Updates

Husband~ Continues in the same routine. Sounds boring I know, but for many years while we were active duty we wished for 'the same old boring routine.' And now we have it & we're treasuring it, believe me! His family is having a mini reunion on the 5th of August and he plans to go with the kids. I have a previous commitment I can't change, but I expect to hear all about it upon their return.

The Graduate~ Is finally taking formal drivers ed lessons. The State of VA has enacted many changes to the teenage ritual of licensing (all of which I think are a great idea). Combine this with Graduate's noncommittal shrugs whenever you ask him if he wants to drive and..voila. I have a late teen who is just now getting on the road. I don't know if my nerves or our insurance budget can stand it. He's likely moving out of the house for college the first week of August so our summer is eventful.

Daughter~ She informed us she will be going to Otakon 2008 as soon as she returned from Otakon 2007 a few days ago. She squirreled away her pennies for months so she could buy anything she wanted. The trip was one of her GF's bday gifts & so Daughter only had to pay admission. Apparently the trio spent most of their time waiting in lines, but it seems she enjoyed herself and that's all that matters.

Son #2~ LOVED camp. Had a wonderful time and wishes to return next year. Claims he never showered. Claims he kissed two girls from the camp next door. Hard to believe two girls let him close enough to kiss them if he didn't shower, but those were his claims. Has returned to practicing piano with verve and gusto. Thank god, because his whining was getting on my nerves. Is eating me out of house and home and has no clothing whatsoever that actually fits him.

Me~ I'm finally reading again, as you can see via the book reviews. I hope the trend continues because my TBR is actually shrinking a bit. Not alot, but at least it looks presentable now. LOL ;) About 300 titles I think. Nearly all of which I bought on the cheap at the UBS (used book store for the uninitiated) or at library sales over the last 5 years. Ok. TBH, those are only the romances. I have TBRs for fantasy, sci fi and mysteries as well, but those are less than 50 total. Honest.

Snow in Summer; Tess Farraday

I found this in a library sale bin and bought it for ten cents. SIS was published by Jove in 1999. I guess it wasn't too bad for the price, but this is much more a gothic than a romance and thus I feel cheated. Ms. Farraday did fine writing it as a gothic, and as such I would have enjoyed it. However, I was expecting a romance and from that genre perspective I was very disappointed, TBH.

Miranda Fairfield is living in her aunt's estate in rural, mountainous California while said aunt and Miranda's parents are away on a cruise. This is a typical American small town- everybody knows you and your family and every time you breathed ever since you were a tiny child. It goes without saying that these same people don't mind rehashing your past whenever it is inconvenient. Miranda was raised in this town and up until now had been happy teaching in the city several hours away.

Christopher Gallatin is a ghost in search of his heart. Without his heart he is unable to move on to whatever afterlife there might be. He's been hunting for it for about 500 years. Hercule Poirot he isn't. Somehow, Christopher discovers Miranda may have his heart, but he can't find it on the estate. So he coonvinces her he's an author writing a book and rents the upper floor of the barn to use as a studio. All the better to search for his lost heart.

That's the set up. Mysterious, vaguely threatening happenings abound as soon as Miranda arrives in the little town. Her past is dredged up by a local harpy working at the village paper. However, Miranda can't decide which guy wears the white hat and which guy wears the black hat. Will Christopher convince her he's on her side in time? And how might it be possible for Christopher and Miranda to end up together? I was disappointed the amber necklace wasn't featured more. I was also disappointed that the method whereby Christopher becomes 'real' wasn't discussed more.

Jacob; Jacqueline Frank

This is the first in the Nightwalker Series, written by Jacquelyn Frank and published by in. I've had it on my shelves quite a while & I have the next one, Gideon. I've heard there was some controversy surrounding it, but I didn't follow it at the time and now that I've read it I don't see what it might have been. This is fiction after all- the author's creation & wht she says goes, etc.

