A beautiful sunny Monday morning with joggers and walkers going by. I am going to go to the gym later this a.m. and try the elliptical machine. I have been walking but having trouble with shin pain so I'll try that instead. I want to make sure when I go back to see Dr. Boomershine in late August I can honestly say I have been following "doctor's orders." The darn medication is still making me woozy and sick to my stomach, but I am going to grin and bear it until my body adjusts to it. One of the side effects is weight loss - I am hoping that one effects me. :-)

Saw on Yahoo that George Carlin died this weekend. I was never a big fan of his, but he certainly is an icon of the 70s with his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." I remember my older cousin listening to his album (yes - it was vinyl) and just hoot laughing over it. I just thought it was vulgar, but I grew up in a household where swearing just wasn't done. I got my mouth washed out with dish soap for calling an ant a bugger. I didn't know it was a bad word!

I am reading Lauren Myracle's Bliss
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/BLISS/Lauren-Myracle/e/9780810970717/?itm=1 and am loving every moment of it. It is set during the 1960s and she prefaces the chapters with quotes from the time period, many from Mayberry RFD. Bliss is the very naive daughter of hippie parents who gets dropped of with her wealthy conservative grandmother. She is attending an exclusive private school and quickly becomes caught between the friendship of the very weird and needy Sandy and a group of "normal" girls. Bliss has a gift and can hear voices from the other side and she is hearing a very creepy voice from one of the buildings, talking to her about blood and keys and how she is the answer. I can't wait to hear Lauren talk about Bliss at the Abrams' luncheon at ALA. Lauren has a wicked sense of humor and she's fun to listen to speak. Lauren's Internet Girls series is very popular. TTYL http://search.barnesandnoble.com/ttyl/Lauren-Myracle/e/9780810987883/?itm=1 was even popular with the guys at the Montessori School in the USVI. What better way for guys to understand how girls "work" than to read the books they do? Although I love these books, I adored Rhymes with Witches http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Rhymes-with-Witches/Lauren-Myracle/e/9780810992153/?itm=1 as it combines the bitchiness of cliches in schools with a very dark twist as to how these girls gain their power over the student body. Certainly will have teenage readers pondering how far they will go to be part of the most popular group of girls in school.

On the children's book front I read a very interesting occupations title - When I Grow Up: A Young Person's Guide to Interesting & Unusual Occupations by Jessica Loy. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-I-Grow-Up/Jessica-Loy/e/9780805077179/?itm=1
B&N lists this as a paperback, but I have the Holt hardback in front of me as I type this. Color photographs add to the textual description of unique professions that focus on a specific person working in this field. Occupations include alpaca farmers, a chocolatier, guitar makers, a pet photographer, a robotics engineer, a set designer, a kite designer, and a game designer. In other words, the occupations that may interest the students who are exploring beyond the "norm". A great addition to the occupations titles in any elementary school library.

Only 4 more days before I leave to ALA in Anaheim. I am looking forward to immersing myself in books and talking with book people. :)