The Storm Before the Calm

This week we've had a flurry of activity.

Since I'm starting the new job next week, I've been trying to squeeze in appointments and excursions as much as humanly possible. So with dentists, doctors, car maintenance, hair cuts, and whatever else we can squeeze into one week, it's been a little nuts.

So call me surprised when my son springs on me the desire to have his annual back-to-school party tonight. Since we're also going to try and squeeze in a quick run down to Oklahoma to see my niece and great-niece coming in from Arkansas, tonight was the only available evening for him to have this fling.

The gang of five began to arrive around four-thirty today. I'd just returned from filling out all my new hire and benefits enrollment forms to face running to pick up soda and snacks and order three large pizzas.

Good thing Pizza Hut was running a special!

Since this is his annual tradition, I'd never deny him this end-of-summer ritual. But I'll be kinda glad to see the weekend end and Monday to roll around. Then I'll start my new job and he'll start school the end of next week.

Sometimes schedules can be a blessed thing. It keeps the crazy desire for sudden activities in check. Feels like the storm before the calm.

Book Bonanza

Went to Wal-mart this evening for the usual stock-up items. I love that store! Of course, I ended up staying much longer than intended when I saw the table of discounted books. Bought three. Ah, my weakness indeed.

Books - I love books! I love what a good book does to my insides. A good book makes me think, engages my mind, heart, and soul. It makes me cry, my heart pound, or creates this fire of anger deep in my being. All sorts of emotions can come up when I've got a good book in my hands. When the feelings rise, that's when I know the book is good on at least some level.

My new house has a nook for my library. In all my years, I've bought and collected tons of books and then given away tons more (or lent them out, never to return). I would love to have an enormous room filled with books like Professor Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady". Sometimes I watch that movie just to see his library.

Right now I'm scoping out a new series of books for my son too. Summertime is coming up far too quickly, and I've yet to find a new series of books to interest him for summer reading. Any suggestions (appropriate, of course) would be most welcomed. I thought about perhaps getting him some Louis Lamour or such, but he's not into westerns or anything like that. He enjoys good fantasy fare and sci-fi (he loved Lord of the Rings). I need to get busy.

He'd have a complete cow if I made him read history all summer. Hey, a boy has to enjoy some things in life!