Sunday Salon, Nov. 9, 2014

Weather: Rainy and cold with moments of sunbreaks. Very Novemberish weather.

Cone of Shame: As you see from the photos our dog Muffy is currently sporting a very fetching look by wearing a cone to keep her from pulling off her bandages.  She has surgery on a fast-growing tumor on her leg on Thursday. The vet said to return in three to five days to replace her bandage. By the very next morning my husband had to take her in to replace the bandage since the first one was almost all the way off, stitches exposed. The new bandage was snugger than the first but she worked that one off by the next day, so back we went to the Vet hospital to have it replaced. This time she came out of the back room wearing the cone of shame.  Unfortunately, being such a short dog, it drags on the ground unless she lifts up her head and she actually runs into things like table legs with it.  But, the good news, the bandage is safely in place

Cue the music and listen while you read the rest of my blog. This is my new passion---Ravel's Bolero as performed by The Pink Martinis.  Love it.

Award books are my reading passion. I push award books as often as I can in my library and often gain new fans of these special books along the way. This week we checked out over 400 award books to ninth grader in a three day period. It was simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. First I had to dig pretty deep to find the sheer number of award books needed to cover all the students. I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it, so I went to two bookstores to pick up a few extras. I found award books I didn't know I had languishing on the library shelves. I discovered book awards I didn't know existed. I also discovered, much to my chagrin, how few sports books receive awards, especially in the YA Lit world.  Sigh.

Weird football play of the year: My daughter and I watched the UO v Utah football game on TV last night while Don, my husband, was actually AT the game in Salt Lake City. A Utah receiver made a fabulous catch and ran the length of the field for an apparent touch down.  Only problem, in his haste to start celebrating, he dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line, making it a fumble. A UO defensive player picked up the ball and ran 100 yards to the other goal line for a touchdown for our team.  I have never seen anything so weird and wonderful as this botched play.

Today's sermon was about the topic of suffering. It is a topic that few of us like to discuss let alone even contemplate.  But if we are suffering it is important to recognize that God is with us in the midst of our pain and sorrow. For some reason today while Gary was preaching I just knew I had to say this in my blog. If you are the reader that needs to hear this message today know this- God loves you and is with you in your suffering. He will not abandon you.

"No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?"- refrain from hymn My Life Flows On

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder. I can always tell when it is autumn because a case of SAD always descends on me like a black fog. I find myself wanting to hole up or cover up and not get out of bed until spring.  For me this means getting out the light box and spending time in front of it every morning before work. It seems to do the trick. I usually operate my light for about fifteen minutes in the morning while I put on make-up, style my hair and brush my teeth. Those fifteen minutes can really make the difference in my mood all day long. I think experts suggest that most people need at least a half hour in front of the full spectrum lights to be effective, but fifteen works for me.  This is the lightbox I use. (Check out the article linked above for five steps to help with SAD. I should add that listening to Bolero by Pink Martinis helps, too.)

Audiobook finished this week:

• A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, read by the author. This is now one of my all-time favorite audiobook listening experiences. Ozeki did a great job with her own material. The topics of the book---depression, bullying, suicide--- were tough but I loved the whole package. Can't wait to discuss this book with my club.

Currently reading:

• Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer---a Mock Printz possible title. The topic is depression due to grief and loss and incorporates Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar into the storyline. The jury is still out.
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell---my current audiobook.