TibetFest

Dan and I worked at TibetFest today. It's in Litchfield, CT, and it's the first (hopefully annual) CT festival, to raise funds for the monks in their refugee camps.

I suggest that anyone who can go, does. Sarah & Tanya are camping overnight, and will be there again tomorrow! (Wish I could have done the same, but that wasn't possible.)

I have to keep this short because I am hot & exhausted. xoxo

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: One-Night Stands with American History
AUTHOR: Richard Shenkman & Kurt Reiger

computer-on-a-stick

Very cool. Check this out (courtesy of storagepipeline.com):

July 22, 2005

New USB Flash Drive Sports Bootable OS, Office Apps


By Personal Tech Pipeline Staff Courtesy of Personal Tech Pipeline

A company called FingerGear announced today the release of its $149 Computer-On-a-Stick, which is a USB 2.0 flash drive complete with a bootable onboard Linux operating system and open source office suite.
The password-protected "computer" can be used with any Windows or Linux PC with a USB port, according to the company, and will store the user's address book, emails, and office documents.

The office suite, developed by OpenOffice.org, is compatible with the most common Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

The Computer-On-a-Stick runs the Linux 2.6.x series kernel and Gnome desktop. It also includes the FireFox browser, a PDF Viewer and creator, a data compression utility, and an instant messaging program compatible with Yahoo IM, MSN Messenger, AIM, and Napster.

The device's storage is divided into a "public" and a "private" partition. The "public" partition is accessible from Windows, Linux, and Macintosh PCs, making it easy to use the product as a standard flash drive for storing files. The "private" directory can only be accessed by booting from the device and after the user enters a login password.

Software bundled on the Computer-On-a-Stick fit easily withing the device's 256 MB capacity, the currently available maximum. Higher capacities will be available later this quarter, according to a company press release.

It comes in blue, silver or clear and is available now.

http://www.fingergear.com

(link to actual article)

new rules

Okay, I'm instituting new rules that old people who drive slow and student drivers shouldn't be allowed on the road during rush hour - say, not before 9am, at least? Who's with me??

Yeah, I got stuck behind both (in succession!) this morning. Gah.

Well, I am glad I got to say my piece. Now I'm over it.

that's too bad

Just read this in One-Night Stands with American History:

"When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, they immediately committed an un-American act -- at least, one that would be so viewed later on. Desiring to create a just and equal society, they established a communist economy. The early colonists remained committed to communism for several years, until they finally decided that it was inefficient. Their switch to capitalism was a defeat of sorts, since it implied the inability of men to work hard for the common good without individual incentive."

Greed always seems to have to get in the way, huh? Ugh.

(Also, I must point out that I just read on the bookjacket that Richard Shenkman is a Vassar grad! I have read another of his books before; I can't believe I didn't realize that fact last time. But hey I always felt there was some kind of bond between us...haha. Well, I mean, you have to be something like, say, a very cool Vassar graduate to write the books he writes, which are generally neat collections of little-known historical facts like the one above. ;) Anyway, well done, fellow alum!)

et finis (i hope).

Well, this night did not turn out like I expected! The party we were supposed to go to got cancelled, so when I got home I was expecting to just kinda veg out and maybe get some more code written, but my cousin stopped by, which was very cool. I'm glad we got to catch up; it's been ages. He's so much fun.

In any case, on the Vonage front: good news! I think. I hope. Well, I finally got fed up enough to call the same number around 3pm, and I spoke with a very friendly woman who seemed to understand my plight, and took care of my cancellation immediately - while I was on the phone with her! Yipee!! I was signed onto the site while I was speaking with her, and I saw the status change from "Active" to "Terminated" before my very eyes! So, I get charged about $40 for a termination fee, BUT, if I mail back my modem (which they encourage, because equipment upgrades are probably inevitable as this technology develops) I will get that money credited back to my account. YAY! I am so thrilled to hear that. Sounds like Vonage has definitely changed their habits at the complaints of past customers. Except for the hassle with having to call them BACK to get things sorted out, I'd give them a pretty solid thumbs up. This all depends, of course, on if there are further hassles in the future. I'm sure I'll keep things updated if there are.

In other news, I finally finished (finally READ in the first place!) The God of Small Things! Whew it's been a while since it's taken me this long to read a book, but then again I've been pretty busy with moving and work and everything. Well, by now it's been a while since I finished it (since I was rushing to get it done early this afternoon to return it to the library in time, and thus didn't get a chance to post directly afterwards), but I did jot down some notes and I still have a good memory of it, so I thought I'd put down a few words about what I thought of it: First, I did really enjoy it, but I suppose it's not totally my cup of tea - I know it's on many peoples' favorite books list, but I don't think it would make mine. It was written beautifully, don't get me wrong. I think Ms. Roy is a fantastic author, both descriptively and narratively. There were many scenes, sentences, even single phrases or images that I had to read several times so I could soak up the impact & beauty of them. Ms. Roy writes with such grace, and really seems to "get" human nature, or what there is that we humans can manage to "get", at the very least. And she creates the wonderful compound words, or, as she would write, compoundwords. I can't quote any specifics because I no longer have the book in my possession, but she would talk about something like a sourlemon smell or the mustyold books someone had on their shelves (obviously I'm not nearly as good at this as Arundhati Roy; those are NOT examples of her phrasing, only my sad attempts at trying to emulate their beauty - they manage to encompass & accomplish so much just by being put together into one heartbeat of a word instead of broken into two - she writes like they were meant to be together, like it only makes sense that way). However, I find her to be, at least in my mind, very, very, similiar to Rushdie. I recall thinking that throughout the book - and no, it's not because they both wrote stories of India. (I feel I must point out that the only Rushdie I have read thus far is Midnight's Children, since it probably makes a significant difference.) They both wrote tales of intervowen family histories, generations influencing past and future generations, sweeping stories of lives intertwined without choice - and yet create these amazing, individual characters. I suppose my problem with this is that I never feel a concrete connection with any of those characters - or I feel a connection with all of them, just less strong. I don't ever get the impression that I identify with one specific character, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, although it appears to be something I tend to appreciate, huh?

