Peacefield

Did you visit the haunted St. Augustine lighthouse, Dtrpath? Good luck with being an Apple tech, Virginia! You never know I may be calling you one day. Rest up and heal, Athena, and at least it's over! I'm the world's biggest chicken when it comes to seeing the dentist. I'm glad this week is coming to a close. I've been training my replacement all week at work and it's pretty disheartening. Luckily starting on Monday I'll be on vacation for 2 weeks and I'm so looking forward to it! At the cabin, in the middle of the woods and with all of my siblings under one roof. I can't even remember when the last time that has happened. Hope everyone has a happy rest of their week and weekend

The new album from Biffy Clyro, Ellipsis, has been on constant repeat since it's release date last Friday .

Is this your first time seeing it, Virginia? If so, ! I would recommend the Game of Owns podcast, I love listening to those guys every week!

Congrats to your brother on his presentation, Athena! He must be very proud of himself . Feel better soon, Noll! And Madeleine, ice skating? I loved doing it as a kid and was a so-called 'rink rat,' but I'm glad we've never done anything like that for our holiday parties here at work Do you get any break from the heat at night, Virginia? Remind me that when I finally visit the SE that I do it in the middle of winter . It's been very hot and humid here over the weekend and yesterday. We've had bad storms and my brother said we lost 2 trees up at the cabin . So many of our big trees are over 150 years old so I hate to hear when they come down! Last night there were tornadoes about 1.5 hours NW of me and so many homes and businesses were destroyed. Sometimes I really dislike Mother Nature! Nothing planned for me this week but the usual. This coming weekend I'll head up to the cabin so I'm looking forward to that .

The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde

Love that movie, Sky29! Sam Rockwell is just the best I saw an oldie but a goodie this weekend, The Secret Garden (with John Lynch). Brought back good memories of seeing it on Broadway, too.

I don't believe that either form of consuming a book, such as by reading or listening, is better than the other. It's subjective, and every single person learns differently and has a preference. In my head, I keep a mental note of which books I've read and which I've listened to because they are not the same to me. I prefer reading from a book but there is the rare occasion in which I will read a book on my Kindle app or listen to an audio book. For instance, I have a hard time reading Jane Austen but I love listening and I love watching the movies. When I take long road trips I also like listening to audio books because it keeps me interested and passes the time quickly. Without it I would get bored and the trip would drag terribly. Also, if I'm reading a book I really love, I'll go back and read a passage one or more times, or I'll want to go back to a previous page and remind myself of something. I can't do this with an audio book. I suppose my preference also goes with the fact that I like holding an actual book while I read, and I like to look at them on my bookshelf . Either way, whatever form of 'reading' floats your boat, as they say!

Dtrpath, have fun in Tallahassee and boo on going back to work! I would love to visit the SE shore of the US. That's one area I've never been. Happy better sleeps, Noll! Have fun with your sibs, Athena, and happy belated birthday, MuggleNot! What made you all decide to move? I had a slight disagreement with the garbage can that was sitting at the end of my driveway this morning and managed to break off my driver's side mirror. This was not in the plan! I'm now trying to find a used one and plan on watching YouTube videos to help me install it. Good times!

I have The Night Circus on my TBR shelf, Nursenblack, so I'm glad to hear you liked it. I'll have to go back and look at which books I've read this year and how they fared specifically, but I can say without a doubt that Arcadia by Iain Pears was my most favorite read. 10 out of 10!!

Sounds like here, Dtrpath, where everyone and their mom goes up north to their lake cabins this weekend. Friday morning the highway near my house was stopped dead. I don't usually go up this weekend, because of all the people! Have fun at the beach!

I haven't read Rose Madder, Nursenblack, but it too has been on my wish list for awhile now. Thanks for recommending! And I absolutely loved Big Stone Gap I'm in the middle of reading outside my comfort zone now, reading Game of Thrones. I don't know that I've ever read anything that involved kings, dragons, and zombie armies

It's perfection, here, and has been so all week . Sunny and 78f (25c) and not a cloud in the sky. Even though I love it, though, I can see we need the rain. The grass is dry and I'm watering all the outdoor flowers/plants every single day!

I'm just shy of being halfway through Game of Thrones. I started out reading it and then listened to quite a bit while I was on my road trip earlier this week. Now I'm back to reading .

Congrats on the big clean-out of your bedroom, Noll! It's remarkable how cleaning out the 'clutter' in all aspects of life makes us feel so much better. Happy reading and visiting with your sister, Athena! I had a lovely road trip the first 3 days of this week and visited with many people about history and genealogy. I learned a lot and I feel like I'm a lot closer to gaining membership into the Daughters of the American Revolution. Plus I love only having to work 2 days this week . I'm on vacation again on Monday since it's Independence Day, a federal holiday. No plans other than having a BBQ and maybe watching some fireworks. Happy 4th of July to my fellow American members!

