yay!

friday night i stayed up super late, completely engrossed by The Magic Toyshop and ended up finishing it somewhere around 2:30 in the morning. i just couldn't put it down. it caught me by my eyelashes and locked me in to its pages until i read the very last word. i actually felt a bit sad to have finished it. this is a story i'd actually love to see translated to film. though the the book always wins when it comes to that sort of thing, i think this particular story would make for a wonderful movie. wonderful, wonderful book. recommended.

so last night i picked up The Pollen Room by zoe jenny. i read it when i was 17 and an aspiring writer and the only thing i remember about it is thinking it was boring. well, comfortable with the fact that i didn't know shit about shit at 17, i decided to give it another whirl. 20 pages in and it is absolutely (so far) beautiful. i'm glad i decided to ignore the judgements of my 17 year old self and revisit this book with older, more thoughtful eyes.

i'm getting better about spending some time reading everyday. it's a hard habit for me to ingrain... which is sort of strange to me. maybe i'm still on homework hiatus since graduation? at any rate, it's something i think is really important. now that i begin everyday writing in my notebook, i'd like to end everyday reading the work of others... gain some perspective and insight, i suppose... get away from my own thoughts and hang-ups and obsessions for awhile and see the world through someone else's spilt ink.

simple pleasures...

finally home from a long, but good, days' work. my feet hurt and eyes are tired but i've got a big bowl of italian wedding soup in front on me (YUM!) and the rest of the night free to do with as i please.

i started a BIG embroidered territory last night and am eager to get a little bit done everyday. it is going to take a long time. really long. but it'll be gorgeous once it's done and i enjoy working on it regardless.

i've also got The Magic Toyshop to curl back up with tonight in bed. it is so good - exactly the kind of strange, gothic fairytale i was craving and amazingly well written. the first chapter - the imagery of Melanie wandering the night in her mother's wedding dress, too big for her 15 year old self, with cut up feet from the stones and thorns - was simply beautiful and spooky and charming. i feel instantly in love with this story from the first page. i'll write a book report for you guys once i finish. :) maybe.

i've got the next two days off from work so i'll have plenty of time to indulge my quaint desires as well as catch up on some long forgotten laundry and bumming around a few galleries. tonight though, i'm going to make myself a pot of coffee, wake back up, and get to work for the next few hours. maybe i'll do the days dishes. ah, probably not.