scaifea's 2015 challenge - thread #9

Welcome to thread IX!



Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-12 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there, too):

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The CYOA books
c. The Newbery Honor books

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

5. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

6. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker lists (combined, in chronological order)

7. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Stephen King's bibliography (in chronological order)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

8. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book.

9. A book from my Classics shelves.

10. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

11. Book-a-year challenge: Two years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've decided, again, to follow Paul's lead and try to fill in some of those blanks, and so I'm adding an entry here to my lists.

12. The American Author Challenge.

13. The British Author Challenge.

14. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

And on top of these, there will be a multitude of picture books and easy readers, which Charlie and I read together. I've decided this year also to list our re-reads, but I'll just list them each day and not number them.

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!



What I'm reading now:
-Johnny Got His Gun (Banned Books list)
-Pran of Albania (Newbery Honor list)
-Faust (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-John Tyler (Presidential Challenge)
-Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy (audio book)
-Stand on Zanzibar (Hugo & BFSA award lists)
-Excalibur (from the TBR shelves)
-How to Train Your Dragon (Charlie's bed-time book)
-Cicero (off of my classics shelves)
-Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Buddhism list)
-Pierre and Jean (year-by-year book list, 1888)
-Needled to Death (series that my mom wants me to read so we can chat about it)
-The Iliad (everyday audio book in the car)
-Independence Day (American Author Challenge, Pulitzer list)
-Brideshead Revisited (British Author Challenge, NEH list)
-Joss Whedon: The Biography (Christmas present!)
-Below Stairs (library Blind Date with a Book book)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1

Books Read:
(For previous reads, see previous threads.)

MARCH
117. (#27) The American (AAC, NEH list) - 9/10 = A
118. Plants We Wear (public library book) - 8/10 = B
119. The Way Back Home (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
120. Hello Kitty: Happy Graduation (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
121. The Dark (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
122. Count the Monkeys (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
123. National Geographic Kids: Trains (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B-
124. A Day in the Sun (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
125. How to Train Your Dragon 2: A Tale of Dragons (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
126. Good Night, Fairies (public library book) - 9/10 = A-
127. (#28) Mary Poppins (Charlie's bedtime book) - 9/10 = A-
128. (#29) Brown Girl Dreaming (Newbery Honor book) - 9/10 = A
129. Rhino? What Rhino? (public library book) - 8/10 = B
130. T Is for Teachers (public library book) - 8/10 = B
131. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
132. Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A-
133. (#30) The Night Watch (BAC, 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read list) - 9/10 = A
134. Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Treasury (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
135. Red: A Crayon's Story (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
136. A Story for Bear (public library book) - 8/10 = B+
137. Help! We Need a Title! (public library book) - 8/10 = B+
138. Hello Kitty: Fall Surprise (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B

The Charlie (and Amber) Toppers:

Me at about 3, I think?, in a photo shoot by my brother, who was taking a photography class:



And Charlie, last week:

And the Bonus Question (courtesy of Darryl):

If tomorrow you were told that you couldn't work in your current field any longer, what would you do instead?

BQ: I'd do this:

Me, too.

First, I can never keep up with your threads, so I'll just contribute to this new one and give a jaunty wave Hello.

Secondly, BQ: I think I'd want to work in a specialty photography store or book store (like we have those anymore, guess I'll have to build a time machine first)

Keep having that good week...

Me, three!

>3 scaifea: I would cry a little bit and then maybe I would go back to working in museums. Maybe I would also go back and get an MA in art history.

Me four! Party time!
And if I didn't have to take out another student load I'd go back to university and study. History, art and literature. And linguistics. And maybe a few more things. If I could just go to university for a living I happily would - tests and essays and all!

I would work with animals in some capacity. Dogs as much as possible.

Probably see if I could make a go of professional storytelling. That's my planned "retirement" job. Either that, or write books. Preferably with my younger sister as illustrator. (Shameless family plug: http://www.kerribash.com/).

Happy new thread, Amber!
Right now the only job I want is to be a professional napper. I am one tuckered out woman. :)

Happy new thread, Amber. What a sweet little Amber photo. I like it. :-)

Happy new thread Amber, the photo's are gorgeous my dear, hope you are having a good day, love and hugs from Karen and me.

Happy new thread! Sweet pics up top!

>12 jolerie: Sounds perfect! Where do I sign up? Oh, wait, now that I'm retired, I guess I am a pro napper already.

Happy new thread. Archeology or neuroscience would be my new fields.

Hmm, I love what I do. But maybe something with a research firm. One of the databases I promote on a regular basis for work includes a career suitability test and the suggestions it's given me are all over the board (and librarian is never near the top of the list). Some of my favourites include critic, writer, archivist, and historian.

>3 scaifea: Lovely new thread, Amber, dear and I love the photos of both of you.

My career path could have been so different. I was close to a pro cycling contract in France in the 1980's but turned the other way when the choice was a first job after university in Alexandria building the world's largest textile plant. I would probably be a Directeur Sportif of a cycling team or a TV pundit now had things gone the other way.

Happy New thread, Amber! Hope the day went well. Warm up coming this weekend. Hooray!

Happy new thread!

As for the bonus question, I would probably move to my grandparents' farm (also the site of my parents' future retirement home) and grow berries and various other things. And I'd write. I don't think I could make enough money to live on with either berry farming or writing alone, but maybe between the two I could get by. (I do like my job, but can you tell I've put some thought into this?)

>3 scaifea: I have dreamed of being a stay at home dad for some time. I deserve the break. Hah I'm kidding , I think she works harder than I do.

>4 laytonwoman3rd: >5 jnwelch: >7 Crazymamie: Linda, Joe & Mamie: *snork!*

>6 mahsdad: Jeff: Both of those jobs sound fun! I've long daydreamed of opening a used bookshop/yarn shop/tea shop...

>8 rosylibrarian: Marie: Oh, I think I'll leave the going-back-to-school to you. I've done enough of that, I think, and actually couldn't keep the guffaw from bubbling up and out recently when the district librarian for our local school system asked if I'd be interested in getting a library science degree (so she could hire me as a school librarian). Um, thank you, no. I'm happy in my Lady of Leisure state of being.

>9 PawsforThought: Paws: But the beauty of it is that you can study that stuff on your own, no? Mostly, at least.

>10 luvamystery65: Roberta: And you'd be fantastic at that!

>11 CassieBash: Cassie: Boy, that *was* shameless! *snork!* (Just kidding...)

>12 jolerie: Valerie: Amen, sister friend! (Says the lady with a 12-hour work day ahead of her tomorrow...)

>13 Ameise1: Aw, thanks, Barbara!

>14 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>15 Storeetllr: Mary: I'm a professional weekend napper - my Scaife Men allow me two naps a weekend, usually, and it's heaven.

>16 BLBera: Whoa, Beth - polymath, much? *grins*

>17 MickyFine: Micky: That's a lovely list of possibilities, I have to say.

>18 PaulCranswick: Paul: Your lives - both the real one and the couldabeen one - sound so glamorous to this midwestern farm-raised gal...

>19 msf59: Mark: Warm weekend? BRING IT ON!!

>20 foggidawn: foggi: I don't know, my parents have been known to have impressive bumper crops of berries without really trying too hard at it, so if you get lucky, you may not need the reading gig... Ha!

>21 xymon81: Matthew: Whoa, don't say those first two sentences within hearing distance of your better half, mister. Stay-at-home parenting is the toughest job you'll never get paid for. Ha!

I've been lucky enough to already have experienced two of my top three dream jobs: I taught for 14 years and absolutely loved it, and now I volunteer at Charlie's library re-shelving books and such, which is my second dream job (note: the dream is not to be a full-on librarian, but just the simple joy of putting books back in their proper places, although I do so very much love helping the kids find books that they'll love, which I get to do from time to time). The third one for me would be flower delivery person. Not florist - I'd be rubbish at that - but just to deliver them and bring a little bit of joy or comfort to people's lives all day long.

>22 scaifea: She knows how much i appreciate her hard work.

>22 scaifea: Thank you Amber!

Hi Amber, and happy new thread! Love the photos.

Things are weird here in the education world, so I consider the possibility of not having my current job (teacher librarian) a lot. From a practical standpoint, I would probably work for my husband as an admin assistant/project manager. I could see myself working in a bookstore, or going for a librarian position at an American school overseas, or becoming a lady of leisure:)

Hi Amber, I am currently retired and I wouldn't want to change that but if I had the power to go back a good many years, I would train to work with young childen. I think being a nursery or pre-school school teacher would be a rewarding experience.

>2 scaifea: Your cap! Oh goodness. Your cap!

