Updates

The Husband~ Appears to be on track to be the 'curve breaker' in both pharmacology and something called natural science, which is a combo of chemistry and anatomy and physiology specifically for nursing majors. He keeps telling me he doesn't remember very much, but he seems to be doing just fine so far. If only the girl behind him would stop chewing gum with her mouth open...He tells me half his class couldn't be bothered to read the syllabus handed out the first day & were thus caught unprepared for the first test. Surprisingly the prof wouldn't accept, "but I didn't read the syllabus!" as a reason to take the exam another day.

Graduate~ According to rumors he's settled in very well. His grandparents are keeping him busy. He's job hunting. I've only spoken to him once, so I'm operating on the theory no news is good news. The husband has spoken to him roughly once a week, and I'm told he's alive and well.

Anime Queen~ Claims she's doing fine so far in both chemistry and algebra, thanks mom. Bummed that her best buddy has a different bus this year and no shared lunches. :( Spent the first two weeks of school running around trying to have her schedule fixed. Obssessed with some anime character she calls Vincy (from Final Fantasy VII). Has gone from wanting to be a fine arts major to a writer. Misses her big brother.

Pianist~ Formerly Younger Son, but I can't decide on a better moniker than Pianist. Schmoozer describes him well, but has a negative connotation I dislike. Mostly settling in middle school with success. Says he's happy to have new friends. Doesn't like lugging his books around. Had to have a key to his locker for several days until his locker could be fixed. He's stuck with a teacher Anime Queen had, but one whom we found to be umm.. unprofessional & unhelpful. He's teaching a different subject, one that Pianist has no trouble with so I expect all will be well. Jerk teacher. Pianist has outgrown every pair of pants he has and is losing the chubby cheeks of his younger years.

Moi~ Scheduled to within an inch of my life. Busy. The learning curve on my new job is quite steep. The other day I discovered my new position was originally two separate positions, up until the jobs and duties were reorganzized earlier this summer. I feel better knowing that. I have felt really pushed trying to learn everything, but I had a good conversation with my manager and I feel better about things.

After I came home from the back to school night (see earlier post about schedules) I realized what bothered me about the parents that night. This was BTS night for Pianist, btw. Pianist and Anime Queen are in an academically demanding international curriculum, mainly because I want them to be challenged in school and they both qualified & were accepted. AQ is on the far end of this 5 year prep program & Pianist is just starting.

Anyhow, the difference is that during AQ's middle school the parents asked alot of questions and appeared to be very interested and involved. This year, most of the parents didn't ask anything, other than questions related to figuring out the online gradebook. Nothing about the workload, the curriculum, the expectations, the school environment. Zippo. Zilch. Very depressing.

Today's Schedule

5:45 am~ Wake up. Ok, peel myself out of bed, throw on some shorts & a t-shirt, yadda yadda yadda

6:00 am~ Make pot of coffee (Dunkin' Donuts or Gevalia or Melitta only), attempt to watch morning news & wake Younger Son up

6:25~ Take Anime Queen over to her bus stop. Shivering in the cool air 'cuz I'm tired and half asleep & was too damn lazy to dress properly. It's dark out this early in the morning and her stop is off the road, so I take her over there & wait until she's on the bus.

6:57~ Take son to bus stop. Again, same location as the A.Q. difference is, this time (even though it's only 25-30 minutes later) the traffic is heavy enough that he has trouble crossing the road, no one will stop, despite two cross walks. So I take him. Better by far than him turning into road pizza cuz my lazy ass wouldn't get up out of bed.

7:15-9:45~ Return to bed for brief nap. I didn't get home from work until 11 pm the night before & I can never fall asleep right away.

9:45 am- 12 pm~ Scrub bathroom, make bed, run malware & anti-virus programs, clean kitchen, make my lunch for work, shower, dress & get ready for work

12:15- 1:10~ Drive to work, call Hubby & chit chat along the way.

1:15- 5pm~ Work

5:15- 6:15~ Drive home, call kids in transit & make sure they're ok.

6:15- 6:40 pm~ Run inside, make sandwich & drink a glass of lemonade; kiss kids & tell them I'll return ASAP. Tonight is back to school night at Son's school & I'm only home briefly.

