I know it's been a long time since I have written. The week after Valentine's Day, I got very sick with some sort of sinus infection/flu/cold thingy and completely LOST four and a half entire days. I mean LOST those days entirely, and the infection/whatever actually lasted about a week, making it hard to accomplish anything. Then I got very involved in trying to reclaim the "project room/guest room" from the disaster it had become. For some time now I have called it the "explosion room." It's the place I would throw stuff to get it out of the way when people came over for a visit, or when the cleaning lady came (I always told her to ignore that room), or any other number of things would cause me to make a mess of that room. And when my sister (Girl from Texas) came for Christmas, I stuck her in that room...how awful of me! She, nice person that she is, never complained. But now things will be different! She will have a very nice accommodation.
Last Thursday, my favorite husband took me to Ikea, where we found two wonderful white bookshelves, with glass doors, both six feet tall and so roomy. All of my projects have been organized neatly in those bookshelves. We are talking about a lot of different kinds of project, from memory books to painting to beading to knitting to needlepointing and sewing, and any number of fun creative activities to entertain an active mind. I still have about a dozen boxes of papers and stuff to go through, and that will happen slowly over time, but I filled three boxes and two bags with stuff for Good Will, shredded some paperwork (but not enough), organized projects that can be finished quickly, and cleaned my desk, which makes me want to spend more time in this room!
Today, Sara, my cleaning lady, came. I love my cleaning lady. I told her today that I love to see her because she always makes me feel so good about my space. I think she should get a cleaning lady for HER house. Then she will know just how happy she makes people. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I'm waxing poetic...you'd think I'd overdosed on caffeine the way I am going on right now, but it is simply that I am in a good mood because the house is really coming together. For the first time in at least eight years (since we started renovating this old house of ours).
The next post will be my answers to an interview I got from "Running My Mass Off" a few weeks ago. I started answering the questions, but have not finished yet. Stay tuned. This interviewing thing is fun.
Gotta go. Must start going through some more boxes...and finishing some of these pending projects.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Menopausal Tourette Syndrome
It's been a long time. I have been complaining that my time has not been my own lately. Every weekend has been taken up with doing stuff for other people. Even when I thought I was going to have my day off this past Friday, it turns out that I ended up with a new case and spent 3 hours on the computer, working from home...longer, actually, counting the time I worked OFF the computer.
So I have decided I have "Menopausal Tourettes." I'll explain. Friends of mine, who are ahead of me in the process of life, have warned me of what to expect. They tell me: "Oh, just you wait for the hot flashes (or power surges as one friend says)." Another says "You're going to LOVE the night sweats" (said with acidic sarcasm). Your hair will fall out (my hair is fine, thank you very much). Your skin will dry up (I am grateful for good moisturizers). You'll gain weight, they say (I weigh the same as I have for three years now, and I would STILL like to lose 30 pounds). But no one, absolutely NO ONE, told me about this problem of what I call "Menopausal Tourette Syndrome."
A week ago, I was at a board meeting...it was just a needlepoint guild board meeting, for goodness sake. Nothing of mind boggling importance. Just a needlepoint board meeting. Needlepoint, get it? Until May, I am Secretary (I have held other positions on the board as well). At this meeting, for some reason, every item we talked about caused major contentious discussions among us. It was ridiculous. Very annoying. I was exhausted. Finally, as people left, we were down to three of us, including the president (a friend), at whose house we were meeting. We started discussing some issue, and one thing led to another and I was trying to make a point and the president kept interrupting me, and finally she said: "No more discussion. I've decided the issue and what I say goes" (or something to that effect).
Now, I'm usually a very calm, easy-going person, with lots of patience. But that response made me see red. I rage inside when people talk over me or refuse to allow me to finish a thought. I looked at her and said calmly (but not easy-goingly): "F... You." Nothing more. Menopausal Tourettes. I was actually quite mortified! Where the F did that come from!!! But she stood up and pointed at the door and said: "Leave this house!" At which point, I stood up and put everything in my bag to leave. "I don't like that language," she says. Now, do I simply apologize to her for using offensive language? No. Of course not. Instead, I say, "It's just a F-ing word." Oops. Before she can say anything, my other friend says..."sit down, both of you." "No," I say, "the hostess has asked me to leave, as is her right. I'm leaving." Eventually, everyone calms down and we end up sitting at the table, finishing the discussion. I was physically and mentally drained. The nice thing about this friend is that she is very forgiving and when we were finished with the meeting I looked at her and grinned and said "Now, may I give you a hug?" She laughed, we hugged and all was good. That was about 10 days ago. Tonight I saw her and you'd never guess anything had happened.
