My Sister's Family Grows... and Blogs!

I am thrilled to announce the blog of my younger sister, Amy! Of course, I take most of the credit... just kidding!

Her blog is called "The H Family Grows," and she decided to do it because her family is not just growing with the three kids they already have, but will be growing, within the next year or two, with two children they are hoping to adopt from Ethiopia. Many families who adopt or are in the process of adopting start blogs, so I think that inspired Amy to keep her own account of their journey. I think she also wants to document her family life in general. 'Cause BOY are my niece and nephews ADORABLE! If I didn't have my own kid, I would be totally devastated that they are so far away in CA!

Speaking of, here's a pic of the Q in CA with his cousins in September.


I remember when Amy first mentioned they were thinking about adopting... I was all for it! I think, like during most of our phone conversations, I was driving. I am so in love with my niece and nephews, and I am so excited to have more. I'm excited that one of my sisters is blogging. Turns out she's a pretty good writer! Now we just need the other sister to start blogging, although she's a lawyer, and I think they have some strict code about that. Click here to read full entry.

Thoughts on My Other Blog

1. That I love posting about my husband. He is such a funny person, but so much more private and reserved than me, so I am always so gleeful when I mention him on a site that over 200 people read every day. For example, in today's post, I mention that he implied I burned down his favorite restaurant.

2. That it makes me tougher. My readers tend to be really positive (I have no idea why I get that lucky- I think I just happen to have cool readers), but occasionally, someone will say something rude. For example, the other day someone called me a sellout for considering buying a Mercedes crossover wagon (used!!! it's used!!! OK!!!). For an instant, I felt bad, then that was washed away by a "Whatever." Followed by "It's kind of funny to be called a sellout." I mean, to receive attention of any sort is pretty flattering!
Also, I like that other people have opinions.  I love expressing my opinions, and people read me because I have strong opinions. Why shouldn't they express theirs?

3. That I'm born to blog. I have a constant stream of words in my head. I'm always thinking, talking to myself in my head, thinking about what I'm doing and seeing and what I can do with that info. I've always done that, at least since college, and probably before.  I used to put all that in my journal, and it rarely ended up turning into any sort of writing piece. I would not call most of my blog post "pieces," but I've turned a couple posts into columns for a local paper, and I do think a few of my posts are well written. Now I only journal to get my feelings out. I miss journalling a little, but I tell my husband most of what I think, so I need my journal less now. Before the husband and blog, I had a LOT of thoughts floating around that I needed to capture and put into a semblance of order.

I could think of a lot more, but it's 3 am, and I should get back to bed because I am not really sure school will actually be cancelled tomorrow due to snow. Cough woke me up, plus, when I go to bed before 10, I tend not to sleep through I've been up since 12:30 or so, blogging, reading my google reader, etc. Click here to read full entry.

On Why I'll Always Need My Own Room

Manager Mom has a blogapalooza up that asks her readers to share their workspaces- or rather, their intellectual sanctuaries. She asks, What's your intellectual sanctuary? Where do you go to do your thinking, working, and writing?

This is my office. It’s the before/messy version, but the clean version looks pretty much the same. Sometimes I sit at the desk, but usually I get under a blanket on the couch, even in the summer. I wake up, stumble to get coffee, then plop on the couch, read my RSS, start the day’s blog post, do emails, check my daily websites, etc. It’s hard to get to work on time, but I do my best work in the morning; I always have.

The tall bookshelf holds thinking/artsy things: creative books, old journals, my old college writing and books about poetry and linguistics, colored pencils. That's a purple yoga mat, but I never do yoga; I was just doing sit-ups where no one could see me.

This room is definitely less office and more sanctuary. Almost everything that is purely mine in this world is in this room. Ever since high school, I have always needed a place to be alone and think and read and write. I’m social, but I also need time to decompress, which consists of this routine: sit on my bed, stare at my bookshelf, think, maybe write a little in my journal, stare some more, pick up a book and read, sleep a little, then go back out and be social. I need at least one day a month to recharge like this. If I don’t get it, the whole show breaks down.

I still have time in my life to do this, although I rarely read because I blog so much. (These little posts actually can take a lot of time. The Bartlett Farmers' Market post took almost an hour and a half because I had to put up pics on flickr, find links, etc.)

