What the Pox

Adults contract chicken pox, too.  It was hard for me to believe it until it happened to me.  I’m on the 11th day of living with the varicella virus, and I hope to part with it in the next seven days.  What started as an annoying bout of on and off fever on a less busy Wednesday at work turned to this after 12 hours.  My immune system was severely compromised. It was just a matter of time.  My succession of mostly sleep-deprived nights and one life concern that bothered me extremely [not about my lovelife, ha-ha] caused this.  No surprises.

Anyway, I called in sick on what I will now call Day 1, and consulted a doctor because five spots appeared in different parts of my body and they were not pimples.  Long story short, herpes zoster/shingles.  Then the let’s-get-you-out-of-here fast talk: paracetamol for fever, loratadine for itchiness, ascorbic acid.  It’s a virus so since they’re out, might as well let them all out.  Then I was out the door. I knew there’s something vital missing there but I can be stupid and unassertive like that sometimes. Plus I found her very encouraging [not].

Fever Pitch. Day 2 was when fever recurred more frequently and the spots multiplied.  I didn’t argue when my mother said it’s chicken pox because I’ve never had it [complete with the usual, You were never sickly until you threw your life away when you started working blah blah blah.] Day 3 was met with the mother of the nastiest of fevers in the history of my life.  I was delirious and fever was not lower than 40 degrees for about 7 hours.  I realized I needed my mother more than ever because I’m (was!) a sheltered, irresponsible human being.

Constellation of Welts.  Use your imagination…and there goes your meal.  I don’t blame you.  It’s the most disgusting day.  It’s Day 4, when we went to my Mom’s doctor a few streets down and was prescribed Zovirax to supposedly temper the eruptions.  I got in the medication game too late, apparently, so Zovirax was useful only to dry up the spots easily and relieve itchiness.  It may be too late but I think they worked wonders.  Why wouldn’t they: for 150 pesos a pop, 4x a day, they should.  If our HMO won’t reimburse my 7-day Zovirax intake, I will really throw a fit.  Not kidding.

Cilantro seeds. One homeopathic remedy that also worked wonders was bathing in water with boiled cilantro seeds.  I was unable to bathe completely for the first 4 days but I applied wet towel soaked in water with cilantro seeds every 4 hours. Just be careful not to puncture the welts.  The ones that unfortunately did dried up easily because of these magic seeds.  They also said it will prevent deep scars after.  It smells odd at first but you’ll get used to it.

Comfort Zone.  If it was uncomfortable physically, it also was emotionally.  I’m a drama queen when I want it, so there.  I did not even read a book until the 4th day — it was that horrible a time.  I watched and watched TV shows but since I was also napping most of the time, it was pretty unentertaining.  They say this chunk of time not working is a good time to re-assess your life.  But darnit, I’m feeling uglier than my usual and I am spotted.  It’s hard to get the good vibes going, so I survived with the familiar.  And by that I meant rewatching the entire season 1 of The Newsroom [I can challenge anyone to a game of "What's the next line..."; try me.] and the back to back episodes of Friends and TMZ twice a day.  Some friends with plenty of time on their hands tried to entice me with The Men Who Built America episodes but nooooo…Khloe and Lamar were more interesting! 

It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over.  Fast forward to Day 9.  I was feeling very normal except when I look at myself in the mirror.  But then again, new maturity levels when I turned thirty, right?  So yeah, they don’t matter as much.  They will disappear, maybe leave some scar or two as souvenir.  The downside — it’s more contagious than the first 8 days combined!  Coincidentally, I had urges to go back to the office.  It was selfish, I know.  So I didn’t.  I’ve been away for 21 days at most and this is the only time I missed being in the office so bad.    I went to a new doctor on Day 10 and as expected, I was not cleared to go back to work, not even to expose my spotty self to the public [especially pregnant women and children, she stressed].  I must have looked eager and bubbly for she repeated “Don’t go to work tomorrow!” four-repeat-four times during our 15 minute consultation.  She also said if it’s up to her, she will indicate two more weeks in my new medical certificate, but she told me to come back in seven days and see what happens.  I’m pretty confident everything would have dried up and plenty of scars would have disappeared, with great thanks to cilantro seeds, Contractubex [which is also insansely expensive for a 10 mg- tube, what the holy frock] and more rest.

