Sunday Salon: Shuttering with excitement

Good morning and Happy Valentines Day, my friends! I'm waking up slightly fuzzy after an evening of frivolity with my husband and friends, some great champagne, great wine and great food. (Hmmm...a similar recipe in 1999 resulted in my second child! But I am too old for that nonsense now!)

Well, we are week 2 into the bathroom renovation, and are still on pace to be finished at the end of next week. Roman tub, double shower...yeah baby! My only continuing complaint is that I don't have my personal space, and it is squelching my workout routine and my MOJO! It has been so freaking cold this week that most of my workouts have been forced onto the elliptical machine. However, I refuse to work out in front of the worker boys, so I am obligated to early morning and evening. Grrrrr...

I've also been working on outdoor projects, particularly mulching the back yard with the help of my dad (56 bags of mulch in the back of my dad's Suburban!). And cleaning up dust. And preparing for outside staining. As a result, my reading habits are not up to expectations. I've been reading the 236 page romance written by my mom's high school friend ALL WEEK, and I'm still not finished. This is really pathetic. Despite the hovering cloud of love and romance and euphoria from Valentine's Day, I'm not in a romantic mood. Maybe I have a black heart, and I am sorry. I hope to knock this one out within the next few days, pray tell. However, on the audio front, I've been productive. I finished Sarah's Key, my book club read for next week. I enjoyed the book, but it had some faults. It is a WWII novel, which does win a sympathy vote, but I can't overlook a plot that loses its lustre halfway through. Then I completed Shutter Island on audio, and holy crap. It brought me to my knees yesterday, while on the elliptical. I had to disembark and sit for a spell, thinking it through. If I would have had access to a Valium, I would've taken it. That is all I'm going to say for now. But I must see the movie on the silver screen, even if I have to see it by myself. Lehane is a master. I just ordered Mystic River on audio, thank you very much. If that is his best work, which is what some of you have said, then I'd better strap myself in for the ride.

My friend Mary from Scholastic did make my day by telling me that the University of Central Florida is sponsoring a BookFest in April, will have over 40 authors attending, and has free admission! I suppose this is my consolation prize for not being able to attend BEA in May. Heather (Zibilee) from Raging Bibliomania and I are planning on having some fun with this. Orlando is not the literary epicenter by a long shot, so this is real progress!

Today my son plays in his final football game for the championship. They are undefeated, so I am hoping for the best. Praise the Lord, this is the end of football season, which for us, started mid-August!!! I am also planning on cooking a luscious feast for my family for V-Day, black heart and all. The kids had this past Friday off from school (which involved alot of rain and The Lightning Thief at the movies) as well as Monday (Universal perhaps?). American Idol is in Hollywood with Ellen, Survivor has started, and Amazing Race begins tonight. Life is good.

Next week I look forward to my book club's discussion of Sarah's Key, and as usual, am excited for next month's choice. It is really a crap-shoot, because 75% of the members don't show up, so you never really know who is doing the picking, and whether they will be prepared to do the picking. What are the odds they pick something on my TBR list? Also, on Friday, my husband and I are taking our children to Universal studios for the weekend for their birthdays, staying on property at the Hard Rock Hotel. What this means is a fast pass onto nearly every ride in both parks. Our brains will be scrambled from two days of roller coasters, but it will be fun. I may be late on next Sunday's Sunday Salon!

Have a great Sunday!