Time

I was recently gifted two books that have a common thread despite their different subject matter.

I took my time going through Donald Altman's, "One Minute Mindfulness" which, synchronistically came to me about the same time that Lisa Wilson started her own weekly mindfulness exercises and invited everyone to come along.  Mr. Altman's book offers 50 simple, short exercises that are easy to incorporate into your day each really only taking one minute or less.  From eating and walking to interactions with people, he suggests subtle shifts in our way of looking at and experiencing ourselves, encouraging us to let go of much, including our expectations.

From Chapter 26, he says, "  ...strive to let go of your expectations about the way people should act.  Instead of getting frustrated, accept that all individuals are imperfect and subject to ignorance, confusion, and delusion.  Then give as much as you feel capable of giving from your heart, without demanding anything in return."

Sweet, n'est-ce pas?  And he offers this form of prayer in transitioning from work to home: "With each unfolding minute upon entering my home, may I discharge negative emotions.  May I cultivate patience.  May I wisely transition in order to bring love, understanding, and tranquility into my home".

And on creativity, which was like a big 'oh yes', to me he says, "Creativity flourishes in an atmosphere of support and enthusiasm...most importantly, be your own creative best friend...call upon patience and faith to be your creative friends too."

Which lets me segue neatly into the second book, "Creating Time," by Marney K. Makridakis.

Not having, finding or making "the time" has been my biggest bugaboo about my personal work since I became a mother.  There just doesn't seem to be enough of my time to go around and I fall into that common category of failing to put myself first.  Ms. Makridakis' book is full of exercises to help you find and make the time for your own creativity.  What she calls ARTsignments, she inspires us to use the concept of time by exploring themes such as Creating Time through Gratitude (one of my favourites), Creating Time through Metaphor, Creating Time through Stillness, and I can't forget to mention starting each chapter off with a haiku, echoing the natural simplicity of some of her subjects.  With beautiful artwork on just about every page and quotes from some of my favourite sources of inspiration like SARK and Terri St. Cloud, I am appreciative for receiving this gift.

Calling All Animal Lovers

I was gifted this incredibly beautiful book recently. Have you see this?

It came to my attention that a Spanish edition of Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell's stellar book, "Guardians of Being" had just come out. I couldn't believe that I had missed the original English publication in 2009 even though I am a big Tolle fan. So under the rubric of "ask and ye shall receive", I came home to a copy of the book in my mail box about two weeks ago. The collaboration of Tolle's teachings and McDonnell's drawings is a magical match. I laughed at many of the illustrations, so close to my heart they hit. The pages are filled with Tolle's ideas and observations on what function our pets and nature fill in our human lives. McDonnell takes these ideas and boils them down to their essential essence with stunning lines and vibrant washes of colour. Am I gushing? I was trying to choose my favorite line in the book, there are so many that resonate with me, but I think this is it:

"The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn't been fully recognized. They keep millions of people sane."

I highly recommend it if you are looking to treat yourself or looking for a gift for someone. I can already think of two people who will be finding it under the Christmas tree this year (indeed, I have already started my shopping, but that's another story).

The Thing About Books

I think I read a lot. I challenge myself to read a book a week - averaged out over the year - with one book a month being non-fiction, again averaged out over a year. I recently finished Jonathan Tropper's, This Is Where I Leave You. I loved it, laughed so much through it, and I could identify with so much of the odd family humour even though my family is not anything close to any of the characters in the book (hi Mom!).

The thing is that the book I picked up after this wonderful one was, IMHO, anything but. The characters and story line were ridiculously predictable, the American author had located her story in England and was trying to write dialogue in the local dialects and I thought it was terrible. I wondered if I felt it was so awful because the one I had read just before it was, IMHO, so incredible. Was it a case of comparison, could I have enjoyed this second book more, or at all, if I had just finished a book I considered to be so-so? I rarely put a book down unfinished but I returned it to the library today, all but the first 70 pages unread.

