Sunday Stealing

It's been a while, so maybe you'll forgive me for indulging in yet ANOTHER meme all about me!!   LOL!


Sunday Stealing: The Books Meme

1:Favorite children's book?   

Absolutely love Winnie the Pooh even though I didn't discover it until I was in my teens!  (Thanks, Flossie!)

2:What is the next book you plan to read?    

I just got "The Last Original Wife" by Dorothea Benton Frank.

3:Books on your "to read" list?  

I generally don't keep a list.  If a book interests me, I'll buy it and read it right away.

4:Top 5 authors?   

My current favorites, in no particular order --  Robyn Carr, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Emily Richards, Kristen Hannah, and Jacqueline Druga.  Over the years there have been many, many more.

5:Favorite genres?   

Women's Fiction, Science Fiction, Humor (Again this is currently. There have been others over time.)

6:Do you have multiple books in process or just one at a time?  

Usually have 3 or 4 going at once.  

7:A book that you've cried over?   

I cried every time I have re-read "Little Women".  Must be about 20 times by now!

8:A book that made you laugh out loud?  

"The Princess Bride"  I laughed out loud on practically every page!  Funniest book I've ever read.

9:Fiction or nonfiction?    

Reality is full of non-fiction!  When I read, I want happy endings!!   FICTION!!

10:First book you've read by your favorite author?  

I don't have just one favorite author.  And generally when I find an author I like, I will try to read everything they've written, so it's difficult to remember what came first.

11:Best book-to-movie adaptation?  

I will not usually see a movie adaptation of a book I liked because they are rarely even half as good.  I did, however, like the movie of Leon Uris', "Exodus", but that was mostly because they cast Paul Newman in the role of Ari Ben Canaan.  Perfection!   :)

12:Do you read comics/manga?  

You're kidding, right??  I'm a little beyond comics!

13:Hardcovers or Paperbacks?   

Or Kindle!!  Yes to all three!

14:Do you buy books as soon as they come out or wait a while?  

For certain authors I will even order them pre-release!

15:Do you buy books spontaneously without any prior knowledge of what happens in it?  

Generally not, I need at least a short synopsis before I decide to buy. 

16:Have you ever bought a book based on the cover alone?   

Hate to admit it, but yes!

17:Where do you usually buy your books?  

Amazon, Goodwill, Half-Priced Books, Costco, garage sales, Barnes and Noble, flea markets, drug stores......I'm not picky!

18:Book that had a strong impact on you?   

There have been so many...."Anne Frank --  the Diary of a Young Girl," "Atlas Shrugged,"  "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Exodus," "Time and Again."

19:Historical or science fiction?   

Science Fiction....(but definitely NOT fantasy).

20:Dystopian or Utopian?  

Dystopian  (I'm going through a phase!)

21:Once you start to read a book, do you feel compelled to finish it?   

Heavens NO!  If a book does not capture my interest after about 30 pages, I stop reading it!  If I don't like a book even after reading more of it, I stop reading it!  .   There are too many wonderful books out there to waste my time on something I don't like!!

22:What genres do you refuse to read?   

horror, porn, graphical violence, among others.

23:How many books do you own?   

Hundreds (over the course of my life, it might have been thousands.)  I have to periodically purge otherwise my house would have no room for furniture!!

24:Do you go the library?  

Not so much anymore, because of the ease of finding things to read among e-books.

25:How many books do you read a year?  

Since I retired it has usually been around 275-300 a year on average. (I'm a fast reader!)

26:Do enjoy reading the "Classics"?    

Not usually.

27:Do you ever re-read a book?  

I will often re-read a book I loved.   It's like visiting an old friend!

"I Never Knew"

I read somewhere a long time ago, that one of the things that keeps you "young" is continuing to learn new things to keep your mind active (or something like that.)   If I pay attention, I keep encountering things "I Never Knew."  So I thought I'd share a few of my most recent factual finds, after all, maybe you never knew either!  :)



1.  I find it amazing that Author and Playwright of the Pulitzer prize winning drama, "Our Town", Thornton Wilder (born 1897) was actually three years YOUNGER than Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev (born 1894)!  Somehow they don't really seem like they could even be part of the same era!  A fact that I had to ponder for a while to accept that it could be true!  But it was!



2.  Have you ever heard of an  in·ter·ro·bang??  Me neither.  Although I am a reasonably well-educated and well-read person, I had never stumbled across this word.  But Webster tells me it is a real word!  Who knew there was such a thing?

Oh, you want to know what it means?  Well, of course you do!


An interrobang is a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), " indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question."  Hmmmm, seems like it would be very useful and should have appeared in printed materials a lot, don't you think‽    So, how come I've never seen it before‽‽  (That's definitely a rhetorical question.)



3.  This one is not so much of a surprise, considering how little I watch TV or go to the movies, still.....anybody still remember the original television production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" from 1961 with Leslie Ann Warren as Cinderella?  I remember seeing it on our small (no more than 17 inches, tops) screen TV when I was about 14 years old.   I thought Lesley Anne was a beautiful Cinderella and I think I fell for the prince, just like she did!  :)  I love the music too....."In My Own Little Corner".... "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"...."Ten Minutes Ago."    Perfect songs for Cinderella and not nearly so cutesy as the Disney version's "Bibbetdy Boppitdy Boo"  or "Cinderelly."  But until this week, I never knew there was another very well done production of Roger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" made in 1997 with Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Alexander, and Brandi, in the title role. The Prince was played by Paulo Montalban, a particular appealing young man!  It was made with color-blind casting which I find disconcerting visually.  Nevertheless once you get past that (in just a few minutes),  I think it was actually better than the original!  Film for television has come a long way since 1961!  If you've never seen it either, the film is on YouTube and only about 90 minutes long.  And there isn't a singing mouse in either version!!






