Been arrested? -- No
Been in a fight? -- Yes
Fallen fast for someone? -- Yes
Regretted a relationship? -- Yes
Been in a tornado? -- No
Stayed in bed all day? -- Yes
Kissed someone you didn't like? -- Yes
Slept in until 5 PM? -- Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? -- Yes
Held a snake? -- Yes
Ran a red light? -- Yes
Been suspended from school? -- Yes
Experienced love at first sight? -- No
Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? -- No
Been fired from a job? -- No
Fired somebody? -- No
Sang karaoke? -- Yes
Pointed a gun at someone? -- No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? -- Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? -- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? -- Yes
Kissed in the rain? -- Yes
Swam in the ocean? -- Yes
Been to a concert? -- Yes
Laughed till you cried? -- Yes
Kissed on the first date? -- Yes
Had a close brush with death (your own) -- No
Played spin-the-bottle? -- Yes
Sang in the shower? -- Yes
Smoked a cigar? -- No
Sat on a rooftop? -- Yes
Smuggled something into another country? -- No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? -- Yes
Broken a bone? -- Yes
Skipped school? -- Yes
Got a speeding ticket? -- Yes
Eaten a bug? -- Yes
Sleepwalked? -- No?
Walked a moonlit beach? -- Yes
Rode a motorcycle? -- Yes
Dumped someone? -- Yes
Seen a baby born? -- Yes
Lied to avoid a ticket? -- Yes
Ridden in a helicopter? -- No
Shaved your head? -- No
Played a prank on someone? -- Yes
Hit a home run? -- No
Felt like killing someone? -- No
Cross-dressed? -- Yes
Been falling-down drunk? -- No
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? -- Yes
Eaten snake? -- No
Marched/Protested? -- Yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? -- No
Puked on an amusement ride? -- No
Seriously and intentionally boycotted something? -- Yes
Been in a band? -- No
Knitted or crocheted? -- Yes
Been on TV? -- No
Shot a gun? -- Yes
Skinny-dipped? -- Yes
Gave someone stitches? -- No
Eaten whole habenero pepper? -- No
Ridden a surfboard? -- No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? -- Yes
Had surgery? -- No
Streaked? -- No
Been taken by ambulance to hospital? -- No
Passed out when not drinking? -- Yes
Peed on a bush? -- No
Donated Blood? -- Yes
Grabbed electric fence? -- No
Eaten alligator meat? -- Yes
Eaten cheesecake? -- Yes
Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? -- Yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? -- Yes
Peed your pants in public? -- Yes
Snuck into a movie without paying? -- No
Written graffiti? -- No
Still love someone you shouldn't? -- No
Think about the future? -- Yes
Been in handcuffs? -- Yes
Believe in love? -- Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? -- Yes
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
RULES:
Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
NO CAPTIONS!!!
It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.
They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past.
They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason.
You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to.
You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like."
*************
Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
NO CAPTIONS!!!
It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.
They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past.
They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason.
You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to.
You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like."
*************
Monday, June 22, 2009
Trash TV
I've got a love-hate cycle with the garbage on the boob tube. I go for months not being able to even watch the previews. Can't force myself through five minutes of a show. Am disgusted at the idea of them being entertainment.
And then, today comes. Today, my erstwhile trash has become my treasure! I don't know what causes the switch, but switch it did. I watched The Real Housewives of New Jersey which I've not done at all. I mean, I gave it a shot when it first began, but I couldn't even do one episode then. Furthermore, today I was totally into two episodes of the horrible Millionaire Matchmaker. It's awful. I don't know how long it has been on, but I've never even tried to watch it before. So, I don't know why I was all over it today. It's not good. Don't try it. But I'll watch it again.
Bravo is the channel for trash tv. They've got everything. Well, not EVERYTHING. I have a rating system, apparently, that allows me to grade Bravo trash at the upper end of the scale. VH1 has the scummiest trash, and I will not watch it. Go figure.
Oh, oh, wait! I forgot - I also was glued to NYC Prep today. On the Bravo trash scale, it's at the lower end. It's a bunch of decadent, disgustingly rich, undisciplined, megalomaniac teenagers. It's like a terrible movie full of terrible people. Like, what was that movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe that was a retelling of "Dangerous Liasons?" Let me google it... Oh - Cruel Intentions. It's like that. FYI - both movies are R. I watched the first one in the middle of my R-watching era. I saw the second one on Saturday Cinema. You people really need to spend some low-quality time with Saturday Cinema.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
I'm Dopey
Primary Activity Day was today, and I am glad it is over. Not that it wasn't good and fun, because it was quite. I love getting to do music with actual kids again. And this is why: I act a total fool. I mean TOTAL. I don't know how it happens, but I am blind to the grown-ups in the room, and I play to the kids entirely. It is amazingly fun for me. Probably more fun for me than for the kids. But the stress and planning are over, and it is nice to relax a little.
