Holy cow!  Are you here already?  How did you sneak past August so quickly?  It happened so fast that neither of us noticed.

Well, now that you’re here, i think we should talk.  You’ve always been a finicky month, September.  Hot, cold, rainy, dry… who knows with you?  I’m writing to say, i have some suggestions about how you should behave this month.

First of all - cool it!  It’s been way too hot & humid around these parts, and i think you can help us out.  September is the start of autumn - so ACT like it!  We don’t need anymore of these 90+ degree days, thank you very much.

Second of all, what’s with the mosquitoes?  Isn’t there something you could do about them?

Thirdly, these hurricanes and tropical storms are surely of your making as well.  I guess you were in a decent mood at the time, because none of these storms is on track to do any major damage.  Thanks for that; we’ve had our more than our fill of destruction wreaked by hurricanes in the past few years.

Lastly, we’re going to the beach next week.  We always go during the month of YOU, September, because you’re the best month of them all.  Now, please make sure to deposit lots of sunshine and balmy beach breezes on us while we’re there.

Thanks for listening, September.  I AM glad you’re here, and i hope you can deliver.

Love,
Podrey

This book was first recommended to me by my almost brother-in-law Will years ago (three? four?) and was described to me as “Harry Potter for girls”.  I bought it almost immediately and tried to read it twice during the last few years, but i was unable to make it past the second chapter.

When our book club put it on the agenda, i was pleased because i knew it would motivate me to read it.  And, even better, i have been on a reading roll lately, devouring books left and right.

Despite the momentum i had going in, it was still difficult to get into Pessl’s book.  Why?  One of the things that was difficult for me was the length of all the sentences.  Every time a new thought begins, it is interrupted and annotated and parentheticals are inserted, until you forget exactly what the beginning of the sentence was.  I cannot tell you how many times i had to reread a sentence to figure out what was being said.  It was exhausting.  However, that wasn’t the biggest problem.  I could get over long sentences if there was a plot, but the plot for this book does not seem to develop itself until several chapters in.  And even then it seems weak.

Our protagonist and narrator is Blue Van Meer.  Her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised by her very brilliant father, moving 2-3 times per year as he traveled to different universities as a sort of permanent visiting professor.  Blue is recounting her senior year of high school, during which she tries to explain the sudden death of a quirky teacher at the school, Ms. Hannah Schneider.  The book tries to hook you at the beginning with this murder mystery, but it doesn’t work well.  The first 60 pages are quite tedious as we lead up to Blue’s senior year, where her father has promised they will for once stay in one place for the entire school year.

After that, the book does start to get better.  There’s fitting in with the “in” crowd in a new school, rebelling a bit against Dad, a mysterious death, an infatuation with a boy, all kinds of normal teenage stuff.  Once that started happening, i was hooked enough to know i’d make it to the end of the book this time.  However, it all still seemed quite a mishmash of events that didn’t seem important, and you wondered why on earth you were having to sit through all of this.  Can we get to the point already?

It isn’t until p. 330 (of 514) that the book suddenly, finally, becomes a page-turner.  That’s when Hannah Schneider finally dies.  You’ve known it all along, and now you become consumed with what happens next.  Her death is ruled a suicide, but Blue starts finding clues that it was more likely murder, and the clues start adding up and making sense as she begins to solve this mystery.  Many of the events that didn’t seem important in the first 330 pages now start to have a significant context, and i found myself flipping back through the book so i could find those passages and remind myself about them, and in that way perhaps i could help Blue solve the mystery.

The book ends in an open-ended fashion.  That’s what makes it such good fodder for book club discussions.  To any of by book club compatriots who have made it partway, i say, keep going!  And let me know when you’re finished.

Something that makes me happy: The smell and feel of clean sheets.

Something i am struggling with: A little bit of loneliness.

Something tasty: A hot biscuit with butter and jam.

Something i learned: Sometimes it pays to get to the end of a difficult novel (i refer to Special Topics in Calamity Physics, post forthcoming).

Something i am reading: MockingJay, by Suzanne Collins

Something happening around the house: It’s empty since Lance left Friday.  Me and the dog are just hanging out.

Something i am thinking: Change for the sake of change is not productive.

Something i am looking forward to: The beach! The beach!

Something i am hoping: For the quick arrival of something resembling fall weather.

Something random: After i finish this post, i am going to take out the trash because it smells.

Something planned: A trip to the beach!  The beach!