4.  Now this is not a great revelation of some factual tidbit, but this one rocked me anyway....I found out that my husband, the Big Guy, with both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree, the fellow who enjoys reading as much as the rest of us in the family, the man who knows a lot about a lot of diverse and interesting things, the guy I have been married to for 46 years...... has never read "To Kill a Mockingbird!"   Never‽‽  Not only that (and this is really hard for me to believe), but neither has he seen the movie!!!  How is this possible ‽‽   One of the most influential and well-written books of the 20th Century, and he never read it!  Wow!  Talk about "rock my world!!"    


[Did you see the interrobangs?  I really am surprised they never caught on!]






So, have you learned anything new lately?  Want to share??  Go ahead!  You know you want to!!!  lol!


Class dismissed.....

"Things I Couldn't Say" (aka Dear So and So)

It's a long time since I have posted a new batch of "Things I Couldn't Say" or Dear So and So.....but today is the day!! 

Dear Makers of....uhhh....Stuff ,

The other night I was sitting in my house, piddling and puttering around, minding my own business. when I realized I could hear someone talking.  The TV was not on, the computer was muted, it was too clear to be coming from outside.  It being nighttime, of course, I was home alone.  Needless to say, I was a bit frightened...uhhh... intrigued, and I had to track it down immediatly before panic set in....uhh...I called 911..uhhh...to identify the source.

Using my precise and keen sense of hearing....uhhh....By the process of elimination, I realized it was coming from the master bedroom.  Hmmm, that's odd.  There is no way in or out of that room except by the doorway from the small hallway off the family room.  I gingerly opened the door and immediately realized that the voices were coming from the new clock/radio the Big Guy just got.  For whatever reason, it had turned itself on.  (I want you to know that I am using great restraint here in not taking this post off in a completely different direction brought to mind by that phrase!!)

Okay, well, mystery solved, no intruders, no danger Will Robinson, nothing but an alarm set to the wrong time!  Wheeew!!  Relief.

So, you might say, why am I bothering you about this??  Aha!  We come to the crux of the matter!!
Pay attention, this is important.

The little clock radio in its rather attractive, yet sleekly techno looking design, had 7 "buttons" that were the controls.  They were labelled with very small letters chiseled into the metal of the case.
In a dimly lit room, by a set of 65 year of eyes, these letters were nearly impossible to read.  Not to worry, one of them had to be the power switch to turn the darned thing off.

EXCEPT THAT NOT ONE OF THOSE LITTLE BUTTONS DID ANYTHING TO TURN OFF THE RADIO!!!!  This wasn't brain surgery here, I just wanted to get rid of the noise!  I tried all sorts of combinations, different sequences, whatever I could think of.  I was nearly at the point of picking it up and hurling it against the wall!  Finally, after ten minutes of the damn thing blasting in my ears, something I did (I have no clue what) finally turned it off.  Ahhhhhhh!

My question?  Would it really be so detrimental to your "design concept", to CLEARLY MARK the on/off, power button???  There was nothing on the thing that was of any help at all!  Nothing!  No little red light, nothing that even said "start here, dummy"  Nothing, Nada, Zip!

It seems to me to be a perfect example of design over function run amok!  It really shouldn't take a Masters degree in electrical engineering to just turn the damn thing off!

I have just two more words for you.....FIX THIS!!

Disgustedly,
Mel

************

Dear Whomever,

I don't know who made the decision to completely eliminate the concept of a person on the staff of gas stations being there to help motorists re-fuel their cars, but it was a sucky decision!  Yes, yes, I understand about saving money by pumping it yourself, but there are times when having someone around who was there to HELP their customers (i.e., in bad weather, when a driver is impaired by an injury, in a real hurry, whatever) would be worth a few more cents a gallon!  Especially since we are already paying nearly $3.50 a gallon!!

Little old-ish ladies shouldn't have to stand outside in freezing temps, with a sharp wind, blowing icy sleet particles which feel like little shards of glass, directly into one's face just to get gas in their tank!

Just seems like good customer service to me!  You remember when that was a goal of every company, don't you?  I do!

Frozenly,
Mel

***********

Dear E-Bay Users,

Could all of you who are looking for the perfect art deco stained glass lampshade just go outside and play for a while?  My Mikey has been looking for days for just the right shade for a vintage lamp he bought.  He keeps getting outbid at the last minute (second??)  He is getting discouraged.  Mikey has very little patience and when he wants something, he wants it NOW.  All you last minute bidders are spoiling his fun.  He's getting a little testy....in fact, he's almost snarky.

So, could you all just go do something else for a while so that he can get the right shade and put us....uhh.....him out of his misery?  Please??!

Pleadingly,
The Big Guy's Wife

************

Dear Judges of Science Fairs (Austin version),

Tomorrow is the Regional Science Fair for grammar school kids (ages 8-11) in the Austin School District.  I am asking, as the grandmother of one of the exhibitors, that you please give close attention to the effort of one fifth-grader whose project (relating to reading facial expressions....i.e., real vs fake smiles) is dear to my heart.  Actually, it's not the project that's dear, it's the exhibitor!

It would be lovely for that smart, not so little 5th grade to take home a ribbon for her effort.  It was an interesting concept and she executed it very well.  She deserves a ribbon.  Doesn't matter which one (3rd, 2nd, 1st, even Honorable Mention), any of them would do.

After three years of projects, this is the first one that has advanced to this level.  It would be a real boon to her to be recognized! 

So what do you say?  Give the kid a ribbon, huh?  She would really be happy!

(GO M-T-G!!)

A Loving and Proud Grammy,
Mel

************

Dear Users of E-readers,

I just have a quick observation to share with you. 

I think it's a real pity that all the various e-readers, like the Kindle and Nook, are not made, marketed, and sold by companies other than booksellers.  Perhaps then the e-book offerings would be priced more reasonably and the selections offered for "free" or at least inexpensively, would be more than just a clearing house for self-published, poorly written, poorly edited, dreck!

And could someone please explain to me what the hell is the point of a Kindle Single, and why I should want to buy one???

I read quickly and go through books like water.  Buying best sellers would break the bank in the blink of an eye!  It is very clear that the e-reader is not for the convenience of the reader, it is for the profit of the publishers and booksellers!

I'm beginning to miss the Library!

Mel

**************

Dear Blogland,

If you like Dear So and So, and want to give it a try, just pop over to Kat's Place at Three Bedroom Bungalow ( http://3bedroombungalow.blogspot.com/ ), hook up with her Linky and add your own! It's a great way to blow off steam, and you can read lots of other letters even grumpier than mine!!

Your friend,
Mel

"Bits and Pieces"

There are some loose ends to clear up.  So here are some little bits of this and a few pieces of that.


******

You may recall I was in an accident about a week ago.  Just thought I would let you know that my wrist is fine.  It never did develop much more than a twinge now and then.  That's the good news.  There really isn't any bad news except that I miss my own car!  Driving a rental gets old real fast!  There isn't anything wrong with the rental exactly.  Just a few things that are annoying.  Like the car is a good two feet longer than my car.  It just barely fits in our garage!  No joke!  The car is black for another.  In Texas in the fall, it still gets pretty warm and the sun just keeps on shining.  A black car is not a good choice.  I can't even use my window shade thingy because...you guessed it....it's in my car which is having an extended vacation at the auto repair shop.  Sigh.  No idea what the repairs will finally cost nor how much longer it will be till it comes home.  It can't be soon enough!  I want my car!!


******

We still have had no appreciable amounts of rain.  We got about 2" a week or so ago, but nothing since.  They keep saying it might rain, but the chance is only around 30%.  Well, at least the 100+F days are gone.

******

The Big Guy and I finally put out our Halloween decorations on Sunday.  I was going to have M-t-G help me on Saturday but she ended up not staying over after all, so my waiting had been pointless.  It kind of funny though, we had all our trees and bushes trimmed a couple of weeks ago and now the same things that I put out last year, look a little puny because there is so much more open space now!
So off to Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and Walgreen's, I went.  It's still six days before Halloween and the stores' Halloween things are totally picked over and skimpy.  The stores have moved on to Thanksgiving and, yes, to Christmas.  It's getting as bad as buying clothes!  You have to get your stuff weeks and weeks before you actually need it.  That's a problem for me.  I don't get into the holiday mood weeks and weeks before!  Besides, you can usually get some great sales closer to the holiday.  The few things they had were 40-50% off, but there wasn't anything worth buying.

Never fear, the intrepid last minute shopper did what all good bargain hunters do.  I went to Goodwill!   I found two cute little ghost-y brooms, a totem pole-like stack of pumpkins that light up, and three cute little signs that say BOO!   They will help fill up the empty!   And it only cost me $8.00!  Don'tcha just love it?

******

It has occurred to me that buying books on the Kindle may just send me to the poor house!  (I don't think they have those anymore, come to think of it.)  Ok, so the Kindle may send me into bankruptcy a few dollars at a time!  It adds up, you know?  I looked at our Library's on-line section on downloadable books.  No relief there.  The didn't have more than about 50 books and most of those were travel guides!  Considering I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.  That's pretty useless.  For the few other books, they include several old books no longer under copyright, but I've either read them or don't want to!  For the few books I might be interested in reading there are waiting lists.  Maybe it will improve over time, but as it stands now I won't be downloading anything from the Library any time soon.

I'll just have to try harder to find free books from Kindle and other sources.

Oh by the way, here in Austin, Goodwill has several free-standing book stores where they sell soft covers for $2.00 and most hardcovers for $4.00. That's a lot better than even Half-Priced Books!  (They also sell books in their regular stores too.)  Do their book stores exist in other parts of the country too?  If so, its a great resource for big (or even small)  readers....lol!  They have fiction, non-fiction, kids books, DVDs and some reference books.  The turnover seems good and while small little storefronts, they can have a lot of books in a small space!  There is one located right next to the entrance to our neighborhood!  I can grab a quick book either coming or going!  Cool!

******

That's it for now.  Have a good Wednesday!

"Cecilia"

I read the most wonderful book, "The Saving of CeeCee Hunnicutt".  I read a lot, but only infrequently do I stumble upon a book that touches my heart.  This one did! 

It is the story of "Cecilia" Rose Hunnicutt, a 12 year old girl commonly known as CeeCee, whose mother is slipping faster and faster into insanity each day until she is so far removed from reality that she doesn't even see the truck that hits her and takes her life.  Her father loves his daughter in his way but he is flawed.  CeeCee's great aunt sweeps into her life and offers to have CeeCee come and live with her in Savannah. 

I am terrible at summarizing books (or stories for that matter) so I won't go any further into the actual story so as not to stop you from reading this book due to my inadequacies as a "reviewer".  If you have not already read it, I strongly urge you to do so.  It has received wonderful well-deserved kudos from critics and readers alike, so it's not just me.  I think it is destined to join the ranks of timeless, wonderful books that are on every reading list in the world. 

It probably is true for everyone who reads a lot, but finding a special book that moves you, is like having the winning lottery ticket!  It doesn't happen often. It is a treasure, and the wonderful thing about treasured books is that you can read them again and again over time and will most likely find new things to delight you each time you read it.  There are thousands and thousands of writers and wanna-bees, but those that can create a treasure on the written page through their words and insights are few and very far between.  Beth Hoffman, the author, is one such writer, which is really remarkable because this is her first book!!  I hope she writes many others.

It occurred to me after I finished the book, that I really seem drawn to books about normal kids struggling to get through a life that may not be unusual but is still new and a struggle for the kid living it.  In fact, when I thought about it I realized that several of my favorite books of all-time are about special kids in special times surrounded by special people and occurrences...."To Kill a Mockingbird", "Little Women", "A Catcher in the Rye", "The Secret Life of Bees", "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". "Member of the Wedding".   "The Saving of CeeCee Hunnicutt" is now joining that august company.

I wonder what that says about me.....arrested development, stuck in childhood, still coming of age???  Or maybe it's just empathy for other souls trying to grow up in a world that doesn't make it easy.

Read the book.  It's a gem!

"What I Really Meant To Say"

I just returned from a book signing at Barnes and Noble for my favorite author, Susan Elizabeth Phillips (SEP).  I've never been to a book signing before and didn't really know what to expect, but I have read every book she has ever written (in fact, I own every book she has ever written!), so despite not feeling the best in the world (stupid cold), I wasn't going to miss the chance to meet her in person.  Worried that I wouldn't be able to hear her (stupid cold), I got there early and got a seat in the first row. 

She was delightful, funny, unpretentious, and genuinely likeable....just like her books!  What a nice person she seems.  It makes me wish I had her for a friend -- a real friend, not just the Facebook kind!  She talked about her books and her style of writing, she talked about how some of her books have come to be.  She did a SEP trivia contest and gave out some very small prizes.  She read an excerpt from her latest book "Call Me Irresistable". 

She asked about us too!   There were actually 5 published authors in the audience, plus several writers who were not yet published.  She was so encouraging of all of them. 

Because I was sitting in the first row, I got to be the first one in the signing line!
Now as you might expect, I'm not normally tongue tied, in fact, usually I'm the one nobody can shut up!  Tonight, though, I could hardly get my name out.  I didn't want to say something sappy and stupid, which I'm sure she hears a lot of, but all I ended up saying was that I was enormously fond of everthing she has ever written!  How lame is that???  I was so fearful of gushing, that I ended up sounding like I was just barely aware of who she was!!   Arrgh!  How embarrasing!

So I practically ran to her page on Facebook when I got home.  Then I  just went ahead and was sappy and stupid and gushing....I told her she is my all time favorite author and that it was my great pleasure to attend tonight.  I told her she was just as funny and entertaining in person as she is on paper.  I thanked her for not only sharing her gift with us but for taking the time to visit with her fans!  And I gave her my best wishes on the rest of her tour.  She may or may not ever read it on FB, but I sure hope she does!  I really wanted to tell her those things when I was standing right there in front of her.  Truly, that was "What I Really Meant to Say", but my brain went numb.  I'm going to blame it on this Stupid Cold!! 

By the way, if you're looking for someone new to read and you like "women's fiction" I heartily recommend Susan Elizabeth Phillips!  This is her newest book, I just bought it this evening so I haven't read it yet, but I've never been disappointed in one of her books!

"I Just Don't Understand"

I really should just declare a permanent ban against allowing another new piece of technology into my life!  It never turns out well.  No matter how well the entire rest of the world is doing with their new [pick one] (Blackberry, Ipod, Ipad, laptop, MP3, or Kindle, etc.), if I get any one of them or any other technology, I can guarantee you that whatever it is will not work for me!  At least not right away.  No matter how often the 10-year old sales kid at Best Buy (or wherever) says, "It's really easy." or "Really, there's nothing to it." or "You'll love it."  "Nothing could go wrong."  I must remember that none of that is true!!  It ISN'T easy, there's a LOT to it, I DON'T love it, and it WON'T work right for me! 

The Big Guy gave me a Kindle for Christmas.  I have been resisting the idea for a long while, in fact, I hadn't put one on my wish list.  I have been hearing (and reading) people raving about Kindle for some time now.  Everyone who has one seems to love it and they are very excited to tell you how much they love it.   Nice for them, but I wasn't convinced.  I was wavering, however!   As I heard more and more about them, I began to see the advantages that might just be great to have!  So when I opened the gift on Christmas I was excited.  Decision out of my hands, it was a gift!!

