The trees are changing colors in the neighborhood --- Dora and I saw this one at the bottom of the Park loop yesterday afternoon. It was cool enough all day for me to wear my sweater. I had thought that I'd lose it by midday, but no. I'll be tired of this soon enough, just as I got tired of the summer heat, but as a novelty it's marvelous.
Today I need to pick up some prescriptions to send to the Viking, read my MFA student's thesis, and resume my Sun essay-writing. I should probably also do something about this upcoming poetry-course recording, like maybe plan the class sessions . . . I think I've been in complete denial about having to do all this, but it's time to confront reality. Today, or maybe tomorrow.
I also need to write some emails to people for back-jacket endorsements for the poetry book. Soon enough I'll have to do that for the short-story collection, which will be harder, because I know fewer fiction writers. But I really need to get the ball rolling for the poetry . . . I'm a couple of weeks behind, really, and just need to make myself approach these people (most of whom are friends anyway).
But first I'm going to wash my hair and get dressed and walk the dog.
ANNNNNND:
Willow T again, for a sixth straight day. Is it a challenge? Is it not a challenge? Who can say?
In any event, I'm wearing her fairly basically today, with my good old alpaca cardigan, Snag tights in Burgundy, and Birk Madeiras.
Hair diffused almost dry and still crunchy with mousse and gel for the moment --- I will scrunch and fluff all of that out later, once it really is dry.
Going to let the dog out now and get on with the day.
SOMEWHAT LATER:
Back again, having written two endorsement requests. My publisher says three is the max, in terms of what will fit on a back cover, so I think I'll see what these first two say, then pick a third --- or a second and third, if one of them says no.
Meanwhile, it's fun seeing what colors play well with this teal dress. I thought I couldn't possibly love anything more than the Snag tights I wore to Mass on Sunday. But I'm really liking these burgundy ones today. One of my resolutions for this fall-winter-spring season was to wear my microfiber Snag tights more than I did last year, because they come in such nice colors, and I have so many of them. Last year I really defaulted to the merino ones, plus leggings, while this category of tights languished. As much as I prefer natural fibers, these tights really are nice for cool-but-not-that-chilly days, and they are unbelievably comfortable. Like wearing nothing on my legs, but better looking than that. The Birk Madeiras look better, generally, with tights than with bare legs --- I guess it's a more complete version of that Old Kindergartener look I'm going for.
Anyway, this deeper teal dress creates a lot of possibilities for these more intense tight colors. I think they'll look good with my Aegean Teal Maggie as well --- anything darker, really. I find that I don't mind wearing saturated colors even in the hot weather, but that I crave them when it starts to cool off. And I find, then, that combinations of very saturated colors work well and seem to balance each other.
These burgundy tights are also fairly close in color to Snag's Red Velvet merino tights, of which I have acquired a pair for this winter. That "red" is almost purple --- it could pass for a plum, which actually I like, though eventually I'd like to get some tights in a truer red.
Today's high is in the high 60sF, a bit warmer than yesterday, and much sunnier. I really might lose the cardigan when I go out again, but the tights should feel just fine. As, in fact, they do right now.
Back to work.
EVEN LATER:
Okay, I've now sent three requests for back-jacket blurbs and gotten one affirmative answer, so that's PROGRESS. It would be so nice if I could just be finished with this begging portion of the whole process, but at least I've broken the ice in my own mind.
Have also drafted a Sun essay. Back on my game. Now to go to the pharmacy, pick up the prescriptions, and pack them to mail --- this is like an ADHD Iron-Man triathlon. Leave house. Deal with pharmacy. Mail parcel (this alone is a multi-part challenge). I've probably been doing all the other stuff as a means of procrastinating about this one little trifecta of mundane tasks. Figures.