Penguins

Penguins by Lisa Purcell
2007
Weight: 2.2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Leaving Somewhere

                          "It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry." -Joe Moore

                                                                           Agreed.
 

The Writer's Harbrace Handbook AKA Things I Just Need to Get Rid Of

The Writer's Harbrace Handbook
2003
Weight: 1.2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Leaving Somewhere

I need to get rid of:

1.  This handbook.  No matter how much I might need it, I have others like it and this one is very heavy. 

2.  My Uterus.  No matter how much I might need it (questionable), other people have functioning ones and this one is very painful. I am about to RIP IT OUT.
 

Waiting For Normal

Waiting For Normal  by Leslie Connor
2008
Weight:12.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Giving to a Friend

I loved it so much!  Okay, let me rewind.  My Amazing was having trouble sleeping tonight and so I was reading to her via Skype.  On the occasions I have read to her in the past she does not really listen to the words and falls asleep quickly so I did not think twice about reading a New Yorker article on how children with chronic illnesses are living longer and longer.  About twenty minutes in I realized she was still tossing and turning and listening so I went on the hunt for a more suitable read.  Something less jarring.  I grabbed Waiting for Normal because it is a young adult book, and I thought it would read easily.

It did read easily and wonderfully.  I did not put it down and continued to read it long after she fell asleep.  I read it in bed, took it into the bath, brought it into the kitchen for a late night snack, and back to the bath.  It was a very long bath.  Pages from the end I was crying heavily and reading furiously.  Addie, the main character, is extremely lovable, as is her makeshift family from the nearby minimart.  She is a girl growing up with a deceased father, a stubborn grandfather, an almost absent mother, a very caring (but not blood related) ex-stepfather, a school friend named Hannah, an adult friend who is overweight and has cancer, and an adult gay male friend.  She finds the positive in almost every situation and sees the good in people without trying.  She strives to be her best and cannot always see it when she is succeeding.  She is lovely, and I love her and her story.  Any who, I highly recommend it to anyone, at any age.
 

Whole World Guide to Culture Learning

Whole World Guide to Culture Learning by J. Daniel Hess
1994
Weight: 1.2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Leaving somewhere in Decatur, GA

 

This is a book to help people adapt to living and/or working abroad and to encourage cultural learning.  I am assuming that it is dated now, at twenty years old.  How is it that 1994 happened 20 years ago?!  I don't believe it.  I won't believe it.

I am not certain when I will get the chance to travel again--much to my dismay--and I have never been anywhere but Georgia for over a month.  I know one day I will have the opportunity to live in England now, but will I get the chance to live anywhere else?  I still have so many dreams, but the years go by so quickly.
 

Hunt For Hector

Hunt For Hector by Tony Tallarico
1990
Weight: 9. 6 oz
Method of Disposal: Leaving Somewhere in Decatur, GA

First things first.  There is a search for a hero dog in the Atlanta area...a pit bull mix, of course.  See below:
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/search-continues-for-hero-dogbaby-girl-remains-foc/nc4NJ/

Now, Onward.  I have been depressed as of late.  It is ridiculous.  The people I love are going through a lot right now but I, personally, am not.  I believe it is tied to the Chantix I have been taking to quit smoking.  I have sad dreams, wake up and am irritable all day at work, come home and am so miserable to be so far away from my fiancée that I end up getting snippy on Skype.  It makes no sense at all.  It is only a 3 month treatment, and I am 20 days in.  I know I can make it, damn it, but I hope she can.  I have been a nonsmoker for the last thirteen days and am hoping I smell better :)

Any who, tonight is the first night all week where I felt okay.  I went to work this morning, but I mostly drove to various places.  I did a home inspection and went to talk to the owner of a local doggy daycare.  By the time I got back to work there was only one employee left since the snow had scared the rest off.  We closed up the shelter and rescued a freezing kitty.  Really, it was a very successful, beautiful, and productive day.

I loved listening to music too loud while watching the snow fall, and I loved running around the yard snapping pictures of my dogs.  I also had a great time on Skype--playing games, answering riddles, reminiscing, and saying all that stuff that would make other people nauseated if they had to overhear it.  Now, I am up and reading, relaxing, and planning my weekend.


The only problem is that I really need to get to sleep.  I am seeing all the Facebook posts about all the people stranded in the snow around Georgia, and I am quickly realizing that I will, in fact, be working tomorrow.  There is no way there is going to be enough staff at the shelter tomorrow.  Friends are stuck at 24 hour businesses, their mothers are stuck in their cars on icy roads, children are stuck on buses or in nearby buildings away from their families, there have been over 600 accidents.  For some reason, I really did not expect all this.  I know a lot of people are making fun of the South right now, and I get it, but there are still people out there in serious need of help so let's hold back for a little bit and hope that everyone is going to be okay overnight.  And wish me luck getting to work tomorrow morning because their are some pups in serious need of a good pee and some breakfast! 

