The first book I read was Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica. This is a middle school novel set in Boston and NYC. Molly's mom has died and she is living with her mom's best friend in Boston. Just before her never-married mom died, Molly found out that her dad was the star of the Boston Celtics. Molly's mission is to convince the MVP that he is indeed her father. This book was well-written, though from my point of view, predictable. I think my 6th grade girls especially will find it engrossing. I'm considering using it this year along with another Lupica book Heat.
On the adult side, I read Rumer Godden's Coromandel Sea Change. This is one of hers I hadn't read before. It takes place in India, probably in the 1950's. I found the plot a bit dated, but the writing is wonderful.
Finally, I LISTENED to Janet Evanovich's Fearless Fourteen. I wanted to knit on my porch and I wanted to read. Voila! Audio books. I enjoyed the experience, but wish I had read the book instead of listened to it. Because this is a series that I love, and have read, I have developed very strong character visualizations. The reader's interpretation of Ranger drove me nuts, thus taking a bit of the pleasure out of the book. I also got a bit tired of all the "bad" language --- it's not horrible, but I never noticed it while I read. Despite all that, the plot was good, the potato cannons and the monkey made me laugh out loud, and I got a lot of knitting done. I think that in the future, I will choose books to listen to in which I haven't invested quite so much imagination.
Speaking of bad language, I guess I shouldn't complain. I started watching the first season of Deadwood, and while I really like the story, every other word of the dialogue is a "F" word or worse. I don't get it. I guess I wouldn't mind so much if the vocabulary was a little larger, but to hear the same 3-4 words used repeatedly is a little much!
I'm still working on the Lace Ribbon scarf. I think I'm on the last pattern repetition. I hope so -- I love the pattern, but I'm tired of it. And I'm basically a monogamous knitter. 99% of the time I only have one project going at a time, although I have been known to have a pair of socks going at the same time as big project for portability's sake. But this scarf was supposed to be the portable project, which it is. It's been to Los Angeles, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in the last 3 weeks!
Showing posts with label lacy ribbon scarf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lacy ribbon scarf. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Vacation Week #2
I spent most of the week since we've been home from LA trying to get my days organized. I'm hoping to have a yard sale later this month, so I've started working in various rooms to get that organized. We had carpeting put in last winter, and in the process dislodged much junk that has just been piled in corners. Now that school is out, I'm trying to go through the stuff and either toss, put away or earmark for the yard sale. On top of that my husband is moving his office out of the house and has piles of boxes in at least 2 rooms. I feel like we're perpetually moving!
I've done some more knitting on the Lace Ribbon Scarf mentioned previously. It's now about 25 inches long. I need to start another project, but I can't decide which of the many I have queued on Ravelry to do --- Seville Jacket? Nantucket jacket? Vintage Vest? Or should I do some more socks? Or what about all the yarn I bought to knit another Modern Classic? I can't decide so I just knit on the scarf!
I had 2 really vivid, weird dreams last night. I was with a group of teachers and we were in some sort of school or retreat center. It was very late at night, and we were in a lounge. We were holding a worship service of a sort, and a colleague with whom I'm presently at odds with, held up a clump of eggplants (like a cluster of tomatoes) and suggested we all go around the group and use the eggplants to inspire a prayer or share an image it brought to mind. She asked me to start and I began to share. As I started to say what came to mind, she interrupted me and said, "No, it shows togetherness and community." I started again, and again she interrupted me. Finally I got out "Yes, the eggplants together show unity, but what it suggests to me is that I am not part of that group. I am separated from the group and am other." The 2nd dream also involved school, teachers and students. We were hiking along a deserty mountain trail and the bell rang for the end of recess. I was following a group of students back. The shortest way back was down a very steep cliff above a shoreline with lots of rocks and a rough sea. The longer way was less steep, but we couldn't see how it would get us to where we were going. Most of the kids took the steep path but I followed the group that took the longer, more gentle slope. As we went down, there were side paths but all of the routes were really difficult. One student (someone who I'd never had as a student, but had worked with him in an afterschool activity) decided to take one of the short paths. He got to the water's edge, and decided to jump in and swim the rest of the way. When he jumped in, he hit his head and slid to the bottom of a tide pool. From where I was up high, I could see him lying under the water, unconscious. I couldn't get to him, so I started shouting for help. Across the way, another teacher heard me and she started scrambling down rocks to help. That's where the dream ended!!!
I know that I have a few issues that I'm trying to figure out. I do feel like "odd man out" all the time at school, and I am trying to decide what do to about that. I don't feel like I have any options. I also am "at sea" about church at the moment. I haven't been going to services lately. I burned out in leadership roles, and have not been able to warm up to our interim pastor. I'm not interested in going to a different church; I love the people, the denomination, the way my church lives out its understanding of Jesus' Way. I just can't seem to go sit through a service. So I'm praying about that, and trying to decide what to do there too. I guess in some ways I feel "odd man out" there too, because most folks seem to love the way things are right now. Any ideas out there??
I've done some more knitting on the Lace Ribbon Scarf mentioned previously. It's now about 25 inches long. I need to start another project, but I can't decide which of the many I have queued on Ravelry to do --- Seville Jacket? Nantucket jacket? Vintage Vest? Or should I do some more socks? Or what about all the yarn I bought to knit another Modern Classic? I can't decide so I just knit on the scarf!
I had 2 really vivid, weird dreams last night. I was with a group of teachers and we were in some sort of school or retreat center. It was very late at night, and we were in a lounge. We were holding a worship service of a sort, and a colleague with whom I'm presently at odds with, held up a clump of eggplants (like a cluster of tomatoes) and suggested we all go around the group and use the eggplants to inspire a prayer or share an image it brought to mind. She asked me to start and I began to share. As I started to say what came to mind, she interrupted me and said, "No, it shows togetherness and community." I started again, and again she interrupted me. Finally I got out "Yes, the eggplants together show unity, but what it suggests to me is that I am not part of that group. I am separated from the group and am other." The 2nd dream also involved school, teachers and students. We were hiking along a deserty mountain trail and the bell rang for the end of recess. I was following a group of students back. The shortest way back was down a very steep cliff above a shoreline with lots of rocks and a rough sea. The longer way was less steep, but we couldn't see how it would get us to where we were going. Most of the kids took the steep path but I followed the group that took the longer, more gentle slope. As we went down, there were side paths but all of the routes were really difficult. One student (someone who I'd never had as a student, but had worked with him in an afterschool activity) decided to take one of the short paths. He got to the water's edge, and decided to jump in and swim the rest of the way. When he jumped in, he hit his head and slid to the bottom of a tide pool. From where I was up high, I could see him lying under the water, unconscious. I couldn't get to him, so I started shouting for help. Across the way, another teacher heard me and she started scrambling down rocks to help. That's where the dream ended!!!
I know that I have a few issues that I'm trying to figure out. I do feel like "odd man out" all the time at school, and I am trying to decide what do to about that. I don't feel like I have any options. I also am "at sea" about church at the moment. I haven't been going to services lately. I burned out in leadership roles, and have not been able to warm up to our interim pastor. I'm not interested in going to a different church; I love the people, the denomination, the way my church lives out its understanding of Jesus' Way. I just can't seem to go sit through a service. So I'm praying about that, and trying to decide what to do there too. I guess in some ways I feel "odd man out" there too, because most folks seem to love the way things are right now. Any ideas out there??
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