Welcome to Beth's Bar and Grill

saying hi

2007-09-06T10:57:22Z

Well, I had one of those awful, awful school dreams last night. I'd gotten to the end of the semester and realized I'd been forgetting to go to my Thursday afternoon Math class. And I had forgotten to go to my final exam for Thursday afternoon Philosophy. It was so awful. I showed up late, and the teacher couldn't remember her policy on showing up late for final exams. And her classroom was in the old Walden Books at NE Mall. Where it was 25 years ago. I woke up so relieved that it was all a dream!

I think I know where this is coming from. I'm finding myself feeling a bit stressed at work. I was having a conversation with myself last night about how the stress is unnecessary right now. I have things to do at work, but nothing freaky. It's a lot, but it's doable. I'm encouraging myself to not let it make me crazy. I've also begun teaching yoga! Sometimes I tell Weldon, like I've just heard the news, "Hey. I'm a yoga teacher!" I really love it, and I'm anxious to get more clients and find out where this is taking me. Maybe that's another conversation I need to have with myself. No need to be anxious. The universe works at its own pace and I trust it.

On a sad note, Miss Kitty passed away three weeks ago. She died at home, in the kitchen floor, in the spot she had chosen, for whatever reason. All her friends got to see her before she died, though. I just hope she knows how much she was loved. Weldon made a box for her out of a hat box. He painted it gold and put a big K on the top. He filled it with a little gold pillow and a length of billowy gold fabric. When she passed away, we curled her up inside it and she looked like she had gone to sleep there. She loved little boxed. Weldon said he just couldn't imagine having to put her in a shoe box or a trash bag. It was the kindest, sweetest thing he's ever done, and it made me extra glad that I married him.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
Love to all.

catching up

2007-08-14T11:17:11Z

I know, I know. I haven't posted since JUNE! I have no excuse. I'm just not very disciplined at this blogging thing. So if anybody's still out there, here's a quick update on what's going on here.

This weekend I finished my Level 1 yoga certification! I'm very excited to have yoga street cred now. :) I've already been teaching for about a month, and I totally love it. I know that it's exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. And now that I have some good training on how to structure a class and how to flow poses into each other, I feel much more confident. Though the feedback I've gotten from my clients has been good, it's still nice to have some good solid training to refer to.

I'm going to do some community service with the girls at the Girls Inc. center, which I'm very excited about. I've also been asked to do a weekly class for the staff there. I have a few other pretty regular clients, so things are looking good with Laughing Ladybug Yoga.

On a sad note, Miss Kitty is not well. I think she's just old and tired, and maybe ready to go. I think it may be time to make some decisions about things, but I don't want to. Weldon says this is the last thing she needs us to do for her to take good care of her. I think I know that, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Weldon is in the third week of his new job, and so far so good. He doesn't have any client trips scheduled yet, so he's been working at home mostly, with a few days in the office. I think he's going to be really good it it, once his work really begins in earnest.

I finally got a boss at my job, which is nice. He's nice and reasonable and he has a sense of humor. He's a Marine and just came home from about 10 months in Iraq. It's weird that just a few months ago, he was in the desert getting shot at, and now he's back here working with me in an office building. It's just weird.

I can't think of anything else right now. I think those are the high points. I'll check back in some time soon.

checking in

2007-06-12T12:44:39Z

Well, it's been forever since I've posted. I don't know if anyone is still watching, except for Judy.

Here's a quick run down of what's up.

I'm leaving today for New York on business. Our NY location is in Valhalla, but the hotel is in White Plains. I found a yoga studio down the street from the hotel, so I'm hoping to drop in on a class or two. Tomorrow is the company picnic at this location, so that will be interesting.

Laughing Ladybug Yoga is becoming a reality! See www.laughingladybugyoga.com for a preview of my fabulous logo. My friend Patti Lee designed it for me. Another friend, Michelle, is working on the website. It will hopefully be ready in a week or two. I still need to buy my insurance and open my bank account, but other than that, I'm just about ready to begin teaching! I'm getting ready to send out grand opening offers to my mailing list, all 5 people. :)

Work has been challenging lately. I've been tossed into a project I know nothing about, so I'm learning a tiny bit each day. The people I'm working with have been enormously helpful. I'm having to remind myself each day of something I read in a book latey, "You must be very polite with yourself when learning something new."

