Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Birthdays

I had a terrific birthday. And wow, although I'm sure I could think of more things we could have done, it turned out to be full---full of friends, full of family, full of food! I felt loved and cared for and important. I also felt a little selfish....*sigh* but in the end I wasn't birthdayzilla or anything.

As far as age goes, this one was not as easy as others have been. Moving to a new age bracket is a little daunting...but the thing I never really knew is that I'd feel the same....the same as when I was 25. Oh sure, I have a few grey hairs and my knee gets a little funny sometimes, but on the inside I feel the same. I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm 20....or even 29 as I joked with a birthday buddy. I don't mind saying that I'm 35...well, not too much.

So, I'm definitely not done with birthdays. I love them. I am happy to tell people it's my birthday, and even happier when other people mention it. In fact, I didn't even mind that my kids insisted that the Red Robin staff sing to me. Roger said I looked like a 6th grader with my eyes all lit up. It's nice to have a day that you can just say, "God, thanks for me"!

Monday, February 09, 2009

Books

I love to read....and I read fast and hard. When I am enjoying a book, I find it difficult to concentrate on life. That is why I haven't read much in the last 5 years. My kids deserve to have a mother...not just an adult lounging on the sofa all day. If I had more self-control in this area, I would have continued to read a lot. But sadly, I can spend hours focused on a book while my kids run amok or generally feel my lack of emotional presence. Now, of course, I spend that time reading on the internet...but I digress.

In order to get myself back in to reading books, I decided to start reading books from the LOST book club. I'm pretty addicted to LOST, so I have a second layer of things to look for in my books to see why they are tied to my show. It helped me to head back into reading having a list to choose from...so I started my journey.

Book 1--Watership Down
This one took a little while for me to buy into it...despite the fact that I collected bunnies as a child. But as the story picked up, and as my investment in the characters increased, I found it a fun read.

Book 2--Slaughterhouse 5 (or the Children's Crusade)
As soon as I got to the 2nd chapter, I jumped right into this one because of the time travel elements that are pretty much the main driver on LOST right now. I can't say I recommend it, per se, but it was definitely interesting.

Book 3--Memoirs of a Geisha
This book captivated me. I got it around 5pm on Saturday night, and I finished it this morning at 10...add in that I was at church for 6 hours yesterday, and that's a fair amount of reading. I remember when this book was popular, or at least when the movie was, and I was hesitant because I wasn't sure how much sexual content there would be. Although there were a few scenes, it didn't seem gratuitous...or at least I can filter it out much easier than I can in a movie.

Book 4--On the Road
I haven't started this yet...I'm less concerned that it will be all consuming. But I do need to catch up on life since I ignored my family quite a bit this weekend.

So, here's my dilemma. There are two Stephen King books on the list. As of yet, the only King I've read is the short story they based Stand By Me on. But Darlton (the writers of LOST) have stated how much they love Stephen King and how influencial he is on the series. In some ways just that comment scares me because I love LOST. It has had some inexplicably interesting moments....some down right creepy. Those of you who know me, know what a scaredy cat I am. As I look for the other books on the list, I wonder....Could I handle The Stand or Carrie?

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

The Queen's Chair

The queen's chair
a moss covered chair
where Queen Nature sits
with her long flowing hair
and the trees that stand guard
all about her throne
are wise and strong
and she shan't be alone.

Written in 6th grade at Windy Peak Outdoor Lab--outside of Bailey, Colorado

Can a 6th grader really use the word shan't?