Library loot (and love)

I have very fond memories of lugging dozens of library books the half mile home, on foot (my mom probably did most of the heavy lifting in our trusty metal shopping cart), when I was a kid.  When I picture it in my mind, it is always the trip home, full of joyous anticipation and delight over treasures found.

We have a wonderful library in town, which is part of a fantastic consortium of libraries, which in turn, has given us access to just about any book/cd/dvd.  My recently re-raised consciousness about our finances has turned me away from my old-habits-die-hard habit of buying books.  

I love buying books.  I love the feel of a new book.  The virgin pages.  I love our local bookstore.  The smell as you step in, the warm "hellos" of the staff who we have become friendly with, the depth of their collection in a cozy space...

But, I do also love the library.  I am grateful for technology and social media.  I love having a list of books I want to read over at Goodreads (many of the books have come by way of authors, bloggers, NYT  and NPR interviews, etc.)  I love being able to cross check my list with the library consortium database.

Today, it took maybe 15 minutes to ascertain that my local library had a number of books on my "want to read" list, on its shelves.  I had to go over anyway to pick up some books I'd requested that had come in, as well as, our Friday night "classic" movie for tomorrow night (The Red Shoes).

Once there, in what really does feel like a home away from home in some ways, I gathered my pile, checked everything out, had a cup of tea with my sweetie, and brought my loot home.

Happy.

Here are links to the books:

Survival Lessons

Life As We Knew It

Transcendence

You Know When The Men Are Gone

Relish My Life In The Kitchen

The Lake

A Tale For The Time Being

The Moon By Whale Light

The Havana Room

Calling Dr. Laura

Chez Panisse Vegetables

Peace and love.

A day in the life

What I wanted to do today was read.  Read NOS4A2 all day.  Because it is due tomorrow with no renewal, because it is a new book.  Instead, I rolled out of bed, cleaned up late night remnants in the kitchen, fed Gem some breakfast, rallied the kids for a stroll, and voted.

Then I made breakfast again.  For Sag and myself, and Gem, who decided to be Hobbit-y and have a second breakfast.

Then I paid some bills and kept Gem company while he worked on some Math.  And called gymnastics to let them know Sag has a sprained wrist and won't be in class.

Then I started to practice Qigong but was interrupted by a request.

Then I drove Cap to work.  He has been in a grading frenzy.

Then I ran some errands since I was going to be out.

Then I sat with Gem again while he worked on some more Math.  And discovered that the second session of swimming is full and put the kids on a wait list.

Then I made lunch.  I love this recipe for kale salad.  It is one of my most favorite, ever.  (The kids don't eat kale.  They had taco leftovers.)

Then Sag asked for cheese dip.  His lunch was nachos with taco fixings and he wished for cheese sauce (but he called it dip).  I started poking around the internet for cheese dip recipes and realized I was missing a crucial ingredient: cream cheese.

Then I started putting dinner together.  I prepped a marinade.  I pulled the chicken thighs out of their pouch (they had been defrosting in water all morning)...and one of the thighs had gone way bad.

Then I hoofed it over to Whole Paycheck and picked up a package of chicken thighs and a box of cream cheese.  I was wearing sweat pants.  And my slouchy knit hat because I still had bedhead.  And my fitted Red Sox hoodie looked awful funny zipped over my very baggy sweatpants.  So I unzipped the hoodie which revealed my baggy worn magenta iKnit t-shirt.  I considered changing for a split second and then decided I really didn't care.

Then I prepped the chicken, set it to marinate, and returned to Internet Land in search of cheese dip inspiration.

Then I made cheese dip.  Sag was ambivalent when he saw it.  It turned out he was expecting something quite a bit more Velveeta-esque.  No matter.  As soon as he took his first bite, he was smitten.

I used this Trisha Yearwood recipe as a base.  I subbed mostly ewegurt (sheep milk plain yogurt) and a bit of mayo for the mayo, I subbed a mystery (delicious) cheese from my mom's the other night for the Monterey Jack, I subbed a splash of sriracha for the cayenne, and I subbed an end slice of Whole Food's GF Light Sandwich bread, crumbed with a couple dashes of salt, for the 8 butter crackers.

Sag and I scooped up a quarter of the 9-inch pie plate with tortilla strips for a snack.  Yum.

