Day of the Dead

All over Mexico and the southern two-thirds of the American Continent, for that matter, people are honoring their ancestors today with food, drink, merriment, and fantastic costumes. Huge parties are being thrown in graveyards. Halloween? Is. For. Wimps.

Things I'm noticing now that I'm settled and calm:

Lessons for Those who have lived alone for a long time: other people will have their moods in your space, lots of moods, taking up lots of space. The more you just let that happen and stay out of it, the better.

Lessons for Daughters whose mothers talk to un-bright people on a regular basis: your mother does not think that you are an idiot. She's just not sure what you know/remember/have already learned in the last week and a half about the Mom and Dad System of Living. She's usually talking to people in her life who are not quick, or bright, or have particularly good memories, or who can figure things out on their own. Making bloody well sure that she's clear and you get it is just part of who she is now, so remember to remember that she does not think you, yourself, daughter, are dumb as hair.

Lessons for the Shy Version of yourself: you do not like to meet strangers, establish new routines in new places, and generally feel like a bright red flag on the tail of a twelve point buck in November when you have to do that. It's OK to stand out and shine a little and even get noticed once you know your turf, but not before. You are now learning to get right the heck over that, dear self.

The cafe w/o music or cozy atmosphere has strong bband reception, and the cozy place will be good for reading, and they're a whole four small town blocks apart, so that's not really a problem. Get over wanting things all in one easy place. This is still pretty much cake (or rather, superlicious cinnamon rolls and cups of cappuccino the size of your face).

AAUP has been searched for good presses for the book. Now it will take about two days to read everyone's guidelines for proposals, so two days it will be. I'm hoping that process will help me focus the starting place for my revisions and expansions. That's been a bit scattered (along with everything else).

My little home town has two of the Coolest jazz stations I've ever heard. And tonight at Schlafly's Bottleworks there the Day of the Dead Beats, oh yes, which I'm hoping to get to see tonight. There's also a surprise dinner with the family, location and specs are NTK only, and I don't seem to NTK. Neat! Also, I need to check out The Loft and some other jazz joints. Basically, sometime in Nov. I'm spending about a week in STL getting my bearings, culturally speaking.

So, Happy Next Year of Life to Me then, me and my dead ancestors, in all their rakish, brave, courtly, competent marvelousness. Thanks for being the sort of ancestors one wants to live up to.