So hopefully, it’s just one week to go until everything in my life goes back to normal.  These times are best spent resting and revamping my immune system.  I don’t regret not having accomplished much, except maybe think about a tiny bit about the future of my career, what with a new friend pimping me highly to their international organization.  Other than that, it’s just rest, rest, and rest.  Pox happens.  I may have missed much but there’s a reason why I did and I’m going to leave it at that.  See you in a few days, mortals. 

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is Almost Here!

In two weeks, it’s time for Dewey’s 24-hour readathon once more!  For the uninitiated, this readathon is a twice a year (April and October) reading tradition in honor of Dewey, a book lover who started hosting a 24-hour readathon in 2007.  With her sudden passing in 2008, bibliophile-friends Hannah, Ana, and Trish who helped Dewey run the readathon decided to continue the event and name it after her.  It’s participated in by readers all over the world.  There are virtual cheerers and mini-challenges (still book-related, of course) all throughout the readathon, which are all welcome distractions from being up for almost one whole day.

Since participants are coming from different parts of the globe, the event does not start on the first hour of April 27 in your time zone.  Rather, there are scheduled start times so that participants can interact and support each other.  For Philippine participants, it will start at 8 pm on Saturday, April 27.

Since my reading has been mediocre in the past month, this event will help me, hopefully, get back on track.  I also like the start time because my daytime on the 27th has activities already penciled in — my boss told me she wants me to come to an educational foundation seminar in the morning, which, if it won’t push through, will give me time to attend my morning football training.  In the afternoon, I plan to troop to the Saturday Market at Escolta, Manila and meet friends I haven’t seen in a while.  These are why the start time of the readathon is very suitable for me.  Last October, I was happy to participate but I promised I will do better this year.

I will devote my entire Sunday, April 28, to this endeavor, along with cups of my favorite dolce latte [won't be pulled out of the menu until May, woohoo], food to nibble on, and of course, books from my giant TBR pile.

If you are interested to join this readathon or simply know more about the event, visit:

Official 24Hour Readathon Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram

Bearable Lightness

It was a sweet and steady Saturday.  I love every bit of it.

As you know, I share a small apartment with my mother and last month, I decided to camp downstairs and make the ground floor my studio-type place of sorts.  Well, it really is like a studio-type apartment because I have the small kitchen, T&B, tiny dining room, and living room — which magically transforms into my sleeping area at night — to myself.  I love the solitude, not that I didn’t have it before, as Mom and I hardly saw each other anyway.  My point is, I feel that I’m living by myself more lately.  It’s hard, especially the cooking/ feeding myself part, and the cleaning aspect, but I’m getting by.

Anyway, today’s a delightful one because I accomplished a lot.  My errands and to-do lists do not measure up to world-changing advocacies other people have but I’m happy, so I guess that’s the more important thing.  TV stuff here, clean up there, a semi-successful cooking attempt here [you will hardly go wrong with 'cheesy scrambled eggs' from Google, hey], mangling of some shirts there, and bam, my morning’s done.

This afternoon saw me at the newly-relocated Filipinas Heritage Library in Ayala Museum.  Isn’t it awesome that they put two of my favorite places in one building?  Anyway, staying inside the library on the 6th floor was a great refuge from the weather outside.  I was one of four library visitors and it was clear I was the only non-researcher.  Still, feel na feel ko pa din.  Three topics were on top of my head as I strode over to their online catalog: migration of Filipinos to the US [more like anecdotes and all those diaspora stories], gender and women studies topics, and Philippine folklore and mythology.  I ended up browsing more of the first, and ultimately asked the librarian for two resources.

