by

In Which I Don’t Understand the Popularity of a Jane Austen Quote

UK_10_09_2011_11_31_53

Being an avid bookworm, I am constantly looking for ways to beat other people over the head with my hobby.  I do this by wearing bookish clothes (like my Pride and Prejudice tee from Out of Print) and jewelry (like my Penguin Classics necklace)… displaying bookish home decor items (like my reclaimed wood “read” sign)… carrying a bookish tote bag… and pretty much walking around every day with my nose stuck in a book.  Books are my biggest vice.

Another one of my vices?  Etsy.  I love to surf the site looking for cool, one of a kind items with which to adorn myself, my baby, and my house.  And when those items are bookish?  Well, that’s when everything converges into a heaping helping of happy.

But in the course of my scrolling through endless pages of necklaces, coffee mugs, throw pillows and tote bags emblazoned with quotes from my favorite books, I keep coming across one that makes me scratch my head.  It’s from Mr. Darcy:

“In vain I have struggled.  It will not do.  My feelings will not be repressed.  You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

Awwwwwww!  So romantic, right?  Who wouldn’t want that quote on her coffee mug… sweatshirt… bracelet… pillow… wall…?

Me.  I wouldn’t.  Because here’s the thing about that quote.  If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice, you know that it’s the beginning of Mr. Darcy’s first, failed marriage proposal to Elizabeth.  You know the one.  The one where he tells her that he loves her in spite of her personality, her lack of funds, and her embarrassing family.  The one where he sticks his foot deeper into his mouth than, possibly, any other character in literature.  Oh, and as you can imagine, the proposal goes over like a lead balloon with the lady.

I don’t understand the popularity of this quote.  It’s completely out of context, and if you read the chapter in which it originated, Darcy comes across as an arrogant jerk.  Of course, read on, and you learn that what looks like arrogance at first is really shyness and awkwardness – hence, why the book was originally called First Impressions.  But I have to wonder: when people buy coffee mugs that say “In vain I have struggled” on them, do they intend to make a statement about giving people the benefit of the doubt or looking below the surface of someone’s words to see their true self?  Or do they just not realize that this quote isn’t from Darcy’s second proposal, which goes a lot better, and they think it’s the grand sweeping romantic moment of the book?  Why do people always seem to gravitate to this moment and not to Darcy’s second, successful, proposal?

Maybe it’s because the true romance of Darcy’s second proposal isn’t in the words.  It’s in everything that leads up to them – in Elizabeth finally beginning to discover all of the areas where her first impression of Darcy was incorrect; in Darcy struggling with the fact that his bumbling attempts at courtship may have cost him his chance at love; in Elizabeth’s amazement at finding Darcy’s hand behind the rescue of her sister’s reputation; in Darcy’s discovery from the unlikeliest of sources that his love for Elizabeth is not unrequited after all.  Once all of that happens, the words of the proposal almost don’t even matter, because the reader already knows that these two characters are simply meant for each other.

It’s too bad you can’t fit all of that on a coffee mug.  Now that’s a mug I’d buy.

by

The Bookish Bucket List, Part I: Books to Read

DSC_0595

Back in June, Jessica from the Quirky Bookworm blog posted her “Literary Bucket List” and challenged her blog readers to come up with their own.  This is something I’ve been meaning to do for awhile, ever since my blog pal Eagle-Eyed Editor came up with one.  But between my library misadventures and Audiobook Week, I’m only just getting around to this now – oops.  So, to make up for the delay (which, let’s be honest, no one but me cares about), I thought I’d do mine in two parts.  Obviously, I lurve to read, so Part I of the Bucket List will focus on the books I want to read.  And since I love to travel almost as much as I love to read, Part II will list the literary places I’d like to visit someday.  So here I go with Part I, the ultimate TBR:

1. The Complete Works of Charles Dickens – I have them all, a complete set gorgeously bound in forest green leather.  My grandmother bought them, read them all, and then handed them down to me.  It’s a massive undertaking, but I really want to read every last one, just like she has.  I’ve read A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities, so obviously I have a long way to go.

2. Read all of the Russian works translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky – Pevear and Volokhonsky are a husband-wife translation team who do absolutely brilliant work.  I’ve never seen Russian classics as readable as theirs.  I read their translations of Anna Karenina and War and Peace and loved them – especially War and Peace.  They’ve collaborated on some of my favorite Russian works, like Dead Souls and The Master and Margarita.  I read other translations of those and loved them, but I’m very keen to read them again, in the versions with the fingerprints of my favorite translators.  And there are other Russian works, like The Brothers Karamazov, Doctor Zhivago, and The Enchanted Wanderer, that I want to read anyway.

3. The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Richard Pevear – Pevear also does occasional translations on his own, from languages other than Russian.  I want to read The Three Musketeers anyway, and I have a copy of Pevear’s translation that I’m itching to get to work on.

4. Middlemarch, by George Eliot – This is one that’s been on my list for a long, long time, and I just need to make time for it.  I have a gorgeous Penguin Clothbound Classics edition, so that should provide some motivation.

5. The Professor and Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite book, and I also loved Villette when Beth from Too Fond hosted a read-along in May and June.  I need to read the rest of Charlotte’s work!

6. Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace – Because, David Foster Wallace.

