Perforation Problems

(Day Thirty-Seven) I went on my first run of 2014 today. I still can't believe I'm the kind of person who would type that sentence, but as I put on my bright green and pink running shoes, I felt sentimental about them. "Hello, old shoe friends." I ran very, very slow. Like so slow people could have probably walked and kept up with me. But that's not the point. I met four people while I was running. The first was a white-haired gentleman with his camera, which had a long lens on the end. He came upon me as I was cleaning up Clyde's poop (awkward), and then later, when I passed him, he stopped me to point out the heron high up in the trees. The next was a man standing in the brush along the side of the pond, fixing his fishing lure. He smiled and nodded as I passed the first time but then ignored me after that, which was fine with me. It's a lot of work to be social while red-faced and out-of-breath. The next time I came around the loop, there wa...

(Day Thirty-Six) This is going to be a short post because Michael and I have some Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to play, and it's already almost 10 pm. I'm a couple chapters into the third book of the Divergent series, and I'm seeing what Michael is talking about. There was definitely something that happened in the second half of the second book -- the writing got a little distant, like the author was speeding through things and not taking her time to make you feel invested or like you're in the middle of what's happening. It was just plot point after plot point and no effort to pull you in. It was just off and on in the second book, but so far it's the entire third book. There have been times in my own writing when I've felt like I'm doing that, so I'd like to take some time and see if I can identify what the functional and mechanical differences are between the parts of book 1 that pull you in and the parts of book 3 that fail to do so...

(Day Thirty-Five) My dog and I are both watching what we eat right now -- he was told he was overweight today at his vet visit, so as you might expect, he's dealing with some self-esteem issues. Me, I'm just in the midst of my eternal and futile battle to control my cookie urges. So as I'm sitting here writing and chomping carrots I'm occasionally passing one over to him, too. Clyde loves carrots. Today was my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. It was a very nice shower -- well put together, and the games were fun instead of painful (which some shower games can be) -- but for some reason I always feel slightly uncomfortable at showers. I'm not sure exactly what it is. There's just such a heavy air of female tradition. I love the women in my family, and I do enjoy getting a chance to spend time with them without the men around, but I think showers make me feel uncomfortable because they're still so centered around traditional views of women. The ...

(Day Thirty-Four) Stupid Things You Have to Do When You're an Adult Buy wrapping paper Take your car in for oil changes  ...and tire rotations ...and 90,000 mile checkups Pretend you don't just want the grilled cheese, chicken tenders, and hot dogs off the kids' menu Make doctor and dentist appointments Fill out life insurance forms Wear socks that match Move old 401ks over to IRAs Buy HVAC systems and new roofs Take the trash out Clean the dog hair off the couch Clear the yard of dead branches Scrub stove trivets Buy placemats

(Day Thirty-Three) I got myself HOPPED up on lattes today, and it was great. I didn't even know I liked lattes until about a month ago, but here's the thing: they make chocolate ones. And I don't know why no one told me that. Today I got TWO Zebra lattes, which have white chocolate AND dark chocolate in them. I'm still a little hopped up on caffeine, if you can't tell. I'm typing really fast. Anyway, they're delicious. I love them. I have a question for you: What do you think about adding dinosaurs to your interior decorating scheme? I think it adds a certain special je ne sais quoi. (But I do sais quoi...it's dinosaurs). Michael sent me this today. I hope he knew I wouldn't take it as a joke and that I would really be interested in getting one. I've also always been a fan of these Restoration Hardware prints, but I can't find an affordable facsimile. (I know they're from their Baby & Child brand, but I don't care...

(Day Thirty-Two) I just finished the first of three books in the Divergent series. Michael read them before me and says they're so badly written he couldn't finish them -- that's pretty serious coming from Michael, because even he says he can't usually tell if something is badly written. So I'm surprised I liked the first book as much as I did, though really I shouldn't be. It's a popular series among teenage girls. Yeah, it's not the best writing, and there are some flaws in plot and character development. I would never put it at the top of my "must read" list. But the main character is brave, smart, and good, and the plot touches on one of my favorite themes -- that good and bad aren't black and white. Good people can be bad, and bad people can be good, and everyone has the capacity for both. The setting is interesting -- Chicago far, far in the future -- as are the rules and characteristics of the universe. Interjection: please for...

(Day Thirty-One) I've been messing with an O&C card tonight and it's just not working. Usually when that happens it means I'm on the wrong track, so I have to throw everything I have away and start over. It's tough because, like with any writing, you'll get attached to a particular line or phrase or thought that seems to GET IT, but eventually you gotta give in to the fact that it all has to go. Outta here. Then again, sometimes I think there's no hope for something, but the next morning those words that seemed ridiculous and wrong are perfectly fine and exactly what was needed. So I'll sleep on it. I'm not going to write much tonight because I'm sleepy and want to spend some time reading before bed, but I will say three things. 1) Have you realized how horrible the Weather Channel website is? It's seriously bad. Maybe 1/5 of each page is actually useful, weather-related content, and the rest is spammy mcspammerstein. 2) There's...