What Am I Doing?

Reading

Almost finished with The worst hard time : the untold story of those who survived the great American dust bowl By Egan, Timothy.

Egan does a great job explaining the varying factors that contributed to this ecological disaster. It is as readable as fiction because he tells the story within a framework of human lives. He shows lives intersecting and separating as the wind howls on. He also shows how actions and inactions contributed to the disaster. 70 years later, we're beginning to forget the horror of those years in Oklahoma. Egan is doing a great job of bringing the grit back to the forefront so we don't forget.

Bonus points to Egan for even bringing up the documentation created by photographers and writers of the era, including the documentary The Plough that Broke the Plains

For my next book I'll be returning to my favorite genre, Contemporary Romantic Suspense.

Listening

I now have a car with an mp3 CD player so naturally I rushed to see how it worked. I'm pleasantly surprised that the mp3 CD of Prime time by Brown, Sandra is very well reproduced through the system. Nifty! Prime Time is an older work of Brown's, written under an earlier pseudonym. Decent reader, decent story, we'll see if I like it.

Hearing

Before learning I needed a new car, I impulsively spent a few bucks on a new Sansa Fuze 8G mp3 player. And I refuse to regret it. I have everything on there. Well, I have room for everything. Mostly I have a lot of things on it arranged into lots of different lengthy playlists. This so RULZ!

Plus, I'm going back and filling in some empty sections of my overall collection. For example, why on earth do I have no Rolling Stones??? Hello? And I totally had nothing by Paul Simon after the Garfunkle years. What's up with that? And I want more Sacred Harp on there. Particularly White (I'm a long time travellin'). Where has my head been?

It has been an interesting time sifting back through what I want. And challenging to get it ethically.

Watching

I love television.

I love my DVR.

I love my cats.

So there.

I said it before God and one other (I hope there is someone reading this.) Lotta things winding up, getting wound up or starting just now. So let me just give you the grocery list...

• Amazing Race - fun season, well played
• Chuck - I love Chuck. Chuck is the nerd I've always wanted to date. Except now I'd probably have to go for Chuck's Dad, huh?
• 24 - How a peace-loving commie pinko like myself has come to love 24 I'll never know
• American Idol - A bit dull this year with Adam looking like the sure-fire winner. But then people might be sick of that so maybe he won't be. Or...I dunno. Nice kids anyway. No one I wanted to adopt this year, but nice kids
• Lost - Way cool, wind us up for a few years and then slooooowly...let it... unwind... to... the...end. Still nicely done.
• 30 Rock - biggest laugh of the week in my house.
• Fringe - just got totally jiggy last week. And it has a random cow. What's not to love?

Waiting for: So You Think You Can Dance

In deep mourning for: ER

Booktender....OUT!