7. Read all of Shakespeare – Because, Shakespeare.  Also, it’s there.

8. Read the Really Old Stuff – Homer (The Iliad and The Odyssey), Virgil (Aeneid) and Ovid (Metamorphoses).  I’ve always wanted to read these, especially The Odyssey.

9. Conquer the Rory Gilmore Reading List and The Guardian‘s Top 100 Books of All Time – I have both of these in Word files on my computer and I cross books off in each as I go.  I’m about a third of the way through Rory’s list and not even that far through The Guardian‘s.

10. Read my childhood favorites, like the Anne of Green Gables and Little House series and books like Gone-Away Lake, The People of Pineapple Place and Island of the Blue Dolphins, to Peanut – I hope she’s an avid reader.  I’m planning to do everything I can to encourage her to read, and I’ve got some great material to show her as soon as she’s ready for it.

I think ten is probably enough for the bucket list, at least for now!  Next week, Part II – my literary travel dreams.

Do you have a literary bucket list?  What’s on yours?

by

Peanut Meets George

No, not her future husband George, Prince of Cambridge.  This George:

DSC_0145_03

Is this my new house, Daddy?

We took Peanut for a visit to Mount Vernon!  Nana, Grandad and Great-Grandma came, too – it was a family outing and so much fun.  Everything was in bloom…

MV2

(That’s the greenhouse and the “upper” flower garden.  There’s also a “lower” vegetable garden and a nursery with fruit trees.)  Peanut liked the flowers, but she was obsessed with the animals.  Mount Vernon is home to several heritage livestock breeds, including sheep, some cows, and fowl.

What are these furry things? Can I eat them?

What are these furry things? Can I eat them?

PLEASE NO MORE KIDS.

PLEASE NO MORE KIDS.

Get over here, sheep! I want to love you!

Get over here, sheep! I want to love you!

It was such a great day!  This was the first time we’d taken Peanut to Mount Vernon, which seems crazy since we live so close.  It was definitely a new experience to walk around with a kid in tow.  For the first time, we had a stroller parked in the “stroller lot” outside the Mansion (you can’t bring them in, so they all line up in a row outside the servants’ quarters, which is hilarious).  Peanut enjoyed the walk through the Mansion – she even touched the historic banister, which was touched by the likes of Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette.  We also spent more time with the animals than we usually do, because she just couldn’t tear herself away.  And I even gave her a bottle picnic-style, sitting on a bench near the lower garden.

DSC_0165_03

Beautiful day.  After our walk through Mount Vernon, we headed to Old Town for dinner at Gadsby’s Tavern, an historic old inn where George Washington used to dine.  The servers still dress in Colonial attire, and the food is of a “traditional” bent – for example, I had “George Washington’s Favorite” – duck with orange sauce, scalloped potatoes and corn pudding.  YUM.  Peanut got a bowl of plain steamed veggies and threw most of them on the floor.

I call this meeting of the Baby Congress to order!

I call this meeting of the Baby Congress to order!

Delegates! You're not LISTENING TO ME!

Delegates! You’re not LISTENING TO ME!

This was Peanut’s first “fine dining” experience and I was a little bit worried about how it would go.  She’s a good kid and doesn’t cry or make a fuss generally, but she can be loud.  Most of her noises are “happy baby” noises and people usually don’t mind her at all.  But Gadsby’s Tavern is kind of a nice place, the food is a little bit pricey, and I figured that some people might want to enjoy their meals without a baby orating right next to them.  We normally take Peanut out to our favorite local pizza place, Pizzeria Paradiso, where there’s almost always other kids present and even if we’re the only family there, it’s a pizza joint, so no one gets bent out of shape if our table is loud.  But my grandmother was visiting, she loves Gadsby’s Tavern, and we wanted to make it a special trip for her, so we decided to try.

It went pretty well!  The restaurant was great with our group.  I’m sure they groaned inwardly when they saw us come in, but they didn’t blink an eye.  They put us in a corner, as far away from other diners as they could get us, which was a very smart move because Peanut was in rare form.  Between pounding and head-butting the table, trying to rip the waitress’s dress off, and making a pile of bread droppings under her high chair, she definitely commanded the attention of the room.  But we went early, entertained her with toys and food, and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.  People definitely noticed Peanut, but I don’t think she ruined anybody’s evening, so I was happy.

Daddy! You didn't share with me!

Daddy! You didn’t share with me!

All in all, it was a very historic DC kind of day.  Peanut and George Washington are now on very friendly terms!

by

More Musings on Introversion

The Introvert's Way: Living a Quiet Life in… (Image Source)

Last week I finished The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World, by Sophia Dembling.  It was a slim little book and didn’t really include much information that I hadn’t already come across elsewhere.  But it was a fun read and wonderfully affirming, since it was mostly focused on encouragement of the “Your personality is FINE!” variety.  In my reading round-up from last month, I mentioned that I had nodded so much while reading this book that I felt like one of Dwight Schrute’s bobbleheads.  There were so many places of recognition.  For example…

The Introvert’s Pet Peeve

Don’t you absolutely hate it when strangers shout “Smile!” at you?  Scarcely anything bugs me more.  First of all, stranger, I don’t know you, so why should I grin at you like an idiot?  If I’m going to give myself smile lines, it’s going to be for people I actually know.  Second, this is my face’s natural position.  I look serious.  Do I screech at you things like “Why so giddy?”  No.  Simmer down.

