What I've been watching and reading

TV Shows:

I started watching BBC's Sherlock several months ago. I was completely enraptured. I think it's one of the best shows I've seen. There aren't very many episodes, and even though they're 90 minutes long each, it didn't take very long for me to watch all 6 of them. I was sad when I was done. I've seen stuff on Facebook and Pinterest about Doctor Who, and I know a couple of people who are devoted fans. I was hesitant to watch it, because what I had heard of it sounded weird and nerdy.

In desperation for something to get me through my Sherlock withdrawals, I asked a trusted friend if she had watched Doctor Who and what she thought of it. Her words: "Once you get past the weird crap, and aliens eating people, I kinda liked it." Then she told me about her crush on David Tennant (who plays the Doctor for 3 seasons) and how she's in mourning over him not being the Doctor anymore, and I just had to see what all the fuss was about.

So, over the last 4 months or so, I've been watching Doctor Who while I run on the treadmill, and yes. Once you get past the weird crap, and aliens eating people, I kinda like it. I actually really like it. I don't like aliens and all of that, but I LURVE the Doctor, especially David Tennant as the Doctor. There is a good reason that this show has been on the air for 50 years- there's something weird and unexplainable that sucks you in. It's not the aliens, because they're gross. It's the adorable Doctor and his friends that make you care about them. Endure the 1st season (of the new Doctor Who, which starts in 2005), which is campy and weird, but you get to know the premise and characters; then the 2nd season is when it starts getting good, and when you start looking up David Tennant on Wikipedia to see if he's married. It gets better and better as the seasons pass, I assure you.

Nils and I have been watching Friday Night Lights for a year or so, and we're almost done with the series. It's EXCELLENT. Trust me. It seems like it's about football, but it's not really.

We need something else to watch, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to pass them along- and yes, we have watched Downton Abbey. Dang that Matthew.

Books:

"Stoner" by John Williams. It's about a college professer and his ordinary, kind of sad life, but I didn't find the book sad. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing is fantastic. No, he's not a stoner. That's his last name, silly.

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. I listened to this book, which I recommend, as the narrator does a fantastic job. I really enjoyed it. Read the book before you see the movie.

"The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton. Very good, mysterious story, and a very commendable twist at the end. It's in keeping with her other books, set in England, goes back and forth between the past and present.

"The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. Ditto to the above. Good book.

"The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton. I didn't really like this one. When I was 300 pages into it, I started wondering when something was going to happen. Just lots of lamenting, fretting about the past, blah blah blah. Then the book finally ends, and the big "twist" is really anti-climatic.

"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. I listened to this one- a lot of language, including the f-bomb, but the story is quite compelling. Set in the future, where the world is basically in shambles- people spend their whole lives in virtual reality to escape it. There's a contest, a teenage kid wins... the story of how he does it. It's really nerdy and video-game centered, but it's an interesting commentary on obsession with the online world.

"The Red Prophet" by Orson Scott Card. This is the second book on the "Alvin Maker" series. I listened to this one, as well. It was pretty good. Nils has finished this series and really liked it. I'd recommend listening to them, as I find reading them pretty tedious. The narrators definitely help with that.

Feel free to send along any book recommendations as well. I like lots of genres, just no vampires, por favor.

Puppy, Pancakes, Baptism

We picked up our puppy on January 19. I was terrified. What the heck do you do with a puppy? The first week or so, I was sure we had made a terrible mistake. Getting up with the dog in the middle of the night was not something I enjoyed. Puppies bite everything all the time, including hands, fingers, feet and toes. I didn't like that. For some reason, it didn't occur to me that I would be the one with this puppy 95% of the time. I don't know why that reality eluded me, but it did. Long story short, we've had the dog for nearly 6 weeks now, and she's still alive, I'm still alive, and I'm pretty sure we'll keep her. Her name is Pip. She stalks me. The kids love her to pieces, which I think is why she stalks me. I rescue her from choke-holds on a regular basis.

On Valentine's Eve, Anders said he thought I should get up and make everyone heart shaped pancakes for breakfast the next morning. I said, "Maybe YOU should get up and make ME heart shaped pancakes in the morning." (I'm so nice.) He did. Isn't that cute? He even colored them pink. Speaking of Valentine's Day, I have drawn a new conclusion about the day: if I want to have any sort of tender feelings for my children on Valentine's Night, I can't do school parties during the day. I did two parties back-to-back for Addie and Aani in their classes, and when I got home, I was totally wiped. Once again, I had hoped to have a love-filled dinner, but I was so tired! I did really well to get dinner on the table.

For the 100th day of school, the 2nd graders are encouraged to dress up like a 100-year old. I sprayed Addie's hair white and put it in a bun. She used a huge shoe horn for a cane, and wore some of Nils' old glasses. She was talking like a little old lady and cracking me up. Addie's always good for a laugh.

Addie was baptized this month. It was very sweet. She acted kind of unsure in the weeks leading up to her baptism, and when we finally got to the bottom of it, she was nervous about everyone looking at her. She did really well and was very happy on her baptism day. She's really a great girl. She's naturally conscientious and responsible. Of all our kids, she rarely has to be asked twice to do something. She hardly argues. It's weird and wonderful. She's a total goof-ball. We love our Addie Paige.