Musings on: Happiness

If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. - W. Beran Wolfe

Ever noticed how some people are just perpetually happy, and others aren't?  Dumb question, of course you have.  What I don't understand, is what the difference is.   Of course we all have highs and lows, but those who spend their lives in a perpetual low - just confuse me.


Anyway, I sidetrack myself again.   I just have a couple minutes here before the job comes calling (It's puppet show day - 50 kids in the back of the library.  Whoo-hoo!), but what I wanted to touch on, was how the small things in life can bring such happiness - at least to the heart of someone who is already happy.

This morning, driving in, it was gray and rainy.  I love gray and rainy days, so that is good, but you know how sometimes the sun filters through the clouds, and makes those long light beams that look like spotlights against the clouds?  That's what was happening today, and it was so pretty.  As I sit here now, the sun has come out, and it's shining over the wet leaves of trees, and across the courthouse.

As usual for a rural TN morning, there were deer everywhere as I was driving in.  Such power and grace, I could watch deer for hours.

Oh, and coffee.   Coffee is a very good thing - it wakes me up, for one, but it's also one of my favorite drinks in the world.   I do make it, for most peoples tastes, amazingly strong though.  Whenever someone who isn't used to my coffee gets a hold of it for the first time, you can tell.  One taste, and they dive for the milk/sugar again.  Oh well - it's not my fault I learned to drink it New Orleans style...

And maybe it's a Southern thing, I'm not sure, or just a small-town one - but I sit here watching people on the sidewalk passing, headed to work, errands, whatever.   Virtually everyone says hi as they pass, and if you know the person - the "hey, how are you - good, you - what's up" conversation can lead to practically walking backwards down the sidewalk as you talk and still try to get where you're going.  I know, I've done it many times.

Not to mention my friends.  I have some of the most awesome friends in the world, and when I get to talk to them - phone, internet, whatever, it just brightens my day.  Bonus points for when it happens first thing in the morning, because then that makes me happy all day long.

Anyway, I'm truly out of time here, I should know not to start a post when I'm in a rambling mood.  So I'll just leave you with this song, one of my all-time favorites, and one which pretty much describes how I feel about life at this point.   Have a great day, all!

~Zahrah

Sixwire: Look At Me Now

John Howard | MySpace Music Videos

Ignore the fairly cheesy music video style.  It's an awesome song -
 but Sixwire, much as I love you guys - this video is pretty awful.  ;-)

Musings on: Triskaidekaphobia

I know, I know what you're thinking - Zahrah, have you lost it?   (I plead the Fifth, by the way)  What the heck is Triskaidekaphobia, and why are you writing about it?

Well, according to Merriam Webster:

Main Entry: tris·kai·deka·pho·bia 

Pronunciation: \ˌtris-ˌkī-ˌde-kə-ˈfō-bē-ə, ˌtris-kə-\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek treiskaideka thirteen (from treis three + kai and + deka ten) + New Latin phobia — more at three, ten

Date: circa 1911

: fear of the number 13

Yep.  It's Friday the 13th.  -insert horror movie scream here-

Which, contrary to the belief and stigma of it being unlucky, I've always rather liked.  How many days get instant recognition of this sort?   April Fools Day, perhaps, and that's only once a year, where as Friday the 13th can occur up to nine times in a year, depending on where we are in the calendar cycle.

Aside from that, my Friday the 13ths are invariably good days.  I once won a contest for concert tickets on a Friday the 13th, and you don't get a whole lot luckier than that!

Now, for me personally, I'm not saying that I don't  follow superstitions - primarily theater ones (The Scottish Play, anyone?), but I do think that many of them are just a case of self-fulfilling prophecy.  You think that Friday the 13th is unlucky, and thus it is.  I go into it with a "hey, cool" attitude, and thus it is.

That's true of life in general though.

Oh well, back to work...

~Zahrah

P.S.  If you are weird like me, and like to read about the histories and traditions of such things, I highly recommend this article 

A decision...

The hair is the richest ornament of women.  ~Martin Luther

I've finally decided - I'm going to get my hair cut.  Well, not cut so much, as styled.


It's incredibly long, and incredibly pretty, if I do say so myself, but it's just sort of - there.   All one length, long, straight - except when it decides to do this wavy/curl thing that I can't control, but is really cool.


