I swear, we didn't have MLK Day off last year

After much confusion in the office, it has finally been determined that we do, in fact, have Monday off as a holiday.  This is a fabulous surprise, since I am positive that last year we celebrated the Reverend Doctor's day by going to a lunchtime tribute in the auditorium.  Jesse Jackson spoke, and he was crazy and sort of entertaining.  But not as entertaining as a whole day at home with my Tivo, that's for sure. 

What this extra day off means is that I not only get to drive down to Virginia to hang out with two of my bestest friends, (thanks to the Society of Historical Archeology's decision to have it's annual meeting in Colonial Williamsburg this year), but I also get to have a whole day filled with sitting on the couch and compulsively organizing things around the house. So happy birthday and thanks again, Dr. King.  I'll toast you while I'm out with my friends on Saturday night, and again when I'm sitting on my couch at noon on Monday, drinking a glass of wine just for the hell of it.

I'll be driving down to Richmond on Saturday morning to meet up with Jenny, and then in the afternoon we will be kidnapping our grad-school friend, Beth, away from the horrors of professional networking and Historical Archeology talks in favor of watching period actors walk around in Colonial Williamsburg and hitting up the outlet mall that is supposedly nearby.    We're planning to go out in downtown Richmond on Saturday night, which is sort of scary because the days of my getting dolled up to go barhopping are long over.  Plus, all the girls in Richmond are gorgeous Southern Belles with pointy shoes and cute sundresses.  They make me feel inadequate, but it's nothing a few drinks can't help me overcome.

Speaking of the horrors of networking and feelings of inadequacy, next week I will be departing on a trip to Phoenix for a work conference.  This is different from the work meetings I usually attend, because instead of sitting in the back of the room and silently observing, I will be expected to pay attention.  And contribute.  And network.  I hate networking.  I suck at it, and I hate it with the first of a thousand suns.  In the evenings, instead of locking myself inside my hotel room and ordering room service while watching HBO all night, I'll be expected to go out to dinners and cocktail receptions to network more.  Have I mentioned that I hate networking?

As if I weren't already dreading this trip already, I've just been asked to fill in for my boss and give a "short" and "easy" presentation to the entire society that will be at this meeting.  About something I don't understand at all.   But don't worry, it will be easy.  My boss thinks I can do it, and I'm sure he's right.  I just don't want to do it.  At all.  You know what I hate more than networking?  Networking AND public speaking.

So I guess I'll have to go and have an extra fun time this weekend to balance out what is sure to be a no-fun-at-all trip.  Did I mention that I have to be there all day Saturday as well?  Unpaid? 

In better news, I went on a shopping spree last weekend that ended with a trip to Best Buy and the purchase of the new Gwen Stefani CD, among other things.  I don't buy CDs unless I am at least 90% certain that I am going to like all the songs on it, because otherwise I just tell myself that I will just download the songs I actually like from Itunes.  You know, when I get an iPod.  Which I have no plans of getting in the foreseeable future.

Anyway, I sprang for The Sweet Escape because, in general, I think Gwen is pretty awesome.  I have never been disappointed by her singles,  unlike, say, Beyonce, whose CD I also considered.  Some of Beyonce's stuff is great, like that you just don't know 'bout me song.  I love that song.  It's catchy.  But then she comes out with crap like Ring the Alarm.  No one wants a CD with air raid sirens, B.   

What I'm trying to say is, The Sweet Escape is awesome.  I should know, because I've been listening to it at work for 4 days nonstop because I'm too lazy to pop it out and put another CD in.  My favorite song is Early Winter.  If you are more tech-savvy than this reporter, you should download it.  You'll find yourself singing along in your office in no time.  Ahem.  Not that I'm doing that right now or anything.

Well, now that I've given you some good recommendations, how 'bouts a little qui-pro-quo, Internet?  I am in sort of a desperate situation.  You know that whole "I'm going to read more" resolution I made?  Well, I need a new book to read.  A GOOD book to read.  And I need it before I board the 5-hour flight to Arizona. 