Anyway, another tactic that Roy employs and, if I remember, was also a theme in the Rushdie novel, is that of stories told un-linearly. I don't know if that's a word, but I think it fits, here - and I hope it makes sense. The stories are told in what seems to be more of a poetic line, twisting and turning and swooping back around each other, all eventually tying in together. Normally, this bothers me a lot (as most of my friends know, I am not a big fan of poetry, particularly in what should be a novel - not to say I don't appreciate the well-written poem! but I will probably never love a Toni Morrison novel), but I do love how Roy writes her story so that the pain comes first, and then is explained in a rather roundabout way (in a way, she writes through the pain, it feels), and the book manages to end on a very sweet & upbeat note, despite all of the pain the characters/readers go through to get there. And no, I don't think I'm ruining anything when I write that, because as I have said, the story is pretty much all laid out for you right from the start. You just don't know you know it yet. :)

And, of course, I am writing all of this "review" under the assumption that most people have probably already read The God of Small Things! I know that it was published back in 1998 (I believe), but hey what can I say. I tend to gravitate more towards books that I know lots of people have appreciated, and when enough people tell me to check a book out, I will. I don't like to waste my time on newer novels as much, which I know in some respects is silly. And I know I don't always agree with what "the masses" think is a good story. But I can't read EVERYTHING, as much as I'd like to! I have to learn how to pick & choose, and thus far my method of picking seems to be working out well! I think.

All right, here is where I leave you for now because it's getting late & I wanted to get some more work done. Oh wait, no, I'll leave you first with this quiz that JB made me take earlier tonight:

You Are 31 Years Old

31 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Oh and meh, I've been biting my nails like crazy these past couple of days. I wonder what's wrong with me!! I hate it so much; I wish I could force myself to stop. Every once in a while I do so successfully, but obviously I never entirely break the habit. It's like what they say about smoking, I guess. Ugh. -- Any suggestions for me??? They'd be greatly appreciated!

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: One-Night Stands with American History
AUTHOR: Richard Shenkman & Kurt Reiger

...and begin Vonage cancellation hell.

My boss bought his son and I (we lived together in Ithaca) a Vonage line that I could use for work & Dave for personal use. Of course, it went on my credit card (not sure why). I don't mind, whatever - only $8-9 a month, and I was supposed to be reimbursed, so okay. But now it's time to cancel the service...I have heard from several online sources that now begins Cancelling Vonage Hell. It started for real, I suppose, a month or so ago - I telephoned customer service asking how to cancel, and the woman I spoke with (she was very friendly!) gave me a number to call on the day I wanted to cancel it.

Today, I called that number, and spoke with yet another very friendly man. He took my contact number and said that since the average wait time is about 20+ minutes, a representative from "account management" would call me back at my number very soon (so I wouldn't have to hang out on hold on the line). Seemed nice of them.

That was at 11:10 this morning. It's now 1:36pm.

I will keep this updated on how the cancellation goes, because I have heard it's a nightmare - charges, hassles, the works. I can't understand why a company would want to estrange customers that they could potentially get back someday! Well, if this is bad, I definitely would never consider Vonage again, period. Not that I really wanted to in the first place, but we will ignore that part.

I'll post more later on other stuff, but I had to get this down, to mark the beginning. Let's see how long this takes. (Oh, and I promise I WILL be vocally anti-Vonage to anyone considering VOIP service if this really does end up sucking!)

Time so far: 2 hours, 22 minutes

p.s. Cancelling with Roadrunner internet service, on the other hand, couldn't have been more pleasant. What a contrast. Friendly and helpful and immediate! Thank you, TWCNY.com! :)

p.p.s. This waiting is keeping me from visiting my grandfather who is in the hospital today, since I don't want to be out if they call back. NOT COOL.

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: The God of Small Things
AUTHOR: Arundhati Roy

playing catch-up

It's hot here in my makeshift computer room, so I'm probably going to keep this short. Let's see, I suppose I have some catching up to do. Friday night Dan and I headed up to Ithaca for the last time (at least while I technically live there!) with the intention of bringing all of the rest of my things (mostly kitchenware and my desktop computer) home in my little Civic. I guess I didn't realize either how much I still had in Ithaca, or how small my car is! Or, probably both. I spent a stressful weekend trying to clean, pack, and get rid of things I couldn't bring back with me. I ended up having to leave a lot of the nonperishables with Dave, in hopes that he would either use them or throw them away (something I have an awful time doing, since I hate to waste anything - thanks, Mom, for that character trait! haha).

In any case, the one nice, brief moment of respite from the overwhelmed feeling I had this weekend (i.e., how in the WORLD am I going to make this in one trip?!) was when we went to see March of the Penguins! What a wonderful movie. I learned a lot without even noticing that I was - the best way to learn, I believe! It was incredible how like humans a lot of the characteristics of penguins were. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with me, as a human, ascribing the way we act and feel to the creatures, and also that they walk on two feet! (And can't fly, for that matter.) And it really did appear that they had emotions, but again that could have just been characteristics I (and the filmmakers) gave the penguins because we as humans often feel the need to associate with non-human creatures that way. Well, in any case, it was a wonderful movie. Don't know that it's one I'll want to watch over and over again, but I did enjoy it. Very amusing (although I was often laughing just at how like little old men they look when they waddle around!).

So to get back to the rest of the weekend, we finally got everything packed up and (mostly) taken care of, and were on the road back to CT by around 6pm on Monday evening. (I took the day off unexpectedly, because I realized I wasn't going to be able to get any work done while I worried about packing the car! And it's a good thing I did, because it ended up taking most of the day.) The drive back was uneventful except for our unplanned stop for a very late dinner at the Buckhorn Restaurant in upstate NY...very Southern-ish/truck driver-ish - Dan even bought himself a cowboy hat! But, no incidents or anything.