I'm reading a book right now called, "eat pray love," by Elizabeth Gilbert. She tells the story of her horrible divorce and the depression that followed, but mostly the story is about how she overcame all that and found herself and her own spirituality. It's told in 109 parts, to correspond with the number of beads on a string of mala beads, the traditional tool used by Hindus and Buddhists to stay focused during meditation. She spent a year traveling through Italy, Indonesia, and India. I'm still in the Italy section and I'm really enjoying it.

Anyway, I think that's it for now. I'll do my best to post again before a month and a half.

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-04-18T15:07:33Z

Yesterday was my birthday, and what a wonderful one it was. Last weekend, I had a small party a roller skating rink. Everyone had such a good time! Then we all met up later for dinner at Fortuna's. It was really nice to spend time with friends and family.

Yesterday, my boss and some other friends at work took me out for Indian food at lunch. My boss gave me a box of Godiva truffles and a bag of Godiva Easter eggs! I'm looking forward to savoring one each day for a long time. Weldon took me to Piranha Killer Sushi for my birthday dinner. I enjoyed a California roll and a Philadelphia roll. They were both so good! For dessert, we shared an apple walnut spring roll. It was kind of like apple pie, but not quite as cinnamony and sweet.

So as I turned 37, I reflected on being 36. When I was 36, I became the authority over my own life. I stopped trying to play a character and became OK with who I am. I discovered my nature. :)

So now I'm 37. And to steal Weldon's joke, but I read at the 39-year-old level. :) I'm looking forward to the next year, building my yoga business and possibly serving as board president at Girls Inc. I really feel like I'm on the right path, like I'm doing my life's work. That's a nice feeling. And I don't feel panicked about it, or like I have something to prove. It's like a fish swimming. A fish doesn't try to swim, it just does.

eknudson @ 2007-03-31T16:55:00

2007-03-31T21:55:37Z

Weldon and I went to Vernon, Texas this weekend to attend the grand opening celebration of the New Vernon Plaza Theater. We got to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen! I haven't seen it on the big screen, or all the way through, since the year it came out!

Our friends Mark and Cathy are owners and managers there. This grand opening celebration is a huge milestone for them. They began the process of buying the theater with their business partners over a year ago, and they moved to Vernon last fall. Since then, they've been cleaning it up and learning the movie business. They live in a fabulous loft over the theater, which is located on the town square. Their vision is to revitalize the town square, making it a weekend destination for local and non-local residents. They are definitely becoming the power couple of Vernon, and it's very cool. I'm so proud to know them and to be their friends. I'm sure that a weekend trip to Vernon will become a frequent getaway for us.

In other news, I'm well on my way to teaching yoga. I'm becoming certified in August, and in the meantime, I'm taking all the steps toward "opening for business." I have insurance to purchase, policies and other student documents to write, and other info to put in my head. I'm lucky enough to have a great mentor in my yoga teacher, Gemma. She's been so willing to help me understand what I need to know about the business and the spiritual journey of teaching yoga. I also have a name for my business: Laughing Ladybug. How cute will that logo be embroidered on a tank top!

I chose this name because ladybugs have become significant for me. Around Christmas-time, ladybugs began landing on me and showing up in the car and in the house. I figured they were trying to tell me something. I looked up the Native American animal spirit lore associated with Ladybug. Ladybug symbolizes change, letting go of fear, and setting out on new adventures! The appearance of Ladybug helped me know to be aware of new opportunities coming my way. Weldon gave me a sweet little ladybug ring for Christmas, so I can always be reminded of this message. The name, Laughing Ladybug, came to me very easily. And what a wonderful theme for my new business. I want to help women find their own transformation through yoga and good health. So, Laughing Ladybug it is. :)

Tonight is our company party at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. It's been a busy weekend! So we'll get dressed up here in a little while and set out for a night on the town. It's always an interesting time. I'll report on that later.

