The joys of reading

Last night I actually went to bed and read for about 40 minutes before going to sleep. I haven't done that in ages. I've been reading The Devil Wears Prada since July and my goal is to finish it before Christmas. I have a ton of new books to read, recent purchases from the last two Friends of the Library book sales.

I always swear I won't buy any more new (or used) books until I read all the books I have.

But when it comes to books, I have zero self control. I've always been this way. Ask my mom, who read me storybook after storybook after storybook until she (and I) knew Richard Scary's Great Steamboat Mystery by heart.

I just love the feel and the smell of books. I love the sound of a new book spine as it cracks up to reveal a host of imaginative treasures. I love escaping into the story, of living someone else's life if just for a few brief moments.

In fact, I think I might go to bed early tonight and curl up with a good book.

Wanted: Extra Brain

Wanted: A personal assistant to keep me organized, run errands, clean house, cook dinner, buy my lunch, keep my calendar, take dictation for my blog, organize my huge piles of magazines pulling out articles I might like, and jot down reminders when I think "Oh, I need to..." (Actually, don’t jot down reminders, just do them.) Pay: The sheer satisfaction of knowing my life is slightly less stressful.

The real kicker here is that I am an organized person. I'm often complimented on my organizational skills and ability to juggle many tasks as once. But today I realized I had scheduled a focus group with Business Journal readers for a Tuesday morning. Duh - I teach my class at the College of Charleston on Tuesday mornings. I can't really miss this focus group so I'll probably cancel class (the students will be sooo disappointed).

Once I realized what I done, I also realized I am OVER BOOKED BIG TIME. The solution is to find a personal assistant willing to work for free or eliminate some commitments from my life. Actually I may need the assistant to help me eliminate some of those commitments. Any takers?