Lucy's Eclectic Literature Club for August

For August, we'll read How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

In her fourth novel, Baratz-Logsted, author of The Thin Pink Line (2003), offers the charming tale of a literature-loving nanny. At 23, Charlotte Bell has just had her heart broken by the married man she unwisely fell in love with. She decides to take another position, as nanny for the American ambassador in Iceland. Once she takes up residence in the large, creaky house and meets her imperious, forbidding employer, Edgar Rawlings, she can't help but feel like literature's most famous governess, Jane Eyre. But Charlotte turns to Nancy Drew (channeling the girl detective) for help investigating the more puzzling aspects of her situation, such as the silence surrounding Edgar's mysteriously absent wife and the strange laughter she hears coming from behind a closed door. To make matters worse, Charlotte is starting to fall for Edgar, whose engagement to an Icelandic ice queen seems imminent. Readers who appreciate classic love stories will enjoy the old-fashioned dialogue and Charlotte's fanciful imagination.

I think this will be a really fun book for us to read. I just picked it up at the bookstore and it looks great so far.

For September, we'll read Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff.

For fourteen centuries the story of Arthur was a legend, misted over by the tradition of romantic hero-tales. But he was real--a man of towering strength, a dreamer and a warrior--who actually lived, and fought, and died for his impossible dream. The man whom legend calls Arthur of Britain combined the best of Roman civilization with the fierce dedication of his Celtic ancestors. Down through the generations his passionate determination to preserve the values of decency and freedom against the darkness of barbarism has been a clarion call that speaks to the best in humankind.

I got the idea for this one from the fabulous book Book Lust that my friend Kathleen game me. (Thanks, Kathleen! It's wonderful.) It's one of the author's favorite books and I've loved all the other books -- and I've read many -- on the legend of King Arthur. I figure that it's a pretty good bet we might enjoy it.

Your Money and Your Man

It's book club time again! I hope you read Your Money and Your Man so you can join the discussion. It was a pretty easy read, but no competition for Harry Potter.

So, I’m not the biggest fan of non-fiction, but this book came highly recommended, so I made an exception. I think it will need to be a while before I read non-fiction again. I liked the approach, but I didn’t feel like I had some great insights while reading the book. I also don’t think I’m any better prepared for retirement. I thought the advice for women before getting married was good, but it’s too late for me. I’m also not sure that I agree that multiple accounts correlate to a lack of trust.

I also had what I consider a funny experience with the advice. I was reading O magazine’s Suze Ormann column right after finishing the book. Suze recommends having three accounts: one joint and one each individual (with additional savings, investment, etc.). The book recommends only one account. Although I appreciate both points of view, I think that ultimately you have to figure out what works for you. I don’t think you have to read much into either decision. It’s just that different things work for different people.

I would highly recommend the book to someone just starting on their career as there is good basic advice about starting investments, but otherwise, I was underwhelmed. I guess I was looking for more depth. Though, I guess the book helped in that as well. I now know that I should talk to a financial planner and get serious about my investments.

What did you think?

k.d., Lyle, Francine, the Big Band, and Rain

Yesterday, I flew home from Orlando. It was a pretty grueling trip. I got up at 4:30 a.m. to get to my 6:15 flight and got to Seattle at 11:30, which was actually eight hours after leaving Orlando. I decided it would be a good idea to go to the Super Mall in Auburn since we were so close anyway. Of course, it was another 20 minutes south of the airport.

By the time we got home around 2:30, I realized I had already been up over 12 hours. I was tired. I ended up getting a tiny bit of napping in, but not much before we left for the k.d. lang/Lyle Lovett concert at the Chateau Ste Michelle winery in Woodinville.

Did I mention the weather in Seattle this week? It's been raining a bunch. Last night, there was .3 inches of rain. It doesn't seem like much unless you're sitting outside in it. I was going on hardly any sleep and getting soaked while watching a really good concert. I was pruny by the time we decided to leave, which was only about half-way through Lyle Lovett's set. We really enjoyed k.d. lang's set, but I just couldn't sit in the rain any more once the temperature started to drop.

The good news is that I was with the DH and I really like his company. We also met Rick and Cathy there. Rick works with the DH and we have a nice time with them whenever we go anywhere.

Here's to being home again!

Mmm... Tastes Like Chicken

I leave Orlando early tomorrow morning to head back to Seattle. Today, I helped in our booth at the big conference and talked to lots of really nice people and cheered for all of them that won Zune mp3 players. It was pretty fun.

