Hand Me Some Tissues, Bitte

Yuck. I'm sick.  Oh, & "bitte" means please in German.  Please, hand me some tissues!  I've been fighting off this bug for weeks now, but last night it conquered me. I woke up with a pounding headache & a nose that wasn't allowing me to breathe! After letting the dogs out & giving them their breakfast, it was back to bed for us all. I spent the remainder of this rainy day watching some of Ugly Betty Season 4 {can you believe they canceled this show? I love it!}, reading, drinking many cups of tea, & waiting anxiously for my call from Afghanistan. How surprising :)  {Tonight, Don told me all about the mice that have become their newest room mates.  Desert mice.  How nice!  Although, probably not so clean...  Mice, be gone!}

Entertainment.Blogs.FoxNews

 After a bubble bath & some more reading { the fun Shopoholic-esque  Little Lady, Big Apple }, I got an ice cream craving.  Lucky for me, I had Ben & Jerry's Phish Food {my favorite!} in the fridge.  So I'm eating a few spoonfuls as I write.  Think it will cure me?!

Psst -- If you visited the blog within the last 24 hours, you may have noticed I made some big changes.  And then...changed it back.  That sounds like me--playing around & then deciding I liked it better the old way!  But you will notice a few new things!  In the sidebar, you can now see a photo list of the the countries we've visited & I've blogged about!  More to come, I assure you.

Psst #2 -- Can I do that?  Well, anyway, it's my blog, so yes!  I can!  But, are my posts far too random?  Do tell!  I can spruce up!  I can!

{ Thanks to those of you who recommended that I read the book Outlander!  I read more about it & it looks like my kind of read!  A series + romance + history + Scotland + time travel?!  Let's just say that this book was quickly added to my "Can I Have It Next, Please?" list at the library.  Thank you! }

Three Ways To Keep My Mind Off Current Events

Amanda's Ways To Keep Her Mind Off Current Events, Number One: Read a good book, especially right before going to bed!  Yes, this works!  They say that "Book lovers never go to bed alone!"  I'll take that!  And so, I take book recommendations from friends & keep my eyes peeled for potentially wonderful new reads!  Currently, you can find my nose buried in The Rossetti Letter.  It's an engrossing tale of a modern day historian who is trying to uncover the truth about The Spanish Conspiracy in Venice during the 1600s & of the Venician courtesan who made it all happen.  I'm absolutely flying through this book!

Next up on my list of reads: The Botticelli Secret, Little Lady, Big Apple, & The Far Pavilions.  Any other suggestions?!

Amanda's Ways To Keep Her Mind Off Current Events, Number Two: Find a great TV show or two that will entertain you & make you laugh!  My brother is the King of current shows & movies, so he has hooked me up with some greats {along with the shows I'd already come to love, of course!}.

{ Leverage }     { Ugly Betty }     { White Collar }     { Weeds }     { The Sopranos }     { Covert Affairs }
{ Human Target }     { Saving Grace }

If you haven't checked out some of these new shows, you're depriving yourself of some seriously great sofa time!  Now, I'm not one to veg out in front of the TV for hours on end, but when you're eating dinner alone & going to bed alone {& waking up alone!}, it's great to have a fun way to pass the evening!  And these shows do the trick!

Next, I'd like to check out Mad Men & The Tudors.  Any other suggestions?!

Amanda's Ways To Keep Her Mind Off Current Events, Number Three:  Don't watch the news.  Simple as that!