Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Google, my hero

M did in fact discover the answer to the mystery of the dishwasher child lock thanks to friend Google. While it may not know everything, it holds the key to many, many mysteries.

And in case anyone is curious or faces a similar situation themselves (hello Google searchers!), to unlock the child lock on a random, have no idea what model it is, KitchenAid dishwasher you need to hold down the Energy Saver Dry button for five seconds. Who know? Clearly not I.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Please, I beg

Apparently we have a child lock on our dishwasher. I only realized this when I went to run it tonight and it blinked it's little red light at me in a scarily evil way. "HA! You only THINK you are going to wash the dishes in me! Silly, silly human."

For the life of us, we cannot figure out how to UNLOCK the child lock. Apparently it is ALSO an adult lock. If anyone out there has a similar dishwasher, and cares to share your expertise, my dishpan hands will thank you forever.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Parent Teacher Conference

Last week I had my first parent/teacher conference ever. Because C has been with the same kids for the past two+ years, and he is one of three children actually progressing onto kindergarten next year, I went into the conference pretty sure what the teachers were going to say. "Wonderful kid, blah blah, smart, blah blah, no worries, blah blah." So I walked in, they handed my his report card to look over, and my jaw dropped to the floor.

"Do you have any questions Mrs. J-E?" the head teacher asked politely. I think I stared at her a bit blankly, as she started to speak in that soothing voice people use when they think someone is about to blow a gasket. "There is nothing we don't think a little time and maturity won't fix..." she trailed off.

"No, no, just give me a minute." I replied. "OK. What I am actually very curious about is this check mark right here, the one that says 'Can't follow directions.' Could you elaborate on that one please? Because really, that's a bit of a shocker. Does he really never follow directions that you give him?" You have to give me points, I was trying to sound nice and calm and, well, parental.

"Oh, no, well, it depends. Let me give you an example. Yesterday we were working on kindergarten readiness skills with C and Z and A. They sat at the table with us while the other kids played, and we had them doing worksheets. And we told them to work on page one. And next time I looked over, C was working on page three."

"Did he do pages one and two?" I queried, a little unsure whether we were talking about C finishing quickly, or about C not doing his work in order.

"Well, yes, but sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes we tell them to do page one and then he skips to whichever page looks the most interesting. But what we really want is for the children to all finish page one and then move onto page two when we tell them."

"OK. I'll have a conversation with him about that." Which I will, I swear. But I have to say, not so concerned about that as really, this means that he should do brilliantly on the standardized tests.

Then the real bomb dropped. "But our bigger concern is that C is socially immature," the teacher continued on. My jaw, if possible, scrapped the basement of the building. I blinked.

"He doesn't know how to play with the other children. He doesn't have any close friends, and he doesn't know how to break into others play appropriately." (I just might have whimpered right here.) "If he wants to play doctor, and the other children don't, then he won't compromise and play blocks, he'll just go play doctor by himself. Or, if the other children are playing blocks and he wants to, he'll hang back and not join in unless someone specifically asks him."

"Is he MEAN to the other children?" I asked, a little afraid of the answer, as I've seen how he plays with A.

"Oh, no. They all like him. He's just, well, he just seems to prefer the world of adults." She paused and looked at her watch. "Well, that's our time. Feel free to come back if you have additional questions..." and I was quickly ushered out the door.

I of course went into instant parent freak-out mode. My child, my wonderful child is not perfect. How does one react to that without the instant knee-jerk response of "You're nuts! My child is fabulous! Who really cares if he does page three before page one!" or "So he likes the world of adults! It will serve him well in later years! He will spend his life having to interact with adults!"

And then of course there was the quick morph into "Oh my GOD. My child is socially immature. He will never have friends. This explains why when I ask him who he plays with he shrugs and tells me about the bird he saw out the window. Should I get him into therapy? Do I actually need to schedule playdates?"

