 Lamott Love |
|
I'm just going to write some updates. Work: Work is hard. I feel dumb a lot of the time. I feel anxious a lot of the time. Exercise: I completed Week 1 of Couch to 5K. It was not easy, but I did it, and I did Day 1 of Week 2 tonight. I don't even know if I'm doing it correctly in that I don't know how fast you're supposed to run, so I'm just starting slow. Like, really slow. But it's still hard and I still breathe a sigh of relief when the running portion ends and I can walk again. It feels good to sweat and to have a regimented plan. It makes it easier for me to actually go to the gym. I invested in some new running shoes and socks this weekend, and the astronomical expense alone might serve as a great motivator for me not to quit. Music: I could not exercise without music. Lately my favorite treadmill songs are Fame by Irene Cara and Angry Inch. Health: I went to the doctor for my follow-up appointment last week. They took blood to test my TSH and T4, which has to do with the thyroid action (or inaction as the case may be). We'll see if the Synthroid is doing any good. I told her I feel the same. She was bothered that I still haven't made it through the night even on medication, so she's sending me to a urologist. FUN! I asked her about diabetes, but she insisted that my glucose was normal, as was my sodium, which if not can indicate diabetes-esque problems. Comfortingly, she agrees with me about Life of Pi. Television: All I've been watching is The L Word. It's pretty good so far if you like melodramatic relationship shows, which I do. I cannot abide Jenny and want her to die a fiery death and Marina bugs me as well, but what're you gonna do? I think Dana and Alice are my favorites so far. Upon doing some Internet research on the show, I see that it's been quite the show of obsessive fan discussion and speculation and devotion. So I know exactly what happens all the way up to now, but that's okay. It's still fun to watch. Books & Movies: None, because I've been spending all my movie and book time watching The Damn L Word. My boyfriend likes Shane. Doesn't everyone? It seems like she's the fan favorite for sure. Wait, we did watch Red Eye, which, come on. The best thing about it was Rachel McAdams, but that's usually the case in any movie she's in. House: My dad went to check on my pets last night and heroically soaked up the water that had dumped out of my air conditioner with three giant towels. I don't know. I thought about panicking, but I thought, if I have to buy a new air conditioner, that will be horrible and I will be broke, but what can I do? Nothing. My mom, also a hero, met the air conditioner man at my house this morning since I couldn't miss work. He commended me on my choice of "the best filter possible" (the fancy Arm & Hammer kind) and wondered how so much cat hair got into some kind of coil considering that I have such a great filter but I revealed that I usually buy the cheap kind and that this was my first fancy one ever. Oops. He cleaned out lots of gunk and goo and said it should be fine now but warned that its days are numbered. That is no shock as it looks practically prehistoric. Is it possible that it's as old as the house (fifty years old)? I have no idea. That doesn't seem possible, but considering (a) how crotchety it appears and (b) how crappily it cools my house, I suppose it might be true. Anne Lamott: When I first saw the ad announcing Anne Lamott's visit, I immediately shrieked and started weeping simultaneously and said, "It's like -- a dream come true." We got tickets, and I looked forward to it for weeks. Last night, we parked the car on a little side street off of St. Charles and were walking toward the entrance when who should we see walking as well? That'd be Anne Lamott. I involuntarily jumped into the air a little bit and she saw us and we smiled and she gave a little smile, like, either "Freaks," or "Look at that mighty fine America Is Scary shirt that fox is sporting," about my boyfriend. Anyway, we sat in the front row sort of off to the side and there she was, talking about faith and writing and grief in that scattered, rambling way that she has that some might find confusing but I like because that is how my own brain functions most of the time. She wore black pants and a slightly rumpled white button down shirt and sensible black shoes, man. Sensible shoes. She talked about how someday we all have to eventually survive an unsurvivable loss and how we can't heal an anxious mind with an anxious mind but that we have to make our mind change channels. She said little that I hadn't already heard her say or read in her books before, but it was wonderful to hear her say it in person. She's just Anne Lamott, you know? You either love her or you don't, though I can't imagine how you can't. The crowd was pretty huge, which was good to see. The woman who lived next-door to my family my whole life (still does), Louise, was there and grabbed my copy of Plan B when I told her we weren't staying for the signing and said she'd take mine to be signed and give it to my mother to give to me. Which felt appropriate, since she was a librarian and the first person who ever taught me about libraries when I was a tiny child and gave me my first book ever signed by an author when E.L. Konigsburg visited our library and she got her book signed for me by her because it was narrated by a girl with my name and it had my name in the title even. (I wanted to remind her of this when I first greeted her last night and she looked at me blankly like she had no idea who I was.) 
Part of me wanted to stay and wait in the line, but it was late, I had to drive home and I am a horrible latenight driver, and I somehow didn't want to stand face to face with Anne Lamott because I thought I would not be able to maintain composure and somehow the encounter would spoil my love for her which I want to hold onto forever. I am eager to see what she writes about her visit to the city. She said she took copious notes during her tour earlier that day. (Of course she took copious notes.) She said it blew her away. I will forever remember hearing her speak about healing in a wounded city, with my man beside me and tears in my eyes, as a beautiful thing.  :::
About this time in ...
© Copyright 2006 elb |
|
