Fine Just the Way It Is

Life is back to normal here at our house. There is still a lot of dirty, disgusting snow in heaps by the side of the road, but the weather has been conducive to melting for the past few days. I am getting more work done now that I am back into the regular routine of the semester. I thought I would have a lot more free time this semester, and while I do have a little bit more breathing room, I'm still quite busy. One good thing, though, is that my work is pretty evenly spread across the semester rather than being focused mostly at the end. It will be nice to be checking big projects off my list as I go instead of having three 20 page papers looming at the end of the term.

I found out this week that I'll be presenting my paper at the Narrative Conference in Cleveland on Friday, April 9. I was pleased with this development because it means I get to be home for Billy's birthday on Wednesday and my race on Sunday, but I can still attend two full days of talks at the conference. The program is so extensive that I am going to need to sit down at some point ahead of time to map out my plan of attack! My co-panelists are two other graduate students and one Georgetown professor, so that helps to make me feel a little less intimidated. A classmate told me that when she spoke at the same conference a few years ago, one of the people she quoted in her talk was on the panel with her! Three other students in my program will also be attending the conference, so that should also help me feel less overwhelmed.

That Sunday is the Annapolis Striders' Cherry Pit 10 miler, so I am looking forward to running my first race of the season (the Valentine's Day 5k was canceled due to snow). I went to the B&A Trail today in the hopes that it had been plowed, but it hasn't, so I still haven't been able to run outside. They had some plows in the parking lot, though, so hopefully they will get it cleared before next weekend.

We're still enjoying the Olympics, and Oscar got to enjoy a visit from his friend Hunter this weekend. He belongs to our friends Kevin and Rachel, and since he is only 2 he reminds us how much Oscar has calmed down since he was that age. He used to run us ragged! Luckily we lived in small apartments when he was that little. After they left, Oscar cried at the window for a long time. I guess we will have to get them together more often!

(Fine Just the Way It Is by Annie Proulx is her third collection of short stories that take place in Wyoming. Her most famous titles are The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain (originally published in her first Wyoming collection, Close Range). Both titles have also been turned into movies. I really like the way she captures the feel of the West.)

Post Script: If you visit this link and scroll down, you can find Annie Proulx's advice for writing fiction. Also included are fascinating tips from other authors. Including Joyce Carol Oates's "Keep a light, hopeful heart. But ­expect the worst." Want even more? The first set of advice is here.