Eight years ago today, a woman passed away quietly in the early morning. A resident of St. Petersburg, Florida for 22 years, she was 69 years old at the time of her death. She was survived by her husband, two adult daughters, and one teenage grandson. But Mary Ann’s family had lost her well before her death. For over seven years, she had been living in a nursing home, incapacitated by early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Her […]
Month: October 2007
Another book meme: To be read, or not to be read, or been read already…
I found this book meme via Literary Feline at Musings of a Bookish Kitty – it looked like fun, so I thought I’d play. As I think I mentioned in my last book meme, most of the books on my shelves right now are ones I haven’t read yet, so it seemed appropriate. The below listed books are the top 106 books most often marked as being “unread” by LibraryThing users. The instructions are simple: […]
Persuasion, indoctrination, conversion
*THIS ONE is officially Post #200! (This was the warm-up.)* When it comes to matters of faith, belief, and morality, I’m in favor of open dialogue. I think discussion can lead to persuasion – or at least understanding – much more effectively than lectures. I think tyranny of ideas and indoctrination by force may change behaviors, but not minds or hearts – as Fountains of Wayne put it, “they can tell me what to do, […]
iPod Random Ten 10-5-07
Soundtrack to start what I hope will be a short day at work (I’m going to attempt to leave by 2:30): “Nothin’ But a Breeze,” Jimmy Buffett“Ruby Tuesday,” The Rolling Stones“Hit the Road, Jack,” Ray Charles“Wonderful Tonight,” Eric Clapton“She’s No Lady,” Lyle Lovett“Wonderwall,” Oasis“Cadillac Ranch,” Bruce Springsteen“Good to Go to Mexico,” Toby Keith“Never Again,” Kelly Clarkson“Walking in Your Footsteps,” The Police Happy Friday! (There probably won’t be Random Ten posting next Friday. I will be […]
Booking Through Thursday 10-4: “Decorum”
Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them? (grin) Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the […]
A book meme
More book stuff for Thursday: I don’t know where this non-recurring meme got started, but it seems to fit in around here. I came across it from Mom-Not Otherwise Specified, via Bub and Pie. Total Number of Books?I honestly don’t know. Probably a few hundred – I may be an accountant, but I’ve never felt compelled to do a book inventory. Most of the ones on bookshelves at home haven’t been read yet – and […]
Bicentennial!
Well, sort of. It’s nearly my 200th post, and I’m very excited to be here! (Officially, I think it’s #196. I’m jumping the gun on it a little to tie in to something else – see the * below.) This endeavor has turned out to be very enjoyable, and in ways I didn’t expect. I didn’t know that I would like the writing itself as much as I do – getting to 200 posts in […]
A parent’s work is never done
I’ve always described parenting as “the most important job I’ll ever have,” and don’t feel that calling it “a job” lessens it, because it’s work: 24/7, no retirement, no vacation, on-the-job training, high risk, high reward, fun, challenging, engaging work. But in a guest blog post on Work It, Mom!, Kimberly proposes differently – that motherhood is a life, not a job, because it’s not something you can separate from who you are. I think […]
Wiki Wednesday 10-3-07
Time to learn something! 1. Go to Wikipedia.2. Click on “Random article” in the left-hand sidebar box.3. Post it! I have been to every state in New England except for its largest one, so I’ve never visited Saco, Maine.History: Granted in 1630 by the Plymouth Company to Thomas Lewis and Richard Bonython, the town extended 4 miles along the sea, and 8 inland. Settled in 1631 as part of “Winter Harbor” {as Biddeford Pool was […]
The gender gap=a “happiness gap”?
Last week’s New York Times article on two studies investigating the relationship between activities (“time use”) and happiness, and the differences between men and women regarding that correspondence, has stirred up quite a blog response. Here’s mine, with a look at some of the others. The original article by David Leonhardt notes that research shows… …(T)here appears to be a growing happiness gap between men and women. Two new research papers, using very different methods, […]
Ten on Tuesday: 10 TV Shows You’d Like to Have (or already have) on DVD
Now that the fall season is here, TV will be a bigger part of my life again, even though some of my major favorites won’t return until January or later. But during the off-season, TV on DVD really helps fill the gaps. I’m going to mix this list between shows I have and shows I’d want to own. As usual, the list is unranked. Shows that I have on DVD: Freaks and Geeks, The Complete […]
Geeky girls and cool moms
Last week’s fun with the Nerd Test brought this comment in MaryP’s post, where she said in response to someone else’s remark that “I always knew I wasn’t cool”: I’ve never really aspired to it… Here’s the ironic thing: I was a geek all through high school, when I would have been most likely to care; now that I have teen-age children and truly have no patience with the idea of striving to be cool? […]
