My Personal Cafe

Book Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

2011-12-05T15:12:00.002-06:00

I read this book 11/2011. I think this book is one of the most interesting and clever novels I have read in some time. I loved this book and was completely heartbroken at the same time.

The story centers around Alice, a 50 year old Harvard professor of cognitive psychology, so her life is as an academic who focuses on how the mind processes language and its uses. The novel begins right at her 50th birthday, as she begins to slowly notice little hiccups in her memory and its function. It is nothing that people do not experience everyday, including me in my early thirties. These occurrences start to become a little more frequent than she likes since she has such a razor sharp memory and impressive intellectual prowess (we would expect nothing less from any professor but, especially one who has tenure at Harvard).

At first she believes these instances are related to menopause, since she fits neatly into the 48-52 year old age bracket, and because slight memory issues or forgetfulness are common side effects of going through menopause. So she visits her family physician who tells her as such and she goes on for a little while somewhat confident/hopeful that this is the cause of her memory hiccups. Then she has a few incidents that make her visit the physician again and cause her to request to see a neurologist. After a bunch of neurological tests she is familiar with (teaching), the result is that she has early onset Alzheimer's disease, which she initially keeps from her family and colleagues. Eventually she must bring her husband in to the doctor's office since she soon will not be a reliable judge as to how much she is deteriorating.

The element in the novel that stuck with me the most is her blackberry. It is one of the things that carries us through her painful memory loss and mental deterioration the most because it reoccurs throughout the remaining chapters. Early on in her loss of mental acuity she makes a list of a few questions which chime in via her device every morning at 8am with instructions telling herself that if she cannot answer these questions than she should open a file on her computer called "butterfly." The questions ask her to answer: 1.What month is it? 2.Where do you live? 3.Where is your office 4.When is Anna's birthday (one of her daughters) and 5.How many children do you have? At the beginning the answers are clear and detailed, but as the chapters progress we see them become much simpler as she forgets, has trouble reading and typing, and eventually cannot read or type anything at all because it is too difficult to process. In an incident that was devastating for me, she loses the blackberry in a way that destroys its functionality, so she no longer gets her daily reminder, and therefore, forgets her "butterfly" file exists and forgets her ultimate plan, which is eluded to but not stated outright, that she will kill herself when her "self" is gone. And since she no longer has that reminder she has lost her plan and herself.

I connected to this book personally since I am also a college instructor in a field that requires me to remember and instantly recall a plethora of facts (art history). If I were to suffer from the same degenerative mental disease my career would also be over. As professors we define ourselves, in large part, by our mental prowess and ability to communicate with our students and colleagues. This book helped me feel what it would be like since we read it from Alice's point of view and not an outsider/caregiver which seems to get all the help and the attention for this disease (as she points out in the book).

I also learned a bit about Alzheimer's from this book. I did not know that there were three genetic markers for this disease which can be tested for, that early onset is hereditary, nor did I even realize that one could suffer the effects so early on in life. I, probably like many people, thought it was a disease of the elderly, and that memory loss was just a part of getting older. I am glad I now know more but, am equally frightened that it can happen at the pinnacle of a career.

I would recommend this book to learn more about the human side of suffering from a disease. It is a powerful novel, albeit a scary and sad one, but well worth reading. Sometimes it is easier to confront these issues through a novel because it becomes more personal than just reading statistics or medical language that the average person cannot understand. But, we can understand Alice, the fierce intellectual who controls every aspect of her world eventually having to live satisfied with loving chocolate ice-cream and only referring to her children as "the mother" and "the actress" because she doesn't know who they are anymore.

And so it goes...

Book Review: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

2011-12-05T14:05:00.006-06:00

I read this book 11/2011. I really loved this book! I initially checked it out because it is the source material for the Broadway musical of the same name. I would like to one day see the musical, if I like say win the lottery and have the money to go, so I wanted to read the book first in case it is like most film adaptations of books where people always say "it was good but the book is better."

This is definitely not your children's version of Oz right from the beginning pages of the novel. There is a lot of sexual material in the book right from the start, sometimes too much and somewhat off-putting, and a fair amount of political matters as well. However, the story is a clever twist, especially if you are most familiar with the land of Oz via the classic movie The Wizard of Oz (1939) starring Judy Garland, or the children's' novels of L. Frank Baum. This is Oz for grownups.

The book centers around the life of Elphaba, who will eventually come to be known as "The Wicked Witch of the West," from her birth to her death. We get a peak at a few years of her childhood out in the country with her preacher father and hussy of a mother who came from a titled family. Then we spend a year or so with her at college, which surprised me, and we learn how she came into contact with Galinda (eventually goes with the nickname Glinda we all know) who will become her friend and find Elphaba becoming a strong advocate for Animal rights (the difference between a mere animal and an Animal is explained in the book). This is also how she comes to be in the Emerald city, which is the next section of the book, in a secret group determined to take down the ruthless dictator of the city. Here the "wonderful wizard of Oz" is not so wonderful but a corrupt politician in every sense of the phrase. Eventually she takes a lover (enter some steamy bits) and tries to be a young and strong-willed political activist. Things don't work out too well, so we flash forward to a few years later where she is in a kind of convent and leaving for the far west with a boy to rectify some of the tragedy surrounding the events of her and her lover whom she met in college and who was a prince. That is how she ends up in the castle, creates flying monkeys who talk (she is working on it), and eventually ends up meeting Dorothy and her ultimate demise via water, by accident.

The great quality of the book I think is that it makes Oz quite similar to real life. Elphaba is a young woman who is a bit different (green skin, allergic to water) and engaged in a spirited youthful drive to rid the world of cruelty to Animals and fight for Animal rights, beginning in her college years, which I think a good many of us can relate to: youthful enthusiasm and the desire to change the world when we were that age. She then goes through a few bumps and bruises along the way while trying to live a good life, but things just don't quite work out for her.

Oz is more of a mix of power hungry politicians and the social elite instead of a land where good and evil are clearly defined. Elphaba was not a wicked person nor was she born a "witch," that was a chosen and respected profession in the book, to become a sorceress. In actuality she was following the path of science and the study of how Animals acquired the higher intelligence that they had which separated them from the mere barn animals that were sources of food. And her death was not the great and justified quest to rid the world of evil as it was in the film. It was a mere accident in the tower, which I will leave for you to discover when you read this interesting contemporary novel.

Needless to say I think this book was excellent and causes you to look at Oz as another world, one that is a fantasy where magic is common but, not with the simple and clearly defined epic quest of one chosen good person struggling against a token tyrant, at least not in the way the movies always make them in an Arthurian sort of way. As in real life, what is "wicked" is sometimes a matter of perspective and intentions. I am now reading the second book in the series Son of a Witch, and it is revealing even more about the story of Elphaba and the crazy land of Oz, hooking the readers with bits and pieces about the mysterious character of Mother Yackle and her role in the events of both books. There seems to be a much larger conspiracy afoot...

I would recommend this book to fans of the Oz story who want a more true-to-life idea of the land and those who like fiction in general, but definitely not to a youth audience, this is not a children's version of Oz.

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown

2011-11-16T17:33:00.005-06:00

Read for book club (11/2010) at Crystal Lake Public Library. I found this book to be touching, sweet, and introspective. I really enjoyed it!

The main character is Alice, and the novel takes place around Memorial day, her 10th birthday. She is the lone girl in a house with her father, a Shakespeare professor, and 5 older brothers. She is a bit of a tomboy but quite smart and kind. During the summer she meets and becomes friends with a few special people. The first is Theo, a mixed-race boy from NYC, who ends up becoming a good friend of hers after a little time. The second is Kenneth, a "cool" artist who makes nifty mobiles (reminded me of Alexander Calder a bit) and is unfortunately sick and has lost his site.

This brings the three of them together because Alice and Theo end up visiting Kenneth daily to read to him from books, which begins a great friendship and a love for Lewis and Clarke. The two children end up creating a rope walk for Kenneth so he would be able to go for a walk in the woods and not get too close to a dangerous waterfall (where the book title comes from).

You definitely feel a sense of childhood wonder and innocence while reading this book (like Alice dreamily looking at the beautiful mobile in the library). Eventually you see some of the realities of life creep in and how the children have to deal with the mistakes of adults. It is endearing and hopeful though, and I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy a good story!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian

2011-11-16T17:14:00.009-06:00

Read for book club (10/2010) at Crystal Lake Public Library. This is my favorite book club read so far! I absolutely loved this book! This is the one that has stuck with me the most, out of anything I have read the last couple of years, but especially from the book club reads.

It is a fun, touching, sad, but spunky novel about an elderly couple's trip across country via the famous Route 66. The voice of the book is Ella who tells about her life as they travel from their home in Michigan to their final destination in California. It could be a sad book because the two of them are ill but instead the writer's voice is so good that I never once felt sad just thrilled from one page to the next.

Ella's husband John has Alzheimer's and as the book progresses we find out she is sick as well (cancer) but determined to have one great final trip no matter what happens. They used to take good old fashioned road trips with their children and she recalls some of these fondly for us. Other moments which should be sad are really funny, like when they are camped out for the night and they both somehow end up hitting the ground and cannot get up. Ella is a real spitfire and she makes a fantastic protagonist!

I learned a lot from reading this book about love, health, determination, and humor in the face of what is almost certain embarrassment and could easily become depressing. I was mad at her for the ending, and despite seeing it coming a mile away, I still wanted to turn those pages every minute. Our group had a fun time reminiscing about the good, bad, and ugly things that happened during road trips in our own lives; and thanks to our smart librarian, we all brought along some of our own road trip pictures to share on the day of our discussion which were really fun to look at!

I also got a little education about the American road and Route 66 in the process. There is a great greenhouse near my house that has these giant statues that I always wondered about because they seemed so odd (The Greenhouse of Crystal Lake). It turns out they are pretty common if you have traveled on or around Route 66. Apparently there were a plethora of Paul Bunyan statues along the way, and many of them were re-purposed by local businesses and used for their own signs, like the ones near me at the greenhouse of Paul Bunyan and an Indian Brave. That helped clear it up for me because I couldn't figure out why they had these bizarre and massive things where people go to buy their plants!

I seriously adored this novel and would recommend it to anybody who wants to reminisce about the good old fashioned family trips they had, to think about what it means to grow older with the love of your life, and how to do things your way every step along the journey of life, come what may!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

2011-11-16T16:17:00.004-06:00

Read for book club (9/2010) at Crystal Lake Public Library. This book is the memoir of writer and journalist Jeannette Walls. It is an honest but sentimental look at her life growing up in a poor and dysfunctional family that lived at first out west in Arizona and then moved to rural West Virginia. Eventually she strikes out on her own and moves to NYC in hopes of a better life.