The “Dog and Pony Show”

Dembling frequently visits the topic of her “dog and pony show” – what she calls her efforts to be social in a crowd.  I recognized this too, except I call mine “my game face.”  The dog and pony show, or the game face, is an essential introvert skill – that is, unless you want people to think you’re a hermit.  But when you’re good at it, people come to expect it all the time, not realizing how completely draining it is.  After I’ve had my game face on for awhile, I need to retreat somewhere silent, not talk, not listen to anything, to read or even simply be.

And another thing about the dog and pony show – when you’re really good at it, people inevitably express surprise to hear that you’re an introvert.  It’s flattering, because it means you come across as engaging and social, but hearing “No way!” over and over does get a bit wearying.  Dembling spreads the word that introverts are perfectly capable of being social when called upon to do so, but it’s a tiring endeavor for us.

Introvert-Extrovert Relationships

Dembling spends a good deal of time discussing relationships between introverts and extroverts.  Usually, she is referring to marriages or romantic relationships, which would be an interesting dynamic, but not one with which I’m familiar.  Hubby and I are both introverts, so we both understand the other’s need to unwind with quiet time.  I’m not offended when hubby says that he’s going to stay downstairs for a bit after a long day because he needs to unwind – I understand exactly how he feels.  So I simply read upstairs until I’m tired, then turn the lights out, and he’ll go to sleep when he’s ready.  It works.

But I am familiar with the dynamic between parents and children of opposite personalities.  My mom is introverted, but my dad is very extroverted.  When I was living at home as a teenager, I often worried that I was a disappointing kid because I’d rather stay in with a book on Friday night than go out riding all over town with other kids.  My dad would make suggestion after suggestion: “Why don’t you call so-and-so?” “Why don’t you see if Jane Doe wants to hang out?”  I know now – and really, I knew then – that he was just trying to be helpful, and that a big gathering of friends would be exactly the way he’d like to unwind after a long week, so he figured I’d feel the same way.  I didn’t, though.  I was tired from school and from having my “game face” on for five days straight, and I wanted to retreat to a quiet place and recharge.  He was probably worried that I wasn’t having fun, while I couldn’t figure out how to let him know that I was having fun, in my own way.

Over the years, I learned to pre-empt any suggestions by making my own plans on Friday and Saturday nights.  I’d make arrangements to hang out with one or two friends, at quiet places where we could actually have a conversation.  And once I got married, I could just go on a “date” with my husband – problem solved.  I also learned, however, that it’s important for parents to recognize that, well-meaning as they might be, it doesn’t help to try to compel a kid to fit into a particular mold.  I’m never going to be the Friday night party girl.  I’m okay with that.  But you know who might be?  Peanut.  She’s too young to have introvert or extrovert tendencies (although she might be an extrovert, given her efforts to befriend people at other tables whenever we go out to restaurants) but someday she will.  And if she turns out to be an extrovert, I may not understand some of the things she thinks are fun, but I’ll try to respect her wishes as to how and with whom she spends her time.  (With the caveat that she’s not going to be allowed to do anything dangerous or illegal, of course.  As long as she’s safe, I will let her tell me what will make her happy.)

Tips for Introverts

Dembling’s got plenty of experience navigating social situations as an introvert, and she’s happy to share what she’s learned.  A few good ones:

  • Be selective in how you spend your energy.  You don’t have to say “yes” to every invitation.  Attend the parties and events that are really important to you, and politely decline the others.
  • Ignore people who call you a “party pooper” or tell you that the party won’t be fun anymore if you leave early.  If you want to go, go.  However, if your presence is important or the host really needs your support, grit your teeth if necessary and pull out the “dog and pony show.”  Your true friends deserve your support.
  • Feel free to arrange social encounters on your own terms.  (This is a tip I’ve been applying for years.  For example, I hate loud bar settings.  I don’t find myself in them often these days, but I get extremely tense in a noisy environment where I have to shout to be heard.  So for years, if I wanted to catch up with friends, I’ve planned to meet them for tea, or at a park for a walk – somewhere quiet, where we can really talk.  And then I’m happily asleep at 11:00 when others are shouting themselves hoarse in a bar.)
  • Guard the quiet time in your schedule.  Dembling describes a revelation she had when planning her schedule for a conference: she decided not to attend any events after 7:00 p.m.  At that time, when others were out fighting crowds at parties, she was relaxing in her hotel room.  And the next day she was refreshed, recharged, and ready to network her way through the day.  As someone who attends my fair share of conferences, I thought this was brilliant.

Are you an introvert?  Do you have a game face that fools people, too?  What are your pet peeves and favorite tips?

by

One Trilogy to Rule Them All

Lord of the Rings(Image Source)

I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as many gleeful reactions upon telling people I was reading a particular book than when reporting that I was reading The Lord of the Rings.  Hubby immediately deemed me a “fantasy geek” (it’s okay, he’s one too, so that’s praise coming from him) and started trying to convince me to watch Game of Thrones with him.  (It worked.)  My boss high-fived me, and my brother actually cheered (and then treated me to a long dissertation on his theories about fantasy literature).  People love this trilogy.

