Thursday, April 4, 2013

I'm Alive. Crazed But Alive,

I would have let you know yesterday except I haven't been able to get onto BlogSpot. I don't even know if this will post, but at least I got this far.

We can thank the fine folk at Road Runner and the even finer Marci for this level of success.

I'll keep things brief and to the point*. I'm here. I'm alive. Tuesday I went to the movies and saw Admission, which I definitely enjoyed. Yesterday I went to New York City and saw a preview of The Big Knife, which I definitely enjoyed (all the women in it were great, and all the scenery chewing guys were also great).

Today, Marci and Carol and I are going to have lunch with my mother. Then my brother is coming up and he and Marci and I are going to the quarterly Meeting About My Mother. Usually I go by myself to these things, because usually they're kind of routine. But we've had some concerns that we don't feel are being properly addressed, so we're all going to be there. My wildest hope is I'll keep my big mouth shut and let Alan (beloved son) and Marci (beloved friend) do the heavy shrieking. Given that neither of them are shriekers, this is putting a lot of faith in them. But we're all on the same side (my mother's nursing home isn't the enemy- they do a wonderful job- but we think certain things need to be handled differently, and I can't make the case without shrieking).

Earlier today, I uninstalled whole bunches of things from the computer (at Marci's suggestion), which I hope will enable me to keep this computer and my sanity just a little while longer. I don't know what's going to happen with the printer, since I slammed it a few (dozen) times, and it seems to have gotten into quite a snip over it. No Rhianna, my printer.

Last night, after gulping a sleeping pill or two, I came up with what I sincerely hope is the absolute final decision on what I'll inscribe in each and every copy of The Shade Of The Moon. Before then, I'd been favoring: Reach for your goals, which I kind of liked because Jon plays soccer, so there was a clever play on words there. The problem was multifold. First, it doesn't mean anything. Secondly, it sounds like "Reach for your gun". But most importantly, it turns out my small "g" looks like an "s" and when the "a" and the "d" and the "s" run together, it looked like "Reach for your soda" which isn't what I mean at all, and Mayor Bloomburg wouldn't like one little bit.

Anyway, this morning I remembered having come up with something last night, and because even under the influence of a sleeping pill, I know to write these things down, I found what I'd written and I still like it: Accept the impossible

It doesn't have enormous amounts to do with the book itself, but it's better than my fabulous generic Take time to dream, which is a really bad idea with this book, since all of Jon's dreams are nightmares.

But "Accept the impossible" covers all four of the moon books, and since the other three inscriptions involve hope, faith and trust, acceptance makes a lot of sense. And except for my "the" problem, which looks like "Xe" it should be relatively easy to read. So unless you hear otherwise, that's what I'm going with.

Tomorrow, assuming the computer is still working and the printer either forgives me or can be ignored (I don't print all that much), I'm going to clean the apartment and buy groceries, and do some final final final, I sincerely hope final, rewrites on The Shade Of The Moon which my editor emailed me about yesterday, only I explained that I was going to NYC to the theater and today was to be devoted to mother stuff. I didn't mention writing this blog entry, but I knew I wanted to, and now, I hope, oh how I hope, I've succeeded.

If you hear some Hall Of Fame shrieking from around here, you'll know I failed!

*It could be argued this has been neither brief nor to the point. But, if you think about it, believing that I will ever be brief and to the point is definitely accepting the impossible!



12 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Accept the impossible" is perfection itself.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Thank you. You are now officially my favorite Anonymous ever!

Anonymous said...

Awww - that's just 'cause I posted first. W.S.

Paige Y. said...

When it involves a parent occasional shrieking is entirely acceptable. I hop your concerns were given proper and complete attention.

Paige Y. said...

Of course, I meant hope, not hop. Sorry.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Thank you again Anonymous W.S. and thank you Paige Y.

The meeting went very well. And I think the inscription for my next (non-existent) book will be Hop Before Hope!

Ruit Farm North said...

I like it! We all have to do that many times in our lives!

I also hope that your meeting went well today. Mothers are precious commodities.
Nina

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Thanks Nina Ruit-

I'd say the meeting went as well as could be expected.

There are no perfection solutions when you're dealing with the extremely old.

On the other hand, lunch was very pleasant!

Emily said...

I love hearing all your thoughts on inscriptions! I like accept the impossible. It would be a good motto to follow through life:)

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Good morning Emily-

I have a day of apartment cleaning, grocery buying and rewriting to look forward to.

Accepting the impossible sounds a lot less tedious!

MTouet said...

I like "Accept the Impossible." I think that's a great inscription.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Thanks, MTouet!