Jennifer Crusie's Blog, page 195

This is a New Year and This is a Good Book Thursday

So here we are in 2018.  Whatcha reading to kick off a MUCH BETTER YEAR?

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2018 and Change

Krissie had us post our word for the year over at ReFab, and I picked “change.”  I have obvious reasons politically–vote in the 2018 midterms, people–but mostly for personal reasons.  I had a rough time several years ago and it’s taken me until now to get centered again.  Moving into the middle of nowhere was a HUGE help–you would not believe how peaceful and beautiful it is here–but now that I’m back on my feet, it’s time for change, big and little.  

First, I’m not going on a diet, but once it gets warm enough for me to go outside without an asthma attack, I’m going to start running again, not to lose weight but to get back that feeling of invincibility that I’m losing as I age.  I used to run five miles a day.  I don’t expect to get back to that, but a couple of miles wouldn’t hurt.   My eating isn’t too bad–diabetes gets rid of most of the crap in your diet and my distaste for any food not homemade or at least served in a restaurant takes care of the rest.  But “more vegetables” is definitely on the list.  I hate fruit, but I have frozen blueberries for muffins and pancakes and I use Simply Fruit jam which is as close as I can come to eating the actual thing.  That and apples.  An apple a day . . .   Why doesn’t fruit taste like chocolate doughnuts?  Oh, well.

Then there’s the house. Because it’s freaking cold here, I shut down the back porch (closed in to make my bedroom and workroom) and moved to Krissie’s guest room at the front of the house.  That means I have the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, which is great  The dogs are less pleased–twin bed instead of a queen–but they’re still getting treats and food and water and a warm place to sleep, so they’re coping.  I’m clearing out the kitchen–Krissie and I share a taste in kitchen stuff, so she’ll take the stuff I have duplicates of when she comes down–and I’m going to move my yarn to the workroom where it belongs,, which means the leftovers of that go to Krissie, too.   And I’m going to find a contractor and give him a list of things that I’ve been dealing with for five years.  Good change.

And then my attitude toward my writing is going to change.  I haven’t had a book out for seven freaking years, even though I’ve written thousands of words.  I’m going to stop doubting myself and stop worrying about writing at my age and just write.  If people think I’ve gone downhill, they can just stop buying the books.  I may just start setting all my books in the 90s.  Then it doesn’t matter that I’m out of the loop: they’re historicals.   The big change is, I’m just gonna write.  The hell with everybody else (except you guys, of course, and Jen).  [Actually, I have had this epiphany before.]

So “Change” is my byword for 2018.  Because sometimes you have to go through the bad times to understand that things need to change, and as for, 2017, Lord, it wasn’t good .  But nowit’s 2018, and it’s time for some change.  Nothing but good times ahead, Argh People.

So what’s your word for 2018?

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This is a Good Poem January First

 

You asked for a monthly poetry exchange, you get a month poetry exchange.  How about Rita Dove to start a MUCH BETTER YEAR?

 

 

DAWN REVISITED
 
Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don’t look back,
 
the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits –
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours
 
to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You’ll never know
who’s down there, frying those eggs,
if you don’t get up and see.

 

Rita Dove, from On the Bus with Rosa Parks, 1999

ETA: Just woke up.  Couldn’t see the poem, either.  Welcome to 2018.  ARGH.

 

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Cherry Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017

It’s New Year’s Eve Eve.

Pray for a better tomorrow.  And the day after that.  And the day after that . . . .

Wishing you much happinuts in 2018.

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This is a Good Book Thursday: Here comes 2018!

Well, 2017 sucked, but at least we had good books.  And good stuff might be coming our way in 2018.  If nothing else, we live in interesting times.

So here’s a good end of the year question: What was the best book you read this year?  Oh, and what are you reading now?

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Six More Days to the Resolutions

So it’s six more days to 2018, which promises to be a contentious year here in America, but also a chance for a fresh start, especially if we can do some governmental rearranging. Since January 1 is the traditional day for new beginnings (I like Sept. 1 because of spending most of my life in educational circles, but that’s just me), these are our last six days to clear away the deadwood of 2017 to start with a nice clean slate for the new year.  For me, that means finishing a book and throwing out half the stuff in my house.  I don’t do weight loss diets–they’re depressing and they don’t work and also, I like food–and any bad habits I have are now baked into my personality, so changing those is futile, but the book and the house are non-negotiable.  

By “finish the book,” I mean get a complete draft of The Devil in Nita Dodd.  That will not, of course, be an actual finished book because there’ll be a rewrite and then the beta reads and then another rewrite, and then a Jen/Jodi/Amy/Meg read and then another rewrite, but I want a complete truck draft, no missing scenes,  It’ll be a stretch, but I think I can do it because I’ve got a grip on what the book is about now.   

By “throwing out half the stuff in my house,” I mean finally coming to grips with the fact that I never use, need, or even touch half the stuff in this house, so it’s just cluttering up my life.  2018 seems like an excellent year to get rid of clothes I’m not in love with; books I can read more easily on the iPad;, old printers that don’t work; papers that have no meaning any more; Presidents who are cruel, stupid, and dangerous; and ideas that have been hobbling me for too long.  Everything must go.  Well, not everything, just everything that’s detrimental to my new, clean, productive life.

So that’s my next six days.  What are your end of the year plans?  (If you don’t have any, that’s good, too.  Sometimes  you just need to rest up before facing a new start.)

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Happy Turkey Death Day

If you’re part of this holiday, Argh wishes you the best of luck surviving it with the family of your choice, especially if they’re turkeys of any kind.  

And regardless, I wish you all a very merry Solstice/end-of-2017/thank-god-the-shortest-day-of-the-year-is-over-and-the-sun-is-coming-up-again celebration.  

 

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Cherry Saturday, December 23, 2017

Happy Festivus!

You may commence “the “Airing of Grievances” and recounting of “Festivus miracles” in the comments.  Feats of strength you’ll have to share with those standing close to you in reality, not the internet.  

Also, in this case the “family” of the”Airing of Grievances” tradition is anybody including that damn raccoon that keeps getting in the trash because we do not say bad things about the Argh family here.   I believe the tradtion is to begin with “”I got a lotta problems with you people, and now you’re going to hear about it!.”  Feel free to cut and paste, changing “you people” to the designation of your choice.  I suggest “Congress,” “Fox News,” “men who think it’s okay to harass people sexually because they’re powerful and can get away with it,” and “people who make fake maple syrup,” but your rants may differ..

The Festivus miracles are up to you.  Mine is the incredible community here that just appeared after I did the first post.  It’s a miracle!  Especially since in the beginning, on Mollie’s advice, I didn’t enable comments on the blog.  Can you imagine Argh without the comments?  That’s like dressing without gravy.  The blog posts are really just the delivery system for the comments.  It’s the only time in our professional relationship that Mollie has been wrong, and it was twelve years ago, so I’ve forgiven her, and it will not be part of my Airing of Grievances.

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This is a Good Book Thursday: Books are Good Gifts

I want to hear all about what you’re reading.  Did you get anybody books for Christmas?  What did you ask for?  What are you gifting?

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Cherry Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017

Today is Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.**Some restrictions may apply.**

**No dick pics.

 

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