Petunia Town Girl

Walk home to an empty house, sit around all by yourself

Jul 7th 2010

By: acoffey

2 comments

Sooooo, this is the end. I’m feeling very done with Petunia Town Girl. Years and years of my life. It’s been good, it’s been real, but where has it gotten me? Not that it should have gotten me anywhere, I suppose, but I wouldn’t have minded more readers. Too often it feels like I’m talking to myself. And it feels like pointless ramblings. And I worry about future clients and students finding me on the internet and seeing what a doofus I am.

It feels unprofessional.

I’ll likely archive it somehow, so it won’t just disappear. But I won’t add it it.

And I don’t think I can give up blogging. I’ll still have The Icicle for now. I’m probably going to start another blog, too. Something more grown-up. Stay tuned. Check AlisonCoffey.com. Be well.

Love, Alison
There’s Nowhere You Can Be That Isn’t Where You’re Meant To Be

Jun 28th 2010

By: acoffey

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In the Summer, it is difficult not to make ice cream my every meal. I don’t know what it is about heat, but it makes most things sound unappetizing. The only thing I ever really feel like is ice cream

Which isn’t good for the size of my ass.

Must address that.

Still, going with the flow. Am I being negative? I’m trying not to me.

We have two more days in nice house (we are taking care of, along with a dog) and then it is back to Crap Shack. I have off work next week and while I’m supposed to be acting frugally, I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid spending much of my time in coffee shops. The mustiness will drive me bonkers.

Every home should have a chaise lounge.
I am the cosmos, I am the wind

Jun 25th 2010

By: acoffey

1 comment

Today I did not write. I didn’t even read much. Today I was an urban ranger and I walked downtown and back from downtown and more walking later on. My feet kinda ache, but that’s ok. It’s good to walk and be places and see people and admire the interesting houses along the way.

Other good things about today: a dog who wags his tail like crazy, banana ice cream, iced soy lattes in a glass, a new magazine in the mail, Meryl Streep
And happiness is what you need so bad, girl, the answer lies with you.

Jun 23rd 2010

By: acoffey

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My co-worker Sam is out of town and we agreed (jumped at the chance, actually) to housesit and dog sit for her while she and family are away.

It is awesome.

Because she has a lovely, fresh, minimal, cute, comfy house. With room to walk around and light coming in and counter space and I haven’t seen a single ant.

I’m taking off a couple days of work and my big plans are to drink coffee and write, write, write.

I hope my cats aren’t sad that we are away.
I’m screaming that I’m gonna be living on till the end of time

Jun 20th 2010

By: acoffey

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I hope you all are enjoying my post titles–all lyrics from songs. I’ve been sticking to classics, but I’ll branch out soon. I might as well make all of my post titles song lyrics, because the most I can think of lately is “hey, post here. whadayaknow?”

So, lookee! I’ve been interviewed. February Grace at Pitch Slapped is doing interviews with wannabe published people and I’m her first. Do you like? Do you think I’m shallow? Does my book sound terrible? Will you still love me anyway?
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again

Jun 18th 2010

By: acoffey

1 comment

The kid and the husband have been sick all week with gastrointestinal sorts of ailments. I have yet to be struck, but I always expect the worse given my track record.

So that sucks.

But I’m trying my hardest to be positive. I know that at the end of July we will move to a new place and life will get normal again. I know that we will be eating better (not loads of McDonald’s and Taco Johns and Culver’s) because we will be less stressed and have a bigger kitchen and there won’t be ants everywhere.

I’m trying to be in the moment and appreciate the small stuff as all those goofy self-help books would encourage me to do. And I’m trying to take control and stop whining as Dr. Phil might encourage me to do.

I’m trying. I’m not always succeeding.

Also, I sure hope that if I succumb to the puke and poo illness it is a solid amount of time after lunch today when I ate that veggie chili.
And what costume shall the poor girl wear

Jun 13th 2010

By: acoffey

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The little cottage is getting less cluttered, I’m happy to say. That helps with the feelings of doom and gloom. I talked to one of my new (and short term) neighbors who lives in a red house with a beautiful garden (and oh I covet it so) and she told me that this place gets called The Chicken House. Apparently it once belonged to the house next door and was the building for canning and storing and keeping chickens (out back, I suppose). But no one knows for sure. Everyone in the neighborhood says, “oh, that place is so sweet”, but they’ve never lived here.

Making the best of it.

And getting out of town. We went to my parents in Illinois for the weekend and drove into Chicago on Saturday to take Dulcie to the Shedd Aquarium. I wanted to go to the Field Museum and look at mummies and T Rex bones but I was outnumbered. Dulcie was pretty amused by all the fish and I found my new favorite thing in the sea: garden eels.
You’ve Got an Invalid Haircut

Jun 4th 2010

By: acoffey

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So the house–the new house, the tiny cottage, the short term summer sublet–smells musty. And it feels sticky and the toilet runs and the sinks don’t drain well and there’s hardly any water pressure in the bathroom faucet and spiders and ants are everywhere and there is no good place to put the litter box.

I’m sorry; I need to complain. It is stressful enough to move but it gets worse when the place you moved into turns out to be toxic.

We just have to get through two months. Two months of mold and stickiness and me constantly sneezing and Mark as a walking stress ball.

I’ve been trying to stay positive but this morning when I opened up the cabinet under the sink to retrieve the litter I found it totally wet. The sink is leaking. Or the rain is getting in. I don’t know. But I almost lost it.

Two months. And lots of weekend trips.
Such a comfort to know its got no place to go

May 31st 2010

By: acoffey

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Here we are in our summer cottage. I say summer cottage because it damn well is a cottage (a tiny cottage) and it is where we will hang our hats for June and July. And then we move to our 60’s ranch in the Mosquito Flats neighborhood (its nickname b/c it is right by the river). Someday we will buy a house again–a real, settle down home–but it is fine to rent for now.

I can’t say we aren’t sad that we moved DK out of her neighborhood, though. Her best friend lived right behind us and there was a new boy that she became fast friends with. She was having grand times in the neighborhood with her buddies catching worms and scooting around the block. We had no choice but to move but it still feels like bad parenting on our part. I hate to see her sad. This is a girl who cried when we traded in our Nissan Sentra. And she told me last night how much she loved her home–that townhouse. I can only hope we can make up for it with adventures and family bonding.
I have been a fool for lesser things

May 19th 2010

By: acoffey

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Are we taking a trip down memory lane? Are we visiting our musical past? Do you remember when you were a child (or a teenager) and Mr. Roboto was the greatest song ever?

I watch Dulcie play with the neighborhood kids and remember how fun it was to pretend. To be a princess or a fairy or a warrior. Why doesn’t that seem fun anymore? When is the age when you go from wanting to be something else (in other worlds) to wanting to be grown-up? It’s going to be sad when Dulcie gets there.

Right now she is all about dragons–thanks to Hiccup and Toothless. I think it is kind of cool that my girl wants nothing to do with Barbies and everything to do with pocket monsters and flying fire breathing creatures. Remember how much you ached for it all to be true? For there really to be fairies and dragons and witches and knights? To discover trolls and elves? Childhood is kind of amazing. And heartbreaking.
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