From the Kite Runner...

I don't know why these words leapt from the page as I read them. Perhaps because this is the shortest, gentlest, wisest summation of the difference between men and women I've read in a while.



Our hero, Amir, and his wife Soraya are seeing a fertility specialist, who says, "A man's plumbing is like his mind: simple, very few surprises. You ladies, on the other hand...well, God put a lot of thought into making you."

I say, Amen to that. And may He bless the differences. I love the straightforwardness of men.

Shear Genius, Kite Runner, Amazons and the Demise of Barnes & Noble

This post is another loopy product from Ms. Place's mind, so once again, bear with me.

I can't wait for a fresh installment of Shear Genius tonight. Tabatha made the show truly exciting, but she was booted off for taking her eye off the top prize and getting sidetracked by a small gnome named Tyson. Never mind. I'm hooked. And I shall watch Shear Genius until the bitter end. (Click here for my Tabatha quiz on Bravissimo.)

I love popular culture and find that crud t.v. is good for the soul. Truth is, I love trad as well (a new word I learned from a tweenie. It's short for traditional.) In regard to trad, I must finish Kite Runner by Khaled Hoisseini for book club tomorrow.

Run, don't walk to your nearest Amazon.com or library and read this 2004 novel. I rarely gush over popular literature, but this book is guaranteed to please and teach at the same time. It is worth every penny I spent and I haven't even finished the darned thing yet!


I bought Kite Runner at Barnes & Noble about a year ago. It sat in the front of the store, proudly displayed amongst other best sellers.

Today I walked into Barnes & Noble after work, wanting to find the Annotated Pride and Prejudice and to purchase an expensive gift certificate for a colleague who is leaving. I could not remember the title or author, so I provided some search words to the young person at the Reference Desk. After searching the store's intranet, she came up with nothing. Zip. Nada.

Worse, this so-called reference expert didn't know what I was talking about. Bad sign. I asked her to google the terms. She said they were not connected to the Internet. Then I whipped out my lap top to do the search myself, but Barnes & Noble does not offer free Wi Fi. Huh? I gotta pay to search their product?

After the sweet young thing futzed for 10 minutes, I said never mind, made my $89 purchase, and raced home to my computer. I googled the following words: pride and prejudice companion book Jane Austen. And, Voila! Amazon came up with the right book in less than a blink of an eye.

Sayonara, Barnes & Noble. With gas prices soaring, I think I'll stay home, watch Shear Genius, finish Kite Runner, and order from Amazon.com from now on.