Discipline Update & Freewrite: July 18

Once again: no walk. I'm in this horrid cycle of staying up and waking up late. I did have like two hours of dance yesterday, and then swimming in the lake for another couple of hours after we ate. So I woke up and it was already pretty warm... and then I just felt like I needed another good scrub (the lake was kind of grubby).

And in fairness, I've got a performance this afternoon. I had been thinking about going up to a craft store to get some costumey stuff, but honestly, (1) I don't need to be dropping money on whims, and (2) that would mean that much LESS time to get ready, and that much more stuff to GET ready. So I'm thinking not.

I have been less than pleased with my reading lately. I've got like a bojillion books out from the library, and none of them are really saying READ ME NOW! And the last few I've picked up just haven't kept my attention. I'm not sure why. Everyone in them just seems like idiots. Secrets of Truth and Beauty was pretty good, although I think a couple of plot threads were dropped along the way, and the parents are these empty shells... the other characters were much better and it was an interesting read.

There's some interesting discussion about 17 Things I'm Not Allowed To Do Anymore over on Goodreads. To sum up: think Junie B. Jones on a wild day. The protagonist "gets ideas" of all sorts of interesting things to do, then finds out that she gets in trouble for doing them. The last page shows her going over to her mom and saying "I'm sorry!" but the text says I had an idea to say the opposite of what I mean to trick everyone. I am allowed to say the opposite of what I mean forevermore.

So the opposing POVs seem to be: is this just a fun, silly book? or does it teach kids that lying is okay?

But my mind keeps going in other directions entirely. First of all, one of the marks of maturity is that you don't just blab out what you're thinking all the time. But you don't just jump from blabbing to diplomacy - saying things that, while true, are still kind and hopefully even acceptable. Learning to say something other than what you're actually thinking usually starts with learning to fib.

Second. Based on the entire rest of the book, for this child, saying the opposite of what she means "to trick people" shouldn't come out as "I'm sorry." That is way too boring! It would be MUCH more apropos if she pointed to an attractive and well-dressed young lady and said "She's ugly!"

Her fib is clearly utilitarian and doesn't fit with the rest of the book.

I have pictures from my MRI. I need to ask Mom to email me the one of the machine, but I have one of me wearing what I'll call my "undress blues." I may write that up this evening after the performance.

Bored. SO bored. And I'm not even at five hundred words yet. It's so bad that I was about to use numbers for five hundred, and then I thought, no, see, if I use digits it only counts as one word, but if I write it out it counts as TWO words!

Ugh.

And then tomorrow I meet with the surgeon again. I really hope they've already got me scheduled. This waiting around sucks.

I nuked some broccoli. It was going to be breakfast, but by the time I drag myself through this, it is probably going to be lunch.

I should be avoiding contractions.

I seriously have nothing else that is remotely in my mind. The ceiling fan is putting flickering shadows on the wall. Puppy is in his bed. The Hunk is in our bed. The computer fan is whirring softly. I hear something outside... I am not sure if it is crickets or frogs.

670. I am SO CLOSE! Maybe if I go back and change all my contractions, that will help. There are books on bookshelves. I have a bottle of glue on the desk. My keys are here. My phone is back in the bedroom. I brushed my hair this morning (after I scrubbed again) and lots of it came out. I do not know if I am going to be able to tell if chemo makes me lose my hair, because I shed so much anyway.

WHEW! did it!