6:40- 7:05~ Drive over to his school & attempt to find a place to park where I'll be able to get out again. As if.

7:10- 8:15 pm~ Sit through overly repetitive teacher spiels for Son's academic classes. Skip PE and chorus in order to return home in time to kiss the kids goodnight. Dash outside only to realize my parking choice was great except for the fact that there's no lighting & I can't see a thing. Also, the car is on the far side of a cluster of trees. In the pitch black dark. Lovely.

8:20- 9:15 pm~ Drive home, with intermediate stop at 7-11 to buy a newspaper and a frozen fruit bar. Listen to the drunks argue with the clerk about why they deserve more beer. Call home to see if Hubby has come home from work.

9:20~ Rush back into the house in time to kiss the kids. Victory! My biggest and most important goal achieved.

9:30- 11:30 pm~ Read paper, surf, eat sherbet

11:30- Snore on Hubby's chest while he studies for a chemistry exam

In Memoriam

Image found on un.org




Image found on nndb.com

The world is a sadder place today.

Nickel Roast

First, let me pat myself on the back for making up a menu and a shopping list before going grocery shopping. Second, a gold star for remembering to bring the lists to the store. Let the story begin.

Last Sunday after church the kids and I went grocery shopping. Around and around we went (not in our usual store & so we played seek & find) crossing off as we discovered things. In the meat department I start digging through the pork roasts and pull one out of the back. Startled by a little green button I take a closer look. Only to discover the roast is priced at .05~ Yes that's right. A 4-5 pound pork roast for one nickel. The green button turned out to be a pop up thermometer.

Naturally I couldn't believe my eyes. So Younger Son took the roast to a price check scanner, which merely said "priced as marked." At the check out my clerk was all of 17, if you're generous, and didn't pay a half a wit's attention to the price of our precious roast. Which did indeed ring up for one American Nickel. Amazed and afraid the grocery store police would chase me across the parking lot accusing me of theft, I bundled My Precious into the car, kids too, and rushed home.

Tonight our little Nickel Roast was braised in apple cider in the crock pot. Delicious.

Stardust; Neil Gaiman

I finished this a while ago, but due to scheduling issues I've not had time to type up my thoughts. I enjoyed it very much. It was quite a change from the tone and substance of others of Mr. Gaiman's work. I am surprised and delighted. The copy I have is the movie tie in edition. Stardust was originally published in 1999, the edition I have is published by HarperCollins and copyrighted 2007.

Somewhere in the UK is a little town called Wall which physically marks the boundary between Faerie and humankind. Mr. Gaiman remarks in his book that every land that disappears from human's maps reappears in Faerie thus making that world ever growing and unknown in size. That really captured my imagination- the thought that no people, no country has been wiped off the face of history. Somewhere those people, that place, is alive and well and thriving well apart from human predation.

Anyway, once every nine years in Wall there is a fair in the meadow where Faeries and humans meet and trade. One year a young man and an enchanted Faery enjoy one night of blissful happiness resulting in a basket on the newly married (after the fair) man's doorstep. Thus Tristran Thorne is a halfling raised as an human. Tristran has an uneventful childhood and youth, although he falls in love with the wealthiest young lady in Wall. One evening they are together when they see a falling star and Tristran promises the young lady he'll bring her the star to win her undying love. Sounds very cliched I know, but trust me when I tell you the treatment is unique and worth reading.

So Tristram sets off beyond the wall into Faery, looking for the fallen star. He has a series of adventures, gets involved in nefarious political plots, discovers the truth of his parentage and gets turned into a mouse. As I read this the legend of, link follows: Tristran and Isolde constantly ran through my head, although I am pleased to report this book has a happier ending than the legend.

Dark Possession; C. Feehan

Link to Ms. Feehan's page about this book HERE.I finished this one last week sometime. It fits the usual Carpathian mold, but reveals significant details about the struggle Carpathian and Jaguar (and others') struggle for self preservation. IMO that alone made this book well worth the purchase. All heroes have feet of clay somehow or another, and Vlad Dubrinsky is no exception. That's the only hint I'll give for those few people out there who haven't read this or those of you who will wait for the paperback.

