Good things

1. I repainted my nails, in a starscape kind of pattern. I followed aminita's advice of using acrylic paints and covering the design with clear nail polish. The one problem: my clear nail polish has thickened too much over the years and needs to be replaced. So the design is probably not going to last the day. Still, learning experience and it was fun to do.
2. I type a great deal on my phone, which means a lot of time spent looking at my thumbs. Having a pretty design on them is nice.
3. ZOMG flying to Seattle tonight going to see terrycloth yay! It's been ages. I need to see if any of my other Seattle-area friends want to see me while I'm out there.
4. I have finally figured out how to play Puerto Rico without losing horribly. Not that I am great at the game, but I am no longer actively incompetent. :)

The Commodore, by Patrick O'Brian

Book 17 of the Aubrey-Maturin series. The boys actually make it home to England! For the first time in about four books and, from the sounds of it, at least as many years.

I had quite a good time with this one. Some of the Maturin/Aubrey quips back and forth were especially good:


Aubrey: "I have always prided myself on a perfect freedom from jealousy."
Maturin [well-established as a short, balding, ill-kept little man]: "For a great while I prided myself on my transcendent beauty, on much the same grounds; or even better."

I suspect they lack something without the full context of the series, though. Like most of the books, it's made up of one anecdote after another, more a series of little stories that sometimes turn back to events from longer ago and sometimes do not. It is more like life than a novel. I liked this one very well, though.