Today I went to

Today I went to a Work Event, which is almost a guarantee that I will drink too much coffee.  Now I am mentally tired from talking to people all day but  physically awake from the caffeine.  NB is not home to listen to my sleepy, caffeine-fueled jabbering so instead I turn to you, Internet.

Over the weekend we carved pumpkins.  Our pumpkin looks disgusting.  We got one of the lumpy ones and carved it to look like a zombie.  I put red and green food coloring in some of the pumpkin guts and put them trailing out of the mouth.  Now the guts are kind of dry and crusted on, and I have to say, it looks even better.

How about some reviews of books I've read recently?

Epidemic! The World of Infectious Disease, edited by Rob DeSalle, published in conjunction with The American Museum of Natural History. Pluses: really easy to understand; published in 1999, so kind of interesting to note the absence of SARS, West Nile virus, swine flu, avian flu, and HPV and to think about how many diseases have emerged and/or become familiar to the public in a relatively short period of time.  Minuses: pretty simplistic and some parts are obviously aimed at kids; doesn't include many descriptions of diseases, which is why I checked it out in the first place.

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, edited by David Sedaris. This is a short story collection.  I didn't love every single story, but really enjoyed most of them.  The stories don't share a common theme, other than being short stories that David Sedaris likes, so you get a really wide variety.  I did find a couple of stories difficult to read (especially "The Girl with the Blackened Eye"), so be forewarned if you decide to check it out.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach. I'm in the middle of this book and so far I'm really enjoying it.  It contains some really great sentences, such as, "Albert R. Shadle was the foremost expert on the sexuality of small woodland creatures."

How about a story?

In 2008 I was temping as a receptionist and really hated my job.  One day at work, in an attempt to cheer myself up, I decided to go to David Sedaris's website.  It was perfect timing, because he was just about to come do a reading at a bookstore near my apartment.  I bought a copy of When You Are Engulfed in Flames, his newest book at the time, and went to the reading.  Afterward, I lined up in the book-signing line.  I was so completely starstruck when I finally got up to him that I just stared like a freak until he told me to hand him the book so he could sign it.  Then he asked me how I straightened my hair and drew a picture of Abraham Lincoln's head on the title page of the book.

How about two truths and a lie?

One time I got stuck on a rollercoaster.

One time I threw up in the air sickness bag on an airplane.

One time I found a mouse inside one of my snowboots.

Is anyone reading this?  If so, try to guess the lie.  Or just say hi, if you want.