I Am Here

When I take blogging breaks, I never quite know how to start up again.  I thought this image might be telling, because this is mostly where I have been lately:

I use the bottom journal for jotting down the little things that Team Chaos says and does.  The papers stuffed inside the journal are print-outs of Twitter and Facebook statuses.  Not only am I anal retentive (with a dash of OCD), it has always bothered me that Twitter and Facebook are essentially the ephemera of social media memories.  While it is probable that this blog will exist for long enough that my kids can read it, other social media outlets are not so stable.  Twitter does not keep your stream for very long and Facebook is still not really an acceptable medium for memory keeping.  The top journal is the one I jot things in that have made me smile or have made me happy for the day.  I certainly do not do much deep thinking in either journal, but it makes me happy to pick up a pen and write in them.  I keep them on the table beside my chair and really, it is quite easy to keep up the habit.

Sadly, that is your exciting conclusion to the Case of the Missing Blogger.  I apologize for your disappointment.

So!  Moving on!  Where else have I been?

First, along with the rest of the Free World, I was sucked faster than a Dementor's Kiss into the world of Downton Abbey.  What is Downton Abbey, you say?  It's a show which features an aristocratic British family, just as the world is about to dig its heels into World I.  The mystery and intrigue in this show not only involves the family itself but even better, the staff of servants.  Most of the action is reflected upon through both sets of viewpoints.  As I wrote on Facebook:

 "The Real Housewives of Downton Abbey: Less alcohol, equal amounts of bling, more frownlines and all the servants speak fluent English. However, the only tables overturned are metaphorical."

What I have really enjoyed from this series is not only the sumptuous settings and fashions, but also the historical aspect.  I love watching folks' reactions to such glorious inventions as electricity, motor vehicles and the telephone.  And during all of the kitchen scenes, I am constantly distracted because I enjoy figuring out how Mrs. Patton gets all those gourmet meals to the table with nary a Cuisinart in sight.

If you are already a Downton Abbey Junkie, I highly recommend watching Gosford Park (the movie).  When I first started DA, I kept thinking how it reminded me of Gosford Park, then I found out they were written and created by Julian Fellowes.  Huh.  Also, if you are a fan of Brendan Coyle (aka Mr. Bates), you might be interested in the mini-series North and South -- Coyle played a key character in that series and I have been a fan of his ever since.

Oops.  I did not mean for this to turn into a Downton Abbey post, but that has been the bulk of my entertainment for the past two weeks.  Couple that with the fact that I just finished the George RR Martin's "Game of Thrones: Song of Fire and Ice" AND the fact that I just began Jane Austen's "Emma" and I am fearing for my use of the English language.  If I am not careful, I am at risk for starting to sound like Madonna during her Guy Ritchie Era.  YIKES.  And an ersatz English accent does not flatter anyone, much less the British.  *shudder*

Anyway -- besides voraciously feeding my Anglophilia, I have been trying to suck as much precious time with my kiddos as possible.  I cannot lie, the past 8 months have been filled with cancer-related deaths and a new one is looming.   Cancer worms your way into your psyche after awhile.  I try not to indulge my inner melodrama much here, but.....  damn.

I realize that, logically speaking, life is fragile.  I know this.  I am simply tired of being reminded.

And there are some days when I cannot hug my kids enough.