This weekend, my husband and son are heading out of town to help my mother-in-law decorate her house for the holidays.

Leaving me very much alone.

Now, if you have read my posts before, you will know that this is not a moment to feel sorry for me. But to be envious of all the freedom I will have!

I will do some of my favorite things this weekend:

Frequent Napping.
Wine-Imbibing.
Watching Movies, preferably, as one friend says, long-ass Japanese ones with subtitles.
Although I Might Also Go See New Moon.
Reading.
Playing Word Games Online (Facebook’s Scramble rocks my socks).
Seeing a Friend or Two.
Taking Baths.
Drinking Tea (a friend just sent me a whole awesome package of tea from Teavana! I was floored!)

And perhaps a few of my less favorite things:

Exercising (I have lost seven pounds, would like to drop at least seven more).
Synopsis-Writing.
Regular Writing.
Mopping (have you SEEN my floors?!?)

What would you most like to do with your free time? How about what you’d least like to do?

Megan

PS: Middle School applications go in on Monday; hopefully regular Frampton Frenzy, including writing, will begin after that.

As if December weren’t busy enough, what with the gift-buying, early gift-returning, holiday decorating, partying, etc., this year the Framptons have been engrossed in the NYC middle school process; it’s like applying to college, only the kids are shorter and there’s no money involved.

So I haven’t done any writing.

I have been reading, however, and finding time to get coffee with friends. This morning, I was with a friend who happened to mention–not knowing what it would do to my psyche–that his wife often picks up books HE’S reading, with bookmarks and everything, and starts reading them herself. And then he proceeded to laugh at me as I noticeably freaked out at even the thought.

I accept that having to have a bookmark is my own idiosyncrasy that is not a dealbreaker for most people. But this one? OMG, I can’t BELIEVE it’s not cause for divorce (it doesn’t bother my friend, but oddly enough, it bothers his wife, because her dad does the same thing. She can’t help herself, though). If my husband did that to me–hoo boy. And it’s not just because I’m an only child! Is it?

Some people are end-readers; they have to know how the story finishes even before they’ve finished with the story. Some people have to read in order of a series (me!); others feel as though they have to finish reading a series, even if the author has swerved from what made them love the series in the first place along the way (Diana Gabaldon often comes up in this discussion). Some won’t stop reading a book, even if they don’t like it, because they feel compelled to finish. Some will give a book a certain amount of pages, or chapters, to prove itself or they’ll put it down.

What are your reading quirks? Does it bug you when people dog-ear pages, or crack the spines?

My son (who’s 10) wrote this in school on Wednesday, and I thought I would share it with you all. Hope everyone who celebrates had a lovely day yesterday, filled with turkey, and pie, and family.

I’m Thankful For Life

I’m thankful for the rivers,

And all the snakes that slither

Through the trees that I’m thankful for also.

I’m thankful for the bugs,

The wasps, and the slugs,

And I don’t care if they’re gross or slimy.

I’ll make friends with a frog,

Or a serpent in the bog,

And it doesn’t matter if it’s grimy.

I’m thankful for the monkeys

And the lions that are funky

That live in the shiny Savannah,

And when the gibbons swing inters

The look at the chimpanzees,

Eating their yellow bananas.

I’m thankful for the skunks,

And the grey and black punks,

Who are usually known as raccoons.

And the mice who eat rice, and the rats who have lice,

And the capybaras who eat lemon-flavored macaroons.

I’m thankful for fish,

That flip and swish,

In the water and squirt and swim,

And the squids and sharks,

And the seals that bark,

And the swordfish that’s surprisingly thin.

I’m thankful for chickens and ducks,

And pigs, who flop in the much,

And the cows, who always say moo.

I like the horses and mules,

Who make all the rules,

I appreciate the brown turkeys, too.

I’m thankful for mountains,

And volcanoes that spew,

And I even like cells,

And viruses, too.

Parasites are coo,

And crabs ain’t no fool,

And I love all the salmon

In their little school.

I adore kittycats,

And tortoises that are fat,

And I’m thankful for anything that’s living.

Especially my family, and I hope

That everything

In this planet has

A marvelous Thanksgiving.

Me, too.

Megan

Gah. I had a good topic (not a great one, but a good one) for today, but thanks to the combination of the World Series, early mornings, touring middle schools for the ten year-old, back spasms, etc., I am in no mood. None at all. Except a bad one.

BUT I am writing a synopsis, this one hopefully with actual plot and stuff, and I’ve been reading some great stuff, including the first in Jim Butcher‘s Codex Alera series. I was astounded that Butcher is as adept in science fiction/fantasy as he is with his Harry Dresden series, which I guess is urban fantasy. Despite the same words, the two genres are quite distinct, and I was expecting the Codex Alera series to be a second banana to Dresden. But it’s not. There are a few authors who can write equally well in different genres –I’d say Anne Stuart, Barbara Hambly, Lois McMaster Bujold; I know many would cite Nora Roberts, with her J.D. Robb pseudonym, as well (I haven’t read Roberts, and read one Robb only, so I can’t comment myself).

So here’s your question today: What other genre would you like to see your favorite Regency author tackle (me, I think Amanda would SPARKLE at YA!)? Which are your favorite two-or-more-genre authors? And what should I do to shove this bad mood off my back (the spasming back, natch)?

Megan