Thursday, January 31, 2013

January 17th, 1991

So, I've been reading my high school journals for a couple of months now. Most of the posts are painfully funny and, in them, I can see the inevitability of becoming the person I am now. While most are too embarrassing to share as they are about boys who are now married with children or about my incredibly shallow thoughts concerning my family/school/homework/sports, I thought I'd share the one below as I am still praying this same prayer only I've added a whole slew of other countries to the list. This was what I was thinking about on a Thursday in January 22 years ago.

Thursday 
1.17.91
10.05 pm 
So, the skirmish did not end. It is now an all out war. We are at war with Iraq. I didn’t want ‘Desert Shield’, and now it's turned into ‘Desert Storm’. I hope it’s over with quick and soon and I pray to God more than ever that it is a little if any blood is shed from both sides because we have to remember that the Iraqi’s are people too. God keep America safe and make the war short. 
Student Council tied yellow ribbons around trees. Uncle Stan is in Kuwait. It’s weird coming home and watching the war on TV.




So, this song came out about a month after my journal entry.
I still own it...on cassette single.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Midnight at the Oasis...

I have this love-affair with antiques (mostly from the MCM era). My friend had a whole slew of Franciscan Oasis in blue. I wanted it. She was selling. I told Chris. Lo, and behold, it arrived on Christmas. I was ecstatic, I was jubilant! I said, "I can't believe you actually bought me all of the pieces." He said, "I wouldn't have if I didn't think they were cool." Who knew we both have a love for all things mid-century?

Don't mind the mess or the sleeping kid in the background,
it's Christmas day! I'm not sure what my excuse is the other
days of the year...

Saucer
Round Cereal Bowls - set of 2
Oval Vegetable Bowls - set of 2 
Dinner Plates - set of 4 
Gravy Boat 
Bread Plates - set of 2

I shall spend the rest of my days looking for all of the pieces I don't have. Oh, and we haven't used them yet. I just touch them and look at them in their cabinet.





Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Ethan Frome in the Honors Sophomore Classroom

[Isn't this just the most delicious cover ever!? Source]
Ethan Frome

I read Ethan Frome for the first time in college and immediately fell in love. This book is written unlike any of Wharton's other books, but still contains some of the same themes of isolation and redemption. We read it with Our Town. Over the years I've taken to called this unit the Small Town Unit, as we explore the plusses and minuses of small town life and the gloriousness of being alive through these two works. I've read that a lot of 9th graders read this book. While they can read it and probably get it on some level, I enjoy teaching it to my honors kids at the 10th grade level. I think you need to have at least dated or experienced a little heart break of some sort to truly get into this novel.

Classic American Novel
Ethan Frome
  • Delicious love triangle
  • Individual vs. Personal Happiness
  • the color red
Projects used:
Sadly, I have no idea where I got any of these sources, if you know or if the core of one of them is yours tell me...I love to give credit for things I don't totally create from my head. I do know that I've used the study guide from Glencoe McGraw Hill.

Ethan Frome and Edith Wharton notes
FOILS in Ethan Frome
Understatement
Frame Story
Agatha Christie writing prompt
"Man of the Hour"

Why I love this book: 
When I first read this book a million years ago it was Winter, and I've got to tell you reading a book about a man trapped in a small New England town as stark as its name just made that winter day all the more wonderfully bleak. I love that every year I teach this book I really can't decide who's responsible for Ethan's downfall...naive and desperate Ethan, love-torn and forlorn Mattie or cold and pathetic Zeena. This book can and should be read in one sitting and after you read it I dare you not to be upset with all three characters and I dare you to not look at a winter day a little differently.

Sample calendar with poems and short stories I pair with it:


Monday, January 28, 2013

Physical Books vs. Ebooks...a confession


So, there have been three books on my Goodreads Currently Reading shelf for quite a long time. It isn't that they aren't lovely books, actually when I'm reading them I'll devour large chunks at a time. The problem is *whispers* they aren't on my Nook. This means that these three books aren't easily accessible; I can't carry them all with me, in a cute little bundle of awesome, wherever I go. I can't look up words and concepts I don't know the second I don't know them. I mean surely I can't be the only one who starts reading a physical book, finds a word she doesn't know, touches it with her finger and suddenly...nothing happens. I've gotten used to the power of my finger and its ability to highlight. I've gotten used to never losing my place. I've gotten used to the WIFI. The most important point, however, is that these books don't light up which means I can't read them in the dark or in the car and if you knew how often I'm waiting in the car at night or how often I go to bed early just to read without interruption for the tiny tot, you'd understand how important it is that I be able to read under cover of darkness.

I've been noticing the change in my reading habits for awhile now...I just didn't realize how much.

I hope there's a 12-step program...er...maybe I should just come to terms with the fact that I adore my ereader and move on. What do you think?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

30 Days of Truth: Something You Hope You Will Never Have to Do

I found this meme here and here.

Six: Something You Hope You Never Have to Do

I hope I never have to out live my welcome here on this great Earth.

