Here Comes the Bride

While walking through WalMart today, P disappeared around a corner.

"Where are you?" I called.

"Here in the flowers," she replied.

When I found her she said, "I will need flowers for my wedding."

"Okay," I said as we continued.

We walked through the baby clothing looking for a pair of khaki pants for P. (She likes to dress in the same colors as I am lately. But she doesn't have anything close to the khaki pants I usually wear to work.)

"My baby will like this. He will look nice in this."

"Which baby?" I ask, thinking she must be talking about her cousin E or her best friend's baby sister.

"My baby. I will call him Andeen. I will make him a pink blanket like mine and he will love it."

"Okay." I said and we continued on.

While looking for detergent P asked, "When can I get married?"

"You should wait until you're at least 20," and we continued on to find watermelon.

"Maybe I will name my baby P. She can be just like me."

"Okay."

"I will need a wedding dress."

"We'll find a beautiful dress when you get married, but it's going to be a while before you get married. You should finish school first."

. . . . .

Apparently P is already planning her wedding. Only 4 years and 1 month old.

Not what I was hoping for . . .

I was ready to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt. But now that he's granted a waiver on an Executive Order on which the ink is barely dry (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/01/23/1758932.aspx), I'm not so sure.

Anyone else just a bit disappointed by this?

Look At That!

I have finally been able to combine my old blog (of the same name) with the new blog. Have a stroll through the archives if you get a minute.

I can hardly believe that I started this in 2006. It is seriously sad that I only have a little over 100 posts in that time.

New post coming soon. Promise.

Choke by Stuart Woods

I had planned to start rereading Woods' novels at the beginning, but I found Choke (1995) at work in the spot where people leave books and magazines for others to take, so I figured I read it.

And I discovered something very comforting. Stuart Woods was, at one time, a good writer. I was really feeling like I was dreaming it. (And don't think I haven't noticed that he has yet another new novel out - it is taking every ounce of will power to not order it. I am helped by the fact that there is a new Spellman Files coming soon and I've preordered the new Grisham.)

Choke is the story of a tennis pro who ends up in Key West and mixed up with the wrong woman, who decides he'd make a great fall guy for her plans. The plot is intriguing and full of twists, but I never felt lost or like the author had made a leap he couldn't back up. Woods' writing isn't flowery, but this story was enjoyable.

So while I wouldn't put it on the list of books I tell everyone to read, it is a Stuart Woods book I'd recommend.

Rant

Dear Doctor -

I was pleased to see you, rather than the nurse practitioner again, this morning. Although having a sick child is never pleasant, knowing that I will not have to wait forever in the waiting room at your office is one of the main reasons I love your practice. What mother wouldn't love leaving the pediatricians at 9:52 am from a 9:30 am appointment?

However, I am a bit disappointed that it took you (or your staff) 45 minutes to fax my daughter's prescription to the pharmacy. I understand that you have a new nifty computer thingy that allows you to fax my prescription directly to the pharmacy and that it is paperless and so much easier, but if you don't bring it into the room with you how can it help me. When I leave your office with a child who needs a prescription I am headed directly to the pharmacy. If you won't give me a written prescription, please do me the courtesy of faxing my prescription over immediately, preferably before I leave the building (which you could do if you brought your nifty computer thingy in the room with you) so that I don't have to wait 45 minutes at the pharmacy only to be told they still have not received the fax and it will be at least another hour before it's ready even if it came right this very second.

Thanks bunches

Dragon Tears by Dean Koontz

Dragon Tears, published in 1993, is the story of a perfectionist police detective being stalked by a "hulking street person (who) prophesies that Harry will be dead by dawn, the self-destructs before his eyes. As twilight falls, Harry . . . finds his rational world transformed into a place of bizarre surprises and unimaginable dangers. As dawn ticks closer, Harry is caught in a whirlwind of terror that threatens to sweep away not only him but Connie and everyone he loves" (from the book jacket).

I had read this one before, although the only reason I know this is because I own it. I did not remember anything that happened after the first chapter. So whole new book for me. While not quite at the level of his latest works (The Husband and The Good Guy, for example) and not quite as memorable, obviously, as my favorites (Lighting, Watchers), this was solid and enjoyable. The end wrapped up a little quickly for my tastes, but otherwise a good read. It probably wouldn't make my reread list again any time soon, but won't be given away either.

