Category: feelings

feelings

inspiration + perspiration

abby mumford

it started in my childhood, what with my parents and older siblings reading books to me before i could read on my own. it continued as i read everything on my shelf and begged sister J to pick up more books for me at the library. (she had good taste. plus, i wanted to be just like her. even if i didn’t understand the high school references of sweet valley high.) it was furthered when i would see my dad sitting on the couch reading, sister J in her room on her bed reading, my mom standing at the kitchen counter reading a quick magazine article before starting dinner, and brother G? he reads now, but my memories of him revolve around him playing nintendo or shooting hoops outside. and from the point when little E was born, the only time you could get her to put a book down is when she was done and putting it down to pick up another one.

anyways, my point is that in my family, reading is genetic. everyone reads and so it was inevitable i would too.

but it wasn’t until JK Rowling and Harry Potter came along (i picked up the series right after book 4 was published) that my flights of fancy of writing a kids book solidified. suddenly, it was okay to want to write for kids, tweens, and teens. and suddenly, it was okay that i was READING those books. (though it did take me until a few years ago to publicly admit i was reading YA and MG books because i LIKE them, not just because i was doing RESEARCH.)

Jo was recently on Oprah. it’s an amazing and rare interview, so i wanted to share it with you all. it’s broken up into 6 parts, so you don’t have to watch all at once.  click here. also, i had a huge run of luck in 2008 and i managed to score tickets to harvard university’s graduation, which featured one JK Rowling as the keynote speaker. that phenomenal speech about the power of failure is here.

so, i’ve got my (10%) inspiration (and you’ve got some too) which means that according to thomas edison, it’s now time to get down to the (90%) perspiration part. and, oh me oh my, i can do that with the best of them. i just have to make sure it stems from slaving over the keyboard…

also, i just came across this post by victoria schwab. not only are the pictures beautiful, but (umm, this is embarrassing to admit) the idea that you can use outside pictures and songs to inspire your creative juices is a REALLY good one. i guess i’ve been a bit too hard on myself by thinking i had to come up with everything on my own. and that? well, it dries up the juices quite quick. (that’s what she said). but now that i know i can (and should) have a few key things to get me into the proper story writing space, to get me into the minds of my characters, I’M ON IT.

what’s your inspiration? or, rather, how do you find it? and do you perspire literally or figuratively when doing something creative?

feelings

their love affair

abby mumford

yesterday was [chris] columbus day, so it’s fitting i was in the nation’s capital because, you know, it’s from his voyages that the europeans became aware of the existence of the americas and thus, we are here today. so yeah. what brought me down south? us airways flight # 2042. oh, WHY was i there? a college roommate’s wedding.

it was one of those weddings that wraps you up in its love. as the bride’s mother said, “when your cup runneth over, drink from the saucer.” and oh boy, this cup runneth over. from the scenery (a vineyard set at the base of the shenandoah mountains) to the weather to the love apparent between the bride and groom, between their families, between their friends to the speeches to the vows to the music to the wine to the dancing to the sheer classiness of it all. it was a proper celebration of gooey love affair.

and the fun factor of this joyous occasion was upped because the entire college gang was able to attend. we had a brief scare that the russians were going to hold K hostage (no, that’s not a euphemism. it’s a story for another time), but she made it. yes, we all (finally) convened in one spot for the first time since graduation. we pushed aside our hectic schedules and reveled in the memories. chuckled about old times. discussed new developments. made new memories. started new traditions. had as much fun as we usually do. and recreated a photo originally taken back in 2003. we may be getting older and settling down, but we still know how to pretend we are on the opening credits of 90210.

congrats breese and RJ! thanks for supplying us with the materials and reason to celebrate and thanks for showing us how it’s done.

feelings

wonder woman

abby mumford

it started with a haircut the week before i went to italy. i went to the same woman i’ve been going to for a year + now. but i went to a different salon. her OWN salon. the doors had opened the day before and while the restorations weren’t 100% complete, her attitude was overjoyed, sheer joyfulness, blissful happiness.

i’m beginning to think she infused a bit of that into the shampoo, and combed it through my hair with the conditioner, tousled in some with the mousse, and spritzed it in with the hairspray because i have gotten more compliments on my hair/appearance (in person, in pictures) than ever before.

i like to think it’s magic because who doesn’t want a spot of magic incorporated into their life?

of course, it could also be a bit of me shining out. i’ve been through some tougher times than i’d like to admit and while i thought i was past the darkness before, it seems i really am now. it’s apparent in my facial expressions. when i smile, i actually mean it. and i’m wearing a smile more often these days. i think that’s what people are seeing. it’s nice to know my hard work is paying off.

