To the Library Thursday 1/5/2006

Absolutely HAD to go to the library last night, even though it made me hit the freeway late. I left an audiobook in the trunk of my car when I dropped off before the holidays. Owed $4.45 on a title I didn’t even like. Sigh. But it’s worth it. I get a lot of good out of the library. The audiobooks make my long commute bearable.

Libraries are one of the best elements of our culture and they need to be supported. I still buy books. I think I should buy books because I want to write them, and I want to support other writers. But the library is a wonderful way to get hooked on a writer.

Picked up some new stuff I’d put on hold, including the audiobook of “Blink,” which I started listening to last night. Very interesting. Not too earthshattering so far.

I noticed the light and the lines of this fairly new building as I was walking in and took the time to snap a shot on the way out. Usually I try to edit out the powerlines, but I think they work here.

This Little Piggy Wednesday 1/4/2006

This little piggy and three others hold toothbrushes, etc. on ST’s pink-tiled 1920s bathroom. They provide a cheery greeting on a cold morning!

Back to Work Tuesday 1/3/2006

The main reason it’s not so bad to come back to work is the people I work with.

Like DGM, who taped this note and photo to my computer after I changed offices a few years ago and accidently left the picture behind.

Stormy Day Monday 1/2/2006

The wind blew and the rain rained all day Monday.

I don’t mind so much because rain always makes me feel like hunkering down and writing.

This watering can blew off the wall outside the window where I drank tea and wrote in longhand with the beautiful Waterman pen D gave me for Christmas.

Worn Christmas Light Sunday 1/1/2006

Bonus photo. I like this better than the Home Maintenance photo, but I thought I should put that other one up.

We get a lot of wind around here and over the past few years, the paint has been knocked off some of the big round Christmas lights we hang outside.

I love it that D wants to put up lights outside. I grew up in the country and we didn’t put up outside lights. It’s really lovely to come home at night and find the house all aglow. Oddly comforting. Also gives us a chance to compliment the neighbors and get compliments from them.

Tonight will be the last night we have them on. I’ll miss them, but I appreciate that these sorts of things are best brought out for the season and then tucked away. It’s been a good Christmas and New Years.

I wish everyone could feel as peaceful and contented as I do right now. I’m lucky and I know it today.

Home Maintenance Sunday 1/1/2006

Hmm. We knew this window was troubled. First day of the year. Lots of rain coming down.

D adds some pretty pretty trim to the house.

Cold rain is running down his arm.

Homeowners will perhaps recognize this as the garbage bag cure. It ranks right up there with the duct tape cure. These measures don't fix the problem, really. They just provide--shall we say?--temporary damage control.

I’m being really helpful, snapping a photo, huh?

Dodger awaits the guests New Year's Eve 2005

The house is clean. Most of the food is prepared in advance. The table is set. Dodger’s ready for the guests to arrive.

A couple of writer friends came up for dinner and stayed over night. T introduced me to my writer’s life in Los Angeles many years ago by accepting my invitation to go on a writer’s date. We wrote together in a couple of coffee houses, and she introduced me to a workshop, and most of my current friendships and creative relationships have stemmed from that.

T & M are wonderful creative people. Conversation ranged far and wide. They brought the main dish, we provided sides and dessert. After dinner D played a couple of songs. Then we read a scene from the play M is working on. Then I read from my novel rewrite and they had some startling and helpful feedback.

We didn’t make it till midnight or the champagne, but we’ll have a chance to get to the bubbly later this year.

They stayed over and we had breakfast and more conversation in the morning.

I can think of little better than spending the end and beginning of a year with good friends and/or family. Feeling lucky today.