At first you kind of want to smack her and ask her why she was so loving and kind to her parents! Her father was a drunk and a dreamer who came up with nutty ideas and rarely accomplished a thing. Her mother was an artist who, in her own mind, sacrificed life and fun for her children. In reality he was just a drunk who made things up and she was a lazy spoiled brat who acted like she was 12 years old and had no responsibilities. They were appalling and should be ashamed of themselves! They weren't creative, they were just drunk and pathetic. For example, the idea where the memoir gets its name, her father tells them he is going to strike it rich and build them a dream home. They decide to proceed and start excavating the ground behind their shabby home, only to end up having it sullied by pitching the trash into it because they don't pay any of their bills. The mother finds it a waste of time to take care of anything domestic (like say feed her children) because her time could and should be better spent painting.

I was thrilled when Jeannette finally got the heck out of there and went to NYC, and was devastated when her useless and crazy parents showed up. They don't however sponge of her but rather choose to be homeless and squat in abandoned buildings and fight for their rights to do so. I cannot believe how gracious she was about such awful people who should have had their children taken away permanently and placed into protective services (an attempt was made but didn't stick). She lovingly recalls how he would teach them things (he was educated and a smart man) and how her mother was a free spirit. Personally, if these were my parents, I would have spent every page bashing them for their selfishness and despicable behavior.

It was a great read and one that spurred forth some interesting discussions in our group! I would recommend this to those that like memoirs and to those who want to appreciate parents who actually cared about them, even if they weren't perfect and dysfunctional, because they will seem like saints after you read about these two!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Widow's War by Sally Gunning

2011-11-16T15:15:00.002-06:00

Read for book club (8/2010) at the Crystal Lake Public Library. I enjoyed this book although the main character's independent and feminist ideas would probably never have held true for the culture/period in which it takes place.

The main character is Lyddie, the recent widow of a whaler in the 18th-century village of Satucket, Massachusetts. Her life and property are now in the hands of her son-in-law who she does not like, and who makes very evident that she should be quiet and pleased about her widow rights which are now to only have 1/3 of her house. She develops an interesting relationship with her Indian neighbor, becomes a nurse and an entrepreneur of sorts (selling and making things like cheese) and attempts to gain some sort of control over her life.

It is a good read which I would recommend to those who like historical fiction!

And so it goes...

Book Review: Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

2011-11-16T14:49:00.005-06:00

Book club read (7/2010) at Crystal Lake Public Library. Normally I at least have something positive to say about a book, but definitely NOT with this one. I would honestly rather give myself a thousand paper cuts and pour a bucket of lemon juice on each one very slowly than ever read this book again! I will give you a general idea of the novel but trust me, I am telling you to skip it with every fiber of my being!

The novel takes place in a remote area of Norway with the main character Trond, a 67 year old man who has decided to live his life out in complete isolation, separated from anybody and everybody in existence, including his daughter (no telephone so people will never get to contact him). The "action" of the novel is when he runs into a "neighbor" who is the brother of his childhood friend Jon. This causes him to think about basically one event that happened during his childhood and that which gives us the name of the novel (happened in 1948).

Now from my point of view, literally nothing happens. I have read my fair share of intellectually stimulating books where there is not much action per se so that the point is to contemplate life in existentialist ways; and this did not do that for me at all! When the wonderful librarian who leads our book club asked what we thought of the book, I kid you not, you could hear a pin drop. I finally couldn't take it anymore and just said how much I hated it, which was followed by some sighs of relief and agreement from most of the crowd. To be fair, one woman did enjoy it but for the life of me I cannot remember why. It has won some awards though and apparently some people find it highly intellectual and stimulating, so give it a go if you so desire, but I would never recommend this book to anybody, ever.

And so it goes...

Book Review: One Vacant Chair by Joe Coomer

2011-11-16T14:28:00.004-06:00

A selection for the book club at my local library (Crystal Lake Public Library) that I read later on my own to catch up (orig. they read it for 4/2010). I enjoyed this book thoroughly! The main character Sarah is a bit of a Smart Alec and is going through some interesting middle-age issues: a loss of a not-so-loved relative, an impending separation/divorce?, and a reconnection with a quirky and fun relative, her aunt Edna, who only paints chairs. I enjoyed thinking about how simple objects like chairs can reveal so much if we examine them more closely, and the connection between the women in the novel despite their different personalities.

The main premise of the story is that Sarah's grandma has died, the crotchity and unpleasant matriarch of the family, who Edna cared for through a long and vague illness, and now Sarah has decided to stay with her aunt who becomes a sort of guru to her and cope with her husband's infidelity. Sarah is an overweight and unhappy but successful designer of kitschy Christmas ornaments, while Edna is an unmarried school cafeteria worker who is obsessed with painting empty chairs. The two are put together by the strange request of the grandma who wanted her ashes scattered in Scotland, even though she only saw pictures of the country in a book. It is quirky, odd, very funny, and sincerely an enjoyable read! I recommend this book to lovers of fiction who like a good laugh, cry, and introspection all at the same time!

And so it goes...

Book Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2011-11-16T13:58:00.002-06:00

This was a book club read for my local library (Crystal Lake Public Library) before I joined in June of 2010 that I read on my own to catch up later on (orig. they read it for 3/2010). This is a very bizarre tale to say the least! If you do not want to know the plot do not read on because I cannot think of a way to talk about the novel without describing what happens in the pages.

You think it is going to be a tale about school chums, and in a way it is, but it is more of a sci-fi tale and one that makes you think about the moral implications of cloning. The characters are essentially that, clones, who are raised in a school and eventually become donors of organs, and are proud of themselves if they can donate 4 organs before death. The main character is Kathy H., who is a counselor and recovery assistant to these "donors," a profession called "carer" in the book. She is at a crossroads in her life and looking reflectively back at the school where she "grew up" called Halisham. What she is deciding boils down to whether or not she will continue on counseling the other clones as they donate to themselves to death, their real purpose for existing, or if she will now become a donor herself.

The book makes you think a lot about human nature and about our rights to exist. Although these characters are clones, I felt bad for them that they didn't have a right to a "normal" life and that there whole existence was to give until they die and that they were brainwashed into believing that life actually mattered to them when they were really just alive to supply parts for "real" people. I am disappointed that I missed the book club discussion for this one because I would have loved to have known what the other ladies thought of this one! We have not read anything remotely like it since and I have been in it for nearly 2 years now.

It is definitely not your typical novel, and I would recommend it to people interested in books that make you think about what it means to be human and to sci-fi fans as well!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Beekeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

2011-11-16T13:55:00.001-06:00

This was a book club read for my local library before I joined in June of 2010 that I read on my own to catch up later on (orig. they read it for 2/2010). I am normally not a big mystery reader nor have I read everything by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but I really enjoyed this book! I would like to read more in the series but there always seems to be so many things to read and so little free time on my hands!

The book is about a young woman named Mary Russell who becomes a sort of apprentice to Sherlock Holmes in his later years after he is retired. There are fun passages with danger and disguises, classic characters like Watson, and of course mysteries to solve. She is a great character because she is not just a bumbling sidekick but an equal to Holmes, so less of an apprentice at times and more of an equal getting some tips. She is not a typical woman of the times the story is set in (1915 England), with her intelligence level, wearing of pants, and her audacious nature.

I would definitely recommend this to lovers of mystery and Sherlock Holmes but also to those who, like me, might not necessarily be hardcore sleuth fans!

And so it goes...

Q&A with Robert Alexander on Skype!

2011-11-16T12:20:00.006-06:00

So this morning I went to the book club discussion at my local library that I attend every month (http://www.crystallakelibrary.org/). Today we discussed the book from my last blog entry "The Kitchen Boy" by Robert Alexander (author pictured at the left). The extra special treat was he talked to us for about 30 minutes via Skype at the beginning of our meeting! He was really nice, personable, and intelligent! He answered a few things I was wondering about and cleared up a few issues I had with the book, like what I felt was the rushed ending in the epilogue. Apparently it was originally a bit longer (like 450 pp.) and the editor said it needed to be shorter. My guess is that is why the epilogue felt a little compact and too brief; they probably made him cut that portion of the novel down to size.
I also took a gander at the website for the book to prepare for the chat and see what I wanted to ask him (http://www.sitestories.com/robertalexander/). It is really good and includes some pictures related to the Romanovs and some of the events and places in his novel, like the infamous 23 steps mentioned throughout the book. He was very candid and interesting and revealed to us that it is going to be turned into a movie with filming beginning next summer and released sometime in 2013. He wouldn't tell us the name of the actress portraying Alexandra but, he did reveal she was very good and that people from The Pianist and award winning foreign films were involved (screenplay by Ronald Harwood [wrote the screenplays for The Pianist, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, etc.], producer Glenn Willaimson [Push, Sunshine Cleaning, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.). The novel should make a great film and I just had to share what a treat it was to have a Q&A session with the author! Thanks Robert!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander

2011-11-12T12:25:00.005-06:00

Read for book club (11/2011). It was a good historical fiction read! Based on the last weeks of the last royal Russian Tsar and his family, the Romanovs, from the point of view of their loyal kitchen boy, Leonka.

It was interesting to hear about how they hid their jewels, passed secret notes to plan an escape/rescue, and to think about how they spent their last days. Some things stuck with me about people in general from the culture/period such as the guards who couldn't read, how much the Romanovs loved to take pictures (new and expensive hobby), how the royal family tried to lead something resembling their normal life, and how Leonka kept saying over and over again that they did it with such grace, yet even in exile they were much more well off than most of the country that they used to rule. The twists at the end felt rushed and hurried. They were fun little bits to add but I think it would have been better had the author spent more time with these portions rather than just throwing them about in a very short epilogue. I would recommend it for those who enjoy historical fiction or want a relatively light/easy but interesting read!

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2011-10-19T19:45:00.004-05:00

Read this for book club (3/2011) and it was very enjoyable! The letter format is not bothersome once you read a few pages into it and get used it, it's actually kind of refreshing to see people write letters instead of just IM. We (the book club) thought it had a way of mentioning the horrors of war without depressing you horribly because it was charming and funny...kind of like "Life is Beautiful."

I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction. It is a different take on WWII that gives you insight into how people dealt with issues and how brave they could be without constantly mentioning gas chambers or trains of death. I also had no idea what happened on these little islands and smaller places during WWII so it educated me a little bit as well.

And so it goes...

Book Review: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

2011-10-19T19:43:00.003-05:00

Read for book club (10/2011). I would say it was an interesting and quick read (2 evenings for a few hours), I loved it! As one of our book club members mentioned, it is about "the human condition." This novel is character driven NOT plot driven. There is no connecting plot; but, strongly at times and quite loosely in other chapters (which have clever titles) Olive is the common factor. It is an interesting insight into the mind of an elderly woman from a small town in Maine, a normally very tight-lipped group, so it is great to read her thoughts and then see how little she actually verbalizes them because of generation/culture. It is about age, love, sickness, death, children, and much more (hence "the human condition"). I recommend this highly if you want to contemplate life and its trials and tribulations (from often odd but often funny situations/points of view); but, I urge you to run for the hills if you are looking for a neat and clean beginning/middle/end.

And so it goes...

