Booking Through Thursday: Mayday!

Ok, for some reason my computer won't let me cut and paste the description of the challenge so I will just go ahead with it.

Cell phone ringing in the grocery store -- hmmm -- well, if it is at the bottom of my purse I won't hear it and if I DO hear it, the person will have already hung up.

If it is a family emergency, I won't be thinking about reading.

If it is a family emergency like in the DC area, I would have to get on a plane and be worried out of my mind about the family so I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway -- I mean, really -- how can one try to help drive the plane and go into severe family emergency crisis mode AND read? Get real.

Of course, if the emergency were in DC, M would be saying "no, don't come, I have it covered. We are fine".
Fine, right. How could they be fine without me? Well, ok, they HAVE been fine without me but, well, you know.

So, if it were a local family emergency I would be involved in dealing with the emergency and therefore, would not be reading. In the DFW area, it isn't advisable to drive on one of our many congested, fast paced highways and read simultaneously. Texting, however, seems to be perfectly acceptable.

So, in my case, reading and family emergencies don't go well together.

So, I wouldn't take anything.

Friday Fill-Ins

This looks like fun so here goes!

l. When I fell in love I was a mere child!

2. I sneeze when the flowers boom and it heat up outside.

3. Oh no! The internet is down, what do I do now?

4. I have no idea what is the craziest tv show ever -- maybe Mork and Mindy.

5. Cheese and crackers make a great meal.

6. I don't need a garden.

7. As for this weekened, tonight I am looking forward to going to sleep, tomorrow my plans include houseework and Sunday I want to go to church.

I *Heart* Kohl's

Remember the days when we looked so forward to getting a new straw bag for spring? Well, it has been years since I have had one -- probably high school. So, I went out looking for one and found one that works perfectly for me! I am so proud of it -- plus, it was on sale so even MORE perfect.

I am now participating in several reading challenges -- Young Readers, Romance Readers, Miss Read and my own personal goal to see how many books I can read that aren't on either of the above lists! And, of course, the Ultimate Challenge -- to finish "London" sometime in my lifetime.

So, I just thought I would take a break from all this reading to show you the Perfect Spring Straw Bag!

Romance Readers Challenge

On April 1, 2008, The Bookworm officially began the Romance Readers Challenge. The only rules are that you have to read five books in 2008 and they can be of any time period or style -- Harlequin, historical romance, modern romance, Jane Austen, chicklit, as long as there is a romance between the two main characters.

This sounds like a light-hearted challenge and one I could take on -- five books doesn't seem to be much.

So, I signed up and will start soon -- however, I don't think "London" will count in this challenge.

Typical Texas Evening

It was a beautiful day here but, as usual, a line of thunderstorms -- with rotation-- fired up late in the afternoon. This is what blew through from the west and pounded our house. I guess I will be making an appointment with the insurance adjuster tomorrow because this was bigger than a quarter. However, it isn't baseball sized like it was when it hit the areas before us.

All is quiet now.

Booking Through Thursday

What do you do when you run across a word/phrase you don't know?

Well, if I can't figure it out from the rest of the text, I look it up. I am sorry to say that I have pretty much given up a traditional dictionary and head to the internet. The internet makes it easier to look up phrases if you are reading a non-American piece.

Besides, isn't that what they taught us in school -- look it up?

The Good Ol' Days


Yesterday I was reminded, and not in a good way, how much the world has changed. What happened yesterday? Nothing much -- I had to locate a pair of white gloves. I used to have white gloves but I don't have them anymore -- I guess they were discarded during one of several moves. We didn't wear them anymore -- why keep them. After phoning several department stores, craft stores and bridal shops I accepted the fact that they were not to be found locally. So, I went online. I found them, placed my online order, paid an unbelievable price for speedy shipping and I was done. However, my mind raced back in time and I could visualize where I could go to get white gloves -- the accessory department at Joske's where my aunt worked. Or, Winn's -- the neighborhood five and dime. But, finding white gloves and handkerchiefs and head scarves wasn't a difficult thing. When did we quit needing these things? When life became all jeans and trainers and t-shirts? Everybody says that is an improvement -- no more hose, heels, the trappings of femininity gone or at least changed. Not only was it a frustrating quest, finding these white gloves, it was also sad.

As I look at the photo above I am taken back to a much different time but not ALL that long ago. This photo is of myself (the baby) and my cousin jlshall. The setting, her house, was typical of the time -- postwar housing, slipcovered furniture, venetian blinds of the metal variety and REAL ivy plants. My house looked the same way. Our way of life was different. Cars weren't as plentiful -- we went downtown on the bus every Saturday (sometimes sporting the much coveted white gloves). We would eat at Casa Rio, a big treat which never really ended well for either of us. We shopped at major department stores rather than strip centers. We didn't have to commute to see our relatives -- if either of us wanted to run away from home all we had to do was cross the street to our aunts houses. If we needed milk, we walked around the corner to the convenience store that was owned/operated by the same family for all my life. It was much slower, absolutely primitive compared to today where my daughter has almost a two hour commute to and from her job, where you can't find white gloves and if you want a plain old headscarf you best take yourself to your local antique mall.