The Rendezvous

The Rendezvous  by Justine Levy
1999
Weight: 5.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Leaving somewhere in Lithonia, GA

This book is what a woman remembers while waiting on her non-existent, but oh-so-beautiful mother, at a café.  In the time it takes her to admit she has been stood up we are able to review every single memory she has of her mom, mostly bad, though she adores her.  I could not get into the book, though I very much appreciate the idea.  The last page was lovely, the way it wrapped it all up. 

It is really not the fault of the story that I am not in the mood to moon over lackluster "parents" who go about their sad existences while hurting their offspring all along the way and never take responsibility for their actions.  No animosity here. 
 

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
1972
Weight: 8 oz
Method of Disposal: Leaving somewhere in Lithonia, GA

 

A broken tooth is a very annoying thing to have.  I am a wuss.  I have been learning these two things over the course of a week.  When you have a broken tooth, you cannot stop licking it.  Even if it makes you bleed.    The day it happens, you will be so horrified that you will proclaim to your best friend, "You are never allowed to tell anyone about this!" and the next day 10 people will know about it and the list will continue to grow because you cannot stop complaining.  The day after it breaks it is possible that another piece will crumble off while you are standing with a complete stranger.  You will stare into space while they ask you questions you do not answer because you cannot hear them.  You remember a time in your youth, or the day before yesterday, when you never even considered that this would happen.  You will look on in awe as your coworkers regal you with horror stories about all the much needed dental work they have avoided for years.  You will go to the dentist who will tell you that you need a specialist and everyone in your life--your boss, your fiancée, your friends, your coworkers will respond with, "Wtf?  I thought a dentist WAS a specialist."  You will buy the at home plaster they sell at a local pharmacy on someone's recommendation and then be afraid to eat.  This is all still more exciting but not more annoying than The Catcher in the Rye.

 

I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
1999
Weight: 11.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Leaving in Decatur
 

This book was recommended to me by my dear friend, Sarah.  So many books were. I had no idea, until today, that it was written by the same woman who wrote 101 Dalmatians.  I find that strangely exciting.  I love it when authors are able to write both adult and children's books. 

I am afraid I do not remember too much of the book now, but I do remember enjoying it and liked to imagine living in an old, falling apart castle.  I saw that it has been turned into a movie as well, though I have not seen it. 

Dodie Smith has a great name, a great title for this book, and a great track record.  I hope someone else enjoys this book when they find it.
 

Noel the Coward

Noel the Coward by Raboert Krauss Illustrated by Jose Aruego amd Ariane Dewey
1988
Weight: 1 lb
Method of Disposal: Leaving at Kroger off North Decatur Rd

 

I chose this book because I feel that this illustration captures exactly how I have felt upon waking the last two days.  I am not sure if it is the Chantix, living so far way from my fiancée, the way my new job overwhelms me, the stuff going on around me, the hormones, or if it is just a normal sadness that will soon pass.  I slept in until 11am, trying to hide today.  I try not to waste me weekends like that, but we cannot change the past.  We can only move forward, and there is SO MUCH TO DO TODAY.  Waaaaaahhhhhhhh.

 

I think the pictures in this story are superior to the actual words.  It is about a little coward and his cowardly father.  The little coward gets picked on all the time so him and his father take a self-defense class.  He learns how to avoid a fight and does not have to fight because he knows he could and so do the bullies.  Mama is so proud of him and dad.

 

Why can't life be so simple?

A Handbook of Biblical Difficulties

A Handbook of Biblical Difficulties  Robert Tuck
1836-1911
Weight: 2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

There is something absolutely magical about old books even if you are not into the topic.  It is partly that amazing smell they all carry and partly how they fall open.  It is a little bit that they have no ISBN and are harder to track.  It is also because you cannot begin to imagine how many people held that same book, where the kept it, and what their life was like.  Daydreaming about that is almost better than reading the book.  The first person that held this book, studied the Bible, kept it on a shelf could not have even dreamed up that a young lesbian would be blogging about it on a computer all this time later.  Lesbian. Blog. Computer.

Biblical Difficulties.

Frost on My Moustache

Frost on My Moustache: The Arctic Explorations of a Lord and a Loafer  by Tim Moore
2001
Weight: 13.4 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

I couldn't get into it.  At all.  It is a very rare book I do not finish, and I did not finish this one.  It has been rated highly.  I just think it is not my thing.  Or maybe it is because I am not British.

