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Laugh, from Alex's bedroom wall
Thanks to all of you who visited the MommyBloggers this week, and took the time to drop me a line. It was definitely a gas doing it. Keep dropping by their site -- they've featured some writers in the past who inspire me greatly, and I've no doubt you'd become a fan of their work as well, if you're not already.
And incidentally, unlike most images I post, feel free to steal this one. Because sometimes we all need a little reminder.
Looking up through the leaves of a beautiful tree in the gardens
So, have you guys seen Mommybloggers lately?
Mommybloggers is a relatively new website that features a different Mom Who Blogs every week. It's actually quite clever: they do a piece where they shamelessly flatter a momwriter, and then feature an Inside the Actor's Studio-esque interview of her, and then they turn their space over to her to feature some of her writing.
And this week, God help them, they're turning the spotlight on me.
So, if you're so inclined, please pop over to see them. Truly, it's a stupendous display of ultimate dorkocity on my part, leaving you wondering how much I paid the people who said nice things about me.
And when you read my words, I implore you: be kind.
UPDATE: The essay I wrote for Mommybloggers is now up. You can read it here.
Bovine flower
This beautiful flower grows in the gardens of our apartment complex. When I asked Celeste what it was, she said, "Oh, dat's a tea plant. It call 'bovine flower.' If yuh jus' have a baby, and yuh take de leaves an make a tea wit' it, yuh does come FULL wit' milk. Breas'feedin' does be a BREEZE."
You heard it here first.
Boulder in the garden
Whew.
I sort of feel like I've just been blowing and going and pushing to get to the other side, and finally, I've done it. It feels like I accomplished a few milestones this weekend. It feels like I can breathe again.
To recap:
NaNoWriMo. Well, I did it -- I made it to 50,000 words, earning me my little marathon-runner-running-past-the-tape-icon-thingy you see to the lower left, and in theory, the right to call myself a novelist (even though the story isn't quite done yet. I have, maybe, 5000 more words to go, which I plan on finishing before the end of the month). Here's the thing, though: it is the biggest, nastiest, steamiest pile of dung I have ever written. No, it really is. Don't say that it isn't, because truly, it. is. But you know what? It doesn't really matter. The point was to get the words down on paper, and as many of you correctly admonished me at the start of this little experiment, editing wasn't an option. At the end of it all, I realise that NaNoWriMo probably isn't the vehicle to actually finish a novel in a month, but more to get a really, really, really rough draft of a novel down on paper. I'm promising myself that I'll finish it by the 30th, and then not look at it again until the new year. After that, I'll start editing to see if I can salvage anything from it. I'll let you know how it goes.
My intellectual property presentation. I had a presentation to give to the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators yesterday at the Trinidad National Library. I think it went well -- it was about copyrights, and generated a lot of discussion, so I assume they were interested. It was sort of fun exercising my law chops again -- and heartening that I haven't forgotten everything.
Blogging Baby. The most fun I've had at a job in years. It's really a challenge to try to come up with something to write about constantly, but when I do, it feels great. The other thing that amazes me at Blogging Baby is how collaborative the team is, especially considering we're literally located all over the place. I hope one day I get to meet the other writers face-to-face, because they are truly an interesting bunch.
So, one of the other challenges to Blogging Baby is that every article is required to have an image associated with it. Since I've been known to pick up a camera once in a while, I've been able to publish quite a few photos over there as well (clearly a good thing). For this reason, I've been shooting, and shooting and SHOOTING -- just to have a stock of photographs to pull from, should the need arise.
Anyway, the result is I have a ton of photographs which may or may not get used over there at BB, but I'd love to share some of them with you here. Besides, this weekend I received an e-mail from a reader saying, in essence, she was missing the photographs of Trinidad I used to upload at another website, and really don't have time to keep up with anymore. So, if it's okay with you guys, I think I'm going to start publishing them here almost daily. I can't promise I'll have a lot to say every day (I mean, really, I have an interesting life, but I'm no Mir), so my longer posts will keep occurring at about the frequency you see them now. But hey, at least you'll get to see a pretty picture a little more often.
Until tomorrow, then!
Marcus
Taken just after I cut his hair last weekend. Don't forget to squint.
On another note: Recently I've received a few e-mails asking me if I sell prints of the images you see here on this site. I do. Please check out Chookooloonks: The Shop (or click on the link to the upper left, in the sidebar) where I frequently upload images for sale. And remember, all of the proceeds are donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Also, if you see an image on the site that you'd like to purchase, just e-mail me, and I'm happy to upload it.*
(*Images of Marcus and Alex don't count!)
