Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

1. I planted an herb garden last weekend! Maybe "garden" is a bit too generous- I bought a barrel, threw some soil in it and stuck in some mint, cilantro, parsley, and basil. Now if only I can remember that it's there...

2. I'm still in shock over what happened in Boston on Monday. As an ex(?)- runner whose crossed over many finish lines the idea of being greeted with an explosion is mind-boggling. The running community is resilient- the runners themselves and the spectators that watch them. My heart goes out to everyone involved.

3. And on that, note, I'm also so horrified about what has happened in Texas- I think the stories are competing a bit. While I am no doubt saddened by the loss of lives and injuries, I am also really feeling for the people who lost their homes. Yes, houses and what's inside them are no match for human lives, but there are still a lot of memories and pride located in a person's house.

4. I hate when people complain about paying their taxes. Were you bitching while you drove over a road while your kid was in school? Then did you go home to your house that is protected by police? Oh, and you want more financial aid for your child in college? I know the system is flawed and there is plenty of waste, but if you hate it that much move to Mexico.

5. I really, really want a Roomba. The idea of this little robot (have we talked about my love for robots?) cleaning all the dog hair off my floor during the day and occasionally scaring the bajeezus out of Cordie and Chomsky makes me so happy. Unfortunately their price tags do not.

6. This week I am proctoring state standardized testing and, let me tell you, I'm over it (if I had a dollar every time I said that phrase I'd be a fucking kajillionaire). The kids test from 7:30 to 11:00 and then our day is split into, roughly, six periods that are less than a half an hour each. It's all kinds of ridiculous.

7. I put these awesome cookies in the oven only to be interrupted by my three new bathing suits arriving in the mail. Amazing timing. Time to jump on the treadmill.

 8. You have to visit the blog STFU, Parents which lambasts excessive sharers on the internets. I suppose some of you might be offended, especially those with kids, but seriously- no one wants to hear about, or see, your kids' poop, potty training, vomit, or bloody injuries. We don't want excessive stories about their sleep schedules, how often they eat, or about their tantrums. Cute pictures (preferably posed with a cute dog and of little girls with pigtails) or a funny story, yes, please. The occasional rant about little Johnny's insomnia for the sixth night in a row? You have the right to bitch, mommy dearest. But all the other shit you can keep to yourself.

9. Allison Bechdel canceled her panel at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend. I'm slightly annoyed (unless she didn't realize it was at USC and is as mad as I still am about it being moved from UCLA- then her boycott is warranted).

10. I'm a big photo album person- I have all my pictures in albums (not, I repeat not, scrapbooks) since I was about 15 years old (almost half of my life). My mom was the same way, so obviously it's a habit I can give her credit for. Lately, after reading a post on Young House Love, I've been considering switching over to picture yearbooks of sort using a company like Mixbook. This way I wouldn't have to remember to print them and could sit down at the end of every month and design the pages for what had happened the last four months. it sounds like a good summer project.