What I'm Into :: January 2013

In Life 

I haven't been blogging not because I don't have the desire, passion, or ideas. I have all three. The ideas take time, though, and I started a new teaching job at a very big university, where between driving and navigating campus and teaching and all! the! faculty! meetings! and prepping and photocopying and grading,  I still have to parent my two children and be a wife to my husband, who--along with my mom--has been the one to feed, clothe, and tend to the children in the past three weeks (Thank you, Husband and Mom.). My first week at work I saw my family a total of 30 minutes. The take away? This job will not last forever and, when I have a chance, if I have a chance, I'll write to you all that's been on my mind, which has been rich and full and Spirit-deep. I've chosen to focus on work and family this month, and I'm glad for it. Thank you for your patience and grace.

But I need prayer, friends. Writing helps me feel alive, and I need wisdom in knowing how to integrate it into my new schedule without forsaking my family responsibilities. 

Here's what's kept me from drowning this cold and rainy and glad-it's-over January:

In Music

Fun. Not only is the lead singer from Arizona, but his prose and harmonies are somewhat reminiscent of Paul Simon's stories and songs (my favorite song because it's my story, too, is "The Boxer").

Forward to 1:00 for the song; the story in the video is good, too, though.


The song I teach to my students to remind them that it'll be okay if they at least try.

On Film 

Last week, just to reconnect with life, I skipped away to movies either mid-day with Greg while the girls were with my mom or at midnight with my brother. These were all worth watching: 

Zero Dark Thirty 

Silver Linings Playbook 

Django (the "D" is silent) Unchained: I didn't realize it would be so funny, and I think this was Tarantino's best. But the last 45 minutes were too much. Too much ripped apart flesh, too much blood, too much, too much, too much.

And late one night, I streamed this on Netflix because it was a good reminder that getting to your dream-come-true requires so much time, sacrifice and effort: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

In Books

This is the first thing I've read by Karr. I'm only 4 pages in, but the voice already has me knowing this book--full of honesty and vulnerability--will inspire me even farther on my own journey.

On My Phone

Voxer. If you don't have it, download it now. If you don't use it, start today. I vox to know that I'm still alive.  I still have friends because of this app. 

In My Heart 

My youngest daughter Eva turns 2 next Monday. We got her a doll house at a consignment store. Ariel insists it's for both of them, and I remind her that they'll of course share it, like they do everything but their toothbrushes (usually).

Last weekend, I brought home a trunk I've been storing at my parents' for 25 years. It has in it my Barbies, some doll house furniture, a Corvette, a bizarre mini-vanesquemobile, and two Ken dolls with one missing leg each. 

For a reason I can't articulate, I'm happy for my or my mom's prescience in saving these items for my daughters. I never outgrew or became bored of dolls. I put them away reluctantly because I was getting too old to play with them, and my friends were beginning to comment. Now, squatting on the floor next to my daughters to comb out decades-old tangles and dress curvy dolls in 80s clothes feels thrilling. Everything feels new again, and aside from wondering why I cut some bangs too short, I can still remember which dress belongs to which doll, or how every piece of furniture converts. Ariel likes the doll with the black hair most. She says it looks like me.

What have you been into this month? 

I'm linking up with Leigh Kramer at Hopefulleigh for "What I'm Into." Join me and other bloggers there to read about what's kept us afloat.