My Sundays tend to be quite tightly scheduled: I get up around 7, walk to the Y around 8, swim, shower/shave my legs, walk home, change for church, get to church. . .on and on in an (I know) dizzying list of exciting activities. Still, the program works for me, allowing me to balance my social/personal/family/school requirements quite well most of the time.
Today, however, I experienced an embarrassment of community, and my! I couldn't stick to a schedule to save my life. . . and I was somehow smart enough to realize that the non-scheduled aspect of life is what makes it rich and memorable, and I enjoyed it. I had a good long conversation with the lifeguard, also mom of a former student, about my allergic ? reaction to the pool lately, and she made several great suggestions, and then when I came out of the shower, a fellow swimmer and retired teacher who's spoken to my AP classes before had a reading list she thought (rightly) that I'd enjoy, and by the time I was out of the locker room I was about 20 mins. later than usual. I hit the lobby and ran into one of Elder's friends and his mom, waiting for a ride to the big Y meet in Bath, and we had a nice conversation about life in general, but also the friend's reading assignment for school. . . . so, needless to say, I was at a pretty good trot by the time I got home! But what a gift to have those points of contact, those people who engage with us on a more than business level, who enrich our exchanges and our days.
Even as I was striding home, I was planning a dinner party for as big a group of people as I could imagine--just to say thanks for throwing me off my schedule by their interesting, varied, outgoing existence.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Feb. 7. . .WOW!
What a list of kitchen accomplishments in our house today: a HUGE batch of soup for our post-annual-meeting lunch at church tomorrow, a batch of focaccia bread for panini tonight, Younger made chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting, and then I prevailed long enough to make some golden pound cake cupcakes (all three last recipes from MS Living for February). My feet are sore from all the standing and I have that vague sense of "Where'd the afternoon go?" but seeing as we also did the week's foodshopping, went out to b'fast with two of Younger's friends, made a nice haul at the Library book sale, AND I went for a good walk with the dog AND then solo. . . . I'm pretty content, proud, and ready for a great dinner--and dessert!
Today was also warm(ish) or (er). . . got up to 34, and when the sun was only behind thin clouds, the day had hints of early March (frequently "early March" is uttered like a curse, but in this case. . .!). Since last week did get down to -8 a few mornings, the warming trend felt great.
So. Soon to make dinner, ice a few more cupcakes, and enjoy!
Today was also warm(ish) or (er). . . got up to 34, and when the sun was only behind thin clouds, the day had hints of early March (frequently "early March" is uttered like a curse, but in this case. . .!). Since last week did get down to -8 a few mornings, the warming trend felt great.
So. Soon to make dinner, ice a few more cupcakes, and enjoy!
Friday, February 6, 2009
2/6: Illness. . .
Well, the conventional wisdom says they're dropping like flies at my high school--80 out yesterday. . . more today, despite regulations that mean kids who miss today can't compete in various championship meets this week, so there's big incentive to get to school. There's a nasty fever/cold thing, possibly the official flu, and then a fast moving stomach bug that does its usual spectacular thing and then moves out, so you have your choice as to how to get sick. We're encouraging hand-washing, proper coughing technique, no drink sharing, staying home when you're sick. . . . but I think vacation, coming up NEXT Friday, is the only key.
It's funny to be in this kind of a situation. Rumors run rampant: "Whooping cough and pneumonia," says my son, knowledgeably. He's fifteen, and not a doctor. One student told me "There'll be three kids in class today. . ." and we were only short two. Other students put it all down to salmonella in peanut butter, not "the winter vomiting virus" (as the Brits call it) at all.
As for me, I wash my hands, try to sleep a lot, stay hydrated, get fresh air, and eat well . . . and I try not to worry, though it's hard not to notice every sniffle, every gurgle my stomach makes. Is that. . . . ?
I think I'm ready for warmer weather and vacation!
It's funny to be in this kind of a situation. Rumors run rampant: "Whooping cough and pneumonia," says my son, knowledgeably. He's fifteen, and not a doctor. One student told me "There'll be three kids in class today. . ." and we were only short two. Other students put it all down to salmonella in peanut butter, not "the winter vomiting virus" (as the Brits call it) at all.
As for me, I wash my hands, try to sleep a lot, stay hydrated, get fresh air, and eat well . . . and I try not to worry, though it's hard not to notice every sniffle, every gurgle my stomach makes. Is that. . . . ?