Now that I’m married, I can’t make my bedroom my intellectual haven, but we have an extra room I turned into an office. It has a little couch, a big desk, a bookshelf, 2 short bookshelves, and, unfortunately... a dresser and clothes rack full of clothes. There’s not enough space in our bedroom to store both of our clothes, so mine are in my workspace; that's why you see sunscreen and a razor to the left; this office is also a closet. That’s a bother because the office is prone to clothing explosions, but that’s OK. I’ve said before on Manager Mom’s site (when we had to list random things about ourself) that I like to have all my things in one place where I can see them, because if I don’t, I forget about them.

I do have one bookshelf of photo albums and favorite books in our bedroom, which is fine, because that falls into the “old sentimental stuff” category. That does not overlap with the “stuff to do” category that all the office stuff relates to: blog, pay bills, read cookbooks, ponder life.

Speaking of stuff in categories: my brain is somewhat... busy, so my physical space needs to be organized. Things have to be with related stuff so my brain can keep track. On the 2 short bookshelves pictured to the right, I have a shelf of blog stuff, a shelf of workout/cookbooks, a shelf of teacher books, a shelf of writing books. Those 4 things are very separate for me, and having them on separate shelves reflects the way I think. The bulletin boards above the shelves also reflect categories of my brain; to the left are scraps of colors I like, plus a practical article about how to achieve goals. On the right are pictures of my niece, nephews and husband, along with the kookier drawings my nephews have done. Basically, this office/sanctuary is the physical representation of my brain.

And that’s why I’ll always need my own room. I don’t like my stuff spread out all over the house because I forget it exists; then, what’s the point of having it? I like it all where I can see it and use it. If I don’t use it, it’s in the way, so I throw it away. That’s good management, if you ask me. For so many reasons, it’s best for all the people in my house (me, husband, dog) if all my crap stays in one place. That year we lived in Norwalk, my stuff was in the basement room we never used... and my life was terrible. I couldn’t function without all my writing materials in one place. Not just writing materials, but all the thinking and organizing materials that you now see in this office.

This is the first time I’ve ever had an “office,” but in a way, it’s like all of my old dorm rooms and post-college apartments. Even if you have a common room, all your stuff stays in your room. I often nap on this little couch, so it feels a lot like I have my own “room,” not just office.

I’m actually not satisfied with my workspace right now; even after I cleaned up all the clothes and yoga mat you see in this pic, it still feels cluttered; this place is going to get a major purge sometime this month, but it will take time... most of this stuff I do use, and what I don’t, I’ve kept for years, so I’ll have to think hard about what to get rid of. I like doing that, because it's a way to stop and reevaluate my life. I have to think about what I realistically do nowadays (tutor the SAT) vs. what I'll probably never do again (knit). I have to ask myself, Should I keep all this old choral music? Will I ever sing Bach and Faure again? (Maybe.) Will I ever read the book Procrastination that I've had for years? (Probably not... but I'll probably keep that one anyway, because it just feels right.) Dealing with this room is really a way of dealing with myself, and I adore myself, so it's a lot of fun for me. Click here to read full entry.

Live Blogging from Superbowl 42

Orig. post date, Feb 2008!  This might be one of those posts that I find hilarious that no one else does.  I personally find myself hysterical, and I love football, so I think this post is one that can endure.  
Live Blogging is the latest hot thing (I have no idea why). I see the NY Times Sports blogger doing it, and a guy on TMZ does a live blog during Lost. I'm going to try my hand at live blogging- I'm not doing it every minute like my Lost guy, but maybe a couple times an hour between cleaning, eating chips, and drinking rum and Cokes.

5:39 pm. Pre-game show continues with inane interview by Terri Bradshaw with Tom Brady about how cute he is. Whatever. Downstairs, Family Guy is on, and we've broken out the Doritos.

