A second chance

OK.  I am going to give The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness–the final book her trilogy–a second chance.  I loved the first two!  So I am wondering if maybe I misjudged the whole thing as I raced through it the first time (see my initial reaction on Goodreads).  Was I too hasty?

I don’t want to be angry with this book.  I want it to do everything it should do (and do it well.)

Perhaps reading it through a second time–taking it in slowly–will let me know if I was completely off base.  However, it might just irritate me more to know I was not wrong the first time!

The harumph and the happy

I don’t know what to do with myself.  I can read or listen to anything other than what is on my list!

I just started the heel flap for the second sock of this pair.  I had first sock syndrome and it took me forever to finish the first one.  However, now I decided to actually get the second one done in two weeks so I can wear the pair!  Unfortunately, I also realized that my heel flap needs to be frogged back and recounted.  I am four stitches off what it should be!

Tonight I had a lovely conversation with some of my students about their upcoming final paper and how much they loved the class (even if it was difficult).  Yay!  +10 on the good feelings-o-meter!

What an unlovely present for the New Year

I think I got hacked.

I’m working on the problem now and it will be resolved soon.  But, keep your fingers crossed just in case!

So I survived the end of the world…

Well, really, it’s just the flipping of the calendar, isn’t it.  Who got their panties all in a bunch about this “end of the world” drama…geez.

Unfortunately, that means my grading must resume…

Ah, Friday!

This is how Dobby tackled the morning:

But are there any snoozes for me?  Any laying about without a care in the world?  Nope.  Since 8 am, my morning has been filled by inane conversations with students that end with me endlessly repeating one thing:

Read the damned syllabus!

 

So, to take a break away from people who want me to do their thinking for them, I am going to finish knitting this sock.  It has been sitting on the needles untouched for the whole of November because of Nanowrimo and I’d really like to wear them before Christmas.  It is time to get a move on so I can cast on for the second sock!  While knitting, I will be repeating over and over the phrase my mom used to use when upset with her students (or her kids):

This too shall pass.

This yarn is Opal Kaleidoscope in colorway #2995.  It isn’t much to look at on the ball, but it sure is knitting up with interesting stripes!  And it is perfect for this pattern.

The pattern (free) is called The Weasley Homestead by Erica Lueder.  It is quite easy.  [Don’t let my snail pace fool you.]

 

 

**  May your day be blessed with naps, warm socks, and free of the mad desire to hit someone with a hammer.  **

My skull has posted a DO NOT DISTURB sign

How I un-love transitional weather…although, I should have expected the dropping temperatures and inevitable headache.  Usually this happens in late October or early November rather than December.

I dislike being a human barometer!

The Sunday Leg

Délaissé’s December readathon went fairly well.  I finished HP 4 on Saturday and managed 200 pages of HP 5 on Sunday.  Why did I only manage 200 pages on Sunday?

Work–or rather my work prep–ended up going haywire because of a glitch in a very important document.  And, since I am not super-genius enough to figure out how to solve whatever demon-possessed fit it was having, I spent 6 hours rewriting the whole damned thing from scratch a second time.  Not the way I planned to spend my Sunday!

So, to make up for yesterday I think I will spend at least a few hours in a quiet space reading and ignoring the world…

Pitching a fit

I am tired and out of sorts tonight.  Technically, it is after midnight and so that makes it Nov. 4, but since I haven’t been to sleep I am still counting it as the 3rd.

It’s a big change having a new housemate plus Nanowrimo and a dozen different personal things on at the same time.  Let’s just say it is a tad rocky.

• October reads:  0
• November reads:  0 planned as of this moment
• November book purchases so far (Kindle e-books):  Robin Hobb’s Dragon Haven and Robin Bates’ How Beowulf Can Save America
• Nanowrimo word count:  4506
• Nanowrimo expected word count for Nov. 3:  5000
• Mood:  crabby
• What would make it better:  a heating blanket and a long, long nap (and maybe some spicy bean soup)

Here’s to hoping Sunday is a better day than today…!

Hooray! I managed all ten. Oh…! Does that make me bad?

The Broke and the Bookish proposed a “bookish confessions” for the Top 10 Tuesday list today…

Here are my confessions:

1. I correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation in books.  While I might feel a bit miffed about the occasional non-standard grammar and punctuation for older books (anything before 1850), I will survive it.  The worst torture comes from books published in the last 20 years that have multiple mistakes and unforgivable grammar.  Does no one proofread anymore?
2. I am a snob.  I know I shouldn’t do it, but I judge what others read.  My biggest snert involve readers who center around “two-penny trash” novels–what I call those bookstore Fabio romances–to the exclusion of all else and consider it great literature.  It isn’t that I begrudge anyone a cheap thrill now and again or even an occasional brainless beach-read, but, please, weave more substantial things in and out of your book consumption.
3. I am not totally enamored of my Kindle.  I love the convenience for certain situations and the fact that the weight of the contained books will never break a bookshelf, but a physical book is better.  I spend enough time every day looking at a computer screen.  And where is the lovely book smell?
4. I evaluate audiobook reader performance.  This makes me a real bitch and I don’t care.  As an English teacher, I correct students when they handle words inappropriately; I expect the audio-production crew for a book to be no less diligent in their task:  1)  Make sure the reader pronounces the words correctly.  2)  Make sure the reader correctly pronounces place names:  a)  In the case of a real place, make sure you get it right as it can be verified; and b)  If it is an imaginary place, check with the author on pronunciation.  3)  Make sure the reader is following the inflections of the text rather than making it up as they go along.
5. I hate reading books in a chair–even a squishy chair.  I am a lazy reader.  I have to be sprawled out somewhere on the floor or on a bed.  And, sprawl really means mostly starfish-like on my belly.  I prefer to be on top of the covers surrounded by pillows and a throw nearby in case of chill.
6. Dog-ears.  I want to swat people with a ruler when I see them dog-ear pages of books instead of using bookmarks.  It has happened.  My sister no longer dares to do such things to my books…
7. I’m a bit OCD.  My books are aranged by type, genre, and height (tallest on left to shortest on right).
8. I accidentally kept a library book from college.  I still have it.
9. More OCD.  If I begin purchasing a series, they must all be identical in format.  If I begin with the first-edition hardbacks, all must be the same.  If I begin with a paperback, they must all be from the same publisher and cover-set.  I can’t stand to see a set in multiple formats or cover sets.
10. I refuse to read Moby Dick.  I hate Melville.  I guess that isn’t particularly fair as I never knew the man, but I really despise his writing.  After reading his novellas and other shorter works, I found each to be a progressively tedious vacu-suck of time; thank God that I managed through both my undergraduate and graduate degrees to avoid being assigned MD.  I will support anyone who cares to take on such never-ending boredom, but I cannot accept such a challenge as there are umpteen zillion other books just waiting to be explored.

I am sure that I have other issues as well, but those shall have to remain secret for now.

Dry Am I: Pictures From the Ground

Instead of taking full-on pictures of the dead-dust flammable lawn, I thought I’d take a moment to look at the smaller picture. We’re currently under a burn ban beginning today and we’ll probably be under a lawn sprinkler ban before July if the drought doesn’t break.

 

 

 

Do not walk on dry grass in bare feet:  it’s like stepping on toothpicks.  😦