Outbreak

Well, I haven't posted in a while. I figured that being home sick today gives me a good opportunity. Here's a list of the other people I know that also took sick days today: my mom, my dad (and he hardly ever takes sick days except for things like heart attacks), my brother, the youth minister at our church, our music minister and his wife, and my sister-in-law Jenni's mom and dad. Oh, and Jenni is also not feeling well but she decided to go into work today. I am not even joking - we are all home with similar flu-like symptoms. Chills, body aches, high fever, dry cough. It's really fun, let me tell you. So, I guess it's that time of year. I recommend loads of vitamin C and antibacterial wipes/gel.

In other news....

I'm looking forward to this: U23D.

I am a fan of this new product (although my favorite Reese's product is the original peanut butter cup in the miniature size):

I recommend my friend Rachel's blog for great shopping deals. For instance, she posted a link to a website that will give you frequently updated codes for free Redbox rentals: http://theotherhuse.blogspot.com/.

I'm reading this book and think you should too:

Jo's Blog Dump 9/24/2007

I'm watching the premiere of The Bachelor and it's just painful. I didn't know that women could use such bad pick-up lines...for instance, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I get out of the limo again?" Seriously. I'm hooked, at least for tonight.

I was very excited to find out this weekend that there's going to be a sequel to my favorite independent reader book of the past year. The second story about The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, will be out in May 2008.

Also, Mary Engelbreit is lending her adorable art to a series of classic stories for girls, all particular favorites of mine. Watch for A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, both by Frances Hodgson Burnett, next month, and Anne of Green Gables in February.

Also, Borders has a new website. It's still in beta, but give it a shot - it has some nice features

Need a little pick-me-up? Bookmark ComplimentBot 4000. You'll get a new uplifting message every time you refresh. Also good when you need a special sentiment for a greeting card.

Another fun Harry Potter video, this time he's in the hood. It's a good one.

There's a new fashion magazine called Eliza, "created for women who want to be stylish, sexy, and engaged in the world while retaining high standards in dress, entertainment, and lifestyle." I haven't seen an issue in person, but the pictures look pretty interesting.

At church on Sunday, it was announced that the Pastor Search Committee has chosen someone to fill our pulpit. I did my thing and googled him but couldn't find out much. He's a young guy with a family and we'll get to meet him in person in 2 weeks.

My new backpack. I'm loving it.

Jo's Blog Dump 9/16/2007

This is going to be a mishmash of all sorts of things from the last few weeks. Hope you find at least one thing you find interesting.

First, Jon's goddaughter Sydney is turning 1 this week and we were able to go to Columbia this weekend for the festivities. The picture says it all.

My brother started a new tattoo this week - the top of what will eventually be a full sleeve.



A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I participated in a very New Towny thing to do - a flea market in the ampitheather. Here she is with her very artfully arranged table. We'll definitely do it again now that we know what it's all about. It's a great way to meet the neighbors.



Last week before I started my shift at the bookstore I was walking through the mall and saw this. Look closely and you'll notice the elevator is stuck between floors and is stuffed with people. Here's the story. How could anyone think this was a good idea?


Another site for booklovers. It's called DailyLit and you can get installments of your favorite literature emailed directly to your inbox. You can also subscribe via an RSS feed. This is definitely one worth checking out.

Letterboxing is the new geocaching. Here's the description Design Mom recently posted. "People all over the world put together boxes containing a blank book, a pen, a rubber stamp and an ink pad. They hide the water-proof box in public places (like a park) and then post clues on how to find it on the internet. Letterboxers look up the clues and search out the book, stamping their own books with the stamp they find and making a mark with their own stamp in the letterbox's book. I hear there are over 20,000 boxes hidden in North America alone. (You can find lots more information at letterboxing.org. This article was especially helpful.)"

Oh yeah, we just got a Chick-Fil-A and a pair of Pei Weis. I'd be even happier if we could get a Dunkin' Donuts.

You can star in your own JibJab. This one took about 5 minutes.

Online Destinations For Booklovers

025.431: The Dewey blog
“Everything you always wanted to know about the Dewey Decimal Classification system but were afraid to ask...”

