abandon gravity

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:00:37 GMT

Ethan and I both have swine flu.

Awesome.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:16:43 GMT

A sporadic and useless update

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:01:17 GMT

A few pointless things:

1. I pretty much love my fiction workshop professor/thesis advisor. His advice is damn near spot on most of the time, and moreover, he has a way of stating what needs to happen with a story in a way that is precise and incredibly clear. The downside of this is that, following the "Aha!" moment, I sometimes feel rather stupid for not seeing it the first time.

2. My classes are all ridiculous this semester. I love them, but I'm also kind of afraid that my women in islam class is going to make me irrationally bitter towards men. I occasionally want to burn or otherwise deface one of the textbooks, not because it is hard to read or uninteresting (to the contrary) but because the information it provides is often dark and depressing.

3. I'm going out for drinks on Wednesday with some meritorious people from my workshop class and a couple of other friends who write, and write well. I'm really kind of excited about this; I think I need a bigger community of writers than I have right now, and am hoping this becomes a regular thing.

4. I love my friends and I love to entertain them. I do not love the aftermath of having entertained-- namely, that I am ridiculously behind on everything I need to do for school.

5. It's 63 here today. 63! I both love and hate this, as well. This faux spring will disappear and leave me hungry for the real thing, which won't come for a few months now. BOO winter.

On the evils of birth control.

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:18:28 GMT

So I stopped taking Yaz, the pill I was on that made me a crazy, combative, shrewish bitch (I say that like you people would know this, but considering I haven't posted about it, you don't... there needs to be an RSS feed directly to my brain. Let's cut out the middleman! Who needs a computer!)

I hadn't told anyone this, not really, because I felt like it would make me sound like a crazy person. The floodgates opened when I told Lynn I'd gone off the pill today because it made me a bit wacko, and she asked me if it was Yaz. As it turns out, we both had horrible side effects (obviously) and her sister had a heart attack because of Yaz, too.

REGARDLESS. I stopped taking it recenty, after a month of ridiculous arguments over stupid shit, blowing comments made entirely out of context, losing any and all confidence in myself, my (hopeful) profession, skills as a mother, and an overwhelming desire to commit suicide (I've never felt that way before. EVER. And for the first time, in the last few weeks, I've honestly thought about how easy it would be, and how it was the right thing to do, and it made perfect, logical sense in my head at the time.) I can honestly say I am a different person after two weeks. I feel like *myself* again. I'm not angry, I'm not paranoid, I'm not self-hating. I no longer want to drive my car off the road or open the gun safe.

I can write again. I can talk to people again.

In talking to a long-time friend today, it turns out most of the issues she was having with being in a "funk" last year were also due to being on Yaz. Mood swings, uncontrollable crying, and she also found herself suicidal. She is also not the type to think suicidal thoughts. We're both too arrogant for that kind of noise.

So, what is this post? A public service announcement? I don't know. In part, it's a call for suggestion. I don't want to be on the pill at all-- I had some minor issues last time I was on it, though nothing this bad, not to mention that whole pregnancy thing happening anyway-- but I'm not sure I'm ready to say I'm not going to have kids sometime in the next five years, so another Mirena is out for now.

Tell me your best and worst birth control stories. And stay away from Yaz, for the love of god.

Oh, lord...

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:42:50 GMT

I just told my desperately-wants-to-be-a-nudist son, who was lounging indolently around the house in nothing but a pair of socks, to put some clothes on.

He answered with "So girls don't laugh at me?"

I really thought I had a few more years before he started worrying about what girls think of him...

a brief update

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:23:18 GMT

It's awesome to catch up with old friends. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I did.

Role Models is a fairly hilarious movie with great one-liners. I highly recommend you go see it. Seeing it after a couple of drinks is even better.

Off to finish cleaning up before we have people over tonight...

FUCK YES, AMERICA.

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:08:25 GMT

That's what I wanted to see.

I'm proud to be alive to see this day.

And I can't wait to see tomorrow, either.

I've been had!

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:51:05 GMT

Stayed home from school today. Ethan was coughing all night and his nose has been running since yesterday. I do believe I've been had, though, ladies and gentlemen; although this morning he gave me his very best croaky-voice-and-sick-boy act, complete with the deadly helpless looks, he is now darting around the house like he's on crack and generally acting happy. And when I asked him if he was really feeling too sick for school this morning, he got a guilty look on his face (like his father, he is categorically incapable of telling a lie) and shuffled his feet. I'm severely annoyed, as I wanted to take off from class on Thursday to go to his halloween parade and I really can't afford to miss this entire week of class, so now I can't.