And now, now it's time to make dinner.  The rice is in the cooker, my snapshots have been Instagrammed, I need to reprogram the DVR to allow for the Red Sox game to be watched at 8...  Once I am done cleaning up from dinner, I'll likely get a call about picking up my honey.  Then it will be time for the game.  And I have a feeling inertia and pooped-ness will settle down upon me.  I will not practice Qigong.  I will not hole up with my book.  I will sit in my red chair next to my native New Englander in his blue chair...and hopefully not gnash our teeth too much at the tv.

Peace and love.

Signs of the season

I spent the morning recovering from a late night watching the Emmys (which I very rarely do, I am a Golden Globes girl), the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad and the series finale of Dexter.  Oh, and I slept on the floor of the kids' room.  I am crossing my fingers that after a week or so of this sleeping arrangement, that a certain someone will stop waking up in the middle of the night needing to check in with me to make sure I am still of this world.

I called upon my trusty shopping pals and we drove over to the mall so I could return/exchange some Fall stuff for myself and also stop into the Apple store to inquire about our options in dealing with a cracked screen on the iPad.

This afternoon, inspired by the many apples remaining in the fruit bowl (tomorrow we receive our next share), and, the shift to much crisper weather, I asked the kids to give me a hand in making some apple sauce.  I ran out to the store to pick up some pork chops and baby spinach, and there is corn bread leftover from last night.  A good dinner will be had.

I am determined to read some books in the next few months.  It has been a spare reading year thus far.  I just finished Questlove's memoir , which I really enjoyed, and am ready for something new.  An embarrassment of riches line my shelves...what to choose, what to choose.

Also, Cap and I have recommitted to watching a movie together every week, alternating turns to pick.  So far, we have watched Adrift In Tokyo, My Man Godfrey, and I Wish.  The Awful Truth is on deck for this weekend.  I've decided to go with a "classics" theme and am choosing movies released before I was born (except one, To Sir, With Love, which I have long wanted to see and was released the year of my birth).  I solicited suggestions on Facebook and have a robust list of movies going, many of which I had never heard of.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all three movies we've seen so far and recommend all of them.  Adrift In Tokyo and I Wish are Japanese movies with subtitles.  Let me know if you have any recommendations for movies or books!

Peace and love.

Whole30 :: Day 29

Aaargh.

Second night in three of insomnia and not falling asleep till 4am.

Beautiful northern breezes chilling things down.

Appetite/food consumption is all out of whack.  Interesting near total disintegration post-time away.

Nice walk over to Kate's with Gem and Finn.  Gem is feeding Bob the cat and spritzing the ferns until we leave for Cali next week.

Cap and I growled at each other this morning.  We are in need of some recharging time together.

Sag slept in his own bed, all night, last night!

very quiet at the polling place yesterday (special primary for state senator).

he is settling in.  he is very attached to his parents.

inspired by the post of a high school friend on Facebook.  if ever there was a time to have a tomato mayo sandwich, the time is now.  but, I tell you, the bread is just not as tasty as I think it will be, the tomatoes, on the other hand, luscious.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I have so much to read and lack the attention span.  I have so much to organize and lack the oomph.  (New cookbook alert!  Three "new" books out from the library!  Paperwork galore!)

It will be a quiet day today, dry, sunny and breezy, it's all good, really.  Keep on truckin'.

Peace and love.

Whole30 :: Day 18

I missed the sleep sweet spot last night.

At 8:30 I was lying in bed scratching Baxter in the dark.  The kids were watching Mythbusters in their room and Cap was out at the Write On Sports wrap party.  I was very sleepy.

At 9:30 the Red Sox game was on and Cap was tucking the kids in.  Baxter was walked and medicated for the night (eye infection = ointment + cone of shame for an hour).

At 10:30 I was playing Candy Crush and otherwise messing around on the laptop.  The Red Sox played on and I wondered if we were going to watch Real Time.  Cap was asleep on the floor (he denied it, but snores don't lie).

At 11:30 we turned in and Sag climbed into bed with me.  I usually send him back to his bed if I am still awake, but I really thought I would drop off to sleep very soon, so I didn't.

At 12:30 I was up in my chair playing Candy Crush.

At 12:45 I downloaded Bubble With Saga to my phone because I am stuck on a level in Candy Crush.

At 2:00 I finally felt sleepy enough to not care about fighting for space in the bed and went to sleep.

