| (no subject) |
[Nov. 27th, 2009|03:53 pm] |
The house was loud. The individuals were loud. The pockets of people were loud.
The turkeys were overstuffed. The house was overstuffed. We were overstuffed.
The jokes were old. We're getting old.
Yup. It was Thanksgiving just as it should be.
Hope yours was, too. |
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| Good Things |
[Nov. 6th, 2009|04:34 pm] |
Just 'cause.
-It was a pretty day, and I took pretty walks.
-Johanna and Penina's very thoughtful gradumabirthday gift arrived.
-Emily and I will be seeing Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol next week.
-My usual round of Thanksgiving travels begin in 18 days.
-I have grand plans involving olive oil, garlic, and the veggies in the fridge. And the junk food that abounds in this apartment will probably also play a part in my evening.
-The weather can be counted upon to be a Good Thing fairly frequently, and food almost always can.
Current book (from my mom, who is a Good Thing): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 12th, 2009|10:45 pm] |
I'm in Albany. A cousin who got married in a small ceremony in Chicago is having a reception tomorrow in NJ, so my family and I are going together. It'll be nice to see relatives, and it's been nice to see my immediate family, along with Aunt Shirley, who's doing a good job of recovering from her broken hip. I've also done the usual routine of seeing neighbors. Neighbors are nice.
I'll be back in Boston mid-day Monday.
Current book: 100% Wolf, by Jamie Lyon |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 26th, 2009|03:08 pm] |
I just went to this: http://www.simmons.edu/institutes/childrens-lit/doc/2009_ChLit_Summer_Institute.pdf
The list of speakers was pretty darn awesome, and the speakers all lived up to that, as did the facilitators of the breakout sessions. I'm happy to expound on any if you're curious about them, but won't go through them one by one, since the closing speaker did that better than I would.
But that really wasn't all. The best thing about the weekend was being around so many nice people who like to do the same things I like to do, including my peers and my former professors and bosses as well as people I'd never met. Everyone was gracious, regardless of level of accomplishment, and I feel very warm and fuzzy about the children's lit world right now. I'm very glad I went.
Current book: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi |
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| A succinct wedding post (because Johanna is a trendsetter) |
[Jul. 13th, 2009|09:07 pm] |
The wedding was lovely. Everything was meaningful. Everyone was happy. Everyone in the Jewish community knows everyone else. And everything is funny around 1 a.m., as we verified in our hotel room.
I am very glad that so many wonderful people, and I, went.
Mazal tov, Alanna and Becka (who rarely check LJ and would have other things on their minds anyway).
Current book: Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love, by Lauren Tarshish |
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| Brittany |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|11:29 pm] |
Two words that come to mind when I think of Brittany are talented and gracious. The reasons behind the first are obvious. I've seen two years' worth of her writing now, and I'm impressed. She really puts her all into every piece, and it's clear in the result. I've also seen two years' worth of her editing and heard two years' worth of her talking about various matters of interest to the children's lit world, and there's no doubt in my mind that she has the editor gene.
Brittany's graciousness is evident in every interaction, but I've especially noticed it in relation to the writing world. She's so generous with her editorial insight, and when other writers are hoping for that big break, she hopes right along with them. Brittany is definitely a valuable person to have in your cheering section.
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| Michie |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|11:23 pm] |
Michie made me a quilt.
That one fact about her is representative of the kind of person she is. She's someone who combines eager creativity and loyal friendship to the point that about a year after we'd stopped being roommates (and we'd only seen each other twice during that year), she was thoughtful enough to want to make me a gift for a graduation another year thence, and to make that gift into a major art project in which every detail had significance. That's the way she is with every project and with every friendship, and every time I look at the quilt, I'm reminded that someone decided it was worth it to spend the time, resources, and mental energy necessary to make it. |
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| Penina |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|11:14 pm] |
(And the meme begins! And if I don't get to you tonight, it's a fatigue thing, not an I-don't-love-you thing.)
I'm not the first person to say that Penina is a calm, down-to-earth, low-stress presence. Penina always seems genuinely excited to see people - I've seen it at big and small Goucher gatherings and heard it in the way she talks about other friends. She's flexible enough to have picked up her city-girl life and moved it to a very small Vermont town (hamlet?), and now seems to be comfortable and happy in either place as well as in other places. She appreciates humor simple and yourmomplicated, and I appreciate her and am really excited to see her in a few weeks. |
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| Six truths. Three lies. |
[Apr. 2nd, 2009|12:04 am] |
Things I'm Actually Looking Forward to in April:
-being a dork about National Poetry Month -finishing my verse novel (which happens to be about National Poetry Month), at least as far as my mentorship is concerned
-Passover. Raucous Flax family seders. Matzah pizza. Matzah brie. Matzah ball soup. -the first bite of something really bready after Passover
-the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference and the accompanying hotel room full of writers
-cherry blossoms. All blossoms, really.
