It's that time of year again, folks

New Year.

What the hell?  Where did the old one go?

What did I do this year?  Taught school.  Subbed for schools.  Wrote the majority of my novel...still not finished.  So there really hasn't been much to report.

What do I hope to accomplish this year?  A finished novel.  A literary agent.  A book contract with a major publisher.  Oh, yeah, and a garden with more than tomatoes and peppers...

Yes, that will happen.

Moon Report:  98% of full.  Waxing gibbous.
Outside the window:  Snow.  Coldish.
 

Confession

This is not about confession as in "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned...", but the kind of writing that allows for the expression of emotions--even the ones we keep hidden from just about everyone (including ourselves).

I am perpetually fascinated by the masks people wear. Some people are distant. Some people are smart. Some people are slackers or lovers or garbage collectors. Most of us wear masks even when in the arms of the most intimate company.

We do our best to "keep up appearances"--to maintain our facade through the daily routine. But sometimes we crack. Sometimes the mask slips and we are on full display in our rage and fear and sadness and hope and love. We can be glorious. Even if only for a moment.

Occasionally, we allow these slips to be channeled into a written format. It can be as horrific as a slap in the face. It can be easy and small. But it makes us real. It gives us shape--even long after we are gone.


Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
PostSecret
The Secret Postcards
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists


Dear XYZ--

We've lived separated lives over years, centuries, eons...who can tell? In the too short moment crossing I...(insert phrase of your choice here). Did you know you still live under my skin? I never imagined this would be so wrenching.

Words take too long.

Moon Report: 80% of full. Waning gibbous.

Ketchup

Music

I am rediscovering how much I appreciate music. I now have a taste for bands that aren't the highly polished glam turned out for top 40 or MTV. Maybe I appreciate the truly creative? Anyway...here are a few on my playlists at the moment.

Rootsy Americana: Pine Hill Haints, Mischief Brew, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Strawfoot, and Willard Grant Conspiracy, Drag the River
Songwriters: Annie Humphrey, Jackie Greene, Jeff Zentner, Ben Weaver
Miscellany: Stellamara, Azam Ali, Arcana


Books

Castle: A Novel by J. Robert Lennon

Very much a psychological drama, but without much in the way of feeling. It left me a little cold and without a satisfactory reason for having completed reading it.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

A very interesting coming-of-age novel that doesn't provide easy answers. There is no magical solution to actually living and surviving your choices.


I'm such a slacker reader!


Other Stuff

There's been things. There's been stuff. We'll just leave it at that.


Moon: Waning Gibbous. 88% of full.

Spring?

Moon Report: 7% of full. waxing crescent.

Oh, glorious spring! Well, not quite. Mostly it is still windy raw and cold, but the snow has gone and the puddles have not frozen over.

I swear I saw a robin yesterday morning! However I didn't have my glasses on--and let's face it, I wouldn't make a great bird of prey. So, by squinting a bit and moving to get a better view, it really looked like a robin in the tree. Maybe that was the first sign...

I am very sure that there will be more snow on the way before long, but we're getting there. I can almost smell it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My V-gift? A lovely snowy morning. There are open patches among the grey cloud cover which allows the sparkley blue through. Not much snow...maybe quarter of an inch?

My morning: wrote a letter, joined facebook, sent tons of emails and worked on my family tree. As you can see I am steadfastly avoiding the dish-filled sink.

Moon Report: 72% full. Waning gibbous.