Waiting For The Storm

I don't remember whether or not my parents listened closely to the weather reports or that the weather people told of impending storms more than a week away. I do know that I have been hearing about how we're going to have a "big storm" this weekend for about a week now. It was a winter storm watch yesterday so I went grocery shopping. I was told this morning that it was a Winter Storm Warning starting at 3pm. When it started to flurry around 2:15 I thought, uh-oh...earlier than they predicted, maybe it's going to be more than they thought. However, it only snowed for about an hour and now, it's 8:15pm and it's only snowing lightly again. There were a few flakes around 6:30 but nothing that stuck and definitely not the "SNOWMAGEDDON" they have been warning us about. I'm happy it's not too bad and I know that things can change and I could wake up tomorrow to a foot of snow, but for now, I'm just waiting.

I remember the Blizzard of '79 where we got FEET of snow and school was actually canceled and our garage roof collapsed. I remember the Valentine's Day blizzard a few years back when I had to trudge through snowbanks to be one of the only people to go to work (and our heater died).

I like snowstorms. Or I like at least 1 snowstorm a season. I like how it makes everything clean and quiet. I like getting the exercise of shoveling. I like making the first tracks in the snow. When I lived in Florida, people didn't understand that I missed snow. I guess growing up with it, you have a fondness for it.

So I'm ready for whatever happens. I have food. I have books. I am watching movies and Blue Planet II on Netflix. The NFL Playoffs are on TV on Sunday. The cats are snuggling on the couch and in their beds.

I'll let you know tomorrow if I have changed my mind about the snow.

Another Rough One

Ugh. Woke up today feeling really tired and down. Opened the door and the curtain and discovered it was snowing. The weatherman promised sun, but it never appeared. It did snow off and on all day. I know we're expecting a storm this weekend, but it didn't do anything for my mood. I made myself some breakfast and thought about going to the store. Also thought I might drive the PM rush hour for Lyft, but didn't do that either. I took a couple of naps which just made me more tired. Also developed a headache. That could be from the approaching storm, or my just general feel of malaise.

This weekend I'm gonna take pictures of all the things I plan to sell and put them up on eBay and Craigslist and maybe even Facebook. I think I'll feel better to get rid of some of this clutter. I also plan on driving for Lyft tomorrow night and Saturday night and Sunday brunch hours probably. Those were the times last year that I found to be more profitable for me.

I should be finished with one of the books I am reading tonight. I've also been cooking for myself a lot more which always makes me feel good.

I know this down phase is just a phase and it will pass. I usually get a little down after the holidays. After you take down the decorations, the house just seems so plain. The weather is dreary too. The older I get however, the faster the time goes and before long I'll be back on the water taxis and hopefully in captain's class.

For now I'm gonna go read my book and have a restful sleep. Ready for a busy, productive weekend.

What a Week It's Been!

I am glad this week is over and that basically, the holidays are over and things will get back to being somewhat normal. I get the car back from the mechanic tomorrow and will be able to drive for Lyft and make some money. I also get to certify my Unemployment claim on Tuesday so I should be getting a small, but helpful check from the state too. I also now have a positive bank account. All good things and although it took awhile, I am now ready to start the year. I am in a better place than I have been all week and it's nice to actually be able to breathe and relax just a bit.

I am sorry that the Bears lost, and I did probably post a "not nice" thing about Cody Parkey on Facebook, but that was in the heat of the moment. I do understand that it's a game and as a lifelong Chicago sports fan, I should be used to the ups and downs of our teams. The Bears had better season than anyone expected and it looks like they'll have a good team for a bit. Also, now I can enjoy the Super Bowl for the ads because I won't have a real interest in whichever two teams are playing in it this year.

I do have a plan for selling some things to help my financial situation as well too. One of the positive things about having as many interests as I do, means I have several different things to sell. Things that should appeal to all different kinds of people. I have some leather Harley-Davidson motorcycle jackets. I have a bridle and a tack trunk and other "horsey" things for equestrian types. I have some antique furniture. I also have a set of original American Girl dolls, and some of their accessories AND all of their Christmas outfits, and even a Christmas Tree (I believe). They've been sitting across the hall for years and I haven't looked at them or used them or worn them, so I'm hoping that they can bring joy to others.

