Things I Love Thursday

I haven’t done this in a while and thought I’d list some awesome things I love lately.

Hiking. Especially in good shoes!

My new allergy medicine, which makes #1 possible.

The kindness of friends. So many people are giving us rides to places since Indy’s schedule changed and we appreciate it so much.

Strawberry shortcakes. OHHH yeah. You can bet I’m having one on Mother’s Day.

Scavenger hunts, Not Bummer Summer list-making… oh, hell, just making lists.

Travel! We have trips coming up in May, June, October and December!

Pinterest. GAH so addictive. I KNEW I would be hooked if I got started! The good thing is that I just don’t browse, though. I’ve made a bunch of things I have seen there, from valentines to recipes.

The rabbits. Even though they’re all grown, we still call them the bunnies, and they crack me up. Indy made them a pen to play in when we go outside and they LOVE playing in the grass.

What are you loving lately?

We are dogs and we like rocket ships

I’m trying out a new blog look and it seems pretty stark! Here’s a picture of Molly and She-Ra totally wiped out in my office after destroying their rocket ships for some color. And speaking of color, that blue rocket? It’s really PURPLE. Take that, blue dress.

The First Line

First of all, did you know that there’s a fun project online where they give you the first line and you complete the story? It’s called The First Line Literary Journal. Anyway, I thought about it because I’m taking a Coursera MOOC about Shakespeare and the first assignment is to share something about the first line of one of the plays we’re discussing. Check it out and enter if you like! If nothing else, you can write a fun short story.

The play I’m choosing is Much Ado About Nothing because I haven’t read it yet. Ambitious 19-year-old me tried to read every play one summer but didn’t get around to this one. The first line of the play is:

I learn in this letter

Since I have never read the play, I don’t know what the context is at all. First, I would say that it’s spoken in the present tense, so the speaker is probably reading it aloud to the audience. The letter contains new information to the speaker since he or she is learning from it. It makes me think of holding a piece of parchment in hand, its texture rough but thin, maybe tea-stained or flaking with a wax seal. Who knows? It also makes me think about how important letters once were. Today our emails are so easy to send and they are often filled with tediousness and unimportant details.

What does the line make you think about? If you’ve read the play already, I know I’m a few centuries too late to ask for no spoilers–but no spoilers, please!

And if you want to sign up for this free class with me, there’s still time!

Happy NaPoWriMo/ Monday’s Music

I’m up writing tonight, but I keep jotting down angry poems, which is fine, since it is NaPoWriMo, after all. Lately I have really missed writing personal reviews and commentaries for work, and I’m unloading pretty heavily. Feels pretty good.

My song for the week is an old one, and one that I cringe to admit that I had no special feelings for (or against) until recently. I blame American Horror Story, of course, which makes me feel a bit like a besotted teen over media… and it’s actually kind of nice. Familiar, even–the pull of an obsession, the kind I had when I was sixteen and head-over-feet for Stephen King or the X-Men. It keeps popping up on the radio while I’m doing chores every day and I exclaim, “My song!” like I did then (then, it was probably an Alanis Morissette song). I’ve always been a fan of Stevie Nicks, but this is my new Fleetwood Mac song. I may even start wearing a shawl again.

This week I’m writing about petting zoos and farms for date ideas in various cities. It’s going to be a stormy, cozy week at home while Indy works lots of 12-hour shifts, but we do have plans with kind friends who are taking us here and there. The weekend was good, with lots of fun at Six Flags and parks and libraries, but both Indy and I had stomach illnesses, too. How about you? What are you writing about or doing?