A Day Off - Woo Hoo!

I have today off, which means I'm doing muchos apartment cleaningos. (Translation: lots of napping plus reading Janet Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum novel, Fearless Fourteen)

I also did the Jillian Michaels Backside DVD workout today. I really liked it - it's supposed to give me a smokin' hot backside with 6 three-exercise circuits. I think Jillian knows her stuff - so moves were good. She threw in some more advanced variations as well, so you can grow with the DVD. The instruction was a little too elementary, but would be great for beginners.

OK, so as I read Fearless Fourteen, I'm struck by the age-old question of who is hotter - Ranger or Morelli? I waffle between the two - and think to myself, why don't I have the some problematic decision to make? To add some joy to my life, I've added a poll to the side menu so you can vote too.

I'm also pondering who would make a good Stephanie Plum, Lula, Ranger & Morelli in a movie version. If you have an opinion, post a comment.

• Stephanie Plum - I always picture Sandra Bullock for some reason, although she's probably a little old. Maybe Anne Hathaway?


• Lula - Sherri Shepherd all the way!


• Ranger - I always imagine Vin Diesel.


• Morelli - I think Benjamin Bratt would be perfect - or maybe Mark Ruffalo?

Say What?

I recently finished Secrets, #2 in the Sweet Valley High series -- a torrid story of lies and betrayal.

Evil twin Jessica was willing to bulldoze over anyone to be queen of the fall dance - she was even willing to betray pure and wholesome twin Liz's best friend Enid. Enid's been keeping secrets from her boyfriend Ronnie - and he wasn't too happy to find them out. Scandalous!

Here's the best passage ever:

'Hey,' [Todd] said, 'you don't look too happy for someone who's going to the dance tonight with the most fantastic guy on the West Coast.'

[Liz] forced a weak smile. 'Burt Reynolds is taking me to the dance?'

Burt Reynolds? Was he ever a high school girl's dream crush? For as long as I can remember, he's been older than dirt.

I wonder if that sentence will be updated in the new 2008 version. Maybe Burt will be replaced with Zac Effron or one of those Gossip Girl boys or whoever the young'uns are panting over these days.

Actually, I don't know who the equivalent would be. The "hot" boys seem kind of girly to me nowadays. I think Zac Effron uses more hair product than me.

I Hate Colds

I know you think I've been busy all weekend devouring my Sweet Valley High books, but I want to savor those. It'd be like eating a box of chocolates in one sitting - fun at the time, but then you feel like crap.

Instead, I've been sick. It completely sucked because it was gorgeous outside. On Friday, I got the sore, scratchy throat. On Saturday, I had no voice - plus a miserably sore, scratchy throat. (God bless Popsicles and Fresca.) Today, I had a massive headache and nasty coughing fits. I've been miserable - couldn't even sit upright for most of the day.

Of course, since I stayed in bed most of the weekend, I had plenty of time to veg. I watched Gone Baby Gone (good movie, but not exactly uplifting) and a million episodes of 30 Rock.

Numerous people have told me I remind them of Liz Lemon. Since 'loser' is the adjective most often used in conjunction with the phrase Liz Lemon, I'm not sure that's very flattering. Of course, Tina Fey is every nerd boy's fantasy woman (and if I were a lesbian, I'd be interested too), but they don't say I remind them of Tina Fey. It's always Liz Lemon, who often has lettuce in her hair.

I also read 4 books - the latest Amanda Quick, a book from J.D. Robb's 'In Death' series, young adult book The People of Sparks (the sequel to The City of Ember), and book 2 of the young adult Midnighters trilogy. I'm on a young adult kick - Jen let me read the Uglies trilogy when I was staying with her and I loved it.

Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow. I ordered pizza tonight, which is definitely an improvement to popsicles.

A Rave Review!

I'm not one to give book recommendations lightly, but I just finished one of the best books I've ever read.

You've got to read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. (His other book is The Kite Runner - another goodie!)

There were moments in this book that were simply lovely - there are no other words to describe them - as well as moments of great heartbreak. I wish I could write like he does - packing so much emotion in the shortest of sentences.

This isn't a beach book or a light read by any stretch - it made me cry at times. But, it's well worth the effort.

(And to give my absolute favorite book ever a plug, check out The Time Traveler's Wife. For those who say, "I don't like science fiction," it's not science fiction-y at all. It's just a love story!)