April 28, 2007

Four years ago today we held hands and took the greatest leap. I trust you, Adam, and I love you.

Yes, it is a children's book. Yes, I am turning 25 next month, your point? If it's a good book it's a good book no matter what the target audience. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane" (by: Kate DeCamillo) and heartily recommend it for all ages. It harks back to the childhood favorite "The Velveteen Rabbit" but in my humble opinion it elevates the story by quite a bit. So, it was not a surprise for the story to begin with a rabbit, but not a velvet rabbit, a rabbit made of china (a far more rigid and breakable substance) whose name is Edward.

Edward's journey takes him many places but the truly miraculous part of the journey is the change that occurs in Edward's heart. I felt a kinship with Edward's attitudes towards love. I believe I have felt, most, if not all of the emotions he experiences on his journey. I think it would be safe to assume that most people will have felt at least a few of them. Truly great books will do that, they will have something that can be related to, which helps the reader connect to the characters, to the story, and ultimately to whatever gem of truth (or truths) found therein. Like Edward I finished the book with the feeling that love is something I will always hope for. Really, who couldn't use more love in their heart? Read it. I do not think it will disappoint.

Disappointed

So my next post was going to be about a watercolor workshop I signed up for.

I just got my new watercolor pad last night! Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

To my very great disappointment I just received an email...

Watercolor Workshop CANCELLED.

At least I get my money back.

Sigh.

Ignorance may be blissful but...

I have not had access to a bathroom scale for quite some time now... Some of you already know what happened to me the last time I was without one but I feel like telling the story again so skim it if you've heard it enough for your liking.

I was sent to Italy in late spring of 2005. I turned 19 while I was there. I left alone and was there for two weeks with my zia Nella. I had very little to do. The family wouldn't let me go out on my own, I couldn't speak Italian, and the family was busy most of the day so I sat at home in the room I'd taken over from my cousin Nicola. When I wasn't in that room reading or working on an assignment from my dad I was in the kitchen with zia. She fed me a great deal of delicious food for those two weeks (a GREAT deal). Two weeks passed and I was joined by my dad and we went touring around but the damage had been done. A month and half later I returned home to our bathroom scale that wasn't in metrics but far too familiar pounds, and discovered that I had gained 12 pounds. Yes, 12 pounds in a month and a half.

It is true that while ignorant one can remain blissful but once the ignorance is gone I think most people wish that either they had remained ignorant forever or had never been allowed that ignorance in the first place.

So we welcomed to our family a lovely dinosaur of a scale that won my heart at first glance. And here she is.

Yes, I may have to reset the scale to zero after use but she appears to work very well. And was cheaper than a new one! Ignorance be gone!!