A feast prepared a few weeks ago by our good friend Joanna, for which we were truly thankful.
To my readers in America: Hopefully by now you've made it safely to your holiday destinations, and are stuffing your faces as fast as your hands will let you. Here's hoping your day is full of turkey and touchdowns.
And to all my readers, wherever you are: I am truly thankful you spend a small part of your day here at Chookooloonks. Here's hoping your day today is equally filled with happiness.
As for us, we'll likely be having curry chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight.
And, as ever, we remain very grateful.
Making a break for it
At this point, I couldn't even list all the words that Alex knows -- the list would be too long, and I'm sure I'd miss some. She is a complete chatterbox now, barely stopping to take a breath. The cool part about this stage of her development is that she's learning words at the rate of a few a day, and every day she comes up with a word that I had no idea she knew, or have no idea where she learned it. The other day, for example, she walked up to Marcus holding a DVD in her hand:
"Daddy! Daddy! Watch DVD Nemo?"
and, indeed, the DVD for Finding Nemo was in her hand.
Now, we hadn't played Finding Nemo in our house for at least six months. We hadn't referred to the fish in as long. They don't watch videos in her school, so how she knew the fish on the cover was "Nemo" is beyond me.
Personally, I think she can read.
Anyway, not only is she asking simple questions, but she's now trying to tell stories -- relate what happened to her in her day, or tell the story of the video she's watching. Like, okay, take Nemo: Now that she knows how to ask for it, she can't get enough of it, and she certainly WON'T. STOP. TALKING. ABOUT. IT. And when she does, she grabs your face to make sure that you're looking in her eyes, and really paying attention:
"Mummy!!! Mummy!!! Mummy!!!"
"Yes, Alex?"
"Mummy! Nemo!"
"What about Nemo, Alex?"
"Nemo touch the boat!"
"Yes, he did."
"Nemo stuck."
"Yes, he got stuck in the aquarium."
"Mummy! Nemo touch the boat!"
"Yes, he did."
"Bye-bye, Nemo!!"
"Yes, he went bye-bye, didn't he?"
"Nemo naughty."
"Yes, Nemo was very naughty. He didn't listen to his daddy."
"Shark."
"Yes, there was a shark."
"Shark swimming in the sea."
And it goes on, and on, and ON.
A friend once told me that you spend so much of your time wishing they would start talking, and then you spend the rest of your time wishing they would shut up. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love to listen to Alex's chatter, but sometimes?
I see his point.
Croton in the morning sun on our veranda/gallery/loggi'al fresco
Well, DAMN, I'm busy!
Things have certainly picked up around these parts. In addition to slogging through the novel (only 9 more days, thank goodness), I've started writing in earnest for Blogging Baby, and let me tell you, there isn't a moment's rest over there. Talk about a requirement to be creative! It's a real challenge to come up with something interesting to say multiple times a day, but Lord, what fun. I'm really enjoying it -- although many readers are probably going to get tired of reading about Alex's every move!
If that wasn't enough to keep me busy, this coming weekend I'm supposed to do a talk on copyrights and intellectual property at the local chapter meeting of the Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Can you imagine? I joined this organization on the recommendation of a friend of a friend, in order to figure out how to get my children's book published -- and once they figured out I'm a lawyer, I somehow got roped into doing this. Not that I know a damned thing about Trinidadian intellectual property law. But hey! Sure! Let's do this!
And if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, Marcus talked me into cutting his hair yesterday. "Wow, Karen," I know you are thinking, "I had no idea you had such talent! Hairdressing as well? Do tell!" Well, trust me when I tell you, I have no hairdressing talent whatsoever, as evidenced by my ever-bushy coiffure. Nonetheless, this did not deter Marcus, who went out and bought some electric clippers anyway, and yes, forced me to take the razors to his head with wild abandon. How did he force me to do this? Well, I'll tell you. He let his hair grow to such unkempt lengths, that I finally had to agree that there was absolutely nothing I could do to make it look worse than it did earlier today. So shave away, I did. And frankly, it doesn't look half bad, if I do say so myself. Especially if you squint.
So anyway, yes, life abounds with new experiences! And I am well pleased. Thanks for all your good wishes, both here and at Blogging Baby. They really mean so much. And remember back when I thought I was on the verge of something big?
It feels like it's starting to happen.
