Around the Subject

2009-10-25T21:48:00.002-04:00

Well, okay, so I didn't do the promised vacation blogging. Suffice to say, it was a great trip, we had a wonderful time, blisters and all.

Life is just so busy, and so blessedly full, and blogging doesn't seem to get squeezed in very often, so I'm on hiatus for the near future. Thanks for reading!

Drive-by Blogging

2009-09-10T20:16:00.004-04:00

Okay, is anybody besides me surprised that there's no internet access in Yosemite? Seriously, I think I thought I'd be able to whip out the laptop on any random hike. Turns out, not so much. Right now I'm on my 15 minutes of alloted internet time at the Yosemite Park Library, where they have an actual CARD CATALOG. Like, with cards.

So here's the deal: having a great time, this place is gorgeous, survived backpacking, wish you were here.

More to come, with pictures out the wazoo.

Oh, I'm IN The Blogging Spirit Now

2009-09-04T20:50:00.003-04:00

Okay, taking a quick break from packing to say . . .

WTF, America? Seriously? The myriad of problems in the world, and we have to fight about Obama -- AKA Potus, AKA Leader-of-the-Free-World-and-Therefore-a-Pretty-Important-Person-Whether-You-Like-It-Or-Not -- addressing the school kids of the nation to talk about improving the SCHOOLS?!

And I had to say a big ol' no-fucking-way when I read a boatload of online comments about how inappropriate it is that Obama interrupt MATH to address the kids. I don't think math is what we have to worry about; I mean, obviously we have done a nationwide turnaround in our math skills; it seems that now we can actually count up a MAJORITY correctly.

I did give some thought to whether I would feel the same way if A)I had a child myself; and B) it was GWB addressing said child. And I came to the conclusion that I would not object to my child hearing the address.

And when said child got home, I would say, "Said Child, that man that addressed your class today? That man is a moron -- no, really, a MORON. And in this house, we don't vote for morons. Now go practice your violin."

Brush Off the Cobwebs and Come On In

2009-09-03T22:47:00.003-04:00

Hello? Hello? Is anybody here?

Whew! It sure is dusty around the ol' blog. I haven't been here in an age. I've been suffering from a little blog fatigue, I think, and am trying to decide what, if anything, I want and plan for Around the Subject. Partly I wonder if you are tired of reading about my life, and partly I'm tired of writing about it. Partly I've let the blog become more of a day-to-day-what-I'm-doing kind of thing than I intended originally. Partly I want to stop thinking and talking about writing fiction and start writing fiction.

In the immediate moment, though, I am getting ready to go on vacation, and I really like doing vacation updates, . . . SO, if there's anybody still around these parts, check back in the next ten days or so, and I'll try to have some fun stories and pictures.

Oh, and on this vacation, I will be BACKPACKING for two nights. As in, PEE IN THE WOODS-type backpacking. If nothing else, you'll want to hear about that, right?

Working on Career #2

2009-07-14T22:27:00.002-04:00

I finished my one year of violin lessons as required by my 101 Things list, and while I knew I definitely wanted to continue with lessons, I wasn't particularly sold on the specific lessons I was taking. Over the past year, I saw two things which made me really want to do MORE on the violin than what I was doing. The first was the TOTALLY ROCKIN' electric violin player with the Led Zeppelin cover band. Man, was she the coolest.

The second was Ben Sollee, who is ONLY the most awesome, kick-all-kinda-ass cellist I've ever seen. He was the co-coolest, definitely.

So, as of last week, I started with a new violin teacher, who is letting me do some celtic music, lots of fun duets, and is generally helping me with being a musician, rather than just playing a bunch of notes. I'm pretty excited about it.

I'm thinking someday, when I'm . . . oh, maybe 50-ish . . . I can be in my own heavy metal-bluegrass-celtic jam band, and I'll have my own electric violin, and I will be the coolest, too.

You'll all come see me, won't you?

We're All Friends Here, Aren't We?

2009-07-13T21:22:00.003-04:00

So . . . if you're one of my two, maybe three loyal readers, you will have noticed that Around the Subject was locked up tight and inaccessible for awhile. Yeah. I have reason to believe that a defendant I have been prosecuting for nearly four years found this blog, and it bothered me a bit. But, after considering things four a few weeks, I decided that what damage was done was done already, and also, that I'm not really ashamed of anything I put on this blog. Trust me, things I am ashamed of are not displayed here for the world (or my three loyal readers) to see.

