Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Is that a pulse on my blog? Yes, it is!

Greetings, salutations, nanu-nanu. Geez, time does fly in summer! I still don't feel like I've caught my breath from my recent travels, because now, instead of soaking up the sun in the backyard, relaxing by my flowers (which are living! So far! Thrilling!), I hear the roar of engines in my driveway all day. It's just like I'm driving next to a stream of semi trucks all over again. But don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased with the result of this noise. Because by the end of the week, we'll have a concrete driveway in which we can park, grill out, play basketball, leak oil, play shuffleboard...and then, a real, live garage in which to store all our crap. Oh my goodness, it's like we're finally catching up to Levittown! The cockles of my heart are all fuzzy and warm.

And believe it or not, despite the noise, I'm making progress with the revisions--150 pages down, 180 more to go in the next two weeks. I'm trying to keep the poop jokes to a minimum, but they're sneaking in. We'll see what makes the final cut later in fall. The bad thing is that I'm neglecting the blog, because my creativity has been siphoned for the time being. I'll just have to rely on the old standby: regaling you with the dull and sometimes embarrassing minutiae of my life.

Basically, I can sum up the last week this way: Spy on new neighbors ... make homemade cherry barbeque sauce ... spy on construction workers in driveway ... water flowers ... "help" install new back door ... finish reading a new book ... spy on driveway guys some more ... try to keep up with and make sense of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie ... spend a completely sober evening with old college roommates and still have fun ... and so on and so forth.

Yes, as my last "event" indicated, I spent a low-key, alcohol-free, yet engaging evening with friends this past weekend, and this thought passed through my mind at one point in the night: THEN--pass out on a toilet after eating quiche prepared for an entire roomful of drunk people by tipsy roommate clad only in underwear and an apron. NOW--fall asleep while watching Little House on the Prairie with same roommates. But? The Sunday morning high-starch brunch at a local diner was still the same, minus the headache and general crappy feeling.

While I was gone our other neighbor's 18 year-old son had a party. One of the attendees knocked on our front door around 10:30 at night and asked if the party was at our house. I mean, anyone could assume so, given the lack of music, booze, babes, cars, jello shots, and fun. I'm just relieved J didn't crash the party or buy them beer.

Anyway, I'll be back to blog again early next week if I don't melt in the heat. And no, it wasn't me that passed out on the toilet. I was the one who took the picture. Peace out.

36 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:34 PM

    Well, I miss the updates, but I understand needing to conserve your creativity (and time!) for your book. Good luck with the revisions; sounds like they're coming along fine so far. And it must be my age, but I think the recent events with your roommates sounded much more fun than the college version.

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  2. Hey, if suffering through no blog updates is the price we have to pay to be able to read your book, then I, for one, am willing to make the sacrifice. Despite that fact that even when you relay what you calling "boring" cracks me up. I will persevere.

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  3. Um, I think that should have read "boring "minutiae""

    yowsa

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  4. Take all the time you need - I can't imagine even wanting to type on your blog after working on your book. Kudos to you!

    Did you like that book? I was eyeing it the other day but didn't get it.

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  5. Anonymous8:26 AM

    Glad to hear that your revisions are going well. I've been thinking about you!

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  6. Anonymous11:05 AM

    150 pages of revisions in two weeks, plus all that spying? Wowza.

    I remember taking pics like that. It's all good (especially if you're not the subject of the photo).

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  7. Jess ~ What's up with the spying on the drive-way guys? ~ jb///

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  8. Anonymous12:48 PM

    I read your profile and see that in your spare time you play basketball. Well maybe you play for fun in the driveway or at the park but with sportsvite.com, you can find even more people to play with from your area. With this new website, you can organize games with various people who have all levels of skill. To join the website is free. Maybe you should chec it out. If you have any questions please e-mail me at markrjohnston1@yahoo.com.

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  9. Anonymous5:30 PM

    I was the one passed out on the toilet.
    So you like books that are, "Shocking in its casual erotic frankness ..."? Iiiiiinnteresting... :)

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  10. What's wrong with "regaling you with the dull and sometimes embarrassing minutiae of my life?"

    That's the only thing I ever write about!

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  11. OK, been totally missing you and want to catch up and find out how things are going but have to get three kids and one self to bed!

