When Life Becomes Fiction, or Vice Versa

So I'm listening to one of my favs in the car, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and read by Sissy Spacek. Really a fabulous rendering of the book on CD.

Anyway. Apparently it has seeped into my consciousness because last night I dreamt I was in the middle of a race riot. Ackkk. No wonder I'm tired this morning.

But the most startling thing is the revelation I had the other day while listening to the book. OMG, I think I'm "Miss Maudie". Except for the flowers! (Give me another decade, though.) LOL. Not that that's anything terrible. It's just really funny.

If you haven't read the book, you should. It's timeless.

I wanted to name Leia "Scout" after the little girl, but it sounds like "out" and that would be too confusing to the dog. Jean Louise was too formal, and "jean" or "louise" wouldn't work because I know a) a person or b) another pet with those names. Ah well. Leia works. Although I end up calling her Lei Lei a lot. ;)

I'm still chuckling over the Miss Maudie thing, though.

"Turkeys Voting For Christmas"

Interesting article with some fun lines about why people "vote against their own interest". I have to admit, it's something that has often puzzled me. And makes some (preliminary) sense on why facts seemed to get lost in the furor last summer.

Best line in the article:

"It's like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy." Thomas Frank (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8474611.stm)

And it gave me a few more books to add to my library list. ;)

First Sighting of the Pink Beast

We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

I've been forced to drag out my winter coat. It's warm, but a bit on the bulky side. And purply pink. Unbelievably so. You can't miss me when I'm wearing this thing. Wind chill was 8* this morning. Ughh.

It doesn't help that I'm fighting off whatever bug is going around. I'm sitting here at work, alone, all wrapped up in a fleece wrap and I'm cold. I better not get the flu. Especially not with Mom & Dad arriving in one week. Way too much to do.  But I'm tired, and have had this headache since yesterday afternoon that nothing helps, and starting to feel achy. Thankfully it's Friday.

Dog Update
The dogs are doing good. Lots of progress with Max. He even ate his breakfast today without my having to stand next to him. I was able to move to the other side of the room and fix my own, only redirecting him to his bowl once. He's been like a shadow. Outside, he doesn't just hide behind my legs, he'll wander now. He and Leia were actually playing the other night. Too bad it was our last potty time before bed...Not the best time to play. [g] But I let them for a few minutes.

Leia is just too adorable for words. They both are. She is a hoot. Every once in awhile while running around the backyard she'll suddenly pick both back legs up and run forward a few steps on her front feet. It's bizarre, and hilarious. I remember Cherie, the mini poodle we had growing up, was finicky about walking on grass. I'm hoping I can eventually teach Leia to do this on command. And why not? There's a reason poodles are circus dogs! I'm thinking of training them as therapy dogs to visit M's group home. They are a good size to cuddle, and love cuddling. Especially as their resident dog is nearing her final years. We'll just have to see how they do at obedience training. So far so good though, just with the commands I'm using at home. Leia is beginning to understand "drop it" and "leave it" as well as "off".

Book Review
But enough on the dogs. I just finished listening to J.Evanovich's last Stephanie Plum novel "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" on audio. I must say, I was a bit disappointed. Was there this much reliance on bodily funtion humor in previous books? I don't remember it that way. Maybe I'm too much of a prude. Maybe I'm just being female. But I don't like the majority of the "humor" being about farts, etc.

Had a couple other quibbles. Like Ranger hiring Stephanie to figure out who was doing the break ins. Huh? Like the guys working for him wouldn't know she'd report everything back to him. And then when they did catch who it was, they never explained how they knew enough about the accounts to be so particular about what they stole. Because the crooks were from outside his organization. And great emphasis was placed on the types of things stolen, etc. I just find it hard to believe that someone with Ranger's background, skills and supposed experience could be stumped that easily...

And the whole Chipotle killer ending...I don't know. Just was off to me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

And seriously. How many years has Stephanie been a bounty hunter now? How many times has she had someone go in the other room to get dressed/used the bathroom/whatever and then sneak out? Or put handcuffs on one of their wrists and they take off? She's not the best bounty hunter, but she's not as stupid as in this book, either. It's getting irritating.

