Ireadthereforeiam: Essay madness, with reading on the side

Painting by Ekaterina Panikanova

CURRENTLY (mainly) READING:

Industry of Souls, This Changes Everything

this. computer. is. going. so. slow.
I'll be back when the hamsters have had their nap and a cuppa.
In the meantime, welcome!

#273 last thread...yes Mark. My admiration list has my dad on it too! For his taste on books, and many other things besides :)

First!

Cool topper. :)

Wow! I missed most of your last thread, but here I am turning up like the bad penny for this one.
Hope all is well with you and your guys.
LT has really been slow for me today. Is it just this computer or are we experiencing the same thing, Megan?
Happy New Thread! I'd like to do better by you. It's always an interesting place to be.

Valerie: nice job on first place, your speed and timing are admirable.

Peggy: you're no bad penny ;)
Click on the link up top for the last thread and you'll see at the end a great photo of the boys hooning down a grassy hill on a go cart! It is a great photo taken by my dad.

Loyal fan back again! Happy new thread. Cool painting up top. : )

Hello new thread. :) Love the painting.

>6 LizzieD: oh yea, and, I think it was an LT thing. As it was definitely slower than even I am used to on my old PC.

>8 Berly: yay- glad you could make it. It's not that exciting yet, but it is about to get that way with the upcoming announcement of my book haul!!! Hot off the press....just came in the door from a fresh purchase of 10 (9 for me, 1 for a gift).

>9 nittnut: Hello Jenn, I love the painting too, and if I were able, this is the kind of thing I would try to make. Any attempts shall be kept well away from the prying eyes of the internet :)

BOOK HAUL (caps and bold- I mean business)

The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir
The Tenants buy Bernand Malamud
Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz (whio I am convinced I will love, but have yet to actually read)
Grimus by Salman Rushdie
Representative Men: Seven Lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Knulp by Herman Hesse
The Sun Between Their Feet by Dorris Lessing
What Maisie Knew by Henry James
The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster
and to give to my sis A Simple Freedom by Ahmed Kathrada

All $3 each, all in great condition (I wouldn't buy any other) and all easy to find amongst other books of similar ilk. That's what happens when you go to a book sale at a back street band venue, you avoid all the bestsellers.

BOOKS READ 2015

JUNE
26. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy NF (319p, tally 6,468)
27. The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien (188p, tally 6,656)
28. The First Bad Man by Miranda July (274p, tally 6,930)

MAY
21. Native Son by Richard Wright (560p, tally 5,216)
22. ERST601 course reader! NF (421p, tally 5,637)
23. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (215p, tally 5,652)
24. Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo (224p, tally 5,876)
25. The Free by Willy Vlautin (273p, tally 6,149)

APRIL
16. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (350p, tally 3,884p)
17. Earth Democracy by Vandana Shiva NF (186p, tally 4,070p)
18. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (162p, tally 4,232)
19. The Industry of Souls by Martin Booth (250p, tally 4,482)
20. The Tenants by Bernard Malamud (174p, tally 4,656)

MARCH
13. Film in Five Seconds by Gianmarco Milesi
14. Pursuing Social Justice in New Zealand edited by Ruth Porter NF (161p, tally 3,296)
15. The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie (238p, tally 3,534)

FEBRUARY:
6. The End of Faith by Sam Harris NF (227p, tally 1,616)
7. The Giver by Lois Lowry (197p, tally 1,813)
8. The Mermaid and the Drunks by Ben Richards (I read to page 171/247, tally 1,984)
9. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande NF (263p, tally 2,247)
10. July's People by Nadine Gordimer (160p, tally 2,407)
11. Children of the Poor: How Poverty Could Destroy New Zealand's Future by Mike Moore NF (220p, tally 2,627)
12. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twang Eng (508p, tally 3,135)

January:
1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (303p)
2. The Frackers by Gregory Zuckerman NF (396p, tally 699)
3. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout (320p, tally 719)
4. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink NF (486p, tally 1,205)
5. To Sir with Love by E. R. Braithwaite (184p, tally 1,389)

Books purchased:
1. The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow (NF, pop psych) $1
2. Everything in this Country Must by Colum McCann $2
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe $1 (a 5 star read from 2014, I immediately gave it to my dad to read and he loved it too)
4. The Pearl by John Steinbeck $2
5. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline $2
6. Music for Torching by A.M. Homes $2
7. To Sir with Love by E R Braithwaite $2
8. Shame by Slaman Rushdie $3
9. The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo $5
10. The Kites are Flying by Michael Morpurgo $5
11. This Morning I met a Whale by Michael Morpurgo $5
12. My Antonia by Willa Cather $8

FEBRUARY
13. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli $1
14. Children of the Poor by Mike Moore (paperback swap)
15. Cathedral by Raymond Carver $2
16. Hotel World by Ali Smith $2
17. The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie $2

MARCH
18. Film in Five Seconds by Gianmarco Milesi $24 (NEW)

APRIL
19. The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir $3
20. The Tenants by Bernand Malamud $3
21. Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz $3
22. Grimus by Salman Rushdie $3
23. Representative Men: Seven Lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson $3
24. Knulp by Herman Hesse $3 CURRENTLY READING
25. The Sun Between Their Feet by Dorris Lessing $3
26. What Maisie Knew by Henry James $3
27. The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster $3

MAY
28. A Pagan Place by Edna O'Brien $1.75
29. Girls in their Married Bliss by Edna O'Brien $1.75
30. Sam Hunt: Collected Poems by Sam Hunt (iconic NZ poet) $1.75
31. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul $1.75
32. An Area of Darkness by VS Naipaul $1.75
33. Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas $1.75
34. The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis $1.75
35. The New Rulers of the World by John Pilger $1.75

JUNE
36. Netherland by Joseph O'Neill $5
37. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami $4
38. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain $4

Happy New thread Megan :) Nothing much to say, just dropping by!

Happy New Thread, lady!

Happy New thread, Megan! I like the topper, although you should have put the photo of the boys on the go-cart. That is priceless.

Nice book haul, although I am not familiar with many of those titles.

>14 BekkaJo: hi Bekka. Welcome to the mad house :)

>15 scaifea: thanks Amber, I was just replying to you on the old thread.....re: Bogart. And your *sigh*. Watch out sighing around him, might slap you round to snap you out of your femininity. They liked to do that back then! ;)

>16 msf59: OK, I will put it up again here. It is a goodie. And the book haul, you must know most of the authors though, right? Even if the titles might not be jumping out at you.
I managed to escape the monkey house at crazy time as the book sale was an evening thing only...cest la vie, *she said running from the house with glee*.

Megan, re our fun conversation , I don't vote on looks at all either, but when you can't stand a particular politician, then making a little fun over their looks feels okay, since it's about the only way you can get back at your Prime Minister. Nice book haul - I can recommend Orphan Train as I read that last year and enjoyed it.

Happy new thread, Megan! I love that picture in >1 LovingLit:.

>18 vancouverdeb: Orphan Train is high on my intentions list. Not that that means anything these days... *sigh* or ever, now that I think of it. Haha. So many books so little time.

>19 katiekrug: I love it too! There are more cool ones by the same artist, check them out. Right now I am inspired to draw some skulls as I just took W to see the day of the dead inspired movie Book of Life.

Nice Book Haul. :)

Happy new thread, Megan! I would love to have that thread topper mounted on the wall in our living room.... then I could just sit and stare at it for hours. Of course, there is that temptation to want to get up and go flip one of the book pages.... ;-)

Excellent book haul and nice new thread!
That painting exhorts one to study it for a bit.

Striking piece of art on the topper there. Are the books of particular significance to the artist?

Hi Megan. Back to your prior thread, thanks for the link to Hear Read This. The episode about The Martian cracked me up. I ended up enjoying it but I can't imagine having read it. Listening worked well enough.

HI Megan!! Just keeping current here. : )

>21 nittnut: I was pretty happy with the book Hal, Jenn. In March I only got one book! Unheard of.

>22 lkernagh: it is a gorgeous painting isn't it? I was immediately drawn to it. I wonder if the books a lacquered shut, or how exactly the pages might stay put. Clever.

>23 EBT1002: thanks Ellen! I like stroking my iPad screen and making the image bigger so I can study it better, ust one of the perks of having a new old iPad....we inherited my dads cast off version 1.0. Can you imagine? An OLD iPad!? :)

>24 charl08: it looks like the books are just an odd assortment of books, there seems to be mathematical ones, with grids, illustrated ones alongside tables, dictionaries and all sorts. One of my face discs books has allthe illustrations over what is supposed to look like old maths book pages.

>25 EBT1002: no worries Ellen! I didn't even have to try helping you with that...it was Kerry, via Alex. But I am sure they appreciate that you got something from it. Now I us have to read The Martian to do the same....

>26 Berly: you are current, Kim. Roger that. Over and out.