So, I want to keep the length, but add a little "oomph" with some layering.   Something I can either style and make all gorgeous, or still pull back into a bun when I need to.


Yep, the decision has been made.

Now, I just have to go do it.

Which means finding a stylist.


And the time to go.


-sigh-


I'll keep you posted.  Right now, I have to go to work.  Which I *don't* feel like doing, but hey - I have $400.00 worth of college textbooks ordered.  Have to pay for those somehow! 


~Zahrah

Musings on - life?

Standing calmly at the crossroads, no desire to run.

There's no hurry anymore, when all is said and done...


That's one of my all-time favorite songs.  Yeah, I know, it's ABBA.  So what?   For that matter, I even like the movie version with Pierce Brosnan singing it the best.  It's just - beautiful.

Anyway, that wasn't the point of this, actually.

The point was "Crossroads."

Which is an awesome Eric Clapton song:

But that wasn't where I was headed either. 

What I came in here to write about, before getting musically distracted,  was my own personal crossroads, which is pretty darn exciting.

I'm about to start on a college career I've dreamed of for years, and have finally been able to make a reality.  Work is going great, and I'm excited about the coming year at the dance studio.    Life is good, and I'm glad to be able to say that again.  I haven't been this inwardly happy, this content with myself and the state of my life for years.

The last nearly 10 years have been - well, interesting for me.   There have been good things, and there have been bad, but everything I've been through in that time has brought me to where I am now.   There can be no present without the past, and no future without the present.   

Anyway, I won't get off into a bunch of deep philosophical meanderings, suffice it to say that I have, quote, "found myself", end quote, and really like the person I found, and this path she's wandering off on.   It may not make sense to anyone else, but it does to me, and that's what counts in the end, I guess. 

I don't know what the point of this post is, or if there even is one - just seems like something that needed to said, and if it's worth saying - might as well blog it, right? ;-)

~Zahrah

"Popcorn Brain"

I have a serious case of "popcorn brain" right now.  If you could do a cross-section of my thoughts, you'd get something like this:

Black Space = My Brain.   Everything else = Thoughts.  Yes, I do think in multi-color.

So, as you may imagine, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on anything.  Most especially the Algebra that I really need to be looking at before I take the COMPASS test at 8:00 am Friday.  At the rate I'm going now, I'm going to get placed in the college version of "basic arithmetic for dummies".  

So, in avoidance of Algebra and other things responsible - like school shopping,  I need a backpack, and all that jazz...  Anyway, short of doing those sort of things, I'm blogging.  But hey, I promised a friend that I'd keep up with it, so it has to be done too.  So I'm still being productive. 

Right?  Right.  Good.

Amidst the hub-bub currently going on inside my brain, I am immensely happy.  I have something of the feeling of hanging on to a carnival ride for dear life, but I'm ready to face the adventures ahead.   I'm also scared stiff.  But, that too is part of the adventure of life, so I guess I'm ready to face that as well.  Thank goodness for stage fright training, is all I can say!

Until another time, when my brain actual allows a full and insightful post...

~Zahrah

Musings on: Singing

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.”

I love to sing.  Music is a huge part of my life, and singing is a natural extension of that, I guess.   I'm even a decent singer - I don't think anyone is going to hand me a recording contract, but I can hold my own.

Problem is, I'm scared stiff of singing in front of people.  Well, of actually performing, anyway.  I sing randomly all the time, generally just for the heck of it to annoy people....  *evil laugh*  But as far as just standing up in front of an audience to sing - you want to talk about stage fright.  I've done it - and I always enjoy it after the fact, but that wait before you open your mouth for the first time is sheer terror.

So, that means that the shower and the car get the benefit of my singing skills.  I will admit to having gotten some strange looks at traffic lights - but really, who doesn't sing along with the Eagles?  Isn't that a rule?  I thought it was...

Once I get settled into the college routine, I'm going to take a look at joining the choir, if I can fit it in yet another major time commitment - I've already sold my soul to the drama department!  In the meantime, I'll just have to keep singing because I love it.


Huh.


Maybe that's not a bad thing though, eh?


