Author: paulattinello
-
End of the holidays
And the holidays are now officially, by almost any count, over: 4 am GMT on New Year’s Day. (I suppose we could hold out for January 6, and Twelfth Night/Epiphany, but that’s probably pushing it these days.) Rain, on what has been a surprisingly warm evening here – and a lovely dinner at Beate’s house…
-
In the lists
The past couple of weeks, through the holidays but around/after Sandy’s death, have been different than they usually are for me – no travel, not much activity, no real holidays; only a bit of peripheral participation in other people’s holidays (Bennett & Merrie dropping by, Chris Wood’s concert, dinner at blahfeme’s – and tonight New…
-
Concerns
A disturbing dream of my sister in pain, suffering with the chemo, sleeping, getting worse – at some strangely chaotic, crowded conference; emphasizing the insensitivity of not knowing what she’s going through, of not helping. *** The family seemed calm and even cheerful at yesterday’s Christmas phone call; probably the ones to worry about are…
-
This endris night
The candles are burning, and some old carols are playing; dinner is cooking – rice with saffron, cranberries and almonds, topped with a breast of chicken rubbed with paprika and nutmeg. Tomorrow I will go to blahfeme’s for Christmas dinner, but tonight is quiet and at home. *** I love Christmas stories, poems, plays, vignettes.…
-
Wassail
After a sleepy day, recovering from yesterday’s late visit from Bennett and Merrie, I put myself together to walk down through the northeastern suburbs, between the universities, down through the center of a practically deserted Sunday-night town, and over the river to the Sage Gateshead (our dazzling new-ish local concert hall) for a work by…
-
Family pictures
By which, this time at least, I don’t mean: pictures of my family. We have hundreds – thousands – of those, from the decades of my father’s passionate taking of photographs; I have several made into plates – including one of all of us some time around 1968 or 1969, where Sandy notably has a…
-
Solstice
The winter solstice at 6 am today, on the 22nd; a full moon coming (early afternoon on the 24th); a light snow. Though it will be a quiet Christmas, it won’t be I think I bleak one. The house is clean and warm, with plenty of food, even a small panettone; and although my Christmas…
-
Message
A calm day, after several nights of erratic sleep (insomnia is strange for me – usually even under stress I sleep more): went in for a meeting and office holiday luncheon, got a haircut, did errands. The house is quiet and clean, and smells good: candles in the living room, panettone in the kitchen. ***…
-
Reflection
It’s obscurely troubling, though understandable, that Sandy evidently knew how low her chances were – and we didn’t. Or, perhaps more accurately (it’s hard to tell exactly), that she knew that her chances might be very low, while we assumed that there was an outside chance that she would be in some trouble. A slightly…
-
After
As it happens, there will be no memorial for some time – so I won’t go home this weekend, or I think anywhere over the holidays. Which means, as even Patrick has gone home to Wales for the next three weeks, plenty of time to myself – and/or too much time to myself, however you…
Paul Attinello 