photo inundation Niagara Falls (day 3 of Happy Week)

What the camera-happy boys looked like most of the day:

My lovable goofball husband jumping into yet another photo:

On the Maid of the Mist:

At the Rainforest Cafe:

One big-ass stump:

My obsession with taking photos of dead flowers continues:

Everyone rode the tram over the whirlpool except wimpy old me:

photo inundation (days 1 and 2 of Happy Week)

The plan: Pick out my favorite photos from the week and post them.

The problem: Even after deleting the blurry, the duplicate-ish, and the just plain bad shots, there's hundreds and hundreds of photos to choose from. (And we're only halfway through the week.)

The solution: Just post all the ones I want to anyway. After all, no one has to look, right?

At the airport:

At bookstore stop #1 (Borders):

Juggling lessons:

Chimney Bluffs State Park:

(The boys "not getting wet" at Chimney Bluffs.)

Chris petting Lucky for Ana:

Family book club at Casa Azteca:

P.S. Family Book Club was a big success--not only did we eat delicious food and have fun discussing our books, but everyone liked what they had to read.
Max read The Stuff of Legend by Mike Raicht, and gave it an A.
Gray read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and gave it a B+. (This is higher praise than it might seem, coming from Gray.)
Annie read The Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar, and gave it an A+.
Chris read Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and gave it an A+.
Rich read the first three Warriors graphic novels by Erin Hunter, and gave them A (possibly exaggerating his enjoyment for Max's sake).
Debi read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and gave it an A+.

And for next meeting, we're going to learn to Skype (yikes!). The picks:
Max picked the next series of three Warriors graphic novels for Rich.
Gray picked a Pokemon manga for Annie.
Annie picked The Dreaming (vols. 1-3) by Queenie Chan for me.
Chris picked Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan for Max.
Rich picked Hoot by Carl Hiassen for Gray.
Debi picked The Stand by Stephen King for Chris.

best get this out of the way

So, I was having a bit of a breakdown last night--just overly tired and worrying about getting things done. Rich decided I just needed to get out of this house, so he hauled us all off to Taco Bell for supper (yes, we are pathetic enough to eat at Taco Bell--what can I say, their classic limeades are pure heaven). Anyway, aside from the limeades, Taco Bell also has the fact that it's located by a decent little used bookstore going for it. Well, I was obviously too exhausted to practice any self-restraint...I bought 9 books. Despite the fact that I knew that I would be buying truckloads of books this coming week when Chris is here--yes, enablers we definitely are to one another (and face it, neither of us even need enablers to go overboard).

Figured I ought to get this one last post out of the way now.

From the used book store:

 *Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. Just been wanting to read this one for a while.

*I Have the Right to Destroy Myself by Young-Ha Kim. Okay, so the gorgeous cover might have been enough. But then I read the blurb on the back...it sounds dark and original and...well, I'm not really sure what it will be like. But I am incredibly intrigued.

*Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver. Justification for this purchase? Hmmm...well, I haven't actually read anything by Kingsolver before, but I'm convinced I'll enjoy her writing. And, well, despite the fact that I haven't read many short stories lately, I really do love them. How about--the price was right? Or--I'm supporting small business?

*Oscar Wilde: The Fisherman and His Soul and other Fairy Tales. This volume collects the tales from The Happy Prince and The House of Pomegranates together in one book. And an adorable little book it is, too! Now I just have to get the guts to read it...because yes, he intimidates me.

*The Plague by Albert Camus. Yes, and speaking of being intimidated. But I've really wanted to read this...so maybe someday I really will take the plunge.

*City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende. I've been wanting to try Allende for quite a while. But it was Kelly that really, really got me excited about it here recently during an email conversation. And while this was not one of the books she recommended I start with, I picked it up anyway since it was the only one I saw there. Thus, I am passing off all blame to her anyway...you know, because no one can stop me. ;) POINT FOR KELLY.

*Generation X by Douglas Coupland. And speaking of Kelly. Well, I'm blaming her and Ana and Chris and Nancy for this one. Possibly not a fair thing to do, but tough. See, I've yet to read one of his books...but I've gotten pretty good at picking them up whenever I see them. And it's all because of them...every time they talk about Coupland, it just gets me so excited. I know, I know, so why haven't I read any of them then, right? Yeah, good question. POINTS FOR KELLY, ANA, CHRIS, and NANCY.

*I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron. More blame. This time, it's Eva's fault. Absolutely, positively, without question. This book went immediately to my wish list when she reviewed it. In fact, if I'm remembering correctly, that particular post added several books to my wish list. POINT FOR EVA.

