In case anyone is curious:
- Knitting: I'm still figuring out some of the stitch patterns (and I need to buy the right yarn), but I think I'll be able to start my first real scarf in the next week.
- Wardrobe Refreshment: I've acquired a lovely new winter coat and a couple of swanky shirts. Now I'm in the market for a new LBD (Little Black Dress), as my current one feels a trifle nunlike, and a pair of pretty black heels to go with it. (This last makes Rachel ridiculously smug, as she's been as loudly in favor of heels as I've been loudly in favor of not breaking an ankle -- grace not being my strong suit. So they need to be stable black heels.) Prada has some gorgeous LBDs in its window on Prince St. right now, but I need to pay rent this month, alas. . . . If you're in the city and you spot a great dress or a sale, please let me know.
- Keeping a Plant Alive for One Year: After ten months of health and happiness, my philodendron has suddenly decided to have half its leaves turn yellow and droop. I cut off some long-dangling branches and gave it lots of Miracle-Gro, both to little avail. Fingers crossed it can make it till January 1.
NaNoWriMo: I've gotten up at 6:20 each of the last three mornings, stumbled to my hot water pot, brewed a cup of tea, and sat down at the laptop promptly at 6:30 to write for an hour before work. The first morning was backstory; the second a vague attempt at action; and this morning, in an effort to get myself excited about the thing, I decide to go the William Goldman route and write the Good Parts. It worked. It is utter crap, most of it, and if my editorial brain were functioning at all on this project it would probably be perfectly appalled; but since the entire point of NaNoWriMo is to turn off the editorial brain, I'm having a great time. And with 5,076 words, I'm on track with my word count too (I need to write 1,666 words a day to make 50,000 by the end of the month). Yay! We shall see how this continues to go.
- Editing: Many things, chiefly Lisa's Emily Ebers Explains Everything.
- Reading: Currently The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie (a reread, because goodness it's good); The Freshman by Michael Gerber (book group selection for November); The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber (still).
- Crashing the Marathon Just Long Enough to Cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge: Plans are in place, and I am excited. Stay tuned!
Posts
Cheryl - I have the same feelings about not breaking ankles, and I almost never wear them. But I recently purchased a pair of miracle-heels that I can actually walk in, AND are really comfortable. My theory is that the key to being able to walk in them all boils down to a strap that goes around the ankle. Since i'm not good at describing things like footwear, I found a picture (i think they were a tad cheaper at a department store, though): http://www.ninewest.com/s?namespace=catalog&origin=viewall_category.jsp&event=p.shoe&pid=10513&cid=1044
ReplyDeleteoh no -- the link didn't work, and I tried it again, and it still didn't work, and then I deleted the comment, but didn't realize that it would show that I deleted it. So anyway, now that I've made a mess of your comments section all for the sake of talking about my silly shoes, I will just say: good luck and look for an ankle strap.
ReplyDeleteKate
Hey Kate, I got the link to work --thanks! Those are really pretty, and I appreciate the advice. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think that when you crash the marathon you should carry a giant pencil like the dude in the NaNoWriMo emblem.
ReplyDeleteNunlike LBDs! Bad! Bad!
ReplyDeleteI myself am very frustrated by the shoe situation this season: it appears that all the heels are cute round-toed retro shoes with things like t-straps with 3-3/4 inch stilleto heels. The heels I do own are relatively comfy, but definitely nunlike.
More often than not, I just forgo cute skirts & dresses in favor of pants so I can wear my Danskos or my new Born shoes. Sooo boring, but at least comfortable.
I will send good plant vibes to your philodendron...sometimes philodendrons do things like lose lots of leaves. It's par for the course.
Re. NaNoWriMo: I'm such a wimp -- I couldn't start work & start a novel the same week, esp. as I still really ought to write cover letters. Maybe I'll write something this weekend & see how it goes...otherwise, I guess it's up to me to make sure I have stable employment next November!