Seriously, do you think I would be silly enough to tell you on this blog that I ate out of a bowl the other night that Penny had licked, without realizing it at first, but then even after I realized it I decided that yes, the damage had already been done, and I might as well finish what I was eating? 'Cause I'm a little ashamed of that.

Are you sensing a theme here? A damage-has-already-been-done theme? Me, too. So it shouldn't surprise you that since the chips-salsa-margarita damage was already done this afternoon, I may as well do some chocolate cookie damage later on.

I Don't Know About You, But I Would Be Inspired . . .

2009-07-12T17:24:00.002-04:00

Overheard in Sunday School:

Sunday School teacher: Do you know what "inspirational" means?

Kindergarten kid: That means that Jesus can buy everyone a new car.

Finding a Little More Me

2009-06-10T22:07:00.003-04:00

Starting when I was an angsty adolescent, and all the way through college, it seemed to me that I "thought" in poetry. That's not really impressive, because my poetry was always of the free verse variety -- it's not like I was speaking in iambic pentameter or anything.

But somewhere along the line, after college, I sort of lost that thought process, and I've spent all the years since alternating between accepting that as something in my past and trying desperately to get it back.

So imagine my surprise when suddenly, this week, little snippets have been coming along. Last night, as I was falling asleep, I was composing a poem, and I kept thinking, "I should get up and write that down." Of course, I didn't, and of course, this morning, I couldn't remember it at all.

But this afternoon, I DID stop and write down a snippet, and damned if it didn't turn into a whole poem -- the first in years.

Granted, it's a very bad poem. But it IS a poem, and it has a little of that voice that I used to have, and that makes me happy. That makes me feel like I've reconnected with an old friend.

Cool.

On Cheating on My Blog

2009-06-09T22:26:00.002-04:00

That damn Facebook. I resisted for so long, even after creating my profile, and just recently I've gotten hooked. Now I find myself thinking in Facebook-speak:

Kara Lewis is watching TV.

Kara Lewis is blogging.

Kara Lewis is wondering why she didn't eat some chocolate cake earlier.

Kara Lewis is wishing it was Friday already.

Kara Lewis is ready for bed.

Kara Lewis is going to bed now.

Kara Lewis is really going this time.

You get the idea. Aside from being just generally annoying, such thoughts make me think I am channeling Bob Dole, which is just scary.

On Stupid Book Covers

2009-06-04T22:25:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday afternoon I had a rare opportunity to mosey around a bookstore with absolutely nowhere else I was "supposed" to be. Why I picked the worst bookstore in town for that outing, I don't know.

As I usually do, in recent years, anyway, I went to the sci-fi section first. I swear, every time I look around the sci-fi section of a bookstore or library I realize why I resisted my natural sci-fi leanings for so long:

It's the covers. Man, the covers of sci-fi novels suck. There are two kinds. Either a woman in a ren-fair costume with long, flowing hair and a heaving bosom, or a big bunch of spaceship and metal. Both equally embarassing.

On this trip, I was really excited to find a book by Robert Heinlein, since he's one of my favorite classic sci-fi guys, and a lot of his books are out of print. This was a single volume of two new-to-me novellas, one featuring a favorite character from some of his other novels. It seemed like a no-brainer.

But the cover? It featured an idyllic, Utopian landscape, with a man and woman dressed up like Trekkies lounging on the grass (the man in a Thinker-like pose), seemingly in earnest conversation with a short, furry and vaguely humanoid creature. In the background -- a huge spaceship.

Aside from the fact that I kept having to hide the damn cover everywhere I took the book, it totally ruined the reading experience for me. Because wouldn't you know it, I had to read about four fifths of that book before I got to the damn creature, and the whole time, all I could think was, "WHERE IS THE CREATURE?"

Sheesh. I might as well chuck it and read romance novels.

This Catch-Up Sounds Kind of Depressing, But I Swear I'm Not Actually Depressed

2009-06-03T22:50:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've been around this blog, hasn't it? I think I have some blog ennui going on. It's a strange combination of running out of blogging ideas, and increasingly wanting to work on other projects . . . oh, and having a migraine every day for the past 12 days.

Yeah, migraines. I watched the season finale of The Medium the other night and was totally jealous of Allison's completely operable and non-malignant brain tumor. Yes, I realize such envy is tempting the fates and all that, but if you've ever had this many migraines in a row, you understand.