I think I'm ready for warmer weather and vacation!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
2/5: Literary Addictions
It's very odd to have a writer whom one really, really likes, but whom one is almost positive no one else will enjoy. There's a mystery author whose very old books our library has who fits the bill, but he only wrote about 6 books and I can't remember his name (he's Australian??) The author who's my chief private addiction is one Angela Thirkell, author of perhaps 30? 50? novels, mostly set in the small English region of Barsetshire amongst the various families, villages, and groups of upper-crusty denizens. She wrote from the early 20's to her death in the mid 60's, I think, and for some reason I adore her books. She does have some of the Jane Austen about her: she writes deliberately small plots, with the staging of a party or the foiling of some minor but unwelcome plan for some village the major plot line of the book. She does not throw sudden deaths or horrible shocks at her readers, and she's very smart and funny in her indirect tone (another Austenism, actually). Reading Thirkell also helped me understand the impact of WWII on English society in a way I hadn't before: her immediately pre- during- and post-war novels are her strongest and most touching, especially since, as one reviewer pointed out, they were written pretty much at that time, without the benefit of knowing "this is the last summer of the war" or "Hitler really is a threat." So for social insight, she's wonderful. However, she is a snob--her attitude toward non-British citizens and toward the Other Classes is that they are all very well, but they must know their place and stay there. In addition, she can dither at times: her sentences (helped, I must admit, by the very poor copyediting of the editions I've been reading) often ramble, convulse, rush off at odd angles, require numerous rereadings to untangle. And, finally, she can be incredibly indirect: sometimes everyone at a dinner party is caught up in a memory of a song that the reader has never heard of, but the song is never acutally mentioned nor sung, so the reader is paralyzed. Her endless references to "Bab's Ballads" during a certain span of her books, her unapologetic Englishisms, and, more damningly, her occasionally baffling plot twists that leave one hanging at the end of a 400 page book can all be infuriating.
But.
I love her books. I wish I had every one on my shelves, so I could read them through and then start again.
My latest Thirkell, Happy Returns,
is a perfect example of why most people, I think, would hate her writing. The opening 100 pages dragged, even for me. The whole book involved getting two babies born and two sets of people engaged or married, and it was mighty. slow. going.
But now that I'm done, I'm at loose ends.
I might have to reread one of my other Thirkells. What can I say? It's an addiction!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Feb. 4: Almost Missed!
Today was one long streak of stuff to do!
Up at six (grrrrrrrrrrrrreat sleep. Yay!)
Walk dog in lovely snow. One of the big trees on Argonne Street still has its lights up and against the snow they were especially beautiful. It was nice to walk through the houses; there were several people out shoveling but everything was very muffled.
Drop dog at home. Walk "the block" to finish workout.
Home--b'fast--shower--nearly going to be on time for class planning session when Elder called from school having forgotten his Bio. . . could I?
Drop Bio book at h.s.--park in lot, walk in snow to door, go into office, etc.
Drive to school.
Planning session. Not very good--felt like facilitator (usually very good) was pulling us in a direction we didn't need to go in NOW and not letting us do what we needed to do. BUT did get pulled out of meeting by Superintendent to meet principal candidate and was introduced to him as "one of our most excellent teachers"--that felt pretty darn great.
Home from planning session; let dog out. Get Elder son.
Pick up younger son.
Drive to orthodontist in Brewer.
Do ortho stuff, then listen to Dr. Dentist as he talked on and on about Younger's braces.
Drive home, stopping to get boys a snack at McD's
Eat dinner
clean up from dinner
Go to Mission meeting (pretty good one)
Come home; realize we have to pick up for our cleaning lady
Do that: lie on couch to write this!
Whhhhoooooosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I want to finish my Thirkell that I am LABORING through.
So! Due to be sunny tomorrow, but 21 with a zippy wind for -12 windchill. Not summer yet.
Up at six (grrrrrrrrrrrrreat sleep. Yay!)
Walk dog in lovely snow. One of the big trees on Argonne Street still has its lights up and against the snow they were especially beautiful. It was nice to walk through the houses; there were several people out shoveling but everything was very muffled.
Drop dog at home. Walk "the block" to finish workout.
Home--b'fast--shower--nearly going to be on time for class planning session when Elder called from school having forgotten his Bio. . . could I?
Drop Bio book at h.s.--park in lot, walk in snow to door, go into office, etc.
Drive to school.
Planning session. Not very good--felt like facilitator (usually very good) was pulling us in a direction we didn't need to go in NOW and not letting us do what we needed to do. BUT did get pulled out of meeting by Superintendent to meet principal candidate and was introduced to him as "one of our most excellent teachers"--that felt pretty darn great.
Home from planning session; let dog out. Get Elder son.
Pick up younger son.
Drive to orthodontist in Brewer.
Do ortho stuff, then listen to Dr. Dentist as he talked on and on about Younger's braces.
Drive home, stopping to get boys a snack at McD's
Eat dinner
clean up from dinner
Go to Mission meeting (pretty good one)
Come home; realize we have to pick up for our cleaning lady
Do that: lie on couch to write this!
Whhhhoooooosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I want to finish my Thirkell that I am LABORING through.
So! Due to be sunny tomorrow, but 21 with a zippy wind for -12 windchill. Not summer yet.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Feb. 3: Back to snowy cold!
But not as cold. . . only mid-twenties, and now around 5 pm it's 19. However, the wind is from the north, as BH pointed out, and there's fine snow in it. Brrrr. Wrap up in your scarf!
