All sorts of random babble, including an award and kiddo funnies

I wait two days to post, again, and look what happens. Amy at The Sleepy Reader endowed me with the Butterfly Award. Then, so did April of Cafe of Dreams.

Thank you, Amy and April! I don't pass on awards because I discovered early on that I feel guilty passing up anyone at all, when awards are doled out. I love all my blogger friends! Yes, I'm a spoil sport.

In other news:

I totally forgot to share how I acquired my copy of Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily -- which I loved but did not review because it wasn't an ARC and I was really into that business about staying away from the computer as much as humanly possible over the holiday break (which, incidentally, has not ended for us because of the inane new transitioning-to-year-round school schedule). It was so easy and fun acquiring a copy. I signed up for the Dishing up Books 24/8 mailing list and let Falise know my top 3 reads from 2008. Check the Blue Plate Specials page for details.

Favorite word verifications of the day, with my fake definitions:

Hermisto - a young, Spanish hermit

Aleatort - a type of civil wrong specifically effecting women with the name Alea

Not great, but that's the best I can come up with. I'm not succeeding at keeping up with my Google Reader/blog-hopping, but I'll keep trying -- sporadically, 'cause of the balance thing.

Kiddo got his wisdom teeth out, yesterday. I got to sit on a nice, plush leather couch while he got his teeth removed. There, I read 30 pages of The Coasts of Canada by Lesley Choyce, in spite of the fact that they were piping in an unspeakably awful FM radio station (pop music that included Amy Grant's most annoying song, "Baby, Baby" and Cher . . . need I say more?). I love music but that particular station drove me bazonkers.

After that nice stretch of reading joy, the dental dictators then moved me to a hard, folding chair to wait for Kiddo to wake up. He awakened briefly and totally pissed off, then he started to lift his head up and down, up and down. I said, "What are you doing?" Kiddo replied, (wait for it, wait for it) . . .

"Thit-upth."

He went back to sleep and they really wanted to get rid of him but wouldn't send him home sleepy, so I had to sit on that miserable chair in the semi-darkness, uncomfortable and without enough light to read. Eventually, I got sick of the piped-in music, peeled back the electric blanket and stomped my feet to wake him up. On the way to the car, he giggled once -- just once! -- "A-heh-heh."

It took two of us to guide him to the car. But, when we got home, I said I'd go put my bags inside and come back for him. Kiddo said, with uncharacteristic venom, "I CAN WALK!" and stomped to the front porch. Off to the futon to sleep, the cat curled up on his legs in drugged-human warmth heaven. I woke him up to ask if he wanted some jell-o and pills or just more sleep, after a time. He held up 3 fingers. I said, "I don't understand 3 fingers. What's that mean?" He held up 3 fingers, again. I asked if that meant "Option 3: Go away and leave me alone??" Nod, nod.

Husband says, "So, he wouldn't be a fun drunk?" I think not.

Eventually, Kiddo rolled over and the cat literally went flying backwards off the futon, all wide-eyed, trying to hang onto the comforter with the claws. It did not work -- the comforter went part way with her, she skidded down the end of the futon and plopped on the floor, then shook herself off and casually got a drink of water because cats, as all people who are owned by them know, refuse to admit that they're embarrassed.

I've now finished my third book of the year, We're In This Boat Together by Camille F. Bishop, Ph.D. I'll try to get the review of that book, as well as my review of I Choose to Be Happy by Missy Jenkins, ASAP. Don't want to fall too far behind because I'm supposed to be working on balance, you know!!

At the moment, I'm getting "internal error" messages from Blogger and unable to update my sidebar to reflect the new books I've added to my current reads, but in addition to the 2 Civil War books (one fiction, one social history) and The Coasts of Canada (which is amazing history, not the slightest bit dry), I'm reading Written in Blood by Sheila Lowe. I haven't recently sat down with Alpine Americas by Olaf Soot, but I've read and immersed myself in the mountainy beauty of about the first 50 pages and can tell you it's simply breathtaking and written from a slightly different perpective than I expected. I hope to finish that and review it, later this week.

I was also planning to upload a photo of my cat eating her veggies (monkey grass, outside) but Blogger hates me and gave me yet another "internal error" message, so pardon the lack of lovely illustrations. At least you've got that nice butterfly to enjoy. Back soon with reviews!