I waited to write about this until I had calmed down a bit, because it was one of those things that I really had to take a step back and think about. Of course my child isn't perfect. No one is perfect (that statement is brought to you by months of therapy). In the grand scheme of things, C's issues are minor. No one is questioning his ability to perform in kindergarten. The children all like him. He has some issues focusing on his work in an appropriate manner. He needs to learn to give other children a chance to answer the teacher's questions. All of that is manageable. But it still is hard to hear that your child is not as perfect as you think they are.

Hearing such things about your child is particularly hard, I think, when it resonates with your own experiences. Worrying that YOU caused them to have those issues is painful. Especially when you are still facing those issues yourself, and don't really have any good ideas on how to help them through it. Finishing your work too quickly? I can help with that. Bring a book and hide it on your lap. Other children don't want to play doctor right now? Broker a compromise where you play blocks first, then doctor. But other children aren't inviting you to play with them? You don't know how to make friends? I don't know how to help with that, or at least I don't know that my approach will really work well, given my lack of personal success in the area. And that hurts.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Christmas in March

We have started clearing out the random stuff left at the old house in anticipation of the closing. In the back corner of the attic garage this morning I found a box of toys that has been packed up for almost a year. I also found the missing Scrabble game that M and I have been wondering about every Friday or Saturday night for a year as well, although clearly we never made it off the couch to actually LOOK for it.

When I brought the box into the playroom and opened it up, you would have thought I was the conquering hero. The TV went off and the kids descended upon the toys like they had never seen a toy before. M and I just sat there and shook our heads. "Who knew a bunch of broken matchbox cars and puzzles would be so exciting?" we muttered.

Clearly, there is actually something to this whole toy rotation thing...

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Who knew a flood could be so productive?

I arrived home from C's weekly gab session with the lifeguard swim class to discover a flood in our basement. Yes, water is NOT our friend here at Chez J-E. Anywhoo, it appeared that the washer, which is virtually brand new in the grand scheme of home appliances over here, decided it didn't want to spin anymore. I mopped up the mess, and then noticed that not only had the washing machine not spun, but the sink into which the washer empties was clogged up.

"Great," I thought. "Now I need BOTH an appliance repair person AND a plumber. Plus, the only pair of jeans I own that don't have a hole in them are IN the damn washer." But then I remembered that there was a filter on the water pump that can get clogged, so I started to take the filter out, only to release yet another flood of water. At this point, I finally had the common sense to UNPLUG the pump before I got electrocuted. Go me!

Miraculously, once the filter was out the water quickly drained from the sink. I then decided to run the spin cycle on the washer again so I could describe to the appliance repair person exactly what happened. And to my surprise and joy, the spin cycle worked! Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I decided to just transfer the laundry into the dryer and forget about a second load of laundry. Plus, the dryer hasn't been working all that well and it has been taking hours for the clothes to dry.

And then, the third miracle of the day shone forth. As I was about to turn the dryer on, I noticed that the heat setting was on low instead of high. I vaguely remembered being proud of myself a few weeks ago when I remembered to turn the heat to low instead of shrinking whatever that delicate item needing to be dried might have been. Clearly, however, I didn't remember to turn the setting back to high when it was done.

So now that my sink is drained and my washer AND dryer are working, I am staring hopefully at the oven, hoping that lightning does indeed strike twice and I am shown why no matter what temperature I set it at, it defaults to 350 or so...because I'm greedy like that.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

To the moon, and beyond

Today, eleven little space explores invaded our house to create some super duper astronaut bags,

search for moonrocks in a space capsule,


and of course, eat some birthday cake. In the process, they danced in Saturn's rings,


mashed pretzels into the rug, peed on the upstairs carpet, and slide gleefully across the living room floor into the corner of the wooden bench. Fortunately, no boo-boo pack was required.

All and all, a wonderful time was had by all under the age of seven, especially by the birthday boy.

May C remember this birthday party for years to come, because my nerves are shot and it may be the last party he gets...