For dinner tonight, we went to a restaurant called Bone Fish. It was really good. We had the apertizer platter that included aligator. It tasted pretty much like chicken, but had the texture more like calimari. It came with horseradish sauce and was really good. I'd eat it again. Although it's already late, I was planning to have an earlier evening than yesterday. It won't be hard though since I stayed up until 2:30. I just kept telling myself it was only 11:30 in Seattle. That was cold comfort at 7:00 a.m. when the alarm went off though. You just don't want to remind yourself that it's 4:00 a.m. in Seattle then.

I'm really looking forward to being home again tomorrow.

Orlando

So, I'm in Orlando for the big convention. I guess there are only 15,000 employees here. I was exaggerating before. When I arrived on Wednesday, I was pretty tired. I'd been traveling for eight hours and didn't get lunch at all. My layover was supposed to be an hour, but ended up being 20 minutes with no time to get lunch. I flew NorthWest and they had NO food at all on the flight. I didn't have much fun at all.

When I got to Orlando, I got a cab to my hotel and watched a big thunderstorm start to brew on my way to the hotel. I checked in and got a room on the 26th (top) floor. it was perfect for watching the electrical storm that came through. The sky was black and the lightening looked so cool from that vantage point. It was probably the best part of my day. I had dinner with my co-workers at the convention welcome reception and went to bed too late.

Today, I spent the day watching demos of cool new software and listening to pep talks about selling the cool new software. It was pretty interesting, but 8-6:30 sitting in one spot pretty much the whole time. I could have used a few more breaks. For dinner, we went to Epcot center and ate at the Norway lounge. After dinner we watched the fireworks. They were the same as last year, but last year we got to stay and ride the rides. This year, we had to leave right after the fireworks. Bummer.

Now I've stayed up way too late, so I'm sure to be dragging tomorrow. Dang. I've had a really nice time with my co-workers though (which is why I've stayed up too late) and visiting with my old friend Blake. He seems to be doing well. It's really great to catch up. More later!

Stuff and Stuff

So, it's been too long since I blogged. Work has been crazy busy and so has life. There are a few things that must be blogged, however.

1. If you're reading along on Your Money and Your Man and you're married, then just skip to chapter 13. If you're single, go ahead and read all those chapters, but the married folk won't learn anything that isn't too late to hear. We'll discuss on the 1st of August.


2. The DH and I saw Carmina Burana (after a fabulous dinner with Sam and Maile at the Brooklyn -- YUM!) at Benaroya Hall on Saturday. It was one of the most fabulous evenings of music I've had in a long while. Simply splendid. If you're not familiar with the music, watch this YouTUBE video.


3. The symphony came after a whirlwind trip to Portand. We left on Friday at 3:00 and it took us five hours to drive the 180 miles down. We ate at the wonderful Dan and Louis Oyster Bar. It's 100 years old and the food was great. On Saturday, we went to the DH's company picnic. He got his 10-year service award and lost the horseshoe tournament. We then tore back to Seattle in the afternoon to make our evening engagement.


4. The previous weekend, we went to see Alyson Kraus at Marymoor Park. The venue was nice and the music was great. We are seeing a lot of really good live music this summer. I think I like it.


5. My birthday really ended up being great. I had a wonderful time with all the friends that made it to my party. One of the best things was that people even helped clean up, so when everyone left, I just relaxed and then went to bed. Here's a shout out to all my cool friends!


6. Last night I got an invitation to speak in church. I hate speaking in church. I really mean it. My dad will be getting a call to help me. He's really good at this kind of thing.


7. I have a lot of good friends who are dealing with really hard things. It makes me sad and I've had a hard time blogging because I want to write about those things, but they're mostly too personal and also a bit of a downer. I really prefer blogging (and dwelling) on more positive things.


8. I'm going to Orlando this week for a huge conference for work. The Company basically brings in all the people from the field worldwide for this broughaha (yes, that's the correct spelling) which gets about 35,000 people in one place. It will be exhausting. I will get to go to Epcot for the fireworks display one evening and see my good friend Blake who lives in Singapore now. I'm looking forward to those two things.


9. I'm mostly looking forward to coming home on Saturday.

That's enough for now.

Independence Day!

I love Independence Day, and not just because it’s my birthday. I think this is a pretty great country, in spite of some of the really stupid things Americans do. I don’t like politics, but I love the premise of our political machine. We are so blessed to live in a country where we have so many of our freedoms protected. Let’s hear it for America!

