Can We Just Get The Election Over With Already?

Anybody else tired of all the election crap? Yeah, I know, it's important, everyone should be informed and vote. Bleh. I'm just tired of it all. I've made up my mind, and I'm pretty sure anyone who hasn't made up their mind should probably not vote. Yeah, I know. Everyone deserves a voice, but come on. How can anyone still be undecided? I don't get it. And this one ceased being about the issues at least a week ago. Now it's about who's racist, who's negative, who hangs with the wrong crowd, etc. etc. I mean really, doesn't this feel more like an election for student council than to the most powerful position in the free world? He eats babies for breakfast ... he has cooties and picks his nose. I'm thinking this would be an improvement in the level of discourse.

Love, Honor and Obey a TV Show???

Side note: Have I really not written anything since June?!?! How sad is that? Wait, don't answer.

Anyways, I've been going through some DVDs of old television shows lately and got to thinking about my weird relationships with some shows. I have, for lack of a better term, an unusual sense of loyalty. For example, I wouldn't watch Alias when it first came on the air because it seemed like it would be unfaithful to Buffy. Hear me out. Buffy was THE kick-arse female hero of the era and along came this red-headed bimbo (remember, I didn't watch the show at this point and had only seen the commercials) who was on a real station and trying to act all bad-ass. She was obviously trying to steal Buffy's thunder and I just wasn't going to have it. So no way I'm watching Alias. Of course, I did eventually try the show after Buffy was off the air, bought all the DVDs and became almost as addicted to Alias -but that's beside the point. Then, when Buffy went off the air, I wouldn't watch Veronica Mars at first because, again, trying to rip off Buffy. After I got over that and became addicted to Veronica Mars, I wouldn't watch Lost because Lost was opposite Veronica and it seemed disloyal (no, I'm not a Neilson family, why do you ask?).

I always seem to develop this attachment to the shows I watch. I don't know why. It's not like the show "cares" whether I'm being faithful or even knows what faithful means. But still, I just can't bring myself to watch certain shows right away. The ironic thing is that the shows I won't watch usually end up being my favorites later - another case in point, Supernatural. It seemed like I was being unfaithful to Charmed (yeah, the show was campy, so what? It was still one of MY shows). Now, I have the same unhealthy dedication to Supernatural. The only good thing about all this is that I don't like a lot of shows, so I can keep my addictions pretty well hidden ... unless, of course, you look through my DVD collection.

On Reading

Been thinking about reading lately. I've been doing a lot more lately, mainly because there were a couple of books I recently bought (which means, given the number of unread books in the house, my guilt leads me to read these recent purchases much more quickly). I tend to be a collector. Part of it is opportunity - when you can get books cheap (or free - I'm looking at you, Book Expo), you feel stupid for not getting them, even if they may not be strictly in the genre you usually read. And hey, I do find good books this way ... when and if I eventually get around to reading them. But then there are the books you HAVE to get. For me, that's things like the Odd Thomas series (yeah, I know the third books sucked, but the fourth one is back on track and I can't help it, I like Odd) and Stephen King (shut up - I know he needs an editor, but his stories still grab me). And of course there are the topical books that won't matter a year from now (Scott McClellan's book comes to mind). So I flit from book to book, like a cat chasing a butterfly. Which means I have quite the backlog. Which should mean I won't buy any more books until I finish the ones I already have (but it doesn't).

I tend to be a bit eclectic in my tastes, ranging from non-fiction disease books to autobiographies to kids' fiction fantasy (gotta read some of the books my kids do, right?) to adult thrillers and mysteries and pretty much everything in between. The only thing I can't stand is romance. My husband claims I don't have a romantic bone in my body, and I suppose it's true. I just feel like romance slows down the story. Even in the Meg Cabot books I read (Heather Mills Mysteries, in case you were wondering), I roll my eyes at the romance, wishing she'd just get back to the story already.

Anyway, in an effort to get a bit more regular with the posting, I figured I'd share some of what I'm reading, what I hope to read, and what I've read that I would recommend.

Current Read: "Basket Case" by Carl Hiassen. I've been hooked on his books ever since I read "Sick Puppy." He just has a really warped sense of humor (and the bizarre). I think I found this one at a library sale. I'm glad I waited to read it as it seems much more relateable to me now that I'm going through my own mid-life crisis. It's about a reporter who pissed off the owner of the paper and got shuffled off to obituary duty. While writing the obituary for ex-rock star Jimmy Stoma, he starts to think that perhaps Jimmy's death wasn't an accident - and maybe the story could be his ticket back to the front page. It's fun summer read so far, with Hiassen's humor front and center.

To Read List:

1. "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" by Scott McClellan - what can I say, I'm still a political junkie.
2. Harry Turtledove books - he does alternative history stuff ...sounds interesting.
3. "The Fifth Floor" by Michael Harvey - Detective story that has gotten good reviews
4. "Final Theory" by Mark Alpert - I think this one might jump to the top of the list. It's supposed to be kind of like a DaVinci only based on science, and, you know, actually researched, well written, and logical.

