I Vant to be Alone!
Jun 20th 2009
LoriHandelandLori Handeland & My Life As A Plebe
Garbo was on to something. Used to be that I could write while my kids were playing, watching movies, even talking to me. Not so much anymore. I need an empty house. But the kind of alone time I’m talking about is alone time not spent on work and that is so rare it’s golden. This weekend I’m getting some. My sons went with their father to our cabin for a Father’s Day weekend of male bonding. Yee, ha!! I am alone.
Except for the dog. But this is what he looks like in the morning:
And this is what he does in the afternoon:
So we’re good.
I’m between contracts so right now all the alone time is fun time. I plan to lie on the couch and read with the TV controller in MY hot little hand. I will watch chick flicks. I will eat “stuff” whenever I’m hungry. I will drink wine from my very best glasses.
I will sleep late or maybe get up early. I will take naps. I will go bed late or perhaps when the sun is still up.
I will lay in the sun (if there is any). I will go to a movie at the theater by myself and eat ALL the popcorn.
I will make expensive coffee and drink it on the back porch as the sun rises, or perhaps as the sun sets.
I will go to the bookstore and stay there as long as I want and buy whatever I see or perhaps nothing at all.
I will wear my pajamas all day and NO bra. I will go barefoot.
When I leave the house I will wear a Mumu and put my hair in a ponytail and wear flip-flops (wait, I already do that).
And when Sunday comes, I’ll be at the window, waiting for them all to come home. Because the best part of alone is when you aren’t anymore.
What do you do if you get precious time alone? Naked street dancing? Cat herding? Vegging in bed? Reading one book after another from your TBR pile?
36 Comments »
36 Responses to “I Vant to be Alone!”
LisaK on 20 Jun 2009 at 5:18 am #
Definitely reading one book after another. Reading is one of the things I appreciate most in life. I am too someone who needs time alone. I very fastly feel like I’m totally stressed and don’t have time for anything so I need at least one day a week where I can do just as I please. This weekend I’ve good several appointments every day and that almost makes me crazy. But I’ll have to live with it, sigh…
Cail on 20 Jun 2009 at 5:31 am #
craft projects! last time DH had to work on a weekend night i made myself a dress. sometimes i’ll go nuts and clean the house.
i don’t really like it when he leaves me alone for too long. i usually head to NY and see friends when i know that is going to happen.
Karen Rose on 20 Jun 2009 at 5:47 am #
Last time I took a me day, I grabbed old faves like Judith McNaught and sat in bed with the vibrating fingers on, the cat at my side (she likes the vibrating fingers), with a L&O marathon going on the Tube. I watched a little Buffy and the ends of several old fave romcom movies. Ate frozen dinners and waited for my family to come home.
What a beautifully uttered sentiment, Lori. “Because the best part of alone is when you aren’t anymore.”
Love the dog! He looks like he lives life large
Deb Marlowe on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:11 am #
What fun, Lori! Yes, reading and an old movie binge. Or a totally frivolous TV marathon, like Next Top Model. Making something in the kitchen that I like and not having to hear the groans. Total control of the remote. Jammies all day. Sigh. A little bit of heaven, as long as it doesn’t last too long!
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:22 am #
I’m the same way, LisaK. I get really cranky if I don’t have a little alone time. Probably why I’ve been known to take hot baths in the middle of summer. Everyone knows not to knock on the door unless there’s blood, and a lot of it.
Cail–ah, crafts. I used to crochet. Haven’t in years. I enjoyed it so much but my hands started to bother me.
I have vibrating fingers on my bed too, K-Ro!!
The dog has “a dog’s life” doesn’t he? We make fun of him by saying that he had a rough day sleeping, so he needs his evening nap.
On the other hand–if you say certain words he’ll go ballistic and be the most hyper dog on the planet.
We NEVER say “squirrel.” It’s always referred to as “s”.
Also the word “here” sets him off. Probably because he’s learned that “blanks’ here” is followed by the doorbell.
I DVRd a bunch of movies, Deb. Miss Potter and Sense and Sensibility are two. I can’t wait!
evlqn on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:33 am #
Alone time?? You get alone time?? I never get alone time unless I am on my way somewhere. But if I did get any that did not include driving, do not get between me and my TBR pile! I can read over 700 words per minute and it took nearly a week to read my last book. It took so long one of the g-sons commented on it, he noticed that I kept taking the same book every time I left the house. I finally started a new yesterday.
