warmer temperatures are intoxicating. 

Episode 7 is almost finished dialogue assembly. 

I made this for lunch and FUCK YEAH:

https://www.thugkitchen.com/roasted_chickpea_broccoli_burrito

Maybe some of you can help me out with this. 

I like the book A Wrinkle In Time, and I appreciate how the movie is a little inescapeable right now. I think this is a good thing. I will take Ted to see it when we can swing it and showings are less crowded. 

Spoilers for A Wrinkle In Time (the book, not the movie) follow. 

There is an obstacle in my heart about this story. The first time I read it (I might have been seven or so), I had to stop when they described Calvin O'Keefe's mother. It made me so upset that I cried uncontrollably, and I couldn't finish the book for years. Calvin's mother is described early on. She's described as a miserable woman with a messy house. The point of having her this way is that Calvin wouldn't be missed if he takes off on an adventure with the Murry family. Right? She's too busy and unhappy to show up banging on the door, saying, "My son wasn't home in time for dinner, where is he?" One more kid in that house wouldn't be missed, right? I felt so sorry for her, so angry that she was left alone, forgotten, that it distracted me from everything else. 

I don't have a copy of A Wrinkle In Time around to refer to, only my shoddy memory of the book. The first time I read it, I knew that there was a very sad mom in the book, it upset me, and I moved on to something else. The second time I read it, I grudgingly finished the book, liking many aspects of the story, but not fully understanding or cherishing it. I think I moved back to the Narnia series, and then there were too many paperbacks lying around that weren't going to read themselves, so Stephen King was up next, and then John Lennon had a date with destiny, so I was obsessing about music for a while. 

What bothered me was, "why should I try to wrap my head around all of these heavy duty scientific concepts when you can't seem to balance the fact that you're chasing after a poor imprisoned daddy, but nobody seems to care about a poor imprisoned mommy, staring sadly into a sink full of dirty dishes?" 

I wish I could remember the wording of the passage describing Calvin O'Keefe's mother. All I remember was that it was extremely clear to me that this was a woman with a strong and serious mental illness characterized by depression. I'm shedding tears right now, just thinking about it. I mentioned it to other people who love that book, and they've said, "well, yeah, she's kind of a throwaway character." 

a) there is no such thing as a throwaway character. everything in your story is part of its foundation, otherwise get rid of it. if it's still there when it's published, it's important.

b) HAVE YOU NOT READ THIS DESCRIPTION???

I haven't read any of the other books in the series, because I have no proof that Calvin's Mother is saved, or that her imprisonment is justified. It's just that she's a "bad person," and Calvin should totally leave her to go play Shining Time Station with the Murrys. Did anything ever happen with her? 

The last time I read this, I was babysitting. There was a thunderstorm, and a power failure. I picked through the bookshelves with a flashlight, and then sat in my young charge's bedroom, reading A Wrinkle In Time by candlelight, accompanied by rain on the windows and the susurration of the child's breathing as he slept. It was the perfect way to read it. However, I had to take a deep breath, swallow my pride, read the passage about Calvin's mom, and store it for later, knowing that I would deal with those feelings and maybe write something about her in the future. 

I guess I'm going to have to deal with this. I'm really worried about Calvin's mother. On the other hand, maybe she and Calvin's stuffed tiger escaped and went sledding. 

EDITED TO ADD:

Editing editing editing editing editing editing editing Jarnsaxa Rising. 

Never underestimate the power of a hot bath. 

I finally finished knitting a hat for winter. 

The pattern is Half Caf Hat by Lion Brand, and the yarn is Landscapes in Volcano, also by Lion Brand. I decided to shelve my usual yarn snobbery (it’s 100% acrylic) so I could have a hat, FFS. 

The pattern results in a giant bonnet, and my noggin is not a small one. The first try resulted in a hat that would fit a T. Rex. For this one, I used size 7 needles instead of 10, and I wish I’d had 68 or 66 stitches around instead of 72. 

But it’s finished, and I love it. 

Thanks to UnFuck Your Habitat, I cleaned the entryway to our house today. 

I may have been putting this off for a couple of years. It’s always too hot, or too cold, or too nice out to be indoors. Today the high was 63 and it rained like hell.

perfect.

When you think you’re too tired and cranky to do anything, go see a small-budget live show, preferably one with a talented friend in it. You will catch yourself talking to yourself out loud in the bathroom, saying, “I like my life.” 

I actually caught myself saying, “I like my life, but I’m so tired.” 

Note to everyone else: Kyra Baker’s one-woman show, Witness, has its final performance on Thursday night, at The Asian Arts Initiative.

https://my.firstpersonarts.org/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=51900

You might remember Kyra as Officer Foster in Traveling Light and as Anne in Fox Haven. I knew that she came from a very religious family, that there was a schism, and her brother refused to attend her wedding. I never felt comfortable asking her about it, I just figured the time would come when she’d talk about it.  This show will make you never hate Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

You know it’s chilly when there are 3 cats on the bed, and none of  them are fighting.

Took a 1-hr bike ride today. I feel like myself again.

How about this:

each of us writes in a paper journal for 30 minutes. When you’re done, stop, walk around, and then write a haiku based on what you wrote in those 30 minutes. Post only the haiku. 

Anyone else game? 

EDITED TO ADD:

List our shared burdens 

Macaw shrieks in the driveway 

Cook and clean our fears. 

Yes, I do. Particularly in this interview about you know what. 

In other news, today I was told that I am a horrible evil woman. Another person offered to smack me across the face. Both of them wanted to cut in line. I said nope. 

I just finished a webinar on career advice for playwrights. It was helpful but not exactly worth the $75 I paid for it. But it was helpful. Maybe $50 worth of helpful. 

This gets me thinking. This eveningI had two good things happen in the career I wish I could embrace fully , after shoveling a load of shit all day. Can I just drop the shit shoveling? Oh, income. Right.