Happy December!

Just another quick update.  Still immersed in family and holiday stuff, still doing a little professional housekeeping, still looking forward to a headlong dive into the book come January.  My fantasy is to take off for Topsail for a week and get some big chunks done, but we'll see.  Looking at a beat-up cottage that rents in February for a pittance.  (Source of pittance yet to be determined.)

And still mostly somehow holding true to my vow to stay out of current events, no matter how tempting it is to weigh in.  I do post about politics here and there on my facebook wall and get into delicious dialogues in a great lefty discussion group I'm in, so that keeps me satisfied FOR NOW!!

Starting to collect bits and pieces of online discussion and links that keep popping up lately on class and race issues pertinent to what I want to write about it.  It's like when you start driving a different car and suddenly you see that car everywhere, especially when you're trying to find yours in a crowded parking lot...

Meanwhile, see my homepage for a few news items and links to some of my old posts that I hope have stood the test of a year in the archives.


Yours truly, Julie

We had a beautiful trip to DC.  Brett is so warm and so funny and so smart.  Kelsey and I had awesome Mommy/Daughter time.  William and Brett got lots of good talking in about all kinds of things.  The two of them were fabulous hosts.  Fun visits with friends, moving and stimulating sites to see downtown, one helluva good dinner at Founding Farmers, near the White House, and some great down time at their apartment.  Thoroughly great weekend.

I'm excited about the week ahead.  My writing has been full speed ahead for a couple of weeks now.  I'm doing lots of work on Voter Id and other election law issues, but have also written some pieces in direct response to specific political events.  This week I will finish an article on the NC State Board of Elections - I snagged a great interview again - this time with one of our elections officials who I had seen appear on Rachel Maddow!  I just had to call her and introduce myself and congratulate her on her appearance - as I told her she was very clear and effective, and communicated a lot of energy,and a focus on fair elections.  Maybe I can find a clip and add it here.

In any case, we ended up talking at length about the voter roll challenges that have occured here - I have my notes but with the trip out of town, haven;t written it up yet.  Seems fun if I could just get organized and get started!!  I'm up late so I'll sleep 8 hours and then coffee, news, hop up and run to the bank, pharmacy, and quick stop at the grocery, then back here to tidy up my office, then I am settling to finish it.  My find of day!!!  I will grab something easy that the guys can throw together and just work and work until it's time for football at 8!

I've been thing more and more about how drastically I want to shift gears after the election.  Many many thoughts about it....  Take a few days off, finish my "What I've learned"-type piece, maybe take Rufus and run down to Topsail for a few days to clear my head and think.  I think I will write a whole separate post with an outline of what I want the time between say, November 6th, before which I will do analysis of where we stand post-election with a 2nd Obama term.  From 11/6 - 12/22 or 23rd I want to do a lot of planning and goal setting - a little retreat for myself.  Then I usually take a few days off for the holidays - maybe hit Topsail again, then I can't wait to plunge back in hard and heavy in January.

I know what my new writing focus is, and I can't wait.  And I'll start putting the book in my sites.  I'm going to be absolutely ruthless about guarding my time - man, I have never felt so little interest in/need for a social life, plans, etc.  I'm not in danger of getting isolated because of close family and a couple of close friends.  And I want to stay balanced with lots of walking as usual, taking snapshots every where I go, cooking, TV nights with William, some craft stuff...  But those things are only going to be here and there because mostly I crave to write write write.

I've never felt better about where my life is and where it's going.

Welcome, October.

I get to see my daughter!  William and I are going up to DC for the weekend.  I can rest my carpal tunnel wrist, and my brain, and see my baby girl and her boyfriend, and spend time with my husband, and hang out in my favorite city in the world!!