sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

October 17, 2011


music on monday: season of the witch
posted by soe 11:19 am

The Donovan classic, as performed by The Strangelings (a folk supergroup comprised of The Kennedys, Chris Thompson Lively, Ken Anderson, and Rebecca Hall):

Category: arts. There is/are 1 Comment.

October 13, 2011


remembered, in play, and found
posted by soe 3:33 pm

I’m neck-deep in a work deadline that’s keeping me late at the office nearly every night and starting to infringe on my sleeping hours, as well. Until that passes (and perhaps a little while after, as I’m starting to resign myself to how much will still be left to do even after the project goes public), I’m afraid we’re looking at continuing the recent trend of posts of music videos and lists and the occasional photo essay that are heavy on pictures and light on text.

To that end, here are three beautiful things from my week past:

1. We pulled into my parents’ driveway at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning. The sky was ink black and, to my amazement, filled with millions of stars. (I had noticed my old college friend, Orion, earlier in the night, but this was something of another scale altogether…) Rudi and I stood outside the car in the chilly fall night just staring up. I breathed to him, “I’d forgotten about stars.” It was nice to be re-introduced.

2. Even when I was good at volleyball, I was terrible at serving. Last night, for the first time in years and years and years, I got both of my serves over the net and in my opponent’s court.

3. I arrived home last night to discover that my keys were not in my purse. And they were not in my bag. I looked (and shook the bags to verify) … three times … each time convinced I’d somehow missed their reassuring jingliness. I knew I’d taken them out of my pocket when I changed for volleyball and put them on my desk with my metro card, but the card was there and the keys were not. In a Shrödinger’s Cat kind of key nightmare, I refused to let Rudi take me to work to see if they were still somehow in my office because the possibility I’d lost them elsewhere was too much to contemplate actively. The panic I experienced this morning when the keys were not on my desk where I last remembered placing them was, however, quickly replaced with joy when I discovered them on the windowsill where I must have left them when I rearranged my bag right before leaving.

How about you? What’s been beautiful or breathtaking or gratitude-inspiring in your world this week?

Category: three beautiful things. There is/are 1 Comment.

October 11, 2011


10 on tuesday: things i did this weekend
posted by soe 10:35 pm

Carole‘s Ten on Tuesday topic this week comes at a good time. Neither Rudi nor I had to work on Columbus Day, so we headed north to spend the holiday weekend in Connecticut. This offered plenty of options for this week’s subject.

Ten Things I Did This Weekend

  1. Finished my first pair of Socktoberfest socks in the appropriately titled New England colorway and started my second. (Photographic proof coming soon.)
  2. Worked on some trip-prep for the upcoming Iceland vacation by catching up on my reading and buying a red winter raincoat.
  3. Celebrated Dad’s birthday.
  4. Ate Mum’s delicious apple crisp.
  5. Sat outside in the sun.
  6. Slept in.
  7. Took in some fall color. (It’s muted and still edged out by green leaves after a ridiculously wet summer, but the yellows, oranges, and reds are still there.)
  8. Bought unpasteurized apple cider (Note: should you decide to do this, I would recommend against storing it in a non-refrigerated garage for two 85+ degree days and then taking it on a cabin-temperature, 8-hour car ride. It pretty much guarantees that your trip will end with the cider blowing its seal and leaking all over the car, the sidewalk, and the entryway to your apartment. You will, however, remember that cider forever regardless of its flavor.)
  9. Dozed in a hammock.
  10. Decompressed and relaxed enough to realize that a work deadline can be moved back a week without disastrous results.

How about you? What did you do this weekend?

Category: life -- uncategorized. There is/are 1 Comment.

October 6, 2011


preserves, old times, and victory
posted by soe 11:39 pm

Today marked the first time since August that we’ve had back-to-back sunny days in D.C. Who wouldn’t call that beautiful?

Three more beautiful things from the past week:

1. We return from Crafty Bastards and the D.C. State Fair with four jars of jam — two peach, a plum, and blueberry lime.

2. Sam is in town for a conference. He spends an evening filled with laughter with us.

3. Our volleyball team wins its first game of the season tonight (before dropping the next three). I’m having a blast so far and am so glad I signed up.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your life this week?

Category: three beautiful things. There is/are 2 Comments.


three things…
posted by soe 12:25 am

Periodically, Carole posts three things about three things. Less periodically, I steal the idea. Today is one of those days:

Three tv shows I have been watching on Netflix

1. Numb3rs
2. Fame
3. Bones

Three things I did tonight
1. Left work early … at 8 p.m.
2. Finished Will Grayson, Will Grayson
3. Pet Jeremiah while he napped on my leg

Three things Rudi has cooked for me this week (this was a suggested topic)
1. Homemade tomato soup
2. Chili
3. Tankards of tea

Category: life -- uncategorized. There is/are Comments Off on three things….

October 5, 2011


national bookfest, belated recap
posted by soe 12:11 am

This past weekend was busy, but not as busy as the previous weekend, where I failed to figure out how to clone myself in order to be at every author reading I wanted to catch during the 2011 National Book Festival.

Day 1, 2011 National Book Festival

(more…)

Category: books,dc life. There is/are 2 Comments.