Deliciously Clean Reads
“Good clean books for teens and adults.”

Books, the universe, and everything
I don’t remember when I first ran across this blog, but I instantly saved it to my favorites. The author, Emily, lives in New York and writes (and posts pictures) about her love of books. She’s got a great style and has similar taste as many of us on Apartment Five B.

Librarything
Librarything is a simple book cataloging site. Simple to use, that is, but full of great features and information. Use it to keep track of the books you own or have read, make recommendations, get recommendations based on other users’ libraries, find other users with the same titles, create or join groups, tag your books, create a blog widget, create a photomosaic of your book covers. So much functionality, so little effort, highly addictive.

Goodreads
Seems to be similar to Librarything. I’m a brand new user so I can’t give a review but several friends are on this one and seem to like it. The main difference seems to be that Librarything is geared more towards books you own, while Goodreads catalogs the books you’ve read (although both sites can serve both functions). Librarything is statistic-rich, while Goodreads facilitates book reviews.

Bookswim
Netflix for books. ‘Nuff said. Booksfree is a similar service.

Bookcrossing
“Register any book you have on the site, and then set the book free to travel the world and find new readers.” It works like this: 1.) register your book on Bookcrossing and you’ll get a specific number and suggested message to write in the front of your book, 2.) leave the book out “in the wild” – a park bench, Starbucks, etc., 3.) in theory, the person that picks it up will see your note, read the book, update Bookcrossing, and rerelease the book into the wild, 4.) and you can read all about your book’s adventures on Bookcrossing.

An Attempt At Catching Up

We are almost recovered from the craziness that was the luau. Crazy fun, that is! Thank you all so much for coming. I just wish we would have had more time together. We still haven't done any major grocery shopping, but due to beverage leftovers our fridge could be mistaken for something you might see on "Cribs." So sorry about the bug bites. Jon and I were largely unaffected. But as far as I know, none of you rolled around in the grass - where did you find chiggers?

I'm not really sure how to say this next thing that I want to tell you. I scored (for lack of a better word) some free tickets at work for the American Idol Live tour and my mom and I went to the show last week. I am only a casual viewer but my mom watches religiously and has a special gift for picking the top three each season. As soon as Hollywood Week begins she posts her favorites in a central spot in the house so everyone knows her choices and she can't make casual revisions. She has been spot on everytime. Except I don't think she predicated a 3rd place finish for Melinda - that girl was robbed. I digress. The concert, I must grudgingly admit, was quite good. I was really only going for my mom's sake and started to regret my decision when even she was worried that we would "run into someone we know." Not that that would really be an issue because they would probably be just as embarrassed and both parties would either ignore each other completely or sheepishly wave and roll our eyes with a silent understanding to never mention this again. The audience at the Scottrade/Savvis/Kiel/Whatever Center was made up off a lot of families, especially mother/daughter or father/daughter dates. We got 3 hours of solid entertainment - even Sanjaya was decent. I said decent, not good. All of the top 10 finalists seemed much more confident and relaxed and they all seemed to be having a good time, even though I suspect in Gina's case it was more condescending amusement (and her recent engagement) that kept her smiling.

Jon is sporting a new look, or rather an old look revisited. Since the wedding and luau are finished he has cut his hair again. I like it a lot, but now I'm married to a thug.

We traveled from one St. Charles to another over the weekend for a family picnic. St. Charles, MO, was about 105 degrees and dry when we left and St. Charles, IL, was 72 degrees and rainy. Despite the weather, the diehards still went out on the boats for some wakeboarding and tubing. So far, I've brought rain with me to every family event in Chicago. All of my memories so far are of us huddling under tarps and umbrellas. Don't get me wrong, we always have a great time, but it's always a soggy, muddy, chilly kind of fun. On the way home last night we stopped at Ikea and got a few small items for our apartment, including a TV stand. I spent the day today building furniture and we should get our couch by the weekend (finally!).

