Wild Stories, Unpredictable Outbursts, And Polite Bookish Commentary.
My first novel, THE LIAR'S DIARY, is forthcoming from Dutton in February, 2007. It will also be published in the Netherlands, Germany and France.
THE HORRIBLE AND THE MISERABLE
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)30 Aug 2008 at 3:03 pm
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Annie Hall, originally uploaded by amnesic_kid.
I’m not a person who remembers a lot of movie quotes, but Woody Allen’s famous one from Annie Hall struck a chord with me, maybe because I shared his neurotic fear of the
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WHEN DO YOU COMPLAIN?
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)25 Aug 2008 at 10:18 am
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Happy!, originally uploaded by patryfrancis.
No one particularly likes a sponge bath, but at the hospital where I underwent my first five surgeries, they made it as pleasant as possible. There was a sweet smelling foamy ba
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THE PIE PRODUCES ANOTHER MIRACLE
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)23 Aug 2008 at 11:14 am
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the right way to make a pie crust, originally uploaded by patryfrancis.
By now, most of you know the story. You know how my friend, Susan Messer, and I bonded over a pie one August. But for those who don't, here's the short
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POLLYANNA LOSES THE GLAD GAME--well, almost....
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)20 Aug 2008 at 10:33 am
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Pollyanna - The Glad Game, originally uploaded by Mamluke.
You probably know why some of my friends call me Pollyanna--and not always in admiration. I understand; I really do. Sometimes optimism can be grating. When you're i
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RED SHOES...and other news
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)14 Aug 2008 at 9:31 pm
The Fashionistas with their grandfather
I'm not much of a footwear person, but about a month ago, I got an irresistible urge for a new pair of shoes. Not just any shoes either. I wanted some tall razzle dazzle hot heels. After a lifetime of flat shoes, I was done with the laid back life. I wanted the kind of shoes that would inspire me to walk somewhere I've never been before. But since I don't sh ... read more
HOW DO YOU STAND HER?
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)2 Jun 2008 at 11:58 pm
We all have them. Stories from our childhood that others like to tell about us. Stories we don't remember, and that don't seem to be connected to us and our self-concept. Stories we may not particularly like...
Here's one my mother began to tell in recent years: I was four or five, and sick with the flu so she stayed home from work. An extra day off was rare for her and she planned to take advanta ... read more
TEN YEARS AGO
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)24 May 2008 at 1:29 pm
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, originally uploaded by *davidsαngle.
Writer Lisa Alber recently tagged me for a meme. The rules and questions are posted on Lisa's blog, so if anyone would like to pick up the baton, please do! In any case, her answers we ... read more
UNREASONABLE HAPPINESS: The Existential Question of the Week
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)4 May 2008 at 1:03 pm
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1st birthday, originally uploaded by patryfrancis.
The other night around one a.m., I was lying in bed reading, as I usually am at that hour, when I felt so overwhelmed by happiness that I had to put my book aside. I could ... read more
FLOWERS THAT LAST
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)20 Apr 2008 at 2:43 pm
I started this post twelve days ago, but I was too tired to finish it. In fact, "too tired" has pretty much defined my life for the past two weeks. Too tired to fix my own tea, or to answer a comment on the blog, or to talk longer than three minutes on the phone. A flight of stairs was a mountain; and a shower a days work. I listened; I read; I enjoyed and appreciated, but I had nothing to give ba ... read more
MY TRIP AROUND THE WORLD
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)31 Mar 2008 at 8:33 pm
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World N Hands, originally uploaded by bambino333.
It wasn't a trip I wanted to take; there were no beaches or cocktail hours; and the only souvenirs I brought home are carved into my abdomen. And yet, I traveled far, saw thi
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ONE MORE SONG
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)29 Mar 2008 at 4:09 pm
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Pete_Seeger, originally uploaded by guano.
Last night, I couldn't sleep. Maybe I'd been spoiled by three nights in my own bed. Or maybe as Lisa Kenney once wrote to me, night is just a particularly vulnerable time for peopl
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CALL MY BOYFRIEND
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)25 Mar 2008 at 3:19 pm
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Romantic July, originally uploaded by Meloses (Ladida).
