News!

I feel narcissistic writing this post. It may be because it's a whole lot of words that are almost all about me. Probably, I'm still feeling guilty for having this thought since not posting in over 2 years, "My newer friends don't even know what a good writer I am!" My motives for writing this are not all self-centered, though. I genuinely believe that it's important for me to explain the change I'm making. First, though, let me tell you what's happened since I last wrote on this site. No. There is too much. Let me sum up.

• We moved to a wonderful new neighborhood that was just what we had in mind when we were house shopping. Now we have 4 times the number of bathrooms we used to. Other than having 4 times zero maids to help with the cleaning, it's all dreamy.
• The kids got bigger and smarter. 

This little Cupcake just turned 5

• 

  Our Rip Claw is in double digits! (The bike only lasted a day)

• We adopted a cat! Minerva is loved so dearly, we've even become the weirdos (I can say it because we're included) who walk their cats.
  

• I've continued to work as a substitute teacher, and I'm pretty good at it. I know being the best substitute teacher is kinda like being the best fantasy football player- great! Nobody cares!- but it means I get to work whenever I want and the schedule flexibility is excellent. 

• Running has continued with some ups and downs, some injuries, recoveries, a medal here or there, successes and failures. I still love pounding out the miles, even though I haven't achieved anything extraordinary...

  

  ...unlike these dear friends and family members who ran the Boston Marathon this year

  
  Of course, the past couple of years haven't been all sunshine and roses, but things are generally excellent 'round here. 

There, now that you're caught up and have fallen (back) in love with my blog, it's time for the reason that drove me to break out the rusty old typing fingers here: I'm going to school to become a paralegal. What's that? You're slightly taken aback but generally feel like that announcement was anticlimactic? Let me try to change your mind. See, it all started at book club. 

My (I can call it mine because I started it) book club began about 7 years ago. We take turns selecting books to read, and discuss them while stuffing ourselves with scrumptious snacks. We have a pretty amazing mix of ladies, and our book choices are diverse and (usually) excellent. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was my personal favorite novel and everyone (yes, you too) should read it. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" was my most recent choice, and reading it changed my eating habits for the better. 

If you've read "The Omnivore's Dilemma," the chocolate souffle/McDonald's fries combo makes sense.

The Count's quote made it onto my shelf of favorites.

It was this book, though, that changed not just my habits or the order of my favorite novels, but life as I live: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Yes, that link takes you to Amazon so you can go ahead and buy it right now. On the website for the foundation the author started years ago, the book is described as follows: "A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice..." (I linked the definition for that term because I couldn't have given it to you without looking it up myself.)

I don't usually consider myself to be super suggestible or gullible. I certainly can't remember any other time when a book changed the course of my life. When I watched Making a Murderer , for example, I understood that there was more to the story than viewers were shown. I know that the show was edited to be entertaining and provocative, so even though it made me lose some faith in our justice system, I made myself remember that I was really presented with just one side of the story. 

After reading "Just Mercy", though, I came to understand the brokenness of our justice system is not simply a matter of opinion. It is a matter of fact that we can choose to see or remain blind to. The truth is, justice in our country is not blind. 

Somehow, she can still see color through that blindfold.

Criminals get away with it. Innocent people go to jail. People with dark skin are treated differently than those who are white. Poor people are taken advantage of. Children live in prisons for the rest of their lives after mistakes that they would almost certainly never make as adults. People with mental illness are abused and imprisoned instead of being treated or hospitalized. At the root of our justice system we don't find balance or impartiality; we find bias, greed, and sometimes mind-blowing unfairness.  

I don't expect to become The Paralegal who Fixes Everything (Although if that is what I become, I would like a cooler, superheroish name. Princess of Justice. The Everything Fixer [who is pretty besides]. Sup-arale-Gal. We can work on it.). I don't presume that I'll ever truly fix anything that has been so broken about our legal system since its inception. I know, though, that I cannot turn away from the horror. I cannot step over the screaming, seething, hideous mess of wrongness and go on as if it's not there. Even realizing that I cannot name a single paralegal who has ever done anything memorable, I know for sure that I have to be part of the solution. I have to do everything within my power to right the wrongs.

