1 post tagged “books lists 2009”
So - being the motivated (but it's not a competition...) Baby Boomer that I am - I feel the need to report back on personal progress made over the last 12 days of holiday. It was an unprecedented staycation for me/us and I think we worked to make it a real separation from our work lives. We also stayed at home more days than expected due to rainy, winter storms that swept through at the beginning and end of the 12 days. Here's the short list:
1) Finished 2008 ahead of the Godfather in Gin Rummy by ~180 points.
2) Finished five books, browsed seven magazines*, and read two NYTimes Sunday papers + magazines front to back. Books were:
1. Lulu in Marrakesh by D. Johnson (6) - same idea as Syriana, but from a Bridget Jones perspective. Perhaps complex international political theory should be left to policy wonks afterall.
2. The Outcast by S. Jones (6) - the review score comes from the feeling of dread that I carried with me on Boxing Day as I read this. Thank goodness there was redemption at the end (and this comment isn't a spoiler!).
3. Close Call by J. McEvoy (7) - fun horseracing mystery to lighten the holiday mood - mission accomplished, especially since the book is set in Chicago.
4. The Monsters of Templeton by L. Groff (9) - thoroughly entertaining mystery cloaked as a historical romance novel...with a lake monster as a minor character. How can that miss?
5. Black Seconds by K. Fossom (8) - a tense psychological thriller by an excellent Norwegian writer (also wrote Indian Bride). Read like a Law & Order episode but with stoic, earnest and sincere Scandinavians in the roles instead of the cynical NYC types.
Next in the book queue: Custer's Brother's Horse (E. Shrake), Three Girls and Their Brother (T. Rebeck), The Condition (J. Haigh), This Must Be The Place (A. Winger), The Bestiary (N. Christopher), The Years of Rice and Salt (K. Stanley Robinson) and the next Sujata Massey mystery I can find at the library or Amazon.
* full disclosure... magazines were - People, Real Simple, Fido, Time, Dwell, San Diego Magazine & US Weekly
4) Planted and irrigated the vertical herb garden with parsley, cilantro, rosemary, sage, oregano, strawberries and some really unhappy basil (too cold and rainy this week in San Diego!). Still need to get thyme and a way to keep birds from eventual strawberries.
5) Kept the birds fed (even attracting a covey of quail today!)
6) Got stylin' and freakin' expensive new glasses (for computer and reading....so far)
7) Attended church to visit a minister I met this winter on a cross-country flight.
8) Re-arranged the second bedroom as a "Wii Studio" and learned how to Wii (Fit & Sport). I can't say I can Wii Dancing with the Stars like the Godfather can but the entire system is more silly fun than can be described. I'm embarrassed to confess I'm sore from the workout two days ago. But I do have the high scores in the household for yoga exercises and slalom skiing...for now.
9) Gave the ancient dog two baths (evil, evil accomplishment in her view) to help her skin condition and worried about her increasing confusion and discomfort.
10) Arranged travel plans for my parents to visit San Diego & Sonoma in February.
11) Blogged exactly two times.
12) Managed to stay beloved, while also recognizing and basking in the love of a good hearted man.
Life is so short - nothing like a 12 day holiday (seems like such a long time!?) to demonstrate how time flies. We thought we'd do so many "other things." I remember, as a younger thing, thinking that staycations taken by "older" colleagues were such a waste of time. How wrong I was. I'm not sure we're "rested and ready" for what the first quarter of 2009 holds for us - but we are certainly grounded in who we are as a couple and what makes us happy. So - I guess we gained some perspective and motivation, if nothing else!
My next planned day off is Inaugural Day. I'm already looking forward to watching every minute of the day's ceremonies in Washington, D.C.