All those people who loved their Kindles didn't hesitate to tell me I would love it too.  If it lived up to the expectations I had based on other people's experience, I would love it!  In fact, I was on my way to loving it!!  I bought and read one book on my Kindle and yes, it was easy.  I wasn't bothered by reading on a screen, or by not holding a book.  The book prices didn't seem outrageous.  Yep, I could see now what all the fuss was about.  I was looking forward to learning more about it and joining the rest of the e-readers out there as an up-to-date, savvy woman who could use new technology with the best of them.  I should have known better.

The same night I finished the first book, I was going to go to the "store" and get something else.  Oh, this was fun!   Shopping late at night in my jammies, so I could  read something new in bed.  Whee!  I was hyped.

So I woke it up, and pulled up the menu and tried to go to the Kindle store.  Hmmmm, nothing happened right away, but after a several seconds a small box appeared onscreen telling me that my Kindle couldn't connect  with the WiFi right now because there was no WiFi close by and to try a different WiFi or come back later.  Hmpf!  I was able to connect from my bedroom two days ago, why couldn't I do it now?  I thought, well, I guess it needs charging.  So I went  out to the computer and found the cord for charging the thing, plugged it in and went to bed and read a book the old fashioned way.  No problem.  I'll get something tomorrow I thought.

The next morning, I went to collect my Kindle, it had a green light, so I unplugged it, carried it off to the computer and sat down to find another book.  Went to shop at the Kindle store and  the same box and message popped up again:  "Cannot connect", "none nearby".  I was sitting 3 feet away from the router!  I couldn't get any closer unless I climbed up and sat on the desk!! 

I turned it off, re started it, tried again, got the same message.  What the ???  When I looked at the screen and hit the home button a new message popped up, "Your battery is very low, re-charge immediately"  What???  It was charging all night.  The light was orange.  Ooo-Kaaaay!  I charge the battery again.  So I did and went on my way.  When I returned several hours later, the light was green, the battery symbol showed a full charge, and I had 4 bars worth of signal strength.  Tried to connect and got in!  Whoo hoo!  Ok, I figured it out. Yay!!

Last night the same thing happened, in almost exactly the same way.  This evening I tried again,  "Cannot connect"!  Arrgghh!

Went on line, found the troubleshooting info and it said, "With Kindle's long battery life, you can read your Kindle device for up to 10 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to one month. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content."

I used it for two days, with the wireless on.  I've charged it three times , but haven't read anything more since then.  I can pop into the Goodwill store less than a mile away and buy a used book for $2 and be back in ten minutes.  I thought this was supposed to be easy!  I guess my definition of easy is different than most people's.

So you see what I mean?  "I Just Don't Understand".  This is the kind of thing that happens every time I try to move into the next level of technology.  Any technology!  Always!  Is anyone else having these kinds of problems?   Is it just me?  What am I doing wrong??  Does anyone know what I should do??  Is my Kindle defective?  Am I defective???  Why do machines hate me???? 

I'm going to go read a plain old book now.

"Bits and Pieces" (ad infinitum)

Just a little bit of this and tiny piece of that....

***  The Big Guy is doing OK.  The facial drooping has gotten a bit better, although he says it doesn't feel any better or different.  The thing that appears to be the most bothersome is the eye watering.  The doctor warned him that the eye probably would not close properly and to watch out for dryness.  Well, his problem is certainly not dryness.  His eye is almost constantly watering.  He has taken to wearing a gauze pad held in place by an eye patch which helps a lot.  It is a bit like living with a pirate though!   Arrrggh, Matey!

*** The other thing that happened on Wednesday was that M-t-G got her first set of braces.  She anticipated only getting the top set (to make room for her canines which have no where to go), but ended up with a full set.  The first few days have been pretty painful while she eating.  There is a huge list of things she can't eat, and it encompasses many of her favorite things -- nuts, corn on the cob, popcorn, gummy anything, and so on.  She informed her mother and I Wednesday evening after dinner, "This is not making me happy!"  Well, nope, I guess it wouldn't.  Don't worry, honey, it will only be for a year or 18 months"  Cold comfort, I guess!

***  Last year from the end of May to September we had almost constant HOT (over 100F) weather, which got to be really uncomfortable and made just about everyone cranky.  This year we didn't hit 100F until August, which is an improvement.  Nevertheless, it has been over 100F again for the last 2 1/2 weeks.  OK, we're done now.  That's enough!!

***  M-t-G is experiencing some anxiety over going back to school this year.  Not only do we have the addition of braces (never easy on kids), but the poor kid has to go to a whole different school because of the School Board's decision to re-draw the school boundaries.   Arrrr!   Most of her friends will remain at the old school.  She met her new teacher yesterday and I hear that meeting went well.  School starts Monday, so we shall see. 

***  Ratchlet informed me that "Jersey Boys" (about The Four Seasons) is running for the next 3 weekends.  She will secure some good seats and put them on hold for one of the Friday nights, so I'll pay for them when I get there, but will have better seats than the "hoi polloi".  She can't get free tickets of course, but she can get good seats....I'll take it!  As the Associate Director for the theater she has a little pull, not much, but enough!  Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the show!  In fact, I'm already humming,  ".....big girls don't cry, big girls don't...."

