Good Grief

If people judge a book by its cover, then this one may go unread by many...which would be their loss because it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. And if I ever decide to write a book, Lolly Winston's style is what I would want mine to imulate: witty, clever, deep, unique, and down to earth. While the girly beach-book cover made me initially skeptical, I quickly discovered why it was a national best seller.

Good Grief was the kind of book that I'd take with me in the car and read at red lights; I literally couldn't put it down. It wasn't just the story that compelled me to continue reading, but also the uniqueness of the characters and the creative, honest, and humorous ways that the author crafted the book.

The story is about Sophie Stanton, a young widow who loses her husband to cancer, and her process of grief. The book is divided into the five stages of grief (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance), and gave me insight into the difficult process that grieving a loved one must be. I always love reading about how authors come up with their story ideas, and in the back of the book is an interview with the author that I found as interesting as the book itself.

So, if you're looking for book that reads easily but whose themes will resonate with you for weeks, pick up Good Grief, the book whose title doubles as its theme.

My brain on drugs

For the first time since my sophomore year in high school, and despite my incessant hand washing, I caught the flu. I've spent the last two days getting to know my couch very well, and yesterday, I slept 19 of 24 hours, and then managed to sleep another 9 hours last night. Needless to say, I should feel well-rested and alert at this point, but my brain feels more like a thousand ribbons, swaying in slow motion, leaving me dazed and, well, slow. Phil had a good time yesterday trying to talk to me and listening to me attempting to put words together. I think I tried to say the word "pillow" three times before actually being able to form the word. Today, I am able to speak in logical sentences, although moving around or thinking takes considerable effort, like trying to walk quickly through waist-deep water. It's times like this that I realize how often I take my health for granted, and times like this that I'm thankful for drugs like Tylenol and Phenergyn to make me feel better. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the one above is what I imagine my brain to be right now: kind of crazy and psychedelic, but not how I want it to be forever...or even tomorrow. I'm on the mend, and hopefully the half-life that my brain is experiencing will reverse itself quickly because I'm ready to get off the couch and join the world again!

what's on your bedside table?

It occurred to me the other day that a person could know me pretty well just by looking at the objects on my bedside table. Here they are (in no particular order):

- Restoration Hardware's No Crack Hand Creme for my forever dry hands (a result of constant hand washing in an attempt to avoid sickness from my students)

- Sudoku book (what I'm usually doing with the last 10 minutes of my day...I know, I'm a nerd)

- Wooden hand-held back massager (in hopes that someone (ahem, Phil) will use it on me. Massages are just about the best experiences on the planet)

- My glasses (so I can see in the morning)

- My journal (one of my most precious possessions and something I try to write in at least once a week...or month, as the case has been lately)

- Love in the Time of Cholera (the book I got for Christmas and haven't mustered up the brain power to read yet. I've heard great reviews, though, and having it by my bed increases the chances that I'll read it soon)

- Heaven (another book I got for Christmas. I've actually started this one and am taking it in doses--a great book)

So, there you have it: I love to moisturize, do puzzles, have massages, look intelligent (or sleepy) in my glasses, write, read, and plan to read. What more is there to know?

My Life in Six Words--Really?

A man once bet Ernest Hemingway $10.00 that he (Hemingway) couldn't write a short story in just six words. Hemingway found himself six words and $10.00 richer when he penned the words, "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn." This little bet started what has now become a popular contest among writing magazines and has even inspired a book called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.

Before you all begin thinking that I am some Hemingway scholar, I must admit that I recently read an article entitled, "A Life in Six Words? Fantastic" (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/06/boleith106.xml), which challenges people to write the story of their lives in just six words and serves as my information well.

As a poet, a six-word memoir--the memoir-haiku, if you will--intrigues and intimidates me. At the end of the article are some entertaining examples including:

"Wasn't born a redhead; fixed that."
"Can that really be the time?"
"Five novels; two kids; insufficient sex."

So, here are my attempts--and yes, there will be more than one...and yes, they are attempts:

"Lose all, Receive all, Give all."
"Humility in great doses is wisdom."
"Chattanooga girl. Birmingham woman. Divided loves."
"Seven siblings; twin brother. Never alone."

A memoir in six words? Let's just say I have a lot to learn from Ernest.