I'm not ready for deception, people! Motherhood. It ain't easy.

Hilarious dorkery for your election-time perusal

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:17:06 GMT

Reposted from the Flist. Holy hell, if you've ever played d&d, this is hilarious.

Type your GM: OK, the bugbear attacks you. What do you do?

OBAMA: I send one of my 672 henchmen after it.

MCCAIN: OK, seriously. Why does he have so many henchmen? I'm a level 72 ranger and he's only a level 8 paladin.

OBAMA: Well, if you'd bought the Grassroots Organizing and Oratory/Colgate Smile proficiencies you could min max it so that you...

MCCAIN: Why is he even IN this campaign? I thought this was supposed to be a high level party.

OBAMA: Well, maybe some people got tired of the grim and squinty "Matterhorn, son of Marathon" shtick you keep doing. Dude, could you be any less original?

MCCAIN: Oh my god, I did not leave my left nut in a tiger cage in the Tomb of Horrors to spend my Friday nights mopping up after the new kid.

OBAMA: "My friends, I am a totally unoriginal grizzled character class stereotype. I should lead the party because I have more testicular damage than that one."

MCCAIN: Yeah, well, you pal around with dark elves.

OBAMA: OH NO YOU DIDN'T.

MCCAIN: Whatever, so's your mom.

OBAMA: So's your FACE.

MCCAIN: So's your Mom's face!

HILARY: WTF you guys. Why am I playing the cleric?

MCCAIN: Hilary, we've been over this.

HILARY: No, dude. I am so sick of being the girlfriend healer. Seriously, I can't even use a sword. Fuck this noise.

KUCINICH: IM A BARD

OBAMA: That's nice.

KUCINICH: MY FAMILIAR IS A PURPLE SNOW LEOPARD

MCCAIN: Oh, Jesus. Here we go.

KUCINICH: DID I MENTION MY WIFE IS A TOTALLY BANGIN DRYAD WITH 20 CHARISMA

HILARY: C'mon you guys, I've been playing this shit since Gygax was in eighth grade. Why can't I be the party leader with the magic sword for once?

MCCAIN: Because no one wants to see you in a bronze bra.

OBAMA: Oh dude, BURRRRRNNNN.

HILARY: SCREW YOU, Grandpa. I will so kick your ass.

MCCAIN: Yeah? Bring it! I didn't spend 3 years in the Abyss with Githzerai hooking my nads up to a car battery to get beat by some Wellesley girl.

HILARY: WHATEVER, you can't even lift your arms over your head.

RON PAUL: I brought my Planescape character!

OBAMA: Dude, we're playing Forgotten Realms.

RON PAUL: I rift in from Sigil! I'm a Chaotic Neutral Tiefling Barbarian/Monk/Rogue!

MCCAIN: DUDE, that is not even LEGAL.

RON PAUL: Ronpaul the Barbarian say: suck it! Guns and abortions and weed for everyone! WHEEE!

PALIN: Hi folks! Sorry I'm late! I brought caribou burgers.

HILARY: Who the HELL is this?

MCCAIN: It's cool, she's with me.

HILARY: No! No, it's not cool! Every time you bring one of your rodeo-queen girlfriends in here she ends up playing some succubus infiltrator and killing the whole party!

MCCAIN: Now, that is patently untrue.

BIDEN: He has a point. Cindy turned out to be a vampire.

MCCAIN: DUDE. SHUT UP.

GM: You guys, seriously, if you don't knock it off with the bickering I'm going to start docking XP.

MCCAIN: You know what? Fuck it. I'm suspending the campaign.

GM: You can't do that! Only I can suspend the campaign! I didn't suspend it for the 1988 Mountain Dew shortage and I'm not going to suspend it now.

KUCINICH: YOU GUYS I AM TOTALLY CASTING A CANTRIP

MCCAIN: Oh my god, Dennis, shut up, you don't even count.

KUCINICH: YOU GUYS ARE DICKS

BIDEN: Where are the Cheetos?

RON PAUL: Wait. What happen to tiny Mormon Man?

GM: You find Mitt's lifeless, drained corpse has been stuffed in the broom closet.

HILARY: Oh, God DAMMIT.

MCAIN: Not ok! NOT OK!

OBAMA: What, I didn't even get a detect evil roll for that one?

HILARY: I TOLD you she was a succubus, but did anyone listen? Oohhhhh no, Hilary's just jealous of the beauty queen.

RON PAUL: Pretty Lady screw Mitt lifeless. Ronpaul SMASH!!