And, now we're back in-state for good until our move-in day on September 1! Yipee - I can't wait! (Well, I CAN wait for the physical labor of actually moving, but not for once we are in our awesome apartment!) Till then, I'm just kickin' around house-sitting for my parents while they are in Kenya. I visited Grandpa today at the hospital, and he looked much better than when I had last seen him. He has a lot more color in his cheeks, and he was very talkative! He's finally allowed to eat again (for 5 days he was on IV!). The visit was really pleasant; I'll go back again tomorrow.

I guess I didn't need to narrate my life like that...but, as usual, there's very little news to report! Oh but one thing that shook me up today was driving past the ruins of two semi-landmarks in my hometown: first, the big white church that my mother, sisters, and I attended every Sunday for almost 20 years is being torn down, and today I noticed that they had demolished the steeple! It's so sad to see something like that go - it was a beautiful building. Unfortunately it was also falling apart, and the new chuch is of course much more stable and all, but it is still so sad to see such an institution go. I don't feel a connection to the church per se so much as to the memories I have of it. A lot of my childhood was connected to that place.

And the other "monument" that's kind of been kicking around my town for a while is the charred remnants of what was once a Dunkin Donuts out on route 4...it burned down on my birthday this year (I only remember the date because Chandra was visiting that weekend, and we looked at photos of the fire together), and has ever since stood as a burnt-out skeleton in the same spot, with a chain-link fence surrounding it! Everyone was confounded as to why it was still there and not being torn down. I kept speculating that maybe it had to do with insurance - as in, they had to do full inspections before they could alter the "evidence" - but do inspections really take 3 months?! In any case, it's now been reduced to a concrete slab...I've heard they plan to rebuild another DD there. We'll see how long that takes.

Hmm, didn't I say I wasn't going to write much? I think I'll leave things here, for now. I need to go lie down in front of a fan with a good book...

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: The God of Small Things
AUTHOR: Arundhati Roy

BookCrossing post

I just spent a few minutes this morning reading and subsequently posting on a topic that interested me at BC - here are both the link to the topic (regarding "non-reading children", as the first poster labeled them) at BookCrossing, and what I wrote:

(link to the thread)

I don't know what I would (will?) do if my children don't like to read- it will be hard for me to identify with them! But I understand that there are plenty of people out there who don't enjoy books...I wonder if there's anything really genetic in it, at all. Another nature vs. nurture, I guess! I grew up watching my entire family read- I am the youngest of 3 girls, and everyone was reading before me (of course), so I think a lot of what got me started in the first place was wanting to be like my older sisters & parents. I remember once when my family traveled to Mesa Verde and everyone read "The Haunted Mesa" (Louis L'Amour) - I wanted so badly to be like them that I read it, too, even though I was only 8 and was so scared! The same thing happened with Stephen King's "The Eyes of the Dragon." So I think that a good example (having family members who are avid readers) is definitely a good start for kids, but of course it doesn't always do the trick. It's wonderful to have a reading family, though, because we are constantly passing books around. My grandparents (both sides), aunts, and uncles are almost all avid readers, but my cousins never seemed to take a big interest in books, which I could never understand. I think a large part of it (but this is just my own probably silly theory!) is that children who are very active don't want to sit down with a book when they could be running around. Of course that seems very logical when you think about it; the question from there is, is that some kind of chemical imbalance (ADD, etc.) or is it just who they are (which is of course also some kind of chemical thing, I suppose), and if so, why should they be forced to do something they don't want to do? I myself don't like to run marathons, so why should I be pushed into doing that when I would just be miserable?
That being said, I DO have a really big problem with children who don't read, and with houses where not a single book can be seen (those houses scare me). So maybe I should take some of my own advice. But it just makes me sad that there are people who can't enjoy the amazing worlds created by books. (And I hate to admit it, but I know that sometimes I think "how can non-readers be as intelligent if they aren't soaking up the vocabulary and knowledge of books?")

I've gotten better recently, though; my boyfriend is a big reader of mostly non-fiction, and at first that bothered me a bit- but then I realized that a book is a book, and that we can sit down & read together for long lenghts of time is what matters to me. (Since I can't live without reading!)

Sorry for such a long post. I guess a lot of my thoughts were stirred up by this dicussion! Thanks for hearing me out. :)

Happy reading, everyone.

Dan & I went to see Charlie & the Chocolate Factory yesterday night (after a dinner of sushi first, yum!). I never had a thing for Johnny Depp like what seems like 99% of the rest of the female population in the world, but I DO think he's an excellent actor. He did a very good job as Willy Wonka. And I always love the looks of Tim Burton's films - they are fantastical, amazing, fantasy worlds. He's definitely got an eye. I don't remember enough of the first movie adaptation to compare the two, but I think I liked them both about the same. Gene Wilder was also a winning character, and just as adept as Depp (heh, that sounded funny) at playing the eccentric and rather creepy Mr. Wonka. From what I recall of the book, though (which I read years & years ago, so I'm not a great judge of it) was that the Great Glass Elevator featured at the end of the book, wasn't in the first movie, and WAS in the second, but more than I remember! But, that could just be my patchy memory. I really ought to read the book again; I'm intrigued. I do think I remember correctly when I say that "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator" was the title of the subsequent book, but I don't remember if it was part of a series or just those two. Guess I'll have to take a mosey on over to Amazon.com to clear things up!

Oh, and Grandpa Joe was played by the man from Waking Ned Devine, one of my favorite movies! I knew I recognized him! Yay.

For now, though, back to work.

p.s. It's 11:11, though - make a wish! xoxo

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: The God of Small Things
AUTHOR: Arundhati Roy

go in peace, Mr. Biscuit...

Okay, so I knew I was pretty gullible, but I never realized how much! Apparently when I was around age 15, someone told me that "Pax vobiscum" means "Go in peace, Mr. Bisuit"...or I heard it somewhere, whatever. In any case, I had forgotten all about it, but I found a piece of paper with that "translation" written on it, so I decided to Google it today to see what the deal was. Turns out it means something like "Peace be with you" in the plural sense. Aw, that's so boring! Oh, well. I understand now why I tend to take everything with a grain of salt, these days...I've kind of been trained into it! Haha.