I'm trying a new thing for keeping up with the many blogs I enjoy reading. Instead of just accessing them from the links on the righthand side of this page, I'm using Google Reader. If you have a Blogger account you can use that to login to Google and do this also. You just tell Google which sites you're looking for and it creates a list which automatically updates. When you login, it will tell you which sites have new posts. You can also create folders and tags to keep them all organized. I've got friends in one (the most important), funny stuff in another (Planet Dan and Improv Everywhere, for example), etc. There are lots of feed readers out there, but I tend to like what Google does and I didn't have to create a new account. I tried the Yahoo reader, both from within Mail and My Yahoo! - and found it to be lacking.

Has anyone seen Becoming Janet yet? I got a new book this weekend called Lost In Austen, by Emma Campbell Webster. It is essentially a Choose Your Own Adventure for adults, based on the Jane Austen novels. I haven't had much time to start it yet so I can't give a review, but I thought the premise at least to be very clever.

In other news, I've already started Christmas shopping and making. The only beneficiary so far is Sophie - I couldn't help myself. *** Christa's blog is now linked in Kristy's list on the right. For creating such an entertaining and informative blog, Christa gets 2 thumbs up! *** I took zero pictures the weekend of the luau except for a few of the kids at Cracker Barrel, so girls, if you'll send them to me, I'll post them all together. *** Kelly, I read some interesting news on Miss Monkey's blog. Or maybe you told me and I wasn't paying attention through the hairspray fumes and pins poking in my head. Tell us more about the triathalon, please!

Do Not Be Alarmed

Now I do not want any of my old friends to be alarmed, but I believe I have made a new friend. We've only met twice, but I think all signs are there. The reason you should not be alarmed is because I was a Brownie for a whole year, just long enough to sell 5 boxes of girl scout cookies, make 2 pieces of macaroni art, and to learn how to sing "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold." So don't worry, no one's spot will be harmed in the Kelly hierarchy of friendship.

But this is how I knew we would be friends:

1) In our first conversation she referrenced Pride and Prejudice. So happens it is both of our favorite books. She even offered to play the P and P board game Jo bought me many many years ago. This is a first because everyone else I mention this to looks at me as if I just asked them if they wanted to play search for "the-used-hypodermic-needle-in-the-dumpster-game" (that will sweep the nation, mark my words).

2) She was wearing a Time Turner necklace.

3) We have had a lengthy talk discussing the merits of our flat irons.

4) Today she said "Matchy, matchy, green squared." Don't feel bad if you don't recognize this quote, but it's from a movie I have seen tons of times and this is one of my very favorite lines.

I mean if this is not the foundation of a good friendship, I don't know what is!!

Here is a transcript of J.K Rowling and her recent web chat answering a ton of good questions. I can't think of anything left to ask, which I guess is a good sign.

I'm excited to see you all soon!!!

Obsessions - Updated

Harry Potter

Where do I even start on this subject?

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

The book was wonderful. Very satisfying. I’ve heard some people say they don’t like the epilogue but I do, even if it is all a little too pretty and convenient. The whole Harry as Horcrux/prophesy/Voldemort’s spell rebounding on himself thing felt a little contrived to me, as explained in this article on Slate (although I’m not nearly as bothered by it as the article’s writer). What I did enjoy was all of the back story and connections. I also appreciate that with the epilogue and the killing off of so many characters(17 by my count, both good and evil), Rowling makes very sure that no one can try to pick up where she left off unless it's about the next generation. Snape is one of my favorite characters and while I was sad to actually read it, I knew that he had to die. Still, I'm glad that he remained complicated right to the end. And yeah for Neville the hero! Two things it would have been nice to know more about: the fate of the Dursleys and the arch that killed Sirius.

*** END OF SPOILER ALERT ***

Check out my flickr pictures from Friday's Harry Potter party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9347435@N06/sets/72157601011915427/

And also go to this link for videos of NBC's exclusive and information interview with J.K. Rowling.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18783376/

Books

Megan, you asked for recommendations of things to read now that HP is over. Well, you can always wait for the HP encyclopedia that JK Rowling is now promising. As far as other childrens’ books that have great characters and smart plotlines, I’d recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – there are rumblings that it may turn into a series. And Jon would recommend the A Song Of Fire And Ice series by George R. R. Martin. That’s probably my next big book project after I finish reading Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, by Julie Powell.

