Pajama Game
Sep. 22nd, 2020 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisNow I have two pair of perfect pajamas. Ready for my fire alarm.
Over the years we've had one maybe two fire alarms in this building. [Interestingly enough the two times we've had actual fires, the alarms didn't go over but whatever.] In the beginning I sometimes went downstairs and outside. But then one night the alarm went off about 2 am. I was sleeping in the rattiest clothes on the planet. I had two cats. (If you go down without your pets you are instantly personna non grata forever.) I knew that by the time I got dressed, found the carrier, found the cats... we'd all be crispy critters so I just rolled over and waited for the noise to stop.
The drill is you go stand outside with all the other owners who stand around saying really stupid things and then when the coast is clear, you either have to wait another 30-60 minutes for them to also clear the elevators and put them back in service or walk up the stairs. The stairs are steep.
As my lungs got worse, and my ass got bigger, I gave up any pretense of even being able to climb those things. So now, regardless of what I'm wearing or where any pets are or what time of day or night it is, when the alarm sounds, I'm not moving. I'll take my chances.
But I could. I now have the outfits!!
A few years ago, I randomly picked up a book by Tana French. I'd seen her name and her books but just never read one. I loved it. Fascinating story. Beautifully narrated by a woman who's Irish accent would be magical even reading the phone book.Sometime after that, I looked up French to get a chronological list of her books to start at the start. I put them on hold at the library. The first one never came up when I was ready for a book or when it was ready, I was in the middle of another one.
I read for plot. I love the stories. I enjoy the readers and will drop a book who's reader can't read. But mainly I'm a plot girl. I appreciate good story telling. Sometimes, I can start a book and know in the first 5 minutes that I am hooked.
But good writing. I'm generally oblivious. Except for once in a while. I started French's book entitled In The Woods last night and wow. I know the story will be good. The reader is excellent. But the writing. Already I've heard sentences and phrases that are like the finest meal you ever ate. It's amazing. And it has legs. This book is a glorious 20 hours long. This is the first of a trilogy.
Over the years we've had one maybe two fire alarms in this building. [Interestingly enough the two times we've had actual fires, the alarms didn't go over but whatever.] In the beginning I sometimes went downstairs and outside. But then one night the alarm went off about 2 am. I was sleeping in the rattiest clothes on the planet. I had two cats. (If you go down without your pets you are instantly personna non grata forever.) I knew that by the time I got dressed, found the carrier, found the cats... we'd all be crispy critters so I just rolled over and waited for the noise to stop.
The drill is you go stand outside with all the other owners who stand around saying really stupid things and then when the coast is clear, you either have to wait another 30-60 minutes for them to also clear the elevators and put them back in service or walk up the stairs. The stairs are steep.
As my lungs got worse, and my ass got bigger, I gave up any pretense of even being able to climb those things. So now, regardless of what I'm wearing or where any pets are or what time of day or night it is, when the alarm sounds, I'm not moving. I'll take my chances.
But I could. I now have the outfits!!
A few years ago, I randomly picked up a book by Tana French. I'd seen her name and her books but just never read one. I loved it. Fascinating story. Beautifully narrated by a woman who's Irish accent would be magical even reading the phone book.Sometime after that, I looked up French to get a chronological list of her books to start at the start. I put them on hold at the library. The first one never came up when I was ready for a book or when it was ready, I was in the middle of another one.
I read for plot. I love the stories. I enjoy the readers and will drop a book who's reader can't read. But mainly I'm a plot girl. I appreciate good story telling. Sometimes, I can start a book and know in the first 5 minutes that I am hooked.
But good writing. I'm generally oblivious. Except for once in a while. I started French's book entitled In The Woods last night and wow. I know the story will be good. The reader is excellent. But the writing. Already I've heard sentences and phrases that are like the finest meal you ever ate. It's amazing. And it has legs. This book is a glorious 20 hours long. This is the first of a trilogy.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 12:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 12:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 02:21 am (UTC)as soon as he finished it, the tower collapsed and everyone was covered with dust.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 02:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 02:45 am (UTC)I love Tana French. One of my coworkers lent me In The Woods and I was hooked. The way she writes her characters. They're human and beautiful and flawed. I'm a few books behind but from the first book she'd pick one of the characters in it to be the main character in the next book. So you'll see Cassie again in book two.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 02:48 am (UTC)What a joy.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 02:49 am (UTC)Oh man, I've gotta catch up!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 01:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 05:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 05:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-23 09:10 pm (UTC)Many years ago I had to go to Wellington for work, and one night we had two fire alarms, one at 3 am and one at 4 am. I had to walk up and down the stairs from the sixteenth floor both times. Ever since then fire alarms have had it in for me. More hotels than I can remember, but other places too (like the cinema, twice, both in the middle of the movie). I've learned to wear street-legal stuff to sleep in whenever I'm away. One benefit though is that most people are probably panicky being worn up by a screeching siren and lurid red emergency lighting, but I'm just like here we go again.