I found a writer to read

My children are frequently puzzled by the fact that I don't like to read fiction all that much, especially since I'm an English professor with a special interest in narratology. I love to teach fiction, but I don't like to read it. I'd rather read about history or politics or medicine (best of all: the political history of medicine!), or about how to make things.

As part of the research I'm doing on body image, motherhood, and DIY culture, though, I have been looking at some creative nonfiction by women writers. This morning, I came across the writing of Susan Ito, a blogger and the fiction co-editor at Literary Mama magazine. (I ask myself why I've been assiduously avoiding Literary Mama for so long---is it my busman's holiday thing [I don't want to read literary stuff when I'm not officially working]? Is it my sense of inadequacy at being an academic writer rather than a "real writer" [a distinction that my mom made back when I was in graduate school. I don't think she still sees my work that way, though I haven't asked her]?)

Susan Ito is a wonderful writer, and Literary Mama is an excellent publication. I'm very glad that today I found both of them.

I miss CRAFT

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, and now that I'm trying hard to avoid writing the article that I'm supposed to be completing, it's probably the perfect time to do so. I miss the printed version of CRAFT magazine. Even though some of the projects were dumb (I'm putting this nicely), I loved seeing what people were coming up with. I learned to embroider by reading CRAFT--an outcome that I think was worth the price of my subscription, given the halo of serenity I've learned to create for myself while embroidering (at baseball games, on airplanes, while playing seemingly unending board games with my fractious children....).

The columns (especially Susie Bright's) were often really good, and even when I disagreed with them, they helped me think through some of the theoretical issues that handwork constantly raises for me (like the blurry relationship between "art" and "craft" [something Jennifer New has been writing about], connections between handwork and environmental sustainability, the power of handwork to nurture social relationships and communities, etc.).

I wanted to be excited about getting issues of CRAFT's sister publication, MAKE, in place of CRAFT....but so far, MAKE doesn't grab me. I generally ignored articles about electronics in CRAFT, and there's a lot more of these (plus lots of computer stuff) in MAKE. On the up side, Elliot seems somewhat interested in these features, especially now that he's learning more advanced stuff about computer programming from his father.

I sure hope Threads never goes out of business. That would be a really, really sad day for me....

The swine flu is not at our house (I don't think)

I'm thinking we took our trip to Mexico at *just* the right moment...the weather was great, and no one was wearing masks. We're now five days back, so the incubation period is just closing out, and while I have a cold, I know it's not the flu! (We had the plain-old flu three weeks ago....not something you can mistake for something else.)

Still, I'm half expecting the State Department to call us and tell us that we are quarantined. Having experienced a quarantine many years ago (when I had measles in graduate school), I know that public officials do-not-fool-around when it's time to isolate the agents of infection in their communities.

Back in Chicago

A tiny bit hungover from our trip---yes. I feel really, really tired....a bit grouchy....overwhelmed by how much work there is to do....but every time I look at one of our pictures or goodies from Guanajuato, I feel a tiny spring in my step again.

Here are the two collages I worked on in Guanajuato. The one of Elliot in the Jardin Union is 8 1/2 x 11, while the view of Guanajuato is 6 x 8 (I think). I have more work to do on the Jardin collage

Tonight I got to see Astrid's second t-ball game of the season--Elliot and I missed the first because we were in Mexico. Astrid bounces around on the field, trying to be in "ready position," and succeeding about 80% of the time. (The other 20% is spent twirling around or trying to catch the words of the other team's cheers so that she can repeat them for us.) She stopped the ball a couple of times and made a run, and the Astros won their second game. (I make it sound like there's a direct cause-and-effect relationship between Astrid's performance and the outcome....there's probably *some* relationship, but when the score is 25-23, it's hard to find a single heroine to praise....)

Seis Dias en Guanajuato

Elliot and I are getting ready to return to Chicago from an absolutely wonderful trip to Guanajuato, a colonial-era city in central Mexico. We did a lot of touristy things (though we did *not* go to the Museo de Momias--the Mummy Museum). Most of the time, though, we just hung out--either in public gardens, or on the patio of the amazing bed and breakfast where we stayed (Casa Zuniga--check it out). Together we played many games of Scrabble (Elliot won all but one) and read; on our own we played computer games (Elliot) or embroidered and made art (me). We had only one day where our tummies were treasonous; the rest of the time, we felt fine (though our feet have been tired from the get-go, as Guanajuato is a city of hills and many, many stairs!)

I'll try later to post pictures of the collages I did this week....can't get anymore pics to load tonight.

A spring "break" for the record books

Today's the last day of the kids' spring break. We had great plans: a nature walk, a trip to the Loop, bowling, a nice lunch out. Astrid, though, came down with a fever on Saturday night; the nurse told us to bring her in, because she had scarlet fever symptoms. Happily, the strep culture came back negative, and the dr. said she had the flu (a.k.a. "La Grippe"). Unhappily, Elliot and I have it now, and the spring break is officially a bad memory. Wow, I'm sick.

Since I last posted, I've gotten a lot of writing done (none this week, of course): 26 pp. and counting. It looks like this article is turning into two. I'm eager to feel better, have a quiet house, and get a lot more writing done.

Sometimes retail therapy is OK

I'm finally getting over the stupid cold that has had me down for about 10 days. I've been writing intermittently while I've been sick, but it hasn't been going well, and the thought of sitting in front of the computer all morning just made me want to fuss and whine....so I went shopping. I did the chore shopping first (Target), and then made my way to the fabric store around 9:45....a *great* time to be at Hancock's on a Thursday. I was even able to get my hands on the Simplicity catalog without having a line of people glaring at me from behind.

I brought my coupons so that I could pretend I was getting some great deals...and, as it turned out, I got some great deals. I picked up some intriguing 60" blue shirting (it's not that often that you read "intriguing" and "Hancock's" in the same posting, is it?) at 40% off $3.95. I got 6 yards of it, washed it as soon as I got home, and cut out my first (of many, I hope) pair of Folkwear churidar pants (#119--the Sarouelles package). They took about 2 yards, so I think I can get a kurta (tunic) and possibly a couple of long-sleeve blouses for Astrid out of the rest of it.

(If you're wondering about the picture, I went looking for an image of a kurta and this is the first thing that came up. I dig this guy's sunglasses and no-nonsense pose. I don't, however, plan to make a kurta like his, awesome as it is).


My plan tomorrow is to use sewing time as an incentive to get some more serious writing done. (If I could only get past the 12 page mark--I'm at about 8--I'd feel like I was getting somewhere!)

Oh, yeah, I guess I should also say that I refashioned five of my old, stretched out, stained, or otherwise wrong knit shirts into spring/summer shirts for Astrid. I did two last night and three this afternoon. I'm getting my mojo back, I think.