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Body: in sickness and in health
More recently, illness, pure but not simple, has added itself to the mix in a multi-system sort of way. And the challenges in figuring out exactly what's gone wrong are many. As problems have revealed themselves in the last few years, beginning with reactive hypoglycemia in late 2008, I've documented them here, partly to gain a little clarity on managing complex conditions but mostly to give voice to vulnerabilities I feel but don't normally share with anyone face to face. Better out than in, they say, right? (Oh yes, humor is one way I deal.)
The links below cover the different angles I've examined (and from which I've been examined) within that experience.
Travel: neither here nor there
Since we're no longer in separate places, I blog less often from airports. But we do travel -- together now! -- which is much more fun to write about. So in addition to thoughts on our years of commuting, the links below cover the places we've been as a pair and, in some cases, the adventures that have happened on the way.
Writing: the long and short of it
After graduating, I taught English for a few years and then worked as an editor, which I still do freelance. In 2007, I applied and got into an MFA program at a place I like to call Little U. on the Prairie. I finished my degree in 2011 and have been balancing tutoring and writing on my own ever since.
The following links cover the writing I've done about writing: process, content, obstacles, you name it. It's not always pretty. But some part of me loves it, even when it's hard. And this is the result.
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Why My Fall Made Me Feel So Ashamed11 months ago
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Mantras1 year ago
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Things Fall Apart3 years ago
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#MudpunchKAL20213 years ago
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Your Hard is Hard (The Pandemic Version)4 years ago
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Thank you, and a Look Ahead5 years ago
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A New Chapter9 years ago
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Overnight Research Trip9 years ago
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how to get through a thing10 years ago
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Heart: family and friends
That's what this group of posts is reserved for -- heart. The essential parts of my life whose influences I carry with me, for better or worse. The links below cover what I've written as I've learned how these forces work within me, for me, against me, in spite of me. They anchor me even as they change me, and they keep life interesting.
Recommended reading
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Little reminders
And when I gave the stage a closer look, I realized the walls were embellished with these:
Which reminded me of -- who else? -- D.
That's how curlicues used to operate for us in our long-distance relationship, as a reminder of the other person. Whenever curlicue sightings happened to occur, we'd report them to each other. "I thought of you today when I saw ___________," it went.
I had forgotten about that. But it was nice to remember during my two weeks away from D, especially when I was wishing he could be there.
I got back just in time to celebrate our birthdays together. We'd recently discovered a low-carb flour, so we decided why not test it out on a cake? (Neither of us had enjoyed such a novelty since D's hypoglycemia diagnosis in 2006.) It turned out all right, especially with chocolate cream cheese icing and whipped cream filling.
What we put on it to make it extra special:
Thesis
- "Writing in My Father's Name: A Diary of Translated Woman's First Year" in Women Writing Culture
- Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You
- Darkroom: A Family Exposure
- Do You Remember Me?: A Father, a Daughter, and a Search for the Self
- Five Thousand Days Like This One
- Giving Up the Ghost
- Middlesex
- Simple Recipes
- The Bishop's Daughter
- The Possibility of Everything
- The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics
- Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality and Identity
On commuter relationships
- Commuter Marriages: Worth the Strain?
- Dual Career Couples: The Travails of a Commuter Marriage
- I Was in a Commuter Marriage
- Long-Distance Marriages, Better for Business?
- Love on the Road, Not on the Rocks
- Making Marriage Work from a Distance
- Survival Tips for Commuter Couples
- Ten Things Commuter Couples Need to Know
- Till Work Do Us Part
- Two Cities, Two Careers, Too Much?
Posts by label
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Little reminders
And when I gave the stage a closer look, I realized the walls were embellished with these:
Which reminded me of -- who else? -- D.
That's how curlicues used to operate for us in our long-distance relationship, as a reminder of the other person. Whenever curlicue sightings happened to occur, we'd report them to each other. "I thought of you today when I saw ___________," it went.
I had forgotten about that. But it was nice to remember during my two weeks away from D, especially when I was wishing he could be there.
I got back just in time to celebrate our birthdays together. We'd recently discovered a low-carb flour, so we decided why not test it out on a cake? (Neither of us had enjoyed such a novelty since D's hypoglycemia diagnosis in 2006.) It turned out all right, especially with chocolate cream cheese icing and whipped cream filling.
What we put on it to make it extra special:
9 comments:
- French Fancy... said...
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Those special things that link us to our favourite person in the world have such significance. I know exactly what you mean - for us it is any mention of the aurora borealis. I won't say why - I've got to learn to be slightly discreet (yes, I am under orders).
The birthday cake looks glorious. You can't find much that is low-fat or low-carb here. It's amazing how slim the French are really - but then they don't stuff themselves (like me)
xx - March 24, 2010 at 5:29 AM
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Great to be home to celebrate the birthdays together. Cake looks good - any idea how many carbs per slice? I miss cake more than just about anything else! Did you use almond flour by any chance? I'm thinking about getting some of that for the baking that I gave up a little over a year ago.
