Stuff About Words

First of all, thank heavens for NPR. Thanks to them, I learned today that it is no longer totally acceptable to put two spaces after a sentence. My thumb is so confused. Next thing you know, they'll take my beloved semi-colon away from me. And I do so love the semi-colon.

Second, I seem to have turned into one of those people who read multiple books at the same time. I know, I know, as a shoulda-been-a-librarian type, you would think I have always been that sort of reader, but not so. I've always been a firm one-at-a-time person.

When you think about it, being a one-at-a-time person is usually a good thing in many aspects of life. But I digress.

So right now, I am actively reading four books, and that's only because yesterday I finished one, bringing the total down from five. It's a strange mix, too. A novel about a guy on a roadtrip with a hippie zen master type, a book about praying with beads, a young adult horror novel, and a book about church evangelism. This doesn't count the stack of jewelry-making books and grant-writing books that are sitting on my desk along with a book on election and campaign finance law, all of which are in current rotation. Oh, and sometimes, when none of those sound good, there's always the book about the search for scientific proof of the afterlife. No wonder my brain is feeling kind of scattered.

By the way, I recommend a book I just finished, Veracity, which, ironically, is about a dystopian society in which many words -- all the good ones, really -- are banned. If you like dystopian society literature, it's for you. (I myself am always a sucker for a good dystopia.)

Third, (I know you probably forgot this was a numbered list, seeing as how "second" was pretty long) I recently was on the receiving end of a diatribe from a good friend, scolding me for not using the increased free time I have right now to actually write down some words and call it literature. I told her personally, but feel I should declare it to the public at large: Christee, you are right. I am starting my novel TODAY. I don't have the entire plot, so I have no idea where the story will end up, but I'm going to start the blasted thing.

As I learned from my yoga teacher today, anything is possible.