River Rats

I come from a family of River Rats. At my house, Memorial Day means RAFTING. My family made our annual trip up to Shoup, Idaho to run a stretch of the Salmon River, and I managed to con Russ and Kelly into coming along.Rafter Megan and Rafter Kelly all geared up and ready to raft. The trick is to wear your shorts OVER your wet suit. Then you look REALLY cool.

Here is the brave crew. The river is a bit daunting when the weater is cold, the water is high, and the wind is blowing. We only had three boats run this year. Usually there are 8 or 9.

Landslide Rapid: Class 4, Big Rollers, Nasty Quarter Wave on the Left
Kelly and Russ's boat made it through unscathed.

The next boat didn't fare quite as well. (That's a full-sized raft carrying 8 people.)

And here are the survivors. It rained for a lot of the trip, and there was a soggy sleeping bag or two, but all in all the trip was a winner. Everyone stayed in the boat and no one dropped a paddle. And really, that's what counts, right?

Who needs knees?

So I tore my ACL a few months back, and my day of surgical reckoning has come and gone. This entire experience has been quite educational. I now know that jello and backless gowns are not just hospital urban legends. Morphene, while interesting, really should be avoided whenever possible. Leg braces are evil. So are crutches. And stairs. And when my foot swells up, it definitely resembles a walrus flipper.

Needless to say, I've found myself with some spare time recently. This is how I've been trying to fill it:

Number of Movies Watched: 30 something

Books Read: Mio, My Son, A Man For All Seasons, Walk Two Moons, Pathki Nana, Kim, Mere Christianity, and part of Jesus the Christ

Consecutive Days Without A Shower: 6

Hours Spent With Leg Attached to Ironing Board (CPM Machine): 18

So I'm in the market for new forms of entertainment. Any recommendations for books and/or movies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.