...and I have a few memes to catch up on. First up, last weeks Sunday Brunch:

'The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.' -Mark Twain

1) Do you use bookmarks?

Absolutely. I hate mangling the corners of pages to keep my place.

2) What is your favorite book?

Richard Bach's "The Bridge Across Forever"

3) Who is your favorite author?

Hrm... that's a hard one. It's not Richard Bach, amazingly. I think Jonathan Kellerman would take that prize.

4) What is the movie you feel is the most authentic version of a book?

I don't think that I've seen one yet that is truly an honor to the original story.

5) Is there a book you wish they would make into a movie and why?

Um... not at the moment.

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Last week's Friday Forum:

1) If you could choose any warm-weather or tropical destination for the *ultimate* winter getaway vacation, where would you choose and why? How would you spend your time while there? Do you have any winter vacation getaway plans this year?

Fiji. I'd go back to Fiji. There would probably be monsoons, but it would be warm and tropical and I'd spend the day reading on the beach or hiking a little bit. I didn't have any winter getaway plans this year - I don't usually, as that's the busiest time of year at work.

2) Would you prefer living in a place that had temperate weather all year round, or do you enjoy the change in seasons? What would be the perfect weather climate for you? Which season is your favorite?

I do live in a place that has temperate weather all year round: California! I don't know, so they say, what real seasons are like. Personally, I like it here in California, despite the morons who forget how to drive in the rain.

3) Are you interested in weather? Do you ever watch the 24-hour weather channels? Have you taken any weather and climate classes? Would you ever want to be a "storm chaser" or a meteorologist?

I have this vague idea that I wanted to be a meteorologist at one point, but there's nothing solid attached to that idea for me. I've always been interested in the weather though and how people figure out if rain is coming or sun or snow. I've been known to watch the weather channel, but only long enough to catch what's going on in my area of the world.

4) Do you think that thunderstorms are cool or scary? Were you ever afraid of thunderstorms as a child? Have you ever gone out and played in the rain? Does rain make you feel down, or do you love the rain?

I have always loved thunderstorms, despite the rare times that I get them in my part of the Bay Area. I've never been afraid, but I watched my kids be afraid the first time they were exposed to a freak long storm of them in September 1999. They were 2 & 3, and I had to make them fun. So I called them crackles and Boom-booms, and laughed everytime one happened, and we counted together between them. They're older now, and mostly not afraid of the crackles and booms.

I've gone puddle stomping in the rain - in my shoes and in my Jeep. We've taught the kids to enjoy it, and we all pretty much love the rain.

5) Have you ever been in a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other severe weather? What was it like?

I've never really been in true severe weather other than an earthquake back in 1989... I'd rather not talk about that.

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Then there's this week's Friday Forum... well, last Friday's.

1) Do you enjoy furniture shopping? Why/why not? Have you made any furniture purchases recently, or do you plan to in the near future? How often do you buy a new piece of furniture, and where do you usually shop?

Eh. I only enjoy furniture shopping if I'm actually going to make a decision on something that very day and not drag myself (or be dragged) to every store in creation to find just the perfect piece. I've not bought anything recently, but have extremely great hopes of being able to buy something soon - I really could use a new couch. I think it's been about... hrm... at least 5 years since we bought new furniture (excepting the sword cabinet DH found at a garage sale last year)

2) How would you describe the style of furniture in your home right now? Do you have matching sets, or is your style more "ecletic" or mix-and-match? What type of wood/finish do you typically prefer (oak, pine, natural, maple, mahogany, etc.)?

Our bedroom furniture is a set, except the bed. We have a lot of eclectic pieces that don't match on purpose, but we try to match where we can, so we tend to stay with light oak and maple finishes on things. We do have some darker pieces though that have been with either of us for a long time and are still very serviceable.

3) What was your bedroom furniture like when you were a child? Do you still use any of it in your home? What's the oldest piece of furniture that you own?

My bedroom furniture as a child. I can barely remember it other than it seemed a bit cheap. I don't have any of it in my house since my mom seemed to have a hard time letting go of anything in my room (it's sort of shrine like, but used for storage too. It's eerie). I think I have to say that the oldest piece of furniture that I own is my couch (the one that I want to replace) that's about 12 years old.

4) Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? Painted it? Sanded and stained it? Have you ever tried making a piece of furniture by hand?

I've never refinished furniture, but I think I'd like to if I find the right piece to work on. DH has made furniture by hand - he built me a small bookcase a few years back that I promptly filled to overflowing.

5) If we looked right now, what would we most likely find on your living room coffee table? What about on the nightstand in your bedroom?

The coffee table downstairs has my lap stand with Guardian on the Q-snaps, a pile of National Geographics that I need to finish reading through, and A's box for Valentine's Day at school.

The nightstand is piled with books (we're talking serious piles here), a lamp, the clock, and a box of tissues.

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And finally, yesterday's Sunday Brunch....

"There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub." -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

1) Do you take baths or showers?

I'm definitely a shower person. Baths are nice, but I still need to rinse off and warm up and get moving in a shower afterwards. B has been a big bath person, but she's finally decided that she likes showers too.

2) Do you like the water super hot or just tepid?

Oh, hot water please. And I get a little grouchy when someone runs the dishwasher and the washing machine at the same time that I'm getting into the shower.

3) Do you use bath gel, bath crystals, bubble bath, or other scented stuff?
None of the above.

4) What do you like to do when you take a bath?

On the rare occasions that I do take baths, I like being left alone with some music and a good book.

5) What is your one item essential to a great bath?

Solitude.