Reading Challenge – Destined to Fail

 

When I was still in a book group, we would have one older member who complained each month about the books we picked. She did not like that they focused on younger women who were having babies. It was very boring to her. Then again, she never made any book suggestions either despite our leader constantly making a request for book ideas.

I bring this up because at the end of the year last year, I joined the reading challenge over at Chick Lit Plus.

From My Bookpile

I said that I would read one chick lit book per month and of those twelve, two would be debut writers. As it turns out, the founder of the Chick Lit Plus Blog, Samantha March, is a debut writer. She sent me her book Destined To Fail at the end of the December and I read through it like a fiend.

There was a part of me that felt like the older woman in my book group as this story focuses on young women in their first year of college. I have not been there for thirty years but I kept reading because I was interested .

Our narrator is Jasmine who is going to school to make her dreams of being a travel agent come true. She manages to bring her friend, Abby, along. But Abby has a problem. Within two months, Abby announces she s pregnant by the boy Jasmine hoped would disappear once the girls moved three hours away.

Abby drops out and Jasmine finds new room-mates in Cari and Kiley. Soon each girl has their own drama that unfolds and Jasmine manages to find the strength to help each of her friends. And when crisis finds her door, Jasmine  digs into her own reservoir to make tough decisions.

This is a light and easy breeze of a book that deals with some tough subjects. Jasmine has many reasons to be a sad sack of a person. And yet, she is the bright light, the beacon of hope for friends who have suffered in similar ways to herself. I think young women will identify with these characters and understand how each woman reacts to her stressors in the way that she does.

As much as I liked this book, there were times I felt as if it was too unreal, too easy. I wondered how Jasmine could have something as each friend’s situation that fit into her own life. And when she chooses to start a foundation, I was amazed at how quickly everything comes together. Another issue I had is while the women in this book tend to have deeper characterizations, the men are two-dimensional in their given roles.

I had other problems in that my copy had some glaring editorial problems with mis-spellings and repeated paragraphs. BUT I also think that Samantha has a good future as a writer as she continues to grow and develop her talent. Her descriptions are good and Samantha has a knack for getting you involved in the story.  I really felt as if I was in college once more with quick friendships, big work loads and the reality of needing money for the things of life.

It is a great start for a first time novelist.

Favorites

Funny thing is I am way ahead for my usual column on Fridays. My local readers are reading the baseball column everyone here read last week.

What to do, what to do.

So I thought about listing my favorite movies. Or I could list my favorite romantic movies. I could list favorite actors.  How about if I just do a bunch of lists.

Here we go:

Poster image from IMDb.com

Favorite Romantic Movie: Forget Paris with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger

Favorite Actors: William Powell, Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Steve Martin

Favorite Actresses: Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Katherine Hepburn, Stockard Channing, Dianne Weist

Best Movie Ever:  Citizen Kane written, directed, and starring Orsen Wells

Best Family Movie: Toy Story

Best Bad Movie: Barb Wire starring the fabulous Pamela Anderson

Movie I watch whenever it shows up on TV: Tarzan voiced by Tony Goldwyn

Poster Image from IMDb.cm

Movies that makes me deliriously happy for no apparent reason: Singing in the Rain and Mamma Mia

Movie that makes me cry for 20 solid minutes: A League of Their Own

What are your favorite movies or actors or actresses?

Would You like a Box of Cookies?

Image from SavingAdvice.com

Did you know that this is the 100th year of Girl Scouts?

I am highly aware since my daughter is currently in Girl Scouts. She loves it as the troop is always doing something fun. Derby cars, scarecrow making, pie making, crafts and what not.

However, now is the time for cookie sales in our area. My daughter has till Sunday to sell 150 boxes that she put down for her goal. We are no where near half way but we have not hit all possible places to get sales.

You could consider this a call to arms to help my daughter. But what I really want  you t do is buy from whomever is closest geographically. Help make the local troop have the best sales ever. There is an app that can tell you where sales are taking place in your area.

Image by Click

When I was in college, I volunteered at a local brownie troop. The sales I made sent the girls to camp that summer. Now that was cool. Wouldn’t you like to help send a girl to summer camp where they do fun things?