Over the summer, I unknowingly screwed myself by picking up The Lovely Bones and The Time Traveler's Wife on the same trip to Barnes and Noble.  They both had pretty covers and looked intersting.  When I read the former, I actually had to take crying breaks so that I could see the pages I was looking at through my tears.  With the latter, I had to keep myself from crying after I finished it, so depressed was I that it was over.  I would highly recommend both, but with this warning: you're going to have trouble suffering through chick lit afterwards.  Recently, I've been reading a  bunch of books I've borrowed from my mother and my friends.  Some of them were OK.  Some just plain sucked.  I would not call any of them "good", and I have this problem where I am physically incapable of not finishing a book I've started.   Right now I'm in the middle of Little Earthquakes, and it's also making me want to cry... because it is so god-awful boring and predictable.  If you read it and liked it, please know that I mean no offense at all.   It's just the last in a long line of diappointing books, and I'm at the end of my rope. 

So, won't you please help me?  Can anyone give me a book recommendation that won't make me want to stab my own eyes out?   PLEASE.  I have a Barnes and Noble gift card just burning a hole in my pocket here and a holiday Monday to spend perusing the bookstore. 

Comments

[Mary]

I want to help! I'm still attending an institution of higher learning, so I don't have much time to read but when I do I make sure its quality. Oh yes.
I recently enjoyed:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
Lisey's Story by Stephen King (still in hardcover - perhaps not the best for air travel)
Wicked & Son of a Witch both by Geoffrey Maguire

and I think that's it b/c the number of books I've read in the last 2 years is embarassing. Single digits.

[motherofbun]

I really loved "The Other Boleyn Girl" Basically a historical novel on Henry the VIII and Mary Boleyn as well as her sister Anne, the woman who was Henry's second wife and later was beheaded. It was one of those books, I hated to put down... As in the house went uncleaned, I would stay up past 3 a.m., reading. I didn't even blog while I read it.

[motherofbun]

Oh and now I'm reading "I, Elizabeth." Its a story from a different author, but Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. And she was England's first Queen and she did an amazing job of restoring England's peace, funds, and culture. She was smart, savy, beautiful and was not about to give her power away by marrying some guy.

[for Joke!]

I second Ahab's Wife, that was a gorgeous book.

I'm really into Food WRiting lately, so I would recommend "Heat" by Bill Buford or anything Ruth Reichl, preferably starting with "Comfort me With Apples".

I am not a huge Jodi Picoult fan, but I know you liked her, and if you can handle another one, "Suicide Pact" was in my head for days after I finished it.

So many good books, so little time Jen :)

[angela]

At first I was going to be jealous that you got today off and I didn't, but then when I read that you will very soon be forced into networking, I guess I don't want to trade places after all. Good luck!

[HollowSquirrel]

Here's another recommendation for The Other Boleyn Girl-- it was fantastic and afterwards, I bought like 7 historical fiction novels which all paled in comparison.

And can I just TELL you... the book for bookclub (picked in my absence and I've never been before, actually) is the C word. Yes, THAT C word. Put that word in the Amazon search engine felt weird. I'll let you know how it is.

[Jemima]

I second the Ruth Reichl, although her first book Tender At The Bone was the best. The first two pages made me wet my pants. I haven't read Wicked yet, but have heard great things about it. I just read In Cold Blood and was riveted and couldn't believe I hadn't read it before. Still, I maintain that you should read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I'm going to nag you until you do...and give me a full book report.

My friend Sonia has unfortunately foisted two knitting books on me as part of her master plot to turn me into a knitting nerd. damn if they both weren't really funny. Curse her.

I can't believe you have to network AND public speak. Public speaking gives me the trots. Really. It's awful. I get shaky and pale and can't even hear myself speaking, so I could be rambling on about thong underpants for all I know... Good luck.

[Isabel]

I am downloading Early Winter RIGHT NOW. Thanks.

I hated Lovely Bones and wasn't sure why everyone loved is. It was...odd.

Books I love and have read more times then I care to count:

"Lonesome Dove" (Seriously, SOOO GOOD! Even if it's about cowboys.)

"The Drifters" (Seriously, SOOOO GOOD! And about drugs an sex in the 60's.)

"Gone With the Wind". (Lame, I know. But it's really good. I promise.)

(I just read through the comments and I'm with my friend HollowSquirrel. The Other Boleyn Girl is a good book!)