What luxury to wake up in the morning and know that the day is mine. I own it. I can choose to do whatever the heck I want. I actually feel like a human being. My morning coffee gets delivered to me while I'm still in bed listening to NPR's Morning Edition. After the caffeine boost I ease out of bed and spend the next half hour or so reading the New York Times.
And then my mood changes. I feel utterly helpless at the state of the world. What does it all mean? Am I allowed to smile? Can I just take it easy and enjoy the sunshine and the spring flowers? Or should I be doing something about the economy? Is Geithner a good guy or a bad guy? Why is Paul Krugman so critical? Is he really god? Obama - is he amking the right decisions? Are there right decisions? I can't stew about this. It's my spring break after all.
So, I push aside the news about GM and AIG and the G20 summit, and put on my bathing suit. Half an hour of swimming, then a soak in the spa, and relaxing in the steam room. Oh, what joy!
Back home I realize I have all the time in the world to catch up with email and read news blogs and peruse Facebook. I know what you're thinking. Aren't you working on a book, you ask??? FFS, don't I deserve a few days of pretending I have all the time in the world to do whatever I want?
Yes, yes, I'm about to get out my manuscript and work on the next chapter.
31 March 2009
15 March 2009
The Ides of March Already!!
March has some cool dates - especially this year. There was square root day on 3/3/09. Then yesterday 3/14 was pi(e) day, and then today, of course, is the Ides. I looked at my last post and realized a whole lot has happened. I could be here for hours updating my blog - but, I've got only minutes to do this.
So, let's see, biggest news - we were in Washington, DC last week. It was my second time there and I have to say, it's one of the more interesting American cities - and definitely worthy of a visit. I took a couple days off work so I had a decent 4 days to take in the city. When I had arrived - in the morning - after a red-eye - I saw mounds of snow on the ground so I braced myself for chilly weather. But, to my surprise, the days were pleasantly warm and the evenings mild enough to drink and dine outdoors.
We sipped wine beside the harbor and watched the rowers sailing down the Potomac River. We had dinner in Georgetown on the first evening, then in Dupont Circle the next evening. On our third evening we came across an excellent middle eastern restaurant which served superb mezzes. We saw the usual sights along the National Mall, took in the museums, did a tour of the Capitol, etc. It was still very much winter in DC despite the unusual warmth. The trees were all bare, the grass was brown, and none of the fountains were running. Even the Reflection Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument was drained out. In another month the cherry trees will be in full blossom and I'm sure the city will look beautiful.
Back in Santa Barbara meanwhile spring has arrived. When I opened our back door the first thing that hit me was the strong fragrance of wisteria, which is in full bloom. All the fruit trees are blossoming and the shrubs are green and lush with new growth. The California poppies and lupines are out and all over the landscape.
Switching to daylight savings time too early in the season has been a huge pain. I hate waking up in pitch darkness. Whose idea was this? And shouldn't we the citizens have a say in this?
At school my students are getting excited about St. Patrick's Day. They've been writing stories about leprechauns. I feel quite pleased when I see their stories. They know how to create good plots - it seems to come naturally to them. And I notice that they are always trying to do better and better. It's wonderful.
And now I have to dash off to the grocery store.
So, let's see, biggest news - we were in Washington, DC last week. It was my second time there and I have to say, it's one of the more interesting American cities - and definitely worthy of a visit. I took a couple days off work so I had a decent 4 days to take in the city. When I had arrived - in the morning - after a red-eye - I saw mounds of snow on the ground so I braced myself for chilly weather. But, to my surprise, the days were pleasantly warm and the evenings mild enough to drink and dine outdoors.
We sipped wine beside the harbor and watched the rowers sailing down the Potomac River. We had dinner in Georgetown on the first evening, then in Dupont Circle the next evening. On our third evening we came across an excellent middle eastern restaurant which served superb mezzes. We saw the usual sights along the National Mall, took in the museums, did a tour of the Capitol, etc. It was still very much winter in DC despite the unusual warmth. The trees were all bare, the grass was brown, and none of the fountains were running. Even the Reflection Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument was drained out. In another month the cherry trees will be in full blossom and I'm sure the city will look beautiful.