MCCAIN: Would you please go light up a spliff and stay out of this? The grown ups are talking.

RON PAUL: Why pretty lady suck life out of Mitt and not Ronpaul? Not fair!

HILARY: I mean, never mind that I'm the one with 17 Wisdom, but does anyone listen to the girl? Noooooo.

RON PAUL: Also Mitt have stupid name. Who name kid after baseball equipment?

KUCINICH: HAY YOU GUYS CHECK OUT MY HEAD OF VECNA TRICK

HILARY: This never would have happened when Tim Russert was our GM.

GM: You know what? Forget it. Rocks fall, everyone dies.

OBAMA: Screw you guys. I'm going to go play Bunnies and Burrows at Jon Stewart's house.

HILARY: Me too.

MCCAIN: Me too.

KUCINICH: GAZEBO!

Whining

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:53:18 GMT

So, my stupid ass didn't get into bed until 2 am last night, and I think I may have undercooked the chicken we had for dinner-- from about 2:30 on Ethan had me up every hour, either because of nightmares or because his stomach was bothering him. He kept feeling like he needed to throw up but couldn't, poor baby. Thankfully around 6 am I turned it over to Brad, who was also complaining of some stomach pains. I'm fine, though. Maybe I'm just more resistant to salmonella.

I love Facebook, as it has put me back in contact with three of my very favorite people.

Today includes straining out the chicken stock I've had cooking in the crock pot for the last 15 hours (speaking of which-- how do you all keep your stock? Do you freeze it? I normally do, but I'm looking for advice on good containers to freeze in-- too often my stock ends up with freezerburn) cleaning the house, reading 200 pages of Moby Dick and another 200 of Sense and Sensibility. Ugh.

All I really want to do is write; I technically need to anyway as I have another story submission due next Sunday and I'm not sure what I'm submitting just yet. That's probably going to have to get put off for a couple of days, though, as I'm deep in the shit as far as schoolwork goes at the moment.

Later we may take the Nut to the pumpkin patch, depending on when Brad gets back from shooting with the boys.

What's up on your Sunday?

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:06:18 GMT

I know I haven't posted in a long time, because life has been crazy, and this isn't a real post; but KNOW THIS--

I went to a poetry reading by the Pulitzer prize-winning poet CK Williams today, and I am in love.

I can't express how awesome it was. But you should all be jealous.

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:19:35 GMT

I still feel like I'm on a damn boat.

I slept like crap last night and am exhausted.

Ethan's orientation went well.

Classes are also going well, though I'm already stressed out.

We're hitting ren fair on Saturday, though, so I'm totally happy about that.

I wish I had time to nap before class tonight...

Weekend plans

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:48:36 GMT

We're going to spend the weekend on a houseboat at Smith Mountain Lake. I'm excited; I like boats and water. Also, we only planned this yesterday.

What are you doing for Labor Day?

Zen before 10

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:51:59 GMT

Ethan has been very zen about things lately.

I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up (last year's answer was an army tank guy or a fireman) and he responded with an air of focused tranquility and an inscrutable half-smile: "I will be what I am."

Then yesterday, when he was taking a shower, I was poking with dissatisfaction at my no-longer svelte stomach and muttered something about being fat. He heard me and replied quite matter-of-factly, "You are what you are, Mommy."

Hilarious.

In other news, classes are going on. I'm already behind on the laundry and my house looks like a truck hit it, but hell, at least my homework is done and my kid isn't weeping emo tears of loneliness (I've been letting the laundry and the vacuuming slide so I at least have a couple of hours to spend with him during the day.)

And the semester begins.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:27:24 GMT

Unlike most semesters, I'm still fiddling with my courses.

I really want to take a class on Austen and the Gothic that's being offered but sadly it's at 130 pm which makes it rather difficult, considering I have no daycare during that time. I'm hoping Brad will be amenable to the suggestion that he can watch Ethan on M/W so I can take it, and I'm hoping I can find a friend who is willing to pick up daycare slack for days when he can't.

I'm taking a class with a fantastic professor on the american novel to 1914, which should be really interesting considering I know very little-- outside of the obvious, like Twain and Hawthorne-- about that particular subject. The first book we were assigned, Weiland, is surprisingly engrossing; I've nearly finished the book already.

The british lit pre-1800 class I'm in is just horrifyingly dry, though. The professor seems really nice, and I think he's genuinely trying, but he's just very boring and the reading is a bit insane, even for an English major-- he wants 350+ pages of pre-1800s literature read a week (which wouldn't be a problem were it pretty much anything but pre-1800s literature) plus two scholarly book reviews. Too much for a class I'm not even really vaguely interested in, to be frank. I'm hoping to be able to drop it; that's dependent on my honors seminar counting for the pre-1800 requirement, which I think it should. Most of the reading is within that time frame.

