Tuesday, January 1, 2008

RG’s year-end yardsale: an essay in numbers; or, Sugar-crashing; or, An optimist would call it a year-beginning yardsale

7: Days until my semester begins

4: Pages I’ve revised for my book proposal’s sample chapter

35: Pages remaining for this last week of leave

3.5: Days at MLA

1: Long-lost friend reconnected with, warmly and with much affection

1: Enchanting blog-buddy lunched

108: total, in dollars, of mine and Sporty Americanist's tab at this fabulous joint (price includes no alcohol, though the chef did send out a lovely refresher of cranberry juice layered with, I think, pumpkin-orange juice and dusted with scallions)

3: Days I’ve spent obsessing about my quest to recreate that roasted mushroom broth

94: Days until my next meal at Green Zebra

3.5: Days spent in Chicago without my kids

3: Years until the MLA moves to January and out of everyone's vacation week (yay!)

2: Number of cute little Things who dared use the moto-sled of power on the sledding hill today

2: Crashes, but good-natured ones, with poofs of snow and red-cheeked squeals

6: Hours since they went home with their dad

12: The anniversary I guess I won’t be celebrating this year

37: My age, as of next week

0: My odds, I’m now realizing, of finding a new partner who’s thrilled to meet a late-thirties mom of two who is freakishly close with her much-admired ex, to whom she will always be secretly comparing him. Not that I'm in the market for a new partner

7: Speed, in minutes, of my miles on the treadmill at the hotel in Chicago—fueled by conference adrenaline and at approximately 500 feet above sea level

9? 9.5? 10? who knows? I’m guessing, because I don’t come equipped with an instrument panel: Speed, in minutes, of my miles tonight on the unplowed ice sheets of the suburban/rural Intermountain West, appx. 4800 feet above sea level

1000: My approximate weight, in pounds, though I may not be a reliable gauge

0: Today’s quotient of perspective, sanguinity, and all-around New Year’s zest

5 comments:

squadratomagico said...

What a fun post!

Happy New Year -- may your life continue to be rich, and may Green Zebras nuzzle you in sleep.

Flavia said...

This is marvelous. And if you're 1000 pounds, you mask them very well.

Happy new year and happy early birthday--wishing you much sanguinity, zest, perspective (and maybe a book contract).

Dr Write said...

I have a recipe for a smoked mushroom broth. I think. Check out the Cafe Flora cookbook. Or email and I'll send it to you.
Happy New Year.
(and I think your odds are much, much higher than zero.)
Also: will you be in NYC?

Renaissance Girl said...

Thanks, all, for much-needed words of kindness.

Dr. W--No NYC for me; I'm overconferenced for 08, and I'm trying to develop a grudge against AWP's studied antiintellectualism. (But of course, if they want me on some cool antiintellectual panel next year, I'll pack my bags.)

Dr Write said...

Hey! We should do a panel. I encountered this "antiintellectualism" in the PhD program (if you can believe it!) from MFA-ers (that is, creative writers with MFAs vs. PhDs).
So, isn't AWP in Vegas next year? Or soon?
Something on theory and creative writing? or the false dichotomy of theory vs. craft?