List of the Week: Book Series

You all know I love to read, right? This here is a picture of my stack of library books…my unread and overdue library books. Look, I’ve been busy lately, planning a first birthday party, going out of town, pondering the meaning of my life, folding laundry. All that, plus trying to find the source of a weird smell in my house, hasn’t left much time for reading. Plus, I’m reading a book for review that was due last Wednesday.

Since my typical reaction to a long list of to-dos is procrastination and because all this talk of books makes me think of, well, books, I thought I’d talk a bit about the kind of books I like today. Specifically, the series of books I read and the characters I love. Because talking about reading is somewhat similar to actually reading all the books on my list. Right.

By the way, I blame/credit Dog Snob for inspiring me to write about this. She mentioned reading series of books on her site, and I realized how much I do this, too. Her reasoning was that just as she loves losing herself in a story, it’s even more satisfying to lose herself in a series, where you get to know a character or group of characters so much better.

I agree with that reasoning. But I can’t deny that part of my series love stems from my (self-diagnosed) OCD. I think it falls under the compulsive part – just wanting to devour, I mean, read, every book in a series solely to have done it. Again, it’s the quantity over quality thing, the unreasonable desire to acquire or accomplish everything in a single category.

In this case, my obsession/compulsion started when I was a child, trying to read every single Nancy Drew book and later realizing that starting with H is for Homicide would not satisfy, not until I’d read every inch of back story in Sue Grafton’s A through G books. The most recent manifestation of my disease is the stack of Iris Johansen books I checked out from the library when I realized I hadn’t read all the books in the Eve Duncan series. Now, let me point out right here that I wasn’t sure I’d left some books unread. I knew that I may have actually read them all. But just in case, I checked them ALL out, just to make sure.

Thankfully, I did come to my senses at least briefly. I returned all the books – unread and read – to the library, realizing I’d never get to all of them, accepting that reading the new novels as they are published would be just fine, acknowledging that I understood the character well enough without reading every single book in which she’s featured.

But since my need for gathering everything that falls into one category must be met, here is my list of book series I’ve read and/or am reading. It's way too long, so here's my question for you first: Do you read any book series? If you don’t, who is your favorite fictional character?

And now, my list:

• Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys
• Trixie Belden
• Bobbsey Twins
• Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High
• Babysitters Club
• Sue Grafton’s alphabet series
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Dan Mahoney's Brian McKenna series
• Jill Elizabeth Nelson's to catch a thief series
• Susan May Warren's Mission: Russia, Heartquest, Josey, Team Hope and Noble Legacy series
• Little House on the Prairie
• Lisa Scottoline's Rosato & Associates series
• James Patterson's women's murder club series
• Kasey Michael's Maggie series
• Robert Ludlum's Bourne and Covert One series
• Karen Kingsbury's Baxter series
• Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series
• Faye Kellerman's Decker/Lazarus series
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series
• Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series
• The Yada Yada Prayer Group series
• Dee Henderson's O'Malley series
• Janet Evanovich's Plum series
• Catherine Coulter's FBI thriller series
• Mindy Starns Clark's Tulip and Million Dollar series
• Don Brown's Navy Justice series
• Terri Blackstock's Cape Refuge series
• David Baldacci's Camel Club series

Product Review: No, I Don’t Work for Fiber One

I don’t work for Fiber One, but I tend to try all their foods in an attempt to lower my WW point intake. I’m also not a big fan of yogurt, but I know it’s a healthy, stick-to-you snack. So I tried the new Fiber One yogurt.

Actually, I bought two six-packs and let them go bad in my fridge. So I threw them away. And bought another six-pack, vowing to eat them, even if they did taste like yogurt.

The first time I tried the peach-flavored yogurt, I was actually feeding it to Photobaby. It was at that point that I realized two things: first, I was an idiot for wasting two packs of yogurts, and second, I didn’t want to share it with Photobaby!

Fiber One yogurt is creamy and light and tasty. I actually thought as I was eating it, “This is almost like a dessert.” Coming from someone who can eat half a pan of brownies in one sitting, that’s pretty high praise.

Each little container has just 1 point, or for those of you not counting points, 80 calories, no fat and 5 grams of fiber. It comes in strawberry, peach (yum!), vanilla and key lime pie flavors.

And just to prove that I’m not in Fiber One’s pocket, I’ll tell you that they have a new product I will be avoiding: toaster pastries. Or, if you’d like, fake Pop Tarts.