Lies, Scurrilous Lies:
-the snow that’s predicted this weekend
-the installation of air conditioning in North Hall
-my sister's plastic surgery
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| Things I'm looking forward to in April |
[Apr. 1st, 2009|12:08 am] |
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-being a dork about National Poetry Month -finishing my verse novel (which happens to be about National Poetry Month), at least as far as my mentorship is concerned -the snow that’s predicted this weekend -Passover. Raucous Flax family seders. Matzah pizza. Matzah brie. Matzah ball soup. -the first bite of something really bready after Passover -seeing how my sister will look after her plastic surgery -the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference and the accompanying hotel room full of writers -the installation of air conditioning in North Hall -cherry blossoms. All blossoms, really. And what are you looking forward to in April? |
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| Britt was confident I'd respond. In support of her faith in me... |
[Mar. 21st, 2009|11:51 pm] |
FOUR THINGS:Here are four things about me that you may or may not know, in no particular order...
Four names that people call me:1.Shoshana
2. Shosh
3. Shana
4. Dude
Four jobs I have had:
1. educational publisher
2. TA
3. camp counselor
4. writing tutor
Four movies I would watch more than once:
1. Forrest Gump
2. The Princess Bride
3. Love Actually (keeping Britt's answer because it's so right)
4. Finding Nemo
Four places I have lived:
1. Albany, NY
2. Fair Lawn, NJ
3. Baltimore, MD
4. Boston, MA
Four places I have been:
1. Israel
2. Ireland
3. London
4. Paris
Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
1. my mom
2. too many listserves
3. my TA professor
4. Jenni
Four of my favorite foods:
1. peaches
2. cheese
3. basil
4. HAMENTASCHEN
(This one was way too hard to answer. I think I just love variety.)
Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Reading in the sunshine
2. Traveling somewhere I've never been
3. In a hug
4. The point in time when I have some of my current questions answered
(But honestly, on my bed in Boston with my back against a cold buckwheat pillow and my feet under a quilt made especially for me isn't a bad location)
Four friends I think will respond:
1. Michie
2. Johanna
3. Sarah
4. The answer lies within you, really.
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. finding out what the rest of the year is going to be like
2. holidays
3. spring
4. time with the people with whom I love to spend time
Four TV shows that I watch:
1. The Office
2. The Daily Show
3. The Colbert Report
4. whatever's on when I happen to need background |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 4th, 2009|07:10 pm] |
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So I got a YOUR PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED! notice from the mailroom. "It's probably one of the zillion textbooks I've ordered," I figured. "I'll grab it on the way to class and stick it in my wheelie suitcase." (I've started using a wheelie suitcase to help reconcile my books with my back.) And then the girl working in the mailroom pawed past the book-sized packages and pulled out a giant box. Inside was a note that here was an early graduation gift. And... a quilt! I kept it rolled up, stuck it in my suitcase, and went to class, flabbergasted.
Once I got back from class and dinner, I finally got to unroll it, and it is awesome, and every patch has significance, and she's been putting it together since April, and thanks, Michie! And thanks, Skip, Nicole, Kate, and anyone else who acted as a sounding board and kept the secret. I'm feeling very lucky right now. Current book: Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
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| Things I'm looking forward to in February |
[Feb. 1st, 2009|11:47 pm] |
-going back to reading to kids at Farragut this Wednesday
-having an endless supply of picturebooks to choose from. One hundred twenty for one assignment, to be exact.
-watching the Done pile climb and the Still to Be Analyzed pile shrink
-going to Albany next weekend
-Cheap Chocolate Day
-seeing Seussical
-my parents' visit at the end of the month
- what I hope will be the upward progression of my job search, my verse novel, my TAing skills, my ability to analyze illustrations, and my health
-time with friends and time with family
-reading outside whenever I can convince myself the weather's good enough
-lots and lots of tea
-the good night's sleep I'm going to get in the near future
What are you looking forward to in February? |
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| Meme from Michie |
[Jan. 27th, 2009|02:08 pm] |
The first seven people that respond to this post will get something made by me. It will be about, or tailored to, those first seven people who respond.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
+ I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
+ What I create will be just for you.
+ It'll be done this year.
+ You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a mix tape. It may be fic, or a poem. I may draw or paint something. I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
+ I reserve the right to do something extremely strange (you really shouldn't be worried at this point, muahahaha).
