i’m a peace-loving girl, right up to the point where two freaks break into the house and try to come after my family.
after that? all bets are off.
This is one crazy story. Glad she and the baby are both okay. (A fund is being established for Mrs. McKinley and her son, if you are so inclined…)
The Best of the Best Books of 2011: Overall Top 10
1. The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht
2. The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
3. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami
4. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
5. The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach
6. In The Garden Of Beasts, Erik Larson
7. Blood, Bones & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton
8. Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
6 books tied in 9th:
The Sisters Brothers, Patrick DeWitt
The Tragedy of Arthur, Arthur Phillips
The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes
Open City, Teju Cole
The Stranger’s Child, Alan Hollinghurst
Bossypants, Tina Fey
(just found Zandria’s list, too. happy reading, everyone!)
skinny bitch recipes
chili with wine
rockstar mommy
funny family mottos
wacky mommy
wacky sex
chili wine
chocolate volcano cake
rockstar mommy blog
skinny bitch in the kitch recipes
yes, am skinny bitch, bitches! welcome! happy New Year! happy Year of the Dragon! hope your holidays were merry and bright, and that the fates allowed everything u wanted ’em to.
— wm
(photo by Steve Rawley)
thanks for the writing prompt, y’all.
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Started working out every day.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always pledge to get more writing done, and this year I did.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My girlfriend C! She had a little girl. Happy mama of four now. And K’s mommy had a little boy. Sweet babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes.
5. What countries did you visit? USA and that’s it. Would like to travel to Canada next year and check out Butchart Gardens.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? World peace. Again.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Hmmm — the kids’ birthdays, probably. And Steve’s and mine, too.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting my first novel published. Also I quit drinking. Christmas Eve made eight months for me. It feels really good, and we’re saving a load of money, too.
9. What was your biggest failure? Not going there.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, knock wood.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Food.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My kids’. They make me proud every day.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People who are in charge who should not be.
14. Where did most of your money go? House and food and utility bills. And gas.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Planting our first garden at the new house.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011? Probably “Forget You,” by Cee Lo Green.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier, for sure.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner.
c) richer or poorer? More content, that’s all I care about.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Played.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Cleaned house.
20. How did you spend Christmas? At home. It was peaceful and good, and we had good food to eat (in spite of a broken stove). For New Year’s Eve, we told the kids to invite their friends over for a kids-only party. Should be lively.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Man, I fall in love with Steve all over again every day. Thank God, cuz otherwise we’d throttle each other.
22. What were your favorite TV programs? Revenge, New Girl, Raising Hope, Glee
23. What was the best book you read? Whatever one I’m reading right now. Today, it’s Ruth Reichl’s memoir, “Garlic and Sapphires.” Funny and wicked.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Pop music! The kids have established full and complete musical domination over us.
25. What did you want and get? Love and time with Steve and the kids.
26. What did you want and not get? For all of my friends (and for me, too) to get (and keep) jobs. Also for everyone to stay healthy and for no one to die.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? The final Harry Potter.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 47. My family made me homemade ravioli and cake poppers, it was awesome. We celebrated at home, and we celebrated after the fact, but for some reason, this just made it more special. Awww…
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If it had worked out at my last job. But it didn’t. Next!
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Work-out attire, 101.
31. What kept you sane? Walking on my treadmill daily, doing yoga, meditating.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Occupy protesters.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? Occupy and everything they’re doing to give our country a shove in the right direction.
34. Who did you miss? (Same answer as Zoot’s) As always: My Dad. My friend Frank. And, for our entire community cuz we’re all missing him, Rob. Frank and Rob’s families are in my thoughts daily.
35. Who was the best new person you met? My friend A, who I hope to spend more time with in 2012.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. Drinking makes you depressed. Who knew? hahaha.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year you can’t get out of your head.
“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet.”
Cheerful, no? Music is a sign of the times, that’s all.
Happy Year of the Dragon, everyone.
— wm
(photo by Steve Rawley)
i had a dream last night that we left the suburbs (where, oddly, it takes me five minutes to walk to the woods. even tho it’s the suburbs — i can walk up the hill, down the hill, or up the *other* hill and find… woods. #myneighborhoodhasdeer). where was i? we moved back to our old neighborhood and everyone and their chickens were happy to see us. that’s how i knew it was a dream. hahahahahaha…
seriously.
they were all, Don’t let the door hit yer ass on the way out. Sort of like when i left Thee Oregonian.
our last day in the old house (for reals, this wasn’t in the dream, it happened), Steve and I were making a final check and there were two of the neighbors — neighbors I had known well. Who we had had over for meals. Whose parties we had gone to. Hell, we even threw some parties together! there they were, staring at us from across the street. just having a little hen party and being weird. was it raining, or did it just feel like it? It was raining. No waves, no coming over to say goodbye, just the hard cold stares. I finally waved, and yelled, Guess we’re not going out for that drink you were talking about, after all! (steve: be nice. me: i cannot.) they were not friends, turns out. just asshole neighbors. our real friends from the old neighborhood we still see.
we’ve met some nice people out in our new neighborhood — neighbors, friends, co-workers, parents from the school where I was assigned last year, parents from my kids’ schools. we’ve settled in, it feels good.
seriously. i woke up this morning from that dream in a cold sweat.
(Photo by Steve Rawley)
“Keep your intelligence white-hot
and your grief glistening,
so your life will stay fresh.
Cry easily like a little child.”
— Rumi
(Photo by Steve Rawley)
(this originally ran Nov. 30, 2006. happy reading :) wm)
And now, for the Thursday Thirteen you’ve been waiting for: A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION, IN THIRTEEN PARTS:
1. Mom and I decide to take the kids to the Grotto, the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, for the 18th annual Festival of Lights. Petting zoo! Puppet show! Strolling carolers and people dressed like olden times, who ask you, “Do you know the way to Bethlehem?” (No, I don’t. But if you figure it out will you take me?)
2. I tell Mom I’ll buy her dinner first, c’mon, it’ll be fun. She is game. She tells me she’s never been to the upper level of the Grotto. I am floored by this. “IT IS SO COOL UP THERE!” I tell her. The kids: “CAN WE SEE IT? NOW, CAN WE? CAN WE TAKE THE ELEVATOR?” Me: “No, it’s dark. And there are cliffs. But next summer!” Also, I forget to bring donations for the food drive. Mom brought some stuff from her cupboard. And she insisted on buying us dinner. Wouldn’t let me pay for tickets to the festival, either. Moms are like this.
3. Both kids, shouting: “LOOK AT ALL THOSE LIGHTS! AND THE ANGELS, LIT UP! THERE ARE PEOPLE SINGING!” Followed by, “What are all those candles for?”
4. We go to the petting zoo, at Wacky Boy’s request. The volunteer gives us warnings: Don’t let the goats grab the whole ice cream cone full of feed out of our hands. Spin around if they try to. And around and around and around. Don’t give any to the alpaca. Or the horse. Or the rabbits. I lose track of all the instructions. We spin and spin. We are mauled by goats, anyway.
5. Wacky Girl: “HEY! I do remember this place!” (Good, since it’s the seventh time she’s been.) She and mom head off for the puppet show. She is the only one to call out the answer when the puppeteer asks the audience: “What does Feliz Navidad mean?” She is proud of this. She and Mom like the puppet show. Mom is wearing a cute hat, and her warm jacket. It’s not raining. Or snowing.
http://youtu.be/NpC-dZpD7eI
http://youtu.be/CH2KGboA35c
http://youtu.be/kTQrNQm3yZQ
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