Something captured: Picasso. From the NC Museum of Art.

The year is 2025 and America has “progressed” into a dystopic society where the poor are oppressed and pollution is so bad that they’ve stopped reporting the numbers.  Instead they’ve required installation of “Free-vee” units in all homes (television) and are programming America to death.  The most popular shows are reality shows of a dark nature.  Swim with Crocodiles is one; the longer you survive the more money you (or your heirs) will earn; contestants often die.  Treadmill to Bucks is another; the longer you can walk or run while correctly answering questions earns you more money; wrong answers increase the pace; contestants usually have healthy problems; most won’t die but some do.

The most gripping and most popular show is The Running Man.  One contestant is given a 12-hour lead, some cash and sent out into the world.  He can go wherever he likes.  However, citizens get rewards for reporting sightings of him.  Meanwhile, after his 12-hour lead, the hunters are sent to track him.  He sends in tapes every day so the audience can see his condition.  Every hour he lasts earns money for his family.  If he lasts 30 days, he wins the big prize of a billion dollars for his family.  No one has ever lasted more than 8 days.  Oh, and when he is caught, he is brutally murdered.  This is OK with viewers, though, because contestants are always demonized as poor specimens of the human race.

How do they get contestants when so many come to bad ends?  The oppressed poor volunteer when they get desperate, usually in order to get money to help their families.  Ben Richards is one such, with a wife and a daughter who is very sick.  They need money for a real doctor for the child.

Ben isn’t nearly as bad a guy as he is made out to be by the show.  He’s actually pretty smart and practical, and a bit of a rebel; understandable given his living conditions.  You’re definitely rooting for him all the way.   The book is a page-turner; i couldn’t put it down, trying to find out how it ended.  I won’t give it away.

I haven’t seen the movie that was based on this book, though i might order it from Netflix now to see how they adapted it.

The projected future King created was interesting.  Only 40-45 years later.  We’ve still got 15 years to get to where he thinks we’re headed.  So far he sure predicted reality shows correctly, if not their nature.  His technology projections were all over the place: he got camcorders correct; he didn’t foresee cellphones as everyone was still using pay phones; he assumed hovercraft was the way cars would evolve.  I don’t think human nature has devolved quite as rapidly as he thought.  And our government hasn’t fallen to pieces yet, though some might disagree with me on that.

A fun read.

As i was walking to my car yesterday, i heard my name called in the parking lot from someone who was backing out of a parking space.  I glanced toward the vehicle, and didn’t immediately recognize the profile.  I walked toward the car and leaned down to look in the passenger-side window.

I had no idea who it was.

Then ensued the awkward moment where it is obvious i am drawing a blank.  He saved me, though, by pointing it out, “You don’t remember me, do you?” and then told me his name, which rung a bell.  He DID look a little familiar, but that was half a lifetime ago…

I’ll be honest, while i do remember that this guy existed, i don’t remember much else.  This is what i do remember:  He went to a different school.  We met at a swim meet.  His dad was the coach of his high school’s team.  He said the word “tour” so strangely (more like “tore”) that i had no idea what word he was saying.  We talked on the phone.  We kissed a few times.  We were one year apart in grade level, but i can’t remember who was older.  I think i was 15.

And that is IT.   This is one boyfriend that i have never wondered enough about to look up on facebook.

I doubt i would have recognized him if he hadn’t told me who he was.  And now i feel all weird about it because if i couldn’t recognize him how come he recognized me?  Did i break his heart or something so he spent years throwing darts at a picture of my face?

No, no, of course not.  Some people are just better at remembering faces than others, and i am one of the worst at it.  We’re going to have lunch one day next week and catch up.  It should be fun - now that i have been reminded of his existence, i actually AM curious about what he’s been up to.

I even tried to find him on facebook, but apparently he’s not on there either.  Why are my ex boyfriend’s averse to facebook?  Don’t they know i’m over here trying to stalk them?

Along the way, there will be other races, including the American Tobacco Trail 10-miler that i did last year as well.  There are always a bunch of 5K races in the fall, and i imagine i will participate in a few of those as well as a way to get in some weekend runs.

I don’t have much of a time goal.  I guess it would be nice to try and beat last year’s time.  After taking the summer off, i’m not in great running shape, but i plan to stick to my training plan, and i know it will pay off if i do.

Anyway - just wanted to share - i pulled the trigger on the registration.  Woot!

Something that makes me happy: The feeling of being organized.

