Something to read, anyway.

This post if for Sam. I feel honored that he added me to his list, so in turn, I'm going to give him something from me to read today.

The main thing that's happening to me right now is that I am buying a house. I wasn't really looking, though it has been on my mind a lot more lately. About a week and a half ago, my sister called me and said she had found the perfect house for me. She was at an open house in the neighborhood, and wanted me to come right away to look at it because the realtor was leaving. I went to look at it, fell in love with it, and made an offer that day. The next day, the sellers and I came to an agreement, and now the waiting begins. I have to say, buying a house is very stressful. I had to get an inspector out there, he found a minor problem with the driveway that needed fixed, so then I had to get someone out there to give me an estimate to fix that. Then, I had to go back to the sellers to have them agree to fix it before I bought it. They have agreed, so the contract has been signed, and everything is a go. Now I just have to wait for closing. It's a small house - only 952 square feet, but I don't need anything more than that. The only thing that needs work is the kitchen. I'm going to have to strip some ugly wallpaper and add some paint, and put in a new floor and a new sink. The cabinets need replaced, but for now, I'm just going to clean them up and paint them. Other than that, the house is in perfect condition. Every other room has been remodeled, and the basement has been waterproofed. The roof and the windows are less than a year old. It really is a beautiful little house.

In other news... …
My Houston Astros are making a run for the NL West title again! They've pulled to with 1-1/2 games of the league-leading Cardinals. Just last week in a head-to-head meeting, the Astros swept the Cards in four games! They're in Pittsburgh tonight playing the Pirates and I'm trying to work things out so I can go to the game. That would be fun, no? A week ago, they were 8-1/2 games out of first with a division title seemingly out of grasp. But they've had a run of seven straight wins, and the Cards have helped them out with seven straight losses. (four of them to the Astros, of course!). Anyway, it's exciting and it just goes to show you that Yogi Berra's famous phrase is true - "It ain't over 'til it's over!"

Babette

This is Babette. She is my new kitten. Isn't she adorable?


I call her "Babs". My mom gave her to me. At her work, they found a mother cat with a litter of kittens that they adopted. They've been trying to find homes for all the babies, and I was the lucky recipient of this one. Marcel-Henri loves her, thankfully. I was a little concerned about how he might react to her, but he was a real champ and has really taken a liking to his new friend. I'll post a picture of him, too. I love this one; it looks like he's smiling.

It's about pie

So, there has been a nasty rumor going around that the pie shortage in this town is the Osborns fault. I am here to squelch that rumor once and for all. For as of now, rumor becomes fact! I have pictoral proof that the Osborns are to blame:

Feeling the pressure

Okay. I've been tagged twice now, so I'm going to go ahead and do this.

1. What are you reading now? The Bible. It was my goal to read it cover to cover this year. I've only reached Psalms, so I don't know if I'll accomplish what I set out to do, but I won't give up the goal of reading the whole thing, even if it takes me longer than a year,

2. What’s the best book you’ve read this year? Well, the Bible.

3. What’s your favorite work of historical fiction? At the risk of sounding hopelessly out of touch, I'll admit I never even heard the term "historical fiction" before I met my new favorite author, Elizabeth Osborn. So, I guess I'd have to say that my favorite work of historical fiction is Atrocity Gods. I only got to read the first few chapters of long-ago draft, but man, was it good!

4. Pick a random book from your shelves and write down its first sentence. Does it make you want to read more?
"It took me a long time and most of the world to know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."
Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram

Sure. I'll read more.

5. Have you ever read a book and wished that you’d written it? What was it? I think Tolkien is a brilliant author, and I love the way he writes, but I have no desire to write a book. I admire those who have the drive and the perseverance to do it.

6. What book on your shelves do you wish you’d never bought? There's not one.

7. Have you ever bought someone a book for BAFAB? No

8. What book do you really wish someone would buy you for BAFAB? If someone wanted to buy me a book for BAFAB, I hope they'd buy me something close to their own heart. That would give me a nice insight into my friend that I might not otherwise have.

9. Go to book-blog.com and leave a comment mentioning your post. Remember to include your permalink in the comment.

10. Tag three people. Stephie, Cyndi, Pam. (None of these currently have blogs right now, but I'm hoping they will soon. I keep trying!)

Strength in numbers

I think the guy downstairs must have gotten some wireless internet service. Traditionally, I have gotten only one or two of the four bars which show how strong the wireless signal is. Today, I have All four! Count 'em - ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR! I have very nice, connected neighbors.

Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Dumb

I did something stupid last night.

I slammed my own thumb in my own car door. How does a person do that? Until last night, I never would have thought it possible.

I was coming home from class, and my hands were full - my gym bag, purse, phone, garage door opener, keys and a bottle of water. (On a side note; I'm a pack mule). I had my gym bag and purse over my left shoulder, my water in the crook of my arm, and my garage door opener and phone in my left hand. My keys were in my right hand that is currently sporting an enlarged purple thumb.

To add some background to this:
My car doors are very heavy, and most people, when they close the doors on my car, give them a good shove and the weight of the door causes the whole car to shake on its foundation when the door slams shut. I try not to do this, and on this occasion, I was easing the door closed with my right hand. I must have bumped the door with my gym bag because the next thing I knew, I felt a huge pressure, and my thumb was on fire! It took my mind a few seconds to realize what was happening. I was completely discombobulated!

The next series of events happened in slow motion:
I looked down at my hand and realized my thumb was stuck in the door. Not being in my right mind, I foolishly gave my hand two hearty tugs to try to free my thumb. I know, I know! It was stuck, and it wasn't coming loose! Before panic took over, my calm head prevailed. I set down my stuff, reached over with my right hand, opened the door, and extracted my thumb.

It's a little swollen today with some slight discoloration, but all in all, it's none the worse for a good slam in the car door.