yay!

So I was so completely exhausted from yesterday’s adventure, I had to sit around all day and knit and give myself a french manicure.

Yep… that is all I did all day.

Casey’s aunt and uncle and his cousin showed up the yesterday- and two of her friends. I think that they are probably about 15. They are disrupting my relaxing a bit but that is ok. They seem like nice girls.

Well, I am going to try to read some of my blogs now- I have missed reading everyone’s entries!

We are off to PEI tomorrow! I am so excited… Casey also booked us a room at a romantic hotel in the Charlottetown. awww. It even has a jacuzzi tub!

Today Casey and I went to Grand Manan island. We thought that it would be fun to ride our bikes around the island- grab some lunch and take the ferry back.

Well, factually that is what happened but unfortunately, that is not the whole story.

The island is made up of non-stop inclines… I am not kidding. I am so tired that I can barely type this. Also, there is absolutely nothing on that damn island. We rode for about an hour (uphill, in the sun) before we found a restaurant… and I am using the term restaurant liberally. We also could not see the water at all from the road- we were basically on paved road surrounded by woods. gah!

And of course when we get back to Casey’s grandmother’s house tonight, they all say… yes, there is nothing on Grand Manan. Couldn’t they have said something before we went?!

Anyway, 1 hour before the ferry was coming to take us back to the mainland, we found our first pretty view. I am sure that it is the only nice view on the island.

We were going to go to PEI tomorrow and then go to Nova Scotia on Friday but now we are re-evaluating our plans. I am not sure we’ll have enough energy to drive all the way to Halifax… which makes me sad because we were going to try to say hello to Louise. We’ll see what we end up doing- Casey and I need to talk about it more….

Grand Manan: 1
Jessica: 0

I have to go to the bookstore within the next couple days to load up on my vacation reading. Nothing better than having a big stack of books, I say!

That is one of my favorite things about vacation- lots of reading time. Well, our vacations always include a lot of reading time.

Casey ordered these on Amazon for me yesterday: (what a guy!)

Some fun fantasy/ sci fi stuff:

And just because I need to read it again:

Anybody have any suggestions? I need more books!

(oh- and I don’t just read fantasy- I am pretty open genre- wise)

Well, I finished Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively on the train ride home.

I have to say that my opinion of this book did get better, from my first comments that I wrote of it. I still didn’t really warm up that much to the main character, Claudia. She is supposed to be unreachable though, I think. The author did let you see that she had a vulnerable side, through her tragic love affair with the WWII soldier and also near the end of the book when she was closer to death. (not really a spoiler because you know she is on her way out from the very beginning of the book…)

I really did like the way that Lively told her story though. She made Claudia a real person- through Claudia’s own commentary but also through the eyes of her daughter, her brother, her lover, etc. I really enjoyed reading a scene in Claudia’s voice and then learning what her brother was thinking during that same situation. It was cool.

So that was that.

On the train today, I was distracted from my book several times by other passengers asking questions about how the “DNC”, as it is known around here now… love that it has become a catch phrase, will affect everyone’s commute. (the Democratic National Convention) Jeez. You would think that the world is scheduled to end during the last week of July.

They were giving out pamphlets in the T station entitled, “Taking the T during the DNC.” yup yup- They are so clever with that rhyming! Basically, they are shutting all sorts of stuff down during that week and will be searching people’s bags. Guess I better get up on time that week- dammit!

Oh- and I think it is Carrie’s birthday today so Happy Birthday, Carrie!!

Gotta go update my “reads” section!

The only thing worse than not having a 3 day weekend is coming back to work after a 3 day weekend.

I did get a couple cute pocket-y skirts from the Gap on sale which is cool.

My night with Casey made up for my blah day though. We went to 9 Tastes for some yummy Thai food… yes, we were too lazy to cook yet again.

Actually, I went on a cleaning rampage for some reason when I got home so that is why I didn’t cook anything. I have been meaning to give the bed nook (that is what Casey and I call our bedroom- “room” implies that there is actually room in there! hehe) a good vacuuming- it really needed it. The room is so small though that moving the bed is a huge pain in the rear end. Poor Casey was a bit confused when he came in tonight- I had everything out of the bedroom that I could pick up and it was spread all over the living room. Our nook is prettier now though!