Book Review: Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

2011-10-19T19:40:00.004-05:00

Book Club read (1/2011). It was a fun novel; but, not earth-shattering for me I think because I already read non-fiction that I think was more powerful about the Dalai Lama that I am convinced this author tried to turn into fiction with this novel. "The Art of Happiness" with Howard C. Cutler and the Dalai Lama (reviewed on blog 6/26/2009) is your non-fiction option for this. Although, if you want spiritual journey, mid-life crisis, and road trip in fiction form than this is your book :)

And so it goes...

Book Review: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

2011-10-19T19:37:00.004-05:00

Read for book club (2/2011). Pre-Apartheid South Africa where the lives of two fathers intertwine, tragically. I probably did not find this as moving as a lot of others because I have read so much about the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. and read other books that address similar issues earlier in my life, so those books stuck with me and affected me more than this one. Given when it was written and the issues it addresses though I can definitely see why it is classified as a classic novel. Also, the dashes for dialogue drove me bonkers.

And so it goes...

Book Review: My Abandonment by Peter Rock

2011-10-19T19:35:00.003-05:00

Read for book club (4/2011). I liked the book but it is not a happy-go-lucky read. You feel bad for her living conditions yet can see positive things that her life has at the same time, essentially homeless in a forest area/park. Some disturbing things definitely happen in the novel and had a twist I was not expecting because I did not know it was based off a true story when I read it (found out when we discussed it). Frightens any parent to the core.

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Priscilla Warner, and Suzanne Oliver

2011-10-19T19:23:00.005-05:00

Read for book club (5/2011). With this one the title says it "The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding." That is the book in a nutshell. I found it very interesting and definitely both learned a good deal and could identify with each woman in different ways. I think in absence of women of different faiths that one can chat candidly with, the book is a fun substitute. They talk about their doubts, the strengths and weaknesses they perceive in each others religions and their own, the varying degrees they do and don't want religion and faith in their lives, and how modern women of all three respective traditions draw a difference between faith and religion. They express how one can have faith but not necessarily be thrilled with every aspect of their religions. My only regret with this is that all the people in my book club who attended that day were from a Christian background; however, it was still interesting to discuss because we came from different sects of Christianity and had varying amounts of knowledge about different world religions, as well as different experiences and impressions of other religions than Christianity.

And so it goes...

Book Review: Niagra Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken

2011-10-19T19:21:00.003-05:00

Read for book club (6/2011). From the point of view of "the straight man" (not referring to sexuality) Mose Sharp (follows the pair of Carter Sharp) from small stages to Hollywood films and television. The novel shows how both men approach relationships and fame differently. This book lead to a lot of fun discussion of other duos like this in real life and it was interesting as a younger member of the book group to hear from people who remembered the Vaudeville days first hand and could relate to the changes in culture that are traced throughout the book via this pair of men. The book was well-written with fully realized characters that gave you the flavor of each era they lived through, showing both their positive attributes and their flaws.

And so it goes...

Book Review: Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman

2011-10-19T19:20:00.004-05:00

Read for book club (7/2011). I enjoyed this novel and felt that I learned a bit as well. It was interesting to see how a tight-nit group of Orthodox Jews related to each other in this summer vacation setting. The question of allegiance to a particular rabbi and the struggle to remain a good and faithful woman to this group while yearning for a small gesture of independence and something to have as her own was really touching (a store). Despite having zero in common with Elizabeth Shulman, I could still identify with her and felt that I could understand her, which to me, shows that the author wrote quite well. There is also a bit of revelation to be had here about small-town life and how "summer people," no matter how good they are, will never be totally welcomed by the locals.

And so it goes...

Book Review: One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

2011-10-19T19:16:00.004-05:00

Read for book club (9/2011). This book is a twist on "The Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer, the connection is made obvious because the character Uma (a college student) has brought a copy along with her to the Indian consulate. While bored in the waiting room there is an earthquake, and Uma suggests as a way to pass the time while waiting for rescue or death, they each share a story about their lives. For me, most of the stories were not terribly flushed out and seemed unfinished. The author apparently left them intentionally unfinished but, it did not feel like this was cleverly thought of; rather, it felt as if she ran out of ideas most of the time. It seemed as though she thought of each story individually as short stories but couldn't be bothered to fully develop them and so she placed people into neat little stereotypes (especially the young Muslim man Tariq) and just didn't finish their tales because she ran out of ideas, not because she was clever. It was an O.K. read but it did not change the way I feel about anything nor do I think it will be remembered for generations to come. The novel is a nice quick read though so if you need something for a short train/bus/airplane trip it could fill the time pleasantly enough.

And so it goes...

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-10T10:44:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day was quiet and easy this year. For once it wasn't freezing and dreary in northern Illinois, just sunny and pleasant. I had a nice simple time chatting and drinking coffee with my neighbor while our sons played in the yard. Hope everybody had an enjoyable time as well!

And so it goes...

Review: "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova

2011-04-03T15:55:00.005-05:00

I recently read this New York Times Bestseller "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova. It is a book a think a lot of people but, especially a lot of women can relate to quite well. The protagonist is Sarah, an upper middle class career-driven supermom who is the VP of human resources at a consulting firm. While driving and using her cellphone she gets into a car accident, and as a result, she suffers from a traumatic brain injury which effectively removes the left side of her existence.

At first she is in complete denial that she won't fully recover and return to her regular life that is filled with 80+ hours a week of work, 2 houses, and a nanny to help raise her 3 children. Eventually she comes to realize that success is not measured by how many zeroes there are in the bank or snagging the latest genius from Harvard to work for her company.

It is a relatively quick read with a witty and very relatable main character that reminds us all to slow down a little and enjoy the life we are building around us. And to put away those darn cellphones while driving...

And so it goes...

Potty Texting?

2011-03-07T16:37:00.002-06:00

So I have recently noticed this bizarre new trend, women texting in the ladies room...I cannot understand why it would be preferable to text in a room where people do their business instead of walking two feet away and messaging in a perfectly good hallway...totally bizarre.

And so it goes...

Summer Possibilities

2010-06-16T14:41:00.005-05:00

We just got back from visiting family in Athens, OH to celebrate my father-in-law's achievement of receiving his Ph.D, way to go Pop!! The photographs are of a flower from my mother-in-law's garden and Strouds Run in Athens, gosh I miss the beautiful places to walk, explore, and relax there, it is so beautiful! Glad to be back home though and get a great night sleep in my own bed.

Now it is time to garden, clean the house, and look into some new possibilities for the rest of the summer. I just joined the book club at the local library so I am looking forward to that, and our church just started a family play date thing at different local parks on Friday mornings so I am excited about that too.

I am also looking into possibly becoming a Mary Kay consultant after talking to my sister-in-law who is a representative. I am thinking it might work and out and be fun since I am a very social gal, as well as give us a little bit more income since I am only teaching part-time at ECC (Elgin Community College). I am a pretty big people person so I think it would be fun to have girl time and make a little money too; but, I need to think about it and talk it over with the hubby some more to see if we think it would be a worthwhile endeavor.

Hope everybody is having a great summer so far!!

What about you, are you do anything exciting and fun this summer that you want to share, or have any advice for me about becoming a consultant for Mary Kay?

And so it goes...

Parenting Accomplishments

2010-04-28T13:43:00.001-05:00

When you are a parent your personal triumphs and victories become very humble...

And so it goes...

New Furry Friend

2010-04-19T09:12:00.003-05:00

o.k. so my computer went into Best Buy (yes to get repaired again) because it was randomly shutting off on its own. The motherboard and hard drive are replaced and it appears (for now) to be functioning.

On a good note, meet our furry new rodent friend "Ninja Master Sulu" who is now living in our house. He is a crazy active Russian dwarf hamster. Right now he keeps trying to bite though, working on that, my hamster in college never bit nor did our guinea pig so googling things and trying to figure out why he is such a crazy aggressive little ninja :)

And so it goes...

Allee Willis' Museum of Kitsch

2010-03-26T12:09:00.003-05:00

A former student of mine just sent me a link to a website that was just too fantastic not to share. When I teach art appreciation there is a section on art criticism which includes a discussion of fine art versus kitsch, so this is totally perfect for that. I hope you enjoy it!! I have included a link to her site and a YouTube video of an interview on their local NBC station.

http://www.alleewillis.com/museumofkitsch/

And so it goes...

Challenging Week

2010-03-10T11:59:00.001-06:00

I have had quite the long, frustrating and challenging week. I think students don't realize that midterms are harder on the professors than they are on the students lol! I cannot wait to come home today and put on some comfy clothes, grab a novel, and curl up with a nice hot cup of tea ahhhh!!
And so it goes...

Politicians and Diapers

2010-03-03T21:20:00.003-06:00

Gosh I have not posted in forever, sorry, I have a really gnarly case of tendinitis so it's hard for me to type.

But... I thought I would share something short and funny so I don't neglect my blog anymore than I already have.

Today I was behind a car on my commute with a bumper sticker that literally made me laugh out loud, it said:

Politicians and diapers need to be changed

Often for the same reason

And so it goes...

"The Man Song"

2010-01-12T12:51:00.001-06:00

Somebody sent this to me in an e-mail today, and I gotta say with all the stress going on it was good timing. Thought I would embed it here from YouTube in case anybody else needed a little laugh today.

And so it goes...

Broken Computer

2010-01-05T14:58:00.003-06:00

So I get home from my lovely holiday visit with family out of state and my computer decides it doesn't want me back apparently. The thing keeps shutting off completely right when you are in the middle of doing things. It is so frustrating. I have taken this thing in 3 times already in less than a year and I am about to go bonkers. Best Buy has a lemon policy of 3 repairs and they replace the computer, well apparently this means after the third time because I still have to wait because they cannot fix it or figure out why the computer is doing this so they are sending it away. This means I get to wait anywhere from 2 weeks to a month until it comes back, hopefully working properly. Apparently to Best Buy a 3 time lemon policy means you have to bring it in 4 times for repairs, now that is some world-class math right there, 3 = 4 in their universe.

This situation makes me especially crazy because they still sell the computer yet their Geek Squad cannot fix it. When I ask why they sell a product they know is crappy and they cannot fix they don't have a remotely legitimate answer for me. Their answer was that they don't know if they can fix them until something goes wrong and people bring them in. Well kittens, if people have been bringing them in and you cannot fix them, multiple times by just me alone, then why do you still sell it right over there (insert expletive here)?!?

All I can say is I will never ever ever ever ever buy a Gateway again and I wish that more people had local computer businesses that weren't put out of business by the incompetent folks at my local Best Buy. Sorry for the tangent, but "Buyer Beware" is screaming in my ear right now...

In the meantime, my husband who goes to school online, my son who is addicted to Free Realms, and me who has to prep her upcoming spring term courses now have to share the one little computer in the house. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have a computer at all and now I guess I can make some time for a few of those resolutions, but I had to share what a terrible policy this is so that maybe others don't make the mistakes I did with their choice of computer superstore. If only I would have listened to my brother and bought a Dell...

And so it goes...

New Year's Resolutions Time

2009-12-31T13:01:00.002-06:00

Well I have not posted in a long time because I have been visiting family for the holidays, it was wonderful!! So for today I want to wish everybody a safe and Happy New Year!