As I get older and things begin to not function properly, I don't want to be one of those people holding on for dear life who has signed something that has said that you can never pull the plug. I don't want to being lying in a hospital bed surrounded by loved ones who, I know, have better things to do than to watch me die. I don't want to watch me die. I was reading an article (I think it was in Time magazine) about the fact that people are living longer than they used to because they just won't let go of living. They want to spend their life-savings on tubes and machines that prolong their lives; they don't really care about the quality of living just that they are there...breathing.

I don't want to be that kind of person. I want to age graceful (I think I'm doing an OK job of that) and I want to die gracefully and not afraid of what is beyond.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Charlotte Lucas makes me want to throw up...

So, if you follow Jane Austen on Facebook (and, who doesn't!?) you'll know that they're doing a celebration of Pride and Prejudice. Yesterday's question was all about Charlotte Lucas:


So, Charlotte makes me want to throw up, but she also kind of makes me a little sad. I'm sad for her, for other women in her situation and, in turn, that makes me sad for all of women kind as Charlotte's thoughts, feelings and actions are not so far removed from women of today. She makes me want to throw up because every time I think of her my mind automatically next jumps to the dreadful Mr. Collins. No matter how we look at it, she is neither unlucky, nor unwise...and, she definitely isn't destined for misery. With all of our technological advances and with all of our gender equality there are still women who, much like Charlotte, are smart and, yet feel incomplete outside of marriage.

I do appreciate that Charlotte is the perfect foil for Elizabeth and while we can see the deep contrast between the two, we can also see how similar they are. We learn many lessons from her. We learn that we don't have to agree to be friends. We learn that it's OK to be practical. We learn that sometimes we must sacrifice ourselves to be happy. We learn that we must be truthful about this, and we learn that if we are truthful with others and ourselves we can pretty much have the courage to do most anything. Charlotte and Elizabeth both teach us that there's more than one way to approach marriage and love. They are both strong women who choose their own destinies. One is just comfortable enough in her own skin to not mind being a spinster and the other would rather do anything to be anything but.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 29

Last year I found this book challenge (since then I have seen many variations of it, but I like this one best!), and have been intrigued about how I would answer the questions posed. Feel free to comment with your own answer or post the challenge to your own blog.

I assume you know the following is chock full of spoilers...

Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)

Saddest character death
I have never been more surprised than when Emma Morley dies in One Day. Frankly, I was a little surprised at myself for crying at the end of the book when I read Love Story; I mean I already knew what was going to happen and, yet, there I was bawling and really getting into it. Frankly, Love Story is the only book that I've purposely read knowing someone I fall in love with is going to die. I truly avoid those kinds of books like the plague. I'll leave that kind of escapism to those who like their romances tragic.

Best/most satisfying character death
There aren't any books where I'm glad that characters die...that's kind of morbid really. I mean here's an example...Voldemort finally dies in this epic battle with Harry. All the same old rot that we see in all books of this genre...you know good vs. evil and light vs. dark and the hero must go it alone et cetera comes in to play. And, all I can think about at the end, after his death, is about all the characters that had to die to make his death possible and about how it's not really triumphant at all, is it? I mean not really...if we start from Harry's parents and end with the death of the Weasley twin (a death I am still pissed off about, actually, so much so that I don't know if I can ever watch the movies), Voldemort's death does not in any way feel satisfying at all; actually it feels very weak in comparison to all the other feelings I was having up to that point.

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11– A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book 

Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss

Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever 

Day 24 – Best Quote from a Novel 
Day 25 – Any five books from your "to be read" stack 
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

My 3 -Day Weekend in Haiku

Game Night
It's a successful
night if, by the end, one game
comes to fruition.

A Trip to the Aquatic Center
Friendly diversion
in Winter; steamy chlorine,
little girl laughing.

The Best Thing On Earth
Nothing beats a nap;
dazed head on pillow dreaming
of a gorgeous sleep.

What I Hate About Laundry
Not the washing, nor
the drying, but the endless
folding afterwards.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

30 Days of Truth: Something You Hope to Do in Life

I found this meme here and here.

Five: Something You Hope to Do in Life

So, seriously, I want to live in London, England. I want to live in London, England until I am sick of being there (which will be NEVER).

Here's how that dream used to look:

Stephanie goes to London. She works in a pub (the easiest place to get a job when you are not from, say, um, England). She lives in a studio flat in the top floor of a building in Northern London. She goes to museums, she eats jacket potatoes, she spends her days off in Hyde Park. She has British friends. She is happy.

After going to school there:

Stephanie goes to London. She is a tour guide (after two years of training). In her spare time she reads books and visit museums and writes. She drinks lots of wine. She faces herself Bridget Jones. She lives in a studio flat with her cat. She drinks lots of tea.

OR

Stephanie teaches English in a teach abroad program or as a second language. She lives in a one bedroom flat. She goes to concerts and shows and parties. She visits The States for two weeks every summer.

