(Inter)national Rumtopf Day!

I declare today... Rumtopf Day.

After six months of gathering, cutting, adding, pouring and most of all waiting, this is the day the rumtopf will be opened. A happy and much anticipated occasion indeed.

It's a bit too early in the day to have a go at it already, so it's still safely stacked away in its little corner in the cellar.

Stay tuned for more news about the Official Opening later today.

(Recipe and more pictures here.)

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Some snow fun...

Inspired by the much more entertaining: 'How to annoy people when it snows', I wanted to contribute my own bit of seasonal joy to the world.

So far, most adults don't seem to want to play. We need more snow!
(And I have to work on my shovel skills so I can get more creative.)

Thanks to my friend Ch. for sharing the video! :-)

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Warning: Contains the Word 'Vagina'.

If this post's title puzzles you, go read this article. If it doesn't, I'd still recommend you go read it. It was quite an eye opener for me.

As far as I can tell, the 'tricky words' situation is not nearly as bad here in Europe as it seems to be in the US, but it's good to be aware, and alert.

Some time ago, I wrote about the 'save the words' campaign. Wouldn't it be a shame if the word 'vagina' would become extinct and we'd be forced to use elaborate flowery descriptions instead?

I don't think 'vagina' is a particularly nice or beautiful word, but it's quite adequate for what it's supposed to do: describe a part of our bodies I for one wouldn't like to live without. And the reasons why it's considered a problem word annoy me.

Therefore, to do my bit (no pun intended), I now adopt 'vagina' as my second word, sibling to my other adoptee: 'buffoonery'. I hereby promise I will try to use it more often, in conversation as well as in writing. Providing it fits. No pun intended here either.

If we put in some effort, I'm sure we'll find that, like with most words, the word's connotations are flexible. Maybe we can even turn it into poetry. Almost a hundred years after Gertrude Stein's 'A Rose is a Rose is a Rose', we can write our 2010 tribute.

Say it with me: 'A Vagina is a Vagina is a Vagina.' You see? Easy. The word is becoming more beautiful as we speak.

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Midnight Blue(s) Margaritas.

At this very moment, my novel's main character is having Midnight Margaritas with a few friends, and I had to test the magical formula to make sure it was just right for the occasion. I'm not going to add the recipe to the story, but still, I like to do my research properly. Not an easy life, being a writer on sabbatical...

As an extra challenge, the drink had to be blue. You're free to ask why, but I can't tell you just now. The fact that I'd run out of Cointreau wasn't the only reason. Really.

Either way, here's the recipe, and a glimpse of how it turned out:

Ingredients:

50ml tequila

30ml blue curaçao

juice of 3/4 of a lime

tiny dash of cane sugar syrup

ice cubes

some coarse salt (I used fleur de sel)

How to make it:
- Add ice cubes, tequila, blue curaçao, lime juice and cane sugar syrup in a blender.
- Quote the 'Eye of newt, toe of frog' lines from Macbeth while waving your arms and hands in a most mysterious way.
- Blend.
- Cut the remaining 1/4 of a lime in 2 pieces. Use one to wet the rim of the glass and dip the glass in the salt.
- Add the lime pieces to the glass (and another ice cube if you prefer) and pour the blended mixture over them. Done!

I think a blue margarita makes the perfect accessory to my writing desk. Wouldn't you agree?

Right. No more procrastinating for me. Back to the novel!

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Of Den and Desk...

Here they are, as promised: the pictures of the new (old) writer's desk in my little corner up in the attic.



The left side of the den, in its virgin state.

The desk is a secretaire that's been in my husband's family for quite a while, and it's just perfect to write on. It's even got that particular antique resin smell that helps me submerge into 'the other world'.

With my dictionaries, scrapbooks, magazines and other reference material all gathered in one place, and my writer's den clutter-free again, I'm hoping to complete the first draft of my novel's final chapters less than a week from now.

Then I've got some more revising and editing to do, and - depending on how that goes - I think I'll be ready to start querying agents some time in the spring.

I've come to the point where I'm constantly veering between courage and anxiety. I've been thinking / researching / building / writing on this novel for about two years now, with a 6 month break in between where I was too busy with work and organising a wedding. Now that it's coming to a provisional end, it feels great. It's been a daunting project from the start and I couldn't have predicted I'd be able to shape my original idea into a full manuscript, let alone one I'm almost happy with.



The right side, equally untouched.

I'm aware that what comes next will entail a lot of rejection, uncertainties and smashed hopes.

But at the same time I believe I've created something that's worth while. And those of you who know me well also know that's something I don't say lightly, even less so about my own work.



Still, I know and accept that there are heaps of people out there with more expertise and experience in this field, and I'm looking forward to getting their feedback. I'm not afraid to continue chopping, chiseling, adding and rewriting until my novel is also 'ready' in their eyes.

Wish me luck, strength, perseverance, courage and anything else you think I'll need for the rest of this journey. And a heartfelt thanks to all of you for the support and encouragement so far!

 

Fully installed now. And a white wall to stare at.



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