This one is set in the jungles of South America. The hero is Manuel de la Cruse and the heroine is Mary Anne ____. Again, I'm forgetful so forgive my memory lapse. Mary Anne has appeared in at least two other Carpathian novels. She's a women's counselor who specializes in traumatized and victimized women. She has flown to S.A. to counsel a young woman who has suffered unspeakable violence at the hands of a renegade band of Jaguar shapechangers.

Manuel (Manolito) is one of the five de la Cruse brothers. He barely survived an attack in the Carpathian Mountains and has been buried in deep, healing soil on a tropical island in the middle of a river in the jungle. Trouble is while he was in the mountains he hypnotized Mary Ann and did a blood exchange with her which has initiated the physical and mental changes lifemates undergo. Problem being, Manuel did this against Mary Ann's wishes and without her knowledge. So she's freaking out a little at her reactions to what exactly is happening to her. Also? Turns out Manuel is only half saved. He's stuck between bodily life and spiritual death.

But why? Can Mary Ann address her legitimate needs for independence and understanding? Will she call Manuel onto the carpet for his deceit? What exactly are the origins of the plot to overthrow the Dubrinsky monarchy? Will Feehan ever return us to Europe or the US or will we be stuck indefinitely in South America? BTW, the Guardians? Totally cool. We'll see how things develop.

According to Ms. Feehan's website (see above) at this writing there will be a Carpathian book out next year, details currently unavailable.

Downward Mobility

IIRC, early in January I set an informal goal of beating last year's book total by at least one. After checking my previous posts, it seems I didn't actually make a published list of annual reading goals. Thank goodness~ I had 20/20 foresight didn't I? It'd be nice if I could do that (have accurate foresight) with stocks, though. LOL ;)

Last year I read 104 books, thus making this year's goal 105 or better. That means a minimum of 12 titles per month with one month 13. Even at my fastest I usually only manage 10 or so titles in four weeks. I don't think I'm gonna make it. Even to break 100 means 10 a month between now and Christmas. I'm unsure I'll make it, TBH. I hope so. I'd like to. I'll be disappointed if I don't. I'm trying hard to be realistic and honest though.

So I'm revising my goal to ..man this a toughie. To what? I'm mentally stuck on 100. As though that's some sort of magic number or something. SO.. OK 100 it is. That's still 10 per month. Starting now. Guess I'd better goet off the 'net and get reading!

The McJob

The job. It's sort of in the McJob category of employment, although it's a Federal McJob. Meaning I'd likely make more $$ working at a real McDonald's. However, it's a position where I'm supposed to be trained in all of the different sections of the business and then slotted into a place that best fits my goals and abilities and their needs. And then given a substantial raise.

I say supposed to be since this is a new hiring program and no one at work is willing to give out details of how exactly this new program works. I could look it all up online, but I've limited free time that I need to spend driving or cooking or cleaning or reading the newspaper or hiking with the kids or pretending I know 7th grade algebra. You get the picture. I plan to look it all up very soon- like tomorrow- since my situation at work changed this afternoon.

Anyhow. I'd been out of the workplace very nearly four years before I was hired. I knew that whatever job I got would be an entry level, a very basic 'yes i'm conscious and breathing' type job. I was ok with that as long as there was potential for advancement. Which, as it turns out, there is. And sooner than I expected. I think I've moved one rung up. Not a big rung, and no more $$, but it appears my boss thinks I can mutlitask and I'm not easily ruffled by the public or my coworkers. Which may or may not be true. We shall see.

Starting Monday I shall be learning to oversee the inmates of rung #1, facilitate their duties, make sure they have breaks and meals as appropriate. At the same time I will assist other employees and customers with all manner of transactions and issues. The most limiting factor being: in order to help the inmates of rung #1 I must remain in their immediate vicintiy. I cannot leave my station. However, issues arise that would be best and fastest resolved by going to the source, ie: leaving my post. Which I can't do. So I'm going to have to learn to work around this problem. Without appearing unhelpful or frustrated or hampered or unprofessional in any way.

I've already been warned that coworkers who've been there longer will mutter and be resentful and that I may be directly confronted with "What makes you so special?!" My manager has told me in no uncertain terms to be firm and unapologetic and to hold my head up and reply in a straightforward manner. She is older than I am, and a woman of color, so I'm sure has heard plenty of crap like that herself, but I was still surprised that she would tell me straight out. She was straight on though- my instinct is to play off negative comments with humor or by changing the subject or by putting myself down a bit. Anything other than a direct reply like, "I don't plan to stay on rung #1 forever. Deal with it." Which is exactly what my boss said to say.

