Kenny, Denise and Me

Ah yes.

A rainy Friday. It begs to begin with a grilled cheese on rye. I realize my penance will be more time on the treadmill and with the ever-smiling Denise Austin.

But for now, the grilled cheese is going down with Kenny playing in the background. His mellow voice assures me that I have made a good choice for the day.

Days like this remind me of why everyone needs a personal library of favorite books to curl up with and savor.

I have always enjoyed reading. Although, I confess, I have not always enjoyed WHAT I have read. Sometimes, the assignments from school were more an exercise in attempting to survive the moment and grab a decent grade on the way to snatching my diploma. But now that I am adult, I can honestly say that I do read for pleasure.

Whether music or books, a great deal of both are now defined by what brings me a sense of joy, peace or whatever emotion I need at that moment. I confess that I am also a big fan of well-written murder-mystery books.

Having said that, I issue the disclaimer that I DO NOT care for books where the overplayed sense of gory turns the story itself into an afterthought. Nor do I care for books that glorify and exalt bedroom antics as if the information was all new. Like the line from a movie once said, "I don't know, they wrote 'Fanny Hill' in 1742 [sic] and they haven't found anything new since."

I like books about the efforts of men and women in the military who serve a greater purpose than self. I listen to music that makes the same statement about becoming more than we are at a given point in time. And I listen to it for the same reason that I read the books.

I want to show up at the pearly gates with something in between my ears besides dust.

Well, it's time to get the chicken into the crockpot for dinner and the laundry beckons. I'll put Kenny on hold and bow to the need to move muscles I seldom use while the perky voice of Denise Austin soothingly reminds me I only have 12 million sets to go.

Ah, rainy days and Fridays...