1. I’m writing this as I sit waiting for AT&T tech support to come see about my super slow internet. It’s one of those problems that is occurring JUST enough to be super annoying but not enough that I am not sure it’s all in my head. Or, alternately, a sign from the universe at large that I need to get my butt off of Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest and get back to work. Either way, I’m waiting. *drums fingers*

2. Big week here in the The Hill as both Jimmy Fallon and President Obama were here on Tuesday. I was hearing all kinds of celeb sightings: the Roots showed up at open mic at a local bar, my babysitter saw Dave Matthews (Fallon’s musical guest) walking in Carrboro. I, of course, saw no one, even though I was all over town all week. This is typical. It’s the reason why, when I go to New York or LA, I never see ANY famous people even though I am always looking super hard. I mean, Susane Colasanti has David Duchovny basically hanging outside her front door, and what do I have? A deer with a limp and some low swooping hawks. Oh, well. I do have to say that it made me SUPER happy and proud to see my hometown and alma mater (as well as the place I taught myself for years) get such national attention. My Tarheel pride was strong!

I love that Jimmy wore a Carolina sweatshirt. LOVED IT.

3. Speaking of UNC, the university and scores of former students had a great loss this week when Doris Betts, esteemed Southern Writer and longtime Creative Writing professor, passed away. Doris was the first writing teacher I had at UNC, and the last, and I will be forever grateful I was able to learn from her. She was smart and funny and did not suffer bad writing or fools gladly, or ever. She would cover your manuscripts in comments and edits, the harshest comments made a bit better by her gorgeous handwriting and the fact that she always used a real fountain pen (although those comments still stung, don’t get me wrong: if you didn’t cry once in Doris’ Honors class, you weren’t working hard enough). She once called a detail in one of my stories “inspired” and I never forgot it, still treasure it all these years later. In life, you are lucky to have any teachers that make you feel like you can do what even you at times feel might be impossible. Like, say, write for a living. Doris was but one of mine, and I’m so grateful. I will miss her a lot.

4. Earlier this week, we met with some interior decorators who are going to help us make our house look, well…better. Which is a challenge, because my husband and I have SUCH different tastes. We argued so much about a couch that it almost ended our relationship. Our friend Sally, who was selling it to us, finally threw up her hands and said, “Guys! This is supposed to be FUN!” In truth, the couch is great and we love it. So I am hopeful that with a little expert guidance we can clean up our clutter, find a place for the vast amount of Princess stuff so I can stop tripping over it every time I take a step, and bring together all the crazy elements of our stuff so they, you know, work. I was nervous about having these women over, because I thought they’d come in and say, “WHOA,” just based on all the stuff we have (fish made of surfboards, bottlecap Folk Art, family portraits, and modern stuff from our fabulous painter neighbor, among other things.) Instead, they walked in, looked around, and immediately had, like, TEN fabulous ideas, some of which just involved moving some furniture around. I mean, check out our playroom before:

and after:

And that’s just moving some stuff and putting things away! Imagine what will happen when they actually start ADDING things. I can’t wait.

5.Finally, a book recommendation. I just started listening to Rachel Dratch’s GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR on audio, and it is SO good. Regular readers know I love a good celeb bio, but the best are 1) read by the writer and 2) really convey their personality so well that you want to be their BFF, if you didn’t already. Done and done. I always loved Rachel Dratch on SNL and 30 Rock, but hearing the inside dish about it all makes it even more fun. I was fangirling so hard I tweeted her (she’s @TheRealDratch) and she tweeted me back. OH MY GOD! I might not see celebs in person, you know, ever, but because of Twitter I still get to be starstruck. Hooray for that!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

1. Yesterday was Teen Lit Day, which is one of my FAVORITE days because it is also Rock the Drop. For those who haven’t heard about it, it’s something that Readergirlz came up with a few years ago. The idea is that you take YA books and leave them around your town for people to find and enjoy. So I picked a few of my own paperbacks, printed out the Rock The Drop bookplates, and headed out into Chapel Hill. First stop was a bus shelter where I always see a TON of UNC students:

Then I headed to my satellite office (also known as Whole Foods) and dropped one in the cafe:

After that, it was off to Carrburritos, home of the BEST burrito in the world (in my humble opinion), where I dropped a book by the brownie display (and ordered a regular chicken with pinto beans for myself)

Then, it was time for the last and most SUPER STEALTH drop. I drove over to my high school, parked out front, and then RAN up and dropped a book in the very place where I used to wait for rides after school:

Then I drove away VERY fast, feeling like I’d gotten away with something. Yeah, I’m all about the risk taking. It’s how I roll.