***  Had dinner with our 2 best girls tonight at dessert heaven, The Cheesecake Factory!  Being the non-dessert person in the family, I only had one bite of the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake the Big Guy, M-t-G, and Ratchlet shared (they serve enormous pieces!)  They were all in 7th Heaven, particularly M-t-G.  I thought it was too rich and too sweet!  Heresy in my family!!

***  I'm continuing to run out of new things to read.  I haven't had a chance to go to the library this week, so I'm reduced to re-reading some of the books that I have.  Several folks have urged me to get a Kindle, which gives you access to hundreds of books almost instantly.  Considering how quickly I go through books, it would make a lot of sense, but I'm resistant.  I love books and somehow reading electronic versions just doesn't seem like it could possibly be the same!  Besides, I'm cheap!  I wish I knew someone who has one that I could borrow for a couple of days.  So far, no luck in that quarter.  Maybe I can squeeze in a side trip to the library tomorrow.  That would hold me for another couple of weeks!

***   I have an addictive personality.  I'm not at all tempted by alcohol or illegal drugs, but after my experience during my one trip to Las Vegas, it is clear that I could become addicted to gambling very easily.  Hence, my "one trip to Las Vegas"!!  So actually, my only addictions are smoking and Pepsi!  I drank nothing but Pepsi and Pepsi Free for years!  I was notorious for always having Pepsi in my travel bottle!  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Midnight snack....didn't matter, Pepsi was my drink of choice.  Well, this past year, for whatever reason I don't know, I have drastically reduced my Pepsi intake.  Now you might think that is good news.   Well, not as much as it could be.  You see, I've just replaced Pepsi with iced tea!  That's all I order in restaurants and since I found that I can purchase pre-made, unsweetened tea by the gallon (wheee!), I am pretty sure I have slipped over into a tea addiction.   I can go through a couple of gallons in a week!  Like I said, addicted!   I sure wish I could become addicted to something positive for a change, like saving money, or cleaning, or the like.  I'm pretty darn sure that won't ever happen.  I'm too busy enjoying blogging, FaceBook, and Iced Tea!

Okay, that's enough random thoughts for tonight....besides it's time for more tea!!

"The Counting Song"

I have been feeling conspicuously uninspired lately. Nothing interesting to write about has popped into my little brain. So many of you are faithful readers and stop by everyday! But I just don't have it in me to write unless I have something at least mildly interesting to write about. It's a dilemma! So for today, I'll do a list!! Ten More Things I just Don't Get!!
10.  Fake Friends....You know the kind, they're only your friends if you can do them some good! 

9.  Food (sometimes)....I've never been a big eater and I've never been one to turn to food to cheer me or comfort me.  I get no joy from cooking.  I eat most of the time because I have to.  I enjoy a good meal, but sometimes  finding something to eat is just a big old pain in the neck!

  8.  Reality TV....The very concept makes me shudder!  I have NEVER watched any of them....not Survivor, not American Idol, not race/scavenger hunt thing, not the dance thing, none of them.  The Big Guy and I are probably the only two people anywhere who can truthfully say that!

7.  Guys, for the Love of God, Pull Up Your Pants!!  .... with or without visible skin!  None of it is good, really!  Come on, surely these idiots must realize how stupid they look??  How can they not know??  Are there no standards left ANYWHERE??  Walking around with your pants around your knees and your underwear flaunted is supposed to be sexy?????  Oh please, don't these people ever see a mirror??

6.  Library Book Repeats .... Why oh why, do I almost invariably check out 10+ books and realize after I'm home, that I've already read at least one of them! 

5.  Mid-size Paperbacks....It used to just be a choice between hard covers and paperbacks....very easily distinguished from one another and priced accordingly.  When did all these oddball large- sized paperbacks with higher prices come into play?  They aren't easier to read, they're not lighter than a paperback, and they're certainly not a bargain price!  There is no advantage to buying as far as I can tell.  Seems like publishers just want to line their coffers with a few more of our dollars.  I get extremely tired of being thought of as oblivious, undiscerning, gullible, and downright stupid by companies just looking for more money!  I know costs rise, but can't they just say, "Sorry folks, we have to raise prices because of costs."  Instead they try to trick us into believing that something is better when it is clearly NOT!

4.  Matronly Clothes....Ok, I am short, 5'2".  The only clothes that fit me without major alterations are items made for the "petite" female.  However, I am not 16, nor am I 80 years old!  Why can't clothes designers understand that small and short does not mean TEENAGE! (I won't even talk about "slutty"!)  And ever more importantly, not teenage does not mean dowdy, matronly, "old lady" clothes.  Please give us a few more options here!

3.  And speaking of Alterations....A man buying a suit or a pair of pants can often get alterations done at the store of purchase with NO EXTRA CHARGE!  This is true even at most mid-level department stores.  Whereas for women, most stores don't even offer alterations to women until you get into the very top-end stores, and not always even then, and extremely rarely without charge.   Equality for Women?.....yeah, right!

2. Package Warnings....Why do all cigarette packages and advertising, have to have printed warnings about the potential dangers, yet alcohol is not subject to the same type of warnings??  Alcohol is significantly addictive, destructive and dangerous too.  Why is there no warning like, "Warning: Use may lead to drunk driving, abusive behaviors, and impaired judgment that may result in death of human beings or animals!" 