It’s not that I was resisting reading The Lord of the Rings.  Fantasy’s not my usual genre, it’s true – as I’ve said here before, I’m more of a Jane Austen, comedy-of-manners kind of girl.  But The Lord of the Rings is a classic, and I grew up loving the work of Tolkien’s buddy C.S. Lewis, so these have always been on my list.  But I wanted to read The Hobbit first (after I ruined all kinds of surprises for myself by reading the first four Harry Potter books out of order, I was determined not to make the same mistake again) and there were so many other books I wanted to get to.  These just kept getting pushed down the list.

And, well, when I did – epic.  Frodo and Sam and Aragorn and Gandalf and Legolas and Gimli and all the others, and their quest, and their bravery in taking on what looks like a lost cause… I don’t know why I waited so long, because this trilogy is stirring and creative and thought-provoking and… yep… fun.

I’ve now read the books and seen all three movies, plus the first Hobbit movie (which was so much fun – I think it was my favorite).  And while I wouldn’t say I’m a “fantasy geek” (although there’s no doubt hubby wishes I was), I’m very glad I read these, and I will certainly read them again; there’s so much I missed the first time around, so I think I need to revisit Middle-Earth, sooner rather than later.  And I now understand why my family and friends, who have been bugging me to read this trilogy for years, love it so much.

Have you read The Lord of the Rings?  Are we allowed to be friends now that I’ve finally read it?

by

Reading Round-Up: July 2013

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for July, 2013…

Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis (audiobook) – I’ve been meaning to read Main Street for years and I snagged it when I saw it on the library audiobook shelf.  This book was wonderful, and it really spoke to me at this particular moment.  Barbara Caruso’s narration was perfectly in keeping with the tone of the book, as well.  Loved.

 Much Ado About Anne (Mother-Daughter Book Club #2), by Heather Vogel Frederick – I enjoyed this second installment of the series more than the first, in part because the moms were more inclusive than they were in the first book, and also perhaps due to the fact that while I like Louisa May Alcott very much, I love L.M. Montgomery.  The girls and moms read their way through the Anne of Green Gables books, take a hilarious camping trip, and have to put aside their differences and band together to help one of their own when her family’s home is threatened.

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth, by Helen Castor – This non-fiction history was long and dense but worth every bit of the attention it demanded.  A fascinating history of some remarkable women, each of whom confronted the paradox of female power in England: the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Acquitaine, Isabella of France, Margaret of Anjou, and Queen Mary I.  Highly recommended to anyone interested in English history, particularly of the Medieval and Tudor periods.

 Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, by Edward J. Larson – I got on a bit of a non-fiction kick and reserved this 1997 Pulitzer winner from the library because it sounded right up my alley.  Law, history, and a little religion – what’s not to like?  Unfortunately, I found myself bored, which hardly ever happens.  The middle section of the book – discussing the trial itself and the legal strategies employed by each side – was fascinating.  The beginning and ending sections, less so.  Skimming happened.

 Changes at Fairacre (Chronicles of Fairacre #18), by Miss Read – I wish Fairacre didn’t have to change!  In this eighteenth volume of the Fairacre series, Miss Read explores the many ways that life has improved for the village residents, and the ways that it hasn’t.  One major problem: the Fairacre school population is dwindling, and Miss Read has to confront the very real possibility that the school will close – unless, of course, a miracle happens.  Fortunately, Miss Read has friends in high places, and some of them are capable of delivering miracles.

The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3), by Rick Riordan (audiobook) – My favorite so far of this series, The Titan’s Curse sees Percy and pals departing on another adventure.  This time, Percy has teamed up with Thalia, daughter of Zeus, his buddy Grover, and two of Artemis’s maiden huntresses to rescue Artemis from captivity by the Titans – and hopefully, save Annabeth, who is also being held, in the process.  We meet Artemis and Apollo, who are both fun gods, and we see a bit of Poseidon too.  The audio production bugs me (especially the stereotypical ethnic accents the narrator read into some of the characters, which strike me as kind of insensitive and not at all required by the actual book), but I am overlooking it for the sake of the story.

Farewell to Fairacre (Chronicles of Fairacre #19), by Miss Read – Confronted with some scary health issues, Miss Read makes the difficult decision to retire from teaching at her beloved Fairacre School.  Of course, the townspeople are sad to see her go, but the good news is that she won’t be far away – she’ll be right around the corner in Beech Green, living in what will always be “Dolly Clare’s cottage.”  This was a bittersweet but lovely read.

 A Peaceful Retirement (Chronicles of Fairacre #20), by Miss Read – Ha!  Fairacre being what it is, Miss Read’s dreams for a peaceful retirement are destined to remain just that – dreams.  The entire town schemes to drag the introverted retired teacher from her well-earned and cherished solitude with offers to join in all the community volunteer activities the townspeople can dream up.  (George Annett, headmaster of Beech Green School, is the worst offender.)  But Miss Read finds ways to enjoy her retirement – traveling to Florence with Amy, fielding marriage proposals like a pro, and discovering a talent for writing.

 Dear Pen Pal (Mother-Daughter Book Club #3), by Heather Vogel Frederick – These are getting better and better.  Inspired by Jess’s offer of a full scholarship to a prestigious boarding school (fortunately located right in Concord), the girls take on Daddy-Long-Legs.  They also begin writing to a mother-daughter book club in Wyoming and take a trip to a dude ranch.  Fun!  I read Daddy-Long-Legs a looooooong time ago (back when I was about the age of the daughter half of the book club) and had forgotten most of the story, but I loved spending time with the club nonetheless.

