Today I am...

... reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I'm half way through it and have yet to begin to think of this as a horror story. Mostly it's just sad.

... listening to the hum of my computer monitor. I've not turned the radio on today.

... watching Wire In The Blood. Because one episode wasn't enough. I'm hooked on Robson Green and Hermione Norris. But mostly Robson Green. Holy cats, he's gorgeous.

... eating left-over coconut curry chicken.

... drinking water. Lots of it. This evening, I'll be drinking Sam Adams lager.

... making mom's shawl. Knit, knit, knit. It's getting huge and I'm on a roll and I can't wait to start the lace edge.

... waiting for a day off. One in which I don't have to call in sick to get. That'll be November 7. I'm waiting for November 7.

... wondering what I'm going to do with myself for two weeks while S is off sailing on the Atlantic.

... hoping S has a safe trip.

... thinking that stealing this idea from Badger, Blackbird, and Poppy was a grand idea.

The Reading Meme

Eurolush tagged me for a meme last week. She got it from The Coffee Lady.


This meme is about one of my favorite things: READING. Here goes:

1.Most memorable place/experience reading a book?

One of my most memorable reading experiences was over the summer between 4th and 5th grade. I remember wearing my awesome lime green bikini, laying in a chase lounge in my front yard totally under the spell of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My brain was like Augustus Gloop, sucked up into the chocolate machine and jamming all the works -- I wouldn't get anything accomplished until I got that book finished.

I was, in fact, so involved in the novel that when my 4th grade teacher, who just so happened to be a neighbor of ours, rode up our gravel driveway on his bicycle I didn't hear him. When he spoke to me, I about crapped in my awesome lime green bikini.

I remember being so excited for Charlie. I also remember, when I had finished it, going into my house, looking at my mom while holding up my just-read copy and saying, "can we go to the library tomorrow so I can get another book? Because this was fun."

I wasn't a huge reader prior to that summer. But once I discovered how much fun books were? Nothing could hold me back.


2. Most unusual place/experience reading a book?

Hm. Tough one. I would have to say it was the time when I helped move a 41-foot sailboat from Detroit to Port Huron. At one point on Lake St. Clair, we were under sail, and I was reading. But what can I say? When you’re in the middle of a big lake, even when sailing, there’s not much to do. So I read.

3. Most dangerous place/experience reading a book?

Sitting on the edge of Mooney Falls, Havasu Canyon, Arizona. I’m not actually reading in this picture, I’m taking a picture of S who is taking a picture of me. But see where those three guys are standing? I was sitting there and got about a page in before I said, self, it’s too pretty here to be doing such a singular activity. So I put the book down.

Clicky to make it biggie. You should see more details.

4. Most luxurious place/experience reading a book?

· In bed, every evening before turning out the light.

· On the front porch swing of our B&B on Mackinac Island.

· In the hammock in S’s back yard.

5. Funniest place/experience reading a book? Or, add a reading-place/experience description of your own...

I’ve read in waiting rooms, at the Secretary of State, and while treating myself to lunch. I’ve read on the bus, as a passenger in a car, on our cross-country (U.S.) train trip, and on the Chunnel Train from Paris to London. I’ve read while sitting in traffic jams, on my couch, and on my front porch. When I’m on a reading binge, I carry a book with me at all times. When I’m not on a binge, I tend to think about books I’ve already read.


Sometimes I decide to read them again.


I'm tagging the Hotfessional, LouCeeL, LeahBear, and anyone else who wants to play along. Just copy and paste folks!

PS-Coffee Lady's esteemed colleague and blog friend, Bean Photo, is collecting these reading experiences. If you decide to do this meme, please email him when you have published: mail@beanphoto.co.uk.

Thanks!

Walk

Robert & Helen own/operate the Buckle Yeat Guest House (in the village of Near Sawry where Beatrix Potter wrote her stories).

Between checking guests in and out and running their guesthouse, they often go for walks.

Today's walk is the kind of walk I want to take.

See their pictures here, here, and here.

In my dreams, I'm off to the Lake District.

'Shake it off' isn't working.

What do you do...

when you can't shake the don't-give-a-damn mood?
when you want to sit on your couch and do NOTHING?
when every. little. thing. that goes wrong send you into fits of anger?
when the urge to tell the world to fuck off and leave me alone is really strong?

