My Family and Other Animals
First, in case anyone is wondering, no I did not come up with this clever title all by myself. Those of you who are fans of Gerald Durrell (author/naturalist) will no doubt recognize it.
Unlike Durrell's family we don't live on the enchanting Greek island of Corfu, but instead in the thriving metropolis of Big Flats (albeit near some very lovely hills). Our household is quite a bit like Menagerie Manor and although I've never travelled with A Zoo in My Luggage, at times it has felt like it. So here they are (listed in order of difficulty) three children (currently ages 10, 6 and 8), one husband, a large dog (lab/shepherd mix) and a small black cat. Then there are my assorted house-plants but I haven't named them yet. My parents and two brothers thankfully have each other and their spouses to look after them.
After the creatures in my care are washed, fed and generally happy I can decide what to do with 'my time' (economists would recognize this as a problem of scarcity). I make lots of lists so I know what to do with this scarce resource (optimisation) but often I spend too much of 'my time' on the lists (inefficiency) so it's a delicate balance.
Anyway, when I find myself unexpectedly with some of this time on hand I like to read (fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, magazines, cereal boxes), organise (or think of organising), take photographs (although then one has to sort them, not fun), cook (try new recipes), entertain (Paul and I both enjoy having friends over), watch movies and old TV series (Netflix has ruined me) and travel (we love visiting friends, family and new places).
These are a Few of My Favourite Things
Recent Books: Three Cups of Tea, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Ghost Hunters, Travels of a T-Shirt, Shantaram.
Recent Films: Avatar, Julie and Julia, Sherlock Holmes
I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan, have watched the old trilogy more times than I can remember and have clocked many hours on the new prequels (this time around with my kids who are also big fans).
Authors I like : Jane Austen, Gerald Durrell, P.G. Wodehouse, Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum, Alistair Mclean, Ken Follet.
Music: In the 'good old days' (when I didn't have to compete for 'air time') my favourite bands/musicians were (and mostly still are): The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Bruce Springsteen, ELO and Dire Straits. Now you can reeeally guess how old I am.