>3 scaifea: BQ Uh, well, the only thing I can think of that I'd trade staying home with kids for is working in the library. Lol

Great photos! I'd become a permanent student, first go back and finish law school, then get a Lit Masters, then work on becoming a forensic linguist. s

>22 scaifea: Well, technically, yes, I suppose. But not in the same way. You don't get challenged the same way when you study on your own. And I tend to need real deadlines and such to really get things done.

>29 Shutzie27: We'll be study pals, then! I could use someone to help get off my lazy arse and get some work done.

>24 xymon81: I'm certain that she does, friend; I was making a poor attempt at sticking my tongue in my cheek up there before. *grins*

>25 luvamystery65: I'm only saying what I know to be true, Roberta.

>26 AMQS: Anne: Word of warning: I've not discovered a whole lot of leisure since becoming that particular kind of lady... Ha!

>27 DeltaQueen50: Judy: I'm surrounded by preschool and early grade school teachers every day, and it seems to me that it is indeed a rewarding job, but also an incredibly hard one, too. I both admire and not-at-all envy those amazing folks.

>28 nittnut: Jenn: I know, right?! My mom made the outfit, of course.

>29 Shutzie27: Oh, my. It's fun to see so many of you all wanting learning as a permanent career!

>30 PawsforThought: For me, a big part of what I learned in grad school was how to challenge myself in those ways, and with inter-library loaning systems here and internet resources (the proper ones, of course), it is possible, once you have a firm grounding in how such learning and studying works, to study on your own in a pretty rewarding way. To be fair, I have a bank of faculty friends in a wide range of disciplines to whom I can turn with questions about all sorts of stuff, and that helps...

On the agenda for today:

I agreed to substitute for the school librarian today, so Charlie and I will go into school a little early (to give me time to get logged in and settled) and then I'll be there all day, of course, librarying and story-timing and teaching (she has two RTI (reading-type) groups during the day). And then the book fair opens right after school and I'm working all of the shifts this afternoon/evening. So, yeah, I'll be there for at least 12 hours today. At least Tomm's in town right now so he can come and pick Charlie up after school.

On the reading front: Nothing. Not a page yesterday. *sigh*

The calendar book today: Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby and the CIA by Randall B. Woods

123. National Geographic Kids: Trains by Amy Shields (Charlie's school library book, easy reader) - 8/10 = B-
124. A Day in the Sun by Frank Berrios (Charlie book, picture book) - 8/10 = B

Happy new thread, Amber! You do have a busy day ahead of you. I saw this article about World Book Day and all the Elsa costumes, and thought of you :-) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11451460/Frozen-is-not-a-book-...

Sweet Thursday, Amber! I keep hearing about this big warm-up coming and I am really looking forward to it. It'll be nice to return back to work, unbundled.

Have a good day.

I've told my wife that I will never retire: if I were to stop working in a library, I'd mope around the house for a few days, than go to the nearest library and sign up to volunteer. So what would be the point?

But if I was refused entry into a library (I don't know, for crimes against bibliography), there's always my fallback career choice:



Math teacher. And as long as I never have to fall back on it, I can always imagine it'd be just like this.

>31 scaifea: I simply don't have the self-discipline.

>36 swynn: Ha ha ha ha ha. Math is truly scary, so that is the perfect image.

On a brief break between story times...

>34 susanj67: Susan: *snork!* And we have the Frozen book pictured there at the book fair!

>35 msf59: Mark: I'm afraid I've become jaded this winter - I'll believe in the 'warm-up' when I see/feel it...

>36 swynn: Steve: *SNORK!!* Thanks for that mid-morning laugh!

>37 PawsforThought: Well, yeah, I guess that would be a problem.

>38 rosylibrarian: Marie: Agreed!

That's what ALL my math teachers look like. ;)

I would want to sit at the reference desk at the library to recommend books to people and help them find stuff.

Such a lovely photo of you as a toddler, Amber! (Would you believe that I almost typed Megan again?)

Even though the Bonus Question came from me I'm having a hard time answering it, and thinking about it is a bit stressful at the moment.

Happy new Thread Amber :)

I'd join the happy dancing people if I had to leave my current field of work! For all of about 5 seconds before I realised I wouldn't be able to pay the mortgage...

In an ideal world (=money no object), part time library work whilst I got down to some serious writing. Or maybe my own book shop - a la Black Books though I dare say.

>40 jolerie: Valerie: Ha! My math teachers were all middle-aged balding men...

>41 Morphidae: Morphy: Cool!

>42 kidzdoc: Aw, thanks, Darryl! And what's with the Meganning? Sheesh. Take your time on the bonus question and get back to us.

>43 BekkaJo: Bekka: Writing, eh? Yeah, no thanks. That was the part of my faculty position that I liked the absolute least!

Our daughter found a shirt that says, "The three things I hate most are math."

>45 jnwelch: Ahahahaha! My kinda shirt! Actually, I had a wonderful (honors) algebra teacher in high school. I'm not a math genius by any means, but the way he taught (and he expected a lot and was a hard taskmaster) made it work for me and I actually got As and Bs. Then I got into a geometry class with a female skelator who I just don't think knew how to teach, and I barely passed. Very disappointing.

I had pretty nice maths teachers all thoughout school but none of them managed to get me to love maths. Not all of it, at least. There are parts of it that I've always really enjoyed (geometry, for instance) but equations have never been my thing and I hated doing them. Since leaving school I have, through popular culture and various science-ish tv and radio shows become much more interested in maths than I ever was before. If only my teachers at school had told me that music was maths or that flowers are built with maths I'd been much more eager to learn - even equations!

>31 scaifea: Stay-at-home mom does not equal lady of leisure! I've lived that life before, too:)

Yay for new thread and what adorable Charlie and Amber toppers!

Bonus Question - that is a hard one to answer. My current field is intellectual property - I am an intellectual property manager - so trying to come up with something that doesn't touch my current field is really flipping difficult. I guess I could always take up fishing, because you know farming isn't really an option, what with Monsanto and the whole GMO business.... or even better, I could join Roberta in working with animals. Roberta could work with the dogs and I will work with the cats. Dilemma solved! *Whew!*

>45 jnwelch: Joe Ha! Love it! I like the ones that say: "I'm an English major - you do the math."

>46 Storeetllr: Mary: It's so true that a good teacher can do so much for a subject, but a bad one can do so much damage.

>47 PawsforThought: Have you seen the old Disney movie (it's only about 20 minutes long) about math, featuring Donald Duck? It's wonderful.

>48 AMQS: Anne: Agreed!

>49 lkernagh: Hi, Lori! Would you mind if I ask you to talk a little bit more about your job? What is an intellectual property manager? It sounds so interesting!

>50 scaifea: the old Disney movie (it's only about 20 minutes long) about math, featuring Donald Duck?
would that be Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land? I remember watching that in an assembly in my elementary school gym (c. 1972) and just loving it.

On the agenda for today:

I'll come home after taking Charlie to school and pick up around the house a bit and put together a grocery list, and then go back to school to unpack the book fair re-stock order (if it comes today) and for my Friday afternoon volunteering. Leftovers for dinner tonight.
The first evening of the book fair went really well last night - we took in over $1200, which is excellent for our small operation! Today I'll be collecting the Coin Challenge buckets from the classrooms, so we'll see how much money we've raised from that, too.

On the reading front: I did manage a few more pages of Brown Girl Dreaming during my lunch hour yesterday, and I'm still very much enjoying it.

The calendar book for today is going straight onto my wishlist: Winterdance: The Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen. I loved his Hatchet, and I'm interested in what he has to say about his own attempt at this crazy race.

>51 lauralkeet: Laura: Yes! We own it, and Charlie loves it (and I do, too)!

Amber, here's another World Book Day story you'll love - someone sent her 11-year-old to school dressed up as the guy from Fifty Shades of Grey: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mother-says-school-overreacted-when-it-exclude...

>50 scaifea: No, I've never heard of it.

>54 susanj67: Susan: Um, whoa. Really?! In what world is *that* a good idea? Sheesh.

>55 PawsforThought: Youtube might have it...

Good morning Amber! I'm glad to hear that your Book Fair is going so well!

>23 scaifea: The third one for me would be flower delivery person. Not florist - I'd be rubbish at that - but just to deliver them and bring a little bit of joy or comfort to people's lives all day long.

That brought back some of my happiest memories from high school. I was in our Madrigals group my junior and senior years, and both years we got out of school for a day to deliver singing valentines for the American Cancer Society. There were about 20 of us in Madrigals and they divided us up into smaller groups of about 3 or 4. We were driven around town by ACS volunteers. One year my little group had to deliver two valentines to the same woman - one from her husband and one from her coworkers. We delivered the one from her husband first, and I was standing where I could see her coworkers' surprised looks at each other when they realized that the song and the message wasn't what they had ordered. We left for a couple of minutes and then returned for her second valentine delivery. She must have been a very special lady to have received so much love on Valentine's Day. Or, now that I'm older, it occurs to me that she might have been battling cancer, or perhaps survived a battle with cancer.

