Leap Year

Some weeks just start out shaky, but instead of it knocking you off your bike, it rattles something loose and a little creative dust falls out. So that's what I've been doing this week, playing in the dirt.

The only other highlight of the week was when I bought the girls' Easter dresses today. There is something just sugary sweet about Easter dresses. (Especially when they are on sale.)

And now, I spend the next 7 hours putting on, taking off, carrying, stowing, fighting with hockey equipment.

Happy Leap Year.

Come Monday

Okay, so I'm back at it today at more worthwhile prose after spending days composing my soapbox speeches in my head that no one listens to, including me after a while.

So, no matter. I have all of my talismans lined up to ward off sickness for me or the kids. Sean's been sick for the last 5 days, and we can ill afford to pay the nurse what she's worth. (me.)

I've been doing a lot of reading lately as you can see from my sidebar. I've decided to take a couple of days off from that because it tends to consume my words, and the last one I read was such a disappointment, that I'm punishing someone somewhere for my lost investment.

I know that makes no sense, but you'll have to let me have this or else I'm going to start on those soapbox soliloquies again.

Names

I've been writing all afternoon on Le Novel and to save time and energy when I'm on a roll, I'm naming all of the secondary and relatively insignificant characters after the people that send me replica watch spam today.

Hello Mr. Travis Quinn, elementary school principal and purveyor of high quality Tag timepieces.

Makeover

Okay, I did it. I've been threatening for months, but last night I finally went brunette.

I've had this Bengal Tiger thing going on for about 10 years I figure--alternating every so often more Bengal and then more tiger--but last night I told Erica to go dark. And she did.

And let me tell you, it's fierce.

I wasn't loving the chocolate brown last night so much when it was half blown dry and then treadmill worked after an evening session at the gym, but today after a little straightener, I'm feeling spicy. Chestnutty. It feels creamy, of all things.

I'm not sure if I should take a picture or reduce it down into a sauce served over Tournedos.

"It's a no from me, Paula?"

I'm on hold with Delta. Because I can't do this transaction online when you have 3 kids, 1 lap child, eCredits, eTickets and SkyMiles to credit and so forth. Whatever.

But the bizarre part of this phone call is not that it is taking 47 minutes and counting, but that the hold music is crazy. There are all of these popular songs being sung by untalented singers. Seriously. "White Flag," is not being crooned by Dido. And that is not Norah Jones nor James Taylor. Perhaps that's Annie Leonard singing, "Broken Glass." It's like listening to American Idol auditions. Simon might just come back on the line by saying, "That was really terrible, but your confirmation number is 2000998876."

What up with dat, dawg?

Crepes. Again.

Yay! It's Friday!

Yay, it's Friday and there's no hockey practice tonight!

Yay it's Friday and there's no hockey practice or games at all this weekend!

I don't know how all of that happened or why, but I am grateful. This is the first and last weekend in a long time that the only things on the agenda are cleaning my closet and working on the novel. Because those two things need to be done!

I've been working on the latter today, and although I've made some progress, I'm also reconsidering even more as far as the story goes. Ugh. After all of this pre-editing, I'll probably burst into tears if a real editor ever looks at this thing and makes a suggestion. Oh well.

So we're off tonight to go eat more crepes. We've had them like 37 times since we tried that new little restaurant. I even made them last night for our Valentine's dinner. I am such a nerd.

What are the odds?

There are 2 boys in art class with the name, "Enzo."

I kid you not.

Two.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not really big on this holiday, but an excuse for candy is good enough for me. I wrote a column about it, too.

In addition to that nonsense, I've been plugging away at the new keyboard. Finding my way through my assignments as well as a few pages on le novel. Fun stuff, really, so I am grateful for that. I've found at this stage, there is a lot of experimenting and backtracking. I've already killed off someone. Weird...I've got one last assignment to get through today, and then I can devote my time to art class with Amy and a fabulous dinner preparation with the boys. Throw in a couple of chocolate-covered cherries and it'll be a pretty good way to spend a Thursday.

So Happy Valentine's Day and all of that.

New keyboard

Okay, so I've just spent the better part of my week settling into a new computer. What a pain in my hard drive.