Latest incarnation:

Stephanie's husband and kiddo go with her to London. They spend summers there...whole summers, well at least Stephanie and the kiddo do, husband has to go back to The States to work. That is until he gets a job in London doing what he does, Stephanie teaches and the kiddo wears a uniform to school. We go to the park every Saturday, we play around the Peter Pan statue. We go to museums and eat in Harrod's and go to the Tower and talk to the birds. We go to Portobello Road and Camden and Covent Garden. We watch lots of shows. Family and friends come to visit.

Too bad, the husband's dream is to live in Australia--the last frontier.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Mr. Bennet's Parenting Skills, or lack thereof

So, if you follow Jane Austen on Facebook (and, who doesn't!?) you'll know that they're doing a celebration of Pride and Prejudice. Yesterday's poignant and highly debatable question:




At first I had a heart felt, of course, he is...he tells Elizabeth to follow her heart and not to care about what other people think concerning Mr. Darcy. Immediately after I thought this I remember three extremely important points 1] he doesn't do this for his other daughters and is as concerned with marrying them off into nice homes as his wife is 2] he really doesn't solve any of his daughters problems, seriously he's more of a 'close the barn door after they horses get out' kind of guy and 3] he passively let's his wife make horrible decisions; that's because he doesn't understand what it means to raise daughters and it would seem that he doesn't really want to take the time.

he doesn't do this for his other daughters and is as concerned with marrying them off into nice homes as his wife
  • he seems to think that his other daughters are too insipid 
  • he seems to have lost all hope with ever having a true relationship with them
  • he seems to have pick Elizabeth as the favorite because she is the opposite of her mother...as in she has brains and real beauty
he really doesn't solve any of his daughters problems, seriously he's more of a 'close the barn door after they horses get out' kind of guy
  • he doesn't seem to take his family and his responsibilities to them seriously
  • he runs away from problems...literally he retreats from them by walking about the countryside or by holing up in his library
  • one word: Lydia
  • oh, and other word: Kitty
  • he knows Mary is too smart, but doesn't help her
  • he knows that Jane is fairing well on her own
he passively let's his wife make horrible decisions; that's because he doesn't understand what it means to raise daughters and it would seem that he doesn't really want to take the time
  • he would rather be amused by the outcomes than to help
  • he doesn't seem to take his role as father seriously
  • he'd rather entertain and be entertaining
  • he doesn't love his wife and does nothing about that
  • when he sees the traits his wife possesses in his daughters he doesn't try to instill in his daughters 'respect, esteem or confidence'
Conclusion: if you are Elizabeth Bennet you might think your father is top-notch, even if he is flawed, to everyone else Mr. Bennet may be the first ever fictional 'absentee father'. Is this the kind of father role model Jane Austen wanted us to see, or is his a tale of caution?

Anyway, sorry this is all sorts of bullet-pointed...I'm sure it will make someone a great start to an essay anyway!

What do you think about Mr. Bennet?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

65 Books in a Year: Book #4 Skeleton Creek

I don't usually gush about middle grade books as I am too far removed from the experiences and feelings about a middle grader to feel like I fall in love with books meant for kids in junior high. I can usually appreciate their plots, themes, characters and so on, but if I didn't read them at the appropriate age my adult brain prohibits me from falling love with them. True and sad, I know.

I thought I was going to feel the same way about this book and its subsequent series.

I was dead wrong.

A student kept on gushing about these books and he said that he'd read the series more than once and was shocked that I'd never even heard of the series before. He asked if I wanted to borrow it and he brought the whole series in for me to read. He said I would love them and he told me to be sure to watch the videos. I started reading it and could not put it down and I made sure to watch all of the videos.

This series is touted as 'The X-Files' meets 'Blair Witch Project'. It involves two best friends who, after an accident that occurs before the beginning of the story, aren't allowed to hang out with each other as they always get themselves into trouble when they do. Ryan writes in his journal about what caused him to be bedridden in a Big Bertha caste and Sarah does all the investigating sending him videos and chats about a ghost, a gold dredge and a secret society cover-up. The fact that we get to hear Ryan's voice through his journals is cool enough (there aren't enough boy narrators in YA fiction), but we also get to see Sarah's videos as she talks directly to us via the internet giving us mysterious passwords based on scary stories and haunting characters to see what she sees. If I were a kid in this day and age I would be love. I'm a little creeped out anyways and read this book in an hour. It doesn't help that Ryan thinks everyone is out to get him and nothing and no one is what it seems.

I love the allusions to classic horror novels, movies and characters. I love the historical background (I had to look up what a drudge is) and I look forward to reading the rest of the series...in one sitting in the dark of the night.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

My Diverse Taste...a discovery...

The books below are the first four books I've read this year...


I've ranked them as follows:

1] 4-stars
2] 4-stars
3] 4-stars
4] 5-stars

Their categories are as follows:

1] fantasy, adventure, classic
2] Christian, romance, Historical fiction
3] non-fiction, memoir, humor
4] young adult/middle grade, epistolary, mystery

And, what I've noticed is that all together they encapsulate genres that I quite enjoy. For fun I mixed up a description and then found a book or two that I loved that could be categorized as such.