I read a lot last night so I should also be finished with my first book of the year by tomorrow night or Tuesday.

So as it's been said before ONWARD & UPWARD!

2019 Starts As A Blank Slate...Can't Wait To See How I Fill It

I'm back! After taking 2018 off from blogging, I'm ready to get at it again. I should be able to take a few minutes every day to write something, thoughts, worries, hopes, dreams, insights and hopefully, many adventures.

As the clock struck midnight, ushering in a new year, I lay in bed watching revelers in Chicago kiss, dance, drink, cheer and whatever else happens on TV. Thankfully my neighborhood didn't erupt in the usual gunfire and fireworks. Then I thought about the year that had passed and how I was starting 2019. I am honestly starting with a lot less than I had hoped. I have a negative bank account balance, I'm off from my fantastic (but seasonal) job, my car is broken down so I don't even have the ability to do my "off season" job of driving for Lyft.  

However, I don't want to focus on what I don't have. I want to focus on what I do have and the prospects of what I can achieve in the upcoming year. I have a roof over my head. I have clothes to wear. I have food to eat. I have three cats that love to cuddle. I have the chance to advance my career to the next level. Captain's class is going to be tough, but it's going to be worth it. And I have the best support system around from my colleagues who have become good friends in just 2 short years. My mother used to tell a story of a determined look I'd get on my face when there's something I really want. I really want to pass this class so I'm hoping that look is planted on my face permanently (or at least until I'm done with the tests). 

Becoming a Captain is the big goal for 2019 but I have some smaller ones too. I'd like to read more. I think I can try for a book a week. Amazon sends me a free book every month and I'm a good 6 months behind on those to read. I bought a couple of books for a train ride sometime early last year, and one of them remain unopened. 

I'd like to write more. I'd like to blog/journal every day. It's a great way of getting down what happened, keeping me on track for my goals, and remembering where I've been. 

I'd like to take an actual vacation at the end of the year. I don't know if it will be a cruise, a trip to Vegas (which I've only driven through), a trip to somewhere I've never been, or even just renting a cabin up in Door County for a long weekend. I haven't been on a vacation in over 7 years, I think it's time. 

Other than that I just want to continue being the passionate, slightly wacky, intelligent, honest, loyal, creative, good friend, good cook & goddess that I am!

Thanks again for reading and thanks for joining me on my 2019 journey.

Day 8--A book you love and one you didn't

Boy, I am about a week behind on these. My fault. Just doing to much during the day/evening and then being too tired to write, but I'm going to catch up today.

Asking me to pick one book I love is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child, but since it just says "a" book, I suppose out of the thousands I do love, that I can pick one. The one I didn't is probably easier, but I'll do them in order.

One of the books I love and have always loved is actually a collection of short stories by Pam Houston called "Cowboys Are My Weakness" published in 1992. She hasn't written much since this one but these are so good, she really didn't have to. These stories are great for single girls or women to read. They have adventure, romance, humor--everything that I was looking for at the time. My Mom told me about the book, as my parents taught me about lots of authors I ended up enjoying. What I like about them is that it's intelligent women looking for men. I had just graduated from college when this came out and it was perfect for me at the time because I was working at a riding stable. I have often reread this book and it always brings a smile to my face.

