The happenings

(Cute pics of Ari and me when I was Ari's age, in previous entry.)

As usual, my weekend was fairly busy. I barely got to sleep in on Saturday because I had to bring my cookies and brownies to our church's Blood Drive/Bake Sale, which started at 8. And of course I couldn't drop off food and not give blood, so I soon found myself lying quietly on a table, trying not to think about the needle in my arm. I think this actually might be the first time I've ever donated blood. When Tony and I lived in Florida, we used to donate plasma because you could get paid for it, and we were poor newlyweds. But this is the first time I've given all blood. (When you donate plasma, they suck out the blood, run it through a centrifuge, take out the plasma, and return the rest of the blood to you, along with a bunch of saline at the end to make up for the lost fluids.)

Saturday afternoon, we took Ari to the mall to let her play, since it was too unbelievably hot to let her play outside. (I was out with her around 10 AM, and even then, it was getting miserable.) While there, we stopped by my old Disney Store, and saw a huge sign proclaiming "Last 1 Days!" (It had obviously been a countdown-style sign.) I cornered my old boss, Alta, and sure enough, it truly was their last day. She had originally told me they'd be around until the end of June, but she got a call last week telling her, "Oh, by the way, the 7th will be your last day." Tony and I found a few good bargains, and said our goodbyes to Alta. I'm sure I'll run across her again (I heard she has 3 good offers from other stores in the mall), but you never know. It was a little bit heartbreaking to walk out the door for the final time.

After coming home from the mall, I sneaked away to the library while Ari napped. I haven't been there since... well, the last time I was there was to get the 7th Harry Potter book, but I called and asked them to hold it, so I literally walked in, got it, and walked out. I took my time perusing the stacks, just relishing the idea of being surrounded by so many books. I have loved reading ever since I was a little girl (enthusiastically participating in summer reading contests), but sadly, it's a hobby that has fallen to the wayside in the past several years, and most especially since having Ari. It makes me sad to think that I've let other things distract me from something I loved so much, so this trip to the library was the first step in resurrecting my beloved hobby.

They didn't have all the books on my list, but I left with 3--Ella Enchanted (which I had to go into the "Teen" section to find), Election (I enjoyed the movie, so thought I would check out the book), and The Kite Runner (one of those "everyone is reading it so I might as well too" books). I know--quite the variety, huh? I was really hoping to get my hands on Neil Gaiman's Stardust since I adored the movie, but it wasn't on the shelf and I forgot to ask. I finished Ella Enchanted yesterday (so different from the movie, but in a good way--I was nearly in tears toward the end [I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale]), and started Election (much more, uh, "detailed" than the movie so far, which is, uh, interesting). I can't even explain how giddy I was when I returned home on Saturday, clutching these books and grinning like a little kid.

I should mention that the catalyst for all this was an old friend who sent me an invitation to join Goodreads. I checked it out, and was instantly hooked. Basically, it's a site where you can post lists of all the books you've read, what you're currently reading, and what you want to read--plus you can post your own reviews and ratings, etc. I'm constantly thinking of books I want to read (like when I see a movie that I know was based on a book) and then just as quickly forgetting all about them, so now that I have an organized place to keep a "to-read" list, I'm hoping I can remember what I want to read.

Speaking of books and movies, we saw "Prince Caspian" last night. It was pretty good, but there was a lot of unfamiliar stuff in it, which made me think it either deviated a lot from the book, or I just need to re-read the book because I've forgotten a lot. I'm thinking it's the latter, because the first movie was pretty true to the book. Now I want to re-read the whole series, again, because that's how much I love those books.

While at the theater, I saw a poster for "The Happening" which is M. Night Shyamalan's newest movie. (And now you may all marvel at my clever, clever entry title.) It actually opens this Friday, which surprised me, because this is the first I've heard of it. I must be out of the loop. Anyway, that is definitely going on my "must-see" movie list. I absolutely adore Shyamalan--I think he is a gifted storyteller and I have loved all of his movies. So don't even try criticizing him to me, because I am blinded by love. The man can do no wrong in my eyes. Even though I'm not a scary-movie person, I will willingly ignore my fears for a Shyamalan movie.

And that was pretty much my weekend. Thrilling, I know. Now it's back to work, though I can't complain. I get to sit in A/C all day--which is especially important in the middle of this heat wave we're having. We have A/C at home, but you know how it is--you have to let the dogs out, or run out to your car to get something, or go to the grocery store. At least at work, I can stay put, inside, for 8 1/2 hours. Of course, I'm dreading climbing into my miserably-hot car at the end of the day, but that's still hours away.