Summer vacation - Day 1

I have 10 full days of glorious vacation. I'm not going anywhere because Madeline can't go yet and Lyn didn't get time off, but I treasure spending time alone and I'm looking forward to doing things for long periods of time that I don't get to do as often as I like. This will be a vacation where I do all the things I keep wishing I was doing instead of working.

Speaking of work, I won't be thinking about it at all. I'm still in limbo, there have been some promising developments and I hope I can say I have some job security soon, or they'll make some decisions soon. My mother thinks I'll still be employed this time next year. I say either "from your mouth to God's ear" or "That is my worst nightmare." The idea of living in limbo with a threat over my head makes my blood pressure skyrocket.

I've been spending a lot of time today looking at the Eating Well website. I love this place. I love the recipes, the diet plans, the ability to save recipes and make shopping lists. It's kind of overwhelming what they offer, but I think my oh-god-it's-time-to-think-about-what's-for-dinner-days are over for awhile. For that matter, same with breakfast - I am hating instant oatmeal. There's a feature about Meatless Monday that I'm going to adopt. I want their book about Eating Well on a Budget. So, obviously cooking and meal planning are in my vacation plans.

In a moment of work optimism, I invested 20 dollars for the new Borders member club plan. All books are 10% off for members and many new releases will be 40% off. I bought 3 books yesterday to read on vacation:

I never liked Dave Eggers' autobiography, but his novels have appeal. Hurricane Katrina and being Muslim in the US - my kind of combination (Kind of timely with the uproar about Mosque building near the twin towers and elsewhere in the US).

I've always wanted to read something by A.S. Byatt - I have struggled to finish Persuasion, but this one has some appeal.

Finally, I'm a sucker for thrillers/mysteries in cold countries. I keep hearing good things about Jo Nesbo.

However, first I need to finish The Passage by Justin Cronin. It's huge, but I have a lot of time to read. I'm not a fan of horror, or of vampires, but this one is good and I'm making an exception.

I'm also looking forward for time to knit. I have a desire to knit sweaters and hats. I'm loving slouchy hats and berets lately and I love cardigans that don't need buttons. I have a huge list at Ravelry. That will be for another post.

I still don't have any good pictures of Madeline. I think this is like the 2nd child syndrome. Just take my word for it that she's really cute! : ) I have plans to take pictures on vacation, of course.