it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.*edit


It's getting to be that time of year again. So I thought I would post this for easy family reference. Here is what we figured out for the rotation in 2007 (this year. hee.)

Mark has Monica
Kurt has Megan
Jedd has Melanie
Monica has Mindy
Megan has Micquel
Dal has Kyle
Melanie has Mark
Kyle has Dal
Mindy has Kurt
Micquel has Jedd

*Edit: I just realized how very rude it was for me to exlude two very important members of the Walker family. So here they are included in the Walker Family Gift Exchange as it should have been from the beginning! I'm truly sorry, and hope no feelings were hurt!

has anybody here seen kelly?

I don't know why I used that title, the quote just popped into my head and got stuck there. So. There you go.

Actually I was wondering if anybody that reads this blog is familiar with ftp sites and how they work and how one would go about setting one up and how much something like that would cost and that sort of thing. (<---Run-on sentence!) As cute as it is, it would be nice not to have to don this uniform anymore.

I think I may have a great opportunity to quit Macey's and work with a lovely former college classmate of mine at her very own scrapbooking company, and as she is all the way in Panguitch, Utah, we were thinking an ftp site might be the way to go. So if anyone can send me in the right direction for getting something like that set up, I would totally owe you. Like a painting, or a handmade book, or something of your choosing.

Lot's of love,

Megan


I'm not much of a scrapbooker. Nevertheless, I love her patterns. Check them out here: collagepress. It's just a little depressing to see that all my classmates have gone on to illustrate books and start companies and have kids and etc and here I am working in a grocery store. Wouldn't you know, two of my classmates have come through my line at macey's. I'm having a bit of a difficult time dealing with it right now.

an amazing feeling

After getting home from work at midnight last night, I pretty much got some pajamas on and fell into bed. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep before 12:30. Here's the good part: I didn't wake up a single time until 6:34 a.m.!

What an absolutely wonderful feeling to sleep six straight uninterrupted hours!

Absolutely wonderful!

rude people make me cross

I know I should try and be understanding and all, maybe someone is just having a bad day or something, but when you work in a retail store, you're paid to be nice right? Even if you're having a bad day? I know where I currently work, if you're rude you get a warning and if it happens again you get fired. Even when I'm having a bad day, I am not allowed to be rude to the "guests"(that's how they refer to their customers), and even if I was, my own personal rules of conduct do not permit me to be rude.

So, mister-not-nice-guy at Waldenbooks, you may not know it, but you just lost a customer, I'm boycotting you and your store, grumpy-rude-person-man. So there!

which austen heroine are you?

I am Anne Elliot!


Take the Quiz here!




Karalenn posted this quiz on her blog, and I thought it would be fun. It was. :)

TAG I'M IT ALREADY

So, I've been tagged. Let's see if I can get this done (I've already done it partially and lost half of it) before Oliver wakes up.

Jobs I've held:


1. Fabric girl at Clothworld (currently Joann's)
2. Bookkeeper
3. Deli Girl
4. Newspaper advertising artist/screensaver clean-up artist
5. Illustrator
6. Portrait Painter
7. Graphic Designer
8. Mother
9. And now, in addition to the Mother job--which is full-time--I'm a bagger. Well, the title is Courtesy Clerk.

Movies I can watch over and over:

1.Little Women
2. While You Were Sleeping
3.Drop Dead Gorgeous
4.MST3K the movie
When I was in high school I used to watch Heidi (the one with Maximillian Schell in it) and/or Land Before Time over and over and over again.

Places I have lived:

1. Utah
2. Brazil
3. Washington State
4. Utah

Shows I enjoy:

I love the BBC's Doctor Who. Too bad we don't get it here in the States, we have to wait for last years season to come out on DVD. It's still worth it though, I love it. I usually enjoy the Office, too. And I used to watch all of the rachel ray and alton brown episodes on food network.

Places I have been for vacation:

1. Seattle
2. San Diego
3. Redwood Forest in Cali
4. Denver (if you can count one day on a high school trip!)
5. Disneyland with the high school band
6. England, but I wouldn't call it a vacation, I'd mostly call it a hellish nightmare.
7. Idaho
8. St. George

Favorite Foods:

1. Pretzels from Auntie Ann's, but Pretzelmaker will do in a pinch.
2. Mom's homemade ice cream. And pies. And rolls. And cinnamon rolls. Well, basically, Mom's homemade anything!
3. Chocolate chip cookies. Homemade.
4. I used to really love hummus on a toasted bagel, but it's been a looong time.
5. I used to love Thai until an unfortunate encounter forever has altered my preference.
6. Chicken Tika Masala from Bombay House with Naan Bread.

