Literary Behind-the-Wheel

My son now has his learner's permit and, as is typical of most 15 year-olds with learner permits, is eager to drive--anywhere and everywhere. This means that sometimes I am the parent driving with my son as the "designated responsible person age 25 or older."

For laughs, I thought I'd give you all a little quiz.

Which literary character am I most like as I teach my son to drive a car?

Atticus Finch? Capable, wise, disciplined, unflappable?

Nurse Ratchit? Controlling, cruel, demanding

Mrs. Bennett? Loud, easily startled, given to fits of hysterical giggling and exclamatory remarks?

Mrs. March? Gentle, wise, soft-spoken

Mr. Bennett? Quippy, detached, overly lenient?

What's your best guess?

Quick Bread

If I don't do this now, it might not get done at all, so here is the Bisquick version of my end of '07, beginning of '08 Sleeping with Bread post.

2007...

...was at times disappointing. Usually, the disappointment had to do with people. Go figure. If you've been hanging out in my universe for very long you know I love God and His church. However, His church (the people, not the buildings) can be headstrong, stubborn, given to fits of silliness, and just plain frustrating. Thank goodness He loves us anyway.

...was at times typical. I started last year with great intentions for my health, physical and spiritual. I ended it with the equivalent of one of those horrific pratfalls that makes you want to laugh and cry for a person all at the same time. The spiritual practices and physical exercise I was so diligent at for the first few months of '07 were nowhere to be found by the end.

...was at times exhilarating. I started school, was scared to death--as evidenced by much gastro-intestinal distress and disrupted sleep, juggled too many balls but came through it all with quite a nice result. I met some new, lovely people, figured out exactly what this Master's in Reading Education actually is and figured out a) that I think I'm going to be good at what I want to do and b) that I really like it.

For 2008...

...I hope to me more disciplined. With three classes and the usual commitments, I know I will not be Miss Perfect Exerciser or Miss Never-Miss-A-Prayer time. However, I hope to incorporate good practices, on all levels, more often than not. My life (and my family's lives) are much better off when I am eating right, exercising, and spending meaningful time in spiritual pursuits.

...I hope to continue to do well in school. This will require more of the discipline mentioned above. Oy! I almost laughed out loud as I typed that. I'm such an undisciplined person. This will be interesting.

...Ultimately, for all the challenges that 2007 brought, I wouldn't mind feeling overall about 2008 as I do about 2007: that it was a year in which I did good but could do better. I had dubbed 2007 as The Year of Restraint. While I still need to work on all the things I listed in last year's Resolutions post, I would be content to look forward to 2009 having shown some restraint and discipline but feeling as if I was able to enjoy life along the way.

The Year of Just Being...

being Mary-LUE

being Mom

being Wife and Partner

being Friend

being Daughter

being Student

Being.

Fine Art - Then and Now

Little Girl in a Blue Armchair
Mary Cassat
oil on canvas, 1878
National Gallery of Art

Lttle Girl in a Video Game Rocker playing Guitar Hero 3
Paul-LUE
digital photograph, 2007
Mary-LUE's Laptop

A Little Glimpse of DC

The Vietnam War Memorial

The Vietnam Women's Memorial

Paul and I at the Lincoln Memorial

Images from the Korean War Memorial

Year End Contemplations - Of a Mostly Bookish Nature

I will probably do a proper year-end Sleeping with Bread post sometime in the next few days; however, I thought I'd get the blog-posting juices flowing with some meandering thoughts. Maybe if I just start writing, without worrying about creativity and cleverness, something creative and clever will start coming out eventually!

First things first... some sidebar info:

New Scenic View - a little British Comic Relief wit Catherine Tate and David Tennant.

A New Quote - from atypical brat's progeny

I also just updated my sidebar with books I've been reading. It looks like I finished about 28 books for the year. I suspect that is a middling average number. I look at the list and some of the books seem like they were read ages ago. I see that I read fewer and fewer books toward the end of the year. (School of course). I can see that the last few books of this year have been what my husband might call "light and fluffy." (You have to hear him say light and fluffy in his silly accented way to get the full impact.) In general, I have been all about romance and period dramas, not just in books, in viewing as well--from two versions of Pride and Prejudice, two versions of Jane Eyre (I don't care what anyone else says, Charlotte Gainsbourg is a stellar Jane and William Hurt, although physically not the type and a wee bit too long in the tooth, a heavyweight contender for Rochester.), Wives and Daughters, North and South, and moving into the 20th century, but still a period drama, Foyle's War. I'm just finished with Series 2. Thanks goodness for Netflix. I love Michael Kitchen.

