Shop Girl

She Really Likes the Backyard Swing

My granddaughter is battering down barriers. Yesterday she completely overcame my anathema of losing sleep by providing luminous early morning company. Later in the day she took me shopping and I didn’t hate it. If you’ve read this blog at all you know that I’ve been known to break out in hives at just the thought of shopping. The fact that I remain married to one of the most accomplished shopping enthusiasts in the Western Hemisphere is still one of life’s greatest mysteries.

She Also Loves Water Bottles

Especially as a Weapon

Mid-Assault on Gramma

My daughter needed to go to the local Tarjeé store (Target for those you less sophisticated) to lay in some baby supplies. In a major surprise to my wife I volunteered to lead the expedition. I’ve found there’s an inverse relationship with the amount of time I spend with my daughter/granddaughter and depression. The more time I get to hang out with them the happier I feel.

Chillin at the Store

My granddaughter, at the end of her day of charming the world, was a great sport. She immediately took to the shopping cart and tried to look “cool”. She offered cogent advice to her mother when we reached the food selection aisle. Despite this advice my daughter still picked up some green beans. I’ve been secretly counseling my granddaughter to hold out for either pizza or steak (it’s in her genetic heritage).

Sending a Hug to her Sick Uncle

I can honestly state that this was the most fun I’ve had shopping since the last time I in a toy store with her mother and her brother when they weren’t a whole lot older than she is now. I can’t wait until she’s a little bit older and we can hit a toy store together. She’ll have a tall order to live up to her mother’s first reaction to a Toys ‘R Us. We’ve constantly reminded her since that day (much to her annoyance) that she stopped after entering and seeing the multitude of toys, gasped, and uttered the immortal phrase, “I WANT EVERYTHING!”. She is her mother’s child after all.

Wingman and the Boys were in Toronto

With all of last week's abdominal surgery excitement I forgot to note the finishing of the second in Lawrence Block's excellent Keller series. Yesterday I polished off the third book in the series, Hit Parade. While industriously deadly assassin Keller will never approach Matthew Scudder in terms of heroism he's a very interesting character.  As with all of Block's prose the real attraction are the words. He has somehow made an semi-unrepentant hit man someone to root for. Luckily most of Keller's victim's are in need of life shortening for a variety of entertaining reasons. I was logged on ready to read the next installment when I noticed the arrival of another tome from "the Master" (Stephen King). Keller will have to wait for a week or so while I devour King's latest.