Ireadthereforeiam reads into 2017: Chapter 3

By Colin McCahon, one of NZ's finest artists.

BOOKS COMPLETED 2017

January
1. Amongst Women by John McGahern 184p
2. A Beautiful Young Wife by Tommy Wieringa 123p (Tally 307p)
3. To Die in California by Newton Thornburg 288p (tally 595p) (published 1973)
4. Five Go Parenting by Bruno Vincent (an Enid Blyton spoof) 104p (tally 699p)
5. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton 314p (tally 1014p)
6. The Vegetarian by Han Kang 183p (tally 1,197p)
7. The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church, 333p (tally 1,530p)
8. The Smell of Apples by Mark Behr 200p (tally 1,730p)
9. James K. Baxter Poems By James K. Baxter 103p (tally 1,833p)

February
10. Psychogeography by Will Self NF 255p (tally 2,088p)
11. Jernigan by David Gates 339p (tally 2,427p)
12. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit NF, Essays 130p (tally 2,557p)
13. A Boy's Own Story By Edmund White 249p (tally 2,806p)
14. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman 363p (tally 3,169p)
Discursive Psychology by Derek Edwards NF Introduction and chapter 1, 35p (tally 1,204p)

March
15. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin Short Stories 399p (tally 1,603p)
16. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan 194p (tally 1,797p)

April
17. Explain Pain by David Butler and Dr. Lorimer Moseley, illustrated by Sunyata NF 133p (tally 1,930p)
18. The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Short Story 17p (tally 1,947)
19. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett 143p (tally 2,090)
20. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf NF 112p (tally 2,202p)

2017 Films
1. Paterson
2. Sing
3. Hidden Figures
4. Boss Baby

Also, I am heading into the BOND films, having just bought many of them on VCR. I printed myself off a list and an checking them off. I have decided to go for Roger Moores' Bonds first :) It is proving hilarious. In this round I have so far watched:

-The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
-Moonraker (1979)
-A View to a Kill (1985)
-The man with the Golden Gun (1974)
-Live and Let Die (1973)
-For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The only Roger Moore Bond film I have left to see is Octopussy (1983). I might go to The Connery ones next, chronologically.

BOOKS PURCHASED/ACQUIRED
1. The Smell of Apples by Mark Behr $6 (2nd hand)
2. Last Orders by Graham Swift $7.25 (new)
3. there is one more, I can't remember it! (what is the world coming to!!??)
4. Old Devils by Kingsley Amis &16.25 (new, an impulse book deep buy)
5. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (gift from neighbour)
6. Ravelstein by Saul Bellow (gift from mum) CURRENTLY READING
7. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (gift from Chatterbox/Suz)
8. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett (gift from Nittnut/Jenn)
9. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf $11 (new)

In other news: Lenny is growing up and had written his first masterpiece, to the tooth fairy :)

Safe to come in? Happy New Thread, and go Lenny :)

Happy New Thread, Megan. Great day for starting a new one. Love those toppers.

And- Go Lenny!!

Currently reading:


A Manual for Cleaning Women, Dining on Stones and Discursive Psychology

>5 lunacat: >6 msf59: First and second place gone!! Nice one guys:)
Nice of you to drop by.

The topper is 8 unstretched jute canvases mounted on plywood, called Landscape theme and variations (series B), (1963). Cool huh!!??

That is very cool. My mum and I saw an art installation in Copenhagen that was old coffee sacks, absolutely covering the outside of a huge building, that had arrived from the Caribbean during the peak of the slave trade, and they all had a different slave plantations name on. Very touching in a weird way.

In other (other) news, today is the 5th and final one day international cricket match between NZ and South Africa. It is 2 each so far, and we are hoping for a repeat of the match the other day when kiwi boy Martin Guptill scored 180 runs not out! I just happened to be at a friends house after yoga and caught the last of that match, it was awesome, he hit something like 11 sixes! (that is when you smash the ball out of the ground).


Edited to add a translation of the words on the image:
Man of the match= self-explanatory
180* = 180 runs scored, and batsman not out (runs scored by hitting ball and running between wickets at each end of pitch, or by hitting a 'boundary'....if the ball touches the ground between the wicket and the boundary it is 4 runs, if the ball goes over in one hit , that is 6 runs)
(138)= he scored the runs from facing 138 balls, i.e. the bowler bowled to him 138 times.
4th ODI= 4th One Day International = the 4th time these two teams have played each other in a one day game
There, clear as mud!?

>9 lunacat: that does sound interesting. I love the innovative ways that artists have of getting us to think about things.

>10 LovingLit: well, we are less than 20 minutes into the match, and Guptill has already got out. So, my wishes are well and truly dashed for this particular player to be the saviour of this match!
*sigh*
Will have to rely on the other 10 players ;)

Happy new thread!

Have to jump in and support a fellow cricket lover, Megan! Happy new thread.
Shame about Gupthill but it was an obvious kiss of death to post about him just before he went to the crease!

>13 drneutron: thanks Dr. N! This thread may well last me til August, such will be my busy-ness in these next few months. If I don't see you in the mean time, have a good Summer!!

>14 PaulCranswick: I know. It is all my fault :(
No my hopes are pinned on the tail-enders to make the day. This is not a good strategy!!

>14 PaulCranswick: but surely not the rest of them ....abysmal performance

Happy new thread!! And thanks for >10 LovingLit:. I am still lost. But cheering for your guy! Wait, no, he's out. Cheering for your team!! : )

>10 LovingLit: explanation of cricket stats made me laugh: so much needed!

Happy new thread. That pic of L makes me smile. A happy chap.

>16 roundballnz: I'll take credit for ruining Guptill's performance, but I cannot be responsible for them all? We had to go out shortly after we were 80-something for 6. It sounds just as well, as the total was not great.

>17 Berly: thanks for your support! We might just have to write this match off though, it is NOT going well.

>18 charl08: he is a happy chap. In between his mega-tantrums, which I usually know are over when he says that actually, no- he won't be moving to Afghanistan. He'll stay here with us for a little longer. ;)
Cricket can flummox the best of us! It has a lot of odd terms, like googlie, yorker, silly mid-on, and backward square leg.

Happy new one, Megan and happy weekend. Wonderful topper.

Happy new thread, Megan!

>4 LovingLit: I love that photo of Lenny showing off his missing tooth! And that letter is priceless!

Happy new thread, Megan!

Congrats on the tooth and the lovely note to the Tooth Fairy.

>20 Ameise1: thanks! Off to league pre-season training (or, as I call it, a run around for the kids to maintain the parents' sanity), then a family birthday afternoon tea, then probably the pool wiht the kids, as it is forecast to be hot (29 degC = 85F).

>21 scaifea: thanks A!

>22 cbl_tn: It was priceless when he was so earnestly composing it. Also fun, was seeing W do his first email to his grandad. Grandad had asked him about the distances he ran/swam/cycled in the triathlon he did last week, W replied with the following: I don't know. I'll ask mum *send* Then he asked me and emailed back the distances! It was cute.

>23 karenmarie: Thanks Karen- thought it best to get a new thread up and running before I abandon LT with upcoming study and 2x part time jobs. The next few months is going to be hectic.

Happy new thread Megan my dear, hope you are having a good weekend dear lady. I love your explanation of cricket and Guptill's phenomenal innings, wish we had a consistent striker like him in the England side, sending love and hugs.

Happy new thread, m'dear. Loved the artwork in your topper. A new artist to me, and you inspired me to look up more from him. Particularly liked this one of his:

>24 LovingLit: Sounds like a busy weekend. Enjoy it.

I'm sorry you didn't get your desired results in the cricket match, Megan. When and if I ever get to NZ, I'm counting on you to take me to a cricket match and explain it all to me so I understand it. I kinda-sorta understand bits and pieces but I've never watched a full match to figure out how all the bits and pieces fit together!

>25 johnsimpson: well, the consistency waned this time. He was out for not much at all in the most recent series decider. Ah well, can't have'am all!!

>26 michigantrumpet: ooh that is a nice one. I like his works where he uses text as well as landscape shapes. He is quite the name in NZ art.

>27 Ameise1: It was busy but I like it that way. Free time equals fighting time for my children. ;)

>28 rosalita: Sure! Make sure you visit in summer!
eta: I feel that a day at the cricket, a live match that is, is equally about the camaraderie and the bacon and egg pie as it is the sport. I think its best that way :)

Or maybe that's what your Monday will be for! I hope your Sunday has been fairly kind to you.

