Red Line to Park Street

As I rode the train to work this morning, I watched the sun begin to peek out from behind the buildings of downtown Boston. The very base of the sky was a salmon pink, and then extended into a purple and then indigo blue until it met with the retreating night sky above. No one else on the train seemed to notice. Riding home I glanced back to see the lights twinkle in the darkness as we crossed the Charles back to Cambridge. I am still without a career-oriented job and money is still tight. But it's times like this, crossing the black water and looking out onto the skyline, that I realize I really love it here. I love this city.

My New Holiday

I just got this email forward from my grandma:

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY
In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover
holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against
Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days.

The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate
presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case
dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor,
how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas,
Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my
client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

Th e judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client,
counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance
or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day.
Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.'
Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no
God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.

I had to force myself not to write back and ask her if that meant I was getting an extra check on April 1....

A Sunday in Numbers

6 - inches of snow on the ground when I woke up
45 - minutes of shoveling the driveway to get my car out
10 - MPH I was traveling when I slid out of control on Corey St.
269 - Address of the house with the wall I crashed into (no injuries, thankfully)
40 - minutes we waited, in the cold car, for the tow truck
500 - dollars of deductible I'll have to pay
.6 - miles from the T stop back to the house where I'm staying
15 - percent incline of the hill from the T stop back to the house where I'm staying
2 - days it will probably take me to recover
230 - time when I got my first cup of coffee and food for the day
65 - degrees F it is in this house
99 - percent sure I am that I will take a nap very soon
100 - percent thankful I am that Kim did not abandon me during my time of need. :-)

I think I need a break.

People Come and Go

Here's the cool thing about being a writer. People come and go out of our lives, and sometimes we never see or speak with them again. And even if we do, it can never be quite the same. But somehow, even if it's years down the road, they can creep into our stories, and in that way we can stay connected to these singularly wonderful and unique souls.

Of course, we will want to be able to call them up and say, "Did you read my book? You know that larger-than-life guy on page 78? The stage director with the quirky habits? That's you!" But we can't, and maybe we shouldn't anyway. Maybe that would take away from the fun.

Yes, this is a warning. If I'm ever published, you should probably turn to page 78, and don't be surprised if you find yourself.

Tiny, Past Reminders of Encouragement

A friend once made me a little sign that sits on my desk today and probably always will. It's just two printed sheets of paper in a cheap dollar store 4x6 frame, but its message is priceless. In big print, the sign simply says:

"The single most useful piece of equipment for a writer is a bucket of glue. First you spread some on your chair, and then you sit down." (Joan Bolker)

The printing is a bit skewed, and at first when I turned the frame over to fix it, I found these words printed on the back:

"If you have time to fix this, you have time to write."

Even though my encouraging friend is no longer a big part of my life, his thoughtful gift gives me a little kick in the butt every time I sit down to my keyboard. It's a great message, and I hope all you writers take it to heart. If you sit there long enough, something good is bound to come of it.

Lesley MFA Residency, Take Two

With my MFA residency in full-swing, I have regained some confidence that I can do this writing thing. Thankfully, I am more energized and excited about my own writing life than I was before, and hope that this feeling lasts longer than it did when I got back from the last residency in June. I am having a great time with all my friends in town from Connecticut, Portland, Miami, Milwaukee, and even Jamaica. I will miss them when they head home on Saturday, and I know there will be a void in my heart while right now it is full. I am confident, though, that I am far enough along in my process of building a new life here that their absence won't diminish the enthusiasm and self-awareness that I have built over the course of these seminars and workshops so far.

That being said, I have been vastly neglecting my housework, internet social obligations, and relaxing me-time. I'll be happy to get that back soon enough. For now I'm going to enjoy the few days I have left with my friends and squeeze as much out of this residency as I can.

Need an Editor?

In this lovely season of unemployment, I'm hoping to pick up some freelance editing gigs. If you, or anyone you know, need someone to edit/proofread a manuscript, dissertation, newsletter, shopping list, etc. let me know! I have mucho time on my hands and will charge fairly.

Happy writing!