TLBC

I hate it. It sucks. This one thing in Conference planning is killing me. The rest hasn't been too stressful, but what should be the simplest thing is taking a toll on my poor brain. I even had bad dreams about it last night.

Does being thankful for Wednesdays count for anything? One more day and then I get Friday off. OK, I have to work Saturday, but I am off for the Super Bowl (go Giants!).

My latest:

DVD: Superbad. You must watch this film. It's too too too funny. McLovin' rocks. The gag reel is actually funny.

Books: Planet Dog. Non-fiction on all things dog. It was very cute and very informative. I just started Planet Cat today. I also just discovered Lysnay Sands - she writes paranormal romances. I liked the title I read and plan to read the rest of her series eventually. It's sooo hard to find good paranormal romances that I get excited when one is decent and she's better than decent.

TV: One word: Lost. Is it tomorrow yet? I just need to say that if the person in the coffin is never revealed, I might have to hurt someone.

Web: Stumble is still my new toy. The fun of using the site is unparalled.

That is all I've got. Until later.

You Belong in 1984

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

I have no intention of promising to post to the LJ more often because I know I am a lazy schlub and will let another million months go by before posting again. I am sure that most of the people on my friends list have all but given up on seeing a new entry from me.

I'll just give a recap: I was promoted and put in charge of the teen stuff at work. It's been a blast finding fun things to do with them and hanging out. As one teen said to me on Thursday as we were playing the Nintendo Wii - "It's so cool that you get paid to do this." And it is. I mean, I get to Guitar Hero, craft funky stuff, make smoothies, and much, much more. Plus, I get some cool job perks, such as free admission to the Anime Festival that just happened in NYC and I already have my free pass to Comic-Con in April. The free books are cool too. If I get lucky, I get to read a book months (or weeks) before it's published. Then, I hand them out to the teens, who also love reading books in advance. It's a win-win situation.

As for home life, all is well save one thing. Once again, I have tendonitis in my knee. I went for physical therapy, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I wish this could be a quick surgical fix and all is well, but I know that's not going to be the case. I see the knee doctor at the end of the month and will know then. The two kitties and two doggies are doing very well and everyone is healthy and happy.

Hobby wise: I am learning to knit. I've got the knit stitch learned and will eventually learn to purl once I get better at the first stitch. I also bought a how to crochet set and will see if I can do that. Entertainment wise, I just saw "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" in the theatres and truly enjoyed it. It was just as good as the first one. I am about to begin reading "Mystik Lake" for work, but have some fun reading put aside when I am done with it.

That's my oh-so-exciting (insert sarcasm here) life since I last posted. Nothing earth-shattering, but I can't complain

On the day before New Year's Eve, we traveled to the local animal shelter and came home with our 4th four legged child. This one was of the canine variety. She's now 3 months old and weighs in at 23 lbs. She's half pit bull and half pointer and is my favorite for the day? Why? Because she had her first bath and she behaved remarkably well in comparison to her sisters. OK, I admit, the eldest is a pretty good bath taker, but those two kitties of mine? Not liking them, thus why they've only gotten one in their lifetimes.

In age order we have:

2 year old dog
about to be 2 year old cat
about to be 1 year old kitten
and the puppy

The dog is a black and tan one, so it's hard to see dirt on her, but our pups is white and boy does giving her a bath make a difference. She's white again!!!! Who knew a little puppy could get so dirty?

OK, I owe more posts in the future. My most abject apologies for not posting sooner, but work has been crazed lately (seems that's what happens when one gets promoted).