Anyhow- Isabella Russ is a librarian living in NYC with her sister. One night she literally falls out a window into Jacob's arms. Thus triggering her initiation into the heretofore unknown world of the Nightwalkers. My biggest issue is that Isabella takes everything in stride without much trouble assimilating all of the new &, to my mind, what should've been controversial or at least hard to believe, information and lifestyle. And she doesn't make much fuss over skipping out on her sister without any notes or phone calls, no matter that the Nightwalkers 'planted a suggestion' that Isabella was out of town.

Jacob is in charge of protectiong humans from monthly predations by the demons in the Nightwalker world. He is the most honorable, upright, just, etc. and is resposible for dealing out punishments to those who transgress. Thus he is somewhat isolated and lonely, as he isn't necessarily popular. In some quarters he is a bogeyman type figure. After rescuing Isabella, amazing and unlooked for changes occur which stem from Isabella's appearance.

I enjoyed it alot. Then again I love paranormals & my quibbles weren't too bad. I hope Gideon is just as good.

Thursday 13 #30-Around the Capitol Building June 2007

Photo courtesy of Webshots.


About five weeks ago the kids and I went downtown so the Graduate could sit through a job interview at an environmental NGO on Capitol Hill. Link to info about Capitol Hill as a neighborhood, as opposed to what you hear about in the news, HERE. The rest of us walked a few blocks away and sat on a bench in the shade to see what could be seen. It was a Wednesday between 5:40 and 6:45 pm. He was offered the job but ended up declining it due to commute problems. He was bummed 'cuz it sounded fun, but the hours were bad. Even though he's 18 I was not comfortable with the thought that he'd be downtown as late as 10 pm nightly. Fortunately he agreed with me!

The purpose of Thursday thirteen is to get to know fellow bloggers better. Click link in the title above to see a list of other participants. Leave a link in the comments and I'll link to you here.

1. Joggers- 56

2. Rollerbladers- 2

3. Police Dog- 1

4. 1 Sparrow trying to fly away with a tissue to build a nest

5. Cyclists- 53

6. Motorcycles- 4

7. Buses- 30

8. Motorcade- 1

9. Photographers- 4 Mostly with the tourist group, no 'pros' as it were

10. Joggers with their dogs- 3

11. Helicopters- 5

12. Cabs- 63

13. Segway tourist groups- 1 Segs in the City looked like tremendous fun!!

Yours Until Dawn; T. Medieros

Published in 2004 by Avon, this is the first Teresa Medeiros novel I've read in quite a long time. Link in the title is to Ms. Medeirios' page about this book. And I was very pleasantly surprised, TBH. The older ones I'd read left me..stale I guess. To use a more current word- they were *meh*. Not great, not awful, and they didn't leave me wanting to read more Medeirios books either. However, YUD remedies my impressions & quickly. I have quibble or two, but nothing that truly put me off.

Gabriel Fairchild, Lord Sheffield, returned from the war blind & with facial scars. Like many societies, he was then shunned by his peers and by his family before being forced to convalesce at a remote estate. Two of his most loyal retainers have been given the job of hiring 'nurses' (and I use the term lightly) to care for him. Miss Samantha Wickersham, former governess, is hired to help nurse him back to health. Gabriel is wallowing in self pity and blunders about his shrouded and filthy home like a bear who has hurt his paw. Samantha, through sheer stubbornness, helps turn Gabriel around mentally which helps him learn to cope with his blindness and scarring.

BUT- is she who she seems? What is she hiding? Gabriel eventually realizes there is more to Miss Wickersham than there appears, but he is content with her as she presents herself and refuses to push her for details. I had a quibble or two with how Gabriel's blindness is dealt with and I also had a quibble or two with Miss Wickersham's scheming and plotting, but in the end- Ms. Medeiros trumps me and deftly and with great heart hands us all an HEA. First keeper of 2007.

Quiz Time!