Back in Santa Barbara meanwhile spring has arrived. When I opened our back door the first thing that hit me was the strong fragrance of wisteria, which is in full bloom. All the fruit trees are blossoming and the shrubs are green and lush with new growth. The California poppies and lupines are out and all over the landscape.
Switching to daylight savings time too early in the season has been a huge pain. I hate waking up in pitch darkness. Whose idea was this? And shouldn't we the citizens have a say in this?
At school my students are getting excited about St. Patrick's Day. They've been writing stories about leprechauns. I feel quite pleased when I see their stories. They know how to create good plots - it seems to come naturally to them. And I notice that they are always trying to do better and better. It's wonderful.
And now I have to dash off to the grocery store.
15 February 2009
Valumtime's Weekend!
Kids are so cute. I find myself smiling whilst going through my daily doings, thinking about the funny things the kids in my life say. I can't get my third graders to pronounce Valentine's correctly. But I guess I don't really try too hard because I love the way they say it. It sounds so innocent. I love their excitement about this holiday too. It's so achingly sweet. Heartache, heartbreak, rejection, unrequited love - it's all there waiting for them in the not too distant future. Inevitably a part of life's journey - and the lessons, though hard and cruel - will strengthen them, make them wiser, worldly, and better at equipped for life. But for now, what a treat it is for me to experience vicariously the pure innocence of childhood. So wrapped up was I in the kids and their excitement that when a colleague asked about my Valentine's Day plans I realized I hadn't even given it a thought. Aren't we a bit past that? She then proceeded to tell me about the gift she got her husband and I have to admit, it sounded such a juvenile thing to me - for people past middle age (she's past 60) to be exchanging Valentine's Day gifts. Daryl and I acknowledged the day by having a somewhat better than usual meal at home - roasted butternut squash and portobello mushroom risotto. For dessert I made a chocolate souffle served witha raspberry and Grand Marnier sauce. It was as delicious as it sounds, in case you're wondering!
At the moment I'm sitting by the fire o=in our living room. A storm is brewing. It's windy, grey and cold outside. We've had a pretty wet February so far and this storm is supposed to bring quite a downpour. After a dry and very mild January we are relieved that this isn't going to be another drought year. Two days ago we got a dusting of snow on the mountains near us. So it's been cold.
It's President's Day weekend. We get a 4 day weekend. Didn't go anywhere. Tried to do gardening chores - planted more fruit trees (Daryl's on a role!). And I really should be working on my manuscript.
At the moment I'm sitting by the fire o=in our living room. A storm is brewing. It's windy, grey and cold outside. We've had a pretty wet February so far and this storm is supposed to bring quite a downpour. After a dry and very mild January we are relieved that this isn't going to be another drought year. Two days ago we got a dusting of snow on the mountains near us. So it's been cold.
It's President's Day weekend. We get a 4 day weekend. Didn't go anywhere. Tried to do gardening chores - planted more fruit trees (Daryl's on a role!). And I really should be working on my manuscript.
08 February 2009
Birthday celebrations and things
On Friday evening we had our annual joint celebration of Daryl's and Adrienne's birthdays. And boy, did we celebrate! Bisi opened up his 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon from Buttonwood Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. But there was a lighter wine with starters and then French champagne afterwards. I know this sounds quite crass in the current economic climate. But, believe me, the economy and the stimulus package was all we talked about. Leftist liberals that we are, we lamented the diluted Keynesian proposal the Obama folks have come up with. More spending, much more spending, like Paul Krugman says, we muttered, shaking our socialist heads. Bisi kept filling our glasses with the excellent wine and the conversation got increasingly animated.
The next morning - Saturday - I awoke with a vicious headache. I felt awful the entire day.
