Bowling Cuties

When the West Coast Riches were in town, we headed over to Bowl America. The kids did really well. Jorja was victorious in the second game.

Please, God, Let There Be School Again

We are on our fifth day of sledding. That's all the kids do. Even in the dark. There are socks strewn all over. I can't wait until Tuesday.

The Force Is With Him? We Hope.

Garrett is way into Star Wars. He has been watching the first two on VHS. Unfortunately he is having trouble keeping it all together. He can't merge the new movies with the old ones: young Obi Wan, Anikin/Darth Vader, etc. It is going to take some time.

Ice Storm

We are all happily at home as the sleet clicks against the windows. Of course, we didn't get to sleep in. We met the bus at the usual time, but Fairfax County closed two hours early. Then the afterschool care closed three hours early. It has been an interesting day. We are wishing that we will get to sleep in tomorrow. Colleen has a new movie from Netflix and would like to watch it. Claudia just finished her homework, which is due tomorrow. Now all we have to do is cross our fingers and toes.

We Have a Winner!

Garrett and his shark car came in first in his pack at Saturday's Pinewood Derby. Garrett and his pit crew (Art) spent the evening following the race masterminding next year's car. They have plans to win the pack and move on to regionals.

Our New Pet

We are finding strep around the house so often that it might as well be a pet. Claudia has been diagnosed with strep again. That's two for Colleen; two for Claudia. So far none of the men have fallen to strep. We do also have some kind of virus going around at the house too. Yuck.

Pinewood Derby, Here We Come

Garrett is fashioning his pinewood derby car after a shark. The sanding and shaping has been done. The first coat of paint is on. He weighs in on Friday night and races on Saturday.

A Year of Reading

Although I am all caught up on my Harry Potter, my list has fallen short of last year's tally. I don't believe I will finish another today so here it is. Currently in the works are Old School by Tobias Wolff, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, and After This by Alice McDermott. I suspect the only book I will complete today is Russell the Sheep, which will be my fourth reading of it this week. Happy New Year!

2006 Reading List
1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close By Jonathan Safran Foer
2. The Final Solution By Michael Chabon
3. Dear Zoe By Philip Beard
4. Drives Like a Dream by Porter Shreve
5. She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel
February
6. Parched by Heather King
7. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
8. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
9. A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
March
10. The Tender Bar
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. The Beans of Egypt, Maine
April
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
14. Stink and the Incredible Supergalatic Jawbreaker
May
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
16. The Reader by Bernard Schlink
17. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
18. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
19. The Miracluous Journey of Edward Tulane
June
20. Ella Enchanted
21. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
22. A Widow for One Year by John Irving
July
23. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
24. Blister by Susan Shreve
25. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
26. A Single Shard
27. 84 Charing Cross by Helen Hanff
August
28. Wait for Me by Susan Shreve
29. A Man Called Cash
30. The Stolen Child
September
31. Ordinary Love and Good Will by Jane Smiley
32. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
33. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
34. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
October
35. Fun Home
36. The Three Martini Playdate
37. The Body by Stephen King
November
38. The Frequency of Souls by Mary Kay Zuravleff
39. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
December
40. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
41. Everyman by Philip Roth
42. Miss American Pie
43. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
44. The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

Christmas 2006

Kooky kids with their cousins

Top Five Books for 2006

Everyone (Washington Post, NYT) is doing their list so I will do mine. Here are my five favorite books from what I read this year.

1. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
2. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
3. Miss American Pie by Margaret Sartor
4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
5. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

Number 8

Andrew in his VT lacrosse garb. He reports that he will get to wear No. 8 this season, which was his number in high school. Lacrosse season doesn't begin until spring but they are already practicing and playing in scrimmages.

It's Over

The first pass of the book is done. I turned it in on November 8. It has already been read by my classmates and is currently being read by a few friends. It was a wonderful experience having people talk about my book and the characters like it was a real book. Especially after so many weeks of writing alone. Art was extremely helpful that last week and took on things so I could have the time to do a quick proof and come up with an ending. It is still riddled with errors, but I am at least a revision away from worrying about that.

Ghoulish Night

My stylist will be wearing this fashionable vampire costume tonight. Garrett will be a ninja...again. He saves us lots of money in the costume department. Andrew, well, he will likely be a some college party. Or studying for an exam. Or both.



