February and Book Meme

I'm happy it's February. I always liked February, even before Henry was born, but having my child's birthday day in this month certainly adds some significance. Usually Chinese New Year is in February (this year it's the 9th), so when we were in school we got most of the month off. February is the beginning of spring. Sure there is snow everywhere, but it's not as gloomy as January, days are longer, the sun is brighter. In the past five years, January has been a busy, stressful month for me at work. There were days I had to work pass midnight. I'm learning to manage the time better, but the stress is still there. January is the time when bosses decide, "hey, it's the beginning the year, why don't you take on couple of new projects?" when you are trying to get over the holiday blues. By February people are more relaxed, getting used to the new routine.

Happy February to all of my readers!

Book Meme Tagged by Zelda at The Aquitaine Academy, which is a top notch classic education facility for young children age two to nine and beyond, room and board all inclusive.

Rules:
- Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
- Open the book to page 123.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the next three sentences.
- Tag five people.

On the top of my book pile is Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. The actual quote would bore anyone to tears, so I'm going to cheat. Here is the page I'm reading now:

"When my mother retired from teaching college, she found herself with a large, empty house and no one to fill it: her children had all ended up living in other cities, some quite distant, and my father had died years before. A former professor of sociology, she made what, in retrospect, seems a smart social move: my mother offered a free room to graduate students from her university, with a preference for those from East Asian cultures, where older people are appreciated and respected."

This is my dream retirement life, not the being single part, but being around new ideas and culture, continue to learn, reflex on life, and provide my wisdom to the world. Being respected is mandatory. I've always dreamed of living in the academia, it might happen one day.