FOLLOWING IS AN EXPLANATION OF PRIMARY ACTIVITY DAY AND MY INVOLVEMENT.
Just skip it if you know.
Okley dokley. In the LDS church, a congregation is called a ward. A bunch of wards together is a stake. This is all arranged geographically, so you just go to the ward that your area belongs to. Okay, so Primary is the children's Sunday School meeting. The kids meet as a group for a gospel lesson and a singing time, then they go to their individual classes (by age). I was the Primary Chorister in my ward a couple of years ago. BEST CALLING EVER. Oh, the positions you function in are called callings because we are called of the Lord. The leaders of, say, the Primary pray about who should fill the position. When the Spirit helps them pick a name, they submit it to the bishop. The bishopric prays about it, and if they feel the spirit telling them that person is called to that position, then the calling is extended to that person.
Okay, all the positions in the church are voluntary. You can decline a calling. Since there are no clergy, all positions are filled by those who are called and accept. Those persons hold the calling for however long. Then, whenever it happens, they are released from the calling. You never know how long you will serve in the position. Keeps you on your toes.
Alright, now: I was released from Primary Chorister (so sad!!!) and called to be the Stake Primary Music Leader. That means that I help the Primary Choristers in each ward with support and ideas and direction. It's a great calling, and I really like it, but I don't work directly with the children anymore.
The stake Primary board (President, 2 counselors, music lady, and nursery lady) plan and execute one activity day a year. Lots of fun and excitement and crafts and relays and whatnot. (The wards have them a few times a year, too.) SO, at this Primary Activity Day, it was stake, and I got to have a music activity directly with the kids, and it was super super super for me.
BACK TO ME BEING FOOLISH
I jumped. I hollered. I danced the Elaine. I sweat like an aerobics class. Can I get a witness! I did not think once about it. I did not feel one drop of embarrassment or inhibition or self-consciousness.
So, I think that I have a talent. I mean, it is so easy for me to do this with kids. I do it without noticing most of the time. Like, when the fire alarm went off at the gym, and all the scared little kids had to vacate to the cold parking lot, I just started playing with them, and they liked it. I think I sang some sort of Twinkle or Five Little Ducks or something. (I think I got 5 words in before we got the all-clear to go back inside, but I count it anyway.) I usually sing. Kids respond to singing. So, acting the fool works for me. Especially since I don't care what the grown-ups think. Kids like it. I've mentioned before that a trip to the grocery store with the kids is a circus in a basket. Loud singing and hand clap games and fake crying. Oh, fake crying usually stops real crying. Try it out. We take turns.
So, I feel good about myself. Yay callings!
FOLLOWING IS AN EXPLANATION OF PRIMARY ACTIVITY DAY AND MY INVOLVEMENT.
Just skip it if you know.
Okley dokley. In the LDS church, a congregation is called a ward. A bunch of wards together is a stake. This is all arranged geographically, so you just go to the ward that your area belongs to. Okay, so Primary is the children's Sunday School meeting. The kids meet as a group for a gospel lesson and a singing time, then they go to their individual classes (by age). I was the Primary Chorister in my ward a couple of years ago. BEST CALLING EVER. Oh, the positions you function in are called callings because we are called of the Lord. The leaders of, say, the Primary pray about who should fill the position. When the Spirit helps them pick a name, they submit it to the bishop. The bishopric prays about it, and if they feel the spirit telling them that person is called to that position, then the calling is extended to that person.
Okay, all the positions in the church are voluntary. You can decline a calling. Since there are no clergy, all positions are filled by those who are called and accept. Those persons hold the calling for however long. Then, whenever it happens, they are released from the calling. You never know how long you will serve in the position. Keeps you on your toes.
Alright, now: I was released from Primary Chorister (so sad!!!) and called to be the Stake Primary Music Leader. That means that I help the Primary Choristers in each ward with support and ideas and direction. It's a great calling, and I really like it, but I don't work directly with the children anymore.
The stake Primary board (President, 2 counselors, music lady, and nursery lady) plan and execute one activity day a year. Lots of fun and excitement and crafts and relays and whatnot. (The wards have them a few times a year, too.) SO, at this Primary Activity Day, it was stake, and I got to have a music activity directly with the kids, and it was super super super for me.
BACK TO ME BEING FOOLISH
I jumped. I hollered. I danced the Elaine. I sweat like an aerobics class. Can I get a witness! I did not think once about it. I did not feel one drop of embarrassment or inhibition or self-consciousness.
