Breaktime

As some of you might have been able to tell, I have been taking a tiny break from blogging. I have not had much to say, and there has been a lot going on in my life right now.

I will try to be back in a few days with some reviews. I am working on a booklist for my library on Christian Romance, so I have been reading a lot of those. Right now, I leave you with a view of the Shenandoah River from Harper's Ferry.

More to come!

Liz had a request for some of my favorite hiking trails. I am in Virginia, so they will be in the northern/central Virginia area. I have to look over some of my photos so that I can post some pictures too.

One that I like to visit (because it is not too long of a drive) is Prince William Forest Park. There are lots of trails that I like to hike, but one of the best is the South Valley Trail. It is quite long (about 9 miles) but I don't hike it all at once. I have picked sections to hike. In fact, this is the trail where there was the beaver activity in the earlier post. The trail follows a creek and it is quite peaceful.

Another park that I like to visit because it is not too far from my parents house is Antietam National Battlefield. I am a big civil war buff and this park is very well preserved because it was farm land then and it is farm land now. There is one trail that I started to walk on my last vacation. It is called the Snaveley's Ford trail. It goes beside Antietam creek, is in the woods, and has opportunities to catch glimpses of wildlife. I did not get to walk the entire trail, because when I was there it was starting to rain and I was afraid that it would turn into a storm.

I have pictures, but I need to find them!

More to come!

Hiking

One of my favorite things to do is to hike. Not hugely long hikes (I like modern bathroom facilities) but just to go walk in the woods for an hour or so makes me feel great. By the way, here is a book tie-in: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Absolutely hysterical! Bryson and his friend try to hike the Appalachian trail, and they are not exactly prepared.

Lately when I take pictures, I have been fascinated by the most interesting things.

This one is a picture of an interesting fungus on a log near a creek. I took this one with the camera on the cell phone.

This one is a close-up of some ferns on the ground in the national park. I discovered my digital camera has this close-up setting and I have been playing with it.

And here is the handiwork of a beaver. This one was taken months ago.

Thats all for now!

Where have I been?

I have not posted in a while. I have been here and I've been visiting blogs. But I haven't had much to say. We are in a heat wave again and tomorrow is supposed to be 100 again. But as the cliche goes, "Its not the heat, its the humidity." So true! You walk outside and it feels like someone threw a heavy wet blanket on you!

I just finished a book that I thought was good. It was called Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell. It is the story of the fictional Carter, Banks, and Wright families, their lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and how the coming of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park changed all of their lives. The coming of the park mostly just happened at the end, but Caldwell described how life was like in the mountains. It was a really good book, especially since the area is one of my favorite places to visit.

Harry Potter

I read the entire book. Yes...the ENTIRE book. It was a beautiful day saturday and I read outside on my deck. I can say that the ending to the series was very satisfying to me.

Rant Alert!

One thing that was irritating me was the comments that I read from reviewers (professional), reporters, commenters on blogs, etc. Many people are criticizing this book, and people's choice to read it. A reporter in my home town was doing a story and interviewed a small bookstore owner who made comments that we should only read GOOD books because we don't have enough time to read. Well who decides what is a GOOD book? Ok, so this series has not won the Nobel prize for literature or the Pulitizer prize for fiction. Who cares? It is a good story with interesting characters. A commenter on a blog I ran across (no one who usually reads this--it was a professional reviewer and I can't remember who it was) said that everyone he knows that reads Harry Potter does not read anything else. Well, I have read all 7 in the series now. And last year I read almost 400 books of all types. I would like to know how many he read.

The thing is, if you do not want to read the series, thats fine. But do not criticize people who DO. As I librarian and a reader, I believe that people should read what they want. If they don't want to read classics or prize winners, who cares? And those people out there who get self-righteous about only reading"good" books can stuff it. :-)

Rant Over. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

Allergies!

Sorry I have not been around. I've been reading everyone's blog but not necessarily commenting on it. The weather has been weird and my allergies are running wild.

I went to the allergist today and I had a reaction to every pollen tested including grasses and ragweed. So basically, I am suffering from March to about October. I am also allergic to dust mites (is there anyone who isn't?) and dogs and cats. That may explain why my head has been hurting every day. My cat Bella (see my avatar!) likes to sit with me and cuddle. What I like about my allergist is that he never even mentioned getting rid of the cats as an option. Because it isn't. I have meds to try and he is suggesting that I get injections again.

Harry Potter comes out on Saturday! I bought my copy through the library, so I am going to get up bright and early and go get it. Then I have my yoga class before I can actually start reading. The library is supposed to get our copies on Friday. Catalogers will be standing by. The acquistions librarian had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to be able to get the books early. The number of people who will have access to the books will be limited and they will be under lock and key. Its kind of exciting.