What I really love is this: as I said, I was mortified by my outburst, and I didn't want to tell my husband what I had said to her. I felt so ashamed! That lasted about an hour after I got home. Then I told him. Sheepishly. What do you think he did? He burst out laughing and said "I'm surprised it's taken you this long!" He freakin' laughed! I was very surprised by that response. So, later, I told my Elusive Offspring (who was home on break until this past Saturday) and his friend. Do you know what their response was? They burst out laughing. What is it about men, I wondered, that they burst out laughing at the idea of my saying "F you" to someone. Well, they say, it's funny to them because men always do that to each other. Do you know, I think that's true. The other funny thing to them is: "it's the last thing I expected you to tell us that you said."
But see? I've always had this reputation as a gracious southern lady, always saying nice things to people, never showing annoyance or frustration. I've always been the mediator, bringing people together. But now what? Menopausal tourettes. Dragon lady with flaming red hair. Oh, the shame of it all!
So I have decided I have "Menopausal Tourettes." I'll explain. Friends of mine, who are ahead of me in the process of life, have warned me of what to expect. They tell me: "Oh, just you wait for the hot flashes (or power surges as one friend says)." Another says "You're going to LOVE the night sweats" (said with acidic sarcasm). Your hair will fall out (my hair is fine, thank you very much). Your skin will dry up (I am grateful for good moisturizers). You'll gain weight, they say (I weigh the same as I have for three years now, and I would STILL like to lose 30 pounds). But no one, absolutely NO ONE, told me about this problem of what I call "Menopausal Tourette Syndrome."
A week ago, I was at a board meeting...it was just a needlepoint guild board meeting, for goodness sake. Nothing of mind boggling importance. Just a needlepoint board meeting. Needlepoint, get it? Until May, I am Secretary (I have held other positions on the board as well). At this meeting, for some reason, every item we talked about caused major contentious discussions among us. It was ridiculous. Very annoying. I was exhausted. Finally, as people left, we were down to three of us, including the president (a friend), at whose house we were meeting. We started discussing some issue, and one thing led to another and I was trying to make a point and the president kept interrupting me, and finally she said: "No more discussion. I've decided the issue and what I say goes" (or something to that effect).
Now, I'm usually a very calm, easy-going person, with lots of patience. But that response made me see red. I rage inside when people talk over me or refuse to allow me to finish a thought. I looked at her and said calmly (but not easy-goingly): "F... You." Nothing more. Menopausal Tourettes. I was actually quite mortified! Where the F did that come from!!! But she stood up and pointed at the door and said: "Leave this house!" At which point, I stood up and put everything in my bag to leave. "I don't like that language," she says. Now, do I simply apologize to her for using offensive language? No. Of course not. Instead, I say, "It's just a F-ing word." Oops. Before she can say anything, my other friend says..."sit down, both of you." "No," I say, "the hostess has asked me to leave, as is her right. I'm leaving." Eventually, everyone calms down and we end up sitting at the table, finishing the discussion. I was physically and mentally drained. The nice thing about this friend is that she is very forgiving and when we were finished with the meeting I looked at her and grinned and said "Now, may I give you a hug?" She laughed, we hugged and all was good. That was about 10 days ago. Tonight I saw her and you'd never guess anything had happened.
What I really love is this: as I said, I was mortified by my outburst, and I didn't want to tell my husband what I had said to her. I felt so ashamed! That lasted about an hour after I got home. Then I told him. Sheepishly. What do you think he did? He burst out laughing and said "I'm surprised it's taken you this long!" He freakin' laughed! I was very surprised by that response. So, later, I told my Elusive Offspring (who was home on break until this past Saturday) and his friend. Do you know what their response was? They burst out laughing. What is it about men, I wondered, that they burst out laughing at the idea of my saying "F you" to someone. Well, they say, it's funny to them because men always do that to each other. Do you know, I think that's true. The other funny thing to them is: "it's the last thing I expected you to tell us that you said."
But see? I've always had this reputation as a gracious southern lady, always saying nice things to people, never showing annoyance or frustration. I've always been the mediator, bringing people together. But now what? Menopausal tourettes. Dragon lady with flaming red hair. Oh, the shame of it all!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Inauguration Woes
I love Washington DC. It is a beautiful city. I love the monuments and the river and the military and even the tourists. But I can say that having witnessed the preparations for the Inauguration, I am happy that the Powers That Be decided to give a holiday to federal workers in the immediate area. The past two weeks, and especially the past week, have been a nightmare as far as getting out of the city is concerned. Normally, I can get home in 30 minutes, from office garage to my house, and a little over half of that time is in the city. Lately, however, it has taken me 30 minutes just to get from the office garage to the Potomac River, and then another 15-20 minutes to get home from there. Sometimes longer. For people who live in Virginia, all the main bridges will be closed to regular traffic on Inauguration Day, which means you could not get to work by car. And with 2-4 million people expected for the various Inauguration events, you can bet Metro will be too crowded and in demand to get to work that way. Same for buses, cabs, limos. And so, as you can see, I am glad to be off on Tuesday. And of course, Monday is also a holiday (MLK Day).