Shoes

I stumbled on a great new website for shoes last night. Endless.com. Even if you aren’t in the market for anything new you should take a few minutes to play around – it’s fun and addicting. And if you have an Amazon account, you can log in with it to create a wishlist. Currently on my list: BC Babycakes in pink. Oh yeah, and did I mention they have free overnight shipping and great prices? And for those of you interested in size 11s, they have 1795 options.


New Town

I’ve already told you how strange my new community is. Here are some other things I've discovered. I already knew that we have beautiful skies here in St. Louis but we have a wonderful view of them here. Why? Because we live in the flood plain of the Missouri River so there is nothing obstructing our view. Being in the flood plain also means that if there is ever another major flood like the one in '93, we're in trouble. Actually, that's not true, we are better off than most people in New Town - since our apartment is on the 2nd and 3rd floors we could just put a raft outside our living room window to escape, yet our things would hopefully stay dry above the water line. Another discovery - we basically live in the boonies, sticks, country. You'll see what I mean if you come for the luau. We are on the very northern edge of civilization. But that means we are only 10 minutes away from Illinois by ferry. Is that good or bad? You decide.

Blogs

I’d like to welcome my good friend Danielle to the wide world of blogging. She’ll be updating The Scott Spot with pictures of her precious children. Check it out when you get a moment – there’s a permanent link in the right hand column.

Post Potter Depression

Since getting at the LA airpot yesterday at 3:30, until 2:30 this afternoon I've done nothing but read, eat and sleep. (Reading on the plane in itself was an adventure, people kept wanting to talk to me about the book and were having loud conversations about it around me, not to mention the woman who was reading it ALOUD. I ended up getting in trouble with two different flight attendants because I was listening to my Ipod at the wrong times, but I was just trying to avoid all the spoilers!!)

But now it's done and I'm in a slump. I always do this when something I love finishes. I cried a lot when I finished the last Anne of Green Gables book (is that too nerdy to admit?). Graduations are hard for the same reason. I grew very attached to those HP books (although not to the extreme of the girl I read about in the paper who redecorated her room and her entire wardrobe in Slytherin colors). Now there are no new adventures and I will miss these characters. But all in all, I was quite satisfied with the ending. I actually was right about several things which of course pleased me tremendously. But there were still some good surprises.

Good thing I have two jobs starting and grad classes to attend to keep me busy!

Done!

Ok, I realize that some of you may have finished it already, but, after about 7 years since I read the first book (dramatic pause...), I have now completed the entire Harry Potter series. I won't post any spoilers (Kel, hope you enjoyed LA instead of reading), but I'll just say that I really enjoyed it. There were some slow parts, but at least we didn't have to read on and on about quidditch. Without spoiling it for others, for those of you that have read it, what are your thoughts about the book? Did it answer your questions, if you had any? I appreciated that Rowling made an effort to tie up a lot of loose ends, and other than wondering who Victoire's parents were (and was she named after Victor or for victory?), I really didn't have any questions by the end.

Any recommendations on new books or series to read?

After All These Years

I'm 30 now. The 70s, 80s and 90s have all passed by, as hallmarked by multiple VH1 specials. Time goes by, our tastes change. I cringe when I look back at my permed hair and pretty much all of my clothes from those decades. Some things, however, have withstood the test of time and remained part of my personal history (in a good way.) Here are the things I ought to be ashamed to admit that I still love:

1) Michael W. Smith. I suppose the fact that I listened to MWS for a minimum of 2 hours a day for the better part of 10 years would explain the fact that something inside me melts whenever I hear his raspy voice. He gets me every time, every dang time.

2) Boy Meets World. Just finished watching a very special episode where Shawn has nowhere to live and moves in with Cory. It made me cry. Now that is great television. (Side note: I just saw Mr. Feeny as a CIA agent on an episode of The Closer.)

3) Butter and sugar. I should have outgrown the overwhelming desire to stick my finger in the butter dish or down a few sugar packets by now. You'd think having kids would make me want to be a better role model, but all I can think is, "Hey, Soph, pass the butter. . ."

4) Power ballads. What better way to express your tortured love for someone than to belt it out in your best man-scream?