It’s also a really great day today. It started with breakfast at Mae’s Phinney Ridge Café. That place is YUMMERS! I got the baby size smoked salmon omelet and couldn’t finish it. It’s not huge like Beth’s Café, but still big. I made my own birthday cake, because I like it the way I like it and I’m not trusting anyone else with it today.

More fun to come!

What Was Your Name?

Today is a red letter day. I finally updated my Alaska frequent flyer account to include my married name. It's been only twenty-two and a half months since I got married and changed my name, so it really didn't take long at all. Now, the only thing with my maiden name on it is my passport. It expires in November anyway, so I'll have to get it updated then.

Last time I flew to Boise, I got the lecture about having my legal name on my boarding pass. Fortunately, the agent wasn't in too bad a mood and let me keep the boarding pass. However, with air traffic as it is, I didn't want to press my luck any more.

Here's to getting that one last detail of the name change taken care of!

Lucy's Eclectic Literature Club for July

For the month of July, we'll be reading Your Money and Your Man, by Michelle Singletary.

Here at last is the lowdown on how to manage your finances with the man in your life. Money is the #1 problem couples fight about, says beloved Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary. Acknowledging that most fights about money are usually about something else-like feelings of fear or resentment-Singletary stresses the value of open dialogue. In her trademark no-holds-barred style, she shows us how to handle the entire range of financial issues couples face-from splitting the dinner bill when dating to planning for retirement together after years of marriage.

For August, we'll get into some easy Summer reading with How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

In her fourth novel, Baratz-Logsted, author of The Thin Pink Line (2003), offers the charming tale of a literature-loving nanny. At 23, Charlotte Bell has just had her heart broken by the married man she unwisely fell in love with. She decides to take another position, as nanny for the American ambassador in Iceland. Once she takes up residence in the large, creaky house and meets her imperious, forbidding employer, Edgar Rawlings, she can't help but feel like literature's most famous governess, Jane Eyre. But Charlotte turns to Nancy Drew (channeling the girl detective) for help investigating the more puzzling aspects of her situation, such as the silence surrounding Edgar's mysteriously absent wife and the strange laughter she hears coming from behind a closed door. To make matters worse, Charlotte is starting to fall for Edgar, whose engagement to an Icelandic ice queen seems imminent. Readers who appreciate classic love stories will enjoy the old-fashioned dialogue and Charlotte's fanciful imagination.

I think they'll both be interesting and fun, so I'm off to the back yard to get some reading in.

June Book Club Discussion -- The Painted Veil

I finished reading The Painted Veil and felt a little let down. My main disappointment is that I never could feel any emotion for Kitty. She is shallow and lacking in morals. Her philosophical journey is about half a mile from not caring for anyone but herself to believing she can raise her own daughter differently. I found her quite unsympathetic and, although her husband should have been a more sympathetic character, I never found him any more compelling. I love Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge, but found his detachment from the characters in The Painted Veil to deter me from finding the connection I was hoping for.

I did find one passage that stood out to me as profound. After watching the nun’s work and trying to understand what brings meaning to their lives, Kitty discusses their lives with Waddington. She wonders what happens if they’re wrong about a reward in the next life. Waddington’s response is beautiful:

I wonder. I wonder if it matters that what they have aimed at is illusion. Their lives are in themselves beautiful. I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.

Kitty is still young when the book ends, but hers will never be a beautiful life. She just can’t seem to figure it out. She is surrounded by people who can’t connect and really don’t even know what it is to truly love another person. I closed the book simply feeling sorry for the characters in the book.

I’m so blessed with relationships that bring so much beauty to my life that I can’t even imagine the empty life described in this book. It did leave me thinking how grateful I am to have loving parents that I enjoy returning to and who seem to enjoy me as well. I have a husband who loves me and I love him. That relationship brings more meaning to my live. And I have many more relationships with people I love and who love me.

What did you think about the book?

It's Done!

YAY! The bathroom is finally finished!

After getting the tub/shower in, we picked out a new floor. It's much darker than the old floor, so we decided to add more color all the way around and put some green paint in the bathroom as well. It's only on the walls around the shower and on the wall with the door, so it's not too overpowering.

The floor was a big pain. We'll see what the bill is when it arives. The installers were supposed to come on Tuesday and get it done in three hours. There were already three layers of vinyl on the floor, so they would have to remove those and then put the new Marmoleum in. When they took off the vinyl, they found chip board with some water damage. They took that off and found plywood with tile fragments on it. It had some water damage too. That's when they quit for the day. An hour and a half into the job and not even close to a new floor installed. Oh yeah, and they showed up three hours late. It's a good thing I have good friends who could come stay at the house when I had to go back to work.

