I have recently come to enjoy Sunday nights a great deal more since that’s the night that the rest of my family gathers ’round the Unnecessarily Large TV to watch “The Sopranos.” I get to spend that time doing my laundry (since no one else is doing it while watching the show), watching a movie or reading, and basically enjoying the silence…

I’m browsing on Amazon to see if any of the books I’ve been wanting for a while have been released in paperback. I need to get a few for my vacation. This is where being a fast reader is really a pain because I can get through an entire book on the plane. During a 2-week vacation - when I don’t have tons and tons of sightseeing planned - I can easily get through 4 or 5 books, and then another on the plane ride home. Last time I was in Poland (for 2 weeks), I brought along the omnibus edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lexus and the Olive Tree and a few novels. I got them all finished and ended up buying some books in Polish to have additional reading material.

Truth be told, my command of the Polish language allows me to read magazines and newspapers with ease, but novels and fiction are a little more difficult for me since the style of language is more formal and more “stylized” than the spoken form. Thus, I don’t enjoy it as much when I’m vacationing.

So… I need to find some books to bring along, and they have to be in paperback, and they have to be long-ish so I don’t have to bring too many. Maybe I could tackle something like War and Peace, but I know I wouldn’t enjoy it all that much. Geez. What to read???

Jasper Fforde - one of my favorite “light” authors - has a new novel, but it’s only out in hardcover right now. Grrr. No hardcovers. I need to pack light. I still need to get some lightweight pants for the trip, as well as a hat. I found both at Century 21 and will acquire them on my return trip there. The hat was nice and easily packable, and only $15. There were many linen drawstring pants and things of that sort for about $20 a pop. I also need a new pair of sandals that are comfortable for long periods of walking. The ones I have now begin to dig into places on my foot if I wear them for 8 hours on a hot, humid day. I don’t want blisters. Nope. I will also bring sneakers, but sandals are a must.

There’s much to do. I leave next Tuesday night. I don’t anticipate having web access easily (whether for lack of access or time), but if I can access things, I’ll drop in and leave a note. There’s time yet… for now, I think I’ll make a list. Lists always make me feel nice and organized.