I also thought I would start the ball rolling with New Year's Resolutions:

1. Loose the weight I gained while injured this year.
2. Be more patient.
3. Make some time for me when I need it so I do not get too stressed out.
4. Be more supportive of my husband.
5. Make more time to read the books I want to read.

So how about it, what are your 5 resolutions for 2010?

And so it goes...

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-19T17:15:00.003-06:00

Well we are getting ready for the holidays. Cleaning, sorting clothes, wrapping presents, and packing to go visit family, so I probably won't have a new post for a bit. Wishing everybody in the blogoshpere happy holidays!!

And so it goes...

The Pencil Nazi Must Chill

2009-12-01T15:00:00.004-06:00

So I do not know how many of you work in some sort of office environment but I am sure you have met this person, The Pencil Nazi. In every office there is always somebody who has an unhealthy obsession about their office supplies. Today I had my first run in with this type of person at my relatively new position.

I am not a big fan of multiple choice exams but students often are and especially as we near the end of the term I like to give this type of test for the last one. This way they focus on their final art project instead of the pressure of writing a bunch of essays. One thing you know you need if you have ever taken a multiple choice scantron exam is a lovely #2 pencil, since this is the only thing the machine will read. Well, silly me, the other three institutions I have given exams at had an exam grading center, with a plethora of pencils for one to make their exam grading key. Now I am at a new place but I figured the room with the scantron machine in it would have pencils in it for making a key, yeah, no dice.

So, I went to the office right next door where there were three desks, all seeming to have plenty o' pencils. I kindly asked if I could please borrow a #2 pencil for just a moment, and I was glared at as if I asked to steal a baby and feed it to a dingo, followed by a very stern "I WANT IT BACK!" I replied "oh no problem I will be done with it in just one minute and give it right back, thank you so much I really appreciate it." I did this of course and then proceeded to grovel with thanks and appreciation some more, explaining I was a new instructor and thought the mighty pencils would be by the scantron machine and had none in the office I was assigned to at all (despite there being 4 desks, 4 computers, a scanner, a refrigerator, a microwave, and multiple shelving units...yeah I know, crazy right), and I was told extremely gruffly once again that I should contact the coordinator for my department because THEY were the coordinator for THEIR department and THEY made sure all of THEIR people had SUPPLIES.

Well good gracious, IT WAS ONLY A PENCIL and it was only loaned for about 1 minute and 30 seconds (yes I watched the clock lest they eat my head off for violating an unspoken time usage rule). People need to breathe! Now granted, I understand the preciousness of supplies, back as a teenager/20-something working my way through college when I worked as a cashier for K-mart and was a waitress at a restaurant I guarded my pens quite well, but...a college, filled with pencils and I am new, give me a wee bit of slack you crazy Pencil Nazi, I assure you I do not have a hidden agenda to usurp your precious writing utensils. It will be o.k., I will not sneeze on it, I will not chew on it, and I shall not break thy eraser.

Maybe they had low blood sugar and really needed a snickers....................

And so it goes...

Share Your Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T14:13:00.003-06:00

Norman Rockwell, Freedom From Want, 1943. War bond poster. Story Illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1943. Oil on canvas. 45 3/4 x 35 1/2 in.

With Thanksgiving week here, I thought it would be fun to share some family traditions, must have items, or funny stories.

-What family traditions do you have each year, either typical or unique?

-Do you have any must have items at your Thanksgiving table?

-And lastly, any funny Thanksgiving mishaps that you would like to share?

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, gobble gobble gobble!!

And so it goes...

Berlin Wall Anniversary

2009-11-08T16:24:00.003-06:00

In celebration of the fall of the Berlin wall 20 years ago on November 9th 1989...I present to you, the one, the only, "The Hoff."

Let freedom ring :)

And so it goes...

Halloween was Cold but Fun

2009-11-03T14:58:00.004-06:00

Halloween was great, very cold, but we had a blast!! Now on to preparing for the last 1/3 of the term and the upcoming holidays. I got the news I will be staying on with the college next term so I have to think ahead for that...and my other sister-in-law had her baby, a healthy boy, so we have a lot of babies to see :) Trying to start to plan a trip to see the family for Christmas time, should be a fun!!

And so it goes...

What Is Your Costume This Year?

2009-10-27T13:38:00.004-05:00

Well it is Halloween week and I cannot even begin to describe how excited my son is to go trick-or-treating and overdose on sugary things. This year he has chosen to be a pirate (exact costume below, but not him in the picture). In previous years he has been a lion, a Power Ranger, a ninja, and a Transformer (Bumblebee).

I of course will be wearing my usual costume, Mom who helps carry the candy and watches, and although I am sorry to say to poor Sassy ( the dog) she will apparently be a fairy princess, complete with wings and a tutu we obtained at the Dollar Tree.

So what about you good people out there? What are your little ones dressing up as, or what will you be for parties or handing out candy?

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everybody!!

And so it goes...

City in the Sea

2009-10-15T14:02:00.007-05:00

So I was looking through my son's magazines ( he is 7 yrs. old) and found out about this interesting place. My aunt and uncle pay for subscriptions to National Geographic Kids and Ranger Rick for our son, which I totally recommend, they are fascinating and fun. I came across a special insert about life on and in the water and saw an amazing image of a tower being developed and built by Nakheel in Dubai. If you are wondering where that is, Dubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous state of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.); it is south of Iran and west of India (google will take ya right to a map if you do a quick search).

The tower (pictured last here) is meant to be 3 times the height of the empire state building and it to stand more than one kilometer high (that's half a mile)!! Nakheel, the company that is building this unbelievably tall structure, is a development company that builds cities in the sea, in the shape of palm trees no less, such as Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, or Palm Deira. I just found the whole thing so fascinating and interesting, probably because I am an architecture junkie, that I just had to share it with the blogosphere! Here is the link to their website if you want to check it out: http://www.nakheel.com/en

And so it goes....

Outlawing Cellphones - Part 2

2009-09-30T16:35:00.003-05:00

A summit met today to talk about the dangers of driving while distracted concerning many things but especially about cellphones. Here is the link: http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/

And so it goes...

Mona Lisa on Caffeine

2009-09-30T13:40:00.006-05:00

I found this image today and just had to share! It is of the Mona Lisa made from 3,604 coffee cups at the "Aroma Festival at the Rocks" in Sydney, Australia (July 2009). Since it has two of my dearest addictions, art and coffee, it was just too good not to pass up putting it on my blog to share :)

Here's the link to the site I saw it on, which has a stop-motion clip of Mona coming together: http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/08/mona-lisa-made-from-3604-coffee-cups/

And so it goes...

I Love Fall

2009-09-23T13:30:00.006-05:00

I Absolutely Adore Autumn, It is my Favorite Time of Year! Well, I am a Christmas junky, but as far as seasons go, this is my fave! The weather is just right, not hot and not cold, it is gorgeous everywhere you look with color on EVERYTHING, which is probably what gets me since I am addicted to color. The fashion is nice too...I love not worrying about swimsuits or whether or not I have jello-arm syndrome. It is so nice to put on a pair of comfy pants, a simple shirt, and layering on a thin comfy sweater or hoodie. Apple cider, pumpkin pie, the smell of cinnamon, oh how I adore thee! So today I thought I would post two lovely Fall images and a little poem that salutes this wonderful season!

A Fall Song by Ellen Robena Field

Golden and red trees
Nod to the soft breeze,
As it whispers, "Winter is near;"
And the brown nuts fall
At the wind's loud call,
For this is the Fall of the year.

Good-by, sweet flowers!
Through bright Summer hours
You have filled our hearts with cheer
We shall miss you so,
And yet you must go,
For this is the Fall of the year.

Now the days grow cold,
As the year grows old,
And the meadows are brown and sere;
Brave robin redbreast
Has gone from his nest,
For this is the Fall of the year.

I do softly pray
At the close of day,
That the little children, so dear,
May as purely grow
As the fleecy snow
That follows the Fall of the year.

And so it goes...

Outlawing Cellphones

2009-09-09T12:31:00.003-05:00

Photo: Cari Wafford/The Daily Eastern News

Driving safely is always an issue. It used to be we talked about the dangers of having food and beverages, playing loud music, and talking with real live friends in the car; but now, the major concern about safe driving seems to swirl around the issues of not only talking on your phone in the car but about texting in the car while driving. What ever happened to both hands on the wheel and paying attention to what you are doing?

I know we live in a day and age where multi-tasking is a matter of survival but so is putting the darn thing down! As if driving weren't dangerous enough people are adding to the difficulty for something that really truly can wait until you are done operating something that weighs several thousand pounds and is flying about at 60+ mph. When I took drivers education in the 1990s (gasp at my ancient-ness) they taught defensive driving. This not only meant you didn't give yourself 8 million distractions but you actually watched out for other people who were driving poorly. Do they even still teach that to people anymore?? Seriously, knowing what stupid thing John Gosselin just said or finding out Suzie kissed Timmy is not as important as staying alive and not killing other people.

If you haven't had a car accident or are in your 20s and still filled with the false notion that you are immortal (trust me, you are not a Twilight character), please take my word for it, the day will come that somebody hits you or you hit somebody else and your perspective will change. For the safety of you and the rest of the world do us all a favor:
- put the thing down until you aren't driving
- watch out for other people driving crazy
- if you insist on being on the phone, do it when you are a passenger
- if you still insist on being on the phone if you are the driver, make it hands free (texting with other body parts is still an offense here people)

Staying alive is more important to your friends and loved ones than you answering that phone.

And so it goes...

Opportunity Knocks...Tap Tap Tap

2009-08-28T13:02:00.009-05:00

I am happy to report that I was just hired to teach part-time at a local college. I am teaching a couple sections of Art Appreciation, a class I LOVE to teach! I wish it were full-time, but hey, I will take what I can get, a tiny amount of income is better than no income at all.

So far, the first class seems interesting and witty, I hope this will continue throughout the term. I still have yet to meet my other class which is tomorrow. Luckily for me, some brave souls decided they want to learn about art on Saturdays. I am interested to see who these lovely people are that would give up a treasured Saturday afternoon to listen to me lecture.

Ironically, I got the call from the college to interview for the position two days after I began volunteering at the local historical society. Now you tell me, isn't this proof of generosity and kharma at work here? Just when I was starting to feel extremely hopeless, I decide to do something good to help others and Voila! opportunity knocked on my door.

The universe somehow always seems to have a way of righting itself, even in our most desperate hours. I hope I do a fantastic job so they keep me on and give me even more classes next term. So, here is to good kharma and keeping hope alive! May all of you have such luck come your way as well!

And so it goes...

Help Wanted...

2009-08-15T16:17:00.026-05:00

The Cannon Log Cabin where students discover what life was like in 1847.

So I am still on the job hunt, very depressing. As I clean the house, search for jobs, put in applications, read, take care of our son etc., I am still feeling rather useless. I respect all those women who are "stay at home" status but, it is not my thing, and even it was it was, it's not financially possible for us. I am grateful for the time though because it has allowed me to do physical therapy from the accident and to start doing a lot of things I meant to do but didn't have time to accomplish while teaching five classes. But, I have still felt I need to be of further use, so while job searching I decided I would contact some local organizations to see if they had paid positions and if not if they have any volunteer opportunities.