So, I think that I have a talent. I mean, it is so easy for me to do this with kids. I do it without noticing most of the time. Like, when the fire alarm went off at the gym, and all the scared little kids had to vacate to the cold parking lot, I just started playing with them, and they liked it. I think I sang some sort of Twinkle or Five Little Ducks or something. (I think I got 5 words in before we got the all-clear to go back inside, but I count it anyway.) I usually sing. Kids respond to singing. So, acting the fool works for me. Especially since I don't care what the grown-ups think. Kids like it. I've mentioned before that a trip to the grocery store with the kids is a circus in a basket. Loud singing and hand clap games and fake crying. Oh, fake crying usually stops real crying. Try it out. We take turns.
So, I feel good about myself. Yay callings!
Man, I should be asleep
And therefore I'm blogging. My REALLY awesome family surprised me twice today with Route 44 cokes. Which I really needed because...
...Charlotte has acquired some funky rash. At first, I thought it was mosquito bites. Then, hives (she has a history). Finally, when she woke up with a fever and lethargy and aches and "my eyes burn and I can't open them," I made an appointment. That last one pretty well freaked me out.
So, the doctor says probably some undetermined virus. Treat the symptoms. Motrin and Benadryl and rest and water. She is one of those kids that is a really awesome patient, thank goodness. Except I can't answer her questions. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to be finding out why fevers make you feel cold.
Of course, my imagination the whole way to the pede's office had me shaking her awake every time I saw her eyes close in the rearview. What's the matter with me? I think my Claire looks like that girl in "The Ring." Gabe looks like a planet on a toothpick. And Charlotte is too gorgeous to survive a rash. Geez. Maybe I should lay off the scary movies?
Speaking of...
I saw a freakin' awesome movie last night on TCM. LOVE that station. Okay, so it is called, "The Bride Wore Black," and it is Hitchcockian. This lady tracks down 5 guys she thinks are responsible for the death of her husband on their wedding day. I will not give spoilers, other than to say murder murder murder. Just rent it. With subtitles, though, because it's in French. But I forget that when I think about it b/c it was so good. Of course, I watched "Scream, Blacula, Scream," so you may not trust me. But if you like Hitchcock, you'll like it.
And, segue to good things on tv, I just watched the funniest Ricky Ricardo moment on "I Love Lucy" that I've ever seen. Ricky tells Little Ricky "Little Red Riding Hood" in Spanglish, with voices and actions. Mama packed Little Red Riding Hood's basket with frijoles, tortillas, and vino. I bet Cuban Grandma loves that girl.
...Charlotte has acquired some funky rash. At first, I thought it was mosquito bites. Then, hives (she has a history). Finally, when she woke up with a fever and lethargy and aches and "my eyes burn and I can't open them," I made an appointment. That last one pretty well freaked me out.
So, the doctor says probably some undetermined virus. Treat the symptoms. Motrin and Benadryl and rest and water. She is one of those kids that is a really awesome patient, thank goodness. Except I can't answer her questions. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to be finding out why fevers make you feel cold.
Of course, my imagination the whole way to the pede's office had me shaking her awake every time I saw her eyes close in the rearview. What's the matter with me? I think my Claire looks like that girl in "The Ring." Gabe looks like a planet on a toothpick. And Charlotte is too gorgeous to survive a rash. Geez. Maybe I should lay off the scary movies?
Speaking of...
I saw a freakin' awesome movie last night on TCM. LOVE that station. Okay, so it is called, "The Bride Wore Black," and it is Hitchcockian. This lady tracks down 5 guys she thinks are responsible for the death of her husband on their wedding day. I will not give spoilers, other than to say murder murder murder. Just rent it. With subtitles, though, because it's in French. But I forget that when I think about it b/c it was so good. Of course, I watched "Scream, Blacula, Scream," so you may not trust me. But if you like Hitchcock, you'll like it.
And, segue to good things on tv, I just watched the funniest Ricky Ricardo moment on "I Love Lucy" that I've ever seen. Ricky tells Little Ricky "Little Red Riding Hood" in Spanglish, with voices and actions. Mama packed Little Red Riding Hood's basket with frijoles, tortillas, and vino. I bet Cuban Grandma loves that girl.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Claire was a duck
She had a tap recital, and she did the whole thing, and she was good at it, and I was a little teary. I was waiting until I had pictures, but I don't take pictures. I'll have to get them off my family at some point.
Anyway, the point is that she LOVED the stage. L.O.V.E.D. Started a tiny little smile as soon as it was time to line up backstage. And this after worrying for months about how scary it would be with everyone watching her. Man, she is itching for another dance. She wants to continue lessons now that she got a taste for the show.