Note to Self

Next time the kids make the really good stapler disappear because they have broken it but don't want to fess up because they know they will be in trouble because they shouldn't have been playing with it in the first place and then you have to buy a new stapler so the kids can complete their projects at home and not have to ask a teacher to borrow the stapler minutes before the project is complete . . .
. . . don't just buy a cheap stapler because you are sure the really good stapler will turn up any day, when really you know that "any day" will be the day you move and that the good stapler is most likely broken, spend some money and get another REALLY good stapler so that you don't find yourself cussing the cheap stapler and blogging about it.

CHOCOLATE!

We recently provided a long-lost friend and his family with over-night accomadations. It was great to catch up with this friend and meet his family. His girls took to my kids immediately. We had a great time at dinner and rocked the house (ala Rock Band) well past my kids' bedtimes.



And they left the best hostest gift ever. Chocolate.



But not just any chocolate. Chocolates by Mr. Roberts. These chocolates were so delicious I had to beat my family off with a stick (okay, really I shared, but not happily). Our box was filled with assorted truffles and everyone was visually tempting and scrumptous.



And to add to my joy - they have a website for easy ordering although I will probably have to call so I can ask for a box filled with my favorites.

Apology

Dear Mom -

You remember that time you left me at the library . . . oh, wait, you don't remember. Well I'll start again. You remember that time you dropped me off at the library, I was 9ish, to research a project for school and you said you'd pick me up in an hour and then it got all dark and stormy and I was a bit nervous because you hadn't come back to get me yet and then when I started to tear up a bit the librarian asked if I needed to use the phone and when I called home and asked where you were coming to pick me up, you asked why you would pick me up when I was only across the street and I said because I was at the library and you asked how I got there and I said you dropped me off and you said no you hadn't, but came to get me anyway . . . yeah, remember how I give you a hard time about that even to this day?

Well, I am sorry for not letting it go. Let's just say that on Saturday, the house was really quiet and I looked all over the house for two kids and was just starting to panic when I remembered that the two children in question had gone over to the neighbors to play . . . four hours previously. Yeah, so sorry.

Your only daughter.

Conversation

P is helping her dad fix the door bell on her dollhouse.

Dad: Let's put new batteries in it.

P: And then push the button and test it to make sure it works.

When it doesn't, they try something else. When it still doesn't work . . .

P: We need a Man to fix it. A Man with tools.

Dad: What am I?

P: A dad.

Resolution, the First

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I read a book, and it's great and I love it, but a month later you can ask me about it and I can't really tell you much about the book, but I do know it was good and well . . . I've always just written it off to the fact that I read so many books that the details fade. The up side is that I can often reread a book with only a mild sense of deja vu.

A few nights ago, the Hubby and I were discussing the works of one of our favorite authors, Dean Koontz. We were trying to remember which book was the one with the blob under the city and I couldn't figure out which book had the people that became connected to computers, and whether Mr. Murder was a bad as I thought or as good as he thought.

So resolution the first is to reread the works of Dean Koontz (without buying the ones I don't already own, because if I don't like them, why own them -- library here I come, I hope I don't have a fine I've forgotten about). I will also reread the works of Stuart Woods, starting from the beginning, to determine if I've attributed better writing to him or whether it's always been a bit iffy.

There are a few of Koontz's books I will not have to reread because I know whether I like them or not. So here's a quick review of the best and the worst, in my opinion, of Dean Koontz.

Lighting - Possibly the best Koontz book ever. Always the one I recommend to friends that have never read Koontz. Time travel, Germans, love - what's not to love.

Watchers - Tied for best book ever by Koontz. Read this one second.

The Mask - Not one of my favorites. The first time I read it I was okay with it, but the second time I read it, it really freaked me out.

Intensity - My least favorite Koontz book. In fact I never made it past the first few chapters. Koontz started by getting you to really be invested in a character (he's good, it doesn't take long to get you to like a character) and then he killed her off, graphically. My mother, who had already read it, said it didn't change much after that, so I didn't waste my time.

All of the newer books are good - The Face, The Taking, The Husband, The Good Guy, The Darkest Evening of the Year, Life Expect ency, By the Light of the Moon, One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, Odd Hours (although this last one felt more like a intro to the next book in the Odd series rather a a stand alone book), Fear Nothing and Seize the Night.

I'll give you my take on each as I read them beginning with Dragon Tears (because I have that one).