Friend Makin' Monday, plus a retro-riffic Saturday at Slimmons

Good morning!  I had an early night last night. After hearing the news from Obama, I felt grateful for the armed forces, and thought of the many who have sacrificed their lives and lost loved ones.  But I also felt weirdly conflicted; celebrating death, even the death of someone who has done such evil as bin Laden has, felt uncomfortable.  So I turned off the TV and did some zen-gathering:  took a hot shower, I sipped a cup of chamomile, I turned on my medatative playlist, and read.  

So it's fitting that the topic for today's Friend Makin' Monday is reading.

1) How often do you read?  I always have something going, but how frequently I read depends on how busy I am, how tired I am, and how involving the book is.  I often read for a little while in bed.

2) What's the last book you read and loved? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is a beautiful book about a writer who, by chance, begins exchanging letters with the townspeople on an island that was occupied by the Germans during WWII.  It is extremely charming, and one of those stories that reminds you how significant is the power of reading. I highly recommend it.

3) What book(s) are you currently reading?  I am reading the Stieg Larson trilogy right now.  I'm not far enough to comment upon it, though.

4) Share a few of your favorite authors.  I love Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, J.K. Rowling, Bill Bryson, William Shakespeare... but I like all kinds of different authors.  I also love magazines. Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Health, Cooking Light, Whole Living... I only have subscriptions to two of them, but as a treat I sometimes pick up one other per month.

5) What's next on your list of must-reads?  I'm a sucker for YA, and I haven't yet read the Hunger Games books... I might check those out from the library after I finish the Larson books.

In other news, it was yet another theme Saturday at Slimmons, and I took the opportunity to dress the part.  I was wearing a whole lot of eye makeup (though my eyes are shaped in such a way that you can't see it well in photos) - but we did get a shot of me before class.  

Weird to see me without glasses - I wanted to show off the eyeliner.

I teased my hair out in homage to the Pucci bubble, a brilliant concept for a helmet designed to protect teased hair from the elements.  Very Tomorrowland-futuristic, I wish they had stuck around for longer! 

 I made it to class and all the way through the 45 minutes of aerobics, but I was feeling weak enough (and uncomfortable enough) from the anemia (and bleeding) that we left before toning and floor work.  I CAN NOT WAIT to be feeling strong again.

They did manage to get a shot of me early in the class before I look like I'm going to pass out.  You can tell that I'm not up to my usual energy level in the other videos, but this one wasn't too bad.  You can see Tom in this one, too.

All right.  "I can't sit down" for much longer, so I'll leave you with my wishes for your happy and healthy days.  Keep taking care of you (and I promise, I'll take care of me, too.)