Fawning about Fall . . .

I'm loving the Fall temperatures, but hating the dreariness. Yay, sweaters! Boots! Turtlenecks! Clothes that I love! Clothes that are forgiving of a little extra poundage . . . although, I am working on that . . .

Haven’t had a chance to get my allergy medicine yet, so of course I have spent the day being as sneezy and wheezy as a girl can be . . .

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one – The Bethesda Row Arts Festival is this weekend, which means an opportunity to get a few Christmas presents bought early. Saturday is also Clarendon Day, in which a friend of mine’s band is playing that afternoon. And, on top of all this, my friend, L, is coming into town this weekend from NYC, and Mr. Random and I can’t wait to see her.

Speaking of Christmas, I’m starting to get catalogues in the mail. Eeeek! However, I’m not one of those people who complain about seeing Christmas stuff up in July – as I learned in my former foray into retail, (worked in a Hallmark store for 1 year during college – I am the queen of gift-wrapping!) there are a whole lot of people who shop early and get their lists out of the way really early. Shopping early allows you to actually take time and think of what people want, instead of grabbing that last Chia Head for Dad just because you waited until 5 PM December 24 to do all of your shopping. Also, as I get older, months seem to pass by with lightening fast speed so while it seems like it is only mid-October, early December will be here in a blink of an eye . . .

ESL Class last night went much better . . . to teach about prepositions, I used a big, yellow stress ball to show the students “The ball is on the table . . . The ball is in the corner . . . the ball is under the book . . . etc.) They got it really well, although I couldn’t stop throwing the stupid ball around and it eventually got away from me and rolled into the class next to us. Chastened, I put the ball away on the table, but the class got a big kick out of my fumbleness . . .

I guess that’s why I love teaching . . . I can be the big ham that I usually am not in my real life, all in the name of getting information across.

I wish I knew how to do a cool banner like some other blogs I visit. Maybe one with a collage of photos with “Snapshots from an Ordinary Life” in a cool (but readable) font imposed over the top. But, seeing as I can barely update this blog with cool links half the time, I’ll just put that on the huge to do list that I have stashed in the bottom of my closet . . .

What are you guys listening to these days? I’m looking to try some new music and I’m stumped as to who I should have on my radar screen. I know that Fiona Apple just released her new album (finally!), but other than that, can you all recommend some artists that you are enjoying these days? Links greatly appreciated . . .

Today’s poem is one that I found and was drawn to . . . something in the rhythm and imagery, I think . . .

[state of emergency]
by Barbara Jane Reyes

To honor movement in crescendos of text, combing through ashes for fragments of human bone, studying maps drawn for the absurdity of navigation — what may be so edgy about this state of emergency is my lack of apology for what I am bound to do. For instance, if I dream the wetness of your mouth an oyster my tongue searches for the taste of ocean, if I crave the secret corners of your city on another continent, in another time, in series of circular coils extending outward, then it is only because I continue to harbor the swirls of galaxies in the musculature and viscera of my body. You will appear because I have mouthed your name in half-wish, reluctant to bring myself to you. You will appear for me, because you always do, with earthen skin outside the possibility of human causation.