Itching

I am almost too tired to blog, but I have been itching to post something, not anything of interest, just something. I feel like I have been too tired late to even read a blog, much less post to mine. I want to post about the beginning of the school year and about the books that I'm reading now, but I won't do that tonight. If I'm too tired to grade some projects, then I should be too tired to blog, but blogging is so much more fun than grading. Consider this itch scratched. :-)

Another itch, one that I am trying not to scratch, is this horrible rash on my calves, my inner thighs, my abdomen, and my upper arms. One of my co-workers reminded today of a former co-worker's "teacher disease." I had forgotten about this woman's horrible place on her arm, but it wasn't a rash, more like a blister/sore. Anyway, I am trying not to scratch because it just tears up my skin. Sometimes, though, I can't resist.

I don't think it's an allergy; I haven't changed any lotions, soaps, or detergents in a very long time. I'm thinking that it might be anxiety, and if it is, I might have to quit teaching...NOW! HA! I wish.

I really do have to go to bed now. I feel myself falling asleep as I type. Later

Valerie rox!!!

Hi there,

This is most definitely Kim posting. No doubt about it. I just wanted to let you all know how much Valerie rocks. She is the coolest person on the face of the planet.

I don't know what I did to it. I just wanted my library thing to work, that's all. It works now, because Valerie rocks.

-Valerie Kim

Blog problems

I don't know what happened, but my blog has reverted to the basic beginner look. YUCK!!! Unfortunately, my html guru and blog designer, Valerie, is too busy going to bed tonight to fix the problem. ;-) She said she might be able to fix it tomorrow, but she does have to work, so it might be the weekend before she can fix it. I did whine for sympathy & immediate assistance, but Google Talk whining doesn't work very well. Anyway, she has the code saved on her computer, so it should be an easy fix, unless, of course, I decide that I want a new look--again.

Before I go quickly to bed (I should have already been asleep), I have to say a couple of things. First, I FINALLY finished Sophie's Choice. It is a wonderful, heartbreaking novel. I loved it! However, I wish I had purchased a different copy of the book. The Modern Library version has a tiny top margin, which makes the book seem longer than it actually is, and it is almost 600 pages long. I don't know if that margin is intentional, but if so, it should be changed.

Second, I'm going to a workshop on Friday, so tomorrow is my Friday at work. Woohoo! Not only is tomorrow my work Friday, but I didn't work Monday of this week either. The sad truth of the situation is that even going to work for three days in one week doesn't make me feel good about still being a classroom teacher. But it's too late to cry about that now.

I will write more about Sophie's Choice later. Good night.

I'm such a book geek.

I've been considering challenging myself to stop buying new books and read all the books that I own but haven't read yet. I've thought about doing this before but gave up before I even started. This time, I was only going to allow myself to buy Zadie Smith's On Beauty in hardback in advance of her reading here next month. I was thinking that I would fast from book buying for a limited time, say six months or this school year. In the meantime, I would nourish myself by reading as many of the books that already own but haven't read yet. Occasionally, I might treat myself to a book that I can borrow from a friend or check out from the library.

Then tonight, after a long, late day of work, I get home and find that I have received an email from the Man Booker Foundation. The long list for the prize was announced yesterday, so now I have a whole list of new books to taste. Of course, binging on Booker Prize books can be a bit difficult here in the states. My fasting would definitely be over before it started if I lived in the UK.

Here is the long list. I've only heard of a couple of them. I'm sure that as book bloggers start talking about the list and predicting which should make the short list that my desire to sample and savor some of these may become too powerful to resist. If I am faithful to my fast, I will attempt the library before I buy, or at least, that's what I'm telling myself tonight.

Carey, Peter Theft: A Love Story (Faber & Faber)
Desai, Kiran The Inheritance of Loss (Hamish Hamilton)
Edric, Robert Gathering the Water (Doubleday)
Gordimer, Nadine Get a Life (Bloomsbury) - I haven't heard of this book, but I love Gordimer's short story "The Bedtime Story."
Grenville, Kate The Secret River (Canongate)
Hyland, M.J. Carry Me Down (Canongate)
Jacobson, Howard Kalooki Nights (Jonathan Cape)
Lasdun, James Seven Lies (Jonathan Cape)
Lawson, Mary The Other Side of the Bridge (Chatto & Windus)
McGregor, Jon So Many Ways to Begin (Bloomsbury)
Matar, Hisham In the Country of Men (Viking)
Messud, Claire The EmperorÂ’s Children (Picador)
Mitchell, David Black Swan Green (Sceptre) - I loved Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, but I read some mixed book blogger reviews of this novel, so I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I will now.
Murr, Naeem The Perfect Man (William Heinemann)
OÂ’Hagan, Andrew Be Near Me (Faber & Faber)
Robertson, James The Testament of Gideon Mack (Hamish Hamilton)
St Aubyn, Edward MotherÂ’s Milk (Picador)
Unsworth, Barry The Ruby in her Navel (Hamish Hamilton) - Great title! :-)
Waters, Sarah The Night Watch (Virago) - I recall reading something about this book recently, but I can't remember where I read it. It seems like it was a positive review though.

Now, it's late, so I won't sit here and look up all these books on Amazon.com. Being back at work means that I need to be in bed by 10:30, but those damn Astros can't seem to win or lose tonight. It's 12:18a.m. and the score is tied in the bottom of the 17th inning. To be honest, I switched the channel to TNT at 11:00 to watch the replay of The Closer from last night and almost forgot about the game. I went to Astros.com to see what the final score was, but it's not final yet. Oh well, I will have to find out what happens in the morning because I have a date with Sophie's Choice. Good night all.

Random Book Quote

Valerie tagged me, and since I always have a book handy, I thought I would do this before I venture out into the Houston heat for a walk.

1. Grab the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Sophie's Choice by William Styron

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence (grab next nearest book if fewer than seven sentences found).

4. Post the text of the next three sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

Defying habit, I had for several days risen just past dawn, propelled to my table by the electric urgency I have described, and had written steadily for two hours or more. I had completed one of those (for me) fantastic sprints--a thousand words or thereabouts--which was to characterize this stage of the book's creation, I felt a bit winded, and therefore Nathan's knock at my door as he passed on his way to work was a welcome distraction. He had popped in on me like this for several mornings and I enjoyed the by-play.

5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

6. Tag three people.
I only have about three regular readers, one of whom is Valerie, so anyone who reads this should considered themselves tagged.

Now I'm going to head out into the Houston heat. If I don't melt, I'll blog later this evening about this very funny movie that I saw last night.