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Good Reads and Wikipedia

Maybe I'm a nerd, I'm definitely weird....but I am completely addicted to Wikipedia.
Wikipedia

No "Crack"berries for me, I don't own any sort of smartphone, I have sent maybe a half dozen text messages in my lifetime, I can't figure out the appeal of Pinterest, and I am not a fan of Twitter.  But Wikipedia has me hooked.

What does Wikipedia have to do with good books I've read recently?  Well, it's most often my reading that inspires me to research something on Wikipedia.  Usually it's a person, place or historical event mentioned in whatever I'm reading.  I just have to find out more!  So I "Wikipedia" (used as a verb here) the said thing.  Then my interest is piqued by some other related person, place or thing and it just goes from there.

Adam has frequently made fun of me when he comes into the room and finds me reading about some seemingly random or obscure thing on Wikipedia.  I can't help it, I love it!  Of course, being a researcher, I am well aware that it is not always the most reliable source of information because anyone can make contributions to the entries.  But it is such a quick and easy way to find out stuff about stuff.  If you want to know more, check out Wikipedia's entry about itself (ha ha): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia

And from there I will segue to the list of a few great books I have read recently (in no particular order):

Portobello - Ruth Rendell
Half Blood Blues - Esi Edugyan
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - David Mitchell
Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Even if you are not a voracious reader, if you are planning summer vacations and usually grab a novel or two for your holiday, I highly recommend you try one of these...and Wikipedia away!

Man, it's been a busy week.  I am so glad Adam got back from Ottawa late last night.  It was a tough evening.  I told the girls I'd make them popcorn if we were organized (fed and bathed) early enough.  But then we stopped to play with friends on the way home from daycare and Big A refused to leave when I said it was time.  Then Big A wouldn't turn off the tv right away when dinner was ready.  Then Big A wouldn't turn off the tv right away when it was bath time.  Then Big A wanted popcorn as I was getting Little A into bed.  I said it was too late and she flung herself on the ground and began wailing.  It was a good 15 minutes and required taking away her bedtime story privileges before she calmed down.  In the midst of her tantrum - which was preventing Little A from falling asleep - Little A began hollering from behind her closed door.  When I opened the door she said, "Mommy I found some boogers in my nose!"  Yep, these are the joys of parenting!

I worry that if Adam continues to travel so much for work, we will end up with toothless, illiterate children suffering from scurvy.  Things that I *might* have the mental energy for when I have backup - like flossing the girls' teeth, coaxing Big A into praticing her reading before bed when she's refusing, or even finding a vegetable to serve for dinner that they will both eat, just go out the window when I'm on my own.  I wonder if there is a Wikipedia entry on effective lone-parenting strategies...

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