1.  Garbage Bins....Why can't the crews of the Garbage trucks manage to put the bins back where they found them, not laying open in the street 3 houses down from they are supposed to go??  It is flat out rude and insulting.  Most of the time, they don't even try!  That just annoys me to no end....seriously!

End of rant for tonight!!  I feel better already!   :)


P.S.....Hmmm, in reading over this post, I am getting the feeling that I may have ranted about the things before.  Oops!  I'm sorry if they are repeats.  If they are repeats, it just proves that I still don't "get" them!

"Paperback Writer"

While I'm on the topic of books, a few more words about "Paperback Writers" (sort of a carry-over from yesterday).   I have recently discovered author websites, blogs, and even Facebook pages of a lot of my favorite writers.  I am actually "friends" with two of them, Facebook says so!

It's a lovely thing to be able to get "insider" information directly from the writer.  You can find out all sorts of interesting things.  Sometimes they have short excerpts from their next book, or they'll tell you the next date of publication, or they'll talk about their inspiration, their history, their backgrounds.  All of a sudden the writer becomes a real person who is sharing a real-life picture of who they are. 

They often discuss characters from their books, talking about them as if they were almost real.  I guess when you spend the months and months required to write a noval, the characters you create can take on a life of their own of sorts.  I love that.  

With books that I love, I also come close to thinking of some characters as real!  So much so that I want their story to go on and on.  "But what happens next?" is my frequent thought as I finish the last few pages. That's a great testament to the ability of the writer.  For that reason I'm happy when there is an epilogue or a  sequel or trilogies, or an on-going series of interrelated stories. I can hold on to the character and the story a little while longer. 

Back on the subject of social networking with writers (paperback and otherwise!),  sometimes you find out something that doesn't make you so happy.  For instance, one of my very favorite authors noted that it takes her about 2 years to write a book!  Two Years!!  In two years you could have two children, or sail around the world in a canoe, or read the collected works of Shakespere....twice!   Gee whiz, her books are good and all, but they're not "War and Peace" for heaven's sake! 

Of course, I know that you can't hurry these things, writing is a very personalized talent, you can only write the way you can write!  It is just frustrating for the reader.  When I get a new book by one of my favorite authors, I must force myself to ration my reading.  I have to limit myself to only reading a small portion each day.  In this manner, I can make a new book last for a maximum of about 4 days, 5 days IF I've had a busy week!  Otherwise, I'd finish them in one sitting!  But even if rationing is successful, there is still a 2 year wait till the next one!  It does make me appreciate her books more, and thankfully, hers are of the sort that I can read multiple times, so that helps fill the gap....some!

That's a pretty selfish point of view, I guess, thinking only of my own reading habits.  Still, if you were to go to her FB page, you would see comment after comment from her other readers, expressing similar impatience for the next book.  Some of the comments are funny or well done, but my very favorite comment was simply, "Write faster."   LOL!    Concise and to the point!  I didn't write it, but I wish I had!  Gotta love it!

Anyway, if you are interested in the personal side of your favorite
"Paperback Writer", look for them on Facebook or Google,  I'll bet they are there somewhere....fooling around with clever comments and talking to people, when they KNOW they should be back at work.... writing faster!!

"Bookends"

I have or have had a lot of different interests, activities, or hobbies over the course of my lifetime, everything from Acting to Zoos.  Many have lasted quite a while, like music, singing, games.  Others have come....and gone....in the flash of an eye....like needlework, and crafts of all sorts.  But there has been one constant that never has gone away and I seriously doubt it ever will.  Reading! 

Books are kind of the "bookends" of my life.  I cannot remember ever not being able to read.  There is some speculation that I might very well have been born with a book in my hand!  The consensus is that while I might not have been actually born with a book in hand... I probably picked one up on the way to the newborn nursery!

At the opposite end of life, if I were to die having just finished a wonderful book, I would die a happy woman.  See?  "Bookends!"  And if there is some kind of afterlife, if there aren't books and reading, I'm not going!

Everywhere I go, I have a book with me....either in my purse or somewhere close at hand.  If I go out to eat, I take a book.  If I have a doctor or dental appointment, I take a book.  Hairdresser??  I take a book.  Babysitting???  I've got a book.  Vacation or business trip???   SEVERAL books!!

If I don't have a book or something else to read, I don't know what to do with my hands or where to look.  Books are my escape, my refuge, my best friends!  I LOVE books. 

Writers of books are like idols to me.  I can put a sentence or a paragraph or two together, but write a 400 page novel or a biography or whatever?  I could never do that!  Ever!  The people who have the ability write must have an extra chromosome or something that the rest of us don't have.  And there are hundreds of thousands of people who are (or were) considered AUTHORS.

Of course, there are many levels to writing.  Not everyone has the same ability or style or command of language.  There are poor writers who nonetheless have managed to put together a book and convince somebody to publish it!  Actually, poor writers who have enough concentration or talent or whatever it is, to string enough words together to end up with a "book", albeit a poor one, still amaze me. 

And then there are the plots (I'm speaking about fiction now).  Great ideas that get fleshed out with  fully-developed characters that are believable and that you end up caring about.  Words that not only tell a story, but give a message or a moral, or make you laugh.  That's why books are so powerful!    It's what makes the difference between a Bronte and a Bozo!  

