M. Suzanne Terry

March is my favorite month.  October is a close second, but it cannot compare to March, because March is my birth month!  The thing I was into the most was turning 39.  I received both yoga pants and wine as gifts, and I appreciated them, so clearly I am right on schedule with fulfilling the stereotype.

Winter persisted into the first week of the month and royally screwed up my class schedule, but I can’t even be mad about it.  It turned Spring Break into two weeks for me at the school where I teach, since I’m only there on Mondays.

Story Sessions had its first Story Feast (in-person meeting of local peeps), and ours was a small feast, but Marvia and I had fun hanging out at La Madeleine.

I got to spend a little time with Mom and Dad over break.  Mom had her first cataract surgery, so I went along to keep Dad company while he waited.

I took care of my friends’ dogs while they were out of town for about half a week.  While I was there, I had an uncomfortable realization. One of the dogs was dumb and needy but the sweetest dog in the world, and the other was smart and funny but also kind of an asshole.  I was dog-sitting every guy I’ve ever dated or liked.

I am also in the middle of two classes – Brandy Walker’s Be Course for Lent and the Reframing Collective through Story Sessions led by Jennifer Upton.  That’s why you’ve been seeing more pictures than usual.  I’m taking more.

Oh, and I got an iPhone.  This will be the first phone with a data plan I have had (I know, welcome to the 21st century, and I can stop churning my own butter now). I haven’t activated it yet, but I do have active plans to become addicted to Instagram.

Those are the highlights.  Here’s what was playing in the background.

To write:

I have Fishbowl mapped out.  I put the chapters in order.  I know how it’s going to end, and I know how I’m going to get there.  This is huge.

I have an idea that’s been brewing a while concerning the things people say to single people (and specifically, what I could stand for them NOT to say. . . just ever again).  So April, I’m going to write it out.  I’m going to bleed 2,500 words a day to see if I have enough words to start another project.  This could easily become a community project in the future, but for now, I’m going to see what I have to say about it.

My two favorite posts I wrote this month:

– My link-up piece for The Girls We Once Were, called Renaissance Girl.

– My answer to Andi’s prompt to give myself ten nuggets of writing advice.

To read:

– Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet.  I loved it, particularly the parts about solitude.

– Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House.  My favorite story was “Who Am I This Time?”

– Stephen King’s 11/22/63.  Whose idea was it to have an 800+ page book for book club?  Oh, right.  Mine.  Well, I share the blame. I guess we all chose it. It’s a quick read, though, for 800 pages.  Because Stephen King.

Goodreads tells me that I am 11 books behind schedule on my reading challenge (100 books) for the year.  I would exclaim, “800 pages!” but that first book I read this year was really just a transcript of a speech, so I’m going to call it even.  I am trying to remember that I catch up in the summer and not let Goodreads psych me out. And maybe I could also remember that the world won’t end if I only read 90 books this year.

Some gorgeous things were written on the Internet this month.  These are my favorites:

When I Measure the Distance of God by Preston Yancey

Speaking Fear, Praying Shalom by Osheta Moore

You Don’t Have to Be Pretty – on YA Fiction and Beauty as a Priority on the Belle Jar

How Riding is Worship by Katie Rutledge

When World Vision Drops Me by Benjamin Moberg

The Internet has also been a tough place to be this month.  Lord, have mercy.

To watch:

Three words –

House.

Of.

Cards.

I watched both seasons in three days.  I couldn’t look away.

I am avoiding Psych and Scandal spoilers.  I’ll watch them after the semester’s over, when I can devote the appropriate measure of time to them. I think I’m actually going to start Psych over and watch from the first season.  That will give this season time to come out on DVD so that I can have it for my very own.  I love that show.

I finally saw Catching Fire. I liked it just as much as I liked the first one. As much as I like the story, I feel that I should have more to say about it, but no.

I had a nice time this weekend re-watching one of my favorite movies – Under the Tuscan Sun – and drinking wine and eating my weight in pasta.

But my favorite thing that I saw this month?  Veronica Mars, of course.  These were the highlights for me (and I don’t think any of them are spoilery):

– Veronica is back with the old school pop culture references – “You weren’t planning on carrying me through the airport, were you?”

– “You should only wear this.” Both times.

– Logan leaning against the car.  Rewind and pause.

– Dax Shepard cameo, for the win.

– Mac’s hair.  If I could pull off short hair at all, this is the haircut I would wear forever.

There were so many other things I loved about it, but any time you could spend reading about them would be better spent watching it.

To hear:

The Be Course has me dancing as a spiritual practice and also eating very fattening things so that my spiritual practice needs to take on some movement lest I gain 50 pounds during the class. So music has been mostly house and trip hop.  My neighbors don’t even know what to do with me.

To eat:

I have had a lot of baked goods this month (observe the pear tart above).  Brownies, cookies, cake.  I am in a constant state of sugar high.  This has to stop.  Of course, it’s chocolate chip cookie week in our e-course, and I’m a very good student. . .

During the dog-sitting/House-of-Cards-watching days, I developed an unholy affinity for peanut butter puff cereal.  I enjoy both the Mother’s and the EnviroKidz (yes, with a z) versions of this treat. As with all sugar-laced cereals, I try to mix it with plain Cheerios or plain puffed corn or wheat, but I have had at least one bowl a day for the last half of the month.

On Saturday, I took the marinara that was left over from supper club and mixed it with browned sausage.  I shaved a liberal dose of Parmesan over the top and put it on pasta.  So simple, yet so perfect when paired with birthday wine.

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – come by and tell us what you’re into!