I may have mentioned before that I’m not allowed to buy Pop Tarts. I’ve banned myself from doing so, because it never fails to result in a guilty binge, where I eat Pop Tart after Pop Tart after…well, you get the point. No pun intended, although I will tell you that regular, delicious, wonderful Pop Tarts are more than 4 points EACH.

Given my outrageous addiction to Pop Tarts, I was cautiously excited to learn Fiber One was making a high fiber version of this life-enhancing food. But then. Then I read that the FO version still has 3 points EACH. And then my co-worker tried them and said they’re so not worth it that she ended up throwing hers away after just a couple bites.

So, to sum it up: Fiber One yogurt is good. Fiber One toaster pastries are bad. And oh yeah – my name is Photoqueen, and I’m in love with – I mean, addicted to – Pop Tarts.

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday. Fiber One yogurt works for me - click here to see other tips for things that work!

Your turn: What food are you hooked on? Or, if you're not like that (really?), what healthy food would you recommend?

I have set my rainbow in the clouds.

Nashville, part 2

After my meeting on Friday was just a meeting, I was disappointed and confused. But I decided to enjoy my weekend. After all, the original point of our trip was to see our friends from Virginia. So we did just that. Mark and I took Photobaby to historic downtown Franklin, our whole group went to the zoo, we found a park to swing in, and we made a quick stop downtown for BBQ, souvenirs and even some music. (Stay tuned for photos later this week.)

After lunch on Sunday, we hit the road, not looking forward to 9-10 hours in a car with a tired baby. And a little sad that our weekend was coming to an end. But glad we'd made the trip.

We talked a bit about what we'd seen in Nashville, listened to the Titans beat the Chiefs and napped. Well, Photobaby and I napped. Mark drove. We stopped for gas, fought over a misunderstanding, changed Photobaby's diaper on another gas station counter and bought her yet another box of chicken nuggets. And I tried not to think about Friday.

Then, somewhere in Illinois, I saw it - a rainbow in the sky above the highway. It hadn't been raining, so I'm not sure where it came from. And I wasn't looking for a big sign from above, although my friend, Katie, had said when we left that she hoped I got a billboard from God.

The original rainbow was a symbol, a sign of God's promise not to destroy the earth - and mankind - again. So while that's not necessarily applicable, I am taking that unexpected rainbow as a reminder of God's other promises. That He has plans for us, that He loves us, that He will protect us, that all things work together for good. And I think it means I'm moving to Nashville.

(Thank you so much to everyone who prayed about my trip! I'll share more about this journey as it happens!)

It was just a building.

Nashville, part 1

I guess when you start calling a trip your destiny, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. I should know better. I do this all the time - make something so huge in my mind that the real thing, no matter how great, could never live up to those expectations.

That's what happened on Friday. I think I honestly expected to walk into the building of the publisher I was meeting with and hear, "Ahhh" (imagine that in a high, angelic, heaven opening up sort of voice). And then God would say in his big, booming James Earl Jones voice, "THIS. This is what you're supposed to do, Photoqueen. This is what I've planned for you."

It turns out that's not how God chose to work in my life this weekend. The building was just a building. The meeting was just a meeting. We sat at a conference table that was...you guessed it...just a table.

So I was left wondering, what's the big deal? If this is all there is to it, why would I uproot my life and my family to move three states away? If I don't feel any excitement, any fluttering, anything - how could this be God's plan?

Lucky.

Monday morning on my way to work, I saw a car run a red light. I think the driver must have realized it in mid-run, because the car's brake lights came on momentarily. Then it just kept going. Sitting at the light, to our left, was a police car. The police officer turned in behind the light-runner, and I thought, "Oh, you're gonna get it now." But the police officer didn't pull that car over. It just drove behind it for a block or so, then turned onto another street. Lucky.

You can call me “Guardian of the Palace”

A good friend of ours has recently joined the FBI. I wasn’t surprised when he and his wife told us about this adventure they were beginning; our friend was a history teacher with a higher-than-the-average-bear interest in politics and an unswerving devotion to justice and fairness and right. So seeing him as a G-man made sense.

The last time our friends were over for dinner before they moved to their new, assigned home, they told us how much they’d loved the time they spent in Washington, D.C., over the summer as he wrapped up his training and first assignment.

Then they proceeded to point out what they’d written on the front of the postcard they sent us from D.C. (It was on the fridge, of course. And no, I didn’t put it up there right before they came over! Like I’d do that?! Hmph.) There, on top of the White House was #47. I felt a little dumb when they said, “You know what that means, right?” I had assumed it was the number of their apartment, sort of a special D.C. return address. Okay, so I barely noticed it and when I did, I really didn’t wonder too long what it meant. I’m not sure what that says about me.

