Bedside

There is one question that a Librarian dreads more than most - especially when asked by another Librarian..."So, what do you like to read?" My mind goes instantly blank – I have no idea what I am reading, have read or want to read. I do read widely in all genres but would hesitate (for hours) over who is my favourite author or what is my favourite book.

Anyway, awaiting a recent job interview that was the question I wasn't looking forward to, and so I took a picture of my bedside cabinet, just as it is most of the year - no embellishments, not even a dusting. This is what it is always like - full of library books waiting to be read. Many gaining overdue fines while just sitting there waiting to be picked up. Many more are on the floor. See the list below of books that are on loan to me at the moment

I don't read them in order of getting them, just as they take my fancy. I hate the choosing of the next book to be read and frequently start one or two before I settle on one. Most of these babies are from our stack - older fiction that no longer graces the public shelves. I like old series - Patrick O’Brian, James Lee Burke, Lindsey Davis, C S Forester - oh they are all mystery thrillers, but I like fantasy Sci-Fi too, Paul F Wilson, Chick Lit vampire bites. I don't even mind an occasion Scottish bodice ripper - Karen Moning indeed...Oh, and I adore historical sea novels – Forester and O’Brian – swoon, swoon.

So, instead of asking what is your favourite author or what do you read? Ask what are you reading now? You'll get a more truthful and less pretentious answer.
Tonight I am reading Peter Dexter’s Train, and loving it.


Items checked out to me....

Bloodline : a Repairman Jack novel /
by Wilson, F. Paul (Francis Paul)

Cadfael. Series two

Devil may cry /
by Kenyon, Sherrilyn,

Emotionally weird : a comic novel /
by Atkinson, Kate.

Exile's return /
by Feist, Raymond E.

The four agreements : a practical guide to personal freedom /
by Ruiz, Miguel, 1952-

The Four agreements companion book : using the four agreements to master the dream of your life /

Great books to read aloud /

The harlequin /
by Hamilton, Laurell K.


How to win friends & influence people /
by Carnegie, Dale

King of foxes /
by Feist, Raymond E.

The lazy boys : a novel /
by Shuker, R. Carl, 1974-

Love in the time of cholera /
by Garcia Marquez, Gabriel,

Now is the time to open your heart : a novel /
by Walker, Alice, 1944-

Pocketful of names /
by Coomer, Joe.

The spider's web : a Sister Fidelma mystery /
by Tremayne, Peter.

Stone of farewell /
by Williams, Tad.

Strangerland : a family at war /
by Drysdale, Helena.

Train : a novel /
by Dexter, Pete

Phoebe worships at my feet

Phoebe has discovered the joy of ascending and descending stairs. It's still a fraught process for those older and wiser.

How to fall asleep when you are 10

Got it :-)

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I am brilliant. I have the job. I am now the blankety blank blank for the blankety blank blank. I got the job! I am wonderful and slightly sozzled as well!

Work then karate, a quick trip to super mart to get something for tea and the most delicious tea in the world. Sitting with my daughter reading and eating salmon and cream cheese on French bread, with a gin and tonic and then strawberries and Turkish delight – oh and some grapes. Weird, but it works for me and I am indeed brilliant and I have a new job and staff and buses and I’m the boss! Yaah me!

The book you ask? I am reading the most hilarious book, about the Queen discovering a mobile library and then starting to read. Called ‘The uncommon reader’ by Alan Bennett and very, very funny.

Oh and did I mention that I am brilliant and ever so slightly sozzled, on one miserly(or not so) G&T), I am no drinker, but I am brilliant!

A glimpse of what life might be like…

Youngest child at school camp, oldest child lives with father, two middle children visiting father for tea, stepchildren out of sight…Just the two of us!! Phhooo eeeeh, life could indeed be good!

Off to work bright and early – picked up car from the panel beaters and to work on time. All day out on the buses, so no time to mull over the coming job interview. Meet husband outside work at 5.30 and walked two blocks to the movies had a coffee and lollies. Good enough movie – Atonement. Liked the book better but no mind. Then outside by 7.45 and it’s still light. The plan was a quick tea and then a wee training session to make up for the class I missed by going to the movies, but I wasn’t hungry yet and so up to the dojo, two blocks away.

A lovely hour of training - just the two of us. Kihons with push-ups, yakusoku, kata and kata with weights. No teaching, just doing, doing, doing. I need lots of repetition to bed in the patterns.

We then decided to go home for a bite rather than dawdle in town. What a luxury; 3-4 hours of time to do anything we wanted in the middle of a week. This will be what it is like when the kids are all grown up and it’s just the two of us! Time, space, and energy to do whatever strikes us whenever we feel like it. I can’t wait.

A beginner again

Tonight it was club night at the dojo. It’s a concept that is brilliant in design but severely flawed in that no one much comes. Monday night is traditionally a black and brown belt class. But recently it was decided to open up the first Monday of each month to the whole club, so that we can mix, see some black belts training and see our head guy, Jun Shihan, as that is the only class he attends.

Well, it started off OK, about five or six extras the first month, the next month two or three turned up. And then tonight there was just me – a lowly green belt - with a jun shihan, a kyoshi, a sensei, three senpai – (sandan, nidan, shodan) and two first kyu brown belts - nine in total. It made for an interesting bow in and out – kinda like this:

jun shihan

kyoshi

sensei

sandan

nidan

shodun

brown and green belts

It was interesting – a bit like being a white belt again. I could understand what they are saying, but my body wouldn’t do the moves. It’s a very bunkai (practical application) class. No syllabus (which is what I am silently screaming out for 4 weeks out from my grading!)

But never mind, it was an experience in humility and I don’t even mind that I got not one of the combinations or applications off perfectly (or even close). It was great to train with these guys many of whom have been training for over twenty years.

Cool – scary – totally recommended.