On Wednesday, they only showed up two hours late and finished taking out all the old floor. Two more hours and no new floor installed.

On Thursday, they said they would be there at 9:30 to finish the job. At 11:40, they showed up and started the install. It required putting in a new piece of plywood, covering that will some goo, letting it dry, then putting in the floor. Oh, they also had to fill in the gap between the floor and the new shower. The old shower had a larger footprint, so it left the big gap. So, at 5:15 on Thursday, the "three-hour" job was finally done. The installers gouged the walls in the process, but the floor looks great. They also put in the rubber base in white to finish it off. Of course, all the DH can see is the quarter-inch gap they left between the base and the heating vent. Can you see it in the picture? Let me know. I'm interested. I think we'll replace it with painted wood base boards at some point, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just glad it's finally done.

Today is also the end of the month, so get ready for our first online book club discussion. I'll post my thoughts about the book tomorrow on July 1st and also announce the book for August.

The Longest Day

Happy Summer! Today is June 21st, Summer equinox, and longest day of the year. Hearing about it on the radio this morning on my commute made me think of all the wonderful things Summer has to offer. Here's my list of my favorite thoughts on Summer:

1. Wear flip-flops without ever getting cold toes, except for during that quick afternoon thunderstorm with ten minutes of torrential rain
2. Sleep with the windows open and a fan in the room
3. Eat watermelon on the back deck and spit the seeds over the railing into the grass
4. My birthday!
5. Big fireworks displays at the Boise River Festival, the Freedom Festival, just over the hill in Sun Valley, or at the Mall in Washington D.C.
6. Sit on the tailgait of the pickup to eat lunch and get some sun every day all summer long even though everything else about the sad hourly job isn't very fun
7. Go to Sun Valley with family and friends and get the station wagon stuck in a river where no station wagon should have been driving
8. Even though I'm shivering because I'm wet and cold, try not to burn my feet on the blacktop walking from swimming lessons to the car
9. Root beer floats after fireworks on the fourth of July
10. Riding bikes to the Fairmont pool to enjoy cool swimming
11. Eat TCBY while watching David Letterman after getting home from waitressing
12. Drive to Sun Mountain Lodge and smell the forest fire (and enjoy our wedding anniversary)
13. Read on the couch while wrapped in a blanket to keep warm from the blasting air conditioning
14. Watch the stars from the campin site (yes, I did say camping site) with no city lights to dull the milky way
15. See flowers that I planted turn into lovely yard art
16. Concerts at the park, zoo, pier, winery, etc.
17. Picnics at the park
18. Eat in the backyard (and the neighbors keeping their pool clean so we don't have too many mosquitos)
19. Sit on the beach and read a novel while kids play in the sand and surf or fly kites
20. shop at the farmer's market for fresh, local produce
21. The Boys of Summer, especially watching Weaver pitch a shutout at Safeco field last night

This summer, I'm looking forward to seeing my family for some R&R, going to a few outdoor concerts, enjoying a few Mariner's games, and celebrating another anniversary with the DH. This year, we're going to hear music at a barn on the peninsula and then heading to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.

Mmmm... Summer.

What a Weekend

The DH and I had a pretty good weekend. Friday night we helped out a few friends and then went out to dinner, but the real fun was on Saturday and Sunday.

We started out Saturday with the Race for the Cure. It was not my best race as I was not as prepared as I would like (due to swimming on part of my workout days), but I also had other troubles. It turns out that I've been taking medication on an empty stomach that lowers my blood sugar. Bad choice, if you were wondering. It messed up my race in addition to lowering my blood sugar more than was healthy. No harm was done though and we finished the race in record slow time.

Saturday afternoon we headed to Hermiston, OR where the DH's sister lives and parents were visiting. We saw the Fantastic Four movie that night and then spent most of the day Sunday with the family. It was great to see all of them again and we really enjoyed ourselves. The DH especially enjoyed eating gooseberry pie for the first time. I don't like it at all, but I knew my dad would be jealous. It's his very favorite and the DH loved it too.

We ended with the longish drive home and we're back to the grind today.

Father's Day and Traditions

When I was eleven, I entered The Idaho Statesman’s Father’s Day essay contest. To my surprise and delight, I actually won for my age group. My essay was published in the paper with a picture of me with my father. I wrote that essay, so many years ago, because I thought my dad was the greatest. I still do. So, in the tradition of Father’s Day essays, I’m writing one more for my dad. I've also entered it in Scibbit's Write-Away contest for June.