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Day 8

Last day here. Booooo! We enjoyed one last scrumptious breakfast before going back to the room to finish packing. We were done so early, we checked out early and made our way to another hotel to pick up the Lufthansa shuttle bus to the airport. That little van can scoot! We averaged 100 mph on our way there. Once at the airport, we went in search of the Premiere Tax Free booth (we bought some souvenirs and are able to get money back for them – what we didn’t know is that we could have done that for all of our items, but we didn’t find out until it was too late.) We schlepped everywhere to no avail (and Frankfurt airport is HUGE by the way) and decided to check in. For whatever reason, my laptop is suspicious because it got tested both ways. Once checked in, we got lunch (I had chicken, I couldn’t have one more meal of meat) and then made our way through the security gates and to our boarding gate – VERY early. So early, they kicked us out and sent us to ANOTHER security gate. After waiting forever, we went through a more thorough security check because the US requires it (and by thorough I mean getting groped by the agent. If I smoked, I would have asked for a cigarette after). Of course, we left late and finally took off – on the flight from hell. It took forever and we had to circle a few times before we FINALLY landed (we were at least an hour delayed in the air and about 45 minutes before taking off). It was great to get into comfy seats and get driven home. I immediately unpacked (I don’t feel settled in until I do so) and attempted sleep. I tossed and turned a lot and realized the little duvet I had at the hotel was warmer than my comforter. Thus the Germany journal ends. Until my next vacation (which I don’t have plans for yet, though a rumor is going around that some family members want to go to Vegas in September), I bid this journal adieu.

Day 8

It was a relaxing day as we planned. We woke early for our nummy breakfast and then played around on computers until lunchtime. We had pizza again and walked the streets for only an hour before going back to the hotel – it was too cold outside! It hit about 45 as the high today, so brrrrrrr! We came back in and I sat back to finally finish my book (The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak). It’s a YA book, but it’s also 500+ pages. I loved each and every word of it. If it doesn’t win the Printz Award (an award given by the American Library Association for Best Young Adult Book of the year), I will be deeply surprised.

Not wanting to venture out in the cold, we ate in the hotel. Since lunch was so big, I had a Minestrone soup (though with clear brother and different vegetables) and a huge salad. I am sure I gained much weight eating all this heavy German food! Other than that, we’re just going to relax and pack some before heading home tomorrow.

Day 7

More observations: the Germans love gambling and porn. There are many “Las Vegas spiehalls” here in Mannheim. The funny thing is, I guess city code requires them to block out their windows so pedestrians can’t see inside. According to the signs, there is darts, arcade, gambling, and more inside. Interesting huh? Also, there are a lot of erotica shops here. Again, the windows into the actual store are blacked out, but they have some window displays of the lingerie sold there as well as pictures of models wearing said lingerie (and no, they do not airbrush out anything here). Also, when I was up late one night, I decided to see what was on TV (most of the time, I would catch a few minutes of the music video channel or CNN because those were the only two that had English). Flipping through, at least 3 of the 20 channels had one commercial after another for phone sex places. Sometimes, there would be one of the girls on, half naked dancing around. It was soooo weird. Plus, like any hotel, they had pay movies. What they would do would be give you a 2 minute preview of what was showing. Superman Returns in German is very odd. The other channel would be the porn movie that was on. Again, just plain odd. I also caught a minute of the German version of “Deal or No Deal” (their host is blond, though it’s short) and the show from the 80’s or 90’s called “Step by Step” (with Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers). Then of course, there were three channels dedicated for soccer.

Last night, we decided to stick close to the hotel for dinner and lo and behold there was a pizzeria right down the block. Now I know all of you are thinking, “how good could pizza in Germany be?” The answer: really good. Almost as good as NY pizza. Why? Because the person that owns said pizzeria – and most of the other Italian restaurants here – are 1st generation Italians. Here, we’re getting the real deal. The dough is paper thin and the cheese is different (supposedly Germany cheese is one of the best), but it’s nummy. What was funny was ordering the stuff. My German is minimal and trying to decipher the various toppings almost impossible. So, there I am skimming through the menu when I saw “peperoni.” That I knew. I love pepperoni pizza, so I ordered it. Note to self: pepperoni in German does not mean pepperoni. It means peppers; of the jalapeno kind. They weren’t that strong, so the pizza was good anyway.

