Thursday, July 24, 2008

Dinner, Dog and a Darn Good Book

I am officially back to about 50% of my usual capacity. It feels great. I'll spare the details but I got really sick last night through this morning and I seems like a lot of what was wrong left my system. I'm extremely fatigued, and hungry and very, very thirsty but I don't feel like I'm hosting an unfriendly guest in my abdomen. Yay for recovery.

After a long hot shower - sadly the first in days - I ate breakfast (without the usual cramping) and then made beef burgundy, one of my hardest dishes and the first meal I've cooked in two weeks. On Tuesday watching the mixer for five minutes nearly did me in so forty-five minutes of sauteing, chopping and dicing is a huge change. Avery was beside himself to have me back in the kitchen and his help made the meal possible. Love that kid.

Chocolate has a urinary tract disease that makes him susceptible to UTIs. He started having trouble last week while Chris was gone for three days and I couldn't get off the couch. Yesterday he spent the day at the vet and his bacteria was sky-high so he's back on meds and prescription dog food for the next month. Poor sprout, he's going to really miss his treats. Everyone at the vet commented to Chris about how his temperament is incredibly good-natured and very sweet. I don't know why I felt so proud though, it's not like we trained him to have a good personality. He's just the most awesome dog in the world. And I'm completely unbiased, of course. Right now he's curled up against my legs with his head on my feet. I can't believe we went without this kind of love so long.

I read Twilight straight through (more or less) yesterday afternoon and this morning. And I loved it. At first I was annoyed when for two paragraphs straight every sentence began with, "I". Then she pulled the looking in the mirror so the reader knows what the MC looks like trick and nearly lost me. But once Bella met Edward and I was hooked. I've never read any buzz about Twilight so excuse me if it has been said before but Twilight felt very Austen-esque to me. It's so buttoned up yet dripping with longing and passion. It's certainly more modern and loosens the reigns a bit but in general the tension is created from what can't be. I haven't been swept up so thoroughly in a book in ages.

I'm such a snob about Bandwagon Books - you know, anything EVERYONE is reading thats the BEST. THING. EVER! It took me forever to pick up Harry Potter, the Xer in me just hates being a joiner. But, like HP, I am so totally hooked on the Twilight now that I've asked Chris at least four times about when he's off work and can we please, please, please go to Barnes and Noble.

Lately all the reading I've done has been excellent, that never happens. Even Stephen King's The Gingerbread Girl wasn't half bad - and when was the last time you could say that about Stephen King? I'll tell you, about 1988.

*sigh* Kids working, doggy warming my feet, house smelling of good food. Bliss.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Nicole, so glad to hear you are on the mend! If you're up and cooking, you must be feeling better.

Thanks also for the review of Twilight. I too have been looking at it, but have the same bandwagon reaction that you did. (I didn't get on HP until book three came out and had to go back and read the series from the start!)

Steven King, however, is one bandwagon I've never been able to hop on ;-)

Take care!

Nicole Maki said...

Tara!

I didn't pick up HP until after three came out either and you and I both ended up being such huge fans. Twilight is really good, I can see what all the fuss is about.

As for SK, I read his stuff in grade eight and nine and one short story book since. But, his writing tome, On Writing is a great book and I refer to it often. The Gingerbread Girl was published in the one issue of Esquire we've bought which was how I ended up reading it and I enjoyed it. Pretty straight forward but a nice bit of escapist entertainment all the same.

Perpetual Beginner said...

Somehow I hadn't even heard of Twilight, so I'll have to go take a look.

Sadly, I had to waste a chunk of my reading time this month plowing through Eragon and Eldest, mostly so that I could argue back at a couple of fanboys at allbeliefs who are convinced they're the greatest books EVAR!!!! I don't feel comfortable severely criticizing books I haven't read, so...

Mind you, this is the same reason I read Slavegirl of Gor back in college. It's a good thing I'm a fast reader, or I'd resent the wasted time more.

I'm so glad you're feeling better. Here's to continued mending - and to Chocolate improving as well!

Nicole Maki said...

Hey Cindy,

My twelve year old was sure Eragon and Eldest were the end all and be all of fantasy writing and then he started reading a little broader and he decided Pallolini tends to cobble together a lot of greater works. Now he's on to reading volumes of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Twilight is a good YA, I'd call it a romance novel with a supernatural plot although I'm sure many people would describe it otherwise. I'd originally bought it thinking my eldest would like it and was pre-reading it first because he likes fvampire stories but most are too racy. After reading it though I know he'd hate it as it strikes me as solidly a romance novel and an Austen style one at that.

Chocolate is much better today, we're so relieved. I never thought I'd be so excited to see my dog pee. LOL.