Also, speaking of "haha", check out the Wikipedia definition (they pop up on the latest version of Trillian when you hover over any underlined word!) of that phrase: "An onomatopaeia of the English language to mimic the rough sound of human laughter. Often used in instant message chats to express laughter. Haha has found increasing usage in SMS messages between cell phone users to express the same. Can also be expressed as hahaha. Additional ha's can be added to the root haha to express an increase in laughter duration." Heh! Sometimes I also use "additional ha's" to express the intensity of my laughter. I prefer it to "lol" because I don't really like those little "shortcuts" that have developed in IMs, like "r" and "u" for "are" and "you". But anyway. Gotta go. Ciao for now!

haven't i read this before?

So I'm really, really confused right now. Last night, I spent about a half hour before bed reading the first 50 pages or so of Test of the Twins (it's a really fast read; I'm not normally that good!), trying to ignore the strange nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I had read it before. I put it aside to go to sleep, but this morning I spent almost an hour scanning the book to see if I recognized plot points - but all of it sounded, weirdly, vaguely but not solidly familiar. (I think a lot of it is because there are something like 8 or 9 books now that have the same characters or their descendents, and thus I can't ever really keep everything clear.) I even dug out my old "Books Read" list from last year - that starts on January 4, 2004 - to check whether I had written the book down, since I could have sworn I've read it before, but nothing. And the book wasn't published until 2004! I mean, it's still in the "New Releases" section of the library! So, when in the world did I read it??! I am going slightly crazy because of this puzzle. It makes no sense. Who would I have borrowed it from? And when?

Not many people even know that I read the Weiss/Hickman Dragonlance books. I don't admit it to or share that secret a lot (although I guess I just did, now, heh). So I am kind of distressed by this big mystery, as you can tell.

The last chapter of the book, and several plot points, were DEFINITELY familiar. And I can't imagine that the authors would employ things like that twice, so I'm something like 95% certain I've read the book already. ...But I've no idea!!

Otherwise, last night I had a ton of fun going through some of my old things...Mom & I are "purging" - trying to get rid of a lot of the crap that we've managed to collect over the years of living in this house. I know I need to do that, because the last time we did a real, thorough cleaning was when my parents had us pack all of our stuff into boxes and store them upstairs, to clear out our rooms for guest rooms. But at the time, I was still too closely tied to my high school years, so I felt the need to hold on to ticket stubs and programs and notes and the like. Now, I'm much less attached - in fact, I've found a lot of things already that I wonder why I even held on to them, what their sentimental significance was. It's sad that I've kind of forgotten, but on the other hand, it's really nice to be able to clear a lot of stuff out! I don't need those tangible things to hold on to the memories, you know?

All right, I have to go get back to work - and to the frustrated feeling about that book that I could swear I've already read! Ugh, oh well. I'll keep you posted if I remember!! (For now, I don't plan to reread it, though.)

And lastly, happy birthday, Daddy!

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: The God of Small Things
AUTHOR: Arundhati Roy

asshole.

I just got back from a lovely crepes lunch with my mother and grandparents (her parents) for my mom's birthday. It was a very cool place, but I was quite pissed off by this asshole who thinks they own the world, or at least are the only one in it:


What do they think, that those yellow hazard lines are there for decoration? They are probably the stupid people that think "why do lucky handicapped people get all that space and the rest of us have to park so far away? duuuhh", followed by some drool coming out of their mouths while they ponder this perplexing question. I don't know, jerk, maybe, just maybe, handicapped spots give the people that park there room to get their wheelchairs or their crutches or their canes out of the car??!? What the hell. Now if a handicapped person with a wheelchair shows up to eat some crepes, they can't park there because you felt the need to be a big asshole. Very good.

Yes, I get a bit impassioned about that kind of stuff (oh by the way, I checked - there was NO handicapped sign either on their rearview mirror OR on their license plate), but I not only was handicapped (on crutches) for several months myself - which is doable without a handicapped spot, and I would often forgo taking advantage of my placard - but I have a friend who is in a wheelchair, and I feel fiercly protective of her. She's already so fabulous, and incredible to me, so I am sure she could do without the parking spot there. But why should she have to?? Besides, that jerk looks to me like they'd be the same person who would park in a handicapped spot when it was the last one, forcing Tanya to have to park 5 miles away. Believe me, it's happened. Ugh.

That also reminds me of the time I head some stupid college jock guy complaining about the new "maternity" parking spots that seem to be popping up in many places, offering expecting mothers a chance to not have to walk so far. The stupid jerk made some comment about how his mother did just fine without those when he was young. I really wanted to turn to him and say "okay buddy, YOU try walking around with another human being in your belly and see how that feels! and, by the way, it's too bad that she made it to term with you in the first place - it's too bad she didn't miscarry while she was hiking across the parking lot to get her groceries one morning!" Haha okay so that last part was a little harsh, but I didn't even say a single word when he was around (I always wish I had more guts than I do), so now I get to really have at him, haha.

Well, I have to get back to work, but I just felt the need to rant about that. Oh, and don't worry, I didn't finish both of the 2 books that I started reading just the other day - I just realized that I have to read another one first because it's a new book, and thus can't be renewed (and is due earlier than the others). So, I unfortunately had to put the others on hold. I will definitely return to them directly after I am done with the Weiss & Hickman one.

All right, ciao for now!

Currently Reading:
TITLE: War of the Twins
AUTHOR: Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman

into the wild...

