My favorites so far:

• A pet duck named Kumpel (translation: pal, or buddy)
• A thieving animal nicknamed Schlingel (translation: rascal)
• A zookeeper named Kustos (translation: custodian, or keeper)
• A zoo cage with a real gestank (translation: reek, or stink)

To find the words, I start by using Google translate. But then I also google the words it suggests, to see if I can find supporting translations. Anyone who's used Google translate knows that sometimes its choices are a little... off. 

I'm also using German names for all my characters. Like always, I'm choosing ones that have meaning: little one; guardian; secret; huntress. 

How do you find good nouns and names for your characters? What are some of your favorites?

Some of my favorite lyrics:

Been there, done that, messed around

I'm having fun, don't put me down

I'll never let you sweep me off my feet...

and:

Burning bridges, shore to shore

I break away from something more...

The video is worth watching just for the major 80s flashbacks:

Next up: presents for Oscar. If you have ideas, leave me comments or make your own Pinterest board and let me know where it is!

BEFORE

I'm not giving up, but I am easing up, seeking light and magic and fresh air. I'm going to spend the next few months on drafting a little gem of an idea, a simple idea, one that's been knocking on the door for the last 6 months and I've had to ignore. When I finish that, maybe I'll return to The Big Hairy Novel. 

Since I find visuals so inspiring, the first thing I did was to dismantle my "Beautiful Mind" inspiration walls, as my sister calls it. Down came dozens and dozens of photographs (one of the walls is pictured at left... this is the wall above my desk). As I worked, I listened to one of my all-time favorite podcasts, "The Upside of Quitting" (a Freakonomics episode). Yes, I actually have listened to that podcast a number of times!

Not much has gone up, yet: just a framed print of winter woods in twilight (I bought it years ago and never had a place for it, until now), and two things I always have hanging above my desk. One is a beautiful photograph of the labyrinth at Mabel Dodge Luhan house, by my talented friend Marnie Brooks. The other are two things I scrawled one long-ago day, as reminders to myself, and I still read them daily:

AFTER1. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you're bad at it.

and 2. Degree of difficulty is not inversely related to worthiness of effort.

By the way, if you like that cool mobile hanging in the corner, it's from Pozie Poems. You get to write your own word on the top strip of wood. My sister gave it to me and I love it! Right now my word is POWER.

The next few days will be about inspirations, discovering tone, and getting to know my characters just well enough to start telling their story. I'll also do some outlining, too. And then... I write. 

It feels great to be diving into a brand-new project. I'm going to ride that "baby love" as long as I can!

I'd never heard of Burdenko before, so I did a little research. Burdenko is a Russian therapist who designed a physical rehab program that includes water and land exercises. A number of athletes, dancers and figure skaters (including Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wiley) have done some sort of Burdenko program. The water walkers are a part of that program, as far as I can tell from their website. 

At left you can see my water walkers. They cost $45. Think light-weight plastic boards that strap to your feet like sport sandals. My instructor suggested wearing socks with them, which may look dorky but it really helps to prevent them from slipping around your foot. As you can see, I have to pull the straps super-tight and even then they wiggle a little once I'm in the water. 

You also wear one of those blue water flotation belts, strapped as tight as you can get it. The belt is supposed to help you align your core muscles. 

The walkers take a little getting used to. They feel a bit like flippers, but they fight you a lot more. As the instructor says, the walkers want to float. But that's the point. Part of the workout is just keeping them from floating! Much to the disappointment of Little Dude, the walkers don't let you walk on TOP of the water. Sorry, kid.

The class takes place solely in the deep end of the pool. You start with five minutes of "thermal acclimation", which pretty much means gently moving in the water and letting your body adjust to the temperature. Since our Y keeps the indoor pool at a toasty 84 degrees, it doesn't take too long to adjust. Once everyone is warmed up, the instructor takes us through a series of exercises. Some are pretty familiar things you do on land, like walking and jogging. But others are completely new to me. Yesterday we did something called "hearts", which is basically like doing the breaststroke while sitting. The class lasts for a half hour.

The lifeguards, I noticed, had their eyes glued to our class. I couldn't decide if they were amused by our antics with the water walkers, or if they were convinced that any fool who straps big plastic boards to their feet might drown at any time. 

Overall I like the class. It's a entirely different workout and I can tell it's really working my arms and shoulders. I can't decide if it really burns as many calories as the Burdenko website claims--20 calories per minute. If it did, I would definitely stick with it. But I've got limited time to work out and I want to maximize my buttercream burn! So the jury is out. I will definitely stick with the class for the duration of the Y's winter session. After that, we'll see.

If you're curious about Burdenko, I'd definitely recommend trying it out. See if the instructor will let you borrow some equipment for one class before you commit and buy your own. Wear socks. And have fun!

1. My french rolling pin. I had a marble rolling pin but it seemed like I was always having to clomp it around the countertop and dough got ridges from the edge of it. This baby is lighter, longer and it's so prettttty. And it's held up well. I circled this in the shop for about a half hour before I bought it (sure it was all of $18 but did I NEED it?). If you like to bake and you don't have one of these, go for it!