5) My blankie. (That's not mine in the picture, but I was too lazy to get up and take a picture.) Those of you who know me know that I am definitely not kidding on this one. And we're flying to Wisconsin this year, so I won't be able to take it with me. (Sniff.)

6) Pop Rocks. They are still really, really fun to eat. And they still mystify me as to how they work their magic! And don't eat them while drinking coke . . .

7) Clueless. One of the greatest movies of all time. (I've linked you to the script so you can study its genius in detail.)

8) Ricky (Rick) Shroder. He made this season of 24. Yeah, he looks older than when he was on Silver Spoons, but he's still so cute.

9) Pink everything. I've got pink shoes, pink shirts, pink pants, pink purses and a pink camera case. It's like I'm 14 years old again. But it's just such a happy color.

10) This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness. I read each book 5 times in the span of 3 months. I haven't read them since, but based on the fact that they were what held me together during a very tough time in my 13 year-old life, I'm pretty sure I'd still love them.

I've bared my soul, now it's your turn. Can you think of anything you still really, really love that you ought to have outgrown?

Leaving for Florida

It's been a dreadfully long time since I last posted. Sarah and I discussed a while back how sometimes when there is so much going on and you get a little behind, it almost becomes too overwhelming to try to catch up.

I'm sitting here surrounded by an open suitcase and piles of clothes and books, doing a final edit before I close my suitcase and load it in the car for the long drive to Florida. I really do need a vacation, and in that way the timing is very good. But I am also feeling the stress of preparing for my brother's wedding (including helping them to plan their Chicago honeymoon), starting a new job, planning my own wedding, and trying to decide where to live, and from that perspective, potentially being without the internet and my cell phone for a week is going to be tough. (We won't know until we arrive whether or not we have wi-fi.)

My plans for this week are simple. Sleep as long as I want. Get up and have coffee. Wander down to the beach. Sit under the umbrella and read. Get in the water for a little while. Read. Eat lunch. Repeat the activities from the morning in the afternoon. Shower just before dinner. Eat a lot of shrimp. Watch a movie or play a game or read in the evening. Go to bed. Repeat 6 more times. Megan, just wanted you to know that Jon's sister is bringing Shopaholic & Baby for me. I'm also going to give Velvet Elvis another try.

She might not like me mentioning it here, but I just need to take a moment and congratulate Kelly on being named Teacher of the Year at her school for the 2006-2007 school year. Kel, I'm so proud of you!

Quick confession before I leave. I've been tempted lately by the babydoll dress and leggings look. In my head I know it is a bad idea, but it seems like it could be somewhat flattering. I don't think an intervention is necessary yet, but I'll let you know if I succomb.

Shopaholic and no sleep

I finally got Shopaholic and Baby from the library, and I knew Friday night would be a late one. I read the first 100 pages during the kiddos' naptime, and then began from there around 10pm. I thought maybe I could stop halfway through and then finish it on Saturday. Silly me, I should know better. Halfway through she put a twist in the book and there was no way I could stop until it was resolved (around 12:30am). I think it's my favorite of the series, although I did like Undomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret just as much.

Has anyone else read the book yet? If so, what did you think of it?

My next book is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Has anyone read that one? I guess it's a popular book club pick in the area.

Jane Austen News

I really believe I must own this:
If you couldn't tell, this is a Jane Austen "action" figure. I generally don't like dolls and find them a bit creepy (my sister and I just recenlty saw an exhibition of all the presidents and their wives as dolls made out of nylons and I am still getting over it), but I love this.

Then there's the new movie called Becoming Jane that I'm quite excited about. It comes out in the US August 3.

One of my students told me about this book: Dating Mr. Darcy. The author, Sarah Arthur, has something in common with us.

Coming soon to a mailbox near you...

Offer only valid in Chicago, Fort Worth, Houston, Manchester, and Tucson.

Hodge Podge

Spring is here with a vengeance, to the delight of some (me!) and the chagrin of others (Jon). The trees are green, allergies are acting up, and there's roadkill everywhere. It's wonderful.