Love to all.

our trip to Mexico

2007-03-10T01:02:26Z

We've been back from our trip for a couple of weeks now, and Weldon and I are both recovering from being sick. Weldon has bronchitis the whole time we were there, and I got a head and chest cold the day we got back. The resort was lovely. Weldon didn't feel like doing much, but we got out of the room a few times. I went to a daily yoga class, which was lots of fun. It was interesting hearing the cues in Spanish. I also had a manicure and pedicure at the spa, which was very nice. A sweet lady named Letty did my services. She's from Mexico City, but moved to the area to be close to her daughter and grandson.

On the way home, we had a five-hour layover in Mexico City. The Mexico City airport is not friendly. It was near impossible to find out information about our flight. We weren't sure when our flight would leave, but it finally did, and we got home about an hour later than we expected.

The biggest news from the trip is that I made a big decision. One of the other ladies on the trip came to the yoga class one day. She had never taken a class from an instructor before, instead using books and videos. She enjoyed the class very much. During our layover in Mexico City, she asked me lots of questions about yoga, how to do it, where to do it, etc. It was a great conversation, and somewhere in the middle of it, it became very clear to me that THIS is what I enjoy doing; helping women discover how empowering it can be to be healthy and strong. I decided that I want to do that by teaching yoga.

So, at the suggestion of my own yoga teacher, I'm taking a certification in August. In the meantime, I'm studying books and videos and learning what my style of teaching is. My vision is something like housecall yoga. For women who don't want to go to a studio or health club for whatever reason, I'll come to their house and guide them through their personalized practice. For a while, I'll be doing this alongside my full-time job, but eventually, I'd like this to become full-time. I've even thought of a name: Laughing Ladybug. How cute will that logo be embroidered on a tank top? So all that's really left is for me to find my first client! If you know anyone who needs a personalized yoga practice, send them my way.

Valentine's Day Dinner

2007-02-16T01:41:24Z

Weldon took me out for such a fancy Valentine's dinner. We went to Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse here in downtown Fort Worth. I wore a black dress I borrowed from Sunny that has a very 40s look to it. I accessorized with a vintage blue rhinestone necklace, Sunny's grandmother's blue clip on earrings, that are a perfect match to the necklace, and a pair of fabulously hot 40s-style peep-toe shoes. I even spritzed on a little Chanel No. 5. Weldon wore a nice pair of khaki slacks and a nice shirt with buttons and the gray coat my mom gave him a couple of years ago. We were a fine looking couple. :)
Dining at Texas de Brazil is a process. As is explained to you by your very well-trained server, you start with the salad bar. Now, when I hear "salad bar," I think of what they have at The Sizzler. What they have at TdB is not what they have at The Sizzler. It does have some lettuce and some fancy dressings, but the rest is much more exotic than pasta salad and deviled eggs. There were expensive looking cheeses, vegetables I didn't recognize, and a few different shrimp dishes, several kinds of olives, thinly sliced prosciutto, artichoke hearts, pickled onions, and lobster bisque! This was just the first course of our dinner! Everything we tried was really good and tasty. And there were little cheese rolls that were super-good!
When you're ready for your next course, you flip over a doohickey by your place setting, changing it from red to green. At that point, the gauchos with the skewers start showing up. There are dudes roaming all over the restaurant with skewers of different meats, like lamb, some kind of sirloin, bacon-wrapped chicken, some kind of Brazilian sausages, and I don't know what else. It's very carnivorous. And really good. They keep coming by as long as your doohickey is flipped to green. You can say no to an offering, of course, but after a while, you have to flip your doohickey back to red in self defense. They also bring garlic mashed potatoes and fried bananas. These fried bananas are coated with cinnamon and are the best things ever!
I ate more meat at that meal than I had in the whole week before. Then we had dessert. We shared a piece of bananas foster pie. It was quite good also. I also had a glass of Chilean Merlot with dinner that I liked and would order again.
It was a very special dinner. Weldon was so excited about taking me there, and about getting to go a gain. His team had gone there for a celebratory lunch a few weeks before.
This was our 8th Valentine's Day together. And we both look forward to many more.

Poetry

2007-01-24T01:39:33Z

Tonight was the second installment of my poetry workshop for the girls at the Girls Inc. center, and it went very well. Last week, we talked about what poems are made of, and we practiced identifying and writing images. Tonight, we cut words out of magazines, pasted them to "admit one" tickets, and built poems out of them. The girls had lots of fun, and I had fun leading them through the process.