Websites I visit:

1. all the blogs that are linked on my blog, and a few more. knitting, crafting, and momming sites.
2. imdb and amazon all of the time
3. google and wikipedia
4. orem city library catalog

No nicknames - Nutmeg, Meglet and Meg or Megs are all close to my heart.
I've also been called Megzipan, Megagan, Moogan, Megabutt, Megmum, Megalishus, Megalith, and Martha.

If you read this and haven't already been tagged (I think the five people that read this blog have already done it) then consider yourself tagged. You may proceed. Oh, and let me know if you do, so I can read your blog and learn a little about you.

Bring Mister Rogers Back!


I got up on Tuesday morning and thought I'd look for the upcoming episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Oliver and I have been watching random episodes all summer long. Oliver really likes it, and I really like it. I have no problem letting him watch this program. I have some beef with some other children's programs, but I still let him watch them. Some people may mock and call Mister Rogers corny or boring or annoying, and they roll their eyes, but I like him. I'm so glad Oliver got over his teletubbies fixation (thank heavens that only lasted a week) and started asking for "ahrjers" instead. So yes, back to the point, I got up on Tuesday to look for the upcoming episodes, and Mister Rogers Neighborhood was nowhere to be found on the list. I kept thinking I had made some kind of mistake, and looked three different times (if not more). But, nope, no more episodes. I finally found a tiny paragraph on a wikipedia article that reads, "On September 3rd Labor Day Mr. Rogers will be no longer be aired by some PBS affiliates to make way for the shows Super Why and Word World."

Well, I tell you what, I don't get annoyed at PBS very much, but I'm really annoyed at KBYU and KUED right now. Anybody have any ideas on how I can talk them into putting mister rogers back on the air? Maybe we were the only two people in Utah that watched mister rogers. Sigh. I guess it's pretty likely.

I'm back, and true confessions

Well, we again have internet access. That was probably the stupidest decision I have made in the last quarter (I've been making some real winners) to disconnect the internet. I did it with the intent to save money, but as a result of that decision no money was saved, and a bunch was spent, not to mention the time and inconvenience of hauling a stubborn toddler and an iMac 9 miles sometimes twice a day (stupid naptime routine). Wouldn't you know as soon as we get internet access back, suddenly prices on gas plummet. So I guess you all have me to thank for the lower gas prices, heh, heh. I wasn't getting any freelance assignments when I made the decision, but wouldn't you know, a week after we cancel the internet the work starts rolling in.

The really ironic thing is that I'm typing this blog entry from Kyle's laptop at Mom and Dad's. Ollie is currently entirely distracted by the three children and daschund that are playing downstairs (thanks, guys!)

The only way I can get anything done is when Oliver is sleeping or if there are plenty of cousins around to distract him from tormenting me with his constant tantrums. He thinks that I am his personal jungle gym, and climbs all over me, pulls my hair, sits on my face. I thought his tantrums were bad before, and I thought that once he learned to speak it would just get easier to communicate and he wouldn't need to throw himself on the floor, or throw his toys (or head) at my head (I think I broke my nose on Monday). Boy was I ever wrong. His vocabulary is EXPLODING. And this is bad. The last three days have been such a string of tantrums that it feels like I have lived a month and not three days. And believe me, if there was some reason that he was throwing the tantrum that I could give in to, I would go against all parenting wisdom and TOTALLY give in to him. But I'm not even given that escape, because he and I have not an inkling on what will make him happy. I just don't understand where this demon possessed child has come from, it's like one morning he woke up and decided that nothing whatsoever in the world is right, and there is no distracting him from this determination. I've been reduced to living each moment feeling as if I'm walking on egg shells, because anything, literally ANY WRONG MOVEMENT might set him off. There is just now telling what it might be. It could be as simple as opening the wrong book, or putting a toothbrush on the wrong side of the counter top, or opening the wrapping on a granola bar. And after he has started into his mad tirade, there is no stopping him. I've tried ignoring him and shutting myself in my bedroom, but after 30 minutes of screaming and listening to the house be destroyed, I'm at my wits end. What's a person to do? So I grab the writhing, kicking, hitting, throwing, screaming demon-creature and try to stuff him into the car or into a stroller before he does himself more harm, and if I'm really really really lucky, he might be distracted enough from his personal hell to give me some peace form mine. And then we're back to the eggshells. It's enough to make a person a raving lunatic. And believe me. I HAVE. Maybe raving isn't an accurate description, though. Perhaps roaring, screaming, yelling, irrational, toddler-ish lunatic would be more accurate?

