Friday, November 17, 2006

Am I back?



My beautiful sister asked me a couple of weeks ago if I had stopped writing on my blog...I guess the correct answer is "yes" because it's been a WHILE. However, it wasn't intentional...just with working full time now and actually having a job that I like but that challenges me 98% of the time, my brain is totally drained at the end of the day. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

So what's been going on? I am still lovin' my job! Had an encouraging discussion with my boss today...I think we're both pretty pleased so far with my time there. I'm learning a lot about New York politics, which as you can imagine gets pretty interesting at times! Other times, I look at how ridiculous politics can get in New York and how ridiculous it can get in Texas, and I think "NYC, you could learn a few things from Texas!!! You ain't got nothin' on us!"

Anyway, so that's whats going on at work. It can only get so interesting, right? How's life? Great! Mike and I went to Austin a couple of weeks ago to see my beautiful and wonderful college roomate Maria get married to her wonderful man Mark. So she is now Maria Serafine, no longer Delgado. I am so happy for her...and even better, Mike LOVED Austin! Of course...what's not to love, right? Right smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Texas hill country, live music capital of the world, one of the largest universities in the country (recently deemed the #1 party school in the US!), quite excellent Mexican food and barbecue. I mean, what else do ya need?

My friend/former roomate Jennifer is about 16 weeks into her pregnancy now...it's getting very exciting! She is starting to show a bit and she's definitely a cutie! She thinks that the baby is going to be a girl and Harry thinks it's gonna be a boy...go figure. =)

So not only has it been a while since I have written a solid blog entry, it's been even longer since we've talked books...anybody read any good books lately? I certainly have. Currently, I am reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. So far, it's really interesting, but I'm only about 50 pages into it. I'll let you know as I get further into it. If you have read it, don't give anything away! Before Kite Runner, I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I had a conversation with Steph about this one...it's really interesting, although the premise doesn't necessarily sound too captivating. The boy (Pi, pronounced Pie) gets stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger in the middle of the Pacific. I won't give any more away than that, but trust me...it's intriguing.

Before Life of Pi, I read Peace Like A River by Leif Enger which was really spectacular. Just a real beautiful novel . Takes place in the 60s and plays a bit with the miracles of life (not the miracle of life as in conception, but literally miracles). It's really something.

Let's see...before Peace Like A River, I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Briefly, it's about a famous female novelist whose true life story nobody actually knows because despite the hundreds of biographers who have come to her over the years asking for her story, she has never given the truth to anyone. Towards the end of her life, she decides she wants to tell her story, and it is quite a story! To me, it was the quintessential book because it was a story about a story. Hard to explain. I highly recommend all of these books!

Okay, perhaps this will do for now. I hope that I still have readers. I apologize for the length of time that has passed since my last entry. I will try to do better, but you know, between work and books, who has the time? Love y'all!!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

For a very good cause

I am writing for a very specific reason. Some of you may already be aware of this need as you may be on the same mailing list for Michelle Coffey (formerly Hampton). Her father has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. She has been asking for people to register with the National Bone Marrow Donation Program (NMDP) as a potential donor for her father. To read more about his condition, you can visit Michelle and Mike's (her husband) website at www.coffeys.net. I just registered with the NMDP and will be receiving the testing kit in the mail later on this week...it is very easy to get tested...it only requires a cheek swab. No needles, no pain.

Anyway, I hope that you will all consider being tested. It does require a small fee of $52 which if you are like me and just starting out professionally, can initially be a bit daunting, but it is small in comparison to a person's life, so please don't let that stop you!!! To find out more about the donation program, visit www.marrow.org.

I hope all is well with all of you! Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I will get you in touch with Michelle.

All my love!

Kelly