Blog Friends

Jen and Sheila both tagged me for this award. Thanks, ladies! It made my day to be reminded of our friendship, and I feel driven to update my poor, neglected blog once more.

Orders are as follows:

1) Save the image above so you can upload it on your own blog without direct linking.
2) List 5 things you absolutely love to do
3) List 5 friendly bloggers, and comment on their blogs to let them know they've received an award!

So, 5 things I absolutely love to do:

1. Be with my family and friends. I get depressed when I'm far away from my people! There are few things I like better than just being at home, or going on fun outings with my mom and my sister (beach, shopping, opera, etc.), or wandering around town with my brother, or going skiing with my dad... rosary on Friday nights at my grandma's house, capers with cousins - this is living. And now that two of my dearest Christendom friends have moved to California (for the time being), I have been able to have them over and share the pleasures of home with them. It's my wistful fantasy to have everyone I care about in one place, preferably beautiful northern CA. I think that now is as close as I will ever get to that fantasy, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

2. Eat and drink. These joys are closely allied to the ones above. I cooked some nice things for myself back in Kentucky, and I enjoyed my meals even when I ate alone, but I didn't care as much; and I got kind of thin and wan (stress helped with that too!). I've been an incorrigible hedonist and foodie ever since I was a toddler screaming for fresh Brussels sprouts in the supermarket and requesting Parmesan cheese for Christmas, but it's the context of food - family and friends - that makes it so satisfying. My mom will cook dinner, my dad will open a bottle of wine from Paso Robles or San Luis Obisbo... and I will try to be a good girl and remember to do the dishes. Yup.

3. Be in the Magic Poetry Zone. Whether I'm reading something that makes me feel drunk and sober at the same time, or writing something that sings and shouts and demands to be born in a particular form and and color and meter, these are the times when I feel most alive. As I've said before, they come less often now that I'm a little older and have some grown-up responsibilities. I'm not too troubled by this; I think I'm going to develop a new zest for poetry soon. I identify ruefully with this post from Heather Ettlinger's blog.

4. Read and speak Latin. I can just feel the continuity with the Renaissance and the Middle Ages and antiquity, and it thrills me to pass the charge along. And speaking Latin in public has the tang of a madcap conspiracy. Every now and then someone realizes what we're doing, and I think it adds a bit of wonder to their day.

5. Appreciate beauty. Whether it's natural or man-made or intellectual or spiritual. Kind of a broad category, but it is something I do a lot in various ways.

Five bloggers:

Dylan, whose blog is a rose window of jewel-toned poetry and apt spiritual nuggets. He knows the word-lust that Hopkins and Dylan T. inspire. He opened my narrow mind to the charms of e.e. cummings, for which I owe him big time.

someguyonthestreet. His blog has been going for more than a year now, and it's fantastically eclectic. Always enough linguistic wiki-walks to make Joyce proud.

Paul Stilwell, poet and artist. I'm a fan of his work!

Enbrethiliel. Sheila tagged you, but I'm tagging you too! Can't leave out the indie Catholic blog princess. ^_^

Steph. My friend since freshman year, starting her life as a Navy wife in CA.