Christian, fantasy, young adult/middle grade


Romance, memoir, non-fiction



Historical fiction, adventure, humor


Classic, epistolary, mystery


It's going to be an excellent year of reading. I can already tell.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How My Life in No Way Resembles that of the Illustrious Tucker Max

A Trip to KC

Occurred--January 2013
Written--January 2013

Chris' mother got remarried last weekend. Chris and I both hate weddings. Actually, until I met Chris, I didn't know someone could hate weddings more than I do. We hate dressing up, we hate the constant smiling, the being niceness, the receptions that take place in churches, I hate wearing panty-hoes and make-up...anyway, we'd been dreading the wedding for a long time, not because of the people (we love the people), but because weddings make us...itchy and, I don't know about Chris, but they also make me nervous that I'm going to screw up someone's 'best day ever' just by wearing the wrong color or sitting on the wrong side or breathing. I could tell that neither one of us were especially happy about going because it was the day for us to set out and we hadn't packed, I didn't know what I was going to wear and, because, I'd just been informed, like 2 days before, that Lila was to be in the wedding (not Chris' mother's fault; Chris' fault), we did not have a red dress. Chris didn't want to stay the whole weekend because it was supposed to snow, so we were looking at 7 hrs. of driving, plus the drive to the church, in a less than 24 hr. period. Joy.

Did I mention that I hate weddings?

Bring on the weekend.

Friday was pretty uneventful. I left school earlier than I usually do. I thought I could come home, shower and pack. Chris was already home doing those same activities, so we were just in each other's way. This, of course, made us both irritated. I did not shower. I packed every nice piece of clothing I received for Christmas (thank-you Mother). I packed about 4 different outfits for Lila. I packed my grading, my books, make-up, several different activities for Lila to be entertained in the car, snacks, Lila's blanket and Lila's pillow.

We pick up Lila from daycare, buy dinner at McDonald's and hit the road.

Chris, of course, takes the way that makes me car-sick although I have told him several times that it makes me car sick. As we pass through Sedalia, I remember happier times driving through that town to visit friends in Marshall. I fall asleep trying not to think about how much can happen in 10 years. I can live in my head a bit too much.

We arrive at Chris' mother's. I love her house. I'm not sure when it was built but it's definitely old and she has such lovely antiques. Chris' brother, wife and kids are also there. The girls run around and I drink some ginger ale. Soon everyone, except for Lila, is ready for bed. Getting her screaming self upstairs wakes up the baby. Everyone is not pleased.

The day of the wedding is best told as a timeline:

7.38a: Wake up, grade papers, read my book, waited for others to wake up.

8.05a: Go downstairs, eat some delicious fruitcake muffins.

8.30a: Lila wakes up and we go downstairs where she proceeds to play with her cousin, while eating breakfast. I go back upstairs telling the adults downstairs to come and get me if she needs anything. I both hate leaving her downstairs and love knowing that she's OK downstairs with everyone. Eventually, papers graded, I head back downstairs to take a shower...a long one, I even *gasp* shave my legs.

9ish: Chris wakes up. We realize that we have to leave at around 10ish to get Lila a dress and be at the church in time for a practice run for the flower girls. Everyone leaves the house but the three of us. We finish getting ready.

10.18a: We leave and head for the first Target on the way. It's ghetto and kind of scary. It's also under-stocked. We finally find a red dress for Lila (on clearance one size too small), headbands, hair supplies, tights, more snacks, some cute shoes on clearance and some tights for me as it is flipping freezing.

11.26a: Although the invitation said not to give a gift I feel like we should so Chris goes into Pier One and looks while Lila and I stay in the car. It's freezing out and I realize we are now running late as we are only about 1/2 through the one hour drive. I change Lila into her dress and tights while she is still in the car seat (I feel like a master).

11.48a: We look at the map and realize we are actually very close to the wedding venue, so we stop for lunch.

12.28p: We make it. I finish getting Lila ready...the flower girl head band will not fit on her head. I am OK with this when I recognize that it won't fit on her cousin's head either. There is a nursery in the church. We have to bribe Lila out of the nursery for the practice run. A lovely gentleman compliments me on how cute Lila is and how adorable she looks in red and that with her complexion she'll also look good in blue. I comment about how he is right. I thank him and ask if he'd like her for the rest of the weekend, he laughs. No one can tell I'm not joking about that.

1.??p: The wedding starts...I think horrible things like "When was the last time Lila pooped?". Her cousin throws the flowers like she's supposed to, um, Lila picks them up, puts them in her basket and dances, I mean like pirouettes and Fossi's down the aisle likes she auditioning. Everyone is laughing in a polite wedding-like manner. I look over; her father is not amused. She and her cousin stand at the pulpit a little longer than I care to think about. Lila won't sit on my lap. Chris gets a hold of her and carries her out to the nursery. As they leave, Lila is yelling, "[Cousin's name] I'm leaving you" and, the gem of the day, "I don't want to go. I want to dance." I am ashamed, but I also find her behavior funny. I can hear Chris' brother chuckling behind me. People are so good-natured at weddings. I stay for the whole thing and listen to the other kids in the pews making noises. 

