Completion

Book
I am this close to finishing a book and it is killing me that I had to come to work today instead of finishing. It's killing me that I have* to volunteer tonight instead of finishing. I was up until 1:00 this morning reading it. This morning when I got up, after I showered, instead of getting ready for work I sat down and read. I have been sucked into Speak Softly She can Hear. I picked it up at the library on Monday night because I was waiting on Matty to go to dinner. I had read 75 pages by the time he showed up about an hour later. (I was there early having come from my chiropractic appointment and he was running late due to a new hippie tenant.) It's a psychological thriller (Voltaire! I hate that phrase) about a girl who makes a bet with her friend and they decide they are going to lose their virginity to this guy her friend knows. An incident happens that night, and all 3 of them end up burying a dead body out in the snow. The guy convinces Carole (main character) it was she who killed the woman. And spends the rest of the book tormenting her with this info. She keeps running away (to protect herself and her family. The guy tells her that her father will be ruined if it were ever to be found out... the dad is an attorney). He keeps finding her and screwing with her life so she runs again. On the one hand you kind of know the guy's version of the story isn't right, but at the same time you are wondering, if not then what the hell did happen. And once she finally spills the secret to her live in boyfriend, you just feel this great sense of relief for her. I think I have 2 chapters left. I may have to be rude at lunch today and read while the cult of the virgins talk around me.

*I don't HAVE to volunteer tonight. I choose to volunteer tonight. I made a commitment yesterday that I'd go there today and I don't want to back out even though I'm dying to finish this goddamn book.

TV
Last night on GSN (Game Show Network) was the conclusion of Season 3 of The Amazing Race. I can honestly say that if this were the first season I had ever seen of the show I'd never have watched it again. The very worst possible people won. (Person actually, her partner wasn't that awful although kind of passive.) My favorite team, of course, did not win. I did get all excited, though, for 2 reasons. 1 - Part of the leg they were in Oahu and I recognized part of their location, although not most of it. Mostly the driving bits. 2 - They ended in Seattle so I recognized a lot more of their location and that made me happy. It doesn't take much sometimes, really.

Another book
Over the weekend I finished The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank. Another really good read. Dr. Graham (the brain behind the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank) may have been a complete loon (and partially a racist but nowhere near as bad as the most notorious of his donors a William Shockley who was one step away from the KKK I'm sure), but he completely revolutionized the way people are able to have choice at sperm banks in this country. There was some history about both artificial insemination and sperm banks in general. I found that somewhat fascinating. There was a lot of discussion about the backlash Graham faced as a result of only recruiting champions in their field. (Gold medal winners, business men, geniuses) But at the same time, these days, if a person is going that route, most people want the best sperm money can buy. Healthy, intelligent, handsome, etc. He then also talked to some of the donors and some of the kids. Unfortunately at least one donor turned out to be a total waste. Not a genius, and really just an ass and kind of an awful guy. And in one notable story, he matched a donor up to his acutal child and the mom and child and donor all spend time together and they regard the donor as more of a grandfather figure which seems to work for them all.