First–thank you all for your replies to yesterday’s post. I agree–a Christmas Tree hat really shouldn’t be considered a “religious” item–all you need to do is leave the star off the top and it’s a tree, after all! But who am I to argue? I sent it in to MagKnits last night, and I’ll see what happens. I should know in a couple weeks whether they want it or not, and if they do–wonderful! And if they don’t, I’ll “publish” it myself for a couple dollars here. I’ll even (as Snow suggested) host a Knit-along for it! (Although that, of course, will be tricky until the pattern is available to the public, but . . . it’s a quick knit, so . . . hopefully, in November!)

Then–in some important news–forty-two years ago today, my parents got married.

Isn’t that great news?? Because, of course, if they hadn’t, what would you be reading right now?? And, then, where would Chappy be? (Unthinkable)

Anyway–Mom and Dad went into New York today to see Spamalot, which I very much hope they’ll enjoy. I took the day off from work. Partly so Chappy wouldn’t be alone all day (poor baby!). I got up at my usual time, though, went downstairs, and started making pancakes for breakfast. Mom knew I had the day off, but Dad didn’t and he was really surprised! I figured, a special breakfast couldn’t hurt, huh? But also, I had some chores planned for myself. Like, putting together a sausage-and-peppers baked ziti dish for tomorrow night’s dinner (using turkey sausage because Mom is deathly allergic to all pork products). And, mopping all the downstairs floors–something we’re more neglectful of than we should be. I figure, Dad got pancakes, Mom gets clean floors. (Although, really, I wish someone would explain to me how swishing all-too-quickly-dirty water around on the floor is going to get it clean. I have yet to find a method or a tool that really gets the floor clean, not just kind of cleaner. We have laminate floors, too, and they show every possible streak–not to mention moist paw prints!)

Anyway, Mom and Dad left around 10:00 to go into the city, and I made a quick trip to Barnes & Noble. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been having the hardest time finding fiction that I’m in the mood to read. I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s a “sign” that I should focus on my own fiction for a while. In fact, one of the tricks I use on myself when having trouble writing . . . like, you know, the last four or so years . . . is to not allow myself to read any fiction. Eventually, the craving for a good story drives me to working on my own. At least, in theory. So, maybe this disinterest is a sign from my subconscious that it wants to write again. But . . . for added incentive . . . look at the cool site Julie left me in comments yesterday. November is National Novel Writing Month. Who knew?

Oh! And, speaking of books.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Silverlock by John Myers Myers. (The author, as I understand it, was named for his grandfather but they wanted to avoid the dynastic “II” and just gave him the last name twice. It suits him.) It has been a favorite for years. And it’s been out of print for about a decade now. (It’s one of those that comes and goes.) I got it for the first time during my Sophomore year in high school. Read it in one night and then lent it to my English teacher. (No, really.) Because part of the fun of this book is that A. Clarence Shandon, aka Silverlock, meets up with a whole slew of people out of literature in this book, and part of the fun (and it is fun) is trying to identify them. Some, like Robin Hood or the Mad Hatter are easy. And when he finds himself in the middle of a Midsummer Night’s dream, it’s pretty easy to spot, or when he bumps into Zeus in the woods, or joins Chaucer’s pilgrims, or descends quite literally into Dante’s inferno. But some of the references are really obscure, but every now and again, you’ll meet up with them in other reading. (Like, in my Junior year English class, I scrawled “Silverlock!” next to my notes about the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.)

Anyway, I lent it to my English teacher, who ended up keeping it over the summer. She brought it back the first day of school, with apologies, said she’d loved it, and I immediately read it all over again. In fact, I had it in the car as we drove to my Grandfather’s funeral a day or so after school had started. In further fact, the minister–who rode with us–looked at it and asked if he could borrow it when I was done. So that Sunday, I lent it to him. It’s just that kind of book. In my first three months of ownership of my copy, I had it in my possession for less than a week. (I’ve since bought a second copy.) But the exciting thing is that it’s back in print again. It’s a completely unique book–Shandon apparently never cracked a book open in his life that he not once recognizes a single soul he meets, and he’s wholly selfish and unlikeable as the book begins, but it’s a growth experience. It’s good. I think I’m going to need to pull my copy out soon . . .

But for now–the floors are dry (if streaky) and I’m going to go get some lunch!

• Tags: Family, General, Reading • Permalink:Two Score Two //