My father is a man who loves tradition. When we were children, he and my mother found great ways to make traditions out of whatever seemed to happen. My birthday is on the 4th of July, so one year we were heading out of town for a long weekend on the morning of the 4th. In an effort to avoid traveling with all those unopened presents and a cake, we celebrated at breakfast with cake and ice cream (at least two of the four food groups represented) and presents. We all loved it, so from that time on, we celebrated all of our birthdays at breakfast. It was a grand way to start your birthday and many of us still celebrate that way as adults. He also introduced a ladybug in the toe of our Christmas stockings and yearly summer vacations as a family. Although we didn’t appreciate his tradition of leaving for the road at 5:00 a.m., we all learned to endured it without too much complaint.

As a child, I saw my father carry on a tradition from his own father. I was always delighted to hear him ask, “Whose girl are you?” My answer was always the same, “Yours!” It only got confusing when my grandfather would ask me the same question. This tradition made me feel loved, even adored by the most important men in my life. Studies have shown the importance of strong male role models for both girls and boys. Girls with strong male role models are less likely to engage in dangerous behavior as teenagers. I’ve been blessed by the wonderful example my father has given me of what it means to be a responsible and loving husband and father. This example will bless many generations.

I so appreciate the tradition of faith that my father has passed on from his father and many generations that came before him. I’m blessed by the faithfulness of my father and the many ways that he has taught me lessons of faith. I learned the importance of listening to the Spirit when we went to Disneyland as a young family. There were four children ranging in age from ten to four. My grandparents came along, so there was a one to one ratio of children to adults, but the park is a very big place. My youngest sister somehow found her way onto Main Street unattended and panicked when she realized she was lost. My father was in a shop and felt that he needed to go out into Main Street and walk toward the other end. As he did this, he found a nice woman who had found the crying, lost girl. His sensitivity to the spirit avoided what could have been a terrifying experience for both my parents and my lost little sister.

Service has also been an important tradition I learned from my father. When we were young, our congregation had the assignment of helping to cultivate what seemed like acres of tomatoes throughout the summer. This meant going out to the church farm about once a month to weed. Now, mind you, I’ve never enjoyed gardening much, but this was even worse than normal gardening. There was none of the fun, just weeding. And tomatoes meant tomato bugs. If you’re not familiar with them, be grateful. They’re like something out of a bad dream – plump and green and big, at least by bug standards. I think Jaba the Hut was patterned after a tomato bug. In spite of the tomato bugs, and even because of them, we had our work cut out for us. I think it would have been easier for my parents to leave us home and get the work done without us, but they took us every time. We learned to work. We associated with people who were enjoying themselves while serving. We learned to serve with a happy heart. At least that was the intended lesson. I’ll admit that I choose my service outside of the farming industry now, but I still enjoy helping others.

Perhaps the most important tradition passed on from my father, is the tradition of life-long learning. My father is dyslexic and has always struggled with reading. I remember him asking me how to spell really easy words when I was ten or twelve and actually telling my father to sound it out. It’s a very embarrassing memory now, but I think I’ve gotten over my rudeness and I know my father has forgiven my childish behavior (over and over again, I’m grateful to say). In spite of the struggle that reading has always been, he continues to read books that are difficult by any standard and that help him grow in ways that only books can. He encourages and enjoys the lively discussions that result from reading things that challenge your norms. I love that my father trusted me to read information that was critical of my religion when I was in high school. It helped me grow spiritually and to trust my own intellect. My father is a very wise man, and learned to boot.

I continue to learn from my father and hope to for many years to come. His example of love, service and learning continue. For that I am grateful. Happy Father’s Day dad!

Mom, Dad, me, and the DH

100th blog!

For my 100th blog, I want to list 100 things I love. Because it’s such a long list, I’m breaking it up into categories.

People
1. The DH
2. My parents and siblings and their families. (I know it’s really a lot more than one, but it just seems silly to list them all out.)
3. My really good friends. I think you know who you are, and you, yes even though you’re not sure, you’re probably on that list.
4. My co-workers. I have a really amazing team at work. We have some ugly customers, but my team is so great. Really good people.
5. An amazing blogger community. Even though I’m a lurker at most sites, I learn so much from all of you and I’m always entertained.

