Read-a-Thon Goodies

So, what do we have? Cheetos, three kinds of Pringles (Loaded Baked Potato, Pizza, and Sour Cream and Cheddar), Publix dipping chips, Publix spice drops, chocolate candy, and French Onion dip. I also have some frozen pizzas for dinner. I'm sure I'll make hubby run out and fetch me something for lunch, too. One of my favorite parts of the Read-a-Thon is the amount of junk food one gets to consume! I'll be drinking Diet Mountain Dew Ultra-Violet, water, and Propel.

Let's do this.

Mailbox Monday

It's Mailbox Monday again! Join Marcia at
The Printed Page to see what everyone else got in their mailboxes this week.

I received another two BookMooch books. And they are a continuation of my attempts to beef up my science fiction reading. They are both Andre Norton books: Daybreak 2250 A.D. (also published as Star Man's Son) and Witch World. The WW book is the very first one in the series. I'd like to collect them all (though God knows when I'll get a chance to read them).

In other news, Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon is coming up this weekend! This is one of my favorite blogosphere events. I cannot wait to spend my entire Saturday (and part of Sunday?) READING. I need to stock up on snacks, but I'm set for caffeine and books.

I made Rachael Ray's recipe for Aglio Olio (garlic and oil pasta) tonight. Usually I take a pic and post it, but this didn't really look spectacular. It was okay taste-wise (although I suspect that the hubby didn't really like it), but the finished product didn't really LOOK like much...plain ol' pasta! I have leftovers for work this week, at least. Next up, I'd like to try a homemade salad dressing from her original 30 Minute Meals cookbook. I'm really enjoying getting back into the kitchen!

Two Weeks' Worth of Friday Fill-Ins!

1. Sweet dreams are made of these.

2. Finding time to do it all is hard, especially for me.

3. Silliness is necessary to retain one's sanity.

4. I look forward to handing out candy this Halloween.

5. Outstanding or not, it doesn't matter.

6. More time in the day is what I want right now!

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1. So are we going to my parents' together for Christmas?

2. The holiday season is what's up ahead.

3. I love to win the lottery.

4. I need a nap of some sort.

5. I walk a thin line between two personalities.

6. Love is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Google Reader, tomorrow my plans include spending time with the Gastons and Sunday, I want to hang out with my husband!

Sigh

Friday night, and I'm catching up on my Google Reader.

It's been an unproductive reading week here. I'm in the middle of Angela Carter's Shaking a Leg, which is a collection of her literary criticism and other articles she wrote, mostly for New Society. It covers a variety of topics and I'm finding that I quite enjoy her acidic writing style and thought-provoking pieces. She was a feminist of the 1970's variety, if anyone knows what I mean by that. I think they call it First-Wave Feminism? I'm not up on the lingo. I love her scathing review of Linda Lovelace's autobiography. (Linda Lovelace was, I believe, the "actress" who starred in Deep Throat...I had to ask my husband about that one!)

Anyway, this isn't meant to be an in-depth review of the work (I'm only about one sixth of the way through the monstrous thing). BUT what I'm trying to say is...I haven't gotten much accomplished on it this week. I was in jury selection Monday, which tired me out too much to read anything quite as heavy and intellectual as Carter's essays. And I was in trial Wednesday (well, supposed to be...), so I spent most of Tuesday night putting the final touches on my case. When the thing pled out on Wednesday, I was then too exhausted from the stress to pick up the book. All I could manage was Glee. Last night was a night full of TV with the hubby, so that leaves me...nowhere, really. I seem to get through more of the book when I read it during commercials of my beloved football games.

I wish I were one of those people who can read multiple things at once, but I'm not. I'd get a novel going on the side and forsake the non-fiction for that. Especially if it's a good novel. It's not that the essay collection is boring or anything, it's just that I need all my faculties about me to take it all in...and that's hard to come by on a weeknight.

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing some friends for the Georgia game tomorrow, and hanging with the hubster on Sunday. He's FINALLY done with his week and a half of working nights, so...that'll be nice. Keep your fingers crossed for him. He had two job interviews today and we're really hoping he gets one of them!

Pretend It's Still...Mailbox Monday!

I forgot to do my Mailbox Monday post yesterday. Then I remembered, but it was too late, since Monday Night Football was starting. So, sorry I'm a little late.

I haven't participated in a few weeks, mostly because I haven't GOTTEN anything in the last few weeks. The hubs and I are trying to stick to a budget, and that means no room for purchased books. But I'm still using BookMooch, and this week I received one of my Mooched books. I'm on a bit of a sci-fi kick right now, and I'm collecting Andre Norton's Witch World series, one book at a time. I've already gotten Sorceress of the Witch World and WareHawk. This week, I received a copy of Web of the Witch World. I'd ordered the original, just titled Witch World, but the Moocher never replied, so I had to cancel and try again. Hopefully, I'll be getting that one in time for next week's MM.

What did you find in YOUR mailbox this week?

What I Did Yesterday

Step One...

Step Two....

Step Three...Buckeyes!

Friday Fill-Ins!

1. I have a history of not communicating well.

2. Real estate law is something I wish I knew.

3. I'm eating (or recently ate) a roast beef sammich.

4. I love to be on the road.

5. So that's it, that's the end.

6. Another question is better than nothing!

7. And as for the weekend, last night I was looking forward to our annual fundraiser for the United Way, today my plans included watching my Dawgs play LSU and tomorrow, I want to watch the Dolphins and hang with my hubby!

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We got some bad news this week. The house that we are renting, which we JUST moved into about two months ago, has gone into foreclosure. We're still not sure what that means for us. It could mean moving again before we're ready (and we REALLY don't want to leave this house). Or it could mean an unforeseen opportunity to buy the house (although we're not really ready for THAT, either). I'm hoping for the latter. We love the house and the neighborhood, and our long-range plan was to try to buy it. I was heartbroken when I heard, but I'm in fix-it mode now. So we're withholding rent, putting it essentially in escrow in our savings account, since the JERK who entered into the lease with us in July knew he hadn't paid his mortgage since April, and I refuse to pay him another red cent to live here. If the bank wants us as tenants, we'll happily pay them, but we'd rather try to work out a sweet deal on the purchase of the property. Time will tell, I guess, but it's hard to just sit here and wait.