My office is kind of quirky in that we have casual day on Monday instead of Friday. This is a nice way to begin the going-back-to-work grind because you can ease into it. Part of the defeat of beginning the work week is having to return to work and also having to wear work-ish clothing. So, with casual Mondays, you get to hold on to your jeans for one more day. I kind of like it more than having casual Fridays...although, I do like me some casual Fridays as well.
I want to give a shout-out for Lauren Willig's books. I'm currently reading my first novel by her, but it's the second in a series that she's written. So, I'm reading, "The Masque of the Black Tulip", and it's really interesting. If you like romance novels (check) and spy stories (check), you'd probably enjoy the Pink Carnation series that deals with the Selwick Spy School in Regency England. It's about a historian digging through some archives trying to unmask the deadly French spy known as The Black Tulip. Willig's novels are written basically as archival detective stories but with some romance thrown in. A history doctoral student digging through archives trying to discover something new for her dissertation reads old letters trying to piece together the lives of English and French spies. The Black Tulip, The Pink Carnation, The Purple Gentian and all of the spies in the Willig novels are fictional spies in the same vein as The Scarlet Pimpernel. I like this kind of thing. The Black Tulip is a French spy who is kind of causing mischief among the family and friends of the unmasked-in-the-first-novel Purple Gentian. There are a ton of books by Willig, so I'm looking forward to reading more from her.
Did you watch the Mizzou/Kansas game over the weekend? Perhaps you watched the Superbowl and saw Madonna looking pretty fierce at 53...or Tom Brady looking good at 34, before he was crushed by defeat? Or maybe you tuned in for Downton Abbey? I saw all three. I think Downton Abbey was the best. Like millions of others, I love that show and am totally hooked on the goings-on of the Crowleys and Granthams. Two more episodes left for this season and so many plot lines to clear up. Sigh. I will miss it when it's over again until next season. As far as the MU/KU game: they are always good games, and I'm glad Mizzou won, but I found myself to be pretty bored by it all this year. Everyone was talking non-stop about KU's decision to not play MU again for a while after this year when Mizzou moves to another conference. KU is bitter about MU leaving the Big 12. If there was a national championship for whining, Kansas would win every year. You can't out-whine a Jayhawk. I'm sure when the two meet up in Kansas later this month again, it will just be a re-hash of all the complaining about the rivalry dying out all over again, and I've heard enough.
Actually, if I was looking at going to watch a sport, I'd love to go see some sort of Olympic trial this year for the London Games next summer. I'd love to actually go to the Olympics, but that's not in the budget dontcha know. Out of all the summer events at the Olympics, I probably heart swimming the most. The Missouri Grand Prix is this weekend in Columbia for swimming. Jason Lezak is the only US swimming name that I recognized on the list, but there is a healthy list of international swimmers who were medalists in Beijing who are coming as well. Apparently, the Missouri Grand Prix is one of the first steps for prepping for the Olympic trials? Who knew? Not I. So, following that lead, I eventually found my way where the 2012 Olympic trials are held for swimming and, lo and behold, it's in Omaha this year in June and July. Which is not too far from me. I might head up there. That would be fun. And I could see some of the swimming folk in person. Hmmm.
...And then I went and looked at ticket prices and my eyes bugged out a little. But still... I might do it. Because the initial sticker shock wears off after you realize that the price is for four days of events. Not bad at all, actually when you think about it. Hmm. How often do you get to see Olympians competing for a spot on the national team in person? In an event you would watch in the Olympics anyway? Well, I never have. Maybe 2012 is the year I do. Yes. Maybe so. I love the Olympics. And having a summer full of it sounds good to me.
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