>29 LovingLit: I like the idea of any sport that allows for plenty of chat about books between bouts of excitement. :-)

>29 LovingLit: Definitely needs food. My dad's allotment is next to a cricket ground and they combined a beer festival and friendly recently. Great weekend.

Happy new thread, Megan, those landscapes by Colin McCahon are beautiful!

Hi!

>30 lunacat: that is what I tell my lovely other! I don't think he believes me.

>31 rosalita: exactly! Every sport needs built in reading time I reckon.

>32 charl08: that is perfect! I usually try to make a bacon and egg pie to take in and enjoy. Sometimes it draws a crowd!

>33 FAMeulstee: They are lovely aren't they? I need to source you a pic of the landscapes they are modeled on, they are pretty cool too

>34 Berly: a mantra is always good!

Work Log

Job two: day one: good to be back to complete the job that I started. Which is....to research and write a set of careers resources for my university's careers department. 9 subjects were completed in the last few months of 2016, and more funding was found to get me back to finish off the job. I have ten hours a week until the end of May to do it. 4 more sheets to do from scratch, and all graduate profiles for exisiting sheets. I can do this!!

Job one: week 4: didn't lose (mis-code) any data today in my research analyst role. That is good.

Study: week 1 Managed to get myself an office space! A desk, and a computer to use all to myself!!! I have waited years for this. Never mind that it is only for a few months, as part-timers are the first to go when the department merges with another one (durn Department of Environmental Management are moving in....which the Department of Tourism, Sport and Society are not happy about....politics etc). But for now? Its mine, and I intend to use it this Wednesday from 9am til 7pm. That's right, all the live long day (until yoga at 7.15pm).

Parenting: week 442: lovely other has the kids at the pool again to take advantage of the warm weather. So good, I can now prepare dinner un-interrupted.

Summary: success!

Hi Megan, and happy new thread to you! LOVE the Lenny photo and note. My brother accidentally threw a tooth away after he lost it at lunch at school. My mom suggested he write the tooth fairy a note, which is now framed and hanging on a wall in her house: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my tooth in the trash."

Glad you have so many wins - have you located the secrets of time travel to fit all these things in?!

>37 AMQS: aw that is so cool that the note is hanging up. Sweet :)
I had to console Lenny with the story that I had lost one of my teeth as well. For me it was while I was fossicking about for a little box to put the tooth in, I was looking amongst a barrel of cardboard boxes and other stuff that we kept for doing crafty projects. Me and mum emptied it the whole thing out but for the life of us could not find it! The tooth fairy was obliging though, and coughed up the cash. Probably only 50c or something back in the early 80s!!

>38 charl08: Time travel no. Coffee yes :) My secret weapon!
I managed alright today, usually do if the kids play ball. It is when they kick up a stink and fight the whole morning that I feel defeated before I have even started work. That flat out sucks. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

Megan--Work Log looks highly successful for the first day. Enjoy your very own office space and may it prove wildly productive for you!

>40 Berly: I am hoping it will be productive. Every second Wednesday I will have a whole day to do university stuff. I am so excited to have a whole day to myself to knuckle down- we are talking 9am to 7pm here, and then yoga at the uni rec centre. It is going to be a day I look forward to. I will no doubt be the first one moved out of ht office space as there other department moves in, but by then I will have forged allegiances and will hopefully be able to wrangle myself a desk-sharing partner. I only want the one day, after all. ;)

>36 LovingLit: I love that log, Megan. I do hope it will a regular feature as:

1 It will be entertaining for sure; and
2 You have a lot of pals here genuinely wishing you well and cheering you on.

Hurrah for a successful day! You certainly have your hands full, but I hope it continues to go smoothly :)

Hey busy lady! Looks like you've adapted to juggling quite well!! Still, you must be an exhausted mummy at times. But, you know, kids make it all worthwhile!

Way to go, Lenny!! What a milestone!

Happy Monday!

>36 LovingLit: "Like!" This all sounds very positive, Megan. Great to hear.

>42 PaulCranswick: well, I do like my lists, but I can't promise it as a regular feature. I think it will be all I can do to pop in from time to time and see who has visited! (I am catastrophising, I know, who knows- it could all work out fine!!??)

>43 lunacat: Thanks! I hope for smoothness too :) I think I am OK at keeping busy, it is just if any of the parts that make up the whole get stressful, I wouldn't be able to sustain the levels of evergy required to keep the machine running (if you know what I mean). *fingers crossed*

>44 Carmenere: in fairness this week is the first week of having the two part time roles and the study. I am using this week to test how it all goes and see how organised I can be, in the hope that it all make things run smoothly. I am all enthusiasm so far- we'll see how long that lasts!!

>45 ChelleBearss: thanks Chelle! I have yoga tomorrow, and by then Monday will be but a memory :) (it already is actually as it was yesterday!!!)

>46 jnwelch: thanks Joe. It was a productive day yesterday. Today, wearing my research analyst cap, I found that my brain was on a go-slow. Which I blame entirely on a lack of coffee (where was Joe's Cafe when I needed you?). I also discovered the following about myself: I talk to myself when the boss leaves the office!!! he he.

Presently I am kicking myself for forgetting a classic Wilburism that I was foolish enough not to write down. Duh!


(eta: found a better gif!!!)

>48 LovingLit: I hope it comes back to you, Megan. We do like your Wilburisms around here. :-)

Howdy, Megan. I wanna hear a Wilburism! I wanna hear a Wilburism!

Getting any pleasure reading in?

>48 LovingLit: hehe, great gif, Megan! I'm with Mark: I wanna hear a Wilburism! Did you remember yet, did you? did you? did you?

Here's takeaway, in case you need it, Megan:

>49 rosalita: >50 msf59: >51 lit_chick: boo hoo, it's gone from my mind. Perhaps for ever. I will just have to wait for a new one, and so will you. Only, this time I will write it down instead of relying on my memory.

>52 jnwelch: awesome, just what I needed!!! A cuppa Joe ;)

Happy newish thread, Megan - I am late. Love the topper. And Lenny!!! How adorable is he?! His note to the tooth fairy is wonderful - thanks so much for sharing it on my thread. It made me smile BIG. Sounds like you have your hands full right now, but I am very happy about the desk and the entire day you are getting on Wednesdays. Hoping you get to keep it.

>54 Crazymamie: desk day rules :)
Had it all day yesterday, took in a free lunch, and visited the careers fair, partly to put my face in as a careers employee and partly to get all the free stuff.
- highlighter
- pencil
- novelty pen/carabiner
- 3x blue ball point pens
- 1x black ball point pen
- 1 bag
- 1 notebook
- 1 cookie
- 1 container of mints

:) Free stuff rules.

Ooh. Free swag. Good stuff.

>55 LovingLit:, Hi Megan, great haul my dear, you're a lady after my own heart. When we took Amy to University open days so she could have a look around and chat to tutors etc to see which she fancied I made sure I got some of the freebies on offer, pens, pencils, highlighters etc. All this was ideal as I love my stationery and being an avid user and collector of Fountain pens.

>56 charl08: I'm certainly a fan!!

>57 johnsimpson: I think a lot of people go for the free stuff (not to uni, but to the expos and fairs they host). It was to the point yesterday that stall holders accosted pen-grabbers and made them listen to a spiel before letting them have the loot!

I remembered the Wilburism! I remembered the Wilburism!!!

We were at the neighbours for a potluck dinner in the weekend, there was a Canadian couple there whose dish was chips, gravy and cheese all cooked/grilled together. Wilbur was watching the chips sitting on the bench - probably imagining eating them, when they started pouring gravy over them. His eyebrows shot up, and he said with disdain:

Well, I'm not going to sit here and watch you do that to chips.

And walked off.
Everyone laughed, and the Canadians conceded that other NZers had expressed surprise at gravy and cheese being added to chips :) It was so funny!!!

Eta: the dish is called Poutine (/puːˈtiːn/; Québec French: put͡sɪn. And "is a Canadian dish, originating in the province of Québec, made with French fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy." This according to Wikipedia :)

My cup runneth over!
Books 5, 6, and 7 for the year have arrived in my house, all of them gifts.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (gift from neighbour who when I offered her some books immediately gave me one....I guess being a book magnet has its uses!)
Ravelstein by Saul Bellow (gift from mum)....and....

