Only Cormac MacCarthy

In today's WSJ interview...

How does that ticking clock affect your work? Does it make you want to write more shorter pieces, or to cap things with a large, all-encompassing work?

 

CM: I'm not interested in writing short stories. Anything that doesn't take years of your life and drive you to suicide hardly seems worth doing.`

My Cat Loves Coffee

I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and my cat Janus keeps sticking his head into my cup to pilfer a sip. And when I spilled a little on the sofa? He rubbed his head allover the spot. Weirdo.

What I'm Left With

So things have steadily gotten better since my last post. My body has completely healed and my emotions are no longer on that cathartic roller coaster they were on in the days that followed the miscarriage. And this past weekend? I caught myself feeling happy more often than not. (Now mind you, I'm still finding myself bawling at commercials and TV shows and the general uncertainty of life but those tears dry quickly and don't seem to impede my general well-being.... Like a flash rainstorm in early summer.)

But I've done a lot of soul searching over the last 21 days and I've discovered that there are four things I absolutely believe. They include:

1. There is no God.
2. Happiness is a choice we make and entirely independent of the actual circumstances of our lives.
3. The energy--positive or negative--that we put out into this world always gets returned to us...
4. What we believe about ourselves is infinitely more important than what's actually true.

I know it may sound strange--especially to those of you who believe in one of the Big Three religions (Islam; Christianity; Judaism)--but these four beliefs give me an enormous amount of comfort and joy...

And now? Just you watch. This Spring I''ll be a phoenix rising out of her own ashes. This new Minerva Jane will be stronger and more beautiful than she ever was before.

New Publication!

StorySouth was so kind as to publish my newest short story, “Don’t You Want Something New?”

Check it out!

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

You know what I think would be the coolest job ever? Naming colors for home renovation products. I mean take a look at two of the new 2007 colors for Avonite's solid surface counter tops (yes: every once in a while I actually have to do some work for money. Stupid world):

martian sunset; cosmic penny; silver comet.

Isn't that delicious? I can just see myself, colors watches and samples array around me, picking the most fantabulous names I can conjure.

Hmmm.

In another life, maybe...

And That's Another Thing

Page 74 folks, page 74....

Just about half way done.

Acupuncture Eliminates Woman's Fear Of Needles

Used to be I was terrified of needles and giving blood caused a lot of anxiety. But these past few weeks of going to acupuncture seem to have at least one positive side effect: I can give blood without fear! I went over to Quest Diagnostics to have the first in a series of blood tests performed yesterday and I swear it was over in like five minutes. And I only felt queasy for about two seconds when I accidentally looked down and saw all those vials of my own blood lying there on the table.

In Arm & Hammer We Trust

Rod and I have three cats. We used to have four, but we sent Jubilee down to live at my parents farm last Christmas. Still, having three means that litter, food, and feline care are continually fascinating topics of conversation for us here in Brooklyn.

Last month before our trip down to Charlottesville for the Foundation For Cancer Research & Education board meeting we realized we didn't have enough Arm & Hammer specially formulated for multiple cat households (we're a demographic!) and so ran down to the Bodega on the corner of Henry & Atlantic to get a giant bag of Tidy Cats.

Boy was that dumb.

Because this stupid litter has no clumping ability and tracks everywhere so every time one of my long-haired feline babies climbs out of the box they spill the stuff everywhere.

So this morning, at Tazza, over coffee witness the following exchange:

Him: That litter sucks.

Me: I had to vacuum four times yesterday.

Him: Well, now we know better. We'll never buy anything but Arm & Hammer again.

Me: [Nodding but more interested in my Chai latte than the cats]

Rod: The thing is I think the Arm & Hammer clumps even look kind of pretty. They're perfectly round with a little indentation on the top... [Staring wistfully into his coffee.]

Me: You realize that's just hardened pee...

And that right there is one of the reasons I'm the luckiest woman in the world: I've got a husband who can find pleasure in the smallest things and beauty in the strangest places.

What? No REI In New York City?

How is that even possible? And yet seems to be the case. Rod and I are anxious to go grab some warm winter shells--fleece inside, waterproof outside. But can't find a store here.

Ohhhh NY. And here I thought you had everything.

In other news I've been diligently churning out my 1,667 words a day for National Novel Writing Month. Still not sure where the story is going or how I'm going to shape it into anything like a novel, but you know that's really not the point is it?

For you curious georges and georgettes: the working title is the book of strangers.