~Zahrah

P.S.:  Readers, if you're actually out there - please feel free to follow my blog via friend connect, and/or to comment - sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself.  Not that talking to myself is at all an unusual state of affairs for me, mind you.  ;)
  

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 3 (photo heavy)

So, as I was saying a couple of days ago, (sorry for the delay, that whole "real life" thing popped up when I got home), I actually went out and played tourist, not only living to tell the tale, but enjoying myself at the same time!

We started out the day, after breakfast of course, by leaving the Park Vista hotel via the Gatlinburg Trolley System: Winding down off the mountain where the hotel sits, and through the streets of Gatlinburg via trolley

Park Vista Hotel, with trolley approaching

is a beautiful and relaxing way to see the city, (hold on tight though, some of those corners are killer!) not to mention getting you from destination to destination.  You can board the trolleys at over 100 stops throughout the city, so if you get the unlimited pass as we did, you could conceivably ride it from one end of the street to the other.  However, once we got down into the city, we departed from the trolley, and started wandering around on foot.  Everything is quite close to everything else, and with all the stores and attractions opening onto the street, it really has the feeling of one giant carnival.

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 2

Well, I've done it.   I joined the hordes, hit the tourist center of Gatlinburg head-on, and lived to tell the tale!  One thing we refused to do, however, was attempt driving and parking, so we made good use of the local trolley system.  At 50 cents a ride - or, even better $2.00 for an unlimited day pass - plus it runs straight to the hotel door - plus over 100 trolley stops through the city - there's really no better choice.   Not to mention the pleasures of being able to see and talk to fellow tourists.  It's hard not to strike up a conversation when you're piled into a small bench seat together, being slung around corners by an enthusiastic trolley driver!

I'm going to save details until I have the pictures to go with them, so for now let me just say that I truly have enjoyed this trip, on many levels.   It's a beautiful place, and even if the tourism is still, for me, a bit overwhelming, I think I would return again.  Indeed, plans are being made for this to become an annual Gatlinburg conference for the church.  I hope it is so.

Farewell for now,
From Gatlinburg,
~Zahrah

Travel Journal: Gatlinburg, Part 1

Point one about interstate travel - semi trucks are scary. 
Point two about interstate travel - ever since I started driving, being a passenger seems odd.
Point three about interstate travel - driving, while more tiring, is quite enjoyable.  And my GPS is a lifesaver - I love you, "Fred".

On the whole though, it was an un-eventful trip over.   We drove through some simply gorgeous countryside - Ireland may be famous for the "Forty Shades of Green", but Tennessee runs a close second!  I ended up driving a good part of the way, so didn't get as many pictures as I was hoping for, but I have some nice ones to share.  Unfortunately, the camera connect cord did not make it with us (note to self for future: if it's something you need, double-check) so unless I find one to buy here, they'll have to wait until I get home.

By about 15 miles out, the tourist chaos was closing in, starting with stores prominently advertising "2 t-shirts for $10.00!!!" and gradually getting worse and worse as we entered Pigeon Forge.   Never in my life have I seen such a mish-mash of bright neon signs, laden with explanation points.   A few that stood out for me:

• #1 Importer of Indian Moccasins!  (Isn't that a domestic product?  You know, "Native Americans"???  Anyway...) 
• National Champion Elvis!!!  (okay...)
• Petting Zoo and Pony Rides - and Exotic Wedding Pictures.  (...)

Honestly, about halfway through, I was fighting the urge to dive under the seat and begin meditation practices.

Between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you actually see a bit of *gasp* NATURE, via the Smoky Mountain National Park.  It's a lovely few minutes, trees on one side, and a creek running down the other. 

Gatlinburg itself seems much less commercial-touristy and more fun-touristy.  The main street on the way in was incredibly busy though, and I was glad to get up to our hotel.  It's on a mountain over looking Gatlinburg, with simply stunning views of surrounding mountains and the city.  

Tomorrow, we're going exploring a bit, as we have the whole day free before the conference meeting at night. Driving and parking is difficult, so we're planning to use the trolleys as much as possible for around-town.  I would like to drive over to Clingmans Dome, though at nearly an hour away, we'll probably end up staying around here.

That pretty much concludes my adventures for the day, so I'll just mention how much I truly enjoyed "attending church" in true face-to-face lesson form, rather than via tape, and how nice it was to finally meet my pastor in person.  

