reading

So I spent most of the day away from blogland yesterday, taking seriously Allison's call to spend my blogging time reading something else instead. I came straight home from dropping The May Queen off at school and curled up in the chair to read (normally, I would blog for a bit). I realize now that 8:30am is NOT the time for me to sit in a soft chair and read. Let's just say that I was in and out of consciousness for a good part of the morning. During the conscious parts I finished up To Kill a Mockingbird, which I loved. I even cried a bit at the end. Why did I wait so long to read it? Now I can talk with a teacher friend of mine who says this is her favorite book. And now I understand why so many of you have talked so glowingly about Atticus. He presents such a wonderful model of parenting - to allow your children to be who they are and teach them about what is right by doing it quietly and consistently yourself.

Rather than reading blogs while I ate lunch, I began reading Emma. I know, I know, so many of you have entreated me to begin my reading of Austen with Pride and Prejudice. I heard you, I did. I first chose Emma for two reasons: one, Jen of a2eatwrite recommended I start there, and then I remembered a dear friend of mine who lamented when Rachel on Friends named her daughter Emma, because she loved that name and feared if she named her child that everyone would think she was copying Friends (she also worried Emma would become the new "it" name). So she read the book in hopes that she would dislike the book or character, and thus no longer like the name. It didn't work that way. Fortunately, so far she has only had a boy and hasn't had to wrestle any further with the name of Emma. So that's how I picked Emma. Then so many of you STRIDENTLY suggested I start with Pride and Prejudice instead. I considered your pleas, but chose to stick with Emma. I've seen the movie version of Pride and Prejudice, and would prefer to begin my foray into the words of Ms. Austen with only my imagination to conjure up the scenes and the characters. I'm only 3 chapters in, but so far so good.

I enjoyed my time off of blogging for reading, but of course many of you were still blogging, so my reader was quite full this morning (OK, OK, last night when I checked it and even read a few of your blogs. I couldn't quite make it all day.) I'm struggling with this balance in blogging - of how to not spend too much time doing it, but also to be a good and faithful friend to all of you wonderful people I've met. I get a lot out of reading you and writing for you. If anyone has any tips on how you balance blogging and life, I'd love to hear them.

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Only 5 of you played along with the Krewe name challenge of my last post, so in the spirit of letting the good times roll, I've decided to award you ALL with a Mardi Gras package. So if Jen of a2eatwrite, Sober Briquette, Christine at Running On Empty, Mary Beth at Books...Cats...Life is Good, and RimaRama would send me their addresses (email to pntdmaypoleATyahooDOTcom)I'll make a trip to the post office Monday morning. Thanks for playing along!

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Monday's Mission is to write a post in the style of a movie synopsis. If you choose to accept your mission come back here on Monday and leave a link to your post.