Morning, Amber!

Morning Amber! Happy Friday! I wish this warm-up would happen a little faster, right? When we plunge in the other direction, it seems to happen over-night. Winterdance sounds really good. I never heard of it before.

I read Winterdance...it was very good. My review is here.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and I still think that would be an awesome job, but as there are no husband & kids I would have to answer your question with... genealogist. I like to think it has all the fun I have in my current librarian job - interacting with people, researching, learning history - and is still different.

I'm with you on the shelving, by the way. When I retire, I want to go back to shelving. :)

I will take a second career in a book store, preferably one where the patrons always read what I advise.

>55 PawsforThought: Amber is right (>56 scaifea:) -- the link in >51 lauralkeet: will take you to a YouTube video so you can watch it in its entirety!

>50 scaifea: - I have had more than one job as an IP manager and - not to sound elusive - but both have been very different when it comes to roles and responsibilities so it probably makes more sense to give an overview of the position across sectors. In a nutshell, an IP manager (or similar position by a different title) directly manages or provides recommendations, advice and education to its clients/employer/fellow employees on how to manage and protect intellectual property rights such as copyright, patents, trademarks and industrial design. If I was working in academia / higher education, I would probably be working in a technology transfer office licensing University owned technology to third parties or assigned to part of the university's main administration or library systems to assist the university in acquiring IP rights for course curricula and to answer IP-related questions from faculty and staff. In corporations, the position has more of a business development/ R&D/financial focus and would involve anything from filing and managing patent and trademark applications, reviewing research papers prior to publication, participating in business development/partnering discussions and providing information about the company's IP estate necessary for any mandatory financial reporting and prospectus filings.

.... that is prety much it in a nutshell. ;-)

Just a fly past to wish my favourite Wisconsin based classicist a lovely weekend. xx

Happy to hear the book fair is going so well. :)

For the bonus question: If I couldn't my current field any longer I would be out of there so fast you couldn't see me for the dust. After I stopped running I would research and write, work that I would enjoy.

Since I do not have a current field (still unemployed, yikes!), I guess I would do what I am doing now - playing games, reading books, studying for school and looking for another job.

Hi Amber, just passing by to wish you and the family a very happy weekend my dear.

Hi Amber, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Happy Saturday, Amber! I hope you have a lovely weekend planned and everyone is healthy.

>57 cbl_tn: Carrie: What a wonderful story! That must have been such a lovely thing of which to be a part.

>58 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Ha!

>59 msf59: Mark: Doesn't Winterdance sound good? I really like Paulsen, so I think it'll be pretty great.

>60 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: And that clinches it - if Linda likes it, it *has* to be good!

>61 bell7: Mary: Yep, shelving is the best. It feeds my need for order and for playing with books!

>62 banjo123: Rhonda: Ha! Love it!

>63 lauralkeet: Laura: Oooh! Excellent! I was more wishful typing up there than anything, but it's cool to know that you really can watch it on youtube!

>64 lkernagh: Lori: Wow, that's really interesting! Now, dumb question ahead: is this something that one does with a law degree?

>65 PaulCranswick: Many thanks, Paul! And the same right back to you!

>66 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn! The coin challenge brought in over $300, too, which is amazing.

>67 Familyhistorian: Meg: Research, yes - I love doing that part. But writing? Thankyounothankyou. Ha!

>68 alcottacre: Stasia: Here's hoping that your dream job falls in your lap toot sweet, lady.

>69 johnsimpson: Thanks, John! I hope your weekend is going well, too.

>70 Ameise1: Oh, lovely flowers, Barbara - thanks!

>71 msf59: Happy weekend, Mark! We've got a busy day today, but a relaxing one tomorrow, hopefully.

On the agenda for today:

We'll we're all finally up, pancakes have been made and enjoyed. We'll be heading out to the library in a little bit and then back home for a day filled with household chores and Charlie's 'art projects' (he has his own To Do list for today, that he's been working on all week). Baked potatoes again tonight for dinner, because it's easy and so delicious.

On the reading front: A few more pages finished in Brown Girl Dreaming but in general reading is very slow going these days. Book fair stuff is consuming all of my time, but it'll be over at the end of next week and hopefully things will get more back to normal by then.

The book calendar weekend quote: "Put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it."

125. How to Train Your Dragon 2: A Tale of Dragons by Natalie Shaw (Charlie book, picture book) - 8/10 = B
Another book fair purchase, a re-telling of the movie.

126. Good Night, Fairies by Kathleen Hague (public library book, picture book) - 9/10 = A-
A sweet little story about all the things that fairies can do, with beautiful illustrations.

127. (28th non-picture book) Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (Charlie's bedtime book, 202 pages) - 9/10 = A-
I do love the movie version, but I have to say that the original Mary Poppins is much more interesting as a character. Charlie didn't seem too interesting in this one - it could be that the language was a bit too much for him. We'll see if he volunteers any interest in the rest of the series at some point. For now, we're moving on to How to Train Your Dragon...

Also Read Yesterday:
-Mosque

Put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.

Excellent advice!

>67 Familyhistorian: BTW, I was just thinking the other day that I'd have loved a job as researcher/investigator as I enjoy research ~ digging for evidence and putting together disparate facts to come up with probable answers. I know I enjoy researching more than writing, as my 3 half-finished novel manuscripts and banker's boxes full of research show.

>75 Storeetllr: Mary: I agree - research is great, but I can't stand the writing part.

>72 scaifea: - Let me guess, you are expecting a simple Yes/No answer to your question? ;-)

Short answer is that while a number of IP managers do have law degrees, it is not a requirement. The hiring organization may make it a requirement to qualify for the position on offer, but that depends more on their expectations of the role. I do not have a law degree and in conversation with a number of my peers with law degrees, their degree was of little benefit to them for transitioning to work as an IP manager, beyond the basics of contract law. Most of them have admitted to having less training in IP - via their law school education - than this basic online educational primer the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) provides for free to anyone with an interest in the field. What makes the field so fascinating is that it is highly specialized. It is not unusual to encounter someone who only deals in, for example, trademarks. I am more of a generalist in that I have worked in patents, trademarks and copyright.

One thing that has always fascinated me is how different countries determine who is considered a legally recognized specialist for the purposes of representing formal actions with a country's Intellectual Property Office. It is my understanding that anyone, in Canada and the US, can qualify to become a registered patent and/or trademark agent, without having a law degree, by passing the required examinations. Where the two countries differ is in that it is my understanding that in the US, practicing lawyers are exempt from having to sit the required trademark examinations before become trademark agents. In Canada, it doesn't matter if you have a law degree or even if you are a practicing lawyer (we call them barristers and solicitors up here) ... you still have to sit and pass the required examinations.

Usually the bulk of the IP work is done by a subject matter expert like myself and then handed over to the legally recognized specialist for whatever legal work is required.

>77 lkernagh: Lori: Oh, that is fascinating! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my silly question!

It wasn't a silly question and happy to answer.

>79 lkernagh: *grins*

128. (29th non-picture book) Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Newbery Honor book, 336 pages) - 9/10 = A
A lovely autobiographical work in free verse, about Woodson's childhood in South Caroline and New York.
I'm generally not a fan of poetry if it isn't ancient, but this worked just fine for me and Woodson is an excellent writer. I'm happy that this one won a Newbery Honor - it's most deserving.

Also Read Today:
-The Dark
-Titanic

>72 scaifea: >75 Storeetllr: I know, doing research is like following a magical trail, solving a puzzle the further you go. I love that part. The writing is also part of it. That is how you take all the wonderful discoveries and connections that you have uncovered and share them with others. You don't have to write whole books, short articles will do. BTW why the nothankyou to writing; aren't you writing a Latin text, Amber?

Hi Amber. I love Mary Poppins- the books, the movie, and the musical. My mom read the book aloud to me, and I read it aloud to my girls.

>57 cbl_tn: Carrie, how wonderful! My high school choir hosted a madrigal dinner around Christmas, which I was thrilled to learn is still going strong 25+ years later. Love your telegram program for the ACS. Wow.

>77 lkernagh: Lori, you have such an interesting job! I've learned a lot.

>82 Familyhistorian: Meg: Writing a textbook is a very different thing from writing scholarly research or a novel.

>83 AMQS: Anne: Me, too, although I think the books get progressively less good as the series goes along.

Happy Sunday, Amber! I am glad you loved Brown Girl Dreaming. I agree, she did a terrific job.

