Not Much

Not much has changed since we last spoke. Still working on the black beaded shawl. Still working on Mom's Baltic Sea Stole (thought I did rip it back almost to the beginning due a big honking hole about row 7 that really shouldn't have been there. I believe it was a misplaced yarn over.) Still spinning the merino/tencel. I need a couple of good ideas for upcoming projects but I don't have them yet.

Still reading.

56. Cheap Hotel and a Hot Plate: An Economist's Travelogue - Michael D Yates. This was interesting, the author and his wife retired and traveled around the US. He gives a good description of the various places and focuses on the working class poor in the area. As I said, it was interesting but the guy is so grumpy. Really over-the-top grumpy. Want-to-slip-him-some-uppers grumpy. True, it's a grumpy-inducing subject but it left a very negative taste in my mouth (negative image in my eyes?).

57. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon. I really liked this book when I read it before and I enjoyed it again this time. It's a murder mystery (well, a dog murder) and the protagonist is a teenage boy with autism. For me, the mystery was secondary to how Christopher deals with the world. I don't know what experience the author has had with autistic people but he did an excellent job of portraying it, at least going by what I've read.

58. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore. This is quite possibly the best book I've ever read. Completely irreverent, very funny and incredibly smart. I went to Sunday School for about 12 years, so I'm well-versed in the Bible stories. Also I took The Bible as Literature my senior year of high school and a couple of religion classes in college (it was that or philosophy, of which I have an irrational fear) so I've dissected the New Testament from many angles. Point being, Moore obviously did a ton of research and a great job of tying in all the known aspects of Jesus's life along with an account of the missing 33 years. I'd pretty much recommend this to anyone who has a sense of humor about religion.


In other news, Lucy's been following me around licking the Neosporin off my scratched-open-in-my-sleep mosquito bites which totally defeats the purpose and kind of grosses me out. So now I have band aids in 5 different lower leg locations and I look like a leper. And who knows what Lucy has done to her intestinal flora.

I actually inventoried my yarn. There is a spreadsheet involved with amounts and fiber content and personal history. I'm planning on carrying a copy of it with me at all times to remind myself I never, ever need to buy yarn again. And no, I'm not going to share it, a girl has to have some embarrassing secrets all for herself.

Next, I may do my books.