My lovely and bright Sister, who was once my boss long long ago (and a good one too), has plenty of supervisory experience. I plan to ask her for advice if I run into any problems. Hopefully I'll live up to my boss' (and my own) expectations and I can make a go of this whole new working world. Next post about work we can talk about the really fun stuff- the commute, traffic, juggling of schedules, the scenery.

20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago this morning I married the man who would grow into my life so deeply I can't describe to you what it means or how we achieved it. I certainly never realized, at the time, what I was getting myself into. The most profound moment during the ceremony itself was when the priest took off her stole,wrapped it around our joined hands and said, "Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder."

We've hit the 'psychic' stage. You know, finish each other's sentences. Can tell the spouse's favorite family/childhood stories better than the spouse can. Make impulse purchases in the grocery store which, when brought home, the spouse says, "Thanks honey I was just thinking that ____ would be good right about now."

Happy Anniversary Darling~ May we have many, many more

August Synopsis

Totally pathetic. Even if you account for the fact that two of them were well over 700 pages apiece. Listed in the order I read them.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; J.K. Rowling

Kushiel's Justice; Jacqueline Carey

The Road; Cormac McCarthy

Apples
by Grace Schulman


Rain hazes a street cart's green umbrella
but not its apples, heaped in paper cartons,
dry under cling film. The apple man,

who shirrs his mouth as though eating tart fruit,
exhibits four like racehorses at auction:
Blacktwig, Holland, Crimson King, Salome.

I tried one and its cold grain jolted memory:
a hill where meager apples fell so bruised
that locals wondered why we scooped them up,

my friend and I, in matching navy blazers.
One bite and I heard her laughter toll,
free as school's out, her face flushed in late sun.

I asked the apple merchant for another,
jaunty as Cezanne's still-life reds and yellows,
having more life than stillness, telling us,

uncut, unpeeled, they are not for the feast
but for themselves, and building strength to fly
at any moment, leap from a skewed bowl,

whirl in the air, and roll off a tilted table.
Fruit-stand vendor, master of Northern Spies,
let a loose apple teach me how to spin

at random, burn in light and rave in shadows.
Bring me a Winesap like the one Eve tasted,
savored and shared, and asked for more.

No fool, she knew that beauty strikes just once,
hard, never in comfort. For that bitter fruit,
tasting of earth and song, I'd risk exile.

The air is bland here. I would forfeit mist
for hail, put on a robe of dandelions,
and run out, broken, to weep and curse — for joy.


Found via Poets.org

The Road, Cormac McCarthy

Certainly not for those preferring a lighthearted read. The Road is a commentary on culture and human nature after all that we know and much of what we believe in has been destroyed. In other words- post apocalyptic earth. A bio of McCarthy is is HERE. It is easliy one of the most profound and moving books I have read in several years. Do not let the fact that it was on Oprah's reading list deter you.

A father and his young son are heading south towards what the father hopes is a warmer climate that may possibly enable them to survive. The Road is their story. It doesn't detail what caused the total destruction of the pair's known world, TR merely allows us to watch them love each other in their new, awful, heart rending, mind numbing world.

The father's pain seemed more present to me, more..I was able to relate to him most. Not only because of his age & parental status but because he was forced to cope with so much loss. The loss of everything he knew: nature, culture, the human institutions that make society what it is, his family. The son, OTOH, is so young that the current reality is all he remembers. All he knows. He hasn't lost anything. That is one of the most awful parts of this book. Realizing that the post apocalyptic earth is the only reality this child knows. Will ever know.

Theirs is an eternal relationship, the father and the child. For me the child represented all of the positive traits one hopes that humanity is born with. Love, faith, compassion, curiosity, conscience, resiliency. The father: loss, tenacity, perseverance, caution, mistrust, love. The father was, like all adults, more of a mixture of good and bad. An amalgam of all that he has experienced.

The ending made me cry and gave me hope. Read this book.