My new fussy t-shirt, and Cheese Face
Okay, so I’m not pregnant and we're not moving (the top two guesses over the past two days). I’m actually now quite nervous to tell you this, because I feel I have inadvertently led you to believe that this is a Big Deal, and once you read this, you’ll be all “Well, damn, that wasn’t so huge. Why’d she have to be all cryptic?” And I’ll be all, “Well, damn, it’s a big deal to me, and I wanted to tell you, but the time wasn’t nigh.” And you’ll be all, “Well, damn.” And I’ll be all, “Well, damn.” In my defense, however, know that this really is a Big Deal to me, and I’m still walking around thinking that this surely must be a dream, and I’m terrified I’m going to wake up from it, find out it isn't real, and therefore truly be, “Well, DAMN.”
So, anyway.
This past weekend, I was offered my first paid writing gig for an online magazine, Blogging Baby. Perhaps you've heard of it?
When I received the offer, I was stunned: I stared at my screen, reading the e-mail over and over again. I just couldn't believe it.
"MARCUS!!!" I yelled.*
"WHAT??" he yelled back.
"I GOT A JOB!" I bellowed.
"WHAT??" he screamed.
"I. GOT. A. JOB!!!!" I hollered.
Marcus came running into the office, and we both did the Chookooloonks Happy Dance, with Alex joining in as best she could (it's very intricate, this dance. Takes years of practice). I can’t tell you how much the offer means to me. Someone likes my writing enough to pay me for it. That's never happened before.
(Well, okay, that's not exactly true. Admittedly, people used to pay me good money for long-winded contracts chock-full of "heretofores" and "notwithstandingtheforgoings." But they don't count, because this time, someone's actually paying me to write something interesting. Trust me, for a former lawyer, this is big.)
And as if that wasn’t enough to make this week a banner week, yesterday I received my new fussy t-shirt, courtesy of Mrs. Kennedy. I gotta tell ya, this shirt is magical. In addition to making me look like I have the figure that I need to have come Carnival time (the rumours of its figure-improving powers being the main reason I bought it), a strange feeling came over me as soon as I put the thing on. A feeling of unmitigated might. A feeling of ruthlessness. A feeling of, dare I say, retribution. What with the pen being mightier than the sword and all that, I only hope I remember to harness this newfound power to use for good rather than evil – otherwise, Lord knows what havoc I may wreak.
In all seriousness, though, as soon as the euphoria wears off, the pressure will be on to actually produce something. And when I finally do, I'll be sure to let you guys know. But for right now, I'm going back to the novel, to be interrupted only by small bouts of happy dancing.
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* I find the following all-too-common exchange an excruciatingly sad commentary on me:
Anyone Who Is Interested In Determining Alex's Knowledge of Farm Animal Noises: Alex, what sound does a cow make?
Alex: MOOOOO!!!!!
AWIIIDAKOFAN: And what sound does the pig make?
Alex: OINK! OINK! OINK!!
AWIIIDAKOFAN: Very good! And how does the horse go?
Alex: NEEEEEEEIIIIIGGGGH!!!
AWIIIDAKOFAN (attempting to trick her): Excellent. And what sound does ... MUMMY make?
Alex: MARCUS!!!!!!!
Sunday lunch with friends, taken November 6, 2005
So, I have something I want to tell you, but:
a) I'm fighting a cold that I originally gave to Marcus, who took it, turned into something feverishly ugly and decided to give it back;
b) said cold has made my head thick, making novel-writing difficult, and communication damned near impossible; and
c) the time for telling is not yet nigh. Not that I would know "nigh" if it got in bed with me, but I'm pretty sure this time isn't it.
So, instead, I leave you with the above photograph. I call it Self-Portrait With Charlie's Necklace. I think the reason is obvious.
Speak soon.
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UPDATE: Because I'm being bombarded with e-mail, let me just say this now: I'M NOT PREGNANT. Sorry to disappoint, but the truth is, we're pretty content with our little threesome for now. Perhaps for ever. But definitely for now.Gosh, now my news is going to be such a letdown. Yet still, I cannot tell you, for the time remains "not nigh." But nigh approaches. I see it in the distance.
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COMPLETELY UNRELATED UPDATE: A faithful Chookooloonks reader just e-mailed me to let me know that her online store featuring adoption-related goodies has just gone live. For those of you who have adopted, are adopting, or work in an adoption-related field, take a gander. You might see something you like.
As you were.
