WHOA

YOU GUYS

TODAY I RAN FOR TWENTY MINUTES WITHOUT STOPPING

then I put on a romper

cleaned for two hours

did three loads of laundry

gave my dog a bath

did my nails...

Now I'm gonna go buy some pink wine. And watch Buffy on Netflix.

I HAVE SUPERPOWERS TODAY

Your Foreign Correspondent

I am reporting from the wilds of the Chicago suburbs, sipping a latte and trying not to blow my nose so loudly as to gross out the other coffee shop patrons, but I know it's hopeless and they all hate me. Such is life. I'm not going to leave just as they put on the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack, that's for damn sure.

I'm here in Chicago attempting to help my sister as she approaches the birth of her second child. I say "attempting" because I feel pretty useless most of the time... Mainly, I find myself playing with my niece a lot, as my poor sister gets burned out on reading her the same books and playing the same games over... and over... and over...

My niece will be two in May and is the cutest and sweetest little thing you ever did see -- except that she's just figuring out how to be verbal, and occasionally it's just easier to scream. I get it, sweetie, I get it. Sometimes I just want to scream to get my point across, too.

But I love being an aunt. I get to invent awesome games that she loves and make her laugh and play and have fun, all without having to make any of the big decisions or educate her or ever discipline her for anything!

My stay has no set end point, because it all depends on when that nephew of mine decides to show his face (likely by next week, we are told!). I work from home* so I don't need to be back by any certain date. Which is getting me lots of wonderful quality time with my sister, niece, and brother-in-law, and enables me to be here when they will most be in need of help, but I certainly am getting homesick, and not knowing when I will return makes it harder. I miss my husband, I miss my dog, I miss my -- friends? Do I have friends, now? I think I do, and I think I miss them! And... I miss my adoptive home. This is the third time I've gone away from Minneapolis since moving there in April, but it's the first time I've been able to think of it as home when I'm not there.

Chicago finally got its first snowfall of any significance, so it feels a little more like home now..!

Did you know that our dog Brian escaped the other day? He went for an adventure in sub-zero temperatures because somehow both of our front doors blew open and Dan was in the other room and didn't notice. Very luckily a kind stranger took pity on him and caught him after he was almost hit by a truck, and kept him safe and warm till Dan could come get him. Thank you, thank you, stranger. You have no idea how much that dumb little mutt means to us.

This afternoon I get to accompany my sister and niece to a toddler dance class. Apparently the little one gets a tutu to wear and gets really excited about it. Oh lord, the cuteness.


*Although I technically work from home, it's kind of not going so well -- see how I came to a coffee shop to work, and instead I wrote a blog entry? That's pretty much how working from home has been going for me. And other work bullshit that I don't care to address. And probably we won't be able to pay our rent and will be evicted onto the street and everything will be ruined forever, the end. Or, perhaps more likely, we'll scrape by till I can get my act together (...) or find a new job (yes!).

Post-Nano Haze

NaNoWriMo has ended, and I find myself with more time on my hands than I had last month. NaNoWriMo felt.. very important this year. It was my second year of participation and my second win. I am under no delusions that the collection of short stories that I created is at all well-written, or would hold any meaning for anyone else. But the act of creating it did feel important, even vital, like awakening a piece of myself that has been dead for many years. Markedly different from last year, when I thought, well that was fun, let's never do that again. So I will continue writing short fiction, even if no one will ever read it but me. Dan has been pushing me to share things I write here, and.. I just can't, right now. I can't explain why things I make up are more meaningful to me than things I don't, but so it is.

The other thing I will be doing with all this extra time is being crafty! Making things can certainly be a creative endeavor, and it has long been a desire of mine to be a generally more useful person. I squarely place the act of making things I will actively use within this category. It's also far less personal and something I actually feel as though I can share in public.

So today I got out some scrap fabric and tools, and started playing a little. Here is my workspace.

... it's the floor. The bundle of white and pink fabric sits on top of a wee ironing board, about six inches off the ground. 

I opened the blinds of the front window in an effort to occupy Brian, since he is glued to my side all day long and the joy of looking out the window is the only thing that will distract him for any length of time.

It worked for a little while.

There is a reason everything I own is covered in a fine layer of white hair.

So let's see how far I get in this workspace with this dog.

In conclusion, here is an unrelated picture of me looking like a ghost. A GHOST WITH UNFINISHED BUSINESS.