She sat the rest of the recital demanding to return to the stage. She was waiting for curtain call, but she did not think that should be at the end. She was only one of two ducks that stuck it out to the end, but she insisted. There was no way she was going to miss the big finale. She even got roses. Born diva.
She reminds me of me. Yipes.
Incidentally, I was a skunk. So was Sarah.
Anyway, the point is that she LOVED the stage. L.O.V.E.D. Started a tiny little smile as soon as it was time to line up backstage. And this after worrying for months about how scary it would be with everyone watching her. Man, she is itching for another dance. She wants to continue lessons now that she got a taste for the show.
She sat the rest of the recital demanding to return to the stage. She was waiting for curtain call, but she did not think that should be at the end. She was only one of two ducks that stuck it out to the end, but she insisted. There was no way she was going to miss the big finale. She even got roses. Born diva.
She reminds me of me. Yipes.
Incidentally, I was a skunk. So was Sarah.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Another perk of giving blood
Free cholesterol screening. Mine is down 20 points. So, awesome.
And, I'm not being facetious here, the ultimate perk is the saving of lives. It feels really really great.
And, I'm not being facetious here, the ultimate perk is the saving of lives. It feels really really great.
Monday, June 15, 2009
I gave blood today
And I got a free t-shirt. I think I've discovered the solution to my shopping hatred. I can get a new shirt quarterly, no shopping, no spending, no picking it out. Perfect.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do you measure up?
Ha! Fifty-two!
X 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
X 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
X 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
X 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
X 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
X 6 The Bible-
X 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
X 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
X 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
X 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
X 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller x
X 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
X 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
X 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
X 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot X
X 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
X 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
X 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
X 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
X 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
X 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
X 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
X 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
X 34 Emma - Jane Austen
X 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
X 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
X 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
X 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
X 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
X 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
X 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
X 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
X 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
X 52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
X 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
X 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
X 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
X 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
X 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
X 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
X 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
X 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
X 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
X 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
X 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
X 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
X 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
X 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
X 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
X 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
X 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
X 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
X 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
X 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
X 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
X 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
X 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
X 6 The Bible-
X 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
X 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
X 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
X 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
X 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller x
X 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
X 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
X 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
X 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot X
X 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
X 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
X 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
X 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
X 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
X 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
X 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
X 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
X 34 Emma - Jane Austen
X 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
X 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
X 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
X 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
X 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
X 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
X 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
X 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
X 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
X 52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
X 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
X 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
X 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
X 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
X 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
X 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
X 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
X 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
X 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
X 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
X 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
X 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
X 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
X 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
X 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
X 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
X 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
X 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Inspired by Natalee H.
Natalee asked what I'd do if I had the time before I had kids. I gave her a load of stuff that came into my head immediately. Since then, I've mulled it over. I'd still do the stuff I gave her (school, copy editor, trilingual, travel), but here are a couple of the things I would love to do sans kids. They are all careers. I think that is because I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up other than a mom. I am so glad I was blessed with my top choice. Here are the careers I've come up now:
1. I already told Natalee this one, and I'm sticking to it. I'd write a book. I don't know what it would be about, and I never have plot ideas, and I am not interested in the business side of it (except being a best-seller). I do have one idea. Start a new trend: Mommy Lit. Like chick lit, but geared toward moms. Not full of single women dating and whatnot. You get it. Would sell like hotcakes. From a box.
2. is related to #1. I'd own and operate a book shop. Actually, right out here in the bustling new townlet of Pecan Grover/Waterside. (For my distant friends, those are adjacent subdivisions that suddenly have businesses and eating establishments popping up. But cute.) I think I would specialize in Children's, Juvenile, and Young Adult books. I would be the wizard of books and know them all so I can direct people.
3. Game store. Not electronic games (even though I love computer games). Card, board, fantasy, puzzle games, who-dun-its, family, kid, dice... I would love a way to try out the game first. Instant-players instead of readers who can play a portion of the game with you. Awesome. Details basically the same as above.
IF ANYONE STEALS THESE IDEAS, BIG BIG TROUBLE! AND I'M TALKING TO YOU ANONYMOUS READERS, TOO!
I respect the fact that I can start these projects when my kids leave home, and I just may do that. Of course, I'd have to serve a mission in there, too. A story for another day.
1. I already told Natalee this one, and I'm sticking to it. I'd write a book. I don't know what it would be about, and I never have plot ideas, and I am not interested in the business side of it (except being a best-seller). I do have one idea. Start a new trend: Mommy Lit. Like chick lit, but geared toward moms. Not full of single women dating and whatnot. You get it. Would sell like hotcakes. From a box.