    Hope to catch up soon, and great news on the revisions! Keep pluggin' away babe!

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  12. Anonymous9:50 PM

    I for one am crushed that your world doesn't revolve around amusing us on a daily basis. Congrats on the driveway- soon you can put out a broken down sofa, held up by rotting phone books on the lawn, park your car on the driveway and enjoy the American dream.

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  13. Anonymous10:24 PM

    I'm totally ready to see the new "Pirates" movie. In fact, I saw a t-shirt I want to have that says, "NINJA'S EXIST BECAUSE PIRATES LET THEM".

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  14. My you are busy, yet strangely entertaining.

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  15. alcohol-free?

    But...but...

    Why?

    ;)

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  16. Anonymous10:44 AM

    It is so freakin' hot here...I can't stand it. I'm already fantasizing about a cool evening in October.

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  17. yeah, i hear you on the "i have no energy for the blog right now" though i wish i could blame mine on revising my very own novel what i wrote. oh well;-)

    being preg--i moan about not being able to get looped, but i am one smug bitch in the morning when i lord it over hungover ones;-)

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  18. Anonymous1:55 PM

    Sounds like you're smokin' through the revisions!

    I like the new header. Very nice. :)

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  19. Anonymous2:19 PM

    Good luck with the revisions. Better you than me I say.

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  20. Anonymous6:40 PM

    Nothing wrong with a few poop jokes I always say.

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  21. Anonymous6:57 PM

    See, I missed out on the whole partying culture when I was a kid, because I was always trying to get some peace and quiet while my MOM partied.

    Maybe after the kids are grown and gone, I'll play catch up. The nursing home will boot me out for having loud, drunken bridge parties. Whoo! Rock on!

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  22. Glad to have you back. And re your comment on my blog today: My entire goal in life is to make you want to have kids, just because I'd hang on your every word about your experience. The world can use another laugh-out-loud, literate, literary mommyblogger.

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  23. SO GOOD on the revisions! I am dying, dying, dying for your book to come out. I've already informed my book club that I'm making next summer's pick :)

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  24. Well congrats on both the driveway AND the revisions! (Levittown...lol!)

    And poop jokes...all I can say is that you can never add enough. Just like garlic.

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  25. I've done the completely sboer evening with college roommates thing, and it's very strange! LIke, maye something's missing that you realize doesn't make anything all THAT much more fun, like frat boys or loud music.

    There. I'm old. I've said it.

    I'm getting together with some college roommates in a few weeks, and what do we have planned? We're.Touring.Plantations.

    There's better be bourbon after, is all I'm saying.

    Good luck on the revisions!

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  26. You should have ushered the Young man inside and then made him SEARCH for the party.

    That would have been good writing...

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  27. the THEN and NOW - I love it and can completely relate.
    And it's always good to be the one WITH the camera! and not the other way around...of which I can relate to both of those rolls as well. :)

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  28. I'm with Jozet...you can never have enough poop jokes...heh heh!

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  29. Glad you're back! I want a review on Pretty Little Dirty!!!

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  30. I just saw Pirates 2 last night and I am so glad to see that you are still trying to make sense out of it. Me too.
    It's great to have you back!

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  31. Anonymous12:46 PM

    I am so glad to see you back, and am awed by your revising prowess--I have been revising the same 20 pg. essay for 2 months. Clerly I need more restorative spying breaks...

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  32. I'm glad I'm not the only one who spies on my neighbors. Hoop and I place bets on what shitty thing they'll do to each other next. It's like our own reality show.

    BTW: Homemade cherry barbeque sauc? YUM!

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  33. I'm already melting from this heat. It's friggen unbearable. Hope all is going well in your neck of the woods.

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  34. "Diet Coke break"

    Oh, we have a house project going on to. Once ours is complete we too will be able to grill and spy on neighbors. I can't wait. We'll have to swap stories.

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  35. Anonymous3:21 PM

    Is Daisy free of the wookie suit? Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?Is Daisy free of the wookie suit?

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  36. Okay, you have waaaay too many blogs listed on your links. It's getting ridiculous. But please keep mine intact. I caught the tumbling routine on Steven Colbert and you're right - very funny!

    I've been reading Jen Weiner's website too. Have you ever written to her?

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