There are a lot of titles I'm seeing that I need to look up! They sound right up my alley Nursenblack, have you read Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani? I can't remember, but I think it's set around Appalachia? The first thing that came to my mind was that I'd like to read something about time travel into a painting. Much like the Thursday Next books, I'd love a mystery that can only be solved by stepping into famous paintings. Dtrpath, one of the best books I read this year was Arcadia by Iain Pears and I cannot recommend it enough if you want to read about different 'presents.' :D

Mmm, that sounds delish, MuggleNot! Maine was the first place I tried lobster, and mussels too, which were divine . Yes, it was just sugar and water hardened on a stick, Madeleine! Candy floss is like our 'cotton candy.' Pink and melt-in-your-mouth and way too sticky!

"The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer." A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin

Mmm, sno-cones! I was just talking about them to someone the other night. We had a kid on a three-wheeled bicycle with a box on the back and he would serve sno-cones during the summer. Only 25 cents a piece! I really have a thing for ice-y things, so I obviously need to try a snowball. I remember eating rock candy on sticks on spring field trips in elementary school. Can you imagine a teacher having to deal with 30 kids running around screaming, hopped up on sugar? Oh man... Ha! Virginia, I love seafood and that's a big reason I eventually want to move to the east coast. I can't imagine getting to eat fresh-caught lobster right off the boat! Oh my gosh!

We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies up here in the northern plains, since during the winter we can't get anything local! Like corn on the cob and watermelon. Plus we eat a ridiculous amount of locally caught fish since we have 10,000+ lakes swarming with them . The only other thing I can think of is margaritas!

It varies between companies/organizations here in the US, but when I started at my current job I was given 2 weeks vacation and 3 personal days. That was for being full-time in the corporate world. Every 5 years it went up a week so now after 17 yrs I'm at 5 weeks vacation, plus those 3 personal days. Too bad I won't be here for 20 and get 6 weeks I switched to listening to Game of Thrones instead of reading it. It seems better going, listening to it .

Thanks again for your kind words re: my job, guys! I so much appreciate it . Chesil, what else is in the cheese that makes it vegan? Is it soy milk? I saw what you said about rennet separating the curds, but what makes the curds? Hurrah for good news, Athena, and yes, Anna, score on the free book funds! Nice! I'm going to a local jazz festival on Saturday and then I have the first part of next week off, to which I'm really looking forward! I'm taking a short road trip all by myself and I cannot wait.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone, I appreciate it . I haven't been happy there for awhile, realizing it's so different a place from when I started back in '99. I love what I do and the people I work with, but the company itself and the decisions being made is what's made me unhappy. I won't lie, though, I'm very tempted to find a position in another department so I can keep my 5 weeks of vacation and still see my friends. I would love to find something where I can use my creativity more, Chaliepud! I have a degree in Interior Design so maybe it's time I go back to that . Have a lovely weekend with your mom, Virginia! Does she live far from you? The closest I've been to Virginia is DC, unfortunately. I have a friend in Virginia Beach and I'd love to take a long road trip all throughout the south one day. That's the only area of the US I haven't visited, in fact. Straight after work today I'm hitting the road and heading up to the cabin. I'm looking forward to being in the middle of the woods and not thinking about work! I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks again!

Noll, we have Supervalu here in the US as well, but maybe it's owned by a different corporation? I love hummus and would take a bath in it if I could My fave is the roasted pine-nut version put out by Sabra. I make it quite often at home but I usually just load it up with garlic. I love dipping raw veggies in hummus, especially snap peas. I got the news yesterday that my job will be eliminated on 11th November. I did a lot of sobbing yesterday and pretty much cried myself to sleep last night, but today I'm just angry about the whole thing. I'll be staying until my end-date so I can get 16 weeks of severance pay. I'll be damned if I'm going to leave here without getting something for my decade and a half of hard work and dedication.

I finished A Place of Execution a couple weeks ago and started Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

I think I have about 75 pages left of A Place of Execution, so depending on the weather this weekend I might finish. It is beyond creepy and a very enjoyable read so far! I'll have to remember to look for more books by Ms. McDermid. I'm not positive of what I'll read next, but I might re-read The Fifth Wave and Infinite Sea in anticipation of the final book in Yancey's trilogy, The Last Star. I'm also in line for the audio version of the first Game of Thrones book so hopefully that comes in soon! I thought I'd try it since reading the actual book sounds very daunting!