How does one use time-outs on such a child? When the tantrum has no obvious set-off and the poor behavior is the tantrum itself? "You get a time-out because you are pitching a fit?" Sit in this chair for 2 minutes until you can stop crying and act like a calm reasonable human being? Yeah, that'll happen. If he's screaming and kicking and pounding my door for THIRTY minutes, two minutes in a time-out chair are going to work wonders.

So, yeah, welcome to life with a two-year old, Megan. It's all you dreamed it would be, and more.

I'm reminded of sitting in one of my first college courses, I was taking Intro to Child Development, and the professor was saying that it might come as a big surprise to all of us, but there were definitely some times that our parents did not like us. And I WAS surprised, because I only ever thought of my parents as loving me ALWAYS. Which, I really am certain they do and always have and always will LOVE me. But it had never occured to me that they might not LIKE me. And now I understand. I do LOVE Oliver. But currently, I'm not much in like with him. I just really hope it is a stage, because if I've lived a month in three days, what kind of lifetimes am I going to live in the next 5, 18, 30, 50 years?

Character building, I suppose. What doesn't kill me, breaks me, right? And supposedly I'm supposed to be stronger for it, but I think I'm just uglier and nastier and setting a horrible example for Oliver of how to cope with desperation.

I guess you never really know yourself until you have kids.

anyone know

anyone know a good remedy for maple syrup on sand-colored berber carpet? Sigh. I give up.

four more days

it turns out I have to turn the modem back in to the comcast people for them to cancel the service (der, I didn't think of that--it makes sense) and since the billing period ends the 26th, I'll just wait until this friday or saturday to turn it in. So I have a few more days of blogging.

I have been doing some self-reflection and was surprised to find how quickly and easily I have turned into a consumer in the last few years. I always considered myself fairly frugal and careful with money, due to the great teaching I received from my parents (both by their example and by their teaching) and from brothers and sisters. But the last years I began to relax, and now it has caught up with me with a terrible vengeance.

Not that I really have gone to any extravagent measures to obtain expensive nice possessions. No, it's really been little trips to the grocery store and to wal-mart nearly everyday (when macey's, k-mart, and target are all within easy walking distance, well...) and buying expensive groceries, like organic milk and yogurt, or buying little toys and trinkets for Oliver on every trip. And not reducing my spending to match my reduced income. And using the car WAY too much.

So I started last week with a vow to live on our food "storage." I'm not really sure how long the food will last, but I haven't been to the store for a week (except to buy some eggs--the cheap kind, not the expensive organic kind I used to buy). The milk and yogurt are sorely missed, but we have powdered milk for a little while, and I bought some eggs with our penny jar. It's a good thing Oliver doesn't drink milk anyway, otherwise this might be even harder to do. And my new mode of transportation is my bike, or my own two feet. It's a good thing I only have Oliver, otherwise, I don't know what I would do about carting kids around. So I'm going to take advantage of this time when I only have one child and really learn to live on less. I want to get to a point where we can live within our means. Really do it this time, and stay that way. And maybe save. Because trying to save while racking up consumer debt is absolutely pointless--in my opinion. I don't know if anyone has proven that fact financially somewhere.

Drastic circumstances call for drastic measures. Or something like that. How does that saying go?

It's great when gas is so expensive, because now I can say I saved even more by not driving somewhere! Like, I didn't drive to Grandma Dee's last wednesday, I took Oliver on our bike. So I figure I saved $1.20 just that one trip! Of course, the bike seat cost me $30.00 last fall, and it could very well be argued that I shouldn't have purchased it, because we really didn't have the money for it then, even less now, and I'll have to use it at that distance 20 somewad more times to make it pay for itself, so I won't actually be saving money for a while, but hey, I'm not spending anymore, eh?

It's also pretty lucky that I have a child who enjoys being in the stroller or on the bike or in the wagon so much, who thinks that a walk over to Jiffy Lube to see their crazy-dancing-air-sock-man-thing (do you know what I'm talking about?) is the best thing that we do in a day.

