Archive for September, 2012

Politics…

Saturday, September 22nd, 2012

The world feels so polarized lately.  I hate that.  In my heart I’m a fence-sitter. I like talking to people who disagree with me. I like learning from people who see the world differently.  But things *do* feel very divided the last few years.  And I *do* have strong thoughts and feelings.  Sometimes I have to voice them.

I highly suggest you check out the amazing blog Julianna Baggott has started, in response to Mitt’s comments about the 47%.  I’ve made a contribution there, of which I’m proud.

When I think about it, I see that there is a record stretching back in time. An archive, a paper trail, of how little I’ve earned over the years. It wasn’t until I was 28 years old that I finally rose above the poverty line and cleared enough to truly pay my share.  I’m not proud of this fact, exactly, but I’m not ashamed either.  Because I contributed in a lot of ways, and I always worked. I worked hard.

The thing is— for all those years I was growing, becoming the adult I am now, who does pay a lot each year, and is delighted to do so.  Tax me more!  Tax me harder! Give me better schools and social programs, so that kids today can do as I did, have a chance to grow and learn and become grateful adults who appreciate the gifts they’ve been given, and in return give back.

But here is what I want to know:  When does a child become an adult, and part of your 47%?

 

 

I am about to revise a book…

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Which means I look like this, and am about to go slightly insane.

Please know that everything is fine.  The children are safe.  Wearing mismatched socks and eating canned soup for dinner never killed anyone!

But if you see my poor husband on the street, be kind to him.  He’s the one who puts up with the midnight revelations and the periodic emotional thunderstorms…

Happy New Year!!!

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Here we are at Rosh Hashanah, heading into the new year… and the timing of things is about perfect at our place.

The upstairs reno is  done, the room is clean, the toys and clothes are culled, and the kids are moved in. We’re in that happy moment of tweaking and rearranging, moving things from here to there.  Everything feels airy and fresh.

The school year is well underway, and everyone seems settled.

I had a big huge terrific call with my editor on Friday, and she brilliantly solved all my problems, and told me what to do. So when the holiday is over I get to sit down with my manuscript and a roadmap for how to fix it. I have a month of time (with adequate childcare) to actually do that, and I cannot wait!

And this season before us feels… manageable. No crazy amounts of travel, just a little. No obvious crisis looming. I’m sure there *is* one, but for this moment, I get to pretend there isn’t.

I have plenty of resolutions and plans for 5773, as I always do. But I also feel like a big part of what I want is to continue on this path, to just keep going.

And that’s an unusual place for me to be.

In case you’re wondering, Mose’s resolution is to “listen better, and collect as many Jedi starfighters as I can.”

And Lew’s is to “Build a force stronger than the Jedi Council.”

So that’s cool.

 

We’ve been busy, and dusty, and sleeping in the living room…

Friday, September 14th, 2012

BUT LOOK!

For the last 6 weeks or so, a very talented and patient man named Jim has been working around the piles of Transformers and Legos, to give the upstairs a makeover…  there’s still lots of little things that need doing. Cleaning and so on.  We could use a runner for the stairs…

But it’s amazing the difference!  We put a shed dormer on the back of the attic, so that we could raise the ceiling, and add actual full-size windows, bringing in LIGHT!  To say nothing of the lovely paint job and the big closet!

But the main reason we did all of this was the BAWTHROOM.  We now have an upstairs BAWTH, which means that the boys don’t have to come downstairs in the night (and end up sleeping on top of us).

It’s very simple  and small, but clean and shiny and tile all over.

And this is my favorite part!  Look, below, and gaze in awe. This is my LAUNDRY CHUTE.  It is small, so that the boys can’t fall through.  But it works!  Directly below the chute is a laundry basket, on the top shelf of the linen cabinet.

For joy!

Now, we just need to clean and organize, and buy some rugs and bookshelves.

Bookshelves, always bookshelves.

Mama, I’m coming home!!!

Friday, September 14th, 2012

I am very very very very very very excited about this!  I’m doing a panel about growing up in Baltimore, and how it’s affected me as a writer (it has).  The other folks on the panel are amazing, and most of us went to school in the same vicinity, which is funny to think about– all of us milling around Roland Park in the eighties, dreaming about writing books for kids (or not). SHould be a time!

 

Home from a magic mountain…

Sunday, September 9th, 2012

I have been away, and now I’m home, with river water in my hair.  Feeling deeply grateful for new friends, for time to talk and laugh and sleep and read and get away from the “real world.”  For a reminder that this planet is full of brilliant creative amazing people. The world is full of art and humor.

And I have a resolution. Or two.

I’m going to revise this draft LONGHAND.  I’ve begun, and it feels good. It feels right.

ALso, I’m going to camp more often.

Why don’t I camp more often?