I have not really given much of an update on what has been going on in some time, so I guess I should.
I will start with books. I have read many good ones. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver was a good read. If you check out my membership on Goodreads, you can see more of what I write about the books. The Crisis by David Poyer was a good military thriller. The Monster in the Box by Ruth Rendell was a very good read. Spooner by Pete Dexter was a good story about a man’s life from birth forward. The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Christopher K. Germer PhD was a very good book on how to treat yourself more kindly and it taught some meditation techniques that I found useful. Makers by Cory Doctorow was an exploration of the near future that was very enjoyable. Racing Toward Armageddon by Michael Baigent was a very good look at how the major religions treat the end times. It really was eye opening. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett was a fun lighthearted read. Writing Your Self by John Killick and Myra Schneider was a great book on exploring the self through writing. The exercises in the second part of the book are very good. The Cheater by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg was a good thriller. I really enjoyed the story and the in-depth look into the characters. Breathless by Dean Koontz was a wonderful book. I loved it. Dogs & Devotion by The Monks of New Skete was a light read that any dog lover would enjoy. The Wild Things by Dave Eggers was too much about juveniles for me to really enjoy it. By The Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear was a very good novel in the fantasy genre. I am currently reading The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, and am enjoying it very much.
Alex and his girlfriend came in around mid-night on Christmas and stayed with us the rest of the weekend. He came home for New Year’s as well. Alex gave me money for Christmas and I purchased some nice clothes with it.
Mom and I went to my sister-in-law Linda’s house for my great-niece Jayden’s first birthday party. That was a very nice outing. We went to Hobby Lobby on the day they marked their Christmas merchandize down to 90% off and we got some tremendous bargains. It snowed and I got some good pictures of the snow.
Alex took his computer to Best Buy because it stopped working and they gave him a hard time, but with his extended warranty after almost a month they gave him his money and he bought a new laptop.
I helped Mom with carrying totes and bags of stuff to her storage building. I also helped her clean out her computer room. It looks much better now.
I wrote a letter to Dr. Phil because I was very moved by one of his shows.
Mom’s laptop started working so she now has two working computers.
We gave away a lot of stuff through Freecycle. It works okay, but some people get very bad attitudes if they do not get something from you that they want. Another thing I do not like about Freecycle is that there is a lot of lag time between when something is sent to post and when it shows up on the list.
Alex rode down with his buddy Jake who has a trailer on last Friday. They put the 1972 Chevrolet on the trailer and Jake took it back to Cherry Point, North Carolina on Saturday. Alex and his girlfriend have been spending the nights here since. During the days, Alex has helped around here and it has been very nice having him home.
On Tuesday, Alex and I went out shopping for a pistol for him. Luckily, I remembered a place that sells to law enforcement and military and he got a significant discount on a Glock.
I was very sick to my stomach Friday evening and felt very weak until about Tuesday. I am finally feeling about normal today. My back is still hurting a good bit, but I have not been wearing my brace much because it ruins my clothes.
I have not been journaling much. I was hoping that the beginning of 2010 would inspire me to be more regular in my habits, but mostly it has not. I stay busy doing what Mom wants done and with some recreational reading.
That pretty much catches me up to the present. Hope all is well with everyone.
Always,
Jo Ann
Chronicles 