Are we better off now? Considering all the media attention directed toward the "greening" of ourselves and our environment I would have to say no. Yes, we live in lovely new homes with new and improved materials, we have nice cars and many modern conveniences from robotic vacuum cleaners to steam washers and advanced climate control, our wood floors are covered in carpet to keep our feet warm. Many new, innovative things -- many of which have proven to be grossly unhealthy.

However, there are days when I long for the times when our a/c meant open windows and a screen door, our clothes were line dried, our normal transportation was public and we walked to school. We played outside in our lawn chair house under the gardenia bush and we played with paper dolls cut from coloring books. Our video games were a deck of cards that we learned to "fish" and "battle" and get really wild with a game of "21". Our music was on records, scratched that they were, and our television view was limited to two channels -- well, until we got three.

We weren't without the normal problems but they seemed to be dealt with more effectively -- nobody committed suicide, turned to drugs or required counseling. We had each other to help us cope.

It was slower then, and some days a little boring, but it was fun when we would all sit outside in the evening and look at the stars as we laid on our backs on blankets. Yes, we could actually see the stars -- they weren't obscured by city lights.

A quick look at the photo reveals more than the home furnishing trends of the time. It shows two children untouched by stress, healthy in a cleaner environment and secure in the family setting that is still, today, so important.

Are the two children in the photo still like that? Well, sort of. Older, wiser, survivors of the 60's, but I think we still revere those times and look upon them as the "gold standard" of generations -- the best of times, the worst of times so to speak. I can only speak for myself but I wouldn't mind going back to those times for a day -- if I could get by without the a/c and if I could take my computer and my new white gloves.

Booking Through Thursday Challenge

Pick up a book.
Turn to page 123.
Read the first sentence.
Read the last sentence.
Now connect them.

Ok, I know it isn't Thursday but let's just say yesterday I was a bit of a mess and just didn't get around to this. Also, I know I didn't transcribe the challenge word for word. My apology.

The book closest to me is "The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place" by E.L. Konigsburg.

"I awakened to the smell of pancakes. This morning, Uncle Alex said nothing--did not even greet me in English -- but stood at the stove, with his back to me, pouring batter into a pan."

I actually think these two sentences make sense together without fiddling with them so I will leave them as they are. Of course, they are better with all the text in between but they still stand on their own.

I haven't started reading this book yet but it was next in line for my Young Readers Challenge. After reading page 123, my interest is piqued and I will start it this afternoon. Thanks for the jumpstart!

Texas our Texas






We have a saying here in Texas concerning the weather -- "if you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute and it will change". Well, I have been waiting for about two weeks and anytime now would be fine with me.

I read a number of blogs that include pictures of their environment. There are pictures of the Rocky Mountains, pictures of the cherry blossoms in D.C., pictures of the fall leaves in the midwest and northeast. So, I have decided to include a photo of what it has been like in north Texas for the last couple of weeks, off and on. It isn't much to look at so maybe next time I will post a photo of the Target going up across the street from me. A lovely view of the loading dock from my backyard, perhaps. If I didn't hate moving so badly, I would say it was time to go to the country.

You, Me and Dupree

A and I watch lots of movies, especially since our recent cable tv upgrade has provided us with 20+ movie channels. Having that many channels doesn't guarantee that there is anything on worth watching nor does it guarantee we are going to agree on what to watch. Since we have had this abundance of viewing pleasure it has come to my attention that A and I have very different taste in movies. Usually one of us gives in to the other but last night was an exception -- we both were able to watch something of our choice because the movies were piggy-backed instead of running concurrently.

I, being the "chick" that I am, chose "You, Me and Dupree". A, being the gentleman that he is, acquiesed politely with a minimum of eye rolling and, after dinner, we settled in for an entertaining evening ahead.

Well, long story short, A laughed. Now, this doesn't happen easily for A. It isn't that he is a grump, or anything like that, he just doesn't find many things particularly humorous. But, last night, he laughed. Out loud. I laughed, too -- at him laughing. It was a good evening.

I would recommend "You, Me and Dupree" for your next movie marathon while waiting for disastrous weather to arrive. Not because it is a fantastic movie but because it made A laugh.

Now, you are probably wondering what A's choice was. I don't know. I didn't watch it. But, I know he didn't laugh.

Miss Read Challenge

I have started on my first Miss Read book -- Tales from a Village School and am zipping right along. It is a collection of short stories all being taken from the author's years as a teacher in village schools in England. Each story is short so it is a quick read.

As JLSHall posted, this isn't a formal challenge -- more of a personal challenge wanting company. However, if rules are necessary, I can make rules. Let's see -- who can read the most Miss Read (any or all of the collections, mix and match) by the end of 2008! That sounds pretty open ended and flexible. So, that is it. Let me know if you are interested and how it is going and we will meet back here on New Year's Eve!