Only, my sister (Girl from Texas) will be here with her friend to witness this historic event. They want to go downtown for it. It will be bitterly cold (although not as cold as it was for Reagan's 1985 Inauguration), there will be more people than ever in history (if the predictions are to be believed), there probably won't be quite enough porta-potties, and there will be no easy way in or out of the city. People will be competing for the warmth of the museums (I know how those museums crowd up on the Forth of July, and that's usually attended by substantially fewer people than a million). So. I don't want to go. I told her I hoped she didn't mind if I stayed home in the warmth of my house and watched everything in high definition on my nice big screen TV (last year's Christmas gift to ourselves), and drink champagne and pop popcorn, and then maybe go outside later to watch any fireworks there might be...if there are any (I seem to remember fireworks for Elder Bush). My favorite husband says he will go along because he doesn't want to leave them to fend for themselves. He knows the city quite well. And if and when they want to get home, he will be able to show them the way. It's a three to six mile walk from our house, depending on whether they can cross Teddy Roosevelt Bridge or Memorial Bridge.
I'll be very interested to see if we get the predicted crowds...
Only, my sister (Girl from Texas) will be here with her friend to witness this historic event. They want to go downtown for it. It will be bitterly cold (although not as cold as it was for Reagan's 1985 Inauguration), there will be more people than ever in history (if the predictions are to be believed), there probably won't be quite enough porta-potties, and there will be no easy way in or out of the city. People will be competing for the warmth of the museums (I know how those museums crowd up on the Forth of July, and that's usually attended by substantially fewer people than a million). So. I don't want to go. I told her I hoped she didn't mind if I stayed home in the warmth of my house and watched everything in high definition on my nice big screen TV (last year's Christmas gift to ourselves), and drink champagne and pop popcorn, and then maybe go outside later to watch any fireworks there might be...if there are any (I seem to remember fireworks for Elder Bush). My favorite husband says he will go along because he doesn't want to leave them to fend for themselves. He knows the city quite well. And if and when they want to get home, he will be able to show them the way. It's a three to six mile walk from our house, depending on whether they can cross Teddy Roosevelt Bridge or Memorial Bridge.
I'll be very interested to see if we get the predicted crowds...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Squirrely Story
I cannot resist posting this funny story that my favorite husband found on the Diesel Truck Resource website some time ago. I think it is wonderful.
Biker vs. Squirrel
I never dreamed slowly cruising on my motorcycle through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Little did I suspect...
I was on Brice Street - a very nice neighborhood with perfect lawns and slow traffic. As I passed an on coming car, a brown, furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me. It was a squirrel, and it must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it -- it was that close. I hate to run over animals, and I really hate it on a motorcycle, but a squirrel should pose no danger to me. I barely had time to brace for the impact. Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels, I discovered, can take care of themselves. Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing my oncoming Valkyrie with steadfast resolve in his beady little eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt!
I was pretty sure the scream was Squirrel for "Bonzai!" or maybe "Die, you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!" The leap was nothing short of spectacular... He shot straight up, flew over my windshield, and impacted me squarely in the chest. Instantly, he set upon me. If I did not know better, I would have sworn he brought 20of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling, hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light T-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans, this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage!
Picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and leather gloves, puttering at maybe 25 mph down a quiet residential street, and in the fight of his life with a squirrel. And losing... I grabbed for him with my left hand. After a few misses, I finally managed to snag his tail. With all my strength, I flung the evil rodent off to the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw.
That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there. It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary angry squirrel. This was an EVIL MUTANT ATTACK SQUIRREL OF DEATH! Twisted Evil. Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands and, with the force of my throw, swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact, landed squarely on my BACK and resumed his rather antisocial and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him! The situation was not improved, not improved at all.
His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled, to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of a Valkyrie can have only one result.
Torque.
This is what the Valkyrie is made for, and she is very, very good at it.
The engine roared and the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Valkyrie screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in ... well... I just plain screamed.