I was an English major in college so I read a lot of books. Some of them I liked, some I was really not a fan of. One of those books was "The Brothers Karamazov"by Dostoevsky. Could be that I was taking a Russian literature course where we read "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina" and "The Brothers Karamazov" all in the same semester (along with some other short stories). These books are long and everyone is named Vronsky, or Viktor or some V name and it's hard to keep track of the characters. Now I had already read the poem contained within the book "The Grand Inquisitor" and wasn't a fan of the poem either. Funny thing about me not liking this book though was that my best friend at the time thought it was the greatest book she had ever read and when I told her I didn't like it she told me to "take it back." Well, it was my opinion so I didn't take it back. Maybe that's why we're not best friends anymore. But anyway, I find most Russian literature dark, long and boring. It also doesn't know when to end. They seem to write another 300 pages after what I would see as the ending, just because they can. I mean, maybe there was nothing else to do during the long Russian winters. And I know Dostoevsky wrote it as a "serial" so maybe he just wanted to keep his readers before he thought of something else to write. Anyway, it's not my favorite. Whereas I would pick up "Cowboys Are My Weakness" anytime...I would probably only pick up "The Brothers Karamozov" again if I was forced to.

30 Day Writing Challenge--Day 4--10 Interesting Facts About Yourself

Talking about myself...something I'm not very good at, so I'm just going to list these facts and maybe elaborate them on another occasion.

1. I am an avid reader and have over 3,000 lbs of books.

2. I've been riding horses and motorcycles since I was 5 years old.

3. I have a B.A. in English and have had jobs in retail, motorcycles, horses, computers, advertising, non-profit organizations, and music.

4. I still sleep with a stuffed animal I received my junior year in high school.

5. I have never broken a bone in my body.

6. My favorite recipes to cook are ones from my great-grandmother, mother and father, it makes me feel closer to them now that they are gone.

7. I have read (and UNDERSTOOD), the Canterbury Tales in Middle English and Beowulf in Old English.

8. I am very opinionated, but not very political or religious.

9. I am the only one in my immediate family who does not have a drinking problem.

10. Football is my favorite sport but I always fantasized about being married to a PGA golfer.

Back to the Books

I'm a reader. A voracious reader. I've been reading for many, many years. I had a teacher tell my parents to not let me read so much because I was ahead of the other kids in class. I was an English major. I have read and recited The Canterbury Tales in Old English.  I have over 3,000 pounds of books. In one class in one semester in college I read Anna Karenina, War & Peace and Crime and Punishment. I read the Harry Potter books before I saw the movies. I read The Princess Bride before I saw the movie. Jurassic Park is a better book. The Horse Whisperer has a very different ending in print than on the big screen.

Now, I also love movies and television. I also love in this day and age that when I go to bed at night I have my favorite movies or TV shows right at my fingertips on my iPad. But I need to get back to reading. I had challenged myself to read 24 books by the end of this year. That's only 2 a month. I'm behind. Way behind and it's October. I do miss my commute in Chicago where I could read before and after work on the train. Now I have to pay attention to the traffic and the roads. So for the next month the iPad will be off and I will read at night. Every night. Let's see how many books I can read in the next 3 weeks. The TV shows and movies aren't going anywhere.

Reading in the 21st Century

I just got a Kindle Paperwhite as a late Christmas gift from Eric and his Mom. Now, I know all you naysayers and purists may say that I'm putting my local bookstore out of business, but really, are there local bookstores anymore? I honestly miss going to bookstores, smelling the books, wandering in between the shelves and finding a new author or a a favorite classic that I can spend a few hours with. But I have to admit that the first 20 minutes I've spent with the Kindle have been quite nice. The screen actually feels like pages of a book, less smooth than the iPad I was using to read, and definitely less bulky. The pages look like pages from a book, and yes, although I am not going to physically turn the pages, or smell the fresh ink, I think I'm going to have a good time with this. What's nice about the Kindle, and I know others have said this, is that I can stick in in my backpack, or in my purse, and then pull it out on the train, or during my lunch at work, and it's not taking up any more space on my shelves. The last book I read was the Steve Jobs book and I got the physical book. It was big, and bulky and believe me, there were times it was awkward to place on my lap when sharing a seat on a crowded train. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, the past 3 or 4 times I have moved I have paid to have 3,000 POUNDS of books moved. Now, each one is a memory, a look into my past, or a new beginning or outlook, but if I can buy new books from my couch and have it in a second, I am all for that.

I was an English major in college and was always writing in the margins and highlighting my favorite passages or quotes. Now, I can do that electronically and then share them with others almost instantly, and have them arranged in a somewhat orderly fashion. I can also look at what others wrote. Back in college, I could only get other's comments by buying a used book and sometimes, although the notes were funny, they were not relevant.