So does anyone know someone who can give me a free haircut? Because I might just take matters into my own hands.

goodbye for now

Hey, everyone, I'm cancelling our internet service for a while to save money. So I won't be hanging around these parts much. I'll try to catch up on everyone's blogs and emails periodically, like at my parents or kevin's work or something. It's been fun! See ya!

they make me drool

I love this blog. If you like patterns, (I am currently infatuated with them) you might enjoy it, also.

book club

The Enrichment group for our Book Club met again last night. We met here at my apartment, so it was a little crazy for me, trying to wrangle the child and get the house into a more comfortable state of cleanliness. Everyone made ME decide (because it was my house, heh, heh) what we were going to read next (no pressure, huh!) and so the only thing that I could think of (that none of us has read yet) off the top of my head was the Princess Diaries that my niece Casey has enjoyed so much. (Boy, I think that was a terribly constructed sentence--maybe it doesn't even count as a real sentence. Am too lazy to go back and fix it) I hope they all enjoy it, I hope it was the right choice! So that's next on our list.
Over the last month I've read these books and really enjoyed them.



trying to find new "clothes" for your blog

is so much easier and more satisfying than actually trying to find clothes for your own body. Wouldn't you agree? Perhaps part of it is the fact that it's pretty darn close to being free when you finally do decide. And then if you change your mind--say the template shrinks after a few washings, and it's just ill-fitting, or maybe you just are tired of looking at it and wearing it day after day, ill-fitting though it is--you can just go "shopping" again, and try a new style, color, and feel. Voila! A new you.

Maybe I should change my blog template every time I post. Though that might be confusing to you, my dear reader, not knowing what colors will assault your senses at any given time. Never knowing if this is megan's blog, or some stranger from half-way accross the world. Perhaps there is comfort and good in familiarity, after all.

If you haven't tried out Blogger's new "Page Elements" features, as I hadn't until just now, you should have a look at it, it's really nifty. And fun!

Have a fab day!

The hardest thing in the world to understand

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
- Albert Einstein, physicist

I support the FairTax. If you do, too, please send a fax to your congressmen! I did!

As I was thinking about this post, I realized that probably not everyone will be as enthusiastic as I currently am about abolishing the income tax. Probably the majority of everyone I know actually gets a tax return every year, as opposed to having to pay out thousands of dollars every year. But if you read the book, you'll see how much better the FairTax is--even better than getting a return. You get to take home ALL your pay, and you don't have to go through the gigantic headache of filing your taxes. It really is better for the economy, better for businesses, better for senior citizens (eventually) better for EVERYBODY. And if you haven't read the FairTax book, trust me. Or go to FairTax.org and see what you can glean from the website. Or talk to me.

Let's take America back. Let's make the government work for US, instead of vice versa.

Ollie, have I failed you?

Since before Oliver was born, actually ever since I heard an NPR program in 2004, it was my intention to not introduce television to Oliver for as long as possible. Not because I think television is inherently evil, or that I want to be some weirdo, wacko, anti-entertainment dictator of a parent, but just because in my heart I believed that I would be doing Oliver a favor. In my imagination I saw myself playing with my children, playing outside or playing make-believe with whatever we could find, and I also envisioned my children being able to entertain themselves and fully enjoying their limitless imaginations. The NPR program, by the way, was an interview with Juliet Schor, who has written books about the influence of media (particularly marketing) on children. She said that she had observed some rather striking differences between children that grew up with out television entirely and children who have grown up with video games and television and computer games, and how the latter didn't seem to know how to really play or imagine. I remember her talking about a child playing very imaginatively with simply some acorns. And it has stuck with me, and I really wanted to give that as a gift to Oliver (in my mind, I imagine it as me doing him a favor). Then I came upon the American Association of Pediatrics recommendation that children under 2 should not be exposed to ANY television whatsoever, and I felt like I had someone to back me up. I vowed to myself I would not use the TV as a babysitter. That's where I went wrong, I think. I also had vowed to myself that I would be the flossing-NAZI so that my kids wouldn't have such miserable dentist appointments as I do. And I've already failed miserably with that vow, along with giving him fluoride consistently, and at an appropriate time so that milk doesn't cancel it out. sigh, I'm getting off the subject...

