It is so quiet in the house that the clickety snick of the computer keys sounds like popping bubble wrap, muted fireworks beneath my fingers. Besides my own self-generated soundtrack, I can hear the hum of the monitor, the quiet drone of computer (slightly lower-pitched), and the murmuring of the aquarium pump. Why all this undertoning doesn’t drive me batshit insane I don’t know, since normally repetitive noises top my list of cut-that-out-before-i-kill-you annoyances. The only other sound is the empty whooshing slap and slurp of my liquid brain; there’s nothing concrete to be had today, it seems.
Have I run out of things to write about? Am I completely squeezed dry? It’s strange that topics don’t spring to mind as I sit, slack-jawed, playing Spider Solitaire. Pulling out the sofabeds to vacuum under and around them elicited no ideas of interest. The dishwasher has been run twice, it’s as clean and empty as my mind appears to be. I watched while Anders cleaned the fish tank, but nothing floated to the surface. Even bathtime was a bust.
Out trolling the web I sense the silence here, too. All quiet on the blogstern front.
Conversation at the Dinner Table Last Night:
(background—Mats and his son Viktor are the other participants in the annual weeklong ski trip that Anders and the kids go on each January)
Mats: …and you guys are just WAITING for us to leave!
Liz & Annelott: *laugh and nod*
Annelott: Have you thought about making it TWO weeks?
Mats: How come YOU TWO never take the kids and go somewhere?
Anders: Yeah! You could take the kids and go on a cultural trip for a week…
Mats: …and we could drink beer and play motorcycle games on the PC! I think that’s only fair. We carry the kids away for a week every year, and you guys never do. It’s your turn!
Liz: *makes a face at him* We carried those kids for nine months, Mats.
Annelott: Yeah! *hoots with laughter*
Mats & Anders: *concede amid declarations of unfairness*
A Conversation I Can Get Behind:
Liz: I woke up with a cramp in my butt today. Will you rub my butt?
Anders: *gives me a look*
Liz: It’s TRUE. It’s right here and it won’t go away! *indicates area of pain* I was hoping it would pull out when I went for my walk, but it didn’t help.
Anders: Have you tried stretching it?
Liz: Only half-assedly.
Anders: *pauses in disbelief*
Liz: *giggles madly*
Now THAT’S My Idea of Better Lessons For Blogging: How to Write a Better Weblog