I do truly believe that this will also help me keep my resolution of reading more. I've already downloaded samples of 5 books and a book by one of my favorite author's who's hardcover book that came out in October of last year, I couldn't afford. I like that it's right here and I can start reading it tonight. Also, I like the "sample" idea. That way I can get a feel for the book. Believe me if I had owned a Kindle when I bought "A Million Little Pieces"by James Frey, I would have know how awful the book was before I dished out the money for it. It's a book that's so bad I can't even GIVE it away.

I will still buy physical books, I can't help it. I will still search for local bookstores and go to my local library. But for right now, I'm going to try them the eBook way.

So don't hate me for turning to the 21st Century and embracing it.

Starting Over

Here it is, the last day of 2010 and I noticed that once again, I have been neglecting my blogging duties and haven't had an entry since August! Well, New Year's is the time for resolutions and starting new, or at least they say it is. 2010 was a good year. I was employed for the entire year and although I was still a contractor, I stayed at the same company, handled changes, new bosses, new duties and even got a new computer the last week of work. I went to my first Drum Corps show which was amazing. It was in Minneapolis, which was another first for me and I found the city charming. The show got rained out or rather violent stormed out, but the Corps I did get to see were fantastic and have made me a fan for life. I ate at several new restaurants, some good, some just so so. I turned 40. I picked up a guitar for the first time since college and began playing again. I stood in line at the Apple Store for the release of the iPad so I could be one of the first to have one. Met Derrick Rose on the same day. I reconnected with my brother whom I hadn't spoken to since I moved out of Florida. And, of course, I really enjoyed cooking with my oven! I'm not going to look back on regret on the fact that I didn't read all 100 books I was planning on reading or that I didn't blog every day or every other day about it. Can't change the past, just have to move forward.

So, since I made promises that I simply couldn't or didn't keep last year, this year I'm making no promises. Just a list of things I would like to do/achieve in 2011.

• I would like to be employed permanently. (Hopefully with the company I've been "contracting" for for 2 years.)
• I would like to learn a new song a week on the guitar. Meaning I will have to play every day and by next New Year's Eve have a repertoire of 52 songs!
• I would like to read more and watch TV less. I have an iPad and Kindle loaded on my iPad and computer so there is no reason that I can't download any number of books I would like reading.
• I would like to get in better shape. The plan is to join the YMCA and start out in the pool until my muscles are used to working out again. I want to lose weight, yes...but I would also like to simply be fitter.
• I would like to continue to cook new recipes and explore new restaurants.
• I would like to go to Minneapolis in July and see a complete Drum Corps show and especially stand in front of the horn line of Phantom Regiment to feel that awesome power!
• I would like to go to London in November, and if not...Door County for Thanksgiving or Jamaica for Christmas.
• I would like to write in my blog every day.
• I would like to get back on a horse at some point during the year. I miss riding every day and being around those gentle giants.
• I would like to take our St. Bernard, Harley on more walks, which would be good for us both.
• I would like to swim in Lake Michigan at least once during the summer.
• I would like to see another opera.
• I would like to go to a live sporting event, whether it be golf tournament, football game, baseball game or hockey game.

So those are just a few of the things I'd like to see happen in 2011. Let's check back in a year and see how many of them I accomplished. I'm stubborn, and when I set my mind to something, I can do anything!

Another Whine Bites the Dust

Earlier this week I finished "The Anthologist" by Nicholson Baker. This was the next book on my list of the now 45 fiction books I am reading this year. Several years ago Mr. Baker wrote a book called "Vox." I remember this book because everyone said it was very controversial. It was about phone sex, which, as Americans, we're not supposed to talk about in public. I got caught up in the "ooohhh...giggle, giggle, we can't read that" baloney that the news was all atwitter about and bought it. I hated it. It wasn't really about phone sex. Or maybe it was, somewhat. All I know and remember is that I was upset that it wasn't as racy, or controversial as I thought it would be. It was also not well written and it is now hidden somewhere in my boxes of books and if I don't happen to find it, I will not be too upset.