Onto Frankfurt. We took the ICE train to Frankfurt, cutting our time in half. It’s a very comfortable train with a restaurant car and these huge bathrooms. I wasn’t sure I’d recognize my Aunt, but she hadn’t changed since I last saw her. She took us around the main city for about 40 minutes or so. They have some gorgeous architecture there. Of course, we took many pictures. After, we went to their apartment to spend the rest of our day there. Their little apartment is actually pretty big and absolutely gorgeous. From what my aunt says, it’s insanely expensive to buy real estate where she lives (a house could cost 1 million Euro), so most people rent. I’d rent too if houses in NY were that highly priced! Seeing my Uncle did give me a bit of a start, but I knew that. It was a great visit though, especially catching up with my cousin and asking them about some differences between the US and Germany (for example, here they have to pay for Kindergarten). I would have to look away from my Uncle once in awhile, but I am still glad I went.

On the way back to the train station, I saw my first gas station. Yianni and I had remarked to each others that we had no idea how these people got gas and there were three gas stations back to back! We decided to walk back to the hotel from the main train station (bad idea – it was cold out there!) and made it to bed. I crashed late (around 1:30 or so) because of reading. I have to say though, my trip here and my trip to upstate NY has confirmed for me that I need to move from Long Island. I didn’t have any really bad allergy days here and the two times my belly bothered me, it went quickly away. I’ve actually felt pretty healthy body-wise my entire trip here (I don’t count my knee hurting or aching muscles – those are from all the walking I’ve been doing. One of the days in Heidelberg, hubby and I estimated that we walked about 10 miles). Tomorrow is our relax day before leaving for NY on Tuesday.

Day 6

Some rumination about Germany:

At the hotel, there is free internet as usual. What’s odd about it is you can only access it in the lobby. That means no relaxing in your jammies in your room while chatting. It means finding a spit where there aren’t any smokers about and logging on. Thank goodness for Radio Shack and European adaptors.

Traffic is also interesting. They speed like demons here. Even the train was hitting what seemed like 100mph. At the crosswalks, when the pedestrian sign is red, the people don’t move. There can be no car for miles around and they’ll still stay until it turns green. This works out for the cars because since they don’t have to worry about pedestrians crossing when they shouldn’t. they zoom.

The train system is an odd one. So far, we’ve only paid for one ticket. I go to the automatic ticket booth, but I don’t get charged. It seems when you do pay for one, you are on an honor system, because there is no conductor on the train to check for tickets. That could never fly in NY.

The German people are really friendly. They smile and wish you a good day when they see you and are unbelievably nice when you tell them you don’t speak German. We tend to ask “Sprechen Sie English?” first thing and this seems to get good results. Though, when they reply a little, they know more English than I do German.

It’s fun to know people. When we get to the Hotel, we invariably pass by one of the members of the touring company of “Grease” (they are here until Monday), so we say hi as we go by. It’s kinda neat.

I love how they set up their bathrooms. The sinks and stalls are separated by a door and then even the stalls have their own doors. I guess it makes for easier traffic flow if you just want to touch up makeup or wash your hands.

Lastly, this is a note to myself. When feeling lightheaded, it is not going to help by taking my anti-vert right after I’ve had a small stein of beer. Seems the two don’t go well together. I wonder why….

OK, onto Heidelberg:

We stopped at the Christmas Market for a quick snack. I had a waffle with Nutella mmm..chocolate) and Yianni had one with honey. It hit the spot and covered us while we wandered about the Castle once more. We took many pictures and walked around their enormous gardens with hills from hell and a gazillion stairs. People in the Middle Ages must have been buff! We had to sit a few times after walking up some of those hills. I definitely need to get into better shape.

We took the mountain tram up one stop and then went all the way down in the front car – it was really cool! Then onto the Main street in Heidelberg. We were getting hungry, so we wandered down pretty far (the place was jam packed) and found this great little place called the Lowenbrau Brewerei. Of course, we both had some Lowenbrau beer. I had the dark beer and hubby had the Oktoberfest beer. For food, he had the pork cordon bleu and I had my favorite food of childhood LeberKase. I can’t directly translate what this is (the restaurant calls it Meat Loaf, but it’s made with pork I believe).With it came a traditional German potato salad. It was amazing and really reasonably priced! I gotta say though, after all this meat, it’ll be nice to have chicken or pasta again!