City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan, a lovely gift posted to me all the way from Chatterbox/Suz (did I mention yet how much I love LT and all the thoughtful and kind people that populate it?).

>59 LovingLit: Oh, Wilbur! I LOVE IT!! He and Charlie would make fast friends, I think.

>59 LovingLit: Thank you Megan (and especially Wilbur) for making me laugh out loud this morning! That was well worth waiting for! (And psst, Wilbur: poutine is divine!)

Hello, Megan!

>59 LovingLit: HA Love the Wilburism! I was wondering when you said chips if that is the same as french fries. Chips here are the baked potato snack


Poutine is one of my favourite foods, but only when the gravy tastes right. Weak gravy can ruin a good poutine!
When we lived in Nova Scotia there was a restaurant that we loved that served a lobster poutine with fries, lobster sauce, and cheese curds. It was amazing!!

Well, I'm not going to sit here and watch you do that to chips. Ha! Love it!

Oh, I'm with Wilbur. Local fish and chip places here offer curry sauce, which to my mind is Just Wrong.

>61 scaifea: The Wilburism came to me when my sister as describing her daughter's comment. She had had to tag along with her mother on an errand and when they left the office, my niece said- "well, that's 4 minutes of my life I'll never get back". (!!!) Of course, her mother says things like that from time to time :)

>62 rosalita: he does come up with some doozies from time to time. Most kids do, I have found. I was just glad to remember it, as at the time I was convinced it was the funniest thing I had heard him say.

>63 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!!! *off to visit the acre to see about news*

>64 ChelleBearss: We use the word chips for both crisps and French fries- which sometimes we qualify by saying "fish-and-chips chips". Confuddling huh!? I will have to seek our some quality poutine when in Canada (one day, I hope).

>65 jnwelch: He was pretty unhappy with the gravy-on-chips thing, that is for sure. Talk about no filter.

>66 charl08: I'm with you, although....I have been known to dip a chip into gravy, I would never advocate pouring it over. I also can't abide by cheese being melted onto a plate of chips. It's just not on IMO ;)

>60 LovingLit: Yah, for City of Secrets, O' Nan, Suzanne and other wonderful LT friends. This is an enchanting place.

"Well, I'm not going to sit here and watch you do that to chips." That is great! Go Wilbur! Go Wilbur! Glad you remembered it.

Sorry notsorry I love chips and gravy! Or cheese on chips, especially with bacon too. :)

>68 msf59: >69 msf59: LT friends are the bomb :) I hope Samsung didn't see me write that. *are they watching us??* ;)

>70 drneutron: I tried the poutine, and I wasn't turned off it! So maybe my old taste buds can adapt after all. Back when I was a regular at KFC, I used to love dipping the chips (French fries) into the gravy from the mashed potato. It's just like sauce really, only non-tomatoey. ;)

Cheesy chips are a regular treat when we take the horses to events! High carbs mixed with fat, dairy and protein? Yes please! I'm a weirdo and especially love cheesy chips drowned in vinegar. It's an absolute delight :).

>72 lunacat: huh. Interesting There's no accounting for taste I suppose! ;)
When I used to go to a friend's house as a kid regularly on fish and chip night (coincidence? I think not) they used to have a dish of vinegar to dip chips in. I though it was the weirdest thing ever. I guess I was a sheltered child in ways I have never considered til now!!!

Hi Megan!

I love the Wilburism!

I also consider chips - known as fries here in the US, of course - to be an excuse for ketchup. Onion rings, too, an excuse for ketchup.

But soldier on - poutine, cheesy chips, and etc. My husband loves chili cheese fries.

>73 LovingLit: & >74 karenmarie:

I consider chips as solely a vehicle for vinegar, much in the same way as they are for ketchup for you, Karen. I love vinegar - my best friend often asks if I'm enjoying the side of chips that has come with my main dish of vinegar. It's the only way I can eat chips because............shocking confession here............I don't like potatoes. Even in chip form.

>74 karenmarie: My favourite thing to do with chips (French fries) is to insert a layer of them into my burger. Our local fish and chip shop (every suburb has at least three of these) does fat chips, and they act almost as a hash brown layer in my delicious cheese burger. So good!!

>75 lunacat: I find that crisps, or chips as we confusingly call them, are simply a vehicle for getting as much dip in as possible :) We have a DELICIOUS dip here which you make by combining a tin of reduced cream with a packet of Maggi dried onion soup (powder). You mix them up, add a squeeze of lemon juice- or vinegar!!- and refrigerate. It is all I can do to not just eat the dip with a spoon :)

I'm with Wilbur on the chips and gravy. Ewwww! The cheese is okay, even better with bacon bits. Yummmm…but just no on the gravy. Your Lenny is adorable. I loved the reading pics on FB, too. These kids are growing up too fast. Sounds like Mom is keeping pretty busy these days. Yay on the freebies at work and double-yay on the office and computer. Hope you are having a bit of rest this weekend, Megan.

>77 Donna828: Hi Donna!
It was so funny to see him react to the gravy with such horror. He wasn't about to stick around and see his favourite food ruined.
This weekend I worked Sat morning (this morning) and went with the lovely other and kids to the Armageddon Expo, a comi-con style epos with booths, more free stuff (!!), displays and *eurgh* wrestling. I liked the people in cool costumes and the Storm Troopers from Star Wars :). Thi skids liked booing the baddies in the 'wrestling'....I declined to partake in that. Tomorrow we might hit the indoor pool, as the outdoor one will be too cold.

Glad you remembered the Wilburism! Too funny. But I have to kinda agree--I enjoy cheese on the chips, but I an not so sure about gravy. Yay for the free book supplies. And the book haul!! Which one are you going to read first?

Loving the hot chips stories ....

Chips & gravy are just the best - Poutine done well is even better

Wilbur is funny chap

>79 Berly: Which one am I going to read first? One of the 200 other books I have yet to read here, or, one of my shiny new ones....hm...you can tell which direction I will go it right!? Wilbur's aversion to gravy on chips is a simple case of exposure. Im convinced that if he had only ever seen chips/gravey, he would freak out upon seeing gravey-less chips!

>80 roundballnz: He is a serious chap, who can be hilarious without knowing it!! We went to the Armageddon Expo this afternoon, and he was seriously into booing the baddies at the wrestling! I was happy to go look around the booths during that particular display...

>81 LovingLit: Choices, choices...the problem of a true book addict. And you are probably right about the exposure thing. So think carefully what you want to show him now!! ; )

I am unsurprisingly very fond of chips. My Belgian friends will not allow me to refer to them as French Fries as they firmly hold the French had nothing to do with their creation.

Chip butties (basically chips in a bread cake that has been buttered) are hugely popular in the North of England. I like my Fish and Chips and can attest and confirm that there are several good ones in Christchurch as we sampled one that was simply splendid. It was close to the Top Ten holiday park we stayed at, adjacent to a supermarket.

My absolute favourite is chips and curry sauce. It is a favourite in England, especially on the right side of Birmingham and also in Belgium and Holland. This is from a street vendor in Amsterdam.



Have a great weekend, Megan.

Your thread is making me hungry!! Mmmmmm!!
I think I'll pass on Paul's curry sauce on fries but give me gravy & cheese, or even just fries with mayo on the side
*scurries off to find snack

So glad you remembered the Wilburism, 'cause that was hilarious!

We made a point of trying poutine when we went to Quebec a few years ago. We ate it twice -- once in Quebec City-- a dish so glorious we still think about it, and once in our hotel in Montreal where it was bad enough we'd never have tried it again if we hadn't had the first experience!

>82 Berly: I ended up going with the book Suz sent me, City of Secrets by Steward O'Nan. And right there on the first page it says the main fella is Latvian. Like me! Good choice!

>83 PaulCranswick: That actually looks quite appealing!! I like a good curry. And the curry powder flavour reminds me of my childhood, the 80s, when curry powder was big :)

>84 ChelleBearss: me too! That reminds me, I haven't had breakfast. Maybe we will pick up some fish-and-chips chips for lunch when we are out today to see Lenny's school Garden Club exhibition

>85 AMQS: Poutine, its not a dish I had imagined let alone eaten!! I will try it again as it was intended though, with the cottage cheese topping. Or is it cheese curd...

>86 LovingLit: And you get points for doing a challenge with that one. :) Good move.

Happy Sunday, Megan.