So lets just say I probably went into "The Anthologist" with a little bit of pre-conceived, "I'm not going to like this" attitude. But I'm always willing to give an author another shot. Especially because this one was about poetry and I have loved poetry, and some poets, for most of my life. Well, I read the first chapter and made a face. Here we had Paul Chowder who had just lost his girlfriend because he was supposed to be writing an introduction to an anthology of poetry and he couldn't get himself to do it. She was tired of waiting for him to do it, or do anything in fact, that she moved out. So here was another book about another middle-aged whiner. He whined about being alone, he whined about not being able to write, he whined about having to travel, he whined about free verse. Well boo f*ing hoo. I whined because I kept reading the book. It was short, thank goodness, and I could read a chapter or two on the train in the morning and again on the way home. He did have some clever alliterations in there like thinking another poets work was a "firkin of flaccidness." But he also had weird parts that didn't really belong in the book like the time he ran into Edgar Allen Poe in the grocery store and asked him about The Raven. Not sure if this was a dream or if it was just a daydream or he actually thought he ran into Edgar Allen Poe. He also kept falling down and cutting himself, which of course, meant he had to call his ex to come take care of him. In the end, he wrote the introduction, started dating the ex again, and became a carpenter instead of a poet/teacher. Another ho hum ending to a life I really cared nothing about.

The next book in my list is "The Art Student's War." I haven't bought it yet, but I just received a free kindle download for my Mac, meaning I could read the book on my computer. I know, all my friends in publishing are screaming "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" right now. I may try it out. It's cheaper than the actual book, plus, I spend enough time on my laptop that it would be just as easy to carry that on the train as it would the book. It's just an experiment. And I didn't have to buy a Kindle in order to try it out, so all in all, I'm only out $15, rather than hundreds. I have not heard of the author of "The Art Student's War" so I cannot go into this book with any prior ideas. That is a good beginning right there. Also, its about a woman, so hopefully no whining.

Change of Plans

So as some of you may have noticed, I have not blogged in over a month. I seem to be bad about keeping up with this, no matter how good my intentions are. I will pledge once again to try and keep up with it, because I enjoy writing and getting words out there is good for me.

Anyway, the reason for not blogging is that I have not been feeling all that well. Went to the doctor to find out that I had high blood pressure, but went back last month and without medication I got it down on my own. I was also having some dizzy spells and some headaches but those seem to be calming down as well. A couple of weeks ago I couldn't really eat which was good for weight loss, but bad for headaches. I seem to be back on track. I'm feeling normal, eating better, and I've lost 16 lbs which is good. I'm hoping all this is because I've been under some stress at work and am a little sick of winter. I need to see something green and hear some birds chirp soon.

One of the side effects of not feeling well has been that my book project has been put on hold. I finished "American Rust" which was absolutely amazing. It was well written, kept my interest, had interesting characters and it made me feel for what they were going through. Of the books I had read, this one was the best one so far. The author, Phillip Meyer was so descriptive, I felt like I was in that little run-down steel town and following along on the adventures of the characters. It did remind me of a John Steinbeck novel. A true slice of America and the hardships that happen every day.

I had started the next non-fiction book in my list, "The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science" and have gotten about a quarter of the way through it. It is well written and interesting, but I can only read a few pages at a time. The book is filled with information which is almost too much to take in. So, when I started having dizzy spells, I really didn't feel like focusing so hard on a book. I will admit I put it down and have not picked it back up yet. It is sitting on the coffee table waiting for me to stick it in my bag I take to work.