Aaaaah. I just finished book 19, The Industry of Souls by Martin Booth. I had a long, deep, hot bath and read til the water went tepid. The squally wind and rain was beating down outside and I was feeling very happy in my little life. The book is fab....rating in at 4.5 stars from me. My dad was right...I will ring him tomorrow and let him gloat about how right he was to recommend that book to me.
Thank goodness we have out truck load of firewood safely in the car port as the Antarctic cold front has hit, and temps are ten degrees C lower that they were this time yesterday. Welcome to the NZ winter, visitors!!

That is a GREAT book haul - so many wonderful authors, and so many of their relatively unknown works - at least unknown to me. I have a copy of Grimus and Knulp as yet unread. I'll be off to see what The Blood of Others is just as soon as I look at the boys hooning (!) downhill...........not a word that I knew, but it's a fine one!
And LT is behaving again, I'm relieved to find.

>28 LovingLit: Oh, I was hoping they might have been her dad's books, or books they read together, or...

>29 LovingLit: This sounds perfect: I had a long, deep, hot bath and read til the water went tepid. The squally wind and rain was beating down outside and I was feeling very happy in my little life.

Congrats on the new thread, Megan. Great book haul, and I'm glad you enjoyed The Industry of Souls so much. I'll have to remind my kids that occasionally fathers are right.

>30 LizzieD: I was very happy with it..and that some of the books are very accessible in size! I should be able to knock a few off in no time.
Hooning...going fast? You've never heard that? Might be a NZism. :)

>31 charl08: oh, I see. Yes. I have no idea about the history of that. It would be cool thought, wouldn't it.

>32 jnwelch: kids do need reminding of that from time to time, just as fathers need reminding that their kids are the same ;)

Haha..book hauls are indeed serious business around here! We don't throw those words around lightly.... ;)

Reading till the water went tepid? That sounds absolutely heavenly. I should try that one of these days while the hubby's home. :D

>33 LovingLit: :-) True!

I see that today, in 1986 Simone de Beauvoir died. And me just having purchased my first of her books too. Coincidence? Probably ;)

So cold today! Second week of school holidays, no essay getting written but many activities being undertaken. Tram riding again today, coffee drinking (of course) and baking and dinner making, as usual too. It was bitterly cold, so we lit the fire for the first time all year. And there was snow on the Port Hills (only 4kms away) as well as a huge dumping of snow on the Southern Alps (100km away). Winter arrived.

>34 jolerie: having a bath is my nirvana, Valerie. I love nothing more that a good bath, especially on a cold day. I went without one so often when the kids were little, as you just never know when you are going to be needed....I know you know that!!! But now I chuck in my Epsom salts and lemongrass and soak away til my skin gets soggy, and read. It is bliss. I hope you get to enjoy one soon.

>35 jnwelch: I think sometimes my dad has trouble believing much that I say has any credibility, after all, he still calls me "grub" and "pea brain" and "turkey" as nicknames!! He even addressed a fax at work to me with one of those names, much to the amusement of my colleagues.

>36 LovingLit: Agreed. It was COLD. I would choose today to take my daughter over to HUHA to walk the dogs. We were all shivery until we walked two dogs, then we were alright. We have snow in the hills north as well. Just a little though. Because it's been raining all the cats and all the dogs. In spite of the chill, there was enough wind and sun for me to get a load of towels and sheets dry on the line. Hooray!

Boo to the cold, Megan! At least you had a nice summer. You knew it was coming. Keep warm, my friend.

Happy newish thread, Megan! I am late to the party, but I love that thread topper. And nice haul! You always manage to find good books for a bargain price. Hoping that your Tuesday was full of happy!

>37 LovingLit: :-) Ha! We make fun of our kids, and they return the favor. You probably need to come up with a good nickname for him, like "codger."

>38 nittnut: ha ha, small victories re: the sheets and towels. The one think I love about winter is that the fire dries the washing in no time flat. Crispy dry.

>39 msf59: I knew it was coming, and come it did. In a blustery wallop. I guess from now on it'll be textbook Autumn....cold spells, warm spells, wet spells and dry spells.

>40 Crazymamie: I do always manage to find good books at bargain prices....with new books here being $40 ish, there is no way I would buy new/full price. I am a bargain hunter. And luckily I have about 300 books still to read from my previous bargain hunting....hm. Best get reading!

>41 jnwelch: ha! That is a good one. I will run it by him. The kids call him 'Sir Grandad' seeing as he was honored with a commonwealth award in 2010 (for services to NZ via photography). That is pretty funny, and also embarrassing when you see other people who actually think we are serious. It does sound pretty pretentious!

Another version of the photo of the last thread, the kids hooning down the hill at the local quarry park. My dad took it on his fancy camera and was really able to capture the speed and fun of the afternoon!

Aaahhh NZ the only county in the world you can go from sunburn to frostbite in one day ..... I think someone has flicked the summer switch off

+ my favourite horizontal hail while walking home :)

>43 LovingLit: I know I said it before, but that photo is so cool. The look on Wilbur's face. Pure joy.

>44 roundballnz: Lol. Yes, the summer switch is off. In one night, we have extra quilts on the beds and are wearing socks (sometimes).

Colorado could give NZ some competition with weather shifts. One time in January I went out to do some errands before getting the kids from school. It was a beautiful, sunny day, probably about 15 C. That's pretty warm for January, but it's high altitude and the sun is intense. I was hot, so I went in a tshirt and jandals. By the time I picked up the kids from school, it was 1 C and snowing. Like a dumb dumb dummy, I hadn't even brought my coat. My kids mocked me ALL the way home. You know, things you always tell them, like "You bring your coat anyway. What if we have to walk somewhere?" Haha.

#43 Love the pic! They've grown up again though since I last saw pics.

>44 roundballnz: lol, sort of. A couple of French lads got caught out in Mt Cook national park this week going up into the mountains for the night, in sneakers, they were rescued. Crazy, and that is not even with a change n the weather, just a -12 degC night out.

>45 nittnut: I'd love to go to Colorado. I reckon it'd be a grand place to go. My brother raft guided there for a few months, he loved it.

>46 BekkaJo: sometimes I swear that they grow overnight! I have said it so much they even suggest it to me in the morning :)

Last nights DVD was Being There, with Peter Sellers and Shirley Mclaine. I have had it for months (borrowed from my dad) so was glad to finally get it watched. It was lovely, slow and lovely.
I took W to see the Book of Life this school holidays and it was an assault on my eyeballs. Scenes moved so quickly and there was so much colour and movement in it. Not that that was all bad, but a very different ball game to a subtle and slowly unfolding story. I like old movies :)

I loved the film Being There too. Sellers was great. I finally listened to the book about 2 years ago and it was very good. It was narrated by Dustin Hoffman, who nailed Chance's voice.

Seriously can't get over how much fun that pic looks. Your dad did such a great job of capturing the joy on their faces! :)

>47 LovingLit: crazy how many un-prepared tourists get caught this way, thought Mt cook was immune to the craziness .... lost count how many had to be 'rescued' off Tongariro this year ....

>49 msf59: it was clever, wasn't it, how Chance's comments were read to be laconic and wise, rather than simple and non-formed. I liked that part of the film.

>50 jolerie: they were having a ball that day. Racing down hills is pretty fun in anyones book I reckon! Plus, it helps to have a good photographer with fancy camera gear.

>51 roundballnz: the resue teams must tut tut the people they go in after. A good friend of my family was killed when his helicopter crashed in poor weather, he was carrying a search and rescue team heading off to look for a tramper. Not sure if the guy was ill-prepared or not, but so much goes in to finding lost folk.

At the Movies:
Wild
The Theory of Everything
Annie
The Book of Life
2001: A Space Odyssey

The news today is that I finally got started on my (third) essay! I have read extensively on the topic of political ecology and now today I banged out 400 perfect words on the topic of theory ...in general. Just to start with. It was good to get started anyway, and to get my coffee breaks was the icing on the already iced cake!!

Reading-wise... I started The Tenants by Bernard Malamud yesterday while minding W and L and a little friend (H). ;) They played and I got 20 pages or so in. It is ok so far, and my reading experience is only hampered by the fact that I am not reading it!! What I am doing right now, is prepping the floor for a family sleepover tonight in the lounge. L is already snoring a cute little 3 year old snore, and W is trying to tell me he is not tired (yeah right) and we are watching the end of The Borrowers on telly. Saturday night sleepover!

Yay for 400 perfect words!! I think I have successfully avoided being the sleepover house this weekend, but I am already book for next week after Prom. : )

Well done on your good start to your third essay, Megan!

I look forward to your comments about The Tenants. I haven't read anything by Malamud yet, to my knowledge.

I miss seeing my best friends' no longer little son's valiant but ultimately futile attempts to stay awake. It's great to see him and his older sister growing up, but I miss the days when they were extremely cute and lovable toddlers.

>55 Berly: 400 perfect words is way better than 1000 imperfect ones. I was very happy, especially since all the reading I had done for the essay was not even on that topic!!

