Paperbacks

I will always love books. This is a very definitive statement; however, I cannot see this fact changing in the near future. The e-books can run a nice ad, but so far the nook/kindle/etc does not hold up to my life. Aside from the fact that I am a true book lover who needs to turn a physical page and not get headaches from staring at a screen, I tend to submerge my books in water at least once a year. Usually it's nothing special, just me dropping my book in a pool or something equally lame and stupid. Occasionally it is incredibly fitting, such as the year my Treasure Island book was almost washed out to sea by a wave on the beach.  This year (and I know it's very early in the summer to have happened already) it was particularly memorable...

This Memorial Day weekend was incredibly hot and therefore was spent mostly on or very close to my parent's dock on Elk Lake. My mother was coming to the dock to join us and had nicely brought my book down with hers and a camera for some fun pictures. She grabbed a plastic chair to sit and read. The next 10 seconds will last forever in my memory. She set the chair down on the dock with her arms still full of everything else. Unknown to her and the rest of us, one of the back legs of the chair was just off the dock. Then she sat down. In slo-mo (or so it seemed), she tumbled feet over head backwards off the dock. Yes. It was awesome! Hilarious. She did pop back up very quickly so there were no worries of injuries; but her, the chair, and everything she was holding were soaking wet. Thank you very much mother for reminding me why I have not and will not invest in an e-book.

*On a side note, everything including the camera and my mother survived this little dip in the lake just fine.

#8

I ran across this article today,Top 10 Evil Animals, and this part is just too funny not to share...

8. Pandas

This may sound heretical, maybe downright mean.  But let's not mince words: pandas are evil.  Oh, but they're so cute, you say, they're chubby and fluffy and bumbling. They have those sweet, complacent smiles; they eat bamboo! Well, listen here.  The first step to getting over pandas is to imagine the coloration of their black-white fur as being the inverse of what it is - you see? Now it's less cuddly exotic woodland creature and more of a freakishly large raccoon. Slothful to the point of being circumspect, pandas loll around, knowing full well that most of the humans in their midst will fall for their deceptive, charming spell.

What most people don't realize is that pandas have us duped.  They are the one species in the animal kingdom that seem to live outside the realm of Darwinian science. Most creatures in the universe follow German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's axiom: a creature "will strive to grow, spread, seize, become predominant... because it is living and because life simply is will to power." Pandas, though, didn't seem to get the memo.  They have no will to live or reproduce. To this day, scientists have to perform grotesque procedures to keep the panda population from collapsing into oblivion. Forget about the fact that pandas are mean-spirited, mate-abusing, progeny-mauling, deviant monsters. Forget about the fact that these hoodlum bears have conned humanity with their supposed cuteness.  The most evil thing about pandas? The cunning with which they expose the stupidity of us humanoids.

Things I Learned in College

A few blogs recently have been in flashback mode due to the impending excitement of a BU Delta reunion southern wedding style. Reading these blogs has caused me to reflect on some of the finer things my friends and I learned from our days at BU....

1. Defenestration - The act of throwing something or someone out the window. Best freshmen orientation ever.
2. Good Cleaning Habits - Better yet don't make the mess in the first place; use a sippy cup.
3. Good Hospitality - Always be accommodating to your guest.  Kegs are heavy; beer balls are just as good and much easier to carry.
4. Beer Marathons - Perfected through college; you must start in the morning, hydrate well (only after your alcoholic drink or you'll lose points), and are best when they involve t-shirts and sharpies for documentation.
5. Phil Sucks - Damn his strawberry kamikazes and his hammer in my head. However, he did prompt the "who's in your bed" game that is of particular relevance to this upcoming reunion.
6. Always be a Knight - But remember its the days of the Quest that matter.

Meet Duke

So I should probably start at the beginning which would be last March.... As many of you know, my family does a rather rowdy March Madness bracket pool every year. Last year my cousin was pregnant and she felt this gave her the right to an extra bracket entry. I felt she should have planned better to have the baby before the tournament in order to get an extra bracket. After a pre-pool vote, I lost and she was given her wish.  To prove my point of how silly this was, I created an entry for Fluffy my unborn dog. I paid the extra $5 for his bracket and everyone got a good laugh out of my funny joke. Fluffy the unborn dog had a throw-away bracket. For those non-March Madnessers that means it was ridiculous and could only win if I was dreaming.  Fluffy picked Duke to win and while they are a good team, they never seem to get far in the tournament- except last year they won.  And so did Fluffy my unborn dog.

I have wanted a dog for a long time and lately I've been much more settled, so I started seriously looking. I also knew I wanted to rescue a dog because my family has had such a great experience with our pound puppy, Maddy. Two week ago I was going to see another dog that a non-profit called Second Chance had, but when I walked to the door I saw this little fluff ball and I was sold. I couldn't allow myself to actually name my new dog Fluffy, so I settled on Duke. He is just 2 years old and is completely house trained. His previous owner had a stroke and could no longer care for him so he was surrender to the pound. He has free rein of the house while I'm gone at work and is perfect all day. He doesn't know any commands yet like sit or stay and we definitely have to work on the begging. He is a complete lap dog, but its so fun to have him excited to see me when I get home and to want to cuddle with me.

Recommended Reading

So alot of my friends (who are hopefully reading this) have made different kinds of New Year's resolutions involving reading more. Over the last year, I managed to start/finish a number of really good series of books by some great authors. I thought I'd put my suggestions and reviews out here so maybe someone else could become as intrigued and enthralled with these authors.

• Stieg Larsson - He is the author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. This series follows a journalist and a brilliantly odd young girl he employs as they investigate a prominent family's mystery. This of course involves them in scandal, murder, and twisted romances. The trilogy continues to follow the same characters through the repercussions this investigation has on their lives. The book take a little to pick up since first it starts out giving some background information, but the information is definitely necessary to the rest of the story which is well worth the wait.
• Dan Brown - He is the author of Angels and Demons, The DiVinci Code, and The Lost Symbol.  These are very well-known books, but if you haven't read them yet you should. They are about a symbologist, Robert Langdon, as he is pulled into strange journeys surrounding ancient mysteries. These books do not have to be read in any specific order, but Angels and Demons is definitely the best. If you are at all a skeptic, you will love these books.
• Janet Evanovich - She is the author of a series of books following the adventures of Stephanie Plum, a Jersey girl and newly-hired bail bonds agent (aka bounty hunter). The first book in the series (currently there are 15 and growing) is One For the Money. She continually is involved in ridiculous situations, blowing up cars, and 2 beautiful men. You will be laughing out loud.
• James Rollins - He is the author of the Sigma Force series starting with the book Sandstorm. The Sigma Force is an ultra specialized team within the military that combines the training of Navy Seals with the intelligence of a PhD (or multiple PhDs). They get called in for top secret missions frequently involving the combination of modern technology with ancient mysteries.  If you are at all a science geek, these books will amaze you. He also has a number of books not in this series if you interested in a fun quick read (you cannot put them down). I recommend Amazonia; an adventure exploring the medicinal qualities of the Amazon through its terrifying wilderness, naturally while being chased.