I'm busy being a trial widow for what will probably be most of June, while Todd is doing a capital trial in Hardin County. Sam, Penny, and Tom and I are lonely. Tom especially, since he STILL does not in any way consider himself my cat, even though we've lived together now for nearly six years.

Speaking of long relationships, the priest-stalker, who I've been prosecuting for three and a half LONG years, was found incompetent to stand trial last week and is now foot-loose and fancy-free. I have warned my minister that she is not any kind of new church member that we want, should she turn up. Un-Christian of me, I know.

I handled a case today of a woman who refused to regularly take her child to school. I swear, I can handle thugs and drug-dealers and shoplifters all day, but a damn crappy parent just pisses me off. Interestingly enough, it was the only case I've ever done that everyone in the courtroom, defense counsel, law enforcement, and prosecutors alike, felt should be in jail. I guess nobody likes bad parents.

It's 11:00 p.m., and so far, my poor little brain is not writhing around in its shell, trying to escape through my eyeball. I'm going to bed with all my fingers and toes crossed.

S'more Heaven

2009-05-18T21:42:00.002-04:00

Against all weather odds, Todd and I went camping this past weekend. The forecasts were pretty dire, including rain, rain, and more rain, then oh! it's Sunday and you're ready to come home, so, dry.

But we totally got lucky, because the only rain was on Saturday morning at about 5:00 a.m., when we were snug as two bugs in our tent. It's amazing to me, when I consider the me that I was before I started dating Todd, that I actually enjoy camping, but with Todd, I really do. It's such a quiet activity. We don't take radios or anything that makes noise, and we putter around our little campsite, and cook, and sit by the fire until I fall asleep in my chair, then we snuggle into sleeping bags. What's not to like?

This trip was a bit different because a couple of our good friends met us for half of the trip, bringing their almost-four-year old with them. He's a hilarious kid, who says "Yikes!" alot, and my new favorite expression: "You can say that again don't say that again." Hilarious. The only thing is, if he tells you I fed him pizza with pickles and macaroni on it, it's a total lie. It was peppers and pepperoni, I swear.

We're back to civilization today and already scheming about our next trip. Civilization sucks.

101 Things: Day 400

2009-05-12T22:34:00.002-04:00

Well, since I am woefully behind on blogging these days, it shouldn't surprise you that I am writing my Day 400 post about a week late. But really, when you're talking about 1,001 days, what is a few days?

Unfortunately, the past 100 days haven't been very productive. (Obama has accomplished WAY more than me. I am a slacker.)

Lose 20 pounds. Woohoo! I am on my way. I had really hoped to get to the "lose 30 pounds" mark during this 100 days, but alas, it was not meant to be. I was on a big roll, and then after vacation -- although, oddly not WHILE on vacation -- I hit a big crash and burn and then had to deal with the same 3 pounds going off then coming back on for nearly two months. Bummer. I think I'm on track now, I've actually lost 23.6, so I'm really, really hopeful that by Day 500 I'll be at 40 pounds lost.

Take at least 3 yoga classes. I've mentioned this one a few times, already. I am a semi-regular yoga-class-taker now, and have bought my own mat which I am anxious to use. I like yoga, I like it a lot. And even if the guy who teaches my class does freakily resemble a pretzel at times, I am determined to keep on keepin' on.

And, yeah, that's it. But seriously, there are so many things in the works, I have great expectations for the next 100 days. I'm still going through the Artist's Way program, and I'm THIS close to settling on my novel idea (frightening!). In June, I will have completed my one year of violin lessons (and I'm going to keep going). I've been trying and trying to go on my Cave Hill Cemetary walk, and I think I'll get it in soon, probably combined with my little solo picnic. My roller blades are sitting out ready to go, and best of all? I am SO going to see Mellencamp in July.

So watch out, Day 500, I'm gonna kick your ass!

This Post Doesn't Even Have a Title

2009-04-28T22:15:00.003-04:00

I wish I were going to write something beautiful and insightful tonight, but yeah, I don't think that's happening. It's Derby Week in the Hall of Justice, which means light dockets and lots of leaving early. Last week was kind of a hard week, both work-wise and social-commitment-wise, so I'm taking it easy this week.

Here are some things I am loving this week:

Yoga. Believe it or not, I like it, and I think it's even exercise.