So, at the ripe old age of closer-to-40-than-30, holding my 13-year-old, unused Bachelor's degree, driving my newish car away from the dream home that I own with my dream man, leaving my sweet, talented children in the care of others, I will go to school. I mention my age, home, etc. because when I went on campus to purchase my books ($680! Ouch!) and get my ID card, I realized how very different I am from the typical state college student. It makes me nervous to think about being the oldest in class. Or the only mom. Or the only one who has no idea how to dress like an adult who is in college and will constantly feel the need to justify her clothing choices to random strangers. Because of my previous college experience, I have met a lot of the requirements for graduating with an A.S. degree in Legal Studies, and I should be finished by this time next year. After that, I would like to work for a non-profit law office, offering help to those who can't afford to buy their way out of legal trouble. I want to assure you that I'll let you know how it goes, but in all honesty, you may have to wait for news of the crowning of Queen Paralegal after I do my world changing stuff. Want to help the cause without going the career/life change route? Donate to the Equal Justice Initiative.  Or at least, wish me luck with writing WAY more often than once every 2.5 years.

Student discounts on ice cream and tacos? Yes, please!

Seriously, though. What do grown-ups who aren't the teacher wear to school?

What I'm Reading, Hearing, Watching, and Doing

Reading:
My reading list, as usual, is as exciting as it is excessive.  I actually only spend about 20 minutes reading each day, so the fact that I'm carrying around and placing by the bedside all these books is pretty ridiculous.  But if loving so many books is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I haven't actually started the newest addition to the culinary mystery series I love, but it's a library book, so I have to start and finish it quickly.  I'm almost finished with "The Gifts of Imperfection" (it's my nighttime book) and I'm about halfway through "The Shining" (one of two daytime books).  I purchased the sequel, "Doctor Sleep", as my pages-in-waiting.  The author of the book on my kindle is an old family friend, Darin Michael Shaw.  I believe "Chronicles of War" is his first novel, but his second published work.  I selected the giant book about the Vanderbilt ladies for my book group.  It was one of the more interesting-seeming titles that came up when I googled "books to make you smarter."  So far, I don't feel much smarter, though.  It seems to me that the Vanderbilt family was like a much earlier version of the Kardashian family.  I find myself disapproving of their long-ago extravagant parties and constant building of expensive houses, and not necessarily on principle.  I feel that they're a big part of the reason today's society is so celebrity-gaga and so shallow, as a whole.  Unfair?  That remains to be seen.

Hearing:
From Rip Claw: "Do we have any fun plans for today/tomorrow/the weekend?"  I don't know how or exactly when his obsession with "fun plans" started, but he was literally asking me that question every.single.day.  I figure there isn't anything wrong with wanting to know our plans, or with wanting them to be fun.  I was really tired of hearing the question, though, so I came up with this:

On the chalkboard painted portion of his bedroom wall.

In typical mom fashion, I included chores and additional school work (I give him advanced math problems, reading or writing assignments when we play school) in the fun.  Muah hah hah!

From Cupcake: "NO LIKE IT!" It's a rather long story, and not all that interesting, so I'll sum up: she has to drink some different kind of non-dairy milk that she isn't used to drinking.  We've tried soy, vanilla flavored almond, coconut, and lactaid milks.  Finally, after several days of bribing, cheering, rewarding, bargaining, begging, and attempting to disguise the flavors, she drank some soy milk without throwing her cup and yelling that dreaded phrase.  In addition to being a picky drinker, she is becoming a very finicky eater.  Perfect, considering she's off-the-chart small and her pediatrician probably thinks we're trying to cultivate an early eating disorder. ("Mom, what's it called when people say the opposite of something to try to be funny?" Sarcasm, son.  You'll hear a lot of it in our family.) It's hard to get her to eat enough protein and fat, so I'm very much okay with her love of hummus, guacamole, and peanut butter.

Ignore the messy counter top in the background and focus on the fact that she was licking fresh, homemade guacamole from her fingers.

Watching:
Okay, I'll be honest.  I wrote the title and the first half of this post about 9 hours ago, and now I can't remember what I was going to share about this subject.  You know how frustrating it is when you lose your train of thought mid-sentence?  This is like that, only a little worse.  I've been sitting at the computer for 40 minutes now, asking myself repeatedly, "What am I watching?"  I keep coming up with a few things that I know weren't IT, but will have to do.