2. Today I literally looked at my daughter’s hair and thought, “I’m out. I can’t do anything!” People: it was so wild. Like a big, curly halo over her head, with these messy, tangled corkscrews in the back. If you brush it, it gets huge, like Albert Einstein. If you DON’T brush it, it looks like a weird, crazy mullet: straight and in her eyes in the front, wild and Shirley Temple-esque in the back. Add in the fact that she will NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES even entertain the thought of a barrette, headband or ponytail, and I’m at the end of my rope. I know, I know, I shouldn’t care. Just like I shouldn’t have cared earlier this week when my husband dressed her in three different striped things, all different colors, and I bribed her with Pez (bad! Mama!) to put on a solid pair of pants. She’s a kid, she’s supposed to be wild and herself. But. But. My saving grace today, however, was the preschool calendar. I glanced at it as she was leaving (with her wild hair going in all directions) and…it’s CRAZY HAIR DAY! Done and done. Sigh.

3. On the reading front, I’m currently doing three books at once, as is my way. (Multitasking: that’s me, in all levels of my life. Is it a good thing? Jury is still out. But it is what it is.) First up is MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi, which is a book I was given by my Canadian publicist when I was in Toronto in the fall. This book should SO not be my cup of tea. It’s really surreal and I don’t exactly know what’s going on, plus I think I MAY just not be smart enough to understand it. But I cannot stop reading. Which I think, actually, is the highest compliment you can pay any book. If I figure it out before I finish, I’ll be so proud. Over on the iPad, I’m reading my second selection from the unofficial Jennifer Weiner book club (which is to say, books she has recommended over on Twitter) HEFT by Liz Moore, which I just started but already love. On audio, I finished Kristen Johnston’s GUTS (which was great) and have now moved onto Jeannette Winterson’s WHY BE HAPPY WHEN YOU COULD BE NORMAL? (A question I ask myself daily. But I digress.) I know there’s been a lot of news about e-books lately, and I do love being able to carry a book in my purse without the bulk. But as I have said before, I love the feel of a REAL book, folding back the cover (yes, I do that) folding down pages (ditto), and seeing them on my shelf. I’m a multi-tasking multi-platform reader, I guess. Say that five times fast!

4. Another parenting lesson I have YET to really learn: only telling my kid about upcoming events on a Need To Know basis. Which is to say, about an hour before they are happening. I have NOT done this lately, which is leading to all kinds of relentless questioning and a lack of sleep all around. Take Easter. I waited until the day before, then let her know it was coming up. She was so pumped she slept NOT AT ALL the night before, didn’t nap that day and had a Peep and Pez fueled meltdown by 5pm. Fun! Did I learn, though? No, I did not. In fact, yesterday, I mentioned we were going to the beach in “a few weeks.” IDIOT! Now she’s already pulling out her suitcase and asking how long, how long, how long, as well as planning out what she’s going to do the day we leave. Which will most likely be insisting on getting in the car at 6am and then asking me repeatedly when we are going. Oh, man. Give me strength. Or sense. Or both.

5. Finally, over in the coop, our hen Pretty Chicken (named by my daughter, not that you couldn’t guess) has been sitting on her eggs for almost 21 days. Which means that soon, we’ll find out if we have chicks or not. I think I’ve written here before about how impressed I am with what she’s gone through to do this. First, she sat on the eggs in the communal coop, where the other chickens (for whatever reason) bullied her, nipped at her AND pooped on her head. And you thought pregnancy was tough! (Or, I did.) Finally my husband moved her over to her own little coop in the shed, where she has literally sat on the eggs CONSTANTLY ever since, getting up only a couple of times to eat and drink. Whenever we go peek in at her, she’s huddled down, and shoots me a suspicious BACK OFF LADY look before I retreat. Mama is serious. And I am just hoping, HOPING it’s all for something. We’ve been careful not to talk about it too much with my kid, because of the whole Circle of Life thing, and even if we DO get chicks some might not survive. But with all the talk in the news today about the Mommy Wars—and I hate that we war with each other at all, it’s hard enough being a parent—it’s kind of nice to see it all boiled down to the hard work, dedication and patience that is really what it’s all about. Need a life lesson, look to the coop, I guess. And stay tuned….

Have a good weekend, everyone!

1. It’s not only Friday: it is GOOD FRIDAY, which, although I am not religious in any specific way, is a holiday I can get behind. Who doesn’t like Good? Today has actually been really nice in a lot of ways, but mostly because my daughter and I went to have lunch with my mom at her new retirement community. With my dad away, it was just Us Gals. I have to tell you: if you’re having one of those parenting days where you are at the end of your rope and totally frazzled, just take your small child to a cafeteria full of seniors. You are instantly reminded of everything that is wonderful about children, even if your own has been a bit of a pill for the last few hours. I mean, it’s like coming in with a celebrity, I swear. When my daughter was spotted, conversations stopped. Wide smiles came over faces. Everyone was waving, saying hello. Of course, because this is MY kid, she responded by burying her face in my shirt (she’s a bit shy, I have no idea where THAT comes from) but it was still just so, so sweet. The whole time we were eating, I could feel people watching us with kind, happy expressions…which I tried to remember when she whined the whole way home. It helped.