Korean food. Had it for the first time tonight, and it was mighty tasty. I ate a fermented black bean, and I would totally do it again.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Two. I'm rewatching, since I got Seasons One and Two for my birthday. Ahh, the good old days, when Angel was hot, Buffy was a virgin, and Spike was still deliciously bad.

Dollhouse. Oh, Joss Whedon, how I love you. You have made me love yet another show, even though you made the poor choice of Eliza Dushku as the star.

My new air popcorn-popper. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm super excited about it, since I'm a weirdo who likes neither butter, oil, or salt on my popcorn.

This Post is (Almost) 101 Things Long

2008-04-01T19:00:00.018-04:00

Okay, I've been wracking my poor, poor brain, trying to come up with my 101 things. Everyone I know is tired of hearing, "what else can I add?" So, here it is, and it will just have to be rounded out with an extra 15 or so items before the time's up. My 1,001 days starts today, April 1 (and, NO, this is not an April Fool's Day thing. What a dumb holiday.), and ends on December 28, 2010.

I divided the list up into three parts, "Mind," "Body," and "Soul." Some of the placement of things might seem a bit arbitrary, but I just put 'em where they seemed to me to belong.

Mind
1Finish writing my list of 101 things: completed 4/11/08
2Complete The Artist's Way program
3Settle on an idea for a novel
4Write the first chapter of a novel
5Finish writing a novel
6Take a sewing class: completed 4/28/08
7Take violin lessons for at least one year
8Go to New York City
9Learn to play a Ben Folds song on the piano
10Have a soup-exchange party
11Have a beer-tasting party
12Write a short story
13Send a short story off for publication
14Write a poem
15Send a poem off for publication
16Read at least four non-fiction books in 2008 completed 10/15/08
17Write a grant proposal for a non-profit
18Volunteer at a non-profit organization for at least six months
19Learn to make pull candy
20Go to the planetarium completed 06/13/08
21Go to the giraffe exhibit at the Nashville Zoo
22Go to Shakespeare in the Park completed 06/27/08
23Work on a political campaign completed 11/1/09
24Attend a book discussion group
25Take a creative writing class
26Go on a ghost walk in Louisville
27Read a book to learn more about US history completed 10/13/08
28Perfect a "signature dish"
29Teach somebody to do something
30Participate in NaNoWriMo
31Write a song
32Sew myself a skirt
33Finish the "It" dress
34Enter something in the State Fair completed 08/10/08

BODY
1Lose 10 pounds completed 02/02/09
2Lose 20 pounds completed 04/01/09
3Lose 30 pounds
4Lose 40 pounds
5Lose 50 pounds
6Lose 60 pounds
7Lose 70 pounds
8Lose 80 pounds
9Lose 90 pounds
10Lose 100 pounds
11Run (or walk quickly!) in a race
12Complete a century bike ride
13Take at least 3 yoga classes completed 04/15/09
14Take at least 3 bellydance classes
15Go diving at least twice in 2008
16Go diving at least four times in 2009
17Go diving at least six times in 2010
18Dive in saltwater
19Dive the St. Lawrence
20Learn to use liquid eyeliner completed 06/13/08
21Join a CSA
22Wear black fingernail polish (in public)completed 05/26/08
23Take a dance class with Todd
24Go dancing
25Get rid of all the clothes that don't fit me right now
26Knit a chalk bag for Todd
27Go for a walk in Cave Hill Cemetery
28Take a Segway tour
29Exercise 5 days/wk for one month
30Make mint julep liqeur completed 08/08
31Learn to use my roller blades
32Go on an overnight camping/canoe or kayak trip
33Have a massage

SOUL
1Make a quilt
2Play in my church orchestra completed 10/2/08
3Be a Big Sister for at least six months completed 09/08
4Learn to bake bread
5Knit a sweater for myself
6See "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" again
7Buy a Carpenter's album
8Read the whole Bible
90Go on a retreat by myself
10Complete "8-Minute Meditation" program
11Frame my wedding pictures and hang them
12Journal every day for thirty days
13Get red cowboy boots
14Get a little black dress
15Start a service project at church
16Buy a piece of original art
17Go to the roller derby
18Go to a Red's game completed 07/04/08
19See John Cougar Mellencamp in concert
20Rent a dumpster and fill it with stuff from my house
21Buy a copy of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
22Make a fleece blanket for myself completed 01/28/09
23Draw something
24Send out holiday cards -- not for Christmas
25Have my cards read
26Take myself on a picnic
27Organize a group campout
28Send someone a thank you note
39Buy a piece of vintage clothing
30Watch a sunrise
31Plan a European or Asian vacation
32Give someone a homemade present of food completed 06/13/08
33Go six months without using a credit card
34Give something to someone who needs it completed 05/23/08

You Think I'm Just Lounging About, But It's SO Not True

2009-04-15T22:22:00.003-04:00

I'm so very tired, you're only getting a skeleton-y post today with a smidge of what I've been up to . . .