Today I want to write about audiobooks. Right now I am listening to Jumpa Lahiri's newest short story collection, Unaccustomed Earth. It is excellent, for many reasons: first, the woman can write. Period, amen. Secondly, hearing the stories read by two Indian readers, one female (Sarita Choudhury), one male (Ajay Naidu), makes them come alive: I never knew it was pronounced "CALcutta", for example. Thirdly, and closely related to reason #2: I have a weakness for an Anglo-Indian accent. . . though maybe it's just an "Indian accent," since I have never heard an Indian speaking French, for example. BUT: something about the way the syllables are presented, the way the consonants are aspirated, the way the vowels are held in the back of the mouth--appeals to me immensely. I could listen to Choudhury and Naidu read the phone book, I think!
The collection consists of several longish stories, and Lahiri takes a variety of views, characters, narrators, etc., in them. My least favorite is the title story, which seemed to drag a bit; right now I am listening to the last set of three linked stories, called, judging by the reviews, "Hema and Kashik". . .and it's compelling and fascinating; when I turn the car off and come into the house, I want to read it still!
Highly recommended!
Today I want to write about audiobooks. Right now I am listening to Jumpa Lahiri's newest short story collection, Unaccustomed Earth. It is excellent, for many reasons: first, the woman can write. Period, amen. Secondly, hearing the stories read by two Indian readers, one female (Sarita Choudhury), one male (Ajay Naidu), makes them come alive: I never knew it was pronounced "CALcutta", for example. Thirdly, and closely related to reason #2: I have a weakness for an Anglo-Indian accent. . . though maybe it's just an "Indian accent," since I have never heard an Indian speaking French, for example. BUT: something about the way the syllables are presented, the way the consonants are aspirated, the way the vowels are held in the back of the mouth--appeals to me immensely. I could listen to Choudhury and Naidu read the phone book, I think!
The collection consists of several longish stories, and Lahiri takes a variety of views, characters, narrators, etc., in them. My least favorite is the title story, which seemed to drag a bit; right now I am listening to the last set of three linked stories, called, judging by the reviews, "Hema and Kashik". . .and it's compelling and fascinating; when I turn the car off and come into the house, I want to read it still!
Highly recommended!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Groundhog's Day
And it was warm and moist today--easily up in the mid-thirties, even without (much) sunshine! It felt terrific: it's been so dry, to say nothing of the cold, that the soft air felt like a gift. So, yay, February!
Today was a good day to pull out some old material and deal with it, partly because I did good correcting work last night and yesterday afternoon so I was less stressed than usual in that department, and partly because. . . well, if you don't deal with stuff for a while, it gets to the point where you have to deal with it, or else! So. . . I did some brainstorming with W. about Library Trustees, and managed to work past the "Aiieeeeee!" stage that I have been at for a while, since I am maturing as a chairperson and realizing that I have a weak grasp of our true function and responsibilities, and since the issues surrounding the crazy busy Friday afternoons have been coming to a head. It was great to have W. to talk to: as she said, "leadership is leadership no matter where it is!" and she's got a lot of experience in that. So. I have a better handle on that situation and a sense of where to go when and why. Now doing it is all that needs to happen.
I also did various prep and photocopying of things for classes. Yes. Then I came home, ordered BH's valentine present, and emailed a friend to see if we can have tea sometime since I have hardly seen her since November!
Another affirming thing was that I sat down with a cup of Lapsang Souchon (yum) and read over our church's annual report and bulletin for February. And I felt amazed and proud: in that church family there are a lot of people working really hard to make things work, and to show love, whether community love or Christ's love or their individual love, to other people, and that makes me really happy and proud. The icing on the cake was that the Evening Circle, a staunch and staid group of traditional "church ladies," donated $500 to the Downeast Aids Network. Now that's something you probably wouldn't have seen 20 years ago!
I'd say Groundhog's Day was pretty darn good.
Inspirational picture to close:
Today was a good day to pull out some old material and deal with it, partly because I did good correcting work last night and yesterday afternoon so I was less stressed than usual in that department, and partly because. . . well, if you don't deal with stuff for a while, it gets to the point where you have to deal with it, or else! So. . . I did some brainstorming with W. about Library Trustees, and managed to work past the "Aiieeeeee!" stage that I have been at for a while, since I am maturing as a chairperson and realizing that I have a weak grasp of our true function and responsibilities, and since the issues surrounding the crazy busy Friday afternoons have been coming to a head. It was great to have W. to talk to: as she said, "leadership is leadership no matter where it is!" and she's got a lot of experience in that. So. I have a better handle on that situation and a sense of where to go when and why. Now doing it is all that needs to happen.
I also did various prep and photocopying of things for classes. Yes. Then I came home, ordered BH's valentine present, and emailed a friend to see if we can have tea sometime since I have hardly seen her since November!
Another affirming thing was that I sat down with a cup of Lapsang Souchon (yum) and read over our church's annual report and bulletin for February. And I felt amazed and proud: in that church family there are a lot of people working really hard to make things work, and to show love, whether community love or Christ's love or their individual love, to other people, and that makes me really happy and proud. The icing on the cake was that the Evening Circle, a staunch and staid group of traditional "church ladies," donated $500 to the Downeast Aids Network. Now that's something you probably wouldn't have seen 20 years ago!
I'd say Groundhog's Day was pretty darn good.
Inspirational picture to close:
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