My first day without bandages on my fingers as the blisters have gone down. They still look awful and won't bend much, but I decided to give them some air this a.m. Mainly because I am out of bandages and will wait until my noon break to run up to Walgreen's to buy more. What is bugging me now that the pain has eased is that my nails are way past needing to be done and there is no way I can handle someone holding my left hand to do my nails right now. Aren't I ever vain? Will have to hide my hands during The Music Man at the Opera House tomorrow night. I am sure I will enjoy this more than the Revival of Queen we saw a couple of weeks ago. I didn't even know who Freddie Mercury was so I had no idea how good the impersonator was until I watched a bit of the live concert of Queen DVD of Steve's. I recognized TV commercial (I want it all) and football game music (Another one bites the dust!) and had no idea those were part of Queen songs. Hey - I was raising little kids back then, not listening to rock music. I looked around me in amazement as bald headed guys were playing air guitar along with their teenage sons. Was an unusual crowd for the Opera House and then some - first time I have ever seen them allow drinks into the theater - guess they were trying to make it feel like a concert. A group of women were waving their cell phones back and forth like lighters from back when. I am sure I will feel more at home with The Music Man crowd. :-)

While going through some old books in my office at ECU I came across a copy of Tomie de Paola's Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill published in the 1980s and remembered the giant he fooled was Cucullin - the very same legendary warrior from Holly Bennett's The Warrior's Daughter. No mention of Fin M'Coul dressed as an infant giant besting Cucullin, spelled Cuchulainn, in Bennett's YA novel. :-) No surprise as the narrator is the warrior's daughter, Luaine, who has inherited strength from both her warrior father and strong willed mother to endure great hardship when she is wed to the king who wants her father's lands, not her. He sends his poet out to curse her with words and a poisoned shard of glass. But Druid powers beyond the king's control save Luaine and he will rue the day he tried to kill her. The pronunciation guide is great fun - I sat and sounded out the names, and discovered I wasn't saying them right in my head, but that didn't matter - I was wrapped up in this wonderful retelling of an Irish legend. Loved this book, but still favor Bennett's Bonemender series. Although I loved all three, I think younger teens will like The Bonemender's Oath the best as it is a fast paced adventure about Gabrielle's 11 and 13 year old niece and nephew being stolen by pirates. The bonemender, her brother and her elf husband chase after the pirates and find the children but it will take every ounce of healing power Gabrielle has to save them.

It is a beautiful sunny day in Lexington and I am looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit as I figure I can actually handle the steering wheel on the car today. :-) Might even stop at Half Price Books! Not like I need more books, but I am addicted to that store.