Regarding my honors seminar, it is by far the class I am most excited about.

One of the honors seminar classes I am taking this semester is entitled "Women Warriors." There's a lot of reading of old texts (like Lieutenant Nun) and interesting discourse on sexuality, femininity, etc etc which is great, but possibly the greatest thing about this class will be the fact that we are studying Buffy the Vampire Slayer as part of the pop culture section.

Yes, Buffy. How excited am I? The pop culture section is also including a bit on cartoony characters like Kimpossible and Dora the Explorer. I figure having a 5 year old I'm a leg up on the youngins in the class, since I've already been subjected to enough modern cartoonage to make my eyes bleed.

Also, I will be able to write a paper on Firefly (I'm thinking Zoe) which is also super cool. And I will be able to wax indignant about the treatment of female characters who have been presented as strong, warrior women and then eviscerated (such as padme amidala in the newest star wars trilogy, or elizabeth swann in pirates) in the movies. So my papers there are honestly nearly done; they're already formulated in my head.

I haven't had my Africa and the World history class yet, nor have I had my first session of the fiction workshop class. I have high hopes for both; I have history tonight, and the fiction workshop on Thursday night. I rather want to submit a genre piece for the first round of the fiction workshop, but I've heard this particular professor is not a big fan of genre, so I'm torn on the issue.

That's it from here; working away already. How's things in your corner of the globe?

Okay, DC peoples. Show me your knowledges.

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:05:40 GMT

I'm looking for a spa in or around the DC area that has not only decent massages/facials/wraps, but also has full facilities-- steamroom, sauna, whirlpool. (Especially whirlpool. How I love the whirlpool.)

I'm searching the internets, but for some reason a lot of places dont include facility information with their packaging and services menu, which seems... inefficient. When I go to the spa I don't just want to go for an hour massage-- I want to spend the next two hours after the massage hopping in and out of the steam room and whirlpool. :P

Anybody have any personal recommendations for me?

Thanks.

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:43:38 GMT

It's Ethan's 5th birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY.

The weather...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:11:36 GMT

in our lovely(?) corner of the world today can't seem to figure out wtf it wants to do. It keeps alternating between brilliant sunshine and looking like the sky is made of very heavy granite.

Ethan is taking a (now unfortunately rare) nap, and I've done as much housework as I can be persuaded to do today outside of making dinner, so I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I could work on the fantasy novel, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment. Which is a trifle worrying, as a. i am running out of time before the semester begins to indulge myself in and b. you know I go through these WRITEWRITEWRITEWRITE phases and then proceed to not write for a month or two. I don't want to not write for a month or two.

I think I'm going to set it aside today, though, and curl up in the chair with a blanket (as the Boy keeps the house at what feels suspiciously like 40 degrees all the time; I suspect he's rigged the thermostat to lie to me), a cup of earl grey with local honey (in an alice cup!) and one of my favorite fluffy comfort reads, Sorcery and Cecelia. It's a wonderfully odd young adult fantasy novel set in an alternate victorian england where magic works and is told through letters-- the authors, Carolyn Stevermeyer and Patricia C. Wrede, actually wrote it that way. It has bits of drama and occasional archaic language and the girls don't constantly need saving; in fact, they even save the men once in a while. Everybody ends up saving everybody else at some point, anyway. It's my kind of YA fluff for sure-- no offense to the Twilight lovers out there, but I just couldn't get into it, let alone love it. I don't really get why so many other great YA books go unnoticed while crap like Twilight ends up making millions. Perhaps it is my personal taste making a judgment call there, though I do have a secret love for vampire novels, so I really should have jumped all over this like four year olds on a moonbounce, or something.

Yeah, it's a good thing I'm not writing today. My metaphors clearly need a little massaging.

So. To my chair, my tea, and my book. How are YOU spending this afternoon?

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:49:54 GMT

Is anyone else addicted to that Secret Lives of Women show on Oxygen? I started DVRing it after I caught the end of the polygamy episode and hot damn, they do some interesting stuff.

Excited parenting moment

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:06:40 GMT

I've been doing the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book with Ethan for the last month or so. Because of going to VT, we took about a week's break on doing any of the lessons, so we're only on lesson 15 or so.

Today he read the first Bob book without any help! He sounded out all the sounds and named all the words without my help!