2. While we're hanging out in the kitchen, the little strip of tile backsplash on our kitchen bar. It was ridiculously narrow and I think the tile dude wanted to kill me. But I pet it and call it pretty almost every day. And the tile dude finished work on it about 3 years ago!

3. This console in our bedroom is the splurgiest-splurge in the list. And I was the one talking my husband into spending money, for once! I just knew I wanted a long, low table for the TV and my To-Be-Read pile (yes, that big row of books below the TV). And it wasn't TOO expensive, since we ordered it from Home Decorators and assembled it ourselves. A major upgrade over the unfinished pine TV stand we were still dragging around from college. Although I thought that thing was pretty awesome when I bought it for $49 in Allston-Brighton and dragged it home on the trolley.

4. Back to the kitchen for my ridiculously small mug. This was made by a student at Logan Wannamaker Studio in Taos, New Mexico. It was the first thing I bought in Taos, the first year I went there for Kindling Words West. As you can see, it's only three jumbo marshmallows high and it holds probably a half cup of tea. Who cares? Sometimes beauty really does overpower all other needs.

5. The cheapest "splurge" of the list, a $3 IKEA hook. I count this as a splurge because I decided to screw anybody's opinion and happily installed a hook in the shape of a dog's butt, right in my living room wall. Little Dude's backpack hangs on it  and it makes all of us smile. Which is what you need when you're running for the bus YET AGAIN and can't find your kid's gloves YET AGAIN and he's arguing that there's no need for a coat when it's 34 out. Yes. YET AGAIN! I know I know I know it was likely made for dog leashes. Again... who cares?

So when the flyer came home for before-school language lessons, we offered. We always offer. But the dirty truth? I sort of hoped he'd say no, like in other years.

I think it's great for kids to learn language at an early age. But there's often a sort of self-congratulatory note, I think, to the conversations with parents whose kids are taking language enrichment classes. A la "Jordan is taking French. For my next birthday he's going to translate a de Beauvoir essay for me!" And that makes me uncomfortable. I don't want to be that person. 

I can hear you, other parents. You're telling me this: it's not just language lessons. You could probably pick any enrichment activity and hear the same kind of tone from some of the parents. "Oh, your son is learning about Moses in Sunday school? Huh. Our little chubbykins learned how to walk on water last Sunday, in her class!"

Still. I will admit to a combination of shrinking dread and pride when Little Dude announced, quite cheerfully, that he would be taking Chinese lessons. When we figured out that the Chinese lessons were 40 minutes away and Spanish was at his school, he decided that Spanish would be just as awesome. And today, he started class. 

I feel the funny looks from people when I say he's taking Spanish, even if we're not in the same room. "Is he in middle school already?" an online acquaintance asked. No, no, although he's got the eye-rolling all set for that day. So I have fresh sympathy for the parents of kid actors who insist "no, seriously, they ASKED to do this. It was NOT our idea." 

I should be proud. I know this. So I will not mutter about where my kid went at 7:40 this morning. I will stand up straight. I will take pride. I will say, "yes, my son is taking Spanish."

Just don't expect him to be quoting Isabel Allende next week. And if he does?

I'm not telling.

Here are three lovelies I found this weekend.

First up, from Etsy seller and artist Castens, a $870 handmade 18K gold crown (yes, completely wearable). You can also read the creator's blog entry about how the crown was made.

Next, likely on the other end of the quality-material spectrum, a zinc-and-rhinestone crown available wholesale. Yours so long as you are willing to buy 59 others just like it.

 And finally, because I am not above pandering, a beautiful baby that clearly is sleeping well because of the crown perched atop his/her head. From Etsy seller whisperbugboutique. At a mere $40, I want SOMEONE to snap this up!

I thought I'd snap a few photos while I opened it:

Some day, I will have lovely handwriting like Viv. Also, my hair will have more volume.

Oh, the sweet sixteen tiara. So, so needed to finish this story right--and one of my characters would agree, though likely she'd rip it off my head and take it for herself. And the confetti. Shiny. Pretty. Imperfect jaggedy slippery edges.

If you like my stories, never fear... I am not going over the the light side with this new novel. But let's just say that sometimes things are scarier when you add a sparkly gloss to them. 

Besides. Who doesn't like to wear a crown?

Here I am in my office, in front of the wall plastered with dozens of photos to inspire me, too. 

1. Mermaids by Hans Zimmer, from the soundtrack for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

2. The Battle by Harry Gregson-Williams, from the soundtrack for THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

3. Dragon Battle by John Powell from the soundtrack for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

4. Mutiny by Hans Zimmer, from the soundtrack for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

5. Massive Attack by Nicki Minaj (if my writing pace is slowing, this song will pick it up again, guaranteed...)

I'm realizing that I have tons of energetic songs in iTunes but not a ton of crazy-aggressive fighting ones. I might need to grab a few more if this chapter goes on for awhile...

Here's the video for Massive Attack. I want my mother to know I previewed the whole thing and there is nothing TOO crazy inappropriate with the dancing (sorry if that's what you were hoping for....) :)