I was driving to work today and heard the song Christmastime In the City by Mary Chapin Carpenter. God, I love that song. I hear it and just...yeah...it sinks into my bones and I feel myself relax and groove right along.
I was at a movie (not worth talking about) last weekend and saw the preview for Juno. I decided that I HAVE to see this movie. Especially after Bing leaned over and said, "My God, that is Liv in 8 years..." This sort of pissed me off since the movie seems to be about teen pregnancy, but I got her gist. Liv is already very much like the character in that movie already, well...without the pregnancy. And...god...NO, I do not want a grandchild THAT soon.
Yesterday was a snow day and by four p.m. the roads had cleared. Bing, Liv and I decided to go out for dinner before I had to go teach my class. We went here. Boy howdy. Dario specializes in french cuisine, but I am not a fan of mussels or escargot (which Bing and Liv selected) so I ordered the cheeseburger. It was perfectly prepared, like always. Pink in the middle but not too pink. Fries that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Ah...
I looked around the cafe as we ate and thought to myself that it doesn't get much better than this. Candlelight. Warmth. Two people whom I love most in the world.
And then I ate like a fucking sow.
I had to. I had to give one last lecture before finals next week. And if I was going to have to look out into a sea of blank faces taking blind notes (I can't tell you how many times I want to just start babbling to see if they will all diligently write down, "three blind mice, three blind mice..."), I need FUEL.
Liv's Winter program is tomorrow. She is reciting her poem:
I am skating
My blades hit the ice
I wobble
I am better going backwards than forwards
Will I stand or will I crash?
I'm better at going backwards too. Maybe it is genetic.
I finally finished the Christmas cards. I keep getting all these newsy Christmas letters from my family and they are so FAKE. I would love to read one that says:
Well, Joey is back in rehab. We hope the third time is the charm. I am still eating too many snickers bars and I suppose that I will gain about five more pounds this Christmas like I always do. The dog ate one of our kitchen chairs. Our daughter received yet another DWI. I suppose she needs to go to rehab too. I pee every fucking time I laugh. I will be in diapers soon if this keeps up. Aunt Nell fell in love with the paperboy. They made a run for it but didn't make it. The trial is in two months as he is 14 and she is 54. My Dad is still trying to get everyone to pull his finger. He thinks this is funny...
I love how it feels when you first get into bed and your feet start warming up under those covers. That drowsy, wonderful feeling of knowing that you get eight hours of shut eye with no one to bother you. Just bliss. Sleep.
A good book. A chocolate chip cookie, preferably made by anyone but me.
Watching Liv make a snow fort with a few friends. Brushing out her hair in the morning while she leans against my legs....
Just some cool stuff.
How about you? What is your cool stuff?
23 comments:
Liv's poem seems almost Haiku. Mind you, I don't really know the rules of Haiku, but it sure comes close!
-T-
Can I just borrow your cool stuff?
Or, can I borrow you?
Heh. My Christmas card would say:
Joseph is officially starting his federal prison term..for the next 5 years. Kandace (my niece) stole a car and will probably end up in prison beside her brother. Kyle (my little bro) will be out of prison in approximately 6 months. Maybe he won't have to go for a third time. Dean (other brother) is out of rehab and living in Mom's spare room.
TC had a good day today, he didn't spit on the teacher or call her stupid. I am afraid Sara will be in a bigger bra than me soon if those things don't stop growing soon!
Merry Christmas!
I wanted to add I am so jealous! I never get 8 hours of sleep.
My good things would be:
Yummy pancakes and bacon for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee with vanilla creamer.
Hearing my kids laughter, it is just magical.
A hot jacuzzi bath, uninterrupted.
A foot rub by Sara, she is the best!
My letter is almost as bad: "...Amanda spent a week in the adolescent psych ward and would have been sent to truancy school were it not for her good grades..."
When I am driving in the snow and the flakes land on my windsheild and you can actually make out that they are perfect little snowflakes, not just white blobs. It looks like someone actually took scissors and cut them out of paper.
I love climbing into a warm bed with flannelette sheets, wearing my flannelette jammies and bed socks when it's freezing cold and teeming down with rain. For a little while anyway.....then I start thinking about all the homeless people and it kinda ruins the mood :(
the very first sip of black coffee in the morning ....
it's so full of possibility
Thank you, Maria.
Liv's poem is beautiful, and your Christmas Letter will keep me giggling all day.
I love having my house dark with just the christmas lights on. That and a cup of hot chocolate along with a good movie is heaven!
What I don't like about this time of year is getting into a cold car. I stiffen up like a yard stick and start to ramble about how I hate living in this cold climate.
