SomebodyStopMe
I received an email today inviting me to do something that I’ve already done three times. Each time after I’ve done it, I’ve vowed never to do THAT again, and then like a moth to a flame, I somehow find myself doing it again.
The first time I did this Thing was in November 2007. Then I did it again in July 2008, and yet again in November 2008. And now here I am in 2009, considering doing this thing AGAIN.
This Thing is none other than NaBloPoMo — National Blog Posting Month. “All” you have to do is blog every day for the month of November. (The July event was a themed spin-off of the original.) When I got the email about it over lunchtime, I should have just deleted it right away. But after I read it, I let it sit in my inbox. Later, I emailed Jenn, a fellow NaBloPoMo-er whose blog I discovered in 2007, to ask whether she was thinking about participating again this year.
Jenn, you were supposed to write back and say, “Nope, sorry! I have a new baby and we’re getting ready to move and my life is too crazy to even consider it.” And then lacking a partner in crime, I would have decided against it too.
But that’s NOT what Jenn said. She said she’s thinking about it… and then said she’ll do it if I do it.
Uh-oh.
NaBloPoMo starts on November 1, so I still have six days to decide whether I will succumb to the temptation to blog every day for a month, but I must admit that my resolve is weakening with every passing moment. The decision is ultimately up to me, of course, but I’ve decided to solicit the input of YOU, my dear readers. (Or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to try out the poll feature.)
So, what do you think?
101 More Things That Bring Me Joy
What brings you joy?
Last year I answered that question by posting my first list of 101 Things That Bring Me Joy. If you’ve never written such a list, I would highly recommend starting one. It was not only a good exercise in noticing the things that I find delightful and deeply satisfying, but it’s nice to be able to read back over it now and ponder the many small sources of joy in my life.
Last night I finished creating my second list of Things That Bring Me Joy. For reference, my original list was compiled over a span of 498 days (more than 16 months). By comparison, version 2.0 was developed in a mere 51 days.
:: 101 More Things That Bring Me Joy ::
The 1st email from Tim.
The 2nd email from Tim.
The 3rd email from Tim.
The 4th email from Tim.
The 5th email from Tim.
The 6th email from Tim.
The 7th email from Tim.
The 8th email from Tim.
The 9th email from Tim.
The 10th email from Tim.
The 11th email from Tim.
The 12th email from Tim.
The 13th email from Tim… sent from the church balcony.
The 14th email from Tim.
The 15th email from Tim.
The 16th email from Tim.
The 17th email from Tim.
The 18th email from Tim.
The 19th email from Tim.
The 20th email from Tim… sent from I-81.
The 21st email from Tim.
The 22nd email from Tim.
The 23rd email from Tim.
The 24th email from Tim… sent from a golf course.
The 25th email from Tim.
The 26th email from Tim.
The 27th email from Tim.
The 28th email from Tim.
The 29th email from Tim.
The 30th email from Tim.
The 31st email from Tim.
The 32nd email from Tim.
The 33rd email from Tim.
The 34th email from Tim.
The 35th email from Tim.
The 36th email from Tim… sent from a bus stop.
The 37th email from Tim… sent from a Phillies game.
The 38th email from Tim.
The 39th email from Tim.
The 40th email from Tim.
The 41st email from Tim.
The 42nd email from Tim.
The 43rd email from Tim.
The 44th email from Tim.
The 45th email from Tim… sent from his brother’s house.
The 46th email from Tim.
The 47th email from Tim.
The 48th email from Tim… sent from a soccer game.
The 49th email from Tim.
The 50th email from Tim.
The 51st email from Tim.
The 52nd email from Tim.
The 53rd email from Tim.
The 54th email from Tim.
The 55th email from Tim.
The 56th email from Tim.
The 57th email from Tim.
The 58th email from Tim.
The 59th email from Tim.
The 60th email from Tim.
The 61st email from Tim.
The 62nd email from Tim… sent from a restaurant.
The 63rd email from Tim.
The 64th email from Tim.
The 65th email from Tim.
The 66th email from Tim.
The 67th email from Tim… sent from the bank.
The 68th email from Tim.
The 69th email from Tim.
The 70th email from Tim.
The 71st email from Tim.
The 72nd email from Tim.
The 73rd email from Tim… sent from my hometown.
The 74th email from Tim.
The 75th email from Tim.
The 76th email from Tim.
The 77th email from Tim… sent from a gas station.
The 78th email from Tim.
The 79th email from Tim.
The 80th email from Tim.
The 81st email from Tim.
The 82nd email from Tim.
The 83rd email from Tim.
The 84th email from Tim.
The 85th email from Tim.
The 86th email from Tim.
The 87th email from Tim.
The 88th email from Tim.
