Guilty pleasures
It was a problem. At some point in high school, my best friend got me hooked on Santa Barbara. No, I am not the soap opera watching type. Sure, I did watch General Hospital for a while as a kid, but that was for Rick Springfield only. Clearly, that was a problem, too, given that I was like 10/11 years old at the time I was watching GH. But, I can remember skipping class in college to watch SB, and then getting angry that the “cliff-hanger” wasn’t resolved for like another week. But I digress.
William Shakespeare. We were supposed to read Romeo and Juliet in 10th grade. I never did. I knew the gist of the story. 12th grade I think we had to read Hamlet in AP English? Honestly, I only read 3 of the however many books we were supposed to read in AP, and 2 of those pissed me off because of stupid endings. Actually, those were the first 2 books, and that’s why I refused to read any more. I did read Job (from the Bible), but didn’t really get it. (Because of the languange.) I still have problems getting through Job and I’ve read it 5 times since in 5 different translations. But, again, I digress. I didn’t understand Shakespeare’s plays, and I didn’t get his sonnets either. Nor did I get (for the most part) any other poetry. Yes, I dabbled a bit with writing poetry when I was 18 and idealistic. Before you ask, read that again: “18 and idealistic.”
Now you are probably thinking, “What is your point?” I know. It’s like the “random” posts with paragraphs instead of numbered one/two liners. There is a connection. See, there was a character in Santa Barbara by the name of Mason Capwell who was played by actor Lane Davies for the majority of the soap’s televised life. Mason quoted Shakespeare…a lot…and well. Teenage me was captivated by it, and developed what I dubbed the “Mason Capwell fantasy.” I was particularly enthralled hearing him quote Sonnet 29:
When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
I didn’t get the sonnet then, and I mostly don’t get it now (because I really don’t care), but to hear him speak it… Ah, I wish I could find a copy of it somewhere out there on the interwebs…
15 Random Facts
Because it beats an empty page when I am determined to post something. Petra suggested it.
1. Because this has come up several times in the past month, I hate chocolate and mint together. No, it is not any better in coffee either.
2. I can eat Miracle Whip straight out of the jar. I’m not saying that I ever have, I’m just saying I like it that much.
3. I don’t like black pepper.
4. I would rather listen to hip hop than Dixieland jazz, and I’m not really a big fan of hip hop.
5. I cannot creep Facebook wall conversations without giving it away that I am creeping. Haha
6. Almost turned this into a confessional post. LOL
7. I have no tattoos. I do, however, have a scarred up left hand because I am clumsy with knives. I actually have a kind of funny story about the last time I had to get stitches, but for the most part, you had to be there.
8. I weighed 131 pounds when I left for basic training. I’m 5’10”. I was a stick.
9. Had some serious puppet skills as a teen.
10. Hallucinated twice during dental visits as a kid. Ah, fun times.
11. Has neither read the books nor watched the movies of the Twilight series nor do I have any desire to.
12. Has a weakness for Shakespeare’s sonnets. Hmm, ok, that’s kind of confessional.
13. Could only watch Blackhawk Down once.
14. Sometimes mixes writing styles in the middle of a post and refuses to adjust for consistency.
15. Can’t listen to The Nutcracker Suite without the urge to imitate the orchestra’s conductor…particularly around my children.
And I am every bit as boring as I thought when I am not being confessional. LOL
And I haven’t spell/grammar or otherwise proofed this.
Just before bed update: 16. I HATE talking on the telephone.
Yes I know now the title doesn’t match, but I meant to include that one about the phone and got distracted and forgot until I was driving home. haha
Pajama randomness
1. What’s wrong with this picture?
Ok, that’s not really the right question exactly as the picture itself has nothing wrong with it other than the odd position I had to get into to attempt a straight-on photo that captured both door frames from top to bottom, and yes, I know I failed to get the very bottom, but whatever. So, anyway, if you haven’t noticed, check the dimensions. (That’s the numbers next to/in between the solid black lines.) Just as a side note, I seem to not be able to use Fireworks to do CAD. I know much of the non-squareness of this house has to do with its age and natural settling. Somehow I find it hard to believe that the differences in dimensions of those 2 doors – namely the distance between the facings at top and bottom – are from natural settling. All of that because the hubby suggested I build another bookcase between those 2 doors.