Places (cities)
6. My home in Seattle, especially since the DH is here with me.
7. My old home in Boise. I really miss Boise and hope to return at some point.
8. Sun Valley, Id. This is one place that holds great memories, from childhood ski and camping trips to sisters weekends with the Nuffer girls, to family reunions, it’s just a great place to visit.
9. The Oregon Coast. I love just about any place near the water, but the Oregon Coast has to be my favorite.
10. Victoria, B.C., especially after going there on my honeymoon. The DH and I had a wonderful time there.
11. Washington D.C. has so much history and other wonderful things that I just can’t get enough time there to see all the wonderful things.
12. Salt Lake City and surroundings where I spent my college years. I also have some amazing friends there and can’t get back often enough.
13. Jackson Hole, Wy and Yellowstone Park. It’s not so different from Sun Valley, except that it’s farther away. I have great memories of that area as well. I especially like the Jenny Lake area.

Places (other spots of interest)
14. My bed. Enough said.
15. Pike Place Market. The energy there is just marvelous.
16. Art in the Park at Julia Davis Park in Boise. It’s the weekend after Labor Day and so much fun.
17. My back yard, especially when the lawn is mowed and the flower beds are weeded (by someone else).
18. Greenlake walking path. It’s my favorite place to get out in the world and exercise in the fresh air (even though I exercise at the gym far more than outside).
19. The green belt in Boise, much for the same reasons as the Greenlake walking path.
20. Temple Square in Salt Lake. It’s so peaceful and spiritually uplifting.

Restaurants
21. Stumbling Goat in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood. It’s where the DH and I ate on our first date and the food is amazing!
22. Palisade Restaurant in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. The DH and I got a gift certificate for the restaurant as a wedding present. I don’t think I’ll ever afford to eat there again, but it’s great food.
23. Red Mill Burgers in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood. I think they’re my favorite burgers and onion rings. I could eat there any day of the week.
24. Musashi sushi in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. This is one place you can get full on sushi for less than $15. Outstanding!
25. Cottonwood Grill in Boise. The location is beautiful in addition to the great food they serve.
26. The Wave in Boise. I put it on the list even though they went out of business. I’m still crying over that one. They even beat out Red Mill.
27. My favorite chain sit-down restaurant of all is Macaroni Grill.
28. My favorite fast food is probably Subway, though I love a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin for breakfast.

Movies
29. All time favorite is A Room with a View. I love that movie.
30. The Princess Bride
31. Shadowlands
32. When Harry Met Sally
33. Just about any James Bond movie
34. Any Indiana Jones movie
35. The original Star Wars trilogy
36. Billy Elliot
37. While You Were Sleeping
38. Guys and Dolls

Bands/Musical Artists
39. U2
40. R.E.M.
41. Sting
42. Gomez
43. Neko Case
44. SunVolt
45. Annie Lennox
46. The Beatles
47. Carbon Leaf
48. Portishead
49. Norah Jones

Songs
50. “Night Swimming” by R.E.M.
51. “They Dance Alone” by Sting
52. “Passionate Kisses” by Mary Chapin Carpenter
53. “More Love” by the Dixie Chicks
54. “Feels Like Home” by Bonnie Raitt
55. “Bleed Like Me” by Garbage
56. “Fernando” by ABBA
57. “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls
58. “Mais Que Nada” by Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66
59. “Grandma’s Feather Bed” by John Denver
60. “Russian Easter Overture” by Rimsky Korsokov
61. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

Books
62. A Month in the Country by JL Carr and Michael Holroyd
63. My Antonia by Willa Cather
64. A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
65. Shakespeare’s sonnets (yes, I know that’s not really a book)
66. 1,000 Pieces of Gold by Ruthan Lum McCunn
67. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Food
68. My mom’s fried chicken with new potatoes and cream gravy. This is my very favorite meal and it’s the best when you eat it in late August with potatoes from the garden and some fresh corn on the cob from some guy selling out of the back of his pickup. That’s home and heaven all in one. (It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.)
69. Homemade macaroni and cheese.
70. Risotto made with the authentic Italian recipe I got from my old roommate Jill. It’s from the Italian cooking school she went to. In Italy. Taught by real Italians. Teaching her how to make real Italian food.
71. My mom’s spaghetti. I can’t repeat it and no other spaghetti tastes quite right to me.
72. Evelyn’s rolls (but homemade by me).
73. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
74. Watermelon. The DH swears he could lure me into anything with watermelon.

Articles of clothing
75. My Minnesota Golden Gophers sweatshirt. I don’t know why I love it so, but I do.
76. Comfy jeans.
77. Bare feet. (I know that’s not really an article of clothing, but this seemed the best category for it.) I hate having socks on – ever! And I don’t like wearing shoes unless I have to.
78. Open toed shoes that show off my pedicure.