2.00p: Lila wants to eat the cake before the bride and groom. We have to distract her with the punch fountain. I comment about the fact that this is the first reception I've been to in a church in awhile. My sister-in-law agrees. We have some sort of apple juice, ginger ale, spicy, cranberry juice punch. It taste like Christmas. Actually the whole reception reminds me of Christmas. After the girls run around like chickens with their heads cut off, I gladly corral them into the nursery. I watch the children and read my book.

3.00p: Chris says we should head out. We make our way out of the nursery. His new father-in-law comments on how spunky Lila is...I say she can come visit them at any time. We pack up the car. They give us extra food from the reception...cheese, crackers and salami...we are winners!

3.38p: I look at the clock in the car and we are actually on the road 38 minutes after we initially said we were going to leave. What did we do with that 38 minutes? Chris ask where we're going to eat dinner. I don't know how he can even be thinking about his next meal as I am full of cake and cheese and punch. I ignore him, but not the weather as it's beginning to snow. Chris begins to complain about the snow and driving and staying too long at the reception. I tell Chris that he isn't allowed to talk unless he is saying something positive or helpful. After we see several cars in the ditch or sideways in the median, he looks over the edge on my side of the road and questions, "Wouldn't it be horrible if we swerved off into that ditch?". I calmly say, "That comment was neither positive nor helpful."

4.30p: It's dark and snowy and slushy. Lila is asleep. We're debating on whether we should pull over or turn around. Chris says we're too far away from his mom's to turn around. I say that we are closer to his mom's than to our home. While he concedes to this logical train of thought we do not turn around.

5.45p: It takes 2 hrs. to travel to Warrensburg, but we can tell it's getting clearer. We press on.

6.32p: We hit Sedalia. Lila wakes up. She's hungry. The windshield wipers do not work. The one that doesn't work on my side, is, in fact, hitting a patch of ice. Chris keeps on asking what the noise is and I keep on saying that it's a patch of ice. He, obviously, does not believe me. My butt hurts from sitting. We debate about the fact that it feels like we are coming out of the worst of it or whether we should get a room at some place in Sedalia. Chris says that we are going to keep driving until we wreck or get home, whichever comes first. I'm glad that he cannot see me roll my eyes.

7.30p: I wake up from a nap because Chris has slammed on the brakes (there are idiot drivers around us...seriously, who pulls out into the highway in front of a car during an ice-ish storm?) I've been drooling. Lila is hungry.

7.35p: We stop at a Bull's Eye for delicious gas station (no hit of sarcasm, for real, I love gas station chicken) chicken and potato wedges. Lila will not eat them. She will, however, eat the stale goldfish crackers and chocolate milk from earlier. Chris cleans off the windshield using his bare hands, he flicks off lots of ice...hmmm...I wonder if the noise will stop, if it doesn't I will never hear the end of it. I get out of the car to throw away some of the trash. The car is covered in a sheet of ice, I can hardly see the tires as they are trapped in an ice shield.

7.40p: The windshield wipers have stopped making that horrible sound. I win. I do not tell him this. It doesn't feel like the right time.

7.42p: Lila eats the chicken and then asks for more.

7.43p: The 'Whys?' begin..."Why is that car driving in front of us?" "Why aren't you stopping? Daddy, red means 'Stop'." "Why do cars have red brake lights?" "Why is it ice?" "Why is it snowing?" Why is it dark?" "Why are we going home?" "Why are you drinking diet soda?" "Why do I have to stop kicking the seat?" "Why did you put that crunchy bag over there?" "Why can't I bang on it?"

"Can I play with the Nook?"
"I don't want to go back to sleep."

I hand her the Nook.

7.55p: By now we're just driving through rain.

8.35p: We're home. It's been a long day. Lila won't go to bed. I change her into her pajamas and go to the bedroom to read.

I don't have any pictures.

I'm pretty sure that if Lila doesn't want to get married we'll cheer. I'm also pretty sure that if she wants to get married we'll pay her to elope. I'll tell her that I hear Vegas is a great place to get married while stuffing hundred-dollar bills in her pocket. I'll end with, "Hey, Vegas worked for us, it can work for you!".

Monday, January 14, 2013

65 Books in a Year: Book #3 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

I think if I divide my review of this book into parts it will help me better understand why I like it so much and why I would so be Mr. Max's friend had I the chance to meet him.

