it's good to be back

After several months of sitting in the same spot on the couch, I finally opened the door to my writing room again. I needed a change of scenery today, though our living room is lovely. I allowed the cats to poke around in my upstairs haven for a little bit, but after Milo went bonkers, I banished both felines and shut the door.

I'm thankful for such a room, where I can shut the door and just be. Johnny doesn't even mind. For now, he's got his own work space, too - our first [future] baby's nursery. And that's even more temporary since he's about to hire a guy to transform our garage into his drum studio. Since we believe we'll have more than one kid, I'll eventually have to give up my writing room, too, which is fine by me. A cute desk in our bedroom will work perfectly - I can shut that door as well.

In the meantime, my room is a blessing. An eclectic mish-mash of objects, new and history-filled alike. We want to drop by IKEA soon - we need a few more Billy bookcases - but I also need to do some serious organizing atop my desk. And I need a little table to sit by the left hand wall. Until that errand occurs, I'll enjoy the mess because I've missed my writing chair:



I've missed Bob:



And I've missed certain books ~ Marilynne Robinson, Frederick Buechner, Anne Lamott, Mary Oliver, Flannery O'Connor, Madeleine L'Engle, Dave Eggers, Simone Weil, Kathleen Norris, Annie Dillard, Sigrid Undset, Wendell Berry, Rick Bragg, Jane Kenyon, my dictionary, back issues of IMAGE, and a slew of other to-read books:

[that's a small Billy]

I love this space. To my right, I have a large window to peer out of when my eyes grow weary, or when I need to form a thought. Our lovely, overgrown Bottlebrush tree gently scrapes against that window (mental note: remind Johnny to prune the tree). Artwork by friends & family (and gifts from them as well) surround me, as do my neglected (not for long) inspiration wires. The cats protest outside the door, but I'm sorry guys, y'all are not always conducive to clear thinking. I was recently offered a writing opportunity right up my alley. I'm very excited. I can't share just yet, but that writing + the other types of writing I want to do are not going to happen on the couch. They will happen up here, in a proper chair, at a desk, with a hot beverage.

However, behind my desk is this chaotic scene:



Those would be boxes that my parents delivered during the Advent/Christmas '07 holidays. They decided that since I'm now a homeowner, I can store my own junk. The boxes are full of my childhood & high school stuff - I saw my prom queen trophy in there. I fully remember winning by a tie with my fellow classmate, Jeanette. But I totally forgot there was a cheesy trophy! It's headed for display in our "TV room." If you can't laugh at yourself, what good is life?

So, those boxes have remained on the floor since Christmas. That should show you not only how sick I've felt some of the time, but also my tendency to be lazy if I'm not careful. I think a fun project for next week will be to go through all the nostalgia. For instance:



There is a complete set of McGuffey's Readers in that box. Back in my forest green and pink bedroom (or was it the Pepto pink decor, Mom?), I'd line up my dolls & stuffed animals and remind them: we are in a classroom, people. No talking in class. No passing notes. Did anyone study their spelling lesson? Vocabulary? History? Mathematics? (me, neither) Their reading assignments?

At that time, I was certain I wanted to be a teacher, just like my parents. Later on at UH, I figured out that no, I didn't want to be a teacher. My favorite teachers from elementary through high school are some of my heroes. And I admire my parents to no end because they are truly great, gifted teachers. But I did not want to be confined to a classroom, apathetic about my job because my least favorite teachers still leave a bad taste in my mouth. They didn't teach me a thing. My theory is: if you don't love teaching, your students will not learn. So it's a little ironic that Johnny and I are pretty excited about homeschooling our children one day. I guess I'll be a teacher after all.

....This is a newer gift from my Mom, but isn't it a cool picture frame?:



And now it's time for a late lunch and folding the laundry (from yesterday). Then, for yet another change of scenery, we'll meet my brother at Yia Yia Mary's tonight. Oh, yum. There will be hummus, my favorite grilled salmon dish, and Greek coffee. Afterwards, Johnny promised that we could wander 'round a bookstore and window-shop. What a day.

P.S. - Oh my gosh. I should have typed this entry on books for calvin - since that blog is now dedicated to reading and writing. Oh, well. I'm still figuring out my two blogs.