Reading: The Wars of the Roses

Moving: more

Listening: The Castle

Watching: "How Green Was My Valley," "The Lion in Winter," "Space Cowboys"

Cooking: vegetable soup from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

November 2001: So far

1 November
Walked 2.7 miles. Read The Wars of the Roses. Watched "ER." So began my titillating life this month.

3 November
Raked the front yard again, created largish pile o' leaves in corner of backyard. Turned the compost pile, discovered humus therein. I have created dirt! Felt very primal as I sifted it through a decrepit screen and dug it, soft and black, into my vegetable garden.

4 November
In a move completely out of character, began to read The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Almost Vegetarian, and Sacramental Magic in a Small-town Café with intent to cook. Nisou inspired me.

5 November
Walked 2.7 miles. Blew off Gretel Ehrlich at the Tattered Cover to listen to Sabrina and Barbie's interview on Colorado Public Radio while writing entry for 18 September. My goodness but they have sultry voices.

6 November
Walked 2.7 miles. Finished Darkness at Noon, whose point is Communism Is Bad. Put ever such a lot of books on hold at the 'brary.

In August, my hard drive did not fail such that it needed to be replaced, but it did something weird that I don't understand and had my Macintosh consultant fix. After my consultant installed System 10, System 9, which I still need for Dreamweaver, completely wigged out (do people still say that?). I have had use of my computer (now renamed Sweet Jane) for only hours at a time for weeks. Good things: not only is my computer renamed Sweet Jane, but its hard disks are renamed, instead of Fiver and Hazel (I had felt vaguely guilty for years for omitting Blackberry and Dandelion), now Lyra and Pantalaimon. RDC asked, "Do you use the other hard drive? Do you want to me deinstall it?" "No!" I protested. "Lyra can't be without Pantalaimon." It was The Amber Spyglass all over again.

7 November
I had lunch with Chile and a friend of hers who has a bookgroup. We went to a place east of downtown that I had never heard of but immediately loved, called Bump & Grind. The food was delicious, the friend interesting and personable, and I knew I wouldn't've finished the book by Friday, so I hope I might attend the next gathering. Guilt prevents me from naming the unread book. Midnight's Children, damn it.

8 November
Struck by a (re)new(ed) resolve, determined to lose weight and get fit. Walked 2.7 miles and then did 20' on the Nordic Track, 3.2 miles

9 November
Walked to 2.7 miles and did another 20' on the Nordic Track before going to McCarthy's poetry reading downtown.

I've named the man McCarthy for now because of a line in "Pretty in Pink" and because the first poem he read took the form of a prayer, in which we the audience gave responses. Instead of "Lord, hear our prayer" or "Amen" or anything as banal as that, we (reading from the poems distributed on the chairs) responded with lines like "yes we will take fries with that o yeah." It was hysterical. The second reason therefore is Charlie McCarthy, the ventriloquist's doll. Candace Bergen's father's first name was what? Edward?

10 November
Blake has this little growly sound he primarily uses to imitate the "grr" of a human stretching, although he uses it for select other noises. Today he growled his little growl at a most inopportune time, and we interrupted ourselves to giggle helplessly.

In search of an ankle-length black skirt, I plumbed the depths of Nordstrom's semi-annual sale. Haitch recently described her long black skirt as making her say "I'm melting, I'm melting!" because it drapes over her feet like a robe. I wanted a skirt about that long. Nordstrom had a lovely one in a great fabric, straight and unwaisted, just like I wanted, a) for $108 and b) without a slit, such that I couldn't take a full stride. The Limited has done me wrong for many years now, but tonight they made me happy: there I found the perfect skirt. It doesn't have a slit either, but although it falls straight, a walking panel is darted into the back. Also it didn't break the bank. I'm in love.

Also I found opaque thigh-highs, which makes me very happy. Tights without the waistband, hooray. Also the Great Indoors has our placemats again, so finally I have a full set.

A successful shopping expedition, so I was happy; plus I drove thither and back blasting Jagged Little Pill, which I love love love and finally have on CD.

11 November
Errands: A CostCo haul that managed not to live up to that place's usual reputation of the $200 Store, Wild Oats for many vegetables, PetSmart for Nutriberries (properly called "seedballs" in this house). Also I saw a Ford Bronco done into a low-rider version, with little itsy-bitsy VW Bug-sized wheels dwarfed in the huge wheelwells and set out a few inches from the body of the car. I laughed and laughed. Chores: I scraped windows and tidied up. Duties: talked to each of my parents. The good news: I made vegetable soup from scratch, and though it's still simmering I think it might be good. The bad news: Ken Kesey died yesterday. The ugly: Billy Bob Thornton is not, and I want to see his every last movie.

I have just eaten a bowlful of soup I made all by myself with chunky slices of bread I did not make all by myself. I cooked! With vegetables!