Reading

Finished Middlesex. I really enjoyed this book. Strangely, even the shocking parts of this novel didn't bother me. The book is about a hermaphrodite, you have got to expect some off-the-wall things going in. The voice of the main character was constant throughout and I really enjoyed the journey she into he took.

I am currently reading another book about self-discovery. This is Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. The main character of this novel, an insecure mid-Western girl at a East coast boarding school, is haunting me. The writing is so pointed and the situations are so believable and recognizable that I really hurt for her. I cheer at her small little victories. But most of the time, I want to somehow reach through the pages of the book and shake her. I am also enjoying this book because it gives an inside glimpse to life at a preppy boarding school, something most of us are not at all familiar with. The book was a NYTBSL Top 10 book of the year at some point (am reading the paperback, so I am not sure when it was published). The book is dragging on a bit at this point - she's a senior now and the book begins at the beginning of Freshman year, but I'm interested to see at what point in her life the main character is narrating from. A few times in the book, she mentions how much she has changed, but also how much she is still the same.

A Whole New Territory

Today, a new airline burst onto the scene in Columbus...with $10 fares. Yep, 10 bucks. Woo hoo! Chris and I took about two minutes to decide to fly to Vancouver for a getaway before our wedding. Yes, I know the honeymoon is supposed to to take care of the relaxing need, but with 7 months of wedding planning to go, I'm thinking the end of August will be a nice time for a little break. I've never been to that part of the Pacific coast and I'm so excited! It's also fun to do something so spontaneous. Here, basically, is the e-mail chain that led to us booking the flight.
Amy: Hey Skybus is booking now - do you want to go to Vancouver for your birthday? $10 flights.
Chris: Let's go.
Amy: Really?
Chris: Yes, book it.

I'm hoping there is a cute little B&B we can stay in. So excited! Any travel trips to the Seattle / Vancouver area? Also, please book flights with the same airline because I don't want it to go under. I'm not too worried because something like 10,000 flights were booked by 10 a.m. (they went on sale at 6 a.m.), but still.

Must run now, have a bottle of wine chilling to celebrate.

Earthy Days

Since I choose to think every day is Earth Day, we didn't take part in any of the celebrations going on this past weekend. Okay, that is a cop out. I didn't want to take part in any of the celebrations this past weekend. Instead we worked in the yard and I sat in my glorious hammock swing and read. Hammock swings are way better than full-sized hammocks, in my opinion. First of all, you only need one tree and secondly since you can kind of sit up they are much better for reading. My lettuce is doing nicely, having survived the freezing temps and snow around Easter. I brought some of the lettuce to my parent's for dinner. Everyone got about 5 baby leaves - it is early in the season! More lettuce got planted, along with morning glories, cilantro and parsley seeds. I'm holding off a few weeks for everything else. As much as Chris and I are enjoying the current nice weather we are having, Prada is not. She sat in a window and cried for 4 straight hours yesterday because she couldn't come outside with us. Poor kitty.

My Quirks

In response to Heather's blog challenge, behold my quirks. Both my Mom and Chris insist that I'm quirky, but I'm having a tough time coming up with a list of the little odd idiosyncrasies that would define my quirks. Actually, I suspect I don't have enough discipline to truly be quirky, but here goes:

• I have a SWOP bag. These are Socks Without Partners. I imagine the socks hanging out in this bag and having potlucks, going to meetings and discussing the difficulty of being a lone sock in a paired up sock world. Every couple of months, I hold a major SWOP event where I match up the socks who have found their mates.
• When walking to a destination, I like to cross the street so I am on the correct side of the street for the destination as soon as I leave my house even if I have another mile to go. Actually, I don't think this is a quirk, it just makes sense to me, but Chris seems to think it is strange.
• I like to have the heat on and the ceiling fans going. I guess this isn't so much quirky as it is just bad for the environment.
• In bed, I need to hold onto the covers and I always like to have something covering me even if it is really hot out.
• The doors (or curtains as the case may currently be) to the closets must be closed when I go to sleep at night.

Yet Another Reason to Imbibe

Another reason to celebrate the end of the week with a nice, tall, cold...vodka and cranberry. It seems adding alcohol to any dark colored fruit juice enhances the antioxidants. Must be why wine is so good for you. I'll drink to that.

Speaking on antioxidant-rich drinks, I'm hoping with the changing of Liu Pon Xi to the BlueFish, they keep around the blueberry mojito. This fun rum, mint and blueberry puree concoction quickly worked it's way to the top of my favorite summer drinks list. It's right up there with the Italian mojito from Martini. Who knew that basil infused simple syrup mixed with vodka and lots of lime would be such a refreshingly different drink? No antioxidants in this one though.

Household Chores Through the Eyes of my Cat

Much to my everlasting disappointment, Prada isn't much help around the house. In spite of the fact Chris and I often leave the house asking Prada to do the dishes or pick up a little, she isn't much one for pitching in. Here is a list of how I imagine she sees household chores in her own voice (translated by me).

1. Vacuuming - loud, rude, scary machine which usually strikes when I am deep into a weekend afternoon nap. I try for a few seconds to make friends with the vacuum, but it is so loud it doesn't hear my attempts at small talk. Furthermore, I spend many of my waking hours distributing fur and milk rings on the carpet. I don't appreciate it undoing my work so quickly.


2. Dusting - this is one of the more agreeable household duties. Fun feather-like swifter items are used which is really a cat toy in disguise. Why else would people dust in slow circular motions? Clearly enticing a cat is the idea here. I also help out with this task by using my tail as I walk along surfaces. And they say I don't do anything.


3. Cleaning of the bathroom - I like the toilet a lot. Cleaning usually involves making the water go round and round the bowl. This is one of my favorite things to watch. Other than this feature of bathroom cleaning, I'm not really affected. I only use the bathroom as a waiting area in the morning to remind these people to feed me.


4. Doing dishes - I really don't see what the big fuss is about here. My dish rarely gets cleaned and you don't see me complaining. However, I like that doing the dishes requires the people to stand very close to where the kitty treats are kept. If I hang around long enough (trying to avoid getting splashed), I sometimes get a little treat when the dishes are finished. This is worth it.


5. Bed making - MY MOST FAVORITE CHORE - I wish this happened more. First, beds are kind of my thing. Burrowing under the covers, snuggling up with my people, lots of good petting happens in the soft and fluffy bed. When sheet changing day comes, I make sure I am around for the fun. Even though I get short of breath, I like to get on the unmade mattress and have the layers of bedding added over me. The first layer is the fitted sheet, it goes on like a huge parachute. Woo hoo! Next, is the flat sheet. At this point, I roll over onto my back with all four paws in the air. My people play with me through the sheet by tickling my tummy and paws. So much fun! This is followed by a blanket and then a down comforter. By this point, I am a little worn out so I usually take a nap. Love it! Sometimes I get stuck under all the covers, but I always find my way out though the side. Really, this whole changing of the sheets should happen way more often.

Sad

So many people have wrote so many eloquent words about the Virginia Tech tragedy. I don't feel like I can add any more to the mix, other than this: As a graduate of a medium sized University tucked into the peaks and valleys of Appalachia, I can so clearly see myself, friends and professors in the faces of those at VT. This horrible and unthinkable situation could have happened anywhere, because it is simply horrible and unthinkable. My wish and prayer for the VT community is to stay strong and to stay together.