>56 kidzdoc: there is something amazing about the innocent little ones :) They are so unaffected by societal norms for one. Lenny says "I'm not tired" while his eyes are rolling back in his head! Wilbur states confidently that he could stay up all night, then yawns whilst saying " that was NOT a yawn". It is so funny.

Saturday night sleepover! Super fun. I'm not tired either. I'm NOT.

^sure you're not, I believe you :)
Now *best mum voice* go to bed please!

eta: now may not be the best time to go to bed for the night, but who doesn't love a cheeky afternoon nap!!?

Hi, Megan. Just checking in with my pal. I hope you had a nice weekend.

>54 LovingLit: I'd never heard of this, but the reviews look like something I'd like - look forward to the comments (if you have time with all those non-sleepy small people!).

>60 msf59: hi Mark,
Weekends was ok. Monday was good, as school is back in and I am enjoying the thought of getting back into uni stuff. Today, however, I get my first professional haircut in overt 3 years. *woah*

>61 charl08: I had only heard of the author, which is why I bought the book. Oh, and because I liked the cover. As usual ;)
I am really liking it now after a patchy start. Initially I found it hard to believe in the relationship between the two main characters, but that has settled now.

Book 20
The Tenants by Bernard Malamud (174p, tally 4,656)

In this short novel, Lesser is a man digging his heels in. His landlord wants him out so he can demolish the apartment block and finally make some money out if his land, but Lesser cannot comprehend moving anywhere until he finishes the novel he has been working on for a decade.
Consequently, Lesser is the last tenant and so diligently writes away each day in a spooky rat-warren that attracts various miscreants and drifters. Enter Willy. Willy is a militant supporter of black rights and also a writer. He resides in a vacant apartment and eventually the two form a relationship that can loosely be termed friendship.

There is a lot going on in their relationship that I cannot relate to, racial slurs, verbal attacks, lying, cheating, theiving, an then some. Initially it just didn't seem credible that they would even spend time together. It was Lesser's loneliness and Willie's desire for writing advice that threw them together. Needless to say, the Jew and the black (as they refer to each other) have a tumultuous relationship. Throw in a woman (or 'bitch' as they refer to her!!) and things quickly disintegrate. As the novel went on, I found myself getting to know Lesser more and more and I finally felt like I could picture him. The interactions he had with Willy, who was temperamental to say the least, were cleverly written and displayed the tact and tentativeness that were required by Lesser in order that Willy not fly off the handle. It is, I suppose, a metaphor for human relations. As such, it paints a pretty dire picture for us lot as a whole. But, it was gritty, dark and real. And I liked it.

"gritty, dark and real" - onto the wishlist it goes. Thank you.

(those old penguin covers quite often make me reach for my wallet in a charity shop)

Good review of the Tenants. I've never read Malamud.

I thought I would see a photo of the new 'do. I guess, I'll wait a bit longer...

Great review of The Tenants, Megan! I'll keep my eye out for it.

Hi Megan, your reading is excellent my dear. Hope everything is ok with you and the family my dear, love and hugs.

>59 LovingLit: I LOVE a cheeky afternoon nap, or a late morning one... not that I'm about to have one. Oh, no, not me. Lol. Getting back into the swing of my early morning church class is KILLING me.

Great review of The Tenants. :)

>64 charl08: that cover is so of its time! I really like it. And as it is a short over, you should be able to breeze through it in no time. I read the last third in about an hour.

>65 msf59: I had ever read Malamud either, in fact I don't even know anything about him, other than that I recognised his name so bought his book. It's just how I roll ;)

>66 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl, yours must be the thumb! :)
As I said in the review, there was a lot going on in their friendship that I didn't relate well to. Their friendship seems to be defined primarily by their both being writers, but also heavily by one being black and the other Jewish. They certainly throw a lot of racial insults each others ways, which reads uncomfortably but is very interesting observationally.

>67 johnsimpson: thanks John, I am coming along nicely thanks mainly too some shorter books lately. And soon I will be able to log my class reader seeing as we are nearly finished with that now.

>68 nittnut: afternoon naps tempt me daily as the sun hits the big old double bed.....the yellow blanket on it just amplifies the warmth factor. Mmmm. But, it is not to be so. Thanks to children having an in built sixth sense letting them know exactly when their parent even sits for a second!!

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the death of a friend. Apart from making me feel old, it just took me back to the whole time and place and scenario of her death in hospital following brain surgery to remove a tumor. At the tender age of 18 her death pretty much changed my world. I still think how lucky I am to be healthy, and to have my friends and family healthy around me. Even though I felt sad yesterday, it still reinforces in me the feeling that we have to live well with the time we have, be good to people and ourselves, and make the most of it.

Life can be too short sometimes. I love your perspective on life and how we can be grateful for what we do have and to cherish the moments. Hugs to you my friend.

My sympathy re the anniversary of your friend's death, Megan.

A pal of mine died of AIDS a little over 20 years ago, in his early 30s. It's a sad memory, but I also remember the good times with him. A mutual friend and I reminisce about him sometimes.

Like Valerie, I applaud your perspective re appreciating our luck and our lives. Good to be reminded of that.

Thanks Valerie and Joe! I appreciate your comments :) It is hard to think about all the people who are suffering in that acute phase of loss right now, it is a tough time.

But for today I will think about the chimney sweep, what's for dinner, planning my 40th birthday, and tonight's book club!

Hi Megan.
xoxo
That is all.

^ that is plenty, Ellen. Thank you :)

Oh and books! Yesterday I bunked university as in class we were given no clues as to how to proceed with the current assignment, so rather than go ahead in the wrong direction, I came home and read by the fire. It was luxurious, srsly luxurious. I am very much liking the current read Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz. I have wanted to read this author since kidzdoc read some of the Cairo trilogy when I was an LT newbie :)

".. the feeling that we have to live well with the time we have, be good to people and ourselves, and make the most of it."

Most definitely - none of us know what is round the corner for sure, so live well ....

Hi. We just got a little jiggle up here. How about you?

Being reported as a 6.2 ... so a firm jiggle then ......

Megan - for your weekend, salted caramel Tim Tam cheesecake, though you'll have to make it yourself...... http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/67513642/tim-tam-salted-caramel-chee...

>76 roundballnz: good to remember when things feel heavy. I am thinking of how to keep life simple so I can concentrate on the simple things as time marches on.

>77 nittnut: I didn't feel it as was driving! But it was felt here for sure and I had a call from my slightly more northern sister straight away as she always thinks it's based here when she feels one, so she was concerned.

>78 roundballnz: was a firm jiggle on all accounts, centered inland from Kaikoura (which, for others, is 3 hours drive from me)

>79 avatiakh: thanks! It sounds decadent for sure. I just indulged in some goody goody gumdrops ice-cream and shallnow have to wait a bit for that to go down before I enjoy a toast to myself for receiving a big old A for the essay I handed in before the school holidays. It was worth 25% of the final grade!

*happy dance*

>78 roundballnz: so a firm jiggle then Haha! We felt it as a mild but definite jiggle ;). Nothing moved or fell. Just swinging blinds and swishing water in jugs and mesmerized kiddos. It was the first time they have really felt an earthquake.

>79 avatiakh: Oh dear me. That is really tempting. I have a particular weakness for salted caramel... But next weekend. Tomorrow we're off to Haumoana and Hawkes Bay area for the weekend. Hooray!

>80 LovingLit: I confess, when my husband texted initially, all he said was SI. So then I thought Christchurch??

BIG OLD A!! Awesome you. :)

^ SI is so un-specific. I mean really.. :)
It was rather lovely to be thought of first when my sis felt it. I confess to, when feeling earthquakes that are large, feeling like they must be literally under my house. This is only because some of them actually nearly have been. Sounds like there was little damage and no injuries I have heard of from today's quake. Yay.

BIG OLD A!! Yah!!! Go, Megan! Go, Megan! Hope you have a nice weekend planned.

^ I am trying, Mark. Borderline obsession trying ;) And I am glad my efforts are paying off. A's are addictive!!

WooHoo!! Congrats on the A!!

Hi Amber....it's no A+, but I'll take it! ;)

Today is Anzac Day, so there have been dawn services about the city and country. We won't go to the local 9am commemoration this morning, but instead will head out to my mums neck of the woods and perhaps take her and the kids out to the beach for a wander about. I have to say though, at dawn this morning, I did think about the troops landing at Gallipoli 100 years ago today and facing all they did. 100 years, and we still haven't learned much about how to be nice to each other.
*sigh*
Eta darned iPad corrective spelling!

Big congrats for the Big Old A!! Feels good when your efforts are well rewarded.

Another quake?? My nerves would be shot. Hope you guys are all well!

Yee ha, Valerie. Loving having my A game on :):):)
NZ is a shaky old place, like all of us on the Pacific Rim. My in seasoned Nelson friends didn't like it much, and I don't blame them!

