gateslacker

Yowza! Forget the new Star Trek movie (well, not really). I've been waiting to see ENDER'S GAME on the big screen since I read it many, many years ago. (I've lost track!)

I can't even begin to say how wonderful it has been to NOT have to work any holidays after doing so for so many, many years. Yes, I experienced major holiday preparation fail because I didn't take any time off and I am (still!) unaccustomed to working the 5 day work week and continue to experience ongoing time management fail.

What can I say? I worked the 12 hour shifts for 14 years. I was just so used to scheduling and doing things on my off days. It might take a bit more time on my part to get it together.

But, Brandon got the tree up and the lights on and I decorated it and it all worked out in the end. The lights had been in storage for two years and who knows how old they were before that and they WORKED until the day after Christmas when one strand went out.

It was so late going up that it would seem weird taking the tree down now, even if it is half lit. Plus, I would much rather spend an entire night and day reading.

And that is another lovely thing about extra days off. Extensive bouts of Guilt-Free reading! Hooray! (except that I think my astigmatism has gotten worse and everything's all blurry after a prolonged bout of reading)

So, the news of the Ender movie lead me to re-read Ender's Game. In one day. (Hence my visual problems) And I think I was left with a greater feeling of restless melancholy after this second reading than with the first. (Granted, I read it the first time when I spent several days hanging out at Vanderbilt Medical Center when Brianna had her open heart surgery so I was distracted by other things at the time). I had forgotten that Ender and the children at the Battle School were so young! Asa Butterfield is actually too old for the part, even if I can see him as Ender. Then again, with some of the things that occur within the novel, it might be a better idea to increase the ages for the film. I mean, when I am reading, I don't actually "see" very young children, even though we are told their ages. If they had actually cast 6-12 year olds and we actually saw that on screen, I think it would be jarring or, worse, render the viewer unable to suspend disbelief. Anyway, though I am trying not to read too much about the movie (in an effort to avoid reading anything about Orson Scott Card, who, from what I gather, is very opinionated about lots of things and that just might hinder my enjoyment of the whole Ender series), I did see where Harrison Ford has signed on to play Colonel Graff!

Now, I don't know what to read next. I did receive several e-books for Christmas, one of which is Watership Down from

de23, who, along with a few other folks, is pretty determined that I get past my "thing" with talking animals and finally read this book. Or, I could succumb to my fanfiction addiction.......

Current Mood: contemplative

Since I am running out of bookshelf space, I decided to buy only eBooks, when available, from here on out. Of course, I HAD to make an exception for my friend

soniag 's first novel, THE REVENANT. It will be out in less than two weeks and I am so excited for her! I cannot wait to read it!!!!! Check it out!

I received the phone call this morning that all the paperwork is in order and I am set to start my new job on 6/13. I will be glad to get started!

However, today reminded me that I am going to miss my summer sun fun. I headed to Paris Landing and the water was PERFECT. Usually, it is almost too cold this early in the summer but these ongoing 90 plus degree temps have remedied that.

I don't care that it is already hot. It felt good! Have I mentioned that I love summer?

On that note, I know that I cannot go without my summer swim time indefinitely so I have already started pricing condos (with pool!) in the town where I will be working. It's a little premature, of course, but what the heck.

The cicadas are still driving me bonkers! To top it off, one got into my car while I was cleaning it out the other day and I had to hear the thing in the garage for a day or so before it finally died. Even when I walk with my iPhone, I can still hear that loud, all pervasive hum behind the music.

*Beware squeamish reader* While I was walking the other day, I came across a particularly gruesome squirrel roadkill. It was a definite Eeeew moment for me. Then, I started wondering how I can manage a fairly effective amount of clinical detachment when I encounter A DOA patient who is missing the back part of his skull and has bits of brain on his clothing but then get all squicked when faced with roadkill squirrel blood and brains. Makes no sense. Maybe it has something to do with the environment of the encounter. /gruesome

Unlike those lucky folks who can listen to books or chat, I *have* to have music to work out to. So, I am always on the lookout for new tunes to get me moving. Here's my cool old, but new to me, go to workout song.

Tonight, I am going to try Zumba for the first time! I hope I can keep up.

Good grief, my son has already managed his first speeding ticket. How long did that take? 2 weeks? Even though he is being appropriately punished (has to take care of the whole deal himself, has to take the required class, and can only drive back and forth to work till Monday), I'm not too mad about it because he was going 40mph in a 30mph and was caught less than 20 feet from the increased speed limit sign. (Apparently, he has forgotten about our entire town being one giant speed trap). It is partially my fault as I always start speeding up or slowing down when I see a sign, not when I get to or pass the sign. I have warned him that, like my brother when he was that age, they are gonna be watching out for his car. (Yeah, such is life in a small town)

Ahhhhhh. More lovely filming photos from Raglan Castle by

archaeologist_d Thank you so much for that much needed fix! They are a bit spoilery, but since when has that ever stopped me? I CANNOT WAIT till series 4

Current Mood: bouncy

Well, I am packed and ready to head out to Boston tomorrow to meet up with

sabriel75 . Yay!! I packed as light as I could because I don't want to check anything going in.