Friday, March 16, 2007

Maggie and the Beast

My kids are currently obsessed with Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. All day long they play Maggie. A is generally the Beast, and crawls around with "goulashes" (otherwise known as rain boots) on her hands and feet. C is generally Maggie, as she comes up with the "big ideas." I am relegated to Hamilton, "because he cleans, Mom." I have offered to be the Beast on many occasion, as what could be more fun than crawling around the floor with goulashes on your hands, but have always been told that no, I MUST be Hamilton. Only A or C get to be the Beast.

When M got home tonight, A begged him to play Maggie with her. When he asked who he should be, she thought for a moment, and then exclaimed "Why the Beast of course!" I was somewhat offended. Is M that much more fun than I that HE can play the Beast but I can only play neurotic Hamilton?

Snow? There is no snow.

I wish. It is snowing as I type. Sigh. Apparently burying my head in the sand like an ostrich didn't work so well. I think we can at least get out and get through our morning, it sounds like the worst of the snow isn't going to get here until the afternoon....

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Overheard at the playground

As A is scaling a climbing structure labeled for 5 to 9 year olds...

7 ish- year old boy: "How old ARE you?"

A (staring him down): "I'm not going to tell you. I don't KNOW you."

And she scooted right past him and headed down the highest, most twisty slide on the playground.

7ish-year old boy: "Are you sure she should be here?"

Chichimama (with a shrug): "You saw her climb, what do you think?"

7ish-year old boy: "I've just never seen a baby who could climb..."

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Visual DNA

As seen at Steph's and Suzanne's.....


Doing a happy dance

I'm not just dancing because it is spring (although that makes me dance as well). I am dancing because I just found a local Community Supported Agriculture group and the pick up location is four blocks away. Happy happy happy am I! If you are interested in joining a CSA group, go here and do a search. But hurry, I got one of the last shares at ours!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Spring Cleaning

Today marked an annual tradition at Chez J-E, spring cleaning. No, not of the house (shame on you for even THINKING that), but of the outdoor toys and paraphernalia. Because spending three hours outdoors in early spring is JUST what the doctor ordered for those suffering from sinus issues. Ahem.

Anyway, for the past few days the kids have been playing outside with all of the shovels and pails and golf clubs and trucks and balls that encompass our slightly eccentric collection of toys that live in the great outdoors. And every day, I look at the filth and think "I really need to clean those." And then I think "Next fall, I must remember to clean the toys at the END of the season and then store them IN the garage instead of leaving them strewn all over the lawn and deck for squirrels to play with, because really, it would be SO much easier to just open up the garage on the first nice day and have clean toys." And THEN I sit there and ponder why our lawn is such a squirrel magnet and forget all about the toys that need to be cleaned.

But it was finally nice enough today that I got inspired and decided that instead of sitting in the window contemplating the filthy toys, I would join the kids outdoors with a bucket of sudsy water and a box of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. And so I began to scrub. And scrub, and scrub some more.

Of course, once I got going, the kids decided that they were done outside and headed inside to wreak havoc in the playroom and wave out the window every few minutes "Mom! It isn't sparkly shiny yet! Keep scrubbing!" They are so helpful, my kids. But then I realized that it was kind of nice and peaceful out there all by myself, and if I just ignored the fact that every indoor toy in the house was being assembled into a "gigantic contraption of amazing proportions," I was actually having a lovely afternoon, sinuses and all.

Since I was having such a peaceful afternoon cleaning, I started scrubbing the outdoor toy box, the windows, and the folding chairs. I even thought really hard about starting in on the picnic table and chairs, but then remembered that oxyclean spray had done wonders on the chairs last year, so continuing would require a run to the grocery store. And I wasn't THAT inspired to continue scrubbing. Thus ended the annual spring cleaning day.

So come, play in our backyard! The toys are clean! A few are verging on sparkly shiny! You can even sit on a clean folding chair! But please, don't use the bathroom, OK? Better if you just go at home...

Sunday, March 11, 2007

An open letter to my sinuses

Dear Sinuses,

I know not why you hate me so. I thought we had finally reached a truce this winter, I made sure to drink lots of tea, I tried to sleep in a more upright position, and I indulged you with steam treatments on a regular basis. You rewarded me (so I thought) by remaining somewhat clear and allowing me to breathe through at least one nostril at a time. I could live with that. I wasn't asking for perfection.

