Bits and pieces.

It's so strange to have an overcast day in the desert; we take sunshine for granted and probably wake up to sun beaming in our windows 355 days in the year. Today it's overcast, yet warm and breezy. I went swimming this morning and actually shivered when I got out of the water. Oh, no! A shiver! : ) Most of you are still dealing with snow and rain and ice, and while I love it when it snows down here it never lasts for long. I can't imagine dealing with the white stuff for six months or more.

This has been an interesting couple of weeks. I've done a ton of reading. The latest story was Lisa See's book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I loved it. I totally enjoy learning about other cultures and this one was a historical set in China. The thing that always amazes me when I read about other cultures, especially when the fiction is about women, is how much alike we all are on that basic level of love and friendship within our gender. This was a sweet yet sad story of a lifelong friendship between two women, soul mates, or as they termed it, old sames. It dealt with everything from their differences in upbringing, to one who fell from grace to another being raised to higher levels than ever imagined, to trust, loyalty, true heart love, pride, and how we can often misconstrue a conversation or letter's intent, and lose years in feeling justified about walking away from a relationship. Ms. See tells the story through the memories of an elderly woman and the narrative voice is pure and touching. I was extremely impressed when I read the four attached pages on the author's extensive research. Definitely a must read for all females who search for the meaning of their relationships with other women.

I haven't seen any movies in the past two weeks as my movie going buddy was out of town. Next week we plan to see The Last Station, I adore Helen Mirren's work. Tomorrow night is the Academy Awards. This is the first year in decades that I can say I've seen almost every movie nominated. It will be interesting to see how my personal critiques hold up. I know who I would give best actor, best actress, and best film awards to, but know they won't get them. ; )

Off to write a new chapter of the book. No more procrastinating allowed.