If I had a file cabinet, I'd file in the morning ...

Z told me tonight that she wishes she had her own filing cabinet, so she could file all her school papers and artwork. Then at the end of each year she would clean it out and start over. I asked her, hypothetically, if she would file her math papers chronologically or topically. She thought she would do it topically (multiplication, division, fractions, etc.) and went so far as to say that she would also have a miscellaneous file for papers that "put a whole bunch of stuff together," like the practice sheets for the state tests.

I told her I thought this was an admirable plan, and I wish someone had taught me the value of filing when I was younger. The weirdest part of this story is that I was totally serious about that.

organization porn

Reading:
Again, for writers group. I realize I am dragging my heels about committing to a new book. This is unfortunate as I have a lot of books I want to read. Will pick one and take it to bed with me. 

Writing:
Did I mention the power cord for my laptop shorted out? But I TALKED about writing at writers group. That counts, right. In the words of my fabulous writer friend, P, "there just is the day that is, and you can't worry about what it should have been." Writing, tomorrow, yes.

Dinner:
David and O made dinner while Z and I were at violin - baked chicken breasts in barbecue sauce with browned onions and a side of green beans. O browned the onions himself and decided they should have cumin and nutmeg (of all things) in them. He was correct! Also, he insisted that David put lemon juice on the beans. And as we were eating, he asked, about the chicken, "Don't you like all of the spicy, and the sweet, and the tangy, and the crispiness of the onions, all mixed up together?"

Soundtrack:
None in particular.

Random thing:
At writers group, L offered a checklist for line editing, which included familiar points like weeding modifiers and making sure your verbs pull their weight. Most interesting item: looking at the last word in the sentence to make sure it is doing everything it can to lend your prose strength.

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