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO?

Discuss.

On sneezing, furnaces, and books

• I've done nothing but sneeze all day.
• This is what I get for not turning my heat on yet.
  
• Speaking of heat.
• I broke down and tried to turn it on last night.
• Friggin' thing wouldn't start.
• So I've got a service call in.
• $130 for them to come look at the beast of a furnace.
• I'm hoping it's an easy fix,
  
• that the owner of the company takes pity on my pocketbook,
• and that tonight I have heat.
  
• Because our predicted low for tonight is 38.
  
• Cripes.
• So.
• To combat the sneezes, I'm drinking Pomegranate Green Tea.
• I despise green tea.
• So I added a bit of blue agave sweetener to it.
• Not sure I like the tea.
• Or the sweetener.
• Tastes like artificial sweetener to me.
• But then, I may have added to much this time.
• I'll give it another shot before I decide for sure.
• Damn heater.
• My copy of Frankenstein has arrived.
  
• I tried to start it last night.
• Got about a sentence in and nodded right off.
• At least I don't have much to re-read.
• Also?
• The Jane Austen novels started arriving this weekend.
• I've received Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Emma.
• The other three are en route.
• I love paperbackswap.com
• But I'm down to only two credits!
  
• (I need to list more books.)
• (Stat!)
• Happy Monday.

Tied to my land line - should I break free?

It seems more and more I'm hearing people say they don't have a home phone any more - they've switched to cell phone usage exclusively.

I can see the benefit of this, truly I can. No long distance charges, only one number to keep track of, and for me, it works out to be a bit cheaper each month to upgrade my cell plan and ditch the home phone service.

My concern is this: if I drop my home phone, will the phone company mess with my DSL service? I have this *probably* irrational fear that my DSL quality will drop if I drop my phone service. Have any of you been through the process of dropping home phones but keeping DSL? If so, what was your experience? (By the way, I don't have cable or satellite so getting internet through a TV provider is not an option I choose to explore.)

My phone company charges me more for DSL without a home phone. But even with the upgraded cell plan and more costly DSL service, I still come out ahead in the end money wise. But what about service wise?

What's a girl to do?

Reading

I'm making a lot of progress towards my 30 Books in 2009 goal. Only two more books to go and not a single Jane Austen has been read yet! I am bitterly disappointed in myself. How in the world do I keep not reading her books? You know what? As soon as I hit "publish" I'm going to go order all six of her books. That way I'll have no excuse - the books will be right there, within reach.

I joined a book club. Frankenstein is our first book. Thrilling!

A knitting post without pictures

I've not made a lot of progress on my mom's shawl. Holy schnikes, people. You really have to like the knit stitch in order to tackle this shawl. As a new-just-this-summer knitter, I'm still painfully slow - even with a shawl that is all knit stitch. Also? It doesn't help that I'm working with the tiniest needles ever. I want to make myself one of these shawls but, damn it, I'm going to at least triple the needle size when I do.

In order to break up the monotony of the shawl, I knit myself a scarf. Again, all in knit stitch. But! This one was knit in a 5-row sequence: knit rows 1-3; row 4, k2, wrap yard 3 times around right needle*, repeat to end of row; row 5, knit all, dropping the wrapped yarn. This is the pattern I used as a guideline. I CO 26 stitches, though, and used size 7 needles. Took one skein of this yarn an acrylic/wool blend which is perfect for autumn - even though the acrylic content is high.

Can I just go off on a tangent here about yarn? And how I think I'm turning into a yarn snob? I refuse to buy 100% acrylic yarns. I think *most* of them feel horrible. I'm always surprised when I pick up a skein of soft, fluffy yarn, only to read that it is 100% acrylic. I'm amazed at how nice it feels. But I always put it back. WHY? What is my aversion to acrylic yarn? It's usually cheaper than natural fibers, for sure. It may have something to do with all those acrylic sweaters I had when I was a school girl that would pill up like crazy. Also, they didn't breathe at all. Nor did they wick moisture. Get over-heated once and you'd be walking around damp all day. It was just gross.

Last evening, I cast on 100% wool to make a felted bowl. I'm learning how to knit in the round on four double-point needles.

So. That's it. My knitting post without pictures.