The local county historical society responded to my e-mail about volunteering. So, I went in this week and toured the museum, the historical buildings, and saw all the behind the scenes operations like cataloguing and preservation techniques and procedures. I am going to start going in every Tuesday and putting my education to use for the community. I am looking forward to this because it means I can be of service to others and I will hopefully learn a lot about museum operations, preservation, and display of historical objects. Even if it is on a smaller scale, the types of work done in a location like this is the same as any large institution, so I think it will benefit me greatly, both personally, by being of service, and professionally by enhancing my skill set.

Wish me luck!

And so it goes...

"Lost" Web Series

2009-07-27T23:09:00.004-05:00

One more "Lost" tidbit I forgot to share in my last post...

At http://abc.com/lostmysteries they are showing a web series to keep the fans going while they await the final season premiere in January of 2010 (cough, cough, yeah that's me). It is called "Mysteries of the Universe: the Dharma Initiative." I checked it out earlier today and the first installment is about 3 minutes long. It says it is from a documentary series shown in the 1980s that was one thought to be lost (insert drum roll pun here). This first section talks about conspiracy theories of secret organizations of people who live among us...dum Dum DUM!!

It will be interesting to see what follows in the nest episodes which are planned to air as follows:

Episode two: on 8/4/2009

Episode 3: on 9/8/2009

Episode 4: on 10/15/2009

Episode 5: on 11/16/2009

And so it goes...

"Lost" at Comic-Con

2009-07-27T15:02:00.008-05:00

Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

"Lost" is one of the many shows that made presentations at this year's Comic-Con. As a die-hard "Lost" fan I am certainly excited about the upcoming final season of the show. I wanted to share the link to the article from the New York Times about their presentation at Comic-Con this year. It sounds like it was very interesting with appearances by the producers and cast members, lots of sneak-peaks at the upcoming season, special effects, and even a used prop given to a fan in the audience. Here is the link to the full article (which is also where the above photo is from): http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/arts/television/27lost.html

The final season of "Lost" will begin airing in January 2010...so until then, we at least have these tantalizing tidbits to chew on.

And so it goes...

Blog Award

2009-07-23T22:58:00.006-05:00

I received this lovely award from Juanita (http://juanitaharris.blogspot.com/), thanks so much! She is a fun Mom from Philly with a great blog design and some fun personal posts, so check her out!

The idea is to also kindly pass it along to 15 other individuals whose blogs you have run across and found interesting.

So here are my 15 to pass this lovely award along to:

1) Shelley at http://theplaygroundprincess.blogspot.com/
2) Amber S. at http://its4guysandagal.blogspot.com/
3) Laura at http://www.laurareviews.net/
4) Olivia at http://itmoo.blogspot.com/
5) Ursula at http://ursula1.blogspot.com/
6) EmFabulousFunshine at http://emfabulousfunshine.blogspot.com/
7) Maryann at http://matthewspuzzle.blogspot.com/
8) Native American Momma at http://nativeamericanmomma.blogspot.com/
9) Stacie at http://www.chasingpictureperfection.com/
10) Weightlossmother at http://www.weightlossmother.blogspot.com/
11) Mandy at http://eastsidemommy.blogspot.com/
12) Cheryl at http://cheryldelosreyescruz.blogspot.com/
13) Nanny Dee at http://newenglandnanny.blogspot.com/
14) Julie at http://juliechats.blogspot.com/
15) Ness at http://www.militarywifemayhem.com/

And so it goes...

Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys has Cancer

2009-07-21T15:13:00.004-05:00

Adam Yauch, aka MCA, just recently announced on http://beastieboys.com/, the band's website, that he has cancer in his parotid gland and in a lymph node. In the video he says that it is localized and that since it has not spread throughout the rest of his body/they caught it early, he should recover just fine. Apparently it is very treatable and in most cases they can eliminate it completely. As a result of this medical condition they are canceling some shows, which he apologized for in the video, where he appears beside fellow band mate Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock.

They are very at ease in the video and even crack a few jokes, including Ad-Rock starting a country band in the vein of Kenny Loggins. I have been a die-hard Beastie Boys fan for many years, so I wish Adam Yauch a speedy recovery!

And so it goes...

Coffee Products for a Cause

2009-07-17T17:26:00.003-05:00

http://red.starbucks.com/red/default.aspx#num=01&id=red

Starbucks has been featuring products from (Red) that help raise money for treatment for people living with HIV in Africa. So far they have raised enough to buy more than 4 million days of treatment. If you love coffee and are interested in helping a good cause check out the link above, or the link to (Red) listed under causes to the right.

Photo is from: http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=230865#

And so it goes...

For Harry Potter Fans...

2009-07-16T15:54:00.007-05:00

For you fellow Harry Potter fans out there, tonight on ABC at 8/7pm central they are broadcasting the special "J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life." Apparently it includes clips from a few of the Potter films, interviews of the author, and a scene where she is writing the final words of the final Potter book, "Deathly Hallows." I personally am looking forward to this because I love the books, read all the books, and know very little about the author. "A Year in the Life" is a documentary made by James Runcie and was originally shown in Britain in 2007.

And so it goes...

Memorial to Michael Jackson Today

2009-07-07T11:29:00.015-05:00

The first photo: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

The second photo: http://blackarazzi.com/blackarazzi/files/thriller-michael-jackson.jpg

Well today is the day...very soon the memorial for Michael Jackson will begin at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It should be interesting to see who shows up, what they say, and what video clips they will show at the service. For those of us who grew up in the 80s MJ was definitely the King of Pop. I must say though I look forward to when there will be something else on the news besides the coverage of what pills he took, who gave them to him, and how oddly he behaved during the last decade in particular.

For those who are interested in a little positive reminiscing, here are some links to a few of his videos on YouTube that I always loved and/or made some music history.

Thriller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khd_DvDfPCw

Remember the Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDxsM5jLNxM&feature=fvst

The Way You Make Me Feel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEU9Q8NlOiY

Beat It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8&feature=fvst

Billy Jean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA&feature=fvst

Bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5NhkxQJQc

Black Or White: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9OYMRwN1Q

We Are The World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzw6GiqZyD0

ABC/I Want You Back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZMLusrUmM

Smooth Criminal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVh7FL7-SQw

And so it goes...

Happy July 4th Weekend!!

2009-07-05T22:04:00.005-05:00

My family and I went to the local parade this afternoon and saw the fireworks display this evening!!

We also lit some sparklers and threw some "pop-its" to make a few bangs of our own!!

Hope everybody had a great July 4th holiday weekend!!

And so it goes...

Review: "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by the Dalai Lama

2009-06-26T15:45:00.012-05:00

A simply incredible read!!!!

For those of you who may be wary of reading this book, let me first state that it is not a book pushing the Buddhist doctrine or faith. This book explains in simple and profound ways how to approach life well and how to develop, encourage, and nourish happiness in one's life, while eliminating the negative factors that push us towards the unhealthy and harmful traits of anger, cruelty, and impatience.

I found this book extremely helpful and liberating. It is not a quick fix/self-help/guru nonsense book though so, if you are looking for that, search elsewhere my dear readers. This book is about changing your mental attitude and approach to life.

The underlying fundamental factor to this is one of true compassion, recognizing that all of us deserve and want to be happy and eliminate our suffering, and how to connect to anybody, even our enemies, because we are all human beings who seek and have a right to these things.

I recommend this book to absolutely everybody; but, especially to those experiencing a hard time in life, those who are suffering either physically or mentally, those who are depressed, or those who just feel that life has tossed them a raw deal.

I have been trying very hard to implement the ideas from the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler from this book since I finished reading it, and I can honestly and truly say it is making a difference in my life. We have had some particularly difficult times in my house during the last six months. I finished my contract at the college I have been working at and have been desperately searching for a job, I was injured in the car accident (see earlier posts), and my husband lost his job. We have gone from saying no to treats and such to saying no to everything, and I mean everything that we have considered a given in life: long distance telephone service, transportation, gas for hot water and cooking, you name it. Shut off notices have unfortunately been a regular occurrence. What this book helped me realize, among many other things, is that our mental attitude really truly does change not only how we view things but how we feel and how we affect others.

I always thought that I was a grateful person, but I found I was more bitter than I realized. I discovered and dealt with issues from graduate school that I still harbored, this resentment that I had that life keeps giving me raw deal after raw deal when nitwits like Paris Hilton have so much and I seem to have nothing, that my son doesn't have everything he "deserves." And I took a step back and truly examined them and tried to learn from them with an honest and truly objective perspective as this book/the Dalai Lama advises. When seen truly objectively I learned from them and didn't merely attempt to "just move on."

I now really mean it in my mind, in my being, in my whole self when I think and say "I am blessed" because: how many people around the world do not have hot water in an instant at a tap anytime they want it and are not just without it for a short period of time? How many people cannot conveniently go down a flight of stairs to almost effortlessly have clean dry clothes anytime they want? How may people in the world have a telephone? How many people have a car? How many people can go less than a mile and purchase a wide variety of food to eat? How many people live in a safe and violence free home? How many people have a wonderful spouse and are blessed by the gift of a healthy child/children? How many people had the opportunity to work for their education and truly appreciate the gift of a university education? How many people in the world have a Masters degree? How many people keep in contact with their family and actually like them and appreciate them? And the list goes on and on and on...

I have seen and felt, hands down, the benefits of this book in my life. My husband, child, and I certainly appreciate each other more now and spend more time together now, really spend time together. Neither of them read the book. It is merely by me alone changing my mental attitude and approach to things that has changed theirs as well. Heck, I even noticed a difference in people I do not even know in the grocery store for Pete's sake! Before I would get impatient at lines or having to move out of somebodies way to let them pass, or letting people in while in traffic...come on, you know you do this...and I have seen a sort of chain reaction. When I change my approach, so do others.

It is really and truly an astounding book. I hope this review and my reflections on it encourage you to read it. I am certain it will positively benefit you if you read it and truly take in the ideas, lessons, and gems found within it. This book and the Dalai Lama himself are truly some of life's greatest treasures.

And so it goes...

A Brief Review of Two Works by Maya Angelou

2009-06-26T15:17:00.019-05:00

These two works by Maya Angelou are not part of the autobiographical series (six books) that begins with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." The two books I am discussing here are more like a collection of small vignettes which discuss various topics.

The wonderful thing about these two works and the later book of the same style, "Letter to my Daughter," is that they are chock full of sage advice and that they examine the human condition. I think that is what I personally love about Maya Angelou, she unabashedly and without any sense of shame or shyness lays out her experiences in life and has something everybody can relate to on the human level. One of the most amazing things about being a human being is that we can reflect on our experiences and learn from them and learn from the lives of others. We, as people, do not just exist moment to moment in a basic way like other species do.