Sarah, Liam, and I had a blast releasing some books into the wild yesterday night! We met up at Liam's apartment in Farmington and then drove around to West Hartford and New Britain, leaving books at bus stops, coffee shops, etc. It's so weird how much like criminals we felt! I hate that feeling - we are GIVING something away for free, and yet we feel like we have to be sneaky. I think a large part of that feeling stems from all of the heightened security that we have been put through in this country since September 11, 2001. From that day forward, we've watched our country turn from a fairly open-minded place to a hotbed of something akin to a police state! With the Patriot Act, it's like our country has some kind of carte blanche to do whatever they want to any of us, all under the protective blanket of the Act. If they choose, for example, to arrest us for suspicion of leaving bombs somewhere (which really were innocent little books, that wanted to get out and see the world!) then it seems that they would have every right to prosecute, saying that we had endangered our fellow Americans. Ugh.

That was really poorly worded and I didn't nearly say all I wanted to up there, but that last paragraph taught me a very valuable lesson: never journal while listening to music, Arianna. See, I was listening to a bit of Against Me!, because Dan and I are going to see them and Green Day (one of his favorite bands and one of my favorite bands, respectively) play in Boston right after we move up there! Yay! So I was in the mood to listen to Cavalier Eternal and a few other songs, but realized how incredibly distracting that was while trying to articulate my thoughts. So it looks like the boys'll just have to wait till I'm done with this.

Really, I'm pretty much done, anyway, though. Today was rather uneventful. Worked at home, went to visit Grandpa in the hospital again today (he was groggy because we woke him up, but it seems like he might go back home soon!), worked some more, and then had dinner with Sarah & Liam. They stopped by because it's the last chance Sarah'll have to see Mom & Dad before they leave for Kenya next weekend! I hope they have an incredible time. I wish I were going... :)

But, almost as nice, I get to housesit with Danny for a week and a half while they are gone! I love having the place to myself...I don't think it'll matter how old I get or how many of my own places I have, I still really enjoy being on my own at my parents' house. Maybe part of it is that I feel so grown up. Maybe that means I'll stop feeling that way when (if!) I own my own house someday. ...We'll see!

Anyway, I'll leave you with a really cute (if rather raunchy) joke that Danny told me the other night, and that I have since been passing on to anyone who wants to hear it - it's one of my new favorites, haha!

Q: Why did Barbie dump Ken?
A: Because he came in a different box.

Heh, all right. I am sorry my life isn't more exciting. But I don't mind. I always manage to amuse myself, as you can see...and for now, that's all I need!

Currently Reading:

TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor


TITLE: The God of Small Things
AUTHOR: Arundhati Roy

une baguette

Sitting here watching the most TV I have seen in god knows how long. Saw a really bad Crocodile Dundee movie this morning, then a couple of episodes of Full House, and now it's Short Circuit! Heh at least it's a good geeky movie to keep busy with. Besides, what else is there to do?? It's soooo hot here! Ugh.

So yeah. Last night Dan, Aaron, Nickhi, and I drove over to the Waterbury Barnes & Noble so that Nickhi could pick up her copy of the latest Harry Potter book. I guess I'll read a copy eventually, but I can definitely wait, heh. Dan and I went because we had nothing better to do, and then ended up wandering over to the TGI Friday's nearby to get drunk and eat steak while we waited, heehee. Fun night. Even picked up a free green plastic bracelet that read "July 15, 2005", and Dan got a pair of black plastic HP glasses, that I managed to promptly break (sorry!).

(Harry Potter always reminds me of when I read the first book in French (when I was living there). For the longest time I thought that, instead of wands, they were using long sandwiches - the word for "wand" in French is baguette, which makes sense because those kinds of breads are very long, well...wands. Haha.)

I'm currently trying to write some long-overdue letters to a couple of my friends, but that's going slowly. Too damn hot to really think straight, ugh. I think I'm gonna go veg out some more. Kisses.

Currently Reading:
TITLE: The Overspent American
AUTHOR: Juliet B. Schor

lots of random stuff

As I told Kristen earlier, today I realized today when I was looking at the Carbonleaf website just how much I love Irish guys...I have always found myself inexplicably attracted to almost every Irish boy I've ever come across...who knows why! But it definitely explains my thing for Casey Affleck, I'd say. And good thing Danny's half Irish. :)

Although I feel the strong urge to point out that Bono never really did it for me.

But tell me, is it really weird that I find the author of Sasser kinda cute? Okay, it's probably just because he's a huge computer geek, but he's also got a nice face. And, hey, c'mon, he did say that he wrote & released that worm in order to catch & stop viruses that were already out there...so he sounds like he could be a good kid, or at least have good intentions. Hey, not all of us genius computer geeks are bad people! Haha kidding, I'm not nearly that smart. But still. He doesn't seem like a bad kid. It just sounds like it backfired, unfortunately.

Anyway, in other news, Katie Holmes has definitely gone crazy. Ugh. As Tool says, "Fuck L. Ron Hubbard and fuck all his clones."

And I have told my father to never, never send me games at work again. He emailed me a link to The Crimson Room the other day, and I spent so much of that workday completing that and the two other rooms, ugh! I am so easily distracted as it is. Games don't help!

I have started to look into things I want to get involved in when I move back to Boston. I really would like to feel like I'm connected to there again, especially because my work will still be in CT. I already heard back from the CodePink girl that I emailed, yay! I also tried to get in touch with the director of the Massachusetts Youth and Government program, since I had such a great time doing that in high school. I really want to try to get involved as an advisor, so I can help high school kids now get as much out of it as I did. (Okay, granted, I probably really loved it my senior year because I met a boyfriend, but...haha. No really, as much as I hate goverment, I really love the procedure of it. All the rules, and being able to break them, heh! Especially when I was majority leader of the House, wow...anyway, I'm digressing into many other stories which probably shouldn't be told here. Let's move on.)

Lastly, recently I found this place called Rosie's (a shelter for women) that I would love to volunteer at! I'm going to look into contacting someone about getting involved there sometime soon. Or when I move. Whatever. :)

Okay, I'm on the phone with Jen right now, and then I want to read some more. So...I'm gonna get going for now. More soon! <3

Currently Reading:

TITLE: Why Girls Are Weird
AUTHOR: Pamela Ribon

rallies & books

I'm so proud of Dan, although proud isn't quite the right word I want to use. I am so impressed by him, and his motivation when it comes to certain things, things that are important to him. He has been working so hard on organizing this rally against the CCIC's anti-immigration meeting tomorrow. He is a wonderful person, and I am lucky to have him in my life.