During my twelve days in the hospital, I outlasted five roommates. The last one had attempted suicide in a particularly violent manner, and ended up with abdominal surg
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WRITER IN RESIDENCE
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)22 Mar 2008 at 10:25 am
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The Letter Writer, originally uploaded by rita banerji.
This morning, after ten days in the hospital, my nurse told me I had become the official mayor of the floor. But if f they're going to hang a sign outside my room, I
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GOOD MORNING HEARTACHE
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)18 Mar 2008 at 12:07 pm
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Billie-holiday.jpg, originally uploaded by poirpom.
Well, it's a good thing I didn't worry before my surgery. It's a good thing that I reveled in every moment of being at home, rather than spoiling it by mentally leaping int
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WORRY BEADS
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)11 Mar 2008 at 10:39 pm
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Worry Beads, originally uploaded by pfong.
Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 8 a.m. so the other night, lying in bed, I started to relive my recent experiences. It was easier not to contemplate what was about to happen to
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GABE'S HAIRCUT
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)8 Mar 2008 at 11:30 pm
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"We're Open", originally uploaded by Digital Agent.
When he was growing up, my son, Gabe, always requested the same dinner on his birthday: lasagna and mashed potatoes. These days we skip the mashed potatoes, but
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ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)13 Feb 2008 at 12:06 am
Sunrise on my wild path!
Originally uploaded by denis collette There are millions of blogs out there, and in my fascination with diaries of all kinds, I've probably visited hundreds of them. Many are worthwhile and artfully done though I only stop by once or twice. But a couple dozen captured my attention sufficiently that I eventually listed them on my sidebar. Some I checked on weekly, ... read more
THANK YOU!
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)1 Feb 2008 at 12:42 am
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valentines day, originally uploaded by omnia.
The day before my first surgery I took a walk on the beach where I found a red stone like the one in the photo, and knew I had to have it. Stones, shells, I'm always bringing som ... read more
RATE YOUR BLISS
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)26 Jan 2008 at 12:52 am
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The Invisible City of Perseidius/Invisible Cities, originally uploaded by magic fly paula.
I promise to stop wriitng about "my trip to the hospital" soon. Very soon! But apparently, I'm a classic case of a writer who doesn't ... read more
LONGEVITY, Part 1
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)22 Jan 2008 at 1:39 am
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Rev Martin Luther King Jr, originally uploaded by Buddy Stone.
I've never really had the urge to write a special post commemorating a federal holiday, but today (which by some mysterious process turned into yesterday about f
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THE WRITER'S VIEW
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)15 Jan 2008 at 3:16 pm
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The Writer's View, originally uploaded by Flemming Gade.
For most of my life, my view as a writer was similar to the one from Hans Christian Anderson's window--not without its magic, but distinctly lacking in human warmth.
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WAITING ROOM
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)5 Jan 2008 at 12:25 am
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Inutili preghiere, originally uploaded by Gianni D..
Yesterday, for the first time in weeks, I got dressed in real clothes: my too-big jeans and a sweater. I put on boots and make-up. I found out what the weather was like by
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The Woman Who Said No
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)30 Dec 2007 at 9:49 pm
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defense wound, originally uploaded by lapinfille.
When I was admitted to the hospital for my second surgery, my middle-aged roommate immediately turned her face from me. "Pull the curtain!" she instructed my nurse in a surl
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THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW (Hospital Thoughts 3.)
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)26 Dec 2007 at 2:41 pm
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Mass General Hospital, originally uploaded by Huihua Ding.
This was the view from my room during the second week I spent in the hospital. To the left, I could also see the Tobin Bridge. When I walked the long hall to the ot
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UPDATE
by noreply@blogger.com (Patry Francis)20 Dec 2007 at 9:08 pm
Just wanted to let my friends know that a setback landed me back in the hospital on Monday night, and left me staring up at those huge lights the OR again on Tuesday morning. I didn't want to bring my laptop to the hospital, fearing it might be lost, unfinished masterpieces and all, but mad boredom (and excesive TV watching) made me change my policy.
Many thanks and much love to everyone who ha ... read more