Books

There’s a lot of big news in books today. First, the cover…

Next, Oprah announced her new Book Club title yesterday – Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Sounds like another depressing one. Girls, cruise reading, perhaps?

There was a major release in the world of children’s picture books this week. Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy, by Jane O’Connor (author) and Robin Preiss Glasser (illustrator), made its debut on Tuesday. I wore a pink boa and tiara to the bookstore last night for the occasion and probably will again on Saturday. I don't think it really helps sell the book - I just like to dress up at work. It's nice to have a job where I can wear a boa without it having anything to do with a pole. This is my friend Lauren in the picture with me - she's holding the new book and I've got the original. Yes, we are nerds.

Calling all readers, teachers, and especially Beverly Cleary/Ramona Quimby fans. April 12 is Drop Everything And Read (R.E.A.D.) Day! Not that the readers of this blog need an excuse to ignore other activities and responsibilities for the draw of a good book, but it is fun to have a day dedicated specifically to celebrating the joys of reading.

By the way, I did score a copy of Grace (Eventually), the new Anne Lamott, so once everyone is back from cruising, I'll start it around.

Cavemen

My favorite Neanderthals are getting their own show. And I just discovered this fun site today: http://www.cavemenscrib.com/.

Idol

Kelly, in response to your Idol comments, it seems my friend Damon’s wife Rachel has done a little research on this subject. Read her post called “I’ve Figured It Out” from March 14.

Robbie

Quick update. He is doing really well. He hasn't taken a pill in 2 days and he said that today was the first day in a month that he has actually felt somewhat healthy. He said he doesn't feel sick, just a little tired. He worked for a few hours yesterday and said it actually got easier as he went along. The doctor said that the fact that he is not in any pain is a really good sign and probably means the tumors are shrinking. They'll do further testing at the end of the chemo to find out for sure. So thank you for all of your prayers and all of the other ways you've been supporting us. He still has 2 more rounds of chemo to go through which will probably make him really sick like last week so please keep him in your thoughts. I can't tell you how good it was to talk to him on the phone just now and have him sound like his old self.

Bracketology

Hi all. I've been avoiding posting all week because I was so excited about Kristy's post and I didn't want to knock it out of the top spot. But I now feel that we need some new material so I'm doing my part.

Bracketology
You may have recently read about a new book called The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything, out just in time for March Madness. The book is a collection of brackets each based around a specific theme. The contributors use a series of head-to-head matchups to determine top songs, moments in history, top marital disputes, etc. They encourage readers to use bracketology to determine favorites and make decisions, and they even provide a blank bracket. One contributor and his wife used bracketology to determine their favorite name for a boy when they were expecting. They caution that you can't worry too much about "'seeding." Unlike basketball, there are no numbers and statistics to help you determine which of your top 32 favorite chick flicks should be paired in the first round. Just list them randomly, or create "regionals" (sub-categories of 4 or 8 or 16 used to group items in the first round) and trust that your favorite is going to win in every round and end up in that final spot.

I can already see that this could be a fun little time-waster for this group, especially since there is also a website: www.dailybracket.com. Not only can you browse and comment on other brackets, but you can create your own as well. Let the games begin.

Saturday Night at the Bookstore
Two middle-aged women were smoking pot in the women's bathroom and someone put one of the customer computers into DOS mode and typed F*** You all the way down the screen.

30 Update
Tomorrow is my 30th birthday, and I'm still really looking forward to it. Somehow, my hair seems to have gotten the memo about this milestone because over the last few weeks I've found many new, longer, thicker gray hairs all over my head. In honor of my 30th birthday I've actually purchased gifts for each of you. More to come on that...

HP7 Update
The initial printing of book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be a record 12 million copies. That is a fact, but on the rumor and speculation side of things, there are reports that the book will top 700 pages and that dear Harry will not live to see the final page. Also, watch http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/ and http://www.jkrowling.com/ for information about the Knight Bus National Tour and the rest of Scholastic's "There Will Soon Be 7" marketing campaign.

Hawaiian Minute

These are my new shoes.

