Winter Creeps In

The rain has finally come in quantity this weekend. It's been pleasant staring out the windows at it and the liquid-intensified colors of grass and trees. Just when the sky seems to be lightening a bit and the rain easing and I considered donning coat and boots to walk the dog yesterday, another downpour arrived. I did venture out this afternoon, and we had a precipitation-free constitutional. I really needed it.

So I haven't done much this weekend aside from a load or two of laundry and putting together a long shopping list for Ikea and wrapping the gifts I'm contributing to one of our local charity. It was a particularly stressful week at work and I think I'm still reeling from that a little bit. I also didn't exercise enough and had some routine medical stuff done, just to pile it on. But it's Sunday night, so once more into the breech. Hope springs eternal and all that yadda yadda.

One bright spot in the week was the annual office craft sale I organize. Mom brought down some new pieces the night before, so I had plenty of stock. We did a better job of promoting it to the company, including the two other small businesses in our business complex, so we had the best traffic ever this year. That's always nice.

At least the parties have been plentiful this month. We've already been to three, and M attended an additional wingding put on by the Bar Association.

On Saturday last we went to an evening hosted by the wills and trusts attorney M works with occasionally. He and his wife invite people to eat, drink, and be merry and bring a gift for the Toys for Tots program. As you can imagine, their home was filled with lawyers. And an enormous quantity of Christmas-themed bric-a-brac. Where do they keep it in the off season? And a large and adorable Bernese Mountain Dog. The highlight of my evening was chatting with a real private investigator. What an interesting line of work, though a bit too much threat of physical violence for me.

Playground
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

Last Sunday we headed to chez Honey for a family gathering. More delicious food and pleasant conversation. We played Bananagrams, headed out to the local school playground in the chill weather, M wii'd with the kids. Very nice.

Last night we went to M's law firm's party. It was very low key--at the home of the couple who run it, a home cooked meal rather than at a swanky restaurant. But that's saying quite a bit since the wife is a trained chef who left the culinary world behind to practice law. Another evening of pleasantness. They have two adorable young daughters and just adopted an ancient black lab from the shelter. We ended the night with a bit of Texas Hold 'em and I actually did pretty well after a bit of coaching. Trying to channel my luck for Vegas.

Today was spent in service of the goddess of consumerism. We headed down to Ikea, hoping to finally find bookcases that work, but they were just too…crappy. I just couldn't stand the idea of having them in my house. (I've been toying with the idea of having a furniture maker whip us up something simple but solid in walnut or cherry. Uncle Lloyd, where art thou?) We did come home with plenty of less crappy other crap, including a desk for M that will nicely match the other tables in my craft room and lots of drapery to take the place of the closet doors we banished to the garage during the renovation.

It's getting late and I should prep for the gym tomorrow. But just wanted to close with the sentiment that I really miss blogging more!

Thanksgiving Catch-up

View 2 from the Wyndham Gardens Times Sq Nov 2009
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

So it’s the second to the last day of the month, and I’m dejected to report the obvious—after a week of unbridled enthusiasm, all motivation to complete NaNoWriMo evaporated and I completely blew it off. Yes there was job stress and travel and a head cold all mixed in there this month, but I certainly could’ve accomplished more. While I do have a lot more written than I probably would have if I hadn’t started NaNoWriMo, I still feel a big fat “Fail!” slithering around in my head. I resolved that I wouldn’t put pressure on myself to finish since I feel like I already have plenty of that negativity to spare, but maybe a little pressure wouldn’t have hurt. Especially if it made me feel a little better now. Ah well.

So, anyway, on to the catching up:

It’s really been a lovely month other than the lack of creative wordsmithing. The New York visit was very good, starting with dinner with the Manhattan Madhu-Caiola clan on Sunday. I was grateful my trip overlapped with Aunt Janice and Uncle Madhu’s. And later, I was even more grateful that I saw everyone else that evening since Mr. Caiola’s passing later that week took the family out of town. That was the one sad and poignant part of my visit—he was an infrequent but very significant part of my experience of living in NY. One more change for me to absorb.

