Confession Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone! Time to share a confession. Tell us a little something about you, and be sure to check out the other confessors in The Confessional.

(Note: This week's confession is a little bitchy.)

Tim had his knee surgery last week, which went very well and now he's on the mend (thanks for all the well wishes). But with Tim down for the count, that means taking care of three people instead of two. Guess I didn't realize how much Tim does around the house, including the outside. I spent the last two days raking leaves—I *loathe* raking leaves.

What I haven't done this past week is take time for myself. No reading or writing at all. I know that this is the time when my family comes first. But last night, I was so tired from raking leaves, cooking meals, playing with the kids, and doing laundry that I went to bed at 8 p.m. *sigh*

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Never thought being a wife and mother would demand so much from me. I'm thankful for what it's given me, but resentful for what it's taken away.

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Well, I did do one thing for myself. Saturday night, I attended the Somerville News Literary Festival. It was a community-supported event with almost 200 people in attendance. The headliners included Junot Diaz, recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," and Afaa Michael Weaver, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ibbetson Street Press. An eclectic group of writers filled out the more than three-hour evening with poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. While the long wait seemed to bother Junot Diaz, most of us didn't mind the wait at all. He read last, but was worth waiting for. Also, I had a great conversation with author Steve Almond.

Took all of my strength to get out of the house, but I'm glad I made it out for the night.

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This week, I'm looking at my poetry to-do list, creating a new one for December, and a marketing plan for the late-2009 release of my book Underlife.

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We're one month away from Christmas—where has the year gone?