Hey, if your kids won't listen to you about the dangers of smoking, drinking, and elicit drugs, maybe they'll listen to horses.

We spent last week up at Camp UniStar. It's located on Star Island in Cass Lake. It's approximately 20+ miles east of Bemidji, MN.



( You know you want to read more )

So, the other night, I was having a late snack (like around midnight) in the kitchen. Everyone else had gone to bed. I was eating and reading Haruki Murakami's (Flash site with audio) latest collection of short stories, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. I was reading a story called "The Mirror" and for some reason, it really freaked me out. To the point where I pretty much went to bed shortly after finishing it because I didn't want to stay awake and keep mulling it over in my head.

I don't think I've ever had this problem, not even when I was reading Stephen King novels in high school hand over fist. Nor when I was taking that horror lit class in college (lots of HP Lovecraft).

I've been trying to pick up around my office at home as I find time. Basically, it's taken the place of getting started on other projects that should be higher priority (repainting the bathrooms, ironing the growing pile of laundry hanging in the front closet).

So, I've been finally making my way through a number of books that I'd bought months ago (like more than 6 months ago in some cases). I've been reading the "Buddha" series written by Osamu Tezuka. I've been reading the recently reissued english translation. 8 hardcover volumes. When the volumes are all lined up in order, the spines create an image of Siddhartha/Buddha at 3 stages in his life. Well written (at least as translated) and a definite page turner. I just ordered the final volume from the fine folks at Atomic Books in Baltimore, Maryland.

And, since I was ordering something from Atomic, I decided to pick up a Labbit. These are basically a smaller version of the Smorkin' Labbits minus the "smorkin'". With impressionable kids in the house, I decided this was a good compromise. I get my cute vinyl figure, and I don't have to worry about Julie constantly pointing out the cute bunny smoking a cigarette.

One of the cool things about these Labbits is that they come "blind boxed". In other words, you don't know what primary accessory your Labbit will come with. It could come with a popsicle, corn cob pipe, moustache, ice cream cone, etc. Which was just fine with me. It makes receiving the package and opening it more exciting. Lucky me, though, I got an instant message from them giving me the chance to choose! I went with popsicle. Though I saw this really cute one blowing a bubble gum bubble!

EDIT: I almost forgot... The other book I read through (actually, looked through), finally, was Mark Ryden's "Fushigi Circus". Yes, I just now got around to actually looking at this book!