Well I didn’t post yesterday. Probably because I was very busy making all manner of things to use all our dyed hard-boiled eggs. Even though as I mentioned on Monday they were actually baked eggs.
So I made deviled eggs and egg salad and then cut up some eggs to put in the salads we were having for dinner that night and ate some of the leftover sausage and egg casserole from Easter brunch. In short, if someone had tested my cholesterol last night they would have immediately rang for a cardiologist.
In addition to seeing how many eggs is too many, I spent Monday shopping with Gulley. She had the day off and we’ve both been so busy that we haven’t even been able to have our normal Tuesday lunch for several weeks, so we thoroughly enjoyed a whole day to shop and catch up on life in person and not in snippets of texts and phone conversations that are always interrupted.
And then yesterday I took a huge step. I found a new Starbucks where I can write.
Some of you might remember that my former Starbucks/office has undergone a renovation and is no longer conducive to writing, mainly because they removed all the comfy chairs and only tables remain. And because being on a computer at a table causes me to have flashbacks to my days of a sales manager for a door company where I had to sit for hours in a cubicle and pretend like I knew how to use Excel, it just doesn’t work for me.
Thus, I have spent a lot of time agonizing over a new place to write. And have even tried, very unsuccessfully, to just write at home on my couch. This proved to be a disaster, unless you count the fact that my spices have never been more organized as a success. I kind of do, but my publisher probably doesn’t see it that way.
It’s just that I really loved my old Starbucks. I knew the crowd there. I knew the best time to get there in the morning (8:45 and not a minute before, but never as late as 9:15) and it held sentimental value because it’s where I wrote my first two books.
But, times, they are a changing.
And so I finally made myself go to a new place yesterday morning and it was a perfectly lovely experience. I daresay that it might even be better than my old Starbucks. The chair was more comfortable, the outlets are positioned in a convenient location and it wasn’t crowded at all which is good because I can get caught up in some people watching. And the next thing you know I won’t have written word one but have created an entire fictional scenario in my head regarding two people having coffee at the next table.
I’m sure you’ve hardly slept for wondering about all this.
After a morning of writing, I left for a hair appointment because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stay on top of the gray hair that insists on sprouting everywhere and then I picked up Caroline and five of her friends from school.
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this but there is a fifth grade talent show at the end of the school year, but you have to tryout to make the show. Caroline has been talking and worrying about what she could do for the talent show since this time last year and I’ve had my concerns because I wasn’t sure that any of her talents lent themselves to a stage at school.
But about a month or so ago, she began to strategize and plan with a few other girls and they came up with an idea for a group dance which seems to be the talent go-to for all fifth grade girls. Caroline informed me they needed a place to practice and so I volunteered our house. The next thing I knew they were asking me to make them a great dance mix using Garage Band which I only figured out how to do thanks to the wonder that is Youtube. And then they asked me for song suggestions. And possible dance moves.
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you have to face the realization that you really want a bunch of ten year old girls to think you’re cool? I was mere moments away from channeling Amy Poeler’s character in Mean Girls. “I’m not a normal mom, I’m a cool mom”.
They’ve spent the last few weeks practicing over here about once a week and I have truly been amazed at their hard work and dedication. But yesterday there was a little bit of drama going on and they all ended up gathered in the kitchen as I tried my best to help them come up with kind and loving solutions.
Thankfully they seemed good with my suggestion and all marched back in the playroom to resume honing their dance skills. Meanwhile, Sophie called and asked me what I was doing. I began to relay all the talent show details and she said, “It’s like you’re in charge of Group Night on American Idol or on the show Dance Moms“.
Yes, that’s exactly it. I can only hope I will resist the urge to make jazz hands out in the audience on the day of the talent show as I remind the girls to “sparkle and shine”.
And so that’s what’s been going on here.
Also, just a reminder that today is the first day of the book club for The Antelope in the Living Room on Kelly’s blog. You can find it here.
And I wrote a guest post over at Incourage and they’re giving away five copies of Antelope. You can find it here.