We also went to the bookstore tonight and I bought a few things- yay! I have been on a ready frenzy- and haven’t been updating my “Reads” section- oops! I finished The Story of Lucy Gault a while ago. It was a quietly good book- bit sad though.

I also read Wonder When You’ll Miss Me by Amanda Davis. I really enjoyed this book- which surprised me actually. I usually do not do very well with sexual abuse scenes (rape, child abuse, etc…) but this one sorta danced around what happened to Faith in such a way that I could handle it. It did not diminish the enormous effect the attack had on her, it just portrayed it in a palatable way. I flew through this book and wished that it was longer when I finished it.

Lastly, I finally broke down and read Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. I was completely turned off by this book because it just seemed to be everywhere. I bought it a while ago for a book club that fizzled out and it just sat on my bookshelf for years. I picked it up because I was having a really hard time sleeping when I was sick and Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively was not holding my nonexistent attention span. Chevalier’s book did though. I really liked it. I especially loved the conflicted yet sensual way the main character felt about her hair… Can you imagine being turned on just by someone seeing your hair down? I don’t want to spoil anything by saying more but it was just fantastic. Another quick read.

So, I got a bunch of books at Wordsworth. They are quite fluffy but I am feeling in the mood for a little summer light reading. I also need to keep plugging away at Moon Tiger so I might need a break.

I got:

Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes (see, I wasn’t kidding about the fluff!)

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Yay! I love having a stack of books to read. Nothing makes me happier. Well- almost nothing anyway.

Yes, Casey and I went to see the Suicide Girls Burlesque Show. (Careful, link not really work-friendly!)

Keep in mind, I was basically going to the show to be a good sport for the boy and didn’t have very high expectations. I’ve seen one other Burlesque show and was not very impressed; it was just sorta silly. In fact, I think that most nudie shows are ridiculous- especially ones featuring men in all their banana- hammocked glory. I will admit, though, the Suicide Girls put on a sweet show!

They were performing in Central Square in Cambridge, the Middle East, which is known for its varied edgy acts and belly dancing. (We have seen Rancid, The Weakerthans, Dick Dale, and Kid Koala there. I like it because it is small enough that you can actually see the act you came for…)

Here’s a pic of the outside of the club: (click to make it bigger)

(side note- that is actually a man with the legs standing outside the club… women could be so lucky to be blessed with legs like that!)

There is also a pretty decent middle eastern restaurant upstairs, where they also have belly dancing shows on Wednesday nights. We got some yummy falafel, grape leaves, and a chicken shawarma sammich. It was cool because it was Monday night and not too crowded… we took our time eating and then got in line to get into the show.

Just when we were getting in line, I noticed that my favorite savior, Carolyn, from my local yarn store, Woolcott. She is awesome and helps me constantly when I don’t know what I am doing with a knitting project. She introduced Casey and I to her husband, Chris, and their friend. It is so funny sometimes when you run into people, even in a city like Boston. Casey and I had a fun time hanging out with them- really nice and fun people! (It wasn’t even awkward with the naked girls- haha)

I could have done without the opening bands… I was pretty impatient for the actual show to start. The girls came on stage a little before 11pm. (Yes, that is right, it was 11pm before it even started! I did have to get a big coffee because I am a loser and get tired quickly on week-nights.)

It was totally worth the wait. I will not spoil it for people who are lucky enough to go but there were goth chicks in hooded capes, lotsa garters, a ton of electrical tape, one hell of a hula hoop dance, and a finale involving lots of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. The music was awesome for all of the acts and the girls were so enthusiastic. Bottom line: they are a really nice-looking group of young girls who looked like they were having a fabulous time.

It was also fun to see the reaction of the audience throughout the show. The audience actually behaved themselves… there was no grabbing or heckling, just honest appreciation.

I was worried that I would be the only girl there, with a bunch of horny, red-faced Boston guys but it wasn’t like that at all. I would say about half the audience were women. It probably has a lot to do with the quality of the show- it was not skanky or sleazy… just good clean (except for the chocolate) fun.

Here are some pictures of the girls… that are work safe!

You can check out their website to see some more but I would recommend waiting until you get home (booby alert!)