Farewell for now.

From Gatlinburg,
~Zahrah

Musings on Packing

Inevitably, if one is to travel, one must pack.  I hate packing.  Actually, what I hate is deciding just what I need and want to bring.  Gathering a few days worth of outfits is hard, because I don't know what I'll want to wear - and then one must gather all the accessories for those outfits, or start over and pare it down to something more basic.

For this trip, for example, I need two "nice" outfits for the conferences at night.  I also need three "normal" outfits for during the day.   That's five outfits, for the course of a two-night trip.  As I do try to travel light, this means that I have the challenge of finding only one or two pairs of shoes that will work for all the outfits I choose.  Sometimes, I think it would be easier to build the outfit around the available shoes, honestly.

Then, I must consider all the other items that used during the course of the day.  You don't realize how many items and products it takes just to take a shower and get ready for the day, until you have to find a place for them in a suitcase.   A good deal of the basics - hair brush, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc, are in my makeup kit anyway, so that helps.  But the shampoo, conditioner, face wash, shaving cream and razor, etc...  It's incredible.  Being a girl is hard work, you know?

The next part, I actually moderately enjoy.  Finding a place to put everything is like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle - shoes in the bottom, bathing suit and pajamas tucked around them to keep it from getting scuffed.  Pants next, since those are heavier, then shirts, with smaller things tucked in around the edges.  All the bathing sort of things go into a plastic bag for leak protection, and slide into the end where it won't get squished.

And then the zipper won't close.  So, I pull it all out, flip the shoes the other way, move the bag of toiletries to a different spot, fold clothes into smaller packages...  When it's all in again, and finally zipped, I can breathe a sigh of relief, until I realize that I also packed my clothes to travel in tomorrow.  While this accounts for the unexpected lack of room, it means that it has to be redone.  Again.  Sigh...

Once clothes and personal items are accounted for, the rest of the prep begins.  GPS and back-up maps.  Snacks for the car, to avoid over-priced fast food on the road.  Camera.  Extra batteries.  Phone charger - and where did I put my iPod this time??? 

Finally though, it's all assembled, ready to load into the car. Final checks can wait until morning, there's always something to be added.   The cats are nosing around the suitcases, sulking.  They don't like it when "their humans" go away, and they feel certain that by sleeping on top of the packed suitcases, they can prevent us from doing so. 


So, in conclusion, I'm packed, I'm ready, and I'm excited.  The cats are mad.  The next couple of posts will be a "travel journal", and I'll have pics up, probably when I return home.  I hope you enjoy my trip as much as I plan to!


~Zahrah

Random points about library life. (Long. You've been warned.)

It was a crazy day, down at the library.  Not a bad day, just one of those strange times when the day becomes a cross-cut section of everything that library work consists of.  In keeping with this theme, here is a totally random list.  Most of these have happened today, though by no means for the first time.

I.  What?  Little Joey has to read "insert book title here" before school starts?  School starts next week?  He's known about this all summer?   What do you know, that's only the tenth time I've heard that today.  The book is on reserve.  You're sixth on the list.  Best case scenario, that's a three month wait.  More like four, with the time for reserve processing and overdues factored in.   May I suggest Amazon, and that next time Little Joey does his assignment on time instead of waiting for the last minute?

II.  Yes.  You have overdues.  No, you can't check out.  No, you can't use a computer.  Yes, you have to pay your children's fines too.  Sorry.  It's policy.  I like my job, and I want to keep it, so I have to follow policy.   Bring your books back on time, and this won't be a problem.

III.  Having said that, however, I do have a certain amount of lee-way to bend, stretch, twist, and darn near break rules for you if I really feel like it.  If you ask nicely, I'll probably do it.  If you act entitled, I probably won't.  If you're being crabby about it, I definitely won't.  Just saying - library workers like to be treated nicely too.

Musings on Mornings

"The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour. Then there is least somnolence in us; and for an hour, at least, some part of us awakes which slumbers all the rest of the day and night." Henry David Thoreau 

I resisted it for years, but I'm finally starting to turn into a morning person.   I'm not a person who does well with being rushed, and for too long my mornings have been just that, a frantic "scramble out of bed and toss clothes on while brushing hair while feeding cat while losing hairbrush."  While it gets me to work on time, it does little for my mood, or for the rest of the day.