2. is related to #1. I'd own and operate a book shop. Actually, right out here in the bustling new townlet of Pecan Grover/Waterside. (For my distant friends, those are adjacent subdivisions that suddenly have businesses and eating establishments popping up. But cute.) I think I would specialize in Children's, Juvenile, and Young Adult books. I would be the wizard of books and know them all so I can direct people.
- It would be organized in two different areas. One by age (ordered by author), and one by subject. You know - Mysteries, Series, Easy-Readers, etc. So the same books would be shelved in two different areas. It would be much easier, like internet shopping!
- It would have, "If you liked 'book title here,' you might enjoy..." posters up.
- It would have instant-readers. That means a few people on hand during rush hours - because rush hours would exist for such a phenomenol, break-out store - who would read out the books kids bring to them right then. I could do it during the off-hours. Actually, only snippets of books. Gotta up the sales.
- Hey, I could have kid-recommended walls! (Kids don't care about adult-recommends.) Those could be chosen by survey and/or sales numbers.
- It would have the school summer reading list books together so you don't have to search all over for each one.
- NO COMPUTERS. It's a bookstore. And no food. Respect the books, people.
- It would have benches between the aisles so you can sit down while you peruse the books and sneak a peak inside. No reading areas like Barnes & Noble. Because I don't want teen studiers or maker-outers, and kids just romp on those. Although, obviously, there would be a little area like in B&N where the kids can listen to the instant-readers.
- There would be Caldecott, Newberry, and Bluebonnet shelves. This store is INCREDIBLE.
- (Did I neglect to say reasonable prices?)
3. Game store. Not electronic games (even though I love computer games). Card, board, fantasy, puzzle games, who-dun-its, family, kid, dice... I would love a way to try out the game first. Instant-players instead of readers who can play a portion of the game with you. Awesome. Details basically the same as above.
IF ANYONE STEALS THESE IDEAS, BIG BIG TROUBLE! AND I'M TALKING TO YOU ANONYMOUS READERS, TOO!
I respect the fact that I can start these projects when my kids leave home, and I just may do that. Of course, I'd have to serve a mission in there, too. A story for another day.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Emotional temperature
Slight fever, possibly rising. That means I'm under the weather mentally. Stuff is bugging me. I'm impatient. I'm cranky. I'm dirty. Physically, I mean, not in any other sense. I just watched "He's Just Not That Into You," and I'm annoyed. Who knows why? Those people were stupid. I almost had to draw a diagram to keep the relationships straight. The AppleTV kept freezing. I hate Ben Affleck. Jennifer Aniston bugs. It surprises me that I was annoyed by these people when I love "The Family Stone," which is full of the worst people. Diane Keaton - ugh. Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes. But that's not just what I mean. The characters in the movie were awful people. Mean, petty, judgemental, unsupportive. Loved it. Watched it six times when I first rented it. Sobbed and sobbed. I was pregnant then, but I still cry now. Oh, I'm still talking about "The Family Stone."
Anyway, that's about it. The switch from stumbling-around-tired to buzzing-awake has flipped, but I'm going to go read in bed b/c there is nothing on tv but the Golden Girls, and I've already watched 2 episodes. It ain't no Murder, She Wrote, that's for sure. Oh wait, shower first. Can't do it. See ya tomorrow. (I'm talking to the shower.)
Wait a minute - I like Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin in "He's Just Not That Into You." Cute.
Anyway, that's about it. The switch from stumbling-around-tired to buzzing-awake has flipped, but I'm going to go read in bed b/c there is nothing on tv but the Golden Girls, and I've already watched 2 episodes. It ain't no Murder, She Wrote, that's for sure. Oh wait, shower first. Can't do it. See ya tomorrow. (I'm talking to the shower.)
Wait a minute - I like Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin in "He's Just Not That Into You." Cute.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Anyone have the old Candy Land game cards?
I would need to borrow them today. Give a shout out if you do. Thanks!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I can't make a phone conversation out of this post
But I guess I need to blog for my own self.
I took the kids swimming on Saturday. I got to go to my own ward today. I even went to grown-up class (weird).
I'm tired, and I'm scared about a busy week and not feeling ready for it. Yep, scared. Where in the samhill is my pause button!? Okay, okay, one day at a time. (Remember that show? Isn't that the one with Monroe in it?) Just tomorrow. FHE morning, FHE night. In the middle? Well, that's stressing me out. I gotta join the Y. I gotta look for a pianist. I gotta do some minor grocerying. But do I do any of it tomorrow? I am for definitely cleaning all morning. Or staying up tonight and cleaning. Nope, I think sleep. I already washed my face (baby wipe), so just teeth and jammies and scriptures and prayer. AAGH! See? Too much stuff! What can I skip? Well, not the teeth (anymore), and jammies, well, that's nunya1, and the other two aren't optional, so... Guess I better get going.