*    *    *     *    *

I pushed through feeling wrecked this morning.  Took the dog out in a cool drizzle, made a quick shopping list, popped a cookie in my mouth, grabbed my bags...and went to the farmer's market with Kelly.

Stocked up on meat and eggs because we'll be away next weekend.  Grabbed some kid-friendly veg at Starbrite's stand (carrots and lettuce for Gem, cukes for Sag).  Enjoyed the hum of kindred spirits seeking nourishing connection in the rain.  And the good mood of the barista at Red Eye.  She must have had a good night or good night of sleep!

Last week I went too long without eating on Farmer's market day.  Today I did a little better and ate as soon as I put the cold stuff away.  Beets, chicken, melon.  Yum.  I am defrosting some ground sirloin to make the Thai Primal Beef again.  That was so tasty.  I have zucchini and a red cabbage to cook up today or tomorrow.

I am not sure my mind is alert enough to read today, I hope so.  Curling up with a book sounds heavenly about now.

Peace and love.

Glasses gone wrong

Here I am.  Sleepless.  My consolation is that I am not stressed about not sleeping.  I wish I had slept, but it was not in the cards.  Once I realized it was starting to get light out about twenty minutes ago, I knew there was no use staying in bed.  The only times I can sleep in natural light are when I am very sick or just a bit pregnant.

I realized, also, that with Gem asleep, I would have my laptop uninterrupted.  He has been using it more and more, it feels like.  So I got up.

I recently learned that the lenses in my new glasses, which I'd been wearing for over a month, were incorrectly made.  Not enough as to be glaringly obvious...which is why I spent weeks and then some more weeks wondering why my upper back and neck were SO tight without concomitant stressors and why I was starting to experience headaches (unusual for me)...and why I was finding that I could not read things close up and generally feeling eye strain/fatigue (particularly when reading on my phone screen...which I have doing much more of because my laptop has been occupied by another).

Because the onset of my body's messages of protest was gradual, it took me awhile to figure out the problem might be my eyes (it did not occur to me that it might be the glasses...luckily, I brought my old pair with me in the event that, crazily, my prescription had changed in the month-plus since my last eye exam and I would need to temporarily part with the new glasses).

I mention this because I had noticed, and been feeling bad about, the persistent lack of pleasure reading/writing in my life the past few months.  I do believe this is one of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, my blogging has come to nearly a standstill.  It is a relief to have the smoke clear...metaphorically...my revamped spectacles are due back to me sometime this week.  Time will tell whether and how much my newly-able-to-focus eyes will guide me back to reading and writing.

This integrates a whole new awareness and understanding of learning issues/disabilities into me, physically and mentally.  It took a long time for me, an adult who once made her living working with kids with learning issues, to put two and two together.  I can't imagine a kid, or an adult who has never known themselves to be otherwise when it comes to reading and writing, would be able to easily articulate the connection between the complex physical realities and manifestations of deficit (eyes/brain/body) with what may not even feel like unmet potential...

And pretty much on cue, my eyes are straining...my shoulders are tight, and I am going to sign off.  My dreams of luxurious uninterrupted writing time, dashed.  The light outside just seemed to intensify...as if to make it clear there will be no sleep for me tonight.  It being nearly six a.m. and all.

Peace and love.  (Speaking of love, I LOVED Call The Midwife!)

Photofall

Another photo "fall" (like waterfall)...random order computer generated.

We have had tiny pockets of warmer temps here and there, but the trees are still quite bare.  I am happier for the longer days, but do love a shot of stark branches against sky.

Cap records and then watches Japanese programming late at night after the rest of us have gone to bed.  So when one of the rest of us turns the tv on the next day, we sometimes catch a glimpse of Japan.  This program brought my paternal grandfather rushing back into my consciousness.  Not only was he a lover of classical music, but in the years preceding his passing, he would often while away the time watching classical concerts on NHK on his widescreen.

Last week, Cap and I met my sister and her one and only for dinner in the city.  The hellish two hour trip in was well worth the precious time communing over one of the few cuisines we can't enjoy in our restaurant haven of a town.  (Our trip home?  Under thirty minutes.)

Snow in March.  Again.  For Cap and me it's a lovely reminder of the day in 2001, another snowy March one, that we discovered we were pregnant with Sag (which felt as wondrous as the "spring" flurries).