In other news, we went to visit Grandpa at the hospital again today; he seems all right but still very tired. I hope he will get to go home soon; I know he misses it. Afterwards, Mom, Dad, and I stopped for a beer and some calamari at the Prospect Cafe, which proceeded to get me drunk (I hadn't eaten much before that today). I don't know if I've ever really been drunk like that around my parents!! Haha. I think I held myself together pretty well, though, considering. Although I think I was a bit louder than usual... Anyway, then we stopped at the library before we returned home so I could return to work. And yes, I have another 5 books added to my already-teetering piles & piles of books. Ack! I don't think I'll ever get them done before I move...I'll be happy to get through a few of them, even, though!

Speaking of "getting through" a book, I am really digging War Fever! I just can't get over how good these stories are. It's been a long time since I've read any short stories - for a while I was big into them, especially O Henry and Salinger and the like, but ever since I really got into reading all of the "classics", I was in this mode of not wanting to waste my time on stories when I could be reading actual, entire books by Hemingway, Steinbeck, Joyce, Rand, Vonnegut! So, in any case, this is a first in a long time for me. And I'm quite enjoying it! It's so nice to be able to put the book down after one story and not have to remember what was going on when I pick it up again and start an entirely new one.

Ballard is a great writer, though - I am loving his predictions for the "future", from way back in the 80s and 90s! He is surprisingly actually very adept at predicting things, in many ways. Sure, a lot of his stories go a bit over the top, but he was also making a lot of political commentary about his own time, and what might happen if things were brought to their extremes. So I highly doubt he expected most of his stories to come to fruition in the real world.

Anyway, really good. I highly recommend it. As well as Why Girls Are Weird, which I am also thoroghly enjoying! I am so impressed by how well certain authors can really write our generation to a "T"...really neat.

Okay, well, back to sitting in front of the fan (this goddamn humidity!) and enjoying those books...hopefully I'll have new ones to post about tomorrow, or at least a new one, since I'm somewhat close to being done with the Ballard...

Currently Reading:

TITLE: War Fever
AUTHOR: J.G. Ballard


TITLE: Why Girls Are Weird
AUTHOR: Pamela Ribon

friends schmiends

I was just thinking about all the people that have come & gone in my life over the past 5 years or so. Actually, make that 10. I consider high school to be where those friendships really matter; before that, you are too young to really know you are, and friendships kind of come & go before you even realize what they are. Before you are 15, people don't know what group they want to be in or what kind of person they want to be, period. Not really to say that in high school, all of that falls into place. But I think that by the end of our freshman year, most of the groups of friends that were going to form, had formed. I didn't go to a huge school; I graduated with about 350 kids. And true, I did make new friends even in my 4 years of high school, but not nearly as many. In any case, we knew by our freshman year who was going to be the Popular Crowd, who the Geeks were, who the Theater Kids were, who made up the Weird Kids, the Studious Ones, the Badass Crowd, the Athletes (or Jocks, to use the more derogatory term). And plenty more, I'm sure. Some kids were several; there were a few who were none. I knew that the friendships I had had with those Popular Girls back in elementary school weren't ever going to come back, and mostly I didn't care. I had several amazing friends, girls and guys, who actually cared about my life, not who I was currently doing or what I was currently drinking/smoking/snorting. I dunno, I know looking back that I was somewhat of a Good Girl, but I didn't feel that way then. I can't say that I was ever certain of who I was or what I wanted, but I was finding myself, and learning what I wanted from myself in life.

But, I digress. A whole lot. I wanted to write about those people I've lost, because it makes me sad, and I miss them. And I wish I hadn't lost them. It's weird, because some times in my life I feel like I know too many people and I don't have any time for myself, that I am constantly going out and I just wish I could stay at home and curl up with a good book and some Cool Whip or something, haha. But then there are times in my life when I feel like I have no life. This is one of those times. I guess it's because I am living at my parents' house in the interim - after 2 whole years having my own apartment (and 4 more of "living on my own" if you count college, and the 2 summers in between that I lived in my own place), I am back here at #198, back where I started from, so to speak. Heh. I know it's just temporary, but it's very hard for me because for the time being, I am stuck here. It's difficult trying to have my own life and be an adult when I am living at my parents' house. Not to say that they are restrictive in any way! But it's just weird. Which is partly why I spend so much time at Dan's, but even then it's not like it's his place. We are both just hanging out at our parents' houses until we can move into our place in Boston in September. UGH that feels like so far away!

Anyway, I keep not talking about what I wanted to talk about! See, one of the really weird things about being at home is that it's sometimes so much like 1999, and then again so much NOT like then. Most of the people I know who used to live in my town or even the surrounding ones have moved on, much as I did. I am so lucky to have Jen around because she is definitely a CT girl at heart, and she is saving up money to buy a condo! (I'm so jealous! - Good for her!) And I was so lucky to have Marsha before she left for Japan, because she didn't want to move anywhere if she was going to Japan, of course! But mostly everyone else that I cared about is gone, or isn't really my friend anymore. And that's so sad! Not to say I was totally popular in high school and that I had plans every night, but it was definitely better than this. And even the people that are still around are mostly busy, because they have lives here and I don't. I just feel like I'm passing through - but for 2 months. How weird.

And then there are the people I was friends with in CT even just last year, people I spent a lot of time with, who just don't really want to hang out with me anymore, I guess. Jess, BJ, Steph, Mike, etc. At least Nate wants to hang out (I love that kid!), but even he is very often busy. Besides, he lives far away! Anyway, I just miss all of those people, but they of course too have moved on & have their own lives. They didn't have to have waited around for me on the rare occasions I came back to CT for holidays & stuff. But it is kind of sad that every time I try to contact them, they just don't seem interested. I know it's hard because I haven't been around much, but I try to keep in touch with people! Sad. Anyway, I'm lucky to have met a few very awesome people in the past year or so who are good friends. I guess I just have to go with that. They are awesome people, so I don't mind! :)

And then of course there are all of the people I'm looking forward to seeing up in Boston! Bethany, JB, Caitlin, Christine, Julia, Pete! Yay! Of course, I will probably have the same feeling of being lonely & friendless when I am up there, but at least it won't be like Ithaca, where I just HAD no friends at all. Heh.