On the agenda for today:

Tomm leaves for another week-long trip this morning, so it's just Charlie and I for most of the day. I've got some household stuff to take care of (bills, organizing the week's photos, laundry) but then it'll be an afternoon of hanging out with Charlie for me and possibly a bit of reading.

On the reading front: It was so nice to find some reading time yesterday again! Finally! I finished Brown Girl Dreaming (see above) and managed a few more pages in The Night Watch, which is just lovely so far.

>85 msf59: Mark: Morning, Mark! Yep, I need to track down more of Woodson's stuff; I've read one of her picture books, but that's it.

Another fan of Mary Poppins here. The movie was good, but the books! Oh, how I loved the books! Did you notice the chapter titles? So clever.

Happy Sunday, Amber!

>88 Crazymamie: Mamie: Yep, they're good. One of these days I'm going to make myself a Mary Poppins costume...

Hurray for Brown Girl Dreaming. I'm not big on poetry either, mostly due to lack of education I think, but this one worked for me.

>90 lauralkeet: Laura: I think I'm okay with free verse that tells a prose-like story, such as happens here, but otherwise, no, it just doesn't appeal to me. Woodson seems to be a master at it, though.

I'm surprised at the number of people who objected to the free verse format of Brown Girl dreaming. For me, it was totally not an issue--it just worked, and I didn't think about it. It certainly shouldn't put anyone off reading it, because I think it's just a bonus, really. If you want to, you can ignore it and read it as straight prose.

>Amber, sadly, that's the case with many series.

>92 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I agree completely; it just worked.

>93 AMQS: Anne: I know, right?

I hope you're enjoying a great Sunday with Charlie, Amber.

Hi Amber! Happy end-of-the-weekend! I'm not a huge fan of poetry, either, but I find these free-verse novels are quite easy to read. Even better if listened to as an audiobook. I love audiobooks for Ellen Hopkins.

You (at three) and Charlie look an awful lot alike!

>95 cameling: Thanks, Caro! We had a lovely day.

>96 The_Hibernator: Rachel: I've never read any Hopkins...

129. Rhino? What Rhino? by Caryl Hart (public library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B
A silly little book about a Rhino who escapes from the zoo and causes all sorts of havoc on a nearby farm.

Also Read Today:
-Hello Kitty's School Day

Amber, I'm not sure if Hopkins would be to your taste. They are realistic teen books, which can cover some rather upsetting topics. Plus, they're written in verse, which you don't like. ;) I guess my point was that listening to it as an audiobook totally annihilates my distraction from the free-verse.

>99 The_Hibernator: Rachel: Do I seem the kind of gal who would be easily upset by teen topics? *snork!*

On the agenda for today:

I honest-to-goodness don't have any book fair stuff to do today (well, unless the re-stock order comes in, but I can do that tomorrow), so I'm treating myself to a trip to the fabric shop this morning after taking Charlie to school! Patterns are on sale and Charlie recently asked me if I'd make him an Elsa costume...
After the fabric shop I'll do the grocery shopping for the week then come back home, and depending on how much time I have left (and whether that re-stock order comes in), I may head into school early to deal with the books or hang out at home and work on Charlie's crayon costume. Cheddar Ham and Potato Soup for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front: I made more progress on The Night Watch yesterday, which is intense in places but the story is fantastic, the characters very well drawn and the writing in general is amazing. This, I suspect, will not be my last Waters.

The calendar book for today already sits happily on the shelf behind me, waiting for me to get to it (and I can't hardly wait!): The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Morning Amber! Yah, for the Big Warm-up!! Glad you are still enjoying The Night Watch. I know the Green YA novel has it's detractors but I was a fan.

>100 scaifea: I wasn't sure and wanted to forewarn you. :)

Have fun with your fabric shopping.

>102 msf59: Mark: I'm confident that I'll love the Green book - he's a Kenyon alumnus, after all!

>103 The_Hibernator: Ha! Thanks, Rachel.

A quesetion for those who have actually (unlike me) read John Green book. Are they as much of a Nicholas Sparks-specifically-for-teens as I imagine? Or are they compeltely different? Because I imagine them as NS-books with Paulo Coelho-like twaddle. But maybe I'm being harsh.

Oh, I'm glad you loved Brown Girl Dreaming, Amber. Linda said it well in >92 laytonwoman3rd: re the free verse - I was impressed with how well she pulled it off. For me it was an enhancement, and it sure shouldn't make it any harder to read for anyone.

I'm another fan of The Fault in Our Stars. The movie was good, too.

>41 Morphidae: Morphidae: That's the favorite part of my _current_ job!

>49 lkernagh: lkernagh: Monsanto does complicate things. Even organic farmers are in trouble there. But with issues of field runoff effecting the quality of water in our lakes, rivers, and oceans, perhaps fishing isn't as far removed from Monsanto as you might think. :(

General math comment: Ugh. Numbers aren't my friend unless they're preceded by the word "call". (Librarian thinking may be needed to understand that, but this is probably the best site to make that comment. Half my Facebook friends would be scratching their heads trying to figure that out.) Though I, too, have fond memories of Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land. I think my sister has a copy floating around somewhere in the house....

I'm behind in the posts; I have been tied up this weekend preparing for the new member of our house, Serenity. She's my Mom's new "farm collie" (aka collie mix). Peppa is wary but curious and non-aggressive towards her (except for a couple of warning hisses when Seren got too close too quickly) so I think she'll adjust to her just fine. Seren reacts to Peppa in much the same way, only without the hissing. They've already brushed against and sniffed each other in that "accidental on purpose" way. Seren came all the way from Missouri (if I remember right) through a collie rescue society. We picked her up in Effingham, IL yesterday and she got to ride with Mom in the back seat all the way home. It was quite the trip (over 8 hours, round-trip) but our GPS worked beautifully to take us on a scenic route through rural Indiana and Illinois. Plus, I took note of some great city/town names that I thought might be excellent names for characters. My favorite was the Gilman Chapsworth exit; both names sound so great together, don't they? My younger sister and I had great fun coming up with titles for a series of murder mysteries involving characters derived from each state's town and city names. We thought Incapacitated in Indiana and Inert in Illinois would be great places to start! :)

Seren, the new addition to our family:

>107 CassieBash: She's beautiful! :)

>105 PawsforThought: You could check out his video blogs to get an idea about him. He's a pretty intelligent guy, and I think his writing is likely more intelligent that you'll find in a Sparks-like book.

>106 jnwelch: Joe: Have you found a copy of the Newbery winner yet? If not, spit spot, mister! You'll love it.

>107 CassieBash: Aw, adorable! And yeah, these midwest states have some pretty amusing small town names.

>109 scaifea: I haven't heard him talk but the interviews I've read don't fill me with much hope. It could obviously have to do with the way the articles are written, but he seems rather full of himself in those. Sadly.

>110 PawsforThought: Well then, I'd say don't read his books, eh? Ha!

>111 scaifea: Well, I wasn't planning to. But I also don't want to miss out on something just because I've sort of made up my mind beforehand on what the books will be like. It's happened before. And even if I don't like an author's personality I can still enjoy their books.

>107 CassieBash: - Good point. I do not like that we are slowly losing our ability to control our food chain in a natural, un-engineered manner. ;-(

Serenity is a beauty!

Happy Monday, Amber!

>105 PawsforThought: I've never read a Nicholas Sparks book and I've only read one John Green (not A Fault in Our Stars). I enjoyed the Green I did read immensely, and it would never occur to me to utter his name in the same breath as Nicholas Sparks. I can only compare Green to my impression of Sparks's work I've gotten from what I've read about it (and movie previews), but I'd guess that Green is more substantive and insightful.

>114 lycomayflower: Thanks.

>112 PawsforThought: I'm sort of at a loss as to how to respond now. *giggles because for some reason this conversation seems really funny to me right now* (I think it's because I'm tired and I get silly when I'm tired, so apologies all round.) I suspect that Laura's right, though, both because of what I know of Green (without as yet having read his stuff) and because Laura's a super-smart cookie who knows what is the what.

>113 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

>114 lycomayflower: Laura: (See my comment to Paws above)

I got loads of patterns at the fabric shop this morning (plus some Olaf fabric to make Charlie some pajama shorts this spring), got a bit more work done on the crayola costume and then went in to school early to re-stock the book fair shelves. I'm calling the day a success!

Here's the costume progress:

Nicholas Sparks makes me gag. John Green does not. Does that help?! LOL.

>188 jolerie: Laura: *snork!*

>118 lauralkeet:: Me too! :)

>120 jayde1599: Jess: *grins*

130. T Is for Teachers by Steven L. Layne (public library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B
An alphabet book about grade school. Cute but not spectacular.

Stop making me giggle and blush, Amber!! See you in the A.M...

>105 PawsforThought: Paws I always say if you can get it from the library or a loan then it doesn't hurt to try it. You can always abandon.