Do you plod through what you consider to be awful books because once you start one you feel the need to finish it? I used to. There are so many great, great books to read, I figure why spend my time on ones I don't click with? Do you have any good reads to recommend?

Hand Wash Cold

What can I say about, "Hand Wash Cold"? The worst thing I can say about Karen Maezen Miller's follow up to "Momma Zen" is that it's not long enough. It's the kind of book you want to go on and on. I read little bits at a time, hoping it would last but ultimately I came to the end. I felt as if the author had taken my hand and walked me through the garden of life, explaining the pitfalls, the realities, the foibles and the fumbles. Her stories made me say silently, "Oh I did that. I did that too," and "It's alright. There is hope for me."

Metaphorically she likens how we care for things in our life with how we do our laundry (amongst other things). What was blatantly obvious to me was that although I'll read the directions that may say, "hand wash cold" or "lay flat to dry, do not wring out," I will think that doesn't apply to me because a) I do not have the time for such tedious procedures and/or b) I know better than the manufacturer. Which, in itself, can be a metaphorical read on how I've lived my life.

I didn't waste my time flagging pages that particularly spoke to me because every page, every paragraph rang true. But I think the most memorable line was, "The life we are most devoted to is the life we don't have". Guilty of that. Although less so, much less so than when I was younger. And, "The search for greater meaning robs our life of meaning". But I won't stop there, how about this one, "Having the good life can be so simple when you savor the one you have". As she wrote in her first book, it all comes down to doing what is in front of you. Simple, easy, right? Maybe not but worth the effort because the times when I don't, when I'm running after something that isn't right here in front of me or in my heart, I feel fragmented, I don't see the apple blossoms or the lilacs that just came into bloom. I miss out on the warmth of the sun or how good clean sheets feel.

So, Karen - when is the next one coming out?

Tranquilista

Tranquilista, by Kimberly Wilson, came into my hands a couple of months ago. It is definitely a chick-book, and I can't resist a book by an author named Kim. I found it to be a quick read and a great guide for those wanting to set up their own businesses, or take off in a new direction in their lives. It is full of common sense new-age advice and is a terrific source of information for delving deeper into various areas of interest by offering sidebar reference books on subjects from being your own entrepreneur to meditation.

That Chickadee Feeling

Recently in Christine Kane's weekly newsletter she listed ways to beat the descending dark days, one of which was to put out your bird feeder. Two days ago I did that as we love to bird watch. Early yesterday morning from the bathroom window Riley saw a black cap chickadee in it already and let me tell you he was so excited. We watched a couple of chickadees come and go for much of the day. It's amazing how something so small can bring so much joy. My sister, a teacher-librarian in the Toronto area has sent us many good books since Riley was born, one of which is called, "That Chickadee Feeling" by Frank Glew. It's a story about finding the thrills in life, small and large and remembering them on a regular basis. Frank Glew is an environmental educator who also wrote a number of other children's books two of which we have and love, "Feed the Good Wolf" which is based on the North American story about good versus evil and, "When I Grow Up I Want to Be Just Like My Dog". I highly recommend them in these holiday shopping days. Books are some of my favorite things to give. This year, I am making my most important gifts (ssssh, I can't tell) and buying a lot on Etsy. I'd like to encourage you to support handmade art. It doesn't have to be expensive, and they are one-of-a-kind gifts. So much to love about that.

Books Etc.

My apologies to fellow blogger (and friend) Beth over at Books Etc. for the title to this post (consider it a backhand compliment). I had a bit of a hodge podge to write tonight and that was the title that came to mind and rather fitting. Earlier this week Beth mentioned that she had bought, and finished with, the DVDs for Season 1 of "Saving Grace", a television show I had written about back in the spring and highly recommended. She wanted to know if I wanted them. Well, yes! So they arrived in the mail today - thank you Beth, they are all in tact and I promise to not stalk you now I know where you live! It was a very generous gesture followed through with action. And me, the benefactor!