After last week's session, Becky, the director of the center, let me know that the girls had a really good time with me, and liked how easy-going I was. She said they were very comfortable with me, and I really liked hearing that.

Friday is a big Poetry Jam at the center. They are winning an award for the Poetry Jam program, which will now become part of the national Girls Inc. curriculum! The girls have been practicing the poems they're going to read. I need to decide what I will read.

Another bit if trivial news: I have a new favorite dessert of all time. It's the ancho chocolate cake at Lonesome Dove Bistro. It gave me a huge endorphin rush! I think we should issue it to people who take antidepressants.

weird notes to myself

2007-01-02T23:21:57Z

Being a writer, I write things down a lot. I love notecards and lists. I process most things I encounter through them somehow, including daily tasks, things to buy (short and long term), character traits, interesting images, and brilliant things I overhear other people say.

Every once in a while, I find something I've jotted down that bewilders me. It's my handwriting, but I can't imagine what I must have meant.

Today, going through an old notebook, I came across a yellow notecard that says: A dozen years have passed. One year for each egg in a carton. I don't know what to make of this.

Is this an observation I myself had, or is this the observation of a character? There's no date on it, so I'm not sure which dozen years exactly have passed.

Maybe it's a note I wrote myself from the future. A dozen years from now. That would be 2019. I will be 48 years old. What message could the older, wiser me have for the dorkish, slightly wigged out present day me? It seems to have something to do with eggs. Perhaps older me had this revelation while making an omelet (maybe my cooking skills improve with time), noting that 12 long years had passed since. . . since what?

It's interesting, I think. I will file it away, where I file other similar notes. And maybe someday, I will find its meaning. What do you think it means?

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T02:24:38Z

It's been a while since I've posted. The last week especially has been very busy. We had a very nice Christmas. My family came over for Frito pie on Christmas Eve, then my mother and I went to the Christmas Eve service at University Christian Church. It was very nice and exactly what I wanted: ancient ritual and song. We also spent a little time with Weldon's family on the afternoons of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Then we spent all week seeing people from out of town here and there, for just a few hours at a time. We left for Gruene on Thursday morning and saw Guy Forsyth at Gruene Hall that night. I came back with a bit of a cold, and now Weldon is at a New Year's Eve party without me. He promised he would be back before midnight with some snacks from the party for me. Now I'm kind of wishing he hadn't gone.

Anyway, tomorrow is the start of a new year. I'm looking forward to the many new adventures it will bring. I wish you all a new year full of the joy of learning new things, the love and support of friends and family, and the ability to look back on each day with gratitude.

Just because I like it.

2006-12-14T00:22:28Z

Henry
This is one of my favorite pictures of Henry. As Patti said, "no wind, no static, no kiddin'."

update on a lot of things

2006-12-08T00:03:29Z

Well, it's been a while, so I have a lot to catch you up on.

Weldon and I have been hard at work on our sort-of-annual Christmas CD. We've gotten them all burned, the labels are ready to place, and Weldon is beginning to design the cover. It looks like we'll be able to get them out in plenty of time to enjoy through the season. We're really proud of it. It contains all our favorite holiday songs, and we're so happy to share them.

I have been writing again, though not on a very regular basis. But I am writing. And as Judy reminded me, Mark Twain said that it's not the writing that's important, it's having written. I actually finished a poem, and with Judy's encouragement, submitted it to descant, TCU's literary journal. Some of you saw several iterations of this poem, but the final version is this:

St. Peter’s Cemetery, Oxford, MS

Brittle, brown leaves swirl and scuttle around us,
and the October sun tries to warm the chill of the wind.

My best friend’s daughter is with me.
Her small, round cheeks are pink beneath her purple hat.
She wants to climb the iron fences, old as slavery,
that intend to keep intruders out and ghosts in.

We finally find who we’re looking for.
Beneath three trees, at the bottom of the hill on North 16th,
we crouch at Mr. Faulkner’s foot.

I tell her how much I love the stories he wrote.
She holds my hand and gazes at the headstone with something like reverence.

Someday, she’ll bring me back here.
Will I remember us being on this patch of earth?
Where the southern spirits are as close to our hearts as the wind to our faces?

Did I dream of this place? I’ll ask her.

She’ll tell me how much I love the stories he wrote.
She’ll hold my hand as I gaze at the headstone with something like reverence.

While brittle, brown leaves swirl and scuttle around us,
and the October sun tries to warm the chill of the wind.

I'm pretty happy with it, and I have two more poems begun. I'm glad to be writing again.

This weekend is Weldon's annual cooking baking weekend with my mother. It's a fairly new tradition that I think is very sweet. It started a couple of years ago when my mom bought a gingerbread house kit. Nobody wanted to build it with her but Weldon. (He is very good a things like that.) The next year, Weldon wanted to make cookies for the cookie contest at work. My mom offered to help, and it's become a fabulous tradition. I go, but as the support team. I mostly do small things, like crushing hard candies and things like that.

During December, my dance class is on break, so I'm taking the time to tune my instrument. I'm taking 3 classes a week at Breathe Studio: cardio pilates, yoga pilates mix, and straight yoga. I'm feeling good and strong. Our troupe has a pretty big show January 27, so I think I'll have lots to give when we go back on January 8. I still can't seem to lose these last 10 pounds, though. Weldon says maybe my body is exactly where it's supposed to be. Maybe he's right. But it's driving me crazy. I've been stuck at this weight for months!

I hope everyone's holiday season is happy and bright. Please remember to take care of yourselves and not let the stress get to be too much. I'll keep you posted on me. :)

last weekend

2006-11-21T23:56:35Z

The Lone Star Tribal seminar last weekend was fabulous! I learned lots of new things and had a great time with the girls. I also helped Martha with her table. She was selling sword and other metalwork.

The teachers were both from California, both with Tribal backgrounds, Ariellah Aflalo, who taught gothic bellydancaing, and Shawna Rai, who taught Indian fusion. Both were lots of fun and very interesting. Gothic bellydance is kind of dancing creepy to scary music, but it's really much more than that. It's emotional and dramatic. In the costuming, the movement, and the attitude. The Indian fusion was really cool. She taught lots of hand mudras and traditional Indian movements. Very cool.

It was a good weekend that really helped me remember why I dance. And it was such a great experience compared to my last seminar experience, where I ended up frustrated and crying in the bathroom! (It wasn't just me. Lots of people had a hard time keeping up. It was a master class by an Egyptian teacher who didn't realize how badly he was losing us.) Anyway, this was how it was supposed to be. I feel inspired again.

So, Weldon and I both work tomorrow, but then we're off until next Monday. We're going to the country club in Mineral Wells for a family Thanksgiving lunch, then back to my mom's house for tree decorating. And maybe some ham. Our friend Chris may join us. Then we may go to Vernon this weekend to help Mark and Cathy with their move into the movie theatre!

I'm still working on the poem I've been struggling with for the last few weeks. More revisions. Still not 100% convinced it's done.

I'll be checking in again soon.

just checking in

2006-11-16T12:42:26Z

I know I haven't written in a while. Weldon and I both have been sick. We're definitely on the mend, though, both of us with just a little cough left. I've been drinking a fabulous tea every morning made with about a cup of hot water, the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a tablespoon of maple syrup. It really helps to soothe a sore throat, and it tastes very good.

This weekend, I'm going to a bellydance seminar. All weekend. Saturday is Indian fusion, and Sunday is gothic fusion. And our troupe is performing Saturday night. It's going to be a long weekend, so I know I'd better rest up. I also have a little sewing to do on one of my costumes, so Friday night is set aside for resting and sewing.

I think I have finished a poem. I'm not 100% convinced, but I think it's close. I'm not going to post it, because I think it needs some time to sit in a drawer. If you REALLY want to see it, let me know and I'll send it to you.

Friday is our department's Thanksgiving lunch. One of the ladies is getting us a smoked turkey, which I'm terribly excited about. I'm making Patti's Pastry Queen pumpkin bread. I've never made it before, but she assures me it's very easy. It's really good when she makes it, so I hope mine is half as good as hers. Friday is also Weldon's Thanksgiving lunch. He wants vegetarian chili, so I'll be making that tonight also.

