Congratulations on the birthday. And 2 of those weird books-- Dog and Middlesex-- were selected by the American Library Association's Notable Books Council when I served on that Council. We reviewed 100s of books to select 13. The purpose of the Council is to call attention to books published during the year which are significant additions to the world of books.
You shelved. That is the volunteer work of angels.
Oh thank you! Shelving books was one of my very favorite jobs ever! I loved being in the libraries and learning about which books kids particularly love (because I had to shelve them every single time). And I agree about Dog and Middlesex--they're excellent books that give us an important window into the experiences of people who think a little differently. I hope that one day Denise will overcome her objections and give them a try.
There's lots of stuff to respond to here but this post made me so hungry I can barely think straight. Or at least about something other than the merits of eating cake at 8 AM.
Oh wow you were one of those very energetic moms who made school so great for everyone! I did my bit of volunteering and loved it, but nowhere near that much! Hat tip to you!
I’m glad you’re coping well with the empty nest. Someday I aspire to the same. This substack was a great thing to undertake! I’ve really enjoyed hearing what you have to say!
Re empty nests: One SIL sent me a text the day after, asking about all the empty-nest fun plans we must be having now. (Yeah, too soon.) Another SIL sent me a text today saying she hoped I was enjoying the empty nest. We’d had a convo a few months ago where I told her I was dreading it, so I didn’t think it would be a surprise, just a few days into it, when I shared “I’m hating the empty nest but am trying to improve my attitude. What’s new with you?”
So much for emotional honesty. I got no reply to that.
I was supposed to supply a “correct” answer about having fun perhaps. I left my daughter only four days ago and I’m still sad. She seems to be doing well, having fun, enjoying everything, and I’m genuinely happy for her and am sure everything will turn out fine (including for me, after an adjustment period) but I would dearly like the space to say, “I’m not fine at the moment. I feel terrible and that’s ok to feel terrible.”
That’s “what I have to say” today. Let’s all let the people in our lives feel bad when they need to, and not insist they pretend like they’re happy. I can pretend to be happy to acquaintances and colleagues this week, but not family. Please.
Victor Navasky--very cool! And even cooler that he was nice to you!
Also I’ve been looking forever for a good red cake recipe. It’s Vera’s favorite (aesthetically) but I’ve never found a recipe I liked. So we’ll try this one next time she visits
I am so sorry that this is a sad time for you, and believe me, I get it. It is very difficult for some people to watch their loved ones feeling sad, and so they try to ignore or "fix" our feelings--which just makes us feel guilty in addition to being sad! A wise friend once gave me some good language to use in situations like this: "I will be ok eventually, but could you let me feel sad right now?" You are feeling down because you are facing a huge life change, and you are grieving for your loss of seeing your daughter every day. Of course you are sad. I'm sending a hug.
Happy Birthday! "old-timey left-leaning" captures my own take on politics really well too.
I loved the whole No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, not least for its warm and positive outlook on life despite its hardships. And Mark Haddon has such a great sense of humor even when he's talking about difficult topics in his books.
I love McCall Smith's "warm and positive outlook" (what a nice way of putting it!) in all his books, and I am particularly fond of his Isabel Dalhousie series. :-)
As for "old-timey left-leaning," I like to say that I am a true Minnesota Democrat. In Minnesota, the Democratic party is actually called Democrat Farm Labor, which sounds exactly right to me!
Oh man, I also want cake. Happy birthday! I’m so glad you went with Substack - otherwise I would never have found your blog and gotten to internet-meet you!
Congratulations on the birthday. And 2 of those weird books-- Dog and Middlesex-- were selected by the American Library Association's Notable Books Council when I served on that Council. We reviewed 100s of books to select 13. The purpose of the Council is to call attention to books published during the year which are significant additions to the world of books.
You shelved. That is the volunteer work of angels.
Oh thank you! Shelving books was one of my very favorite jobs ever! I loved being in the libraries and learning about which books kids particularly love (because I had to shelve them every single time). And I agree about Dog and Middlesex--they're excellent books that give us an important window into the experiences of people who think a little differently. I hope that one day Denise will overcome her objections and give them a try.
There's lots of stuff to respond to here but this post made me so hungry I can barely think straight. Or at least about something other than the merits of eating cake at 8 AM.
Hmmm. Can we pretend the cake is just pancakes? It does go well with coffee!
Oh wow you were one of those very energetic moms who made school so great for everyone! I did my bit of volunteering and loved it, but nowhere near that much! Hat tip to you!
I’m glad you’re coping well with the empty nest. Someday I aspire to the same. This substack was a great thing to undertake! I’ve really enjoyed hearing what you have to say!
Re empty nests: One SIL sent me a text the day after, asking about all the empty-nest fun plans we must be having now. (Yeah, too soon.) Another SIL sent me a text today saying she hoped I was enjoying the empty nest. We’d had a convo a few months ago where I told her I was dreading it, so I didn’t think it would be a surprise, just a few days into it, when I shared “I’m hating the empty nest but am trying to improve my attitude. What’s new with you?”
So much for emotional honesty. I got no reply to that.
I was supposed to supply a “correct” answer about having fun perhaps. I left my daughter only four days ago and I’m still sad. She seems to be doing well, having fun, enjoying everything, and I’m genuinely happy for her and am sure everything will turn out fine (including for me, after an adjustment period) but I would dearly like the space to say, “I’m not fine at the moment. I feel terrible and that’s ok to feel terrible.”
That’s “what I have to say” today. Let’s all let the people in our lives feel bad when they need to, and not insist they pretend like they’re happy. I can pretend to be happy to acquaintances and colleagues this week, but not family. Please.
Victor Navasky--very cool! And even cooler that he was nice to you!
Also I’ve been looking forever for a good red cake recipe. It’s Vera’s favorite (aesthetically) but I’ve never found a recipe I liked. So we’ll try this one next time she visits
I am so sorry that this is a sad time for you, and believe me, I get it. It is very difficult for some people to watch their loved ones feeling sad, and so they try to ignore or "fix" our feelings--which just makes us feel guilty in addition to being sad! A wise friend once gave me some good language to use in situations like this: "I will be ok eventually, but could you let me feel sad right now?" You are feeling down because you are facing a huge life change, and you are grieving for your loss of seeing your daughter every day. Of course you are sad. I'm sending a hug.
Happy Birthday! "old-timey left-leaning" captures my own take on politics really well too.
I loved the whole No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, not least for its warm and positive outlook on life despite its hardships. And Mark Haddon has such a great sense of humor even when he's talking about difficult topics in his books.
I love McCall Smith's "warm and positive outlook" (what a nice way of putting it!) in all his books, and I am particularly fond of his Isabel Dalhousie series. :-)
As for "old-timey left-leaning," I like to say that I am a true Minnesota Democrat. In Minnesota, the Democratic party is actually called Democrat Farm Labor, which sounds exactly right to me!
Oh man, I also want cake. Happy birthday! I’m so glad you went with Substack - otherwise I would never have found your blog and gotten to internet-meet you!
I’m so grateful for Weird Emails—and that we’re online friends too!
Wait, who else's birthday do we eat red cake for? I only know about mine and Uncle Jerry's, and both of our birthdays ARE on Christmas Eve.
Yes—you and Uncle Gene are the Red Cake birthday twins!