First was Hope Sabanpan-Yu’s Bridging Cultures: The Migrant Philippine Woman in the Works of Jessica Hagedorn, Fatima Lim-Wilson, and Sophia Romero.  It’s a short, fluid read about the topic, clearly gleaned from the title.  I deliberately skipped many items because Ms. Yu fleshed out three works of the authors named above, and I will be spoiled by reading her critique.  After this, let’s just say I will look for  Romero’s Always Hiding, Lim-Wilson’s Crossing the Snow Bridge, and finally read Hagedorn’s The Gangster of Love [I have a sinking feeling I left my copy in Taipei because I haven't seen it since but I'm not willing it].

The second one I borrowed was Leche by R. Zamora Linmark.  Because it was closing time, I only got as far as the 75th page but I can say it’s hilariously spot-on.  If I don’t find it in bookstores, I will go back to FHL and borrow it again.  In addition, and I know the direction isn’t the same, but it made me mentally note of  Alex Gilvarry’s From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant.

I also bought stuff for a day climb in Batangas this Bataan Day holiday.  It’s been a while since I did this kind of physical activity but I know I’m in much better condition than previous treks.  I also debated whether to get a new trail footwear or not.  I don’t own hiking shoes but in my past climbs and treks I used my trusty Chaski sandals from Columbia.  It looks flimsy but it’s very durable.  Think Sumaguing cave in Sagada and long walks in Bohol; not once did it fail me and now it still looks okay.  Let’s see.  We have a particularly dry weather [hopefully on Tuesday, too] so I may not need stronger, newer sole grips.  My funny concern, in fact, is tripping on flat surfaces.  I have a natural talent for it.

This half-day climb will be for my Dad, as my birthday tradition for him this year.  Will probably expound more on that after the event. If I may confess, I’m also looking forward a lot to our bulalo foodfest, post-climb.  It’s only a day of break so we have to make it count.

I skipped an exhibit opening in favor of a convincing tug to dine alone and read.  The only downside of sorts is that I seem to have an addiction to Starbucks’ Asian dolce latte.  I just tell myself by May it will be pulled out from the menu so let me enjoy it until then. I believe it was a productive reading time [winging it, following XP's advice] because before I knew it, it’s almost midnight.  Lest you’re still lost, this is what makes me tick every.single.time.

I say it’s bearable lightness because it may appear aimless, fluffy, a let-it-flow whichever way kind of day but I enjoyed it: not out of obligation, out of necessity, out of responsibility [well, some were necessary to survive, but you get what I mean].  However, tapping a hidden part of me, there’s still that tiny thought that this may be happier, more delightful, more bearable, if there’s someone asking how it has been.  I highly recommend me times but at the end of a long day, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone waiting? ♥

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  My introvert self wouldn’t trade this Saturday for anything [except for a steamy moment with George Clooney inside a library, but what are the odds of that?].  I am just wondering.  So for now, I’m just going to ignore it.  I had fun.  I hope you did, too.

Serial Starter

Before the four-day break started, I aimed to read five [or more!] books, among other staycation plans.  The fourth day of break is almost over and how did I fare, reading-wise?

Not one book finished…but I started five books!  This is nothing surprising.  Have you visited my [grossly incomplete] currently-reading list on Goodreads?

I don’t want to think it reflects my attitude about commitment in general.  No, no.

So, what books fancied my flimsy eyes and fingers?

1. Eon by Alison Goodman.  Okay, I’m still reading it.  After our book session last Thursday, I planned on finishing it but then the Fully Booked sale happened, so, yup did not finish it.  Progress: page 220/531.

2. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (e-book).  I had a good start with it and I really thought I could breeze through it because the chapters are short.  But it was almost midnight on Saturday, and when the e-reader fell on my face, I decided to give it a rest and get myself some sleep.  I haven’t e-flipped it since.  Progress: Chapter 23/45 [short chapters, you all]

3. The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi.  We instantly hit it off, it being the lone Scalzi book left in Fully Booked [at least when I browsed the "S" shelf] last Saturday.  Yes, it has reference to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, but its plot revolves around a mid-level State Department employee [on Earth] who gravely offended its alien [as in from outer space] counterpart.  Cue mayhem and wry humor.  Anyway, I read it on a relatively short trip home from BGC so… Progress: page 45/396

4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (e-book).  Lunchtime on Wednesday, two colleagues talked about Ender’s Game in passing in the midst of their book talk.  I took it as my cue to find it in my e-book pile.  I started reading the first 2 pages while crossing the footbridge near the office (hah!).  That same day, my book club friend T raved about slowly making brother O an Ender convert because he asked for her Ender’s Game copy.  Took it as another cue that hey, reading it is such a timely idea.  Fast forward to today — zilch.  Progress: Chapter 1 [Third]/9.

5.  The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon.  I just started it after lunch today, only because I saw it and thought, Hey, imma read you today! [That's how I steamroll many things in my life, apparently.] We’re doing okay, so far.  My new colored tabs were finally used.  Will I finish it sooner than the others?  It remains to be seen.  Progress: page 107/411 (or Chapter 13/46)

There.  Another busy work week beckons so I will consider it an achievement if I can finish any of the books I named above, or any from my insanely huge pile of  unfinished ones.

Did you get some reading done over the break?

Ms. Bean, March 2013 edition

This is my first edition for 2013 of “Hi, I’m Ms. Bean and I’m such a pro at embarrassing myself”.  Fresh from a very recent facepalm moment with a jeepney driver, I tried to remember things I said and did as of late.  I’m sure there are lots more stuff I said and did which I failed to recognize as such.

Exhibit A: Tuesday night at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.  Turkmenistan players warming up. Told C I like the way they look: so fierce, but a little on the pale side. What are they, Eastern Europeans? Or western?  I’m confused.  C was like, “Uhhh… no…they’re Asian.”  And she looked at me as if to say, “SEE, THEY ARE COMPETING IN THE ASIAN CHALLENGE CUP.” C was too nice not to rub it in.  Hahaha.

Exhibit B: Walking to ArmyNavy. I was telling L about internal organs I can sell so I can raise funds to go to the Maldives. I blurted I will sell a pinch of my lung because it grows back anyway.  L said, “You mean liver, right?” OF COURSE, I DID.  Well, they both start with the letter L.  Ah, whatever.

Exhibit C: Japanese restaurant in P. Ocampo.  I caught up with P and J in the middle of a conversation about a Will Smith movie.  I heard the terms “lots of running”, “post-apocalypse”, and “futuristic” so I immediately butted in and gave my opinion on I am Legend.  They had blank stares afterwards as they were actually talking about Hancock.  To be fair to me, would you consider Hancock post-apocalyptic?  And creepy vampiric (non-sparkling) creatures can be considered futuristic.  What if they do exist in the future?!

By the way, J, we go way back with this. He was the one who asked me what does Yo No Se in the Luis Enrique song mean. I said “I don’t know.”  He told me, “I thought you’re learning Spanish.  How come you don’t know?”  Took us 2 more rounds of that before I finally got it across that yo no se means I don’t know.

