:: ellise ::

My beautiful little Ellise is three today. There is a sort of sadness in that, because now bragging about her advancement will diminish slightly as it is more impressive that a two-year-old says "bushel and a peck" than a three-year-old. But. Even if she ends up to be no prodigy at all, if her development will mark the charts at about the middle, I will always be exceedingly proud of her for who she is. She is my Ellise, and she is fabulous. Happy birthday, baby!

Feeding the ducks with Lori's Andres

:: sometimes, i love today ::

I usually shift slowly, railing against change for change's sake: why must things always be new? I prefer worn-in shoes and heirlooms.

But. Today I love today, as the future mingles with the past more decisively in the form of...

a podcast.

And the gem from a podcast today, written by a painter but giving insight to writing:

"There is only one true thing: instantly paint what you see. When you've got it, you've got it. When you haven't, you begin again. All the rest is humbug." Edouard Manet

(it's his birthday today)

Jury duty: it's like all the reading community decided to sit in one big room together. Everyone's a reader here, albeit at different levels. There are a few Stephen King's and some cheap romances, which are just a breath away from the fashion magazines. Those are shiny filth. And I am, as usual, trying to glide over these to get a good view, this time on the wings of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Virtue is its own kind of burden.

:: happy birthday to me ::

Twenty-six new ways of looking at the world.
At least, that's what I hope.
I honestly don't know that I am
Higher now than last year at this time --
It frightens me to think I might have just been
Crawling downward this whole time.
Or maybe I'm a mole and all this digging
And the darkness of my hole are what's
Supposed to be. Maybe.

:: 2007 ::

In 2007 I learned:

• When I don't know where to go, I stop moving.
• I thrive on encouragement.
• Motherhood is not a bit like aunthood, and I am only good at the latter.
• Above all I am selfish, and emotions make me more so. I am a much better friend when there are no boys around.
• Wounds heal, but sometimes they leave a scar.
  
• Decisions that I mean to last a lifetime end the day I stop choosing them.
• I can save money -- I just have to not spend it.
• Time is a faithful instructor.
• Marriage is what happens when two people spend all their time together.
• My $100 jeans are no better than my $12 ones. In fact, I think I like the cheap ones better.
  

:: christmas ::