Chuckwagons Rolling
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’. Finally. Today is the second day of the rest of my life. At last I’ve started my Christmas shopping, my creative writing project and MG Vassanji’s new novel. I had been beginning to panic there. Nothing is harder than starting. Except for continuing, and sustaining effort. Oh, and completing things.
Riiiiiiight. I’d like to tell you what I bought today (you’d laugh), but in case a certain someone is reading this, I had better not. Not that Christmas is just about gift giving, but I must admit, I DO like buying presents once I get started. The problem this year is, I’m back at university and am only working six hours a week to boot, so I won’t be able to buy that $14,000 wooden canopy bed from Bali that I saw today, nor can I purchase the $3,000 five-foot tall Buddha statue or the gorgeous $2,400 aquamarine ring I admired. I love unusual things!
Actually, despite the fact that there’s plenty of stuff out there to dazzle my imagination if I dwelled on it, there’s nothing that I’ve asked for this Christmas. I’d like some new clothes. (People have even begun commented — haven’t you had that dress/shirt/skirt for, like, ten years now? Yes, yes, I have, as a matter of fact.) I’d like some underwear that doesn’t come up over the edge of the waist on my pants (I’m not a Granny yet for Pete’s sake), a yoga belt, the new Ian Rankin mystery (guilty pleasure), a donation to breast cancer research and the Humane Society and an Ashtanga tape. If we’re going to really stretch it, it would be cool to have a pair of tall black riding boots, some David Rice jewelry and a sparkling viola or a shiny trumpet that sounds like Chet Baker’s. Sure, and a nice house, a plane ticket to Europe and a car, but I’m not kidding myself.
I sure don’t want the holidays to pass too quickly. I’m still hoping to put up a tree this year, although that’s seeming less likely with every passing day. I had a very nice afternoon — read some material about Canadian foreign policy, went to yoga class (ooh, arm stand — too hard!!), looked at exotic furniture, had Greek salad and moussaka, wrote a few Christmas cards over a big bowl of mochacino (I just realized I don’t know how to spell moccaccino — hmm, looks like moccasin + espresso there…), bought a XX (mystery item), stood in line at the post office and typed a couple of pages of my story draft. I look forward to more days like this, in fact, so let’s cool down those hot little hands on the clock, shall we?
So, what’s on your wish list this year? Things tangible or intangible? Tangerine-scented? Something from Tangiers, perhaps? Something tangled? Tango lessons? Let me know — I like to hear about these things.
Anyway, I think I’ll give myself a break from writing and go and watch Frasier. Taddle-doodle-da, folks!
Posted on December 16, 2003 07:54 PM