Sunday Salon: One Woman's Garbage

 I'm not sure I can match the (near) perfection of the week before last, but this past week wasn't all that bad.  I'd only rate the productivity at a 5 out of 10 for a few reasons, none that were avoidable.  


My son caught some kind of ugly head cold (allergies?) that brought him home early on Monday, then again on Wednesday, and was home all day Thursday and Friday.  It was Catholic Schools Week, so luckily there were more special events going on and less classwork, so I'm hoping he won't be too slammed next week.


We also had a sick cat, so that required attention.  Nothing serious - just a UTI - but you can't let those things go, lest you are swimming in cat pee.  


Also, I spent quite a bit of time preparing for our garage sale which my mom and I held on Friday and Saturday.  You know, it always sounds like a great idea at the time...purge all of our crap, make a little money, converse with all walks of humanity.  You really do meet the most interesting folks at these things!  But when it comes down to it, and you think about the time involved, the whole thing kinda blows.  I'm glad it is over with.


We've been hitting a few movies.  At home, we have been working our way through the Godfathers - some of the best cinematic stuff ever made in my humble opinion.  It's probably been 10 years at least since I've watched them, so this is like old home week.  The kids and I also decided to pop out and see "The Woman in Black" (despite the fact I have indeed NOT read the book) and enjoyed it.  Gothic and mega-creepy.  Slight digression...we decided to pass on "Big Miracle" purely because of the TOTAL LACK OF CREATIVITY in naming the damned film.  Is that the best they could do???   


On the reading front, I had a pretty decent week.  I finished "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins on audio and I really really enjoyed the book.  Now I want to listen to more of her work!  I am about halfway through "To Be Sung Underwater" by Tom McNeal and I'm having a few issues with the narrator but am overall engrossed by the writing.  I've actually been inspired to stop what I am doing and write down a few passages...something I rarely do.


In print, I felt like I needed a speed boost to get caught up a little, so I read both "Maus 1" and "Maus 2", graphic novels about WWII.  They were pretty intense, but extremely good.  I also read Sarah Pekkanen's short story "Love, Accidentally" and am about a quarter of the way through her "Skipping a Beat".  I have a funny Sarah Pekkanen story to tell about the circumstances revolving around this Pekkanen binge, but I'll save it for my reviews.  I heart Pekkanen.  In fact, I sorta thought she should run for President.  Why not at this point?  Any woman who can write these fantastic books while sitting in a Chuck E. Cheese gets my vote.


So who's excited about the Super Bowl?  I have absolutely no vested interest in either team (maybe the opposite in the case of the Pats) but I'm always up for a friendly family betting pool, some wings, and some fun commercials.  I'm pretending that it won't be a challenge to my diet...water and celery for me, woo hoo!  


Whatever your Sunday activities, hope they are stress-free and full of good reading!