I Feel Like I Know Him...
OK, not really, but we are the same age and because of that his experiences ring true to me. I've been telling people that if I took the stories from every guy I've met, starting with the first day of college and ending with yesterday, all of their stories (and, I will not tell them because they are not mine to share, but really I know some stories that are just as outrageous and hilarious; probably more so as they are from people I know) would not even begin to amount to the plethora of stories that this one guy has...lots of crazy stories from just one guy. His stories make me laugh as much as I want to throw-up and, frankly, they make me feel a little nostalgic for a time when I had friends who had crazy stories to tell. I like that he communicates with his readers via his email and his blog. I like that he respects his friends enough to not tell their stories without their permission.

I mean we've all met this type of guy, you know the cocky self-aware guy who parties hard to work hard (in Max's case working hard is typing his exploits on his blog, writing books, writing advice columns and articles), who is educated and learned and well-read, and who, no matter how much we hate it, does not lie. Why would he? What would he be getting from the lie? Obviously, he gets more from telling the truth. He's the kind of guy who has just as many girl friends as guy friends as fbs. The kind of guy who really is an open book.

On Being Anti-Female, Anti-Feminist and Unfunny...
I'm not sure why people verbally and, I guess sometimes, physically abuse this guy. He's not any different than a lot of guys out there. Even his way of story telling isn't any different. I can't tell if people don't like him because he took something that loads of males go through and made money off of it or if they don't like him out of some misguided jealousy and or misplaced rage about the injustice of the world.

I like the way he writes. I truly believe he would not respect a girl who wasn't smart--sure he'd sleep with her, but he wouldn't like her. I think that he could like someone and make fun of them at the same time.

Even guys like this grow up. It seems that even now this is happening to Mr. Max, even as I type this.

And, if someone thinks Tucker Max is cool and tries to be him, they aren't even going to get close if they aren't honest and aren't willing to take responsibility for their actions. It seems (now granted I haven't read any of the recent books although I have them ready to read on my Nook) that this guy has rules and standards for every aspect of his life; even if those rules are a little skewed. See page 157:
"...I have since learned how awful it was and now take pains to explain to women what I want and what I expect from them before we do anything, which is not only the right thing to do, it prevents the kind of issues that happen here [saying "I love you" and not really meaning it] from occurring later on."
I just like this (from one of his websites FAQ; a FAQ, I'd like to note, I read after writing the above):
"... most people cannot conceive of a reality outside their own experience. If they can’t see themselves doing it, they can’t believe anyone else can do it. So when some jealous anti-social loser reads my stuff, sometimes he will react in disbelief because he can’t imagine himself interacting with people in a way that doesn’t suck."
And, he's got a pretty Kick A** booklist...as a friend in college said to me on more than one occasion, "You really like brain sex [talking about books, movies, plays, lectures, philosophizing about life]." Yes, yes I do and I'm sure I could talk to Tucker Max about a number of topics. I'm just as sure that I'd never want to meet Mr. Max at a bar or a club or at a function of any kind.

The Ranking...
So, why the 4-stars? After a few drunken, throw-up party stories, they all seem to be the same and it got a little tiring to not be able to comment/talk back and it felt like a train-wreck towards the end; a train-wreck I couldn't stop reading about.

Is it wrong that I refuse to call this "fratire"?

Sunday, January 13, 2013

30 Days of Truth: Something You Have to Forgive Someone For

I found this meme here and here.

Four: Something You Have to Forgive Someone For
Um, so I don't really feel that I need to forgive someone of something. I mean I've been thinking about it for about a week now. Either I forgive someone for something or I don't. There really isn't something in my brain that makes me think that I ought to do something when I don't want to do it.

So...
people can lie to me daily...forgiven.
people can make me angry...forgiven.
people can hurt me emotionally...forgiven.
people can hurt me physically...forgiven.

And, so on...

Hence, the reason why I don't associate with people with chips on their shoulders. I'm pretty sure they forgive and forget nothing. How dreary!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

65 Books in a Year: Book #2 Twice A Bride

I got this to review from Blogging for Books.

This book is the fourth and final book in a series centered around the Sinclair sisters of Cripple Creek, Colorado.

From reading this book, I suppose the other three books are about:

  • They are all married although one got left at the alter.
  • They moved to Cripple Creek because their father made them. He moved to Paris.
  • Two have children; one really wants a child.
  • Miss Hattie takes care of them.
  • I think one may have gotten sick.

And, although it was pretty easy to catch on I really disliked the fact that I didn't know going in that this was the 4th a series, as there were still some parts that kept me hanging and annoyed. I appreciate that it is not about a Sinclair sister at all, but about the sister of the pastor's wife (the pastor's wife being one of the sisters), although I think bits of her story are in one of the other books. I suppose we get enough through flashbacks...maybe.

Mona Hodgson is an excellent writer at setting the scene and in terms of creating great characters who trust in God as they head out West, I'll gladly compare her to Janette Oke. Hodgson's characters are likeable and real. I especially like Trenton Van der Veer. His dislike of going to church is truly believable and transcends time. I love that he is a real man with real feelings and Hodgson's let's us know that while he may have a stutter he appreciates women, gets confused by women, and, is a little lost, because of a woman. The scene in the church parlor is just lovely. There are also many other scenes that Hodgson renders so completely that I felt like I was there and, well, I wanted to be.

