Today’s Menu, cooked by moi:

Turkey

Stuffing

Gravy

Collard Greens

Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Brussels Sprouts with maple syrup

Dinner Rolls (purchased)

Apple pie (made by the youth at my church — I bought two and took one to the staff working today at MFM’s nursing home)

Pumpkin pie (Monstro’s favorite)

Surprise hit of the night: Brussels sprouts!

Monstro said it was our best turkey in years. It cost .79/lb. at the cash-only grocery. Yay!

My kids have today off. And Thursday. And Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Monstro and I may never have sex again. At least, not this month.

Yesterday was Lex’s birthday, Thursday is Thanksgiving, and Friday is my birthday. I feel like I’m waiting in the eye of the hurricane. Anyone got an umbrella?

I couldn’t sleep last night. I lost my car key and tore the house apart all day looking for it, fruitlessly. My new friend had invited me to brunch earlier that week and I’d been so looking forward to it, but then I lost the car key and couldn’t go. I told Monstro, “Wow, I must really not have wanted to see MFM after brunch.” The key is nowhere to be found; I think it must have disintegrated. At least my house is clean[er than it was]. Sometimes I hate my life.

Anyway, the stress of the day led to sleeplessness (looking back on it, “The Road” probably wasn’t the best choice for the night’s entertainment). Sleeplessness usually leads to thoughts of you. It occurs to me that I ought not to have named you Michael — that’s the name of a Back In The Day boyfriend I used to have, and I wouldn’t want  you or others to think that I’m writing to him — but, as my angel, the name seems to fit. Plus, alliteration.

I sure hope you’re shining down on me. A hug would be great but I don’t suppose that’s in the cards. I miss you so much. Last night I cupped my right hand, pretending to hold you. I wonder how big you were. Dad still hasn’t called me, even though I sent him my business card and thirty-five cents in his birthday card last month. I’m not sure whether it’s because of 1) shame, 2) anger for telling him he’s an a-hole when he’s drunk, or 3) whatever.

I told him I forgive him for telling me about you, but that doesn’t help the feeling of loss.

Your nephew turns seven this week. You would love him. He’s so smart and funny and amazing. I just pray you don’t get to meet him too soon.

Love you so much it brings tears to my eyes.

–MM

The last time you really lost your car key, where was it?

Lex’s seventh birthday is next week but we had the party today. My dearest Karen advised me of a Groupon this summer for a roller-skate party for eight children and I jumped on that like a little kid jumps on a mattress. I hadn’t been to the place before and every single thing exceeded my expectations. The Groupon covered a party for eight kids with pizza, soda, rollerskate rental, arcade tokens, cups/plates, and a souvenir cup w/ Icee and a trip to the prize machine for the birthday boy. It was fantastic. We had a party host who kept things running smoothly and we all had a blast.

It was also very gratifying that the time I spent decorating the Pikachu birthday cake –after bringing the boys home from Cub Scouts at 9:00 last night– was time well spent. Lex lost his mind over it. “I thought it was going to be a dinosaur, but Pikachu? It blowed my mind.”

If someone ever asks you to be their Power of Attorney? Don’t. Do not. It’s a nightmare. You do not need to deal with the blood-pressure-spiking stress of it all. Yeah, you’ll thank me later. I promise.

This really was a “quick” book for me, as it was under the 800-page minimum I seem to have set for myself this year (1Q84, 11/22/1964). Anyway, my friend Robin recommended that I read the new Louise Erdrich novel, “The Round House.” I got it from the library — it had a “Nov. sizzlers” sticker on it, and there was another copy so I suggested it to another woman lurking around the new-releases — and for the first 40 pages I wasn’t convinced, but once it got over the “we’re Indians!” references every paragraph the story sucked me in and wouldn’t let go, like a faulty swimming-pool drain. A terrific page-turner and educational, too. Also, the best ending I’ve read in a long, long, long time. LBJ says, “check it out!”

Recently, I’ve been re-acquainting myself with a lot of people and things. Like work for which I’ve studied (MFA @ SJSU) and been trained to do. It’s been great getting back to my writing/editing professional projects after a two-year hiatus to take care of MFM in the midst of her Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

(What a joy to be able to leave the house! They don’t tell you that when you care for a shut-in, you become a shut-in yourself.)

I’m not leaving the house much anyway, having been chained to my computer for most of the month, but that’s fine. The fact is, I *could* leave the house if I want, even just to run down the street or buy a gallon of milk. There is a freedom in that the likes of which a 40-year-old shouldn’t have to know about.

In hopes of landing new clients and letting old work friends know I’m back on the marketing/PR bandwagon, I’ve spent quite a lot of my spare time on LinkedIn, or, as I like to call it, Facebook for grown-ups who have jobs. LI has a new (?) feature where you can do one-click endorsements. I’ve been taking advantage of that, endorsing folks. I’ve also written a number of recommendations. Many gracious people have responded in kind. It’s wonderful, the kindness of people you haven’t seen in 15 years. One of my buddies from Aimnet wrote:

“Smart, innovative, solution provider. Lynn has a passion for writing,
with the ability to focus on what’s important. Winner.”

So awesome.

Another friend — one I lost touch with for a while, but who was nothing but magnanimous to me, particularly when I lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains and my well would break so he’d let me take a shower at his apartment — not only wrote me a recommendation, but also sent me an email letting me know that he’s kept his nametag from my 25th birthday party in his desk all these years.

He even sent me photographic proof.

Such a compliment. It’s amazing to know that even the silly things I’ve done through the years have resonated with… anyone.

I lost 15 pounds this summer when I was caring for MFM. Not the best way to drop 15 pounds (in two months!), but it happened. I was mostly maintaining the weight loss but the scale was starting to creep up a bit, so I got back to the gym last week.

Now I’m down a total of 17 pounds, and the scale is at its lowest number that it’s been since I was pregnant with my first child, 7+ years ago.

Again, I’ll take it!