Via Marg at Reading Adventures, I took this little quiz & it came up with the following:

You're The Things They Carried!

by Tim O'Brien

Harsh and bitter, you tell it like it is. This usually comes in short,
dramatic spurts of spilling your guts in various ways. You carry a heavy load, and this
has weighed you down with all the horrors that humanity has to offer. Having seen and
done a great deal that you aren't proud of, you have no choice but to walk forward,
trudging slowly through ongoing mud. In the next life, you will come back as a water
buffalo.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Quite a downer aren't I??

A Lady of Expectations; S. Laurens

This is an older title by Ms. Laurens. It was published by Mira in 1995. Her page says they are hard to locate, but I found mine in the drugstore down the road. I find that I like Ms. Laurens' older, shorter works more than many of her new ones. A fellow romance reader pointed out that this might be because they aren't part of her Cynster series & I think that is a valid observation. This is a medium length Regency- longer than a traditional but shorter than standard long Regencies here in the US. I understand these were written for the Harlequin Mills & Boon in the UK so I surmise that is why they are different from the others in this subgenre.

Jack Lester and his brother have a reputation around the Ton as needing to marry a wealthy heiress as their family circumstances are 'straightened.' However, Jack Lester has been playing the Exchange and *gasp, horror!* with the assistance of Mr. Webb Jack has managed to recover the family fortunes. Now the problem is, he needs a wife and an heir. Poor Jack- he wants a wife not a gold digger. How to find one before word gets around that his family fortunes have been resurrected?

Sophie Winterton is a young woman in her early twenties whose mother died shortly after her society debut and thus was forced to retire to the country for mourning. Her father is a paleontologist (or archeologist, I can't remember which) who has at long last come out from mourning and gone abroad to study. Unlike many other romances where the daughter is either dragged along or abandoned or whatever other unlikely circumstance, Sophie's father leaves her with her maternal aunt and her family. A loving and caring family setup which isn't often seen in fiction. Too boring maybe? Anyhow. Sophie has no money, but wants a marriage where she loves her husband.

The plot is a chestnut in the romance community and yet Ms. Laurens portray Jack and Sophie as real, three dimensional people who have legitimate goals and needs and viewpoints. Sophie seems a bits stiff at times and I missed a taste of Ms. Laurens' spiciness, but overall I think this better than many other Regencies I've read (and they're some of my favorites).

Much Ado in the Moonlight; Lynn Kurland

Published by Jove in 2006, MAITM is a contemporary paranormal ghost & time travel romance. Link in title is to Ms. Kurland's bibliography page on her site. Before reading this I looked over all of my keeper & TBR shelves and realized that other than Christine Feehan I have more Lynn Kurlkand books than any other romance author. That's not to say all of her books are keepers, but you can't beat consistency either. A huge plus, IMO. Ms. Kurland is an autobuy though, a feat Ms. Feehan was demoted from.

Victoria McKinnon is an off Broadway NYC theater director who is given an opportunity to direct Hamlet in her brother's castle in Scotland. Unfortunately, Connor MacDougal is the resident garrison commander/laird in charge. Never mind that he's a ghost. Can Connor get rid of Victoria? Will Victoria fall prey to the schemes of one of her actors? Will the Boar's Head Inn trio of matchmaking ghosts succeed again?

I love Ms. Kurland's books and as usual she delivers again.

Ironside; Holly Black

I finally got around to reading this one after it sat in my library return pile for two weeks. Ironside was published this year by Margaret K. McElderry Books. The sequel is Tithe, although Valiant comes between and is linked. Click title above for link to Ms. Black's page about Ironside. Click here for my thoughts on Valiant. Click here for my thoughts on Tithe.

