Colleen's 30th Birthday - Gifts

I am just learning how to use my new Flip Video Camera, so pardon the quality!  Plus, it was dark in there!  Here's Colleen opening her gifts.



John surprised her by organizing a get-together at Cantina Laredo...yum!  We did a good job of keeping it "hush-hush," and she was truly surprised.

Farewell to Tom

My brother-in-law, Thomas Miley Higginbotham, passed away early today.  His fun-loving ways and infectious wit will be sorely missed.

He was always the one who tried to make things better, to smooth ruffled feathers and try to get people talking to each other again.

Please remember him fondly.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I'm going to have to stop reading books that get great reviews — I just don't seem to like the same things as everyone else.

I just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  I found this book depressing.  I don't enjoy reading about dysfunctional families — infidelity, teenage angst, unwed mothers, drug use, inability to communicate, misunderstandings, etc.  There's enough of that in real life.  The story really seemed to go on too long.

I did enjoy the sympathetic way the author highlighted some of the issues faced by people with Down's Syndrome, but, all in all, I'm glad I'm done with that book!

2008 Harvard Commencement Speech by J. K. Rowling

My friend, Sharon, at The sunlit desk pointed me to this speech given nearly two years ago.  I had never heard J. K. Rowling speak before, and I was quite moved.  If you have a moment, listen for yourself.

Ahab's Wife

I just finished reading Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund.  I'm still trying to decide what to make of it.

Some reviewers really loved it, some hated it.  I wanted to love it, but I didn't.  Her phrasing was lauded by many, but I found it cumbersome.  Perhaps I'm not as literarily precocious as some, but I dislike having to read a paragraph multiple times to glean its meaning.  I can appreciate a well-turned phrase, but if I find myself thinking of ways to have said it more concisely, it distracts from the story, in my opinion.  The book is long at 666 pages, but I wouldn't mind that at all if there really were that much to tell.  There were some chapters that amounted to nothing more than raving or rambling.  I understand their purpose within the story, but I didn't enjoy them at all.

I gave my husband a not-so-short synopsis, and he just laughed at all the things that happened to the heroine, Una.  He insisted there was no way that could have happened to one person, but I quite enjoyed the plot twists and the varied situations she survived.

I'm still not sure what to think of the book.  I may read another by Naslund and see if I can decide!

One less piece/part

So, I had my thyroid out yesterday.  I didn't really want to do it, but the doctor thought it was time. I'm doing pretty well so far.   The incision area is tight and sore and it hurts to swallow.  But my calcium levels were good, so the doctor let me go home a day or two early!  Yay!

I'm starting to feel like I'm not a whole human being anymore, though.  Too many pieces/parts missing now!

My Big Brother

My older brother had a heart attack on February 2 and had a quadruple bypass yesterday.  The doctor says everything went as expected and the nurse said his numbers are good.

Please keep him in your thoughts.