Back to the real world

I had an entire two weeks off, but it ended up not being much of a vacation. Tomorrow its back to the real world. And I already have a pile of stuff that needs done. I did nothing today but go to the grocery store and Borders. I had a 15% off coupon for my birthday. I would have liked to go outside, but the heat and humidity here in Virginia is just terrible. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. Ick!

Hospital

My nephew had his tonsils out today. The operation was a success and he is home now recuperating. He feels pretty lousy now and refuses to swallow. He also hates the nasty taste of the tylenol with codeine. But he was very brave. He is nine and a half and there was no tears when it came time to take him into surgery. He woke up fine (no tears) and he ate mac and cheese. I am very proud of him.

Back!

I am back! Soory I did not post. My dad's computer was slower than molasses. I went to my parents (with my nephew) who are in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. I was only there for a few days, but I went to Harper's Ferry and Antietam National Battlefield. Saw some beautiful scenery and took a few hikes. Spent more money than I should!

Tomorrow my 9 year old nephew is getting his tonsils out. He is nervous but is acting very brave. It is outpatient so he will be home in his own bed and we already went to the store to pick up ice-cream! I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes. I get pretty somber and reflective this time every year, thinking about increasing debt and things I have not done. But the good wishes do help me feel better!

Happy birthday to me

As of 2:03 AM on July 1, I will be 36 years old. Its another year alone, another year of worries, and another year of going into debt, and another midlife crisis. I hate this time of year. I usually spend most of my birthday alone. Tomorrow I will be visiting my mom and dad (taking my nephew) until Thursday. My mom has promised to make my favorite chocolate cake. I am going to try to get outside and take in some beautiful scenery. My dad has a computer, so I will check in.

The end of the saga

I know everyone is sick of me talking about my kitchen floor. Good news! Its finally finished. I want to thank everyone for being patient about my whining. I will try to show a picture soon.

I went to the American Library Association conference in Washington D.C. yesterday. I should say that I went to the exhibits, not the conference. Unfortunately I am too poor for the conference program. Many of the publishers were giving away review copies of books. Plus I picked up lots of bags, pens, and post-its. I have this weird addiction to office supplies. I ended up walking for about 2.5 hours straight. And thats with heavy bags on my shoulder. One of the booths that I wanted to visit (and did) was the booth for the online comic strip Unshelved. Its this great comic that takes place in a public library. Its absolutely hysterical. If you've never seen it, go visit! If you work or have ever worked in a library, it will seem familiar. If you've never worked in a library, it will show you what life in a library can be like.

I recently finished The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry. I should have a review soon. Right now I am reading a YA book called The Book Thief. I'll review that one too when I finish.

Opinions

I just realized something about myself. I ALWAYS watch what I say, even to the point of keeping my own opinions silent, to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. Now thats good to a certain extent. You can give someone honest criticism without being harsh. But there are some cases where it can go too far the other way. When you are afraid to say that you didn't like a book because someone else raved about it, thats going too far the other way. Nothing really triggered this, I guess I just thought about it as I was commenting on various blogs today.

TGIF!

Thanks for the tips about my e-mail address! I forgot to click the little box that says "share" on my profile. Its there now. I am so glad that it is Friday. I am ready for a peaceful weekend. Unfortunately, its supposed to be in the 90s.

There is no longer a huge de-humidifier in my kitchen. The floor is officially dry. Now to wait til the 25th to have the laminate installed. It feels like there is a little uneven spot in the middle of the floor, almost like it was slightly warped, but I'm trying not to worry so much about that. The water people said the subflooring was fine.

I just finished All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris. Its the 7th book in the "Southern Vampire Series" This time around, Sookie Stackhouse, waitress and telepath, is hired by the vampire queen of Louisiana to go as part of her entourage to read the humans' minds. This convention is not all fun and games. There is quite a bit of political manueverings and Sookie has to do all she can to make sure that she gets out alive. If you haven't read the series, its best to start with the first one, Dead Until Dark. They start fairly light and get slightly darker as the series continues. I highly recommend them.

Near Accident and More Floor Issues

I almost wrecked my car yesterday. I was taking the back way into work because there was a traffic back-up my usual way. I was heading one way on a two lane road, when all of a sudden this old "lady" made a left hand turn crossing directly across my path! I had no time to slam on the brakes. I could not swerve to the right because being a back road, there was no shoulder. My instinct was to swerve across the opposite lane of traffic into someone's front yard. I had to do this because the car behind the old lady did not stop either. I was afraid that if I hadn't swerved I would have t-boned her car and killed her husband. I am the type to dwell on things. I kept thinking "what if..." and "maybe I really did have time to brake?" I need to learn to stop dwelling on what MIGHT have happened and be grateful that nothing DID happen! Especially since if anything happened to one of the people in the car, I would have felt terrible even if it was not my fault.

