“I feel like I’m prayin’ into a dead phone, and this is a bad time for that to happen. How have I offended Thee? I’m listenin, Lord. Listenin for the still, small voice in my heart.” — Mother Abagail, “The Stand,” Stephen King

This book rocks, always, but especially now.

peace.

me

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

— J.K. Rowling, “King’s Cross,” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

Reading this week:

Boy, oh boy, it’s been awhile since I made up a reading list, hasn’t it? Know why? Because all I do is read. And write. A lot of writing going on over here. It’s getting tedious, but I’m through the ugly sections of the book now, thank God. Nothing like staying too long with a gnarly character you’re ready to have leave your headspace and go to Jupiter or anywhere, really, just not my mind, anymore, thank you.

Now, here is a reading list my former boss put together, of her favorites from last summer. And I keep misplacing it. In my purse. Ha. Ha. Yeah. It’s a big purse, get up off my back, would ya? No wonder my arm is killing me, lugging that thing around. Also, may I pause her to say how refreshing it was to have a boss who loved to read? My bosses have never been big readers, not even the ones who edited the books section of the newspaper. Ha! Except for a couple of you, and you know who you are. The End.

(That’s how they say it in the novels.)

So she and I would talk books all the time, and it made me happy. But then one day I realized, my arm was killing me (and of course the tendonitis is in my right arm, which I use all the time, as I am right-handed), and… I realized another thing. Instead of talking books, and checking out books, and shelving, repairing, discarding and ordering books, I wanted to get back to writing books.

So I put in my notice and quit and now we’re all happier. Except for my students, they’re a little irate, but they’ll be fine. I promised I’d send them copies of my books, see? There ya go. One of them wrote me a note that said, “I, too, write books!” and I thought, A kindred spirit, go, go, go authors!

Anyway, back to those titles… If I put it here, it doesn’t matter if I lose it, see? I’ve downloaded “Life of Pi” onto my Kindle, and yes, I did start it, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

I’m reading all these classics for my book group is why. (“Rebecca,” “Cold Comfort Farm,” “Heart of Darkness.” Am brainiac. But you already knew that.)

Happy reading!!!

— wm

“Dog House: A Love Story” (Carol Prisant)
“Life is So Good” (Richard Glaubman & George Dawson)
“Letter to My Daughter” (Maya Angelo)
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire” & “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” (Stieg Larsson)
“Little Bee” (Chris Cleave)
“Life of Pi” (Yann Martel)

…don’t you I think I should stay up all night reading? then in the morning the kids can toast some Eggo waffles (which I always call Eggo Waffos by accident, because to my way of thinking, that just sounds right) and make instant hot cocoa? And i can sleep in!

who’s with me?

of course, it’s not that funny if we end up not having Snowpocalypse again and i have to work tomorrow, after having stayed up all night reading. (just joined a new book club it’s rilly rilly good, the reading list. and most of the titles on the list are FREE on my KINDLE and you know i like FREE.) also, did I mention that i gave notice at my job? again?

because I wanted to, that’s why. i’ll work this week and next, then done, all done.

Honest to mike, those of you who have been following this blog since its humble beginnings and right up until its riotous present, fucking how many jobs have i had since i had kids? Seriously. Search under “work” or “jobs” or “starting next job” or “finishing this job and packing up both of my offices I’m done with this shit” and see what you come up with. At one point I worked in three different offices, in three different buildings — Tigard, Hillsboro and Beaverton, too. I could never remember where I was supposed to be is why I quit.

This latest job is good, but the arm thing is making me nuts. Too much typing.

And am somewhat whimsical girl, damn. That’s fine.

later.

edited 6:46 a.m. Thursday to say……….. SNOW DAY! for both school districts :) So the kids are off and I am, too. hallelujah xo me

some days are good, sweet, filled with chocolate bon-bons and kisses and more love than you ever thought you’d receive.

Other days?

“Just another hurdle on my way to the grave,” in the words of Joey’s Grandma Pigza.

Hey! you know what I did for fun, though? Made a bunch of posts on here “public” and not “private” so… it’s like an Easter egg hunt, kinda. (Clue: check the “remodelling” category. hahahee!)

Reading this week:

Reading this week:

All Oregon Battle of the Books titles. Check out the lists — really good this year, as always. The state competition will be 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday March 5th at Sunset High School in Beaverton, Ore. (Check here if you’re looking for OBOB book recommendations for next year — including confirmed titles.) Happy reading! — wm

“Libraries are far from the rarefied cathedrals of secular humanism they pretend to be, while librarians are the shadiest creatures this side of the Russian mob. Scratch the adamantly bland demeanor of any librarian and you’ll find trails of broken hearts, bathtubs full of meth fixings, and covert careers in porn.” — David Schmader, Last Days, 17 October 2002

The first- and second-graders at my school invited me to their Groundhog Day party on Wednesday, and their teacher told them, Now, we’ll have to go get her because you know she’ll forget.

My reputation, it haunts me wherever I go.

Hmmmmmm, what’s this?

That’s right… we went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. (Allegedly they’re going all Star Wars for the next exhibit.) It was very cool except for Bellatrix’s black dress and Umbridge’s pink suit with the kitty-cat pin… well. Both outfits, even without Ms. Lestrange and Dolores inside of ’em terrified me, honestly, yet I couldn’t stop staring at them. And You-Know-Who’s outfit uh-uh, don’t come near me, You-Know-Who. Really good show. They extended the run and it’s there through mid-February, if you’re in that part of the world or can drive there. (We drove. Also, can you believe that even though I am a lifelong Portland girl, this was only the third time I’ve ever been to Seattle? Hahahahaha. No, seriously. They put a stamp on your birth certificate in the hospital, it says PORTLAND ONLY in red. True!) We went to the Seattle Aquarium and saw the river otters and the sea otters and it was Hawaiian day so I could’ve gotten lei’ed but, you know. No thanks. (Allegedly they’re having Octopus Week in February, so be on the look-out for that, if you visit.)

What else? Went to the Pike Place Market and the guys were NOT there throwing the fish around, their stand was closed. No reason was given. I did buy some cool little Buddha statues, and snow globes, and the kids had their fortunes told by an animatronic lady. Hmmm. Yes, in retrospect, it was a good trip, thanks for asking!

If I ever remember what else I was going to blah-blah-blog about I’ll add it later.

xo

wm

ps how cute is that that they’re having a Groundhog Day party and want me to attend? For reals, so cute.

OK. We have this fancy new phone system now, wherein our voicemail messages on the home phone get e-mailed to Steve’s account and mine, too. Which would be useful and all, I suppose, if they made any cussin’ sense. But they don’t. To wit:

“Hi you guys, honey. Am so married already actually isn’t gonna end at five. It went well. I got one and gonna and like after five. We don’t exactly know when but I’ll call you when we know and I’ll leave a message on your way you guys this cell phone. Okay. Alright well, yeah Marilyn, it’s Bennett. It’s gonna and up like 6 inch of. Bye “

Well, good thing it had my daughter’s cell phone number attached to the message, cuz otherwise (to quote my dear grandfather), that wouldn’t have made no damn sense.

She was saying something along the lines of… the birthday party was fun, the mall was fun, the party is (was) still going on (which explains the “isn’t gonna end at five” part) and… it will end around six. At least that’s what I got out of the message from my husband, once he’d talked with her. Telephone is just like the game “telephone,” it turns out. Only more so, nowadays.

Oh, technology, you’ve made life so much more complex than it already was.

Now for a short round-up:

Reading this week:

From the “suffering caused by the lack of wisdom” section of the Hanh’s mindfulness book:

“In the case of a person, try to see every suffering which that person is undergoing. Begin with the suffering of bodily form (sickness, poverty, physical pain) and then proceed to the suffering caused by feelings (internal conflicts, fear, hatred, jealousy, a tortured conscience). Consider next the suffering caused by perceptions (pessism, dwelling on his problems with a dark and narrow viewpoint).” etc. and then, “Meditate on all these sufferings until your heart fills with compassion like a well of fresh water, and you are able to see that the person suffers because of circumstances and ignorance.” (p. 94.)

I am nowhere near that yet, especially when we’re talking about this, that is.

Cuss.

“The Balanced Mom” (by Bria Simpson) was good, but I just wanted a little more there there, if you know what I mean. Just started “The London Eye Mystery” (by the late Siobhan Dowd), it’s great.