>59 LovingLit: Megan, I loved the Wilburism! I was reading down the thread thinking "But what about chips and KFC potato and gravy?" and then you mentioned it, which made me laugh again. I've never had gravy with chips here in the UK, but, as Charlotte says, curry sauce is popular.

I also loved the Wilburism, Megan! Gravy sounds like an abomination in chips, and, with all due respect to Paul, I'm not convinced that curry sauce would taste good on them (hopefully I can try one of his the next time we meet in the UK). Ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese +/- chili are all good, but my favorite version is the Gilroy garlic fries available in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially at San Francisco Giants' baseball games:

Oh, yeah, garlic fries! Those were yummy at the Giants game I went to!

>90 kidzdoc: Wow, garlic chips might be enough for even me to love them. I am obsessed with garlic :).

>90 kidzdoc: One of the great side dishes in Buenos Aires - the garlic & parsley fries, papas fritas Provenzal. Yum.

>87 Berly: not sure that you are referring to, but I appreciate the pat on the back!

>88 Ameise1: Thanks B. It was fraught with kiddie conflict. Rainy days are tough on that front.

>89 susanj67: The sauces just worry me, they seem so globbed up with thickener. You can just tell the commercially made ones are going to be all filler and flavour enhancer. I'd go garlic, like in Darryl's pic though!

>90 kidzdoc: Oh yeah. That's what Im talking about! That looks delicious. I'm wondering if I could replicate that now.....although, it is always better handed to you on a plate ;)

>91 drneutron: I have a friend (British) who lives here (NZ) but went to a Baseball game (in the US) and now he is really into baseball. I wonder if these fries with garlic have anything to do with that!?

>92 lunacat: Want any fries with your garlic, m'am? ;)

>93 avatiakh: I remember papas fritas from when I was in Chile. It just seems to roll off the tongue. What didn't roll off the tongue for my vegetarian friend in South America was "vegetariana" and/or "sin carne por favor". They just did not seem to get what the point of "no meat" was.

Such a lot of chatter about French Fries , Chips and Poutine! I must admit that I've eaten poutine maybe just once and it was far too rich for me. I love your topper, Megan!

>95 vancouverdeb: you never know just what it is that is going to cause a stir around here. But, food is a good bet. That or books :)
Speaking of which, I am reading City of Secrets: A Novel by Stewart O'Nan. It is descriptive in the most basic of ways, it makes the story flow quickly, but at times can feel like a bit of a list. A good antidote to academic readings anyway! I can't wait to tuck up in bed and read. Today was cold and rainy, and we lit the fire for the first time! Here comes winter.

>86b >87 Berly: LOL. Never mind. Brain fart. Wrong author. Not a challenge. But still a good choice! : P

>97 Berly: Phew! It was a god choice, and even though I logged A Manual for Cleaning Women as completed, I have been saving the last story to read because I don't want to the book to end. So I am "battle of the books" tonight! Once late-night-W is in bed, I will let the battle begin :)

>99 Berly: to the death!!! Oh, actually no, I want both of them to survive.
:)

All this talk of chips is making me hungry ........

>101 roundballnz: that was last night, I assume now you just need coffee, like me?? ;)
I'm just heading out for a strong one.

There was a hoopla today, as I was meant to be going to Hanmer Springs for Job One to assist with surveying (pool customers), but my step-mother's mother has died at aged 93, so I am off to her funeral instead. There will be a big family dinner tonight, which will be nice. We two families don't mix much, so it will be a good opportunity to all get together. My step-sisters (there are 4 of them and they are all tall thin and totally glamorous) will be coming from Australia, Dunedin, Wellington, and locally, so its a big deal. We were thrown together as families 20 years ago, when all but one of us were already adults, so its a strange space to navigate.

In the meantime, I need coffee to get me going.

>102 LovingLit: Sorry to hear about the death in your family, Megan. I hope all goes well when your blended families get together.

>103 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! It was all fine, all our combined children provided a lot of discussion. By happy accident all the cousins are pretty much aged from 3-8 years old (one early starter step-sister has kids aged 17 and 19). So they all played together and explored the new place and we adults all enjoyed some nice food and some drinks too. Plus, it had been a nice send off for their grandmother at the funeral earlier. I am really glad I went, and I think my step mother appreciated me and my sister both going.

I'm so glad that the blended family meeting went well. These things can certainly be a minefield but it sounds like it went as well as possible. What a relief for you, and lovely that everyone got on.

>102 LovingLit: Well a strong culpa anyway - am a tea person not coffee - I know its weird to hear that from Auckland - but what can i say I have to be weirdo :)

Good to see the blended family went well .....

I'm glad that the family event went well, too, Megan.

Hi Megan--I am sure your step-mother appreciated you being there. Glad it was a nice goodbye.

>104 LovingLit: I am glad that the coming together was affirming rather than too uncomfortable. When do you get to go to Hanmer Springs now? I really like that spot too.

>105 lunacat: There was never any chance of hostility, we are all very civil. But it was nice that it went well- there were even hugs!

>106 roundballnz: Cuppa from now on means "a vessel filled with what pleases you" (that may even be liquid gold!!)

>107 karenmarie: thanks Karen. A late night for the kiddos, they loved being out after dark. Of course, darkness is creeping forward these days with winter approaching *shudder*

>108 Berly: I suppose at 93 you can say it was a long life- and a well-lived life from the tales told at the funeral. She got her first passport at aged 80, and went with my step-mother to visit her grand-daughter and great grand children in Melbourne. At the casino she tried a slot machine for the first time ever and when coins began cascading down she apparently giggled like a school girl and said in mock horror- "I'm an elder in the church!!"

>109 PaulCranswick: I am still going to Hanmer Springs, next week now. So all is not lost. I hope we get a spot which is not too cold- that mountain air can be fresh! I get to go back for a weekend of surveying and will take my lovely other with me to take full advantage of the hotel thrown in. We will be sans children, so will hit the pools in the evening for some oh-so-rare early evening relaxation!!!

Hey. I just sat down to address the book I'm posting you tomorrow. Guess what? You're address is not in my contacts (thought it was) and I already binned the envelope you sent me the book in (fits of tidying up happening on a regular basis here). PM me your address please, and I will immediately add it to my contacts list. (:

Ooooh. Hanmer Springs, no kids? Sounds like paradise.

>111 nittnut: hangonaminute. Didn't you already send me one/some? Not that I will begrudge you the opportunity to divest yourself of a book :)
*excited*

Nah. I just said I was going to. But then I moved. So now, I am.

>113 nittnut: ooooh, I was ahead of myself. I have read The Rehearsal (from you) and that anthology of American writing (from you) I have sitting on my bedside table. There may have been an initial book exchange too, which if there was, I can't remember....
We have history is my main point here :)

Love the casino story. Obviously funerals are inherently awful but I do enjoy stories like that. The last one I went to had a great story about a practical joke played eighty years ago.

>115 charl08: I think so too :) It is always nice when someone can get up and tell a few stories. Oftentimes they come out at the wake, after people have health with the funeral (and with the help of a few drinks!)

>116 LovingLit: The few drinks always helps the stories ;) even when no one else wants to hear them. I've yet to go to a funeral where I haven't discovered something new and fascinating about the person that I wish I'd known when they were alive.

>110 LovingLit: I want to be that open to new adventures when I am that age!! What fun stories. Thanks for sharing. And hurrah for book exchanges. ; )

Life Log

Job two: week 2: Have written one entire document (marketing) and had it approved of by an academic. Always good to have their approval. It is the rounds (and rounds) of follow up comments that are going to hold this project up.

Job one: week 5: Research Analyst and....cold caller??! Today called some Australian organisations to try and drum up business in the qualitative analysis field. Managed to secure one appointment for my boos to talk so someone, which he was pleased about. He even accused me of being a salesperson (my boss, that is) for so effectively dodging the initial brush off I got. Good.

Study: week 2 Potential change of tack if the request for research that came in fits my schedule. I'd happily change the focus of my topic if it fitted their requirements so we will wait and see. Still LOVING my office space, which is collecting books at a rate of knots. :)

Parenting: week 445: Not winter yet so can still send kids outside as needed.

Summary: still trucking!

>117 lunacat: they are important social gatherings aren't they. Often it is the only time people can get away from their lives.

>118 Berly: book exchanges rule. I tried to offload one (actually, 5) on a neighbour, but ended up getting one and only giving one. Books are attracted to booklovers, what can I say?