I'm totally proud. For some reason he seems to have this shy block though which is odd as this is not the kind of kid he is at all-- normally he's insanely proud when he figures out how to do something. With reading he's all mumbly and shy and tells me to stop telling him he's doing "excellent" because he's not.

I'm not sure where this is coming from, unless he's fully aware he's only reading simple books and feels like he should be able to read harder ones-- which is possible. He's doing really well and I'm honestly excited for him. I know once we get a bit farther into the reading thing he's going to do even better.

Anyway, I'm pleased at his progress and needed to share :)

Alexander Solzhenitsyn died!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:48:42 GMT

:( This is a sadness.

The Gulag Archipelago was one of the most heartbreaking, eye-opening and strangely, disturbingly beautiful things I have ever read.

The world has lost another great man.

ETA : I didn't realize he'd lived in Vermont while in exile from Russia. I'm unsurprised. All the cool people love my home state.

back

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:17:02 GMT

from vermont. physically and mentally exhausted. house a mess. slowly slogging thorough back lj posts.

more soon. :P

Up early? On a Saturday?!

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:58:19 GMT

Despite all evidence to the contrary (and despite having been out until 2 am drinking last night, then having an argument with Stupid Brad, who is Stupid) I got up this morning at 7:30.

I like to hide it, but I really honestly enjoy being up early. I like starting the day slow, not worrying about catching up to people who got up earlier and generally have a good 3-4 hours into their day before I normally get out of bed. I like the light in the morning. I like the way the first cup of coffee smells-- better at 8 am than it does at 11 am, when it just reeks of desperation. I like the way the day smells-- fresh, cleaner, more hopeful.

The thing is I also can't manage to drag myself to bed much before 2 am, so 8 am is not generally an hour I am well acquainted with lately, but it's something I would like to change.

Ethan and I walked the dog up to the swiss bakery for a cup of coffee this morning. Really we just started walking and ended up there, and through fortuitous circumstance I happened to have my card in my pocket, so coffee (and a smoothie for Ethan) was procured. I normally wouldn't have gone in there as there was no one to watch the dog outside, but the place was empty (we got there just before the morning rush) and the way the windows and counter are set up I could let Ethan sit at the table outside with Arthur and be able to see him the entire time I was in the store. I struggled desperately with getting a delicious pastry or some really good smelling cookies, but my pants have been a tad tight lately. Will persevered.

The people who work there are very nice. Since it wasn't busy, one girl went outside to play with Arthur (spoiling him with handmade dog biscuits in the process) and chat with Ethan. She's a huge dog lover and gushed about what a pretty dog he is and what kind of dog he might be (I get that a lot, he's got a very distinctive look.)

All in all, a nice morning. I've got to go get Ethan a haircut and pick up some towels at some point, as mine have mysteriously become really awful or are disappearing, presumably to visit the Land of Mismatched Socks. Not looking forward to the mall, though if I get off my ass and go right now it shouldn't be too bad.

What are your Saturday plans?

The Crappy Music Confessional

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:38:48 GMT

I'm listening to Air Supply right now. I so forgot that I love them despite the craptasticness.

I just got done listening to a bunch of songs I don't generally admit to loving, including The Gambler, and You Don't Mess Around With Jim. Shut up, they remind me of my dad.

What crappy music do YOU love?

I know just how to whisper, and I know just how to cry...

Wall-E

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:20:31 GMT

Just got back from taking Ethan to see Wall-E. It was definitely worth the watch-- one of those brilliant pixar movies that are appropriate for kids without being boring for adults. Also, ADORABLE.

Certainly was working on two levels, as well. Ethan saw cute robots and a fun story and he thought the saddest thing of the entire movie was the fact that "Wall-E's friends were just all dead, and I don't like his new ones." Watching it as an adult, there was a bit of an environmental message and an "OH SHIT, WE'RE ALL FAT AND LAZY IN THE FUTURE AND ROBOTS RULE US ALL" darkness to it, which was nice. Pixar did a nice job of emoting-- there's very little spoken word at all until about, oh, maybe halfway through the movie, and even then there's not an awful lot of it-- but I didn't miss the dialogue at all.

it also may have shaken something loose regarding a problem I've been having with a story, so that's positive. I need to mull it over a bit more, though.

In other news, the xbox is a great motivator. Now that Ethan knows he can't play on the xbox until after he's had his daily reading lesson (and also knows that he can't just fidget his way through it, but actually needs to focus) he's chomping at the bit to do his reading lessons. There's the added benefit of him realizing that he'll be able to play cooler games with more text as soon as he can read, too. My little gamer.

What's up with you today?