Monday Morning Update!

All the news…

So while I was in Montana I read three books - two new and one old fave I keep in my suitcase for emergencies.

World War Z, An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks - I’d been avoiding this book, worried it would be your standard post-apocalyptic zombie fare ala The Walking Dead. Not so! World War Z is a fantastic work. The story unfolds via first person interviews with survivors ten years after victory has been declared. Loved it, especially the inclusion of the Five C’s- kind of an inside joke. (The chapter on North Korea will send chills up your spine it’s so scary prescient.) I was determined to read the book before the movie is released. To my great disappointment rumor has it that for the sake of political correctness the location of Patient Zero has been changed. Too bad. Max Brooks is also the author of The Zombie Survival Guide.

Gifted Hands, the Ben Carson Story, by Ben Carson and Cecil Murphey. I finished this autobiography in a few hours. I’d been wanting to read the book for years. Only laziness kept me from buying it. All the recent publicity surrounding Dr. Carson forced me to finally get my ass in gear and buy the book. Gifted Hands is the inspiring story of a poor black kid from a single parent home in Detroit who grows up to become the preeminent pediatric neurosurgeon in the entire world. Dr. Carson is an impressive man. The challenges he’s met and the standards he’s set for himself throughout his entire life are equally impressive. Good stuff.

After the Night, by Linda Howard. This book travels with me. If I run out of reading material, why, viola! There it is! The hero, Gray Roulliard, may be a beast, but he’s one sexy beast.

So long, Andrea!

You’ll never believe it but thanks to my daughter’s insistence I watched the season finale of The Walking Dead. I swear it was so much like a soap opera I didn’t have to have seen a single episode of Season Three to pick up right where I’d left off. What did I think? Meh. Wasn’t horrible. Wasn’t stellar. Not much in the way of forward movement. Quite a few TSTL moments and of course we were treated to the de rigueur demise of a member of the original group. Next season I’ll probably watch the first episode and the last. And yeah, I’m still mad as hell about Shane.

Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister

Ah… On the other hand A Game of Thrones opened on a high note- So much talent, so much potential, so many fabulous stories to tell. I’m super excited about this season. A Game of Thrones promises great things.

Vikings- Ragnar Lothbrokson

Sundays are tough for me. All my television viewing, except for The Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest, is condensed into a single night: A Game of Thrones, Vikings, (The Walking Dead), and Downton Abbey. Fortunately each show follows it’s own timetable so I won’t be forced to choose. If I had to choose I’d choose Vikings. If you’re not watching Vikings, man oh man are you missing something special. Watching Rollo, Ragnar’s brother, bury an ax in Svein’s chest was practically orgasmic. Payback’s a bitch, honey.

In other news I’ve been traveling lots- and that’s sort of an understatement. Two weeks ago I was in Oregon for my father’s birthday. As you know this was an important birthday, most notably because he nearly died of a ruptured mitral valve last November. After a couple setbacks he’s great, amazing. Aging in reverse. I like to keep my family life private but here are a few picks of our small birthday gathering-

My mom and dad

Our little family - my parents, my sisters, my cousin, me.

My dad goofing around

My dad and his nephew

Here’s a totally cool photo of my daughter taken during a hike on her ranch. She’s standing with her short-haired St. Bernard who thinks she’s a cow dog-

My amazing older daughter

They need rain/snow… bad.

Last but not least my new cowboy boots! I mean if you fly all the way to Montana on a little plane what’s the first thing you do? Go shopping at Murdoch’s. Bought two shirts and a new pair of cowboy boots.

Ariat boots

Oh, almost forgot… My birthday is Saturday. I’m not big on celebrations and I hear tell hubby has something special planned. I think he’s whisking me away. Oughta be interesting!