So now to my change of plans. I don't want to feel like I failed at my resolution, so I'm going to stick with reading the 45, well now 43, books on the fiction list. I figure I can get that done by the end of the year, it won't be as big a challenge for me and it will be something I enjoy more so will probably stick to it. Again, I don't want to say that I don't like non-fiction books. I just find that with things being busy at work and things also busy when I get home, I don't have time that the non-fiction books would require for me to truly understand them and enjoy them. If I had two weeks or more to read each book, that might be possible. But I want to give this resolution and the books a fair chance. In my mind, books are meant to be enjoyed and just right now, I am not enjoying the non-fiction books. Now that my health is back on track, it's time to get back on track with the reading AND the writing of the blog. I expect you, my friends and followers to help me keep this up. Keep asking about the blog, keep asking how the reading is going and I will be sure to let you know.

Back on Track!

So yesterday, after what seemed like weeks and weeks, I finished the first of the fiction books in my list of 100, "Amateur Barbarians." I hated it. It was one of those books that doesn't go anywhere, the book jacket and the little excerpt from the New York Times both lied to me. I was expecting a seriously funny, witty, or sarcastic book like the back of the book promised me, or at least one that was serious about its subject matter. As I told you, I had a hard time relating to the main characters and I felt even less connected to them when they had their "big epiphanies" or whatever they had. These two middle-aged men, who's lives were terrible and just got more so. There were no answers and as far I as could tell, they had try to make changes and ended up going to exactly where they were before they started their journeys. I didn't see them as "barbarians." The one man went to Africa to save his pregnant daughter and ended up staying, going on a pilgrimage of sorts, and then going back to his hum-drum suburban life to his kids who didn't respect or need him, and his wife who had a very unsuccessful affair with the other sad sack man in the story. The story jumped around and jumped around badly. Plus, the big things in this book, the trip to Africa and the affair happened basically 50 pages from the end of the book. There was a lot of masturbating which seemed unnecessary to me, and a lot of feeling sorry for yourself. We all have pity parties from time to time, but these men lived them constantly. Yuck.

So, now, basically I only have 1 day of leeway left for the rest of the 98 books I have to read by the end of the year. I got the next two books today. "American Rust" by Philipp Meyer is the work of fiction. I'm already concerned because they say he writes like Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy, two very "male" authors. I don't like Hemingway. If this is another "man" read, I'm going to struggle to get through it. I hope not. But I'll let you know. I'm going to take on the fiction book first this time.

My non-fiction choice is "The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science." This is another long book, but I believe will hold my interest more than the quantum physics book did. I will also let you know on this one.

So, no more procrastinating, no more delays. 2 books a week, 50 weeks left in the year. I will do this. I will not end up like the pathetic characters in "Amateur Barbarians." I do not want to go on this journey and not get anything out of it.

Let The Wild Rumpus Start!

2010 arrived today, not with a wild rumpus, but with a kiss and a hug and falling asleep before midnight. Eric and I watched the ball drop in Times Square though, so that usually means it's officially the new year, no matter where you are in the US. It was quiet in our neighborhood at the stroke of midnight. I could hear distant fireworks but no one was shooting off guns or yelling wildly or honking car horns. I like it that way. In my younger days I used to love to wait up and have a champagne toast, wear a silly hat, or as I did in Florida, jump into a pool sans clothing. Now I appreciate the quiet evenings at home, watching a movie or a football game or playing a game of Scrabble. I also appreciate not having to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade with a hangover.

So on this first day of 2010, I awoke with the sun. Usually I am up before the sun, so it was nice that we got up together today. Then I went grocery shopping, came home, watched the parade, watched some football, made some homemade chicken noodle soup, and began my resolution of reading the first of those 100 books I plan on getting through.

I had two choices. My fiction choice was "Amateur Barbarians" by Robert Cohen and my non-fiction choice was "The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics was Reborn" by Louisa Gilder. I chose the non-fiction book because I figure you should always start the new year out with the truth. Plus, I was never big on physics, quantum or otherwise, so I knew I would struggle with this book and figured it would be a good challenge. I was a little concerned that the end of the book contained 100 pages worth of glossary terms and notes, but got over that after looking at the glossary and realizing that I knew more about physics and scientific terms than I had remembered. Living with my mathematician step-father for all those years probably had something to do with it.