Well then, you know what you have to do. There is no point in debating which is the best cookie flavor because we all know Thin Mints are the bomb. All of the others are good too but everyone knows which is the best. Buy a box of Thin Mints and another cookie that is your second favorite. That is an $8.00 investment of pure joy.

What a great way to celebrate the 100th year of Girl Scouts.

Where My Vote Is Not Going…

During the weekend, Newt Gingrich won the primary in South Carolina.

What does this do for the current election season?

In the short-term it makes the next primary a little more viable, it makes the primary that will happen in my state in the month of March possible relevant. Can I say I really hate our current primary system? While there is hope that the mid-March primary in the State of Illinois will have meaning, I honestly doubt that it will. The candidate will be solidified by then and our turn will not matter.

I once saw a schedule breaking up the U.S. in six parts which would make campaigning-traveling sense and even out numbers. The sections would be rotated so that no one section would have 1st vote dominance except when it is their turn to go first. Guess that is a dream.

The primary results also makes Newt Gingrich appear to be a viable candidate.

But the truth is, even if I was of a Republican bent, I could never vote for Newt.

Image from Wikipedia

I find the man despicable. The reason why comes before taking money from Freddie Mac in the role as a historian, before being the only Speaker of the House to have 80+ ethical violations. It comes before divorcing his second wife six months after she was diagnosed with a chronic illness and then marrying his mistress of the past six years.

My issues with Newt have everything to do with how he treated his first wife, Jackie. The story usually goes that he served her divorce papers as she lay dying with cancer. That is the one I have heard over the years. But the truth more disgusting than that.

Jackie had been diagnosed with uterine cancer. Even so, she campaigned for him and she worked hard as she had done throughout their marriage. Seven years older, she put Newt through school so he  eventually held a doctorate and become a college professor. They had two daughters together. When he decided to hold public office, she was there by his side.

But Jackie was not pretty or young enough. He wanted to run for president,  needing a ‘Jackie O’ by his side and not the frumpy woman who was his wife. He filed for divorce and right there on the papers dug up by CNN it states that she did not want the divorce. That part of the story is old news. There have always been male professionals who divorced the women who supported them through med school or whatnot.

So how does it get worse?

Jackie was not served divorce papers on her death-bed. Instead she was in the hospital after having a tumor removed. She was in her room when Newt and the girls stopped by to see how Jackie is recovering. She was still groggy from surgery when Newt pulls out a yellow pad with the terms of their divorce, demanding she sign it there and then. At least that is how the story goes from the original article in Mother Jones magazine in 1984 but FactCheck.org disputes based on accounts from three people in that hospital room.

But that is not the worst of it. The worst is when Jackie and the girls move back to their home in Carrollton. The house has no utilities, no heat, no water no electricity. Newt refuses to give Jackie any money to support the girls. Their home church held a food drive for the family, they asked members to donate money so Jackie and the girls can get back on their feet.

It is only when Jackie states she is going to take Newt to court that he relents. He gets everything up to date and must make monthly payments to Jackie. By making this legal agreement, he manages to avoid the jury trial Jackie had requested.

Why are the actions from a broken marriage 30 years ago relevant? Because this is a man who runs on a ‘family values’ platform. This is a man who judged Bill Clinton on his lack of ability to keep his business in his pants – publicly. This is a man who wants to judge you and me on our private lives. And yet his past behavior is vile and disgusting.

His role as a father should have been to make sure his children had a place to call home that was functional. They only had it after Newt was being taken to court. In my world, we call this kind of man a SCUMBAG. That is detailed in court records and something Newt or his daughter cannot deny. I find this behavior very hard to forgive.

Understand that this is a man who campaigns on ‘family values’ but does not live those values. This is a man who changes wives for younger models on a regular basis. This is a man who expects to call others on their deepest sins but gets upset when the tables are turned on him.

This is a man who will never receive my vote or respect.

How Long Till Spring Training Camp?

Family Movie Night

by Karyn Bowman

Just because we have gotten our first snow fall of the season does not mean we cannot look forward to the four most beautiful words one can hear during winter.

Pitchers and catchers report.

Poster Image from IMDb.com

I thought about that last night when I stopped at our little grocery store and saw Moneyball on the dvd rental shelves.

This is one movie I meant to see in the theater and never got around to. The story follows a baseball executive who decides to try something different to find players to make his professional team better without spending money he does not have.

