good book.

Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall. just finished. excellent book. dark, not too happy an ending (don't want to give it away, but you can see it coming).

why was this so much better than In Her Shoes? better character development. motivation, description, feeling like you are there "in the moment" with the characters. similar plot themes in both, in regards to family secrets. and yet some secrets are meant to be slowly revealed, not dropped all at once. from the author's pen, to reader's ear, i mean.

anyways, i am glad to be visiting fiction again. i will continue to do so, but perhaps under the book list of prizes for now. i am reluctant to only read from the "acceptable" lists - but sometimes you've got to start with someone's opinion, on the way to finding your own!

reading.

okay, went to the library, read In Her Shoes by jennifer weiner yeasterday. i just can't get into this kind of story. took me a little over an hour to read, i admit i was skimming by the end. how can you be bored while you are reading? i took out a number of trade paperbacks yesterday, playful romps throught he lives of average women, commentary on their lives and their shoes and their men.

i have always thought of literature, good literature, as an escape for me. and yet this particular book made me merely irritated. i found myself often saying to the main characters "so get over it" and "deal with it". what creates a good plot for me? a combination of universal dillema, one i can relate to, and a strength in will to solve it. to go beyond the mundane, the ordinary. to create new solutions, gain new insights into one's being and motivations.

i think i am headed back to the biography section this week. those written about have to be intersteing, i suppose - or their bios would never find their way to a shelf. "ordinary" people with extraordinary problems (and solutions?).

one interesting fact - this book contained a number of poems, from elizabeth bishop to e.e. cummings. i recognized them right away - and it was a jerk back into a more substantial, meaningful reality. where did my daily poetry reads go? i felt like someone who reds poetry for a moment - or one who read poetry. back to the economy of words this week. more is less.

harvard museum

harvard museum of natural history. go there. we went there yesterday, and saw the incredible glass flowers. what a nice place. kinda "old school", low-key museum, lots of taxidermy, animals in big cases, yellowing labels, but fun for all. it was nice to just LOOK at stuff, and not need to be so interactive.

vacation begins. i am inspired to make more trips to boston this week. i am lucky my job is going well, and i have no real work for school to complete (maybe a few fun songs). i have been reading so much about people and their creative outlets/pursuits. i am encouraged to try to look into the writing "thing" once again. a book on education, and creativity, and perhaps how teachers are constantly creative when they are most successful.

not sure exactly why creativity fascinates me so much - but i have determined it is the underlying interest in much of what i do. i have been watching the independent film channel quite a bit this week, for example - and what fascinates me most is the bios/stories of writers and actors and how they "made it". not so i can be famous and "make it" too - but just so i can see how they realized their creative dreams, and then so can i. similar circumstances, motivations inspire many of them in their creative endeavors.

great book - Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books. "book people" make me happy. i feel a certain kinship with them i suppose - what could be better than a good book??? speaking of great books, peter senge's newest is headed to me, courtesy of interlibrary loan. hooray! we are very short on cash this month, and i am using the salem library to the fullest extent!

vacation!

hooray for vacation! finally. it's not that i dislike my job, i just need a mental break every once in awhile. i try every vacation to do one new thing, learn one new skill, explore one new world. i most likely will head to boston for at least a day.

my current investigations are in the subject of creativity. i am fascinated by the creative process. it sems to link all the blogs i read, the biographies i read, the conversations i have. why do we do it? why do we need to explore, create new things, learn more all the time? i find this quest for new knowledge to be shared by many, but in many different forms.

i enjoyed studying creativity for my master's. i feel it was not nearly enough investigation. somuch of theliterature, the stories involve finding "your own voice" - in many cases, your own medium and outlet for creative work and endeavors. i feel like i might need a new one. i love fabrics, collage, paper arts..... but not the mess involved. lack of creative space? need for a permanent "studio" to work in? not sure.

this vacation i am also finishing cleaning our spare room, once and for all. many bozes piled everywhere, but filled with things that need to be disposed of. remnants from earlier days, different times. perhpas this physical space will give me mental space as well.

in-laws visit today , and we head to the harvard museum of natural history. i love cambridge - a great start to vacation week!

back again

okay okay, back again. why am i reluctant to write more often? i write email all the time... i think it's the capital letters. or lack thereof, in my case. no more capitals. without 'em, i am easily inspired.

weight loss update: 19 lbs. this is hard somedays. this week especially. i craved cheese and chocolate all week, most likely because i was ill for half of it, and lost 2 lbs at the beginning of the week on the super duper popsicle diet!

i was planning on watching a show, but our dear prez is on, answering questions. i can't watch. it's like a train wreck. with kittens and young children.

i have begun to seriously alter my work schedule - and so far so good, relaxation is occuring. leaves me time for wonderful dinners with my husband, like last night's filet mingon at the wild horse cafe. mmmm. (now maybe that's why i didn't lose weight this week!)

next week - school vacation - yay! i plan on taking some serious personal time, most likely in boston, maybe see some art, create a few new lo-cal recipies. keep working on photography too. i did recieve some rather unexpected, unwarranted and certainly unwanted advice from a relative recently who took my pics to a professional. MY pictures! without even asking? how rude. in many of my creativity classes we discussed the "naysayers" of the world - they do not create, just comment on other's creations. i suspect she is such a person. good thing i will stick to my pictures, and no longer send them around so carelessly!

there goes the prez... time for some vanilla oatmeal, and coffee.

Superbowl!

We're going to the superbowl! What a game! And now, the 2 weeks of hype begins... I stillhaven't bought a Patriots T shirt. I always feel like I should around this time of year - and then I wait for the Superbowl to be over. Perhaps this is the reason they are winning. No T-shirt purchases until after the game!

Superbowl party? Have to think about that one...

SNOW!

Why have i returned to my blog after such an abscence? I have been reading too many others, and have that urge to write again. I am snowed in - 2 feet of snow already.

Updates on places of interest around the web:

coffeepot ghost.

After seeing the film White Noise, I decided to do a little research on EVP, and this quirky site came up. Scary stuff, yet funny.

The Tournament of Books

Now this looks good. I will put the bracket alongside my NCAA basketball bracket. I just finished Charlotte Simmons. Not bad i guess. I am reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell now. very good!