February 2, 2011 – Pinay New Yorker

I just applied a hair color wash that needs another 13 minutes to develop — so I thought I’d stop by and try to write a post before I hit the shower.

I’ve been staying home the last two days — yesterday, when I took a day off, and today, thanks to the ice blanketing the streets of New York City. The boy has been nursing a fever and while he is better, he’s at that stage where a relapse is always just a heartbeat away so tomorrow, he stays home. It’s still very cold outside and it’s just not worth making his condition worse. Yet I cannot escape the reality that tomorrow, I must go back to work.

I’ve been puttering around the house but have not really had a chance to do much beyond taking care of the boy, cooking for my mother-in-law, and today, working. I tried to pick up my jewelry making tools but wasn’t really all that productive, except for a simple pair of shoulder duster earrings as they call them. I’ve been trying to work on my Art Journal Every Day, and while I am working on creating varied layouts of a single heart for the whole month of February, it hasn’t come to me quite as easily as I thought it would. It is a process..

Perhaps later.

I would normally enjoy staying home with the boy and Alan, but it’s a different case with an 80-year-old mother-in-law showing signs of worsening dementia, and a promised temporary house guest in my soon-to-be 21-year-old stepson. Too many complicated nuances I would rather not get into, but it’s a major adjustment. Life goes on..

Timer just rang.. let’s see how this dye worked!

I got my Kindle last Christmas and have looked at it with a sense of fulfillment and pride each day, even if I haven’t sat down to earnestly read longer than a half hour. “Dinna’s Kindle.”. (I type that and a smile forms on my face.)

Last year was a big disappointment in the “Catch Up with the Reading” department, so much so that the “Bookshelf” app on my Facebook account seems to have disappeared for being inactive and untouched. (Yes, my El Fili in English has disappeared somewhere in the coat closet as well.).

One month of 2011 has gone and I haven’t chalked up anything read as yet. The good news is, I have quite a few under “being read” so I thought I’d start a widget here on the blog sidebar for books I am reading now. I am hoping that will be a visual reminder of my longstanding goal of getting back to the habit of personal enrichment through reading.

I will not set any goal beyond finishing a book every month. So between this weekend to the end of Feb, the goal is to read two books. Reasonable enough.

The great thing about Kindle is that its e-book library offers many classics for free, that is why I’ve downloaded Pride And Prejudice and Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Thanks to the influence of my friends Fe, Jher and Jerome — I am intrigued by Mr. Darcy.

I am optimistic that this time around next year, I will be able to chalk up 12 books read (AT LEAST), hard copy or otherwise.

Wish me luck!