Fritz, as usual, is right. Wine helps, or as in last night’s case, a large what the English call martini-and-lemonade, or what we here call, well, I’m not sure. Martini brand extra-dry vermouth mixed with Sprite (or 7-up, I suppose) over ice and maybe with lemon if you can find it. Lovely and not very alcoholic except when you drink it by the huge tumblerful (guilty) while painting a room reddy orangey pinky (call it poppy-colored) at 11:00 at night.
I love painting rooms. I should hire myself out. It is the most astoundingly serene activity (except when you step backwards off a ladder, kick over your martini and lemonade and flood the floor on which your computer is sitting because it’s playing an old Buffy episode via Hulu (which you should check out, really, all of Firefly is on it among other things.) Even so (after the mopping up and the grumbling and the waving of the hands over the computer to ensure its survival) it’s pretty serene. And it has the important fringe benefit of placing a mark on this house that I still feel isn’t quite mine.
After two large tins of poppy paint, it’s going to feel a lot more like mine, I can tell you. And that’s before one wall gets turned into a giant blackboard. And I’m not quite sure yet about the fake fireplace but that’s going to be as Phoenix and the Carpet as I can whip up.
***
And by the way? I’m SO GLAD you’re all still out there. And amazed. And touched. And (did I mention) SO GLAD. I’ll be stopping by soon because I’ve missed you and I’m done waiting until I feel more inclined, or less morose or whatever.
Because here’s the thing. In high school (a million years ago) I hit a rough patch. And I had a few months where I dragged myself to school, moped around and then dragged myself home. Then finally after yet another sad and down sort of day, my friend Rosalia telephoned and said (something to the effect of) ‘I am sick and tired of seeing your face looking all hang-dog down in the dumps like that. Tomorrow you are coming to school all pretty and smiling or I will put a smile there and you won’t like it. I don’t care that you feel horrible. You are going to fake it until you make it.’
Eh, well, tough love, but I didn’t want to let her down. So I smiled, even though I didn’t feel like it. And after a while, it sorta worked. And then I really was smiling.
7 comments
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16 July 2008 at 12:39 am
Frogdancer
Funny how it works like that…
16 July 2008 at 12:42 am
charlotteotter
I’m glad you’re back. And that poppy-coloured room sounds lovely.
16 July 2008 at 11:37 am
darlene
oh wow … poppy-coloured sounds divine …
16 July 2008 at 8:39 pm
Fritz
Oh. Sweet Relief. You didn’t hire someone out to shoot me for being a complete Nancy Pants. I’ve missed you so much and I’ve misssed your writing and I have missed writing. It is easier for me to miss writing than you, because you are very good at it. But more importantly, I’ve missed YOU. So it is good to see you come out of your cave, even if it is one small limb at a time.
And I once painted my ceiling poppy red. That is, Michael painted our ceiling poppy red and spilled the can of paint all over our rug and carpet. So, like, it’s part of the initiation into good painting.
Your drink, by the by, sounds divine. I’m on a Bloody Mary kick recently, but lemons and sparkles and gin seems like a yellow walk in the clouds.
17 July 2008 at 6:49 pm
Fritz
What I’m knitting (since I rarely blog about knitting):
Collared Cardigan from Debbie Bliss’ Seacoasts book. I’m using Hempathy on Size 7’s. Lots of Stockinette, but lovely drape.
‘Lola’ from Debbie Bliss’ cotton book. Size 8’s with Blue Alpaca Organic cotton in a poppy color! Nice enough, but not the right shape for my big ol’ bod, so it will make a nice present once I finish. And I’m THIS close to finishing, and yet, I don’t.
Baby Surprise Jacket in malabrigo. First Zimmerman pattern, and it’s going pretty well.
Are you on Ravelry? If not, you must join.
What are YOU knitting? If you’ve abandoned knitting, then I am flying up to the wilds of Pennsylvania suburbia and RESCUING you. You are ultimately the one guilty of this ridiculous yarn stash in my house and all these daggone Addi’s. You HAVE to be knitting!
18 July 2008 at 10:53 am
MMote
its been too long.
18 July 2008 at 6:55 pm
Paige
My bedroom is kind of a poppy/moulin rouge color. It rocks. And if the painting and martinis and lemonade and tough love don’t work, there’s always big pharma. Whatever your poison, glad you’re back. You were missed.