Other random things for which I can’t think of a category
79. My engagement ring and wedding band.
80. Big hugs from the DH.
81. The awesome earrings the DH bought me at the airport last month.
82. Grilling in the back yard with friends.
83. Blogging
84. The DH’s clean shaven face.
85. New shoes. Well, new clothes too.
86. Clean sheets.
87. All the chores done.
88. The smell (and sound) of bacon cooking.
89. Breakfast made by the DH.
90. Laughing babies.
91. Swimming two whole laps without stopping and while breathing off to the side instead of lifting my head straight out of the water.
92. Birthdays. (This is mostly for the cake, not the presents.)
93. Fireworks, especially the really huge displays that you see at big events.
94. First snow.
95. The feel of a crisp fall morning.
96. 72 degrees and sunny skies.
97. Having a job that challenges me.
98. Taking fun pictures.
99. Feeling healthy and happy.
100. Being so blessed in so many ways that I can hardly think how to show my gratitude.

P.S. I'm back online at home, but no wireless network. Baby steps. The DH is happy again, or at least he will be when I finish this post and let him get on the internet.

I Love Me -- a Meme

An Ordinary Mom joined the "I Love Me" meme and challenged everyone she knows to join in. It seems like a good idea. We don't often think about what we really like about ourselves. Here are my seven...

1. I love to sing and I really like my voice. It brings me a lot of joy to sing and to share my talent with other people.
2. I'm good at problem solving and coming up with new solutions. My dad's theory is that it's part laziness, but it's also part good, old-fashioned, smarts.
3. I'm strong. I might not look really fit, but I work hard at being strong and I love how it feels. It helps me feel good about myself.
4. I'm forgiving. We had a lesson on forgiveness in church and I realized that I really don't hold onto things that people do that are hurtful to me. I remember some things, like the woman pointing out how sad it was that I was single at 37 when I ran into her in the temple, but that's because it makes a funny story, not because I hold bad feelings about it. Really, it's a funny story. I'll tell you the whole thing some time.
5. I'm funny. And it's not just my looks (bu-dump-bump). I love to make people laugh and I do it a lot. Mostly, it's even on purpose (but not always).
6. I'm a leader. I don't really even try to be, but it just happens. I usually like this about myself, though sometimes it creates more work. (See #2 for why that might be a bad thing.)
7. I love to learn and to read about random things. It makes NPR a treat, except when they talk about the war for hours on end. I read pretty fast, and I remember a lot of what I read and hear, so I have a lot of random facts in my head. It's just too bad I can never retreive the right ones when I'm playing Trivial Pursuit.

It's a bit sad that it was harder than I expected to come up with seven things I love about myself. I think we should all think about these things more often. It's good for the sould. If you haven't already joined in this meme, get on the bandwagon now. It'll be fun. Trust me!

P.S. I still don't have internet access at home. It's making me crazy, but I hate the thought of calling the help desk, so I painted the bathroom instead. Crazy avoidance tactics, but they work for me (sort of).

P.P.S. It's Flag Day today and it's my cute brother Gage's birthday. Shout out to our country and our flag today. And, shout out to Gage for a very happy birthday!

A Weekend Without Internet

When I got home from work on Friday, I promptly brought my internet and wireless network to their knees. It’s a talent of mine. Really it is. After troubleshooting with my brother on the phone until 11:30 p.m., I gave up for the night. I tried working on it again on Saturday, but had no luck getting things back up and running. I’m still without internet at home (though the wireless network is working, so I can transfer files between computers to my heart’s content). I’ll need to call helpdesk, which is on the list with root canals and weeding the garden, to get things fixed, so wish me luck with that this evening. In the meantime, here are my random thoughts compiled over the three days without internet.

