I Love Lists

1. Today I defend my thesis. I'm excited and nervous, both. I'm trying to breathe deeply and resist the urge to overcaffeinate.

2. The most popular, most searched-out, most read post on this blog is my recipe for Raspberry Crumble Pie. Well, Ken Haedrich's recipe, which I faithfully transcribed. Second most read? Red huckleberry pie. Note to self: the unusual recipes make me stand out. Do I want to stand out? I don't know. But it makes me happy that strangers from Ireland, Belgium, Canada, and Australia have found my silly blog.

3. I just re-read Patricia Highsmith's "The Price of Salt" and maintain it's one of the best novels ever. Read it, if you haven't! At least look it up. Fascinating story behind the story.

4. I am terrible at responding to phone calls, texts, emails, and facebook messages from my loved and neglected friends and family members. I am trying to rectify this. Just saying "I'm busy" is TRUE but somehow sounds flat. Forgive me?

5. This month I am: giving two readings, attending more than that, finishing decisions for our next issue of Gulf Coast, picking up an author I admire from the airport, visiting two beautiful brand new babies in the neighborhood, catching up with all my grading, preparing five anthologies for my fourth grade classes, forcing my drama students to write and perform a play for their final (insert evil teacher cackle: I can't wait to see what they come up with), hosting one amazing sister and another amazing friend, driving to see the bluebonnets, not working out very much, rediscovering my dormant college love of cheesy Mexican rockers Mana and the ever-earnest Ani DiFranco. Other things are in the air and shall remain unmentioned until they are firmed up.

6. To briefly brag: I won the Potomac Review fiction contest with a story that features baking, no less. I'm thrilled. I am actually receiving a check for something I wrote.

7. Listen to Edie Carey! And Elana Arian! We saw them perform two days ago and had breakfast with them the next day (I've known Edie since 2000, when I booked her at our campus coffeehouse for the two seconds I was music manager there. Morgan was a fan too, before we met, so Edie functions as a sign that we're meant to be, we say, mostly joking, but really, we love her). I've already said "amazing" at least twice in this post, but I'll say it again. They're also warmly fun(ny) and smart and I wish they lived in Houston so we could hang out / I could see them play more often.

8. I realize I am not as busy as other folks, like my faculty, say, or coffee harvesters.

9. I feel lucky, lately.

Comments

Libby said…
Good luck defending! Woo hoo! (And a big congratulations on the Potomac prize!)

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