It was film festival week in Santa Barbara with hundreds of excellent movies in town. I don't go to them because of the crowds and endless lines and lousy seats you end up getting. But we miraculously got seats for a free showing of YES SIR, MADAM, a documentary about Kiran Bedi an Indian Police Commissioner. It was a terrific movie and got my mind off my hang-over.
We've had a wet, wet week. Yippee!!
The next morning - Saturday - I awoke with a vicious headache. I felt awful the entire day.
It was film festival week in Santa Barbara with hundreds of excellent movies in town. I don't go to them because of the crowds and endless lines and lousy seats you end up getting. But we miraculously got seats for a free showing of YES SIR, MADAM, a documentary about Kiran Bedi an Indian Police Commissioner. It was a terrific movie and got my mind off my hang-over.
We've had a wet, wet week. Yippee!!
01 February 2009
Post Inauguration
In the past I never had the least bit interest in the inauguration of a new president. But this year, like many millions around the world, I watched the entire ceremony. I watched it in my classroom with my third graders. It was all very touching. Every few minutes I'd tell my students, "You are watching history in the making, guys." They were completely captivated. They even patiently listened to Obama's speech which they thought was great but couldn't tell me what it was about. The rest of that school day my students practised pronouncing the word "inauguration".
In these early weeks I flinch each time there's a criticism of Obama. Timothy Geithner not paying taxes raised a few sharp words. Nobody wanted any of Obama's appointments to have bumps, but alas, it isn't to be so. Geithner is the best there is, folks are saying, and so his appointment as Treasury Secretary gets approved. Now Tom Daschle is found not to be squeaky clean either. Jeez!
The NYT had an article with some details about the stimulus package Obama is trying to get passed. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a lot of the money will be used to help schools, universities, and other social programs. The NYT had a lot of enthusiasm for it, but was critical of the fact that there isn't any mention of money for high speed rail and other mass transportation programs. Well, it's already a hard sell to the Republicans.
Even though politics seems to dominate our conversations these days, we are definitely balancing our lives with other stuff too. Last weekend Daryl and I went to see Mozart's "The Magic Flute" performed by the LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Concert Hall. It was a terrific production. We spent the night in LA at a hotel - Mikayo - in Japantown. the hotel was reasonably nice, about a mile from Chandler - and the area filled with Japanese stores and restaurants quite interesting.
Later in the week I had some author friends of mine - Caroline Hatton, Alexis O'Neil, and Kate Hovey - over for dinner. They are all from the LA area and were the authors for an event called "Author-Go-Round" organized by Santa Barbara County schools. It was great to get my mind off teaching and to talk about writing. Caroline had told me about a YAbook called MANY STONES which is mostly set in South Africa. So we discussed the book a bit. She had a lot more enthusiasm for the book than I did. But, given that my current work in progress has some elements in common with MANY STONES I'm really glad to have read it.
We are spending the weekend arguing about fruit trees. Daryl went out and bought four fruit trees, and then decided to plant them in places that I, let's just say, found "unsuitable". So I huffed out of the garden and decided to update my blog!!
In these early weeks I flinch each time there's a criticism of Obama. Timothy Geithner not paying taxes raised a few sharp words. Nobody wanted any of Obama's appointments to have bumps, but alas, it isn't to be so. Geithner is the best there is, folks are saying, and so his appointment as Treasury Secretary gets approved. Now Tom Daschle is found not to be squeaky clean either. Jeez!
The NYT had an article with some details about the stimulus package Obama is trying to get passed. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a lot of the money will be used to help schools, universities, and other social programs. The NYT had a lot of enthusiasm for it, but was critical of the fact that there isn't any mention of money for high speed rail and other mass transportation programs. Well, it's already a hard sell to the Republicans.
Even though politics seems to dominate our conversations these days, we are definitely balancing our lives with other stuff too. Last weekend Daryl and I went to see Mozart's "The Magic Flute" performed by the LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Concert Hall. It was a terrific production. We spent the night in LA at a hotel - Mikayo - in Japantown. the hotel was reasonably nice, about a mile from Chandler - and the area filled with Japanese stores and restaurants quite interesting.
