black book

someday this book will be famous

on secondhanding it

My family is giving secondhand Christmas gifts this year. Two years ago we made Christmas gifts. A fairly successful venture, despite Jessica's mixed CD. Last year we gave books. Another qualified succes, given my immediate downward spiral via Twilight series.

Secondhand gifts are complex. They unearth a lot of sensitive subjects. What objects of used clothing make a person squeamish? Does mom know that Mossimo is a brand sold in Target? Is it wrong to cut the Mossimo tag out of a cute blazer so that no one has to know? Does Jamie consistently lie about her shoe size? Does Dad need a black silk kimono? Would that shirt have caught my eye if it wasn't Marc Jacobs? Why did I bid on the painting of a ship in the silent auction at the Central Avenue thrift store? Should I buy everyone housewares? How would Jessica fly home bearing the head of an antelope? At what point is buying Dad another large picturebook a very bad idea?

If nothing else, we're opting out of the system this holiday and opening the door to a whole new level of honesty. And, yes, Dad needs a black silk kimono.

Let the hunt begin!

The Precious Object

The Cesar Pelli library in downtown Minneapolis has an inspiring exhibit showing now in Cargill Hall through early January. A bold mix of diversity and brevity. Definitely worth a trip through the stacks. *



*this exhibit contains many used band-aids

good fortune

A year ago I picked up a fortune cookie that someone had dropped on the sidewalk. The wrapper was still intact. I ate the cookie. My fortune read:

You will find your solution where you least expect it.

I tucked it in a clear compartment of my wallet and regularly wondered to myself where I would least expect to find the solution. Never mind that I didn't have a problem that I could pin my finger on. I would enter unlikely places or scenarios and think to myself, 'well, isn't this an unexpected place to find a solution.' Not the point. Answers are everywhere. In a handful of crackers, gracing the tab of my tea bag, on the sides of buses, in the conversations I pretend not to listen to, in nature- all around us. They will find you.

living room makeover

I spent $3.50 on a children's costume at the Salvation Army that I thought I could fit into. I then spent 3 hours modifying it in order to get it over my head and on my body. After so much investment ($3.50 + 3 hours = $3.50), I was determined to wear this thing to work at the restaurant today. I could be a goddess of wine or a goddess of beer or a pasta fairy or a .... The costume is so benign it boggles the mind. I gave up on it.

I am dressing up as a living room instead.

what ifs

We are replacing light blue carpet with a rustic wood floor in the bedroom. All because on the last Sunday of September I thought out loud, 'what if we ripped the carpet out of the bedroom.' Travis is new to my what ifs. He acts on them immediately. I hate to think if we had been friends when I was five. I used to walk around the barn wondering aloud, 'what if our whole family had to live in this horse stall?', 'what if our whole family had to live in the horse trailer? Mom and Dad could live in the tack compartment...', 'What if our whole family had to live in the wagon?'

The floor will be a challenge. (see raw materials)

For the record, I still think we could live in the horse trailer in a pinch.

pumpkin

for real