• Parenthood- It's a show about 4 grown siblings and their own families.  Charming and I are getting thoroughly spoiled by watching it on Netflix, because we're still not caught up to the current season and can therefore watch 3 episodes a night when we are awake enough.  I dare you to watch and not find yourself relating to at least one of the main characters.
• Progress.  Charming is well on his way to his first ever half-marathon race!  His dedication to the training program and the ease with which he seems to achieve greater and greater things are just so thrilling to watch.  He'll be running the Swamp House Half Marathon in March.  You should, too.
• Potential paydays.  I am officially an approved substitute teacher for our county's schools.  Some of you may know this already, but many of you probably missed the blog post about it that I deleted a couple of days after publishing it.  (Curious, now, are you?  Let me know in the comments if you want to read the gory details and I'll see what I can do to satisfy.)  Now that I'm an employee, but not actually working, I'm spending time each day watching for jobs to open up.  
• Pigging out.  The 2 weeks of clean eating made me aware of my awful piggish habits.  I've been watching my junk food and overall calorie intake, these days, and I've only gorged myself a couple of times.  

Doing:
Really running!  I was surprised by how long after my tibial stress fracture I was running tentatively.  Like a slow, scaredy baby.  Also surprising was how long the mild soft tissue pain can last.  After long or fast runs, I still see swelling around the spot that was fractured, and the muscles in my calf and shin on that leg are much more tender than those on the other leg.  Apparently, though, this type of pain is not unusual for up to a year after an injury like the one I had.  I've been building my weekly mileage back up, and I've had some very successful long runs that have left me feeling like a real runner again.

Really cleaning!  Long ago, I made myself a cleaning schedule that looked so good on paper.  Well, it's actually on Google Calendar, but you know what I mean.  Turns out, following the schedule makes my house look good, too!  I (almost) always regret procrastination; I hate that I put off the tasks that I know I need to accomplish.  I decided recently that I would really, truly, not-just-saying-so, try to procrastinate less and try not to waste so much of my free time on nonsense.  It's a hard thing to do, to be productive, but it really is worthwhile.  What a wonderful feeling of relief comes when the laundry baskets, washer and dryer are all empty!


What advice should you take away from this post?  Read the books I'm reading.  Turn the tables on your kids when you hear things from them that are annoying.  Remember the information you want to convey.  Running is fun, even when it's scary.  Finally, go do--whatever--now!  Don't wait.



Best way to break a bad habit?

Best way to remember your own ideas?

What I'm Reading IV

Wow.  It has been a while since I've shared my current reading list.  How much were you missing it?  Be honest.  Probably, you haven't been able to read a single book, not knowing what that one random blogger/runner gal was reading.  Please accept my apologies.  Since my last entry of mid-way through the book reports, I've read a few books, but not nearly as many as I would have liked.  One significant (to me, only, I'm sure) milestone was when I did not finish the chosen one for book club.  I was the only remaining member of our

link

group who had completed every selected book for every meeting for nearly 3 years!  This one was interesting, but not in the way that it made me want to get to the end.  I found the topic compelling, and the anecdotes disturbing, but after not very many pages, I got it.  Food giants + Government = Yeah, let's get ourselves some land and grow all our own food.

I'm not technically reading the next book club selection, yet, but I did submit my reservation for a copy from my library.

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I think it's going to be good.  I just found out that the author wrote "High Fidelity" which I didn't even know was a book, I just thought it was a John Cusack film.  I found it when I was at the library, trying my best to be a good book clubber, and instead checking out 3 books that were not chosen for club discussion.  "High Fidelity" was one, but I haven't technically started reading it yet, either.  Nor have I begun The Fire Witness by Lars Kepler.  You may have done this before, too:  I walked up and down the New Releases section in the library, simply looking for something to strike my fancy.  Judging all the books by their covers, basically.  I recognized the author's name (Names?-Lars Kepler is a pseudonym adopted by a married couple, so I never know whether to refer to the author in the singular or plural, masculine or feminine.  Annoying.), and realized that I had read "The Hypnotist" a year or so ago.  I almost remembered what I needed to remember before checking out, but the thought was still just a quiet little buzz.  Finally, after a while, the buzzing grew louder.  "The Hypnotist" had been suspenseful, but really awful, plotwise.  There were like, hundreds of pages about a point which, in the end, didn't matter a single bit.  So, I probably won't be reading "The Fire Witness."  I can't put myself through the worry about whether or not the Pokemon characters are relevant.  (Seriously.  There were Pokemon.)

Um.  So, now, after all that about the books I'm not reading, which could be considered a Lars Kepler-ish way to annoy blog readers...

I love this series of culinary mystery novels.

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Love, love, love.  That might be one too many 'love's, considering all the murders poor Goldy the Caterer has to deal with, and how the timing of the events in each story is way, way, way off.  However, the latest book in this series has been fun, so far, and I don't yet have figured out whodunit.  The best part of these Culinary Mysteries is that the author includes recipes for all the dishes the caterer prepares.  You can bet I'll be baking Crunch Time Cookies soon- they have toasted pecans and toffee chips!