But this morning when I woke up, Left Eye and Teeth registered a formal complaint. It seems that overnight you decided that your working conditions left something to be desired, and you made your displeasure known. Was it the new tea I tried yesterday? I know it wasn't what we were used to, but I thought Tastebuds might want some variety. Or is it the fact that I commented on how well-behaved you have been? I was just trying to pay you a compliment.

Whatever I did to upset you, I deeply, deeply apologize. Please let me make it up to you, just let me know what you need. I truly hope we can resolve this misunderstanding before the trees start blooming.

Sincerely,

Chichimama

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Evolution and the Louse

For some reason I found this article fascinating. I include the link with apologizes to Undercover Angel, who is battling the louse (of the head variety) as I type...

Who am I kidding?

I can't go back to work, I can't even manage to keep my kids dressed in clothes that fit them. A came up to me this morning after getting dressed an announced: "Mommy, these clothes are too small on me. I tried on every pair of pants in my drawer and they are all too small." And, indeed, I looked and all of her pants are capri length at best. How did I miss this one? It is not like she grew three inches overnight. C, when asked, admitted the same thing. "But that's OK mommy, they don't really hurt my tummy that much."

I bet you anything the kids shoes are too small too. Because I tried to remember the last time I took them to the shoe store and couldn't, which is never a good sign.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Am I nuts?

A job. I think I am applying for a job. (Good morning honey, I would have called you but you know, the time zone thing...). I'm spinning around my kitchen in a tizzy, trying to figure out how one goes about doing such things since it has been eight years since I did my last job search. How do I do this? Did I bother to update my resume before I left my old job? I bet I didn't. A cover letter. I am pretty sure I need one of those too.

It's not a big job, only a 12-15 hours a week, work from home most of the time, position. Which is, well, perfect. A way to ease back into the world of paid employment. A job that I am, on paper at least, well qualified for. Responsibilities that line up with my former ones. An organization that does advocacy in an area that is somewhat interesting to me, but will send M screaming up a wall in a conservative rage.

A job. I think I am applying for a job.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Yet Six More Weird Things About Me

Not So Little Sister tagged me for this one a while back. As did Boogiemum I think... A little embarrassing that I can come up with so many weird things about me, since I did this one about a year ago too, but hey, it makes me unique, right?

1) I believe in frequent pedicures, but never remember to cut my finger nails until my kids remind me. I think it stems from years of being a nail biter and not having to worry about cutting them. Now that I don't bite my nails, I forget that they do in fact grow...

2) I hate to cook the same meal twice. There are a few repeats in our menus (chili, enchilada casserole, quiche) but in general, I cook something different every night.

3) I only drink chardonnay in the winter and sauvignon blanc in the summer. If you try to serve me a chardonnay in July, I'll drink it, but it won't make me very happy. This time of year is a challenge. I end up keeping a bottle of both on hand, and which one gets opened depends on the temperature.

4) I hate to make left turns into traffic while driving. I try very hard to figure out how to get around without making a left turn. Which is why I love the jug handle. Love. Them.

5) I drink a diet soda almost every morning. I know, it grosses me out too. But I can't drink caffeinated coffee or tea because it sets off my heart palpitations. I can, however, handle the amount of caffeine in a Diet Coke, and it gives me enough pep to get the kids dressed and the beds made.

6) Walmart scares me. It really does. But yet, I can happily spend hours in Target. Are they that different? Not really. But yet, one causes me to have a panic attack and the other makes me do a happy dance. I can't explain it.

I won't tag anyone, but if you missed this one somehow, feel free to join in!

International Women's Day Meme

Landismom tagged me for this one (and yes, I know I still owe you a meme too Not So Little Sister...).

Name your five favorite things about feminism, and tag five other people.

1) The fact that I can vote. The ability to vote is one of the most underutilized vehicles for change in this country.