Recommendations: I only have two right now ... "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie (if you haven't heard about it go right now and pick it up. Yeah, it's Young Adult, but his humor and storytelling is just so strong you need to read this book). The other one is "The Septembers of Shiraz" by Dalia Sofer (It's a fictional account of living through the Alice-Through-The-Looking-Glass world of post revolution Iran. Stunningly well written, a page turner that I couldn't put down. It avoids being maudlin or overly depressing while still giving a clear picture of what it must have been like living through that time. Best book I've read in a bunch of years.)

Two posts in one month? Why that just ain't right!

Ahem. Anyway, figured I'd post again while I'm thinking about it. Exercising? Going about as well as my attempt to cure world hunger. Ah well. At least we opened the pool. Although I gotta say, I think we're going to spend more time working on the pool than swimming in it. At least it looks purdy.

Other Random thoughts:

- Started watching the BBC's new Robin Hood series (well, new to me - it started in 2006). And while I've always been a Robin Hood fan (at least ever since they broadcast it on "Once Upon a Classic" ... and the Disney movie with the foxes), I have to admit it's the humor and the eye candy that keeps bringing me back. Love seeing Jez from Hex as Much (Shut up. I know the show stunk. I still watched it). I really do want to smack Maid Marion though.

- Finished up "Book of Fate" (high recommendation for that book) and am having trouble getting into a new book. That's what I hate about finishing a book - if it's any good at all, I don't want to leave the world that the writer created, and I get resentful and sluggish in trying to read a new book because I don't want to change worlds. It's even worse because the book I'm trying to read ("Gambit") sounds like it was written by my fourth grader before her writing improved. Think I'm lying? Try rolling this line around in you mouth: "She pushed a strand of strawberry blond hair back behind her headband and straightened the skirt of her navy blue suit." What's wrong with it? Um, how about wordy without giving you any information? I don't care what color her suit is - it's not pertinent to the story. "Strawberry blond" is also pretty much guaranteed to make me roll my eyes. And headband? She's a freakin' professional meeting the President of the United States and she wears a headband? Stuck in the 80's much? The prose continues like this, with description of the "plus white couch", "white fireplace" (gee, ya think there's a lot of white in this place), and my personal favorite, the "polished mahogany desk" and "green-striped side chair". Um, besides being hideously decorated, you think the writer could come up with something other than color as a description? I usually give a book 50 pages before I bail, but this one is trying my patience ... and I'm only on page 23!

- Because I'm having trouble with "Gambit", I'm also reading "Castle Waiting." It's a graphic novel based on fairy stories, which I'm a sucker for. I have a feeling I'm going to finish it before I get anywhere near page 50 on "Gambit".

That's about it for now. See, I'm trying to post more frequently. Can I have a cookie?

The Prodigal Update

Wow, has it really been since November last year since I posted anything? Wow. Why would anyone still visit?

OK, so where am I? What am I? Why am I here? Where is here? *shakes head* Excuse me for a second ... ok, I'm back. Let's see, life in general? Feels a bit rut-ish, rut-like, or to put it another way, nothing's horrid, but I feel like I've been in a rut lately (shocking, eh?). I need to break free from the work-home-sleep pattern. I know I should be exercising, but I just don't feel like it. I recently came to the realization that I really don't like exercise. Nothing about it is really appealing to me. The best I can say about it is that old quote about classic novels - everyone wants to have read them (but nobody wants to read them). Yeah, I know, prolonging life and quality of life and all that, but I still don't like it. That's why I'm fits and starts girl. I get going for about a week and then ... well, let's just say I'm an expert at finding out ways to avoid it. Plus eating? I love. So, well, you know. I'm starting again (again again ...). Might even use this thing to measure progress (at least I'll have something to update). Let's just say right now, I'm at XX7.6 lbs, ok?

Let's see, what else? Girls are ok. I've been doing my best to geekify them - they both look forward to Fridays because they get to see the Sarah Jane Adventures. The younger girl finally started to read ... Fairie books. Have you ever seen the Rainbow fairies? They're very similar to the Weather faires ... and the Jewel Faires ... oh, and lest we forget the Pet Fairies. Stunningly, this group of writers have managed to write four 7-book series that vary only in title. Still, I have to say I have a grudging admiration for them in that they finally got my reluctant first grader to read (even if they do make me want to bang my head against the wall).

As for my tv viewing? Nothing normal. I'd like to get into Lost again, but I'm so woefully behind that DVDs are going to be my only option. I'm watching Supernatural pretty regularly (am I the only one who likes the Ruby character? Of course, I also prefer Sam to Dean, so I guess I'm a bit weird). Fridays on Sci Fi are my latest addiction - though I may give up Battlestar if they insist on making Baltar into Christ. Why do "creative" endeavors feel the need to abuse my faith? If they treated any other historical figure the way they do Christ (think MLK Jr, Mother Teresa, or someone like that), there'd be rioting in the street. But somehow it's ok because it's Jesus. Gimme a break.

Politics? I think I might be turning Republican. Since neither party is planning on doing what needs to be done (like, I dunno, investigate alternative fuels other than ethanol? Balance the budget? Provide true universal health care?), might as well vote my wallet. Yeah, there's a pretty big rant behind this, but I just don't have the energy.

OK, probably enough for one day. See ya in several months (or maybe next week).