Pick up this book is you want a romance with a true look at what it means to be a Christian and to trust in the Lord at all times. Pick up this book if you like a good historical romance, I promise you will not be disappointed.

The more I write about this book, the more I realize that I need to give it 4-stars, not my original 3-stars...I think those were based soully on the fact that I wasn't prepared to read the fourth book in a series and it made me a little perturbed. It would seem this book can stand alone pretty well. I am little sad that I don't feel the need to read the other three books, as I feel I've received enough of their stories.


Monday, January 7, 2013

65 Books in a Year: Book #1 The Hobbit


Over Christmas Break, my friend Liz twisted my arm (OK, there wasn't really any twisting involved) and convinced me to watch The Hobbit (subtitle eludes me at the moment).

I love it...to know how much I love it you should really read this review on Goodreads. It not only talks about the book, but about how much this new movie R.O.C.K.S. and it saves me the trouble of going into much detail about the movie and it saves me having to talk about the book vs. the movie.

I only want to talk about the movie in relation to the fact that it made me read the book again because:

1] I wanted to know why there were so many people (there are people who think this, really!?) who didn't want Jackson to screw up their Hobbityness...he really doesn't screw up anything AT. ALL.

2] I wanted to see how many pages of the book were actually in the movie (80...yes, a 2 hour and 45 minute  movie is 80 pages of my version of The Hobbit)

3] I didn't want to spend the next movies experiencing strange flashback/amnesia wondering what parts were added/changed/deleted while simultaneously remembering...

4] And, I couldn't remember how many dwarves died and I definitely needed to know so I wouldn't be surprised...I hate being surprised

I don't know when I read the book the first time, before high school is all I know, and I remember thinking it was a hard read, I realize now that was due to the fact that there are 12 dwarf names, at least 6 place names, so many types of characters to keep track of like trolls, goblins, different types of elves and a couple of wizards, several flashbacks with more dwarf names and places, and several big words.

I love that the copy I own has the dwarves in barrels with cute little Bilbo on top as they rage down the river as that's one of my favorite parts.

I rated it 4-stars from my memory and, after re-reading am keeping it at four...I'm still confused about the big battle at the end...I mean why? who? but, I didn't mind all the death and the ending is beautiful and real and bittersweet. It makes me want to re-read the rest of the series. I can see how someone could become obsessed with the Tolkien universe.

Like I've always said, JK Rowling could take a lesson or two...


Sunday, January 6, 2013

30 Days of Truth: Something You Have to Forgive Yourself For

I found this meme here and here.

Three: Something You Have to Forgive Yourself For
OK, so if you'll recall from Day #2...um, I'm pretty self-aware, so I know pretty much immediately what I have to forgive myself for and then I do it. Sometimes that means apologizing to someone before truly forgiving myself, but once I know I've done something wrong or something someone perceives as wrong I go about fixing it and/or not letting it weigh me down.

The hardest time I've ever had doing this was when my aunt passed away. Everybody wanted me to go down and see her before the holidays and I did every weekend and the last week of her life when she was most frail and sick I did three days. I wish I would have more. I wish I wouldn't have said that I'd see her over the weekend. But, I can find peace about that, especially since I know she is no longer suffering and in pain and I know that I will see her again and I know that she is always in my heart and has made me a better person and why would I dwell on anything else, but these facts.

And, although this was written several years after her death, I find that Susan St. James's approach to her son's death and this subsequent post A Lesson in Loss, has really helped me find peace this past month.

Friday, January 4, 2013

55 Books in a Year: Book #57 Antigone and #58 The Woman in Black


Two Classic Novels

I read both of the books below for school. We were doing a new unit using Antigone and Persepolis and I read The Woman in Black for to complete the projects for our second independent read.

A Classic Greek Play
Antigone
  • First heroine in literature
  • Classic display of hubris
Projects used:
Adapted from Novel Units: Antigone Teaching Guide
The Oedipus Story
Persepolis Movie Questions
Irony in Antigone
Foils in Antigone
Antigone Structure-Summary Diagram
Persepolis/Antigone Pardon Essay
Allusions in Antigone

Why I love this book: 
I've always enjoyed the many aspects of this play as they are the first time ever to be seen. I like that when I read it the first time I really thought that Antigone was a strong, proud woman who stood up for her beliefs. I liked that upon reading it again I recognized that both Antigone and Creon could have changed their fates by listening to one another and I realized that while I didn't want to be Ismene, Antigone really isn't someone to emulate. She just seems stubborn and bull-headed. I wasn't really impressed by Haemon either.

A Modern Classic in the Gothic Style
The Woman in Black
  • Includes several popular Gothic elements
  • Classic ghost story
Projects used:
One-Pager and Single Page book

Why I love this book:
I like that I didn't even know that this book was published in the 80s, until I began reading it. I thought it was just a Gothic novel that I didn't know about. The build up to the end of this book was pretty gosh darned awesome. I kept on wondering what was going to happen and well, the ending does not disappoint in the sheer creepiness department.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 28

Last year I found this book challenge (since then I have seen many variations of it, but I like this one best!), and have been intrigued about how I would answer the questions posed. Feel free to comment with your own answer or post the challenge to your own blog.

