Two, and three.

I've been busy reading. First up on the list was Leslie Carroll's Notorious Royal Marriages, a book I had started before but suspected I hadn't finished. Turns out I did finish it that first time but I couldn't seem to put it down, it was so depressing . Being royal did mean power and money-most of the time-but it also was synonymous with heartache and depression. Henry VIII? Went through six wives and never found true happiness or contentment and worried to his dying day about the state of his soul because of his rift with the Pope (although it seems he never contemplated reversing his decision). Eleanor of Aquitaine, my personal favorite, was imprisoned for fifteen years because her husband, Henry Plantagenet, cheated on her and she had the temerity to be upset by it and to take action. She outlived him, however, and devoted herself to her sons, so I imagine she wasn't completely unhappy (although three of her sons died before she did, including her beloved Richar...

And bored. Fidgety and bored. It happens regularly this time of year. I would just console myself with the thought of another semester starting but, for me, that is not happening. So my brain is restless, and nowhere was that more evident than in church this past Sunday. I normally pay attention, take notes, and I was doing that, but the hair distracted me. It did not move. It was completely hair sprayed into place. After watching this phenomenon for a while I turned my attention to the other hair styles in the room, noting those that were obviously hair spray-plastered and those that were allowed to move freely. I definitely appreciate the free-moving ones; the other ones are rather scary. Wasn't that fascinating? Elucidating? I did think of expanding my culinary abilities. So far I have made macaroni and cheese (not from a box!), reduced-calorie macaroni and cheese (once I figured out how many calories were in regular macaroni and cheese), Irish Soda Bread, Bread Machine...