Well, I have to go help Mommy with dinner. I will add more later. I don't think I am done with this entry. There was stuff I wanted to say, and I don't think I said it. Perhaps I'll give this another attempt later on. <3

Currently Reading:

TITLE: War Fever
AUTHOR: J.G. Ballard


TITLE: Why Girls Are Weird
AUTHOR: Pamela Ribon

war fever

I'm reading War Fever right now, and I highly recommend it. The author is hilarious. Granted, I have only thus far read "The Secret History of World War 3", the story for which I borrowed the book from the library, but I was laughing only a few sentences in. The story, written around 1990, tells the tale of our country when we re-elect Reagan into his third term in office, after his "luckless successor" fails miserably, putting the country into a recession and very desperate times (I don't think Ballard knew at the time that he was talking about Bush, Sr., but what a prescient man he was, huh?). So the House and Congress pass a law allowing Reagan to return, and from the instant he's back in office, the stock market swells with happiness, the nation's optimism is up, etc. However, since Reagan is so old already, the country worries about every little change in his health, and thus the government starts pushing news stories about the president's health - everything from his heart rate to his bowel movements - to the exclusion of everything else! So that when WW3 happens, no one really notices, as it is smushed in between regular updates on how Ronnie & Barb are doing (they do also follow the First Lady's bowel movements, as well). Every TV channel starts broadcasting the president's realtime heart rate on the air, too. In any case, I really pretty much just told you the entire story, but definitely not nearly as well as Mr. Ballard does, so I would still suggest you check out the book. Particularly because there are 12 other stories in that book! Which already look to be promising. As the inside cover tells you, "J.G. Ballard is remarkably adept at blurring the distinction between the realities of the present day and his disturbing scenarios of life in the very near future." I would recommend it. I'll let you know if it gets better, or worse, or just stays as funny as it was. :)

Last night was Dan's mother's and her fiance's Jack & Jill party, which was pretty fun since there was plenty of wine (and Dan and I had lambic to start, mmm) and wonderful food. The chocolate-dipped strawberries were to die for. Wow I want another one... Anyway, I wish them both the best of luck - they are the cutest couple. Their wedding will be in late August. (And I still need to find a dress, gah.) Dan's little sister wrote the sweetest poem to her new (to be) stepdad. It's wonderful how close the rest of Dan's family seems to each other. I understand how he isn't quite as close because he is an adult and lives his own life by now, but he is lucky to have such a nice family. I think, deep down, he really does love them, hehe.

Well, I'm off to read a little bit more while I wait for Dan to wake up. Ciao!

Currently Reading:
TITLE: War Fever
AUTHOR: J.G. Ballard


TITLE: Why Girls Are Weird
AUTHOR: Pamela Ribon

feeling better.

I just finally finished watching Camp on StarzTicket (couldn't finish it last night because my computer kept dropping the download connection), which was not a fabulous movie (storyline- or acting-wise), but has some fantastic performance numbers. And I'm not a huge musical theater fan! But I was really impressed by these kids. Hope they are all out there & doing well still. Most of them don't have extensive IMDb bios, but I'm sure they are probably doing a lot of Broadway or something, with their singing and dancing talents.

Anyway, today was a rough day and I was easily distracted from work for various reasons, but I had a nice talk with Mom after dinner, and then Jen and I went out to Avon to run a few errands together - I love that girl! She always manages to make me feel tons better. And she never fails to get a laugh out of me. :) Dozens, in fact! Heehee. So we hit Marshalls (I bought a t-shirt that says "Tart - like lemonade" and strawberry vanilla tea, yummy), CVS (needed to buy a mailing envelope for BookCrossing and birthday cards for Viv & Bhav!), Cosi (Vanilla Artic coffee, mmm), and attempted to go to Banana Republic (I need at least one if not two wedding dressed for this summer/fall! eep!), but it was closed. I love doing things like that with Jen, because we can talk no matter where we are, and she is a great person to shop with! Especially since I don't really like to shop in the first place - she gives wonderful advice and we always manage to get in & out of stores quickly! :)

In any case, despite the all the fun I had tonight, I was still incredibly worried about how things were with Danny, but I finally got ahold of him and he not only doesn't hate me but he still loves me, so I am relieved about that. I think we still have a few things to work out, but we love each other and I hope that means we can always work through things, as a team. Like Jen and I were saying earlier, what's most important to find in the person you love is companionship - you need to know that once all the initial attraction has worn off you are still going to be best friends, and will stick by each other for the rest of your lives. Y'know? Not that (hopefully) the attraction wears off entirely, but really I think what makes a relationship solid and lasting is when you see the person as your other half, your complement, your foundation. I dunno. That's at least how I see the relationships I take example from, such as my parents. And I love Daniel like that. He makes me a better person, and I feel like I can tell him anything & everything. I've never felt that way about a boyfriend before. I've never been this comfortable. Is that what love is?

Who knows.

Anyway, as a funny side note, I learned today (from this site's "manifesto" that Revlon makes a lotion called Revolotion. Haha I love great plays on words like that. What was the other one we were talking about the other day? Hmm. OH - Dan and I were talking about these clever right-wing ice cream names, I'll have to look them up & post them on here. Because while I'm no fan of the Bush camp, I won't hesitate to nod in the direction of an excellent play on words, whatever their political bent. :)

Oh, and I was on that site because I was making certain of the phrase "congratulations are in order" (my friend Jenny just finished defending her thesis & got her masters, whoo!) because while I always guess the right one, I never feel certain. Check out this thread for what appears to be the poster's definitive answer.