It is a wild idea and he does it with the help of a statistics geek by looking for players who do the little things right.

Crazy, I know.

The movie takes place ten years ago and what Billy Beane was doing at that time was cause for derision. But he was able to take his $37 million team to the play-offs and has repeated that feat several times. These days, Sabermetrics is used all over the league in one form or another.  

Another reason to see this movie is that there is Oscar talk around Brad Pitt and his performance. Jonah Hill is beginning to blossom as an actor as he keeps getting better and better parts. What Hill and Pitt do is make a discussion about math and baseball interesting and relevant.

So what other baseball movies should you see, if you count yourself a true movie and baseball fan?

Poster Image from IMDb.com

Absolutely, you have to have seen Field of Dreams and Bull Durham . Both star Kevin Costner about a man who has baseball as in integral part of his life. The former is about a farmer in Iowa who hears a voice telling him to ‘build it and they will come.’ So he builds a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield and one night Shoeless Joe Jackson comes out of the cornfield to play catch.

This is only the first part of a wild and crazy adventure that leads to Boston and Minnesota . There are men who cry only with this movie and for one specific scene. This movie talks about why we love baseball and gets it right.

So why Bull Durham ?

I find it to be one of the best movies about the life. Costner plays an aging catcher brought on to train an up-and-coming pitcher with a unreliable rocket thrower for an arm. Tim Robbins makes a big splash as Lash Larue. Then there is Susan Sarrandon as the fan who trains one player each season. This movie is definitely made for adults and not for kiddie viewing at all.

Poster Image from IMDb.com

The best kid movie about baseball that I know is The Sandlot. The story is about a boy who moves to a new town when his mother remarries. He finds himself drawn to a group of boys who play baseball in an empty sandlot every day. The kid is eventually accepted by the other despite being a deplorable player and they go on to have several memorable adventures.

It is a great movie.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Taking Baby Steps Towards Completion

I know a few readers are wondering out there how my year of completion is going.

 

 

I have been working on this for way too long.

So far, slow. I am working on that embroidery kit, trying to finish filling in the pitcher. It is slow but it is happening. Same with some sewing projects that I was able to complete at this month’s session at my favorite quilt shop. There is nothing like adjusting skirts because I have lost enough weight to make them need downsizing.

 

 

Getting out the door no later than Saturday.

However, I have another task that must be done. I have to send my parents their Christmas gift. This is one task that never gets done before our Easter trip to their house. This year I have the presents wrapped, in the box, and the box is ready for mailing. Tomorrow morning it heads out to the post office. I can’t say what the box contains because I do want Mom to be surprised and she stops by here often enough.

I am leaning towards the Florentine Clay but Georgian Leather is nice, too.

 

 

One of the items on my list of completion was picking a new color for the living room. It is currently a pinky coral color but I am choosing from a variety of terra-cotta shades. I am looking to go darker but the husband has requested a lighter color. Can’t wait to see how it will look when the room is finally completed.

 

How are you doing on your resolutions?

 

Related Post: The Year of Completion

We didn’t have this ‘green thing’ in my earlier days

I recently saw this long and lengthy post on an acquaintance’s Facebook page. At first I was interested and wanted to see where it was going to go.

Image from chloesblog.bigmill.com

     Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days”. The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.” She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have…. 

As soon as the person had a chance to respond to the ‘whippersnapper’s’ comment, I knew it was going to run into that trite BS about how life was better in the old days. Worse yet the person continuously makes the comment that we did have this ‘green thing’ back in their day.

What a waste of a ‘teachable’ moment.

You could have regaled that young person with the facts that President Theodore Roosevelt may not have been the first President to create National Parks but he doubled their numbers within his term of office.

Not only that, but he was friends with John Muir, the crazy Scottish fellow who founded the Sierra Club about 100 years ago. The biggest grassroots environmental group was founded that long ago by people considered a little nutty.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

But wait, I have more. There is Rachel Carson who graduated from college in 1919 (huge feat in those days) to become a biologist. She is credited with creating the contemporary conservation movement and published the groundbreaking Silent Spring in 1962.

Carson would pass away in 1964 but her legacy lived on in The Clean Water Act of 1972 and The Clean Air Act of 1970 as well as the banning of DDT.