Windows.  At the library.  Shot during a leisurely Sunday lunch with my sweetie.

There is something eternally yummy about seeing a kid read while walking.

We had lunch and hung out with my dad and then he stayed with the kids while we went into the city to have dinner with my sister and Mike.  The kids were happy to have time with their granddad.

Endorphin face.  Did the elliptical with Danielle this week.

Leo and me.  He turned four in January and is less and less a "little" boy every time I see him.

The mystique of the red velvet cupcake.  I get it...and I don't.  This one was delicious.

Snow again.  This was shot at night out a front window.

I have a thing for window seats.  Since I was a little girl and wanted one so bad.  I have created them ever since, in every space I could.

This morning we celebrated Gem's name day.  It was delicious.

This afternoon, while Sag and Cap were at gymnastics, Gem and I hit the library.  He needed books about potatoes for his latest research project.  He found others, as well.

My breakfast plate this morning was a veritable United Nations: Ethiopian coffee, Irish butter, and Finnish cardamom bread.  Yum.

When my favorite eatery moved from its cozy and seemingly perfect original location to the café space in the library a couple of years ago, I thought it was a death knell of sorts.  I have been so pleasantly surprised by how they have transformed this institutional space into a warm and welcoming haven.  Not only have I continued my patronage, but I do believe I drop by even more.

Striving to get more veggies back into the rotation post-GI bug recovery.  A duo of bacon: Brussels sprouts with kimchi and roasted broccoli with garlic.

Another shot from the library.  This place is the source of such varied inspiration.  I love it.  I call this one: Twenty Face.

Peace and love.

The year in books

I created intention to read more in 2012.  I picked 28 books to read.  I read 36.  Of the 36, only 9 were on the original list of 28.

I found Goodreads to be a motivating organizational resource to help me keep track of and write reviews of the books I read in 2012.  You can find me there under the moniker "musing manatee".

I read a mix of new novels, new-to-me novels, memoirs, young adult fiction and graphic novels.  I did not include the read aloud books I read to the kids.

My top three were: The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson, Going Bovine by Libba Bray and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  These books left me breathless. 

The Year We Left Home blew me away because, for me, it came out of nowhere.  That there are gems like this book hidden from sight unless one is charmed enough to find it one's hands...this is an aspect of life and reading that I love.

Going Bovine I found utterly creative, surprising and inspired.  The anti-The Age of Miracles, which is the one book I read this year that I did not like.  Going Bovine is considered YA, but even if you aged out of that bracket long ago, do not let it stop you from picking it up.

Freedom was, simply, a powerhouse of language.  Franzen's facility with words, dialogue, character development is ferocious.  He is a master alchemist at capturing a moment in time and threading it through your insides and pulling it hard.  It's painful, cleansing, healing.

Also excellent and rating "five stars": 

Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa

Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim

Nine Simple Patterns for Complicated Women by Mary Rechner

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn

Blue Nights by Joan Didion

Born Round by Frank Bruni

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall

The "four star" honorable mentions:

Empire State: A Love Story by Jason Shiga

The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang

Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan

A Life in Stitches by Rachael Herron

My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe

Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon

Welcome to My World by Johnny Weir

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

The Wind-Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I have learned that a great graphic novel or young adult book is perfect for when you only have time (or the attention span) for a quick bite.

Also, that it is not wise to buy a bunch of books you think you want to read.  I had enough Xmas money to spend on six or seven books yesterday but decided to buy only the one I really wanted to read.  I have 14 books on the shelf that were bought in 2012 and remain unread (only some were picked up secondhand).

The library is a wonderful resource.  16 of the 36 books I read in 2012 were borrowed through my local branch.  Others were bought secondhand (at the library or the used bookshop in town), some were borrowed from friends, some were gifts, some we already had. 

I learned that I can be patient (contrary to a strong opposing sense of self-image).  I learned that there are unexpected treasures (so don't hoard).  I learned more about navigating desire, goals and flow.

I was reminded that the library is not the be all end all.  Every now and again I get a library book and realize...I just can't.  The other day my requested copy of Wolf Hall arrived and it was dingy.  Well loved.  There was something about the hand feel to the gray and even-more-than-paper thin pages that I knew would inhibit me.  (At other times it has been various smells or tacky mystery residue on the cover or within the pages.)  So I bought the paperback yesterday with gift money and will return the library book.