Now picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel-torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, and roaring at maybe 50 mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street on one wheel, with a demonic squirrel of death on his back. The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder. With the sudden acceleration, I was forced to put my other hand back on the handlebars and try to get control of the bike. This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices, but I really did not want to crash into somebody's tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle...my brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little effect against the massive power of the big cruiser. About this time, the squirrel decided I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he was an evil mutant NAZI attack squirrel of death), and he came around my neck and got INSIDE my full-face helmet with me.
As the face plate closed part way, he began hissing in my face. I am quite sure my screaming changed intensity. It had little effect on the squirrel, however. The RPMs on the Dragon maxed out (since I was not bothering with shifting at the moment), so her front end started to drop.
Now picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a very raggedly torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, roaring at probably 80 mph, still on one wheel, with a large, puffy squirrel's tail sticking out of the mostly closed full-face helmet. By now the screams are probably getting a little hoarse. Finally I got the upper hand ... I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked ... sort of. Spectacularly sort-of, so to speak.
Picture a new scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork. Suddenly a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a torn T-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing only one leather glove, moving at probably 80 mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by, and with all his strength throws a live squirrel grenade into your police car.
I heard screams.
This time they weren't mine...
I managed to get the big motorcycle under control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign of a busy cross street. I would have returned to 'fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really...Except for two things. First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. When I looked back, the doors on both sides of the patrol were flung wide open. The cop from the passenger side was on his back, doing a crab walk into somebody's front yard, quickly moving away from the car. The cop who had been in the driver's seat was standing in the street aiming a riot gun at his own police car. So, the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to "let the professionals handle it" anyway.
That was one thing. The other?
Well, I could clearly see shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery from the back seat. But I could also swear I saw the squirrel in the back window, shaking his little fist at me. That is one dangerous squirrel. And now he has a patrol car. A somewhat shredded patrol car...but it was all his.
I took a deep breath, turned on my turn signal, made a gentle right turn off of Brice Street, and sedately left the neighborhood. I decided it was best to just buy myself a new pair of gloves. And a whole lot of Band-Aids.
Biker vs. Squirrel
I never dreamed slowly cruising on my motorcycle through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Little did I suspect...
I was on Brice Street - a very nice neighborhood with perfect lawns and slow traffic. As I passed an on coming car, a brown, furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me. It was a squirrel, and it must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it -- it was that close. I hate to run over animals, and I really hate it on a motorcycle, but a squirrel should pose no danger to me. I barely had time to brace for the impact. Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels, I discovered, can take care of themselves. Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing my oncoming Valkyrie with steadfast resolve in his beady little eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt!
I was pretty sure the scream was Squirrel for "Bonzai!" or maybe "Die, you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!" The leap was nothing short of spectacular... He shot straight up, flew over my windshield, and impacted me squarely in the chest. Instantly, he set upon me. If I did not know better, I would have sworn he brought 20of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling, hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light T-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans, this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage!
Picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and leather gloves, puttering at maybe 25 mph down a quiet residential street, and in the fight of his life with a squirrel. And losing... I grabbed for him with my left hand. After a few misses, I finally managed to snag his tail. With all my strength, I flung the evil rodent off to the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw.
That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there. It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary angry squirrel. This was an EVIL MUTANT ATTACK SQUIRREL OF DEATH! Twisted Evil. Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands and, with the force of my throw, swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact, landed squarely on my BACK and resumed his rather antisocial and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him! The situation was not improved, not improved at all.
His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled, to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of a Valkyrie can have only one result.
Torque.
This is what the Valkyrie is made for, and she is very, very good at it.
The engine roared and the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Valkyrie screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in ... well... I just plain screamed.
Now picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel-torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, and roaring at maybe 50 mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street on one wheel, with a demonic squirrel of death on his back. The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder. With the sudden acceleration, I was forced to put my other hand back on the handlebars and try to get control of the bike. This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices, but I really did not want to crash into somebody's tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle...my brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little effect against the massive power of the big cruiser. About this time, the squirrel decided I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he was an evil mutant NAZI attack squirrel of death), and he came around my neck and got INSIDE my full-face helmet with me.
As the face plate closed part way, he began hissing in my face. I am quite sure my screaming changed intensity. It had little effect on the squirrel, however. The RPMs on the Dragon maxed out (since I was not bothering with shifting at the moment), so her front end started to drop.
Now picture a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a very raggedly torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, roaring at probably 80 mph, still on one wheel, with a large, puffy squirrel's tail sticking out of the mostly closed full-face helmet. By now the screams are probably getting a little hoarse. Finally I got the upper hand ... I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked ... sort of. Spectacularly sort-of, so to speak.