I have to say: I love, love, love, love, LOVE Heidelberg. I left my heart there. (And yes, there’s a song “I Left my Heart in Heidelberg” – I don’t know if it came before the San Francisco one or not. The Alte Town (Old Town) is breathtaking. Every other building is historical. What’s funny is that the top of a building will be gorgeous and the bottom will have some modern store. And though we’re in Germany, we can’t escape certain stores; today we saw a Starbuck’s. It’s like the plague – they’re everywhere.

Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting family. I’m excited about seeing my cousin and nervous about seeing my uncle. He’s my Da’ds twin and the last time I saw him was 12 years ago at my Dad’s funeral. Luckily, my brain is kinda sludgy from being undermedicated and tired, so hopefully it doesn’t totally freak me out. I’ll let you know afterwards…

I did finally call the Pet Hotel to check in on my babies. According to them, Luna is an angel (I thought to myself, “are they talking about the same dog?”) and she looooooooves her play time and is having a blast. The kitties have just settled in after being afraid and miserable until now. I have to admit, it gave me a moment of sadness and a “I want to go home now” thought. Soon enough, we’ll be home and the babies will be back where they belong – with us.

Before seeing the show, hubby and I stopped in a German pub for dinner. I had pork schnitzel and he had the steak. The food was great, but German pubs/café’s are weird. They’ll have long tables set with benches. So, they sit you at one end of the table and then they’ll sit someone right next to you. Kinda strange, but I guess it works for them. After “Grease” – the play was great. Definitely an interesting experience as all the dialogue was in German, but the songs were in English. It’s as close as a live show can get to the movie. Best of all – the tickets were free! The touring company is staying at the same hotel as we are and one of them got us in. Afterwards, we all went back to the hotel to hang out at the bar. It’s kind of odd – the bar is in the lobby of the hotel. When we got too loud, the person at the front desk would ring the bell to let us know when to quiet down. I went to bed at 1 and woke up two hours later to find hubby still not there. I went in search of him and found him still in the lobby. We hung out a little more – I got to utilize my librarian skills and give one of the cast some book titles for her to read. We finally crashed about 4ish.


Day 5

We slept in today: 9 AM (yes, yes, I know, it’s a miracle, I am saying 9 AM is sleeping in). Made it barely for breakfast and then went straight back to bed. Hubby was all out of sorts from his 2 ½ beers and two shots. We finally woke up in the early afternoon, which actually worked out because in the morning it was raining and the sun was out by the time we got out. We strolled to the Hauptbanhof (aka train station) and hopped on the train to Heidelberg. Once in Heidelberg, we went to the Tourist Info to find out how to get to the Castle. The nice gentleman (after a billion hour wait) steered us to a bus. The buses here cost 1 Euro per person – pretty cheap. We arrived at the needed stop and instead of taking the stairs to the Castle, we took this neat little tram that goes up the hill. The Castle is breathtaking. Gorgeous. Awe inspiring. I could go on. We arrived rather late, so it was mostly dark by the time we got there, but that didn’t stop me from taking 80 billion pictures. We decided to pay for the guided tour and it was well worth it. The architecture inside and out is unbelievable as is the size of their giant wine cask!

Afterwards, we found out the neat tram was closed for the night, so we had to climb down all 321 stairs to the main part of town. Of course, they had a Christmas market and we were able to get the two gifts we had wanted to get while we were here (beer steins). We found another restaurant nearby and had more traditional German food. I had cheese spaetzel (it’s a kind of pasta and I am probably spelling it horribly wrong) and hubby had the schnitzel this time. We both had the apple strudel with ice cream for dessert and hopped on the train for home. I have to say, the time gods were with us all day today. We didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes for any of our modes of transportation. We’re back at the hotel now, planning on relaxing for the night and going back to Heidelberg tomorrow.

Day 4

OK, I need to get to the gym more. All that walking has made my legs HUUUUUUURT. It’s a good kind of sore though. This morning we had our free buffet breakfast (mmmmmm brotchen) and then relaxed a bit before heading outside. We found the Mannheim Reis Museum, so spent time in there. The third floor is kind of humorous because they have a full sized model of a Japanese tea house, a collection of stuffed (the once alive kind, not the Gund kind) birds, and then a dinosaur skeleton. Odd grouping no?

