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Day 551: Holiday aftermath
Dec. 28th, 2007 09:09 pmThis holiday, I've spent most of my time, well, in the garden, of one variety or another. On Christmas Eve I helped Mom do garden work at one of the rentals. On Boxing day I helped mom rake leaves in the garden (though the blasted north wind came the next day and ruined all our hard work). I've spent the last two days back at the rental cutting and removing sod, weeding, and laying gravel. Granted, Mom and Dad and I had the help of two older men (who had a dump truck and a nifty little tractor) and a pair of teenage boys from the ward helping us out. All in all, the job two days and about ten hours' work, so that was good, and we kids got eight bucks an hour, so I earned money this Christmas break! Knowing me, it's all going to go toward the New Year's Eve party in Cedar, but as far as I'm concerned that's a good cause. One of the boys - John Jr. - is the biggest fourteen-year-old I've ever seen. And he reminded me how much growing boys can eat. Wow. It was hard work, and I'm kinda sore, but that's okay.
On an odd and random note, the first day of work we went to lunch at subway and I ran into my high school friend Russell. (The one who proposed to me over the phone. That Russell.) We were standing in line and John was contemplating how big a sandwich he could eat, and I was staring at the guys in front of us who were wearing matching sweatshirts for an electric company and noting that they were as stained with red sand as we were. I kept staring at the company logo because it was naggingly familiar (for a moment or two I thought Rosebud's mom used to work for them, then realized I was wrong), and when I went to fill my soda at the fountain I saw all the electric company guys at one booth, and one of them was Russell. (Of course it was Russell - the company is his father's.) He came to say hi, and sat with me and my parents while we ate (he'd already wolfed his sandwich down). He'd called me a while back to explain that he was engaged. Justin knows the girl - his boss's daughter - and seemed fairly enthusiastic about it all. What Justin didn't tell me - and perhaps didn't know - is that he girl is still in high school. Which is why Russell burst out laughing when Mom and I asked him if she was going to school. Cradle-robbing romantic fool. But if he wants to get married, well, he's always wanted to get married, and his choices are his own.
Then, of course, he got pesky about Justin, and I pled the Fifth (after claiming the right to professional prevarication) and he let up, although my mom sorta kept egging him on.
So we're going to hang out tomorrow.
On a brighter note, I've had all the brain candy I could want and then some this break. So far I have read:
The Book of Three - Alexander Lloyd
The Black Cauldron - Alexander Lloyd
Howl's Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones (is that how her name is spelt?)
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Skin Deep - David Mack
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Since there's a B&N back in Omaha and they're opening one here in St. George, I used my Christmas money to pick up Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" and a Barnes & Noble card. Then I bought all three of those pesky vampire books and read one a day for the last two days (I read the first while up in Cedar, having temporarily filched Chani's copy).
And I must say this: I think I'm tired of the nice guy finishing last. Don't get me wrong, Edward's a nice guy, but I was gunning for Jacob. Then again, I was also gunning for Nick Armstrong in the Secret Circle trilogy, and Julian the shadow prince in the Forbidden Games trilogy (although he really wasn't the nice guy), and Gabriel in the Dark Visions trilogy (who was, okay, not the nice guy, and he won in the end) but I think I've finally outgrown my penchant for moody heroes. Boys like Squall Leonhart, Heero Yuy, Fujimiya Aya, and all the other moody, grunt-speak, noble, self-sacrificing guys who are always the hero (but don't always get - or want - the girl). But it always makes me sad to see a guy lose, and I loved Jacob. Then again, having been on the receiving end of unwanted affection (from guys both psycho and nice) I can see where Bella was coming from, but still, the nice guy shouldn't always have to finish last. That's what I liked about City of Bones - I was gunning for Simon, and I won (although if Jayce hadn't been the heroine's brother...). I think that's why I'm standing up for nice guys like Cedric Diggory, Hidaka Ken, Duo Maxwell, Zell Dincht, and all the rest. Nice guys deserve to win too, you know.
Er, soapbox over.
Onto more things. Like reading.
On an odd and random note, the first day of work we went to lunch at subway and I ran into my high school friend Russell. (The one who proposed to me over the phone. That Russell.) We were standing in line and John was contemplating how big a sandwich he could eat, and I was staring at the guys in front of us who were wearing matching sweatshirts for an electric company and noting that they were as stained with red sand as we were. I kept staring at the company logo because it was naggingly familiar (for a moment or two I thought Rosebud's mom used to work for them, then realized I was wrong), and when I went to fill my soda at the fountain I saw all the electric company guys at one booth, and one of them was Russell. (Of course it was Russell - the company is his father's.) He came to say hi, and sat with me and my parents while we ate (he'd already wolfed his sandwich down). He'd called me a while back to explain that he was engaged. Justin knows the girl - his boss's daughter - and seemed fairly enthusiastic about it all. What Justin didn't tell me - and perhaps didn't know - is that he girl is still in high school. Which is why Russell burst out laughing when Mom and I asked him if she was going to school. Cradle-robbing romantic fool. But if he wants to get married, well, he's always wanted to get married, and his choices are his own.
Then, of course, he got pesky about Justin, and I pled the Fifth (after claiming the right to professional prevarication) and he let up, although my mom sorta kept egging him on.
So we're going to hang out tomorrow.
On a brighter note, I've had all the brain candy I could want and then some this break. So far I have read:
The Book of Three - Alexander Lloyd
The Black Cauldron - Alexander Lloyd
Howl's Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones (is that how her name is spelt?)
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Skin Deep - David Mack
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Since there's a B&N back in Omaha and they're opening one here in St. George, I used my Christmas money to pick up Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" and a Barnes & Noble card. Then I bought all three of those pesky vampire books and read one a day for the last two days (I read the first while up in Cedar, having temporarily filched Chani's copy).
And I must say this: I think I'm tired of the nice guy finishing last. Don't get me wrong, Edward's a nice guy, but I was gunning for Jacob. Then again, I was also gunning for Nick Armstrong in the Secret Circle trilogy, and Julian the shadow prince in the Forbidden Games trilogy (although he really wasn't the nice guy), and Gabriel in the Dark Visions trilogy (who was, okay, not the nice guy, and he won in the end) but I think I've finally outgrown my penchant for moody heroes. Boys like Squall Leonhart, Heero Yuy, Fujimiya Aya, and all the other moody, grunt-speak, noble, self-sacrificing guys who are always the hero (but don't always get - or want - the girl). But it always makes me sad to see a guy lose, and I loved Jacob. Then again, having been on the receiving end of unwanted affection (from guys both psycho and nice) I can see where Bella was coming from, but still, the nice guy shouldn't always have to finish last. That's what I liked about City of Bones - I was gunning for Simon, and I won (although if Jayce hadn't been the heroine's brother...). I think that's why I'm standing up for nice guys like Cedric Diggory, Hidaka Ken, Duo Maxwell, Zell Dincht, and all the rest. Nice guys deserve to win too, you know.
Er, soapbox over.
Onto more things. Like reading.