Exhibit D:  Holy Wednesday.  I was the only one left inside the jeep and le driver talked to me via the rearview mirror, mumbled something about changing the drop off point.  See, I always nod because it’s almost always “I won’t turn right to Dagonoy anymore”, which I don’t mind because my short walk home from the drop off point is the same whichever way.  So I just nodded.  He stopped in front of 7-Eleven Onyx which I ignored because I thought he’s waiting for passengers. I even put back my earphones on.  Probably two songs after, I looked at the driver’s seat and le driver was gone!  Then bam, he was right there with me inside the jeepney.  I panicked inside.  OMG what’s he going to do to me?  Should I scream for help?  I took off my earphones and I heard him say, “Ma’am sabi ko po kanina hanggang dito lang ako sa 7-Eleven so kung ok lang po, baba na kayo para makagarahe na ako. (Ma’am, I said earlier, my last stop was 7-Eleven.  So if it’s ok with you, please go down so I can park my jeep.)”

*MissJisverysmart.jpg*   *bethankfulnoonewasthere.gif*

I was so mortified I cannot say anything!  I immediately went down and said sorry but without looking back.  It reminded me of my grace-less exit at the supermarket last year.

0 — 0 — 0

I should start jotting these moments down again.  It could make for some pretty funny script for a sitcom, which what my life is like after all.  I know this is one of the reasons not a few have said I look youthful.  A key is to laugh at yourself when you get the chance.  Don’t take life seriously.  I mean, not too seriously.  Stress causes clogged arteries and with the state of our existing HMO coverage, might as well not risk it.

Oblivious No More

Obliviousness used to be a trait I was very good at.  I’m not talking about not caring in general because that will open up a can of unpretty (and a few delightful) worms.  I’m referring to being unaware of what’s happening when I’m engrossed in something — reading, specifically.  I think I shared this a few times already, that for some reason I like being lost in the midst of things.  However, I noticed that I’m distracted too easily lately.  I used to not hear nor notice anything when I’m reading but take my Thursday reading time for example: I was distracted by a group next to my table discussing (calmly, in-their-own-small-circle kind of way) osmolysis and ruptured cell membranes that I stopped reading and tinkered my tablet instead.

I’m thinking about it because it seems contrary to another feeling I started having in recent years which is sifting.  I used to like grasping and learning everything.  Looking back, I think it’s because of fear of being left behind.  I evolved, gladly, away from it, and learned to filter what I only want and need.  A certified TV junkie, a concrete example would be the shows I regularly follow — I now stick to 5 regulars even when the number of shows seemed to have doubled than five years ago.  My regulars back in ’07-’09 added up to 18 TV shows a week; that’s a tremendous abuse of the Fair Use policy, don’t you think?  Anyway, I slightly digress.

Maybe it’s simply telling me that caring and focusing are indeed two different things.  I wish to regain my sense of obliviousness though.  It feels a long time ago since I allowed myself to get inside the world of what I was reading.  I don’t want to believe it’s because I have a lot in my mind lately.  If you must know, there’s a zillion stuff going on in my head even before, back when I still can auto-shut off the world and be inside a new one.  Is it the same as indifference?  Maybe, maybe not.  But then, even for a short time, both of them can be healthy for everyone.

Weekend Bender

No matter how short, I always look forward to weekends.  Lately, I no longer spend all my time hunched in my chair, pausing only to relieve myself.  Lately, I go out, do things, meet people — you know, normal human stuff.  For the past three weeks, my Saturday routine was defined by soccer training provided by the amazing people behind Dream Big Pilipinas, lunch in Salcedo Community Market, and other errands in the afternoon.  My naturally lethargic self realized you really can do a lot in one day.  Long ago, daytime translates to 10-12 episodes of an hour-long TV show.

My weekend started early because of the basketball championship game in the office on Friday.  Not only because my agency was playing in the finals, I like it when we get to mingle and fraternize with co-employees.  If not for this activity, I can only count the general assembly of the cooperative and the organization-wide holiday party as our chances to bump into each other.

So, our home team.  We lost.  We were in 2nd place again.  I still consider it part of our growing pains.  Five long years ago, we started fielding people only to take home the Best in Uniform award at the opening ceremony and the journey ended there.  Now we’re advancing to the finals. I say let us bask in that feat for maybe one more year?  It wasn’t just the right time.  Our players played all heart and energy the entire season and that’s something to be very proud of.