The Burgess Boys, by Elizabeth Strout – When Susan Burgess Olson’s son lands himself in serious legal trouble, she calls on the experts – her two brothers, Jim and Bob, both New York City attorneys – to return to the small Maine town where they grew up and help their nephew.  In the course of guiding Zach through the legal and PR maelstrom, Jim, Bob and Susan must confront demons lurking in their childhood.  This was a brilliant, lyrical, disturbing read, which touched upon issues of family, power, justice, race and religion.  (It would be great for a book club – so much to chew on.)  I loved it.

Pies and Prejudice (Mother-Daughter Book Club #4), by Heather Vogel Frederick – This series gets better and better, and I’m growing to love the characters.  In this installment, the Hawthornes move to England for a year, but the book club continues via videoconference and decides to finally give a nod to Mrs. Hawthorne’s beloved Jane Austen.  Emma enjoys exploring her little town (outside Bath, of course!) despite a nasty queen bee named Annabelle (a.k.a. Stinkerbelle).  Meanwhile, Stinkerbelle’s cousins Simon and Tristan, who are living in the Hawthornes’ house for the year as part of an exchange, wreak all kinds of havoc in Concord.  Oh, and Cassidy discovers that boys might be good for something other than scrimmaging on the ice!

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4), by Rick Riordan (audiobook) – Annabeth gets to lead a quest!  Yeah!  Percy returns to camp for the summer to discover that Luke and his cronies have a deadly new plan – to invade Camp Half Blood via Daedalus’s famous Labyrinth.  Annabeth, Percy, Tyson and Grover must race against Luke to enlist Daedalus’s help on behalf of the Olympians.  To get there in time, they’ll need help from a surprising source – Percy’s mortal friend Rachel.  Cue the girl drama…  Too fun, although my complaints about the audio production continue.

Home for the Holidays (Mother-Daughter Book Club #5), by Heather Vogel Frederick – The book club is taking on the Betsy-Tacy books (which I just read last year – how did I not know about these growing up?) and dealing with all sorts of drama as everyone’s holiday plans go badly awry.  The book choice was lots of fun, but I hated seeing the girls bicker so much.

Wish You Were Eyre (Mother-Daughter Book Club #6), by Heather Vogel Frederick – It’s the final installment of the Mother-Daughter Book Club series (why aren’t they going all the way through high school?) and the girls take on my favorite book, Jane Eyre.  Mrs. Wong runs for mayor, Megan gets her longed-for trip to Paris with Gigi, Jess confronts an unjust accusation, Becca meets a Mr. Rochester, and Emma and Cassidy deal with boy drama in this busy final volume.  The girls “get their Jane on” as they tackle these challenges, and we’re treated to appearances by the Berkeleys, Stinkerbelle, and the Wyoming pen pals.  A fitting end to the series, even if I wish it could have continued for a few more books.

The Introvert’s Way, by Sophia Dembling – I nodded so much throughout this slim book that I started to feel like one of Dwight Schrute’s bobbleheads.  Dembling writes for those of us who need space and silence to unwind, who get stressed out in large gatherings, who prefer a book to a party, who’ve been accused of being stuck-up or unfriendly when we’re really just slow to warm up, and who sometimes surprise people who believe us to be extroverts thanks to our skill at putting on a “dog and pony show.”  I liked her mix of research and anecdote, not to mention the heaping helping of encouragement she served up.  More thoughts on introversion coming next week…

Well, I did manage to do my fair share of reading this month, in between hosting visitors and tackling a number of chores that have suddenly become urgent (more on that later).  It was mostly comfort reading, once I wrapped up those last few hefty non-fiction picks – a little Fairacre, a little Mother-Daughter Book Club, a LOT of cozy, and those reads are fast.  The comfort reading will continue through August, since I’m still very much in need of it.  On deck I’ve got some Flavia de Luce and a return to Avonlea, and I can’t wait.  Bring on the tea, the blanket, and the books.

by

Readerly Quirks

DSC_0031

  • I can only read one mystery series at a time.  I’m always working my way through some mystery series or other, and I cannot start a new one until I’ve finished the one I’m on.  If I get distracted, I will throw over one series in favor of another, but while I may be “on hiatus” from one series, I am never actively reading two mystery series at the same time.
  • It is very important to me that my bookmarks “match” my books.  I’ll use one of my British bookmarks for English literature… my “Reading Ninja” bookmark for a particularly challenging contemporary classic… a cardboard bookmark in the shape of a cat curled up on an armchair (purloined from my grandmother’s collection) for gentle fiction and cozy mysteries… If I lazily select a bookmark that doesn’t reflect the spirit or style of the book I’m reading, I feel all weird and itchy until I replace it with a more appropriate bookmark.
  • When planning for a vacation, I spend more time plotting out my reading list than I do researching restaurants or sights at my destination.  This is especially true if the vacation is to Europe; in that case, I must pick books by authors from the region I’m visiting, or that are set in or otherwise pertain to the region I’m visiting.  (Extra points for both: Persuasion in Bath, for instance, or Wuthering Heights in Yorkshire.)
  • I can read anywhere – cars, cafés, the couch while hubby plays video games – but for serious reading or for marathon reading sessions, I prefer to be in the alcove in my bedroom that I decorated as a reading nook.

What are your quirks as a reader?

by

31 Things: Update 2

DSC_0277

I can’t believe I’m nine months through my personal year already.  Time is just flying by.  I’m going to have to dial up the effort on some of these things, or else I won’t get many of them crossed off in time for my birthday in October.  Yikes.

1. Spend lots of time snuggling and loving Peanut while she’s still tiny.  Most important thing on my list!  Peanut isn’t particularly cuddly right now.  She’s in a phase where she wants to sit up and see the world and be involved in everything.  If you try to hold her like a baby, unless she’s reeeeeeeeeeally tired, she’ll have none of it.  But we play together every day, and we laugh and act silly, and I lavish kisses and hugs on her, and she loves that.  She’s a cherished baby for sure.

2. Get into the habit of better skin care.  Um, well.  I’m still hydrating like a maniac and I eat tons of fruits and vegetables.  The routine is touch and go, though.  I’ve been blessed with good skin, and I’m lazy so I rarely wear makeup, and that adds up to looking decent without much effort.  I want to glow, though.  So I need to work on this.

3. Read the Lord of the Rings trilogy (long overdue).   Completed!  I finished The Return of the King in May and it was my favorite book of the trilogy, although they were all fantastic.  Look for a post on my impressions of the series coming next week.

4. Run the GW Parkway Classic 2013.   Calling this one done.  I revised this goal because what I really wanted was to get back into road racing.  My sister-in-law and I ran the Healthy Strides Community 5K in April, and I called it “my icebreaker race” because I was breaking back into this hobby after a long hiatus.  (I ran consistently until January 2012, when I injured my foot.  Then in February 2012, I got pregnant and running felt wrong, so I shelved it for the good of the baby – which I later learned was a very smart thing to do, since I was put first on activity restrictions and later on strict bed rest due to some very uncool, scary complications.)  The Healthy Strides race was my first foray back into running, and I’m looking for the next one now – a 10K, maybe, or another 5K.

healthystrides1

5. Take plenty of family hikes with hubby and the little miss.  In progress!  We’ve been enjoying the heck out of the nice weather recently, taking lots of walks in the neighborhood and along the Mount Vernon Trail.  Soon, hubby and I are planning to bring Peanut to our favorite area park, Great Falls (the Virginia side).  I can’t wait to see her big eyes take in the incredible waterfall there.

6. Overcome my fear of baking bread.

7. See Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center, summer 2013.  This isn’t going to happen – I missed out on tickets and haven’t found a trustworthy babysitter yet (other than Auntie Em and Aunt Grace, but they’re far away, and Nana, but she’s leaving us soon.)  Bummer.  Maybe I can sweet-talk hubby into Broadway tickets and a weekend in the city next year.

8. Give Peanut a magical first Christmas!  (I can’t wait to be Santa.)  Done!  Read all about Peanut’s first Christmas here.

DSC_0991

9. Finish reading Miss Read’s Fairacre series. Done!  I’ll have a post coming soon about this one, too.

10. Buy myself a Longchamp bag and a new wallet. — Progress: hubby got me a sweet wallet – fabric printed with a map of the London Tube, which is a conversation-starter every time I pull it out – for my birthday last year.  I might get the bag for my birthday next year.  I’m watching for a sale.  If I don’t see a sale, I may shelve this one.

11. Plant a successful herb garden.

12. Read Winnie-the-Pooh to Peanut.  Done!  I can’t even describe how much it has meant to me to share one of my favorite children’s books with Peanut.  I think she enjoyed it too: she’s been bugging me to let her write a “Peanut’s Picks” post on it.  😉

13. Take up Zumba.  I found a class that meets on my lunch hour, a block from my office, every Tuesday and have been going whenever I can.  I’m incredibly awkward and I have NO rhythm, but it’s so much fun and a great workout.

14. Knit a sweater for Peanut and a hat for myself.  Progress: I finished another little pink cardigan, but I still need to sew the buttons on (and I’d better get on that, because Peanut is growing like wildflowers).  The hat for Mom was on hold as I worked on a baby sweater for a colleague’s kiddo, but I just sent that off and I’ll be picking up the needles for the hat any day now.

15. Toss or donate the clothes that I don’t like but that are still hanging in my closet.

16. Attend Potomac Paddle 2013.  I don’t think this is going to happen, but you never know.

17. Reconnect with an old friend.

18. Have a playdate with NICU mom friends. Did this!  Two of my mom friends from our NICU brought their little guys over and Peanut had a blast playing with her friends.  And I learned something: boys and girls really are different.  Both of the boys were mobile (one was full-term and one a preemie like Peanut) and my house looked like a hurricane had hit it when they left!  They scooted all over the place and were into everything, while Peanut sat primly on her blanket like a little princess and chewed on one of her stacking cups.  It was so much fun to have little boys in the house, and I loved catching up with their moms.  I’m so very glad I made the effort to get in touch with those ladies and get everyone over for a playdate.  We’re talking about another get-together in August – I hope it happens.

19. Paint my bedroom purple. This isn’t going to happen this year.  Boo.

20. Break in and wear my silver ballet flats. Done!  Well, not my silver ones, but I broke in my black ballet flats and they’re now my go-anywhere, do-anything shoes.

