I am writing much more about my own life and the ridiculous things that sometimes happen to me than normal. It’s easier to write about my day or about whatever happens to be going on in my head rather than to try to write about events or books or movies or anything external. It’s been a stressful year and work is occupying so much of my time and my mental energy that writing has to take the proverbial back seat, but I’m not ready to kick it out of the car altogether. I’m still writing every day.
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Like right now, it’s early in the morning, almost 6:30. I woke up too early and couldn’t go back to sleep so I thought I’d get up and get some things done before the day begins in earnest. I’ve been writing a few little book notes for my end-of-year list, which won’t see the light of day until February 2022 at least. I might even have something ready to post some time next week. Anything could happen.
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It’s the next day now, right in the middle of the workday. I am going to take an actual lunch break today, and instead of eating lunch I’m going to write more Seinfeld-esque nothing about nothing. It’s Thursday, and I wake up very early on Thursdays. My son has early morning swim practice on Thursdays, and he drives there, with my husband riding shotgun. Having been in the car with him for his first accident a month ago, I’m not quite past my fear that he’ll crash the car again, and so when they leave at 4:45, I am up for the day. I suppose I could have written this earlier, but I moved my regularly scheduled anxiety attack to the early morning part of the day, leaving the later hours free to write.
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I told you that I was going to write about nothing. I wasn't kidding. That's truth in advertising, right there.
Yesterday, I really did write about something. I'm still working on it. Need to let it sit for a bit, get ripe, know what I mean? It's a thing about a book.
What's that line from "You've Got Mail"? Something about how so much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the opposite? Nora Ephron wrote that. Of course she did. Nora always knew what was what.
Anyway, while I let the other thing stew for a while, I'll write about what's happening now. It's Saturday morning and I'm leaning against a railing at the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center, known to us locals as "KSAC," waiting for the early meet to end. Then it'll be 30 minutes or so for the dive meet and swim warm-ups, and then the main event, Rockville v Magruder. It's two weeks before Christmas, and the kids are all in, wearing red and green plaid pajama pants and Santa hats and tinsel garland leis.
We're in the natatorium now. It's an unseasonably warm day but the lobby at KSAC is still December chilly. But the natatorium is like a greenhouse. I'm wearing my officials' uniform of navy shorts, a white polo shirt, and flip flops. I shed my sweater the moment I entered this little haven of tropical warmth. Any minute now, and I will be summoned to attend the officials briefing. And when duty calls, I respond.
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It’s Sunday now. That was a productive Saturday. Swim meet, Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, 5:30 Mass, and performance reviews (which I wrote while sitting on my couch wearing a sweater and pajama pants, the long day behind me). I even managed to watch a movie and to read a book and to write all about it. An altogether successful day.
After some rain, a windy cold front pushed yesterday’s odd spring-like warmth out of here, and it’s clear and sunny and dry and rather chilly. It’s 11:10 AM, and I’m trying to decide what else to do today. I thought about starting to make cookies but it’s too early to have cookies in the house. Everyone will eat them and then I’ll have to make cookies again. And I hate making cookies.
I’m not finished shopping yet, so I suppose I’ll do that. I didn’t have time to exercise yesterday, though I did rack up 11,000 just-walking-around steps, so I think I’ll do that, too. I went to bed too late last night and woke up too early, so maybe my brain will cooperate with my body and allow me to take a nap on the couch with the Christmas tree lights on and the 4:30 December twilight turning to darkness outside the window. That would be nice. Anything would be nice, really. It’s nice to have a day.
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