A personal highlight was getting sloshed after 3.5 bottles of cheap vodka and beer.  I surprised myself there.  I used to down pitchers of strong cocktails while my friends were ranting about their lives.  Aging, I guess?  Anyway, a colleague was gracious enough to open his house to us and serve strong coffee (for me) and tea (for them).  I know I wasn’t completely myself (oh but I was, what I meant was my “Judie for public consumption” self) but the experience was a good start.  See, as foreign and local employees who work together every day, I really wanted for us to try and do things together outside of work.  Gone are the days when it’s normal to hang out.  That’s why I appreciate it when there are foreign staff like them who take time to get to know us.

Personal matters were discussed during that impromptu house raid and what I fancied more importantly were: a huge framed diagram of the characters of DFW’s Infinite Jest and Ward Shelley’s History of Science Fiction.  The latter made my heart skip twenty beats.  I wanted to steal it (Kidding, L).  The host also has books lying around everywhere and his playlist is cool.  This is a man who actually exists, you guys.  And he is very tall.

I also got excited over prospects of us girls hanging out, with even a possibility of themed parties. Wonderful women after my own heart.

Let’s jump to Saturday after lunch when we tried to go around Art in the Park in Salcedo.  I did not see two friends who were exhibitors because I was an aimlessly wandering idiot after lunch.  A day later I realized it’s because I wasn’t wearing my glasses and in fact I lost them. That’s how I roll, for your information.

Dinner was courtesy of two friends celebrating their birthdays this month at a Filipino restaurant two cities away.  Horrendous traffic, but for people I care about, it’s always worth it.  We ate like starving gladiators, briefly discussed work (“Is your employer really that poor?”), sealed an island trip after summer, and graciously ignored each other until 1 am in favor of Candy Crush and 4Pics 1Word. That’s genuine friendship, ladies and germs.  By the way, I’m still stuck in Level 23 on Candy Crush.  For 22 days.  Sure, I don’t play very regularly, but I cannot find it in my heart to quit just yet.

After the I-lost-my-glasses-after-all realization, I had new ones fitted.  Life became high def again.  During mass I was praying harder over something I asked an apology for.  I felt wronged — and mildly cyber harassed too — but hey, I said stuff as well. I was also mean, yes. I was contemplating it until Father Perry, very timely, said Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.  I felt much better afterwards.

It was reading time the rest of the night, much to my delight.  Save for purchases I still could have avoided, all else constitutes an awesome weekend.  Definitely my kind of thing.

How was your weekend?

Top Ten Series I’d Like To Start But Haven’t Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

For this Tuesday, March 5, here are my top 10 series I’d like to start but haven’t yet:

1. The Dark Tower (Stephen King) – I grew up reading Stephen King but skipped this one for reasons I don’t know.  I’ve been meaning to pick up the first book and get it rolling.  Maybe in September — my SK reading month. 
2. Kingkiller Chronicles (Patrick Rothfuss) – My book club friend Tata, my fantasy genre go-to person, said she loved this series.  For someone who has read a lot in the genre to say that, it must be something, so it added to my desire to read it (plus it has an awesome cover).
3. New Crobuzon novels (China Mieville) – These are Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council.  Someone recommended them to me and I acknowledge his taste in books so I’m eager to pick this one up soon so we can talk more about it.
4. Gormenghast trilogy (Mervyn Peake) – I held out reading this for so long because I only bought the second and third books, and for three years was unsuccessful finding the first one. Well, until last year when I chanced on a marked down copy of Titus Groan in Booksale for P25. Ha, happy heart.
5. Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series (Laurell K. Hamilton) - I had a blast collecting the novels in this series.  I figured I can read them side by side Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files.
6. Kate Daniels series (Ilona Andrews) - I’ve been reading terrific reviews about the books.
7. Thursday Next series (Jasper Fforde) – A literary detective! I also don’t know why I haven’t started its first installment, The Eyre Affair.
8. The First Law trilogy (Joe Abercrombie) – I don’t know much about this but it got me curious enough because Logan Ninefingers sounds so badass.
9. Night Watch series (Sergei Lukyanenko) – I admit I started this one but it felt too forced so I want another time re-start this series.
10. The Maze Runner trilogy (James Dashner)

What series are on your top ten list?