I have also neglected to mention the last three books I have read lately. None of which were knock-me-off-my-feet stuff, but not so bad that I would put them down. All authors are ones I've read a lot of but after finishing book three, it made me feel like I wanted to stop reading fiction for a while, just until something knock-me-off-my-feet does come along. The first was Anita Shreve's, "Testimony", second was Miriam Toews', "The Flying Troutmans" and last Meg Wolitzer's, "The Ten Year Nap". They were all okay and maybe it's just the mood or stage I am in that I couldn't appreciate them more. I don't even really know what I am looking for to knock me off my feet, something that makes me nod my head and think, "yes, oh yes, that is so true to me". I do have a series of books out from the library right now (the name of the author escapes me - Kate Jacobs?) but they are The Friday Night Knitting Club and the follow up book to that and another book by the same author. Has anyone anything to say about any of these? Can anyone vouch for them or the opposite?

Coming home after our trip was like entering the Munsters house. These guys had moved in, eaten all the bread and were fighting over the remote control:


Inside and out, spinning like crazy. Their ugliness fascinates me and being highly allergic to their bites adds that bit of excitement to their co-existence with me. And if I may throw another question out there, WTF is this?!:

It was firmly attached to the window screen in our dining room yesterday morning. We took turns trying to flick it off and all screamed when we were (finally) successful. It was a good two to three inches long and wide and thick. The day before (a particularly trying day) I had made a comment about having everything pass through our lives lately except locusts and that word came to mind when I saw it. I saw another one on the sidewalk today, it was dead, but really - can anyone put a name to it?

And on a happy note, I can say that after four days of internal combustion, Riley woke this morning without a fever and was well enough to create this bit of art, with the help of a grape slushie:

We had walked to the local market for some peaches and tomatoes when we got caught in a downpour. Naturally, we had to take refuge at Wild Willy's, the ice cream shop a block away.

And to add a little more diversity to this post, I am looking for references, online or otherwise, for searching genealogy. I know someone whose father is not listed on her birth certificate but she is trying to find out more about the paternal side of her family. I have the name of the father, a date of his death within a decade, a city and place where he worked, the fact that he also had two sons with another woman but not their names. Does anyone know of sites, addresses or other references that might bear some fruit? She was not adopted, but raised by her single mother, so adoption sites would not be pertinent. Oh yeah, and this all takes place within Canada but international references are also welcome.

Wow, it feels good to have gotten all that off my chest.

Three Books

My last library trip had me bringing home the mother lode. I picked up "Sing Them Home," by Stephanie Kallos at the suggestion of Beth. I loved it, all 500 or so pages of it. The story line is improbable but took me right in, the characters are quirky but lovable and despite its length it read quickly. Sherry Lee has reviewed Kallos, "Broken For You," and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy.


From there I read Edeet Ravel's, "Wall of Light", which I also loved. It takes place largely in Israel with the story line being told partly through someone's diary, another person's letters and directly by the protagonist. It flowed so well without real interruption, the only thing that disappointed me was I found the ending to be a little weak. But I am a big fan of Ravel and can't say enough good things about her other books I've read.


I waited to post this after I read Elizabeth Berg's, "Home Safe," because I usually get through her books pretty quickly. She is prolific but I don't find all her work to be outstanding. This is no, "Talk Before Sleep," or "Range of Motion," two of my favorites of hers (not counting, "Writing Down the Bones"). The real meat of the book comes only in the last thirty or so pages where she offers some perspective on relationships kids and their parents have with each other. I've just started another Jodi Picoult, I'm on fire for fiction these days.

Strange Collection of Thoughts

It was such a strange weather day. All day it alternated between hot and sunny and rainy and stormy. We had about three deluges and we were lucky to have just made it back in the house after walking the dogs (two of the deluges) and a brief interlude at the pool (one deluge). With all this rain, and my car stuck at the garage until Monday, it was time to pull out the rainy day crafts. When in Florida we bought the Kids Concoctions Gooey Gunk kit and I have been pestered at regular intervals to put it together. I resisted, knowing I was waiting for "The Day" to arrive. Naturally, I mucked up the instructions the first time and put in 4 TABLESPOONS of borax instead of 4 TEASPOONS and had to scramble save the batch. But it was successful and Riley played all day with the gunk, for lack of a better word. Here he is with one of his gunky pets on his shoulder, surprisingly enough this one didn't get a name:

He also joined me in various renditions of wrecking my journal. I finally breached one of my barriers and did a page I thought I would never do (more on this tomorrow). Riley was screeching and throwing the book around, having a grand time. I had to impress on him that all the usual rules applied to ALL OF OUR OTHER BOOKS AND OTHER PEOPLES BOOKS as far as being gentle with them and treating them respectfully and that this was a special book meant for ripping and rending. He got it but now wants his own wrecking book. I'm hoping to burn him out with mine.

The latest book I read came from my last library run. "Simple Recipes," by Madeleine Thien is a short story book and usually short stories don't appeal that much to me but the cover pulled me in and just something indefinable made me bring it home. It was a lovely collection of stories, all a little dark but I would read an entire novel about any of the characters she created. She has since written two novels from what I can find at Amazon so I'll be on the look out at the library for those.

Books

I recently finished both my fiction and non-fiction book. I usually have one of each going, with the fiction one mostly reading faster. Gail McMeekin's, "The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women," I had mixed feelings about. I'm glad I read it but it did seem a little lofty at times. It comes with very interesting references which I will check out. I have already posted about the chapter on priorities, me coming away thinking there is no way I can dedicate enough of my time to my art since one of my most important priorities is hand raising my son. The following chapter was about our personal saboteurs and I felt a little relieved after that one. I haven't done all the homework in the book yet and one thing I did find interesting was that although she interviewed and included many fascinating women, she admitted there were a number of women she approached that declined to be included in the book because it was gender slanted. I will be the first to admit that we do still live in a patriarchal society, even in 2009, but more and more women are gaining ground as equals, not as "better". To repeat myself, I'm glad I read it.


The fiction book I just finished was recommended by Sherry Lee and what a surprise, the author turns out to be a neighbor of one of my other fellow bloggers, Snap. "The Bright Side of Disaster," by Katherine Center was fun. It was light but intelligently written. A tad predictable, perhaps, but still great vacation reading or perfect for when you've just inundated yourself with more intense material to unwind with and just plain enjoy the pleasure of reading. I will be looking for more of her books at the library.

Book

I stayed up last night to finish, "Let Loose the Dogs," by Maureen Jennings. This is a book I've had for a couple of years, found in the discount bin at Chapters shortly after my friend Christine told me about her friend (the author) and another book she wrote called, "The Map of the Mind" which was all about creativity. Lately I have been trying to read up the pile of books I was given or I had bought because I thought it was a good idea at the time, most of them dating back a few years. This is a historical murder mystery with Jennings popular detective character, William Murdoch. It was a fun book, an easy read, with most of the story taking place in the late 1800's Toronto. There is not much more to say about it but it was complete, didn't disappoint or leaving me wondering why or how. The language was in keeping with the time period it was written about and if you like historical murder mysteries then I would recommend it. Now, after catching up with my own rather historical pile, I'm free to move on to those wonderful library books I picked up this week.

Book(s)

I am about half way through "The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" (Gail McMeekin) after seeing reference to it on a number of other blogs I read. It's inspiring, but I think I have to admit that I just can't do it all. So much of it rings true but, I personally can't see how single-parenting can leave me enough time for "becoming" or even "being" much of anything. There is a chapter on Committing to Self-Focus which talks about making your own needs and dreams enough of a priority. Sounds great in theory but....I want to be there these early years of my son's life, these years that he still wants to hang out with me, wants me to help him with things, explain things and answer his questions. I want to spend the time to hear what he thinks, what his day was like, who bugged him or helped him out at school. And you can't get all that in one little bundle of allotted time. It comes out little by little, prompted by other things that are going on, this is information that can't be forced or made to share simply because it's convenient for me right now to listen to it instead of when it's convenient for him to tell me. Honestly, it has left me feeling inadequate as an artist.