1. My DH never had internet access before moving in with me, but now he’s an addict. You’d think I took his crack pipe away considering the reaction I got when he found out he couldn’t update his fantasy baseball roster. It’s funny now, but that’s only because he came to my office with me on Sunday and did his update.
2. The Duchess had her ultrasound and found out the baby is a boy. Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Yarnation!
3. I couldn’t access my book club titles to finish the contest, so I didn’t have a winner on Friday. I decided to let the Duchess play, even though she was late with her submissions. I love being in charge and changing the rules on a whim. I'll try not to make it a habbit though. And, the winner is…. (drum roll please) Lucy's Eclectic Literature Club. I'll be delivering a copy of our book of the month to An Ordinary Mom. Thanks everyone for playing along! Thanks to my mom and dad for judging all of the entries and deciding on that one.
4. Seattle weather is crazy. We planned a BBQ for Saturday and ate at the dinner table. Fortunately, the company was outstanding, so it really didn’t matter where we ate. And the best part was that we ate the best pork ribs the DH has ever made, in my opinion.
5. Between swimming lessons and physical therapy (for chronic back pain over the last six years), my training schedule is all off. The Race for the Cure is this Saturday and I’m guessing I’ll end up walking far more than running. Bummer! The good news is that my back won’t hurt when I’m done.
6. The D.H. and I went to the flooring store to pick out a new floor for the bathroom. We’re not very good at this kind of thing yet. We’re working on it though. We picked out some great Marmoleum in a color called Watermelon. I think it will look great when it’s installed. Tonight, I’ll pick some paint to go with it on the shower install wall as an accent to the drab beige in the rest of the bathroom.
7. I really miss blogging when I’m away for a few days. I realize there’s not much action over the weekend, but I still missed it.

That's all for now!

Swimming for Fun and Profit

I swam this morning with Erick the swim instructor. I've been exhausted all day. I'm pretty sure you've all heard that swimming is supposed to be really great excercise - perhaps the best overall for your body. Well, if my exhaustion is any indication, then it must be true.

I decided that I need to be able to swim in addition to my other workouts. (It's not so I can participate in the Danskin triathlon though. It's just for variety and better overall fitness. If I happen to do Danskin, it's just a coincidence. Really.)

I've had three lessons now and I've been able to do three crawl strokes in a row with correct breathing. Are you amazed at my progress? Well, it's a lot of progress for me, anyway. My instructor is really nice, so he never laughs out loud, but I'm sure he's laughing on the inside.

Mmmm... Cherries!

Today didn't start out as the best day ever. It actually started out with running intervals at the gym, which isn't really my idea of fun. Then at work, I couldn't get Live Meeting to work for the meeting I had to lead at 8:00 a.m. Then I worked 12 hours straight with about 10 minutes to get my lunch and no other breaks.

Work is great, so I'm not really complaining. I'm just saying that the day wasn't really fantastic -- that is, until I got home. And there was a package. And it was from the organic fruit of the month club that my delightful parents signed us up for as a Christmas gift that just keeps on giving.

The box had strawberries on the outside, but even more fabulous than strawberries, it had CHERRIES ON THE INSIDE. BIG ROSEY RED RIPE BING CHERRIES! Cherries, I tell you, that taste like heaven. And that is how my day ended in a wonderful way.

And then I sanded the mud around the bathtub. Life is good.

My Online Book Club

I think I've finally decided on a format for my online book club. I'm going to plan on a book a month with book announcements two months out on the 1st, a reminder of which book we’re reading on the 1st of the month in which we are reading the book, and discussions starting on the 1st for the book selection from the previous month. Hopefully I haven’t completely confused you yet.

I would also like to look at a variety of literary styles and forms, so it won’t just be fiction loved by Lucy. I’m trying on new books and hope you like it. I’m reading books I haven’t read before, so there may be some we love and some we hate. What the heck. It will be fun!

This month is a little off since I didn’t already announce the book to read for June, be here we go anyway (a few days tardy already).

The book for June is The Painted Veil, by W. Somerset Maugham.

The great Maugham here offers the 1925 story of Kitty Fane, an adulterous wife forced to take a hard look at her own life after her husband takes her to where there is a cholera epidemic. The things she thought important suddenly don't seem so. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

The book for July is Your Money and Your Man, by Michelle Singletary

Here at last is the lowdown on how to manage your finances with the man in your life. Money is the #1 problem couples fight about, says beloved Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary. Acknowledging that most fights about money are usually about something else-like feelings of fear or resentment-Singletary stresses the value of open dialogue. In her trademark no-holds-barred style, she shows us how to handle the entire range of financial issues couples face-from splitting the dinner bill when dating to planning for retirement together after years of marriage.

I'm looking forward to having a great online discussion about The Painted Veil starting on July 1st.

P.S. Let's make it even more fun by having a contest. Help me name the new online book club. I'll ask 2 non-partial judges to determine the winner and send a copy of The Painted Veil or Your Money and Your Man (winner's choice) to the winner of the contest. All submissions must be logged in comments to this post on or before midnight (PST) Thursday, June 7th with judging on Friday the 8th.