It has been a busy day what with laundry and packing. I had hoped that my house would be in better shape before I left but that may not happen, especially since I leave way too early tomorrow. Too early to even grab coffee from somewhere! *gasp* I'll have to program the coffeepot if I can figure it out because coffee must be had!

I also managed to send out the 20 page packet for licensure today so I have NO WORRIES heading out and nothing pressing when I return. Yay again!!

I read the first two books in the Hunger Games series on two different days last week and I have saved the third for the trip. I will admit I devoured the first two, no pun intended. I knew it was a good idea to save the series for after certification. I remember telling my brother that it "would make a good movie". How I missed the previous hullabaloo over the movie and its casting, I'll never know.

Oh, and

ella_bane has made my day with her lovely picspam. "Manly shoulder squeeze of love" indeed!!!! Bromance or more? You be the judge!!

Current Mood: excited

Whelp, this is the last full week of summer for Brandon and I didn't hole up in the house completely. (Yay me!) We went to see Inception which was pretty dang good and it was off to the pool today. The water was bathwater tepid but felt good collapsing into, nonetheless, after feeling a tad wibbly-wobbly by the end of my walk. Serves me right for being a lazo the past two weeks.

The D*C catalog came in the mail but I still haven't really begun to get excited, though I am looking forward to seeing my friends! I discussed my trip with Brandon, today, to see where he might want to stay while I am gone. He said that he just wanted to spend the weekend at home. I think he is old enough but, still, I am a wee bit leery about him being in the house by himself, overnight ,and for the whole weekend. Am I being a worry wart? I do trust him not to destroy the place while I am gone. After all, I work 12 hour shifts and he is here alone for that. Is it as big a step as I am making it out to be?

de23 , after trying rather unsuccessfully to get into Making Money, I decided to just give it up for now and read Mort (The spreadsheet you sent me was very handy, even if I am still pretty confused.) I LOVED Mort!! I felt these characters were pretty engaging from the very start and, I have to say, DEATH was a hoot! I found myself really empathizing with his Mid Eternity crisis, if there can be such a thing where eternity is concerned. There were plenty of LOL moments, the most recent being this bit:

In the great hall of the Unseen University, everything happened at once*

and then the post script at the bottom of the page,

*This was not precisely true. It is generally agreed by philosophers that the shortest time in which everything can happen is one thousand billion years.

Anyway, you think I could borrow a couple more from you that I can get next week or when we head to Apple Hill?

I finished Season 2 of Leverage with "The Fairy Godparents Job", "The Order 23 Job", and "The Ice Man Job" being among my favorites. "The Future Job" brought me to tears rather unexpectedly. But, why was Sophie out of it for much of it? Was she preggers or something? Anyway, I thought Jeri Ryan filled in nicely and even I was fooled during her introductory episode. Go writers! Oh, Hardison, you make me Happy! I suppose it will be awhile before season 3 is out. I don't even know what season they are on right now?

Ick, work tomorrow. What has happened my work ethic? It used to be rather pronounced.

Current Mood: calm

Yesterday, I went to the library to find the next book in the Twilight series but there wasn't one available. So, instead I checked out My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, a rec from a co-worker. The very first page in, I am guessing the requisite plot twist. Every story or novel has to have one, after all. However, the book is very well written and I discard my first assumpton only to find, in the end, that, yes, she went there. I am annoyed. Not because it ended in a way I didn't want it to, even though it really did, but because the set up for the plot twist was so contrived that it almost seemed tacked on. Even though I responded emotionally to this development in the expected way, I find that the whole thing completely ruined, for me, what had been a very well written story. Really, why does everything have to have that unexpected plot twist? I am so accustomed to seeing them that I now guess them most of the time. I'm not saying that all stories should be without them and I have read/seen many that were handled well, whether I guessed them or not. (The Time Traveler's Wife comes to mind). I don't know. Is this another indication that I am becoming too hard to please?

Current Mood: aggravated

Today, I had to get rid of those pesky gray hairs that simply refuse to die (dye? teeheehee) and, in the process, I lobbed off even more of my hair. It is really short now. I am never satisfied.

Afterwards, I came home and finished my season nine team/action vid and uploaded it onto my site. I had to use downloaded episodes graciously sent to me by scarym1 to whom I am very thankful even if I did wish that I had the DVD's available to rip. Sigh. My next effort will be a Farscape vid I am reasonably sure. (Unless, I really, really need something from seasons one or four which I don't have at the moment. Then, it might be awhile.) I am sure you all could care less....LOL. Here's the link. Watch them anyway! ;-)

I have been reading a really good book called The Time Travelers Wife. I am reading it concurrently with L'Engle's Time Quartet and Mansfield Park. Why do I do this to myself? In any case, Time Traveler has garnered more of my attention. If this were a race, I think it would win.

I may try to work through the Atlantis backlog this evening.....