Predictably, prime time was empty without the usual Olympic coverage.
It’s a hard adjustment, let me tell you.
But hey, here we are. Seventeen days and one fantastic closing ceremonies later (Scary Spice got FAT), I realized with notable horror that the next time the Summer Olympics roll around, my children will be six and four. I’ll be celebrating the fourth anniversary of my 30th birthday.
Sigh.
So, back to life as we knew it, before we were all distracted by Ryan Lochte’s abs and the awesomeness that was Oscar Pistorious. We laughed, we cried (at least I did), we marveled over swimmers wearing inappropriate white swim trunks and American rowers with purported boners (“Third in Standings, First in Boners”). Good times, my friends, good times.
And I’ve written squat in seventeen days.
I have, however, discovered that my recent addiction to Pinterest does have a few positive reaches into my writing. For example, there are a wealth of pins related to historic fashion. I’ve found that I’m oddly drawn to clothing of the 1880s. And when I say oddly, I mean obsessively.
I have three “boards” for my history related stuff. I have a “Civil War Novel” board, an “Edwardian Novel” board, and an “1880s Inspiration” board. I’ve pinned mostly pictures of dresses and a few historic photographs to (hopefully) spark some writing ideas. I think it’s actually really helpful, because I can quickly reference the style of corset or the structure of a cage crinoline instantly. I mean, yeah, the basics are in my brain. But actually seeing a period example of something is awesome. I do wonder, in these actually vintage examples of clothes, about the women who wore them. What was their life like? How did the war affect them? Did she pick that style of mourning gown because she liked it, or because she settled for it?
And, if you follow my boards, you’ll notice I pretty much love baked goods.
In other news, I’ve been debating putting together a cage crinoline for use at the Antietam event next month. A few years ago I got a cage crinoline kit and then, rather promptly, got pregnant. Then I got pregnant again. So the kit has sat in the closet, waiting. And I, in the meantime, lost 75 pounds and my hoop skirts no longer fit. So, it’s either strap those suckers down like never before, or go ahead and dive into the kit.
I’m on the fence.
Look, I’ve never had issues with hoop skirts. I walk. I run. I sit, stand, sit on the ground, sit in chairs, ride in a wagon, scamper up and down stairs; the point is, my hoops do not restrict anything. Will a cage? In the end, my hoops are not period correct (tsk, tsk) so I either am putting the cage together, or getting a new hoop.
Talk about Decision 2012.
But let’s not have all the big fun at once. I’ll review the packaging. I’ll see what tools are needed. Then I’ll get back to you. This could be epic. Or an epic fail, I’m not really holding my breath.