Anyway, they said that would be the number President he would be – hence the notation over the White House! Aha!

Sure, sure, it seems obvious now.

Apparently, they thought this was hilarious and had put a lot of thought (and complicated math) into figuring out how many years between now and his FBI retirement, adding a term as a governor and then determining when exactly he’d be elected President of the United States.

And then he said this: “And you’d be my Chief of Staff, of course.”

Whoa, nelly! Hold the phone! Umm (she whispers, guiltily, reluctantly, wishing she remembered more of 7th grade civics class), what’s a Chief of Staff do? I mean, for fear of sounding like Sarah Palin pre-nomination, I’m really not sure what this high-falutin’ position is responsible for!

So, of course my response was: “Uh, yeah! Absolutely! I’ll be your Chief of Staff! Sign me up! Rock on!” (My brain may have been affected by large numbers of tacos at that point. So I really can’t be blamed – no, blame the tacos.)

I decided that I’d better so some research, just in case this pipe dream ever comes true. It turns out, the White House Chief of Staff is pretty much in charge of the entire free world. Also known as the highest ranking member of the Executive Office. Also known as the second-most powerful man in Washington. Hmmm.

Perhaps I shouldn’t sign on the dotted line just yet…

Today I remembered this conversation and looked up the chief of staff position for a governor’s office. After all, I figured, that’s where we’d start, right? After he retires from the FBI and I’ve made my mark on the world of publishing?

The very long document I found from the National Governors Association describes the duties of this position in detail, including the following responsibilities: chief operating officer, office manager, chief strategist, policy advisor, gubernatorial vicar, guardian of the palace, headhunter, crisis coordinator and personal confidant. And then – here’s the good part – it talks about coordinating with the governor’s spouse. Oh, good! My friend’s wife is actually one of my best friends, so we’ll have much fun coordinating. I’m not sure what we’ll coordinate, but by golly, it will be fun.

I’m not sure this will ever happen. As Mark pointed out, our friend may have the most noble of intentions and highest qualifications, but he’s not made of money. And it takes a lot of dough to run a big campaign for office. So, I’ll probably never be Chief of Staff.

Although, the job description sounds a lot like organizing, planning, talking and bossing around – areas in which I tend to excel. Especially the bossing around part.

So, I guess if my editing dreams don’t pan out, I’ve always got another option…

Your turn: What crazy career dreams do you have? No, not the realistic kind - I want to hear the outlandish, ridiculous and just plain crazy ones!

Zap.

Special thanks to Amy for sharing this video. I know many of you may have already seen this - apparently it's been going around for a while now. But if you haven't, please, for the love of all things cheesy, watch this.

You don't call me Photoqueen for nothing!

Photobaby gets lots of hand-me-down clothes from my cousins, and a Santa suit is our latest find. It's just so cute - I knew right away it needed to be photographed. More specifically, I knew my little Santa baby needed to be photographed!

So we went to Portrait Innovations on Sunday. Almost an hour after our appointment, we finally got into the studio. With a kid photographer who didn't care one iota about our pictures and couldn't work the equipment. The camera's battery even died at one point. By the time he started taking pictures, Photobaby and I were both cranky. And for some reason, Mr. I-don't-care Photographer took photos at the speed of turtle. So when Photobaby did crack a smile - which she did a few times - he missed it.

The good news? We got out of that store spending much less money than we have in the past. The bad news? Not a single Santa suit picture was good enough to buy.

So, I'm going with the photos I snapped in her bedroom a couple weeks ago. I draped a white blanket over her crib for a backdrop (although you can see in the corner of this picture where it was starting to slip), made funny faces, and got a couple good shots. Homemade photography - it works for me!

**This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday. Click here to see more tips that work!**

TV Review: My Own Worst Enemy

If there’s one thing I need like a hole in the head, it’s another show to watch every week. I mean, when one feels it necessary to actually make a TV-watching schedule, said couch potato probably has enough going on in TV Land, right? That being said, I’ve tried hard over the past couple of years to keep my new shows to a minimum. Because as the natural attrition of television occurs, my number of addictions will automatically decrease. (Natural attrition, plus the complete disregard of TV executives, says the still-sad Veronica Mars fan…)

Last year, I only got into one new show: Chuck. If you aren’t watching this show, you should. It’s very funny. It has romance, if you like that sort of thing. And spy-filled mysteries, if you like that. And for the nerds in the group, you’ll like the crazy antics of Chuck’s co-workers.