Oh, also, Chris and Tatiana are back from their honeymoon. They got their marriage license in the mail, so they are officially married. We went to yoga Tuesday night, then went for dinner at Panera. It was so nice to have her back. Weldon and I are really looking forward to many years of good times with them.

Must be off to work now. I'll talk to you all soon.

Pictures from Mississippi Trip

2006-11-01T23:21:36Z

Patti took zillions of great pictures on our trip. Here are just a few of them.

	On the Road to Oxford This is the morning we left from Arkadelphia and headed for Oxford. I especially like the composition of this photo, with Billy in the mirror.
	Patti and Elizabeth Elizabeth was actually a pretty good traveler. Henry hated being in the car seat for so long.
	Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee Here we all are in front of Graceland. It was much colder than we expected it to be that day.
	Elizabeth and Her Pumpkin Isn't this a fabulous photo! We got this pumpkin at the pumpkin patch at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the church where William Faulkner was a member. I imagine that this will be the author photo when Elizabeth writes her first southern gothic novel.
	At Rowan Oak Elizabeth and I are walking up the path to Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner. I'm carrying Henry's stroller, which means that Patti is taking this picture with the camera in one hand and Henry in the other.
	William Faulkner's Desk This is the desk where William Faulkner wrote.
	Paying Our Respects Elizabeth wasn't crazy about wandering around the cemetery, and she was very glad when we finally found what we were looking for. It was a little chilly, so I crouched down to put my arms around her and Patti got this great picture.
	The Girls Patti said she wanted to be in a picture, so she could prove she was on the trip. Since she's the photographer, she gets lost behind the scenes. So this is one that Billy took of the girls on the trip. We're on the square in Oxford.
	Henry This was taken at Square Books, Jr. Don't you love his little outfit?

house stuff

2006-10-30T11:42:15Z

Weldon and I have had a lot going on the last few days around the house. First of all, we got a brand new, fabulous cedar fence. There was a bit of a mix up with the scheduling. We didn't know they were coming on Thursday. :( But once we got things straightened out, everything was fine. And we have our cool new fence. It looks really nice. And now we can finally start doing some landscaping in the back yard.

Also this weekend, Patti came over and helped me move lots of furniture around. The guest room is really cozy now, and there's a great big chair to sit in and read. It looks really nice. And my grandmother's cedar chest is back at the foot of the maple bed, where it belongs. AND, Patti and Billy let me borrow a little writing desk until I can find one at an estate sale or something. It looks so nice in the little sunroomy area of the bedroom. Patti framed a picture of Faulkner's desk she had taken at Rowan Oak on our trip to Oxford. She hung it from a ribbon right above the desk. It was so sweet of her, and it will always help me remember the source of my new inspiration.

And finally, the other big thing that happened this weekend was that Elizabeth came over to spend the night Saturday. We had a wonderful time. We played with action figures, watched Scary Godmother, and ate waffles with the Disney princesses on them. And we gathered a big basket of rocks, leaves, and sticks. It was lots of fun and I hope we get to do it again soon.

getting started

2006-10-25T11:05:08Z

Chris and Tatiana's wedding Saturday was lovely. She looked so beautiful, and everything went exactly as planned. it got a little windy and cold when the sun went down, but Carol and John loaned everyone coats and blankets from inside the house, so it all worked out just fine. They left for their honeymoon on Monday and will be back next week some time. They're having a sunny island get-away in the Caribbean.

I'm still feeling enthusiastic about writing, but I'm having a hard time getting started. Patti is coming over this weekend to help me create a writing space, but my friend Judy said not to put things in front of writing like that. Like, "I can't write until. . . " I know that, mostly. But I'm having a hard time getting started. It's the schedule of my days. I don't know when the right time is. Or how long to carve out. Maybe this is where over-analyzing really takes over for me. I can't do anything because I don't want to get it wrong. I guess I can't get this wrong. But I'm trying to follow the process in Robert Olen Butler's book on writing fiction. I like to follow recipes exactly the first time, then I know what I can change. That's what I'm trying to do with this, follow the recipe exactly. But maybe it doesn't matter that I only write 20 minutes a day. Or every other day. So what if I do some writing at lunch time in my office at work. Or on a quick break from writing reports and capturing data. Maybe the important thing is just to do it. And do it whenever. I'm very hung up on setting a certain time, but maybe that's not practical right now.