Just tonight, I finished reading:

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Long ago, in my Freshman year of college, I was required to read this book for my World Religions class.  I wish I could remember what 17-years-ago me thought of the story, and compare it to what I think now.  I was surprised (again, I think) at how quick of a read this deep, meaningful, filled-with-ancient-African-names-I-couldn't-pronounce book is.  I definitely recommend it.  If nobody actually requires you to read, these days, consider my recommendation a forceful one.  You know what else?  Take notes, while you read, and afterward.  You'll want to remember the story and how you felt about it.  Psst!  That was the advice for this post.  Don't look for it at the end.

There's something very special, almost sacred, about classic novels.  After a page or two of my eyes glazing over from trying to figure out the unfamiliar words and spellings, I get swept up and start enjoying myself.

Pretty sure "Public Domain" means they're not going to need me to add a link, here.

I don't care for Fanny, the "heroine" of this novel.  She's a whiny, prissy, crybaby, sissypants.  I also don't much care for Edmund, her love interest/cousin.  He's too smart and proper for his own good, and he's one of those who can't see his nose past the end of his face (Confession-I'm not entirely sure I know what that saying means, or that I used it in the right context.)  Despite my annoyance at Fanny's actions and Edmund's silliness, I am enjoying this book.  I'm 3/4 through it, and every time I start reading again, it's like I'm transported to another time and a whole other world.  Plus, the characters frequently use one of my favorite phrases: by the by.  Only, they spell the second 'by' with an 'e', so now I will, too.  I'm proper, like that.


Classic or modern?

Read anything good, lately?

What I'm Reading II

A while back, I mentioned making this a regular feature.  While my intentions were good, I was having a lot of trouble finding time to read, and was therefore in the same books for much longer than I'm used to.  I have now adopted a reading schedule, which is working out quite well for me.  It looks a little like this:

~4:00 p.m. (or whenever Baby goes down for her afternoon nap)-

Set alarm on phone for 12 minutes.

Read Daytime Book as fast as possible.

~3:00 a.m. (or whenever Baby wakes up to eat in the night)-

Yawn my way through turning on the Kindle.

Read Nighttime Book until my eyes close.

It's hard to read while I'm nursing her if she's not groggy.  She might be part monkey, you see, and enjoys kicking, slapping, and twisting her body around so that I can't hold the book while I'm also holding her.  If I lay the book behind her head on the couch, she arches her back to reach the pages and pull them out of the book (not letting go of her source of food, mind you, while she contorts herself).  If my sense of modesty would allow it, I would post a video or some pictures of her during her feedings, as it really is quite a humorous sight.  But, I'm proud to say that there are no pictures of my bosoms on the whole, wide internet, and I'd like to keep it that way.  

She is as sweet and innocent as she looks in this picture, but she is rarely as still.

Back to the topic at hand, which was neither Baby nor breastfeeding.  Books!

I'm finding myself anxiously awaiting my 12 minutes of reading time since I started The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  I can't give a true percentage of how far into it I am, since I'm reading the hardcover with actual pages, loaned to me by a friend, but I'm more than halfway through. 

So far, it's wonderful.  It's sad in parts, but not in the way of some tearjerker books that seem to use vocabupuncture (literary acupuncture where the words are needles, poking your tear ducts) to produce bouts of uncontrollable sobbing.  I've also laughed aloud a couple of times, and I've found myself reflecting on it as I go about my day.  I'm having one of those great reading experiences in which I don't want the book to end, but I also can hardly wait to find out what happens.  Reminds me of my first 10k race, in Niagara Falls, where it was so beautiful and running felt so marvelous that I didn't ever want to stop, but I also couldn't wait to finish and see how well I had done. (Ha!  Bet you didn't think I could relate reading to racing!)

My nighttime book is the latest one my book group is reading.  It was chosen by my sister the Boston Qualified marathon runner.  I expect the book will be only slightly less inspirational than it was to see her finish for the cause of fighting breast cancer.  Chrissie Wellington is an elite triathlete, and her story is both interesting and easy(ish) to relate to.  I've read 13% of it so far, before falling asleep on the couch or being able to put Baby back to bed and crawl back under the covers for some real sleep myself.

You may be able to guess today's advice- schedule in some time to do what you enjoy, even if it's only for a few minutes. Some is better than none!

Whatcha reading?