And this is where my number one super power would come in handy. The ability to start and stop time. Like on that show with the alien chick. Swing on a Star, maybe? Anyway, I could just stop time now. Sleep and sleep and sleep. Get up and clean. Then, with no time lost, I could start time and go to bed. And if I wake up late? Quick - stop time! Leisurely get ready for the day. Start time. Get stressed out? Okay, you get it. Start, stop, enjoy myself.
My second super power would be that the effects of junk food and healthy food are reversed as soon as I eat. The more yummy chocolate and soda and cake, the hotter and healthier I become. I could indulge in a few veggies once in a while, sure, as a guilty pleasure. I would be one incredibly healthy, hot, well-rested super chick.
1"nunya" - none of your business
I took the kids swimming on Saturday. I got to go to my own ward today. I even went to grown-up class (weird).
I'm tired, and I'm scared about a busy week and not feeling ready for it. Yep, scared. Where in the samhill is my pause button!? Okay, okay, one day at a time. (Remember that show? Isn't that the one with Monroe in it?) Just tomorrow. FHE morning, FHE night. In the middle? Well, that's stressing me out. I gotta join the Y. I gotta look for a pianist. I gotta do some minor grocerying. But do I do any of it tomorrow? I am for definitely cleaning all morning. Or staying up tonight and cleaning. Nope, I think sleep. I already washed my face (baby wipe), so just teeth and jammies and scriptures and prayer. AAGH! See? Too much stuff! What can I skip? Well, not the teeth (anymore), and jammies, well, that's nunya1, and the other two aren't optional, so... Guess I better get going.
And this is where my number one super power would come in handy. The ability to start and stop time. Like on that show with the alien chick. Swing on a Star, maybe? Anyway, I could just stop time now. Sleep and sleep and sleep. Get up and clean. Then, with no time lost, I could start time and go to bed. And if I wake up late? Quick - stop time! Leisurely get ready for the day. Start time. Get stressed out? Okay, you get it. Start, stop, enjoy myself.
My second super power would be that the effects of junk food and healthy food are reversed as soon as I eat. The more yummy chocolate and soda and cake, the hotter and healthier I become. I could indulge in a few veggies once in a while, sure, as a guilty pleasure. I would be one incredibly healthy, hot, well-rested super chick.
1"nunya" - none of your business
Friday, June 5, 2009
First day of summer break
Pipe dream event: Picnic in the park. Thanks to friends who organized it.
Realistic event: Slept the rest of the day.
Unusual event: The drama and trauma of pulling Charlotte's tooth. Aye yi yi. Does anyone know how to spell that?
Internal temperature: Pretty good, actually. I am making dinners and not crying when the kids hate them. I made cookies that weren't what I hoped for, but they are okay, and I'm not damaged by that. One can of coke. That in and of itself is crazy good.
Anything else? My folks' anniversary today. THANK YOU FOR GETTING MARRIED! We all needed a good man in our lives.
Okay, okay, okay. I damn near deleted this post b/c there is no reason for it. It is a post just to post. Since I refuse to delete posts, you are stuck with it. But I need to be more discerning when I sit down to blog. If I can't make a phone conversation out of it, really, it's needless to say.
Realistic event: Slept the rest of the day.
Unusual event: The drama and trauma of pulling Charlotte's tooth. Aye yi yi. Does anyone know how to spell that?
Internal temperature: Pretty good, actually. I am making dinners and not crying when the kids hate them. I made cookies that weren't what I hoped for, but they are okay, and I'm not damaged by that. One can of coke. That in and of itself is crazy good.
Anything else? My folks' anniversary today. THANK YOU FOR GETTING MARRIED! We all needed a good man in our lives.
Okay, okay, okay. I damn near deleted this post b/c there is no reason for it. It is a post just to post. Since I refuse to delete posts, you are stuck with it. But I need to be more discerning when I sit down to blog. If I can't make a phone conversation out of it, really, it's needless to say.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
BRAG BRAG BRAG
Harris won the Principal's Award! Liz is still at the school, so I get to be the first to brag on him.
WAY TO GO, HARRY B.!