My cool stuff...
- Waking up early on a Sunday morning and just cuddling with my wife, nothing to rush around doig.
- Getting into a toasty warm bed that's been heating up w/the electric blanket, and cuddling as we fall asleep.
- Sitting in the living room with Fran, the fire going, enjoying a cup of tea, and watching some favorite show on TV.
Laughing at your Christmas letter!
How's this for cool stuff... a 1 week old baby that only wakes up twice in the night to eat then falls right back to sleep...
I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but HE TOTALLY ROCKS!!
Love Liv's poem and I'm with you on the Christmas letters. Hubbz has an aunt that always writes one and in years past when we knew bad stuff was going on in her family (her son cheated on his wife, then told her he wanted a divorce over the phone), she was still all sweet and chipper in the letter. I don't know how people think they can pull that off. No Christmas letters for me, thankyouverymuch.
Thanks Maria. I needed this post. I am so stressed out right now I could cling to the ceiling with one hand I think. And I don't know why. Have to think of cool calming stuff. Like cuddling with Rach right before bed or a nice hot cup of chai...
Besides my pretty-damn-cool daily soy chai tea (ha!), I had a really cool moment with Joey last night. He's finally at the point where he lets me hold him without wriggling from my arms to get down and move around - in fact, now that he's on his feet (very comfortably motoring around), he's learned how to stand at my feet, hold his little arms up and say "gee!" which means "Mommy, lift me up." So last night, after sinking like a ship under precious pressure from the look in his eyes to pick him up, we shared some animal crackers together, while I held him. He found it hilarious that I could eat a whole cookie all at once while he had to eat his in bites. So he began to put his soggy cookies toward my mouth. And as I would pretend to take bites, he would burst out in the biggest belly laughs I've ever heard him take - so big that he could barely take breaths between his laughs - and then he would nuzzle his little face into mine, and gurgle and giggle some more. I couldn't help but melt.
Pretty damn cool. We played this for 30 minutes. My arms were so tired from holding him, but I will never forget this precious time with him.
Watching White Christmas on a chilly night with a cup of hot cocoa
Walking into the house at the end of the day and finding my cat sitting at the door waiting for me, ready with a cat hug.
An unexpected cell phone call from a friend--they each have a special ring, so I know who wants to talk.
Having my daughter home for Christmas break.
My family's Christmas letter will likely announce the date of my hearing in court after I beat the crap out of someone who rear ends me because they were admiring snowflakes on their windshield.
Kidding!
Ho ho ho...
I had to read twice as I lost focus after reading about the fries. Ah...
Cool stuff: The sounds of my son and/or daughter.
Girlfriend's laughter--which I soak in every chance I get.
My boots: nothing special except they resist water & wind. I really hate wet toes.
Books: of course.
To name but a few.
Lovely poem.
Turning off all the lights, lighting a few candles, and snuggling up on the sofa under a soft blanket to watch the glow of the Christmas lights and the candlelight while drinking a deliciously sweet cup of hot tea.
Loved the letter! Hilarious. I HATE getting them in Christmas cards.
My cool things? First snow of the season. First beach day. Dark chocolate and Spanish brandy. When my 11 year old son reaches for my hand just because. Music that makes ALL the tiny hairs stand up. When HOT water hits my chilly body first thing in the morning. The cool side of the pillow. Christmas tree vendors on city streets...ahhhh.
Maria, have you heard the song Good Friend and a Glass of Wine? It is on the same (LeAnn Rimes) album as Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore. Really good album!! (I just read your list of songs)
I'm glad I'm here and my kids are alive, if not perfect. Yeay, boy.
Liv's poem is lovely. She might end up being a writer or a musician.
One of my coolest moments in the day is when I walk the 400 metre round trip to the letterbox and back and all 4 cats come for the walk with me. This is tough on them on a really hot day and so sometimes only 2 will come down. It is entirely voluntary but they can't bear to let me out of their sight so they take the trip with me.
Oh, and my nephew is still in rehab - gets out tomorrow. Hopefully this "dry" will last a bit longer than the last one. Poor kid, he's only 31.
Happiness Is:
big heartfelt hugs
poignant poetry and prose
artistic expression
(be it a child's scribble or masterpiece at MoMa, a good book or silly email)
the lively art of conversation
endless choking laughter that brings you to tears.
baking cookies
swimming in a clean ocean
the power of nature
(+ the sixth element)
sitting in a theater waiting for the show to start.
watching the world from an airplane window (chasing the sun or spying the arora borealis)
creating new things out of old stuff.
Thanks for asking. Its easy to forget what makes us happy when the world is spinning out of control.
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