1998 december 29

children's books

did i mention i have an obscene amount of work to do this week?

yesterday my computer crashed six times, twice i had to restart it three times before it would come back and play nicely for a while. last night i couldn't sleep to save my life, and that after i took four tylenol pms in anticipation of the stress related insomnia that plagues me. and this morning, i am once again congested so badly i can barely breathe. it is a conspiracy. someone is jealous of my most adored status and has put some sort of magnificent and malicious hex on me in the hopes i will miss my deadline, fail miserably, and they will get first shot at the next box of godiva that hits the office. not even the magic of nonstop r.e.m. seems to be protecting me.

for someone who has no children, i seem to have an inordinate number of children's books. i absolutely love them, especially the oversized, full color illustrated sort. i don't just let them sit on the shelf in the toy room either; i read them often, sometimes aloud to gene who tolerates this little quirk with amazing grace.

jubilee was up long before me on christmas day and her phone call woke us up. she was gloating about her present from dad, a complete set of the moomintroll books by tove jansson. i was suitably envious and began plotting ways to steal them from her, much like she stole the dark is rising series from me years ago. i only have comet in moominland, and it is a shabby, wellread paperback. i know i could just pop over to amazon and get them for myself, but somehow i like children's books better when they arrive as gifts.

well, once i was awake enough to open some of my presents, i found the book dad had sent for me: the zoom trilogy. it is wonderful! an absolutely charming cat at sea, at the north pole and in egypt. actually, i am just guessing at the last two, based on the pictures, because i have yet to read all three stories.

    "I'm at sea!" he said.
    He danced around on his driftwood deck and occasionally cupped his paws and shouted very loudly back to Maria on the shore.
    "More waves," or "More sun," or "More fish!"

i just found out gaheris was the recipient of the entire five series by enid blyton. now i will have to visit him and steal those as well.

more sleep, more time, more chocolate!, claire