though, it never hurts to have a wand in your back pocket or at the very least, a hairdresser who can style your hair to complement your face AND your attitude.

feelings

love (just beginning).

abby mumford

i’m a sucker for a love story. a good one. a cheesy one. a sappy one. a romantic one. a cute one. an old one. a new one. one that’s been a long time coming. it’s probably because i don’t have one of my own.

yet.

i especially like to hear the stories of how people met in case it gives me an idea of something new to try.

oh, you met in college? darn, i’ve already graduated. from undergrad AND grad school.

oh, you met at the laundromat? the only guy i see is the homeless man who offers to carry my laundry in. i’ve just carried it 3.5 blocks, sir, i can manage these last 15 feet. maybe i’ll try the one in your neighborhood?

oh, you met while you were abroad? i was just in italy! i didn’t meet any single men under the age of 40.

oh, you met at the bar? i went bar hopping last night/last weekend/last month. didn’t come across any winners. but did you know the octoberfest beers are out now? yeah, goodbye summer, hello fall.

oh, you met at work? everyone i work with is married. or is old enough to be my father.

oh, you met online? which site? yeah, tried that one. ok, i’ll try it again. maybe could you read my profile before i post?

oh, you met in the produce section of the grocery store? my friends are due back soon, so i’ll have a reason to go to that section of the store again.

oh, you met on the airplane? i have a few flights coming up, surely i’ll get a good seatmate. or at least one that will STOP CALLING ME, SHIRLEY.

but what i really adore are the stories of lasting love. and couples laughing together. and supporting one another. the latest story to melt my heart is here. it’s EXACTLY the type of story i want to cuddle up in bed with. it contains love. humor. sauciness. a couple just starting out. and how they entertained each other when they had nothing to rub together but their imaginations.

so while i continue to search for my love story, tell me yours.

feelings

golden rule (of couches)

abby mumford

it started with a bathmat. or rather, a replacement one. roommate said she had reached her limit and was going to buy one of the wooden ones they use in spas. upgrade #1.

it continued with a work trip. to ITALY. upgrade #2.

it was furthered when roommate reached her limit (again) but this time with the couches. we had 3 of them. all 3 were hand-me-downs when we first moved into our apartment 7 years ago. (to be honest, neither one of us expected we’d still be roommates this long, so the hand-me-down couches seemed like the perfect short term solution.) but here we are, still roommates, still with old couches. plus you have to factor in 7 more years of butt sitting and dinners being eaten and beverages being drunk while on them…yeah, ick. we attempted to spruce them up with slip covers, but that didn’t really help. roommate uses the living room more than i do, so it was natural she’d reach her limit before i did. but once she reached it and pointed it out to me, i quickly realized how frumpy that room was. she did some research and ordered 2 brand spanking new couches. and they are lovely. the apartment looks grown-up. upgrade #3.

and then a weird thing happened. E&T went off to visit Japan and needed someone to pick up their CSA farm shares of vegetables and fish during their absence. roommate and i happily agreed. and this past tuesday night, we were inundated with fish and fresh vegetables. upgrade #4. except neither one of us knew what to do. well, to be fair, roommate had more of a clue than me, especially when it came to the fish. i’ve NEVER cooked fish. heck, i’ve only just started eating it. (i rarely ate it growing up. unless it was those frozen fish sticks, which, ick.) long story short — we had a complete dinner of fish and veggies tuesday and then last night, i took the reins and made a baked fish dish with rice. for two nights, roommate and i were able to cook and eat together (while sitting on the floor in the living room so as not to spill on the beautiful new couches!). despite our hectic schedules and the variances in our taste buds, we had our own little family dinners.

eating dinner together as a family is something i treasure because it’s what my family did every single night of my childhood. no tv, no books, no phones, just food and family. sure, when i was a teenager, i wanted nothing to do with these dinners, but the forced regularity of conversation was a lesson that extended beyond the family. (because there are a lot of times here in adulthood when you have to talk to people you don’t necessarily want to.) and frankly, that lesson extended into the family because i got to know the people who sat around me. they’d talk about their days while i secretly tried to hide the fact i wasn’t eating my vegetables.

but what these recent upgrades have shown me is that i am becoming an adult even though i certainly don’t feel like one. when i was little, i thought being an adult included being married and having kids and owning a house. i have none of these things, yet my age says i’ve reached adulthood. the bills and taxes i pay depict adulthood too. but my health and imagination make me feel 10 again. so i guess it’s time to use my mind and start “faking it ’til i make it” to adulthood. or rather, an amended version of adulthood.

i can’t help but think that having a new bathmat, 2 new couches, a kitchen full of fresh food and a person to eat dinner with is a good starting point.