This has nothing to do with Australia, but it’s on my mind: a literary review!

So, some of you may know that I occasionally enjoy me some girly classic literature, and in the last couple of years I made an effort to read or reread all the Jane Austens, and the Anne of Green Gables series, and now I’m reading/rereading Little Women. I say reading/rereading in that ambiguous way, because while I read Little Women as a kid, I didn’t quite completely – I read a bizarre, corrupted, demented, “abridged” or something version of it that I guess came from the same philosophy as Phoebe from Friends’ childhood movie-watching experiences: her TV was turned off before Old Yeller died, my book ended before Beth died. I know, right? What is that? And before you judge me and say “oh you must have just got tired of reading it and didn’t finish” – no. I did watch the Winona Ryder movie version back in the day and after I got through my shock – “Beth dies? Laurie marries Amy?? – (OMG, spoiler alert!) I do remember going back to my version of the “book” to double check and going “Seriously, what a RIPOFF!”

So I’m technically reading the full actual book for the first time, and while I’m enjoying it, I have just gotten through the section where Beth was sick for the first time – no, not the time she dies, just the fake-out – and while it got me a bit choked up when things were looking dire, I knew it was the fake-out, and on this occasion of reading the full book for the first time, it struck me as a little cheap. Because, you know, it is dire, and they do get you all worked up and worried even when you KNOW she’ll be OK this time, but I also know that she’s gonna get sick and die for real later, and I feel like if I were reading this for the first time when I got to that point I’d be like “oh, Beth’s sick again? A little boring this time. Been there, done that. Oh, it’s bad? It was bad last time; she’ll pull through. She didn’t pull through????” Way to yank my chain for an emotional reaction, Louisa May. The first sickness is a total fake-out just so you get all comfy and confident that everything will turn out okay if this stuff happens again, and then it DOESN’T. Cheap! Manipulative! But otherwise a good read. (And to be honest, it's been a long while since I've even seen the movie, so I don't really remember how similar the circumstances of the second illness are supposed to be, but right now, I feel jerked around!)

And now time for something completely different: so in my apartment, it’s a “serviced” hotel style apartment, where someone comes once a week to clean and refill my freebies like detergeant. Some of those freebies are the little hotel-style toiletries. Except, while those can be handy while on vacation, in general I prefer my own toiletries that I go and pick and choose from the store. So other than that first day when I got in and needed a shower and hadn’t been shopping yet, I haven’t been using my min-toiletries. But they keep bringing them! I now have like 4 sets of the stuff that hasn’t been touched! I’m running out of room for them! Why won’t they STOP?? Does anyone want mini-toiletries for Christmas?? I appreciate the free refills of my tea and coffee, but QUIT IT with the body wash!

Also, yesterday it was starting to feel superhot; today it is back to freezing. I wasn't dressed for this!