There is also a list of the shows- go check out them out if you dare!

It has been so nuts around here that I haven’t had time to write about Four and Twenty Blackbirds! GAH! I finished it a while ago too…

I have been reading Cherie’s blog for a while now and had heard some buzz about her book before that. That is why I was so excited to find out that she is a blogger also. I love reading author’s blogs- it lets you into their head for a little while.

Anyway, back to the book-

This is what Amazon’s description of the book says:

Although she was orphaned at birth, Eden Moore is never alone. Three dead women keep watch from the shadows, bound to protect her from the violence that took their lives a century ago. But in the woods a gunman waits, convinced that God has spoken. Now Eden must pay for the sins of her great-grandfather or history may do far worse than repeat itself..

So you get the basic premise.

Side note: I am going to try not to ruin anything for people who haven’t read it. I hate that. grr.

As I said before, I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. I really like ghost stories in general but Cherie really does an awesome job setting the mood for a really good ghost appearance, unlike some books I have read. You get goose-bumps reading some of these scenes. I made the mistake of reading this book really late into the night one time and I made poor Casey get up with me when I had to go to the bathroom. (I am a wimp… I love reading scary stories but they always freak me out.)

I really like Eden; she is a tough bitch. (Although, because this is a suspenseful book, she does do some stupid stuff… I guess if she didn’t, nothing interesting would ever happen!)

The thing that I liked the best about this book was that she speaks to all of your senses. She does an awesome job of making you feel like you are living this book right next to Eden. Her heart pounds, your heart pounds… She runs though the mud, you can feel it squishing underneath you.

I also really liked how she brought the story of the little girl in the Everglades into the story of Eden. They were intertwined throughout the book and as she told you Eden’s story, you learned a bit more about what happened that awful day in the Florida Everglades. It was really well done. She kept you hanging just the right amount.

My only complaint, if I had to have one, is that I did have a bit of a difficult time keeping all of Eden’s family straight. I wonder if that is one of the things that Cherie is clarifying in the new version of this book. The funny thing is that Eden had the same problem and even mentioned it at one point.

For me, there is little in this world that is better than a book that you can’t put down and calls to you when you can’t read it. “Would anyone really notice if I closed my office door and read another chapter?”

Thanks, Cherie.

UPDATE: (couple minutes later) Please, if you do end up buying this book before Cheri re-prints it with Tor, send a little love her way, ok? She does not get any royalties from these books that are sold. She talks a little bit about it here. You can donate by clicking on the button in the sidebar. Ok, now I can sleep in peace tonight.

I am.

Wow, what a crazy day. Things felt really surreal because of all our good news yesterday. But in a good way.

As a side note, the next time it is 95 degrees with 9,000% humidity and I decide to walk around town doing errands, on the day before Harvard commencement, PLEASE oh PLEASE someone knock me about the head and tell me I am a dumb-ass.

I felt really ill by the time I was done but look at my haul!!

Casey and I also had a really nice celebratory meal at West Side Lounge. Had some lovely fried green tomatoes, steak, and halibut. I had a couple girly-tinis also…. feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges.

I am a lucky, lucky girl. I have been thinking that, most of the time, I take my life for granted. I have a great family and boyfriend who love me, a job that is pretty cool, a small but pretty apartment in a great city, and wonderful friends. I should appreciate everything more and not be a grumpy-butt. Good to evaluate every now and then.

yawn… night-night.

Go Fish wrote a great write-up on Eats, Shoots and Leaves, just in case you were disappointed with my description. (I know I was!)

Go Fish rocks!

I have just started Cherie Priest‘s novel, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. I am only on page 27 but I have the feeling that I am going to be staying up late to read it.

The story is completely engrossing from the very beginning. I am excited to see what will happen.

The only thing that dulls the experience is learning that the author does not receive any money from the sales of this book. This makes me sad. How does something like that happen? Someone writes a wonderful book, people read it and enjoy it, and the author gets nothing?! AH! This really pisses me off.

But she did get a book deal with Tor, to add to the book and re-publish it, in which she will be getting some dough. So, I will just have to buy her new books in the future and make sure others do also!

Gotta go read- it is in my head….