words, words, words

Thanksgiving has come and gone and with it a couple of extra pounds but lots of quality time with loved ones. I ate too much stuffing to account for and drank at least a glass of wine every day for a week which is something I just don't do anymore because my body rejects it violently. Gone are the days where I could drink a bottle of wine myself and get up to go to work the next day no worse for the wear. Just the thought of doing that now makes me nauseous.  Good thing there is a bit of down time before the next gorge fest: the all consuming Christmas season. I'm not going to be stressed this year - I'm going to eat, drink and be merry if it kills me. So I finally read a good book, "The Joy Luck Club." My sister Anne gave it to me and while I've obviously heard of it, I just never got around to reading it. It is the interwoven stories of several Chinese mothers and daughters spanning generations. It is about a mother's love for her children and the sacr...

Why? Why can't I find a book that wows me? Why? I just finished reading, The Mermaid Chair," by Sue Monk Kidd. I had high expectations because her first novel was, "The Secret Life of Bees" which in fact did wow me. I was hoping for more of the same with this book but I was sorely disappointed. Where her first novel was lyrical and imaginative and poignant, this one was flat, corny and very dull. For one, I hated the main character, Jessie. She was one dimensional and thoroughly unlikeable. The story begins with Jessie feeling restless in her marriage of 20 years. There is no real good reason why she is restless, she just is. For all intents and purposes she loves her husband and they have a great life together. She responds to this restlessness by having an affair with a monk of all people! Ok, lets back up to the feeling restless part: something I can totally relate to. I've always been the restless type but I fail to see how having an affair will solve that - ...

Lets see whats new? nothing actually. Work is work. Its not the greatest but its going, I'm still exercising a lot, doing yoga, reading lots of books, watching my favorite shows and trying to sleep a solid 8 hours every night. I'm back into my routine after a couple of weeks of chaos and its nice. I used to be the type of person who thrived on drama: I loved the unexpected, surprises and being impulsive. Life was too boring without drama and believe me I stirred it all up myself. I picked a job that by nature kept me on my toes, I dated many different men none of who kept my interest for very long until my husband came along and I jumped around to different apartments, different activities, different jobs, different friends. If you told me 10 years ago, I would be living in New Jersey, working as a personal trainer, happily married and embracing solitude and peace, I would have laughed for a very long time. Maybe things have changed for me simply because I'm older and wiser...

Hurricane Sandy, my trip to Boston and a big election....which one to talk about first? Since it is the night of the big vote, lets go there first: On this very close, very controversial election night, I am worried. I'm  not going to go all political here because that is just not what I do but I had to mention it because it is a big night for our country and I have some strong opinions but this is not the platform. I hate when people overtly voice their opinions without listening to the other side. I have some family members like this and it makes me a little nuts. I have always prided myself on being an open minded person and someone who considers all sides before making a decision. With that said, I hope Obama gets a second chance. Ah Hurricane Sandy...what did you do to us? We lost power for 4 days, couldn't fill up the gas tank for 7 days and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too many times to count. Although I didn't sleep in my own bed for almost a week, missed...