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well!! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 9th, 2009|04:17 pm] |
I had a decent last day and a half in Albany. A snow day led to a babysitting job, and after an afternoon of packing, PT exercises, writing, and cooking, I hung out with Leora, Katie, James, and Fozzie (Katie's hyperactive dog) in the evening. Thursday was travel day, and though there was a bit of a bus delay and the heat was broken most of the way, I got in smoothly, thanks in large part to help with my stuff at both ends. Back in Boston now, and getting my semester in order, along with my room, now that I'm a bit more mobile and a) don't need everything in easy reach, and b) can move things. It's going to be a busier semester and, I'm hoping (really, really hoping), a better one.
Current book: Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 31st, 2008|02:30 pm] |
My 2008 resolution was to write every day. Usually, that meant working on a novel, and the amount of time that seemed reasonable grew longer as the year progressed. Occasionally, when noveling wasn't feasible, writing meant something else, like journaling, putting a poem onto a napkin or into Gchat, or even academic writing. But despite 37 days without my computer, 2 days in the hospital and several months of aftermath, and various and sundry trips and other busy days, I wrote every day in 2008. And now, it's hard to imagine going a day under most circumstances without writing, whether I mandate it for myself or not.
My 2009 resolution will be less quantifiable, but it's one that makes a lot of sense to me at this juncture. In 2009, I resolve to keep myself safe and healthy, as much as is reasonable and in my power. (This is not a resolution not to climb trees. It is a resolution not to climb tall trees unless I have a spotter, and not to climb any trees besides one particular tiny one I've earmarked until I'm completely healed. See? This resolution is all about being reasonable.)
What's going to be awesome about January (in order of appearance, pretty much):
-Elena's bat mitzvah
-The Maryland Meetup. The Gopher Get-Together. Seeing many of you.
-going back to Boston, probably around the 8th. Having a week or so there before things get crazy.
-organizing my dorm room
-resuming physical therapy sessions--->eventually more movement and less hurting
-finally getting my shoulder MRIed
-a shiny new semester, during which I'll get to be busy again. I missed it.
-starting my internship with David R. Godine, Publisher
-TAing the undergrad children's lit survey course
-being up on the latest picturebooks through Picturebook class
-writing a verse novel with a mentor
-presenting Andi, Exactly at the Colloquium and hearing presentations from my distinguished colleagues
-everything that was already good about my life
-all the good things that are going to happen that I don't even know about yet
What's going to be awesome about your January?
Current book: The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
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| This could be a fun year to review. |
[Dec. 30th, 2008|04:08 pm] |
First sentence of each month in '08, with occasional second sentences when they make things more interesting:
January: My dad's techretary is in the process of transferring the contents of my old computer to my new one. I hope it won't jinx anything to write this now.
February: Some people are still receiving my autoreply from Thanksgiving.
March: Happy spring break if it applies.
April: My summer internship at Horn Book just became a spring-and-summer internship.
May: As many of you have heard, a picture book was recently released to explain cosmetic surgery to kids.
June: Life is crazy.
July: Our family friends who live in Sharon have been inviting me for meals throughout the year, and I've always been busy when they asked.
August: When I was fourteen, I sent queries to a number of publishers on my first attempt at a novel.
September: If, some distant hypothetical day, I manage to make a living by my pen, it is necessary that I still keep a day job. Excessive free time gets annoying pretty quickly.
October: I had a really nice Rosh Hashanah with Johanna and her family.
November: November IS awesome.
December: It's not that every second of November was awesome. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 20th, 2008|07:54 pm] |
Yup. We have snow, just like most of the rest of you. We threw it and built in it and climbed in it and made it into angels and melted it off ourselves via tea, probably like many of the rest of you. We trudged through lots of it to go to a giant bookstore - the New England Mobile Book Fair, which is not mobile but which has a heck of a lot of books - unlike the rest of you, I'm guessing. It was fun. (I'm still figuring out what my limits are as far as playing in the snow is concerned. While I worked on that question, I threw a lot of snowballs at a certain tree.)
Weather permitting, I'm heading to Albany tomorrow. The weather is definitely forbidding my parents from coming to enjoy Brookline's bounty and then bring me home, so now I'm just depending on Greyhound. Kate, who is wonderful, is going to help me schlep my stuff. I'll be in Albany until somewhere around 1/8; 1/11 at the latest (she said, knocking firmly on the wood of her desk), with a Baltimore jaunt in the middle.
Stay safe!
Current book: Beetles, Lightly Toasted, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor |
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