Robbie Update
Robbie (my 26-year-old brother, for those that don't know) starts chemo on Monday. He will be doing three 3-week cycles that will end May 15th. Jenni graduates from college on May 13 and their wedding is May 26. The wedding is going forward as planned but the honeymoon might be postponed as Robbie as probably isn't going to have much energy for traveling. Or for other honeymoon-ish activities.

The official description of his cancer is stage 4, grade T3 testicular cancer, exactly what Lance Armstrong had. The tumors that remain in his lymph nodes have just about doubled in size since his surgery less than 3 weeks ago. He's got quite a bit of pain right now from the tumors - they are pressing on his internal organs and sitting on a pelvic nerve. Oddly enough, Robbie actually said that he can't wait for chemo to start because his pain should be almost completely alleviated by the end of the first week.

Using only chemotherapy, the cure rate for this cancer is 90%. The doctor said that if you had to get a certain type of cancer, you would want to get this type because testicular cancer cells are very receptive to chemo. It actually works to Robbie's advantage that his cancer is so aggressive, because it leaves the cells more susceptible to the chemo. Weeks 1, 4, and 7 of his treatment are his "on" weeks. He will actually go to the cancer center every day from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and be hooked up to an I.V. the entire time he's there. The rest of the weeks are his "off" weeks and he'll only have to go in for one 1-hour treatment each Tuesday. The doctor said to expect that he'll lose all of his hair (which isn't a huge difference from how he wears it now). Other possible side effects include: change in appetite and food preferences (maybe he'll start liking veggies), lots of nausea and vomiting, fatigue, high risk of bleeding, kidney damage, nerve damage to fingers and toes, hearing loss, and lung toxicity (he'll have to stay as far away as possible from all cigarette smoke).

Robbie and Jenni also found out that it is pretty likely that even before starting the chemo he is already sterile. Still, they are taking steps to deal with fertility issues now and Robbie will be making a couple of "deposits to the bank" before chemo, including one at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning. Ugh. Poor guy. Whatever barriers we had with talking about these things in our family just a few months ago, they are gone now. Anything is fair game.

It Is Well

Today in church we sang one of my very favorite old hymns, "It Is Well With My Soul." This simple but meaningful song seems to pop up at very significant moments in my life, which is probably part of the reason for my affinity for it. We sang it in church on September 9, 2001, the day before we buried my grandfather and two days before 9/11. If I remember correctly, we also sang it a year later on September 8, 2002, the week my friend Kevin died in a freak ATV accident. Over the years it has shown up at other moments when I particularly needed comforting and as we started singing today I realized its purpose. We had just finished gathering around my brother, Robbie, to pray for his upcoming surgery.

To understand the significance of this song it might be helpful to know the background. It was written in 1873 by a Chicago businessman named Horatio Spafford. In 1871, much of his property was destroyed by the Chicago Fire. Then two years later, the family physician recommended a vacation to benefit his wife's health. A family friend, Dwight L. Moody, was going to be preaching a series of evangelism meetings in England, so Mrs. Spafford and the couple's four daughters boarded a ship, with Mr. Spafford himself planning to follow a few days later. On the way to England, the Spafford's ship collided with another, and all four daughters were drowned. On his way to England to meet his wife, Mr. Spafford wrote the following words near the very spot that his daughters were killed.

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When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Thou Satan should buffet, tho' trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin... O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" - it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul.

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One year ago today, a blog was born.

We were all basically snowed in yesterday. The rain that fell most of Monday changed to snow just in time to completely cripple our morning rush hour. All of our schools were closed and most are today as well. Many businesses sent employees home early. Some malls even shut down, but not mine. Oh no. We stayed open until 10 p.m. and it amazed me that we had any customers but I guess some people are willing to take their lives into their own hands and brave the treacherous driving conditions to buy a new book or CD (ever heard of iTunes, people?).

One of our regulars was in the store tonight. We call him Sweatpants Dave. Bet you can't guess why. Anyway, he's a really nice guy. Smart and well-read. A little strange, but who isn't? I couldn't help giving him a hard time about being there last night. "Really, Dave? You had to come tonight?" His only response was, "I'm like a mailman." He stayed in his corner with his pile of books and magazines and iPod and for once he actually vacated his seat before closing time. Dave spends many hours with us, reading our books and drinking our coffee, but don't be fooled by his facade of loyalty. He is known to frequent 2 other Borders and one neighboring B&N. I've seen it with my own eyes. Knowing these other stores as I do, I'd like to think we're his favorite. I think I'll ask him next time I see him.