We watched the DVD of The Light Between Oceans last night at bookclub. I would just like to add here that I was the only one who actually bothered to read the book. Sheesh, non-committals!One had read it before we marked it as bookclub read, and one was half way, so I'll give them that.

>120 LovingLit: They didn't read the book? What did they do about spoilers in the film? (I've still not read that one)

Impressed re the research salesmanship. Any top tips?

>121 charl08: They just flagged the book, I think.
Top tips? I hate sales, every time I have done it I have been and at it because I have not believed in the product. This time, I actually do think the organisations I am calling could benefit from the product on offer, so I can more easily say convincing things. Also, just because someone asks you a direct question doesn't mean you have to answer it! (sounding very *politician* now, I know)

Ha! Very politician. So long as you don't start with 'it is right that... ' That just makes me want to throw something each time I hear it.

I know what you mean about salesmanship for something you believe in. I find pitching presentations of my own work much more straightforward than summarising that of other people.

>120 LovingLit: What the heck is the point of a book club where nobody reads the book?! A bit like racing cars without wheels.

At least you bothered to read it, Megan.

Have a great weekend, my dear. xx

Sorry to see your step grandmother passed. Glad the family event went well though!

>123 charl08: my only other sales roles included selling bank products to people who didn't need them- clearly that was not something I could convincingly push; the other was when I was an employment consultant cold-calling businesses to see if they wanted to take on employees with mental health issues. Not an easy sell- in spite of mental illness being so prevalent.

>124 PaulCranswick: Tell me about it Paul! They are pretty lax, I must say. Every one of them a high-flyer in legal or other professional fields. I think they just want to get together and chat and eat food- which is fine with me, but I want the chat to be about books, is all.
*crazy book lady*

>125 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle, thanks for the visit! I must away to your thread to see what's cookin'.

Hi, Megan. Hope you had a good week. Sorry about your under-performing book club. What did you think of the film? I have not read the book yet but the film looks good. I like the leads.

Happy weekend, Megan :)

Happy weekend, Megan.

Happy weekend Megan my dear.

>127 msf59: the film (of The Light Between Oceans) was pretty good. I was keen to see the place the book is set, having lived in Western Australia myself for three years. But apparently the film was set in NZ and Tasmania!! I liked the leads too, they were great. But the film, like the book, speeds through long stretches of time It makes it hard to get into it. Speaking of which, I watched Melancholia last night and it was fab-u-lous. The kind of film I am drawn to- long, meandering, atmospheric...apocalyptic. And Kirsten Dunst was amazing.

>128 alcottacre: >129 Ameise1: >130 johnsimpson: Thanks guys! So far so good. Worked yesterday morning (8am -1pm) and then mucked about the house in the afternoon. The kids spent an hour making a hut together on the front lawn which was cool. Today I have walked a lot!
Walk at the quarry this morning with Lenny and a friend of mine, and a walk to the shops this afternoon with W and his scooter. Now I'm resting with a coffee. :)

Megan, that topper work by Colin McCahon is stunning. I would love to have that gracing a wall in my home!

A walk at the quarry with Lenny, another walk around the shops, and then a coffee -- it sounds like a good day!

I love the entry in your Life Log. 445 weeks. Truly?

>132 EBT1002: pretty close to 445 weeks! W is 8.5ish years old, times that by 52 weeks in a year (not including pregnancy, during which you are also parenting, I think anyway) and you get something close to that. Scary huh!?
I was a tad tired after all my walking yesterday :) It was good!

Hi Megan! I like reading your life log and particularly the perspective of weeks in your child's life.

Re book clubs - ours has 12 members. Any given book usually has about 8 who have read it. We never avoid spoilers because if they don't want to hear the book talked about they can stay away. And for me there was one book, Room by Emma Donoghue, that I read about 2 chapters of and didn't like. Then the discussion got me intrigued; one of the women loaned me the audiobook and I loved it. One of the best reads of the entire year for me.

I loved The Light Between Oceans, thought it beautifully done and the characters very well drawn. I'd like to see the movie, but will probably wait until I can see it via Amazon in a year or two.

>134 karenmarie: that makes sense. We don't often all read the same book, but when we do I would definitely want to be able to discuss it openly without fearing spoiling it for others. I guess that is why it is a pain when we all do read the same book, no one actually reads it!!! enthusiasm seems to have waned in the last 6 months for our bookclub. A few have dropped off, one I only saw once last year (we met every 6 weeks). The members are mostly early 30s professionals, so I have ten years on them and 2 kids...so slightly different social lives!
I recommend The Light Between Oceans, if only for the comparisons you can make with the book. It was quite a good adaption.

One of my favourite Gary Larson cartoons. I have been enjoying these again for the first time in ages since joining the Facebook group- the bonus being that my newsfeed is now clogged with funnies instead of trump.

How on earth is Wilbur 8 and a half already?! That is truly mad.

>137 lunacat: I know! And he is tall. And his shoes are practically as long as mine are! Crazy.

8.5? I missed that, somehow, and didn't realize (or knew and forgot, which is more likely) that he and Charlie are the same age! Charlie's half birthday is the Ides of March.

>133 LovingLit: Oh my. I don't think I will do the maths for my weeks. Too exhausting to contemplate. Lol

>136 LovingLit: Genius. *Trots off to join Gary Larson FB page*

My baby just broke the 100 lbs mark. Sigh. He has put on 18 or so lbs (8 kg) since we left NZ. He's outgrown his new pants and needed new shoes and all. I'm not one to wish back the years, but sometimes, particularly with boys, I feel like we skip and jump ahead too fast. Blink and they've grown 3 inches. Blink and they are taller than you. Blink and don't enter their room without knocking and enter cautiously because the smell will knock you down...

>139 scaifea: I will have to come back with W's half birthday! What a cool idea. I know families with kids who have birthdays around Christmas do a mid year event, it is a cool idea as even new year b'days can get lost in the summer holidays here.

>140 nittnut: Wow, 8kgs is a lot in such a short time! I assume it is not for eating all the pies, but a growth spurt!!??
lol, re: smell knocking you down. I always tap on the door before entering as I used to hate people just barging in on me in my room. My parents even do it now when I stay at their places.
Gary Larson wont let you down for a laugh a day.

>141 LovingLit: We do cupcakes or a tiny cake and a small gift for Charlie. It's not a family tradition or anything, but when I realized that his half birthday was the Ides, this classicist just had to do something special to mark the day...

>136 LovingLit: I like that bonus!

>142 scaifea: W's half birthday is 21 March :) I like that! I'll tell him that now, as of yesterday afternoon he is exactly 8.5.

>143 alcottacre: it is a real bonus!!! I think as a general rule that less trump and more simply laughter is a good idea.

>144 LovingLit: Aw, an autumnal (for you, right?) equinox baby! I love it!

>145 scaifea: there are a lot of September/October birthdays in my family. Me, both my mum and dad, W, my nan, at least two of my nephews...I think that is it. My oldest (well, longest really) friend was born on my first birthday which is also nice.

>136 LovingLit: This made me laugh! Larson is so fun.

Hi, Megan. I also liked Melancholia. It was a bit depressing, but that was the point, right? Von Trier is a very challenging director.

If you can find American Honey, try to do so. She is also a very good film-maker, from England. Her film Fish Tank was also fantastic.

>146 LovingLit: I think I read somewhere that September is the most popular month for birthdays... I can't remember where I read it, though...

October baby checking in ...

I think September and October babies are supposed to be the most common, among Westernised countries anyway, because of 'celebratory' behaviour at Christmas and New Year's. And, in the northern hemisphere, more time cuddled up warm in bed ;).

September Most Popular Birthday Month in England and Wales

>147 Crazymamie: the ridiculousness and inappropriateness of his cartoons get me every time.

>148 msf59: I love depressing books/films. But I call them realistic, rather than depressing ;) (It's a state of mind thing)
I read that with Melancholia the director was creating an expression of his own depression. So that makes sense.

>149 scaifea: I have heard that too, and deduced (Like lunacat/Jenny) that it is from the frivolity at Christmas and New Years, in my neck of the woods, anyway!

>150 rosalita: Roget that! Although, I kind of assumed you were all grown up by now? ;)

>151 lunacat: I think so too :) I was an accident and was born 9 months to the day after new years eve....so...yeah. (not that full gestation equates to 9 calendar months, but why let that wreck my story!?)