The 89th email from Tim.
The 90th email from Tim.
The 91st email from Tim.
The 92nd email from Tim.
The 93rd email from Tim.
The 94th email from Tim.
The 95th email from Tim.
The 96th email from Tim.
The 97th email from Tim.
The 98th email from Tim.
The 99th email from Tim.
The 100th email from Tim.
The 101st email from Tim.
Bonus:
102. The owner of a certain iPhone.
connecting the dots
On Saturday I ran into an acquaintance of mine who told me that she recently found my blog and LOVES it. (Thanks, Sarah!) I’m flattered that people actually want to read what I write. However, if you’ve been following my blog during the past couple months, you may have noticed that I haven’t been doing a very good job of entertaining the masses. It’s not that I haven’t been writing… it’s just that the vast majority of what I’ve written has ended up in one person’s inbox. Oops.
The “and guest” post I wrote over lunchtime yesterday wasn’t the first time I made a reference to the owner of that email account, so if you’re a regular reader, you probably started connecting some of the dots yourself. However, unless you’re abnormally astute, you’re also going to need this:
:: Reader’s Guide to Tiny Hints Rachel Has Been Dropping About Her “Guest” ::
1. Believe it or not, the first time I referred to my “Guest” on this blog was when I posted the list of “Seven Things You Should Know About Me.” What you couldn’t possibly know at that point is that I originally sent the list to someone’s inbox, so the “you” who should know seven things about me was not originally YOU, but the aforementioned “Guest.” It felt lame to borrow content from a personal email, but it was getting awfully quiet around here. Just for the record, three little words were omitted from the blog version. No, not THOSE three little words — just another example in Thing #7.
2. My next reference to this “Guest” was when I described him as a friend who sent me an email about a comma. It wasn’t the comma that made my day, of course, but rather the fact that he paid attention to such a minute detail that he knew I would enjoy.
3. Remember “D is for Date“? I guess that was more than a tiny hint, wasn’t it?
So there you go. I realize I haven’t given you many details yet, but just like when you draw one of those dot-to-dot pictures, it might take a little while for the complete picture to emerge.
Speaking of connecting the dots, have you ever played the Dot Game?
Neither had he.
But he was a good sport. He humored me by playing a children’s game on a drizzly Saturday, and as soon as he secured his second place finish, he took me out to dinner…
and guest
On Saturday morning at 6:58, I did something I had never done before. I sent an email RSVP… for two people.
visiting Aunt Rachel
This past weekend, my three nephews and my sister and brother-in-law came to visit from Ohio, and my parents also came down from Maryland. We had such a good time together. Throughout the weekend I jotted down a few memorable things the boys said. With the exception of the last one, all of these are from Evan (age 6). Simon (age 2) didn’t have much to say.
Is this a piano or an organ?
(he plays a key twice… plink, plink)
Oh, it’s a PIANO!
I wish we could stay at your house longer.
(He had only been there for 9 hours… and had been asleep for 8 of those!)
Is that house ABANDONED?
(while looking out the window at my neighbors’ house that is not, in fact, abandoned)
Have you been wearing that apron ALL DAY?!
They should have built your house BIGGER!
This is kind of like being at grandma and grandpa’s, except AUNT PHOEBE isn’t here!
After reading “Frog and Toad Together,” Neil (age 4) and I were cuddling on the couch and talking quietly before he had to go to bed.
NEIL: Do you wish I could STAY at your house?
AUNT RACHEL: I do…
NEIL: So do I…
A is for Auction
I don’t apologize for not blogging, because I consider that to be roughly equivalent to apologizing for having a life. However, when one of my regular blog readers asked me this morning whether I had had a boring week, I decided I needed to pay a little more attention to my blog, if only to set the record straight.
In spite of the lack of blog action, the past week was NOT a boring week. Here are a few of the highlights in alphabetical order:
A is for Auction. This weekend was the much-anticipated annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. I didn’t want to accidentally purchase a quilt, so I didn’t get a bidder number and I didn’t wave to my friends. However, I did end up buying Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, a pumpkin, and a gallon of apple cider. On purpose.
B is for Bookclub. The book we discussed this month was a whopping 500+ pages, but I read it in less than two hours one evening while reclining in my hammock. Although we usually read books written for adults, this time we chose one geared for 9-12 year olds — The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The author, Brian Selznick, describes the book as “not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things.” Quite an incredible book.
C is for Citizen Academy. This program is one of the best kept secrets in the City of Harrisonburg. Each Thursday evening for 12 weeks this fall, I spend a couple hours with a dozen other city residents, learning about each of the city departments. This past week we visited Public Utilities and learned about the water department. It’s like a weekly field trip for grown-ups.
D is for Date. 
