Well, first no one's perfect. There are some things I'd like to change about myself and, if I could do it surgically, I might, but since I can't, c'est la vie, que sera sera. Of course having said that I'm also aware that many times when we see flaws in ourselves and focus on them, they become an obsession. I am sure Dallas is a lovely young gentlewoman and, whether or not she goes ahead with the surgery, I hope she likes and appreciates herself and can see herself through the eyes of trusted friends & family.
Second, I can empathize with the book situation. I have boxes upon boxes of books here, a lot left over from my college days. I was one of those people who rarely sold their text books back at the end of the semester, and have always had a love of the written word (no freakin' duh!). The majority of my books are either history or anthropology (tons of Native American enthographs). A couple atlases, some geography books, a couple shelves devoted to genealogy (3 copies of Burke's Peerage, the oldest ca 1842). The only way I might be able to put them all out would be to line the rest of my walls with bookshelves and that's just not possible (how'd I get into my closet or where'd I put my bed, desk & TV?). Then again I used to live in the library-no place cooler (I mean temp-wise). Heck, when I was around 11 or 12 I had a library card to the Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado! That was a wicked-***-cool library!
Never had a family reunion per se, at least one I've been invited to. I've only met my 1st cousins a few times in my life, haven't spoken to my aunts or years, only met my uncle (Mom's bro) once and spoken to him I think twice. Dad's brother & their parents died years ago. I know names and the like, but I'm without doubt the family blacksheep-maybe why I wound up being the "family historian" too? Still, if you get to go, have fun.
And lastly glad you're feeling better, Ms D! Stay healthy & happy. "Be the willow, grasshopper, and bend with the wind, not the proud oak that falls" paraphrasing Kung-Fu there ...paz!
