I have been so terrible about posting in the last 6 weeks since the vertigo hit. I am back in bed with it and it had better settle down as we have tickets to go see Allison Krause in concert tonight in Rupp Arena, where the UK basketball team plays. Steve can lead me in if I am still dizzy! This town is "Go Blue" crazy. I don't even wear my ECU t-shirts around here. I would rather be right in the middle of this picture than in bed! This is Guido's in Cozumel - my favorite restaurant in Mexico so far. And, it is Italian! The court yard is canopied by flowering trees. We ate there twice because I liked it so much.

I did booktalking presentations at the ECU Library Science and Instructional Technology COLRS workshop on Saturday. COLRs is an IMLS grant scholarship program for MLS students who plan to work in rural North Carolina schools. The participants were new scholarship participants and other students in the MLS Program. It was great to meet students in my courses. I feel like I know them from how active we are in the discussion boards, but it is always nice to hear their voices and see their faces. Two of my summer session Children's and YA Literature course were there and they were busy reading whenever they could as the semester ends this week. Thank heavens! I need to get the grading done and the grades posted so I can breathe a sigh of relief and take a few days off before I start setting up my Fall semester course sites. Of course, both courses I am teaching have new textbooks so my "pleasure reading" will be set aside for awhile to read the texts and prepare the new quizzes.

Steve's Mom is in the hospital and he was up in Kansas City while I was in Greenville and I drove back to KY prepared to feed the cat and get the next flight out of LEX into KC if needed. Thank goodness she is doing better. Don't know as I could have driven myself out to the airport with how bad the vertigo was on Sunday. I couldn't even get up to say welcome home when Steve got home from KC late that night. The MRI results came in Monday a.m. - negative, so the next step is an ear, nose and throat specialist to see if there is something going on in my inner ear. I get really frustrated with this all, but sooner or later we are going to get an answer. Steve is so sweet - he came home at lunch time yesterday to check on me as I was a real mess in the a.m. He brought me a Subway sandwich and a yummy cookie. And, he made dinner last night. I am getting so frustrated as I can't get out in the yard and put in more flowers and bushes. Or get my closet and drawers set up now that our bedroom furniture has all been delivered. I feel like life is going on around me and leaving me behind. I use what energy and time I have to grade and try to keep up with my students' emails. Not been a good summer!

Not much reading as I am sleeping so much because of the vertigo medication. But, I did finish listening to Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. It is a Holy Grail story with a twist - two story lines, with two women who may just be the same soul, if you believe in reincarnation as the early believers did in the medieval storyline. In 2005 an archaeological volunteer, Alice Tanner, stumbled upon the labyrinth cave, with two sets of bones, one of whom she shares dreams. This is a long listen - 16 CDs - but I loved learning more about medieval France and how the Inquisition was so strong in this area. Alice unearths relics that are links to the Holy Grail, which is not the cup we often think of and the mystery begins, with her being chased by two opposing groups who think she has the ring and/or the book that will help bring the Grail to life. Kept me listening to say the least! As far as teen appeal, the fact that Alais is only 17 at the beginning of the book may be appealing to older teenage girls, but this is not a quick read for anyone.

All for today.