Adult Swim and Book

My second swim lesson went really well last night.  I was able to "swim" across the pool four times (all with a different flotation device of some sort.)  We worked on adding in arm strokes and side breathing.  By the time I get about 3/4 of the way down the pool, I am exhausted!  It's another good challenge to add to my workout routine. 
I finished my June Book Club book and highly recommend it.  This month we will be discussing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  It's a nonfiction book that centers around the cells of an African American woman who died in the 1050s, but it is very interesting and well written.  Don't be scared that it's a science book.  It's very readable and was a fast read for me.  It brings up a lot of interesting points on biology, medical ethics, racial issues, and legal questions.  You should read it!  I'll keep you updated on July's book.
Otherwise, life is going well.  Still cold and rainy here and we're wishing for the return of summer weather.  Tomorrow is the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters fishing trip on a reservoir off of the McKenzie River.  It's a long day, but the kids have a blast, so it's worth it. 
Have a Happy Friday, readers!

Book Club

If you are Facebook friends with me, you know that Book Club got a little silly on Friday.  The gal who hosted is very nice, but does, in fact, have a few taxidermied organisms throughout her home.  When one has a few glasses of wine and starts conversing about these ("How do you clean that antelope?"  "Dawn dishsoap."), one decides it's a good idea to pose for a few pictures with them.  Needless to say, things got silly.  (Things got much sillier that night, but I won't bore you with the details that are only funny if you were there.  I look back at the night thinking it felt a lot like being an undergrad.  Which is always fun when you're 31.)
What have we been reading?  Last month's book was The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein.  I didn't actually read the book, but was told it was about WWI.  So I can't really give you an honest review, but can tell you our hostess made awesome fajitas. 
For June, we are reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  I have reserved it at the library and am excited to read it, as I have heard a lot about it.  I'll keep you posted.
I've just finished Lunch in Paris, which was a really lovely read, and am not starting The Sex Lives of Cannibals, which is a pretty hilarious memoir.  If you enjoy reading travel memoirs, both are good choices.
If you have any good book suggestions, feel free to let me know!

April Book Club

Tomorrow night is Book Club night!  It's always a fun reason to drink wine with some great women.  This month we are discussing In The Woods by Tana French.  I didn't really like this book, but I don't read many crime/ mystery books, so if you like that genre, I'd say give it a try.  It's a fast and easy read. 
Tonight I tried out my Book Club snack on Jim and he approved.  I'm going to make these Baked Zucchini Sticks with a side of marinara.  They were Legal Beagle approved, so I think they'll be okay.

TGIF

First of all, Jim wanted me to tell you all his FAVORITE snack: peanut butter.  Trooper seconds that.
By Thursday afternoon, Jim is over the hardest part of his week.  He was home by 5pm and even took Trooper for a jog.  And he made dinner!  He made awesome crab cakes with canned crab.  He doesn't even use a recipe, which is a skill I envy.  I need cooking guidance. 
I have a fun weekend planned: spin class, watching my LS's basketball game, going out for a drink tomorrow night, then long(er) run Sunday.  I'm also working on a new shirt pattern and reading the second book of The Hunger Games.  If you haven't read The Hunger Games, it's pretty enjoyable.  They are young adult, so they read pretty fast, and take place in the future.  Other than that, they are hard to explain, so you may as well just read them.  Next month's book club book is one that I read a few years ago, The Guernsey Potato Literary and Peel Pie Society.  I am hoping to get to reread before our meeting as it's been so long, but I do remember loving it.  So read that too!  Oh, and look forward to this post: I am planning on making Ina's chicken and biscuits but replacing the regular biscuits with sweet potato biscuits.  Watch out.

A Few Good Books

I have been reading a few good books lately and thought I'd make a few recommendations...
For September's Book Club, we read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  It's a Young Adult book about the Holocaust.  It's told from the point of view of a little girl, and except for a few parts, it doesn't have the usual morbidly depressing Holocaust stories.  A few times it felt a bit long (over 500 pages), but it was an overall good read.
I'm also reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I started it on the airplane and had read 200 pages by the time I landed.  It's pretty popular right now and I did hear a commentator on NPR call the movie a "sanitized" version of the Civil Rights movement, but it's been an easy read and enjoyable so far.
And I am always taking recommendations for good books!

