A dreary Monday here in Greenville. Yesterday was really gray and rainy. I decided my trip to Office Depot could wait - I may decide the same thing today! I really didn't mind spending the whole day working on annual report "stuff" for ECU. There are days I wish we went for shorter is better like the business world. No such luck - I am working to fill a 3" three-ring binder of examples of what I have done professionally in the last year. I didn't even take time off, totally, to watch the Oscars. I was flipping through copies of Library Media Connection to make sure I didn't miss any reviews while I watched. My Reader Advisory columns are easy to find as they are in the table of contents, but not the reviews. Ellen Degeneres was quite funny and the actors were on their best behavior, except for Jack Nicholson - he always looks deranged to me! I was disappointed that Peter O'Toole didn't win, but that may have been because I was listening to Lawrence of Arabia on Saturday while I went through files. Now I want to rent Pan's Labyrinth after seeing clips from it. Wonderful special effects in what looks like a deliciously creepy movie from a Mexican director. A very international flavor last night with one of the most touching speeches given in Italian, with Clint Eastwood doing a bit of translation for the audience. It was worth Sophie glaring at me as she knows Mom's normal bedtime and it isn't 12:30!

While I was looking through files and boxes I came across the updated copy of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux that I picked up from the bargain table at Barnes and Noble. Mary has my first edition and I knew I wasn't going to get it back from her. Once upon a time when I was still a stay at home mom I read romances - anything to vicariously take me away from the harsh winters in Alaska. Devereaux was one of my favorite romance authors and this time travel love story is my favorite romance of all time. I was just looking through the 95 reader reviews on B&N and their comments are similar to Mary's - they read it again every couple of years. How can you not love a story of a modern woman and a knight from the 16th century? One of my favorite scenes from the movie version with Meg Ryan is when he is learning how to brush his teeth and toothpaste is quite an oddity to him. Compared to many of the bodice-ripper romance writers, Devereaux is mild and many of her books are read and loved by teenage girls. That's when Mary borrowed my copy and I never got it back. So, when this darn annual review is turned in, my treat is to curl up with Dougless (yes, that's her name) and Nicholas and let them sweep me away to the past! :-)