And the paint thing, flour thing, where Stephanie is the only one that gets hit with the stuff, and Ranger never does, even when standing next to her for the paint...Yeah, right. He'd get splattered a bit.

And speaking of Ranger. In this book his interest in Stephanie didn't seem good to me. I can't quite explain it. It just came across as he's just toying with her, she amuses him because she's less. You know, the blond bimbo type thing. More of a paternalistic/superior attitude. I don't know. It's hard to put into words.

I'm starting to wish Evanovich would just finish the series.

Next on the list to read: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Part of the "Big Read in the Big Sky" events this month. The author is going to be here to discuss the book. I'm thinking of going.

Next on the list to review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard (Young Adult book). The book series Little Sis and her mom were arguing over.

Would it Be Wicked?

Sitrep: 45 min treadmill (low intensity), 30 min rock wall climbing, 25min treadmill (low intensity), 20 min abs & thighs

Would it be terribly wicked if I lied to the library that I lost or damaged some of the Cd's of the "Jane Eyre" unabridged audio book read by Josephine Bailey, as long as I bought them a replacement copy - unabridged - only read by Susan Ericksen? She does a great job on the J.D. Robb audio books... This one, read by Josephine Bailey, is phenomenal, and costs $100+ to buy. Gulp. Or used at around $60.00. But the other unabridged editions are about half that, at $30.00, new. It's not thievery is it? At the very least it's not ethical or moral. I'm skirting the edge, aren't I? Or you're all laughing at me and thinking "oh for Pete's Sake - burn a copy!!!" It's just...would they ban me from the library? Now that would be agony. [g] We're talking skipping purgatory and going straight to hell. But this, this is the best audio version of any book I've ever heard. I guess the best answer would be to save my pennies. And in the meantime, check it out the next time I want to listen to it. I think the Wii just got demoted to #3. [g] This is now #2. A new hot water heater remains permanently lodged at the numero uno spot. Yes, I know. How responsible. But totally necessary for my sanity. And the safety of those around me. Every time I look at the case sitting there on the top of the "return" pile, I feel like grabbing it up and hugging it to my chest. Like I used to do on Christmas mornings when I got that long-awaited book...(my sis and I used to have to give Mom book lists, and restrain ourselves from buying them before Xmas. Remember that, sis?) It's so wonderful, so lovely!!!! I must have it! Eventually. [g]

Alden is Scary, and Thank You VW Bozeman.

Yup. Alden is scary per my little sister Shanni. And this is only the Abs Essentials DVD. [g] She and her older sister KT went with me to Bozeman Monday when I took my car in for repairs. We had to return Tuesday because the part wasn't in stock.

So Monday night the girls stayed at my house. "Slumber Party" they squealed. Yeah, right. I crawled into bed at 9:30 pm. Driving takes it out of me. As well as 5 hours at the mall with 2 teenage girls.

Tuesday morning I got up and was determined to keep going with REVing. It was an Abs day, so it wasn't too hard to make myself do it. But I moved on to Abs Essentials workout #2, because that's where I was and I'm not letting myself go backwards! Shanni spotted me, and was very disappointed that when I pulsed up toward her hands it didn't make the same clicking noise as on the DVD (Alden spotting for Sarah). I had to point out it was his wedding ring hitting the Rev. So she used her finger nail to make the noise. LOL. But she goes "he's scary". I'm like, "What? No he's not!" Her 16 year old sister (still curled up on the couch under a blanket) rolled her eyes and said "No he's not. It's motivational."

Then I said, "He's a Navy SEAL you know." Shani then shot back at me "That makes him scarier." [g]

But when I was done, she wanted to try. So I let her do the original essentials workout with no weights. She did it. Some of it was a bit of a struggle, but she did the whole 15 minutes. Said she could feel her abs. She swears today she doesn't feel a thing. I'm not sure if she's telling the truth or not...

Anyway. Our second day in Bozeman was just as fun as the first. VW went ahead and covered the repair to the catalytic converter under warranty since it expired 2 days before I called in. And probably because I was there in May for the 50k mile checkup which was a pretty extensive one.