The books cover so many topics, that I think it best perhaps to just list a few of them to give you a general idea of the types of things she discusses:

House vs. Home

Africa

Oprah Winfrey

Aging

Sensuality and Sexuality

Fame

Anger/Rage/Violence

Being a Woman

How to Live Well
The Power of Faith and Spirituality

These two books, like so many of her other published pieces, make on feel as if they are receiving sage advice, wisdom, and a sense of peace via conversations with a dear and beloved friend. I recommend these titles, and really all of her works, to everybody and anybody who is a member of the human race.

And so it goes...

Review: "A Song Flung Up To Heaven" by Maya Angelou

2009-06-26T14:29:00.010-05:00

This is the final book in her autobiographical series (6 of 6) that begins with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." This book begins where number five left off: she returns home to the US after living in Africa for several years. A very brief recap that is basically the same as the end of "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes" begins this work.

A great deal of this book is Maya beset by tragedy and learning from it, something we all do or should do, as these unpleasant events in our lives occur. The initial reason for her return to the US was to work with Malcolm X, who is assassinated almost immediately upon her return. She learns this devastating news while visiting her mother and brother in California. After there only a short time, the now famous Watt's riots break out, she visits the scene first-hand, and gives some poignant observations.

In typical fashion, Maya learns what she can from these events and moves on with her existence. She is once again asked to take part in the Civil Rights movement by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC, by visiting churches around the US which, she agrees to do but, not until her birthday on April 4th, 1968. For those of you who do not remember your history, this is the date when MLK was assassinated. So now Maya must try to strive forth with the death of two friends on her conscious. The deaths of two great leaders is ultimately too much for Maya to bear. She withdraws from people and isolates herself to recover however she can.

Maya takes all of these experiences and finds a way not only to cope with them but, also to examine them and learn from them. These events, although tragic, are ultimately what finally leads her into becoming a writer and poet, permanently. The book ends with her "new beginning" and the initial creation of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

And so it goes...

Happy Father's Day!!

2009-06-21T14:41:00.003-05:00

To my hubby and all you other great Dad's out there, Happy Father's Day!!

May your day be filled with peace, quiet, newspapers, sports, brewskies, and any other thing your hearts desire!!

And so it goes...

How you KNOW you are back in Chicago...

2009-06-21T14:26:00.009-05:00

You KNOW you are back in Chicago when...

1.) People NEVER use turn signals
2.) The speed limit in construction is 45 mph but people go 85 mph
3.) You loose a tooth from gritting your teeth because you have been cut off for the 500th time in 10 minutes
4.) You go from 4 lanes, to 5 lanes, to 7 lanes split and miss your turn all within 30 seconds of drive time
5.) You don't see a police car anywhere because they are not anywhere near crazy enough to attempt pulling any of these wackoes over

We returned home safely and had an awesome visit, hooray!!!!

We are totally exhausted but we had a super visit with family and friends...so all the crazy driving was worth it! We had a torrential downpour leaving OH, a ton of sun through Indiana ( no kidding, I have a sunburn on my left arm from driving!), and a torrential downpour once we got through crazy Chicago traffic and were pulling into the driveway in good old Crystal Lake.

Now...where is my bed!!!!

And so it goes...

Road Trip and Visit Going Well

2009-06-14T14:23:00.003-05:00

The family visit is going great!! Long car trip that was rough on the leg but we made it safe and sound to Ohio. We will be back home in a week or so and I will probably have some fun things to blog about then I am sure!

And so it goes...

Road Trip Time

2009-06-08T14:08:00.004-05:00

Working on getting affairs in order and things together to make a little road trip to visit family. My hubby's cousin is graduating from University soon, so, most of our family will be in one spot. We are trying to maximize our visit time so this should work out nicely, I hope.

I am a little worried about the long time in the car (9-10 hours drive) and how my leg is going to react. Usually I do most of the driving when we take trips, but, it looks like this time my hubby will have to do the majority of the driving because of my leg injuries. I am hoping with cruise control it won't be as bad as I anticipate.

There were a few sad events in the family too; but, I am hoping that the graduation, birth of a beautiful baby boy, and two more babies on the way will make it a happy and joyous visit. If my leg holds out in the car, I think we should be o.k. Since the accident I am paranoid about people running through stop signs and traffic lights when they are supposed to stop, so goodness knows what a long trip on America's highways will do to me...I hope my sanity remains intact, not just for me, but for the dear hubby and child as well!

And so it goes...

Cell Confusion

2009-06-02T13:25:00.008-05:00

O.K. I know I am an alien or something...but...I have not had a cell for about a year. My husband lost his job a few months ago shortly after I was in the car accident in December. We just didn't have the money for $100 a month for 2 phones and such, and the local phone landlines were only about $10 a month, so we said ciao! to the cells.

Now that I finally have transportation again after 5 months with no car (god it takes lawyers and insurance companies forever!) we are thinking about taking a trip to OH to see our family. So, this makes me nervous to travel without a cell, it is a 13 hour drive :( So I think I should at least get a pre-paid one or something. I don't need anything awesome or fancy, something simple for now. Money is beyond tight, it is non-existent right now in our house, so I need to hunt wisely.

The thought of checking online with the 8-billion cell adds makes me cringe! So I am turning to you blog world to see what you think. Does anybody out there know of a really simple, really basic, prepaid cell of some sort that they actually use for travel and only pretty much that? I would rather ask actual people then those just trying to sell me something. I used to have a Virgin prepaid when our son was first born and it was o.k., not sure if they are still good though. I really don't want to spend $100 a month, just a few bucks to keep it going if I have to, so we have it every so many months when we go see family, and to have for job interviews. I am on the hunt for a new position, so I may be traveling to search for a new job in other states or commuting daily 1 hour or so if I get something in Chicago. I basically just want to call family from the road with an ETA, have it for roadside emergency calls to AAA, or if some other emergency would happen to us along the way.

So if anybody has some good ideas I would love your thoughts!

And so it goes...

Busy Busy Busy

2009-05-29T12:07:00.011-05:00

Is is just me or does anybody else feel like this poor cartoon mom lately? Things get so crazy and hectic at the end of the school year it is unbelievable sometimes! Since I am also winding up my end of things on the academic front in the classes I teach, all I see are deadlines and a flurry of papers and projects, and of course a bevy of e-mailed excuses and "please!" for procrastination forgiveness.

They always pack so much into the end of the year for our children too: open houses, field trips, spirit days, homework, big projects...between my work and my son, my head is getting very confused lol! Sometimes I really feel like that line said by Dolly Parton in the film "Steel Magnolias," so confused I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt.

To all you other busy people out there, hang in there, I know we will make it! Mostly because we have to, but, I am trying to remain positive in this time of great confusion and exhaustion. So hang in there folks, summer is around the corner and we will have a lot of other things to keep us busy instead!

And so it goes...

Oh Dear Feet: Part Deux

2009-05-24T14:49:00.013-05:00

So I finally made a decision and made my purchases for this summer's nails! After perusing the Internet and local stores I found a recurring trend in the hot colors for Summer 2009. They are centered mostly around primary and secondary colors and not the usual shades of light pink or that overdone black that's been lurking around for the past year or two.

Pictured above, from left to right I chose: "Show Me the Way" (green), "Cloud 9" (orange), "This Is It" (golden), and "Love Nails" (blue), all by Sinful Colors. I like this nail polish brand because it is cheap, true to the color you see, and doesn't chip easily. I am a professional chipper since I wash dishes by hand (no dishwasher, the dishwasher is me), do almost all the house cleaning, and have a 6 year old, which means germs and dirt and therefore, constant hand washing! I also picked up a new bottle of Sally Hansen "strengthening" polish remover to keep these beaten nails strong, and a Dr. Scholl's for her "nail egg." The nail egg is just awesome! I have seen a similar one advertised on t.v. and this one was both cheaper and in pink, gotta love that! I gave it a whirl and it does what it promises: removed old skin and hardness from my heels and made my feet nice and smooth. It comes with a buffing side too that you use after the initial tough business to make them soft as a baby's behind. The odd little purple things in front are toe separators. They are made from a gel substance, kind of like the feet inserts you put in your shoes ("Are you gellin?"), so they do not hurt, and do not fall off when you are trotting to the bathroom or for an iced-tea refill, which, is just fantastic!

Below, I put a picture of my old tried and true standbys that work for me all year long. Left to right is: Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails" for undercoat and top coat (or if ya just want to go clear but beat up your nails a lot), Sally Hansen "Maximum Growth" in "Purr Fect," Sally Hansen "Diamond Strength" in "Princess Pink" (odd title because it is white as can be), Sally Hansen "Diamond Strength" in "Forever Lilac" which has a bit of sparkle to it, Sally Hansen "Diamond Strength" in "Rose Amore" also with a sparkle to it, and my favorite shade of red I have ever had by Sinful Colors in "Ruby Ruby."

All of the nail color finds were $1.99 to $3.99 at my local Walgreens. The egg was $9.99 and the remover was $2.99 also at Walgreens. I hope this gives everybody some ideas for summer digits and tootsies at an affordable price! My first wear of the summer is the Sinful Colors golden shade called "This Is It" which, I found oh so appropriate since I was in search of the "it" colors this year! Happy painting!

And so it goes...

Review: "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes" by Maya Angelou

2009-05-23T13:06:00.012-05:00

This book is number five out of the six in her autobiographical series that begins with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." It begins immediately where the last novel left off: Maya and her son Guy have just moved from Egypt to Ghana (in West Africa) after the divorce from her second husband, an African diplomat of sorts, who is part of the fight to end Apartheid in South Africa. After only a few days in Ghana, Guy is in a serious car accident, which, results in a near full body cast and his neck broken in three places.

In this novel the events take place almost solely in Ghana, save a few small trips here and there, and ends when she decides to leave Africa for the United States, permanently. During her time in Ghana, in the 1960s and 1970s, we follow Maya as she works for a newspaper and experiences what it means to be "Black" in the overall context and not just under what she finds as the incorrect labels of either an "African" or "African American." She makes incredible distinctions on the similarities and differences between Africans and African Americans and, ultimately, decides that she is "Black" and that this title is the only appropriate one for her and others from America, Africa, or anywhere else around the world.

She, once again, discloses the incredible events she is involved in and the amazing people she has come to know as part of her life's journey. She comes into contact with higher members of African and Ghana's societies, as well as some astounding individuals from the U.S., including the president of Ghana, Muhammad Ali, and Malcolm X. During his trip to Africa, after he had made his pilgrimage to Mecca, Maya and her friends spend several weeks with Malcolm X.

Although the entire book deals with Maya's issues of identity and what it means for her to be a Black woman, the section where she is in contact with Malcolm X. is particularly revealing and incredibly interesting. It has astounded me throughout the series that a Black woman from the South, with only a high school education, born during racial segregation, has done so many amazing things and had personal contact with so many historical figures during her lifetime.

The book ends with a major decision for Maya: her time in Africa has come to an end, she has learned what she wanted to know, and it is time for her to return "home" and share what she has discovered. She makes a rather eerie trip to a village in East Ghana right before departing, which reveals to her, specifically, which tribe she is descended from. The next and final book in the series, "A Song Flung up to Heaven," begins with her arrival "home: in the U.S.

And so it goes...