Any who, I hope the next author is British or has a sense of humor or has disdain for frost on moustaches or enjoys it more.

Odyssey

The Odyssey  Homer
Translated by W.H.D. Rouse (1999)
Weight: 8.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

Another thing I find embarrassing to admit is that I don't and never have liked The Odyssey.  The back of this book calls it "THE GREATEST TALE OF ALL TIME."  Don't get me wrong.  I have a healthy respect for it.  I recognize how important it is and how very old it is.  To be able to read something that was probably written in the 8th Century is awe-inspiring.  I just feel like having read it once is enough for me.  Now that I am out of school, I feel safe putting it in the donation box.

Diary of a Schizophrenic Girl

2 x Diary of a Schizophrenic Girl Foreward by Frank Conroy/Analytic Interpretation by Marguerite Sechehaye (1970, 1994)
Weight: 12 oz
Method of Disposal: Donatine to AKS

Right before the move, I read this book.  I was really into it at first, but then I came back to my reality and started questioning its validity.  How conveniently the story fit into a Freudian cube.  I left not knowing what to trust.  It was a really interesting story, regardless, and your heart, of course, went out to the girl keeping the diary and losing the capability to see the world as a whole.

I found more copies after moving.  How did this book fall into my hands so many times and this is the first time I read it?

P.S. The following quote stood out to me right away, "I clung desperately to her, clutching at her dress.  I wanted to take refuge in her, to hide in her heart, to escape the frightful anguish that overwhelmed me (38)."  It stood out for all the wrong reasons though.  It is actually quite embarrassing and, believe me, I am not trying to demean the experience of the girl, but I immediately started thinking about my long distance partner.  Ah well.  After a month, just pulling into my driveway and remembering to come in towards the left so the bottom of my car doesn't scrap reminds me of her.  After a month, just about anything reminds me of her.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
2011
Weight: 7.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

I went to see the second Hunger Games movie, and there was a trailer for Divergent.  I have not worked in a bookstore in so long, and I have been avoiding going into any while I try to read and get rid of all the ones I have.  I am, officially, out of the loop.  In the first few seconds I actually got excited because I thought it was The Giver--not that I am sure a movie made in 2014 could give that book justice.  This excitement was quickly followed by agitation that there was another book like it out there.

Days later I realized how silly that emotional roller coaster was.  It did not seem all that similar.  It was dystopian, and there are a lot of similarities in all dystopian books because they mirror us.  Our hopes and our fears.  We are drawn to them.  I picked it up in a grocery store.  I felt compelled and could not stop myself, despite this project.  I never have time for anything but work anymore and the idea of a fast-paced young adult read was irresistible.

I am so glad I did.  It did, indeed, read fast, and I really enjoyed it.  I am very excited to see the second one and, yeah, I am sure I will eventually see the movie.  Sometimes you need to just let yourself go...
 

No Home for Shannon

No Home for Shannon by Marilyn D. Anderson
1997
Weight: 2 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating to AKS

I love reading children's books, and I cry every single time I read about a rescued dog.  It really does not take a lot.  I have also been working A LOT of overtime and hardly have time to read so this was the perfect book to pick off the shelf for a rare, relaxing bath I had the other day.  I love to think about kids learning how to take care of a rescue dogs at an early age!  I suppose I will pass this on and hope a child gets it this time. :) Maybe one twenty years younger than this kid.
 

A Long Time...

Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body 1996 Ed. Rosmarie Garland Thomson
McSweeney's Issue 36 2011
The World of Michael Parkes  1998
Weight: 8 lbs
Method of Disposal: Sold online

I have not written in a very long time.  A lot has happened, and I have been heavily distracted.  I am engaged to the most beautiful, compassionate, and fun woman I have ever met.  I am now the shelter manager where I work, and I have moved to a new house on a horse farm.  There is a lot more room when I need or want to foster!

Work is difficult, and I frequently am working overtime, which leaves me tired when it comes to blogging.  I am determined to get back into the swing of it though.  In the meantime, I have just been selling books I listed on half.com long ago.  I need to raise money for the wedding!

Since I have moved, I sold two books I absolutely love and one that is part of a collection.  It was very difficult to let them go, but I need the money, and I still need the weight off.  Some things never change, right?

My dear friend Sarah introduced me to Michael Parkes when I was sixteen, and I loved him.  The first painting I ever saw was of a girl blowing bubbles on a roof and a gargoyle jumping off trying to catch them.  The Freakery book was from my college days and has a ton of great essays in it.  The McSweeneys is a McSwenneys, and I always hate giving them away!