Today I had heaps of fun with the kids at the beach! It is always so fun mucking about in the sand. We...ok, I, was building lots of channels and walls for the waves to spill up to. The kids were skimming shells and squealing in the foamy flat surf. And it was unseasonably hot too, just for a bonus. Only down side....it took me til after 3 to get my coffee fix. Now I am amping, but later I will be *ping* wide awake!

Beautiful boys, having a lot of terrifying looking fun.. LOL

What a great childhood they're having!

Good mom you!

Congratulations on another well deserved A, Megan!

Hooray for the A! Boo for the jiggle.
Somehow I didn't see anything here about Anzac memorials. Being a lover of Daughters of Mars, I'm sorry that I missed it.
A day at the beach in the autumn sounds great. A day at the beach in the spring would be nice too. We never get there anymore. *sigh*

>89 mckait: well, if you ask Wilbur this very evening he would beg to differ. He was packed off to bed 5 minutes before the end of his fave tv programme (The Thunderbirds) for poor manners. That'll learn him

>90 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl! I truly nevere know how I have gone until I get the result back. I think I have an inferiority complex!

>91 LizzieD: hi Peggy...the jiggle was nothing. For me, literally.
My A, however, was all me. :) I spent 5 hours at the university today trying to eek out some words for the next essay....they came slowly and everything I wrote ended up temporary anyway.
*sigh*
You win some you lose some. And...I'll get there eventually.

I wish you could give parenting lessons to the woman at work who brings her kid to work. When he whacked across the back of the legs with a toy sword, she said Jonah, don't bother Miss Kathleen. GRRRRR He runs amok, and manners? ha!

She told him to come with her to mail a letter, he said he was busy... and she said she would wait till he was ready. !!!!!! ( he's 4 ) Knowing I have to go into work with her and that babbling, shouting, bothersome child....is defeating me. He natters on non-stop to patrons on the computers and refuses to let kids use the kids computer... it's his. And that is ok with his mom....

Why does that woman take her kid with her to work? And she certainly needs parenting lessons!

Yay, congrats on yet another A for our star pupil, hope things are good for you and the family Megan, love and hugs.

>93 mckait: yikes, that does not sound god Kath. I have to say I would never take Lenny to work with me, he is too busy and I would not be able to concentrate on a thing for watching him.
I have had big probs with W with manners, at home I let him away with some things when I know that the real reason is frustration that he is unable to express. I have been criticised for that by my SiL...but I dont think yelling at kids or locking them in their rooms is a good way to teach someone how to express themselves....
Anyway, I am not really to be praised too highly for my parenting, I don't want to give a false impression ;)

>94 connie53: rudeness to ones face is not a good look!! I have to agree.

>95 johnsimpson: thanks John!! Today we have a public holiday so are off to the wildlife park so see some monkeys- in the rain. We might have it all to ourselves!!

Congrats on the essay. I liked your comments on the personal reflections re Gallipoli memorials. My favourite bits of the coverage here has been the families showing photographs, keep-sakes and letters and talking about their relatives. One couple even had a book sent back from the campaign with a piece of shrapnel still embedded in the binding - family described how it had saved the soldier's life. Amazing.

We've been on a short ANZAC weekend road trip up to Hawkes Bay. One of our favorite things as we drove along on Saturday was to see memorials and memorial events going on in every little town. Every single itty bitty town has a memorial and as we stopped and looked at some of them, we noted that some towns lost everyone they sent. For some of those towns it was near 25% of the population, or at least it seemed that way. It was heart breaking. The bravery, the commitment and the waste. It was inspiring too, the pride and the gratitude being expressed everywhere.

>96 LovingLit: the kid is ..busy.. and loud and obnoxious and Zuul hired her with the understand that she can bring the kid to work. It is driving me crazy, seriously. When I have to work with her, the anxiety is huge. Can't put up with it much longer..

Kudos and much clapping and leaping about! Congratulations on the A!

I don't think there's anything wrong with bringing kids to work as long as the parent is willing and able to make sure his/her children aren't tearing up the place and being a disruption to work that takes place. We've had plenty of employees bring their children to work when babysitters aren't available or spouse is sick or if they're on school holiday and camp hasn't started yet. So far, in the years that I've been at my company, we've never had any incidents with badly behaving children (and they've aged between 4 - 16). The older ones end up helping out around the office, tidying up certain areas like the pantry, office supplies closets, even working in our media or shipping departments. The younger ones are either sitting and playing quietly in their parents' office (if they have one) or they're in the big room we had set aside for children when we moved into the building. There are a couple of futons, and beanbags in there, a 50" TV, DVD player, book case with various age appropriate books, kiddy games, reams of colored paper and washable crayons (in case they decide to decorate the walls) for them to use. If they bring their own laptop or tablet, there are other open areas with coffee tables and sofas that they could lounge in to do their own work or watch movies (as long as they have their headsets on).

It's quite lovely to occasionally hear young voice piping up around the halls although they don't roam around unsupervised. Their parents have always taken the really young ones around (probably before they get bored and start yelling?) to greet and meet everyone.

>97 charl08: I didn't watch one iota of tv coverage of Anzac Day commemorations. I heard about it, of course, but I just let it all wash by me this year.

>98 nittnut: It's true- every small town has a war memorial. And even places that don't look like towns, the farmers in the area contributed to the war effort so are memorialised in small rural places in what looks like paddocks. It is incredible.

>99 mckait: yes, it sounds like in an appropriate work pace it might work...but I have never seen enough resources poured into that to make it viable. It sounds like a flat out irritation for you and library users!

>100 cameling: wow, your workplace sounds progressive. Good for them for encouraging it, I reckon it is good if it can be made to work. I remember going to work with dad the odd time...but as he ran the business it was his call. It was fun.

Meanwhile.....it is raining cats and dogs here and I am contemplating how to get W to school L to kindegarten and me to university without any of us getting too wet! My poor lovely other already got on his bike in all his rain gear. I don't envy him!

>100 cameling: That children's room sounds really lovely. Such a good idea to have one.

^ it is cool huh? And to think my old work place wouldn't even have me back part time after I had a baby....talk about not progressive!! There is so much evidence to suggest family friendly places are more productive.

I have been AWOL lately...working on the essay. It is due next week, and there is the next one (longer and worth more of the final grade) due 3 weeks after that. So I am head down bum up at the moment!

But I did finish Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth the other day, and have started The Human Stain, which I have read a total of 6 pages in 2 sittings.....tired eyes!

>104 LovingLit: Good luck with your essay's, Megan.

Happy Weekend Megan!!

>105 connie53: >106 ChelleBearss: hi guys! It is 610pm, I am scrabbling together the last words of my essay. I can see the finishing line just ahead *prays for no computer crashes* And although my writing comes about as easy as blood from a stone, I am really happy with what I have produced.
Yee ha. If I can knock this thing out tomorrow, references and all, I will be very pleased. Of course, I have to run it by the lovely other and his massive brain first :)

>70 LovingLit: I can imagine how you feel regarding the 20th anniversary of the loss of a friend. I lost a good friend to ovarian cancer. She was only 54. She died in March, longing to make it to June to see her son get married. Sitting by her bedside at hospice was one of the saddest, yet most spiritual events in my life.

Hugs to you.

See you are nose to the grindstone at the moment, Megan. I have missed not being able to keep up with you as much as I would like this last month or so.

I'm sure that your essay will be a winner. xx

Three cheers for you Megan. My adult daughter with 2 little kiddies (4 and 2) is studying too (Library Science) with lots of essays and classes and conferences to attend and dinner to make (not to mention laundry etc.). HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT? I am super impressed. She even finishes the occasional book and recently read The Goldfinch and loved it (like her mom did!). Good luck with your studies.

>108 Whisper1: puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Lifes hardest lessons do that. Thanks for the comment!

>109 PaulCranswick: Paul's here!!! Paul's here!! I wouldn't know usually as I am a rare visitor too lately. I wonder when you will return to LT with the fervor that we have gotten used to!!?

>110 mdoris: thanks!! I love the support I get around here! Now, if only that were transferrable to RL familial support....my MiL said that when she had young kids she never had tiiiime to read books.... *sigh*
You'd think she could be supportive seeing as she had young kids while studying so knows what it is like. I wonder if she ever had tiiime to watch Coronation Street? I certainly don't!! Lol, 'scuse my smarty pants attitude ;)

De-lurking to *snork!* at your MIL "tiiiiime" comment. I'm right there with you on the snarky in-laws attitude. And while I'm un-lurked, let me add my cheers to the cheering squad - you go, girl!

Hi, Megan. Just checking in. Sounds like you've been preoccupied with school and family drama. I hope things have begun to mellow out for you. Fingers crossed.

>112 scaifea: ha, Amber, I know you know it! I have perfectly lovely in-laws. It just happens that my lovely other does not get on with 3 out of the 4 of them. Which means, I don't either. Out of sympathy to him, you see :)
Handing in my essay today! A day early as tomorrow is not a uni day for me. Over half the class have not even got half way through writing theirs yet. *WHAAAAT?* Oh boy, I don't know how these young'uns do it these days ;)

>113 msf59: hi Mark!! I almost went thread-hopping yesterday and got as far as clicking on yours...then RL intervened. Sheesh. Not so much in the way of family dramas, just a recognition that in-laws are not people you would necessarily chose to hang out with. I am the glue which keeps my lovely other even talking to his family, but it can be frustrating.