Amber I think you would look amazing in a Mary Poppins costume! Perhaps Charlie would be a chimney sweep?

>118 lauralkeet: Yes, it does!

>124 luvamystery65: Well, i have about a million other books to read so it's a matter of prioritizing. If it's unlike I'm going to like a particular book/author, it's not getting anywhere near the top of the to read-list.

>123 msf59: Mark: *snork!* Sorry, Mark! I just couldn't help it!

>124 luvamystery65: Roberta: Aw, thanks! One of these days I'll do it. As for Charlie, well, there's always the risk of being too Mother Boy (from Arrested Development), no? Maybe if I could get Tomm to be Bert and Charlie then could be...Admiral Boom? Ha! As of now Charlie has decided that for next Halloween he wants me to make him a Hiccup costume (from the How to Train Your Dragon movie) and a Toothless the Dragon costume for his puppy...

OMG Mother Boy. Nearly snorted my coffee just now!!!

On the agenda for today:

I have no previous obligations, again today, until 2:45 or so, when I'll need to head in to school to prep the book fair to open right after school, so I'm going to hang out in my sewing room all day (and only pop out occasionally to fold laundry)! What luxury!! I'm hoping to finish the crayon costume and possibly get started on the toga outfits.
But then this evening will be sort of busy: bring Charlie home from school, help him get his backpack unpacked and sorted and homework finished, dinner, clean up the kitchen, then head back to school for our parent/teacher conference and to work at the book fair (thank goodness we're offering child care this time round so that Charlie will have something fun to do during all of this, as, of course, Tomm's out of town).

On the reading front: I read another small chunk of The Night Watch yesterday evening, which just gets better and better, I have to say. I love her writing! And her characters! And her storytelling! This gal's a pro.

The calendar book today is a Jack Reacher novel: Never Go Back by Lee Child. I've not read any of this series, but I know that more than a few of you enjoy them...

On another note: I'm looking out our front bay windows right now and it's incredibly foggy this morning, so much so that I can't even see the house just across the street! Or our own mailbox! Crazy. I love it, though; slightly creepy but also somehow cozy, especially as I sit here sipping my tea and 'chatting' with my friends. *grins*

Morning Amber! We have fog too but there will be sunshine later, low 50s. Happy face.

>129 msf59: I know, right?! No heavy winter coat today! WOOHOO!!

>117 scaifea: "Like"

Morning, Amber! Happy No Heavy Winter Coat Day! This warmup is a bit of all right. I get a kick out of a heavy fog, too. Your description makes me think of Fellini's Amarcord . . .

>131 jnwelch: Thanks for the 'like,' Joe! And yeah, I'll take this weather happily, Fellini-esque Fog and all...

Morning, Amber!

Such a cool movie.

>133 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

>134 jnwelch: Joe: I have to admit that I've not seen it... Onto the list it goes!

I like the Jack Reacher books, but I've not read them in order. Enjoy your day, Amber!

>135 scaifea: It won the Oscar many moons ago. Well worth your time.

I'm also one of the fans of the Reacher series. Hope you enjoy it. I read them in order, starting with Killing Floor, but IMO it's not that big a deal to do it that way.

>136 cameling: >137 jnwelch: Caro & Joe: Not read a series in order?! That's not physically or mentally or emotionally possible for the likes of me, I'm afraid...

>137 jnwelch: Joe: One of these days I'm going to make my way through the Oscar Winners list. I've already seen most of them, I think, but not all, clearly.

Taking a quick break from the sewing room for some tea & toast for lunch (my stomach is not feeling great today for some reason) and a bit of an LT stroll, then back to it! The Crayon Costume is coming along...

Crayon costume progress report:



Just the hat left...

Awesome costume, Amber!

Hi Amber, the crayon costume is awesome my dear. Hannah is ok but a bit sore and is proudly showing of her 'poorly' wound. Hope you have had a good day, love and hugs to you all from Karen and I.

>139 scaifea: Crayon costume is looking very nifty!

>3 scaifea: If tomorrow you were told that you couldn't work in your current field any longer, what would you do instead?
Well, the answer depends partially on whether I’d have to worry about generating an income and proper credentials and such, but I could happily go in either of two directions: crafts or science. Which my current job of computer programmer kinda combines.

>36 swynn: I actually tried that one, and it turned out to be more appealing in the abstract than in reality.

>139 scaifea: Adorable!

>140 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

>141 johnsimpson: Thanks, John! Poor Hannah - I hope the soreness goes away soon!

>142 lycomayflower: Thanks, Laura! I'll tell you, those little letters were nasty things to cut out...

>143 qebo: Katherine: I think I'd have to go the crafts direction, as I have not scientific abilities at all!

On the agenda for today:

Charlie has a half day at school today (an Early Release, with the rest of the day being Professional Development for the teachers), and then he has a dentist appointment this afternoon, so we'll be heading down to Dubuque later on. I'm going to come straight home and take it easy this morning after taking Charlie to school - I had a rough time yesterday with some of the worse abdominal cramping I've ever experienced. At one point I sat down after getting Charlie's dinner ready (there was no way I could eat anything) and I nearly started crying, thinking that there was no way that I could get back out of the chair, let alone go back in to school for the conference and the book fair. Somehow I managed to stand up and get moving, though, and by the time Charlie and I closed down the fair at 7:30, the cramps were easing up. No idea what brought them on (something I ate, maybe?); no cramping this morning, but my entire torso, front and back, is tender and sore. Yeesh. These are the times that I really miss living close to my parents (honestly, I miss it - and them - every day, really), because I really could have used some help yesterday! It stinks that Tomm has to travel so much, too.
Okay, sorry, grousing over!

On the reading front: I'm still working on The Night Watch and getting closer to the end. I'm hoping to finish it today in the dentist's waiting room...

The calendar book for today: The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen, which sounds, by the description, like 'chick-lit'? If so, thankyouno.

131. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (Charlie book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
A boy starts eating books and becomes really smart, but then realizes that it's much better to, well, *read* them instead.
Adorable and smart and funny. I would expect no less from Jeffers.

132. Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book by Alice Kuipers (Charlie book, picture book) - 9/10 = A-
A brother and sister work together to write a book about a bookworm, fussing a bit along the way, but in the end coming up and a pretty cool project.
A fun book with cool illustrations. Charlie didn't like this one as much because the sister is "too bossy." Ha!

Morning Amber! Glad you are finally wrapping up The Night Watch and good luck at the dentist. Hugs!

>147 msf59: Morning, Mark! I'm wondering if the dentist will help Charlie's wiggly tooth along today... There may be a visit from the Tooth Fairy this evening. *grins*

>139 scaifea: gorgeous costume. I was one of those kids who produced the letter at 10pm the night before, in a helpful fashion, so mine always had an 'improvised quality', shall we say!

>149 charl08: Charlotte: Ha! Well, since I'm at the school so much with the volunteering, I have a kind of 'in' about these things and find out earlier than other parents most times, which works well for my crazy need to go overboard when it comes to costumes and Charlie...

Warning: potentially TMI ahead:

Okay, well, I may be over-reacting here, but I just talked to my mom and was telling her about the awful abdominal cramps I had yesterday and she mentioned that she was just about the same age when that happened to her and she ended up having a hysterectomy. And there isn't another mother/daughter pair in the world that could be more physically/biologically similar than we are, as far as these things go. So we'll see how it goes; I may need to go see my ob/gyn soonish just to make sure things are okay in there...

>151 scaifea: Yeah, I would def go to the ob/gyn if for nothing else some peace of mind. I'm sure everything will be fine though and I'll cross my fingers for you.

>152 rosylibrarian: Thanks, Marie. I'm not overly worried, really. We'll just see how it goes.

Amber, I read >145 scaifea: early this morning and my first thought was, "and she's OK with that?" And then I thought perhaps this was a fairly routine situation for you and yesterday was just worse than normal. So I kept my nose out of your biz. But now that you mention it (>151 scaifea:) and given the family history, I second your intuition and >152 rosylibrarian: -- definitely worth a visit to the ob/gyn.

>154 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. Yeah, I tend to be uncertain about pain - I tend to think that maybe I'm just a wimp and the pain I'm feeling isn't really that bad. Dumb, I know. I'll for certain be checking in with the Dr. soonish, especially if this keeps up.

Definitely check up the pain issue with a doctor/obstretrician.

So how'd you like the Lee Child? Turned into a Reacher Creature yet? :)

Waves, waves, waves! I'm miles behind. I love Charlie's costume. It's looking gorgeous. Wishing you a lovely day.

>156 PawsforThought: Thanks, Paws.

>157 drneutron: Jim: Oh, I don't even have the book - it was just the daily suggestion on the book calendar for that day...