I would also take some time to sew, I haven’t done that in months. Fixing a seam does not count, I want to make some clothes or shopping bags or stroller covers. I want to SEW!!!
I also want to repaint a ceramic bust that I have never been happy with. Alone time. Oh well the BBQ today will be fun too.
Lisa H on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:36 am #
LOL! Love the photos of your dog. He looks like he is easy to live with. I wouldn’t mind doing a little naked street dancing, but my neighbors may complain. Anyway, when alone, I like to read, write and watch movies. I LOOOOOOOOVE a quiet house, and with three kids it is a rare treat for me. But still, I do enjoy it and look forward to fall when my littlest one will be in pre-school for 2 1/2 hours a day. I will have blessed alone time then.
nancyg on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:39 am #
sigh – home alone….cloistered like a Benedictine monk…
A glass of wine, bubble bath, and a book off my TBR pile without someone blitz attacking asking what I’m doing or if I can drive them somewhere. Dare I dream? pore cleansing & moisturizing facial mask & hot oil/deep conditioning treatment for my hair. bathing with the bathroom door OPEN???
To cook or not to cook – yes, I’d have an *option* – or maybe make a phone call & get a pizza with the toppings I like??
In this nancyg Utopia:
Like Lori, braless, shoeless, hair in an ugly scrunchie all day long.
ESPN (and all its permutations) & the Golf Channel are non-existent.
No dishes in the sink or laundry in the hamper clamoring for my immediate attention.
No dirty socks or shoes kicked off haphazardly in the front hallway or living room floor.
Garage door closed, phones going directly to voice mail.
E-mail, what e-mail??
A cute romantic comedy on the BIG TV in the living room minus the snorting & snarky comment, “Are you *really* watching THAT?”
Freedom Writer on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:45 am #
I never get alone time, except when dh might be running an errand with my gd and everyone else is at work. By the time my brain kicks into the realization that I am home alone everyone is back again. There is little time for naked street dancing or cat herding.
freshechelle on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:47 am #
Have a blissful weekend. Your description makes it sound perfect. Don’t spend it all at the computer. Hope the dog gets some badly needed downtime.
I happily live alone and get to enjoy this solitude daily.
Sabrina Jeffries on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:54 am #
With DH retired and my son around a lot, I don’t get much alone time. But if I did, it would be old movies and a book from the TBR pile all the way! Oh, and I might make some jewelry. Or do a jigsaw puzzle. And I’d eat popcorn. Definitely popcorn. I can’t remember the last time I had popcorn.
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:00 am #
Evlqn-not much alone time, hence my excitement. LOL!
I can also tell how much free time I have by how long it takes me to finish a book.
I can clearly remember thinking that both my kids would NEVER be in school. That’s how far away it seemed, LisaH. Then I blinked and they’re in college. Sigh.
Oh-Oh!! A facial, NancyG. Good idea. I used to do those all the time. Can’t remember the last one I managed.
Sounds like you have a direct view into my living room too–ESPN and The Hunt, Fish, Kill Channel seem to be on here all the time. And I get the same question if I’m watching “girlie” stuff. But not THIS weekend!!
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:06 am #
I’ve had that happen to me too, Free. I’ll be doing something, think everyone’s gone, look up and there they are again. “Didn’t you leave?” I’ll ask. “Yeah, but now we’re back.”
Fresh–the dog is now taking his morning nap in the doorway of my office. I’m not sure if he likes it there because he can see if anyone walks toward the kitchen or because he thinks it’s hysterical when I have to jump over him.
Ah, popcorn. Just saying it makes me smile. Mmmmm.
Mooslady on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:34 am #
I think your dog and mine(a German Shepherd) are somehow related. We just got up and haven’t even had a walk yet and she is laid out exactly like that by my computer desk.
With 5 kids I am rarely alone. The teens will let me be by myself even when they are home but the 2 youngest(4.5 and almost 2) feel the need for constant interaction. Sometimes I will go to a Saturday night church service alone and then stay home Sunday morning when everyone else goes. That gives me a couple of hours alone. I usually clean the house because it is so much easier not to have people underfoot while doing it. Then I cook, which I enjoy and finally settle in with a book. For some reason I always feel guitly if I read when it is not bedtime, as if it is a waste of my time. Silly I know, even St Benedict, the father of modern monasticism set aside 3 or 4 hours a day for reading because he thought it was so important.
But after about 2 or 3 hours I am watching the road looking for someone to come home. I can’t imagine living alone and never having the constant background noise of a family. I mean I am alone with the dog in my room but I can hear my husband and kids watching Centennial.