I am still reading....



The Human Stain....which is the third in a trilogy, and I am accidentally reading it first *faints*, and This Changes Everything, about capitalism and climate change. And it does indeed change everything as I am now using this book to complete a large part of my next essay which will use political ecology to look at the issue of oil drilling. There, so I am reading!

We had some bumpy issues with the in-laws early in our marriage life and that probably had more to do with my MIL having to deal with her youngest of 3 boys leaving the nest more than anything else. Thank goodness things have calmed down a lot in the past few years. They are pretty good at respecting our decisions and boundaries.

Way to go keener ;)

Passing thru - I hope you have fabulous weekend .... maybe you will be able to get your head above the waterline today :)

>115 LovingLit: Look forward to the comments on Klein - feel like I should get this from the comments I've read so far, but still hovering.

>116 jolerie: uh oh, empty nest syndrome! Ha, I shouldn't laugh....it'll be me all too soon going by how fast the last few years have gone.

>117 roundballnz: thanks Alex...cruising today, soccer for biggest little one and baking for me. And now a trip to McDs as biggest one won player of the day cheeseburge voucher. A double edged poop sword as now I have to wash the team shirts as well.

>118 charl08: I recommend it highly! A friend who is also reading it reckons it comes over as ranty....but I think that was just the initial part of the book. I am really loving it.

Hi Megan. Congratulations on putting the finishing touches on yet another essay. It must be gratifying to have closure on something in your life…even though you know another one is coming up. With kids, there never is an end to anything, is there? Actually, it's kind of like that without kids, too, although my house does stay clean longer than it used to! I rather enjoyed The Human Stain when I read it years ago -- and I didn't even know it was part of a trilogy!

I think we've still got a good decade to go before we need to be worried about that but I get what you mean!! We have kindergarten orientation this coming week and I already have dreams of him driving off to college and getting married. *Cue the bawling* ;)

Happy Mother's Day - I almost missed it cause I've been having so much fun. :) Flowers, chocolate, handmade cards, and not a toe allowed in the kitchen today. Hope yours was just as good.

>120 Donna828: I am guessing there is no end to the worrying you do as a parent. I am sure I will be thinking of my kids every day as long a I am alive! That's parenthood, right? I will try not to get bogged down in it ;)

>121 jolerie: *passes tissue* the there, Valerie. We will be here to comment and commiserate with you when the photos hit LT of your little monkeys graduation, marriage, first, second and third children. ( too much?) ;)

>122 nittnut: hi, mine was hilarious, mainly when Lenny presented me with his gift. Part way through the presentation he changed his mind and decided he would share it with me instead. And get this, the gift is a birds nest he made at kindergarten...made of grass clippings semi-glued to a paper plate. So my mothers day haul is a half share in a paper plate with grass on it!!! What a crack up!

>123 msf59: thanks Mark. See the story directed at Jenn, above. I think you wil appreciate the antics of Lenny. He is a dag and a half that kid.

Reading news: I have been powering through Native Son. Considering its a long book, and I have only had it in my possession since Thursday...I am amazed that I am nearly finished. Never mind my essay readings....yikes. But Native Son is just toooo good!

Finished Native Son! Wow. I really liked that book. And think of it. Trying to read various course related books (not just research articles, but books) and I go and book-horn in a random. Ah, the crazy life of my good self. It just goes on.....
And I completed the course reader for this semester too. It s various chapters and articles on theory relating to resource studies /environmental management. So when I say I read it, I really mean I read it twice or more, and dissected and discussed it with the class. 450+ pages. Phew. Heavy stuff, and so so so interesting. I love being a student again!

>124 LovingLit: Well, you can't beat a half share in stuff your kids make, right?

Lenny & the bird's nest! That cracked me up!

I am glad you enjoyed Native Son. It is one of my all-time favorite reads.

Ditto re Native Son, Megan. What an unforgettable book.

>126 nittnut: yeah, and it's all the better if you can use it for kindling after the fact! *i did not just say that*

>127 msf59: a Mark-all-time-fave ?? And I only just found this out? As usual it was the cover which drew me in. It was a Vintage edition, with the crisp graphics on a solid colour background. I will add the picture soon.

>128 jnwelch: and another big time LTer endorses the book! Here I was thinking I had discovered a rare find ;) I think I had heard of it before, but couldn't have placed who had read it here on LT, or what it was about.
Those first two sections were just amazing. For me it was the last third that got a little too....ranty? The tone changed anyway, and it was the first 3/4 of the book that I absolutely loved. I was all set to rate it 5 stars, but had to demote it 1/2 a star for the last bit.

Well. My much-looked-forward-to outing to the beer library (opening night) fell extremely flat....As far as actually getting there goes. Turns out it was a ticketed event, and it was sold out AND it was, by the look of it, just as well!
A quick walk past the joint showed it to be less library looking and more corner shop looking. It was brightly lit, with flood to ceiling refrigerators all along the back wall....soulless is one word to describe it. And not a book to be seen. As my friend out it, it looks like we dodged a beer bullet there! Back to the drawing board on finding a quiet atmospheric leather and wood place for reading and drinking a tasty beer!

>129 LovingLit: EEk! No you didn't. And, of course, I would Never, Ever throw away, burn or otherwise destroy anything my kids made... Ahem.

*looks around shiftily and ducks out of the room

Shortly after starting with the post office, I befriended a African-American man and he turned me on to black literature. I read Wright and the Invisible Man, along with the Malcolm X memoir, which was outstanding.

This friend also put me on track with jazz and foreign films. I owe him a lot.

>131 nittnut: it is pretty hard not to when you get a piece of wood that looks suspiciously like firewood, nailed to similar piece of wood. My lovely other has on the odd occasion mistaken "a plane" as firewood!!

>132 msf59: I really want to read Invisible Man. I have it as well, so I can! My edition is small and scrappy unfortunately, so when I do start it I will probably upgrade to a library edition.

Until then, it is most definitely time for a HAPPY DANCE!


That's right, Carlton and me are boogying along in celebration of my inaugural essay A+. Got it back today and then decided to take the rest of the day off!
Day off university stuff I mean. What I will be doing is making tea, lighting the fire, collecting #2 child, then #1, and go through the daily after school routine.....on I push!

...and as an aside, I must say these must be Carlton's finest dance moves yet!!!

A+!!! Great job, Megan :)

Congrats on another A .... Though I think we might need to have words in your 'Carlton dance moves' taste :P

A+! Very good. That's worth a dance!

Congratulations on your A+, Megan!

Woot!! I'm Carlton dancing right along with you, sister!

>135 katiekrug: thanks Katie! How could I not be pleased with that!?

>136 roundballnz: not just another A, Alex....it had a 'plus' next to it, which makes it in a league of its own as far as my essays go. I have had little A+'s but never for a whole essay :)
And Carlton can moooove, baby! However unconventionally....

>137 connie53: thanks connie. I had a happy face all the way home and a happy dance when I got here. And my lovely other is proud of his "smart wife", which is nice.

>138 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl! As usual it was hard fought and won. The teacher for the course is sharp as a tack so I knew I had to work hard to impress her, it was daunting.

>139 scaifea: thanks Amber
*boogie boogie*
*shimmy shimmy*
*the running man*
(next mission in life: to perfect the running man dance move)
*jazz hands*
*bow*

>140 msf59: thanks Mark!
I celebrated with a couple of glasses of vodka last night, which I can truthfully say I have not had in about 5 years. A colleague of my lovely others gave it to him. We tried a glass with carbonated raspberry juice, and one with feijoada and pear fizz, and then lastly one with chi (the drink that says its own name). ;)
Also, we watched Anchors Aweigh. Wth Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. It was pretty terrible

Whooo! Whooo!!! A + no less!!! You know that when you're happy with one, the prof is going to be likewise!
I'm SO glad that you enjoyed Native Son. I'm another who loves the book. I also love the story of Lenny and the nest-on-a-plate. You sound like a pretty doggone good mom to me.

Congratulations on the A+. Nice work.

I can't say I enjoyed Invisible Man, but it was worth the reading.

>142 LizzieD: that is the problem, even when I am pleased With my effort in essay writing, I am unsure how it will be received! I get plagued by doubt...it is a pain. I need to trust myself more.
The nest on a plate lives on, I decided to wait til it is forgotten and brown before using it as kindling!!

>143 nittnut: thanks Jenn. I am not rushing to pick up my (free) copy of Invisible Man, on account of it being so ratty. But I will, one day. in the meantime I push on with The Human Stain which is not that inticing....

Hi Megan, congrats on the A+ my dear, hope you are having a good weekend, sending love and hugs.