Book Club

A successful Book Club! There were six of us here. We finished Water for Elephants and are now going to read Room by Emma Donaghue. More blogging this weekend, I promise!

If Loving My Dog is Wrong, Then I Don't Want to be Right

Look at this little pooper! Sticking out his tongue on graduation day! We love this picture so much. I'm sad that Beginner's Obedience is over. He's learned sit, down, and stay, and we're still working on leave it, drop it, and come. We are going to try to practice every day and eventually move on to Intermediate class. I was very happy with the PetSmart class. So was Trooper!

Trooper seems to be doing better. After being off of the steroids, he hasn't had any shakes, but his itching started again. The allergist recommended Zyrtec, which we started giving him once a day. She said dogs actually metabolize it faster than humans, so he can have it twice a day now. His itching in general has seemed to subside, but before he was getting relief he licked a hot spot on his lil paw. So now he licks and licks it. Jim has been a good puppy dad and disinfects it every day and rubs lotion on it and Gold Bond on Trooper. Once that spot goes away, hopefully he'll be much better. The allergist recommended waiting one full year in this area to complete blood tests. I am hoping we will find out it's not food allergies so I can give him eggs and chicken and less expensive food again, but we're trying to stay on the safe side and limit his diet until we figure it out.

I finished my book club book and you all should read it. I haven't read fiction that I've enjoyed that much in quite awhile. Water for Elephants was a great read! I believe the author has a few more books out that I'll have to check out. I have moved on to a book called McKay's Bees, another piece of fiction that I heard reviewed on NPR. I'm only 12 pages in and it seems okay so far.

I need to get back to being crafty. I have been so busy the last few weeks. My goal is to get back to making and crafting a little every night. We'll see how that goes!

Week Nights

Last night I made Emeril's Shake Em Up Pork Chops. They were fine. Not bad, but didn't blow my mind. Tonight I'm going to try Ina's Indonesian Chicken. I'm trying to explore new recipes during the week but have a feeling I'll be buying us burritos before the week's up. Jim aims to make one meal a week or so during the semester but will surely make up for it when the semester's over (I know he's reading this!) By the time I exercise and make dinner, I'm pooped. If I'm lucky I get some crafting in, otherwise I watch tv and drink wine until I fall asleep. Last night I fell asleep sharing a couch pillow with my darling doggie. (Who has not had a head seizure since Friday night! Perhaps it was the steroids he was on.)

Our Book Club is starting! We are starting with my suggestion, Water for Elephants, and meeting at our apartment on April 7th. Jim said he didn't mind as long as he gets snacks out of it. After the first month I think we will rotate every month. Right now we have between four and six members.

We are so pleased to have two visitors coming. This weekend Joe and his doggie Debbie will be in Eugene to visit us. Joe is so special to both us and we are happy to share a coast with him (he lives in Seattle.) We are hoping to get in a hike and some beer drinking. And next weekend is a visit from my closest, most wonderful girlfriend, Vanessa. She's journeying all the way from Florida to see us. I can't wait to see her cute little face! I was even able to take off two days from work, so we'll have a four day weekend together. It feels like Christmas is coming!!

Book Club?

So last night over girlie drinks, a friend and I decided we'd like to start a book club. I have always wanted to be in a book club. Perhaps partially due to my love of reading, but also due to my love of talking, drinking wine, and eating snacks (which I all imagine happen at book clubs.) It sounds like something hip ladies do. I'd like to drink wine with the facade of intellect. So if you live in Eugene and would like to join our book club, let me know! I'm hoping we can find books that are available at the library and/or in paperback to keep cost down. And even some books that are (sigh) available on e-readers at the Eugene library, even though I am ANTI e-reader. (Don't get my started on the sad end to paper books.)