Image from Snowyoctonber.blogspot.com

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

When the American bald eagle was endangered, it was discovered that the pesticide DDT weakened the shells of eagle eggs  and put eaglets at risk when the mother roosted on the eggs. Numbers of the birds had dropped dramatically but were on a resurgence until this pesticide was introduced.  DDT was banned in the US in 1973. It took about 20 years for the bird to regain population levels to be taken off the endangered list. To get this done took much lobbying from people in the ‘environmentally conscious’ community.

 Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Who can forget President Ronald Reagan’s dismissive attitude towards environmentalists, those ‘tree huggers,’ and how instead he claimed trees were killing people. Oh, and remember ‘Acid Rain?’

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us.

I remember back in the 80′s when Chicago had the recycling centers and how I would drive my stuff over. We sorted our glass by color at that time. Blue bags came later. Now, we take our recyclables to a private firm but we can still do it.

What I wish is that people would stop perpetrating the lie that the ‘green thing’ wasn’t happening. There were crunchy people back then who worked to make a difference when they were saving the whales, dolphins, tuna and manatees. Those crunchy people fought for a better environment and to get big business to stop polluting our drinking water sources.

It is easy to sit back and say that trite reminiscent response to try to make the current youth feel guilty because they are smug and this ‘green thing’ is all they have ever known. But what you are really doing is being just as dismissive and ignorant of what was going on in the past as that young cashier.

It means that during the last 50 years you’ve ignored the sad Indian commercials , all of Lady Bird Johnson’s efforts to clean up America and the ‘don’t be a litterbug’ advertising campaigns. You have completely forgotten the gas crisis of the 70s, the electric and hybrid car revolution of the 00s (remember Al Gore’s son getting a speeding ticket in his Prius), and wind turbines.

Image from The Daily Green.com

There was always a ‘green thing’ going on but you choose to mask your ignorance with sentimentality. Meanwhile, there are communities banning those plastic grocery bags. Perhaps now is the best time to start doing that ‘green thingy’ by taking a canvas bag with you whenever you go shopping.

Unless you like appearing as the neighborhood old fart on a regular basis.

Could You do Better than That, Part 2

Family Movie Night

by Karyn Bowman

There is nothing more disappointing that to watch an actor or actress do less than what they are capable of doing in any given role.

I actually admire actors who try on different roles that may not be their strong suit and work to be good at it. I love Nicole Kidman who is great at the dramatic roles but has also done a supernatural thriller (The Others) and comedy (Bewitched). Her co-star in the latter movie, Will Ferrell, took a risk when he made Stranger Than Fiction. It showed us a serious side to the actor we normally see in comedies.

Last week I talked about how I wish Adam Sandler would do more movies that showcase his dramatic abilities. If there is one female star that I could choose who I wish would do more risky roles, it would be Jennifer Aniston.

We know her as best as Rachel from the TV show that launched her career. Over the years she has made romantic comedies that have made me shake my head, wondering why she wasted her time on these movies. As you might imagine, the movies I am talking about are for adult consumption and not for the kiddies.

But then Aniston took a chance when she made The Good Girl in 2002. The story is about a young woman who is bored in her marriage to house painter John C. O’Reilly. That is when she strikes up a relationship with the new stock boy, Jake Gyllenhall.

What the woman does not realize is that the boy is unstable. But she will have to deal with that aspect of his personality as well as the discovery of the affair. For Aniston, this was the step away from her Rachel persona that she needed. The role was complex and the character grows in understanding by the end of the movie.

Poster Image fro IMDb.com

It would take four years till we saw Anniston in another movie that expanded her skills. Friends With Money also starred Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack and Catherine Keener. The story is about four friends, one of whom has gone through a divorce and quit her job as a teacher at a private school.

What we see is a woman who is confused and not dealing well with the changes in her life but is lucky enough to have good friends who try to help her through it all. Those friends are not at great points of their life either. We see inside the world of the rich through the eyes of a woman who used to be better off. It is a movie I enjoy and wish Anniston would try more often.

There are two movies I have not seen with Anniston that also break away a bit from her usual role. One is Horrible Bosses in which she plays a dentist who sexually harasses he employee. Anniston takes on the unfamiliar role of the bad guy and critics loved what she did with it.