After the Museum, we worked our way to the Market, stopping to take many pictures. Seems that the Museum is in an older part of town, so the architecture is gorgeous. We ended up walking past the University – wow, I’d like to work or go to school there!

By the time we got to the Market, it was lunch time, so hubby got to indulge in gyros. Now, these are not your ordinary gyros. They use actual meat! They were really, really, really good. After that, I had to exchange a book at the bookstore and then wandered into a shoe store. Lo and behold, after eons of searching, I finally found a knee length black boot that didn’t have a heel! Happiness was mine. We then stopped at a café for coffee and banana juice (it’s nummy), before wandering back to the hotel

Tonight we are seeing the National Touring Company of “Grease” perform – for free. The actors are staying in the same hotel as us, so are giving us tickets. Tomorrow is Heidelberg and the Castle….

Germany Journal Days 1 & 2

Woke up early to drop the babies off at the Pet Hotel. Luna was fine, but I admit to getting choked up seeing Willow so miserable. My poor flooffy tailed baby was not happy and hissed away. I hope she settles in better. Suki had no problems either, investigating away the moment she was let free. Having Yianni there was a big help because he was able to keep Luna controlled better than I could.

Finished the rest of my list of things to do before getting home and packing. After that, it was relax on the couch time and wait for the car to pick us up. The drive took a full hour – gotta love traffic right? We got through check in quickly enough and were able to eat up in the concourse before heading down to our gate. Of course, getting this laptop through security was fun as always since it doesn’t open without help, bur eventually we got through and waited…and waited…and waited. Our boarding was delayed because the plane we were flying had come in late from another flight. Once aboard, we taxied around what felt like NY State before finally taking off.

Economy class sucks. The seats are OK, but there’s no room and you feel squashed. I am going to do whatever I can to upgrade us for the ride home the moment we arrive in the hotel in Mannheim. We had a meal – if that’s what you call it – of Turkey, stuffing, and green beans. I didn’t eat much of it. They aired the movie “Step Up” on the plane. I missed the beginning because I was trying to sleep, but gave up and watched the rest. It was OK. I do want to see one scene in the beginning, but I’ll try to YouTube it or something. I was going to attempt to access the Net from the plane, but they want $9.95 per hour!!

Poor Yianni is miserable and can’t get comfortable. I feel bad for him, thus why I want the upgrade. This is his birthday gift after all. Well, I may read or attempt sleep…

OK, neither worked, but we got to Frankfurt OK. Such an odd airport: we went up the escalator to go through customs and then down one, across a concourse, and down another set of escalators to get to the baggage claim. The bags came pretty quickly, but then we had to wait for the shuttle. At one point, hubby and I were at different places waiting and some drunken German got right in my personal space to mumble something at me. When I said I didn’t understand German, he told me I was pretty. I ignored him until he went away, but he gave me a serious case of the jeebies.

The shuttle ride was quick and after a fast taxi ride later, we were at the hotel. The room is pretty decent, though I could use an extra pillow. I then made the mistake of lying down instead of wandering around the town. I just woke up – it’s 11:30 here and am hungry and have no idea where to find food. It kinda sucks and I’m annoyed at myself for sleeping and missing a day, but what can you do?

Sadly, I also learned that upgrading is not possible, so we’ll be just as uncomfortable getting back to NY as we were getting here. I tried though. Off to attempt to find food…

OK, after much searching, and the realization that we both forgot our debit cards at home (doh!), we found a Middle Eastern store that sold these things called donner for a song. We happily ate and finally crashed into bed.


Day 3

In my quest for basic wellness, I had a pretty healthy breakfast. I had fruit yogurt with a banana and a roll; OJ on the side. I immediately looked for my favorite German bread called brotchen (it looks like a pretzel on the outside), but didn’t find it until we were on our way outside the dining room. Off we were to find the bank! Citibank was very nice and we proceeded to lose a good chunk of our money with the exchange. Stepped into Woolworth’s (can you believe it’s still open over here?) to buy a hat for me and a belt for hubby.

