Greetings from Westchester County, New York.
I have been in three states this week and I am resting up in this hotel room so that I can do two days of lecturing at the fabulous Northern Star Quilt Guild’s “World of Quilts” (WOQ) quilt show. If you’re in the area, you’d better getch’er tushie down/over/up here because there are vendors, demos, and something like 200 quilts ready to be viewed by 2,000+ people when the show opens tomorrow at 10 a.m. The WOQ show has been going strong since 1989 and I am honored to be a part of it this year.
In other news, I would like to talk about skateboards.
Actually — no. First, I want to tell you why I would like to talk about skateboards.
You may have noticed that this blog is updated regularly. These days, I’d say I’m posting 4.87 times a week. What this means, according to my arithmetic, is that if you click on my blog each day — you gorgeous, brilliant creature, you — roughly 70% of the time you’re going to find something new to read.* That number a little under my target of 5.6 posts per week, but with all that goes on in my life in a typical 24-hour period, I’d say it’s pretty good.
To help myself churn out such sparkling content (ho-ho!) week after week, I keep a running list of ideas on my computer. I don’t refer to the list every day, nor do I add ideas to it every day. But when I find myself with the time and inclination to blog but without a specific target in mind, I’ll check the list. Here is about half the list right now:
- the time I did transcription work
- Alexander the Great wore linen armor!!
- the benefits of a degree in theater
- everyone skateboards (“ca-chunk, ca-chunk-ca-chunk”)
- the Wikipedia entry for “Mary”
- Britney Spears in Las Vegas
- apologize
- Hannah letter to the editor
- first kiss
- “nabadana”
I’ll work my way through them, you can be sure. You might even decide that you have nothing better to do with your life than make up some kind of PaperGirl bingo card and play with your friends and neighbors! Every time I write one of the posts on the list… Okay, I don’t know how bingo works. I’m sure you could figure it out, though and I’d like to personally thank you for inspiring me to write the “PaperGirl bingo card.” I am inexplicably happy about that configuration of words.
Okay, so skateboards.
They’re absolutely everywhere. The other day, I realized that one of the major sounds of the city these days — as common as taxi honks, car alarms, the whoosh of the El — is the “ca-chunk! ca-chunk! ca-chunk!” of a skateboard as a rider whizzes by on the sidewalk. (The “ca” is the front wheels hitting the sidewalk seam; the “chunk!” is the sound when the back wheels cross it.)
When did the profligation occur? Skateboards have been around a long time and of course I have seen (and jumped out of the way of) many of them in my day. But there are way more right now and I’m curious as to why. Another interesting phenomenon is that though there are more skater boys than there are girls, there are so many girls who get around this way! I see them all the time. It’s pretty cool.
And that’s it. That’s what I wanted to say about skateboards. So…
Bingo.
*If that math so wrong it’s not sort of sweet but just embarrassing for everyone, please let me know. Thank you! — The Management.
Jennifer
PaperGirl bingo…to be played at the PaperGirl retreat?
Please? 🙂
Wanda Nesloney
My cousin Eva skateboards she also Rollerblades and organizanized a roller derby league in Maryland. She is a very cool cousin. She also owns a Yoga studio and has a one years old daughter that has already been on a skateboard. I totally love my young cousins.
Jean
Just had a wonderful 24 hours . I just read Ppaer Girl from the last few months and it was like sunshine in my life. Please ad to your list what and were people should go in Chicago. Not the tourist spots but the places like you go to . Please ad this to your list and do I hope someday to sit down and just talk to,you. Thanks for paper girl
Susan shillito
Mary, will you be coming to the St. Louis area any time soon?
Mary
Not to speak anytime soon, I’m afraid, Susan! xoxoxo mar
Kathryn Darnell
We just came back to civilization and I can finally have internet coverage. My husband didn’t quite understand my NEED to get my regular letter from Mary, This sounds obsessive but I get up early in the morning, get my coffee and check the news and email hoping for a missive about ‘cabbages and kings’…from profound to the mundane. It’s the way we are wired.
While we were on our latest trip we saw a lot of young men riding skateboards. One fella came to a red light, flipped the board up into his arms (so cool) and waited for the green. Got the light, tossed the board on the street to take off BUT the board went one way and he went another. He took a hit to his hip and shoulder. As in with baseball, there is no crying in skateboarding. Making another try, he picked up his board, tossed it to the ground again. Crash. He had done some major damage to his wheels. He picked it up a second time and walked home. He limped a little but he was as cool as a young man could be when he wipes out twice in the middle of an intersection!
.
Barbara
I would like to email you a picture of the skateboard quilt top which I recently completed. How can I email you with the attachment?
Mary
Cool!! Barb, it’s mary @ maryfons.com