*French Milk by Lucy Knisley. And I'm pawning off responsibility for my final purchase from the used book store on Eva as well. While she wasn't head-over-heels in love with this book, it was her that first brought it to my attention. Not entirely sure if I'll enjoy it or not, but for the price I figured I couldn't go wrong. POINT FOR EVA.








From elsewhere:

*The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston. Yep, yet more blame for Eva. I was so excited to find this in the used book section at Barnes & Noble the other night. Eva got me really excited about reading this series, as they were childhood favorites of hers. And over the past year or so, I've managed to find a couple of them used. But never the first one...until now. :) POINT FOR EVA.

*Women of Science: Righting the Record edited by G. Kass-Simon and Patricia Farnes. Originally found this in the used section at B&N as well, but as it was still a bit on the expensive side, Rich looked it up on his phone for me and managed to find a much cheaper copy online. As you can probably tell from the title, it's about many of the largely unacknowledged women of science. Know what I already really love about it--the dedication, which reads: To those we didn't find.

*Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. I always feel guilty blaming someone else when they were kind enough to send me the book in question. (Oh okay, I'm a big fat liar--I don't feel guilty at all!) Sorry Kara, but you're going to have to suck up a point for this one---it was *you* that made me really want to read this one, after all. And despite blaming you, I am extremely appreciative--thank you so much for sending it to me! POINT FOR KARA.

*The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. And then there's this one...and I actually paid retail for it (well, minus the B&N discount anyway). I just couldn't help myself. I've been wanting to buy it ever since it came out, and well, what can I say--I was just caught in a moment of weakness. And hey, you know what--I'm not even sorry! :P  I've been trying to convince myself that I can blame this on Eva...but that might be stretching it even for me. See, it was because of her that I read Bacigalupi's story, "The Fluted Girl," a year and a half ago. And I fell utterly in love with his writing. And thus the extra-strong desire to buy this book.




So who's read what? And what did you think?

and the award goes to...

Me!!! Yes, I was given a blogger award...from myself! Yes, and if I was talented enough, I'd even make myself a little button.

Yes, I've been given the Pathetic Blogger Award! I'm ever so deserving, wouldn't you agree? :D

And I'm going to continue living up to the honor for the next week, at least. So much to do this week in preparation for our stay-cation. (This is the very bestest kind of stay-cation, too---because we have a very much-loved friend coming to enjoy it with us! Yes, in fact, he is the very inspiration for it!)

Anyway, it's not so much that I mind not posting, but I always hate it when I get in these slumps where I don't get to read other people's blogs. Not that anyone minds, I know...we *all* go through these periods. Just bums me out. You know, because everyone's off talking about really cool stuff and reading all kinds of interesting books and making and growing awesome things...and I'm missing it all. :(  I could look at it as having all these great things to look forward to in a few weeks when life slows back down, but face it, one can never catch back up when you get that far behind. At least not if you're a Pathetic Blogger like me. ;)

But, in the spirit of awards, I'm going to pass this on the only blogger I know who is more pathetic than me...my darling husband, who last posted in March. Hey, sweetie--your first ever blog award. :)

I just can't help myself...

Okay, new strategy...I'm working hard not to let the mess rebuild in our bedroom, which means I need to stop letting the books I acquire pile up beside the computer. So as I get them, I'll just pop them into a blame game draft, and then just publish whenever I reach six or eight or so books. Yes, I bored you with that little blurb just so you would understand if these posts sound disjointed. (You know, because sounding disjointed isn't my usual modus operandi--ha!)

*Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin. Honestly, this was not the book I was dying to get my hands on. The one I really, really, really wanted was Larkin's other book, Everything is Broken. But I'm too stingy to shell out that new hardback price. So for now anyway, I'm waiting until my turn comes up at PaperbackSwap, or it comes out in softcover. I thought that maybe ordering this book would take away some of that urgency I was feeling. After all, Eva really loved this book. Unfortunately, while I'm happy that I was able to get this from PBS, it didn't really do anything to quench that desire for the book I actually wanted. Oh well. POINT FOR EVA.

*Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner. I honestly have no idea how to explain this acquisition. Once I saw it, I absolutely *had* to have it. I don't even know why, but it just sounded so incredibly interesting! And really, I can't even believe I'm saying that. If someone else had told I'd be unable to stop myself from buying a book about uranium, I would have thought them utterly loony.

*Bound by Donna Jo Napoli. Picked this up from the used book store. One of her retellings. I think it's a Cinderella retelling, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't want to try to find out for sure though, because it seems like it would be more fun to just read it and see for myself.

*In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien. I have no earthly idea what this book is about. There's no cover synopsis or anything. But it is sticking in my head that I've heard of this somewhere, and had a positive reaction. Plus, since I've never heard a bad word about O'Brien's The Things They Carried, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Especially at used book price.