- March 24, 2010 at 5:58 AM
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curlique cake candles...priceless! I love that you guys have that special symbol between you.
- March 24, 2010 at 10:04 AM
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Like SuziCate, I love the presence of this symbol in your relationship. Ever since your first curlicue post, I have been thinking about what symbol could represent my relationship with Husband. I suppose it doesn't really count, does it, if I force the issue? :)
Happy belated birthdays! - March 24, 2010 at 10:20 AM
- This Ro(a)mantic Life said...
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FF -- the aurora borealis! That has romance written all over it. You're such a tease; now I'm dying to hear the story behind this, but I completely understand your sticking to your orders :)
Sherlock -- I haven't done the math on the carbs, but I will post the recipe soon. Glad to spread some low-carb happiness! The flour, which is enzyme-treated to make it blood-sugar friendly, is available here.
SuziCate -- the candles were an addition in a moment of whimsy. Once we'd iced the cake, it seemed lacking as something for a birthday. Then we found the candles buried in a cabinet and thought, "Hey, why not?"
Kristen -- I'm willing to bet you actually have a symbol and just haven't remembered it yet :). Anything you and your husband take note of or are amused by that isn't necessarily what other people would notice or smile over when you're out and about? I imagine there's a wealth of random objects or images or places or sounds that figure into your history with him. Perhaps from these, something will strike you. (Easier than picking a symbol from scratch -- at least, it would be for me!)
Thanks for the birthday wishes. - March 24, 2010 at 11:56 AM
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Happy birthday to both of you. And what a beautifully "symbolic" post. Punctuated with the perfect pictures, too!
- March 25, 2010 at 7:11 PM
- This Ro(a)mantic Life said...
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Thanks, Jane! :)
- March 25, 2010 at 8:19 PM
- becca said...
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i also love that you have a symbol that brings you together even if you aren't together. I'm now trying to figure out what my husband and I may have that is similar. I think anything that reminds us of our days running around the reservoir in nyc would be a symbol of our relationship... days of feeling free and peaceful with one another. Not as simple as a curl but still a symbol!
Happy birthdays to you! - March 26, 2010 at 9:01 PM
- This Ro(a)mantic Life said...
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The 1.6! Loved the reservoir around sundown when I was living in Manhattan -- it's nice that you have it as a symbol of a particular time in your life. You've got me wondering what my husband and I will choose in ten years to represent our life together now :)
- March 26, 2010 at 9:23 PM
9 comments:
Those special things that link us to our favourite person in the world have such significance. I know exactly what you mean - for us it is any mention of the aurora borealis. I won't say why - I've got to learn to be slightly discreet (yes, I am under orders).
The birthday cake looks glorious. You can't find much that is low-fat or low-carb here. It's amazing how slim the French are really - but then they don't stuff themselves (like me)
xx
Great to be home to celebrate the birthdays together. Cake looks good - any idea how many carbs per slice? I miss cake more than just about anything else! Did you use almond flour by any chance? I'm thinking about getting some of that for the baking that I gave up a little over a year ago.
curlique cake candles...priceless! I love that you guys have that special symbol between you.
Like SuziCate, I love the presence of this symbol in your relationship. Ever since your first curlicue post, I have been thinking about what symbol could represent my relationship with Husband. I suppose it doesn't really count, does it, if I force the issue? :)
Happy belated birthdays!
FF -- the aurora borealis! That has romance written all over it. You're such a tease; now I'm dying to hear the story behind this, but I completely understand your sticking to your orders :)
Sherlock -- I haven't done the math on the carbs, but I will post the recipe soon. Glad to spread some low-carb happiness! The flour, which is enzyme-treated to make it blood-sugar friendly, is available here.
SuziCate -- the candles were an addition in a moment of whimsy. Once we'd iced the cake, it seemed lacking as something for a birthday. Then we found the candles buried in a cabinet and thought, "Hey, why not?"
Kristen -- I'm willing to bet you actually have a symbol and just haven't remembered it yet :). Anything you and your husband take note of or are amused by that isn't necessarily what other people would notice or smile over when you're out and about? I imagine there's a wealth of random objects or images or places or sounds that figure into your history with him. Perhaps from these, something will strike you. (Easier than picking a symbol from scratch -- at least, it would be for me!)
Thanks for the birthday wishes.
Happy birthday to both of you. And what a beautifully "symbolic" post. Punctuated with the perfect pictures, too!
Thanks, Jane! :)
i also love that you have a symbol that brings you together even if you aren't together. I'm now trying to figure out what my husband and I may have that is similar. I think anything that reminds us of our days running around the reservoir in nyc would be a symbol of our relationship... days of feeling free and peaceful with one another. Not as simple as a curl but still a symbol!
Happy birthdays to you!
The 1.6! Loved the reservoir around sundown when I was living in Manhattan -- it's nice that you have it as a symbol of a particular time in your life. You've got me wondering what my husband and I will choose in ten years to represent our life together now :)
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