2. I ate toast today. First bread I’ve had in nearly 3 weeks. It was wonderful.
3. I cannot eat salad every day. Vegetables, yes. Salad, no.
4. I find it increasingly difficult to deal with people that I perceive are as full of themselves as I am of myself. Was that a dual confession?
5. I also find it increasingly difficult to deal with my teenage children’s infatuation with My Little Pony.
6. Am devastated when I find myself bitter over having to confess and repent of my sins that I ask God to reveal to me.
7. Ate a fried Spam sandwich about a month ago (pre-diet) to see if I still hated Spam, and thought it was good. That is unsettling as I imagine there are more “mystery parts” in Spam than hot dogs.
8. Needs to clean the bathroom. It’s nasty. So why don’t I want to?
9. What’s the deal with “pajama” in the title of the post? It’s 2:30 pm, and I am still in my pajamas, and might not change out of them all day.
10. Wants to sound-proof my office.
Oh yeah, about my thyroid…
It’s fine. In fact, it is better than it was when I was in the Air Force.
And another thing I have noticed on this diet: I am not getting as hungry as I used to. Noticed that today. Normally, by the time church is over, I am starving to the point I can’t really get away quick enough so I can go eat. Not so today. Granted, now that I have started eating, I want to eat more, but not in a eat-everything-in-sight kind of way.
Yay! 
And now there is progress
Today is day 13 of my “radical” diet. Day 4, I wanted to die. Yesterday, all of my self-control was tested when I had to go buy a new can opener because the one I brought to work wouldn’t even poke a hole in the lid of the can of tuna I planned to eat. To get to Walmart, I had to drive past a LOT of fast food, and I wanted a burger BAD! First thing I smelled when I got out of the car at Walmart was fried food from the deli. I want to add that I also did not find plain tuna at all appealing. It needed either Miracle Whip or the sleeve of Ritz crackers I found in my desk that I gave to the guy next to me in the office with the instruction “Get these away from me!” Of course, he ate them in front of me later on.
So how is it going? I have lost 5 pounds so far. I lost 4 pounds the first 2 days, and (TMI ALERT) I’m pretty sure I lost that in poop. Yeah, and I’ve been pooping like 2-3 times a day which is VERY unusual. Either a) I wasn’t getting enough fiber, b) something was stopping me up, or c) both a & b. So after the 4 pound loss, I gained back a pound, but dropped back 2. Yeah, I know, “Don’t weigh every day.” Whatever. I want to know the exact day I drop below 200. I’ll celebrate with a bacon cheeseburger. hahaha Kidding.
I have noticed this week, that I’m not having the extreme mood swings, as if I have leveled off. Now, that might not be because of the diet. High stress events are always followed by panic attacks, and then depression before I level out. But, either way, I haven’t broken down into a sobbing mess all week. I did get snippy with the other music leaders last Sunday morning in practice, and then turned right around and did what I snipped at them for myself…live…opening song. Ok, that’s getting off topic.
I have to say. I am so sick of eating salad at lunch I could scream. I made a stirfry the other night from stuff I just threw together. It smelled sooooo good while it was cooking, and tasted sooooo good that night. I was so happy to have the leftovers for lunch the next day, and, yeah, it sucked warmed over. I steamed some turnip greens and kale, and they smelled awesome while cooking, and tasted ok, but really needed cornbread. lol Why does everything taste better with cornbread?