2) The fact that I can chose to be married, or chose not to be. Clearly, I chose to be married, but if I hadn't found "Mr. Right," I still could have owned property, gotten a job, and adopted a child.

3) The fact that I could get a high quality education without having to fight for it. My grandmother was one of the first female doctors, and I will always remember her stories of how she was treated in medical school.

4) The fact that I can wear a dress, high heels and makeup or yoga pants, a tee shirt and sneakers and either choice is acceptable.

5) The fact that (for the moment) my body is my own, and I can choose what to do with it.

I'll tag the last five people who commented on my blog: Steph, Undercover Angel, Gina, Beach Mama and Kristy. But everyone should feel free to join in and play...

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

There is nothing that drives a gal to the brink of insanity...

like finding out your former apartment in the city you love is worth almost three times what you sold it for. Especially right after you sell the house you bought after selling said apartment for less than you paid for it.

We never, ever, should have left the city. With that kind of profit we could have afforded private school. Green grass is soooo over-rated.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Opinions needed

OK, I know I have a bunch of opinionated readers, so I need you to weigh in! I am supposed to be knitting a baby cardigan for the church auction. I wanted it to be a gender neutral color to appeal to the most bidders, but not a boring yellow, or a white that we all know will get stained and ruined within hours. So I went with an orange,

but now that I am knitting it up, it is looking more salmon, and I am not so sure it is very gender neutral any more.


In my stash, I have enough of this Jaegar Roma yarn
to make the sweater. Unlike the Cashsoft above, however, it is not machine washable.

Before I get any further invested, what do you think?

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Overheard from the playroom

C: "A, I want THAT shoe box!"

A: "No!"

C:"But I really WANT that one! I'll trade you this one, I don't like this one..."

A: "No!"

Chichimama: "C, you know TELLING A that you don't like the shoe box you have is probably not the best negotiating technique in the world. Point out the good things about the box."

C: "A, this is a nice box, but yours is better and I want it."

A: "No!"

Chichimama: "Like this C. A, look at the cool box C has. It has finger holes so you can carry it around! And the top is attached, so you'll never lose it! It is really a great box."

A: "Oh! OK! Thanks C!"

C: "Wow. Thanks mom. (big pause) Wait, is that how you get me to do things too?"

Dumb Chichimama, dumb dumb Chichimama.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Your feet can thank me later

The most comfortable shoes ever, on sale for $29.99. Regularly $79. I have mine on right now, and it is just like wearing slippers. Ahhh....

Finishing is a bitch

So I lied a bit yesterday when I said I was done with the mystery project. I AM done knitting it, and I had all intentions of sewing it together last night, and I did, but then, YET AGAIN, I sewed it together backwards. Clearly, I don't learn from my mistakes.

There has to be someone out there somewhere who actually LIKES to sew things together, right? I bet someone could make a FORTUNE offering to finish up knitting pieces for folks. Although I guess that is kind of cheating, eh? However, as my cousin and I had no shame when cheating in Monopoly as long as it got done with style, I think I would feel no guilt in letting someone else sew up my sweaters. I'm just saying...

