Books and Such

During the week, there are a few things that stay in my work tote at all times. SmarTrip card, umbrella, chapstick (just in case my lips hurt real bad), and To Kill a Mockingbird. If there has ever been a book that I read over and over again, this is it. It's small, helps tune out the tourists, fills in for the Express, and is one damn good piece of literature.

I decided that since work is turning me to a depressive existence, I would peruse flights to Detroit. It was Mother's Day weekend, after all, so I wasn't expecting much. But lo! Super cheap tickets leaving from Reagan in two days. Done and done! So I flew on Friday, surprised the hell out of the Lady, and get some much-needed attention. Extra bonus: she had gotten me a copy of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. I know that this book is written for kids, but like the Harry Potter series (love!), it has dark undertones as well as a fantastic sense of humor. Barrie is really, really funny! As I'm reading it, I forget that it was written over one hundred years ago. It's a fast read, and I am loving it. It might join Mockingbird in my tote.

I also got to Ann Arbor on Saturday night and had a wonderful night on the town with B. We hit all the good spots: Red Hawk, Stucchi's, and even Good Time Charley's (love how the margaritas taste exactly the same as three years ago, the bouncers are the same, and the music changes from college radio to hard-core gangster rap at the stroke of 11. Ah, memories). Walking through central campus was calming and actually not as sad as I thought it would be. I miss A^2, but just in a "I love that I was able to spend four years here" kind of way and not a "I wish I was back here" way. The fact that I had to set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. in order to get back to Sgate and then the airport didn't even bother me after such an amazing night! Friends like B are hard to find. I'm glad that I rediscovered him. Wonder if he'll ever make it to DC...

I got back to Capitol Hill around 1 p.m. on Sunday. So much mail! I found a big box of books on the porch - books that I forget that I ordered. I have my work cut out for me, that's for sure:

His Excellency
by Joseph Ellis

John James Audubon
by Richard Rhodes

Sex With Kings
by Eleanor Herman

Elizabeth & Mary
by Jane Dunn

The Final Solution
by Michael Chabon

I think I will be starting with The Final Solution. It's about Sherlock Holmes (not Nazis and the Holocaust - I have enough of those already), so that's just flat-out awesome! Will it fit in my tote?