We are having July weather in June - ugh!! It is too darn hot for June. And, it doesn't help that I have a ton of boxes in the middle of my office which are blocking the air conditioning vents that are on the floor too. So I have a fan blowing on me. If I close my eyes I can be back in the U.S. Virgin Islands Montessori School Library with the hum of fans to keep us at least a bit cooler. Okay, with that bit of daydreaming this office is like an icebox compared to that library on a hot breezeless day on St. Thomas!

I had the first set of occipital shots last Friday and it sure felt weird to have the back of my head numb for a couple of days. It's no longer numb but it also isn't hurting like it was so the shots did work for that pain but not for the headache behind and above my left eye. That is what is so tiring. I go back in later this month for another set of shots and I hope they work more than this first set. He did say relief would not be overnight so I am optimistic.

I'm also working with a dietician at our neighborhood hospital to lose some of the weight I have gained due to being so sedentary as it will help to be lighter on my feet when recuperating from the knee surgeries. Hobbling around in a lighter body may also not be quite so tiring before the surgery as well since the knee surgery won't be scheduled until there is some relief from the occipital neuralgia pain. I have some time to work at getting down to "fighting form". I'm on a low carb diet and the first few days were a killer as I pretty much lived on bread, granola bars, and fruit with some protein. I still have bread but I do things like take the top off of a Subway turkey sandwich and eat it open face. Its been interesting trying to find low carb foods in the grocery store. I have really become a label reader. Once I got over the initial shock of it I am kind of enjoying watching what I eat. I track my meals on the Sparks People web site: http://www.sparkpeople.com/. I'll bring in the print outs to the dietician on a regular basis. I also carry a book in my purse that has the carb and calorie content for most restaurant meals so I can pick and choose when we go out. That was the one condition - I get to eat out as doing so is often my only outings from the house. There was a whole set of work out equipment at the clinic but since I can't do much besides stretching in the a.m. the physiologist gave me a pedimeter to wear. I over did it the first few days trying to get more steps in and my knee rebelled big time but it is heartening to see I am not on my behind 24/7!

Just finished the Library Media Connection http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/ review for Karen Kincy's debut paranormal novel - Other http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Other/Karen-Kincy/e/9780738719191/?itm=1&USRI=other+kincy. I am feeling really old when I think about that fact that I've been reviewing for Linworth journals since the 1980s. Started out reviewing for Book Report when I was a high school librarian and have been reviewing and writing articles and books for Linworth ever since. This is the one journal, in its various versions, that I have had a long term subscription to as it covers both my professional worlds of school librarianship and youth literature.

Back to Other by Kincy. I had to go to her web site http://www.karenkincy.com/ to check out her web presence as I am so impressed with the new YA authors meeeting teens where they hang out - online. I had to chuckle over her twitter comment - "Author Kitty Keswick stopped by my website!" When you scroll down the page, there is an interview with Keswick. I personally still love the feel and smell of books and reading print, but I realize that if we want to get teens reading books we need to pique their attention via their modes of communication. There are more paranormal romances out there for teens now than anyone can keep up with but Other is well worth logging off, putting the phone on vibrate, and settling in and getting comfortable as you won't want to put Other down after you start reading it. Imagine a world where a centaur in the frozen food section of the grocery store raises a few eyebrows and an occassional cell phone pic but that's because there aren't any living in Gwen's small Washington town. But there are plenty of Others including werewolves, vampires, dyads and shapeshifters, which is what Gwen is. Due to the prejudices about Others by some of the small town residents Gwen's mom has asked her to subdue her inclination to shift into animal form but she only feels free when she takes wing in the dead of night and flies through the forest where no one sees her. At least she thinks no one does, but when Others show up murdered Gwen realizes she hasn't been as careful as she thought. The killer knows what she is and she may be the next victim. Add a cute fox spirit dude and some nasty werewolves to contend with and this is a fun and fast read. Thank goodness there are two more titles coming!

Speaking of teens and technology - NintendoDS is now offering 100 classics with author bios and book guides to help you select a "book that fits your mood" - or so says the advertisement in Entertainment Weekly. The add shows the Nintendo being held like a book so you have text on each side. Hmmm - I wonder if this will get gamers involved in reading. Who knows! Whatever the case, it looks interesting. Check out all the titles at http://www.100classicbooks.com/digital-books.html accessed from the Nintendo site. These are all those dry and boring oldies that are often required reading in school. Perhaps they will be a bit less boring when read on a gaming device! But please, don't make me read Silas Marner again in any format. Good heavens - I had to pinch myself black and blue to get through that one! Further browsing shows that there are another 10 books that can be downloaded via wi-fi. I just found the cost of the 100 Classics on Best Buy - $19.99. It was released yesterday and already backordered via Best Buys' online store. I wish I could be there to see the English teachers' expressions when they tell their students to take out their copy of King Lear and students boot up their Nintendos!

It is thundering like crazy, the wind is blowing and the rain is coming down. I'm posting this before the Internet goes down. I am so sick of rain - we are going to float away!