Meme to the rescue

When you're too tired and sick to think, it's good to have a meme to fall back on. Thanks, Ann.

1. What's the best thing that's happened to you lately?

How are we defining lately? The last week has been pretty miserable. Assuming I can reach back farther than that, the best bloggable thing that's happened to me lately is either watching Frances draw recognizable scenes of trees and bunnies and people and sign her name on them ("How do you spell McDowell?"), or finding a really neat article on "The Narrative Construction of Reality" via This Woman's Work that I am trying to work into a blog post, or having Frances try to hug and kiss my owwies better while I was sick.

2. What's the weirdest/wackiest/strangest/oddest thing that you've noticed (or that's happened to you) lately?

That Frances's new big sister will ring on the doorbell multiple times even on a day when she has been told Frances is staying at her father's.

3. What are you really passionate about these days?

My first priority right now is to create a happy home for myself and Frances. I want our little nest to be snug and comfortable and fun. (It might be a bit too fun--see my answer to question #2.)

That's why I painted the new apartment in Carnival Funhouse Modern colours (and the more I sit there and look at it, the better I like it. I think it will hold up especially well in January when the view from the windows will be snow and ice). That's why I'm refinishing the furniture, stitching up tea towels and coasters and embroidering cushions for the couch, making my little arts-and-crafts corner, arranging Frances's toys to be accessible and on display, baking cookies, and cooking real dinners even when it's the last thing I feel like doing. Frances paid a high price for me to leave an intolerable situation, so where she is going to has to be better than what she left behind. None of it costs a lot of money and it's not about the stuff. But bright colours and attractive surroundings make me happy, and I believe they make other people happy too whether they're willing to admit to it or not.

So right now, my biggest passion is feathering our nest. I'm doing as much of it myself as I can, because I want it all to be just right.

Which isn't to say that it's crowded other concerns from my head. But 2007 has been the Year of Inward Focus, and there's nothing wrong with that. Plenty of time to look outward again next year. Right now I need to take care of us.

4. What are you doing for fun?
(If you're not doing something for fun, you better do something right now or you won't have anything to put in this category.)

I'm working my way through the twenty books and fifteen magazines in the To Be Read pile, doing a bit of writing and querying (finally--took enough time off from that one), seeing friends, and feathering the nest (which is fun when you don't have anyone else's tastes to negotiate with). I'm scrapbooking, and thinking ahead to holiday card-making, and Frances's birthday party, and what I want to do over the holidays, and for Samhain. I'm playing with Frances and admiring her school projects, and watching with great delight as she settles into her new social circle. I'm planning a picnic in the local park to enjoy the fall colours on Sunday. I'm dating (though not this month obviously with the *%*& cold). I'm signing up for writing events and planning get-togethers. I'm trying new recipes that use new ingredients like blue cheese. I'm doing a lot, actually, now that I put it down and look at it.

This is probably why the furniture refinishing is taking so long.

5. What else should we know about you right now?
(say it in words, image, audio, video, whatever)

The first of the To-Be-Read piles. When shall I catch up, Dear Readers? Any votes?

The view from the couch part 1: Stuff I am Currently Reading.

The view from the couch part 2: fuzzy socks, blogging and technological detritus.

What happens to my blood sugar when I have a cold. Well. Better luck next week?

Posted by Andrea at October 18, 2007 6:01 AM under

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