>158 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

133. (30th non-picture book read) The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (BAC, 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, 528 pages) - 9/10 = A
Follows the lives of several characters in London during WWI, revealing their connections to and relationships with one another while presenting the story through a series of jumps in time in reverse chronological order.
I *loved* this one. Wonderfully drawn characters, amazing story, and her way of presenting in a sort of backwards-through-time way works so well and creates a very enjoyable kind of suspense. And the writing is just excellent. Instant Waters fan, right here. I'm completely smitten with her style and will be coming back for more.

134. Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Treasury by Victoria Kann (Charlie's school library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B+
Charlie checked this one out of the school library today, and it came with the audio version on cd, so we listened to this collection of stories - and he followed along with the book - on our way to the dentist today. Cute stories and Charlie seems to like them. Something kind of Ramona about Pinkalicious...

Also Read Today:
-The Incredible Book Eating Boy
-the March issue of High Five Magazine

Glad you enjoyed The Night Watch Amber. Glad that your cramps are gone. Probably best to see a doctor if it keep up, or sooner. Take care .

>161 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I'm feeling much better this evening, although I'm still pretty sore.

Just getting a little caught up here.

John Green is not Nicholas Sparks. He may well think very highly of himself. His video stuff is very popular and smart. I enjoy most of it quite a lot. It's one thing my teen and I enjoy watching together. I have read A Fault in Our Stars and liked it, although I thought the teens were rather too clever to be real. I also have read An Abundance of Katherines which I did not like, but not for Nicholas Sparks reasons. Maybe more Catcher in the Rye reasons? Not sure. My son has read a few others Looking for Alaska and something else. He really likes Green's books. I would say to read The Fault in Our Stars if you were going to read one, the writing is beautiful, and if you can get past trying to imagine your own teen coming up with the dialogue, you'll be fine. Lol.

Sounds like the book fair is going beautifully. Hooray for being very prepared and organized.

I don't like the sound of those cramps either. Not good if you're struggling to get out of a chair. I'd at least ring the OB/Gyn and talk to a nurse. You don't want to leave that sort of thing too long.

Love the crayon costume! You are a very talented lady. I am interested in this Elsa costume...

>163 nittnut: Jenn: Good thoughts on Green - I'll weigh in more once I've actually read something of his, but I do think his video blogs are very sharp and my opinions tend to line up pretty well with his on most issues.
And yes, the book fair is going phenomenally well - we're already well over what has ever been earned in past spring fairs here and we have one more day of an open shop left!
And thanks! I'll let you know how/when/if the Elsa costume happens. He may change his mind (Oh, 6 years, thy name is Fickleness), but I may make some up anyway, because I suspect they'd sell like hotcakes next fall...

On the agenda for today:

Back home after taking Charlie to school for some sewing time, and then back in to school after lunch for library volunteering and to read to one of the 1st grade classes, whose teacher asked me to come in and read a Seuss book for her month-long celebration of Dr. Seuss. I'll be reading I Can Read with My Eyes Shut, which is one of my favorites. And then later this evening Charlie and I will head back in to work the last shift of the book fair and start to close up shop - official take down will be tomorrow morning. Not sure what's for dinner tonight...

On the reading front: I finished a book! (The Night Watch - see above.) And I got myself about 100 pages into Brideshead Revisited, which I thought I wasn't going to like for the first 20 pages or so, but then it started to pull me in...

The calendar book for today is part of a series (I'm trying not to start more of these right now) and in a genre that I'm not particularly excited about, generally (spy/crime/thriller), so I'm not really jumping to put it on my list, although I guess I could be persuaded, if some of you are nuts about this series... The English Girl by Daniel Silva.

>160 scaifea: I loved that too.

Hope you're feeling better and that the doc can offer some reassurance.

>166 charl08: Charlotte: Yay for another Night Watch fan! I know there were lots of mixed feelings about her here in the group last month, and I can sort of see why (I can't imagine that her stories are for everyone), but I loved this one and will definitely seek out more of her stuff.

>163 nittnut: Thanks for your input.

Hi Amber, uh, happy thread?! I basically read the last few posts and my fingers are crossed too that everything is ok healthwise. I need to put Night Watch on the watch list as I liked The Little Stranger and I'd be willing to read her again.

Sweet Thursday, Amber! I am so glad you loved The Night Watch. Opinion has been decidedly mixed on Waters, over on the BAC, but I know we both enjoyed this one.
I also really liked Brideshead, so I hope that continues for you. Are you doing a Du Maurier?

>169 Carmenere: Ha! No worries, Lynda. And yay for Waters!

>170 msf59: Mark: I'm so glad that you liked the Waters, too! I'm really enjoying the dialogue in the Waugh, and I kind of like that I don't really know what's going to happen (if anything - ha!). Yep, I'll be reading Rebecca as soon as I finish Brideshead, and then maybe by sometime in April I'll get on to the March BACs and AAC...

You should LOVE Rebecca! I wasn't sure if I would be able to participate in the BAC but I am enjoying everything I've tried so far. I will be listening to a Mieville, pretty soon.

It looks like another lovely day.

Morning, Amber!

>172 msf59: Mark: I'm pretty sure that I will love it - the movie is one of my all-time favorites. As far as the challenges go, I'm already starting to feel pretty stressed about them, and the fact that I'm not getting any of my other reading done, so we'll see how much longer I can hold out...

>173 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

Hope you are feeling better Amber - with no returning pain. But do, do go get it checked - even if it doesn't come back! We want to make sure you are okay :)

Oh and another Night watch fan here. And another Rebecca fan. Enjoy!

Morning, Amber. If I haven't spoken up for Rebecca before, I'm doing it now. Great book. I can't think of another one where I finished it and immediately went back to re-read the beginning. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." Wowsers.

Hi Amber, I also read Night Watch for the BAC and I loved it as well. I had read Fingersmith previously and gave it 5 stars, so obviously Sarah Waters connects with me. So glad you will be reading Rebecca soon, it is one of my five top books of all time. I am just now starting My Cousin Rachel by Du Maurier and I can tell that I am going to like this one too!

>175 BekkaJo: Thanks, Bekka! I'm feeling very much better today. And I'm so happy to hear that so many of us are Waters and Rebecca fans!

>176 jnwelch: Joe: Oooh, that line at the beginning of the movie gives me goosebumps every time, too.

>177 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Yay for Waters! Yay for Rebecca!!

Love Rebecca. The first line is hook, line, and sinker. Every time. Have you read Jamaica Inn? Scared me to death when I was 15.

>179 nittnut: Jenn: No, I haven't read that one, either, but I suspect I'll be putting it on the wishlist after Rebecca!

135. Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall (Charlie book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
A crayon comes from the factory with a 'red' paper round him when in reality he is blue. All the grown-ups around him (his parents, grandparents, teachers...) try to 'help' him become good at being red, but it takes a new friend to help him discover his true identity.
An awesome book that takes a wonderful approach to teaching kids that it's okay to be whoever you're comfortable being despite what others may want you to be. Highly recommended.

Also Read Today:
-The Day the Crayons Quit

>181 scaifea: I'm seeing a theme in today's reading. ;-)

>181 scaifea: Ha! Yep. Since we read a new crayon-themed book, Charlie insisted that we read The Best in the Genre, too.

The Red Crayola look is on!!! Nice job on the costume and the books. Happy Friday.

>184 Berly: Ha! Thanks, Kim! I hope I can figure out how to manage the hat...

On the agenda for today:

I'll be staying at school all day today, first tearing down the book fair and (my favorite parts) giving away the free book prizes to the contest winners and using the proceeds to buy the books that the teachers want and taking them to their rooms. Then, if I have time, I may sneak away for some lunch before returning to do my regular Friday afternoon volunteering for Charlie's teacher. Tomm gets home today, too, so yay!

On the reading front: I read a bit more of Brideshead Revisited yesterday and I'm still enjoying it quite a bit and still wondering what, exactly, if anything, really, is going to happen. Ha!

The calendar book for today: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. I think my horror-reading days are pretty much over - I'm too much of a wimp about it these days - but otherwise I would certainly be interested in this one.

Happy Friday, Amber! In response to your comment in #174: You should not get stressed with these various challenges. These are meant to be fun and help to get books off shelf, not to add misery. Read what you WANT!

I loved NOS4A2! Just sayin...You know that's Stephen King's son, right?

Howdy, Amber.

I'm sitting here munching on some pancake really slowly and catching up on your thread!
I'm sure I missed a thing or too since it I'm over 100 posts behind..ha!

Wonderful costume. Charlie is going to look darling!
Did you ever get a chance to see the doctor yet? Hopefully you get some answers and some reassurance. Sending you wonderful positive thoughts in the meantime.
I am always amazed at how much you get done without having Tomm around. You are amazeballs. :D

Have a lovely weekend, dear lady. Quite right - READ WHAT YOU WANT.