First favorite book or series obsession


OK, so when I read these books in the early 80s...there were only, um...4. Frankly, I didn't know there was a 5th book until, um...college. I have never read it. I don't really understand how this could be part of two series, but I digress.

The Time Quartet was the first series of books I was totally obsessed about and it's first book A Wrinkle in Time was the first book I read more than once. There for awhile I read it every year.

I love, love, love, love this series and all I have to do to be propelled to a simpler time is open up the pages of any one of these books. I can remember sitting on the floor of my bedroom, radio on, contemplating the fifth dimension and thinking about what I would do if I had a brother like Charles Wallace.

My husband and I watched the movie sometime last summer. It didn't really hold as much magic as the book.

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11– A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book 

Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss

Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever 

Day 24 – Best Quote from a Novel 
Day 25 – Any five books from your "to be read" stack 
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

55 Books in 2012 Recap

OK, so I actually read 65 books in 2012...hence the new goal of 65 for 2013...Goodreads thinks I read 67 books, but really. I cannot count "The Little Mermaid" and "The Strange Case of Finley Jayne" as whole books. Thanks Goodreads for helping me rediscover my love of reading in 2011 and for helping me come to terms with the fact that not all good books have to be literature in 2012!

Books in order of how much I like them in relation to each other:
  1. 2] Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman  Sam Wasson 
  2. 65] Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern Joshua Zeitz 
  3. 35] Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke
  4. 14] The Moonstone Wilkie Collins
  5. 15] Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling
  6. 49] The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight Jennifer E. Smith
  7. 17] Anna and the French Kiss Stephanie Perkins
  8. 50] The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern
  9. 20] Divergent Veronica Roth
  10. 4] Around the World in 80 Days Jules Verne
  11. 40] Lost in a River of Grass Ginny Rorby
  12. 63] Let it Snow John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
  13. 3] Geek Girls Unite Leslie Simon
  14. 1Bittersweet Sarah Ockler
  15. 59] Dark Water Lauren McNeal
  16. 42] The Garner Files James Garner
  17. 7Mary Poppins PL Travers
  18. 64] Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace 
  19. 46] On the Island Tracey Garvis-Graves
  20. 38] Catching Jordan Miranda Kenneally
  21. 60] The List Siobhan Vivian
  22. 48] The Amazing and Death-Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman Paul Zindel
  23. 44] The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle
  24. 58] The Woman in Black Susan Hill
  25. 19] Anna Dressed in Blood Kendare Blake
  26. 30] Cycles Lois D. Brown
  27. 24] Tangeled Tides Karen Amanda Hooper
  28. 21] The Girl in the Steel Corset Kady Cross
  29. 25] I Just Want My Pants Back David J. Rosen
  30. 18] Bet Me Jennifer Crusie
  31. 16] The Lucky One Nicholas Sparks
  32. 31] Soulless Gail Carriger
  33. 5] Paranormalcy Kiersten White
  34. 9The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher Kate Summerscale
  35. 10Kissing Kate Lauren Myracle
  36. 8The Fox DH Lawrence
  37. 32] Slumber Party Christopher Pike
  38. 29] Insurgent Veronica Roth
  39. 56] Mare’s War Tanita S. Davis
  40. 54] 50 Shades Darker EL James
  41. 52] 50 Shades of Grey EL James
  42. 6Between the Land and the Sea Derrolyn Anderson
  43. 27] Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings  Helene Boudreau
  44. 22] OyMG  Amy Fellner Dominy
  45. 53] Just for Fins Tera Lynn Child
  46. 41] The Lure of Shapinsay Kristin Holle
  47. 33] Changeless Gail Carriger
  48. 34] Kiss Me I’m Irish Bella Street
  49. 47] The Blood Spur Charles Einstein
  50. 43] Formative Assessments and Standard-Based Grading Robert Marzano
  51. 28] Albert Nobbs George Moore
  52. 51] The Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly
  53. 45] Hands On Grammar Katherine S. McKnight
  54. 12] Fins Are Forever Tera Lynn Child
  55. 39] Warrior’s Rise LJ DeLeon
  56. 36] Sea Change Aimee Friedman
  57. 57] Antigone Sophocles
  58. 26] Pinch Hit Tim Green
  59. 61] The Vincent Boys Abbi Glines
  60. 13] A to Z Stories of Life and Death D. Biswas
  61. 23] Robinson Crusoe Daniel DeFoe
  62. 11] For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women Shaunti Feldhahn 
  63. 55] 50 Shades Freed EL James
  64. 62] In Over Her Head Judi Fennell
  65. 37] Everblue Brenda Pandos




And, if you like reading lists...here's my list from 2011!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...