We have a lot of regulars, some that are only known to a small part of the staff due to the invariance of their routine, like the morning walkers or mall employees, and some that are known to all of us due to their excessive spending or remarkable personalities. There's Michael J. Don't call him Mike! He shares a name with an infamous celebrity and does not like jokes about it. (I can't blame him.) He and his wife are our number one customers - they're nice and they buy more than anyone else. There are the two teenage girls that somehow I've never actually spoken to that sit and study in our cafe with their laptops and iPods and pots of tea. There's the knitting group - almost all teachers - that takes over our cafe and has to be gently prodded out the door every Tuesday night. There's the sweet little lady that's confined to a wheelchair and sometimes falls asleep in it in Mystery/Thriller. I think that her apparent narcolepsy is a part of whatever condition put her in her chair but it has scared multiple other customers into thinking someone has died in our store. There's the large Eastern European family that comes in on Saturday nights and hangs out in Art until we close. There's the mother and daughter team that come in every Saturday and order lots of paperbacks. There's the mean lady that doesn't sign her credit card and then gets mad when we ask for i.d. There's the cheerful woman that comes in most Saturdays with long wishlists from soldiers serving overseas - she buys it all out of her own pocket and I always do what I can to find extra coupons for her. And then there are the countless Manga fans that come in for their weekly fix.

What's scary is that I've started seeing (and recognizing) these people outside of the store. A couple of weeks ago, I checked out an engaged couple that was buying a wedding magazine and I told them how I had just gotten engaged also. They were so congratulatory. So, the next night we went to Bread Co. for dinner (we are creatures of habit) and I was telling Jon about this nice couple as we waited in line. We sit down at our table and I look to the left and they were sitting 2 tables away. It was very Twilight Zone. Then last week, Jon and I were having breakfast with some friends at a restaurant about 20 miles away and one of our stranger female customers was sitting right next to me.

After almost 2 years at the store, it is interesting to see how our "Borders family" extends far beyond those on the payroll. It includes former employees that we've lost to other locations or companies, it includes the bartenders at our favorite after hours haunts (one of them is now dating a fellow bookseller), and it even includes some of our regulars like Dave. And for me, it's not just a virtual family, but a real one as well. Jon and I are actually the second couple to get married from our store.

Which reminds me, Happy Valentine's Day! Happy 1st Birthday to our blog! And yay us - we hit 5000 visitors today!

And I can't close without this short rant. This commercial is creepy and disturbing. Jon and I can't figure out who it is supposed to appeal to - men or women - because we both feel this way.

Almost forgot to tell you. Jack the Cat had a really good report from the oncologist yesterday. He does not think there is any cancer at this point. Yay! We'll hear more about Robbie tomorrow.

HP7

The people printing the 7/7/07 buttons on cafepress.com were wrong. And the people that said HP7 wouldn't come out in July because OOTP is hitting theaters on 7/13/2007 were also wrong. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will arrive on 7/21/2007. Well, actually the book will start arriving at bookstores well before that, but with very clear and firm instructions to not open the boxes until midnight on the 21st. Put this date on your calendars and then book your plane tickets to come to St. Louis because my store has just about the most amazing Potter Party anywhere. I mean that. The planning has started and we're claiming our characters, although I have not picked mine yet. Any suggestions? (Off limits: Harry & Hermione. Already taken: Dobby, Bellatrix Lestrange, Professor Trelawny.) I'm having a hard time convincing Jon (who hasn't read even one chapter of the books) that he should be Sirius Black but he would be perfect as his hair has gotten a little long and the costume is so easy to put together. My friend Dan is usually Sirius, but his hair is short now and it doesn't sound like he wants to grow it out.

The Leaky Cauldron has a growing but already extensive list of what's left to tie up in Book 7.

In other odd news:

Eagle lugging deer head causes outage

Hard choice: Iguana faces amputation

U2-charist: U2 service brings rock to religion