All weekend I’ve slipped between episodes of normal energy and no energy at all. I’ve flopped on the sofa, in the recliners, on the floor in the sun, and in my bed. I cleaned off my desk because I could do that without moving. I tried to wash all the illness out of our sheets and pillowcases and aired out our rooms and put the comforters outside in the sun. I folded laundry. I curled up with Petey. I tried to work on art projects but couldn’t gain any momentum, so I browsed some books on painting techniques instead. I took a lot of naps.

I drank cup after cup of tea. I ate chili that I made Friday before I got sick. I didn’t have the energy or the ingredients for real chicken soup, so we had ramen noodles, the ugly stepchild of comfort foods. We ate all the Chex mix we’d set aside for A’s camping trip. The weather was absolutely flawless, and it was painful to think we were all stuck inside (except for E, who even with a fever and cough, went outside and trimmed all the hedges. The man has more stamina than most professional athletes.)

E and I watched two movies over the weekend. The Holiday, with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black, was predictable but a lot of fun. I think Kate Winslet steals the show as Iris, and Jack Black upstages Jude Law as a romantic lead. Cameron Diaz is a great comedic actress, and she’s so gorgeous, that even if she couldn’t act, you’d still want to watch her.

The second movie we watched was Freedom Writers starring Hillary Swank as an idealistic teacher who takes on a classroom of inner city kids in LA and inspires them to improve their lives against all odds. Once again, not an original story (“Stand and Deliver,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Music of the Heart,” “Dead Poet’s Society”) but one we never get tired of hearing or watching.

Oscar winner Hillary Swank, who was the film’s executive producer as well as its star, gives a carefully nuanced performance that shows Erin Gulwell’s transformation from idealistic but ineffective educator to a skilled and innovative teacher who seeks to reach her students where they are and cultivate their potential. It was believable and inspiring and made me think long and hard about race issues in the U.S. It is definitely worth two hours of your time and would be a wonderful movie for your favorite teens to see.

This afternoon (between naps) I unpacked winter clothes and put away the last of the summer ones. As I folded stacks of t-shirts and Capri pants into Rubbermaids, I realized that the next time I unpacked those clothes, I’d be living in Virginia. It shocked me because no matter how much I talk about the move, it still doesn’t seem real to me. I will be shaking the wrinkles out of those tops and bottoms as the azaleas and dogwoods bloom and we all adjust to a new life. Wow.

In the attic I came across a box of pants I’d set aside because my expat fat had made them impossible to wear. Since the kids went back to school, I’ve been exercising daily and watching what I eat, and I’m very proud to say that about 75 percent of the pants in that box fit me again. I’ve lost close to 15 pounds and my French black velvet, butt-flattering, leg-lengthening jeans fit me again. This is a major victory. I have a long way to go in regaining my fitness, but fitting into my best clothes has motivated me to continue moving forward to reclaim my pre-Belgium body. (My cardiologist in Richmond will be so proud of me.)

So all told, despite a sore throat, bouts of coughing, and episodes of malaise, I had a good weekend. How about you?

October 14, 2007