First and foremost I want to say Happy Birthday to my fantastic Son! I love you and am so very happy with all that you have accomplished in 24 years of life. You make me proud and hopeful for the future of our country. (yes, I am patiently waiting on some grand babies)
And for those who are unaware, today is Romi’s Birthday! Happy Birthday Chickie! I hope your year is filled with appropriate levels of romance. (whatever that may mean)
I will not be posting my normal Wednesday rants because I have nothing to be upset about today. Perhaps my magic beans are working. The sky is blue, the air is relatively clear (OK, I do live in Houston so we need to take that in to consideration), my work assignments are fairly light today, and I am going out shooting tonight! Wahoooooo… it is Ladies Night at the gun range! (Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.)
Today I am responding to Ms Lucky’s tag. I have been putting it off, because that is what I do best.
BOOKS
I like to read. If I pick up a book, I have to finish it no matter how slow it is. It eats at me. I cannot stand leaving things unfinished. It does not matter if it is a manual to rebuild an engine or a spicy sex novel. They are all given the same respect.
Books I have recently finished are:
Michael Yon’s “Danger Close” I was captivated in his writing. I am looking forward to the arrival of his autographed second book, “Moment of Truth” Michael has helped me understand many of the issues that my son may have faced while in Iraq. His writing and photography are amazing. And…
Foes by Fate…Friends by Choice by WWII pilot Capt. James A “Pete” Mullinax. His descriptive experience of being shot down and taken prisoner in Germany is riveting. (And meeting him in person was an experience that I will always cherish)
Autobiographies, biographies and history are my weakness.
I recently reread Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger. I wanted to see if it moved me into deep thought like the original time. (When it was a required read in order to pass English Lit.) I enjoyed it more this time, even knowing the ending.
Let me see… I also enjoy romantic silly fluff for those times when I need to just empty my head. I am also into reading thru a library of old medical books. They are incredibly entertaining. Did you know that pregnant women should not walk up stairs? They should have their husbands carry them.
I don’t buy books for myself very often. Boxes of them are donated to us to send out to the Soldiers. I pick thru the boxes and read many of them before they are shipped. A few of the books I recently read from the boxes are: The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, The Nine Brides and Granny Hite by Neill C Wilson, The Day Must Dawn by Agnes Sligh Turnbull, and Doctor in Exile by Maysie Greig. I loved all of these books, partially because they are old and I love the smell of old books and partially because I love the style of the writers.
MUSIC
Music is a constant in my world. Even if a song is not playing on my stereo, one is playing in my head.
My taste in music varies depending on my many mood swings and which voice in my head is winning at the moment. When I am in a deep dark mood I love classical music. A powerful concerto or string quartet can move me to tears. When I hear Beethoven’s Fur Elise, I know there must be a God. How else would such a magnificent writer be able to pass on such brilliance? And I can listen to Jose Carreras Core N’grato over and over and over….. (and I do)
Yes, I sobbed like a baby when Luciano Pavarotti died. I think my grief came as a realization that future generations may never understand his greatness.
But, I also deeply enjoy Classic Rock and 70’s and 80’s Soul music. Music I can sing to, music I can dance to, and music I can make crazy love to! (what more does a person need?)
When I drive I enjoy putting the top down and cranking Bob Marley or Marvin Gaye. Basically, I like listening to music that I can feel. If an artist can project the soul of the song and make you feel the pain, the joy, the heart… then I am hooked. Unlike books, I cannot listen to fluff music. Popcorn crap drives me batty. There are not too many new artists that I enjoy, except maybe Joss Stone. I hope she does not sell-out.
TV
I don’t watch a great deal of TV. When I do watch it is to unwind. I prefer silly sitcoms and think the writers for The New Adventures of Old Christine are brilliant. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hilarious. (I was surprised because I was not impressed with her on Seinfeld.) Often I have the TV turned on to the History Channel or HGTV. (I am always looking for ways to redecorate my cardboard box.)
I will catch American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance if I am not absorbed in a book or playing on the computer. I was hooked on HBO’s Deadwood and Canivale, and Showtime’s Dead Like Me. Alas, they dropped them all and I have not found a suitable replacement for any of them.
Sorry for breaking the rules, but I don’t know who to tag…. If you decide to do this, shoot me a note and I will link you.
Tags: entertainment, Happy Birthday, memememe
April 9, 2008 at 9:19 am
I LOVED Dead Like Me and can’t believe it didn’t last more than two seasons. It was such a good show!!!
April 9, 2008 at 9:58 am
Lucky ~ Mr J bought me the box sets of both seasons. I have not opened them yet because I am still in mourning.
April 9, 2008 at 10:01 am
awww…thanks so much for the Birthday shout-out, you are SO sweet, and I can’t believe I have the same b-day as your son…what are the odds?????
April 9, 2008 at 11:09 am
But it’s a good show to watch if you’re mourning!!
April 9, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I tried reading Catcher in the Rye several years ago and couldn’t get into it. I just don’t know if I have it in my to try again.
April 9, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Romi ~ I hope you have some awesome plans to help you celebrate. I just called my son and sand Happy Birthday on his voice mail. I can almost see him rolling his eyes at me.
Lucky ~ That is true, but I am holding out in protest. One of the weekends that Mr. J has to go out of town I may curl up on the sofa and watch every episode.
Allison ~ WHAT!!!! Just kidding. I seem to be pulled into dark books.
April 9, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Check out this link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079444/
Maybe another season went straight to DVD?
April 9, 2008 at 3:47 pm
OMG! Thanks Lucky. It won’t be the same without Rube, but I am still going to watch it.
BTW~ My autographed copy of “Moment of Truth in Iraq” was just delivered!!!!!!!!!!
April 9, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I love Fur Elise. It is one of my favorites. My son and I use to watched Deadwood together. We loved it. I haven’t read Catcher in the Rye since high school. I loved it then and I have such a bad memory it would be like reading it for the first time. Your list was great!!
April 9, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Oh, I almost forgot, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to yous son. Also, I’m glad your magic beans are working. Ladies night at the gun range, sounds like a blast to me.
April 9, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Pretend in your mind I didn’t type yous.
April 9, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I’m so rude!! Tell your cute son I said Happy Birthday!
April 9, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Happy birthaday to your son and ROMi
April 10, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Joan ~ Thanks for the kind words.
The gun range was a blast. It was my first time going by myself. I felt so grown-up!
As for the yous… I am fluent in Typanese and had not noticed that you made a slip until you pointed it out.
Lucky and Kaylee ~ I added your message to his answering machine when I sang him Happy Birthday. Pooh-butt didn’t pick up the phone…
April 10, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Happy first day after his birthday.