I was also reminded of how much I love curling up with a book and reading it.  All day.  I know now that this type of "world dropping away" experience is tied into being an introvert/highly sensitive.  It is not simply delighting in escape.  It's restorative meditation.  It is something I have done since childhood.  Having babies and parenting young kids forced a break in reading (watching great tv became a substitute...see The Revolution Was Televised) and it feels great to be getting back to it.

I don't know if there is room enough in my days for reading and knitting.  But, I have been thinking about reintegrating knitting.  Taking a, ahem, page from my reading experiment of 2012 may help in this endeavor.  Choosing a project and doing it.  Keeping it small and simple.  I am thinking about selling much of my stash in order to truly focus on projects I want to do.  Cut out the overwhelm of old goals and desires.

What did you read in 2012?  Please share recommendations.

Peace and books.

P.S.  I did not even touch on the stack of non-fiction reading I did/did not do!

P.P.S.  On deck for the beginning of 2013 for me: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantle and Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.

P.P.P.S.  This has been my favorite "best of 2012" list so far.

Tuesday tidbits

The Poetry Foundation dropped a gem in my Reader this morning.  Magnificent.

The book I am reading has really picked up.  I have been reading it rather than addressing holiday cards.  Realizing, again, how I march to my own rhythm.

I do love this cover.  This is my last Instagram photo.  They overhauled their terms and conditions and I decided to delete my account.  I recently bought a photo app...guess I will start playing around with it more.

Peace.

Upon pages

The kids and I have started a new blog.  It is called Upon Pages (named by Sag aka cuteshark, inspired by the song below) and will document our reads over the next academic year.  You can check it out here.  (They love comments!)

Reading

They don't call 'em big guns for nothing.  My intestines expunged themselves heartily.  (Vinny's techniques, not my intestines...I mentioned earlier today he brought out the big guns yesterday...) 

This is different from chronic digestive issues of the poopy kind.  It's more akin to having a stomach bug.  Except I like to think of it as not being in reaction to a perceived threat...but the result of forceful intention...of healing down the bones (à la writing down the bones).

Enough about that.

I enjoyed the first of the manga Cap brought me back from Japan.  It's got some supernatural stuff, family stuff and nature/environmental stuff.  I liked it a lot and sent my dad an email asking him to pick me up the second volume.

Then, I crept back into bed.  Which I never, ever do.  I am not a napper and you will find me in bed during the day only if I am very sick.  (Which is extremely rare.)  But, the call was strong and I knew I needed rest.  So I lay down while Cap and the kids went over to Danielle's to watch the town's 4th of July parade (it goes right in front of their house).

I didn't fall asleep.  Eventually, I picked up It Starts With Food.  I've been wanting to flip through the book again to delve deeper into what it means to "start with food".  I was not disappointed.  In fact, I was kind of frightened.  I read about four hormones and their effect on our brains and bodies pertaining to food and its digestion.  

One good thing: if you are someone who has ever felt bad about yourself around your psychological eating/eating psychology, read these sections of the book.  It does a lot to demystify what actually happens in our bodies when we eat those delicious sweet/fatty/salty processed convenience foods with their supernatural flavors and why we are compelled to inevitably overeat them.  It can't help you figure out your own personal emotional triggers, but it clearly outlines the hormonal/chemical reactions and triggers which are set in motion when we eat them, and moreover, the neural/neurological workings of how the habits become permanently mapped.

The theory seems to be that by changing the food you put into your body for 30 days, you can do significant rewiring of the brain and create and reinforce new tracks.  The Hartwigs combine science and anecdote in a way that makes the information compelling and accessible.  I'm digging this book so far, though their tone annoys me every now and again.

Peace.

Convergence

I've read four thought provoking and resonant pieces in the past few days.  They touch upon and intersect on themes of parenting, being, simplicity, technology, consumerism...things I think about a fair amount.

You can find them here, here, here, and here.

Reading

On top of,

alongside of,

because of,

despite of...

or maybe completed unrelated to...

everything else I am attempting to do right now...

I am rejuvenating my reading life.

(please Universe, don't strike me down for being so all or nothing)

Mindy Kaling's book was frothy (except for when it wasn't) and enjoyable.  I have moved on to finishing The Bloggess' memoir.  Cap brought me back a bunch of Japanese manga.  I do not wont for books.  And, again, I recommit to not buying books for awhile...for the rest of Summer (which starts tomorrow night).

