Why read Fantasy?

My hubby is eternally puzzled about why I feel the need to pick up a fantasy novel when I could be reading a true crime, murder mystery, or some such other equally acceptable piece of literature. I say to him, I don't want to read something I can see on the news or CSI. I get my fill of that stuff everyday in real life. I want to read something that has it all: Mystery, adventure, war, murder, romance, sex, happily-ever-after, and the epitome of what every little girl wants: A fairy tale.

You see, I never got over my childhood dream of being a princess, of finding a frog and kissing it to rescue prince charming, of rescuing nations in distress from all means of magical mayhem. Why should I have to? I read in my spare time for fun, as a form of entertainment, and to exercise my creativity and imagination. When do we get too old for that? Answer: Never.

I'm not quite sure why I feel that twinge whenever I walk into the fantasy section at the bookstore... you know... that twinge that means other people are probably looking at you and thinking you're a weirdo. I look around and see many people that I would label as "nerdy" or strange. But who the hell cares about labels anyway? I read fairy tales for grown-ups (ok... and a little teen lit thrown in there), and dammit I'm proud!

Take what I'm reading currently for example. It's the sword of truth series. There are 10 books (I think), and they are so wonderful, I've read some of them half-a-dozen times. They are a worn and treasured favourite. I cry when the characters die (even though I KNOW they are going to die because I've read it before), I'm ecstatic when they win. I love to hate the bad guys, and love to cheer for the good guys. If you are enjoying twilight, or any other of the vampire culture books and are feeling the need for something more, this is the place to go.

Reading fantasy novels doesn't make you a nerd... it simply makes you well read!

P.S. The first book in this series is Wizards First Rule. Highly Recommended.

Suspicion Q&A

A few things I have learned in the past few weeks.

What is the greatest compliment you can give your partner? The benefit of the doubt. Believe in them, or go find someone you CAN believe in.

What is the fastest way to ruin a relationship? Constant accusations of cheating, which brings on self-rightous defense mechanisms, which lead to anger, frustration, and a need to eat an entire container of chocolate ice-cream. Confront your partner 1 time, if you are sure you have grounds, then drop it. If you are still suspicious, the trust with your partner has been broken and you have a serious problem. There is not enough chocolate ice-cream in the entire world to make you feel better.

What's the root cause of jealousy? Paranoia. Fear of losing something because of lack of self confidence. Your partner is with you because they saw something in you that was worth keeping. If you spend all of your time worrying about it disappearing, how will you ever enjoy it?

How to boost your self confidence? If you don't believe in yourself, niether will any one else. You cannot fully love someone else until you learn to love yourself. Lack of self-confidence brings misery for both of you. Stop carrying around all that unessesary stress and just LIVE. Perhaps you will no longer NEED the ice-cream, but will spend time enjoying it instead.

Life is hard enough without creating stress for you and your partner. If you can't get over your feelings, get help or get out! Life is too short to be miserable forever.

Vacation on a Budget

Like most of the rest of the world, we are a little short on cash at the moment. We are comfortable, but unfortunately the spend, spend, spend lifestyle we used to love is a thing of the past. Every year, I have the first 2 weeks of July off. Usually I would go up North to cottage-country and spend a blissful fortnight in the comforts of my childhood, but alas, this year we had to stay closer to home... very close to home... and while camping in the driveway was an option, I can't imagine sleeping on those little pointy stones. So instead, we came up with in-expensive day trips. I HAD SO MUCH FUN! We had Hubbys son for half of the time.

• Travel to a nearby beach on Lake Erie. Beautiful sand, freezing cold water, and lots of sunshine. Cost: 1 kite for $1.25, and $5 in gas. We had so much fun we went back for the next 2 days!
• Walked to a local festival. It was Ribfest, but due to the fact that we are watching what we eat, we opted to have dinner at home (plus it was within walking distance! Score!). Cost: $5 for an all day pass for the kids play zone - which consisted of giant inflatable bouncy attractions. The little munchkin could not get enough of these, and asked to go back after supper for some more fun! There was lots to see and local musical talent. Free admission.
• Went to the Wednesday market! I've never been able to go, as I'm always working or out of town, it was FANTASTIC. Basically like a giant flea market, with home baked goods, local artists, and crafts.
• Cleaned up the gardens and the front porch. Now I have a little paradise to relax in after work. It's beautiful. Hubby will make some new flower boxes for me next week. Cost: $20 in mulch (badly needed!)
• Read 2 complete novels on my newly cleaned front porch. I can't tell you what a luxury it was to have time to read. Cost: Free!
• Took the munchkin to see Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Cost: $30. It was a good movie, I'm a sucker for cartoons.
• Watched the entire first season of the show Dexter during the nights with hubby. If you haven't seen it, you should! Cost: Free.
• Visited the driving range (my god my golf swing is GONE). Had a lot of laughs, mostly at my expense. More fun in the sun. Cost: $9 for 2 large buckets of balls.

We did lots of crafts with the munchkin, and went to see him play baseball, (he was sooo cute) I'll try to post a pic later, but my camara is dead at the moment). I came back to work feeling relaxed and refreshed, without the stress that accompanies a long trip. It was wonderful. A vacation with all the comforts of home! Plus, I have a great tan.