“Why do we want what we know we can’t have…”
2 or 3 weeks ago the hubby came back from his doctor’s appointment, and first announced that his liver is fine (YaY!), but then said, “The doctor said to tell you to make an appointment with him asap.” Uh…ok? “You talked about me didn’t you?!” Well, of course he did. So, I made an appointment, had blood drawn last week, and follow up today. For not being a physical, this came close, and there was a LOT addressed.
1. His scales weigh a full 10 pounds heavier than mine. 
2. My blood pressure was 110/80. That is the lowest my systolic (1st number) has been in YEARS.
3. All my blood work was fine. Specifically glucose is normal (I am “at risk” for diabetes – hereditary). Cholesterol is high, but not alarmingly high. We both knew that would be high, we both know why it’s high, we both know how it’s going to lower, and my good cholesterol is real good. Liver is good. Vitamin D is low, but I forget to take my vitamins. 
So with that all out of the way, we began to chat about my issues. I have a sinus infection. Which I knew, and that manifested itself after I made the appointments. He put me on antibiotics for 2 weeks to kill it off, and told me to take a probiotic along with it to replace the good bacteria in my digestive system that will be collateral damage. He also is putting me back on a nasal steroid since it seems my nasal polyp(s) is back. I’ll take the Flonase for 6 months or so and see if there is a reversal of the sinus issues. If not, he will refer me to an ENT for the polyp, which really means I will have to go to the VA since that is a “service-related” (and documented) problem. He gave me another prescription for albuterol (for asthma), and told me to try using a dose before I run to counter that whole wheezing thing my daughter says I do. Who knows, maybe that really is why I couldn’t ever distance run – asthma.
We talked about weight next, but I’m going to go straight for the female issues first. I told him about the bouncing emotions from real low to real high and many points in between. We talked about my irregular periods, and he said “Since you are still having periods, it’s not menopause.” 
But most of those issues will wait until the gyn appointment I have to make next which won’t be made until my next period which who knows if that will come in a week or a month. He isn’t concerned about overall hormone levels, but thinks that my ovaries might be out of sync. But it might also be part of the cycle of stress and diet. Worst case scenario will have me on birth control for a few months to get me back “regular.” 
Again, out of order, but I told him about how my hair is coming out, not in clumps, but certainly in large amounts when I wash it and brush it. He hadn’t checked thyroid, but would see if they still had my blood (they keep it at the lab for a week) to test that. I told him I have a cousin who has had thyroid issue (though I didn’t add that she said her hair was coming out in clumps), and that one of my AF doctors kept an eye on my thyroid because it ran to the low end of normal.
Ah, the weight. I told him about the exercise and that I have been really watching my portion control and eating less because I know I binge eat. I also told him I wasn’t looking to have had drastic weight loss over the past few weeks especially since I know muscle weighs more than fat, but even at that I should see a loss of fat somewhere. I thought I had lost some boob (that will be the first to go since it was the last I gained), but the girls seemed back to their “normal” size today. Finally I let him know that I had fully conceded that pasta was my biggest problem, and I know I have to completely cut it – at least for a while. Well, then he lowered the boom. It’s not just the pasta…it’s ALL the starches. 
Wait, WHAT????? That’s not just pasta, that’s potatoes, and breads, and BREADS?? Biscuits? Cornbread?? You know what else that means? No GRAVY! Then he went in for the kill. Starches produce a good emotional feeling which is why I run to them for comfort…just like smoking. (I think James told him about my pipe.) The last couple of years have been pretty stressful between work issues and family issues. The stress causes me to seek out comfort, which I do in food, and starches are my quick fixes since I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore. I’ve been treating food like a drug…getting “high” off of mac & cheese. (That last sentence was me finally fully digesting the issue.)
So then he tied everything in together. The emotional bouncing, the weight, the irregular periods might all be a product of starchy, fried food diet. “Are you will to try a radical diet?” He asked me that and I was pretty sure didn’t mean this Radical, and then thought, “I’m going to have to eat like Petra.” Not to imply that is a bad thing. I had already been considering it. Thankfully, I love fruits and vegetables. I also love bacon, but he told me only lean meats, and not fried. Yeah, fried is may favorite food group. Starches are second. 
