December 22, 2007
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Powdered sugar and 3 pm dusk
The end of 2007 tastes like princess tea cakes: all sweetness, prettiness, and love.
Last weekend, I baked said tea cakes and some date sweeties to give to our neighbors for a holiday treat. This was the first time I knocked on our neighbors doors – I was feeling too crazed with my own struggle for self preservation to be a good neighbor when we first moved in to the city. Holiday cookies seemed a good opportunity to do what I should have done from day one. “Hello. I’m Truly. Just moved in. It’s nice to meet you. Knock if you need anything. Feliz Navidad.”
I also made some fancy peanut butter cookies with dates and white chocolate love drizzled atop for a new friend’s birthday treat. We spent Saturday night with her eating her boyfriend’s yummy homemade tabuli and playing Scrabble. I love it when I luck out and meet people who like hearing and telling crazy stories as much as I do. There’s nothing better than spending an evening swapping weird true-life tales, complete with hilarious dysfunction, strange discoveries, and triumph over the mundane.
On Monday, I started work at the creative writing school. So far, it is a rockin’ job. The organization of the enterprise seems to be really well designed, streamlining everyone’s day-to-day tasks and eliminating undue stress from the workday. Basically, I will be responsible for the general maintenance of the office, assisting students with registration, and managing special events. The office has 9 people total, no burbaucratic crap, and a relaxed, human approach to everything. Plus, I have everything I ever could ever want from an employer: affordable healthcare, ample time off, a 401K, a livable wage, all the free writing classes I can handle, and non-crazy coworkers. Best of all, I am working for an organization that I believe in and can market in good conscious.Thursday, Shaun and I were off to MI. We traveled back via a ride-share arranged on Craigslist. 5 passengers, three dogs, and someone’s bad book-on-tape later, we arrived at my mom’s house to have a Christmas gathering with my brothers and my mom’s husband’s parents. It was great to see my brothers. Anthony just turned 19 and was recently put on commission at work (he pimps out car audio systems for a living); its been a long time since I’ve seen him so utterly comfortable in his own skin. He was smily and laughing and just good. I love his girlfriend – this is the third time I’ve hung out with her in earnest and I pray that she’s here to stay. She’s hilarious and bizarre and smart and satirical and completely glamorous; it makes me smile that my brother has such good taste.
Yesterday while Shaun spent a leisurely afternoon writing in the local pub, my mom and I went on a long walk through a nearby park. The day was gorgeous. I love how peaceful snow looks when it simply slumbers in heavy drifts across the land. I like the color of a wintertime sky and the warm cool glow of a 3 pm dusk. I like thinking about the fuzzy snouts of reindeer and the happy whoosh of tobbogans. Wintertime smells good – clean, with undercurrents of fireplace and gingersnaps.
Fungus Among Us
Do the wave
Snow Uninterrupted (By piss, feet, or tire.)In the evening, my best friend Bryan came over for some afternoon cocktails and silly banter. I gifted him Amy Sedaris’ book, Hospitality Under the Influence, and we made plans to make a hideous Baked Alaska. It feels so good to be surrounded by friends and family. Its been nice to hole up in my mom’s house, safe and warm and offered sweet tangerines and dark coffee.
Today, midway through this noontime hour, my beloved 15-year old brother is sleeping still, as teenage boys will do. When he wakes, I hope to make a pinata with him. Or see a movie. Or drive out to Cranbrook to walk the museum halls.
We head home via ride-share Wednesday morning. I’m happy that is days from now. I’m happy to be completely and totally unaware of time for a minute.
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What does December taste like to you?
Comments (3)
Lucky neighbors! Thanks for the recipe link. And killer idea for peanut butter cookies. Never thought of the drizzle but oh yum!Congrats on the smart ride sharing btw. Has to be better than flying or renting a car. More interesting even if only to write about.The job. Just awesomeness there. I look forward to reading about it. So far you time away from time sounds blissful. may it remain so.So far December tastes of dust. Our Christmas is best left unmemorized this year. Perhaps when the actual break begins new flavors will arrive. I think they will.Best to you and yours!
This has been an intense December of work for us. Now we have almost two weeks of vacation ahead, and our daughter is home from college. So the immediate future is tasting sweet.This will be a chocolate Christmas for us. Ana brought back 10 different kinds of chocolate from Montreal. We look forward to sampling a different flavor each night. The orange tonight was outstanding!What a wonderful end of the year for you. I do believe that you deserve it all.
December often tastes of desperation, of one more chore that needs to be done, one more holiday event to attend. This holiday season has spun out of control, into some big extravaganza replete with commercial, social and financial pressure to way too many people. So I envy your simplicity and ability to suspend time and responsibility for quality time with loved ones. Enjoy it!