2. Something else that will lift your spirits, always: listening to a happy song. My latest on repeat is, in fact, “Life’s a Happy Song,” from The Muppets. I bought it from iTunes JUST to have on hand when I need a quick jolt of everything good: Jason Segel, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and that plain old Muppet optimism. Sigh! Add in a pretty day to drive through and I’m almost manic. You have been warned.

3. This weekend is Easter, which means, among many other things, more candy. I swear, it was not until I had a child that I realized how many holidays are now candy-related. Valentine’s? Check. Easter? You bet. Christmas? Two words: candy cane. And then, the MOTHERLODE that is Halloween. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am far from anti-candy. But I can’t let my kid mainline it all year, that’s just irresponsible. So what I do is let her have some of whatever bounty she collects (more each holiday, I swear to you) then, after a few days, put it up high in a closet so she forgets about it. The flip side is that I, too, forget, only to find it months later, gathering dust and all sticky, and toss it. Until the NEXT holiday, when there’s even more to deal with. The only exception: Kit Kats and Reese’s Cups, which go into their own secret spot and do not stay there for long. And no, I am not telling you where that spot is. A mother needs her secrets. (Oh, dear, that sounded VERY Mommy Dearest, didn’t it? It’s the sugar, I swear to you.)

4. Is it just me, or is lately there, like, NOTHING on TV? It’s not Sweeps time, I know, but I feel like every night when we finally sit down to watch something, we can’t find anything but reruns of Intervention and the few reality shows I don’t like. I get the sense that a lot of shows just feel TIRED, except ones like NEW GIRL (which just gets better and better: come for Zooey, stay for Schmidt) and MODERN FAMILY. People keep telling me that I should be watching HAPPY ENDINGS, but the last time I tried it struck me as so crass. I know, I’m a total prude. I’ll give it another shot. But if it’s this bad now, what’s going to happen over the summer? Last night I found myself watching the Barrett-Jackson car auction with my husband, who was in HEAVEN, because there was absolutely nothing else. People, I cannot be watching car shows until September. This is serious. Help! (And please don’t tell me to turn off my TV and read, I promise you I am reading TONS—MR. FOX, HEFT on my iPad and GUTS on audio—but I need my shows, too. I’m only human. And kinda weak.)

5. Finally, something a bit more serious. Even as I write this, I feel like I may very well delete it and put something else about TV or food, something silly and easy. Because I worry that it makes me seem sort of nuts. But I think some of you out there might understand.

Back when I was pregnant in the summer of 2007, we made friends with another couple that was expecting around the same time. We hung out a bit, watched TV, compared plans and cravings, that sort of thing. My daughter was born in early September, and they came over to see and hold her. We were all so excited. Their baby was born a couple of weeks later and, for reasons that have never been clear, did not make it. I know. I know. The day I got the news I felt like the world just stopped.

And ever since, as my daughter has grown from an infant to a toddler to a rambunctious 4 year old, I have thought of them so much. On those days when my heart was just swelling with love for my kid…and on the ones where she’s driving me nuts. Every time I throw pennies in a fountain, they are among my first wishes. On stars, too. I can’t even explain it. They were trying for another baby, it wasn’t happening. They began an adoption process. The woman had a blog where she chronicled all her anguish and hope and fear and sadness, and I’d just read it when I was alone and cry. (See, this is why I thought I shouldn’t share this, but hang in there, if you would.) Occasionally we would see them, or they’d call, and I always felt so awful (I know it makes no sense, or maybe it does) that we had a baby and they didn’t. It was cruel and unfair and just mean of the world, and my heart broke for them, even though I am sure they never knew it.

Then, though, this spring, a friend of ours who was doing some work for them but didn’t know their whole story said to me, offhand, “You know, I think she’s pregnant.” I stopped where I was. “What?” I said. “Are you sure?” He nodded. “She’s showing…but she hasn’t said anything yet.” I could not believe it and did not want to get my hopes up, so kept reading her blog, throwing more pennies, wishing on more stars. And then, one day, she wrote an entry saying she was. Oh, my God. Like a million prayers, answered.

So here’s this woman that really doesn’t know me very well AT ALL anymore, and it’s ridiculous how invested I have become in her pregnancy (which is going great, no complications, a blessing for sure). I know she thinks I’m a total stalker freak because I comment on her blog and have already offered to walk their dog if they need it and bring food even though they haven’t seen me in months. I’m like some crazy person. But the due date is coming ever closer, and even though I know everything will be fine I just…oh, man. I just have never prayed so hard for anyone in my life. Bad things happen all the time: I know that. But when there’s a chance for something really, really good to occur to someone who deserves it, who has had the hardest time….that’s when I have to believe that good things, and great things, happen too.

I don’t think she reads my blog or even knows I have one and I probably shouldn’t be writing about this anyway. But on this weekend of Easter, with their baby almost full term, I have so much hope, hope, hope for them and everyone else who needs it. I am thinking the best thoughts, wishing on all the stars, emptying my pockets of coins into fountains. It’s just time. Come on, universe. You can do this.

Have a great weekend, everyone.