Begin with the End

Quirky~

I have a habit of reading the ending of a book first...I have to because I can't enjoy the rest of it unless I do. :-)
I didn't used to be that way, it is all Nicholas Spark's fault. Good old Nicky, also known as Writer of Stupid Endings Extraordinaire...

It all started with the book Message in a Bottle.  I am a reader...an avid reader, nay a devourer of books.  I have to read every night before bed, I read while walking, I read in the car (not while driving, but if I could figure out a safe way to do that I would) I read curled up in the chair listening to the rain fall...get the picture?

I was the toddler who scribbled her own nonsense books, the 4year old who learned to read before she went to Kindergarten (which resulted in a spanking at school and a suspension...but that is another story loll)  I have a horrible memory for names, but I remember my Elementary librarian, Mrs. Holmes.  I was the child who raced through school work so she could read during class, the teen that hid a book in my text books (like the teacher wouldn't notice.) The adult who reads at least 4 books a week...get the picture?

Fast forward to the "Stupid Book" (A.K.A.) Message in a Bottle.  I read it.  It was wonderful.  *Spoiler Alert! Then right at the ending, out of the blue one of them dies...Oh my heck! Can you say seriously rude? 

So now, if I start a book that I am really liking, I read the ending to make sure that I am not shocked/disgusted/sad/mad at the ending.  I actually enjoy the story more if I know what will happen.  Then I read the book to fill in the middle.  Now even if someone dies, I am not destroyed.  (Okay, a little dramatic)

I just read a great book called Before Ever After.  I was stunned by how much I liked it.  I laughed out loud when I came across the following quote by Max, one of the main characters.

"Fretting over how life ends, or anything else for that matter, is a complete waste of time," Max said. "I don't know about you, but when I got my hands on those Harry Potter books, I simply had to sneak a peek at the last page."
"Er, Harry Potter?" Jonathan arched a thick silver brow.
Max nodded, "I, for one believe that in order to really enjoy any story, you need to get the ending out of the way as soon as possible--which is why I've brought you all here.  You need to learn the conclusion of one family's story so that you may better appreciate how it began and the cast of characters along the way."

Bam! Vindication! That is is exactly how I feel.  Now if you will excuse me, I have a book to go read.  Ending first of course.  :-)

Who is that Mustached Man?

It has taken me 11 years, but I finally realized that the person I thought was my son Toby is really secret agent...code name T.W.O.

The joke was on us because for all of these years I thought it stood for Toby William Ostler...in reality it stands for Totally Wacky Operative.  Through secret sources I have learned that, he is, a Master of Disguise. 

Once I realized that the strange man in the mustache was the same person I thought I had been raising...I started thinking back on all of the years past...

when he was a toddler and wore a giraffe  (pronounced Hi-Waffe) costume for a week straight...not a quirk but in fact a disguise. 

 The years he preferred to run around naked except for a superman cape...not a future exhibitionist...but a disguise...

In January of 06 we thought he was obsessed with a show called Lazy Town...he wanted this costume more than anything...He wore it for an entire year...cried when he outgrew it.  Little did I know that it was more than a costume...it was setting him up for his ultimate disguise. 

Yes, folks, this is what my son wore to school the other day...a mustache.  All day long.  I can only wonder what his secret mission was on that day......

I am so sad that it is not a real mustache

Nothing going on here...just a man and his mustache enjoying a joke...move along....

You too can be as cool as Agent T.W.O. But only if you have the "Stache"!

Love is Just a Roll of the Dice...

                                   I would like to introduce you to my new love...Yahtzee. 

      Actually, my love affair with this game started when I was a little girl.  Nana taught me how to play.  My Dad's mum was enamoured with it and spent hours playing, either with partners or solo.  We learned early and she even bought us our own dice.  I had pink ones.  I loved them.

     We then started the search for unusual dice, I still have a couple left.  A bone one and a hollow metal die that rattles.  A few more stick  in my mind as coveted memories, I once found a large clear one that housed a tiny die inside.  I loved it so much, but was never able to buy it.  The other one had tiny carvings for all of the number markers.  It was so much fun, we sewed little pouches for them that hung from our belts. Little felt houses for the treasures that loom so large in childhood.
     I remember laying clothed in lovely 70's bell bottoms on our woven rag rug, elbows perched on a corduroy pillow playing Yahtzee with my little sister...each of us yearning for that coveted five dice achievement...YAHTZEE!  We would jump up in a wild banshee dance when we got one.  My Nana and parents made sure we didn't play gambling games with our dice, but if we had, my bet would have been firmly placed on my sister every time.  Golden Fingers Bobbers should have been her name.  One game she rolled 7 Yahtzee's! 

     That is the Yahtzee of the past.  We still play it as a family.  I taught my children at a young age as a tool to help with math.  It is still fun to hear the click of the dice and throw them down excited to see what you get.  Shon and I love to play it with the two of us as well...

Lately though,  I find myself turning to one I stole from one of my children.  A small electronic hand held game that we found and rescued during a room excavation cleaning.  It fits perfectly in my purse pocket, I play it at night when I am too tired to read, in the car (no not while driving silly) and during the many, many, many times I am waiting for children. 



I have a sneaking fear that it might be Mom O's.  One she lent lost to my rug rats years ago.  You have to understand, I would give this woman anything, after all she gave birth to my best friend.  I would and have give her chocolate, time, craft items, laughter and tears, after all she is one of my best friends as well. 

    However, I can not, will not give her my new boyfriend....Electronic Yahtzee.  loll