Mooslady on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:42 am #
Zeus needs to up the character limite to 1500. It always seems I have one sentence I am trying to finish and it seems silly to post again for one sentence.
My dog does that(lies in the way) when I am cooking. She will lay right in the path I am constantly moving through so I have to step over her 20 times. I think she is afraid I will sneak off somewhere. She freaks out if I leave the house to go to the mailbox. I can see her through the front picture window trying to stand on the back of the sofa. 60 pound German Shepherds are not meant to stand on the back of the sofa pressed up against the glass. It also irritates the cats who were already sleeping up there. So while I walk across the yard I am seeing the dog trying to stand on this tiny ledge with feet in constant motion while she tries not to step on cats who are moving around trying to decide whether to leave or claw her into submission.
Lisa H on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:44 am #
Lori – LOL “We refer to squirrel as “s”. LOLOL
Becky on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:46 am #
When I’m alone, I never wear more than a tank top and sweats. Sometimes a zip-up hoodie, but mostly not. I eat what I want when I want, and if I want fast food, I get in my car so dressed and get it. I watch what movies I want sans comments from the peanut gallery, read what books I want sans sneers from the less-educated family members, and even ignore the telephone….I love caller ID. I actually live for those bouts of alone time. And ditto on the popcorn. I adore popcorn, and ESPECIALLY from the movie theater. I feel the bizzare urge to turn and snarl when someone in my family takes some of my blessed popcorn at the theater. But I’ve never gone to a movie alone….that sounds heavenly.
But alas, I have just moved back in with my parents after finishing school and, though I have managed to get through all of that debt free, there’s not much left, so my own place is out for the time being. This seriosuy impinges any alone time, which makes me very sad. I just keep singing “Somewhere” from West Side Story and hope that I won’t have to share popcorn for long…
MizMacgyver on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:57 am #
I vote for reading, which is what I am doing today. I am so behind in my reading I am losing track of what comes next.
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 8:03 am #
Interesting about St. Benedict, Mooslady. I agree with him completely.
Can you imagine having 3-4 hours a day just to read? Heaven.
Isn’t the movie popcorn the best, Becky? I’m the same way with the popcorn at the theater. I keep it on my lap. Everyone else eventually loses interest. Usually because they have candy. (Insert evil laugh here.)
MizM-Same here. I hope to catch up some when I go on vacation soon. I have a pile of books waiting to be packed.
Louisa Cornell on 20 Jun 2009 at 8:22 am #
I had to laugh at the dog! I have FIVE small dogs that ALL look like that in the morning and throughout the day. And don’t talk about my cats. My family thinks they are stuffed! They spend all of their time on the foot of the bed while the dogs are sprawled on the pillows.
I live alone so getting alone time should be easy, right? Wrong! Now that my schedule is 7 to 4 M-F and I have weekends off people think I need to be entertained! I can entertain myself, THANK YOU!
I LOVE a day crowded in bed with the furry bed protectors (wouldn’t want the bed to run off) with a stack of DVDs and a stack of favorite reads. Lots of junk food and some Milo’s tea.
Sometimes I will spend the day quilting or doing some needlework, especially if it is getting close to Christmas!
When the weather is nice I love to walk my property and see what wildlife has moved in.
The best part about being home alone in the middle of nowhere is you can wear or not wear whatever you want!! My outside dogs don’t care if I come out to feed them in an oversized t-shirt and houseshoes!! And the only other creatures likely to see me are my neighbor’s cows. Gotta love the middle of nowhere!
Janae on 20 Jun 2009 at 8:34 am #
Hmm, I don’t think that I’d get dressed. Just hang out in my pajamas all day. Read, facial, chick flick (I bought Sense and Sensibility for $5 at Target months ago, but haven’t had time to watch it), and eat whatever I want without. Or if I got dressed I head out to a local bead store that I haven’t had the opportunity to visit. I always need supplies. Then, I could make us something with my new supplies.
Julia London on 20 Jun 2009 at 9:20 am #
Oh, Lori, Lori, Lori….I am soooooo jealous. SIIIGH.
Have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend!
Louisa Cornell on 20 Jun 2009 at 9:54 am #
Julia, what is the Cutest Toddler Ever getting Jack London for Father’s Day??
Judy F on 20 Jun 2009 at 10:38 am #
Well since I live alone I have alone time often.. LOL But its rare that I don’t hav something to do or someplace to be. Me time is reading or just laying around on the couch with my cat. Who is right now hogging the spot by the window in the sun. He does have the life.