So that leaves me with tuna and turkey. I really am not too fond of the lean cuts of beef. I can have pork chops as long as I cut off the fat and grill ‘em.
All I gotta do is stop loving starches more than I hate being fat. I’m sure gonna miss my mac & cheese….
Didn’t see that coming…
I don’t even know where to start. Suffice it to say, I am not aging gracefully. I didn’t really handle it so well when my hair starting graying. It took burning my scalp with dye (the same dye I had been using for a year) before I decided I was ok with going gray. Ok, that’s partially a lie. I am NOT ok with going gray. I just find it preferable to a blistered scalp. And, yes, I can look in the mirror right now and know that soon I will be waking up to being VERY noticeably gray as opposed to having to be close to my head to see it. But anyway…
FEMALE STUFF ALERT
I remember several years ago sitting at home watching Home Improvement with my mom. I don’t think she normally watched it with me, but she was there with me when I saw the episode where Jill had to have a hysterectomy. Jill didn’t handle it well at all, and I remember my mom turning to me and saying, “I had NO problem with mine.” I am pretty sure I said something to the effect that I would be ok without my uterus, too, because I hate having periods. I never looked forward to periods, still hate them, and still look forward to not having them. I have been ready for a hysterectomy since my youngest was a year old. But, alas, they don’t do hysterectomies if there is nothing wrong with you. Ok, I could probably find a doctor that would do it, but that’s the kind of doctor who would also give me the painkillers that I want despite the fact I don’t need them.
Since the hubster and I were DONE with having kids after our youngest was born, and I had all kinds of issues remembering to take the pill, he opted for a vascectomy…which I got to watch. lol Before he got started, the surgeon asked us both one last time if we were absolutely sure we didn’t want any more kids because his work is NOT reversible. We both assured him we were through, and, yeah, I saw what he cut out, and I saw the cauterizing of the ends. That isn’t growing back short of supernatural intervention. Hmm, maybe I should have added a “MALE STUFF” alert too? So 3-4 years ago, I started having hot flashes. Excited I was at what I saw as the beginning of the end of periods. Of course, in the last 3 years, my cycles have gotten more frequent, and I have had PMS though I NEVER had ANY PMS symptoms before. My moods swing like I’m bi-polar, and word has it, it is going to get worse and could last another 10 years or more. Remember how I said my cycles are more frequent? They last longer too. 
So, needless to say, I was totally unprepared for wanting to have another baby. 
I had been able to say “That ship has sailed,” and was quite ok with it. But out of the blue yesterday, all I could see was babies. EVERYWHERE. Friends with babies, friends pregnant, friends with grandbabies (and no, I am not ready for grandbabies when I still have teenagers). I totally didn’t see this coming…
So what’s the problem? We could adopt, right? Well, yes. However, hubby doesn’t want another kid, and I will NOT try to convince him otherwise. So I have to be still, and trust that God will grant me contentment in this area one way or another. He could heal the little tubes. He could change the hubby’s heart to want another one too and provide a child to adopt. Or He could have me just wait until the kids are grown and married (hopefully in that order), and give me a bunch of grandbabies.
Or I could just be happy that I have something to blog about. 
Stirring the Class Warfare Pot
We’ve all heard it ad nauseum, “The rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting poorer.” It’s the big gun of the class warfare arsenal that politicians & pundits love to throw out to denigrate the prosperous in order to paint the poor as victims, most generally so the poor will vote for them or their side. I suppose there is a grain of truth to it, but creating victimhood is no way to begin finding a solution. Still, I expect no less from professional (or do I mean perpetual?) politicians.
Sounds snotty doesn’t it? Notice I attached neither a political party nor a political ideology to it. That omission was deliberate. But I digress.
