Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Short version, long to follow

I have been not writing in here recently because I had a lot to say that couldn't be said, and it was hard to talk about anything else. Now that the self-imposed gag order has been lifted, here goes:

I'M PREGNANT!

I am 24 weeks today, actually. And I have been holding out on writing about it anywhere, because this past weekend was a big Tau Centennial party, and I wanted to tell my college friends in person. So now they all know, and I can talk it about it.

Also, I have been the most nervous pregnant woman ever, and was afraid to talk in case things went awry. But last night I realized that the pregnancy is almost two-thirds over, and I need to stop freaking out and start enjoying it. Last night N was able to feel the baby kick for the first time, and his face was priceless. Of course, he said the same thing about mine when I felt it for the first time about two weeks ago. So yeah, there's a baby coming, after six years of trying, and we are over the moon.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Memes

Still in a meme mood. Stealing from comebacknikki (to whom I have been trying to link, but the computer won't let me).

What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Dedicated Reader
 

You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.

Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
 
Literate Good Citizen
 
Book Snob
 
Fad Reader
 
Non-Reader
 
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz



ABC meme


Accent: I grew up on Cape Cod, got made fun of for my accent when I went to college in Wisconsin and mostly dropped it. Now my family sayd I have a Minnesota accent. And my husband says I get the East coast back a bit if I'm on the phone with my family for a while.

Booze: I haven't had any in quite some time.

Chore I Hate: All of them. But especially anything outdoors, so those are my husband's job.

Dog or Cat: I have a dog. But I love cats too.

Essential Electronics: Cell phone, computer, digital camera

Favorite Cologne(s): I generally don't wear anything, because I work in long-term care, and the scent can bother people. If I do, I prefer body sprays, especially midnight pmegranate from Bath + Body Works.

Gold or Silver: I prefer silver, but my wedding ring is gold, and my watch has gold accents.

Hometown: South Yarmouth, MA

Insomnia: Never. I'm a sleeper.

Job Title: Assistant Director of Nursing

Kids: I'm working on it.

Living arrangements: N and I have a 4 bedroom house.

Most admirable trait: I usually remember to say thank you, and I'm sorry when appropriate.

Number of sexual partners: I don't want to say. At least two, since I've been married twice. Anything else no longer counts. :)

Overnight hospital stays: Never. All my hospital stuff has been out patient thus far.

Phobias: Spiders, the dark, being alone

Quote: "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." ~Mark Twain

Religion: We've been going to a Lutheran church lately, so I guess that's my newest label.

Siblings: Three siters, one brother, all older than me

Time I wake up: 7:30-ish on weekdays, whenever I feel like it on weekends.

Unusual talent or skill: I can say the alphabet backwards. Also, I read pretty fast. That's about it.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Okra and eggplant

Worst habit: Eating too much and biting my nails

X-rays: ankel, hand, head, chest

Yummy foods I make: macaroni, pork + saurkraut, enchiladas

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Friday, June 4, 2010

Books!

I haven't written in a long time, and I want to but I have nothing to say right now. So here's a little something I ripped off. Thanks, Amber!

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Well, my mom keeps trying to get me to read the Left Behind series, since she really enjoyed it, but I can't bring myself to do it. And I know if anyone saw me reading it I'd be ashamed.

For a long time I wouldn't read anything that got too popular, because I suspected the moron majority was using it for some evil plot, but usually now I'll read it if at least one person I trust says it was good.


2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
This is a harder question than I thought it would be. Most of the characters I love in books are not people you would necessarily want to spend any time with if they were real. And the other problem is that if I brought to life a male character because I love him, I still wouldn't be the lover he wants, so that would be silly. That's the problem with bringing to life the Phouka from War for the Oaks...I wouldn't be Eddi. And also, I really love him because he's a little bit A to me. But let's see...
Death, from the Sandman for some lunch, and maybe clubbing later.
Lazarus Long, from Robert Heinlein's Future History, for long conversations and any adventure he wanted to take me on. Hopefully many members of his family would be there too(especially Mama Maureen).
The Vampire Lestat. He's probably make life intersting for a while, at the very least.



3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Obviously this has to be a book I haven't already read and put in the boring pile. So I'm going on my guess as to a book's level of boring. Since I always think I should but have never managed to pick it up, I'm going with The Grapes of Wrath.



4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
Madame Bovary. I was supposed to read it the summer before Senior year and I couldn't get into it, since I had just finished reading Atlas Shrugged, and Bovary seemed way too watered down after that.


5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP).
If I personalize the VIP, it woul dbe different for every person. But something I'd offer pretty universally is American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. It's such a detailed world, and a beautiful theory, and the best book by a fantastic author.


6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
I think I have to go with German. There's be some really great Philosophy reading options.

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Tough decision. Pride and Prejudice would be one that I have read almost every year, so I guess I'd pick that one.


8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
I've never been terribly exclusive about my reading. I like to read, so I do a lot of it. But I guess I have discovered a few new authors. Ann Patchett's the one that comes to mind.


9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
When I read Amber's list, I thought: we have the same dream library! Definitely a round room with books floor to ceiling, and ladders to get to them. The books are in pristine condition, but not leather-bound. And they have some sort of magic involved so spines never break and pages don't fold. The center of the room is sunken, with super poofy couches and chairs for comforatble reading, and well-placed lamps. And it has ALL the books. Like the Sandman's library, it has books that my favorite authors never even wrote down. And all the ones I have been too scared to write are in there too.