21. Re-read the Anne of Green Gables series.  Starting it soon, I hope.

22. Climb Old Rag.  (This one: maybe not so realistic.  I’d need to train a lot and find a babysitter.)  Definitely not going to happen this year.

23. Knit another pair of socks.

24. Buy a fabulous pair of shoes at a great price. I found these gorgeous ladies on the 70% off rack at Shoes by Lara, an independent shoe store near my office.  Don’t mind if I do!

shoooooooooes

25. Bake a pumpkin spice cake.  I’m going to do this for my birthday in October.  Stay tuned!

26. Take Peanut to the beach.  Hoping for a weekend with Aunt R in Virginia Beach before she leaves for another extended adventure.  We’ll see…

27. Get to know the women in my neighborhood better.  Lots of stop-and-chats on walks, and I’m feeling more a part of the neighborhood than ever before.

28. Get back into a regular yoga practice.  This has fallen a little bit by the wayside as I’ve been more into Zumba lately, and of course my old stand-bys (running and circuit training).  I’m on the lookout for a convenient Mommy & Me yoga class, though.

29. Start a baby box for Peanut.   Done!  I have an adorable baby box and I’ve been keeping up with it as Peanut has special milestones.  I’m also faithfully filling in her baby book.

30. Start a frame wall in my foyer.

31.  Lots and lots of family time with hubby and Peanut.  In progress, always.  We make the most of our evenings and weekends together.  Being a working mom is tough sometimes – okay, all the time – but I’m squeezing in quality time with my sweet girl whenever I can.

Dad, did you see all these pizza toppings?

by

Book Donation: Joy and Regret

DSC_0029

A few weeks ago, I walked through the library doors with my tote bag bulging at the seams.  No, it wasn’t full of library books – at least, not officially, not yet.  I practically danced past the information booth and the new release shelves, over to the blue bin labeled “BOOK DONATIONS” and gleefully turned my tote upside-down.  Into the bin tumbled five of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels, along with The Outlandish Companion, The Jane Austen Book Club, and one of my two copies of What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Sometimes, I get possessive over my books.  Even if I know I’m never going to read them again, I can’t seem to let go.  They follow me from house to house, even though there’s no room for them on my bookshelves.  These books were piled up in my basement, collecting dust next to a stack of law school texts and hornbooks, and paperbacks from both hubby’s and my college years.  (Hubby, with his English major, wins in the college book races, and I don’t plan to donate any of his books without his permission – obviously – so his lead is destined to grow as I whittle down my own books to only those that I really want to keep.)  I have great intentions to donate books, but then a little voice invades my head with reproaches such as “But you paid for that!” – “That was a gift from your mom!” – “What if you decide to read it again?  Remember The Handmaid’s Tale – you hated that at first and then realized later how great it was.  What if you’d donated it?  You’d have to buy it again!”

Every so often, I manage to tell that chirping voice to – as my high school German teacher would say – “Shutten Sie up!”  And I gather up an armload of books that I know I don’t want, and that I know the library would love to have.  And after I donate them, I feel… free.  Free to give their bookshelf space to a book I really want, that I know I will read again.  Or at least free of a little bit of dusting.

Usually, I am thrilled after making a book donation.  This time was no exception.  I was never going to read any of those books again, and it was time for them to find a more loving home.  But every so often, I regret a loss later.  My Dorothy Dunnett collection, for instance – gone, and I can only hope they’ve found a happier home at the library.  I’m a little sad about those, I must admit.  And a little irked at the way the “What if you want to read it again?” voice is shrieking “I told you so!” at me.

But that’s the exception.  9 times out of 10, I gladly make a donation and I never look back.  Which is good, because… I’m really coveting a set of the new Penguin Drop Caps.  And someone’s going to have to moooooooove over in order to make room for those bad boys on the bookshelf.

Have you ever donated books to your library?  Ever experienced “donator’s remorse” – or do you just dance on over to the bookstore after making a contribution?

by

Peanut: Eleven Months

What do you mean, I can't lick this chair?

What do you mean, I can’t lick this chair?

I promised myself that I wouldn’t open this post by expressing disbelief that Peanut is eleven months old, but the fact that she only has one more month to go until her first birthday is seriously blowing my mind, dudes.  I have to get ready to plan a party and order invitations and buy her presents and all that stuff, and somewhere in there I also have to wrap my mind around the completely wild concept that SHE’S ALMOST ONE.  Almost.  Not quite, though.  I have one more month before I’ll have a one-year-old, and I hope it goes slooooooooowly, because she’s growing up way too fast.

I have plans, big plans.

I have plans, big plans.

No crawling yet, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this next thing, but… I hope she starts soon.  She’s close, very close, and she’s in the scooting-backward stage.  I didn’t think I’d want the day to come when she could crawl, because I’ll have to deal with baby-proofing and because I want her to stay a tiny baby forever.  (I know that’s impossible, but I’m a mom and it’s just what I want.)  But she’s very, very frustrated that she’s not more mobile, and I hate seeing her frustrated.  She’s figured out how to get to most of her toys by rolling, but it’s so clear that she wants to crawl and cruise.  I have to think it’s on the horizon.

I'm ready for Laguna Beach.

I’m ready for Laguna Beach.

