Friday, January 30, 2009

Amy's* 2009 Christmas Present

I was reading wrtier Libba Bray's blog and laughed at her posting a link to this book:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:

The Classic Regency Romance—Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
Quirk Books
By Jane Austen
and Seth Grahame-Smith

From Chronicle Books Website:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen's beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Complete with 20 illustrations in the style of C. E. Brock (the original illustrator of Pride and Prejudice), this insanely funny expanded edition will introduce Jane Austen's classic novel to new legions of fans.


Jane Austen is the author of Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and other masterpieces of English literature.

If you feel the need to order this: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,7847/title,Pride-and-Prejudice-and-Zombies/

*Amy is the good friend who got the light up Jesus this year!

Early to bed, early to rise....

makes Marianne fall asleep while reading at night.

Seriously. Madelaine and I have been going to the gym around 5 in the morning. Ok…well at 5, one of us calls the other, and then we stumble around getting dressed and drive in semi-dazed silence to the gym, where we usually arrive around 5:20-5:30.

Once we get there, we do about 30-45 mins on the Elliptical machine and mock the people in the group exercise class.

Today there was a woman who was doing over/unders on the exercise “step” at double the time of everyone else in the class. Mad looked at me, and I looked at her and we simultaneous announced that she needed to be smacked. Ah, mother-daughter bonding!

Then, depending on time, we stop at Starbucks (saying hello to Lisa DeW while there) and then head home.

The great thing about our new, two-week old routine is that I am awake at 6:00 am. I typically do a load of laundry, make the boys lunches and breakfasts. I have even run the vacuum.

The bad news is….around 10:00 pm, I turn into a pumpkin.

I have been trying to read “Scarpetta” for the past couple of weeks. Ok. I have borrowed it from the library and it is now overdue, so I figured if I am paying for it, I better finish it.

I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the last Kay Scarpetta title: "Book of the Dead". Maybe that has put me in a more negative frame of mind; I don’t know. But every time I pick up the book (500 pages, btw) I fall asleep!

I just checked the library’s catalog and 20 people are waiting to read this book. Granted they own 6 copies, but still. I am depriving someone else of a riveting (according to the reviews, not my state of mind) read.

From what I remember of my half conscious readings, it isn’t a bad book….I just can’t keep my eyes open.

In “Poor Richard’s Almanack (sic),” Ben Franklin wrote “Early to bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Well, I guess I am getting healthier by going to the gym. I will keep you posted on the wealth…but what will happen to my brain without my reading time?

Monday, January 5, 2009

Pictures to Words

My friend Heather, from Picture Perfect, has taken over a new venture. I had seen a few blogs with this title and even posted one or two, but plan on being more active in participating in Pictures to Words (link) . Each week a photo will be posted and bloggers are encouraged to create text to set the stage, strike a chord, or poke some fun. The object is to be creative, express yourself and have fun.

This week's entry and my contribution:

The Wall - A Monologue

What the…?

How did that wall get here…again?!?

I don’t understand. Every day I leave my house at the same time. I take the same path and each and every day I run into the same wall….

It just doesn’t make any sense!

What am I supposed to do with this wall blocking my path?

(looks left, looks right)

Who knows how far this wall goes either way. So it’s not like I am going to find a way around it. That would be just silly!

(hands on hips, lips out in a pout while assessing the height of the wall)

And it’s not like I am going to bring tools to scale this puppy either.

Maybe I don’t really want what is on the other side of this anyway.

(Trudges off back the way she came…)

Maybe tomorrow it won’t be there.

Friday, January 2, 2009

That's my Alma Mater!

Taken from Overheard.com

Or Dead-- Whichever

Elevator repair man: Hey, I got a call that someone was stuck in the elevator.
Security guard: Yeah, but I haven't heard any more noise from her in like four hours, so I guess she's fine.

Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania