A Funny Thing Happened

Turns out the mag charger isn't as indestructible as you might think.

Turns out that it's not as easy to find a replacement out here in the sticks as it ought to be.

Turns out that weeks later I got used to not having access to the interwebs.  I've been busy doing things like watching my little man graduate kindergarten and making a wedding cake.  And that's just the tip of it.

So I've been away. And now I'm back. And while I'm too tired tonight to put together a coherent retelling of the past few weeks for you, I promise one will be coming soon.  Probably it will mostly be pictures.  I know you won't mind.

Cheers and see you soon.

Confessions, Part Deux

The Official Summer Reading List-a-Palooza is tumbling along nicely. In fact, I have now subdivided it into 3 categories which are still being populated:

1) 10 books I will read this summer
2) Books I have already read but that YOU should read this summer
3) Books I have not yet read, but that we should BOTH read together if we make it through our respective lists above and require further reading material.

Genius, right? Yeah, I thought so, too.

The list is still coming along, so if you have not yet submitted your suggestions I will humbly implore you to go back to The Original Post and leave your suggestions in the comments or, as my awesome Brother-in-Law did, email them directly to melkist at gmail dot com.

Also, if you want to include a mini-review of each book as he did, I will crown you with Mucho MeL Cred (way cooler than street cred) as a fellow Book Geek. Of course, Brian has more claim than most, what with being an officially published author and some sort of associate editor-type dealy for Sci-Fi Channel's print magazine. (Sorry, I'm sorta fuzzy on the details, but I do know he gets to talk to publicists and ask for photos of hot babes. I suspect it's not nearly as porno as it sounds.)

So if you want to get your suggestions in by - let's say - Friday, I'll publish the finished list one week from today. Then you can start stalking your local library (or, if you're me and you live in the sticks where your local library offers up a choice between the Bible and a dog-eared copy of National Geographic Magazine from 1987, you can hit up Amazon.)

Happy Memorial Day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be getting back to the encore presentation of the So You Think You Can Dance season opener. While I avoid most reality television, this is the gooey, indulgent, chocolatey center of my television addiction cake. Dance on, my people, and hop on that Hot Tamale Train.

Summer Weekend: Number One With A Bullet (or several)

* Indiana Jones was disappointing. I'd take the time to break down exactly where I think they went wrong with the storytelling, but I already spent 10 bucks and 2 hours on it and I really don't want to spend any more.

* SUMMER! Finally, at last, SUMMER! The kids and I are already planning our first weekly pool outing for Wednesday. I'll be the one in the maternity bathing suit, possibly covered by a mumu. Because, you know, mumus are hawt sexy.

* 2 new pregnancies have come to my attention so far this weekend. Don't drink the water people, unless you are intent on getting knocked up. For those who are recently pregnant: I salute you! (Especially you. Yes, YOU, you know who you are. And, yeah, I get pregnant on the first try, too. EVERY TIME on the first try. I am very, very thankful for the invention of birth control.)

* It is worth it to wake up early with the kids on a Saturday morning just to watch Toby attempt to clap along with the songs on Bunnytown. I forgot that nearly-three is such a delightful age; at least ten times a day I have to restrain myself from snatching him up and snogging him thoroughly. Of course, that's beyond the thirty or fifty gazillion times a day that my restraint fails me and I smooch him until he squeaks for mercy.

* Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Welcome to Summer. Let's go have a Slurpee and celebrate, shall we?

Confessions.

1) I am a geek. A literary geek. Or, at least, I aspire to be one. I spent my formative years reading anything I could get my hands on, including my mom's entire library of Agatha Christie by the time I was 13. Twice.

A few year's ago, I printed off a list of the greatest literary works of all time and made it a life goal to read All. Of. Them. I'll let you know how that goes when my brain is done being addled by raising small humans who demand to hear "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" for the 15th time in a row.

2) My husband is also a geek. His geekdom encompasses a broader spectrum than mine, and he can converse happily on the subjects of Ancient Egypt, American Revolutionary History, the finer points of the old BBS days and, especially, Sci-Fi.

He introduced me to real Sci-Fi soon after we started dating, as well as the Cyberpunk genre. I have embraced both happily. It's the delicious brain-candy dessert after muddling my way through a little Faulkner or Hawthorne.

3) I have never read any of Stephanie Meyer's vampire books. I'm not into gothic/vampire or horror themes. They have just never appealed to me. But when I first heard about the series, I checked it out on Amazon just to confirm that it wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't.

But I also found that she would soon be releasing a science-fiction book about aliens along the lines of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" called "The Host". The summary caught my attention, and I thought that maybe I would check it out sometime.

A few weeks later, just as the book was released, I saw it at Barnes and Noble and thought "Oh! Yeah! That!". But, at a cover price well over twenty bucks, I figured I could wait for paperback. Then I found it at the Wal-Mart while perusing for greeting cards. It was a relatively cheap price and I was in the mood for a little light reading. So I picked it up with the intention to read it sometime over the next few weeks.

That night, after the kids were in bed and I got Big Daddy out the door for a night out with one of his friends, I settled down on the sofa with my book to do a little reading before heading up for an early bedtime.

Somewhere around 11pm, Big Daddy wandered in and chatted with me for a half-hour before heading to bed.

Somewhere around 4:30 the following morning I closed the book, stretched, and hauled my carcass off to bed.

Somewhere around 7:30am the alarm went off, the kids demanded some attention (and breakfast) and I realized I had a half-dozen or so women and their children headed to my house at 10am for a playgroup.

Which brings me to my final confession

4) I am an idiot.

Also, a day later, I am still tired. But the book was a good read; it's amusing, engaging, and comes complete with a tidy, satisfying conclusion. I haven't read enough body-snatcher fiction to know how derivative it may or may not be, but I enjoyed it. Obviously.

So now I am left without any ideas for some good summer reading. I plan to attempt at least 3 of my Serious Literary Novels over the course of the summer, but I'll be happy if I manage to get through 1. For the rest, I'm hoping to find some good light reading. I'm not above Chick-Lit as long as it's not TOO vapid, I skip 99% of the self-help books, and I do love a good mystery series or light-hearted rom-com series. (Janet Evanovich has a few confections of that sort, as well as the Stephanie Plum series... all perfect for tossing in the beach bag.)

So I'm looking for some recommendations. What are YOUR perfect summer reads? Is there a book you reread every summer, or just one that was particularly fun? I've read the entire Harry Potter series already, so it's safe to leave that off the list. I've read most of Michael Crichton's works already, and most of the biggest mystery serials. Okay, I've read a LOT of things already, which explains why I had to put in the built-in bookcase in the living room. I have a hard time giving up my favorite reads, though goodness knows I'll probably never make it back to read most of them again. But hey, if my kids inherit nothing else, at least they'll get a good library to divy up after I'm gone.

So make with some good suggestions if you don't mind, and I'll announce my final version of Mel's Summer Reading Plan once it's all decided. I'll even promise to post at least a short review of each title as I finish the book.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go bash my head against the wall until the exhaustion headache passes. Happy Friday!