In any case, I did a pretty darn good job about not exposing Oliver to ANY television, until he was 15 months old. Not that it was really that difficult when he was that young, anyway, because he wasn't interested. Well, one morning when he was fifteen months old, I couldn't stand his crankiness and he wouldn't leave me alone, and it was 5:00 am and I couldn't even wash a single dish without him yanking on my pant legs and screaming, and (not that I'm trying to excuse myself AT ALL, I'm just showing my point of weakness) and I turned on Signing Time and said, "watch this, and just leave me alone for five minutes!" and I went and finished the dishes. He only watched a few minutes those first few times, but ever since he figured out how to turn on the television he wants to watch ALL OF THE TIME! He watches hours and hours of signing time everyday, and even when we tried to hide the TV (which is hard on Kevin's back) he figured out that it was hidden and wouldn't rest until we could put it back and turn it on. (It's cute how he signs signing time, too, I should get a picture of it.) I do realize that I can say "no" and let it be at that. But seriously, how many parents can deal with a tantrum every 15 minutes? Or annoying pestering and whining? So I've just given in, and I feel terribly guilty that I didn't at least make it until he was two years old before I turned him into a couch potato (actually, I was hoping that if I held out that long, maybe he wouldn't be very interested, and he would rather play than sit and watch hours and hours of television). Most of it is because I hate listening to his tantrums, and he can be VERY stubborn with his tantrums. I'd much rather dodge a tantrum than live through it, but we're past the ability of saying, "all gone" or "it's broken!" because Oliver knows better. He is one smart cookie. And he knows how I loathe his tantrums, and takes complete advantage of that. So "no" doesn't exactly work. Distractions don't work like they used to, and even then it ended up being more work than I liked, because it used to be I could say, "want to cook some eggs?" and let him crack the eggs (and make a mess) and that would buy me 15 or so minutes. Or I'd let him play in the flour, or in the refrigerator, or in my make-up, or with play-dough, or with markers. But you can only crack so many eggs, and only so many kitchen messes you can live with after a while before you are saying, "stop making that noise (it makes me want to pull my hair out!) go watch TV and let me clean this disaster up!" ARgh.

So in my mind, the only solution that I can come up with that doesn't involve tantrums is to get rid of the TV altogether. But it's not really an option, because we would have to store our entertainment center somewhere (where? anyone want to buy it?) because even the empty entertainment center is a reminder, and Oliver will throw his tantrum until we put the TV back. I don't know. I just can't see a solution that would work for both Kevin and Oliver. And it IS really nice to get the kitchen clean without an interruption every three minutes. Or read a book for that matter. But what kind of problems am I setting myself up for down the road? And poor Oliver! I'm totally limiting his potential! If I hadn't turned the TV on that fateful day, he may have been a GENIUS! heh. I'm exaggerating, I know, but every time I put signing time on for him (it's the only TV he gets to watch, except for the occasional blip of real TV that comes through when the TiVo flips back to live television) I can't help but wonder how many brain cells I'm killing, or how many opportunities for playing and learning and interacting we are missing because he wants to sit and watch TV.

I almost wonder if he would be less interested in TV if I had let him be exposed to it from the beginning of his life, and if I didn't make such a huge deal to myself about it.

I just can't think of a good solution.

Here is my attempt at rationalization: But everyone lets their kids watch TV? Right? and they're okay? Right? It's the weird kids that don't watch TV? I'm helping Oliver to not become the playground pariah, right?

I went to a "ready to learn" workshop, and the coordinator there said that she has a good friend that is a preschool teacher that says every year she gets fewer and fewer students who know how to play. and more and more kids who want to be entertained. And this was exactly what I was hoping to be able to help Oliver learn--to play! to entertain himself! to have fun with simple things! to interact and be creative and enjoy life (not that I have been an example for that, oh, dear).

Ollie, I'm sorry I have failed you.

Happy Birthday



Hope you have a fabulous birthday, Monica!

I'm making cookies (cause I can't seem to master cakes) in your honor.

the new 'do

P & P revisited

Last week I read and finished Pride and Prejudice again. I read that Stephenie Meyer loosely based Twilight on Pride and Prejudice, and so I wanted to revisit one of my favorite stories. I did enjoy it--however, I was surprised that I didn't love it as much as I remember. I think it had to do with the fact that after I finished it, I flipped back to the front and read the little--well, it was actually kind of long--Introduction. The critical essay thinger that they always put in the front of classical literature, you know? Well, it kind of ruined the book for me, and I kind of wish I hadn't read it at all. Before, it was just a lovely love story, you know, and "friends become enemies, enemies become friends," the whole sweet deal, heh. But now, after reading the introduction, it's not a love story at all but a bitter irony playing out Jane Austen's (the ironist) rage. Peh. Why'd I have to go and do that?