Afterwards, we found the Weinachten Markt (Christmas Market) and checked places out and wandered more before heading to the hotel to get some PIN numbers for our credit cards for extra cash. After that, it was lunch time, so we went back to the Market for some bratwurst. We bought ourselves an adorable German ceramic old fashion town house for our Christmas tree and tracked down the post office to immediately mail it home. We found Germany’s version of Starbucks and enjoyed a drink and some rest before going wandering again. Finally, at the end of our travels so far, we ended up at a Greek bar and enjoyed some good German pilsner beer. We’re relaxing right now, surfing the net, reading, etc. before heading out to dinner later.

OK, so my life has been the same of late. Nothing too exciting as of yet. I have a big library conference coming up soon, so that's been keeping me busy doing all the planning and junk. I was also asked to join this Printz project thing (the Printz award is given out annually to the best YA novel written by an American author), so I've been reading YA angst non-stop. My favorite so far? Nailed by Patrick Jones. This book is simply amazing. What a great hero, what a great story. I highly recommend it.

Work is OK. Everyone is sick and I'm the only healthy one, so that's cracking me up. I'm usually the sickly one of the bunch. I refuse to be ill though. I'm seeing "A Chorus Line" on Broadway this week and then going to that Conference. I can't afford to be sick, so I just won't be. Or so I keep telling myself. Hee hee. I did have a great moment last week. We had our first Dance Dance Revolution tournament and it was a huge success. 20 teens came ranging from 6th to 12th grade. I almost went into shock at the amount of high school kids that came. Seems they love it and we plan to hold one once a month until they are sick of it.

Other than that, life has been the same old, same old. Boring, true, but I prefer the quiet to chaos any day.

