A Good Book

One of my very favorite things to do is curl up with a good book and read for hours at a stretch. I used to hide under my covers at night with a flashlight so that I could read until late at night undetected by my Mom. Now that I'm all grown-up, I no longer hide under the covers, but I still stay up late reading. I did that last night. Willie, if you're reading this, I promise that I will stop reading, blogging, swimming, etc. and clear a path in the office sometime this century...

Disclaimer:

This book will not help you have better Abs in 30 days.

It will not help you define your political views or educate you about the Middle East crisis.

It will not strengthen your relationship with your spouse or the Lord.

The fact that it was strictly shallow and fun entertainment without trying to make me think too hard or improve myself is probably the reason I was hooked after reading the first page:

"I was in the fifth grade the first time I thought about turning thirty. My best friend Darcy and I came across a perpetual calendar in the back of the phone book, where you could look up any date in the future, and by using this little grid determine what the day of the week would be. So we located our birthdays in the following year, mine in May and hers in September. I got Wednesday, a school night. She got a Friday. A small victory, but typical. Darcy was always the lucky one. Her skin tanned more quickly, her hair feathered more easily, and she didn't need braces. Her moonwalk was superior, as were her cartwheels and her front handsprings (I couldn't do a handspring at all). She had a better sticker collection. More Michael Jackson pins. Forenza sweaters in turquoise, red and peach (my mother allowed me none - said they were too trendy and expensive). And a pair of fifty-dollar Guess jeans with zippers at the ankles (ditto). Darcy had double-pierced ears and a sibling - even if it was just a brother, it was better than being an only child as I was."


Excerpt from Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I was an only child. My sister and brother are actually half siblings (my brother refers to himself as my "brother from a different mother") so we didn't grow up together. I love them like "wholes", but I still got the only child experience growing up. My boys don't know how lucky they are to have each other to beat up on, blame stuff on and make fun of their parents together.

There was no way my Mom was going to fork out the kind of cash the 80's trends required so I didn't have any Forenza sweaters, only cheap knock-offs. When I started working at Ross Dress For Less at the age of 16, I finally scored a pair of "imperfect" bleached out Guess jeans with zippers at the ankle. I wore them with my white high-top Reeboks every chance I got. My skin was pale and my hair would only feather with lots of curling, coaxing and Aqua Net.

I was lucky to be able to perform a perfect somersault, much less a handspring. I actually had the kahunas to try out for cheer in the 9th grade. My girlfriend Dae Foti and I were both totally lacking in coordination, but we somehow convinced ourselves that we had the right stuff. The try-outs were nothing short of a total disaster for both of us and we laughed so hard at ourselves all the way home that I swear I almost peed my pants. If only I had those try-outs on video...It's good to be able to laugh at yourself. I can actually still do the moonwalk, but I would have gladly traded that skill for a Forenza sweater...

So, leave me a comment...I want to know how many and what color Forenza sweaters you had, did you have a pair of Guess jeans with zippers at the ankles? Did your skin tan and your hair feather easily? Can you do the moonwalk? How many siblings or were you a lonely only too?