finding a way to approach the objectives of the following goals for 2006:
1. Finish the damn book. (Betcha never heard that one before.)
2. Start the next book.
3. Do a minimal vegetable and herb garden.
4. Get back to travel writing.
5. Cut down on my internet time. It doesn't mean I don't love y'all, cause really I do, but I have to find more time SOMEWHERE.
6. Lay money away for a new den floor, A's surgery, and an April trip to the ILs in Florida (involves flying and renting a van/SUV and paying for dogsitters--$$$).
7. Find a source of money to lay away.
There are a host of other things I'm already doing that I want to continue to do, so I won't post those here.
Last year was actually quite a wonderful one. My little A's birth was the real highlight. I made some new friends and I developed existing relationships. I adopted some habits that made my life a little more peaceful. I also adopted some habits that cancelled out some of the former's good effects. C'est la vie, non?
At some point last year, you may have noticed my film list on the side bar to the right. We squeaked in with Kinsey last night, making it the 25th movie seen in 2005 (as far as I can remember). I didn't list all the television series, music, or specials we watched on DVD (Sex and the City, Arrested Development, The Office, Upstairs Downstairs, Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham and Michele Gondry music videos, Chris Rock, etc.). I'll try to remember to start the '06 list when we watch our first this year. It may be tonight, as I still have A Christmas Story from the library. Better late than never.
Happy New Year, everyone. May you and yours be blessed with health and happiness.
1. Finish the damn book. (Betcha never heard that one before.)
2. Start the next book.
3. Do a minimal vegetable and herb garden.
4. Get back to travel writing.
5. Cut down on my internet time. It doesn't mean I don't love y'all, cause really I do, but I have to find more time SOMEWHERE.
6. Lay money away for a new den floor, A's surgery, and an April trip to the ILs in Florida (involves flying and renting a van/SUV and paying for dogsitters--$$$).
7. Find a source of money to lay away.
There are a host of other things I'm already doing that I want to continue to do, so I won't post those here.
Last year was actually quite a wonderful one. My little A's birth was the real highlight. I made some new friends and I developed existing relationships. I adopted some habits that made my life a little more peaceful. I also adopted some habits that cancelled out some of the former's good effects. C'est la vie, non?
At some point last year, you may have noticed my film list on the side bar to the right. We squeaked in with Kinsey last night, making it the 25th movie seen in 2005 (as far as I can remember). I didn't list all the television series, music, or specials we watched on DVD (Sex and the City, Arrested Development, The Office, Upstairs Downstairs, Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham and Michele Gondry music videos, Chris Rock, etc.). I'll try to remember to start the '06 list when we watch our first this year. It may be tonight, as I still have A Christmas Story from the library. Better late than never.
Happy New Year, everyone. May you and yours be blessed with health and happiness.
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