Something i am struggling with: Making food at home and keeping healthy snacks stocked.  I find myself eating out a lot lately.

Something tasty: Home-made strawberry smoothies.

Something i learned: Lots of interesting things at the Natural Science Museum downtown.

Something i am reading: Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marisha Pessl.

Something happening around the house: Today i took my first real nap in a long time.  One minute i was reading, and then i was asleep.  It was kind of nice.  I’m not usually one who can fall asleep in the middle of the day.

Something i am looking forward to: Lance is leaving for a week in Ohio.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I’ll miss him of course, but part of me is looking forward to having the house to myself.

Something i am hoping: That the new HBO series Game of Thrones will be as good as i want it to be.  I just finished a reread of the four existing books in the series, and even though i already know how the story goes, i was still riveted, ignoring Lance at Nugent at times so i could read some more.  I am enchanted by the books, and as much as i want to see them come to life on screen, i can’t quite imagine how they’ll capture its essence.  But i hope they can.  It will premier in the spring.

Something random: I purchased an iPod Touch as an impulse purchase from someone at work.

Something captured: Here we are at the science museum, dinosaur skeleton in the background.

Something that makes me happy: A nice hug.

Something i am struggling with: I did battle with a huge cicada on the porch last night.

Something tasty: Fancy milkshakes (mint chocolate chip) from Cook-out.

Something i am reading: A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Margin

Something happening around the house: The minor repairs on the house are still being done - a few boards of new siding, new shutters, a few new shingles.  We also attacked the weeds that have been threatening the nice new landscaping and made a huge dent in them.  It feels good.

Something i am looking forward to: Wearing the new clothes we bought at the outlet mall today.

Something i am hoping: At work i’ve been asked to write up an account of our experiment about office temperatures, which will be posted on the external company blog, so i’m hoping i do well with that and mostly that i don’t sound like an idiot.

Something random: After a month of horrible scraped rounds near our house, the powers that be finally repaved Millbrook Rd.  It’s so nice and smooth now.

Something captured: This is me posing with the Filet-O-Fish that was given to me by Lance’s dad as a birthday present.  It sings.  And moves!  The bass-based gifts will never end, i fear.  I’ve been told that it was expected that this fish would be featured on the blog, so here it is.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today i had my third dentist’s appointment in as many weeks.  The first was a regular cleaning.  The second was an appointment to get a small cavity filled.  Today’s was the rescheduled second appointment, because 50 minutes was just too long to wait to get a cavity filled.

No waiting this time.  They’ve been watching this cavity of mine for at least two years, never quite sure if it was just a spot or a developing cavity, but finally made the call.  This was my first cavity since i got out of college, when i hadn’t been to the dentist for three years.

They put a swab in my mouth to numb me for the actual anesthetic shot, and then gave me the shot.  While i waited for it to take effect, i wondered at where they had numbed me.  It seemed to me that the tooth they were working on wasn’t going to be effected, but i guess we would see.

When the dentist came back, i told her it was really my right cheek that seemed the most numb.  She said “Well, it’s such a small cavity, you probably wouldn’t have felt anything even without the anesthetic, but you definitely shouldn’t feel anything now.  And it will wear off in an hour anyway.”  Hmm, i wish someone had told me that.  Maybe i would have chosen to go without, rather than feel like i had a ball of cotton stuffed in my cheek.

She got to work.  It sure felt like the area she was working on was nowhere near where i was actually numb, but i didn’t feel any pain, only the uncomfortable vibration of someone sawing in your mouth.  (Cue fingernails on blackboard chills down your back.)  At one point she made the comment that i was “really juicy”.  This made me laugh - the notion that she was having to deal with my apparently voluminous slobber.  And for some reason i wondered if that meant that my babies will be heavy droolers.  (I told a mom-friend of mine this later, and she assured me that all babies are droolers.)  Anyway, it got me laughing, and that made me actually drool out of the corner of my mouth, and the dentist and i both reached to wipe my mouth, she stabbed me with one of her dentist-tools.  Ow.  And now we’re both laughing.

It was over pretty quickly - much faster than the last time i had cavities filled.  She warned me to be careful eating, and sent me on my way.  All afternoon, my cheek kept getting in my way.  How does a cheek get in your way?  Five hours later i still felt like there was a ball of cotton shoved into my check, and of course i couldn’t stop touching my cheek all day because it felt so weird, so i’ll probably have a nice cheek zit in a day or two.  Fun.