Review: "The Heart of a Woman" by Maya Angelou

2009-05-21T13:13:00.013-05:00

This installment of the series was a great read (#4 of 6). Here she is really starting to come into her own as a woman, hence the title. She goes to NYC and does a little of this and a little of that: acting, singing, dancing, and so forth. She begins by still mostly thinking of herself as a performer and using the jobs she gets to pay the bills. At a certain point, her interest in writing is sparked and she joins the Harlem Writers Guild when prompted by friends.

In this book, she is discussing her life at the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, so, we see how she became active in the Civil Rights movement. She eventually ends up running an office for the SCLC and Martin Luther King, Jr. whom she has a face to face meeting with in her office. Maya also becomes engaged to a regular "average Joe" working stiff and then promptly drops him for another man, basically almost the 1st night she meets him. She ends up marrying this African activist (he calls himself a "freedom fighter") who is striving hard to free South Africa (unfortunately, Apartheid was still a reality at that time).

Eventually, she moves to Africa with him and her son Guy. This marriage doesn't work out either however; he doesn't take care of bills as he promises, and Maya is far too strong willed and independent to tolerate him any further. The book ends shortly after the "divorce" events, but, not before a rather dramatic finish. Guy, being kind and intelligent, drives a few drunkard friends home, only to be hit, while pulled over on the side of the road, by a rather large truck. He ends up with a near full body cast and his neck broken in three places.

Number five in the series of six, "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes," begins with further details on Guy's hospitalization and Maya's attempts to earn money and keep them in Africa.

And so it goes...

Award

2009-05-20T17:28:00.011-05:00

Thanks to SquirrelQueen for the lovely award!
The idea is to pass it on to 8 people and include the following:

"These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I am passing it on to:

1. http://makemoneyathome-ihope.blogspot.com/
2. http://apsmac.blogspot.com/
3. http://cameracommune.blogspot.com/
4. http://knutsonupdateonline.blogspot.com/
5. http://chicamom85-sassysasha.blogspot.com/
6. http://criticalmassachieved.blogspot.com/
7. http://comedystylingsofa3yrold.blogspot.com/
8. http://wtrbayb.blogspot.com/

And so it goes...

Oh Dear Feet, It's That Time of Year...

2009-05-19T13:35:00.023-05:00

So it is getting to be that time of year...wearing sandals, people checking out your feet, what is the color scheme this summer? I personally have completely had it with the black nail polish that has been going around the last few years. I just couldn't do it...I know it was supposed to be chic and all the celebrities have been wearing it, but, for me personally, it just reminded me of high school: wearing flannel, listening to Nine Inch Nails, and being generally disgruntled at anything and everything before I had any difficulties to really complain about.

I am not a magazine person at all. I stopped reading any magazines about 7 years ago when I had my son. I came to the realization that all they did was pressure me to fit into a mold of perfection which I would A) never achieve, B)could never afford, and C) just made me feel bad about myself. So I am therefore completely in the dark about what are the chosen nail colors of the season.

I did a few searches via google and it seems they are still stuck on this retro 80s look. I am sorry but I cannot go bright neon lime green...too many memories of looking awful as a child in the 80s for me to go there. I also, however, do not want to be wearing a granny color on my toes when I am only 29+2. Any ideas out there for a solution to my pedi-predicament?

And so it goes...

Oh How Time Flies...

2009-05-16T16:00:00.019-05:00

Well time is just flying by...I guess my Mother and in-laws were right after all! Last night was the Open House at my son's school. It was a really fun night and quite enjoyable to see all the cool things my son has been doing this school year.

The theme for the first-graders this year was "bugs"and their life-cycles. My first reactions were "yuck" and OMG what a brave teacher! They had bug stuff all over the classroom: inflatable bugs like the butterfly shown here, artwork the kids made, stories they had written, and of course live bugs...EEK!!

I am not really afraid of insects but I am not too fond of them either lol! The picture here is my son standing next to the bag containing their milkweed bugs. They studied the life-cycle of insects: they got them as eggs and saw them through larva, pupa, and eventually to fully formed insects. I know he loved it because he has been talking about it for months. Unfortunately, for me, the only ones "ready" were the red and black milkweed bugs and the burrowing beetles. The butterflies have yet to emerge.

I just couldn't believe all of the things they do now at such a young age. Maybe it is because he is our one and only child, or perhaps because I went to a catholic school and only heard about fire and brimstone most of the time while I was growing up, that I was kind of awestruck at all of the really cool things that they did this year. Pictured here is my son showing off his PowerPoint presentation to us...yeah...you did not misread that...a PowerPoint presentation in 1st grade!! I struggle getting my college students to do this kind of work. They had a class project of the "50 States." My son and his partner were assigned to Alabama.

The thing of course that made me happy as a clam was the art theme this year (go figure lol). The art teacher created an "art walk" that took you through the history of art, how crazy was I about this people! It began in the art classroom with pre-history and went up through the ages to modernism as you walked throughout the hallways of the school, just awesome!!

When we went down to say hello to the music teacher we passed the bulletin board for "Stone Soup"which was the first grade musical production this year. It was earlier this week and made me have a few cheesy "Mommy Moments" when we saw the performance. The idea and the musical numbers were inspired by the children's book of the same name, one that I remember reading when I was a child myself.

The night ended with what else, an ice-cream social in the cafeteria! Overall it was a great evening. I cannot believe we have come to the end of his first full year in grade school, boy oh boy how time flies!!

And so it goes...

Starting Another Blog

2009-05-14T02:41:00.004-05:00

I have started another blog called "My Personal Museum." I decided that rather than just add alot of discussions about art and architecture, one of my greatest passions in life, to this personal "life and a bag of chips" blog, I would create a special place for those things to happen. So far I have created only one entry to start it up and get things going but I will be adding a few more posts in the next couple of days. If you are a fan of art and architecture then please stop on by that blog from time to time and show it some love too :) You can access it by clicking on "view my complete profile" to the right or the link provided here: http://mypersonalmuseum.blogspot.com/

Thanks and happy blogging to you all!

And so it goes...

Great Goodies...for F-R-E-E...hooray!

2009-05-12T12:09:00.009-05:00

If you are in the mood for some springtime shopping but running a little or a lot short on cash these days (really who isn't right?), or if you just love free goodies go check out http://www.fantabulouslyfrugal.com/ where they are doing 31 days of giveaways! They are an active member of SITS so if you are a SITS member definitely do go see them, and if you aren't why not check out both http://www.thesitsgirls.com/? I have links to both of them in "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" to the right and their buttons, clicking on either will get you there in two shakes of a lamb's tail!

And so it goes...

Victory At Last!!

2009-05-11T20:54:00.004-05:00

If you read my earlier post "The Empty Dog Bed" the image to the left is familiar to you. I am happy to report that I put on my "common sense cap" and came up with an intelligent solution to my daring dog's predicament. Sassy now lovingly sits on her cushy dog bed without a ton of prompting from me to "go lay on your bed" for the 800th time (there is still some resistance but not as much). I moved yonder stacks of large art books to another location (bookshelves are all full, I really must remedy that one of these days) and rearranged a bit.

I can now happily report that Sassy and I have come to an understanding: she can lay right on top of me, yet not worry me about running over her fluffy tail. I strategically placed the dog bed beneath the front window, next to my desk, and behind my chair just past the carpet line. She is now free to relax, as am I, because I no longer have to worry about running her over and ordering her to go lay down constantly. Oh mighty common sense, where were you a month ago?

And so it goes...

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-09T18:02:00.019-05:00

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." - Agatha Christie

To all my fellow and future Moms out there, I wish you a fantastic and beautiful Happy Mother's Day!

As a tribute to this day I have included a picture of one of my favorite paintings(above) by Mary Cassatt, The Child's Bath, c. 1891., and a few images of some favorite flickers in my mind of what Motherhood means to me (below): receiving flowers from my husband (the father of my child) and some silly things my son has done that makes me smile whenever I see them: eating with verve, taking a self-portrait, creating a "club" under the table, hanging out with our dog in mismatched pajamas since he dressed himself, and an earlier one from when he was 3 licking the bowl as I have let him do forever! It amazes me still...the introspection...the joy and grief...the profound changes that occur when you join this "sisterhood" of billions that came before you and that will be around long after you are gone from this world.

So a cheers to you Moms out there!! And for those of you "children" who are not parents, your Mother loves you more than you will ever know...so please remember her on this special day and honor her...if she is still a part of this world go see her, or if she is far away then give her a call, and don't worry about the monetary things, we just want to hear, as often as possible, how much we are loved by you in return, that is what brings us joy and makes all the effort worth while.

And so it goes...

Playing for Change

2009-05-08T15:22:00.014-05:00

I found another great organization trying to make the world a better place. If you are a musician, music lover, or just interested in supporting good causes you should check this out. I will put a link in this post and under my "Some Excellent Causes" link. Here are two excerpts from their site http://www.playingforchange.com/:

"The Inspiration:
Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world."

"Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. In addition to benefit concerts, the Playing for Change band also performs shows around the world. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music's unifying power. "

Musicians include people such as Bono, The Nazareth Orchestra, Venkat, and more. Happy listening!

And so it goes...

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight!

2009-05-07T16:22:00.018-05:00

One of My Favorite Recipes!

You Will Need:
-about 1and 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
-about 2 cups of orange juice
-about 1-2 cups of Parmesan cheese
-a Pyrex baking dish

In a time crunch for a tasty home cooked meal? Try this one out, it is simple and easy! I don't have any measurements because I eyeball it pretty much, but it is that simple and tasty too. I take some boneless skinless chicken breasts that I buy packaged and frozen from the store. I put them in a Pyrex rectangular baking dish. I make sure to poke the breasts on each side with a fork. Then I pour in some orange juice until it coats the bottom of the pan, not too much because I put them in there frozen so water will come out too. Then I bake at 375 for about 20 minutes (approx. 1 and 1/2 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts). The directions are for 20-30 mins. so this is 10 mins. shy of done. I then pull it out of the oven, poke the chicken on each side and flip them over. Then coat with Parmesan cheese (store bought in the plastic container) by shaking a bit over each piece. Add as much or little as you want. Return to oven for 10 more minutes. And voila! delicious chicken dinner. It takes about 2 minutes prep time if that. The orange juice makes the chicken super juicy and tender, which is helpful since it is boneless and skinless (which can very quickly mean dry and tasteless sometimes), and the juice doesn't add any extra fat either! It is a great one to use when you want dinner in a short time. My hubby and son just love the recipe and eat it all up every time. I usually serve it with some frozen veggies cooked in the microwave or maybe a bag salad dressed up with some fresh cut tomatoes and cucumbers.

Hope you like the recipe! If you try it out please leave a comment and let me know how you liked it!

Here is a link to a great recipe website I love that lets you keep a virtual recipe box you can use anywhere and anytime you have Internet access: http://allrecipes.com/. I also put a link to it under "Some Favorite Sites."

And so it goes...

