Updates of the not-very-literate kind

All of New England is going be getting a snowstorm tomorrow.  I can't express how happy I am to work at a job where I'm not required to be here if it snows, and to have a boss whose motto seems to be "If it snows, go (or stay) home."  With the expected snowfall of anywhere between 8 and 20 inches, I'm very much looking forward to a day of sleeping in, watching TV, knitting, and reading.

This snow day is coming at a most auspicious time, considering that I went to the doctor yesterday about my back and was diagnosed with scoliosis and early-onset arthritis of the spine.  The picture here shows what scoliosis looks like.  My back x-rays, which I got to see, look a lot like this picture.  Scoliosis is when the spine is angled to the side.  Looks fun, doesn't it?  Blech.  As for the arthritis...when I told my mom that I was diagnosed with it, she told me that my pediatrician had predicted spinal arthritis when I got older, for whatever reason.  I guess they never thought I needed to know about it!  (Well, truth be told, I didn't, since it's not exactly something that can be easily avoided...).

Right now I'm on painkillers that are so weird that I can sometimes feel my heartbeat in my face (just go with it), and knock me out for 10 hours at a time.  Good stuff.

Reading, unfortunately, has been slow going.

I have never, ever gotten my butt kicked by a historical biography as I have by Richard the Third.  Not even kidding -- it is SLOW GOING.  I love history, I really do, but this book is dry.  And I've never blanched at a book as much as I did when Paul Murray Kendall admitted that no part of this book (save for Appendix I) would speculate as to whether or not Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower.  Probably the biggest mystery of his reign, and Kendall glosses over it.

And yet, I'm still intrigued.  This is the book that those who believe in Richard III's innocence  have been looking for.  Kendall crushes speculation of the diabolical rumors surrounding Richard, Duke of Gloucester's life as "Tudor tale(s)" and tries to explain the reasons behind Richard's seizure of the English throne after the death of his brother, Edward IV.  The villain in Kendall's biography isn't Richard, it's Queen Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV and mother of the Princes in the Tower, the lovely commoner who dared not only to marry a king, but to push her family into places of power they did not deserve.  Seeing Richard painted in a positive light is unusual and refreshing.  I've got about 200 pages left to go.  I'd love to finish it either tonight or tomorrow and have a complete review.

I have a few other fiction pieces on deck, since I know histories and biographies aren't for everyone.  But I'm not allowing myself to read anything but Richard until I'm finished with it (it's the only way it's going to be done).

Finally, I caved in and ordered a cover for my Kindle!  I've been carrying Annabelle Lee (yes, it's from Poe; yes, I took some artistic license with the spelling) around in her box ever since I got the Kindle for Christmas, but I've been planning on buying a good, sturdy cover since that day.  I was planning on buying the cheaper version of Amazon's cover, but a lot of reviews said that it short-circuited the Kindle when used, so I spent the extra $20 to buy the more expensive version.  And this one has the book light, which (though it says it will drain the battery faster) will be useful for night reading, especially when David and I drive to and from his family's home in Massachusetts.  He hates it when I turn the inside light of the car on to read (says it distracts him), so now I won't need to do that.  Unfortunately for me, the cover won't come until tomorrow, according to Amazon.  And since I don't trust the mail at our apartment, and it's going to my parents' house...and we're getting a snowstorm...I probably won't be able to get it until at least Thursday.  Boo.

Oh well.  I've waited more than three weeks for it, I can wait a day more :)