Picture a new scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork. Suddenly a large man on a huge black-and-chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a torn T-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing only one leather glove, moving at probably 80 mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by, and with all his strength throws a live squirrel grenade into your police car.
I heard screams.
This time they weren't mine...
I managed to get the big motorcycle under control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign of a busy cross street. I would have returned to 'fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really...Except for two things. First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. When I looked back, the doors on both sides of the patrol were flung wide open. The cop from the passenger side was on his back, doing a crab walk into somebody's front yard, quickly moving away from the car. The cop who had been in the driver's seat was standing in the street aiming a riot gun at his own police car. So, the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to "let the professionals handle it" anyway.
That was one thing. The other?
Well, I could clearly see shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery from the back seat. But I could also swear I saw the squirrel in the back window, shaking his little fist at me. That is one dangerous squirrel. And now he has a patrol car. A somewhat shredded patrol car...but it was all his.
I took a deep breath, turned on my turn signal, made a gentle right turn off of Brice Street, and sedately left the neighborhood. I decided it was best to just buy myself a new pair of gloves. And a whole lot of Band-Aids.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Holiday Haitus
Gosh! I can't believe how long it has been since I have updated my blog or even read my favorite blogs. December was a crazy month for me, with the end of year office crazies, and my sister visiting for Christmas (yippee!), and the elusive offspring home for Christmas (double yippee!), and all the preparations and parties, and then suddenly the new year is on us, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of it all. There is so much I want to write about, but I will not do all of it. I'll get back into writing slowly. I want to read everyone else's blogs first.
I will say that I did indeed get my "pony"...the Kindle. And I have already downloaded so many books and finished reading a couple, too. My enthusiasm for the Kindle is responsible for at least two of my colleagues' getting it for Christmas, too! And they love it as well. All of us agree that it will not replace our physical books (who could ever give up paper books??), but it is a very nice little supplement.
I will say that I did indeed get my "pony"...the Kindle. And I have already downloaded so many books and finished reading a couple, too. My enthusiasm for the Kindle is responsible for at least two of my colleagues' getting it for Christmas, too! And they love it as well. All of us agree that it will not replace our physical books (who could ever give up paper books??), but it is a very nice little supplement.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
On Being Well Read
The Elusive Offspring put this list on his LJ, with the comment that the average person has read only 6 of the "to 100" books printed. He says to highlight the ones you've read, and italicize the ones you plan to read. I'm going to try this...
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (some of it)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 1984 - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Golden Compass, etc.)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (all 36 plays, most sonnets)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot (can't remember!)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh (Guess the miniseries doesn't count)
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (My copy is on a shelf, not read yet)
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (I read Just One More Day)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
I'm fascinated more by what I have NOT read than what I have read...for example, Ulysses and Jude the Obscure! What the--!
Right now, I am reading all of the Alexander Kent "Bolitho" series. Why? Heaven knows. Probably because they are easier to understand than the Patrick O'Neil series, of which I have managed to get through three. After I finish with the 27 Bolitho books (all checked out from the library), I have a pile of other books to read, including The Other Boleyn Girl and Daughter of Fortune...and did I mention that I REALLY, REALLY want a Kindle for Christmas?
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (some of it)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 1984 - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Golden Compass, etc.)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (all 36 plays, most sonnets)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot (can't remember!)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh (Guess the miniseries doesn't count)
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (My copy is on a shelf, not read yet)
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (I read Just One More Day)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
I'm fascinated more by what I have NOT read than what I have read...for example, Ulysses and Jude the Obscure! What the--!
Right now, I am reading all of the Alexander Kent "Bolitho" series. Why? Heaven knows. Probably because they are easier to understand than the Patrick O'Neil series, of which I have managed to get through three. After I finish with the 27 Bolitho books (all checked out from the library), I have a pile of other books to read, including The Other Boleyn Girl and Daughter of Fortune...and did I mention that I REALLY, REALLY want a Kindle for Christmas?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Eagle Has Landed (in a nest)
I don't know why this gives me such an unbelievable thrill, but this morning on my drive to work, I saw a huge bald eagle soaring overhead. I'm lucky I didn't wreck the car in my excitement. I love birds of prey, but especially bald eagles. It was so big! Then it flew into the top of a tree, onto a gigantic nest. Yes, there is a giant eagle's nest right there along the Potomac. The neat thing was seeing our national bird, and then across the river, seeing the great landmarks of DC. Naw. Forget the landmarks...it's all about the eagle. A truly is a beautiful creature. Damn!
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