I am two chapters into the book and am finding it interesting but also realize that I still am not big on physics. The book contains excerpts from letters, interviews and conversations between all sorts of scientists including Einstein and Bohr. It has charts and footnotes and the author is doing her best to keep it an "easy" read rather than making the reader have to stop and look up every other word in the dictionary. But for me, this is a book where I am only going to be able to read a chapter and then will have to put the book down, think on it a bit and then pick it up again. I don't think this is like "Harry Potter" where I can read it in one sitting, nor do I want it to be. Part of this resolution is to introduce myself to new experiences, new authors, new ideas, and to maybe learn something or a lot of somethings in the process.

So even though the "entanglement" is sort of a "wild rumpus" in the quantum world, I'm going to take it in quietly, like my New Year's Eve celebrations.

A Book By Any Other Name...

I am a bibliophile. I absolutely love books. My dream home would have a library that would be bigger than the master bedroom with a fireplace and comfortable chairs to sit in. In my family, from a very early age, it was not Christmas without a book. I could spend hours in a bookstore. I go to the Printer's Row Book Fair (now called "LitFest") every summer with very little money because if I had more, I would buy many, many books. I bought a book yesterday as Eric and I were walking back to the car after dinner because it's title caught my eye. It's probably why I ended up being an English major in college. I have moved to Florida and back in the past 4 years and each time have moved over 3,000 POUNDS of books.

I love all kinds of books: mysteries, science fiction, novels, non-fiction, poetry, true crime, history, travel, cookbooks, sports stories, animal stories, and will even pick up a romance novel from time to time. I've read most, if not all of the classics, either because I had to, but mostly because I wanted to. When I was preparing for my move to Florida, and was thinning out my books, I had 5 copies of "The Picture of Dorian Gray", I weaned it down to 1. I have a set of the complete works of Shakespeare, and one of my favorite graduation gifts was "Bartlett's Famous Quotations."

I now find myself in a dilemma though. I am a fan of Amazon.com. I have bought many books, toys, electronic gadgets and even a Weber grill off of the site. As you may know, Amazon has a device called "Kindle" which is a little handheld device about the size of a small paperback on which you can download books, newspapers from all over the country and the world, and magazines. It downloads the book wirelessly, and all "bestsellers" are only $9.99. The Kindle holds 1,500 books, although if you get the newest model the "DX", you can have 3,500 books in something the size of a magazine. Considering most of my 3,000 pounds of books have been in boxes for the past 4 years, I have been contemplating purchasing a Kindle.

But here are some of my issues. One...the Kindle is expensive. The basic model is $299 and the "DX" is $489. That's a lot of money that I could spend on books, because this basic price only buys the "reader." I'd still have to pay for books and I'm probably not going to be on Oprah's "Favorite Things" Show where she would give one away. Why would I pay $10 to buy books I already have, just to save some space, knowing I will probably not get rid of the physical copy of the book? Another issue is that I stare at a computer screen, two, actually, all day at work and spend time on the computer at home, so why would I want to read books off of what is basically another computer screen? Plus, call me old-fashioned, but I love the smell of a book, I like cracking open the spine, I like being able to write notes in the margin or highlight a passage if I need to, and I don't believe you can do that on Kindle. I also believe in bookstores. When I was growing up there was a small bookstore in my small town and the two ladies that owned that store became lifelong friends. They would also order you any book you needed and you would have it in a couple of days. Now, we're left with Barnes & Noble and a few Borders, which are more cafe's/music/movie/stationery stores than the bookstores I grew up with. If I get a Kindle, I will be helping to eradicate the bookstore all together and I don't believe I want to do that. But I'm sort of a tech geek as well, and to be able to have one of the first "digital" readers would be kinda neat. I've heard rave reviews of Kindle, but I've also seen a lot of them for sale on eBay. I also think I would rather get a paper cut than to go blind while reading a computer screen. Yes, the Kindle would be great for travel, but since I haven't travelled very far lately, that's not a reason, plus when I went on the few cruises I went on, I enjoyed taking a book and then leaving it at the ship's library for someone else to enjoy. I also know I would fill up my Kindle and would feel really badly about hitting the "delete" button rather than donating the book to a retirement home, or for needy kids or a local literacy program.