A quote, "The problem is the simple reality that the act of writing a poem or a novel, of painting a picture, of sculpting a form, of choreographing a dance, of composing an etude is not a simple or time-bound activity. Rather, it requires a total commitment of energies and attention, and an ability to suspend time and space - eureka, the heart of the problem for creative women, whose total attention would be shifted away from their home and children to their art!" then, "Because of our societal script to care for others, this decision to engross ourselves totally in our creative work, even in time-limited segments, generates more conflicts for most women than it does men." So true. Why is it, if while I'm doing all the other things in my life, a part of my head and heart are in my studio, working away, filing away images and experience and urges, why, when I have those small blocks of time does it take so long to get things down on paper or canvas or completed or at the very least moving along at a clip enough to satisfy?

A little while back I finished Anita Diamant's, "The Red Tent". I had it sitting in my pile for about two years and had hesitated to read it because I wasn't in the mood for something with an old fashioned style of writing. But reading it I felt grateful that as women, we've come a long way since the time of Rachel and Leah. Or have we? Do we have a raw deal now, expected to do even more than before?

Maybe I shouldn't write these kinds of posts when I'm coming down from a stressful time. But what other time is there? Or is it all perception? Rhetorical questions.

Apology accepted?

We haven't been able to buy one full rainy day here since - probably the beginning of April. I'm not complaining but I have to apologize to everyone who lives in my geographical vicinity. This morning when I woke the sun was shining and it was humid. During my morning ablutions I carefully applied sunscreen to every centimetre of my face. I then did a load of laundry, hung it on the clothesline and left the house for a couple of hours. Naturally all of the above invited the rain goddesses, who were sitting up in the ether, to start poking each other and laughing. I didn't re-wash everything but I did put it through a rinse-and-spin cycle. Sorry neighbors and friends.

Yesterday I got a much needed haircut. I have slow growing hair so I don't really think much about regular cuts until I hit that hormonal week and it becomes oh-so obvious. My bangs were getting pretty long and when I told my hairdresser (lord, that sounds like something out of the 50's) that they were getting kind of long, she said they were no longer bangs, just hair. ha! ha! I was having one of those after lunch snoozes while I was sitting in the chair, I closed my eyes as she was doing the bangs. I thought I was dreaming or had an odd perspective of time because I was almost dropping off but it seemed she was spending an awful lot of time up there and the snip-snip-snip seemed to go on forever. Yeah well, I wasn't sleeping because when I opened my eyes the bangs were short. Real short. This short. I mean, what is a 48-year old woman supposed to do with this?

They look somewhere between a cross of what they looked like when I was four years old and took the scissors to my own head and what I did when I was twenty-four and tackled them one night when I was drunk and tired of them falling in my eyes. Stunning memories. Thank heavens they were cut on the full moon, my hair always grows faster when it's cut then. But until then...



While I'm on wild and varying subjects, it's time to give Patti Digh's, "Life is a Verb" its proper due. This was a book I bought at the same time as three other "self help" books or, as the Queen of Arts calls them, "soul help" books. Out of all the books of that genre I had to choose from (and I flipped through them all, reading bits and pieces here and there), this was the one that stood out. I was partly drawn to it because the author and I are the same age (perhaps a year apart) and we both had a small child about the same age and I'm always curious to see how someone else is coping with all that. But it's a beautiful book. The pages are a nice weight, there are worthy quotes throughout and the art is beautiful. Take a look at a shot of the top of the book, you can see how beautiful it is just from this angle.


One of my favorite things about it is the idea that you can take one small aspect, and try to re-make your habits one at a time over 37 days. The author doesn't imagine that in 37 days you will be a totally new person, her perspective is quite clear that you should try just one thing for 37 days and see. She has many suggested "focus free writes" which I found have been enormously helpful (my post-its are marking these) . I have been using this exercise before I head into the studio and find it can clear up some of the gunk that keeps me procrastinating or slightly blocked. I would say it's an exercise that is similar to Julia Cameron's morning pages. I found the book offers an opportunity for immediacy in moving forward, assuming you're willing to do the grunt work. It's worth it. And she's funny.

