Best Frients

I came the closest that I have for many weeks to not posting a listing today.  Not because anything earthshaking had happened, or I was ill, or I was depressed.  No - I had my nose in a storyline that has me totally wrapped up.  In other words - my nose was in a book. 

When I was a child it took a bit of time for me to learn how to read, but once I did, I took off swinging.  My teachers always had to call my name twice to get my nose out of my books.  The libraries, after a little bit, allowed their book limits to be breached so that I could check out twice as many books, and the school libraries allowed me to get books from all age groups.  Summer Reading Programs were a bit of a joke - the number of books that they requested, usually between 10 and 20 books for the summer, were finished within the first two weeks.  I read Great Literature, trashy novels, and everything in between. 

A few years ago I happened upon fan fiction for JRR Tolkien's vast world into which he placed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many other books and letters.  I was returning to a world that I had fallen in love with as a child and had never truly left.  I was hooked.  There were good authors and many not-so-good (I would put my own writing efforts which have still not seen the light of day in with the not-so-good efforts) and then there were great authors.  Authors who would pull you in and not let you go.  That's where I am today.  That's why I am posting this almost four hours late and making it short and sweet.  I have eight chapters left in Isabeau's tale and I have to get back to it.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have something substantive to say, but for today I'll let my teacher call my name twice to get me to pay attention :-) 

Sunday - In the Groove

Sunday is usually not a day that is "special", instead it is a day off from work and a day that I can catch up on some sleep. But the first Sunday after Christmas is always very special - I not only get to sleep in, but I get the first Sunday off in weeks. I absolutely relished the day and loved every minute of it. My wonderful DH made breakfast for us - ham and cheese omelettes with link sausages. YUMMY. Then he settled down to play Lord of the Rings Online for a while (for most of the day, actually), I went to the grocer to get a newspaper and a few items and then I picked up my book. Around the middle of the day we went to JC Penny's to exchange a couple of silk blouses that were too small, and then we decided to just go back home for the rest of the day. I prepped some copper pieces for my next enameling time, then read my "History of Middle Earth - Book 1" for a while. The day was relaxed, enjoyable, and very needful.

One of the wonderful gifts that my DH gave me for the holidays was the complete episodes collection of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVDs. We've been watching some episodes every night. I remember how hard I worked to get my parents to permit me to watch the show when it was first broadcast. My cousin, Missy, would often come over from her home across the street and we would watch the episode together. The show was not on the "approved" list of the PTA, so it took some talking to get my parents to allow us to watch it. My parents also restricted the amount of TV that I was allowed to watch - maybe that's why I love books so much and tend to find ways to entertain myself fairly easily. Studies have also been made suggesting that less TV can equal greater creativity. Certainly something to think about.