Ramblings about Life

I've been slightly missing.  Okay--a little more than slightly.  I went off the lamb, because I had things to do over the last couple of weeks.  Our moths did not make it.  I am thinking this is because I didn't put them in a dark place or put soil in their jars.  They started stinking up the house, and we threw them out.  There is always next time. 

I have been editing and writing like a crazy person.  I'm intent on re-revising my novel.  I'm adding detail, even though I know most people say don't add but take away when you edit.  Still, the previous length put the story more into a novella category than a novel category.  I need to add a few things, change a few things, do a complete re-edit, and then go crazy sending out to agents again.  I'm keeping a list of those I've sent to, so I won't re-send after I have received a rejection.  I'm also thinking about self-publishing, but I don't have a lot of TIME or MONEY to advertise my self-published book.  Sure, I could promote it on Facebook, but most of my friends would get sick of that I'm sure.  I could also become a Goodreads author and try to promote it through there.  We'll see.  I don't "have" to get published, but it sure would be nice. 

Today, I'm trying to get back on track with my diet and exercise.  I haven't run since I realized I had a stress fracture back in April.  I want to run on Sunday, starting slowly with one mile.  Today, I'll do Taekwondo, and I'll just try to stay more active and watch my food intake a little bit more.  I've been "treating" myself too much lately, and it's starting to show in how my clothes fit.  This means I really need to cut back, and adjust my eating behavior.  I know I can do it, but chocolate seems to be calling my name this week!

I snapped a photo this week of Number One with his little sister.  She stuck Hubby's cap backwards on her head, and when I took the photo I was amazed at the resemblance between she and her eldest brother.

I remembered taking a photo of Number One in a hole in the wall restaurant when we lived in Hagerstown.  It was one of our favorite food joints.  Number One was somewhere around 1 or 1.5 years old in the photo, but the resemblance between these two is uncanny.  It never ceases to amaze me how much they look alike.  Excuse the quality of the newer photo: it was taken on my phone since my camera decided to die!

Stuck in a Book

I'm reading Underworld by Don DeLillo.  It has taken me a thousand forevers to get into this book, but now that I'm finally INTO it I don't want to put it down.  There are a lot of themes floating through the various people who pop up through this novel.  One such theme is the impact of an individual's history.  The sense that one person's history has a depth and reach that is inexplicable, even if they are not Martin Luther King or JFK or anyone other than some John Smith off the street.

DeLillo talks about shoes and what all the parts of a shoe are called: aglet, eyelets, laces, tongue, sole, heel, and then the ones I didn't know at all: quarter, vamp, outsole, welt, and cap.  The character in the novel says if they've been named then they must be important.  There must be a reason to learn all the words.  He references the word quotidian and says, "an extraordinary word that suggests the depth and reach of the commonplace" (Page 542-Underworld by Don DeLillo). 

This really made me think, as if I don't think enough.  Every single person has an impact on others.  Everything you learn and do has meaning.  It is ENOUGH just to be alive: smiling at someone, having a late night conversation over coffee, sharing a laugh, comforting a friend who has lost a loved one, seeing a smile appear on a baby's face for the first time...these are the moments to remember.  These are the moments that connect us to each other.  Your contribution could touch people that you don't even know it's touched, and that's an amazing thing.

As I was reading DeLillo, he described a scene about a glass of water with an alka-seltzer tab running down the side, watching the fizz, and I remembered my Dad used to have a water with an alka-seltzer.  I used to watch the tablet settle at the bottom, the bubbles coming up, and wondering why the heck he'd want to drink that!  A shared history.  We all have certain memories and moments that intertwine with each other, nuances that make us think about the people who are here and who were once here that we've loved...and hated. 

Quotidian: turn the ordinary into something extraordinary. 

And by the way, I'm still not sure there is an actual a plot in Underworld.  I'm more than halfway done.  This novel is more like a work of art: poetic, descriptive, and tied together.  He is an incredible author, and I'd strive to be only half as good of a writer as he. 

Random Rambles

I've been slacking in the running department this week.  Yesterday, I swore I would wake up today (Friday) and go for a run, and I didn't.  Last time I ran I had a horrible shin splint, and I thought I would just rest it.  Well, I haven't run since last weekend.  It's not like I haven't been active though.  I went to Taekwondo on Monday and Tuesday and then kisado on Wednesday.  I skipped yesterday and went out to Mexican with the family instead. 

I know that with running, I really need to keep it up for my mileage.  I was disappointed this week though.  I had intentions of signing up for the Shamrock Shuffle.  I even blogged about it: Right Here.  Well, I double booked.  I can't run that day, because Number One's State Meet for gymnastics is that day in Birmingham.  It's more important for me to support Number One than to go run a 10K.  I think the disappointment led to me making excuses about why I couldn't run this week.  I just need to get myself back out there.  No excuses, right? 

Darling Daughter woke up early this morning too, at 4:45.  Right now she's parked in front of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing with her beads and her Mardi Gras money.  I told her if she wakes up that early she needs to be quiet so I can write.  I have my headphones on, and I'm listening to "Skinny Love," by Bon Iver over and over again.  I love this song.  There's something about his voice and the pure emotion that emanates from the song that makes me want to listen to this song over and over again.  The loss of love, something turning out the opposite way of what you expected, everyone in the world has had those feelings before.  I can relate.

Anyway, I totally digressed and this blog is just one big ramble so I'll just keep going with it. Yesterday I tried some of Darling Daughter's summer clothes on her.  I went a little crazy buying for her this year, because I haven't bought clothes for her in about a year (or just a few clothes to fill in where we didn't have hand-me-downs).  Hubby took this fantastic photo of Darling Daughter and me last night, and I just love it.  I never realized how much she and I look alike, but we totally do.  Two peas in a pod.  My sidekick.  My shadow.  I love this girl so much.

I think I'm going to end my reckless ramblings and go work on my novel for an hour before it's time to get ready for work, and make it through Friday.  I won't be blogging this weekend, because Number One has another meet, and we'll be out town.  A Florida meet, so the competition will be even harder than Georgia.