By contrast, if I get up at, say, 6:00, I've got some time to drink coffee, play on the computer, and get awake and ready for the day to hit.  Not to mention the pleasures of seeing the early-morning sun on the trees across the valley, listening to the birds waking up, and all those poetic sorts of things.

Plus, days are longer this way, which means I can get more done.   Since there are certain things that must be done each day, and those always take roughly the same amount of time, waking earlier gives me the chance to get some of those knocked out of the way, leaving more time for things I actually enjoy.

Now, I'm not promising that I'll ever be one of those chipper people who bounds out of bed with a "YIPPEE, it's morning!!!".  For me, that comes after giving the alarm clock a choice couple of words, working the coffee pot on autopilot, and yawning myself awake under a shower.   I'm still a slow waker, which probably puts me out of the running as a true "morning person" - but at least it's happening earlier in the day now, which must count for something, yes?

~Zahrah

Musings on: Drawing

"Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worthwhile, and it will do you a world of good." ~ Cennini. 

I've recently started to draw again.  It's soothing, in a frustrating sort of way.  I can be a perfectionist, I'm afraid, and drawing is one of those areas that really triggers it.  A few years back, I went to some informal art classes over the summer, and while I learned very little about technique or materials, I did learn that it was okay to make mistakes.  Which, when I'm erasing a line for the tenth time, is a very good thing to remember.  For that matter, it's a good thing to remember anyway, not just when drawing. 

I'd say that is also a part of the reason I draw with charcoal or graphite, rather than in colors or painting - I *can* take the eraser to the page and start over.  Plus, the detail you can get is really pretty amazing.  I've got a few sketches that I'll try to figure out a way to post here, at some point in the near future.

Another attraction to drawing - it's portable.  It's easy to slip a sketchbook and pencil case in your bag, and there is always something around to use as a model, even if it's just a quick outline that you can work from later to make a more detailed drawing.   Or, you can just sit and doodle little abstract drawings, which sometimes can be illuminating to what is going on in your mind at the time, if you're into analyzing things like that.

Anyway, I must sign off for now, and submit myself to that most sacred of female self-torture rituals:  The Clothes Shopping Trip. 

~Zahrah

Musings on: Travel verses Tourism

Traveler: one that travels, one that goes on a trip or journey
Tourist: one that makes a tour for pleasure or culture


Tourist trap:  an establishment, or group of establishments, that has been created with the aim of attracting tourists and their money.  Also known as Gatlinburg, TN.  

Yes, I'm headed to Gatlinburg.  On Wednesday, for a two-day church conference.

Honestly, I'm not sure about this.  I love to travel.  But, I don't like "tourist destinations."  I like to see the place I'm going, not a bunch of outlet malls and cutesy restaurants.

However, it *is* in the Smoky Mountains, in the midst of some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.  This, for example, is my hotel:

Is that not gorgeous?  I can't wait to sit out on the balcony with a book and just watch the mountains... 

Anyway, back to tourist spots.  Why, exactly, is there a need for an aquarium, a wax museum, and a Hollywood stars car museum, in a mountain area like Gatlinburg?  What's wrong with appreciating the beauty and history of the mountains for what they are, without the commercial bling?  

I don't want to have to stand in line to climb a mountain.  There's a hundred more out there - just because someone has put an "attraction" on this particular one, doesn't mean that it is any more interesting than all the others.  Why not take a hiking trail, and see a real piece of nature, without the fences and souvenir store?  Does a plastic snake just like those in thousands of gift shops across the country make a better souvenir than a rock picked up out of the woods, with all the memories of the hike attached to it?

At 21, I may be too young to call for a return to "the olden days".  But I see no reason why we can't pry the shiny game coupons away from the kids, moms out of the Coach outlet, dads away from the golf centers, and enjoy an area for what brought everything there in the first place.

My hope is - my mission is - to find the "real" area, beneath all that bling.  Somewhere over there, I'm sure that there is a real community, with hopes and dreams and prayers beyond getting tickets into Ripley's.   With restaurants that aren't perfect replicas of a log cabin, and the salads $12 each.