Anyway, I watched a few other shows last year, but thanks to the infamous strike, I didn’t get truly hooked.

This year, I’ve avoided new shows at all cost (and by “all cost,” I mean watching cringe-inducing episodes of Til Death, a show that could not possibly hook anyone on anything, rather than checking out something new). I even decided to dump a peripheral (usually watch but don’t have to) show. Sorry, Ugly Betty.

And then last night, I decided to watch My Own Worst Enemy. (Turns out that’s kind of funny and possibly ironic, since in my struggle against television overload, my curiosity and broad taste often makes me my own worst enemy.)

I surfed a little this morning and saw that it’s gotten mixed reviews. The New York Times and the LA Times gave it good reviews, but TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly weren’t so flattering.

I liked it. More than I wanted to, that’s for sure. Because I think I’m going to add this to my already-complicated Monday night viewing routine. (Since I know you’re wondering…Watch Chuck at 7 pm, while taping How I Met Your Mother at 7:30 pm. Watch HIMYM at 8 pm, then Samantha Who – another peripheral show – at 8:30 pm.) Here’s the low-down on this show:

Christian Slater plays a man who discovers he’s living a double life with a split personality. For you literary types, his two names are Edward and Henry – an obvious shout-out to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (Obvious to literary types. Me, I read it in one of those reviews.) In one life/brain, Slater’s character is Edward, a super spy, ruthless and talented. In the other, he’s Henry, a somewhat boring suburban husband and father. For an unknown-as-yet reason, the split personalities begin crossing over in Edward/Henry’s brain in the pilot, causing all sorts of trouble and confusion.

But not confusion for the viewer. The premise is convoluted but not so much that I couldn’t follow along. And because I appreciate the spy genre, I was happy to suspend all disbelief (and maybe some rational thought) while watching.

The LA Times points out that waking up to realize you are actually a deadly spy is not all it’s cracked up to be. “How fun would it be to wake up and realize you know how to rig a car bomb, hold your breath for five minutes and speak a dozen languages? Not as fun as you'd think, apparently.”

I had this very thought last night while watching the scene when Edward (spy) turns into Henry (not spy) in the middle of an assassination mission. I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t he know what to do from watching spy movies?” (As if everyone watches spy movies.) Then they showed the unfolding chaos of rescue from Henry’s point of view, including his face being splattered with blood – not his. And I realized that perhaps I’ve watched a few too many spy movies and that maybe it wouldn’t be that cool to be a spy after all.

Then again, you watch Chuck and tell me being a spy isn’t cool!

Your turn: Do you like spy movies? Are you addicted to any TV shows? Did you have a crush on Christian Slater back in the days of Prince of Thieves? (No? Just me? Okay…)

My Density Has Brought Me To You

I mean, my destiny. And by “you,” I mean Nashville. And by “brought,” I mean driven nine hours.

I thought it was time to give you an update on my I-want-to-be-an-editor journey. Bonus points to everyone who can name that movie quote.

On Thursday, the Photofamily will hit the road to drive to what just may be my destiny. Or density, depending on which kind of McFly you are.

I have an informational interview scheduled with HR at the largest Christian publisher. A couple months ago, I contacted the head of the HR department. I’m going to assume he didn’t get my e-mail. Although it’s possible my message was misdirected and never should have been sent to him in the first place. That’s why my second attempt was to call up their Nashville office and just say, “I want to be an editor but don’t know how. Is there someone at your office who would talk to me about that?”

It turns out that gathering my courage to pick up the phone, though scary, was a good idea. Nobody laughed in my ear or told me that my dream is ridiculous. Nope. Instead, I got a prompt response that went like this: “I’d be happy to meet with you. Would 10 am on Friday work?”

Wow! Oh my. Yikes! Scared. Excited. Overwhelmed. Terrified. Nervous. Thrilled. Yikes!

It’s hard for me to put into words how I’m feeling about this. I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that God just might make this happen. He might let me do what I want to do. He might move us nine hours away from our families. He might open up a whole new world of ministry and service and all that good stuff. He might…

We’ll see. I know I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, or ahead of God. For now, I’m just thrilled to have this opportunity. To learn about the world of publishing, to make my first real contact in publishing, to take a bold step toward the life I think God may have always planned for me.

So if you think about it, please pray for me this week. We’re driving to Nashville on Thursday and my meeting is Friday morning. After that, we’re looking forward to hanging out with our friends from Virginia and playing tourist for a couple days. And we’ll probably hit a Chick-fil-A.

Your turn: Has God ever led you to do something scary, something outside your comfort zone?