Sundays are such lovely days, even though this one was rainy and gray. Spent the morning in bed with the newspaper and the afternoon catching up on grading and emails along with the wash. Sure is a lot less of it when it is just me. It warmed up enough to go out on the balcony with Sophie for a bit. I made the mistake of leaving her out there alone and she almost fell off because she jumped up between the railings. It's a good thing she caught herself as I was too far away to grab her. She is not happy being an inside cat.

There have been a number of teenage authors published lately. One of the latest is Thu-Houng Ha, the 16-year-old female author of Hail Caesar, a first person novel from a 17-year-old male's perspective. Not sure what I think of this novel. Like The Outsiders, the male characters don't always ring true. Ha knows 17-year-old guys think with the wrong head and sex is their focus, especially for this main character. John, called Caesar since he was a kid, has has had sex with most of the girls in the HS, but has yet to be in a true relationship. He is quite happy with his shallow life of parties, drinking, and sex until the new girl in school piques his interest. Too bad she isn't willing to jump into bed with him, nor is she impressed by his popularity or false impression that he is the center of the universe. They do become friends and spend time at a secluded spot by the lake, where she plays mind games with him. She is none too stable herself! Perhaps because his mother died when he was young and his father is a workaholic are part of why he has no respect for girls. He doesn't think about how girls reacts to guys' hunt for sexual conquests until his little sister shows up at a party and gets drunk with one of his friends. No guy like him better get near her! If more teenage girls read books like this, they might think twice before drinking with the guys at the local parties. Ha knows teen dialogue, which dominates this book. An interesting look into the teen preppy crowd.

Now back to savoring my Diet Vernor's Ginger Ale and a Lifetime movie! It is so nice to be back on the Mainland where I can buy Vernors. I grew up with this spicier ginger ale than Canadian Dry, which is a "watered down" version of the real thing. They have Ginger Beer in the islands but it is way too sweet - no diet version of it either. So now I always have Vernors in the fridge. I'm a happy girl!