Quarantine: Fri. 5/8
Another Friday. The kids did some work (Fridays are pretty light with schoolwork) and then disappeared for Legos once again. We read some Harry Potter. For dinner I made a spinach quiche and a carmelized onion foccaccia.
The kids chose National Treasure for our movie night, which they loved. It's pretty riveting, even though I find it impossible to look at Nicholas Cage and think of anything except Ghost Rider, the most ridiculous movie ever made. (His head is a skull! Now it's a FLAMING SKULL!) But National Treasure was fun. Andrew, on brand, reacted in audible horror at the scenes of the Declaration of Independence being rolled up, tossed around, and imperilled. I'm not sure if National Treasure is actually what I'd call "understandable," but it's visually arresting, with invisible ink becoming visible, clues coming into focus with weird-looking Ben Franklin glasses, artifacts fitting into openings to magically open ancient doors, etc., and Nicholas Cage furrows his brow and recites random combinations of historical facts until he uncovers the meaning of the eye or pyramid or cypher or what have you. I mean, the kids were fully enthralled, but I know it was completely incomprehsnsible to them. But we were all entertained.
Of course the big happy part of the day was that my author copies of The Distance from Four Points arrived. I order a lot of books, and book shipments arrive at the house almost daily, but today? The books in the box were MY book. It's a pretty amazing feeling. And a relief, too, since so many things could have pushed this release off the rails. Publication day is May 28. I don't know when people will actually receive their books. Just in the past two days, Amazon has told people their book will arrive tomorrow, next week, at an indefinite future point TBD, has told others it's out of stock, told others it's not yet available, etc. And who knows about pre-orders placed at bookstores. So if you've ordered? And you get your book? LMK! Better yet, LMK by posting a pic on some kind of SOCIAL PLATFORM. Share the joy! Share it publicly! Immediately after receiving my books I had to disinfect a grocery delivery! There is precious little time during a pandemic to revel in a major life achievement!
Quarantine milestone unlocked: today I ordered 50 pounds of flour.
This is precisely why my mental space is so splintered. In the course of an hour this afternoon I unboxed a shipment of a book I've worked on for seven years, spent half an hour on my freezing front porch organizing groceries I didn't shop for myself, and placed an order for FIFTY POUNDS OF FLOUR. Life is weird right now. It's just--weird. These mashed-up collections of moments create a kind of fizzy haze over every single day.
What We're Reading Etc.
There is no change from yesterday. Andrew read my post with the fictional boring history title and exclaimed "I want to read this!!!!" We are still listening to Andrew read a sonnet after dinner. The girls still protest, but quietly now. They know it's futile. I feel like I, too, should introduce some kind of after-meal recitation. An Aesop's Fable perhaps? Emily Dickinson? I need something short but also life-changing. Will ponder.
The kids chose National Treasure for our movie night, which they loved. It's pretty riveting, even though I find it impossible to look at Nicholas Cage and think of anything except Ghost Rider, the most ridiculous movie ever made. (His head is a skull! Now it's a FLAMING SKULL!) But National Treasure was fun. Andrew, on brand, reacted in audible horror at the scenes of the Declaration of Independence being rolled up, tossed around, and imperilled. I'm not sure if National Treasure is actually what I'd call "understandable," but it's visually arresting, with invisible ink becoming visible, clues coming into focus with weird-looking Ben Franklin glasses, artifacts fitting into openings to magically open ancient doors, etc., and Nicholas Cage furrows his brow and recites random combinations of historical facts until he uncovers the meaning of the eye or pyramid or cypher or what have you. I mean, the kids were fully enthralled, but I know it was completely incomprehsnsible to them. But we were all entertained.
Of course the big happy part of the day was that my author copies of The Distance from Four Points arrived. I order a lot of books, and book shipments arrive at the house almost daily, but today? The books in the box were MY book. It's a pretty amazing feeling. And a relief, too, since so many things could have pushed this release off the rails. Publication day is May 28. I don't know when people will actually receive their books. Just in the past two days, Amazon has told people their book will arrive tomorrow, next week, at an indefinite future point TBD, has told others it's out of stock, told others it's not yet available, etc. And who knows about pre-orders placed at bookstores. So if you've ordered? And you get your book? LMK! Better yet, LMK by posting a pic on some kind of SOCIAL PLATFORM. Share the joy! Share it publicly! Immediately after receiving my books I had to disinfect a grocery delivery! There is precious little time during a pandemic to revel in a major life achievement!
Quarantine milestone unlocked: today I ordered 50 pounds of flour.
This is precisely why my mental space is so splintered. In the course of an hour this afternoon I unboxed a shipment of a book I've worked on for seven years, spent half an hour on my freezing front porch organizing groceries I didn't shop for myself, and placed an order for FIFTY POUNDS OF FLOUR. Life is weird right now. It's just--weird. These mashed-up collections of moments create a kind of fizzy haze over every single day.
What We're Reading Etc.
There is no change from yesterday. Andrew read my post with the fictional boring history title and exclaimed "I want to read this!!!!" We are still listening to Andrew read a sonnet after dinner. The girls still protest, but quietly now. They know it's futile. I feel like I, too, should introduce some kind of after-meal recitation. An Aesop's Fable perhaps? Emily Dickinson? I need something short but also life-changing. Will ponder.
Comments