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Robert & Claire’s new son, who is now 3 1/2 weeks old, is utterly scrumptious — almost enough to want to take a bite of him! *grin* I really love holding babies, now that it’s been so long since I’ve had one of my own. The pictures I have of his birthday are in a new album; I’ll have to take some more pics soon, now that he’s looking so much more finished and his personality is starting to shine through!
And now for something completely TMI…
Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am…the eight years I’ve shared with Geoffrey — thus far! — have been the happiest, healthiest, and most exquisite of my life. When I was very young, I wished for a true friend of the heart. As a teenager, I prayed for a soulmate. As I grew up, I hoped to find an equal partner with whom to share my life. In the loneliest of times, I ached for arms in which to find solace. In the most joyous of times, I yearned for a love to share my joy.
For thirty years, I learned and loved and laughed and cried…sometimes with a lover, but mostly alone. Then, in the summer of 1999 — against all our intentions! — Geoffrey and I fell in love. And all those things that I had hoped and dreamed and wished for, I found with him.
We spoke these vows at our handfasting:
You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require, and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand. I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night, and the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you the first bite of my meat, and the first drink from my cup. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine. I shall not slander you, nor you me. I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel, we shall do so in private, and tell no strangers of our grievances. This is my sacred vow to you. This is the joining of equals.
When he calls my cell phone, the ringtone always makes me smile, because it’s so very true…
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light, and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I’m ashamed
There’s not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here
Every day, he tells me he loves me. Every day, he tells me he’s keeping me. Every day, I am awed by his love.
Really I’m not. It just gets way too warm in my computer room to be online much during the summer, and I’m busy with a bunch of reorganizing & household projects (for instance, last week I spent most of one day sanding & painting a thrift-store bookshelf with a beautiful glossy black lacquer). And hanging out with my kids, and those men I love — and getting googly over the newborn next door. Love those itty bitty toes!
I just finished watching Kingdom of Heaven. I’m not exactly an Orlando Bloom fan (not by any stretch) but I liked the movie…although I wish Liam Neeson hadn’t died in the first 20 minutes (because I really do like him). Jeremy Irons and David Thewlis were as impressive as usual, albeit in smaller roles than they deserved. And any flick that has trebuchets bombarding a stone-walled city with flame-covered boulders has at least that to recommend it!
In browsing through Netflix to add more movies into my queue, I realized there are several key phrases that seem to be regularly used in the little synopsis of each movie. I’ve rated over 3,300 movies in the 3 years or so that I’ve had Netflix — and at this point the Netflix AI is stumped as to what to recommend for me. Apparently what I like in movies is at least somewhat indefinable (not to me, of course…I simply like movies that capture my imagination, stir my heart, and/or make me laugh my ass off!).
When I see any of the following phrases in a movie synopsis, however, I’m 99.9% certain I never want to see that movie — and here’s what I think the phrases really mean:
I haven’t given many movies a 5-star rating (the highest possible) on Netflix — less than 100, out of the 3,300 I’ve rated — but the ones that I have liked that much are quite varied…everything from Apollo 13 to Dead Calm to In the Name of the Father to U-571 to White Christmas. (And a few personal favorites that were far from cinematic masterpieces — like Evil Dead II, Night of the Comet, Mallrats, and EuroTrip.)
I know I’m not going to like a movie if it’s a family-friendly, zany, powerful tale based on actual events, with subtitles by an independent filmmaker. But feel free to suggest a movie that you’ve liked, that you think I should watch!
For the first time in ten days, I have no headache (sinus and/or migraine). Near as I can tell, this is just about the only good thing about today.
My house is a fraking mess, for a variety of reasons over which I’ve had little-to-no control (I had listed them, but on second thought I decided I don’t have to justify myself).
Although I work tomorrow, I have the following two days off. And they — no doubt! — will be spent cleaning, doing laundry, organizing various storage areas, and otherwise not relaxing or recuperating. It’s gotten to the point that I feel in desperate need of a vacation — but not from work! At least work is largely pleasant, and (at least when it’s busy) I feel productive and valued there. I actually smile when I start my work day, and most of the time at the end of my work day, I feel like I could just keep on going — quite cheerfully — for several hours (as long as I have enough caffeine and nicotine breaks).
Very little about home inspires cheerfulness in me of late; I would love a vacation from home! Since that is exceedingly unlikely, however, I need my house to be brought into line, and kept that way! Anymore, I don’t even care if I have to become a whip-cracking fascist dictator to do it. If it takes throwing everyone out for a day or two, so I can get anything at all accomplished, then so be it. I am too fucking pretty for this shit.
Between illness and exhaustion and migraines galore, I’ve not been up to posting lately. But I did want to take note of a blog entry that I found particularly meaningful, especially on this Independence Day.
(Which is also a really kick-ass movie starring Will Smith and Mary McDonnell. *smile*)
When I got off work Saturday morning (after working the graveyard shift Friday night), I schlepped my way over to My Father’s Place for a breakfast date with Lyse. When I arrived, I found she’d kidnapped Karel, which was a most excellent surprise! We had a terrific breakfast, and then Lyse & I went back to my house to crash for the day (she always works graveyard).
And now for something completely TMI…