Updates

Yeah, I promised to try and stop by more often, but as you can see- I'm a slacker. I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Excellent book. Very thought provoking. Also very dark. I'll post my thoughts as soon as I can.

Husband~ Began classes at our local community college taking a full time load (4 classes) last week. Paid for by his employer. He is currently topped out in his field and since he's only in his early 40's he'd like to continue to move up the career ladder- thus this in the first step. He already has a degree, but the academic powers that be deem those courses 'too old' for his current course of study and thus he's forced to retake some things. He's smiling though. It'll only help his GPA. Plus- he gets to listen to the babies (as he calls them) spout off about everything they think they're expert about. Meantime it's all he can do keep qiuet and not laugh.

Graduate~ Seems to be settling in at the grandparents' just fine. We moved him in last weekend. New stuff from Ikea, new clothes. All his books. The other g'rents are loaning him a car (plus the insurance!!) and will help feed him as needed. Today is the first day of classes. He's currently job hunting. I plan to call him before I go to work to see how things went. The house is quieter, the fridge is fuller. I miss him, his jokes. The way his eyes light up. Don't miss Kudzu though.

Daughter~ Wishes to be called Anime Queen instead of such a plain, non descriptive, boring parental label like daughter. After an event filled summer, the last week or ten days has been quiet for her. Kinda a nice wrap up I suppose. She's busy playing with photoshop and writing fanfics and trying to slow summer down. This school year she's taking both IB Algebra and IB Chemistry, so she doubts she'll have much of a life this year. Poor Anime Queen, she struggles with math & chemistry is loaded with it. The Graduate was her favorite math tutor, but he's too far away. Maybe he can help her via IMming?? It's a thought.

Son #2~ Also wishes a new moniker. Can't really think of one right now though. He too has had a busy summer- visited both g'rents, went to camp, went to Baltimore. His current favorite activity is MS Flight Simulator & X Box. He's also practicing piano somewhat diligently. We went on a hike a couple of days ago when the temps were down. Went down to the stream & found a couple of tadpoles and some teeny tiny waterstriders- who can jump over each other on top of the water (like crickets). Several cool looking mushrooms, we forgot the camera as per usual, so no photos.

Me~ Have been feeling run ragged. Between the job and trying to get Graduate settled and a family reunion and whatnot, the last several weeks have been a strain. At least one of my days off has been spent traveling up and down I95 hither thither and yon. And beyond yon once or twice. Hopefully now that school is about to begin I'll be able to catch my breath a bit. I hope. We'll see.

I am definitely reforming my procrastinating ways. I've had to. There is no'later' or some mythical 'tomorrow' when I'll have less to do. It's now or never. I'm rediscovering the joys of the hyper caffeinated life. I am reading so that's been a plus. What else? I live and die by the calculator in my purse more than ever before.

Work itself has been fine. The interior of the building is being renovated, which we're working through. That has proved interesting. We were given conflicting information regarding 'mandatory overtime' being paid or if we were to be given comp time or even if the time is truly mandatory or not. So far I am enjoying the job and it facilitates my personal and our family goals. It's funny though, I've been asked if I think the job is 'fun' or if I'm now magically 'fullfilled' by working there. To the first- as far as I'm concerned work is work and therefore not intended to be fun so the question is irrelevant. As to the second- I was pretty much fullfilled (as much as the next person I think) before I began. So no. Onward and upward.

Kushiel's Justice; Jacqueline Carey

This is the second in Jacqueline Carey's new Terre d'Ange series. I read the first first book, Kushiel's Scion, here. Carey's gifts are showcased in epic fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading this. Now I have to wait until next year for the next one. *SOB*

Imriel and his distant cousin Sidonie, who also happens to be the kingdom's heir apparent, have fallen headlong, passionately in love. Trouble is, Imriel's family history and his cousin's political heritage clash violently. Sidonie is under age when this whole thing begins, and besides- her mother is not likely to ever approve. Officially or unofficially.

Ms. Carey offers a unique and insightful look at dynastic marriages, one I came to appreciate after some intial scepticism. If one is raised from earliest childhood to understand that marriage has everything to do with politics, land, money or alliances then personal feelings, attraction, and mushy bullshit like love, lust and passion are totally irrelevant. And dangerous. Two total strangers are united into one of the most intimate relationships humans can create. This breeds insight and a certain level of perceptiveness that would unnerve most of us.