Kaye continues to grapple with being a changeling: feeling out of place everywhere, insecure, etc. Luckily she still has Corny and Gram on the human side and Lutie-Loo and Roiben on the fairy side. Feeling pretty much like a teenage human that she was Kaye makes several errors in judgement leading to the main adventures in this book. Corny shares the spotlight with her- a nice touch I thought. He's a unique character and as Kaye's friend deserves fleshing out. Roiben also struggles with resposiblity and duty and conflicting feelings about both his sudden ascencion to the throne and about his relationship with Kaye.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, although I wish the story centered more on Roiben as opposed to Kaye & Corny. Not necessarily their relationship, but his conflicts and political struggles within the courts. More insight into his psyche would have been a nice touch too. Still, I am very satisfied with this episode in the story. The ending was a deft touch I thought. Wrapped up and yet with a hint of uncertainty about the future. Very nice.

Good Omens; Pratchett & Gaiman

I'm finally reading!! YAY~ This book is hilarious and yet manages to sneak in a serious thought or two. Good Omens reminded me of Piers Anthony's work, in the sense that there are lots of puns & cultural references. Similarities end there though. FYI, I've not read Terry Pratchett's books so I missed any and all references they may have made to his work. I think I need to borrow a few of his books from the library, though. I love satire. Plus my lovely Sister reccommended him to me ages ago. For some reason I can't get the link field in the title to work so here is a link to Terry Pratchett's page about Good Omens.

Good Omens is satire disguised as a comedy of errors. What happens if the antichrist is born, but is then 'misplaced' into a normal family? What happens when two angels, one fallen and one of the heavenly host, become friends after millennia on earth? Is it possible to be so far on opposite ends of the spectrum to be able to turn around and find your opponent metaphorically and ideologically standing beside you? Ultimately- can the Armageddon be stopped once it has begun?

Much much lighter in tone and content than it sounds, I promise you. A couple of budding romances thrown in for good measure. An excellent beach read. Highly recommended.

Thursday 13 @29- Observations about Germany

Brought to you by Daughter, newly returned from Munich and Berlin Sunday evening. Please keep in mind, Daughter is 15 & this is her first trip outside the U.S. Click here to read my previous post about Daughter's trip.

Thursday 13 is a regular feature on Technorati whose purpose is to enable bloggers to get to know each other better. Leave a link to your 13 in the comments and I will link to you here. Click link in title above to see a list of other Thursday 13 participants.

1. The ice cream is much, much better than ice cream here- even Ben & Jerry's. Favorites are mango and tropical.

2. Veal blood sausage is gross. *Mom aside: Daughter is pretty much vegetarian anyhow, but apparently this came as part of a meal*

3. America is filthy. Germany sparkles. *Mom again: The Graduate said this about Scotland too. It would seem that we're pretty much the armpit of the industialized world as far as litter and general cleanliness goes.*

4. There is quite a bit of green space within the city limits & it's easy to feel like you've escaped into the countryside.

5. More people use bikes or walk or take public transit than in the U.S.

6. Every *Mom- EVERY??* department store has a food store in the bottom.

7. The hostels were very clean and don't deserve the "dirty" reputation they have. * I think she means hostels in general, not German hostels specifically*

8. Schnitzel is excellent as is German macaroni and cheese. *I told you she'd figure out how to ask for macaroni and cheese while she was there!!*

9. Fresh cheese and bread are the best way to begin a meal.

10. Minerwasser is everywhere.

11. Nuclear bunkers are very claustrophobic and dark. Not to mention scary.

12. Always sleep on a 9 hour flight.

13. German subways are much more efficient than ours. *DUH!*

6 Month Statistics & June Synopsis

Below is a compilation of everything I've read this month (in the order I read them), also listed are three DNFs. Below is a little breakdown of what I've read by genre & subgenre. The goal was to have completed 55 books by July 1st.Which I failed by 9 titles.