Thought for Today:

“There are three rules for writing the novel.
Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

—Somerset Maugham

Rest in Peace

My electric pencil sharpener has died. I don't think my family realizes how serious a loss this is. They don't appreciate the beauty of a finely turned pencil point. Only a writer or editor could do that. I tried my trusty Target for a new one, but their selection did not match the quality I was used to. So I will head to Office Depot or a similar spot.

Touching Sharks and Other Pursuits of Happiness

As part of our mad dash to Philadelphia this weekend to see Aunt Noreen and the rest of the clan, we went to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, right over the bridge. Who knew this place existed?

I can't believe we haven't gone before. We literally closed the place. Garrett (Mr. Short Arms) made three runs at the sand sharks that they let you pet. He still says he didn't touch Jake, the younger shark, but we are pretty sure he did. The best thing was the shark tunnel in which you are surrounded by water and sharks on this one walkway. Garrett did not want to go to the haunted prison. We are still holding that against him.

More Than Halfway

Yes, we are more than halfway through the novel. As of Tuesday night, we were at 24,208 words. At 40,000 words, we must type the words The End and duplicate it for the professor and the lucky people in our noveling group.

We have also found that noveling or writing in general for large amounts of time can make you feel insane. When you figure out something about your novel or the characters in your novel, you become very excited and want to share the news--which you really can't...because novels are not about REAL PEOPLE so even if you discover that he was secretly in love with her and has been for all this time, NO ONE CARES because he is not a real person. He is an imaginary person who ONLY YOU KNOW. So go back to your room and write.

Most Novelists Look Like This

See the happy woman typing away. That's what it is like to write a book. You just sit in a well-lit place in your perky author outfit and type and type and type until one of your arms cramps up (usually the right one).

She doesn't even need a glass of red wine to accompany her noveling. Or to make a date with her husband just to have a little adult interaction. She's an amazing novel-writing machine.

Here in the real world: The novel has passed 12,000 words, but I am behind on my word count so far this week. Thanks goodness they haven't started showing new episodes of Medium yet. Phew. I am supposed to have 16,000 words by Wednesday. By October 4, I will at 20,000--that's the half way point.

I'd Rather Be...Noveling?

What you have heard is true. I did sign up for a class called "Writing Short Novels." Yes, I will need to have completed a short novel by
Thanksgiving. Yes, it is a completely new project for me. I recently sat down with myself (the reporter) to discuss the project.

Me: So, how long is this novel supposed to be?

Me: 40,000 words, which is kind of short. We are to write 4,000 words a week--and the teacher checks it. After 10 weeks, we should have 40,000 or more.

Me: The teacher checks it?

Me: Yep, part of the syllabus is that you keep your novel backed up on a flash drive. I already had a flash drive. Now I have an excuse to wear it. Our teacher, the novelist Mary Kay Zuravleff, even brought in beads and silk cords to decorate the drives. I used my own beads from home. She wants to make sure no one falls behind or no one's dog eats their novel.

Me: So you started a whole new book?

Me: Yes, actually I was really torn. I actually have three ideas that are vying for my attention. Four even. I settled on this one for superstitious reasons, which I will keep to myself until it is done.

Me: Is there anything that you can tell us about it?

Me: Well, it is set in 1978. That was something Mary Kay suggested to another student, but it intrigued me. So I have been stocking up my iTunes with music from the 1970s: Old Springsteen, Heart, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac... I haven't been able to located any Benatar on CD yet.

Me: How's the writing going?

Me: Surprisingly well. The novel is only about 25 pages long so far so it hasn't had the opportunity to spin out of control yet.

Me: Can we check back with you in the future?

Me: I would be insulted if you didn't.

Jorja

Our cousin Jorja is in town for a visit and the kids are very excited to see her. The first day of school went well, except Garrett decided he would rather pack his lunch today. Not a big fan of the school cafeteria. He did say that the chocolate milk wasn't bad. The best part of yesterday was that it was a "free" day, which apparently means they weren't expected to learn a thing.

First Day of School

Everyone got off to school ok despite the constant rain. The bus driver was late so we had lots of time to ponder what the new day was going to be like. Garrett seemed very calm, but admitted to one of our neighbors at the bus stop that he was still scared. We took pictures inside. We will try to get a shot of the group when the weather improves.