While they worked on the car, we spent the day at the mall - again. Their service dept didn't even ask the second day. Just picked up the phone and called their "shuttle" driver and said "We've got some ladies that want to go to the mall." [g]

I "made" the girls spend the first several hours at Barnes & Noble. Monday was their first ever trip to a bookstore like Barnes & Noble. They loved it! It was funny. They kept running up to me to get my cell phone so they could type in book names into the "notepad" feature using the full keyboard. Right now there are 3 book lists going. Me, KT and Shanni. ;)

We also did the "girl" thing. Both days. sigh. Spent more time than I care to admit in Claire's. The cosmetic jewelry store. Eventually I ended up outside on one of the benches, staring longingly down the concourse to B&N. [g]

The girls were great. Only one time did I have to get on them for squabbling. I got a few amused looks from other women in the mall when I said (apparently louder than I was planning to) "Hey! You've both spent the last 2 days in the Mall! NEITHER ONE OF YOU gets to cop an attitude!!!!"

Did you know the 80's were coming back in style? Seriously. KT is so into this; fingerless gloves, fishnet, etc. One of the stores was, like, a total flashback. When we finally left the store, Shanni goes "I didn't like that music." KT responds, "oh, I love retro." To which I yelped "Hey! No calling music I grew up on as RETRO!" Which made both of them start laughing.

The drive was actually fun. On a whim, I put in the unabridged audio book of To Kill a Mockingbird. I figured it was safer than finding music all of us would like, and age appropriate for both girls. Except I forgot the mouth Scout has in this book. But both girls absolutely loved it. The were both really getting into it and laughing. Even Shanni, who was the one I really wasn't sure would enjoy it since she's 11, almost 12. They ended up borrowing my paperback copy to finish the story, since we only got halfway through the book on CD (and that's with total car time of 4 hours).

Anyway. We had a good time, the car is fixed, I'm back on track with BodyRev, and my little sister is now impressed even more with my workout. Even if Alden is "scary." ;)

Books, Books, Books, and Books

Can you guess what I want to talk about today? [g] I promised a post on books last week and just didn't get there.

Saturday I went to the library with my little sis and her sister KT. We spent almost 2 hours there. I'm not sure who was more reluctant to leave. And we all came away with a handful of books. Plus we'd gone to the library the weekend before...We also take lists from their mom with us. [She's started calling me her personal librarian.]

She's gone through my TBR & storage piles to the point I don't have anything else for her to read. I got her hooked on Elizabeth Vaughan's trilogy - Warprize, Warsworn, Warlord. She'd call me every morning to "gripe" at me that she stayed up late reading them. She couldn't put them down. Mooner, her husband, picked the first one up the other day making comments about "romance novels" but actually stayed up late to read the first one. Which is - literally - a first for him! Or so he says. Next we'll get him reading Suzanne Brockmann's books.

So here's what I've been reading lately:

Never Lie to a Lady by Liz Carlyle
*****Fabulous. Loved it. Stayed up late to finish it. On a week night. Want more. And whaddaya know, the next book in the trilogy is apparently already out! Yippee!!! 2 Carlyle's in one week. How'd I get so lucky?

Web of Love by Mary Balogh
****It's a Balogh. Must I say more? Good read, follows Gilded Web. Not my favorite Balogh, but enjoyable.

The Fated Sky: Astrology in History by Benson Bobrick
*Would have been great if the author would have stopped trying to use every big word he knew in every sentence. For pete's sake!!!! Returned to library unread.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
*I could not get into this one. It was a BB recommended read, and I'm surprised I don't like it. Maybe it's my dislike of books that pull characters from other books the author didn't write. This one pulls in the characters from the book the Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I don't like that. Too jarring for me for some reason. I also didn't like the writing style. Irritated/aggravated me somehow. I know it's her first book, and there you have it. :) Felt to me like a first time author attempting to write in the style of one of the literary greats. I'm just too picky. So I put it down (spent several hours trying to get into it yesterday afternoon.) It seemed a poor attempt at copying "Shanna" by Kathleen Woodiweiss. But not really. It wasn't similar at all. Bizarre, but I couldn't get that thought/book out of my head. Or my favorite The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Anyway. This book is now in the "return to library" pile.