Toss into the mix a religion that teaches one and all, "Love as thou wilt." What are the consequences of disobeying this precept? Even if there are, seemingly, good and defensible arguments for said disobediance? Can your gods follow you across oceans? Hear the anguish in your heart when you most need to be heard? What about a faith practice resulting in believers who think they can see the future? A religion that engenders in its followers a belief that only they can see and preserve the future of an entire island? Hubris much anyone? And we all know pride goeth before a fall.

Kushiel's Justice has it all: lust, intrigue, enchantment, ritual, hot sex, political intrigue, religion, cross continent adventures, vengeance. The soul deep satisfaction of knowing you've found your soul mate. And what about Imriel's long vanished, much vilified mother Melisande? Who manages to rescue Imriel's sorry ass way the hell up in what on our maps would be Russia. Where does she come into this? Read KJ and find out!

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Potter #7. The end of an era. The best of the series. What else can I say?? I didn't really like the middle books in the series, between #3 and #6. I absolutely feel editing and pacing was drastically necessary for those books. #7, though, was a total package as far as I'm concerned. It goes without saying that it doesn't stand alone. Read a series synopsis first, but this one is well worth the effort. Go forth and read it.

Big News

Sorry I dropped off my blog for two weeks- there have been big big changes at Bookwormom Central starting in early July and I've been totally snowed under trying to adjust. Change is afoot and we're not all coping as well as we might hope.

As regular visitors know the Graduate is prepping to move out at the end of the month to start college. Oh the DRAMA! You just don't know. It's been hard in some ways. Trying to cope with GF's clinginess. I've started calling her Kudzu. You know, kudzu is the awful invasive plant that has taken over the Southern US and is nearly impossible to get rid of once it's in your garden. Seriously. Easier in others: getting his driver's license at long last. He's leaving next week. I don't think the reality will set in until he's actually out of the house.

The other news is that I've reentered the working world. The working outside the house world that is. Being a stay at home involves plenty of work, I know. I'd been home full time for four years and it was past time I pulled myself together and got a job. I hunted for a long time before I finally landed a job just this side of the Potomac up near DC. It's also nearly full time- one more full day a week than I'd intially been hired for. On top of that, my schedule has been changed twice in the four weeks since I've been there. There are alot of changes afoot in my new workplace and it has some of the 'old-timers' so to speak a little riled up, as they say.

It has all been hard to juggle is an understatement. Son #2 is only 11 and pretty much as far as he remembers I've been home with him and his siblings. I'd worked part time for 5 years (when he was between 2 & 7), but the schedule was nothing like what I'm doing now. Of course it's summertime too so they're all home during the day and that makes my absence all that more obvious. Fortunately Hubby's schedule is three days a week so he's been home with them more- which has been another thing to get used to. A good and wonderful thing I think. ;)

Anyhow, I've been reading. I finished Harry Potter and I'm in the middle of the new Jacqueline Carey. Both huge books, 700+ pages each. Which is doing zilch for my monthly book count. :( I've been surfing on everyone's blogs (I finally loaded everyone into my cell phone) during my all too brief lunch breaks. I've not had time to blog or post on others' blogs though. There just hasn't been enough time in the day, unfortunately. As time goes by I'm sure I'll get more proficient and I'll post more often.

Meantime, I've missed you all and I hope to make the rounds and post too! LOL

July Synopsis

Below I listed the books I finished in July, there were also 3 DNFs but I forgot to write them down before I took the trade bag to the UBS & thus I have no idea what they were except- YUCKY. LOL ;)

I am still running behind on my yearly goal, unless I really get a move on I won't make it. The original goal was to read 9 books a month which would put me over the total I read last year, but only just. As of early July I had to up the total to 10 per month for the remainder of the year to meet the same goal. I am not making it, obviously. :(




1.Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

2. Ironside, Holly Black

3. Much Ado in the Moonlight, Lynn Kurland

4. A Lady of Expectations, Stephanie Laurens

5. Yours Until Dawn, Teresa Medieros

6. Jacob, Jacqueline Frank

7. Snow in Summer; Tess Farraday

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.