Later in the week I had some author friends of mine - Caroline Hatton, Alexis O'Neil, and Kate Hovey - over for dinner. They are all from the LA area and were the authors for an event called "Author-Go-Round" organized by Santa Barbara County schools. It was great to get my mind off teaching and to talk about writing. Caroline had told me about a YAbook called MANY STONES which is mostly set in South Africa. So we discussed the book a bit. She had a lot more enthusiasm for the book than I did. But, given that my current work in progress has some elements in common with MANY STONES I'm really glad to have read it.
We are spending the weekend arguing about fruit trees. Daryl went out and bought four fruit trees, and then decided to plant them in places that I, let's just say, found "unsuitable". So I huffed out of the garden and decided to update my blog!!
19 January 2009
MLK Weekend
It's mid-January and the temperature is in the mid 70's. It's been like this for 6 - 7 straight days - warm days, blue skies, summery. Weird! But I ain't complaining. I didn't say that. At least, I didn't mean that! Xmas holidays have faded into the past. The evenings are already getting longer and in Santa Barbara, just as we are ready to embrace winter, we see visible signs of spring. The daffodils have sprung out of the ground already! This is why I love this city. I hate this city too, but that's another story. If you think I'm contradicting myself, congratulations. You've detected my greatest personality flaw!
Heady days for us in the US. Finally, finally we get to shut the door on a most godawful administration. I remember so clearly eight years ago on the morning of Bush's inauguration I woke up engulfed in a black cloud of depression. Daryl's colleague, Juan Porti from Barcelona, was visiting and staying with us. When I went down for breakfast I said to him, "Today is a very sad day in America." I remember this so clearly. But I couldn't have guessed then just how terrible it was going to be. Four years ago for Bush's second inauguration I was thankfully far, far from home - in the antipodes!!
But this year I can't even describe the excitement. Tomorrow, as we embrace Barack Obama as our new president, it will truly be a day for celebration. I'm afraid I have to confess my expectations are high for this guy. When people say he is a moderate, a centrist, etc., I get annoyed. But that's not as bad as Daryl who gets very defensive over Obama's decisions.
(Daryl spent most of his spare time this new year refinishing our dining table. It looks superb! )
All the media are going on about the inauguration speech. Obama always impresses when he speaks and so expectations keep going up. I feel nervous for him. so many great speeches were made by previous presidents and he is expected to deliver a speech which will make history. Will he do it? I don't know.
I can hardly wait for tomorrow.
Heady days for us in the US. Finally, finally we get to shut the door on a most godawful administration. I remember so clearly eight years ago on the morning of Bush's inauguration I woke up engulfed in a black cloud of depression. Daryl's colleague, Juan Porti from Barcelona, was visiting and staying with us. When I went down for breakfast I said to him, "Today is a very sad day in America." I remember this so clearly. But I couldn't have guessed then just how terrible it was going to be. Four years ago for Bush's second inauguration I was thankfully far, far from home - in the antipodes!!
But this year I can't even describe the excitement. Tomorrow, as we embrace Barack Obama as our new president, it will truly be a day for celebration. I'm afraid I have to confess my expectations are high for this guy. When people say he is a moderate, a centrist, etc., I get annoyed. But that's not as bad as Daryl who gets very defensive over Obama's decisions.
(Daryl spent most of his spare time this new year refinishing our dining table. It looks superb! )
All the media are going on about the inauguration speech. Obama always impresses when he speaks and so expectations keep going up. I feel nervous for him. so many great speeches were made by previous presidents and he is expected to deliver a speech which will make history. Will he do it? I don't know.
I can hardly wait for tomorrow.
31 December 2008
Another Year Rolls Away!
I am sure 2008 will not be a year that merges with the others and becomes a blurry memory. Oh no. Too much has happened. Each month has been way too unique in my life's experiences. So let me take it month by month.