1.The Perfect Husband, Jeanne Savery

2.A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust, Elizabeth Bevarly, et al

3.The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

4.Valiant, Holly Black

5.Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold

6.The Hallowed Hunt, Lois McMaster Bujold

7.The Dragon King's Palace, Laura Joh Rowland

8.The Sharing Knife:Beguilement, Lois McMaster Bujold

9.If Angels Burn, Lynn Viehl

10.Once A Knight, Christina Dodd

11.Ithaka, Adele Geras

12.The Wind Dancer, Iris Johansen

13.My Wicked Fantasy, Karen Ranney

14. Clerk's Tale, Margaret Frazer

15. To The Castle, Joan Wolf

16.A Play of Isaac, Margaret Frazer

17.The Bastard's Tale, Margaret Frazer

18.The Widow's Tale, Margaret Frazer

19.The Hunter's Tale, Margaret Frazer

20.The Semptster's Tale, Margaret Frazer

21.Hunter's Moon, O.R. Melling

22.The Summer King, O.R. Melling

23.Wildwood Dancing, Juliet Marillier

24.They Call Me Naughty Lola, ed. by David Rose

25.The Traitor's Tale, Margaret Frazer

26.Blood Red Horse, K.M. Grant

27.P.S. I Love You, Cecilia Ahern

28.The Faery Reel, ed. Datlow and Windling

29.Oceans of Fire, Christine Feehan

30.Green Jasper, K.M. Grant

31.The Dark Mirror, Juliet Marillier

32.Waifs and Strays, Charles de Lint

33.The Summer Country, James A. Hetley

34.Dreaming of You, Lisa Kleypas

35.Hannah's Garden, Midori Snyder

36.Monsoon Summer, Mitali Perkins

37. Fortune's Fool

38.Skinny Bitch, Barnouin and Freedman

39.Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

40.Turtle Diary; Russell Hoban

41.A College of Magics; Caroline Stevermer

42.Dangerous Tides; Christine Feehan

43.Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well; Kathy Lynn Emerson

44.American Gods; Neil Gaiman

45.Assassin's Apprentice; Robin Hobb June read

46.Deadly Game; Christine Feehan June read


DNFs

1.Dream Hunter; Sherilynn Kenyon

2. A Factory of Cunning; Philippa Stockley

3. Secrets of the Night; Jo Beverley


Total Books Read- 46
Chick Lit- 1
Diet-1
Historical Mysteries- 11
Horror-0
Fantasies-11
Humor-1
Literature- 1
Thrillers- 0
Mythology based romances- 0
Fairytale Romance- 1
Fantasy romances- 1
Traditional Regencies- 1
Historical Romances (Incl. long format Regencies)- 3
Paranormal Romances- Vampire-1
Paranormal Romances- Wicca- 3
YA Paranormal/fantasy-7
YA romance-1

DNF- 3

I'm off by 1 & can't figure out what I miscounted or forgot. I'm too cranky to sit here and recalculate a third time- so like it or lump it! LOL ;) Husband wanted to know how many pages it adds up to, but I'll have to go back later & add that in.

Deadly Game; C. Feehan

Uh. Yeah. So this is the only book I've finished all month. I'm about a third of the way through a Neil Gaiman and maybe three chapters into a biography of the Prophet Mohammed. Since today is the last day of the month I think I'm SOL with them. :( One of the worst reading months I've ever had. Or at least one of the worst reading months since I've started the blog.

Onward re: Deadly Game. This is the newest Ghost Walker book, published in February of this year by Jove. TBH I read the first two books in this series and stopped because I'd approached them from a romance genre viewpoint and this series simply doesn't work that way for me. Ghost Walkers work quite well as military thrillers (as long as you can suspend reality) with romantic overtones, but not strictly as romances- strictly my opinion of course.

Mari is a female Ghost Walker from a secret separate group of GWs , a psychically enhanced 'supersoldier' whose entire life has been coordinated, organized and manipulated by a maniacal, evil scientist who just happens to be funded by the U.S. Gov't. *Aside- in real life I really despise conspiracy theories* Mari Smith and Ken Norton meet up while on different missions to protect the same Senator. The result of which is they spend part of the novel trying to figure out who is telling the truth and who is working on the side of the evil scientist. The evil scientist is like a comic book evil villain. No redeeming virtues at all.

