I'm finally out of my pajamas. The day after Christmas, I stayed in my jammies until 4 p.m. But the last couple of days I've gotten dressed first thing. This is how I know Christmas is winding down. Suddenly I feel the need to do constructive things with my time. Long hours of reading are no longer psychically possible--the guilt factor (I'm not getting enough done!) has kicked back in.
Oh, but what reading I have done! I got a bodacious number of books for Christmas and have been dipping into all of them, too greedy to just stick with one. Here's a partial list:
*As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto (marvelous!)
*The Dirty Life: On Farming Food and Love by Kristin Kimball (a wonderful book, but has totally disabused my notion that I could ever be a farmer--too hard!)
*The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (history that reads like a novel--thoroughly compelling)
*Picture This by Lynda Barry (my favorite comics artist; I asked for this book because I would like to draw more)
I also got books on cheese-making (I'm going to give it a try!) and generating your own electricity (through pedaling, mostly), and playing the fiddle.
We've had a very nice Christmas, but the boys are starting to self-destruct, another sure sign that it's time to return to regular life and send their sweet behinds back to school.
Resolutions? I've made a few. The annual resolution: Stand up straight. I have lousy posture, always have. I spent most of my childhood slouched over a book and have my own little dowager's hump to prove it. Essentially, I have been slouching for 46.5 years, but when I remind myself to stand up straight, I always feel immediately energized and much, much taller.
Otherwise, I would like to lose 25 pounds without dieting. I hate diets. But when I cut out sugar and up my proteins, I find that the weight comes off, slowly. I had a good run with this last fall, but for some reason I was psychologically overwhelmed by all the Halloween candy and fell off the wagon. Now I'm back on. I'll let you know what happens.
This year, I swear, I promise, I'm going to go to the fiddle jams at High Strung, our local music store. The jams are geared toward beginning fiddlers, and I've been told I would by no means be the worst. I really, really want to do this, but I've felt shy about it. But not this year! In 2011, I will jam.
I also want to draw more this year. I love to draw. I don't have any particular talent, but I enjoy it, but for awhile now I've had a hard time letting myself do stuff that wasn't productive. I haven't been very good at playing. I'm going to try, though. I'm resolved.
Well, it's time to go take down the Christmas decorations. You know, if someone put a flyer in my mailbox for a Breaking Down Christmas team, I'd hire 'em.
Happy 2011, everyone!
Gladiator II
1 hour ago
5 comments:
Hi Frances! Your books look delish.
I have the hump, too. Our son always tells me to stand up straight. It's hard!
Maybe I'll offer my students gummy worms if they catch me slumping.
Monday is looming. The 125 teenagers I'm going to greet are NOT going to be awake until possibly Thursday.
I'm going to draw more, too. I'm reading Creative is a Verb and each day you write on a note card and draw an image on the other side. Today I drew small ways to be creative! Happy fiddling!
Your posts always make me smile. I wish I had the guilt feelings you do. I'm still in my pajamas.
I need to write down several of those titles you gave us. I can see why you are getting the itch to do things what with reading books on drawing, farming, etc.
Some of the resolutions vying for a place on my list are similar to your losing 25# without dieting. If I wait long enough to elect and publish the final list I think it will shrink to something manageable.
Your book list sounds wonderful. I have been purposefully working on my posture too. When I used to do Yoga, my posture was superb. I need to start that up in 2011 along with your program of losing weight without dieting. I'm like you....cut sugar and lose! (but i love cookies)
Happy New Year!
Jody
I was bummed. My first Christmas in forever where I didn't receive a book. Well, I got some cookbooks and a B&N gift certificate. But a girl needs to curl up with a novel after Christmas. Can I borrow the Julia book, pretty please?
My resolution is mindfulness. With alarming frequency, I walk into rooms and don't remember what I was about to do/get because I'm constantly zooming in my mind and not accomplishing much. I also scarf down my food, don't listen as well as I'd like, and other bad 21st century "hurried" habits.
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