The Principal's Award goes to one boy and one girl in each class. It is chosen by the teachers, and it is for outstanding citizenship, most progress, and continuing effort. MAN does that boy deserve it! He works incredibly hard every day. He doesn't necessarily like it - I mean, who does? - but he does it and does it and does it. And he's an awesome kid, to boot! He's friendly to everyone. He likes everyone. He's got a ridiculous sense of humor that is almost too advanced for kids, but he sure keeps me pee-in-my-pants laughing. Another thing is that he gives so much love and he gives it freely. I get hugs and kisses and, "I love you Jen"s about 6 times in the two hour period I see him after school. I love his self-confidence. He likes to say, "Cuz I'm a genius, huh Jen? I'm brilliant! I'm so brilliant!" Yeah ya are! You're a(n evil) genius!
Of course, my mom and I cried like ninnies when his name was called. I couldn't tell with Liz because she was running up for a picture. Harris was super-proud and ran up to the stage. He just held up that certificate like a champ!
Charlotte's awards were fun. Kindergarten just gets Perfect Attendance awards (not even close!), and then each kid gets called up for a certificate. She was pink with delight the entire time. They sang a couple of cute songs for us, and Charlotte mostly tried to get Gabe to smile and wave. He was elbow deep in a bag of Cheerios, alas.
Well, that's it for Kindergarten, I guess. One half day left, and then on to the land of big kids. Claire, on the other hand, looks like a toddler in that school. I can't believe she's on her way to kinder.
Oh, one more cute thing. The kids with the President's Awards all stood on the stage and held up their certificates. Gabe ran up to the 1st grade lines, and he held up his spiral notebook in front of him just like a certificate. He was very serious about it. He wanted to be with those classes so bad. He sat on the floor by Harris as if he does it every day. Oh, where have my babies gone?
WAY TO GO, HARRY B.!
The Principal's Award goes to one boy and one girl in each class. It is chosen by the teachers, and it is for outstanding citizenship, most progress, and continuing effort. MAN does that boy deserve it! He works incredibly hard every day. He doesn't necessarily like it - I mean, who does? - but he does it and does it and does it. And he's an awesome kid, to boot! He's friendly to everyone. He likes everyone. He's got a ridiculous sense of humor that is almost too advanced for kids, but he sure keeps me pee-in-my-pants laughing. Another thing is that he gives so much love and he gives it freely. I get hugs and kisses and, "I love you Jen"s about 6 times in the two hour period I see him after school. I love his self-confidence. He likes to say, "Cuz I'm a genius, huh Jen? I'm brilliant! I'm so brilliant!" Yeah ya are! You're a(n evil) genius!
Of course, my mom and I cried like ninnies when his name was called. I couldn't tell with Liz because she was running up for a picture. Harris was super-proud and ran up to the stage. He just held up that certificate like a champ!
Charlotte's awards were fun. Kindergarten just gets Perfect Attendance awards (not even close!), and then each kid gets called up for a certificate. She was pink with delight the entire time. They sang a couple of cute songs for us, and Charlotte mostly tried to get Gabe to smile and wave. He was elbow deep in a bag of Cheerios, alas.
Well, that's it for Kindergarten, I guess. One half day left, and then on to the land of big kids. Claire, on the other hand, looks like a toddler in that school. I can't believe she's on her way to kinder.
Oh, one more cute thing. The kids with the President's Awards all stood on the stage and held up their certificates. Gabe ran up to the 1st grade lines, and he held up his spiral notebook in front of him just like a certificate. He was very serious about it. He wanted to be with those classes so bad. He sat on the floor by Harris as if he does it every day. Oh, where have my babies gone?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Per last post
So the story goes like this:
Lance has never peeked anywhere. This is Charlotte's unconscious creation in all it's weirdness. She tends towards anxiety and upsetting dreams. You know, she comes down crying that she feels spiders crawling all over her. Medication one day, my friends.
Anyway, Samuel once peeked in the girls' bathroom and he once went to the bathroom without asking. And when there is a long line in the girls' room, the girls are allowed to use the boys' room once it is empty (with teacher supervision of course), and vice versa.
So, that's the school bathroom rundown. Charlotte laughs when she is telling the story, and she's a cryer, so that's a good sign.
To emphasize my sweet baby's weirdness:
April 22
"Hey you knoe wie I get bug bit. I have sweet blud. The ed (end, maybe?) but I have a seecrit my blud tastes like ckechup."
WAIT Y'ALL! She is talking about why mosquitoes bite her up, and we told her, "I guess it's cuz you taste so sweet."
I better start saving for therapy.
In all seriousness, her journal made me feel a little sad. She wrote about each of her friends, saying she loved them and begging them to chase her. Tag is the game, and I think she feels left out a lot. She's come home crying that they wouldn't let her play. I'm sure a lot of it is not exactly what happens, but since it feels that way to her, it is heartbreaking. "I love you" is the most common phrase in each of her journal entries. She's very tender-hearted and accepting of people, and she wants to be friends with everyone. Rejection is so horrible for a child. It is horrible to be the mom and watch it happen. I know it is part of life; she will experience it. Still.