The other movie is Love Happens.  While this is another romantic comedy, I am interested because I love Aaron Eckhart. I am also interested by the subject matter of two people recovering from broken hearts and not sure if they can trust again. The worst that can happen is I waste a few hours but I can also do a craft while watching the movie.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Being Versatile

So people ask me  – do you do awards?

Of course, I do. I am happy to receive awards because then I get the chance to give out awards. In this latest round of award giving I was happy and surprised I had been given The Versatile Blog award by The Roycroft Report and Reinventing the We’ll.

Because I am a bit radical, a bit on the left side of the political spectrum and a bit blasphemous, it makes me perk up my ears to know that John and Jay read my blog and like it. Apparently, they enjoy my cooking posts and movie posts and political mutterings. John tends to be more conservative and sometimes a bit libertarian in his politics, Jay is a minister who asks compelling questions in his posts. I like reading both although I do not get around as much as I should. I hope that you make an effort to visit these guys and see what they do.

This award compels me to thank my nominators, tell seven things about myself and give this award to a few other people. So who do I absolutely want to read for reason of never knowing what I will get?

One blog I like to visit is The Kitchen Garden because I do not know what Cecelia is talking about today. Today, it is about photography, other days it is about her farm or a trip elsewhere. I like reading and exploring something different.

Another blogger that I enjoy is Loaves and Stitches. How can I not love someone who cooks and crafts and has more UFO’s hanging around than she should? If you do not know what a UFO is in this context, you are not a crafter easily distracted.

I haven’t visited the Lady Jane’s Books for some time and then I stopped by the other day in time for her/his review of ‘The Voyage Out” by Virginia Woolf. How can I not love a person who as fanatical about Virginia as I am about Jane?

The crafter in me is always, always, inspired by Completly Cauchy. I love her colors and crafts. I love how she works on scrap quilts and shows you how to do it as well. I am never sure what she is working on but I know it is interesting.

Last but not least is Prada for Breakfast. I get fashion, food, pictures, books. I just love it.

Now for a few fun facts.

1. I cannot figure out how to put badges on the side of my blog. Seriously, I need help.

2. Chances are if I have ‘liked’ a post, it is about food.

3. I have been doing this blog for two years and never run out of things to talk about.

4. I appreciate everyone who bothers to leave a comment, even the spammers because they amuse me as they tell me I have ‘lifted’ a completely original blog post from somewhere else.

5. I really need to overhaul my list of bloggers I like to include new ones that I like.

6.  Charles at Mostly Bright Ideas still makes me spit out coffee in laughter.

7. I look forward to the day when I can meet a fellow blogger face-to-face.

So with everything but the shouting completed, let me congratulate the nominees, ask that you visit them, comment and fall in love just a little bit.

Clearing The Schedule

One of the things I like about January is that my schedule slows down – sort of. Instead of having something to do every day, I have things to do every other day. Some days are doubled booked but it is not as bad as during the month of December.

This past Saturday, for example, I dropped my daughter off to enjoy a day with the Girl Scouts as they kick off their annual Cookie Sales. In the morning my husband took in a local boat show with a neighbor so I had our kids plus the neighbor girl who spent the night. There was game playing with Lego Batman Wii and hair being brushed into designs. We picked up items for supper (Muenster cheese and bread for grilled cheese sandwiches) and I dropped the girls for their big trip. Then in the afternoon I was able to leave the house, sans kids, and do what I needed to do. 

Image by Jentsoi

It was great. I stopped in a local resale shop that has great clothes, got my hair cut, picked out paint chips, pick up a present for my parents (from which last month’s brake job took money), stopped in the fabric store, picked up newspapers and rented dvds. Four hours of going around town doing what I needed to do at my own pace.

As much as we all like the holiday season, I believe there is a collective sigh of relief somewhere around epiphany. The holidays are over and there are no more forced celebratory gatherings till “The Big Game” or Valentine’s Day. No more egg nog or fruitcake. The champagne is all gone and the christmas ornaments have been put away for the next 11 months. There is a relief in knowing we can go at our own pace and not at dictated events.

Granted, there are a few things to the schedule. We have one child in volleyball. We have friends with children in basketball. Those winter sports will keep us active but not frantically so. We will have time to just relax and maybe take a nap.

It might be rude to admit but I am looking forward to that step down in busyiness.

How is your January schedule looking?