>153 msf59: I take your kangaroo nerds and raise you one full brain! ;)



Eta: this is how I felt at university today trying to learn about discursive psychology....

Here is my revised Book-a-Year image. I put on on Facebook recently but have swapped out a few for ones I enjoyed more....this could get to be a long term project.

>152 LovingLit: ,I kind of assumed you were all grown up by now? ;)

Heh. You must not be reading my posts very closely. I can be very whiny when I don't get my way. :-D

A friend of mine likes to say that her goal is to get old without ever growing up.

>156 rosalita: What a perfect life goal! I shall aim for that as well.

Pretty much my life goal too.

Hi Megan!

I love the Larson cartoons.

We were all summer babies in my immediate family except my sister. My daughter's a summer baby. She's currently 1,230 weeks old. Yeesh.

>156 rosalita: Well, so far so good with me and that particular life goal - I even get eyerolls from Charlie sometimes, who is much more mature than I am, generally...

Hi, Megan!

>153 msf59:, >154 LovingLit: Love these!

Great reading project.

Everyone in my growing-up family has their birthday in April except moi. Mine's in July. Used to tick me off to have everyone but me opening presents in April. :-)

>156 rosalita: well, you know. As in having the appearance of being a grown-up :)

>157 lunacat: I know plenty of old people who have not grown up. My dad is the prime example. When I took him out for dinner with my kids, he was the one playing drums with the chopsticks, and my kids were all eyeballs. Of course, that gave them license to go for it too. It was like having three kids ;)

>158 drneutron: I suppose it isn't the toughest of life goals!? I have only just started adulating though, so Im not ready to give away the game just yet ;)

>159 karenmarie: Summer baby's rule. Much more convenient for birthday parties and all that.

>160 scaifea: I have a friend who was crazy all through high school, and university. Always with the practical jokes and the antics, she is so much fun. Her elder daughter is 8 (like ours!) and I swear, she is like the serious mother in the family. Hilariously, her (the daughter's) grandfather is just as bad as her (the daughter's) mother, which is where it all started. That family was a hot bed of crazy laughter and fun. And little miss 8 is there to curb that craziness ;)

>161 jnwelch: Hi Joe- it is less a reading project than a compilation project. One that may change as I find books I have read that are better than the ones I initially chose.
My film-buff friend showed me an image he had made with films from every year ha has been alive. So I took it upon myself to do one in books, of course. (and now that I have a mac again, it is easy to do with the grab tool)

I like the book montage idea - but so hard to choose!

>155 LovingLit: I like this idea! I should give it some thought .... I can tell mine would be much different than yours. ;)

>163 charl08: >164 ursula: this is why mine will change many more times yet. I put the first lot in for the mere fact that they were a book published in a year between 1975 and now. Not for it being my favourite of that year.
I will revise this many a time yet, I suspect :)

Hi Megan, hope you are having a relaxing and enjoyable weekend my dear and send love and hugs from both of us dear lady.

>166 johnsimpson: just hopped out of the bath and into bed. I worked this morning and spent the whole afternoon at a friends place with the kids. Now I get an early night with my book (sooo good!) Lovely other has taken eldest to watch cars zoom around on dirt (*yawn*), youngest is asleep. I have my hot water bottle and book and am practically in heaven. Doesn't take much to please me on a Saturday night!
The book is A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women by Siri Hustvedt, an academic who advocates for interdisciplinary, particularly between the humanities and the 'hard' sciences. The book is a collection of essays and is so far very good, as it marries a lot of what I have been learning about at university (philosophy, social psychology , sociology) with literature and neuroscience. Wow right!!!?

Sounds like a good read Megan. I have liked her fiction so would be interesting to read something by her in a different field.

>168 charl08: I had never heard of her before this book. But from the introduction it seems she is quite the reader/writer!

>167 LovingLit:, An early night sounds good to me and I hope you are enjoying your book my dear. We have been out with Amy or rather I took Amy and Karen out and left them to it and I did my own thing with a book for company. I met up with them a couple of times before we left and made our way home. Amy left a card and present for Mother's Day tomorrow.

Nice book montage, Megan. I've read eight of those books, and own five others.

>170 johnsimpson: early nights rule. I have had a few late ones lately, for reasons of wanting alone time, and food prep for following days.

>171 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl! Hey guess what? I am off to the town I grew up in this afternoon with the kids as our national women's hockey team is playing the USA. Pretty cool huh? The beat us fair and square the last match, but I hear they at 5th and 6th in the world rankings so, it will be a good fast game.

>155 LovingLit: I reckon I have read ten of the books in your montage but there are a couple of covers I wasn't certain of.

Have a lovely weekend, Megan.

I took the kids out to my home town this morning (only 30 minutes drive away) too see a rare event of an international sporting fixture being played there. The NZ women's hockey team (the Black Sticks) played USA on the brand new turf out there. I have never seen a hockey game love before, and certainly not one at this level. It was (cheap and) really fun!


This is the Black Sticks from the Rio Olympics, and today they wore white rather than black to avoid confusion (USA were in dark blue). NZ won 3-2, which was lovely to witness, seeing as in the last match they played against each other, NZ lost 6-2. The kids liked mucking about together with their cousins and it was a cool way to spend the afternoon.

>173 PaulCranswick: and, hi Paul! I enjoyed making the montage. Anything to do with books, book covers, or making posters will do me. Today was fun, see above. Yesterday was too. I worked the morning (8am - 1pm) then spent the afternoon with the kids at a friends place and the kids all scooted to the skate park while me and the other mother caught up.
Tomorrow? Back to the grind, even if I do enjoy all my jobs....I will look forward to finishing the careers one. It will leave me more time to read, for one thing

More time to read? Sounds good. Something you can look forward to.

The hockey game sounds like fun. My dad likes to tell me that when I was a baby, mum used to watch him play with me covered by the fireguard, as they were worried about stray balls...

Happy Sunday, Megan. I like the cartoons.

>155 LovingLit: LOVE this idea, Megan! Would make fabulous wallpaper for a reading room.

>176 charl08: yes, more time to read indeed. Probably it will be uni reading, but still I enjoy that too.
The plan to protect the baby (you!) sounds like a good one!!! Those athletes smack that ball hard. I was slightly nervous and I was behind the netting.

>177 Ameise1: hi B, glad you enjoyed the Larson. He is my only favourite cartoonist.

>178 lit_chick: I have seen some cool book wallpaper. It was the spines that were showcased though rather than the covers. Pretty colourful! It would make a cool book nook wallpaper.

On account of our oven being broken, I have been using the low cooker more often lately. tomorrow I shall make slow braised venison shanks (served with potato mash, and maybe lentils or cous cous too).

In other news, I finished a book!

BOOK 16
City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (194p)

This book describes the exploits of a Latvian Jew in post-WWII Jerusalem. He is a terrorist/freedom fighter (depending on your political positioning) and is set up there by members of his sect after losing his family at the hands of the Nazis. The unfortunate thing is that I know not enough about the political situation in Israel after WWII, and I think this has damaged my ability to read this book and understand the significance of events.

What I did like about it was the descriptions of his conflicted feelings about a new love and his wife who was killed in the death camps. These moments of sweetness and reflection are what drew me in to the character, but they were few, and far between and overall, I felt I couldn't get to know the main protagonist well enough to be pulled in to the story fully.


________________________________________________

For now, I carry on with Ravelstein by Saul Bellow (gift from mum)....and....A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women a collection of essays by Siri Hustvedt.

Congratulations to the Black Sticks on their win! I'm glad that you were able to see them play.

I look forward to your thoughts on Ravelstein. I bought it years ago in the prehistoric era BLT (Before LibraryThing), but I haven't read it yet.

Hi Megan. Stopping by to get caught up. Wow on having not one but two jobs, back at studying and managing your family all in one go. That is one impressive life log!

>59 LovingLit: - I love Wilbur's reaction to Poutine! I am not a fan of poutine - I have never eaten a cheese curd that I found to be tasty - but the mention of fries and gravy takes me back to my high school days and the big plate of fries and gravy one could purchase at the school cafeteria. ;-) The grown-up that I now am enjoys ordering yam fries with a side of garlic aioli, washed down with a lovely glass of white wine, but I will eat fries and gravy if the fries are crisp and fresh (gravy tends to make fries soggy rather fast).

All this talk about food has made me hungry. Wishing you a lovely week, Megan!

