Getting Caught Up and Getting a Kindle

I'm caught up on my blogging, including Day 42.  That's about my only accomplishment for the day!  I am really enjoying the discipline of writing on a daily basis.

But when I wrote about the Winnie the Pooh calendar I had used to paint a mural for Dats (now age 9) when he was a baby, it reminded me of an obligation that I had meant to fulfill over Christmas break and had managed to completely forget about (and now it's Wednesday night and we return to school on Monday!).  Melissa's cousin Angie had put me in contact with a sweet older couple who have found themselves in the position of raising their grandchildren - a boy and a girl.  This couple wanted someone to paint a mural on the wall of their little grandson's room to make it his own.  I've been to their house to see the space and get some ideas, but have not yet carved out the time to do the actual painting.  (We first talked about this mural before school started in August!)  The latest idea from the boy is characters from Toy Story ... but the grandmother would also like some Scripture verse tied into the scene!  Got any ideas for me?  ("And, lo, I am with you always... to infinity and beyond!"??) 

I've committed to doing this - and they are willing to pay - so I really need to get moving on it.  Maybe New Year's Day would be a good time to do it... that tends to be a pretty lame holiday. 

Speaking of Melissa's cousin Angie (and I was, a ways back), today she gave me the best present I got this Christmas:  her old Kindle.  Apparently her husband got her a newer model for Christmas.  (For those who don't know, the Kindle is an electronic device capable of holding hundreds of downloaded books.) 

Although I tend to be an old-fashioned kind of guy, there are at least four obvious advantages to having a Kindle:  1) It's compact (much smaller than a stack of books) 2) It's easy to read (you can change the font size if you need to) and 3) You can shop for books on-line and immediately download them without the time and expense of visiting a bookstore (and I can waste HOURS in a bookstore!) and 4) Downloaded e-books are cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) than paper books.  I've already sampled some books on learning Haitian Creole.

Here's a funny little coincidence.  I didn't fully explain this yesterday, but when Bob and I were talking about the book "Radical", he said he had looked at it in a bookstore not long ago and had almost bought a copy for himself because it was on a table which had a sign stating "$4.99".  But he was suspicious because it was the only copy of "Radical" on the table.  A salesclerk confirmed that "Radical" did not belong there; it costs $15.  So Bob didn't buy it. But I so wanted Bob to read the book, I gave him my copy, knowing I would get a replacement copy for myself, even though I knew it costs $15.

You know how much "Radical" costs for Kindle?  $5.00!

Thanks, Angie!  You made my day.

P.S.  Angie's Kindle came with a stylish leather cover ... in PINK.  Melissa suggested she would look on-line for a new cover, but I'm telling her not to do it.  I'm cheap and don't want to spend any unnecessary money.  I'm secure in my manhood.  Besides, this way I'm not likely to misplace it.