Hi Megan, I love following your successful studies -- congrats! You're taking on quite a lot, and coming through with flying colors! It was so sweet when I finally finished, and you have to be getting close, right?

>37 LovingLit: having a bath is my nirvana, Valerie. I love nothing more that a good bath, especially on a cold day. I went without one so often when the kids were little, as you just never know when you are going to be needed... Yes! The bath is my greatest sanctaury:)

>43 LovingLit: Love this photo -- how fun!

>145 johnsimpson: hi John, thanks!
Great weekend, thanks. Busy, and that means less time for kids to scrap ;) A birthday party for the kids, a long walk, soccer, a load of emergency vehicles to explore at a fair thingy, and a movie out for me and my lovely other. Not bad!

>146 AMQS: hi Anne, thanks for the congrats. My film buff friend thought we were hilarious for having a few vodkas to celebrate and watching Anchors Aweigh (with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra). It was rather an odd thing to do, but circumstances dictated it....ie we had vodka when we have never had a bottle of it in the house before. So we sampled. :0
I am not finished my diploma til the end of next year!!! yikes....

Oh, and I saw a film the other day! A classic.....2001: A Space Odyssey. Best part, getting to leave the house at crazy hour (which could be at any time after 3 pm). Also, the best part was seeing the crazy ride into space that was Stanley Kubricks kooky psychedelic trip of a self-indulgent film. If you can't be self indulgent when you are an artist- when can you be!?
I do admit to laughing (out loud) near the end at all the scenes which seemed to need some drastic editing....how long can you look at moving shapes for without being under the influence of mind bending drugs!? Also, the heavy seance helmet breathing scenes were....well, long. But of all, I really liked it for its mere extravagance. It was a real sensual overload...and by that I mean visual and aural ;)

Films - have you seen Age of Adeline? Just wondering.

>148 LovingLit: Ugh. I'm not a Kubrick fan. But the book is pretty great...

Hiya, Megan. You'll like Invisible Man, methinks. Wasn't Native Son riveting? I understand the half star off, but it continues to have a wallop today.

>147 LovingLit:, you certainly had a busy weekend my dear, sending love and hugs from the northern hemisphere.

>149 nittnut: no have not seen that and I am told I would like it too! And I happen to have a voucher in my purse too....how convenient :)

>150 scaifea: I am not sure if I am a Kubrick fan or not. I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey...that surely is not a good sign. I have not seen all of A Clockwork Orange either, but I suppose I do ascribe some importance to him based on his well-known-ness (that is totally a word). The Shining (I just found out he directed that!), though was brilliant, I thought. But....was it the book that made it that way!!?

>151 jnwelch: I was reading the first two sections of Native Son frantically. I was so drawn into his plight (his plight!!? See what the author did there, making me sympathise with the felon?). I will be talking about it at book club soon, the reading theme for this one was "7 deadly sins".....Bigger Thomas committed quite a few, but I will have to categorise them all for the discussion.

>152 johnsimpson: thanks John. Busy weekends abound around here. We are having firewood delivered this weekend and were asked how early is too early, I said we are up at 6.30am, but could get up half an hour earlier if that would help.....the offer was declined. Apparently 'early' means 9am!!! I had forgotten that ;)

>153 LovingLit: I liked it. I had a moments where I had to gag the practical part of my brain and stuff it in the boot, but after that I did just fine. Her frocks! The vintage shopping you will love those.

>153 LovingLit: " Apparently 'early' means 9am!!! I had forgotten that ;)" .... Hahhaha joys of parenthood

>154 nittnut: I love winter mainly as I get to wear skirts and frocks all the time, with tights. In summer it can be too cool without tights and invariably too warm for them... Go figure ;)

>155 roundballnz: and more time whinging...I want to go out tonight but the bands are on TOO LATE. 10 or 11pm start time. And here it is only half 8 and I am thinking of bed and books. If they just started at 9 , I am sure I could handle that.
*sigh*
At least I will get Slaughterhouse Five finished!

>155 roundballnz: 10-11 pm start is common these days- young things will stay 'out' till midday - can't do it anymore myself really

^i remember back in the day (7 years ago) still being annoyed at wasting the morning because of a late late late night seeing bands. What is it about bands! (prob more about venues getting people to hang about buying drinks)

Only 8 days til I am finished my advanced theory in environmental studies classes! My essay is due this Friday andf the presentation is 3 days later....then a 4 week break (or so) and I start the research methods classes which will take me to the end of October, which will make me 2/3 of the way through my diploma.
No one ever said it was a sprint!
I have as good as finished my essay, and am not sure if I am happy with it or not. I might need to take a day or 2 off and go back to it with a clear mind.

I am lodging a formal complaint about the temperatures. -1 C is unacceptable. And terrifying too - because in a fit of total madness we agreed to go camping in the Waikato this weekend. Believe me when I say that I have backup arrangements...

>159 nittnut: lol- and we had -2.7 here this morning! (I know as I am checking temps every morning at 7am for W's maths project)
When I lived in Australia wit my sister, we went camping *in winter* and it hit an all time low in the area where we were, -1 degreesC. The locals couldn't believe we were crazy enough to camp, but if you have the right gear it is fine. Or the right escape route! (is yours a hotel in the area?)

-5degC (23 degF) frost here this morning, a great low to finish off the week's temperature checks for W's school maths! And exciting as wasn't sure the car was going to start ;)



But a lovely sunny day in compensation...just right for ridding my head of essay madness. I hand it in today, a completed and pretty good (I think) essay. Phew. I am working on the presentation now and think that should go OK too so long as I can get powerpoint to do its thing, (can't I just use an OHP...that would be more interesting at least, especially for the younger audience members).

Book haul!

A Pagan Place
Girls in their Married Bliss both by Edna O'Brien
Sam Hunt: Collected Poems by Sam Hunt (iconic NZ poet)
A Bend in the River
An Area of Darkness both by VS Naipaul
Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis
The New Rulers of the World by John Pilger
...8 books for $14

And from the library, as 8 is not enough:
The Free by Will Vlautin (which I have already started) FINISHED (how did I find the time with a presentation to prepare for tomorrow, I hear you ask? I had to, it was that good)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
The First Bad Man by Miranda July

So let's see, I do my presentation on Tuesday, then have 5 weeks or so off. I think I can do it!!

Hi Megan - de-lurking for what I've just realised is the first time in ages. Good haul! Reminded me I need to pick up a copy of Girls in their married bliss - I've just finished Girl with Green eyes which is a 1001er - that I didn't realise was the middle one of the trilogy till after. Have you read the others? Absolutely not necessary for the middle one - I don't think I'll go back to the first but I will read Married Bliss I think.

That came out a lot more convoluted than intended...

Good luck for Tuesday with the presentation - you will rock it :)

^ i have not read any of hers ever! But I do have The Country Girls in the pile and I love the retro covers I have scored with this trio!
(will edit with pics)


Not sure is A Pagan Place is part of the trilogy or not?

Happy Weekend, Megan! I hope all is well!

Good book haul! I could NOT finish The First Bad Man but I did love Housekeeping.

Megan, HOORAY for the 5 weeks free from essays!!!!
I don't think that A Pagan Place is part of the trilogy..... )Country Girls. Lonely Girls, *GitMB*). I read them so long ago that nothing remains but a happy memory. I'll have to try again before I die!

#164 Much better than my cover - it was awful! Lonely girls is the middle one but sometimes called Girl with green eyes - just had to google that because I was getting thoroughly confused.

Wow, Megan ... 5 weeks ... what will you do with all that time? ;-)

Doing anything fun this weekend?

>165 msf59: I know about you and The First Bad Man, Mark..I am interested to see how I go with it. Apparently Lorde (kiwi singer) is a "friend" of the author, so of course highly recommends her and her work.

>166 LizzieD: they are all fairly little books so maybe they are just one big novel?
In my semester break I aims to get some jobs done...curtain rings need replacing, toy box needs a good dung out... You know, boring stuff like that which I will see if I can muster up some enthusiasm for later on.

>167 BekkaJo: I am not really a series reader, per se. Probably because I equate series's (!!!) with current authors where I read mainly older ones. But I am not going to shy away, the low page numbers in each one will make it easy to start them anyhow!

>168 cameling: what will i do? See my message directed at Peggy ;) boring stuff, and If I do all that stuff fast, I will read my 8 + 3 books as well! And maybe even some preparation reading for the next course.
Eta. And this weekend? It's a long weekend here, Queen's birthday. So in the morning I will go to uni and finish reparing and practising my presentation and then in the afternoon it is to the beach with friends for a winter walk with the kids.

>161 LovingLit: I am a sad puppy cause i would love to have temps like that again - really need to get out of Auckland ..... Nice book haul - Have you read/listened to Sam Hunt before ?

Nice books! I enjoyed O'Brien's autobiography when I read it earlier in the year. I'd wondered if her novels had dated, as some of her comments about how risque they were found in Ireland seemed like they were published hundreds of years ago, not fifty.

