In Honor of National Poetry Month

This is one of my favorite poems by W.H. Auden:

T.S. Eliot is quite at a loss
When clubwomen bustle across
At literary teas
Crying "What, if you please,
Did you mean by The Mill on the Floss?"

I figured my fellow literary types would get the joke. Believe me when I say there WERE people in my literature class who didn't get it.

Wedding Update

Got my wedding dress today. Being an untraditional bride, I bought an apple-red bridesmaid's dress from David's Bridal. I really wanted an even more informal sundress-type gown, but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in the color I wanted ANYWHERE. So I decided to just try on every short dress they had and picked the most flattering. It ended up being the first dress I found on their website that I really liked. Now I just need shoes and earrings. I have this coming Friday off for Good Friday, so I think Ricky and I will take a little trip down to the courthouse to sign the papers...May 23 is coming up faster than I can believe!

Friday Fill-Ins!

1. Angel or not, I will cut you down.

2. You can have me any way you want me.

3. As my mother used to say, you're full of beans.

4. I need to rest and read after I'm done working out or doing something strenuous.

5. Even in the most crowded of rooms I can catch Ricky's eye and laugh.

6. Always, trial docket is a day fraught with peril.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to drinks with my friends, tomorrow my plans include going "wedding dress" shopping and Sunday, I want to rest, read, and maybe eat steak!

For Fans of Alexander McCall Smith

I'm in the midst of a trial this week, but I wanted to share this with you all:

A friend of mine brought to my attention the fact that HBO is running a series based on Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I know he's got lots of fans out there, so do check it out. I believe the show is on Sunday nights, but the link has all the info.

I've not read any of that series yet, but I did read 44 Scotland Street last year. I'm not a huge fan (yet), but I know many out there in blogland are. Check back in and let me know if the show is any good!

Hopefully, I'll be back when my trial is over (Thursday). Good reading to you all!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived ME."

2. "We ain't got no money but that ain't no matter."

3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, and I fell asleep listening to it."

4. "Fabio emerged from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and it scared the crap out of me."

6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, every day."

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to this week finally being over, tomorrow my plans include a day completely to myself and Sunday, I want to accompany Ricky to hang out with his cousin, who is in town for the weekend!

Recently Received

From Heather, at The Library Ladder, the first of the Night Watch trilogy...can't wait to get a chance to start in on these!

Also, from Random House and LibraryThing, Loon by Jack McLean. Another book on the for-review pile!

Sorry I've been away so much. It's been a long couple of weeks. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into the swing of things this weekend...

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Last night, I finally finished Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. I've had this on my list for a while, it being one of those works that are considered a "classic," although I think the movie is more of a classic than the novel.

The book tells the story of Yuri Zhivago, from his childhood on, as he deals with one of the most turbulent times in Russia's history - the Russian Revolution. He marries and begins a family, then is sent off to war, where he meets his One True Love, Lara. They are again separated by the war, and he spends quite a bit of time with the opposing forces.

I'll be very honest: all I know about the Russian Revolution, I learned from a Danielle Steele novel. That made it decidedly hard to put anything in the novel into context. I couldn't keep all the Reds and Whites straight (which were the Bolsheviks?) and, while some names - Tolstoy, Blok, etc. - were familiar to me, I'm not well-versed enough in their work to know what it meant during the Revolution. Overall, I liked the story, especially Pasternak's writing (I believe he was a poet first). But there were too many names. Unpronounceable names. Russian names. Place names, people's names, even animals' names!!! And, since I'm unfamiliar with Russian, I had a hard time keeping all the people and places straight.

I would give this book 3 out of 5 Whatevers. It was enjoyable while I was reading it, but I often found it hard to make myself go back to it. I think it would have appealed to me more if I'd had longer, uninterrupted stretches in which to read it. It's a must for Russian literature lovers and lovers of beautiful prose, but if you need action, skip this one.