Monday, November 27, 2006

Ready for December!

(My husband makes a mean apple pie and he's cute!)

I was suffering creative “grass is greener” syndrome last night. While I was writing, my mind kept wandering to an idea for a sculpture that I was suddenly wildly enthusiastic to attempt. (I don’t sculpt, but recently purchased supplies in case of just such an attack of enthusiam.) I made myself write for a few more hours and then wandered upstairs and unwrapped a package of clay. I fiddled with it for a while and my enthusiam waned with every awkward lumpy squish until I could no long visualize my great idea. By dinner, I was all too happy to leave my malformed creations and wash the synthetic clay-like substance off my hands. And after dinner? Writing was sounding SO much more appealing than sculpting, and I got back to it with a feeling of “phew, something I can actually do!” But after about an hour my mind started straying back to the clay upstairs (an impulse I ignored)! Do I just want to be doing whatever I’m NOT? I would like, please, an attention span extender. How about an attention span timer that you set, and for however long you give yourself your mind does not wander from the task at hand? I’d like that.

And now, with it being officially sanctioned Christmas decorating season, there’s that to contend with, the urge to make cookies and wrap presents and decorate the tree and stare at the tree in admiration and hang the stockings and nest and break into the chocolate I’ve gotten for stocking stuffers and make mulled wine and drink it in front of the fire. I love love love the month of December -- even if this year it is sweeping me officially into my mid-30s. (arg!) -- and I’m ready for the it! (for the decemberness, not the turning 35 part) It even snowed a little in Portland today, though not here at our house, drat it. I want icicles. I want flurries! I want hobo snowmen up and down the street. (that's the only kind we get here -- a little skinny, a little dirty; there's not enough snow for plump "healthy" snowmen!)

12 comments:

paris parfait said...

Love the idea of an attention span timer. That would be incredibly useful. Meanwhile, how terrific that your husband baked you a pie!

jennifer said...

Lovely Pie Jim!

March will be sweeping me into my mid- 30's and I am NOT pleased. I really dread this one! So I am with ya on that!

We are in the midst of staring fondly at our tree and luckily(well, not really) I am sick so I don't need to do anything but stare at the tree! :)

Dharma Kelleher said...

I keep waiting for it to snow here, but it's been 10 years and nothing! Maybe the fact that I live in a desert has something to do with it!

Peace and snowballs,
Dharmashanti

Kim G. said...

Hooray for cooking husbands! Mine was up at 6 am on Thanksgiving getting the bird all "dressed" and ready for the day! :)

Ah yes, an attention span extender, could we please ask old Billy Gates and his people to work on something like that? Or Steve Jobs and his appleheads? Certainly they must be smart enough to come up with something?

Deirdre said...

Oh. Yum. Love apple pie, adore a man who bakes. :)

I've been bouncing between writing and art this weekend too. It's a strange antsy feeling. And in the meantime not enough housework or bookkeeping is getting done. Mulled wine and a roaring fire sound like a good option on these cold nights. Do you have a good recipe to share? Mine calls for so many ingredients that it's too complicated to make just a couple servings.
Oh to be 35 again. Oh my. It's really pretty good. Celebrate it well.

Alex S said...

I can't compliment you twice in the same day and you have already received a very, very hefty, luxurious compliment from me this late afternoon so I will just say that birthday festivities are in the works. In fact, I am lighting up the Portland Zoo with millions of lights in the shapes of animals, all in honor of your 35th- so do go check it out one evening as I have arranged to have it open at night through New Years and I have put a lot of work into it! As for sculpting, you are a creative dynamo, the Donald Trump of Creativity so I can't wait to see what you end up hatching! (& its very bad luck to keep your first sculpture so you will have to give it to me.)

Left-handed Trees... said...

Oh, so you mean you get the "grass is greener" illness too? Good to know, now I won't feel so bad about my constant forays into (and rapidly OUT of) various miscellaneous arts, crafts, and experiments. Honestly, I think the switching it up keeps the writing fresh...you're just working different muscles when you play. (At least, this is what I tell myself to get me by...whatever works, right?)
--D.--

Deb R said...

If you figure that attention span timer thing out, I hope you'll make extras to share! :-)

Claudia said...

I have no worries about being 40, unless someone says "act your age" which terrifies me because I know some very old 40 year olds.
If I see a nice plump snowman I´ll tell him there´s apple pie waiting for him in Portland!

Holly Loves Art said...

Your hubby is adorable! I loved mulled wine too. It's so much fun. Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

I find I pretty much want to be doing whatever I'm NOT doing myself. If you find a source for those attention span extenders, please let me know.

The pie looks delicioso - my compliments to the chef! Whenever 35 rolls around, I hope you're having too much fun to notice. I liked 35, it was a good year. In fact I wish I could do it again, go back and remember to hang on to it this time.
Hope your 35th year is great, whenever it begins...are Happy Birthday greetings in order yet?

harmonyinline said...

Sculpting is something I do well but am I content with that no today I spent the day trying to write a poem. I think we are all just trying to "grow wings"