6:01pm. That was a really confusing Declarataion of Independence interlude. I will say, it kept my attention. I was trying to figure out where they were going with the Dec of Ind reenactment. I got hooked when they showed Warrick Dunn in front of a very small house; that's when it occurred to me- hey. These fat, jolly, colonial white guys put this ball in motion, and here's where we are now. The point is to show how far this country has come. I don't think the segment overall made that very clear; overall, it was a collection of rah-rah, bland, formal images of coaches at the Jefferson monument, or Strahan at Ground Zero... at the end they dedicated it to the men and women in the armed forces. OK, fine. A confusing interlude, and in the end, like our country, it has good intentions, comes off a little weird, but we care about each other.

7:10 pm. Good first quarter. Each team only had the ball once, which to me shows how experienced these 2 teams are and how well they've played. Ummmm... not much else to say... I watched three episodes of Friday Night Lights today and I liked it.

7:11- Oh, Giants! Delay of game??? To add insult to injury, the replay just showed Payton giving Eli the "hurry up" hand motion. Let's score, Giants!

7:13. That did not just happen. That interception did not just happen.
OK, the Clydesdales will calm me down.

Husband: "By the way, anyone who would be interested in reading your live blogging would probably be watching the game right now."

Well, this is my first time liveblogging, so it's probably good I have a small audience this time.

7:24, Um, a heart just popped out of that woman's boob on the careerbuilder.com ad.
7:25. Those thriller Geckos for that vitamin water? That might as well have been a GEICO commercial, because now, everyone knows gecko=GEICO.

7:28: Be careful with Brady! I almost screamed that when they just sacked him. (6:23 left in 2nd quarter) I've seen TB interviewed so many times, and seen him on people.com with Gisele, that I feel like Tom's a friend. Be careful with him!

7:34- I just checked out the NY Times guy's liveblogging. BORING!!!  I quote:

2Q, 8:49:The Patriots totally had that fumble, and lost it in the pile. …Manning wants to try a screen pass on third down, and it’s a bust. Manning just throws the ball into the turf. Punt time.

2Q, 9:41:Manning is sacked on first down. He tried to find some room, but ran out of it. …Second and 13, out of the gun. Manning tries an inside handoff, and it’s a fumble. …A scrum for the ball. …Giants keep it.

You call that blogging? That's just little summaries.

Husband: "So, you're liveblogging for other antisocial people who are ignoring other people?"
Me: "You don't understand liveblogging!"
Actually, maybe I don't understand it. 'Cause really, who WOULD read this? I should be in a chat room.

7:37- ELI??????? What the HELL are you doing??? "Steve Smith slipped down" the announcer just said. No way, that was just a crazy pass. Well, you're more dramatic than Tom Brady, I'll give ya that, Eli.

7:58- Liveblogging is boring!

8:35- Tom Petty was good. My half-time pizza was OK. The game... going OK.

8:38- I'm unhappy with the lack of interesting plays in this game. Giants just got a 12 players on the field penalty. I wish I were watching Friday Night Lights.

9:09- Giants on the Pat's 12. Now Bradshaw on the 5. Giants, let's deliver. I'm laughing at the Shadowy figure of Payton Manning in the booth, hiding behind a column.

HOLY SISODOSIDO TOUCHDOWN. Let's not celebrate, game's not over. Peyton in stands looking proud and relieved.

9:12- any commervial with James Carville in it is funny!

9:58- OK Manning just threw a touchdown. 29 seconds to go.
Impressions: I love how Coughlin's face hides nothing.

Earlier, when Brady missed a passed in the endzone, the camera caught a shot of the Patriot mascot banging his own head.

Alford just nailed Brady. 19 seconds left. I can't believe the Giants are almost going to win this

Cory Webster just saved the game by knocking down that nice pass from Brady, to Moss.

OK, 10 more seconds.

10:21- Terri Bradshaw is crazy. He just ordered Mike Strahan to go around the stadium and show the fans the Lombardi trophy. Strahan said, "yeah!" and acted lke he was leaving, but sort of just went to the back of the area of the stage, probably to get away from Terri. Terri doesn't get the idea of personal space. He was right in Coughlin's face, and almost knocking the old ladies out of the way to try to get closer to Eli Manning. "Congratulations, young man!" My GOD, Terri!

Here's why I'm funny: because I knew Plaxico Burress was going to cry in his post-game interview. Well, I guess the reporter did too, bc she chose to interview him, but I'm not a professional football commentator, although, if I were immersed in the field, I'd probably do VERY well.
Click here to read full entry.