There is some violence, an attempted rape, outright murder and a scuzzy "dr's exam" for those of you who like to know about such things. This go around these things didn't bother me. I think it is because my perception of Mari is one of a strong and capable person whose entire life has been manipulated but who has maintained strength and dignity and integrity despite all of these problems. I've had serious problems with Ms. Feehan's heroines in the past, but of late either I've gotten more tolerant or the ladies are more rounded and whole and significantly less damaged. Take your pick.

Ken, to me, is similar to the Carpathian Jacques in Dark Desire Ms. Feehan's second book in the Dark series. Each man has been physically tortured and is permanently scarred both physically and emotionally from the cruel treatment they've survived. The heroines each provide a measure of sanity- a grounding in the real world, a sense that there is still goodness worth striving for.

How can you tell the difference between friend and foe when all you've been taught has suddenly been thrown into question? Is it possible to learn about yourself as an individual while maintaining a serious relationship? Who can you trust when the chips are down? This book has strong Carpathian type overtones to me- the whole 'wounded hero- grounding heroine' scenario; the invisible psychic superglue; etc. Deadly Game worked for me though (as did Dark Desire).

Hiking in DC

Ought not be done in 95 F heat, let me tell you. We survived, though. As regular readers know, our Daughter is away in Germany with her church youth group. As preparation we decided to go to the Holocaust Museum before she left. Now- several years ago I used to regularly park in Ft. Myer and walk this hike when the older kids were elementary school age. No one had serious problems with the distance & the youngest was pushed in a stroller. We walked through the Museum of choice and walked back through Arlington National Cemetery to the car. We always enjoyed our little outings and I didn't remember the walks as being arduous. So we figured, "Hey. The kids are older now, the HM doesn't look too far up the Mall. Let's just walk this one."

Fast forward past a few years. The route follows. If you have DoD stickers on your vehicle, it is possible to drive onto Ft. Myer, park, and walk through Arlington National Cemetery and walk across the bridge (with an enormous half nude female statue at the end- which grossed out Son #2 no end let me tell you). Once you're over the bridge you're near the pencil (otherwise known as the Washington monument), the shell and the tidal basin edged with cherry trees. Walk a few blocks to the right, when coming from Arlington, and there's the HM. Near the Mint. By map it looks to be a relatively reasonable walk. It is a relatively reasonable walk- as long as you're not in a hurry and it is cooler than 95. I also recommend the ability to walk a minimum of 5 miles at a single stretch.

Anyhow- ANC, like the Zoo, is built sloping down a hill (or up the Hill depending on where you start from). Following the roads (as required; no shortcutting through the actual grave sites) it is roughly three quarters of a mile from where we parked to Memorial Dr. which leads you over the bridge into DC. From the edge of the George Washington Parkway over the bridge to the opposite shore is approximately a mile. I'm guessing here, but I think the distance from the DC side of the bridge to the HM is roughly another mile- lightly shaded. I was able to measure distances up to the DC side of the bridge, but not through the Mall to the HM. So- round trip our 'little walk' turned out to be 5 1/2 miles!

The National Park Service has installed water fountains every couple of hundred feet along the pathways, so we didn't expire from heat exhaustion. Luckily Husband had purchased to large cups of ice from the HM cafe, so we had plenty of cold water to drink along the route back to the car. The problem is, The Graduate has a long looping stride which comes naturally to persons well over 6'2", the Daughter has short quick strides and likes to keep up with Graduate so they can share earphones & moan about how bitchy mom really is. And Husband? As a nurse he regularly zooms all over his assigned floor for 12-14 hours a day at work.