I love the picture of your dog.
SheridanLA on 20 Jun 2009 at 11:27 am #
My alone and chill time caries in what I like to do.. might be snuggle with a book and Jack the Cat, might be craft, might be watch movies, play the Wii, cook something, drink martinis… it all depends on the mood.
I am lucky in the sense I live alone, so I get quiet and alone time much more often then those of you with a houseful, ya know? Course, it makes for some difficult times when i want to play board games or get into tickle wars.. so there are goods and bads with it all. 
Enjoy your weekend!
Claudia Dain on 20 Jun 2009 at 11:36 am #
We are so much alike! I’m home alone today. I slept as late as I wanted (9:30). It is now 1:30PM and I am still in my mumu and flip flops; I’m about to take my shower. Of course, I had to check the blog first and will probably cruise the internet for awhile, so that shower might get pushed back to 2PM.
I’m in the final haul on a book, so I’m not nearly as blissful as you are, but I plan to get there soon!
Julia London on 20 Jun 2009 at 11:55 am #
Louisa, he painted a picture of a plane. But he thinks it might be a horse. Or maybe thomas the train. As he was uncertain, he supplemented with scratch-offs.
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 12:00 pm #
Louisa-your day sounds perfect with the furry bed protectors. Love it.
Janae-I’m watching Sense and Sensibility right now. Alan Rickman is adorable.
It’s amazing how the pets hog all the best resting places, isn’t it Judy? They know how to live the life.
Sheridan–I want a Wii. They look like such fun.
Claudia-I went back to bed at 9:30 and slept until 11. It was great.
Love the picture, Julia. A plane or a horse, or a train. It’s all good.
Nicole Jordan on 20 Jun 2009 at 12:11 pm #
Boy, that sounds like heaven, Lori!
For me it’s definitely reading. And eating dinner when I want to and what I want. And watching Lizzie and Darcy in A&E’s P&P. And not wearing makeup of fixing my hair. And going out the barn at odd hours without having to rush home.
Dh and I get along great, but you’re right, sometimes it’s nice to have some totally ME time.
Pesky on 20 Jun 2009 at 1:01 pm #
Have a great day Lori!
I head for the great outdoors. I putter around the state park. I putter around town. I putter around the various rivers and lakes in my area. I like puttering, on me days.
Paula on 20 Jun 2009 at 2:50 pm #
Time alone? what’s that?”!!
I work 4 days a week but am always playing catch up with jobs. Yesterday the boys went out to tea and I had almost 2 hours alone, what did I end up doing? grocery shopping!!
In a couple of weeks I do have a pedicure booked so that will be an hour of ‘me’ time, I can’t wait.
If I did have time alone then I would slob about and read,listen to music, play on the wii or DS and peruse the blogs that I visit. Mmmm sounds bliss.
HAve a good weekend Lori
Sabrina I love jigsaws too but very rarely have time to do them!
Gail Selvig on 20 Jun 2009 at 3:32 pm #
Why aren’t you in Spain with Antonio and the Goddesses?
Sabrina Jeffries on 20 Jun 2009 at 5:07 pm #
Paula, I know what you mean! I save them for my me time, so I usually end up doing two or three a year.
Louisa Cornell on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:36 pm #
Julia, what a great Father’s Day gift! I know Jack London treasures it. Whatever it is!
Lori, it is amazing to me that I leave in the AM and they are all piled onto the bed under the window AC and I come home in the evening and they are …. all piled onto the bed under the window AC !!! If I didn’t know better I would swear they NEVER move! I tell people that a thief could come in and steal everything in the house, but they’d never get the bed as it is too well guarded! We’re watching ICE AGE right now. Or they are. I’m taking a break from writing to catch up with my blogs!
LoriHandeland on 20 Jun 2009 at 6:54 pm #
Nicole-that’s one of my favorite things. Just eating what I want when I want. I ate wheat thins all afternoon while watching TV. Whee. party on.
Pesky–I sat outside for 15 minutes and that was all I could take. It’s 90 here. We don’t do 90 in Wisconsin.
Love pedicures, Paula. Have one myself next week. they’re heavenly.
Why aren’t I, Gail. Good question!
Louisa–I just walked back in the house and had to wake the dog up to let him know I was here. I could have been anyone!
Pesky on 20 Jun 2009 at 7:44 pm #
That is an ungodly warmth Lori. It gets to ninety and I putter around in front of a fan or an air conditioner.