Monday, November 17, 2008

"I don't want to go to PTA meetings." *

I generally like to craft my posts.

I disdain those rambling, stream-of-consciousness, badly spelled posts that most people, including my husband, think of when they think of your typical everyday blogger.
I view my blog as a venue for my writing; it affords me practice and polishing and often valuable feedback.

However, my life is caroming out of control right now, nothing major, just, you know, life with four children and a workaholic husband and the holidays looming (and we all know how I loooove the holidays), and as I hang gamely onto the reins and wildly mix my metaphors, I offer you a random, streaming post straight from my consciousness. Although I am pretty sure everything is correctly spelled.

I am reading:
Volumes seven and eight of the Fables graphic novels. Unfortunately, I got my husband hooked on them, so I am now waiting for Mr Slowpoke (who is plodding through Grapes of Wrath at the same time) to finish volume eight so I CAN READ MY OWN LIBRARY BOOKS.
The Monk Downstairs. I am enjoying the fine writing, and the steady character development.
Laura Lippmann’s No Good Deeds. I continue to heart Tess and find Crow annoying and smug and self-righteous and immature.
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. If you liked Rosamunde Pilcher’s big books (Shell Seekers, Coming Home), or Penny Vicenzi’s Spoils of Time trilogy, you would enjoy this, too, the first in Howard’s Cazalet series.

Books I have sitting on my nightstand: Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music, Allan Moore’s Watchmen, Georgette Heyer’s Venetia.

Books I must pickup from the library: that book about the potato peels, Fun Home, and Telex from Cuba, recommended by Lauren Groff, whom I emailed recently about something on her blog, and she emailed me back, a lovely, funny response. I love her even more now. And I loved her quite a bit already, if you recall. (Monsters of Templeton - have you read it? No? What the heck are you waiting for??)

Things going on this week: a movie the boys want to see showing at their school one evening, courtesy of the PTA; a members-only preview of the model railroad Christmas set up at the science center; the usual piano, drumming, etc. lessons.
A meeting regarding the gifted ed pilot program at the boys’ school, same night as the trains.
H’s band practice, the same night as the movie.

I MUST go grocery shopping.
And I have a ham I bought totally spur-of-the-moment last week that I must bake.
I need to have my new glasses readjusted AGAIN.
I have envelopes to deliver to the PTA mailbox for my husband, and envelopes to pick up.

And I am dreading school pickup this week. Because – have I told you about my run-in with smoking parents at school pickup? No? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, but suffice it to say that I am dreading picking up the boys after school. Because I can only be bold and brave for so long, and then I just want to curl into a ball and cry.

I want this bumper sticker:

But now I must gird my loins, bundle the snotty baby and my three-year-old Dalmatian-costume-wearing boy, and go buy eggs and bread and milk and butter and applesauce and diapers. Mostly diapers.

Here, have some baby butt:

***********
*Stevie Nicks

13 comments:

Jess said...

I recently heard an interview with Elizabeth Jane Howard - I'd never heard of her before - and I was waffling about picking up her books (I don't know why, because the interview made her sound fab) so now it's settled - I will. And Fables, too.

Suse said...

Random stream-of-conscious posts are all I can manage right now. Although I too, am fairly sure they're spelt correctly on my blog also.

My local library doesn't have Monsters of Templeton, so I put a request in that they purchase it, but no go so far. That was months ago when you first instructed, um, advised, me to. Better go the ILL route now I guess. However I am reading A S Byatt right now so you're proud of me nonetheless, right?

Have you started An Equal Music? I know it's on your nightstand but does that mean you've begun it? I need to talk about it with you. I think Jess is reading it too, right Jess? And you have to buy the cd so you can listen to all the pieces as you read. Sigh ... I love Vikram Seth. D'you think he's available?

Suse said...

Jesus even my comments are stream of consciousness I notice.

blackbird said...

Thank you for the baby butt.
Everything is better with baby butt.

Badger said...

Um, is that a Flying V on the baby's butt? If so, I guess we know whom to blame, eh?

Sarah said...

I too love the Flying Vee baby butt.

nutmeg said...

Lauren Groff has a blog - I didn't even think to check!

Anonymous said...

Yes, Lion is hoping to inherit the Flying Vee jammies.

;)

Miz S said...

Coincidentally, I just finished reading The Grapes of Wrath. For the 4th or 10th time.

One of these days I need to go through your posts and write down some of your book recommendations.

Anonymous said...

Just finished Monsters... oh, my.
kathy

Kathy said...

Loved Monsters, hope you like the potato peel book -- I did. Love that bumpersticker. I bought one at Ren Faire for my husband that was so totally appropriate -- it says, "Chaos, panic, and disorder -- my work here is done."

Sarah Louise said...

I think most of my posts are the random stream of conscious ones. Alas. I'm your average blogger.

Hope things stay at a dull roar.

About the cutest baby butt--he's not small anymore!! (Well, I guess I knew that...)

xo,
SL

Caro said...

Awww, loving the baby butt.

Now I am waiting for the scuttlebutt on the smoking parents.