She knows I’m going somewhere, so she has to be nearby…
Wearing:
3×1 cropped jeans (several years old)
Everlane cashmere turtleneck (old style)
Patagonia nano-puff jacket
Transcience Swing Bag (gift from the designer)
Vince Warren platform sneakers (quite a few colors on sale!)
Downward dog…
Sitting…
š
Wearing/Buying
I’m wearing my old, stretchy jeans lately because they fit me, and hold me in.Ā I wore my 100% cotton jeans, but they are literally falling off of me right now, like I can take them off without unbuttoning or unzipping falling off, and that’s not comfortable.Ā Having my clothes be too big is really disconcerting to me.Ā I don’t know how to explain it, besides I don’t feel strong, or sturdy.Ā My sister told me when she was here right after my accident that she thought I looked fragile.Ā Maybe that’s what I feel. Fragile.
I got my Elizabeth Suzann Clyde culottes and right now, I think the size 8 short fits.Ā They’re actually maybe a little short? But not really, and if I do decide to keep them, I believe I can get the hem taken out a half inch, or even a quarter inch, since there’s room there.Ā I haven’t worn them yet, because it’s FREEZING here, as it is all over the country, and I don’t like to wear socks, or boots, so…
Not buying anything, hardly wearing anything.Ā Not really going anywhere.Ā Sort of in a funk, to be honest.Ā We haven’t seen the sun for days and that always makes me feel sad.Ā Family so far away does it too.Ā Also…not being able to eat solid food LOL.
Reading/Watching
I finally got around to reading Just Kids by Patti Smith (the kindle edition is $1.99 now!) and I love it so much.Ā I’ve never really been a Patti Smith fan, but since I discovered Robert Maplethorpe in the 90’s, I have always been interested in his life and work, so this was fascinating.Ā I also came out of it really liking Patti Smith – not her music, necessarily, but as a person.Ā I respected her ability to stay relatively grounded even in the chaos of the Chelsea Hotel, the rock world, and all the uncertainty in her life.Ā And their love for each other is inspiring.
Now, I’m reading random fiction and I’m not really interested in any of it.Ā Maybe I just need to stick to non-fiction for a while? Any biography/memoir suggestions?
We went to see Star Wars yesterday and I really liked it.Ā Going to watch Wonder Woman this weekend š It was $2.99 to rent on Amazon today.
Doing
Nothing much.Ā I’ve been working on repotting a lot of my plants that need it, which I’m glad to be getting done.Ā This always involves one or two trips to the nursery though, and it’s taking all I have in me to resist buying MORE plants.Ā I have so much room and so much light now that I can have ALL THE PLANTS, but I need to pace myself.Ā Anyway, right now I have more plants than pots, so I need to get more pots (I like the white ones from Ikea), but I will inevitably end up with more pots than I need now, and will have to get plants to fill them.Ā See what I did there? š
I’ve been back on the Peloton a few times a week, not trying to burn too many calories, just trying to get some physical activity.Ā I feel really good, physically, but I know I’m not getting enough calories to exert myself too much.Ā I miss Pure Barre like crazy though, but am waiting at least until I get the elastics off before I go back.Ā It’s still weird to be out in public like this, especially when I really have to interact with people.Ā It’s hard not to smile!
I really dislike New Year’s EveĀ in general (too many bad ones), so just waiting for January 1 so things can get somewhat back to normal.
Sorry to be a debbie downer today! I’m not really very down, just feeling the weight of things today.Ā You know?
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! And see you again next year .
Grechen, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be not to be able to do everything you want right now. Hopefully it will only be a few more weeks until you are back to normal. Take care of yourself and try to enjoy this time. It is so cold here, too, and when the sun isn’t out I really hate it.
I wanted to tell you that I went to Nordstrom in The Domain yesterday to hopefully try on Eileen Fisher jeans or another brand in person. I was so disappointed when I couldn’t find any, and the saleslady told me that they don’t carry a lot of brands in-store. She showed me several types online (I’m looking for slimmer fitting boyfriend jeans). I was surprised, but maybe this location is smaller. I didn’t try going out to Barton Creek because I had my kids with me and the traffic is terrible now. But ugh, jeans shopping. And I kind of hate The Domain, too. It feels so fake to me, like an amusement park village.
Also, check out The Dark on Netflix if you want something really, really creepy. We watched it in its native German with English subtitles because the English dub is terrible. It’s great on a cold, dark night.
Oh, and I gave my dad _News of the World_ for his December birthday and he loved it. He lives in San Antonio and loves westerns, so it was perfect. I think the author lives on a ranch near Fredericksburg.
Grechen, I’m really not surprised you are feeling a bit down – you have been through a lot lately. I also don’t have much truck with New Year’s Eve etc., but this year we are invited to a houseparty. I’m seriously considering not going, except we do a post-holiday brunch the following weekend and I’m always worried about people not turning up, so I guess we should go to this one! It’s been so cold here that our city (Ottawa) has even cancelled New Year’s Eve celebrations on Parliament Hill!