JANUARY
The year began for me in South Africa at Pam's beautiful home in Hillcrest, Durban where the entire family was together recovering from hard partying the night before. Then the next day I flew east and landed in hot, muggy, gleaming Singapore. After an interesting couple of days of exploring airconditioned state of the art shopping malls, I landed in frenetic India. Sure seems like a long time ago now. In India I felt like I had temporarily left our planet. Everything around me was so, so exotic. But in the evenings, in my hotel room, I'd watch what went on in the'real' world. The primaries had begun and it was looking good for Hillary to win the nomination.
FEBRUARY
Relaxing, enjoyable days in exciting Sydney, Australia. I enjoyed bonding with Fabian and hanging out in the Darling Harbor area. Sydney in its summer months is one heck of a terrific city. Meanwhile, the primaries in the US where taking an exciting turn. Barrack Obama won Iowa and on super Tuesday neither candidate came out the outright winner. Everyone was on pins and needles. Hillary was getting negative press and Obama became the darling of the mainstream media.
MARCH
I explored the north island of New Zealand. I came to the conclusion that NZ was like a promising movie with no plot. You keep waiting for something to happen but NOTHING does! Definitely worth a visit, though. Then I returned to Santa Barbara after eight months of living abroad. Election excitement was high. My main concerns were to promote my teen fiction book htat had come out a few months before and to make progress on my writing projects.
APRIL
Glorious springtime in California. We killed our lawn and made raised vegetable beds and planted tomatoes, basil, and arugula. I did author visits and signings and did some writing.
MAY
At this point it was pretty obvious that Barack Obama was going to win the nomination. We were all very excited about this.
JUNE
Italy. Tuscany. Indulged in wine, truffles, funghi porcini, and more time with Fabian and his mother Julia. The day I flew back I managed to be in four countries. I flew out of Pisa, Italy and landed in Paris, France. After two hours I flew into London. Then from there I flew into LA. Later in the month I signed my book at the big BEA fair and met my publishers. At the end of June Pam and family descended.
JULY
The main news was the GAP fire. Big fire near us- we had to evacuate. Most of the month was spent enjoying and entertaining Pam and family. We had a very hot summer with almost no fog. I went to the pool practically every morning. Another big event for me was going to the LA SCBWI writer's conference. I had fun getting to spend time with Caroline Hatten and also to be among other writers.
AUGUST
Vacation comes to an end. A frantic attempt to revise a manuscript to submit to an editor I met at the conference. Then I had to face the harsh world of work and teaching again.
SEPTEMBER
School. Teaching. And an addiction to the news, after all it's a historical election year.
OCTOBER
The world as we knew it came to an end. Financial institutions left, right, and center were collapsing, declaring bankruptcy. Job losses, soaring oil prices, the economy in free fall. Everyone's panicking. Obama takes a commanding lead in the polls.
NOVEMBER
A miracle has happened. America votes for a black man to lead the country. We're in ecstasy. The holidays are approaching and the weather has turned cold. I get grumpy.
DECEMBER
San Francisco. We do a house swap with a family who have this amazing, huge, modern house right in the city of San Francisco. We go to many different, expensive restaurants in the city. Our two favorites - Greens and Dosa (South Indian) - get multiple visits from us. We went to the new planetarium in the Golden Gate Park. The place was crowded and we had to wait in long lines for everything. The big attraction is a simulated journey through space to visit the planets. It was quite wonderful. The museum has a pretty nice aquarium and rain forest theme 'park' as well.
We walked on the Golden Gate Bridge on Christmas Day and ate Chinese food at an all veggie place called Shangri - La. I loved being unconventional and of course, not cooking.
Among the fun things we did in SF was meandering through the ferry building on the embarcedero. Here, there are gourmet food places that carry truffles, wild mushrooms, caviar, etc. There's also a farmer's market with a huge selection of fresh produce. SF is definitely food paradise.
And now, I'm going to spend some time thinking about whether to make New Year's resolutions.
Happy New Year everyone.