Okay, now that I'm weepy, I'm going to lie in bed with her while she sleeps. Kindergarten awards are tomorrow, and I will be keeping a sharp eye on those other rotten kids.
Lance has never peeked anywhere. This is Charlotte's unconscious creation in all it's weirdness. She tends towards anxiety and upsetting dreams. You know, she comes down crying that she feels spiders crawling all over her. Medication one day, my friends.
Anyway, Samuel once peeked in the girls' bathroom and he once went to the bathroom without asking. And when there is a long line in the girls' room, the girls are allowed to use the boys' room once it is empty (with teacher supervision of course), and vice versa.
So, that's the school bathroom rundown. Charlotte laughs when she is telling the story, and she's a cryer, so that's a good sign.
To emphasize my sweet baby's weirdness:
April 22
"Hey you knoe wie I get bug bit. I have sweet blud. The ed (end, maybe?) but I have a seecrit my blud tastes like ckechup."
WAIT Y'ALL! She is talking about why mosquitoes bite her up, and we told her, "I guess it's cuz you taste so sweet."
I better start saving for therapy.
In all seriousness, her journal made me feel a little sad. She wrote about each of her friends, saying she loved them and begging them to chase her. Tag is the game, and I think she feels left out a lot. She's come home crying that they wouldn't let her play. I'm sure a lot of it is not exactly what happens, but since it feels that way to her, it is heartbreaking. "I love you" is the most common phrase in each of her journal entries. She's very tender-hearted and accepting of people, and she wants to be friends with everyone. Rejection is so horrible for a child. It is horrible to be the mom and watch it happen. I know it is part of life; she will experience it. Still.
Okay, now that I'm weepy, I'm going to lie in bed with her while she sleeps. Kindergarten awards are tomorrow, and I will be keeping a sharp eye on those other rotten kids.
I can't even believe this.
My kid brought home her school journal. The top two entries (in her own spelling):
April 17
"Lance stop peeking in the bathroom. When I dreem I dreem about Lance peekking when I sleep. And it's not funny."
April 20
"Lance I love you but can you plees stop peeking when I sleep you knoe it's not funny. I do not like that. I like how you are funny but plees stop peeking."
April 17
"Lance stop peeking in the bathroom. When I dreem I dreem about Lance peekking when I sleep. And it's not funny."
April 20
"Lance I love you but can you plees stop peeking when I sleep you knoe it's not funny. I do not like that. I like how you are funny but plees stop peeking."
Monday, June 1, 2009
Is it seriously June 1?
The meridian of the year. That's stressin' me out.
It's the last (half) week of school. Huh? What about my pipe dream? Ah, yes. That is why it is called a pipe dream. (I should probably not use drug references.) I mean, summer is upon me, and the holidays are looming up. Aah! I'm behind on my Christmas shopping! Not that I ever shop this early, but I wish I did, and that makes me feel behind. I'm setting an appointment with myself to start in September. Unfortunately, I break appointments all the time. Well, then. I will require 24 hours notice or I'll charge myself anyway.
All my weekends in June are already booked. THAT IS SO WEIRD! When did I become this person? Because I just looked at the first month of my blog, and I was not this person then. I guess that's what growth will do to you. Ah, man, is it really growth? Let's just say yes since it is a) difficult to measure, and b) better for my self-esteem.
This is a boring, pointless post. Screw it - I'm going back to bed now. Gabe will sleep a long time if he is his typical wonderful morning boy - you know, the unconscious kind.
It's the last (half) week of school. Huh? What about my pipe dream? Ah, yes. That is why it is called a pipe dream. (I should probably not use drug references.) I mean, summer is upon me, and the holidays are looming up. Aah! I'm behind on my Christmas shopping! Not that I ever shop this early, but I wish I did, and that makes me feel behind. I'm setting an appointment with myself to start in September. Unfortunately, I break appointments all the time. Well, then. I will require 24 hours notice or I'll charge myself anyway.
All my weekends in June are already booked. THAT IS SO WEIRD! When did I become this person? Because I just looked at the first month of my blog, and I was not this person then. I guess that's what growth will do to you. Ah, man, is it really growth? Let's just say yes since it is a) difficult to measure, and b) better for my self-esteem.
This is a boring, pointless post. Screw it - I'm going back to bed now. Gabe will sleep a long time if he is his typical wonderful morning boy - you know, the unconscious kind.
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