I sprained my butt.

Well, so the latest health news is that I sprained my butt.

And I must say I'm a little huffy about the fact that the family response has been nothing but glee.  Chortles, snickers, guffaws, smirks, knowing glances at each other -- this is the response I get every time I say, "jeepers -- my butt really hurts, y'all!"

I'll wait while you concoct all of your "pain in the ass" jokes here.  Take your time -- I have no plans.

Why is this?  Why do they mock?  Is it perhaps because I sound like every single caricature of a little old lady as I say, "OOF!" and "Owww!" and "Blaarggh!"  and "Oh, sweet mother of mercy, kill me now!" while trying to stand up, bend over to load a dishwasher, check my blind spot in the car, or put on a pair of blue jeans? I sound like I'm being beaten up by Batman or Green Lantern or someone else who says "BIF!"or "POW!"

It's a real pain in the ass.

Small pleasures: when two happies collide

So I read this book this past summer and just adored it.  It's like nothing I've read before.  I've been pressing it on all of my friends ever since, because it's just lovely.  The girl in charge had to be convinced to give it a try, but then proceeded to stay up all night, devouring it in one big delicious gulp.

It's that good.

So my girl and I were both so happy when we discovered that the audio version of the book has been recorded by someone we regard as an old friend. 

Jim Dale narrates all seven books of the American editions of the Harry Potter series -- and he is a chameleon-voiced treasure.  The British editions are read by Stephen Fry, a delicious treat of a different flavor -- but we are faithful to the version we have been listening to since the urchins were very small.

We have even been known to listen to books based solely on the fact that they are narrated by Jim Dale -- which is how we discovered this fabulous novel, which concerns an American acting troupe, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and some time-traveling magic!

Well, so I loved reading the book version of The Night Circus, and I love to listen to Jim Dale read anything, so throw the two together and it makes the happies explode!

Snapshot: Spa Day!

So Coleen and I took ourselves out for a spa day last Friday -- fabulous! And no.  The spa we went to did not require us to share a water bed with a weird Marie Antoinette drape and a comforter from the early 1980s.  We had to go all the way to England to hit that.

The spa we went to was a little more upscale, and we didn't wear our p.j.s -- although I would have been totally down with that.

Then we went out to lunch, and ate delicious food, and when the waitress came by and asked us if we wanted another glass of wine, I said, "No thanks, we're fine."  And then Coleen gave me a sad face and kicked me under the table -- and I said, "Well, maybe just one more."  And the waitress nodded approvingly. "It's Friday, ladies."

Voter-palooza!

I was so happy to vote with the tall boy today.  Check out that sticker, people.  The tall boy is very proud -- it's his first one!

Here in Virginia, we had huge turnout everywhere.  On the radio and on Facebook, everyone was talking about how crowded the polling places have been and how long they waited.  My boy and I stood in a long, snaky line for over an hour.  And you know what?  That was fine with me.  It was a privilege to wait with my friends and neighbors (I said "hi!" to my Contractor's husband, the deacon's wife, our County Supervisor -- standing in line with his son, just like I was -- and the realtor who sold us our house).

I was honored to be voting with everyone else in the nation -- including the citizens of Staten Island, who mean it, y'all.

And I will never take the privilege for granted.  We are so lucky to live in this time and this place -- where we call the campaign a battleground, but no one will vote with a gun to his or her head.

Today is a great day to choose a President!

IMAGE CREDIT:
"Staten Island Voters" -- Seth Wenig/AP (2012)