If you are willing not to give up on fiction entirely, I highly recommend Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It seems to be just what the doctor ordered for these dark – literally and figuratively – days.
I read Just Kids two years ago and loved it! I thought maybe Iād like more in the music icon genre and slogged through Bruceās Born to Run last winter. Since I used the word slog you can probably guess I didnāt love it – though I did finish it. Keith Richardās Life is in a pile to read somewhere and I doubt I will ever get around to it.
More promising is Patti Smithās follow up M Train. I saw her in concert once and she was, as Iād hoped she would be, dancing barefoot on the stage.
I’ve never liked NYE either – for my entire adult life I’ve always stayed home and watched movies – wine & various appetizers for dinner š I hope 2018 is a banner year for you!
Books – we don’t have the same tastes but I do love a memoir or biography interspersed with my mysteries and romances! Nora Ephron, of course (somehow books of essays are the easiest of nonfiction to read – easily digestible bites?) I have Any Tan’s new memoir on my list but haven’t read yet (Where the Past Begins). I’ve always loved foreigner/expat books. Frances Mayes, sure, but Peter Mayle did it first (and for me, better š Elizabeth Bard’s books are nice if you like food and expat life (same with David Lebovitz – I adore food writing! Provence, 1970 is another food bio that I loved. ) Daisy Goodwin wrote the screenplay for Victoria based on her bio, also wrote another I preferred called American Heiresses. But having read Conseulo Vanderbilt Balsan’s”The Glitter and the Gold”- I wasn’t shocked š I go through celeb memoirs -Candice Bergen, Anna Kendricks, Amy Poehler, Penny Marshall, Tina Fey, Lauren Graham (this is a category my public e-library seems to keep well stocked!) For style -old school! Cherie Burns’ “Searching for Beauty” about Millicent Rogers was fascinating. I have a couple about Diana Vreeland sitting on my Kindle now…Michael Gross if you like reading about NYC real estate as if it were human š yeah, I have a really long reading list š
Hang in there Grechen! The whole non solid food thing sounds terrible. As for nonfiction books:
I really enjoyed reading Hill Billy Elegy. I read it during a time when I wanted to understand who would vote for Trump and the opioid epidemic etc. It was easy to digest and a page turner. Not as depressing as it sounds.
I love reading your posts…thank you! Hoping everyday is more healing.
I have been a fan of Patti Smith since the late 70s when she was beginning to become famous — saw her in concert once with R.E.M. — Loved, Just Kids. Right now I’m reading a newish biography, Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer by Arthur Lubow which is pretty interesting. Feeling kind of blah myself. It’s crazy cold here in N.Y. (as it is everywhere else) and I have a cold. I too am missing physical activity!
Just saw Michelle’s comment about Hillbilly Elegy. My husband read it — he too thought it was very good. For what its worth I too hate NYE and can’t wait till the holidays ore officially over.
I hope the new year brings good things to you Grechen!
Currently I’m reading “Sustainable Happiness” and “The Simple Path to Wealth”. But I have “Sweetbitter” (fiction) in the queue based on someone else’s reading list. I’ve added “Just Kids” to my library list (not buying thing in January!).
Our last several NYE have involved going out to supper early while my parents babysit. They they go to supper late! We stay home, watch music videos from the 80’s and 90’s and try to stay up until midnight. It works for us.
I think you look really good (I especially noticed your hair…cute!), I donāt see fragile. But I CAN understand why your sis thought that right after the accident. Iāve sustained serious injury before, and it really takes the wind out of your sails. I believe that itās important to give ourselves pep talks to encourage our healing. āIām strong!ā āIāve got this!ā The mind-body connection is so critical to wellness.
Winter is really tough for me, mood-wise. Itās probably a good thing that Ms. Dagny needs her walks so you are at least getting a little sunshine and fresh air. I have to force myself to get outside and get some exercise. Why canāt you do Pure Barre? Too strenuous at this point?
We went to see āStar Warsā on the 26th with our girls, but our youngest (19) was so upset with me because I fell asleep during the middle! It wasnāt the movie…I was just exhausted! Her favorite gift was her Light saber battery-operated toothbrush that plays Star Wars music. š
Thank you for being here for us ALL YEAR LONG! You are truly amazing. Happy New Year!
āThe Darkā sounds like itās right up my alley. We always watch in the original language with subtitles. It just feels better for some reason.
Thatās sounds exactly like our NYE, Hoyaheel! One of our movies is always āWhen Harry met Sallyā (perfect NYE movie) and our favorite appetizers. Thatās exactly the way we like it.
Come spring, maybe you should try your hand at propagating the plants you have! It’s rewarding and saves?plus if you make too many plant babies you can give them away.
That all sounds so rough to go through. Here is to a new year and new beginnings! My favorite biography lately is āGeorgia OāKeefe: Living Modern.āIt is expensive because there are a lot of big photos, but the text is way more substantial than a coffee table book. It is a full on, well researched biography. Maybe there are some used copies available by now too (it just came out in 2017). It is a biography with a focus on her clothes, which I thought was an interesting angle to take. I liked her art before but am absolutely fascinated by it now. Canāt recommend it enough.