Nineteen

I'll just come right out with it.  Stephen King is my favorite author.  My goodness, it's hard to describe what I love about his books!  I've just started and then deleted 16 sentences, because I can't seem to get the words right.  Here are some of the words that I've repeatedly come up with during the last 7 minutes of trying to write 1 or 2 sentences:  Home. Familiar. Imagination. Exactly. Me. Sunset. Gotta. My thoughts. Afternoon. Understand.  Maybe someone else who has read his stories will be able to put those words together in a way that isn't so...nineteen.

As a Constant Reader of his, I've come to notice the number 19 in my daily life, and when I saw that I was approaching my 19th blog post (this one), I wanted it to be special.  Over the past few days, I've been daydreaming about The Dark Tower, and trying to think of ways to work it in to my mostly-about-running-and-kindergarten blog.  Last night, I dreamed about Roland Deschain, and woke up feeling sad, with the words "The Man in Black raced across the desert, and Roland followed" running through my mind.

I then came to the disturbing realization that I'm still reading the same book that I was reading back in January, even though I'm enjoying it and reading as often as I can.

The author, +Jenn Thorson , sent me a magnet and sticker.  Na na na boo boo!  I got prizes and yoooouuu didn't!  (But seriously, you should read this book, and add her on G+.  Awe. Some.)

That I also plan to read books for 2 different book clubs before the end of March, have received 2 free books that I'm really looking forward to reading, and had to return my last 2 library books, late and unread, does not bode well for my finding the time to re-read the entire Dark Tower series anytime soon.

sigh

Now, where was I?  Oh, yeah.  19.  Books.  Blogging.

I decided to share with you an idea I had a couple of years ago that I'm still praising myself for today.  I thought about how cool it would be for my son (daughter was yet-to-be) to receive the entire Dark Tower series as a gift for his 19th birthday.  Then, I started thinking of another favorite book series, and how cool it would be to give him the Harry Potter books for his 11th birthday ('cause that's how old Harry is when the series starts, remember?)  Finally, my Idea (capitalized on purpose, as it is that good) was fully formed.  I would start a birthday tradition from the time he learned to read until he turned 19, and give an age appropriate, meaningful, really special book or series of books as a gift each year.  Also important to note is that the books would be real ink and paper types, and hardcover, mostly.  I worry that 13 years from now, they'll be hard to find in that format.

4 haircuts, 3 shoe sizes, 2 lost teeth, and 1 pants size ago.  Hard to believe it has only been 6 months since his first day of Kindergarten.

 His 6th birthday is coming up soon, and he's been reading since last Spring, so at last, I get to start the tradition.  I was originally thinking of getting the Junie B. Jones books, but then I read some of them.  They're cute and funny, but little Junie narrator uses very poor grammar, and talks back to her parents and is allowed to say the words "stupid" and "dumb", which our son is not.  Even though it's hard to find them together in a good set, I have fond memories of reading the Amelia Bedelia* stories when I was a child, so they win this year.  Next year, he'll get the Arthur chapter books, followed by the Little House on the Prairie series when he turns 8.  My dad gave me a great book the year I turned 9, "Stories for 9-year-olds" which I would love to find for my little guy.  Age 10 will be exciting, too, with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series finally being appropriate.  11, HP (dur) and 12, Hunger Games ('cause when they're 12, they're eligible for the reaping, you know).  Between birthdays 13 and 18, he'll need to read some Tolkien, some Twain, and some not-required-by-teachers Classics.  And then, he'll turn 19...and I don't want to think about my sweet little boy being almost out of his teens, thankyouverymuch.

Today, I spattered advice all in and out of this post, but the gist should be clear, even if you just skimmed (yeah, I know who you are, you skimmers!):  READ!

What are you reading now?  No, no.  Don't tell me.  I can't add to my list of must-reads right now!  Ok, only tell me if you're not enjoying it and wouldn't recommend it.  Deal?

*The set pictured in that link is not what I would consider "good".  They're not written by the original author of the series, there are only 3 books, and they're paperback.

This is the Life

Swamp Life.  Salt Life.  Gangsta Life.  (Gangsta is a dictionary word, now?  I expected red squigglies, but see none.  That makes me sad.) Gym Life.  Dog Life.  Young Life.  Mud Life.  Zombie Life.  New "Life" car decal choices are still scrolling, and I found the website where they're sold, like, 4 minutes ago.

I don't want to alienate either any of my readers, but I think the ________ Life decals are dumb.  I'll still probably like you if you have one on your car, but I won't drive around in your vehicle except in very specific situations:  In order to meet an ambulance carrying a family member at the hospital, for one, or if I were involved in a high speed chase and needed to change cars to avoid capture.