The conference went very smoothly but I did catch a bit of a bug. I made it through the event and forced myself go out for dosa one night but it kept getting worse into the weekend, unfortunately. My cold made for a very perspire-y trip overall. I did meet my friend Cathleen at Trestle for a delish dinner and extended conversation on Thursday and hope I didn’t infect her. Likewise on Friday, my first free day after the show ended, after transferring my stuff to Kam and Jim’s pad (what a wonderful base to have!), I dragged myself out to see my friends at the new Martha Stewart digs and walk the High Line as the sun set over the Hudson, but it was a bit unpleasant wandering around with a runny nose, sweaty, and feeling a bit guilty that I might be germing up my friends.
The west side has changed quite a bit, lots of new, very modern buildings going up amongst the old brick structures. I’d like to explore that neighborhood more next trip.
I had a difficult time gathering the energy to go out on Saturday after spending a mostly sleepless night trying unsuccessfully to breathe through my nose (made me appreciate M’s situation much more!) but I was glad I did. I wandered down the east side of Central Park, stopping on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum to listen to an a cappella singing group and having a pleasant time people watching—a mixed group of twenty-somethings playing football, lots of families out and about, a race in the park attracting women in their running togs. I stopped in for a (perspire-y) bento box lunch at Takishimaya and then headed to MOMA for a few hours. It was pretty crowded (a theme during my visit—from being smashed into the 6 train to fighting currents of tourists in Times Square and SoHo, it seems like there were more people than ever in NY) so I stuck mostly to the Bauhaus exhibit and photography floor, though my visit wouldn’t have been complete without a spin around the room with Monet’s Waterlilies paintings and the sculpture garden. And the museum shops.
I continued down Avenue of the Americas where I finally found just the right color of deep purple pashmina from among the myriad street vendors, my only entertainment purchase other than meals and art this trip, that’s how sick I was. I caught the subway downtown at Bryant Park for Washington Square and encountered a big wave of nostalgia during the long climb out of the subway to the corner of 3rd Street—the stop where I first stepped above ground in Manhattan when I started college years ago. The basketball courts were full and the street vendors were still out selling bootleg movies, now in DVD format, but most of Washington Square was torn up and fenced off, so I didn’t spend much time there. I wandered on through SoHo to Spring Street, tiring of weaving through the crowds up Broadway and stopped for a (sweaty) slice of white pie at Two Boots.
Much of my internal monologue this trip was reminding myself that it was OK to be “glowing” since I would never see these people ever again, particularly the ones I shared the incredibly long line with in the CVS pharmacy that I stormed out of after waiting ages for the poor harried cashiers to unsuccessfully get the line moving, leaving my pocket tissues and Advil in the school supplies shelf like a high water mark.

Anyway. After another sardine-can-like subway ride uptown, I strolled down to Dean & Deluca for a restorative takeout dinner and ate it in with episodes of Chuck on Hulu for company.

I’m sorry I didn’t make it down to the new home of Poets House this trip and that I didn’t see more friends and more of the Madhus, particularly since I won’t be back in February, and that I didn’t take more photos, but there it is.

*****

M very very kindly came all the way down to SFO to pick me up on Sunday evening. We stopped in San Rafael for an odd dinner. I can’t really say precisely what was so off about it, but all of the places we cruised by that evening just did not seem to have a good dining ambiance, including the place we chose that was too bright and too…flesh toned. If that makes any sense. It was like we were sitting in a diner in a different dimension or decade. I was just so glad to be back home and not dealing with impersonal transportation to be deterred from gratitude, however.

We were chez nous just a few days and then off to Mom’s on Wednesday afternoon for Thanksgiving. The Axtell-Mardesichs of Chico came over too so it was an even more festive holiday than usual. There were walks on the beach (the first day we were abraded by rain and hail, the next by sand), admiration of the enormous vat of bread M prepared and of baby Myla who may very well be the most charming baby ever and of Mom’s latest pottery production, card games, a scoche of TV, naps by the fire. We had a little pioneer days excitement when the power went out on Friday evening due to high winds and we dined by candle light after returning from Mom’s very successful craft sale opening. But that was as exciting as it got, which was fine by me.

*****

And now it’s Sunday evening and there’s work tomorrow. I feel like Rex must have felt yesterday—he curled up into a ball in the back seat on the ride home then came inside and leapt onto our bed and continued the pose into the night, his little eyes clenched shut, dreaming of his beach adventures no doubt. I haven’t checked my office email in days, not having connectivity while at Mom’s and then stupidly leaving my laptop there. I’m now waiting for a special delivery of it from friends, but it’s so late now I’m not sure it would be advisable to look at work email at this point anyway.

On the bright side, we did have some productivity today. I couldn’t sleep so got up at 4am--made soup, finished another Richard Sharpe book, paid bills by the time the sun rose. We hung two of Grandma’s paintings in the living room; went to Costco and decided to wait to pull the trigger on a new TV til after the New Year.

It was a gorgeous, warm day today and as the sun set in a sapphire sky I sat out on the deck and looked at holiday dessert recipes and the reddening hillside while being strafed by the hummingbirds fighting over fresh sugar water and listening to NPR and thinking about all of my wonderful recent experiences with family and friends.
Yes, I have so much to be thankful for.