Fogey

This is what I heard at supper, "Mom, sometimes I like you so much I feel like crying". Yeah, he says that now, until he realizes he has fossils for parents. You see, my idea of a grand Saturday night is just what I am looking forward to tonight. A long hot bath with a book, then into bed with either some BritComs or more of the book, knowing that there is no alarm tomorrow morning.

And speaking of books, I just finished, "Letters from The Dhamma Brothers," by Jenny Phillips. I saw the author on Oprah a number of months ago. Not the Oprah show (not that there is anything wrong with the Oprah show, it's just that I don't watch it with any kind of regularity these days) but on one of her Soul Series podcasts. She was talking about a documentary film she had made introducing a form of meditation called Vipassana, based on the teachings of the Buddha, to the toughest prison in Alabama. The results were astounding. And after reading the book she wrote following making the film, I had great respect for the prisoners who went through the program (ten intensive days comprised of ten hours of meditation, no talking and a special diet) because I wasn't sure I could physically go through it or emotionally go through the gunk that comes up under those circumstances. It gives real hope that rehabilitation is possible, even under dire conditions. It also gives credibility to dedicated meditation, something I have been a believer in for a very long time.

And if you haven't read Coriander's blog in a while (I hadn't because it seemed she had taken a blog-break), she has a couple of new posts up that I almost peed myself reading. Now there is someone who should be writing comedy (maybe she is, come to think of it!) for a living.

Finally, co-incidence or kismet, call it what you will, came in and slapped me upside the head recently. I saw the book, "I Thought It Was Just Me," on some one's blog, perhaps the Queen of Arts. And then I saw it on a few other blogs, including one today, linked from Beth's Books Etc. Last night I was in Chapters shopping for the two birthday parties Riley has lined up and guess what I see in the Bargain Books. Yup, so I bought it because I recognize when the universe is telling me to read a book.

Plain Truth

I finished Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult a few days ago. It is classic Picoult, but not my favorite of hers by far. I took it from the library because it was small in size and paperback and it was to be my beach reading. And it was great beach reading. It has the usual unexpected twist at the end which, ironically, I have come to expect from her. I'm not sure how I feel about the book but it did offer one image that inspired me for another mixed media piece. I guess it was worth the time after all!

I am now about sixty pages into Edeet Ravel's, "Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth". Edeet Ravel was born in Israel, now living in Guelph but she must have spent some time in Montreal because that is where this book takes place and only a resident of this fine city would know it's nuances like she seems to. It's always a bit thrilling to read a novel that takes place in your own city, isn't it? I did like her, "Ten Thousand Lovers" and found this one when I was in the library looking for the second book in that trilogy.

Books, Bags and Bling

You are not going to believe this but our bags came home last night. It was late, I was getting into bed when I got a call to say they had arrived at the airport and did I want them tonight. So I got up, paced for about an hour when I got another call from the driver who apparently was lost. I am a 10 minute drive from the airport, so that poor guy must have really gone out of his way. Everything seems to be there, except one of the bags had been left out in the rain so long that it was wet on the inside, mostly clothes but unfortunately my two journals as well. Now they have dried out they suffered the ripple effect. Ah well, just another souvenir of the trip.

I didn't have the energy to go through them then, or even now. But I did want to talk about the magazines I picked up. I bought my first copy of Cloth Paper Scissors which I first heard about from Brenda at the Crafty Chook. And recently I heard about Somerset Apprentice (got that too) and while I was flipping through that, Somerset Studio caught my eye (so I picked that up too) and I couldn't leave behind Artful Blogging. These don't seem to be available in my little corner of the world so it will be nice to really take my time and see if I would want to subscribe to any of them. This stack should keep me busy for quite a while.