Anyway, enough of my rambling for now. I'll keep you posted on things.

my week

2006-10-20T11:19:50Z

Today is the last day of my first work-week back after my revelations in Mississippi. It's been a weird week. I was already scheduled for 3 days of training in Carrollton, so I've had a long drive the last couple of days, and another one today. I was talking to a friend earlier this week about how I'm not sure how I fit into the corporate culture any more. She said, "Don't figure it out."

Last night, I got to have dinner with one of my friends from dance class, the Fabulous Miss Red. It was really nice to just hang out and not have to work. She took me to a great Indian place in Lewisville. It was really good and we both ate too much.

Tomorrow is Chris and Tatiana's wedding, with the rehearsal tonight. I missed the bachelorette party last night. I can't wait to hear about it today. Hopefully, T is sane enought to get through the next two days without any kind of incident. It sounds like the guys had fun last night at their party.

I start writing next week, after all this residual stuff is overwith. I have 3 stories I could explore, and I'm not sure which to start with. I could return to the novel I started 10 years ago, I coud write about the twins in Louisiana, or the little girl whose father was a snake-handling preacher. These characters are all kicking around in my head, and I'm not sure which are making the most noise. Which would you like to hear about?

revised: what I ate today

2006-10-15T01:13:34Z

The menu at Ajax Diner was a little different than it was the other day, so I had red beans and rice, squash casserole that made me think of my grandmother, and butter beans, which also made me think of my grandmother.

What I ate today.

2006-10-14T22:14:23Z

breakfast at the Oliver-Britt House: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with grape jelly, cheese grits, orange zinger tea

not an hour later, decaf Bowl of Soul and a ginger scone at Bottletree Bakery (decaf Bowl of Soul=decaf coffee, decaf espresso, steamed chocolate milk, chocolate syrup)

a couple of hours later, picnic in the park: pumpkin bread, candy corn, water

a couple of hours later, picnic on the steps of the Lafayette County courthouse: big as yo' head ice cream sandwich

I will finish the day with dinner at Ajax Diner: vegetable plate with red beans and rice, fried okra, more cheese grits

Oxford, Mississippi

2006-10-13T19:11:22Z

Today is my first full day in Oxford. I'm staying at the Oliver-Britt House on Van Buren, just a few blocks from the square. Patti and Billy's hotel is about a block off of the square in another direction, so it's about a 20-minute walk. It's a wonderfully pleasant walk, that passes by the Bottletree Bakery (which we found out has the most fabulous ginger scones), Square Books, and many other fabulous places. If I bought every book I saw that I wanted, I would be weighed down by tons of books and broke. But I did find out that Robert Olen Butler is at Square Books tonight at 5:00, and Bobbie Ann Mason is here tomorrow at noon. I really hit a jackpot weekend! I'm very excited about that. Patti says that probably every weekend here is a jackpot weekend.

Patti and Elizabeth and Henry and I went to St. Peter's Cemetery today to see Faulkner's grave. The cemetery is a couple of blocks from their hotel. It's a lovely walk through a sweet little neighborhood, full of old, beautiful homes with beautifully gardened yards. When we got to the cemetery, I realized I hadn't found out the exact location of the grave within the cemetery. We wandered around for a long time. Patti even texted Billy to see if one of his friends had been there already. He couldn't help much.

Earlier in the day, we had gotten a little pumpkin for Elizabeth at the pumpkin patch at St. Peter's Episcopal church. We were carrying it in the back of Henry's stroller. During our trek through the rolling hills of the cemetery, it rolled out and away. When we got to the top of a hill, I realized it had fallen out. We could see it resting softly next to a headstone at the bottom of the hill. So Patti and Elizabeth walked down to get it.

Henry and I continued to look for Faulkner's grave, but with no luck. We came back to the hotel room to look up the location, but I can't find anything that helps. We did find a few pictures, so now we at least know that we're looking for a big marbly column thing next to a concrete curb at the bottom of a hill. So I'll try again later.