JANUARY
The year began for me in South Africa at Pam's beautiful home in Hillcrest, Durban where the entire family was together recovering from hard partying the night before. Then the next day I flew east and landed in hot, muggy, gleaming Singapore. After an interesting couple of days of exploring airconditioned state of the art shopping malls, I landed in frenetic India. Sure seems like a long time ago now. In India I felt like I had temporarily left our planet. Everything around me was so, so exotic. But in the evenings, in my hotel room, I'd watch what went on in the'real' world. The primaries had begun and it was looking good for Hillary to win the nomination.
FEBRUARY
Relaxing, enjoyable days in exciting Sydney, Australia. I enjoyed bonding with Fabian and hanging out in the Darling Harbor area. Sydney in its summer months is one heck of a terrific city. Meanwhile, the primaries in the US where taking an exciting turn. Barrack Obama won Iowa and on super Tuesday neither candidate came out the outright winner. Everyone was on pins and needles. Hillary was getting negative press and Obama became the darling of the mainstream media.
MARCH
I explored the north island of New Zealand. I came to the conclusion that NZ was like a promising movie with no plot. You keep waiting for something to happen but NOTHING does! Definitely worth a visit, though. Then I returned to Santa Barbara after eight months of living abroad. Election excitement was high. My main concerns were to promote my teen fiction book htat had come out a few months before and to make progress on my writing projects.
APRIL
Glorious springtime in California. We killed our lawn and made raised vegetable beds and planted tomatoes, basil, and arugula. I did author visits and signings and did some writing.
MAY
At this point it was pretty obvious that Barack Obama was going to win the nomination. We were all very excited about this.
JUNE
Italy. Tuscany. Indulged in wine, truffles, funghi porcini, and more time with Fabian and his mother Julia. The day I flew back I managed to be in four countries. I flew out of Pisa, Italy and landed in Paris, France. After two hours I flew into London. Then from there I flew into LA. Later in the month I signed my book at the big BEA fair and met my publishers. At the end of June Pam and family descended.
JULY
The main news was the GAP fire. Big fire near us- we had to evacuate. Most of the month was spent enjoying and entertaining Pam and family. We had a very hot summer with almost no fog. I went to the pool practically every morning. Another big event for me was going to the LA SCBWI writer's conference. I had fun getting to spend time with Caroline Hatten and also to be among other writers.
AUGUST
Vacation comes to an end. A frantic attempt to revise a manuscript to submit to an editor I met at the conference. Then I had to face the harsh world of work and teaching again.
SEPTEMBER
School. Teaching. And an addiction to the news, after all it's a historical election year.
OCTOBER
The world as we knew it came to an end. Financial institutions left, right, and center were collapsing, declaring bankruptcy. Job losses, soaring oil prices, the economy in free fall. Everyone's panicking. Obama takes a commanding lead in the polls.
NOVEMBER
A miracle has happened. America votes for a black man to lead the country. We're in ecstasy. The holidays are approaching and the weather has turned cold. I get grumpy.
DECEMBER
San Francisco. We do a house swap with a family who have this amazing, huge, modern house right in the city of San Francisco. We go to many different, expensive restaurants in the city. Our two favorites - Greens and Dosa (South Indian) - get multiple visits from us. We went to the new planetarium in the Golden Gate Park. The place was crowded and we had to wait in long lines for everything. The big attraction is a simulated journey through space to visit the planets. It was quite wonderful. The museum has a pretty nice aquarium and rain forest theme 'park' as well.
We walked on the Golden Gate Bridge on Christmas Day and ate Chinese food at an all veggie place called Shangri - La. I loved being unconventional and of course, not cooking.
Among the fun things we did in SF was meandering through the ferry building on the embarcedero. Here, there are gourmet food places that carry truffles, wild mushrooms, caviar, etc. There's also a farmer's market with a huge selection of fresh produce. SF is definitely food paradise.
And now, I'm going to spend some time thinking about whether to make New Year's resolutions.
Happy New Year everyone.
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