Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad -

You are the best father a girl could want and I wish you a very happy 70th birthday.

You have given me so much and taught me so much and helped to shape the person that I am today. I thank you for that.

Thank you for protecting me when I needed it, pushing me when you had to, being stern and kind and honest and funny and challenging and most of all for loving me.

I love you.

Andrea

2010 Book 14 - The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

It has been awhile since I've actually finished a book. I've started about 5 books, but haven't managed to get through any of them...until now. This latest book The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow was entertaining and light and pretty much empty calories for the brain, but I admit I liked it. Here is what is on the back of the book:

The circumstances of Molly Marx's death may be suspicious, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly discovers that she can still keep tabs on those she left behind: Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and of course her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As the police question Molly's circle of intimates about the circumstances of her death, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden end - and takes responsibility for her choices in life.

Exploring the bonds of motherhood, marriage, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.

I would take this book to the beach or the pool as a total relaxer book. Fun but that is about it. Enjoy!

What Goes Around Comes Around

Who else has fond memories of the 80s....

• Big hair
• Members Only jackets
• Florescent sweaters with matching striped shirts
• Baggy jeans with paper bag waists
• Swatch watches

Okay, so some of these fashion memories can stay in the distant past but it looks like one, the Swatch, is coming back.

If I remember correctly, I had 3 such watches that I would wear all at the same time. I remember buying them on my trip with my high school French Club to Europe. What a great trip and something that I really need to do again....maybe next year....I wonder if I'll be able to get Swatches duty free again.....

I've Been This Way Forever

According to a study, our personalities are set for life when we are children (Personality Set for Life by 1st Grade). I'm not really surprised because I really do feel the same way I did when I was 6 about a lot of things. For example:

1. I almost failed 1st Grade because I didn't want to do the boring work. My mom had to sit me down and every night go through pages and pages of mimeographed worksheets (months of work smushed down into about 3 weeks time) so that I could catch up and move onto the next year. I still feel that way. I hate doing the boring, mundane work....I like a challenge at the office.
2. When I would get upset as a child, I would totally tear up my room; have a hissy fit; hit things; scream and cry and then just crumple into a heap on the floor and fall asleep. I would then be faced with having to clean up the mess that I just made. I still throw fits and scream, cry, and hit things...although now most of it is all in my head, so there is less mess that I have to clean up.
3. As a child, I had an incredibly vivid imagination and had grandiose plans for my life...I mean, at one point I wanted to be Pope and would actually "perform" mass using our piano bench, graham crackers, and grape juice. I would pretend that I owned a restaurant, but instead of having 'tables' set up and serve my stuffed animals, I remember sitting down with my mom's cookbooks and designing the menus. Today, while I have no grand plans of ruling the Catholic world or becoming the next Gordon Ramsay, I do still dream about becoming a great artist and quilt business woman, and have planned out how I can streamline making quilts so that that it would actually be profitable (now I just need to implement).
4. As a kid, I loved to read and would rather do my own reading than participate in another boring class (see item #1) and actually had another incident in 2nd grade when I was reading in class rather than paying attention to the material in class. Today, I have had to keep myself from bringing a book to the office as I KNOW that I would pick that up and read a couple of chapters rather than sit in a conference call that doesn't really challenge my mind.

I'm sure there are lots and lots of other examples of who I was at age 6 is still who I am today...a smart, goofy, shy, loving, emotional, dreamer of a girl.