Now more on the floor! I know everyone is sick of hearing about this. Not half as much as I am, dealing with it! The giant fan is out of the kitchen. Now there is plastic blocking off underneath my kitchen cabinet with a big old humidifer running. I know this is important. They need to make sure it is really dry under there., especially since it does not really get the air. But it is kind of hard to get to my sink (although NOT impossible--you kind of have to go at an angle). When I sent a text to my sister to give her a heads up (since I am working 12 to 9 tonight) she just said "How are we supposed to make dinner." I am getting so stressed dealing with this. There is nothing I can do about it. If the floor is not dry, mold will grow again. And I know she understands this too, but I am SICK of the appliances being in the dining room, and I am SICK of eating microwave food.

Saturday I will go to my second yoga class. I went last saturday because my yoga center offers a free beginner class. I LOVED it. It really helps relieve my stress. The atmosphere is low-key and non-competitive and the price is reasonable. Last week (afterwards) I thought I would have to re-register, but she told me how much of a check to write, asked if level one felt right (definitely!) and said she would get me registered this coming saturday.

Enough ramblinhg! I am going to get ready for work (new public computers installed today!) and possibly check in tonight.

Stress easing

Sorry I have not been around. My house has been stressful. The kitchen is still in disarray but the water mitigation people are coming back tomorrow afternoon to make sure that everything is dried. They may have to cut out a piece of the lauan (sheet of plywood on top of the subflooring) but my flooring people can take care of it. Things are slowly coming together. The stove had been moved back into the kitchen because my sister could not take microwaved food another day, but I moved it back out today. The carpenter bees attacking the side of my house have been treated for, so hopefully the woodpecker pecking the house will stop. I have not had much time to read, but I have read a bit. I read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (I think). He explains the Tao philosophy using characters from Winnie the Pooh. It makes it so much easier to understand. I had to read the Tao Te Ching in college and it was hard to understand. This makes it easier. It is also pretty short too.

More Stress

I never realized how stressful it is for me for things to be messed up. My kitchen is now torn apart worse than ever. I am paying my sister to paint my kitchen. We decided this a while ago. Since the appliances are in the dining room, she got started with peeling the wallpaper and started priming the walls, and she planned to get the areas behind the appliances while they are out of the way and do the rest after the floor is taken care of. It makes sense. I was going to suggest it myself before she got started, but now the microwave is on the floor while she started priming (my nephew wanted to help so that may be why everything is in transition right now. But its really painful for me to have everything such a mess. And my insurance guy is coming Monday morning at 10 AM to re-evaluate and take pictures, etc. So I have to get everything back off of the floor tomorrow.

I know for most people, this seems like nothing. There are people with REAL problems out there and I am complaining about a little mess in the kitchen. But I think the fact that I have not really eaten very well for the past few days is starting to affect me. And now with the microwaves out of commission along with the stove, its just going to get worse!

More house problems

To continue my plumbing saga: the flooring people came today to install my laminate flooring. Unfortunately, when the pulled the old stuff, there was mold and mildew underneath. AARRGGHH! My insurance company gave me the name of a company to come out and clean and they came this afternoon and spread some biocide (i think thats what it is--it kills mold). Luckily so far the mold is just in a small area on top of the old vinyl flooring. But they said that there might be something underneath my kitchen cabinets. My insurance adjustor is coming back out monday and we'll see where we go from there. In the meantime, my stove and refrigerator are in my dining room, and my kitchen still smells musty. I keep telling myself that it may take a bit of time for the smell to go away, but I am stressing myself out.

NASCAR

I have nothing against NASCAR. Its just not my thing and I really don't understand it. My sister just (9PM) called me on her cell phone. They are currently in Charlotte NC at Lowe's Motor Speedway watching a race. She had to call me just to show me how loud it was. I have come to the conclusion that I would be ABSOLUTELY miserable at a race. My idea of fun is sitting in the nice quiet, peaceful woods and listening to the birds sing, or the water trickling. To each his own I guess.

Spam Posts

What is the deal lately with Spam Posts? For the second time in a week, I've had an anonymous comment with this bizarre statement. It looks like spam because it makes absolutely no sense. I may have to change my comment settings. Its getting annoying. Does anyone else have this problem?

I need suggestions! I am doing an internet searching class at my library at the end of June demonstrating how to tweak search engines to find what you want. Like using the advanced search options, limiting to a domain, choosing key words, etc. Here is my problem: I need good examples! I'm having trouble thinking of a good search topic or topics. Something beyond just a simple subject search. I had thought of doing a search for the history of one of the national parks and the people who were displaced, but that is MY interest. Someone else may not be as interested. Any ideas?

Stressed

There is another leak under my kitchen sink. That means another $150 to the plumber on my credit card. I wish I was rich. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.