1. Canoeing on Saturday. Not the best exercise in the world, but such a gorgeous day. Canoeing, and even more so kayaking, are two things that Todd introduced me to that I have really loved.

2. Easter Sunday. Big church crowd. Lots of brass fanfare-ing. Lots of bad food-eating at Brunch. Tried a walk in the park later, but it didn't make up for all those bazillion points.

3. Skipped Weight Watchers meeting for first time since January 1. (See above re: Easter brunch.) Back on the wagon now.

4. Saw foot doctor on Monday. Bad, very bad. More shots, maybe surgery.

5. Today, yoga. Holy Namast-oly, was that hard. I fully expect to be dead by tomorrow morning.

6. Also today -- I broke a nail while swimming. Don't ask.

A Brief Addendum to Yesterday's Post

2009-04-10T08:27:00.002-04:00

I've been saying that my legs are really achy, and I don't think my husband believes me. Last night they were SO achy, I dreamed they had been cut off and reattached.

Joining the Club

2009-04-08T23:11:00.004-04:00

A few years ago, I decided I was going to walk a 4K race, one of the Polar Bear Grand Prix races they have here in the Winter. I don't really know why I thought this was a good idea, I know I didn't do much work to get ready for it.

So on the morning of the race, I start out walking, and realize that there is no one, and I do mean no one, who walks as slow as me. I panic, and decide that I don't want to be last, so I'll RUN the race. I reasoned to myself that people always talk about the adrenaline, etc., and I figured that would get me through the race and maybe I would beat at least a few of the slowest walkers.

Well, adrenaline got me through about three fourths of one of the four Ks, and I called Todd to come get me.

After that, I very publicly denounced the whole "race" culture, and swore that I'd never attempt to walk one again, and in fact would never run anywhere unless there was something really big and scary chasing me -- like maybe that #41 from the UConn women's basketball team.

But recently it's started to bug me, that while I have surprised myself with bike riding, and swimming, and kayaking, and camping, and a whole host of things, I have never gotten over that hump of at least being able to run around the block.

Then I was told by more than one person that running will "melt the pounds off like butter," and that it is a "brutally effecient" exercise that gets big results fast.

Since I'm going for that 77-pound weight loss in one week, I figure I should give it a try. So I've been doing the Couch to 5K program.

The first week I handled the 60 second running intervals okay, and even increased my speed a little. Today I did the first day of week 2, which moves up to 90 second running intervals. And let me tell you, those extra 30 seconds KICKED MY ASS.

I thought I was going to have to apologize to the woman on the treadmill next to me for breathing so loud, then I realized she was wearing headphones, so maybe that muffled my gasping a little.

And a few times I felt myself moving farther and farther toward the end of the treadmill, and had to make myself use enough umph to not fall off the back. I often seem to veer off to the side a bit, too, so I'm thinking my run is not the most attractive-looking thing in the workout room.

And I absolutely cannot imagine running for a WHOLE 5K. Or even for three minute intervals, which I think comes up next week. So all you readers out there, all FOUR of you, please keep your fingers crossed that I can get through the whole two-month program without breaking a leg, or having a stroke or something. And I'll let you know when I hit that 77-pound week.

But -- boy howdy, are my legs sore.

And You Thought I Wasn't Interested in Basketball

2009-04-07T22:04:00.003-04:00

I have watched one basketball game all year . . . hell, one sporting event all year, period. Apparently I am bad luck because SHEESH. This UL/UCONN game is pretty depressing.

And since we all know that I know nothing about sports, let me just say this: HOLY CRAP THAT ONE PLAYER FROM UCONN IS SCARY! That #41? If I had ever been inclined toward dating women, she would scare that notion right out of me.