Even if it means I have to spend the entire time sitting up a tree with bug spray and a book.  I hope I get wi-fi up there...

~Zahrah

Musings on: College

You have taken your first step into a larger world...

Well, I finally took the plunge, gathered the documents, made a pot of coffee - and filled out the devil-written form from hades FAFSA form.  If you're not familar with this, be grateful.  It asks for everything back to your parents first baby-sitting job in high school.  And then, if you're really lucky like I am, it gets selected for verification, and you have to submit proof of everything.  

But anyway, it's the first step towards, finally, enrolling in college.   The next step comes Monday, with my first meeting with the Admissions people.   Hopefully we can scrape up enough in scholarships and funding that I won't have to sell my first-born child to afford to attend!  Which is good, since I'm not planning to have any.  But anyway...

I've got to confess, I'm nervous as can be about this, but I'm also very excited.  This school has been a part of my life for - well, almost forever.   There are members of the faculty there who watched me grow up, and how many people can say that?

I've got to thank everyone (you know who you are) who has given me the love, support, and not-so-subtle shoves to finally get this done - and you're probably going to have to give me some more of those shoves to actually complete papers and assignments, at least until I get back into the swing of the academic world.  It's been too long since high school!

I must sign off for now, since my lunch hour seems to have vanished already (seriously, why is an hours break so much shorter than an hour of work???).  I shall return soon though, I've missed writing.  :)


~Zahrah

Musings on... Taxes.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes, as the saying goes.   And as yet another April 15th deadline stares at me, I wonder if the first wouldn't be more fun.   And mine aren't even hard.  The hardest part is figuring out what I did with last year's tax return.  It's really just a matter of sitting down with a couple of forms, plugging all the numbers into the matching slots, printing, signing, mailing - and praying that the little program didn't mess something up.

So, having established that this really isn't hard, why am I putting it off?  Why?  I don't know....

Musings on Travel, Part One.

I love to travel.  Give me a suitcase, and a GPS system - (unlike the also-useful map, they don't have to be re-folded) and I'm happy.  I even like the parts other people don't.   Examples:

I'll spend hours on the computer planning.   Nothing makes me happier than finding just the right hotel, the cool local restaurant, and the hidden treasures in things to do and see.

I love driving to the destination, with enough flex to stop and investigate the stops along the way.   For me, flying to the hottest resort, or - even worse - flying by everything because one must "keep to the schedule", is no vacation at all.   The side trips when you find a perfect little museum, or one of the country's only remaining original ice cream parlors, those add sparkle to an eight-hour drive to your real destination.

The problem is,  there is rarely the time in the schedule - or the money in the budget - to take those nice long trips.  So, considering how much fun those side trips are - what would happen if you made one of those the focus of a one day, or overnight trip? 

That's the question I've been thinking about lately.  Within a few hours drive of my house, there are dozens of interesting (to me anyway, and that's what counts) things to do and see.   With any luck over the next few weeks and months, I'll be working my way through some of those.   It may not be quite the same as the longer adventures I love so much, but then again - it might just keep my wandering feet happy!

Musings on... uh... hmm.

Earlier today - oh wait, that was yesterday, at this point -  I was on my way in here, with a great topic to write about in mind.  And I got sidetracked by a couple of updates to blogs I follow - and that great topic flew out of my mind.  And it hasn't come back yet.


So, instead, I'm just going to post this, since it's been stuck in my head anyway.  You're welcome!

*wanders out, singing "snape, snape, severus snape DUMBLEDORE, snape, snape, severus snape DUMBLEDORE....*

Musings on Books

Working in a library, I meet lots of books.  Lots, and lots, and lots of books.  Books on shelves, books on carts, books on the floor...  (oops...)  Big books, little books, - one book, two book, red book, blue book.  Oh, wait - that's "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," by Dr. Suess.   Anyway.

 So, when out of this sea of books I found one I really, really like, it can seem like a miracle.  Occasionally from the massive piles of Danielle Steel, James Patterson, and Nora Roberts, one hops off the shelf (often landing on my foot) and says READ ME!!!  I hold the opinion that if a book takes the time to make its presence known to you, you should give it a chance.

And so, here are a few of my favorite books, ones that I go to again and again when I need something to read.