There's Nothing Like a Good Book

2009-05-06T15:01:00.019-05:00

This week was a sick one at my house. My son had his first occasion to be put on antibiotics in his life (he is 6 yrs. old) when he got double ear infections, poor guy. Then, about 2 days later, I could not even swallow water because of a lump in my throat that felt like a golf ball on fire. It turns out that I had contracted strep throat for the first time in my life, oh joy! Then, later that day, I received a call from my son's school because he suddenly had rashes and bumps. During our second visit to the doctors that day, we found out that he apparently is allergic to penicillin! What a week I tell you! The happy result of all this sickness is that I got to spend 4 days in bed reading, and I love to read!

My mother recently sent me a copy of Maya Angelou's book "Letter to My Daughter." I have been reading it slowly over the last month or so, since it is comprised of little vignettes only a few pages each, I could pick it up and put it down whenever I wanted. Usually after I finish a book that I was given I donate it to the local library;but, I am keeping this one. It is filled with so many treasures that I can access again and again that I am hanging onto this one. There are so many great little inspirational passages, as well as quotation opportunities for graduations, weddings, new mothers, etc. that I know I will appreciate it greatly for future references when occasions arise. This also reminded me of how much I love Maya Angelou's writing and sent me forth in search of some more of her works at my local library (conveniently located right across the street).

I had read "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in high school and I remember how much it changed my perspective. So I decided to pick up the other 5 books in the autobiographical series by Miss Angelou. While in bed this week I read #2 "Gather Together in My Name" which rather surprised me. This book is set in her teen years after she had her son (at age 16). It was a bit of a shocker to discover via reading this book that she was at some point in her life the madame of a brothel, a prostitute in a brothel, and moved around more times in 3 years than I have probably in my entire life, and I have lived in 3 different states. I am now almost finished with #3 "Singin' and "Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas" which takes place during her 20s in the 1950s-60s. This one is much less harsh in content than #2. In this novel she is developing her career, or rather trying to find her career and calling in life. She was a dancer, nightclub singer, and part of the traveling company of Porgy and Bess. This one is a much more fluid and interesting read, and has more of her reflections on life that I love and adore. She has a way of delivering one sentence that profoundly sums up her experience and makes it relatable to anybody's life experiences. I relate to them and I am neither African American, nor have I ever been a dancer, lounge singer, or touring member of an opera.

I highly recommend giving this series a try if you are looking for an interesting read. I plan on another post of the last 3 in the series if you are interested in a general summarization before giving it a go yourself.

Happy reading out there!

And so it goes...

Twitter

2009-04-26T02:44:00.015-05:00

So I started a Twitter account today. Not that I am popular enough to necessitate a twitter account but why not. It is on the news every 5 seconds and everybody and their dog has one. The news the last week or so has done nothing but talk about twitter, tweeting, and everything else buzzing around about it. When they mentioned that even Oprah Winfrey and Larry King had a twitter, I figured I better check out what all this bloody "tweeting" is about then.

The first thing they have when you go to the site are links to click about "how" and "why" twitter is around, how to actually use it, and a clever little video with paper cut-outs (I am not kidding) showing you how this system works. The next thing I did was click on "blog" down at the bottom (http://blog.twitter.com/). I figured it would just lead me to something about how to make a blog or link your blog on twitter, but, the results were interesting.

The other night on Larry King Live (http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/), Ashton Kutcher and P.-Diddy were on talking about which of them had more followers and some twitter contest to be more popular by getting 1-million followers. Throughout the interview portions that I saw, they made no reference to why they were having the contest, so it wasn't clear to me what exactly it was all about. It turns out, by clicking on "blog" at the bottom of twitter it takes you to a page explaining the contest. It was not just celebrities going on about how awesome they are because they can get the most "tweets" and prove how wonderful their easy lives are compared to the average joe.

The reason for their contest was to support and raise money for the organization Malaria No More. The contest was to see who would be the 1st to 1-million followers on Twitter between CNN and Ashton Kutcher. The winner was to donate what ended up being $100,000 to a noble cause. Well, I think you can guess who won (Ashton Kutcher). I couldn't believe Mr. Demi Moore was actually using his craziness and silliness to make the world a better place. No wonder CNN was part of this crazy popularity contest!! In the end, Ashton Kutcher donated the $100,000 he promised, CNN still donated $100,000 (despite not being as popular as Mr. Demi Moore), and many other celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey donated large sums of money to Malaria No More which will provide mosquito nets to help prevent the spread of this terrible disease.

I think it's great that we can use these social networking sites like http://twitter.com/, http://facebook.com/, and http://myspace.com/ to try to make a difference. Don't get me wrong, I love these places and go to them all the time to check in with friends and family, which is great in and of itself, but to hear that celebrities are using their cult-like status on these sites to change the world is just fantastic!!

To check out the video either go to http://blog.twitter.com/ or to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZADez_MIr5I. You can also find it by searching for "Twitter and World Malaria Day" on the You Tube search engine. To check out Malaria No More you can click on the link above, this one http://www.malarianomore.org/index.php, or the one listed on my links of some excellent causes.

So keep on tweeting, blogging, networking, and making the world a better place!

And so it goes...

The Empty Dog Bed

2009-04-25T14:06:00.006-05:00

So the other week my hubby and I took a cab (yes still no car since accident, no accountability these days I guess) to the pet store and then walked home to exercise my crappy leg. We were so happy when we found a great deal on a dog bed. We figured poor Sassy is 10 years old now and could use a nice cushy bed to hang out on and that maybe she wouldn't sit right on top of my chair at the desk. Since I am on the computer for work and entertainment all the time I figured this would be a fabulous thing.

The dog bed was an $80 bed on sale for $15...what a deal we said! It is shaped like a slice of pie so it sits perfectly in a corner or across a straight edge, like say the wall which is a whopping 4-5 feet from me. It is nice and cushy, very soft, and has a washable cover. Surely this would put our dog in a state of bliss, no?

No.

Despite the fact that said awesome bed is extremely close to me and she can watch every move I make to the kitchen, bathroom, to kiddo's room, etc. because of my carefully chosen location, it is apparently not close enough. Apparently Sassy is a daredevil who likes to live on the edge and jump up and run whenever I scooch my chair to get up, grab a book, refill a drink, or just re-adjust in general.

What makes it even weirder is she is a well-trained and very intelligent dog. Sassy is a border-collie that I have had since she was a few weeks old. She follows every command instantly and has a very relaxed disposition. What I cannot understand is why in recent years she feels the need to sit right on top of my chair?!? I am so afraid I am gonna hop up to get the phone and run over her tail or something. I even bought her a gigantic bone to accompany her on afformentioned cushy bed to occupy her time. Apparently my easy dog likes the hardwood floor and running for her life instead of a nice bed. Pets can be so strange I swear.

And so it goes...

Healthcare

2009-04-16T14:51:00.010-05:00

Why for the love of god are we one of the only countries in the free world that does not provide health care for our people????

This issue has bugged me for a long time but especially the last couple of months.

Right before x-mas I was hit by a 17 yr. old kid who couldn't read S-T-O-P. He hit the car with such force that it was spun onto the front lawn of the nearby house and the car slammed head-on into a tree at about 30 mph with my son and I inside. My son, currently in 1st grade, thank God, survived with bruises and cuts, and I with the same plus a severely messed up knee. The force with which my knee hit the dashboard left me basically unable to walk for about 2 months. Once the walking cast thingamajig came off I started physical therapy. I am grateful that we survived but I am still really angry about the way in which I have to survive because of the health care, or rather lack thereof, in this country.

I have just returned from one of those physical therapy sessions and it irks me every time when I get back that health care in this country is non-existent.

The night we got hit I actually contemplated not going to the hospital because of the medical costs involved.

It makes me so ANGRY and SAD to think that somebody with a masters degree in the United States of America was so worried about seeing a doctor after a head-on collision with a tree.

It's this whole circle of crap going on over and over again. I have worked from the time I was legally allowed, worked during my entire education, took out loans to help pay, and actually completed my education and I still have to stress out and worry...not just about everyday medical things that we skip because of the high costs...but about a head-on collision!!!!

What on earth is wrong with our country that we cannot take care of the health and therefore the very survival of our citizens.

Politicians make 100s of thousands to millions of dollars a year eating bagels, making false promises, and smiling for the camera. Why is it that a hard-working educated, married parent cannot go to the hospital for a serious injury, much less, god forbid, preventative medicine to improve quality of life??!!??

I vote so my voice is heard but sometimes I really wonder about that....

I am asking for what should be basic rights, not some crazy thing like rocket boots...

I want to get better but how can I when taking care of myself is a luxury I cannot afford and not a basic human right????

It is high-time and long overdue that we not ask, that we DEMAND the basic human right of health care for the citizens of the wealthiest country on earth. There is something seriously, seriously, seriously wrong when drug addicts can get free health care and needles to support their habit but an educated tax-paying citizen cannot see a doctor when they are in a major car accident.

I have a novel idea...let's make those wealthy politicians, I don't know, say, work for that money that we are paying them, and keep those promises, and help improve our lives by actually taking care of the health of the people who live in this country and pay them to represent us.

And so it goes...

All Republicans Are Not Evil...(for now)

2007-06-06T03:17:00.004-05:00

So, after watching the debates on CNN for the last 3 nights I have to say I am impressed by the candidates of both parties and relieved/ecstatic that we will soon be rid of George W. When I was a teenager I was convinced that all Republicans were stupid/naive/greedy and evil. I think because my in-laws are such awesome people (really!) that I have finally decided to be a little more open during this current election process. I was actually not too angry at the Republicans debating tonight, and I even thought Mayor Giuliani was down right intelligent and well spoken, hooray for me, I have learned to be more understanding! I do think it helped though that I was playing Mahjong on Pogo.com to help relieve my stress, it was much more pleasant being occupied by those pesky tiles while listening to the debates rather than obsessing over every little gesture they made. Sure, the Republicans skirted a lot of issues and tried not answering some questions, but not nearly as bad as George W. did when he debated Al Gore. God bless Wolf Blitzer, the man must be a genius and a saint to keep so many politicians on topic and actually answering the questions they are asked, and briefly! And God bless Anderson Cooper too, 40 years old, intelligent, and good looking too! CNN is a beautiful thing!

And so it goes...

My first experience...

2007-06-05T16:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I have gone and done it...I created a blog. I never thought I would but it has recently occurred to me why a blog might be nice.

1. I can write whatever I want and it is anonymous. How freeing!
2. It is not like a real ink and pulp-wood "diary" so I do not need to feel obligated to write every day, I can write whenever I please or not write when I do not want to, and I can write without the restrictions of proper grammar. How convenient!
3. Practically everybody and their dog has a blog so why not me. How cliche!
4. I often feel like I have too many "restricted" thoughts. There is only so much I say to my students lest we go off topic or I stray from a 360 degree view of things; there is only so much I say to my husband lest I annoy him or bore him to death (I can't believe he doesn't care about elections, god!); and maybe this will help me get things "off my chest" when I need to get things out. How satisfying!
5. I do love the idea of anything that intelligently subverts the system and self-publishing seems like a good way to do that. How rebellious!

So it is official now, I am, apparently, becoming a blogger!

And so it goes...