>170 roundballnz: a good frost is great...the beautiful clear and sunny day that follows it is fantastic. We are on our 3 rd in a row now. It's what I like about winter.

>171 charl08: I am wondering how risqué they will be now too. The nudes othe fronts better not be the most saucy aspect! Lol.

>160 LovingLit: Ha! We were warm enough. The only problem was that 1 am toilet run... Soooo Cold! We had fun, but Eli let us know afterward that he would definitely prefer camping in the summer. Me too, Eli. Me too. It is now time to cross fingers and toes and pray for a sunny day. I have a lot of muddy camping gear and clothing to wash.

>162 LovingLit: Book Haul!!!

>173 nittnut: I like your style, camping in the chill. YOLO (I just learned that that means "you only live once"....I also realise that saying that makes me sound very old, even though I am still in my 30s for another few months!!)

The book haul/library haul is going well. I read The Free on the tram with Lenny, then while W was out at a birthday party, and then in teh bath in the evening, and then to its completion in bed (by forcing my eyes to stay open as I had to finish it). I am pretty impresed with myself for doing a book in a day and a half!

Now, my presentation. I realy must get back to preparing for that, it is tomorrow!!! I have the slides all set, and just need to read it out loud to myself to see how it rolls out.

Good luck on the presentation!
I don't love YOLO - my teenager says that AT me with great sarcasm whenever I am preventing him doing something he really wants to...

Are you having cake for the Queen's (not) birthday? We are, but only because Margo wanted to bake and I didn't want her to and then she said we had to because it was the Queen's birthday, and I really didn't have a response for that. I mean, other than NO. Which seemed silly in the end. Bake away darling, bake away.

>172 LovingLit: I am still kind of boggled by the fact her parents tried to kidnap her when she decided to have a relationship with someone they didn't approve of. (Sings theme tune to 'A Different World')

>175 nittnut: lol at yolo ;)
That is something I can see my own offspring doing. Mr smarty pants 6 year old is heading that ways already. I explain about him to people by saying that he is resistant to traditional disciplinary techniques. I never could get him to do much more than eat his dinner without a massive intellectual argument ensuing. Maybe he will be a lawyer...

>176 charl08: *oh my eyes* was that a spoiler by any chance?
Different worlds are everywhere, I have found. Or do I mean that different worlds exist inside peoples heads...different world views...eg, in my world it would be unthinkable to have a baby and then when it s 2 weeks old, go to another country to study for a year. But that is what someone in my class is doing, wow! Her family is there, looking after the baby, but that would never happen in my culture. It is fascinating.
I'll let you know how I go with The Country Girls when I read it!

>177 LovingLit: As it happened over 50 years ago, can't I claim the 'spoilers are out of date' escape clause? No? Oh dear...

Good luck on your presentation today, Megan!

>178 charl08: I forgive you ;)
I have already forgotten what you said. I order to be able to read the book, I have decided to!

>179 kidzdoc: thank you so much Darryl! And you being just out of hospital too... Thank you.
It went well, I think, the lecturer stated after the 6 presentations that everyone did VERY well. And that she was very happy with the level of quality from the presenters. All good news! Clearly you guys wil be the first to see my happy dance if one is warranted.

>180 LovingLit: are we talking jabberwocky here? cause I will be impressed ..... sounds like today went very well then:)

^ is jabberwocky a dance?? It made me think of chewbacca...maybe it was the wocky/wookie thing! I'm sure I can learn to jabberwocky in no time! *ahem* Course I can...

>182 LovingLit: Jabberwocky dance also known as Futterwacken as made famous by the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland ... still drawing blanks? then try youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6wBV4AB7CQ

hooooly moly, that is one special dance there :)

Holy Holy Moly Moly! Never saw that before!!
Hi, Megan. Glad to hear the presentation deserves celebration. I hope you did!

>185 LizzieD: my YouTube viewing is severely hamper on two fronts. One, the iPad now doesn't have capability to upgrade to keep up with you tube...and two, our desktop is practically hampster-powered so doesn't view well either. But the iPad showed me some jerky snippets of the jabberwocky, so I saw enough.
No results yet on the presentation, but I felt it went pretty well.

Further to >162 LovingLit: I now have a few more library books to turn my attention to. I am 100 pages or so into Ghettoside by Jill Leovy. And it is...wow. Hard to put down. I also got out Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut, seeing as Slaughterhouse Five was so solidly worth it (I admired Vonnegut's distinct voice). Also, I picked up a free book at the staff / post-grad lounge book exchange, seeing as I donated about ten books initially I feel safe to take one every now and then. I got John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead.
Eta: oh, and I also got Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin from the library.

I am really going to town with the whole uni break thing!

Enjoy your uni break, well deserved relaxation. I thought Ghettoside was impressive, look forward to hearing more of what you think.

^ aaah, it must have been you who recommended it on your thread. I know I heard about it here somewhere. It is fantastic, and so much more than what you hear on the news....

Enjoy the break! :) I am sure the presentation will get high marks as usual.

^ I am already obsessively checking my uni emails to see about results....of course, it is too soon. It always is ;)

>184 LovingLit: tis very unique - just the thing to take minds of ... results & emails :)

>183 roundballnz: Awesome.

Oh dear.
Started The country Girls last night, am nearly done with Ghettoside (which is incredible, and incredibly good) and have stalled half way through The Human Stain. Thinking of starting the most recent Bridget Jones book by Helen Fielding as some sort of antidote to the serious reading I have been doing lately. And, am still reading This Changes Everything.
Too much on my plate, but luckily no university reading yet to add to it all ;)

Happy Weekend, Megan! I have an audio copy of Ghettoside saved. I saw her on a talk show, a few months ago and the book sounded fascinating. Glad you are enjoying it.

>191 roundballnz: johnny Depp is one cool cat, that is for sure.

>192 EBT1002: sure is, huh. I have not seen that film yet, am thinking its not suitable for a 6 year old though

>194 msf59: hi Mark, just finished Ghettoside last night. Wow. I'd say with your love of NNF it'll be right up your alley. The Country Girls, great though it is, could not keep my eyes open last night. In fact, I very nearly lost it to the bath water!!

And for today....
Return the 3 John Wayne DVD set to the library...W liked it but the quality was very low. Scratchy and low audio for a start. While I am there I resolve NOT to get ANY more books for moi. Not one. In fact, I might take one of my own to read there just so my eyes are occupied.
Also, I shall create a fabulous dinner from not much food, as grocery shopping can wait for now.

So... how many books did you get?

^ I haven't gone yet. And oh, how little faith you have in me ;) I was just resolving over on Ilanas thread to make sure to read the ones I have first. See how hard I am trying!!?

Delurking to say Hi! Congrats on the many A's--whoohoo! Hope you enjoy your break and I will be on the lookout for more excellent book reviews. And your final verdict on Vlautin--is a new favorite author or not?! : )

^ argh, I was just posing on your thread! Hehe. I still have to read Lean on Pete before making my decision on upping Vlautin to the ranks of "favourite author" status, I'd say he might be though.

Ha! Tag you are it! No, wait. Am I it? I am so confused. Let's just keep reading, shall we? : )

#193 Roth is somewhat of an acquired taste isn't he?

Hope it's not too chilly at your end of the world.

>195 LovingLit: I passed on the Ghettoside recommendation to our true crime aficionado daughter, Megan. Sure looks like a good one.

>201 Berly: ok, I'm good with that :) *read on*

>202 BekkaJo: I thought I'd acquired a taste for him, and I do like his writing. But I know that it's not enough when I am not picking it up at any opportunity like I am other books.
And weather wise? We face an unseasonably warm day today...and for that I am happy as the kids are at school/kindergarten and I am indulging in brunch with a friend for her birthday.

>203 jnwelch: I was surprised to see it just sitting there at the library, with no one grabbing at it in a frenzy ;) You should see me at a book sale when I see one I am hankering for....
I hope your daughter likes it, I reckon she will.

Book Haul
36. Netherland by Joseph O'Neill $5
37. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami $4
38. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain $4
And as a gift Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (Penguin orange cover) $3

I went looking for the second one in the Country Girls series by Edna OBrien, since I finished that today and felt like heading straight into the next one. Seeing as I was unable to buy it and complete my series....I started library book The First Bad Man instead which is exceedingly kooky, and not necessarily in a good way. I shall press on though. it's kind of like watching a train wreck actually...

Book 26
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy (319p)

This book being so new, I was surprised to see it just sitting there on the library shelf waiting to be plucked off by anyone. I was the lucky so and so who managed to nab it, and I did the library patrons a favour by returning it within a few days, so someone else could have the privilege.

When you hear about the 'gang problem' in LA, you might think like I used to. That people in certain neighbourhoods just live a certain way, that whole families are dysfunctional and that there is no hope. But this book goes behind the few headlines of any media reports that ever tried to explore what is going on in South Central LA. It all tales place in the late 2000s and the focus is on one precinct's homicide detective team. These guys are the good guys. They care about solving crimes, the gang-related drive-by shootings, that no one else seems to care about. And this is the main point from the book: that if more of these murders were solved, the murder rate would diminish. The idea being that it is the lack of tangible justice in the gang areas that promotes vigilante justice. This justice is not to be confused with street drug busts, gun confiscations or police harassment of gang members, it is the solving of murders.