Most of the time when I read, I don't do a bunch of analysis on the message or the moral.  I have no interest in taking a book apart like they do in book clubs.  I read for enjoyment, not to critique.   I don't read anything heavy (either in weight or content).  I don't particularly like short stories or novellas either.  I will read one or two in a pinch, but I read very fast and I just go through them like the wind!  Besides, you are just beginning to be interested in the characters or the story and, BAM, its over.  I find that very unsatisfying.  I've gone through mysteries, political thrillers, and science fiction phases.  After a while those genres get tedious, predictable, unbelievable or sometimes all three!

For the last several years I have been reading "womens' fiction".  Authors of this type of book are overwhelmingly female (is that a given??) who are exploring the relationships women have with their spouse, their mothers, their children, their friends.  They can be written humorously or deadly seriously.  They can have a little love or romance. They can be deeply moving or superficial.  They can have happy endings or not and that's okay. 

There are some wonderful authors writing in this genre.  There are the masters:  Nora Roberts, Judith Kranz, Maeve Binchy, Danielle Steel, Sandra Brown, Debbie Macomber, and the Queen of them all, Anne Rivers Siddons.  There are also the newcomers (at least new to me):  Dorothea Benton Frank, Sheryl Woods, Robyn Carr, Marion Keyes, Emilie Richards.  And in a special group, my favorites!  These are the ones that I will run to buy their new hardcovers as soon as they are published:  Susan Wiggs, Barbara Bretton, Barbara Delinsky, Jennifer Cruisie, Kristin Hannah.  And in a class by herself, the hysterical and masterful  and incomperable Susan Elizabeth Phillips!  For my money, she's the best of the best!

 I love reading these ladies' work.  Some I have read again and again. There are many, many more writers, of course, that I haven't discovered yet.  Not to worry, I'll get to them.  These days I have lots of time to read and that's a dream come true!   So, I'll keep reading until the other end of the "bookends" crops up and there's no more time.   

It's not original to me, of course, but an appropriate epitaph for me just might be:

"So many books, so little time"  

"The Unfinished Symphony"

With the exception of my mom, everyone in my family loves to read. Me, Mikey, Ratchlet, Little Sis, her kids, T.A., Maddie the Great, and my dad -- we all spend as much time as physically possible reading a book, newspaper, or magazine (or in a real pinch, the milk carton or cereal box on the kitchen table!) Its been that way for as long as I can remember. If Mom needed my dad, Little Sis, or me, she didn't even usually try calling us more than once. She would just stand in the doorway of the room we were in and sort of stare at us....even though we would inevitably be reading and oblivious, particularly my dad. Eventually she would get frustrated enough to walk over to where we were and rattle the newspaper or tap the book to get our attention. Then, depending on whether or not she was really mad, she would either roll her eyes and grumble angrily, or she would just walk away shaking her head as if to say, "Hopeless!" I don't know if she ever understood it, but she did come to accept it. Her family was full of readers.

Little Sis and I, of course, inherited this from Dad. He loved to read. Most children never really know their parents very well, but this was the one thing about him of which I was absolutely certain. He never had enough time to read as much as he would have liked.

He was a pretty eclectic reader too. He read what ever was handy. For most of the time I was growing up, there wasn't a lot of extra money for dad to buy things for himself, like books! No such thing as Half-Priced Books and going to the Library never seemed to be an option. (I don't know why. It would have been heaven-sent for my dad.) When LS and I got old enough to pick out books for him as gifts for his birthday and Christmas, I think he was thrilled. It was the only way he got books of his own.

Looking back I finally see how hard this must have been for him. I cannot imagine not having books available to read whenever I want. He didn't have that availability. It was a running joke in our family that, anytime dad would take us into the city to go shopping (we lived in a very small town and Mom didn't drive), he would disappear within about a minute and a half of our entering the store or mall. Mom, LS, and I would spend the bulk of the day, getting what we needed and when we were done, there was no question that we find Dad in the nearest Book Section. There he would always be. Standing by the shelves, holding a half-finished hard cover book in his hands, which he immediately returned to the shelf. Never once do I remember him actually buying the book he had spent the afternoon with. He left unfinished books all over town. I don't know how he could bear it.

He picked up all sorts of random knowledge about a wide range of things. He would never admit to being smart (even though he was), he would just say he was like a Jack-of-all-trades -- he knew a little bit about a lot of things, but not a lot about any one thing. In some ways that sort of summed up Dad's life.

I always felt he never quite figured out what he wanted to be when he grew up. Mainly, I suppose, because of lack of opportunity due to the Depression, no college, WWII, and right into marriage and family responsibilities. He never had the chance or the choice to find out what he wanted to do, where his own gifts would lead him. He was always too busy working to support himself, his mother, or his family. His life, like the books he left on the shelves, had that unfinished quality....the pieces never quite came together, never tied up all the loose ends, never fully explored the possibilities.

So he took his refuge in reading. I am glad that he had that love of reading. It was the one thing that always made him happy.

My dad died much too soon and somewhat unexpectedly 3 months before his 60th birthday. He died of a heart attack at 2:00 a.m. on December 26th, after a lovely holiday celebrated with the whole family. The last photograph we have of him was taken that Christmas evening just a few hours before he died. That photo caught the essence of my dad as we knew him best. In it, he is reading the book that we had just given him for Christmas, oblivious to having his picture taken. He was doing the one thing he loved -- reading a book. I'll never know, of course, but I've always hoped he had time to finish it.