Bibliomama

 Just a quick post before I proceed with the five-stars, because I keep vague-blogging about Lucy being a little dopehead last week-end and felt like I should clarify. Anne asked what kind of dog Lucy is - she's half chihuahua with poodle and yorkshire terrier, so we call her a Chipookie. We see all of her breeds on occasion: she gets crazy-eye chihuahua face sometimes, she sheds very little, and she shakes a toy like it's a rat that insulted her mother.  Eve had been asking for a dog since she was small. I was a little apprehensive because I love dogs, but I've never owned one, and I am an easily overwhelmed woman. Matt had dogs growing up but wasn't jumping at the bit. Angus was indifferent. I started telling her that we could talk about it when she was ready to take responsibility for the dog, walk it and pick up its poo. Unlike most kids who would like, she would think about it and say "I can wait". I've always loved big dogs, but we live in a neighbou

How is everyone doing? Is it winter where you are? And does winter mean snow and icy temperatures? And is that cool with you, or not so much. I know that Nicole feels energized and ready to get back at 'er in January (picture the "I'm so happy and not at all jealous" meme also HI NICOLE) and Suzanne loves the snow (HI SUZANNE). I like to have enough snow that things look white and pretty but not so much that it makes driving dangerous and we have to shovel a lot because I worry about Matt's heart and my back. I used to love cross-country skiing, and we did buy skis when we first moved here, but then we had a baby really quickly and somehow never managed to get back to it, which makes me very sad.  My mental health is not awesome at the moment, but compared to last year it is better, so I am focusing on the positive. Last year I pretty much only left the house for work and the rest of the time sat in my reading chair staring out the window and hardly reading. Thi

I thought this post would include fiction, but I have a terrible headache and it's quite long already, so I'm going to post what I have. Last Sunday night was the worst episode of insomnia I've had in years. I work early Monday morning, and I never go to bed early enough, but I can usually get at least five hours, which is enough to be functional and uncranky. This was one of those nights where you desperately tell yourself that surely you got more sleep than you feel like you did, but I really don't believe it. I saw every hour on the clock. Weird things hurt. My legs were twitchy. I was too hot, then too cold. I got through my work day, checked in on my parents, made dinner and then crashed for an hour - it was impossible not to. I felt weird for the rest of the day, and didn't do that whole "well I must be tired enough to sleep tonight without taking anything" thing.  On Tuesday evening Angus and I went over to have dinner with my parents (Matt had impo