Diary of a SubUrban Housewife

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book would you want to be?

Gone With the Wind. I’d run off with Scarlett to Tara and we’d think about it tomorrow.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Yes. I’m in the process of re-reading the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. Jamie Fraser. He’s my man.

The last book you bought is:

I bought three, in anticipation of our recent trip to Mexico. As each was about 1000 pages it was a little ambitious (since we were only going for a week), but I got through two of them. The books purchased (yeah, some of the Outlander series) were Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn. (I read Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager during our vacation.)

The last book you read:

Voyager.

What are you currently reading?

Drums of Autumn.

I’m listening to something else on CD, but I can’t remember what it’s called. I started it before we went away and haven’t listened for a week but it’s about a woman who lives in the Aspen area who’s a caterer and solves crimes. There’s recipes and lots of good food descriptions. It’s not deathless prose, but it’s great driving listening.

Five books you would take on a desert island:

1. The entire Outlander series. (I’m a little obsessed right night, if you can’t tell). Since it’s a series I’ll count it as one book.
2. Stealing an author from Jim, I’ll go with Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I love the South American writers – this is deathless prose.
3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. He’s shipwrecked (and at one point stranded on a deserted island). It’s a good long read and there’s lots of handy life-saving tips.
4. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant and a companion book on the Medici. Birth of Venus is one of the best books I’ve listened to in a very long time. Since I’ll be stranded I may as well imagine I’m living in the time of the Medici in Florence.
5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

OK, I got this meme from Carol but Jim added this question so I’ll answer it:

What book are you ashamed to admit that you haven’t read?

The Bible.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 people) and why?

Chuck, because he’s my husband;
Steve, because maybe if I give him something to write about he’ll update his journal;
and Marn, because maybe things are different up in Canada

We’re back from Mexico. We’re tan. And we all have sun rash. I’m here to tell you that using a sunscreen with a high SPF factor is useless against it.

I’m also here to tell you that a complete lack of willpower as far as going without a tan after spending a week is Mexico does not help.

We did get Zoe a groovy swim shirt from a groovy surf shop in Mazatlan, because while I’m too far gone (because tan fat looks much better than pale fat, and you can quote me on that), and completely addicted to tanning, I protect my baby’s skin at all costs .

What other exciting things do I have to report? Well, no sooner did we land in sunny Mexico, than I got a cold sore. Ugh, yeah, I know.

I haven’t had a cold sore on my lip in about 5 years, but I do have a prescription for Aciclovor (sold here now under the brand name Valtrex–by prescription only). I keep it on hand on the off chance that I start to feel that little “tingle” that tells you one is coming on.

In the last five years I’ve “felt” it once or twice, pop a few pills and all is right with my world.

Well, it never occured to me to take my Rx with me, as it’s been so long since I’ve had a problem. And don’t you know, within hours of getting off the plane I felt one coming. I thought there was nothing I could do. But by Tuesday I was really miserable so I toddled off to the Pharmacia across the street from our hotel. I explained, in bad Spanish that I needed something for a cold sore. Don’t you know, that in exchange for about 120 pesos ($10.82 US) I walked out of the store with a handy little tube of Aciclovor. No prescription necessary.

Alas, I already had a little issue, but it never did get any worse. And by now it’s almost healed and hardly noticable.

So there was no lovin under that hot tropical sun. Sigh……

As vacations go, it was lovely. We spent a lot of time together doing just what I planned: sun, swim, sun, nap, read, sun, swim. Chuck has a full travelog coming.

I should so be in bed right now, especially since in an hour we move the clocks up an hour, but instead I’m awake and surfing and saw this over at Treppenwitz, and since I’m all about anything that will fill these pages (and since you’re guaranteed to have nothing here for at least at week while we lounge at the beach), I bring you

The ABC’s of Beth

Accent: I think it’s fairly neutral, but words like orange (which I say with the distinctive New York flat a sound–aaarange) are a dead giveaway to my roots.
Bra size: 36C technically, but a 38B is more comfy.
Chore I hate: folding stuff from the dryer. Weird thing is I don’t mind sorting or washing, just hate the folding.
Dad’s name: Jack.
Essential make-up: lipstick and sunscreen. Fave color now: Urban Decay, color Fur. And I don’t go out of the house without an application of Kiehls moisturizer with SPF 15 in it.
Favorite perfume: Clinique Happy (for women) and Cristal by Chanel.
Gold or Silver: Gold.
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York (see #1 for the whole remnants of the accent thing).
Interesting fact: there are too many to mention here, but you already knew that about me as you read these pages.
Job title: Project Manager! (Yeah, my new job!!!!)
Kids: 1, I got perfection the first time around, why mess with success?
Living arrangements: home in the lovely San Fernando Valley of California with husband, daughter, six cats, two dogs, and some fish.
Mom’s Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY.
Number of apples eaten in last week: 1.
Overnight hospital stays: 2–appendectomy and childbirth.
Phobia: hanging.
Question you ask yourself a lot: Hmmmmm?
Religious affiliation: raised Jewish but practicing heathen.
Siblings: two sisters.
Time I wake up: this question should read: “time I’m supposed to wake up” and that is 6:00 a.m. weekdays if I want to go to the gym before work, and weekends 10ish.
Unnatural hair color: light brown with blonde highlights.
Vegetable I refuse to eat: brussels sprouts and lima beans
Worst habit: smoking probably.
X-rays: yes, several, nothing interesting though.
Yummy food I make: meatloaf.
Zodiac sign: Scorpio.

OK, now it’s 1:30 and I have to get up early to get ready for vacation so I’m going to bed now. Really.

See you guys after April 11th. And behave while I’m gone please.

So…all adult Atkins are currently between jobs. What better way to celebrate this than by going on vacation? I knew you’d agree with me.

Monday morning at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m. we jet off to Mazatlan. We’re going to spend a week in a suite at the lovely Pueblo Bonito resort on the sunny Pacific coast of Mexico.

It’s a full vacation schedule:

1. pool
2. ocean
3. pool
4. snorkeling
5. reading
6. pool
7. eating
8. relaxing
9. pool
10. naps
11. lather, rinse, and repeat from #1

We’re all looking forward to some family time.

I’ll miss you all madly, but I’m TiVoing all your journal and blog entries so I won’t miss a thing.

Hasta la vista!