I have a cosy day of domesticity planned as I spent a lot of this week out of the house. Lots of mending and organizing and maybe some cooking for visiting (adult) kids.
I am kind of proud of my repair job on a gorgeous majolica-ish plate that goes under a matching pitcher, as an edge of it was nicked. Two colors of acrylic paint pen laid over each other matched the color almost exactly and my idea to do it with layers of lighter purple and darker purple on top blended it in very naturally to the two-tone glaze!
It is so satisfying to mend things!
This plate and pitcher are from M.’s parents’ house from a glass fronted cabinet of china and tchotchkes. She and Quilter also gave me basically all the hard alcohol in the house and I took various other non perishable things for myself and others. The house has been mostly uninhabited for several years. It is a sad, intense, emotional process. Less sad for me than for M and L so I can be emotional support and useful for staying on target to get things done. We took a lot of V’s spangled sequined fancy outfits to Out of the Closet yesterday and I liked imagining her (as I have probably seen photos of anyway) absolutely killing it with the fierce spangle glamor at whatever IEEE veterans’ banquet or award ceremonies they were busted out for. While V would have been like, WTF my fancy outfits are being enthusiastically worn by drag queens, I like to think in some moods she would have approved of these dresses having a new life continuing on in cosmopolitan sophistication.
LQ is downsizing her amazing and excellent book collection, and I have volunteered to adopt out these books and M’s parents’ classic math and comp sci books, by having a little free book giveaway party in my backyard once it is a little warmer and not so rainy. (Probably with nice wine from their wine cellar and snacks to make it more of a party.) It is I think less painful to downsize one’s books if you know they are going to someone who is excited to have them. This is true for me, anyway. Stay tuned for news of that if you are a local!
Later today I will cook some lentils with orichietti, very simple and hearty (and vegetarian). It can be fancied up with a little extra parmesan and of course I always have fresh parsley + oregano from the garden even if the basil is long gone.
I am still adding poems to my database and might add an importer for it today since I have at least 3 files with over a hundred poems or translations. The translations will be harder to automate so I might not focus on that. I probably want to look them over and revamp them anyway since there is a giant manuscript from early to mid 2000s that I’d make different choices on today.
For the rest of the older poems I will try to “adopt them out” somewhere and also try not to sweat it that they are not how I am writing **now**. They can be what they are.
Tomorrow will be my true going back to work (Work Work not Play Work). I will do a little support for M. as she will be in town and I may also test drive and buy her parents’ car. Not sure if the Moz gig will kick in this week; they may not have it together yet, but if it does then I can give it 2 days but am committed to an afternoon at the DCC, another afternoon working on Andrei’s project for GOAT, with EDI and friends; I have a recommendation letter to write; I need to get my monthly allergy shots and see my asthma doc; I’m spending a day taking A. shopping for clothes; I need to spend at least 2 half days on DIFxTech and have meetings scattered throughout the week. That may mean I work Saturday, which is OK for a week but not sustainable!!!