I needed one because I'd run out of room on the old one, and needed to update my world. So I got this new system which has taken a while to get used to. I don't know where everything is here. My rhythm is all messed up. I don't know where all my stuff is. There are tabs and symbols that I am clueless as to their meaning. I feel like a guest user on my own account.

This is not boding well for my balance issues.

Om

Well, I woke up this morning tired as usual, but somehow a little lighter. And even after a day of computer hell, I did not shove a hard drive down a Geek Squad geek's throat, I merely exchanged computers again, and made my 15th trip to Best Buy this week with grit teeth and a bit lip.

It's the new Zen me.

Anyway, hopefully my next post I will be writing from my new digs. Stranger things have happened. Not many, but I wrote 1 1/2 pages today and Mitt Romney dropped out of the race, so I suppose miracles can happen.

Lent

Lent.

Admittedly, I have a tough time with this one.

I long ago gave up the giving up thing. To give up something for 40 days only to binge on it the rest of the year seems counterproductive to me. So I began to take on something positive instead, hoping that Easter morning I would find it ingrained into my personality.

And while that is better for the half-full glass kind of gal I am, somehow this year I need more.

I think I mentioned last week that I've been feeling outta sorts. Well, that feeling didn't go away after a day. Or a mud mask. Or a party. Or 4. I found myself beginning the week further behind than if it was a Friday afternoon at 5:00 already. (It did not help that I've been driving from Tampa to St. Pete at various doctors for Stevie's broken finger and Amy's latest ear issue.)

So last night after laying there for a while exhausted but unable to sleep, I had a spiritual tantrum. It occurred to me that my sorts is my balance, and I am definitely off that by a long way.

So today, the first day of Lent, I've decided that balance is my focus for the next 40 days and beyond. But then I took it farther.

The other thing I hate about Lent (that must be sacrilidge) is that success is measured after a month and a half of sacrifice, and we all know that I am way too impatient for such a distant marker, so I decided that my success should be marked daily. Heck, even hourly. I will celebrate each day as if it were that rebirth of Easter as I march boldly to it.

Sounds uncharacteristically existential, doesn't it?

But it's not. When I came to this stunning realization, I can't tell you how spiritually full I felt. Even fasting, I was more satiated than I've been in quite some time.

Practically speaking, I am putting things back into perspective. After a doctor's appointment for Stevie today, the little ones were being attended to by the fabulous Tasha, I decided to take my son to a late lunch. We went to a new little restaurant in downtown Safety Harbor, which was as unique as the rest of my town. My friend Susan called Safety Harbor, "Mayberry on LSD," it is such a perfect description. Anyway, I sat on a veranda with my boy eating crepes on someone's back porch. We were the only ones there, and we ate every bite, and then we ordered dessert. We talked about 12 year old boy stuff. And crepes. And I cut his crepes becasue he couldn't with his big cast on, and we lingered. It was so....righted.

I am not going to write a column this week because I won't force one. I will work on my novel instead.

I cleaned out my room and workspace. And the toybox. Not because it all needed it, but because I just felt like the clutter wasn't going to set me off balance anymore, either.

And somehow, tonight on Ash Wednesday, usually a tough one for me, felt pretty glorious.

And I think I might have even walked a little more toward the center.

18-1

It was a great weekend--how 'bout dem Giants?--but this cat is worn out. I think the entire family is coming down with various sicklies, too. I hope not though, because that would just suck.

After weeks of marathon partying, methinks it's time for a week of buckling down...

Brilliant blush

I can't believe it, but I am painting my nails right now. I haven't painted my nails in years.

Granted it's clear polish, but the unprecented act of didget femininity should count nonetheless.

Weekend o' fun

Okay, I'm trying to rally for a big weekend of marathon and extreme partying.

But I'm just so freakin' tired...

In between 4 hockey practices and games, we've got the big school auction on Saturday night. That means dressing up in grown-up clothes while wielding the checkbook and tying Sean's hands to the chair to prevent him from bidding on the stuff we donated. But I will gladly pay for the honor of hanging out with my friends for an evening. It's been ages.

And then Sunday is, of course, the Super Bowl. Sean is thrilled, the boys are pumped, and the girls will have fun not caring. Eating, drinking, gambling and sports all to excess. What could be better?

I will worry about the caloric ramifications of the celebratory weekend on Monday when I haul myself back on the treadmill. Until then, GO GIANTS!