Where does this leave Son #2 & me? In the caboose. Waaaayyyy waaaaayyyy waayyyy behind. I'm not normally a slow walker, but I wasn't about to leave poor hot whiny "OMG mom are we there yet??" Son #2 in the caboose alone either. So every once in a while the Husband would slow down and wait for us or the older kids would stop to wait for directions or wait at a fountain for us. "Jeez mom! You didn't used to be so SLOW~ what's the problem? Are you getting old?" Thanks a lot guys. I feel so much better now.

The Son #2 and I- we survived. I kept hearing that old disco song I Will Survive in my head as we trudged uphill back through Arlington Cemetary. We made a little game of trying to spot the oldest year on the tombstones as we passed. We walked by a judge who presided over the Nuremburg trials. A fresh turned grave with a tiny palstic marker at the head. Watched the caisson roll by over the hill in the distance. Heard taps. Every time we go to Arlington I hear the echoes of tears and the sighs of those finally at rest. They remind me that all of the little trials we go through every day won't mount to a hill of beans (to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca) in history.

Daughter Update

Daughter is currently in Germany with her pilgrimage group from church. I thought perhaps other people might be interested to hear about their adventures. If not, come back another day!

They flew to Philly and then on to Munich- after a two hour delay on the tarmac. The email said the delay was due to problems with a connecting flight? Dunno. I'm sure the Daughter was totally hyped on a Monster and an entire pack of strawberry pocky. Pocky- spelling is also listed as pocki- is Daughter's favorite candy, usually bought at Wally World and smuggled into school. Also eaten in huge quantities at sleepovers.

Anyhow, they landed two+ hours late, but apparently all was well otherwise. No lost luggage, kids or anything else. Then the entourage (totaling nearly 20 people when you count all of the chaperones) attempted to decipher the subway system. Which sounds like it rivals the Tokyo subway for complexity. The token machine 'ate' a 50 euro bill before giving the group the passes it needs. Which is close to $80 US, I believe. *gulp*

After unpacking into the hostel they went for a walk around the area and ate at a local pub. Next day they went to Oberammergau to see the playhouse where the famous Passion Play is held every 10 years. Click here to see website. Sunday they attended church, met some refugee kids affiliated with the church, wrote postcards, and had a picnic, took a nap and then climbed the Tower of St. Peter's. Click here for link. Click here for automated cam of view from tower. Saw the glockenspiel move. Next day they went to see Neuschwanstein.

Note: The pilgrims themselves are incommunicado with the parents. The chaperones in this group have been sending one email daily with details of the group's activites. They seem to be having a good time. Learning to live "in community" supposedly- which makes me wonder what hijinks the kids have been up to. When The Graduate went to Iona with the church a few years ago, we had only one or two emails & that was it. It has been nice to 'watch from afar' so to speak.

Quiet Weekend

To quote Etta James, "AT LAST!" YAY!!! Daughter is away on her pilgrimage, Son #2 is safely arrived at my parents' house & the Graduate is currently at work. It's only Graduate, Hubby & I all week. Amazing. I might even be able to read something.

Bumperstickers

Seen recently on vehicles in our area:

1.Some people are alive simply because it's illegal to kill them. Seen on a vehicle parked on Capitol Hill in DC.

2.Support search and rescue- get lost! Seen on a jeep

3. I have to describe this one. You've seen the navy blue bolded capital W with the numbers 04 after it? Referring to the Bush- Cheney reelection campaign in 2004? The version we just saw is a navy blue bolded capital W with 'orst' after it. WORST ever. We had a great laugh when we saw that one.

Edited to correct formatting problems

Updates

The Graduate~ Received his precious diploma June 12 during a mercifully fast graduation that had speeches & awards etc over and done within 2 hours. For 560+ grads. We were quite impressed. The GF had received hers (after quite a battle with the school system, apparently, due to her serious illness) several days before. We, all 5 of us, the GF, my MIL & FIL & SIL & niece, went out to dinner afterward, which the ILs sneakily paid for (with a *huge* thanks! from us. The stadium job is turning out to be only 2 days during the stretches when the team is in town, so another job search is on. Him and every other teenager around here.