>174 LovingLit: Way to go, Black Sticks! That sounds like a good time was had by all. Around here we would always call that sport "field" hockey, to distinguish it from the much more common ice hockey, which is generally just known as hockey. Would it be the opposite down your way, with field hockey being the more generally popular and well-known sport, and ice hockey being rather down the list?

Yah, for the Black Sticks!

And yah, for finishing a book. I have not read O'Nan's latest. I wish it would have made a stronger impression on you.

Hooray for a good hockey game! I am sure the US was disappointed, but hooray for NZ. :)

Eli is continuing to find a way to play hockey here. There are mostly girls teams, but we found him a skills course to do. He went, and by the second session they had moved him out of his age group (all girls) to practice skills and scrimmage with the high school girls. Clearly NZ play is on a higher level at his age than we realized. He was thrilled. The high school girls were really nice - he was a bit of a team pet. He's been invited to play on the development team for a traveling boys team that plays up and down the east coast of the US. I am not so sure I want to go that route when he's only 10, but he was so thrilled to be asked. Now it's baseball, and it's serious business. We have practices 2 hours long on Monday and Thursday, with games Friday and Saturday. Good grief. Thank goodness he's my only sports mad child. It's exhausting. *grin*

>181 kidzdoc: I am glad to have seen them play too, Darryl. I have never seen a hockey game in its entirety before, so an international was a great introduction to the sport!

>182 lkernagh: I could go some Poutine now, actually!! Now that we are talking about it again....
I had job 2 today: research analyst. Or, if the job title went by what I actually did today it was spreadsheet administrator....ah well. Everyone needs an admin day every now and then!

>183 rosalita: so true! Here hockey is the normal one, and ice hockey is the weird foreign one ;) In my psychology class a few years back we had two hockey players, one ice and one field. She (the field hockey player) gave away her preconceptions by calling her style of hockey (field) "the normal hockey". We all smiled as had just been talking about how normative behaviours are culturally situated (or whatever...). She proved the point and knew it.

>184 msf59: Hi Mark, I wish it would have... is such a US combination of words. Thanks for the thought, and I'm not being picky- just noticing that we would hardly ever word it this way. I guess we would say..."I wish it could have been a better reading experience...", or "I wish it had made a stronger impact...".
I find it interesting :)

>185 nittnut: wow! 2x2 hour practices! That does seem a lot. Is he quite good at it, or is this normal? W has 2 practices a week now for league, which I find irritating. But as his dad is coach (he came home from a practice stating that he was now coach...) , he gets to go instead of me ;)

I couldn't sleep last night for thinking about the essay that I read in A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women, a collection by Siri Hustvedt. It is called "No Competition" and is about the difference in how male and female authors are perceived. This one grabbed me, I tell ya!!

I have a friend who "only reads male authors publishing in the last 50 years"- now, he may well be joking but even so I believe there is a grain of truth in his statement, and that underlying this is his idea that women don't have anything relevant to say to him. I'm not sure I could have a conversation with him about this as he would joke around too much, and/or I would get angry at him for his position.
The essay I read last night is titled for the reply a male Norwegian author gave to a female Norwegian author (the author of the essay) who was interviewing him about his new book. She asked him why his book mentioned a large number of male authors who had inspired him, and only one female. "No competition" was his reply. She was flabbergasted and tried to figure out after the fact what he meant by it, and this essay is her attempt to do this. It is all about gender roles, power, assumptions and communication and I found it so super mega interesting.
Read it if you can. (If I had a PA I would have them transcribe it so I could post it here. I can scan and post it as a PM maybe if anyone is interested)

I hope the week went off well, Megan.
Happy Tuesday.

Hi Megan!

>167 LovingLit: I have my hot water bottle and book and am practically in heaven.

I have replaced hot water bottles in our house with corn bags - cloth bags filled with deer corn and sewn permanently shut. You can heat one in a microwave oven and the heat lasts, and lasts, and LASTS. Hours, depending on if you put it between the sheets to keep your feet toasty. Good for crampy stomachs, earaches, etc., as it conforms easily to the body part to be warmed.

>187 LovingLit: It's a shock to me that when I come to think of it, that I don't have any men friends who read. The last man I know who was a serious reader was in the late 1990s, and we're not in touch any more. The women I know who are serious readers are all in my book club. Out of our year's scheduled reading, 7 books are by men, 5 by women. So far this year I've read 24 books, 33% by women, 67% by men.

I'm curious - do you read more books by women or men?

>189 karenmarie: We swear by corn bags at our house, too!

Hello, Megan!

>183 rosalita:, 186 Thanks for bringing up what I was noticing too, the thing about which hockey gets called just plain old hockey. It took me a second to put the picture and the "hockey" together into "ohhhh, field hockey!" :)

>187 LovingLit: I knew that had to be Knausgaard. :/ Oh well. I do love his books, but I can't say that surprises me.

>188 Ameise1: Hi there, the week started off flying, and I'm still here so it must be going OK ;)

>189 karenmarie: Lately I have been reading more women, having tired of the selfish, existential bent that a lot of my favourite (male) authors seem to favour. Since reading The Women's Room last year I am more likely to seek out a female perspective.

>190 scaifea: Corn bags sound good- I have seen them here but we have wheat in them. Not owning a microwave, they would be kind of redundant for me though.

>191 ursula: "normal" hockey, just like "normal" anything is a flexible notion, right!? I haven't read anything by Knausgaard! But was intrigued by the sound of his 1000-page saga on his own life. The essay "No Competition" is fantastic.

>180 LovingLit: I brought that one home from the library the other day, so I will be reading it soon. I am hoping I like it better than you did :)

Happiness is getting a book in the post. This one from a friendly soul in NC, and totally unexpected :)
LT=awesome.

>193 alcottacre: I hope you like it too, Stasia! Maybe you could read up on post-WWII Israeli/British relations on wikipedia first. I could have done with the context, I think.

>192 LovingLit: Indeed! And I've read the first two volumes of Knausgaard's My Struggle and have loved them. Planning to read the third volume this year but haven't managed to get to it yet.

>194 LovingLit: Lovely surprise to get a book in the post.

>187 LovingLit: Seems like the (a?) definition of a good book - one that makes you think in new ways.

I'm still kind of disappointed in myself that I never realised how the book market is gendered until recently.

>194 LovingLit: - Oh, I love that book so, SO much!

I played field hockey in middle school (grades 5 through 8, ages 10 to 13) but then the high school I went to didn't offer it, so I switched to soccer. I was better at field hockey :-P

>194 LovingLit: Hi stranger. : ) Books in the mail=Happiness. And the essays in A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women sound most intriguing. And since I have had friends playing both kinds of hockey, I just always have to ask which one!

Megan, there's no way that I can catch up, but I wanted to let you know that I don't forget you..... How could I with Wilbur and Lenny growing up on your thread.
Here we get fries with chili and cheese; I tell you in case nobody else has mentioned this combination. They do get soggy, and we don't care.
Glad you're thriving and I wish you more and more good reading!

>196 ursula: I found the essay discussing his book(s) and the way that they (are said) to discuss aspects of his domestic life a lot more than you would expect a male author to do. This was in part what the essay was about. I like the idea of it though, as in the past men have been able to ruminate excessively about existential matters, I suppose more typically work, relationships, etc. But to transfer that to a domestic setting seems to bring it down to earth a lot, or at least bring into a realm I can more easily relate to.

>197 charl08: I'm still kind of disappointed in myself that I never realised how the book market is gendered until recently.
I am constantly disappointed in myself for being the last one at the table on a topic! I empathise with you. But it it does say a lot that we are thinking about this and talking about it now, as now is better than never!!

>198 katiekrug: I didn't play field hockey, or ice hockey or soccer! I tried cricket, and basketball at primary school and was useless at both. I liked skiing and netball really.

>199 Berly: A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women is most intriguing! I can't believe I almost passed the opportunity up to have it in my house. My friend offered it to me and I almost said no! File that one under "what was I thinking"???!!

>200 LizzieD: I like it that you mentioned that you don't care about sogginess. That is an important cultural distinction! Potentially, anyway, as that is the aspect of chips (fries) and anything that I don't like.
Feel free to drop by for glimpses of the kids' lives. What they say is true, they do grow up too fast!

>201 LovingLit: Yes, I remember reading the essay when it was originally published. I wasn't sure I had, but when I googled to see if that quote was about Knausgaard, I realized I had. His books are definitely about the domestic, and as she says in the essay one of the things that's most "feminine" about his writing is the way that he lays his inner life bare. It makes you notice how much of male writing involves keeping up certain appearances - there are some things you just don't talk about because they might make you seem "unmanly". It's an interesting phenomenon.

