90 Days of Getting Back to Me--Update

Happy Tuesday Everyone!  So it's that time of the week again to tell you how things are going. Happy to report things are going great!  We're still in the throws of the busy season so we're still keeping very busy but I'm so glad to say that John and I have finally found a rhythm that keeps us afloat. I even had time on Thursday to do whatever I wanted...still typing that out now makes me giggle.  Hee Hee.  So, when someone asked me what I did with myself here is what I told them: "Shopped of course! And I didn't even have to speed like a mad woman to get there, take any parking spot I could get my hands, run into the store pushing old ladies and small children out of my way while leaping over aisle displays, searching madly for anything that is even close to what I need and then hightailing it to the checkout counter knowing full well I have 15 items in the "10 items or less" checkout but not caring and running in traffic to get to my car, tossing everything in the trunk and slamming on the gas peddle cutting 3 people off and running 2 red lights just to get back home for the continued list of 3000 other things that need my attention that day. Aaaahhhh...*sigh* I went the speed limit, walked, said "pardon me, after you", I strolled...even meandered, if you will. I browsed, compared, tried on, tried on again, even made extra stops just because I had the time. Hmmm...me likey."

I think that says it all. ;-)

Just finished yet another Ken Follett book, Night Over Water. Great book. My favorite will always be Pillars of the Earth, followed by World Without End, and then A Dangerous Fortune. But right now I'm reading A Place Called Freedom. I'm so thrilled I have forgotten each of these stories. I have found other authors I really like but Ken Follett will always be my true love (sorry John).  I can also recommend Barbara Kingsolver. Her creative use of syntax is so poetic. Her sentences are like works of art. They are so creative and thought-provoking.  It's like singing a song while reading her work.  I'm sure I have a ton of other authors I love as well but as of right now they seem to be escaping me.  For some reason I also seem to be drawn toward middle eastern fiction stories about women--and mostly the ones that revolve around the eventual strength and courage of the main characters (women). There's just something abut a story of a woman kicking ass and taking names that draws me in. ;-) On a separate fictional note, I also recently finished The Historian and I LOVED IT. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire book.  Just now searching for Elizabeth Kostova's writings I see she now has another book out as well called The Swan Thieves...I'll be picking that up from the library this week.

Yes--the library. One of the main things John and I have really put a lot of emphasis on this year has been to simplify our lifestyles. I know I've said how crazy things are but I can't imagine what it would be like if we didn't attempt to keep it simple.  We have put an emphasis on using what community services are around us rather than just running out to the store and picking whatever it is up.  So the library has been a huge part of that.  We have also gone down to one car. I'm happy to say that it wasn't nearly as tricky as I thought it was going to be (I tend to be a bit spontaneous--when I decide to do something I want to do it NOW) and we haven't run into any major snags yet.  We have been trying for a while to get rid of cable (we never really had it until the last 2 yrs) but we're in a rotten contract with Verizon (nazi bastards) so we have to wait another 6 months till we can tell them to go pound salt. We thought it would be a good idea to give Ella a little variety (with Noggin and PBS it's like preschool on TV--as a matter of fact I think that's their tagline) but it turns out there is NOTHING on.  400 channels and THERE IS NOTHING ON. I'm dumfounded. This is what I was "giving up" when I turned off my cable years ago?? If you don't have cable take it from me, you aren't missing a thing. Reality (and I use that term very lightly) TV has taken over and I am completely convinced it will melt your brain into a goo that will dissolve into nothingness if you watch these awful, dumbed-down, senseless, pointless shows.  How in the world a dancing goverment ex-con, a young girl surrounded by 20 horny men vying for her hand in marriage, or 2 wack jobs with too many kids has taken over our airwaves but it has happened. Just like an alien invasion. All these channels and we still watch our shows on HULU and download movies we can't get from the library on ZML.  We also utilize the websites of the channels Ella watches (Nick Jr., PBS, Disney) to catch new episodes and give her games to play rather than buying new games at the store.  Simplify. Nice.

Update next Tuesday!