Okay, off to finish this damn book (see below)! I haven't had much time to read lately but I am SO ready to finish this one!! Not my favorite, but I guess it was entertaining enough. I'm looking forward to starting another one of the books on my teetering stacks soon, though...

Edit:Here's the ice cream site (Star Spangled Ice Cream), but I hope you aren't about to boost their sales! I only take appreciation-of-cleverness so far! Haha.

Currently Reading:

TITLE: C'est la Vie
AUTHOR: Suzy Gershman

haha, i dunno about this...

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Fifth Level of Hell!

The river Styx runs through this level of Hell, and in it are punished the wrathful and the gloomy. The former are forever lashing out at each other in anger, furious and naked, tearing each other piecemeal with their teeth. The latter are gurgling in the black mud, slothful and sullen, withdrawn from the world. Their lamentations bubble to the surface as they try to repeat a doleful hymn, though with unbroken words they cannot say it. Because you lived a cruel, vindictive and hateful life, you meet your fate in the Styx.

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Currently Reading:

TITLE: C'est la Vie
AUTHOR: Suzy Gershman

grandpa

We went to see my grandfather in the hospital today; he had been admitted this afternoon because he was having trouble breathing. He wasn't having trouble by the time we saw him (around 7:30pm), but he was still looking very weak & out of it. Very hard to see him that way. But he knows he is loved, and I can tell he will be okay with it when his time comes. For everyone else's sake, I hope that's not for a while. But if he is suffering, I wish him only an easing of his pain, however that has to happen. He has lived a long & wonderful life, and is the nicest and most generous man I've ever met. He calls my mother and me and my sisters "angels". I think he is one, really.

Currently Reading:

TITLE: C'est la Vie
AUTHOR: Suzy Gershman

survey

(x) smoked a cigar
(x) made out with a member of the same sex
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( ) skipped school
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) slept with more than 15 people
( ) been called a slut
(x) had a one night stand
( ) slept with someone you don't even know their name
( ) seen someone die
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of your parent's house
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) gone on a blind date
( ) had a crush on a teacher
(x) been to Canada
(x) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
( ) thrown up in a bar
( ) purposely set a part of yourself on fire
(x) eaten sushi
(x) been snowboarding
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) questioned your heart
( ) been obsessed with post-it notes
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
(x) cried yourself to sleep
( ) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sung karaoke
( ) paid for a meal with only coins
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) been kissed under mistletoe
(x) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach (what about on an abandoned highway?)
( ) crashed a party
(x) gone roller skating (for the first time when i was 21!)
(x) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey
( ) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
( ) screamed penis in class
(x) ate dog/cat food
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
(x) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
( ) have a little black dress
(x) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex's clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
( ) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
( ) didn't take a shower for a week
(x) picked and ate an apple
( ) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
(x) are scared to watch scary movies alone
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have more then 30 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
( ) gone streaking
( ) played ding-dong-ditch
( ) pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
( ) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
(x) caught a fish then ate it
( ) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed
( ) mooned/flashed someone
(x) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
(x) forgotten someone's name
(x) slept naked
(x) French braided someone's hair
() gone skinny dipping

i'm feeling somewhat better today, thank goodness. thank you, Danny. <3

Currently Reading:

TITLE: C'est la Vie
AUTHOR: Suzy Gershman

"can you help me unravel my latest mistake..."

Gah. I've got that song in my head, and I've no idea what it even is! Heh. Well, I know I have been rather delinquent in my posting. Guess not much has been going on. Had a busy weekend - I felt like I was all over the place! On Friday, we (me, Dan, his mom, and her fiance) drove up to Ithaca with their big truck so that on Saturday we could disassemble & move out all of my big furniture, whoo! We drove back that afternoon and deposited the stuff in temporary storage at my parents' house. Wow I'm so relieved that is all over & done with. Now, we play the waiting game until September, pretty much! Dan and I will probably go up to Ithaca at least one more time before my lease is up on July 31st, but mostly I am moved out. I get to pack up all my kitchen stuff next time I go up, though, ugh. That's always the hardest part for me.

Then I spent Sunday after church unpacking my own car (I had also stuffed it to the gills up in NY) and taking naps in between. (I was pretty exhausted from 8+ hours of driving and staying up late to take apart my shelves and desks and whatnot!) That evening, Dan & I went to Litchfield to a wine-tasting/outdoor-movies party at Amber's new boyfriend's house - it was a lot of fun! I haven't seen Amber or Danica in a long time, and it was nice to catch up. And I'm so happy for Amber, that she's found such a wonderful guy!

The next day Dan & I pretty much kicked around Oakville until 5 or 6, and then drove down to the White Plains station to take the train into NYC. We walked from Grand Central to Chelsea for a party at my friend Caroline's house. The view of the fireworks wasn't great, but I had a good time with Danny. Plus, it was wonderful to see Caroline - it had been years! We are definitely talking making plans for a weekend in the future so we can catch up, since we didn't really get to talk much as she played hostess. So yay, fun! But what a loooong weekend. I'm glad in a way that it is over, as much as I don't really want to be at work right now...and yes, I'm still at work. Taking a break because I desperately need one, but it's been such a long day already. The program I am writing seems to have endless problems. =\ I don't know what to do - I hate having this burden on my shoulders! As much as I love being involved in the project I am working on, it is VERY difficult to be the only programmer! Now I understand how overwhelmed my predecessor at this company must sometimes feel. But, I do love what I do. I just worry that others won't love what I do...as in, what I produce...ack!

Anyway, I should get back to work so that I can get home before midnight tonight! I could definitely use a little bit of relaxation time tonight. Dan probably won't be home till later on, anyway, so it'll be nice just to have some quiet "me" time.

Although, at this rate, that might not happen for several days...!

Currently Reading:

TITLE: C'est la Vie
AUTHOR: Suzy Gershman


Recently finished:
TITLE: Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
AUTHOR: Al Franken

Been meaning to read that one for ages, too; just finally got around to it. I love checking books off my list! Even though it never stops growing...*sigh*