View from the Couch

I've been thinking about books lately. Books I'm reading. Books other people are reading. Books we all want to read. Books we tell other people we've read, even though we haven't. Books. I love books. I don't mind reading things online. I love blogs and find some wonderful writing out there. I would adore a Kindle. (hint hint) But I love books. I love how they feel in my hand, paper under my fingertips, how the print unfurls across the page, taking my eye and my imagination with it. I have a hard time passing up any bookstore, even if I know I don't need to buy any more books. I have spent many happy hours with books. I don't even remember when this love affair began, but I know my mother was behind it. One of the few things I could do as a child to get my mother's complete and undivided attention was to ask her to read to me. I can open A Child's Garden of Verse or Wind in the Willows and hear her voice reading to me. There was magic i...

Wow - what a week! I started out the week with a super duper ugly summer cold. Spent the day Sunday laying about sneezing, coughing, generally annoying the cat because he couldn't get comfortable on my lap at all. Fortunately, Turner Classic Movies was having a super duper day. I watched His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. I love this movie. I love the pace, the wit, the back and forth between Grant and Russell. Time just zips by and the movie is over. That was followed by To Have and Have Not - the first paring of Bogart and Bacall. Slim is quite lovely and fresh here and there's something so sweet about the way Bogie whistles after that famous line..."You know how to whistle don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." Damn....that's telling him. And as if that wasn't enough Bogart and Bacall, then I got to watch The Big Sleep. Now there are those who'll argue that Robert Mitchum was a better Philip Marlo...

I've got to get something off my chest. I have really had it with bad behavior. I mean REALLY! This has been on my mind for some time. At first, I thought I was just being mildly cranky and expecting more than I had a right to. But now I see that it's really become a problem in our society. Let me give you some examples. I live in a small apartment complex. There are 16 units, 8 one bedroom and 8 two bedroom. Everyone shares a bedroom wall with someone and a ceiling or a floor with someone. Everyone shares 2 washers and 2 dryers that we are asked to use between 8 AM and 8 PM. 4 of us share a front stairwell that has an exterior door that keeps out the bugs, the weather, the stray animals and the Jehovah's witness. (The exterior door doesn't lock, but it looks intimidating enough that people just don't bother us.) About a year ago, my downstairs neighbor moved out and I got a new neighbor. When I met her, I thought she'd be just fine. She's a resi...

It's been a very strange week. My days have been full and sometimes frantic. My evenings have been reserved for me time, decompression, glass of wine....etc. Tried Zyrtec for my allergies. Took a whole tab on Saturday night and slept most of Sunday. Not good. So I tried a half tab for the past couple of nights. I'm breathing better - yay!! But the throat is still sore and the dry mouth is not good when I am trying to teach classes and have to consume massive amounts of water to keep going. oh well. Depression loomed for a couple of days. But I aired my grievances and wrestled with my angels and seem to be back on an upswing. If only the damn weather would cooperate. It's June and I'm wearing long sleeves and sweaters and real shoes. My toes want fresh air - I want bare legs under my skirt and warm sun on my skin. I need that vitamin D ! This weekend is time for cooking and cleaning - laundry awaits...and I need to hit the mall and see if I can't find some ...

You want to know what the worst part about moderate to severe depression? (using the clinical diagnosis here) It's knowing when those waves hit you that there is something or someone out there that you let get to you. In my case, it's usually a combination of things. I've got multiple projects coming to deadline at work - stress. I'm not sleeping very well because of allergies. I'm not eating like I should be. I'm getting my exercise - walking, yoga - which is a positive because that's usually the first thing to go. And so I'm vulnerable to those triggers and I know it. I avoid mr. ring on his finger 'cause that will just send me over the edge. But I can't keep him from coming onto my floor and sitting down at the cubicle next to me and talking to someone else. So I put on the headphones and hit play on Itunes and what do I get....love songs. Crap. And even he wouldn't get to me if the really big trigger hadn't been flipped jus...

Jenn has this blog - Random Lunacy and she does this thing on Thursday's called Broken Thought Process. I thought I'd give it a try. I've been challenging myself to blog at least once a week and this seemed like a good way to start. Here's a broken thought process for you. It just started to rain. All week long, the air has been heavy and humid. Well, humid for Oregon. And now the sky has this strange diffused light...wait a second. Wow! This broken thought thing really works. I no sooner started this post and began to comment on the weather than everyone at the office starts running over to the windows to look. There's a tornado warning for tonight. What?? I live in Oregon. Calm, wet, peaceful Oregon. Seasons yes...but nothing really drastic. This winter we have a blizzard that nearly keeps me from being with my daughter on Christmas. And now this freak storm. I walked to my yoga class and the wind was incredible. Lots of dust and debris flying around. ...