The following is an exact (okay, almost exact) transcript of a conversation I had today with a five year old girl.
Me: (Reading a book, oblivious)
Little Girl: Uh oh, we got Christians.
Me: What did you say?
LG: You know. Christians. (Followed by the most adorable nose-wrinkling you’ve ever seen)
Me: I know what Christians are, but what do you mean?
LG: (Gesturing toward the back of the library at three little girls, ranging in age from four to ten) Back there. Christians. They don’t want to read about mummies. They don’t believe in ‘em.
Me: Well, they don’t have to read about mummies if they don’t want to.
LG: (Holding up a stack of nonfiction books about mummies that she somehow managed to find on her own) But they’re real! They should know about mummies.
Me: Maybe they like reading about other things.
LG: (Shaking her head and staggering away under the weight of her mummy books) Gotta watch out for those Christians. They don’t believe in anything.
I couldn’t write something this funny if I tried.
I was just informed there is now a Lush in Washington, D.C.! I feel a road trip coming on! It won’t be as good as going to London for the original Lush in all its sweet smelling goodness, but at least this one is within driving distance. Of course, I should probably plow my way through the sixty-seven bath bombs, thirty-two bubble bars and nineteen soaps-cut-off-the-block (I’m exaggerating, but not by much) I still have from my last mail order purchase before I make a pilgrimage, right?
Nahhh… like chocolate, you can never have too much Lush.
2003 wasn’t my favorite year. I can’t even say it was in the top five. It’s hard to remember the good stuff when the bad stuff is so glaring, but there was good stuff. A lot of good stuff.
Highlights of the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly:
January:
Snow days, a pajama party for the lovely Dr. Shmoo, hockey games with Robbie, Nick and Sharon’s wedding shower, followed by their Vegas wedding which I couldn’t attend, but I watched thanks to the wonders of the internet.
February:
A baby shower for Gigi, more hockey with Robbie, and lots and lots of planning for the London trip with Sheri!
March:
An Art Therapy fundraiser at Cora, more hockey, LONDON, which included two trips to the theater to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and Les Miserables, and more theater when I got home to see The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.
April:
Jay’s birthday, Second City, a wedding, a memorable trip to the Farmer’s Market (but not to the central library), Easter dinner with Robbie, Ashleigh and Denis.
May:
BIRTHDAY WEEK and many, many festivities for said occasion including a legendary cookout, a theater trip to see the amazing one-man show Foley, a movie marathon that went a little too long, the Trinity Irish Dancers and the Pungo Strawberry Festival.
June:
The Neville Brothers at the Bayou Boogaloo and another fun-filled, vomit-inducing cookout which turned out to be my last drunken hurrah of the year.
July:
Orville died, I rescued a dog, I gave her away, Jae abandoned us for Virginia Beach, Jay deployed, the a/c broke during the hottest part of the year, baseball games, my first (and hopefully only) attempt at being a class speaker (thanks, Rose), Nick’s birthday week and the unbelievably short Chris Isaak.
August:
Tea for Rose’s birthday, the a/c broke again, more baseball and Jae’s birthday party.
September:
Nick moved, Hurricane Isabel visited, I locked myself out of the house, the power was out for days, I finally took the GRE and Jay came home!
October:
A trip to Tom and Amy’s, fun in Baltimore, thirteen years of wedded bliss, IKEA!!, Lord of the Dance and and the Stockley Gardens Art Festival.
November:
The ill-fated NaNoWriMo, the beginning of The Highly Selective Book Club With Only Two Members(TM), I applied to grad school (application incomplete, still), the symphony, Elton John, Rent, Sheri, Thanksgiving joy and happiness with special guest Brian, a book club meeting, a pizza party and brunch in Richmond.
December:
A surprise party for Robbie, a crowd for hockey, a work Christmas party to plan, a Hail and Farewell, a lovely Christmas eve dinner and a fun Christmas morning, another book to read for the book club and another deployment, but the last for awhile.
And scattered throughout the year, the events that made life worth living:
Many trips to Wild Wing, Panera and Starbucks, lots of movies and lunches and laughter and love and some fights and a few tears and good friends and drinking and shopping and Bubba Chryst touring plans and road trip talk and plots to overthrow the library administration and some job hunting and grad school planning and some writing sales and much (sporadic) writing and some reading, too.
The last hours of 2003 are slipping away and I’m trying to think of something witty and clever to write to end the year on a scintillating note. Sad to say, but I’m feeling neither witty nor clever. Forgive me for the lack of scintillation. Maybe champagne would help, but I have none at hand.
Ahh… but looking forward, 2004 has promise. At least according to my various horoscopes.
Rob Brezney says:
“How have you measured your progress over the years, Taurus? Report cards, diplomas, certificates, and plaques? Pay raises, VIP friends, new titles, and nicer cars? Or have your benchmarks of success been subtler, like rising levels of self-love, a growing capacity for intimacy, more robust health, and friendships with people who bring out the best in you? Whatever signs you have relied on, I ask you to set them aside in 2004. Empty your mind completely so that you will be fully receptive to fresh intuitions about how to evaluate your ongoing evolution. ”
Kelli Fox says:
“The future is closer than ever. Cautious individuals are getting cold feet on the threshold of a major change. Step forward with confidence—you’re not going here alone.”
Joyce Jillson says:
“A new year, a new you, and the change is guided by a mentor.”
So, change is in the wind. If you believe that astrology nonsense, of course. Which I don’t. Honest. But if you’re a Gemini or Aquarius, go away.
Still, change wouldn’t be such a bad thing, right? As much as I despise disruptions in my quiet little existence (ha!), I know change can be a good thing. I’m ready for whatever changes come in 2004, but only if they’re good changes and don’t require me to get up really early in the morning.
Resolutions? Hmm… every year I make a list, every year I achieve about half my list. Not so bad, I guess. Among my goals for 2004: to write more and better; to work on keeping that delicate balance in my life that so often eludes me; to learn something new (this is a staple of my list every year) and to travel a bunch. The less quantitative goals include a few personal objectives that mean nothing to anyone but myself, like building relationships, breaking down walls, opening myself up. I sound like a construction project. Maybe I am-- a work in progress.
Happy New Year. Make it count.
You know what’s nice? Getting phone calls and e-mails from people who want to make sure I’m all right and plan things with me so I won’t be lonely and sad. It’s sweet of them to care about me-- and somehow surprising that they do. Why is that?
Life. Love. Writing. Friendship.
Sex. Books. Movies. Travel. Politics. Feminism. Academia. Insomnia. Rants. Raves. Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Some names have been changed, some stories have been embellished. Thanks for stopping by and beware of the dog. Read more...