See how dumb?  You'll never convince me otherwise.

Husband and I have entertained each other on many a car trip, making fun of the various "Lives" people seem so keen on sharing their love of.  Again, I don't want to alienate anyone, so I'll not share the details of what we say (or how we laugh ourselves silly).  I understand loving the ocean.  I've never lived more than 30 minutes from the beach, and when I retire, I want to live no more than 30 steps from it.  I also understand that people want to share the things they love with like-minded people.  I joined a running group, and read running blogs.  I started a book club, and I go to lots of concerts.  I'm not an anti-shareite.  I just don't get why people feel the need to put stickers on their cars to say, in the dumbest possible way, "I love the beach", or "I love hunting" or "I truly believe the zombie apocalypse will happen someday."  Do you think two people with "Salt Life" decals on their cars have ever encountered each other in a traffic jam and been like, "Oh, you live the salt life, too?  Cool.  You can merge into my lane, then.  I only let people cut me off if I know they like saltwater."  Imagine if a guy with a decal went on a date with a girl who had no decal.  Imagine they went for a walk on the beach.  Do you think he'd believe her that she enjoyed herself, once he saw that she had not committed to a life of the salt?

I digress.  This is an advice-giving blog, so here is my advice: If you absolutely must share the kind of life you live on your vehicle, get a decal made that stands out of the crowd. 

DIAPER LIFE

I SPEND HOURS WIPING BABY BOTTOMS

facebook life

Like.  Share.  Promote.  Turn mush-brained.

KITCHEN LIFE

Where a woman finds her place

Fantasy sports life

it's important. Trust me.

Your Life

Not 'you're' life. Not 'ur' life. And if it wasn't yours, it would be theirs, not there's.

Ironic Life

I still listen to Alanis Morissette. Isn't it ironic? That I have bad taste in music AND I don't understand irony?

Have any decals on your car?  I won't (publicly) make fun of you, if so.

What I'm Reading

Dedicated to Stevie.  You and your tricycle changed my life.

I clearly remember the day I read a book by myself for the first time.  It was a weekend morning; my parents were still in bed and my older sister was probably concentrating very hard on Scooby Doo.  I picked up The Book and read the title all by myself.  Once the shock of my surprising ability to do that wore off, I opened the book and read the whole first page.  After that, I could no longer contain my excitement.  I quickly went into my parents' bedroom and woke them by re-reading the title and first page.  I got a few grunts and "mmm-hmm"s, but that was it.  I ended up reading the entire book without help (and earning the pride of my finally-awake parents), and have now spent the last 31 years with a book in my hand, on my mind, or both.

In high school and college, I wasn't required to read nearly as much as I wanted, so I feel like I'm still a little bit behind when it comes to the books everyone else has read.  In fact, the gaps on my list of books I've read sometimes make me quite sad.  Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Hobbit, just to name a few.  I did choose The Scarlet Letter for my 9th grade book report, while everyone else was choosing books by Beverly Cleary or somesuch, but then my English teacher quit and then the next English teacher quit, and then the lady from the cafeteria became the English teacher and gave me a D on my report card (9th grade English was not good for me- when I get over it, I'll share the story) and then the Biology teacher switched to English, and probably I was supposed to learn about run-on sentences back then, but nobody ever taught me, nor did they properly critique my report on Hawthorne's book, so I didn't push the reading material envelope after that.

With this being a brand new blog and all, it is probably silly of me to plan gimmicks or regularly scheduled posts.  At this point, it's still a distinct possibility that this whole blogging thing will go the way of the newspapers my sis and I published when we were very young (ahhh- I was quite the Ace Reporter when it came to stuffed animal news), and not have a very long run.  However, I plan to share what I'm reading, along with the occasional book review, right here each week.

Husband gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas in '11, which has been wonderful in so many ways.  Lately, I use it mostly to read (and play Scramble With Friends- user name rhirie- hit me up!) while I'm also reading actual ink-n-paper books.  This is the Kindle book I'm reading, and I just picked this one up in traditional format from the library for Book Club.  I recommend both.  The first, even though I'm only in the second chapter, was praised by my dad, and he's a smart guy who knows things.  The second I've actually read before, albeit years ago, and I know I enjoyed it very much.

This made me laugh.

Today's advice:  Read a book!  Who knows, maybe there is justice in the world, and every time someone reads a book, a Kardashian gets a pimple or gains a pound!

What was the first book you ever read?

What are you reading now?