My Reading Obsession

Not much that isn’t accounting mumbo jumbo. It’s sad really.  My time on the bus is taken up, and I have no new exciting books at home, so I find myself spending my nights watching things on the DVR which just seem to keep piling up, instead of going to the library or whatever. Plus, Jude brought home a new video game he just knew I’d get addicted to. Guess what?  I did!  I think I need to get on Bookmooch and order something exciting.

Channi is reading a book at school for one of her classes that shewants me to read when she’d done. It’s an author I recognize and have read, so that should be good.  I am reading Micheal J. Fox’s second book– I think it’s called ‘Always Looking Up’.  It’s okay. I’d heard great reviews, but it just doesn’t pull me in. He seems as starstruck by his life as most people probably are when they meet him.  It’s a good quality.  I have met and seen many stars (mostly from my volunteer time at The Sundance Film Festival) and he seems to be someone you would meet and be comfortable with right away. Straightforward. I admire his values and his momentum in always pushing to beat his disease.  He’s lucky though, in that he has the funding to do every alternative thing there is. I can’t imagine living with what he does, but I hope that makes life easier. Everyone should have it. By the way, Rush Limbaugh is an idiot.  He actually said that MJF was faking symptoms or not taking medication to garner sympathy.  And then, he physically parodied the motions that people with Parkinson’s can’t stop.  Then he didn’t apologize but asked if he could help at a fundraiser.  What, did he think his act was sell-able to that crowd?  Ugh, I want to puke. More than I do usually when I look at that drug addicted Viagra poster-boy. By the way, I don’t find anything wrong with Viagra–just that he had a crapload of it in his bag coming back from a vacation in Thailand.  Know what vacations in Thailand with Viagra are for?  Ick.

I still haven’t finished Willa Cather’s short stories, so I need to plug away at that.  What is wrong with me? today of course is ran/snowing and it makes me want to curl up with a book in my fluffy bed.  Maybe tonight.

You know, my daughter started this blog when she went to college, which I loved to read. This semester, the posts started getting more and more spread out, with weeks between blogs, and it was very frustrating!  I kept bugging her to blog.  So today I thought, gosh, haven’t blogged in a few days, I’d better check that out.  When I opened it up, I noticed my last blog was 9 days ago!! Yes, I am a blog abuser, and neglecter.  Shame on me. I mean, my readership may be 3, but they still deserve to hear from me.  And frankly, I think blogging is good for the soul, eh?

Things have been a bit busier at work.  Lots of audits to complete, being audited, trainings and conferences, which all make the day go ever so much faster. It’s nice.  Very.  Yesterday we did a training, and I had to speak to a group of 25 or so for 45 minutes. One thing I know is that I really speak way to quickly when I’m in front of a group, so I tried to regulate that and it seemed to go well. When pressed, my supervisor said I might bring in more personal bits–I’m not sure how to come up with personal bits about a grant to benefit crime victims.  The whole room was abuzz with this huge child abuse case that was breaking over in Heber. I found myself seated next to the victim advocate, who of course could not share much.  It’s in the press though, so pretty much common knowledge to everyone.  I know that the money I oversee helps victims of crimes, and that feels good–sometimes unfortunately I have to hear/read details about those crimes however, and that part is really hard.  I don’t know how advocates do that day after day, police report after police report.  How do you not take that home and just suffer? I couldn’t.

Reading wise, I’m still working on Harry Potter 4. He’s in the graveyard, tied up, Cedric dead next to him, waiting for Voldemort to do his thing. It’s been fun. K finished WWZ, so I can now freely read it and will start on that next I think.  I think after that a trip to the library is in order. I have The Client, which my mom let me borrow, so I guess I could work on that.

Last night I didn’t get into bed until 10:30pm.  As some of you may know I have to get up at 5:30am, so I try to be in bed by the latest at 9:30pm.  It didn’t work out. I have a list of things I am trying to accomplish each night and there is just not enough time in the day. Of course last night was sort of messed up by Jude and friends watching a movie, taking K to work on Porter’s pinewood derby car, running Jude to band practice, etc.  Still, I left work early so I had an extra hour. Either I am really, really slow, which is possible, or I am going to have to rethink the things I want to accomplish each night!

By the way, Chantel has a new blog, in which she posts a song each day that has meaning to her.  So far, I’m really liking it.  You can find it here; http://365songsyoushouldknow.tumblr.com/.

It’s been forever since I blogged.  Forever. Okay, 13 days actually, not forever, but awhile. 

Last week I went out of town for audits, which was fun and not.  People who travel for business know what I mean.  The fun part is you are not at your desk and you’re doing something different, and in my case meeting new people and seeing all the programs we fund. So that’s great. The bad part is eating out every meal, working overtime, staying in a crappy hotel, and not being with your family.  Sigh. 

Jude stayed home 2 days sick while I was gone. It felt bad not to give him the sick treatment. Then Kimball came down with strep throat. I know that sounds sort of common place, but he really got it bad.  The doctor said she hadn’t seen such an awful case in years.  His throat and both tonsils were covered with ick, and his fever was 102, and he was sore everywhere.  He wanted to die by the time I got home on Friday night.

It was nice to take care of him though–when I hurt my neck and shoulder on New Years, he basically did everything for me and the family for weeks until I was feeling less pain.  As the mom, it felt bad to rely on him so much and although this was much less timewise, at least I’d done something!

I took Harry Potter 4 with me on the trip.  As I’d also taken my CPA study book and some crocheting, and had to work a bit at nights, I did not finish it. I’d better hurry though–K is almost done with WWZ and will want Harry when he is done. 

My favorite part that was left out of the movie was Hermoine and her ‘House Elves Rights’ campaign. It is so Hermoine to be upset that they aren’t getting paid and then try to do something about it.  And what is fabulous about Rowling is that she shows that change is not always welcome even when the option seems to be so obviously attractive.  Resistance is ever present isn’t it!? I need to remember that as well, to tell the truth.

This morning I meant to leave at 6:45am, since I had to drive. I rarely drive to work, but I have a doctors appt. in SL after work, right? So I can sleep in right?  Wrong!  I woke up before 5:30am of course, and so I picked up WWZ.  Big mistake. The stray thought that I might get to work early and get a lot done, since I will be gone next week strayed right out of my head. It’s a normal problem when I have a book in hand.  Darn it. I found myself, despite the fact that I was up almost 45 minutes before I had planned, running out the door 10 minutes late.  Oh well.  Zombies are worth it, you know?

Anyway–in other news my family has decided to run a 5k together this spring.  I got a training program off the Internet, and K and I started yesterday. It wasn’t even too painful.  It’s sort of a walk/jog program that amps it up a bit each week. Shouldn’t be too hard. I even looked at 5ks in our area. There are a lot.  It’s nice because we’ll do something together and usually the runs are for charity, which means we’re doing something good as well. Should be fun. You all hold me to it, right?  Can’t quit now that I’ve announced it to my huge viewing public.

After Alice in Wonderland on Saturday, my nephew Bronson is coming to spend the night. i see some cookie making and some game playing in my future.  Finally!  It’s been weeks and weeks!  Last night Jude was teaching me to play Final Fantasy 10-2.  It was actually pretty fun and I may be getting it. I doubt I could do well without him sitting next to me, but what can I say?

Well, I’d better get ready. Should be leaving on an audit any minute.  Fun, fun, fun!