Hello, New York. Almost.

I'm on the plane flying east, regretting that I didn't charge the laptop battery up to 100%. I've seen the in-flight movie already (Up--it's a good one) and I consciously didn't bring any reading material, the better to focus on my NaNoWriMo project, which has fallen seriously behind. I did get in a few words this week, but I figured that more sleep was the better part of valor given that I'd be putting in long hours surrounded by thousands of germ-bearing people for most of next week. And am I using this "up" time to work on my novel? No. Of course I'm blogging instead. Project commitment, where art thou?

I'm excited about my trip, even the work parts. Tomorrow night I'll enjoy a lovely dinner with many of the Manhattan Madhu clan, including Aunt Janice and Uncle Madhu who are in Manhattan until Monday morning. I'm hoping to get to the new Poets House for a reading on Wednesday night. Thursday night I'm dining with friend Cathleen and Friday I'll pop over to see my old pals at Martha Stewart Living in their new office digs. I've applied for tickets to see a taping of the MS TV show that day too, but who knows if I'll get in at this late date. I did pack an outfit according to their suggestions in case I do get a seat. I'd like to go to the MOMA and the Cooper Hewitt or maybe the Frick. I'm grateful to have the use of Kam and Jim's apartment so I can stay a couple of extra days and work in some fun since I won't be back in February for our publishing conference (unfortunately!).

In other news, with the finishing of our laundry "closet," I think our handyman's jobs for home improvements are officially done. We've started hanging the art, but are taking our time. I still have some new furniture to purchase (who knew that finding the right bookshelves and TV cabinet could be so difficult?) as well as actually finish re-organizing the craft room, but we're still loving the improvements and still happy with all of our choices. As we anticipated, however, now that the weather has gotten a bit chilly, the bamboo floor is pretty darn cold.

M had joined a local gym and went every day this week. He bought a few sessions with a trainer too to get him off to a good start, and we're both looking forward to his improved health.

I've started a new coffee routine. Or should I say, ritual. I'm now using a stainless steel French press and though I really like the end result, it's a longer and more elaborate process.

We were supposed to have a little work field trip earlier this week to an olive oil company to see how olio nuovo is pressed and have a tasting, but we had to evacuate our offices early that day due to a gas leak, so we'll be rescheduling. I've never had olio nuovo before, so I'm very excited to try it.

OK, battery is running low. More, probably in the form of pix, after I land.

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

OK, enough messing around, time to get down to the first day of NaNoWriMo! Thank goodness it started on the day the clocks turned back...

Happy Halloween!

I'm at the Applebox with Rebecca, getting ready to flesh out my plot for my second National Novel Writing Month effort, which begins tomorrow. Eek. I know it will be fun but I'm concerned (in an OK way) that the 50,000 word goal will once again elude me. I do have a week in New York and a long Thanksgiving holiday planned this month after all. And jury duty, though maybe that will actually help. I do plan to go to as many write-ins as I can, I think that will help with the word count. And I have NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty's book (which I have yet to crack) as inspiration. (His inscription to me: "To Suzanne, This year we move into the promised land beyond 10K. The world needs your book!" Aw…) If you're wondering, it will be set in the same town as my last effort, but following a different character. My own little Peyton Place or Tales of the City (which I just started reading, and finding very inspiring as well).

I'm excited about doing the November novel thing this year, but other than that, tricks have been on the blah side. Maybe it's the post-improvement blues--not having any new big projects to accomplish is leaving my endorphins less stimulated or something. And we're in that trough of final details that I swore we would not wallow in--we really should touch up the paint, the artwork is still leaning up against the wall waiting to be hung, the last bits of décor are out of the garage but still in boxes in the craft room. Part of it is I haven't found the right shelving/furniture for the living and TV rooms, or curtains that we're replacing closet doors with. But I realize that even these last unfinished bits, small as they are, make me feel a little unsettled.

In even more mundane news:

Our sewer backed up on Thursday. I had taken the day off, hoping to have several pleasant hours of errands and relaxation in our gorgeous fall weather. Instead, I waited glumly and sans adequate internal and external hydration for the rooter guy, who was of course very late. He delivered the bad news that the drain runs directly beneath the cedar tree in the front yard and the roots have severely damaged the pipe. I did get quite the interesting view of the drain via their pipe cam, however. It cost us quite a bit to get the new clean-out installed, but M talked me out of the very expensive new pipe, which he thinks he can do himself for half the price. In the meantime, regular snaking appears to be in our future.

On the bright side, though it took hours, while waiting for the sewer assistance, I assembled all of the documents necessary to move the re-fi forward. Interest rates are still really low, so I'm hoping it will go through smoothly. Send good thoughts for a positive home appraisal--hope all of those improvements will help!

I had my toe cyst drained again, so my foot has been a little sore--should I worry that it's also a bit on the dark purple side? If it comes back again, I'll have to have surgery to fuse one of the joints together.

It's Halloween. It's lunchtime and people are already taking to the streets in costume, Death, an angel, clowns. M and I are meeting up with friends tonight and going dancing at a local club. Well, I'll dance, he'll watch and listen. We threw a festive office party yesterday, and it went very well, though it was more subdued than last year for some reason. I think lots of us are a little low energy around the office--it feels like it's been a long year and we did have a big show last week. I managed to pull together a vampire costume and received a number of compliments on my black wig. Maybe I'll don it again tonight, though I don't think it will stay on long.

OK, off to novel prep!

City Visits

View from the Westin SF Market St
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

I'm in bed, under the covers, a northerly view of the Paris of the West before me. The screech of brakes is barely audible here on the 32nd floor. When the weather is clearer, the Golden Gate bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the southern curve of the Bay are all visible from my two floor to ceiling windows. But in its teasing San Francisco way, much of the view is usually shrouded by night, fog, or a combination of the two.

As usual, staying in a hotel only confirms that cable TV is a wasteland. I couldn't stay on one of the 60 channels for any length of time last night or tonight. How sad is that? Though it was a tad amusing to watch "Pretty in Pink" in the bathroom mirror while primping for the day this morning.

I had a great Saturday in the city last weekend. M had a continuing education class all day, so I came down with him and whiled away the morning hours shopping in the Union Square neighborhood before friends joined me at the SFMOMA to take in the Avedon exhibit. We headed over to the Mission to see more art, plein air style in the form of murals, then dined on South Indian food at Dosa on Valencia. It was a long day, but it was such an energizing mix of activities.
Sunday was spent mostly on domestic chores, including washing clothes in our washer and dryer now settled on their handsome new platform, and getting ready for the show this week.

I drove down Monday morning, and am now I'm back in the big city, enjoying the experiences, though they're mostly limited to the universe of the hotel. I did get out and about early this morning, picking up a latte at my favorite organic coffee shop, sipping and walking around Yerba Buena Gardens with elderly Chinese Americans, admiring their dedication to exercise. It was a very good work day today, but I'm looking forward to going home. And going to sleep, it's a little past my witching hour…

Temptation

M is out with a friend at the cinema. His yellow legal pad with his novel notes is just a few feet away from me, lounging naked and inviting: Read me! But I can't give in to temptation. It's better and right that I'm surprised on November 30 when National Novel Writing Month is over and he shares the more "baked" version with me. At least, I hope he will. I do know that the odd recurring character in his story is modeled after our infrequent mailman, the one who maced Rex soon after we moved in, traumatizing him against mail carriers and their trucks everywhere. Well, M hasn't helped. He's driven into post office parking lots when Rex is in the car, laughing and encouraging him when our poor mutt freaks out at the sight of all those mail trucks.

But I digress. It was lovely meeting the other Pointy Pals at the Applebox today. I felt that writerish feeling again as I roughed out my own outline, that one I haven't had for a while. Later in the afternoon while walking Rex, I recalled that my very first career choice, I think the one that even predated librarian, was novelist. That pull has stayed with me for so long, you'd think I'd pay a little more attention to it.

In other not-so newsworthy news, I did think I was going to get a lot farther in the moving-back-in process this weekend than I did. There's really not that many boxes left in the garage to be cleaned and repositioned inside. But it's all in the details, isn't it? Yesterday I got sidetracked shredding all of my bank statement from a decade ago. They used to print my SSN on the statements, so I didn't feel comfortable just stuffing them into the recycle bin. The cheap shredder I picked up at Target kept jamming, and then it was amusing to scan the statements to recall my monthly rent and my paychecks from NYU and then later from Martha Stewart Living that seemed to increase/decrease at cross purposes. I also found a fairly substantial check to the husband of one of my friends from the NYU poetry program for some artwork, and I saved it from the shredder. For some reason it makes me feel like a true patron of the arts, as well as a participant.

While at the Applebox, I had my first bowl of soup of the fall season and was inspired to simmer up my own tonight, a lentil stew concoction. I'm out of practice, so it all turned into a pretty but similarly textured pot of carbs, unfortunately. But I have months of soup ahead of me, don't I? It's funny how much the season dictates consumption, isn't it?