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
TBD - just started last night. So far so good, but I'm only 5 pages into it.

Multiple papers on Legal & Illegal Immigration in the U.S.
***because it powered up my brain and I'm just freaky weird in that I enjoy this stuff. ;)

Sooooo. My TBR pile is small, mainly because the mood I'm in lately nothing really sounds good. And then when I read stuff by good authors, like Carlyle and Balogh...well, nothing else works afterward. [g] Good thing Suz is having another book out on August 15th. But what I'll do after that is the question. I'm probably good until the 17th. Then I'm in trouble...

The Usual

Well, it seems I am back to my usual self, my usual pattern. I go strong for days then nothing.

Last weekend was really nice up until Sunday. Little Sis S spent the night (first time in new house) and I dog-sat her dogs until late Sunday afternoon. Her mom and step-dad were out of town for his birthday, and to use the 2-nights at the West Yellowstone hotel I gave them for their wedding. [Gotta love some of the perks I can occasionally get for my job.] So Friday after work I went out to their house in the valley to pick up the dogs. I didn't mind the additional time or mileage, because it's just getting to the really good parts of "Rebecca" on audio book, so any excuse to drive...Then I headed back to E.H. to pick up S at her Dad's (thankfully just up the road from my place) and to my house. Pretty much from 6pm to 9pm we didn't stop moving. Seriously. First we had to cook our dinner, and then I had to fix Scully's home-cooked meal. Then we sat and ate (never takes as long as the prep, does it) and then there was cleaning up from all that cooking! I said to S "Now you know why I only cook a few times a week." [g]

By that point friends had shown up with their 14 y.o. son J. to mow my yard (desperately needed). It was very weird - the section outside my back door, in the bend of the L-shape of my house, the grass was literally taller than my knees. But just at the end of the short part of the L, as if someone drew a line off the edge of the house, the grass dropped down to only 4 inches tall. No fooling. Very bizarre!

S. was very much into her drama/diva persona while J. was there. She did help with the cleanup, oh, yes, because that got her outside where he was. LOL. And she was so insistent on showing me the latest flips and cartwheels and fantastic things she can do from gymnastics. By the time we were done, I took my friend P. for a tour of the house (she hadn't seen the inside yet) and S. stayed outside with J. It would have been so cute if it hadn't been scary. I guess the teen years are not as far away as her mom and I would like to think!

Anyway, shortly after they left we crashed. Hard. LOL. Put me in front of the TV and I fall asleep every time (I swear I inherited this from mom!). Didn't think the same would happen to S. But I guess she'd had a long day too.

Saturday I went with my friend Morning Owl to the big "4th Annual Spring Garage Sale" at the county fairgrounds. What a let-down! It was very small. But we were having such a good time we got a list of garage sales from the paper and spent most of the day hunting for bargains. I didn't find a bicycle, but found a few other things. Biggest find of the day was when we got into the "rich people" side of town. [Up the hill behind the capitol...my gosh, there are roads up there I didn't realize existed!] This one house had so many audio books on CD it was insane! There were these two huge bags full, almost as tall as me. I couldn't get through most of it. I got two J.D. Robb books on audio CD - unabridged - for $20! They're usually $40 each so this was great. :) Made myself stop looking at that point as I was out of money.

By the time I got home that afternoon I was wiped out. Had a migraine by Sunday, and ended up cancelling our outing to see "Fiddler on the Roof". S was upset, naturally, but understood. I hated doing it, but was in so much pain and of course, was out of my migraine meds. Sigh. I hate re-filling that prescription. It's just wrong to have to pay $50 for nine lousy pills. It's just plain wrong!

Funnily enough, a cup of hot chocolate and 2 pieces of peanut butter toast helped 'cure' the migraine enough for me to go to bed and actually sleep! Naturally, by end of day yesterday it was back in full force, but hey...beggars can't be choosers!