So I'm going to keep pondering on this. I can always put a Kindle on my Christmas wish list.

In MY country...

I was very lucky to have grown up with highly literate parents. My mother and father both graduated with journalism degrees from Northwestern University. I was read to constantly. Most of my summer mornings were spent at the beach and my afternoons at the local library. In my family it wasn't Christmas without a book. When my parents divorced, my mother married another highly literate man, this man was a math professor and loved to read and he brought science and math and computer books into my life. This was and has been both a blessing and a curse. It's probably the reason I ended up being an English major and reading all the novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in one class in one semester. I know it's the reason that for my past 3 moves, I have been paying the movers to move my 3 TONS, yes, that's 3,000 lbs. of books I currently own.

What it has also done is helped me in my creativity. My mother used to love telling the story of how I cried one day because when we were on our way back from one of our many trips to the library, I saw an inside-out umbrella and said "it's dead." I've always been able to use reading and writing as an escape. A book would help me understand that I could make it through my parents divorce. A book was a place to go to when I didn't want to talk to anyone. When I didn't want to tell my parents something bad had happened in school, I was able to write a letter which explained my behavior. When I fell in love with one of my teaching assistants in college and then found out he was married, I spent the evening writing poetry and short stories so that I wouldn't do something more drastic.

The best thing about reading and writing though is that it is free. All it costs is your time. And yes, if you buy books, it does cost money, but not all that much. It's one of my simple pleasures. One of the things that makes my life happier, more interesting, and undoubtedly saner.

The other good thing about being creative is that when Christmas or birthdays come around, I can create a unique gift. One that doesn't cost much, but that the person will cherish forever because it truly comes from the heart. I wrote a silly parody poem for my boss who was retiring at the ABA and he loved it so much he showed HIS boss. I remember I bought my boyfriend Eric a new MacBook Pro, a Thomas Hardy shirt, some nice cologne, some chocolate and other things for Christmas last year. His favorite gift? A 3 page note on all the reasons I love him.

But I am getting away from the original point of this blog. My mother, who passed away 11 years ago, was always getting aggravated at things, traffic, people at stores, lines in restaurants, etc. She would always say "In MY country, this wouldn't be allowed." So one year for Christmas, my step-father (who also passed away 11 years ago), decided that it was time for my mother to get her own country. He bought a small piece of wood and carved it in the shape of Norway (my mother's name was very Norwegian, Ronnveig ), and we packed it in a box, along with a Your Own Country "Starter Kit." She got to name her country, "Tisofthe'" was the name she came up with. (I told you my family was creative). We gave her peasants, loyal followers, many fjords, a navy, a firing squad (to execute criminals), towns, etc. She loved it! Every year for Christmas (or her birthday which was about 10 days after), we would give her something else for Tisofthe'. One year she got a model DC-9 (minus the wings), which is what the Queen chose to drive around in (and of course, no one else was allowed on the roads when she was on them.) Another year, I gave her a booklet, fully illustrated, that I had created describing each of the Royal Residences. She had a Castle, a Beach House, a City Apartment, a Lodge in the Woods, and, because I loved horses, a Royal Stables. The next year she got a University and she got to decide who to accept, decline, what kinds of degrees you could earn there, the sports teams, etc. The final year that she and my step-father were both alive, I gave her the Crown Jewels of Tisofthe'. They were presented to her on a velvet pillow, along with a crown and replacement jewels if she so needed.

This is one of the fondest memories I have of my mother, and it's a great idea. (I probably should have marketed it and made a million dollars). I've been thinking a lot about this as I make the 30 mile commute to work each day and back. In MY country, you wouldn't be allowed to stop if you are in the left lane, people who slow down while answering or dialing their cell phones would be blown up by the hidden cannon in my car, and anyone talking loudly at the movies would be permanently banished.

So the next time you're yelling at a traffic jam, or fed up with the person at the store you are shopping at, just close your eyes and say to yourself "In MY country...."