Hi Amber! I love the crayon costume. If I was picking a color for myself, I'd have a hard time choosing between red and green. Or maybe orange since it's such a popular color around here. (The Tennessee Vols are sometimes called the Big Orange.) If I had a large family, I think it would be fun to be a box of crayons for Halloween!

I get severe abdominal cramping sometimes. I've ended up in the ER with it a few times. For a long while I thought it might have an obgyn component because endometriosis runs in my family. My doc wasn't so sure. Now I'm pretty certain that it's a food intolerance triggered by certain foods, such as onions or raw apples. I carry an anti-cramping prescription in my purse just in case I ever take leave of my senses and eat one of the foods that triggers the abdominal cramps.

On the topic of children's books on Crayons, I have the cutest book that I purchased for my one day grandchildren. It is called The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. It is really humourous, each crayon writes to the owner of the crayons ( a child ) with it's complaints ie - Black Crayon is hate's being used to always draw the outline of things and wants the child, Duncan to colour a ball black for once. Beige crayon is sick of being called light brown or dark tan, red crayon feels overused etc. It goes into more detail than I am, but I thought it was really cute!

>190 cbl_tn: I have that too (the intolerance). Pretty much all fruits and berries and I'm lying on the floor in pain. And then off to the loo. And there's gyn stuff too, but at least that's predictable.

I have an aunt who had lots of stomach cramps and issues and ended up dying - only in her twenties - of ileus so I take all unexpected and not easily explainable abdominal pains very seriously.

>187 msf59: Mark: Yeah, I am getting a little too stressed about the challenges, so I'm considering stopping. I'll definitely read Rebecca next, though, but the others I may just let slide. After a *very* stressful day yesterday that left me smad and various things, I'm in the mood to cut anything that causes more stress - especially when it comes to reading!

>188 jolerie: Valerie: Ha! Well, I don't feel very amazeballs today, I'm afraid. I'm glad you like the costume, though! I still need to work on the hat...

>189 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>190 cbl_tn: Carrie: Well, red is Charlie's favorite color, so I think that's why he chose it. I'm sorry to hear that you have cramping issues. I haven't had time for a doctor visit yet - I think it'll have to wait until after our trip next week to Indiana.

>191 vancouverdeb: Deb: That book is the inspiration for Charlie's costume - it's a favorite at Scaife Manor.

>192 PawsforThought: I'm sorry that you have cramping issues, too.

On the agenda for today:

Relaxing, hopefully, after a down-right rotten day yesterday. And a trip to the library.

Two things contributed to my bad day yesterday:
1) I made a stupid math mistake on the book fair accounts that had me reeling most of the day in a panic that we had spent more money in the end than we had earned (I re-figured the figures this morning and it turns out that my mistake had mistakes and we still have profits to spend - whew!) and so my feeling of self-worth tumbled quite a bit, as it always does when math enters my life. (Happy Pi Day, everyone, by the way.)
2) One of my volunteers for the book fair completely wigged out on me yesterday morning, right in the middle of the library, accusing me of hogging all of the work for the fair and not letting her participate as much as she wanted (even though she never once before this told me that she felt this way or gave any indication that this was the case at all (not to mention that the job that I *did* give her she muddled completely, gave up on halfway through and told me I had to finish it!)) and said that it should be called "Amber's Book Fair" and not "The PTO Book Fair" because of how I acted. Um, what? I'm the coordinator of the book fair, so yeah, the wealth of the work and responsibility for things getting done falls to me, and it's not as if I'm claiming any glory for it. She was screaming at me and sobbing and I felt, of course, wretched. I felt a bit better about it later, after four separate members of the teachers and staff took me aside and said not to feel at all bad about it because this particular women has stirred the pot with others in the building on several occasions, apparently. I still feel rotten about it, though, even though I know that what she was saying was wholly unfounded. Well, if I do this again next year, it will essentially be Amber's Book Fair, because I am *through* with volunteers who don't do their jobs or who crack open the crazy on me. Yeesh.

(Sorry for the grousing.)

A trip to the library sounds like good therapy for recovering from your rotten day yesterday. I feel sorry for the poor child/ren who have to live with their mother's moody outbursts. Not fun, and extremely embarrassing in public.

Sorry for the rotten day, but thanks for "cracking open the crazy". Totally stealing that!

Is Tomm home now? I think Amber deserves a bit of Amber time in her chair with a book :)

Happy weekend!

Oh, Amber...I've been on the receiving end of one of those irrational rants. It isn't easy to brush it off, is it? Thank goodness there were sane people to rally to your side. I hope you have a truly wonderfully ordinary but amazing weekend and feel better all around.

Happy Saturday, Amber! Definitely sounds like you could use it. Sorry to hear about that "bad" day. Hope you can put it behind you and move on. Hugs!

*Hugs* to you my friend. I hope the rest of your book fair experience will not be touched by issues. Go spoil yourself today and do something that brings a smile to your face!

Have a relaxing weekend, Amber. People.

I concur with "People."

#194 Sorry to hear about crazy lady - NOT what you need when you are volunteering. Hope you have a more chilled weekend.

Easy peasey! I'd be a writer! Specifically, fiction and Bible commentary.

Ewww to irrational rants. Too bad life isn't like FB and you can't hide her from your "feed".

Hi Amber, I am sorry about your bad day. A person who goes off like that obviously has a problem in her RL and you just happened to be her target of the day. Voluteer work can be a quagmire of politics and power-trips!

Amber I'm glad you got confirmation that you did a great job and that crazy has a reputation for stirring the pot. Put her behind you and don't look back.

Also love "cracking open the crazy" and stealing it too.

>194 scaifea: So sorry to hear about the rotten day Amber and the volunteer lady cracking open the crazy on you. Hugs.

>195 cbl_tn: Carrie: The trip to the library was therapeutic and much-needed. And, yeah, she has one son and I think it's not exactly shocking that he has some issues in school. Sweet kid, though, really.

>196 katiekrug: Katie: Yes, Tomm got home in time for dinner last night, and thank goodness! I really needed that handsome shoulder to cry on (literally!) last night, and he's been wonderful today, letting me take a long nap, fixing lunch and dinner for us, including a chocolate fondue with bananas, apple slices, pretzels and shortbread cookies. Best Husband Ever.
And feel free to steal the crazy phrase! Ha!

>197 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. I'll be over later for that slice (or two) of pie...

>198 msf59: Thanks, Mark - today has gone a long way toward making me feel much better, for certain. The Scaife Men are on the case and have treated me just lovely today.

>199 jolerie: Aw, thanks, Valerie! I hope you're feeling *much* better, too.

>200 BLBera: >201 kgodey: Beth & Kriti: People, indeed. Ha! Thanks, ladies.

>202 BekkaJo: Bekka: I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend, too, and so far so good.

>203 jjvors: Jeff: Nice answer!

>204 nittnut: Jenn: Amen, sister friend! Her son will be heading to another school next year, so hopefully I can mostly avoid her for the next few weeks.

>205 DeltaQueen50: Judy: I know, right?! Sometimes the parents act more like 5-year-olds than the kindergarteners too, for sobbing out loud!

>206 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta. And steal away!

>207 souloftherose: Thanks for the hugs, Heather!

Thanks so much to all of you for your warmth and friendship and support. I knew that if I cried it out here I could count on all of you to help me feel better. I love this place!

136. A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley (public library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B+
A slightly strange but ultimately sweet little story about a woman staying in a cabin for the summer and spending her days out in the yard reading, and a bear from the woods coming to listen every day to her, as she reads aloud to him. Gorgeous illustrations, too.

Ugh, missed your thread yesterday. Sorry to hear about the irrational rant. I have a tough time brushing those off too. Hopefully time will heal the wound ...

Hi Amber, wishing you a very Happy Sunday my dear.

Happy Sunday, Amber! Glad to hear that the Scaife Men are taking good care of you. Smiles...

Ug about your bad day but super yay! for the Scaife men making your Saturday awesome! Hope today is lovely too.

>210 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I am feeling a ton better about the whole thing - it really helped to discover that others have experienced her breakdowns, too. Otherwise I'd still be feeling completely rotten about it. Now I'm just sad that she's clearly so miserable and mentally unbalanced.

>211 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>212 msf59: Morning, Mark! Yep, they pampered me very nicely yesterday. And now it's Charlie's turn today!

>213 lycomayflower: Thanks, Laura. I've some odds and ends to do, but I'm hoping for some sitting-outside-and-reading-while-Tomm-and-Charlie-play time later this afternoon.

