an olympic-related question for you, eh

does anybody else think the canadian national anthem (aka o canada) sounds like a broadway show tune?

her, i admire

today rick walton and i are going to visit our friend barbara (aka bea) williams, which makes me happy. bea is the original grand dame of utah children's writers. for years i've respected her generosity and talent, and now i find myself especially admiring her longevity in the field.

the longer you're around the world of books, the more sharply you realize how tough it is to have a writing life like bea's. even the hottest careers invariably slow down. people who couldn't miss suddenly can't place a manuscript. it's inevitable, natural. and yet bea kept working it for decades. i'm in utter awe of this.

really, i feel honored to know her.

creativity and my left hand

so a friend asked if i've gotten more creative since using my left hand because it's a well known fact that lefties are more creative than the rest of us and i said yes! absolutely! the ideas have just come pouring out of me since i got this damn cast on my right hand and iN FACT i have filled up so so so many notebooks with thoughts and bits of dialogue and character sketches that it would make your head spin.

only problem is i CAN'T READ MY OWN WRITING. at all. and neither can anyone else.

this is a true post. i'm not making any of this up.

before i forget

please keep posting about mexican foodage below. but before i forget i have to mention the books i've finished reading in the past few weeks because that's my goal this year. to read more. to read as much as i eat. yes. i know. the impossible dream.

KNOWN TO EVIL by walter mosley--second in a new series. new york noir. i liked quite a bit but don't feel compelled to read another

THE CRIMES OF PARIS by the hooblers--historical true crime. the hooblers, who are novelists, know how to give their history narrative arc. SO interesting. loved learning about the theft of the mona lisa and the underworld of belle epoch paris.

DEATH OF A VALENTINE by beaton--why do i love this series so much? but i do! i think i like the cozy-with-malice thing going on. i also like hamish's record of what he eats (mostly sandwiches, coffee and tinned beans). i like his pets, too.

am currently reading SEDUCTION AND BETRAYAL by elizabeth hardwick for my book group. title is much more thrilling than actual book, which is a collection of essays about women writers. you know. brontes. virginia woolf. sylvia plath. the usual suspects. i'm interested because of being an old english major. but i can't really imagine anybody else caring very much.

in which we speak of mexican restaurants

of all the many, many, insanely many foods i love, i love the mexican food the most. it is my absolute go-to comfort food, and i would be very sad if i lived in a place like china where possibly they don't have mexican restaurants on every street corner.

i was discussing my love for the mexican food with physical therapist John who loves it, too. so i asked him his fave restaurant and he said the red iguana. and i said mine was rio grande.

and NOW i'm asking you. favorite mexican restaurant. favorite dish there. i don't care if you don't live in utah. i get around.

really?

we spent the weekend in st. george where (among other things) we went to barnes and noble. i noticed a book on the sale table called CAN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH SEX and suddenly i started wondering who would pick up a book like that in public with everybody watching. like there are just some books YOU ARE NOT GOING TO THUMB THROUGH WHEN YOU'RE WITH YOUR HUSBAND AND SON. even if you sort of want to.

meanwhile we ate at in n' out. also the sun was shining and when i went on all my walks i heard birds and bullfrogs so yes virginia! spring is coming!

i (and my left hand) have officially gone around the bend

so a gentleman with one arm works at our smiths and the other day i seriously wanted to follow him up and down the produce aisles and swap STORIES because we have something IMPORTANT in common, i.e. one-handedness. and then i got a hold of myself and said ANN! YOUR ONE-HANDEDNESS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT THIS MAN HAS EXPERIENCED AND ENDURED AND OVERCOME IN HIS LIFETIME AND BESIDES HE DOESN'T HAVE AN ELBOW AND YOU DO SO QUIT IT!

Then I went and bought some frozen corn instead.

But still.