This is a sad read, even with the good guy homicide detectives on the cases- they are overwhelmed and under-resourced, on a day to day basis they are faced with dead kids (aged 13- adulthood), grieving families and terrified witnesses. But the good that they can do is emphasised, and it gives us hope. I got the feeling that the uniformed LAPD officers got off lightly in this book. A few times their 'culture' and attitude towards gangs and certain neighbourhoods was mentioned, and then left alone. Maybe that is a whole new book. Overall, this book was fascinating and it unfolded beautifully and cleverly.

>198 LovingLit: Bahaha! It's just that books leap off shelves and attach themselves to you and you have to take them home. They cry so when you leave them.

BOOK 27
The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien

This novella is one I have had for a few years. I purchased it online and being disappointed in its condition upon arrival I let it sit and gather dust for a year or two. But then at a recent book sale I picked up one of the sequels to it which kick-started me. Plus, it is so little, I knew I could bookhorn it in :)

It is the story of 14 year old Caithleen, Irish country girl. She is growing up, which is hurried along by a bereavement. Also, she has a best friend who is downright mean and who specialises in cutting remarks. But they muddle through adolescence and end up receiving education in a nunnery, which is held as an ideal in 1950s Catholic Ireland. This story traces their lives and loves to the age of 18 or so, and is laced with seedier aspects on the flipside of a conservative society. It is written in a voice that really takes you back to being young and unsure of what life holds for you.

>206 LovingLit: hey now, don't be hasty. That book was one I got last week. My trip yesterday was kids only :)
I had my blinkers on, that's for sure.
Today however is a different story (see my mini book haul >205 LovingLit:)

On with my next book....and I have to say I love the phrase I heard one reviewer use from the book page: "strenuously quirky". It reads so far as affected kookiness. I am pushing on though, and should be finished in a day or two with a proper assessment opinion. :)

Great review of Ghettoside! I better move this one up the audio stacks.

Hooray for Murakami!

Netherland did not work for me, as well as it did for others.

I will balance Mark's comment and say that I really liked Netherland :) I think I liked it more after I finished it and digested it a bit than while actually reading it...

>211 msf59: I started Norwegian Wood while on holiday 7 years ago and had to give it back when we all left. And now finally I have my own copy to read. Of course, I will have to start again, no ones memory is that good!

>212 katiekrug: I'm all for balanced reporting! Thanks :)
This was the most expensive of my 2nd hand books but I took a chance as I liked the cover and also the idea of cricket being played in NYC. No one ever accused me of being rational ;)

>206 LovingLit: Got me with that one. I've never heard of it but it sounds like a good read.

^bb, fair and square ;)
It is really a societal commentary, focussing on race and crime. Man, it was great. I am thinking should I up-grade it to a 5?

I'll be interested to hear what you think of Norwegian Wood, Megan. It's not my favorite of his, but it was his first big hit in Japan.

I haven't yet read Norwegian Wood but I keep telling myself I should get a copy of it. This is yet another nudge and I've place myself on the wait list at the library. So thanks for the nudge, Megan.

>216 jnwelch: when I get around to it, Joe, I will let you know! It has waited 7 years, and I fear it may have to wait a little longer yet.

>217 cameling: I like my copy too. It is pretty. I mean, who would buy anything less than pretty....ok...pretty functional is good too, but pretty functional and pretty pretty is just the perfect combo

I finished The First Bad Man last night after putting in an hour in the bath, then another hour or so in bed. I am that dedicated :)
And I have to say that I was really only reading it to completion so that I could say with certainty that I did not like it. But then, I started to like it. It took about 2/3 of the book of not liking it before my opinion changed, and that first 2/3 did do some damage, but I ended up liking the main character! This may shock some people, as Cheryl is a whacked out kook-ball with a very odd way of interacting with people. She has some unorthodox methods for sexual gratification, but who am I to judge? (maybe I have too, to some people)
The problems I had with the first sections of the book were almost all to do with the manufactured quirkiness of the prose, and the physical-fighting-for-arousal stuff the main character engaged in. But then it turned to a story with a different focus and I became engaged. That surprised me, and I am still quite confused about my overall feelings on the book. But...Far from being a waste of my time, it was thought provoking and it kept me reading.

I enjoyed your thoughts on The First Bad Man and I am glad it got better in the later going but I gave up about a third of the way in. That was enough for me, but there is no question July has talent.

^ right on Mark. It was only my fear of abandoning books that kept me going with this one, and that "I can't tear my eyes off of this train wreck" feeling had something to do with it too ;)

BOOK 28
The First Bad Man by Miranda July (274p, tally 6,930)

See >219 LovingLit:. Let's just call that my review, shall I?
In addition though, I am compelled to add that I loved the section on life with a newborn baby. I have not read much else on this topic that really captures the fuzz and fear that one operates under when dealing with a brand new one :)


(edited to obsessively change the star rating from a 2.5 to a 3, and then back again, and again)

Oh, and this morning I took a trip with kids from Lenny's kindergarten to the local library for story time. They were so excited about 'getting out' and making the 500m walk. Seeing as Matariki (Maori new year) comes when a group of stars become visible in the early morning sky, the librarian told a lovely story of the myth regarding how the stars were 'put' in the sky by Tane (god of the forests). They had been practising a Matariki song to sing to the group, and they did very well.
*proud*
How is it that kids are so good at picking up the correct pronunciation of words foreign to them us? The Maori sounds are tricky for people used to using mainly the sounds used in the English language.

I do not remember if you are a Patti Smith fan or not but I am LOVING Just Kids and I think this is just your cuppa. Beautifully done...

>224 msf59: yes, I am a Patti Smith fan! I was just listening to her cover version of that Nirvana song Smells Like Teen Spirit yesterday...and then all of the Horses album. I loved Just Kids, it was a fantastic read.

I completely forgot that you had read Just Kids. Duh! She has a follow-up coming out, right?

I LOVE "Horses". I better dig it out of the stacks.

Megan, I don't suppose you recorded Lenny and his friends singing the Matariki song? I'd love to hear it if you're able to post a link here. :-)

>226 msf59: I don't know about a follow-up to Just Kids, but I'll be seeking out a copy if there is. There is a lot more to know about the woman, I suspect :)

>227 cameling: aw, no. No recording that I know of. Maybe the teachers should record it next time the kids sing it, as they have been singing it each morning and will do so until Matariki (which is, I think, at the end of next week).
Lenny doesn't often join in the songs, but he has started to lately and it is off the cuteness scale for me to hear him belt out a tune. He's not bad either, meaning, he actually holds the tune alright. I also love hearing kids sing who can't hold the tune, that is excellent.

I must away!
My sis and me and our kidlets are trying a night at that little cabin in the forest for the night. One room, 4 kids, 2 adults, no lights or stove or loo. No problem! (right??)
I will take my book, Housekeeping, which my lovely other hopes is a 'how to' manual...but probably have little hope of reading it unless I wait til 9pm, and read by candlelight. If nothing else, it will be a crazy whirlwind! See you on the other side :)

Wow - you are brave! Hope it was great fun :)

Can't wait to hear all about it. Especially the 4 kids and no loo part...

>230 BekkaJo: ha! I just said this very morning to my lovely other, it's never going to be easy so it may as well be fun.

*Ahem* Apart from me getting less than 4 hours sleep that is.....we had loads of fun. They played explorer in the bush, we went on a one and a half hour walk (even Lenny managed that !), we roasted marshmallows on a fire we made in the river bed, played cards and scrabble by the fire. Cool fun.

>231 nittnut: whoops, the no loo part meant no loo inside. There is an open air composting toilet out the back of the hut. A v. narrow path leads to it, hut wall on one side, 5-foot drop off through scrub on the other. The kids climbed down the drop off a few time with a ladder to grt the soccer all, but no one was keen to wander the path in the dark! Luckily 3 out of 4 of the kids are boys so they could 'point and go' somewhere more convenient. :)

You are one brave woman! ----well, you and your sister are two brave women. And I'm sure that you have a couple of very happy boys!! Good for all of you, and welcome back home.
Meanwhile, I'm chortling about Housekeeping being a how-to book. That would be my DH's response too.....poor fellows!

Hi Peggy, our dad is a very adventurous person, so us going to a little hut in the hills is to him a luxury holiday. When we were little we got taken to way out of the way places for our summer holidays. Like the southern side of Stewart Island- we got a ride from a fishing boat as there are no roads there, and then camped in the middle of nowhere for ten days. He dug us a toilet and built a seat over it out of branches. Haha, how cool is that?
Re housekeeping, when I got home yesterday the house was clean and tidy! Maybe he has been reading it?

Time for a new thread methinks!!!
See you there :)