Enumerated Update

My week has been completely "off" due to child illness, but so here we are at Friday. Happy Friday, friends!

We are continuing to battle illness with Gracie getting a little better and William George looking as if he could succumb to germs any second now. Otherwise, here is what is happening in our little worlds:

1) Banished Words List: So I have a really bad habit of beginning sentences with "so".  And it's a longstanding habit that began many, many years ago*, and I'm pretty sure I picked it up from reading David Foster Wallace. He also popularized "it is what it is," which Skip and I used so much during work email exchanges that we simply started typing IIWII.  Although no one is clamoring to eliminate the use of IIWII (which is currently having "a moment"), the overuse of "so" made the Lake Superior State University's banished words list. I am working on phasing it out simply because of my own overuse - surely you're tired of it, yes? - and not because of some list. Here is the list in full.

So there you have it.

And so I probably won't be successful in eliminating it.

*This habit likely dates back to around 2000, but how is it possible that I have a habit that is as old as a generation that has already been trendily named (i.e., millennials)???

2) Aging: The above annotated observation calls to mind another tidbit. When I started working, admittedly, I looked very young. Also, I wore braces, although I was officially an adult, and that sort of sealed the youthful look. I remember being at a business lunch with a large group of people when this 40-ish woman - a legend in our little industry - snarled at me from down the table, "I have nail polish older than you."

Friends, this wasn't said especially nicely. The comment wasn't a teasing gesture spoken by someone looking for a protege, if you know what I'm saying. It might have been intimidating but for the naked bitterness with which the statement was spoken.

Any rate... so fast forward a couple of decades, and we were at the beach after Christmas, decked out in our rain gear, as mentioned in a previous post. I have this old stand-by, a favorite rain coat that I have had for a while. It's a black trench, but kind of a peacoat length which runs just a little bit longer on me. It's really kind of perfect, in terms of fit, use case, etc. Skip commented on how nice the coat is, which made me recall when/where I got it. Y'all... that coat is 20 years old. My coat could vote and is almost legal to drink.

But I will not bitterly compare the age of my coat to young professionals. I'm pretty sure that is oppositional to aging gracefully.

3)  Mary Louis Parker: Many times have I written about celebrities/writers that I adore (Nora Ephron and Sophia Coppola top the list), and I have always especially liked Mary Louis Parker. I loved her on the West Wing, and I cannot imagine anyone else playing Nancy Botwin.

Given my affinity for Parker, Dear Mr. You has been added to my reading list.

4) More on books: I meant to share these previously, but quickly, here you have the top books of 2015; if you have more time, the 100 notable books of 2015, and just for fun, the best book covers of 2015. And how would you possibly get through 100 books in a single year? Here are some tips.

5) The Phone: I have gotten much better with the phone now that my children are older. But perhaps some of you still struggle?

And that is what is happening with us. I hope you are planning a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you here on Monday.