Cozy Day

The house a woman creates is a Utopia. She can't help it -- can't help trying to interest her nearest and dearest not in happiness itself but in the search for it.
-- Marguerite Duras

Saturday, October 13, 2001
One year ago: Fireside Chat
Two years ago: Sore Legs
Four years ago: Style is Not Neutral

I got a pleasant surprise this morning -- I thought I had some overdue library books, but my fine was only ten cents! I rewarded myself by checking out books on Flea Market Style (worth paging through quickly), and that new book that purports to be explicit sex scenes from Jane Austen novels. Pride and Promiscuity (warning, shocking illustration!) is funny, but definitely a book to get from the library, not to spend money on!

I also got some groceries, but still got home in time to give H--- a ride to her high school. The plan was for her to meet up with her friend G----, watch the football game, then go see a movie. Jack had already told her to call when the movie was over, but I advised her to call when she got to the theater, if it took longer than she expected to get there by bus. The busses don't run that often on weekends, and I thought she should give her dad some warning if she'd be late.

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Jack and I had a nice, lazy afternoon, after I did some cleaning. The place looks good after all our efforts last weekend, pre-Vanguard, and I want to maintain that. So I did a round of vacuuming, dusting and swiffering, and made sure most stuff was in its place.

I had a packet of 13 bean soup that I'd bought a ham knuckle for this morning, so I felt very homey and smug as I cooked it up in the crockpot. Bingo, dinner is done! So I tore Jack away from the computer and snuggled with him for a while.

Jack had been planning on fixing one of the dining room chairs; we messed it up by standing on it instead of using the step-stool the other day, when it wasn't rated to take that load! So I bought wood glue and we were going to get the stretcher and legs realigned, and then clamp them. The wood pieces didn't want to fit together like they should, so Jack was using the rubber mallet. D'oh! The stretcher split in half! We'll have to find a replacement part somewhere. I know Jack felt bad, but at least we still have five chairs left.

Jack spent the rest of the afternoon writing. He's had a story he was thinking about, and finally figured out the voice he wanted to write it in and how he wants to structure it. So I was able to read my library books, in between the times he burst out of the office to tell me about what he was doing. He did let me read it -- I hope he continues with the project!

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John Aho, a friend from Bellingham, stopped by to pick up his hand truck, which was mistakenly loaded in Jack's trailer at Vikingcon this summer. He stayed for supper, then he and Jack geeked out in the office while I watched John Waters' Cecil B Demented. That's an odd movie, but I like John Waters' stuff so I enjoyed it. I like that he always returns to Baltimore and his old movie-making buddies.

H---- didn't call until almost seven o'clock! I was right, the bus trip (downtown, then out to Renton, a Seattle suburb) took a lot longer than her friend had thought it would. Jack was annoyed with her. He went to pick up the girls when they called after nine, and got H---- home before ten.