It’s been pretty hot this month, especially lately, as we’re enjoying the same heat wave as the rest of the East Coast.  (Well, I’m enjoying it.  I love the heat.  Hubby’s not, though.)  Heat waves do take more mental energy these days, since we have to figure out how to keep the little one cool, so she’s been doing lots of water play.  Nana blew up the baby pool (which is tiny, as it turns out – the perfect size for one petite peanut) and they’ve been playing on the back deck.  Peanut wears a swim diaper and a rash guard, which serves the treble purpose of (1) keeping her from getting a chill in the water; (2) providing SPF protection; and (3) making her look like a tiny surfer.

I hope you know that when I get wet, you get wet.

I hope you know that when I get wet, you get wet.

Mommy gets into the water play action, too – and not just at bathtime.  Last weekend I dressed Peanut in one of my old pinafores, made by my mom when I was a baby (they’re open at the back for a nice breeze) and set her up with the bucket and some toys.  She promptly overturned the bucket and we had to fill it again.  I know every baby dreams of playing with an empty bucket while sitting on a sodden towel.

Whatever, I'm just glad you're not making me share my fish.

Whatever, I’m just glad you’re not making me share my fish.

We’ve also been playing in the grass.  Daddy and I took Peanut out to the yard a few times so she could feel grass between her tootsies, and she was unimpressed.  She’s more interested in watching the breeze rustle the leaves and spotting airplanes.  She’s gotten really good at the latter.  Behold:

Airplane, bow to the power of my ginger.

Airplane, bow to the power of my ginger.

Peanut at 11 Months:

Adjusted Age: 9 months

Weight: 16 pounds, 14 ounces

Clothing Size:  12 months, almost exclusively.  We’re still squeezing her into some 9 month onesies, but they’re getting to be a tight fit on her long torso.

Sleep:  Not much has changed since last month.  We had one tough night with teething, when Peanut cried and cried at bedtime.  I massaged her gums with my finger, which seemed to make her feel a lot better – poor kiddo.  (She’s quite the trooper, though – we still haven’t needed to bust out any medication for pain relief.)  Of course, as our luck would have it, the one bad teething night we had was the fourth of July, so no sooner had Peanut finally dropped off to sleep than the fireworks started.  Hubby and I spent the rest of the night sitting rigid on the couch, cringing with every “boom.”  Peanut was exhausted though – once she went down, she didn’t wake up.  But we’re still enjoying our good luck this month – she’s an angel, and except for the one rough teething night, she’s gotten fantastic sleep.  Yay!

Likes:  The hot new thing this month is the alphabet.  I’ve been singing it to her for months (in English, German and Greek – who knew that seventh grade Deutsch and sorority pledging would come in useful for motherhood?) but lately it’s Peanut’s favorite song.  Sometimes, the only way I can get her to take her bottle is by singing the “ABCs” over and over again.  It’s her favorite song these days.

Dislikes:  Peanut’s not big on taking walks in her stroller.  I hesitate to call this a “dislike,” because she doesn’t actively hate on the BOB – she’d just prefer to play.  I thought that once she started facing forward she’d be more engaged in the walks, and she does have a good time once she’s out and about – especially when she sees kids at the playground.  But Nana tells me that Peanut has been giving her attitude in the morning when they suit up for strolling and Peanut doesn’t want to be taken from her toys.

Hold on, I just want to finish one more chapter.

Hold on, I just want to finish one more chapter.

Favorite Toys:  Books, books, books!  (Between singing the “ABCs” and all the books, I think I’ve got a very literary baby on my hands.)  The funniest thing is, she has a few books of the “touch and feel” variety – where the pictures incorporate different textures.  Well, since we started pulling those out more this month, she now thinks that all books are “touch and feel.”  So she points with her tiny index finger at the pictures and methodically goes through each page looking for textures to feel.  I know what she’s doing, and it’s kind of impressive in and of itself that she understands that some of her books have interesting textures, and remembers this from story to story, but it’s also hilarious because it looks like she’s actually reading (and very intently, too).

Milestones:  We’ve mastered sitting, and now Peanut only falls over when she wants to.  So that’s a good milestone.  But we’ve had some fun milestones, too – Peanut’s first trip to a toy store (I let her choose a toy and she picked out – okay, reached for – a Lamaze fishbowl with fuzzy little fish inside), and her first party in someone else’s house.  Last night we went over to a fondue party at the home of one of hubby’s co-workers.  Peanut was an angel, sitting in my lap and gnawing on a piece of bread while I ate my fondue, and she only smeared a little cheese on her dress.  But no, seriously, I was so impressed with her.  She tolerated the heat, the party going slightly past her bedtime, and being passed around by strangers, like a pro.

Can't a girl suck her thumb in piece around here?

Can’t a girl suck her thumb in peace around here?

Quirks:  This month, Peanut started doing the cutest thing.  She’s been a thumb-sucker since her NICU days (well, when she could find her thumb, that is) but lately she’s paired the thumb-sucking with a move we call “the shirt grab.”  Left thumb in the mouth, right thumb clutching her shirt just below the neckline.  (We have friends with a little boy who used to grab his hair when he sucked his thumb, which was adorable, too.  This reminds me of that – a little extra comfort.)  I can’t even find the words to describe how sweet the shirt grab is.  It melts my heart every time she does it.