Begin again?



I rang in the new year with friends who still seem recent, but whom I have known since pregnant with Z 11 years ago. Just after midnight we spontaneously slipped on our boots and ran out into the middle of the street shouting, "It's 2014!" The snow had been falling steadily for hours. Everything was white and quiet, except for the rumble of fireworks in the distance. We danced and kicked up snow. Our daughters ran hand in hand to the end of the block and back. We toasted with the neighbors from across the street, who threw on coats to come join us. We shivered and laughed. We went back inside and listened to Neko Case.

(Cleveland is reputed to be one of the world's most beautiful snowy cities!)

When I was a child, 2000 seemed like a science fiction year, one that could not actually happen. Now it is 2014. This was the 25th New Year's David and I have spent in each other's company (not as a couple the first 5 or so of them). And can someone tell me why Debbie Harry was performing in Times Square? I didn't see it and was surprised to see her there at the ball drop.

Reading: No. But I went to a yoga workshop, talked with friends and discovered the very lovely movie, A Monster in Paris. It's a French animated feature, loosely based on Phantom of the Opera, about a giant flea that doesn't actually terrorize Paris but instead sings beautifully.

 Writing: A little doodling, a little mapping, a little goal setting (intention setting, really ... process designing. Read this about goals vs. processes, if you care to). This was mostly a day for other things. Most days tend to be. Part of the goal setting was about re-upping with a more satisfying daily routine, which includes daily writing.

And might I remind you of what I wrote on these pages one year ago? It is good to refresh you demon banishing skills.

Dinner: Spaghetti and sauce and frozen broccoli. (Funny, we had spaghetti on New Year's Day last year too.)

Soundtrack: A Monster in Paris!


The giant flea is voiced in the English version by Sean Lennon. Adam Goldberg voices Raoul the delivery driver. I have just finally confirmed that I did briefly go to college, and even appeared ever so even brieflier with him on stage. That is not why I enjoyed this movie; just a bit of trivia.

Random thing: Yesterday there were 9 hawks on my drive home from Athens. I don't think I have ever spotted so many. I declare this to be auspicious. At least one of them was a red shouldered, which has a darker head and more striated breast than red tails, which are most common and what I general assume I am seeing. I spent quite a bit of time as a kid outside in Southeastern Ohio, and sighting a hawk was not a common experience for me. DDT, which had contributed to a decline in raptor populations, was banned in 1972. I think I have watched birds rebound over the course of the last 40 years. Do you want to know more about Ohio raptors? Of course you do! So read this.

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