Packing and New Reading Selections

It is done. I have boxed 1997 - 2001. I have labeled by batches and created a 6 page Word document with a timeline of major life events. The next step: select and print our prime photos from our 2002 - 2005 digital files and paste them into the albums I have started. From this point forward we only print those photos that make us more beautiful than life or, at least, less hideous than at that moment. Conclusions:

1) I have distinct cute and noncute phases that last months at a time (turquoise-blue hair was cute, while white-blond was more shocking less cute);
2) the cute phases do in fact correspond to phases in which I exercise;
3) we are definitely getting cuter as we mature; and
4) caffeine and stress cause one's skin to bloat (as I sit here and sip my morning cup).

The next major project as we prepare to move: the piles of important papers. Find a nook; it is already stuffed with dusty documents that need to be kept. There is no logic to which these disparate piles will succumb. It is good that I did the pictures first because the process humbled me and took the edge off my perfectionist itch.

The Final Countdown has begun. It is less than a week until we get in the car and head East. I am in a kind of tharn state. A deer frozen in headlights. I do not deal well with down time. I need the deadline to be within 72 hours before I can actually place a perfectly folded pair of slacks into a box. Blogging is a good salve. So are dinner parties.

Reading, of course, is the ultimate band aid. Alas, I am too pressured to pack and party to really relax between the pages of a hefty novel. I have started The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which is our book club selection for September. I know, I know. I will be in Boston as they gather over this tome. But I do plan to read their selections and participate in spirit and blog when possible. As I sunk my dollars into a new copy of The Historian (I think the public library here would appreciate the late fee I would accrue, but it would be cheaper to buy the darn thing), I also bought a copy of 1776 by David McCullough. I have heard rave reviews about this book. Since I am heading to Boston, I thought I best brush up on all things Americana. The Historian and 1776 together weigh about 3 pounds and will serve as nice door stops in our new abode.

In lighter reading, I read The Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte on the plane/bus ride back from Europe. It is all about a powerful woman and the drug trade on two continents. Shortly after we returned to the Bend, there was a huge news scandal about a marijuana field near by that was raided. It brought the intrigue of the novel to real life.