Squirrel on a Treadmill

This squirrel is running on a treadmill. And I don't mean metaphorically!

It was my birthday this week (or as my Polish grandmother used to say, "birsdy"), and as a treat I got myself a one-year pass to the Saskatoon Leisure Centres. Now, as soon as Jimbo takes the Sprout into his room to put him to sleep at night, I duck out and go to the gym or the pool for an hour. I'm a bit stiff from the treadmill and the weight-training, but am bursting with pride at my excessive sportiness.

Am finding the stationary bike to be a bit dull, and the first night I found myself flipping through a surprisingly sexually candid issue of Jane magazine. As a librarian, it's always good to know what the public is reading, but it was very odd. Have just hit on the idea of reading award-winning children's fiction (my other recent hobby) while cycling! I'll just bring the book du jour, so I don't have to hunt down a good magazine article.

I read one Newbery honor book a few weeks ago that I can't get out of my head: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. It's about a boy who's a clone, and usually this sort of book would not be to my taste. The raw emotional situations in which the protagonist finds himself affected me very powerfully. Being a parent has certainly changed how I react emotionally to books about children.

Am currently in the middle of A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. It is the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago, both Newberys. Both books are about two children who regularly spend a week staying with their grandmother - and they're too funny. Grandma shares many qualities with my Aunt Frieda, and she's a real spoiled brat.

This Newbery/Caldecott reading hobby is very satisfying. I'm never without a good book, and I can always finish a book in a day or two, even though I have little time to myself. And it just gets better - now I can get all buff and literary at the same time. Note to self: don't sweat on the books, Sporty.