Re-loving Magazines

I might start reading magazines again to spice up my reading life.

I stopped my regular magazine fare considerably after I severed my 5-year ties with Vanity Fair when they started screwing my deliveries four years ago.  I was such a cheapskate that I also gave up my other subscriptions since I haven’t even opened an issue and next thing I know, another issue was in my mailbox.  It was such an overwhelming time.

Lately, I’ve been treated to online articles shared to me, and for full columns unavailable online, it pays to have a physical issue within reach.  It also made me miss my office library because I used to borrow scholarly and reportage/commentary/critique magazines from them.  I’m happy that the library is moving back to the office compound in April.  In the meantime, I am happy I can get issues of The Point and The New Yorker from someone.

Many fellow readers know I have a thematic reading plan which I kept on rewriting since December 31.  Look at me now, just when I decided to settle on a schedule, I’m deciding to throw magazines in the mix.  Someone told me doing my kind of reading plan isn’t necessarily related to reading and I just have to read whatever floats my boat.  To some extent, I agree, but a part of me likes to have a plan I can refer to from time to time.  It’s such a hearty discussion where I got someone to be on my side, and one adamantly countered it because “you can still be neurotic without being thorough”.   Well, I’ll let you know which sentiment prevailed later.

In the meantime, it’s hooray for more reading materials.  You can never really get enough.

 

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB ShouldBeReading.  To play along, just answer the following questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith.  It’s been sitting on my shelf for 3 years and I didn’t know why I have not picked it up seeing that I loved its prequel Child 44.  I’m 100 pages in and it’s not as eventful as Child 44 yet but I’m hopeful it will be.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

I just wrapped up The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and Wallbanger by Alice Clayton for good measure.

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I am lining up Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman.  I bought Eona (book 2) at an insanely cheap price for a hardback until I realized it’s the second book, not the first.  Thanks to my book club, I have Eon (book 1) now.  I’m excited to dabble into YA/high fantasy to cap this month.

Yes, Said the Lady.

 

That’s my first eecard.  Something shallow I learned to do today.

What a funny Tuesday.

Let’s Pause and Talk About This.

Before last year ended I wrote, Going back to other nice things — I once wrote it in my journal, about one day looking at someone and it’s like a switch was turned on and you’re looking at that person differently.  I am prepared to shrug it off knowing how gossip in the workplace goes around, but why, why do I have to know he loves to read and he’s journaling?

It gets better.  He prefers trade copies or paperbacks than hardbacks, his books are more likely full of marginalia, he can spend his vacation days inside a bookstore, he reads books thematically, and on the non-bookish side, his former career is the same one I’ve been eyeing for years.   He’s almost the male me!  If you think I should have freaked out, I didn’t,  when I discovered what he likes to read.  He’s a non-fiction person and reads mostly very different materials from what I read.  Nice balance, see?  Ugh, universe.  One more case of finding the right person at the wrong time.  However, mind you, I’m ready to hit that nerd anytime.  Sheer torture, really.

I cannot and am definitely not going to say what will happen in the coming days but one of the things that prevents me from going for it is…let me just say, in finding something about him, someone found me instead.

Nonetheless, let me just enjoy each day until 2014.  If you know me and this crazy episode, yes, I know and actually believe the nasty rumors, and I seriously don’t give a bookworm’s ass, mainly because it’s none of my business.  It even all the more proved to me he’s a normal guy.

I wrote this while under heavy medication, by the way.

So, how was your long weekend?