Book Meme

:::snagged from otterdance:::

otterdance is none other than the lovely and talented Lynn Flewelling, author of The Bone Doll's Twin, Hidden Warrior, Oracle's Queen, Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon. I know there are a few of you on my flist who enjoy her stuff tremendously. She's a hoot to read, so I highly recommend her LJ. :)


1. One book that changed your life.

The Emily trilogy by L. M. Montgomery. It made me want to write.

2. One book that you've read more than once.

Uh, most of my books? I'm an incorrigible re-reader.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island.

The "How To Build A Boat" joke has been done, hasn't it? I think I'd take "Lord of the Rings," if I'm allowed to cheat and take the trilogy. It's long, detailed, and has adventure and poetry (and a weeny bit of romance, though that gets short shrift for the most part), and at one point I re-read it once every year for about ten years. I bet I could live with only having it, if I had no choice.

4. One book that made you laugh.

"The Code of the Woosters," by P.G. Wodehouse. Anything by Wodehouse, really. I'm going to cheat and add "To Say Nothing of the Dog," by Connie Willis.

5. One book that made you cry.

There are fewer books that actually made me cry than books that made me laugh aloud, but they are still numerous. One that sticks out is "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell. It made me sob for twenty minutes straight. The last time a book made me do that was when I read "Old Yeller" when I was seven.

6. One book that you wish had been written.

"How to Save the World in Five Easy Steps"

7. One book that you wish had never been written.

I find it hard to wish something unwritten. Holocaust denials would qualify for this. Any attempt to revise and whitewash genocide, in any country.

8. One book you're currently reading.

I am actually between books. Just finished re-reading "The Scarlet Pimpernel" this morning, and haven't figured out what to read next.

9. One book you've been meaning to read.

"War and Peace" (It's on my new 101 Things list)

Bonus question: What book scared you the most?

"Dracula" made me sleep with my rosary around my neck, my covers over my head, and my stuffed dog William atop the pile for two weeks when I was eight.

Another reason to establish a regular cleaning routine

I am stressed out of my mind. I don't know why the fact that this place is untidy causes me these levels of stress, except perhaps because I was indoctrinated young by my mother that no one should be allowed inside a home unless it's spotless.

Spotless it ain't, and won't be when I leave on Saturday. It may be vaguely presentable by that time, but it still causes me undue stress.

I have no time tomorrow to clean. I have to be up at the crack of dawn to be at an event for the RCMP (safety awareness for kids), at which I'll be volunteering all morning, following which I'll be at work all evening (and missing an anniversary party *and* the Invisible gig) until 22:30.

I have to be out of here by noon on Saturday.

I am going out of my mind. In theory, I don't know if I'm making more out of the current mess than it really is (it's a habit), but I'm still freaking out about it. Of course, the more I freak out, the more I procrastinate. Hence the LJ entry.

Gah.

This is the very last part of my life that I don't have under control. It's on my list of 101 Things, so I plan to have it licked by the end of this calendar year (establish routines, stick to them until they become second nature).

I don't understand how I can be lacking in this fundamental skill. I really don't. It's not like it's rocket science.

Resurrection!

Marvin the Scooba has come back from the dead! I decided to be more stubborn than the faulty technology and fussed with it on and off all morning, and lo, I have performed a miracle!

And just as suddenly, I am not quite as far behind as I was.

Now I must shower and hie me to the bank before work.

Kharmic retribution of Marvin the Ailing Scooba

Marvin came back from the dead, at the cost of the life of my hot water heater. I got an email from ai731 when I got to work, informing me that it was defunct, and that she had to shut off ALL the water to my apartment.

*headdesk*

The timing could only be worse if this had happened tomorrow instead of today. Small mercies, I guess.

Now I can't wash my floor, my dishes, my laundry, or even so much as brush my teeth.

*gnash*