2008 February 10 – caribousmom

Posts on ‘February 10th, 2008’

Six Pieces of Trivia Meme

Feb 10th, 2008

My friend Karin from You Heard Me has tagged me for a meme…it’s a fun one.

The Rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Make sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

I had to sleep on this one – my brain is a bit fuzzed from being sick for two weeks; and I admit I’m not feeling terribly creative. Here are my six things:

I. In 1977 I was the NH State half mile champion and in 1978 I was a member of the mile relay team that won the New England Championships. This is a fact I share rarely with others…and I can’t even imagine running that fast today as I creep through middle age.

NE Champions 1978: Tina Guerin, Wendy Ward, Maureen Ferns, Megan O’Sullivan

II. I stay in my pajamas most days until 11:00. Now, don’t assume this equates to laziness. I work as a physical therapy consultant and much of that requires typing reports and making phone calls which I do in the mornings. I usually get up, pour myself a cup of coffee and work on the computer for the first few hours of each day. Why bother getting dressed?

III. I stole my pet rat, Grete, from the college lab at the end of the semester. I was taking a behavioral psychology class at the University of Rhode Island whereby we were given baby rats and the task of teaching these tiny rodents how to press a lever to get water. I grew attached to my rat and when I discovered that all the rats would be gassed at the end of the semester, I decided to save Grete’s life. A friend helped me break into the lab and steal her one night. I think the professor was well aware of the theft, but conveniently looked the other way.

IV. I like to paint my toenails red. How trivial is that?

V. I joined a Sorority in college. Most people do not know this and would not picture me being a Sorority girl. Truth be told, I hated dorm living and joined the Sorority for the great living quarters, and some of the best food on campus.

VI. I have three novels in rough draft I’ve written. Maybe someday I’ll finish them.

I’m supposed to tag three people – but I’m feeling quite lazy. Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this!

Sunday Salon – February 10, 2008

Feb 10th, 2008

by Wendy.

14 comments

February 10, 2008

10:40 AM

Another Sunday – where do the days go? I slept in this morning – still battling a chest cold that has been lingering for two weeks now. It is a beautiful sunny day here in Northern California and the snow is melting in rivulets down the driveway and off the roof. It makes me think of Spring and tulips and warmer days ahead.

I finished Theft of the Master this week (read my review) and am currently reading The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters. This book has sat on my TBR stack for more than a year…I have no idea why it has taken me so long to get to it. I’ve not read anything by Waters before, and I am loving her voice and skill at character development. Writers who wonder how to create believable characters need to pick up this book. Waters writes with sensitivity and an ear for dialogue. The Night Watch is a story told in reverse – beginning just after WWII in London and then working back in time to end at the beginning. There is a certain tension which develops with this technique. The characters are introduced and bring with them the mystery of their past, which is then gradually revealed as the novel progresses. I’m about half way through the novel and hope to finish it by tomorrow.

Waiting for me is a stack of early review books from various sources….The Story of Forgetting, by Stefan Merrill Block due to be published in April 2008 (sent to me by Jen at Observed in Books), The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur, by Daoud Hari due for publication by Random House in March 2008 (from Library Things’ early review program); Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos to be published by Harper Collins in April 2008 (received through Shelf Awareness). These all look like wonderful books which I am looking forward to reading.

My good friend Lois surprised me this week by sending me a hard cover copy of The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss. I’ve not read anything by this author and the book looks fabulous. I’ve got it on my bedside table, lined up in the queue.

Which leads me to once again ponder on the vast array of books I want to read and how short life seems in the face of it. Do any of you feel this way? That there are more books out there to be read then there can possibly be time to read them? I imagine this is better than the reverse…and for some people in the world gaining access to books is difficult. What would I do without my piles of books?

The day is calling to me – the pull of Spring is in the air. I plan to take a short walk today in the neighborhood just to feel the sun on my face and smell the clean fragrance of the pines and snow. I’ll be curling up later on the couch with the cats to read more of The Night Watch…until then, enjoy the afternoon, Saloners!