While I was away I finished up Sue Miller's, "The Senator's Wife". At first I only took the book from the library because I was looking for some fluff for vacation. But it turned out to be better than fluff. The book has two main female characters, one older and one younger and I found myself much more capable of relating with the older one. But what surprised me was the incredible honesty the author has in talking about secrets. Big secrets, little secrets but I was struck by the portrayal of the kind of secret that one keeps only to oneself - the one or two (or maybe three) that you never, ever tell anyone. I know I can think of two of my own secrets that will die with me and maybe that was why I was so moved by the book. At the moment I am about half way through Jodi Picoult's, "Plain Truth".

The Bling part of this post is an upcoming give-away I will be doing. I just need to get tomorrow's work day under my belt before I can phrase it properly here, so check back often to see if you can win something. That's another secret, but one that will be broken shortly.

Thanks for all the expressed concern about my luggage. It was a humbling experience to realize how attached I am to my possessions, despite all my inner work to the contrary. It seems I still have a little ways to go on that.

And how about a picture of the beach, since I've gone on and on about that lately:

All Things Canadian

We saw our first V of Canadian geese this morning, followed by running into another parent in the schoolyard who had seen a red-winged blackbird. Spring must really be here! All I need to seal the deal is a robin.

Last night I foolishly stayed up late to finish Joan Barfoot's, "Exit Lines". I have enjoyed much of her fiction, I think my favorites are, "Duet for Three", "Family News" and "Plain Jane". Originally I stumbled across her work in the library, while looking for another "B" author, exactly which one I don't remember now. And Exit Lines is one of the reasons I have been thinking so much about aging lately. It is about a new assisted care residence that opens up and the residents that move in. The subject at first put me off a bit, because honestly, I didn't want to read about a bunch of old fogies. But it is a book about hope and living and friendship. A couple of my favorite lines in the book were, "Life, it seems, never runs out of shoes to drop" and "It seems that sometimes she doesn't especially like her old friends anymore. Causing the diverting question to arise: can people still reasonably be called friends if a person no longer much likes them?" Yup, it was a goodie.

The rest of the day was kind of crappie. I am unfortunately associating my most crappy days with the ones that I work. Why is it so darned hard to go on vacation? Why must we do everything we would do during our time away BEFORE we leave, then scurry around like starving rats when we return to "make up" for our time away. I am hoping this next week will be rejuvenating and help me to adjust my attitude a bit. Because when I really stop and think, I have so much to be grateful for.

Sundry

OK, time for some serious blogging here. Goodness gracious, I've been tagged by Oreneta and I'm not sure I'm ready to share such personal stuff. Oh what the heck. But first! On the bus tonight I finished, "Beijing Confidential" by Jan Wong. I bought it for iMan two Christmases ago, after hearing about it and of course, wanting to read it myself. So I finally got around to it and it was fabulous. The story behind the book was Jan Wong's return to Beijing around 2006 to look for a young woman who (whom?) she had denounced when she was there in the early 1970's studying, during their Cultural Revolution. She had been dogged for awhile, wondering what had happened to the woman, fearing the worse. It contained a lot of history, some of it interesting to me and just enough that I found when I was starting to lose interest, she would bring the story back front and center. Quite enlightening as far as the story line went but it left me furious to read about China's environmental practices. There ought to be international laws and I keep thinking some body should step in - the UN ?- and put a stop to the absolute planet-cide happening there. Yeah, yeah, I know that's not a real word.

Here's Riley proving he can now fit an extraordinarily large spoon in his mouth:


This tag thing comes with an award called, Premio Dardos, meaning "prize darts.” This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. Here's what it looks like:





And here's what you have to do:

Step 1: Respond and rework — answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: Tag other bloggers to do the same.

Here are the questions:

What are you wearing right now? My grey fleecy pants, a long sleeve LLBean organic cotton t-shirt (overrated), a hoodie and some black and grey wool socks. Oh yeah, I am wearing underwear too and I'll stop there.

What part of your house never gets cleaned? Behind the fridge. It's a big sucker levelled with little wedges of this and that, if I moved it I would never get it back in its spot.

Do you nap a lot? Rarely. I grew up being allowed to nap only if I was sick. Since I had Riley I've learned to nap a little. If I do, it will be right after lunch.

