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The many meanings of “up”

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Jack says “up” a LOT, and the word keeps getting new meanings (without getting rid of the old ones).  It started out just meaning “pick me up”.  Then, sometimes “up” meant “move, please” or “get out of my way”.  Next, “up” started to mean “down”, as in “put me down” or “I want to get down” if he was already up.  (And if he says “up” and you say, “do you mean down?”, he’ll say “yup”.  He just won’t attempt to say down.)  After that, “up” could also mean “on top of” something or “higher than something else”.  Like, he’ll lift the ladder on top of his fire truck and say “up”, or he’ll stack a toy on top of another toy and say “up”.  Most recently, like new yesterday, Jack looked at John, pointed next to him on the rug, and said “up”.  He very clearly meant “sit down right here, Dad.”  A couple hours later, he was sitting in the big gray chair and he did the same thing to me.  Pointed to the cushion and said “up.”  So I sat down next to him in the chair, and he was happy.

(Up is a super weird-looking tiny word.)

Jarring

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You know how some people spend a lot of time on playlists (the same type of people who used to spend a lot of time on mix tapes)? They want to get the right songs in the right order because it matters.  There’s a scene in High Fidelity (book and movie) where the main character talks about that.

I have never been that kind of person, and it shows most blatantly in my book choices.  Occasionally I’ll pick a book because I’m looking for a certain kind of experience (one year, I timed it so that I would be reading a book by Robin McKinley on my birthday because I knew I would love it and I wanted to be reading something I’d love on my birthday), but that choice (or any other book choice I make) almost never has anything to do with the book I just finished.  It leads to some pretty abrupt transitions.

Case in point: today, I finished a light and lovely book about two girls making their debuts in society in Regency England.  A few hours later, I started book 5 in a series about an alien invasion and the soldiers who have to fight them in space.

Keeps me on my toes.

I appreciate my life

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Working from home gives me freedoms I haven’t really appreciated before.  No one can see me when I’m on the phone, so I have the freedom to roll my eyes when certain annoying people go on and on unnecessarily about something.  I have the freedom to drop my head into my hands.  I have the freedom to shout at my computer when certain emails come in or to walk away or to pace during phone calls or even make tea during meetings.  I can get actual WORK done during meetings that don’t require my full attention without appearing rude or self-important.

My self-control during the two days I was in the office, after a year and 9 months of freedom, was, if I may say so myself, impressive.

And I am SO GLAD to be home.

Watch me be all zen and stuff

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The sky has been dropping quiet sheets of rain on us for the last hour or so.  It’s very soothing.  And yes, I know I just came from the Pacific Northwest, and I know I should be tired of rain, but it rains differently there.  And I know this rain isn’t the beginning of 7 months of nothing but rain.  And I have trees right outside my windows and they’re turning yellow and there’s a slate blue house across the street with a red-leafed tree in front and it has a stone chimney and behind that there’s a really tall oak tree whose leaves are still green so even though the sky is grey, everything I can see is full of peaceful colors.