 *Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden. Rich and I spent a little of our anniversary yesterday at the bookstore. Yeah, big surprise, huh? Anyway, there were a couple of things that compelled me to bring this one home. First, I was pulled in by the cover blurb. Here's part of it:

Africa is a complex continent of people. The West so often treats African as if it were one country, and its interventions, therefore, often misfire. Richard Dowden teases out the web of history, myth, rivalry, alliance, ambition, and protest that comprises the current reality... Their daily challenges, innovations, and dreams provide a sweeping, illumination and often uplifting portrait of modern sub-Saharan Africa.

And then I read the foreward by Chinua Achebe. Again, a piece of it:

Africa, as most people are aware, has endured a tortured history, and continues to persevere under the burden of political instability and religious, social, racial and ethnic strife. Many chroniclers of the African condition often find Africa overwhelming. As R.K. Narayan once said about new stories: 'there are often too many stories out there to be told.' The writer is often faced with two choices: turn away from the reality of Africa's intimidating complexity, or conquer the mystery of Africa by recognizing the humanity of African people.
Richard Dowden makes the brave choice. In Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles, he tackles Africa's problems without fear, sentimentality or condescension.

 Now I just hope that I find a way to make time to read it!

thank you...

...for filling up the car with gas so I wouldn't have to worry about it while taking Gray to camp this week

...for the surprise bag of spice drops you brought home for me the other day

...for telling me you love me, every single day

...for saying, "Thanks for another delicious meal"

...for getting the coffee ready every night so I just have to flip the switch in the morning

...for enjoying Project Runway as much as I do

...for our Sunday morning trips to the farmer's market

...for being a complete and total dork, and loving me for being one as well

...for always being the snow cone maker

...for saying, "The bathroom looks great" when I clean it each week

...for taking the boys off on a hike the other day, as I always get more accomplished without the constant, "Mom, can you..."

...for most stress-relieving hugs on the planet

...for owning more books than I do (thus I don't have to feel guilty)

...for asking how my friends are doing, and really caring about the answers

...for making the bed a couple times this week

...for putting up with my goofy decorating ideas

...for always turning off the jazz when I get in the car with you

...for making me laugh so hard I sometimes nearly pee my pants (if I actually did pee my pants, I might not be thanking you though)

...for offering to clean the kitchen floor before the "door guy" comes

...for loving me just the way I am

That's just 20 of the things I have to thank you for this week. Multiply that times 52 weeks a year. Then multiply that times 20 years of marriage. That's a lot to be thankful for.

And I hope on those days when I forget to say "thank you" that you know I mean it anyway. That I'm thankful for every minute I spend with you. That I *know* how incredibly blessed I am to be spending my life with you. And that I hope this 20 years of marriage is just the beginning.

Happy Anniversary, Rich. I love you.

Oh, and that complete and total dork one...thanks again. That one means a lot. :D

a case of the crankys

I have no good reason for being cranky. Oh, I have reasons--they're just not good ones. ;)

Mostly, I think it has to do with spending the last day and a half largely on the computer. And not doing the things I wanted to do, like reading blogs and returning emails. No, instead I spent the time uploading photos to Snapfish and sending off an order. It's been far too long since I've done it--as in almost exactly a year. This is unforgivable--one would think I'd have learned after our last computer crashed and I lost a year's worth of pictures. But no...laziness set in again. And I've been paying the price here the last two days. (Though this is a much better price than actually losing the pictures, of course!) Anyway, I finally got our order put together (managing to wittle it down to a mere 1,749 prints) and sent off. But now I sort of feel like turning off the computer for the next three days to recover. And I really might do that...so if I owe you an email, I apologize.

It also didn't help that I had to drive this morning. In the city. I hate driving. I hate driving in the city with a passion. But it was for a good reason. Gray started fencing camp today! And he was still excited enough about it that his anxiety was at manageable levels this morning. He was a tad shaky, but didn't ask once to stay home. While eating breakfast, I said, "I wonder how many kids will be there." He answered with, "I wonder how many of them will be bullies." :(  But he went. And he was honestly braver about it all than I ever would have guessed.

I'm also really sick of this decluttering/super-cleaning/reorganizing project I set up for myself this summer. Really sick of it. But I refuse to give up, especially since I'm nearly halfway done. And because I so love being in the rooms I have managed to finish. Besides, Chris definitely deserves better for his vacation than to have to stay in a shithole. Though I know he would never complain. (But speaking of your visit Chris--Rich, Annie, Max, and I spent our entire lunch talking about it!!! I swear, I think we're all so excited we might just implode with impatience! The closer it gets, the harder the waiting becomes!!!)

Okay, I suppose that's enough complaining for one day, huh? Especially since every single thing I'm complaining about comes with a side that is infinitely brighter than the down side.