On the agenda for today:

It's the Ides of March, and more importantly, it's Charlie's Half Birthday! He's already opened his present (a Lego castle set that he's busy putting together right now), and I'll be making cupcakes later on. Otherwise, laundry, bills, organize the week's photos, finish up the final financial report for the book fair, and possibly get started on the crayon hat. I'm looking forward to that outside time, too. No idea what's for dinner. I should work on that...

On the reading front: I'm getting close to finishing Brideshead Revisited and I'm still pretty happy with it.

The weekend book calendar quote: "Through the fence, between the curling flower spaces, I could see them hitting."

>215 scaifea: The Sound and the Fury

Your day sounds perfect!

>216 lycomayflower: DINGDINGDING!! Winnerwinnerchickendinner!

And it does sound pretty great, doesn't it? I do wish I didn't have to mess with the bills, though, but that shouldn't take too long.

>217 scaifea: LW3 must not be about this morning. I can't believe I beat her to that one.

#215 Good agenda :)

I love Sundays - specially this one. Despite having to be up at 6 on Mother's Day, it was worth it to see Cass swim in her first Swimarathon. Very proud Mum moment. Plus currently interspersing LT with a G&T through a straw whilst juggling a million bits of roast dinner. Add in early kid bedtimes and some snuggly reading time and I'll be a happy lady.

Amber, good job on the book fair; sorry about the rant from your volunteer. Put her in charge of the math next year! I think the name "Amber's Book Fair" is a good one. Haha.

I'm late on your bonus question. I have the perfect job. It's one I get to keep until the day I die…


Seriously, grand mothering is the best "job" ever! And I do appreciate the book recommendations from you and others for my munchkins.

>218 lycomayflower: Laura: I know, right? She must have been too busy eating some of that amazing-looking pie...

>219 BekkaJo: Bekka: Sounds like you've had a lovely day!

>220 Donna828: Donna: Oh, heck no! I'm not putting her in charge of *anything*! I'm staying as far away from her as I can! And, anyway, she'll be off to the next school next year, along with her son (the school buildings here in town are divide by grades: 4k-1, 2-4, 5-8, 9-12).
And I think my mom would agree with you about that Best Job thing, too. *grins*

Charlie's half-birthday cupcakes - strawberry with pink icing and Hello Kitty decorations, as requested by the half-birthday boy:

Nice!!! Can I have some??

Think I need to pop over to do some taste testing, that's my excuse anyway.

>222 scaifea: My favourite shade of pink. Nice choice, Charlie.

(In Homer Simpson voice): Mmmm...strawberry Hello Kitty cakes....

Not been on much this week but it sounds like this past week was rough between the ab pains and the crazy. Glad your men take such good care of you! Hopefully this next week will be full o' Irish smiles for you and yours!

Hi Amber, the rant does tend to ambush you and leave you questioning yourself. Not sure why good stuff doesn't have the same staying power. Wishing you more positive events this week!

>222 scaifea: Yummy! Strawberry was the cake flavor I always requested when I was a kid, too.

>223 connie53: Connie: Yes! You're welcome to join us for cake at Scaife Manor anytime!

>224 johnsimpson: John: Ha! Yep, come on over!

>225 PawsforThought: He does love pink. *grins*

>226 CassieBash: Cassie: Thanks!

>227 Familyhistorian: Meg: Oh, agreed. And thanks!

>228 foggidawn: He usually goes for chocolate, but occasionally he'll suggest something different.

137. Help! We Need a Title! by Herve Tullet (public library book, picture book) - 8/10 = B+
Not as cool as Press Here, at least for me, but still pretty cute.

138. Hello Kitty: Fall Surprise by Kris Hirschmann (Charlie book, easy reader) - 8/10 = B
Another one in the Hello Kitty picture clues books we ordered last month.

Cute cupcakes!

Morning Amber! 75 today! Hooray! I am sure I will get a bit sunburned today so I better cover up.

Hope your week begins well.

>231 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn!

>232 msf59: Morning, Mark! I know, right?! Charlie and I (and Tuppence) will try to make it outside for a bit today for certain.

On the agenda for today:

A bit busy, really. Lots of little errands, including two separate banks (our own and also the PTO's bank, to deposit the book fair money, which, incidentally, includes a crap-ton of change - so much so that it'll take me 2-3 trips to the car to bring it all in (it's heavy and I'm wimpy)), the post office, the grocery shop (to pick out snacks for our car trip), the gas station...), then back home to pack for Charlie's and my trip to Indiana this week! It's Charlie's spring break this week, and since Tomm's off on another week-long trip today, we're heading to my parents' tomorrow through Saturday. We're both super excited because we haven't seen them since Christmas, and that's a mighty long time for me to be apart from them and I miss them lots.

On the reading front: I made it to within 20 pages of finishing Brideshead Revisited before falling asleep last night, so hopefully I'll finish it up today.

The calendar book for today: My Personal Best: Life Lessons from an All-American Journey by John Wooden with Steve Jamison. A basketball coach, I guess? I don't know these things, you see.

Good morning, Amber! Have a safe trip and a great time with your parents in Indiana this week.

BTW, calling John Wooden a basketball coach is akin to calling William Shakespeare a playwright. Wooden is from Indiana, was a three-time All-American and won a national championship as a basketball player at Purdue, and won 10 national championships in 12 years as head coach at UCLA. He died in 2010, a few months short of his 100th birthday, and he is revered as the best basketball coach of all time, and for being a humble, great and highly influential man.

>235 kidzdoc: Darryl: Aha! Purdue, then. Well, that explains why I don't know him. Ha!

>236 scaifea: Coach Wooden is still from Indiana, though. I'll bet a month's salary that he would be on the top 10 list of the most famous people in your home state.

>234 scaifea:/236 scaifea: Don't worry about not knowing about Wooden. I knew who he was, but don't particularly care. I'm an odd-man out in Indiana, since I don't follow basketball. Or football. Or baseball. Just not an organized sports person. I'd personally skip that calendar book--though I would consider it as a purchase for our college library, if we don't already have it. (Which I think we do-I'll have to check.) Up our way, Notre Dame is the pro-team of choice, so it's the Notre Dame coaches everyone follows. Except, of course, for me! :)

Wonderful little road trip ahead for you and the little man! Our spring break is next week and since the hubby is home for the next little bit, the stress of trying to find activities to fill both the boys schedule is not mine to shoulder alone. Woohoo! :D

>237 kidzdoc: Darryl: Really?! Oh, Darryl, were I a betting gal, I'd take you up on that one. Steve McQueen, Florence Henderson, Kurt Vonnegut, Jimmy Hoffa, Larry Bird - The Jacksons, for sobbing out loud! - David Letterman, Greg Kinnear, Red Skelton, John Mellencamp!, Ernie Pyle, Orville Redenbacher, Robert Wise...
Or do you mean still living in Indiana? If so, I still think you're likely mistaken. Top 20, maybe, but not top 10.

>238 CassieBash: I'm right there with you, Cassie!

>239 jolerie: Valerie: It's always nice to have some help with the activity planning, isn't it?

Have a good time at your folks'!

I hope you will have a lovely trip, Amber!

>229 scaifea: And why wouldn't he? It's a GREAT colour!

>240 scaifea: James Dean was from Indiana, too!

>216 lycomayflower:, >218 lycomayflower: >221 scaifea: *wipes sticky cherry residue off face* Yeah, I've been in a pie-induced coma...didn't spend much time on LT all weekend. But that's why we have children...to carry on for us, right? You done good, Sprout. I'm proud.

>241 katiekrug: >242 connie53: Thanks, Katie & Connie! We always do.

>243 PawsforThought: Ha! Agreed.

>242 connie53: Yeah, I just stopped listing names, but there are tons!

>245 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I *knew* you'd be proud! *grins*

Here's how Charlie, Tuppence and I have been spending our afternoon, since all of the errands and the packing are finished:



It's gorgeous out - sunny, breezy and in the 70's. Perfect!

>240 scaifea: scaifea: And Gene Stratton-Porter, James Whitcomb Riley, Gus Grissom, Jim Davis, Bill Peet (OK, he might be a little obscure for some people)...ah, heck! Here's a link to the Wikipedia list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Indiana

In all fairness, Wooden is on there, though. Twice (once as basketball player, once as coach). Kudos to the man for being able to play well enough that he was known for his playing as well as his coaching.

>248 CassieBash: Cassie: I know, right? Lots of people! And I know who Bill Peet is, and I bet lots of people here do, too...

The new thread is up!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/188994

>247 scaifea: Ooo, what a perfect-looking afty. Have a lovely trip!

>251 lycomayflower: Thanks, Laura!

>249 scaifea: scaifea: The ones with kids or who read Disney animated film credits will. :)

>253 CassieBash: Cassie: Ha! Yep!