The ones in bold have been read by moi


1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling*(well three of them anyway)
2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris
8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz
9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey (read one)
10. "Forever" by Judy Blume
11. “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger
12. “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher
13. “Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds
14. “What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones
15. “Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language
16. “It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris
17. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
18. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
19. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
20. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
21. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
22. The Giver by Lois Lowry
23. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
24. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
25. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
26. Sex by Madonna
27. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
28. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
29. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
30. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
31. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
32. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
33. The Witches by Roald Dahl
34. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
35. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry (read one)
36. The Goats by Brock Cole
37. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
38. Blubber by Judy Blume
39. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
40. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
41. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
42. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
43. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
44. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
45. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
46. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
47. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
48. Beloved by Toni Morrison
49. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
50. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
51. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
52. Deenie by Judy Blume
53. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
54. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
55. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
56. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
57. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
58. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
60. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
61. Cujo by Stephen King
62. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
63. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
64. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
65. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
66. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
67. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
68. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
69. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
70. Fade by Robert Cormier
71. Guess What? by Mem Fox
72. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
73. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
74. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
75. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
76. Native Son by Richard Wright
77. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
78. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
79. Jack by A.M. Homes
80. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
81. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
82. Carrie by Stephen King
83. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
84. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
85. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
86. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
87. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
88. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
89. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
90. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
91. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
92. Private Parts by Howard Stern
93. Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
94. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
95. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
96. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
97. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
98. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
99. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
100. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
101. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
102. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
103. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
104. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
105. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
106. American Heritage Dictionary (1969) - WHAAAAAT?
107. Andersonville (1955)by MacKinlay Kantor
108. As I Lay Dying (1932)by William Faulkner
109. Atkol Video Catalog
110. Banned From Public Radio: Humor, Commentary and Smart Remarks Your Government DOESN'T Want You To Hear (1991)by Michael Graham
113. The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read (1995) by Tim C. Leedom, Editor
114. Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago (1971) by Mike Royko
115. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
116. The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence (1974) by Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks
117. Deadly Deceits (My 25 Years in the CIA) (1983) by Ralph McGheehee
118. Decamerone by Giovanni Boccacio (1313-1375)
119. Dictionary of American Slang by T.Y. Crowell, publisher
120. Don't Call Me Brother by Austin Miles
121. The Education of Harriet Hatfield by May Sarton
122. Maurice by E. M. Forster
123. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
124. Families by Meredith Tax
125. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
126. Freedom and Order by Henry Steele Commager
127. From Here to Eternity by James Jones
128. The Glass Teat (1970) by Harlan Ellison
129. Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck
130. Howl by Allen Ginsberg
131. The Joy of Sex (1972), More Joy of Sex (1975) by Alex Comfort
132. The Last Mission (1979) by Harry Mazer
133. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault
134. Literature in Society
135. Lolita (1955)by Vladimir Nabokov
136. Lysistrata by Aristophanes
137. Nothing New on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque --> where is this list FROM? I think we mean "All quiet on the western front" (oh, and look down at 151)
138. Pentagon Papers (1971)
139. Portnoy's Complaint (1969) by Philip Roth
140. Search for Truth in History by David Irving
141. Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
142. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (how this is Banned I'll never know)
143. The Valachi Papers (1968) by Peter Maas
144. Things Your Father Never Taught You by Robert Masullo
145. Waco: The Davidian Massacre by Carol Moore
146. Who Built America?
147. Worlds In Collison by Immanuel Velikovsky
148. Women on Top by Nancy Friday
149. The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine
150. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
151. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
152. America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show
153. Animal Farm by George Orwell
154. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
155. The Art of Love by Ovid
156. The Arabian Nights
157. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
158. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
159. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
160. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
161. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
162. Call of the Wild by Jack London
163. Candide by Voltaire
164. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
165. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
166. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
167. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
168. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
169. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium by Nicolaus Copernicus
170. Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin
171. The Descent of Man and Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
172. Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei
173. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
174. Dubliners by James Joyce
175. Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis
176. Family Limitation (a pamphlet) by Margaret Sanger
177. Fanny Hill by John Cleland
178. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
179. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
180. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
181. The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
182. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
183. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
184. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
185. Kama Sutra
186. King Lear by William Shakespeare
187. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
188. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
189. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
190. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
191. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
192. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
193. Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert
194. Les Meditations Metaphysiques by Rene Descartes
195. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
196. Mephisto by Klaus Mann
197. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
198. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
199. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
200. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
201. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
202. Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther
203. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
204. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
205. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
206. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
207. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
208. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
209. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
210. Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman
211. Story of O - Histoire d'O - Pauline Réage aka Dominique Aury
212. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
213. Ulysses by James Joyce
214. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
215. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
216. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
217. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

Only I would have something like Vertigo instead of a normal ordinary sinus infection. Go figure right?

What does that mean? Basically, my workd will suck for about a week as the virus works itself out of my system and I'll be room spinny girl until then.

Oh the joy of being me....

The Summer Reading Club has finally come to an end and all is quiet on the work front. Too quiet. I think you get used to the chaos and then kinda miss it when it's gone. Such a Cach-22 situation huh?

As for the rest of my life - it's been a sad week. A week ago yesterday, my aunt passed away. Though not related by blood, I've known this woman my entire life. My Mom was with her at the end, so that made me feel good knowing she had someone who loved her nearby. She is going to be cremated and her ashes sent home to Scotland. We are going to have a memorial mass for her here, but I don't know when. My Mom keeps meaning to call the Church, but work keeps her busy and my Uncle is a useless Harry and won't do much at all. It's a bit fristrating as I want to get this mass set up for her, but I can't. It's hit me and it hasn't. I think when we have our first Holiday meal and she's not there, it might really sink in that she's gone (that's usually when I saw her).

That's all from my front. I'm brewing a sinus infection, so am going to go lie down more....

I got a new icon. Thanks to celandineb</span>

Borrowed from staunton

Go to this website and pick 5 quotes that reflect who you are or what you believe. There's a button at the bottom that gives you 1o more quotes.


http://www.quotationspage.com/

If I have learnt anything, it is that life forms no logical patterns. It is haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who knows whether any of them will ever return? Margot Fonteyn (1919 - 1991)

Be brief, for no discourse can please when too long.   Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616)

If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.    Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.    Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste.  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)