So, as Christians we are commanded throughout scripture to help the poor. I am under no delusion that we do a great job of it as a whole body, but some do it well, and others at least make an effort. Some do it quietly, and some make sure everyone knows what they are doing for God. I have been guilty of the latter. But either way, the poor are still being ministered to.
But there is still a big problem.
I think many of us have bought into “The rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting poorer” blame game. We come to resent “Big Oil” or “Big Green” or “Big Union” or “Big Government” (or all of them together) because we deem their leadership “greedy” with their “insane” profits and “price gouging.” We Christians often tow the same lines, and even take it one step further, turning on ourselves and blaming the church for not taking care of the poor and handing over that responsibility to the government. It’s always someone else’s fault, whether the “rich” or the powerful.
We blame, we finger-point, and in doing so we help to keep the class warfare fire stoked. As long as we Christians keep doing this, there will continue to be a class war.
What if…
What if, while we minister to the poor, we do so quietly.
Matthew 6:1-4 (NASB)
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
What if, instead of exclusively reaching out to the poor, we also went to the rich and powerful, and shared the gospel with them also? How are they going to stop being full of the greed we accuse them without Christ? Have we become so self-righteous as to believe that only we and the poor deserve forgiveness and not all people everywhere?
Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
What part of “all” do we not understand?
I read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand about a year ago, and he said something that stuck with me. He pleaded with the reader to share the Gospel with the rich and the powerful because it is they who make policies. (I will double-check I read that right and properly cite later.) He wrote:
“We must win rulers, leaders in politics, economics, science, and the arts. They mold the souls of men. Winning them, you win the people they lead and influence.”
[1]
The divide between rich and poor will only grow unless we share Jesus with all people and not exclusively the poor.
1. Wurmbrand, R. (1998). Tortured for Christ – 30th Anniversary Ed. Living Sacrifice Book Company: Bartlesville, OK. pg 59
Take it Easy
I remember how much MacBros enjoyed this song on Facebook a couple weeks ago.
Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. Or sometimes lukewarm. LOL
I win. 
I’ll Steal a Meme
Because it is so much easier than finishing any of the drafts I have. I am stealing this one from Nicole, and it originated from NPR’s list of the top 100 Science Fiction, Fantasy books. To be honest, for the most part, I never was big into this genre of books. Frankly, I am disappointed that L. Frank Baum’s Oz series of books isn’t on the list. Not that I have read them all. (I think I’ve only read 2 or 3, one of which was The Wizard of Oz.)
Anyway, here is the list, bolding what I have read:
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien And The Hobbit. Funny thing is, I tried to read the trilogy in high school and just couldn’t. I had to watch the movies first. lol
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams – I have this one somewhere, but haven’t worked up the motivation to read it.
3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell – Read this twice. First time was voluntary either 8th or 9th grade (leaning more towards 8th). Second time was 11th grade for a book report. It was on the list, and since I had already read it and liked it okay, I read it again.
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman – I saw the movie first.
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell – Not by choice. It was required reading in my 10th grade English class.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen Kin.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke – I think I have this in a box somewhere, but I have neither read it nor seen the movie.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King – At one time I was out to read all of King’s books, but I lost interest in the 90′s.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein – I saw the awful movie, if indeed it is the same story.
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells – I saw the movie…
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys I italicized this one because I am sure I read it, but I can’t really remember anything about it.
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells – I saw the Tom Cruise movie… lol
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman – Great, great book.
49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks – Meh
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore I love R.A. Salvatore’s books.
74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury – Was certain I had read all of Bradbury’s books. Guess not…
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury – Ok, that makes 2 that I haven’t read (or at least don’t remember) bringing into question just how many of his books I really read.
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
There are several authors I recognize (besides Asimov and C.S. Lewis) from my husband’s reading. I’m sure he’s read a good portion of the list, but, again, wasn’t really my preferred genre for the most part.