I don't like to say this out loud because I love watching tv so much...but watching tv really does kill a lot of reading time.  And, for me, knitting time.

The view from here

For a peaceful, lovely hour.  (My soul is frothing a bit in that too hot way.  My body needs some recovery.  My mind is relatively at ease.)

Barbra arrives tomorrow!

Peace and love.

Cool as a cuke in a pool

This made my day.  Sag started swim class this morning and had a blast.  

I placed peppermint infused cotton balls all over the kitchen after finding a single dropping on the counter I cleaned up yesterday.  Grr...little rodent 1 - spluttering me 0.  (No droppings anywhere else, though.)

I made grass-fed beef sliders for lunch and Sandy's Asian-y chicken drumsticks for dinner.

I had a hard time falling asleep last night, I had caffeine for the first time in over a week and it was timed just a tad too late in the day, methinks.  Between sleep deprivation and my leg muscles being sore today, I decided to chill and read rather than tackle another decluttering job.

Peace.

What they're reading

In the thrall of new-to-them book series: How To Train Your Dragon and The Five Ancestors.  Thank you public library!

Morning read

I read a very interesting article over at Wired this morning.  And now, to mosey along to what's next...it's a cloudy and slow start today.  (Rain expected in a few hours.)

Reading

So this is what it feels like to be reading again.  Last night, I read and read, pushing through tiredness to read just a few more pages...cozy in a pool of lamplight in an otherwise dark and quiet room.  No tv, no music, just me and my book.

I finished Last Night In Twisted River this morning.  I got to a point last night where I knew I wouldn't appreciate finishing the book because I was just...spent.  So after waking, chopping veggies and tossing them into the stock pot with our last pastured chicken, loads of cold filtered water and a couple of splashes of apple cider vinegar, I settled into the red chair and read.

It was an amazing book.  Masterfully rendered.  Diverse settings and characters brought to vivid life, a story so dense, yet ever flowing and truly moving.

I've updated my list, five down, twenty (or more) to go!

A true day of rest

Harmonic convergence.  It's Sunday, yo.

We decided to cancel our family celebration of Sag's birthday.  Since moving back East (six years ago) the kids' birthdays have been observed in triplicate: with their buddies, with extended family (usually my side since they are geographically proximest), and en famille on the actual day.

We like birthdays around here.

Gem is still under the weather.  Did I mention we may test him for mono tomorrow?  Did you know mono is now Epstein-Barr?  (I didn't.)

So, today is an unexpected day.  I see it as a gift.  Daniel will be here for the day.  He's easy.  Sag will continue his Tour de Favorite Foods (first annual birthday event) with a stop at Rita's which shutters up till Spring tonight.  Gem will rest and heal.  Cap will work and work.  He has also suggested finishing the living room declutter today which would be...incredible.  One room actually done.  Be still my scattered heart!

Me?  I want to read.  All day.  I want to spend the day reading.  Something I used to do a lot.  Before I had kids.  I doubt I will be able to forego any cooking.  But, I might try.  I have started The Chestnut King, the third book in the 100 Cupboards trilogy.  I am not as grabbed by it as I was the first two books, but I'm giving it a go.  On deck, I have Shiver, which comes highly touted by Julie.

oh, and so enjoying my snuggly Scottish wool.

Wishing you some quiet rest and relaxation today.  And no mono.

The iPad has landed

We got an iPad. 

Cap and I had started thinking about getting the kids one (primarily for the kids) a couple of months ago, independent of each other.  I was thinking laptop or iPad, but when I talked to the kids about it, it was unanimous that they would rather have an iPad.

It feels really good, amazing, to be in a place where I knew we could afford it.  The years-plus of resetting decades-plus of bad financial habits is starting to pay off (no pun intended :-)

The timing came together when Sag decided to take a movie-making Apple camp that starts next week.  I realized his experience at the camp would be greatly enhanced if he had his own device (the Flip camera is back in use at Cap's sports writing camp and my digital camera's capacity for video is very limited).

A window of time opened up this evening due to common meal being cancelled so off to the mall we went.

We've started loading some of their music onto it and some games.  I chose not to sync my e-mail to it.

And then...I realized I had completely forgotten the e-reader function!  I am very excited to read a book on this thing.  I'm really curious about the experience.

Apple-riffically and electronically yours...