Putting it in Writing

This is f-ing ridiculous.
I WILL finish this online class and send it to the web developer! TODAY!!
There, it's out there, so y'all hold me to it.

Books I Never Finished

Usually when I get I book I cannot put it down. I read it cover to cover, until it is finished, or my eyes fall out. Whichever comes first. SO the list of books I've never finished is pretty short, but here goes:
Stephen Covey "First Things First". From Amazon's website "Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them.". It seems like a great fit, I love organizers, I need balance, and Stephen is the Master Organizer. So why didn't I finish it? The man cannot write! Hell, I couldn't make it through chapter 1! And I tried twice! He should take some lessons from Suze Ormon. I don't always agree with her methods, but her writing style is engaging,
So, I struggle on without personal and worklife balance....Sigh.

"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood.

Another strange one for me. Ms. Atwood is one of my favorite writers. "The Handmaid's Tale" is in my top 5 favorite novels! (And I've read hundreds, if not thousands, of them, so that is no small feat.) But O&C didn't engage me like her usual novels. Maybe it was the gloom and doom? No, probably not. She has a lot of that in her other books and it never really bothered me. I dunno, I just couldn't seem to connect with any of the characters. And it jumped around too much for me to feel invested in the story line. It was just kinda "Meh" for me.

I think that's it. Short list, right? I may add to it if I can think of anything else.
What got me to thinking about this was reading another blogger's post about having read "Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell". She LOVED it (as did I). But I didn't at first. I actually put it down after the first 100 pages or so. It was just a lot of boring background to me. A few weeks later, I took another running start at it and this time it captured me. Like the other reader, I couldn't put it down (and it's a BIG book). So, maybe one day I should give Mr. Covey or Ms. Atwood another chance. To paraphrase the often tossed-around break-up line "Maybe it's me, not the book, that is the problem".

Thankful

What a strange day. One the one hand, I am baffled by one of my former colleagues. She and I have some research projects that we are collaborating on but are winding up. I have long considered her a mentor and a valued associate. Yet she has (twice now) been untrustworthy and downright dispicable. I realize she is under a lot of pressure, the research arena is suffering for funding with the Big Monkey in Charge's wacked-out financial priorities. Therefore everyone is scrambling to not go under. But STILL! That is no reason to backstab someone else.
On the other hand, it is pouring rain, rumbling thunder that takes forever to fade away, and is darkly beautiful. I am thankful that my husband drove my car to work this morning, instead of riding his motorcycle. He will remain warm and dry when he comes home (in ~30 minutes).
It's a small amount of gratitude facing off against a large amount of stress. But I am grabbing onto the positive with both hands.