Who is the last person you hugged? Riley, less than a minute ago.

What websites do you visit when you go online? Blogs, emails, a handful of stores (mostly art stuff), my online classes, the weather site, public transport schedules, Oprah's soul series.

What was the last item you bought? Sliced mozzarella and soy yogurt.

What’s the last book you read? Beijing Confidential (see above).

What is your favorite comic strip or character? I read about six regularly in the newspaper, I completely skip the other ones. Zits, Rhymes With Orange, Between Friends, For Better or For Worse, Stone Soup.

Has a celebrity’s hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? Meg Ryan, I always want what she has. *sigh*

What is one skill you wish you had, but don’t. I wish I could draw well. I get by, I have to work at it constantly but I wish it came easily to me.

What was the last movie you watched? Snow Buddies. I can't remember the last grown up film I watched, I think it was when I was laid up with my broken knee four years ago.

What is the luckiest thing that ever happened to you? Riley coming to me as a late-in-life surprise.

If you had a whole day to yourself; no work, commitments or interruptions what would you do? Wake up slowly, do some yoga, eat a leisurely breakfast and do the sudoku in the paper. Have some iced coffee and work in my studio. Stop after lunch and read for an hour, then finish the day in the studio. Eat something garlicky for supper. A shot of voddy, a hot bath with a good book.

Is there a major goal you have that you haven’t yet achieved? Yeah, baby. Maybe more than one although it/they don't interfere with me enjoying my current life.

Where did you meet your spouse/partner/bf/cat? I met my dog through an ad in the newspaper. I adopted her when she was 8 months old and two days ago we celebrated her 14th birthday.

What is something that those in blogland might not know about you? I like my tea and my coffee iced, never hot.

What Countries have you visited as an adult? Canada, the U.S.A., England, Japan, St. Martins, Barbados, Cuba. I think that's it.

What do you do to relieve stress? I drink, what else? Just kidding. Spend time with my boy, walk the dogs by the water, take an excruciatingly hot bath.

If you could change one physical trait about you what would it be? I'd change my skin, have a great complexion. Of course I'd also like to be an inch or two taller and have thicker hair.

What was the last publicly embarrassing thing that happened to you? I called someone up and blanked on their name - I didn't know him that well and just stuttered.

As this is supposed to be a cultural award, what is the most recent piece of painting or sculpture that really impressed you? Jeez, so much to choose from. I would have to say something I've seen online on a blog. I haven't been to a gallery or a museum for awhile so it would be something homegrown. So much that is inspirational out there.

That said and done, if you're reading this and you want to do it, consider yourself tagged. I will keep it going by specifically tagging The Crafty Chook and Tales from Twisty Lane (I know you guys have oodles of time on your hands!)

Late Mentions

I read Lisa Gabriele's, "Tempting Faith DiNapoli" about a month ago. I saw another of her books in a friend's pile of "to read"s and this was what my library had by her. I had even picked the book of the shelf a number of months ago, but was put off by the cover. I thought it was too coming-of-age or too chick-lit. But I enjoyed it thoroughly. It made me think my life is pretty tame, in comparison to the main character's life and that's always good because after a bad spell of something I am always grateful for those quiet, more mundane parts of my life. The characters are off the wall, but realistic in a crazy way. I recommend it, will even look for other titles by her.

And after three long weeks, I finished Pascal Mercier's "Night Train to Lisbon". The one thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. I like my endings, if not sewn up, at least with a clue as to where they are going. This left me wondering what the whole point of the protagonist's quest was if we aren't offered a hint as to whether he finds his grail. It is beautifully written, definitely literature and not fiction. And a whopping 400+ pages. It is not the type of book I can devour, even though I might put a lot of time into it but I was glad to have read it. Now I've started Jennifer Haigh's, "The Condition" and am loving it. The kind of book where I look forward to the next few moments I can steal to read a few pages here and there. In fact I found it started off poorly and I almost put it down for good. The beginning is stereotypical, trite and what I considered to be predictable but it has proved me wrong. I'm completely sucked in now.