January*

She was a January girl
She never let on how insane it was
In the tiny, kinda scary house
By the woods, by the woods, by the woods, by the woods

--Tori Amos, "Black Dove" from the album From the Choirgirl Hotel

My birthday is dangerously close to the New Year. In fact, my mother began a long, difficult labor while helping to clear New Year's Day dinner. I have the scar from the forceps to prove it.

I sometimes wonder if those of us born during the long dark can ever really shake the memory of winter shadows welcoming us into the world. Tori Amos sings, "she was January girl." Yes, I think I know what she means.



A Meme

Since blogland is slow for the holiday season, I thought those of us around should do something fun. There are memes out there which ask you reveal various things about yourself, but I'd like to start a "Questions from the Audience Meme." Is there anything you want to know or ask? Drop a question in the comments, and I will answer on Monday. As long as it's not utterly compromising, anything goes!

(*I have to give my normal northern hemisphere disclaimer here. For my friends south of the equator, I suppose the title of this post should be "July.")