As the year ended, I also got sucked into the vortex of some 19th century inspired fan fiction. (Imagine me cringing a little here as I write this.) It has been a lot of fun. There is a lot of really bad stuff out there. Many uses of the words frisson, tendrils, ministrations, ambit, etc. Some of it has been quite nice, though. It has been a way of staying in a well-loved story and imagining what happened next to Jane and Rochester or Margaret and John. Through the fan fiction board, I also became acquainted with a fan fic writer who ended up getting a publishing contract. Two of her books have been published so far. You'll notice More Than Love Letters in my sidebar by Rosy Thornton. I haven't read her second book yet, but MTLL was a fun romantic comedy written in the form of emails, meeting minutes, etc. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and I actually got a little teary at the end. Rosy and I have engaged in a little of our own email correspondence and it has been a treat to e-meet an author. (Hi Rosy!)

Back to books... I realized as I was looking over the book list that there are many books which I have bought this year but have not yet read. I think in 2008, I will convert my book list to show books bought AND read--that will be interesting.

Well, this post is getting long. There is more to contemplate than my reading habits for the year. I find that Christmas and New Year is a time I spend thinking about my Uncle L.T. I also made some resolutions for myself last year. Resolutions I failed at meeting. Utterly failed at meeting. But I also experienced a lot I didn't expect to. There is definitely alot of yeast for that Sleeping with Bread post I have rising, ready to bake.


Well, this post did some meandering but I don't see much in the way of creative or cliver--maybe next time! ;)

Christmas Joy

Merry Christmas to the Blogosphere... Here is a clip of something I find sublime in the truest sense of the word:



I'll be seein' y'all around!

November update with lots of () and ...

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted since the day after Halloween! I think that is definitely the longest bit of time between posts on this blog. I am a little chagrined to think of all the time I spent bemoaning how little time I would have for blogging when I started school. I actually managed somewhat nicely until November. Multiple papers, out-of-town visitors, etc. conspired to finally knock the wind out of my blogging sails. My Google reader regulary informs me there are as many as 180 posts to read. 180 posts??!!!! I periodically hit "Mark All As Read" and move on.

School is slowing down though. I have: one paper to write this week (reporting on my teaching of a reading comprehension strategy to three students); one Power Point presentation showing a lesson plan which incorporates technology in the classroom (Guess what? My lesson involves blogging!); four chapters from my content area literacy book; and, one online response project. That's it. After those few assignments I will have completed my first semester of grad school. Yeah me! (And, of course, yeah! Paul, Marley and Colin for having to live through it!)

Marley Update: I've had many people ask my about Marley. I pretty much left everyone with a Strep Throat cliff hanger. She perked up within a couple of days of being on her antibiotics and has been fine ever since. I has some apprehension because about day 7 of her medication she went on strike and refused to take the pills. We got one or two more in her after that and I intended to call the doctor to either get his okay to stop or a prescription for some liquid meds to finish her out. Of course, I became distracted and never got that call made. She hasn't had a relapse and it has been a few weeks, so I think we are out of the woods on this one.

Other than that, life is, you know, what you might expect. Paul is gearing up to hit the road after being home for weeks (lovely, lovely weeks). Colin prepares for his driver's license permit and behind-the-wheel driver's education. (Theoretically I am happy for him and ready for him to drive. Seeing as how he has not actually driven a car yet, it remains to be seen if my theoretical acceptance will translate into actual acceptance that my baby...sniff... boy... sniff... is DRIVING!!!!

Oh yes, life-wise, tomorrow, 11/26, is my birthday. 43. In spite of all the good things going on in my life, I face 43 with less enthusiam than 42. I can't say why. I know I've enjoyed being an age that equates to the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. What does a has-been Ultimate Answer do when she leaves that magical number behind? I guess we'll find out this year.

There is so much more to blog...

• I never got to finishing BubandPie's tag of five influential books...
• I've been on a period costume drama DVD binge: both Pride and Prejudices (Firth vs. MacFadyen: I have my definitive fave, but at the risk of an all out Darcy War, I will remain silent as to my preference), Wives and Daughters, North and South (again!)...
• I've also been reading all those books (as ebooks of all things).
• School! I've learned so much about content area literacy and adult developmental education. I am enjoying what I'm learning and am excited to share some of it here...
• Sleeping with Bread. I've not baked my bread of gratitude here for such a long time, yet there is so much to be thankful for...
• In January, Paul and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage... so much to blog about that!

I've missed the companionship I get in the blogosphere. I wish I could have kept up with everyone and kept everyone up-to-speed. But well, isn't there some saying about wishes?

School is winding down... I'll get back in the swing of things. At least until January 18th when my spring semester starts and I am taking 9 units. (9? Oy!)

In the meantime, I leave you with this poem... just because I like it:

There Is A River by S.A. Griffen

there is a cheerful ignorance

a chance meeting and

luck like gold that cannot be

mined or stolen
a common atom
a dance
and stars that trick the

water with their

certain magic
do not wash your wars in it

take your holy rituals to the

precious fountains built by your

agencies of fear
press your

wine from the fallout

and drink victory
for yes
there is a river

a giving river that will

sing you safely
a river of

light
final

fast

and

free
where you can

disrobe

and leave your casual sadness

walking sideways at the

shore
meet me there

whoever you are

and we will agree to

swim it

together