and these are the days of our lives

It is a good thing I like driving my Honda Odyssey. I made so many trips around town yesterday, I felt odd when I finally stayed home for the day at 2:15. But, I managed to get the girls where they needed to be and to keep all the 'plates' spinning. Nothing dropped, as far as I know. Today and tomorrow bring more of the same, lots of back and forth to the high school.

I finished the Lauren Willig book. Not sure if it was me being a bit distracted with soccer or if it was the book, but I skimmed a good portion of it and just wasn't mesmerized by the tale. So, I'm not going to 'review' it as I so enjoyed the other titles in this series and I have a strong feeling the problem lies with me and not the novel.

I also read a jumbo version of L.J. Smith's Nightworld novels. These three titles in one huge book were very interesting to read as they were first published in the 80's and bore striking similarities to the Meyer books. Hmmmmm. L.J. Smith has written for the YA audience for a while and her Vampire Diaries books are being made into a TV series, much like the Gossip Girl books have been brought to the small screen. I wish her much success. She is clearly one of the early YA writers who paved the way for so many others to follow.

Now I'm reading the YA title "Princess Ben" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Murdock wrote the "Dairy Queen" and "The Off Season." I adored both of those books and am finding Princess Ben a good read. This novel focuses on body image, perhaps more than is necessary, but Murdock does write strong female characters in a very refreshing way.

Speaking of strong female characters, the middle kid opted out of giving high school soccer a whirl and was planning on sitting for the fall season. That all changed yesterday. She got an email from a coach looking to roster a few more girls on his co-ed team. Yep, she will be playing with the boys this fall....

So, that is it. See ya on the road.