A blog by Cameron and Shannon

Well hello there, everyone. First of all, I really have started writing this blog EIGHT TIMES, yet somehow manage to not succeed in actually finishing. This is mostly because I don’t know how to articulate the awesomeness of our visit (to my old) home, which, as always, started as a nice relaxing vacation and disentegrated into a whirlwind of trying to visit/do/see/eat as much as possible before leaving. As you may or may not know, I am from an extremely small town (Live Oak, Florida). As I’ve lived a few places since then, I’ve come to realize exactly how small it was - to give the short version, there are no chain restaurants (except for fast-food), we did not have a Wal-Mart or franchised video rental places until I was 16 years old, and, oh, yeah, we had a hamburger-eating horse as a celebrity. Also, we have stores called things like “Good Stuff” and “The Opportunity Store” and “McHale’s Specialty Store” (which apparently specializes in mystical figurines and 75% normal size suits of armor). And, also, this:

However. Up until this point I kind of thought, oh, these are all things about the town I am from, how quirky and funny, la-de-dah. And then I realized I AM EXACTLY LIKE THIS.

Let me explain.

While I was home, I personally knew people involved in (and had heard about) BOTH of the front-page news stories in the Friday’s local paper, before the paper even came out. And THEN, while Cameron and I stood on the street corner, waiting to cross so we could go from Good Stuff to McHale’s Specialty Store, this is what I said!!!

“Oh. There’s the Chinese restaurant where someone drove through the front window and almost ran over my dad that one time. And that Suzie’s used to be, like, a local department store and my Aunt worked there. That was after she worked in the shoe store in the Winn-Dixie mini-mall. But anyway, the old Suzie’s burned down in a fire in…1995? ‘96? And they moved to the department store…” blah, blah, blah and it went on and on.

Are you HEARING this? This isn’t even counting the stories involving someone I am related to owning this or that business at one time, or this road is where so-and-so got into a wreck, etc. etc. etc.

When did I become a character from a Fannie Flag novel, I ask you?

Though I like being where I am from, very much.

Oh, and did you all know that they make two story mobile homes? Not MODULAR homes. MOBILE homes. As in, they sell them on the same lot as double wides. It’s like a double wide, double tall or something. Sadly, one of the few things I did not get to do was take a tour of the inside. I really wanted to take a tour.

We also went to St. Augustine, where I also have lived (and also have a story about every darn street corner) and stayed at a very nice bed and breakfast, where we found this in the bathroom:

Which obviously you are meant to use to conceal the odor of some other kind of explosion.

All in all, a good trip.

Oh, yes, and since I am certain you are all simply dying to hear my vacation reading choices, here ya go (By the way, I am still working on this pile of books):

• Eclipse/Stephenie Meyer (part of the Twilight…saga…man, why do they have to call it a saga? That makes me feel SUPER lame for reading it)
• The Host/Stephenie Meyer - an actual ADULT novel by the same author as the Twilight books. For some reason this one took me an inordinate amount of time to actually get through, but I liked it overall.
• Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail/Charlaine Harris, two more in the OTHER vampire series I am reading (The Southern Vampire Mysteries). My granny and I have now started a two-person book club over this series, since I turned over the first 3 to her and got her hooked.
• Under the Banner of Heaven/Jon Krakauer, which B was totally correct in recommending; for some reason I just don’t get tired of learning about those Mormons (currently reading).
• Speaking of B’s recommendations, I’ve also picked up The Everlasting Story of Nory, which I’ve still not actually started, but have cracked open to the first page or two and am very excited.
• Marion’s Wall/Jack Finney - I wouldn’t call myself a Finney fan, per se (I’ve only read one book) but I LOVE the way The Body Snatchers is written, so I found another book from him with an intriguing plot to give a try (still to be read).
• Kyleigh reminded me of my love for Shirley Jackson, so I picked up We Have Always Lived in the Castle (still to be read).
• Just got Definitely Dead (currently reading) and All Together Dead (more Southern Vampire Mysteries) from reserve at the library.
• The Regulators/Richard Bachman - I like both Stephen King and Bachman, and now that I’ve finished Desperation I have to read the companion piece.

I have a couple of other books, on standby for when I’m not totally giving in to the candy reading, namely If I Die in a Combat Zone…, the remainder of Manhattan Transfer and Light in August. Needless to say, I’m not watching a terrible lot of TV these days, unless of course, there’s a Jon and Kate Plus 8 Marathon.

So I think that about sums up my past couple of weeks. How are you guys doing?