That is SO not nice, I know. But, really. Someone should tell her that she would benefit greatly from a nice hairstyling and a deftly applied smoky eye. And the color of that uniform? It does NOTHING for her.

See? I CAN have an intelligent conversation about sports.

Monday Stuff

2009-04-06T21:31:00.004-04:00

1. Today, because my violin playing was so bad, Hannah (my teacher) decided to "cheer me up" by playing for me the next song in my line-up to "show me what I have to look forward to." Two lines into the song, I started laughing. I thought it was a joke, see, because it was SO RIDICULOUS to think I could play that. I even said, "Really, do you think I'm ready for that?" Luckily, my current song is so hard I will likely be 40 before I get finished with it. Oh, and can I just say that Vivaldi sucks all kinds of violin ass?

2. At Weight Watchers tonight, I lost 3.8 pounds. And I was TOTALLY not happy with that. You know why? Because I was hoping for more. Just 77 more pounds tonight, and I would have been done.

3. If I have one weakness as a cook, it is that I never remember that more is not always better. I made a Pampered Chef recipe for a chicken club pizza that I had at my party last week, and put waaay too much chicken and cheese and bacon on it. Now I feel like I need to just go eat lemons until sometime around Wednesday. Blech.

4. I went back to the holdover today to talk to a pro se defendant, and another defendant said to me, "Are you a lawyer?" When I said yes, he asked, "Are you a public one or a REAL one?" Hooh, boy, was that the wrong thing to say to me! So I said to him, "Boy, was that the wrong thing to say to me." Then I told him that I'm a prosecutor and that I'll be watching out for his case.

5. I am once again trying to work my way through The Artist's Way. The first few weeks demand that I figure out who is to blame for my stagnant creativity. I'm pretty convinced that it was that college poetry writing professor who laughed so hard at my poem, then at the end of the semester, asked me to read it again so she could laugh at it some more. Yeah, I'm thinking it's totally her fault that I didn't write Harry Potter.

Keeping the Parties Straight is Half the Battle

2009-04-01T22:43:00.002-04:00

Often, I love my job. It can get stressful and annoying, like any other job, but seriously, I can't think of any other place I could work that would have the equal measures of drama and comedy.

Just the other day, a woman comes to the door of our conference room, and asks, as people do a hundred times per day, "Has my case been called?"

One of my co-workers began the endless process of trying to get out of her which of the 200 cases on the docket was "hers."

"Are you the defendant?"

"What?"

"Do you have charges against you today?"

"Huh?"

This is the point at which I usually get thoroughly exasperated and turn the whole mess over to someone else. This time, the woman got exasperated first:

"Look," she said, in a tone that clearly showed she thought we were all totally dense, "I'm the VICTIM . . . NOT the vic-TOR."

Oh, yeah. Courtroom comedy. I couldn't make this stuff up.

The Highs and Woes of Weight Watching

2009-03-31T17:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, I recognize that you might eventually get a wee bit tired of hearing about my weight loss efforts, but you know what?

I get a wee bit tired of my weight loss efforts.

When last we visited this topic, I was most unhappy because I had gained four tenths of a pound. In the week following that tragedy, I worked pretty hard, even foregoing ice cream when Little and I went to see Cirque du Soleil (which was FABULOUS, by the way). Because I had been so worried about missing a meeting on the upcoming vacation, I went all the way across town to go to a DIFFERENT meeting the day before we left.

And a wonderful meeting it was, because I lost 3.5 pounds. Cool. Sunshine and rainbows, and all that.

So I go off on my vacation, in which I not only figured out where the hotel gym was, but actually went INTO it and WORKED OUT. ON VACATION. Never have I done such a thing. Then, when Todd went on his Eagle Scouts-only backpacking trip, I walked SIX miles of the South Rim Trail. I have to admit, though, I ate a lot of what I wanted to eat, and by Friday, had given up counting points altogether.

When we got back? I lost ANOTHER 3.5 pounds. Boy howdy, we were talking SERIOUS sunshine and rainbows at that point.

So, for those of you still reading along . . . last week was hard. It was the final week of Lewis Birthday Stretch-Out, and it involved one drinks with friends, one doughnuts with coworkers, one dinner with hubby, one dinner with dad, one cookies with coworkers, a second dinner with hubby, a dinner with niece, and a dinner with brother and sister-in-law. I tried, I really tried, but apparently I did not try hard enough, because . . .