Favorites: Laptop, Manicure, Traveling Wilburys

Orig post date: Feb 2008. I'm writing something about diamond rings and jealousy, but it's still very nebulous. One thing I can tell you is that my ring* looks spectacular next to my watermelon-colored nails. I made 200 bucks this week tutoring, so I treated myself to the manicure I've been wanting for 6 months.

I also wanted to show off my decorated laptop. I read an article about how Apple's success has created a clone-like atmosphere at Starbucks- rows of white laptops. Not me! I thought. Any hesitation I felt about plastering the name of my other website on my pristine laptop disappeared, and I added a Traveling Wilburys sticker for good measure. It's one of those quality fabric-y stickers, so it won't peel off. If you have any high-quality, durable stickers, please send them to me.

The only other person I've seen with a decorated laptop was an NYU student with a lot of stickers on hers. The white surface of my MacBook is also making me want to doodle on it with permanent marker.  But I won't, because that would be impulsive, and I'm not even sure what I'd want to doodle.  

*100 year old diamond, belonged to my husband's great- grandmother. Pretty, and, not to be gauche.... free.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Traveling Wilbury songs:



Ah! that reminds me to add Tom Petty to my list of celebrity crushes! Click here to read full entry.

Proposal For Keyboard Makers

I have a suggestion about the question mark key. How 'bout you put the question mark on the bottom, so I don't have hit shift every time I want to use it? Do you think people really use the slash more than the question mark key? I don't think so. Did you see any slashes in this normal, conversational-style paragraph? I didn't think so. Why don't you think about it and get back to me.
I'm not sure how we'll get this change made... but I think if Apple does it, the rest of the world will follow. Original post date 10/19. Click here to read full entry.

Awake Early: Me and Magritte

Original post date= 10/15. I have a room in my house, an addition on the back that has windows on all three sides. It's like an enclosed deck; it's all windows. As sunrise is getting later, I get to be up to watch it get lighter. I love that because it means I'm up early, in the comfort of my own home, getting stuff done- I consider blogging to be productive.

This morning I crept out of bed, crept into the kitchen- I have to creep to avoid waking the dog, who'll want to go out, which will ruin the flow of my morning writing- and looked out the back window. Perfect timing. Sun nowhere near up, but creeping from behind the trees- making a blue background that backlights the trees to make them black. My neighbor's kitchen light was on; someone was awake with me. That's my kind of morning. If it's not summer, I'll take fall, with a crisp in the air, black trees, and sun on the way.

The line between night and morning reminded me of my first few years of teaching when I'd get up early to go in to get ready. Getting off the highway at 6, 610, 630 am, especialy in the winter, when it was officially dark, and entering the neighborhood near the school, I felt so grateful to the few houses with lights on. That meant other people were awake, and it made me feel less alone.

Working from home this year, I'm glad I'll get to experience more mornings like this. I'm a morning person, so what to some people is a terrible thought- waking up before sunrise- makes me feel like I'm starting my day off right.

Maybe this is why I loved the Magritte paintings I saw in Rome. He's famous for the picture of the man in the black bowler hat with the apple over his face, but he also has incredible paintings of houses and trees that are backlit just like this morning. He somehow captures that perfectly, and it's one of the many reasons (speaks French, has odd ideas) that Magritte is my favorite painter.

Thank you to the husband, who just walked the dog. Click here to read full entry.

I Destroyed Fancy Pancakes, Now I Have to Fix It

Yeah. I wanted to switch this blog over to a different google account, and rather than researching if there was an easy way to do it, I took off all my old posts and pasted them into Word documents with the idea of just reposting them. I knew it would take a while, but part of me likes creating problems to fix, especially when the problem involves reorganizing papers. I also wanted to clean Fancy Pancakes up a little bit, because I want the site to be less about piddly day to day stuff and more essay-ish like my friend Christopher's blog.

Turns out I could have just switched the blog over by sharing admin privileges and then deleting the old account. That would have taken about 4 minutes. Instead, it will take me around 4 hours to repost it all. Oh- and I also need to redo the "add more" function, my profile, and my blogroll.

So. I need to get back to work. Click here to read full entry.