I'm back, and I can read!!

I just flew my little 10-year-old chatterbox back home to Kentucky, and after an enormous sigh of relief, the house suddenly feels a little empty. Since the 1 year old goes "night-night" around 7:00, I now have the evenings back to goof off briefly before collapsing in my bed from work/life induced exhaustion. But first I have to finish my book.

Let me preface this. I used to read like a banshee when I was a kid, but since High School that has slowed to a trickle. The last book I read was "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert. It was great, but seriously the only reason I made time to read the whole thing was because we were at the cabin in Montana for the holidays, which has no computer or internet. -Its hard to turn pages when your hands are convulsing, but laughing hysterically at Stephen Colbert certainly helps.

So before that rarity, its seriously been several years since I sat down to actually read anything. I knew I was going to have plenty of time to read on the round-trip plane ride from Honolulu to Nashville with two layovers each way though (Yeah, it was as fun as it sounded). Usually I fill these hours by catching up on all the macho truck mags I no longer have subscriptions to, along with some Popular Science or Motor Trend. Honolulu airport had a very poor selection of these though (Surprise! No mud-truck specials flying of the shelves in touristland?) I suffered through the 5 hour flight to San Fran, and then saw it staring at me. "Dreams of My Father" by Barack Obama. I have made no secret of the fact that I really like Barack. More so than any politician I can remember. There has been a lot of mud and confusion about who he really is though. This book makes it crystal clear though. I almost finished the book before I made it back to Honolulu. His writing is impeccable, and his story is amazing. He wrote this book when he was only 33, before his foray into politics, and it gives you a clear window into his soul and the journey he had trying to find himself and how his father and other relatives fit into and shaped his life. Barack is very well balanced and despite his quest for equality and civil rights, he is not hampered by the reverse-racism normally encountered. I could rant on for another few paragraphs, but will suffice to say I loved it. I feel like I should read some of McCain's books just to be fair, but doubt they will change my mind...