Another week to endure. Let’s all hope that this one is less dramatic for me on the emotional scale. Or, if it has to be emotional, let’s hope it’s because I’m having a blast.
(And I hope you have a blast this week, too.)
So first up on the platter is the promise of hearing some news on the job front. Two different people from this place told me that I’d hear from one person or another this week, and I’m trying to remind myself that things like this don’t happen on a strict timeline; it could be a few days before I hear from anyone. I just don’t want to get anxious about this because I have other things to focus on such as …
… Writing my short stories. After having a wee bit too much beer on Friday night, the husband and I ended up bumming around all day Saturday. He was considerably worse than I was, but all I did was watch In the Flesh, order a new case for my iPhone, and start to get a hankering for burgundy boots. So I made it a point to get up early on Sunday to read my classmates’ short stories and get my butt to a city cycling class. After that, I came home, warmed up, and ended up finishing my short story in progress and beginning a new one (writing a little over 800 words, which is like whoa for me). Again, these are not the best, but they’re good beginnings. I’m happy I was able to finish something to print up tomorrow morning. And while it’s no Flannery O’Connor by any stretch of the imagination, my overall arc is pretty good and I’m feeling more confident in it. I’ll be in class until the lovely time of 10pm tonight, so it’s going to be a long day. But hopefully it’ll all be worthwhile as I get my writing done.
Oh, and about those burgundy boots—my sister happened to mention how these boots go with everything and now I’m all, “By Jove, she’s right!” Instead of the lower, stacked heel and riding boot that I usually tend to get, I started thinking I wanted a slightly thinner heel and a dress style. Thing is, I didn’t want to spend too much, but I’m super picky when it comes to boots. I don’t want them to be cheap as I want them to last for a few seasons. That means a major outlay of cash. I wasn’t thinking Frye kind of money, but it was proving to be a challenge to find something that I liked. Finally I found a some on Lord & Taylor, the Circa by Joan and David Carita Dress boot in Merlot Red. Perfect! How much? Hmm, $199 and 25 percent? Maybe. Who else has it? Macy’s! Excellent, but only 15 percent off. But hmm, let’s do one last search … Amazon! $149.25!? Most excellent. And OH MY GOD, 25 percent off on top of that!? For a total of $111.94 with free, two-day shipping thanks to my Prime membership? Sign me the fuck up.
Never, ever let it be said that I can’t bargain hunt with the best of them.
Another thing done and done this weekend was finishing Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie. I won’t go into detail, but I will say I love Alexie’s ability to be as raw as possible when it comes to writing hate, anger, and resentment. It’s something I struggle with in my own writing (as you may be able to tell, I can be an angry writer, but when we’re talking about something that could have an audience that knows my name, I freeze). I admire how unabashed he is with his writing. He gets a lot of flak for what he says (and was banned in Arizona alongside Gilb and Urrea and countless others), but his writing recognizes not just an oppressive history, but that it’s a valid and vital piece of American history. Recognizing that you have something important to say, and not letting people stop you from saying it, is something that Alexie in particular schools me on over and over again.
Finally, my city cycling class was very fun. I’m very much a rookie cyclist, but I feel more comfortable and empowered after my class. I’m looking forward to biking in this week despite the cold, too, thanks to some vital gear acquisition. I’m so glad I did it. I’m typically not a joiner (being pretty shy in real life), and whenever I do anything like this—class, race, book club, anything involving a group—I get a bit nervous and kick myself for signing up for this kind of stuff (okay, I’m a loner; there, I said it). But I usually just suck it up, go, and have a lot of fun. Why do I never learn?
Oh yeah. That’s right. I’m me.
Happy Monday, peeps.
2 thoughts on “Bracing for the Week”
whybike
Glad you’re enjoying the bike class – One of the best things about cycling is the peace and alone time you get when you go on solo bike rides. If you ever get frustrated about the class, just rest assured knowing that it’s preparing your for some of the best loner time available.
ttcwriter
Unfortunately, the class was a one-day thing, but I would love to do another one sometime soon. I learned a lot, and feel like I could learn more that would keep me happy and safe on those solo rides you mentioned. :)