P.S. Kevin made me an awesome mixtape for Twilight. It's like an awesome "soundtrack" for the book. It's called "Twibute" and I love it, thanks Kevin!

momentarily diverted from income tax activism

This is going to turn out to be a long rambling, and probably confusing post. Just warning you.

My sister-in-law loaned me two books that she said she had read and really enjoyed. She's loaned me lots of books--and I've always really enjoyed each and every one of them, and have been grateful for her recommendations and for sharing the books with me so that I wouldn't have to go through the library or have to purchase the books. These books have included: Because of Winn-Dixie, Peter and the Star-Catchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, The Goose Girl (actually, all of Shannon Hale's books) Pictures of Hollis Woods...all really fabulous books. Well, I was a little doubtful about the last set that she loaned to me. She had told me last year that she would have never ever read these books, due to the subject matter, but she had to give a presentation or something, and so thought she would just "scan" the book and ended up reading and becoming so engrossed that she didn't sleep the whole night to finish the book.






Well, despite the track record of recommendations from her, I rather skeptically brought the books home, thinking I'd get around to them whenever, and have to take little bites here and there over an extended period of time. I should know myself better, though, I get so absorbed in a story, I just get frustrated when I have to take it in little pieces, and so end up just plowing through. Even books that I have read before, like the Chronicles of Narnia or Persuasion. (Those familiar ones are a little easier to take in bites, though, than a new story, but still.)

Well, last Tuesday, I picked up the first of the set that she gave me, called Twilight. I read the first chapter, thinking I could maybe do a chapter at a time. Which was fine with the first chapter. I have to admit, I was curious due to the subject matter (vampires) because I've never been interested in that type of story, EVER, but because Vicki liked it so much, I was curious. The curiosity pulled me through the first chapter, and then I HAD to find out, and then--I was hooked. I finished the book on Thursday morning, and then picked up the next book (New Moon) and finished that one by Friday. You have to understand, I've been obsessive about sleeping what with Oliver and his continuous night-wakings or extremely early mornings, and I got three hours of sleep two nights in a row because I just had to finish these books (it's rather hard to read when Oliver is awake). And then I picked up the first book again (Twilight) and finished it yesterday. It was just as good as the first time around. I could read it again, and I don't think I would still be tired of it. I'm itching to read New Moon again, the only thing stopping me is that I have so much to do Wednesday and Thursday. But I'm obsessed! I've been to her website and I just can't get enough of her characters! I would have to say that I love this book as much as I love Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. And that is really saying a lot, because I really, really, love those books.

I guess this is just to say that I loved the books, they are fabulous, and if you are in the mood to become completely absorbed in a fictional story, these are the books for you. I highly, highly recommend them. However, I must warn you that if you don't want to get as hung up as I am right now, don't read the second book, New Moon. Twilight holds together itself as a complete, finished story, but I couldn't get enough of the characters and that is why I continued on with New Moon. But if you can read the first one and not read the second one, let me know! I'm so unsatisfied, (think: the last Pirates of the Carribean movie unsatisfied) and can't wait until September for the next book. And then I will have to wait an entire year for the next book, and another year or more or forever for the last book, which is really the one I am dying to read at this moment.

I would love to meet Stephenie Meyer and get my books signed (I went out and bought them the day I gave them back to Vicki, heh, because I was already to read them again, because I can't get enough of her characters!) She'll be here in Provo on Friday and Saturday at the Provo library but I think it's an exclusive club pary and then an expensive symposium the next day. Oh, well.

Here's the weird part, and I don't know if it's just because I'm kind of a freak, and perhaps overly sentimental or something? I don't know what it is, but after I read a really good book like that, I get a little depressed. Or melancholy, perhaps is a better word. Perhaps its because it was such a good story, and then, it's over. Is it because I was so absorbed in the story, that for a few days I became "friends" with the characters, and then I have to say goodbye, never to see them again? Am I mourning the end of the book? Am I sad because real-life is just not as fabulous as a story? Or is it simply because I've had my decadent indulgence and have to face the chores and mundanity of everyday life again? I don't know exactly what it is, maybe it is somehow all of those things combined. But what I'm curious to know, is if anyone else in the world ever feels that way after reading a fabulous book or seeing a really really good movie. Or is it just me?

Just finished reading this book



If anyone wants to borrow it from me and read it, please do. I would love to discuss it with someone, and I have a few questions. There is one aspect of H.R.25 that I still can't seem to wrap my head around. Also, I'd be curious to know which side of the "revolution" you are on, and why.