I told Patti that someday, Elizabeth will ask us, "Do you remember us walking around a graveyard for some reason when I was little? Did that really happen or did I dream it?" Hopefully she will be writing some fantastically eerie Southern fiction based on those foggy memories. Something about a graveyard, a pumpkin, and looking for something you're not sure of, but know you want to find.

I feel very at home in this town.

Is it a poem?

2006-09-21T18:00:11Z

I think I wrote a poem today. What do you guys think?

On Change

Inspired by Josiah Miller, who wrote:
I'v changed beusae I have brown hair now.
And I'm bigger but my legs are taller but
my tose are bigger. And I'm smart but
my head is bigger then before so
my hart is braver then befor.
But I fellt great being big.

I’ve changed because I have short hair now.
I weigh less, and I quit smoking, but
my hips are bigger. And I’m smart and
my heart is much braver than before so
my mouth is bigger than before.
And I feel great being alive.

The Oliver-Britt House

2006-09-20T00:30:05Z

I still am very excited about my trip to Oxford. The original plan was for me to stay at the hotel with Patti and Billy and the kids. Patti suggested that while they would love to have me stay with them, it might be nice to have a room at a B&B close by. Even though I'm going on the trip to be with them, the more I thought about it, the more that sounded like a brilliant idea. That way I'll be able to have some time on my own, or Patti and I could have some girl-time together, which is something we haven't been able to do in a long time. So I booked a room at the Oliver-Britt House, a lovely little 2-story Greek revival home. It's red brick with huge white columns, and surrounded by trees. I'll be able to read from The Sound and the Fury on the veranda. Drinking my mint julep. What a good time.

I'm going to a poetry night this Friday at the Girls Inc. center in Arlington. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm still trying to decide what to read. I haven't written anything of substance lately, though I have put pen to paper and put some words together. It doesn't mean much on its own, though. It's like I've written the lace, not the whole outfit. I might read Elizabeth Bishop's "Sestina." It is one of my favorites, and I think sestinas are amazing. I'm anxious to hear what the girls read. And I hope they don't think I'm an old dork.

some exciting news

2006-09-12T16:21:58Z

I'm having a hard time finding a regular writing schedule. I'm also having a hard time finding the right tone for this. Other blogs that I read are so thoughtful and meaningful. I don't want mine to seem like a laundry list of the mudnane things I did today. :|
But today I have some news that I think is worth reporting. My friends Patti and Billy invited me to go with them and Elizabeth and Henry to Oxford, Missisippi in October. Billy's going for a Medieval conference and Patti and I and the kids will get to explore Oxford while he's working. Then, when he's not working, we'll all get to hang out together. I'm really looking forward to this trip.
Oxford is the hometown of William Faulkner, one of my favorite writers ever. It's also the home of Ole Miss, the only university that offers a degree in Southern Culture. They have classes in the Blues! It's still on my list "Things I Might Eventually Decide to Do."
We'll leave on a Wednesday evening for Little Rock. Then we'll head on to Oxford on Thursday, stopping at interesting little places and historical markers along the way. What fun! Weldon isn't able to take off work this time of year. But even if he could, we agreed that this is a wonderful opportunity for me to spend time with P and B and the family. Weldon and I will have another trip to Oxford, maybe even to the Faulkner Conference in a couple of years. He said that would be only fair since I go to so many comic book conventions and such. I even went to Robert E. Howard Days this year! I deserve a little Faulkner. :)

nice night out with the girls

2006-09-01T02:24:36Z

I spent this evening with two good friends. It was the second installation of a monthly Girls' Night. I got the idea from my sister-in-law in North Carolina, though her group gets together every single week. I thought that might be a bit ambitious for us, so we're giving it a try once a month.

Tatiana and Cyndy were able to make it tonight. Tatiana is getting married next month, and is trying to balance wedding plans with a very stressful job. Cyndy is dealing with two teenagers, a sick husband, and a very stressful job. It was nice to get together for a stress-free dinner where we could just talk about stuff and share some feminine energy.

What really struck me tonight was that I seem to be drawn to women who are very confident and assertive. Cyndy and Tatiana are definitely both of those. I really admire that about them. They can speak their minds unapologetically. That's something I want to practice.

I'm looking forward to a nice long weekend. I'm taking my mom to see Little Miss Sunshine on Monday. I think that will be lots of fun.