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Random Bullets of Boredom

  • We have been home all. day. long. because C has a) a random viral/fever/sore throat thing or b) strep. Every time I pick up the phone to call the doctor, the fever miraculously disappears and he has a half hour of cheerfulness before he descends back into cranky sick whinyness. But on the upside, he DID take a two hour nap both yesterday and today.
  • I know, I know. That fever coming and going totally points to random viral thing. But the only times he has taken a nap in the past year and a half have been when antibiotics were needed, leading me down the "I should really call or it is going to be like the time he had pneumonia all over again" path.
  • I've decided that it is a fine line between running to the pediatrician too frequently and not enough. In fact, I don't know that there is a middle ground. Because every time I bring someone in and it is nothing, I get the "There are lots of random viral things out there" talk, and every time I bring someone in and they have something, I always get the "You should have called two days ago" lecture.
  • I so miss our regular pediatrician who is out on maternity leave (may she please come back). I am not a huge fan of seeing random doctors who have no idea who we are or what all of our issues are.
  • Y'all were really, really quiet today. I kept refreshing my bloglines all day, and there was nothing. In fact, I even typed in some addresses in hopes that bloglines was broken.
  • Didn't you get the telepathic memo that I was bored silly and couldn't stand one more minute of PBS kids programing?
  • But, because of your lack of verbosity, I did finish mystery knitting project number one. It had some issues that will be discussed, with pictures, at a later date once the surprise has been sprung.
  • Now I have to turn to a baby sweater I agreed to knit for the church auction next month. It is going to be orange. What do you want to bet that I'm going to end up buying back my own donation? But the yarn was just too nice and the color just too cool to pass up. So much better than the boring gender neutral colors like yellow or green, don't you agree?
  • Is it bedtime yet? Please, let it be bedtime.

Since we're on the topic of books...

Well, after Amy's comment, I went digging to find the link between the books on the previous reading list. I didn't find it (I'm still going with my number of weeks on the NYT Bestsellers List theory, except the Joyce throws that off a bit...) but ran across this list and it struck me as an interesting one. And I would be particularly curious to see which books my readers have read and what you thought of the ones I haven't (hint, hint).

Anyway, courtesy of the Women's National Book Association (WMBA), here is a list of 75 books by women whose words have changed the world, as selected by WMBA members. If you check out the list on their site, they have even included brief synopsis, particularly helpful to those like me who sometimes forgets which books have actually been read and which have just sat in the "to read" pile so long that you think maybe you've read them through osmosis.

Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

Ruth Benedict, Patterns of Culture

Boston Women's Health Book Collective Staff, Our Bodies, Ourselves

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

Susan Brownmiller, Against Our Will

Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Willa Cather, My Antonia

Mary Boykin Chesnut, A Diary from Dixie

Kate Chopin, The Awakening

Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health

George Eliot, Middlemarch

Fannie Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book

Francis Fitzgerald, Fire in the Lake

Dian Fossey, Gorillas in the Mist

Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl

Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique

Emma Goldman, Living My Life

Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch

Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness

Edith Hamilton, Mythology

Betty Lehan Harragan, Games Mother Never Taught You

Karen Horney, Our Inner Conflicts

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Helen Keller, The Story of My Life

Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior

Elisabeth Kebler-Ross, On Death and Dying

Frances Moore Lappe, Diet for a Small Planet

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals

Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party

Beryl Markham, West with the Night

Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa

Golda Meir, My Life

Edna St. Vincent Millay, Collected Poems

Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

Marianne Moore, Complete Poems of Marianne Moore

Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

Lady Shikibu Murasaki, The Tale Genji

Anais Nin, The Early Diary

Flannery O'Connor, The Complete Stories

Zoe Oldenbourg, The World Is Not Enough

Tillie Olsen, Silences

Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels

Emmeline Pankhurst, My Own Story

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Katherine Anne Porter, Ship of Fools

Adrienne Rich, Of Woman Born

Margaret Sanger, An Autobiography

Sappho, A New Translation

May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Susan Sontag, Illness as Metaphor

Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin

Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror

Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter

Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Eudora Welty, Delta Wedding

Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome

Phyllis Wheatley, The Collected Works of Phyllis Wheatley

Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Well Read?

Note to blogline readers: Apparently the formatting doesn't come through well, so if you have any interest in seeing the list, you'll need to click through. Also, I couldn't unitalicize stuff, so if it is bolded and italicized, it just means I read it and was too lazy to retype.

As seen at Barbara's. I was actually curious who had come up with this list, and followed the meme links back as far as I could, but couldn't figure it out. It's sort of an odd one. But I liked it as it makes it seem like I read much more than I actually do when really, I just like to follow the NYTimes bestsellers herd. Please note that almost all of these were read well before the introduction of small chaos generators into my life.

Look at the list of books below.
* Bold the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austin)

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)

16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)

35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)

42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMavrier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)