This, That and The Other

Whatcha been dooooooin'....?

Me?

I've been:

a) not blogging.

b) READING. I mean reading like they're about to stop making books.

I've read The Thirteenth Tale (for the third time. I'm telling y'all. It's hard to get into, but the ending. OMG. The ending. It makes it all worth it.)

I've read Guilt By Association (a friend's suggestion). Another one with a great ending, although I felt like I was trudging through parts in the middle.

And, also, because I'm a girl and I thought it was a requirement to read Nicholas Sparks, I read his most recent The Best of Me. Oh, sweet Lord. Those are a couple days of my life I'll never have back. CHEE-SY! I feel like Mr. Sparks might owe me some compensation for the part of my brain his corny story is occupying and won't relinquish.

c) learning Spanish. ¡Ay de mi! Es muy dificil. Posiblemente, porque soy estúpido.* Y'all? This is not an aptitude for me. I have a friend (from Brazil nonetheless) who says she loves learning new languages. This. is. not. something I can comprehend. But, I refuse (REFUSE. Do you hear me?!) to let this thing beat me! So. After a brief lengthy hiatus, I'm back at it. Rosetta Stone made me do about ten reviews before I was back at the lesson where I left off. I think that was it's way of reminding me how long I'd been gone. Tacky, Rosetta Stone. Tacky.

d) traveling. When you think of a chid-friendly, blast of a destination, where do you think? NEW JERSEY! I know! Us too! Long story, short, we were going to go with another couple to visit some friends who had moved to Jersey. But at the last minute the other couple had to cancel. Since our kids have known this family (in Elizabeth's case, literally) their whole lives, we decided to pack them up and take them with us. Best decision we've made in a while. Our kids and their kids had such a blast together, there were even a few damp eyes as our visit neared its end. And, on the drive to the airport, the kids asked why we can't just move to New Jersey. I'd say that's a good time.

e) holding down the fort. Shawn's out of town. Again. But, he gets back tonight. I would like to reiterate my theory that he just leaves town so I will appreciate how much better life is when he's here. That. And, he wants to be sure I know who the favored parent is by letting me hear our children ask, "When is Daddy coming home?" three or four times a day.

So. That's life in a nutshell.

I'm going to work on Spanish. *groan*

* Use Google Translate - you can see what that means.

Me, me, me, me, me, me, me

Feel like kicking cancer in the crotch today? Go give a donation to support me when I walk in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 2nd. Click here. Seriously. Wanna give a dollar? That's AWESOME. When we put it all together, we WILL find a cure for breast cancer. Then no one else has to lose their mommy, or their wife, or their daughter, or their aunt, or their sister, or their friend...

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Now. More about me. I need a new book to read, please. And, before you start flinging suggestions based solely on Oprah's Book Club, know this: Oprah's Book Club books make me want to open a vein. The real world has plenty of misery, and overcoming adversity, and spilling sympathetic tears to satisfy me, thanks.

What I just finished reading and loved (mock me if you must) was Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. This is exactly the kind of book I like, mysteries that make you think - but, are fiction. Fictional fiction-y fiction! At no time while reading the book did I lament the plight of ten strangers on an island who were being systematically murdered by one of their own. There was no call to action. There was no questioning God about the misery in the world. There was no desire to jump up and go protect the weakest among us.

My very favorite book of all time is The Thirteenth Tale. It's a little bit literary (which makes me feel all scholarly and smart), but it's still a really good make-you-think-mystery. It's the only book I have ever read that, after having read the last page, I immediately turned back to the first page and began reading again. If you haven't read this book - YOU SHOULD. That's my book suggestion for you. You're welcome. (But, now that I think about it, I might need something a little more mindless right now...)

So, knowing all of this, are you totally confused or do you have any good suggestion for me?