Is the suspense killing you? Hello? Is anyone still there?

Anyway. I gained four pounds. No, not four tenths, FOUR POUNDS. One, two, three FOUR pounds. Huh. Didn't see that one coming.

There are no sunshine and no rainbows around here this week. No, sir, just rain and clouds and carrot sticks and water. Birthday Stretch-Out is officially over.

Books!

2009-03-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about vacation (and then I promise I won't talk about vacation anymore) is vacation reading. I always use it as an excuse to go on a book-buying spree, and I try never to go on a trip of any significant length without at least four books, and truthfully, five or six is better. (Whoa, long sentence there.)

So with my vacation reading, and one post-vacation splurge read, I feel like I have lots to report.

The book I was most excited to read, and the one I devoured almost as soon as we got off the plane, was Replay, by Ken Grimwood. I have something of an obsession with time-travel novels and short stories; it all started with that damn Christopher Reeve movie, and just keeps going. This book was tons of fun and led to some great vacation conversations. It's about a man who is repeatedly sent back to himself at age 18 to live his life over again; he has full memory each time, so his experience build and build on one another. I spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out what I would do in such a situation. Think about it, it's a tough one.

My other reading selections were total vacation fluff. At least they were supposed to be. I made the mistake of picking what looked like a silly little fantasy tale, Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story. Sounds harmless enough, doesn't it? A story about Cinderella's fairy godmother and her life after Cinderella? Well, it was TOTALLY not HARMLESS at all. Turns out, it wasn't about a fairy godmother at all, and instead was about an elderly woman who has so much guilt over an incident in her youth that she goes crazy, lives a lonely life, and kills herself in the end! Yeah, that was NOT what I wanted out of vacation reading. Sheesh. I know I just spoiled it for you if you were planning on reading it, but I consider it a Public Service Announcement.

The other book I just finished, well, I'm not going to spoil it for you because it's part of a series by a pretty popular writer, and I don't want to put you off the whole series on the off chance that you plan to read it. Let's just say that I picked up what was supposed to be a lighthearted mystery, only to have the main character's husband DIE AT THE END. There's no other way to say it, that just sucked ass. I swear, I think I'm going to write the auther a letter, just to say, "Dude, what the fuck?"

Anyway, since my Spring fluff reading is getting kind of depressing, I think I'll just go ahead and finish that new Joyce Carol Oates novel that I got. You know, the one based on the Jon-Benet Ramsey murder? It should be a real laugh a minute.

Did You Miss Me?

2009-03-26T21:22:00.006-04:00

Well, the sad fact is, all good vacations must come to an end, and this was definitely a good one.

Las Vegas was, well, Vegas. Unrelentingly tacky, ridiculously nouveau riche and an all-around assault on the senses. The best thing about Vegas is that it is on the way to the Grand Canyon.

Because the Grand Canyon is as beautiful and serene as Vegas is ugly and obnoxious. Really, you can't take a bad picture at that place. If there's a complaint to be had, it's that you run out of ways to say, "Wow."

Todd being Todd, he did an overnight backpacking trip to the bottom of the canyon. Myself, I figure you can see the bottom from the top and there's nothing down there except more dirt and a muddy river. I stayed on the Rim and walked and shopped and got horribly sun-burnt . . . and was exceptionally glad that my husband came back alive.

Yes indeedy, I like vacation.

Please Stand By

2009-03-16T11:23:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, we had whatever the regular ol' TV was, before cable and satellite and such nonsense. Pretty frequently, there would be a message that popped up on a blank screen like so: "We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by." The part of me that was destined to be an English major used to think the wording was a little odd, like it was telling me to stand next to the TV in order to fix the problem. (I also am never comfortable with the sign that says "Bridges Freeze Before Roadway," because it sounds like the "before" is a spatial issue, not a temporal one, but that's another post entirely.)

Anyway, the point is, we are experiencing technical difficulties here at Around the Subject, which just means that all our computers are broke-ass. That's one reason posting has been a bit infrequent, lately. Hopefully the situation will be resolved soon.

In the meantime, we are drowning our electronic device woes by GOING ON VACATION! Woo-hoo! We'll be in Vegas for two nights, then the Grand Canyon for three, then a stop at Boulder City for one night before home. I somehow doubt that the Grand Canyon is a wireless internet mecca, so I'm not expecting to do much posting while I'm gone.

Try to carry on without me.