Daughter~ Just left this morning on the church sponsored pilgrimage to Germany. We squeezed in a visit to the Holocaust Museum to fill her in on relevant information as WW II has played a huge part in the formation of modern Germany. The museum is not for the faint of heart. It isn't graphic per se, but definitely roasts your heartstrings & makes you angry about the Balkans, Rwanda & Darfur. We had to forcibly remove Daughter's fanfic notebooks & take them to a GF's house. The idea of the pilgrimage, obviously, is to leave your comfortable & familiar things behind you to explore other cultures & push your boundaries & deepen your faith. Which would've been hard for her to do if she'd had her head buried in her fanfics. I did buy her a journal & a sketchbook to record her thoughts in though. And told her that drawing might be a good way to meet people in the hostels in Germany. Now if only my BIL (or my Mom) could've taught her some basic German. Like- "Where's the mac & cheese?" & "Where's the ladies' restroom?" or "I'm lost & I don't speak German!"

Son #2~ Is due to visit my parents starting Saturday. I've been told there's painting in the air, the upstairs hallway I believe. Also, deckwashing and vegetable gardening. Soon afterward he'd due to go away to sleep away camp up in the mountains near the WV border. It'll be his first time (he's 11) away from the family. Like Daughter, he too will be pushing boundaries & comfort zones & learning how to get along with others. I already copied out his reading list for next year, lucky boy!, although I've not purchased any titles yet. He only has to read 2 (I think), but he's on the waiting list at the library for three audiobooks of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books. Plus there's the new Harry Potter book & movie. I can see Son #2 putting me off until August with the required reading. Easily.

Husband~ Is still battling away with the former employer. The wheels of bureaucracy grind oh so slowly. The new job suits him to a T, but the 12 hour shifts are routinely 13-14+ hours. He's exhausted after his usual 3 day stretch. He says it's like going from Econolodge healthcare to the Ritz, though. The place is amazing. They've already put him through a pharmacology refresher & a disrhythmia course with seminars on the newest insulin dosing and research.

Oh yes, funny family story. The FIL loves to try & pull the wool over his family's eyes about what his drs. tell him about his illness. The newest one being diabetes. Husband calls his dad one day, by coincidence his dad was waiting for meds at the local pharmacy. FIL tries to tell Husband, "My Dr. says it's ok if my sugars are too high. It won't seriously effect my other illnesses or make me feel worse." Husband braeks out into guffaws of laughter, tears running down his face, turning bright bluish-purple (sounds scary, but he looks just like a giant blueberry). He holds the phone away from him for at least a minute. "Dad. You don't expect me to believe that BS do you?! I'm a nurse. Remember?" The FIL was not best pleased. At ALL. We however, found it quite quite funny. And sad.

Remind me to tell you about the 6 mile hike we took. In 95 degree heat. Also- not read a damn thing in the entire month. Next Thursday I've a neato 13 about stuff I saw around the Capitol last Wednesday. I think.

10 Commandments for Drivers

An insightful someone, perhaps with too much time on their hands, has issued a list of 10 Commandments for drivers. He is obviously slightly behind the times as the list does not address drivers who yak on their cell phones or have both buds of their headphones in, etc. Possibly could be categorized under #3, but for emphasis ought to have its own number. Also # 10 ought not only be for driving!

Here are the "Drivers' Ten Commandments" as listed by the Vatican's Office for Migrants and Itinerant People:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Quick drive By with poem

Still haven't had a day at home to catch up on anything. If you've sent me email, snail mail, called me, left a note in our mailbox- I've fallen off the world & can't catch up. Seriously. I don't understand how the merry go round spins so fast or for so long, but I hope to begin catching up on all of my chores- including the blog- starting Friday.



Te Deum
by Charles Reznikoff


Not because of victories
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.

Not for victory
but for the day's work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.