where have YOU been?

i haven't been writing. between vacation, moving, a second job, relationship changes and a new project, i'm lucky i had time to live. but i am living, and living well. this new project, which i'll remain aloof about for now, though i've told most people i know, is an exciting endeavor that is unlikely to flounder, but i'll let you know.

the reason i'm writing now is to share a single fourth of july photo, of my adorable second cousin which i met for the first time on July 4, and to give a little cover-to-cover update.

that's michael.
so cute ... the rest of my day was spent lying in bed cause i was sick and then, later, standing in the rain at hall & oates concert on the parkway, hoping the fireworks weren't cancelled. they weren't, though we didn't know that since we were told to leave the parkway due to inclement weather and were underground at suburban station when the bursts went off. thanks philly.

anyways. over vacation i dove into wicked, mainly because i have been wanting to and the desire was timely since the musical is running at the keswick until sept. 9, and i wanted to read it before i go see the musical, which i hope to do.

unfortunately, wicked fit the bill when it comes to books that i was told are amazing, then failed to meet my expectations. the book, while interesting and semi-insightful, was easy to put down. had i not been on vacation with tons of time on my hands, it would have taken a long time to read. but in the five day vacation, i was able to finish the book, and though i found it lacking, it was an interesting twist on the tale. there were a few loopholes -- like how the witch never confronted the traveling quad of dorothy, lion, tinman and scarecrow on the trail, but i found the way she, as a witch and with her animals, developed. meh, it's worth reading, and i am still looking forward to the musical.

next i reread a wrinkle in time, which as a young girl was an enlightening and one of my favorite books. now, its cheesey, but i understand why the awkward i loved it as a child. it's for the outcast of the family, and that certainly fits me. while meg's heroic adventures no longer satisfy my current black-sheep feelings, they did when i was little and that's all that matters.

now, i'm reading a book by ian mcewan -- an author i've constantly flirted with. i can't tell you how many times i've picked up his books in borders, yet never bought one. it took borrowing one from jenn to get me to read it, a short one, and so far it's really interesting. a little too much about him and his writing ... i would rather have heard the story of his parent-in-laws rather than his encounters with them, but i'm not done yet, and it is interesting (and short!).

more to come ;)