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February 12, 2009 10:33 PM- hear the wind blow, love

It's after ten o'clock at night and the wind is HOWLING. It screams down the mountainside, does a few hard spins around house--whistling at the windows-- before barreling over the fields to race across the frozen lake. And then, a moment later, here we go again.

At first, it's rather dramatic and exciting and we both look at each other like, wow, do you HEAR that? But after the hits keep coming, you acclimate and hardly look up as the house shudders in response.

It's not often I write to you so late in the day-- I tend to be a morning writer-- but I feel like I have been so absent from these parts and I have a long road trip ahead of me tomorrow and then, since I rarely write on the weekends, and I know how busy Monday is going to be . . . well, you get the idea. It's now or never, people.

I was cleaning out my emails and organizing them as, oh my god, it's getting totally out of control right now-- and had to give a bemused head shake at some of the titles because these are not spam emails-- no, these are the titles to actual exchanges with people I know.

Hello we met in L.A.
calling all angels
Finally, the cock sock video
inspired and comforted
Do I not bleed?
Bought tix! No escaping me now
Like that madwoman of Chaillot, except not as crazy
The eleventh hour was like FIVE DAYS ago, bunny

Hmm, I'm guessing you didn't shake your head at those so much as at me thinking they were worth sharing-- yeah, I know. But hey, it's February. To be lame is to be among the living.

Anyway-- GOD, did I mention the wind is shaking it like a wild bronco out there?! Jeezum. It's distracting me.

The truth is, people-- my head is pretty much consumed with two things right now: Squam and fairy tales. I'm in a rather active mode -- doing, much more than reflecting, and so there's little to share here unless I were to spew out all the things I have been doing lately and as much as that might bore you, it would render me positively catatonic.

Blogging is where I hash out thoughts, issues, reflections-- but I am not in any kind of meditative mood right now and even if I were, this DAMN WIND would blow any sitting monk right off his lotus.

Instead, I'll share some rambles and that story about T and my first toe visit I promised you for Valentine's Day.

1. The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman. A friend gave this book to T for Christmas and I couldn't put it down. It satisfied a part of my soul that very rarely gets touched. I loved it.

2. It's probably crazy and breaking every business school rule to be creating art retreat workshops in the midst of the worst financial crisis in American history-- and yet, it pleases me to go against the tide, to refuse to give in to the panic and fear and dread, to focus my thoughts instead on beauty, collaboration and inspiration.

3. In class on Tuesday night I was wrapping up and reminding them all of their assignment for the week ahead when I remarked how there were twelve weeks in the semester. Twelve! A number we had just been discussing as it seems to pop up in a lot of fairy tales. Whereupon the students gently pointed out that, in fact, the semester was fifteen weeks long. My syllabus is missing three full weeks! And if I hadn't been so clever as to comment on how neatly our twelve weeks wrapped around this course, I might not have ever realized it until, um-- you know, on the twelfth week when it read LAST CLASS and there was nearly another month to go. And people, in case you are wondering, they actually pay me to teach-- yes, they do.

Okay, so the toe story. There's really nothing to it. It's one of those you had to be there because it is such a small, small thing, but whatever-- here goes.

I'd been having this awful pain in my toe for nearly three years. Finally, at T's urging, I make an appointment with a foot doctor to figure out what it is. I'm sitting in the examination room with my bare foot propped up, covered in goop while the doctor rolls a thing-y for the ultrasound over it to reveal the damaged nerve.

Across the room, in a pocket of my jacket, which is crumpled in a chair, my phone begins to ring. The doctor looks up, but I wave it off-- it can go to voice mail, I say.

We chat for a bit. He explains what a morton's neuroma is and preps me for the first shot of alcohol. There's a knock at the door and in walks, T!

To say I was surprised doesn?t quite sum it up. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. He's supposed to be at work. And it's not like I'm getting open-heart surgery here, but there he is. He puts my coat in his lap and sits and watches as the doctor gives my toe the injection.

I'm laughing because I just can't get over the fact that he would be so concerned.

Then, as we are walking out, I ask him how he knew where I was.

"I didn't," he says. "I went to the one down on Rte 3, but you weren't there. So then I drove over to the walk-in clinic, but you weren't there and then I remembered there was a podiatrist next to the gym over here, so I tried this one."

"You went to three different places looking for me? Why didn't you just call me?"

"I did, but you didn?t pick up. It's okay. I found you."

So that's my Valentine story for you. The boy-o. He slays me.



got 2 cents?



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DiaryofWhy says:
*Happy sigh.* I have toe stories, but mine aren't nearly as romantic. Go, T!
posted on: February 13

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bad penguin says:
Well done T! It has been crazy windy here too. In the middle of the night I woke up, half convinced the wind was an angry monster trying to rip the roof off. I think now I know where the story of the 3 Little Pigs came from :)
posted on: February 13

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Swirly says:
He's a keeper, that one. :)
posted on: February 13

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Jazz says:
Awwww. That is SO. DAMN. CUTE! That's all.
posted on: February 13

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sherry says:
So very charming that T! If life were like a fairy tale, he would be your knight in shining armor, and you sweet dear would be the princess. We haven?t had a lot of wind this winter and I?m okay with that. When it comes I freak because we have large fir trees that become these powerful entities.
posted on: February 13

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melissa says:
***sigh*** Love it! I need to find my "T"...
posted on: February 13

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lizardek says:
He'd make an excellent stalker.
posted on: February 13

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Marie says:
Aww Sweet :)
posted on: February 13

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alexis says:
sounds cold with all that wind whipping. hope you are staying warm by a fire!
posted on: February 14

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Tracey says:
Whatta Sweet Boi, that T! Happy Valentine's Day, dearheart!!
posted on: February 14

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Chris says:
What a sweetie that T is. You should probably marry him, so he doesn't get away! :-)
posted on: February 15

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Bella says:
I love this story... xo
posted on: February 16

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liz elayne says:
love this story of T...and how he "slays" you. that has put a huge grin on my face as i get ready to head to bed. yep. you two make me very happy.
posted on: February 19

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