>202 ursula: as she says in the essay one of the things that's most "feminine" about his writing is the way that he lays his inner life bare
I think a lot of male authors do that too, but it is rarely domestic matters that they concern themselves with. That's why I find this fascinating, he is doing what women would be dismissed for doing (maybe) but for his being a man, it become distinctive and brave writing.

The boys went to their first wedding today, our lovely (ex-) neighbour. It was a lovely service, and the boys' biggest concern was having to see them bride and groom kiss :)
This photo was taken on a polaroid style camera by our other neighbour.

Glad the boys survived watching their first wedding kiss ;-)

>205 FAMeulstee: they were pretty nervous about having to see that. He he. The bride and groom gave them a second run after as we greeted the after the ceremony :)

Hi, Megan. Hope the week went well. Getting any pleasure reading in?

>204 LovingLit: Ewwww! Not a kiss!!! Gross. LOL That is a cute story. Happy weekend.

>207 msf59: not likely Mark! Boys had their first rugby league game of the season this morning, then a birthday party straight afterwards, I have just made a lasagne to take out to a friends place for dinner tonight where we will watch a movie. Then tomorrow I need to put in 5 hours work (on a Sunday!?) as didn't fit that in today.

>208 Berly: he he. Check with him in a few years and see what he is saying then!!

>209 LovingLit: Gosh, sounds like a very busy weekend, Megan. I hope you find some space to relax and read.

Hope the work behaves itself Megan! The boys' reaction to the wedding made me smile.

>210 Ameise1: well, sometimes a technological glitch can go in my favour. I have ben unable to log in to my university computer, for some reason my user name is "not valid". All of my work documents and emails are in there, so work today was really not going to be happening. A chance to hang out with my dad who has done a surprise visit- so all good!!

>211 charl08: see above comment re: work :) (It's off!!)
The wedding was fun for them, but as usual, the excitement was built up, and the actual event a bit of a let down. I had warned them it would be boring and that they would have to sit quietly and listen to the speakers etc. but our neighbours who sat near us got them all excited and revved up about weddings being super exciting etc, so they were sorely let down in the end. This of course culminated in an outpouring of frustrated drama as the aftermath that thankfully (woefully?) only I had to deal with.
Kids huh? Also-Lenny got the giggles during the third prayer!!! I though it quite funny but had to encourage him to try to quieten down. Mothers are meant to do that, aren't they? ;)

Good to see some hockey love up there .... still love the game even if i don't play anymore :)

>189 karenmarie: I have wheat bag thing for my back flare ups but Had not seen larger ones ??? might have to look around seem a lot better idea than hot water bottle which are prone to bursting !

>209 LovingLit: Don't know why but I assumed that Wilby was playing Rugby Union or is he playing both?

Lasagna - yes please!

>213 roundballnz: I had never seen a cocky game in my life (an entire one) before the other weekend. It was pretty exciting. Id definitely go again.

>214 PaulCranswick: Wilbur and now Lenny too, both play rugby league. Their first game was yesterday. Lenny's first ever, and he got player of the day! He was utterly chuffed. His dad and my dad took him down to the clubrooms (it is like stepping back in time!!!) last night to receive his certificate from the club in front of the old boys etc. Wilby got tackler of the day in his first game of the season, what a day!!!

>215 LovingLit: hmmm I do suspect a finger may have slipped :)

Sounds like the boys are loving league .....

>215 LovingLit: Well done to the boys. I am from the North of England in West Yorkshire where Rugby League is a huge sport and within a few mile drive of my home I have Wakefield, Featherstone, Castleford, Dewsbury, Leeds, Hunslet and Bramley professional rugby clubs. My team is Wakefield although I also have a soft spot for Leeds and Featherstone. Funnily enough I played Rugby Union at school.

>214 PaulCranswick: Oh. My. Goodness!! Oops :) I'm just going to leave that there, cos it's so funny!!
The boys to love to run and tackle, so I'm just glad they do it on-field rather than off!!

>217 PaulCranswick: There is quite the class division with league v. union here too. Our local league club is affiliated with an Australian one, and is termed a "feeder" club. I believe that means they take the best one or two on, and let them play in Oz ;)

Just popping in to say Hi! So sorry you couldn't log in to work--excellent timing!! Hope you had fun with your Dad.

>219 Berly: I found out today why I was frozen out of my university account (and hence lost 5 hours of paid work- even if secretly I didn't mind that at all). When I enrolled this year, no one changed the activation date from its last expiry date (from when I obtained my post-grad diploma). So "the system" thought I had graduated and gone.
Just goes to show how easy it would be for a The Handmaid's Tale situation to occur.
Imagine if the government decided that certain groups were no longer eligible for internet access or money from their bank accounts, or whatever their face was....I think it would be healthy for people to have a good dose of scepticism when it comes to technology. I was lost without my email and documents!
It was great to see dad though, he had fun. Little Lenny is practically in love with his grandad and hugs him all the time :) :) :)

Love the story of your boys' first wedding experience! We celebrated the retirement of one of our long term employees on Friday. His children and grandchildren showed up and it was so cute watching little 2 year olds quietly entertaining themselves while some of the speeches were going on.

>220 LovingLit: - Don't you just "love" technology and how it can disrupt our lives? ;-)

>221 lkernagh: Kids will certainly liven things up a little, they aren't that good at social niceties, in my experience, which always makes for entertaining viewing.
Technology is a weird one, it is amazing and incredible and useful. And sometimes not :)

Just waving, Megan. How is your week going?

>223 Ameise1: hi B! Week going well, I had my long day at university yesterday, and loved it :)
I got a heap done, and also settled on a new- but related- topic for my masters research. And I capped off the day with a yoga class, which was just the antidote to my day of sitting.

>224 LovingLit: Sounds good. :-)

>225 Ameise1: today I have not quite as much time up my sleeve- but- it is no longer raining, so that is great!

>226 LovingLit: We have been having nonstop rain over here on the other side of the world as well, Megan, and I'm pretty sick and tired of it. We saw the sun today for the first time in about two weeks, and it was a wonder. Usually constant rain and gloom doesn't really bother me (or at least it never used to) but I think it's the rain combined with below-average temperatures that makes it particularly trying.

Go you on your productivity. And hurrah for no rain! We are having a weirdly dry spring - if it carries on much longer, it will start to get concerning. It's also a very warm one, and the oil seed rape has started flowering about a month ahead of usual - not ideal when you're horribly allergic like I am :/. Climate change strikes again it seems, where I live has had significantly warmer springs for the last 5 years now.

A lot of rain here too (but what's new?!).

New Zealand on my mind this weekend as one of my staff is taking a fortnight off to travel round the South Island. I was remembering Lake Wanaka today.



Have a lovely weekend. xx

Just dropping by to wave hello. :) Glad your long day at uni went well.

I just managed to find out how many, and which books I have taken out from the university library over the last three years. COOL! Some were even fiction/just for fun reading. Just for interest, these are them all:

1 Critical social psychology / Philip Wexler. Wexler, Philip,
2 Fear of freedom / Erich Fromm. Fromm, Erich
3 Sociology of the global system / Sklair, Leslie.
4 Social selves : theories of the social formation of personality / Burkitt, Ian.
5 The Decent society?:essays in response to National's economic and social policies / edited by Jonathan Boston and Paul Dalziel.
6 No second class citizens / Sir Roger Douglas. Douglas, Roger,
7 Critical social psychology / Philip Wexler. Wexler, Philip,
8 The leopard / Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa ; translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun ; with an introduction by David Gilmour. Tomasi di Lampedusa, Giuseppe
9 The Firefly visual dictionary / Jean-Claude Corbeil, Ariane Archambault. Corbeil, Jean-Claude.
10 Rabbit Angstrom : a tetralogy : Rabbit run, Rabbit redux, Rabbit is rich, Rabbit at rest / John Updike ; with an introduction by the author. Updike, John.
11 Thinking critically / John Chaffee. Chaffee, John.
12 Pursuing social justice in New Zealand : 14 New Zealanders share their stories of communities helping people in ways government cannot / edited by Ruth Porter. Porter, Ruth.
13 Earth democracy : justice, sustainability and peace / Vandana Shiva. Shiva, Vandana.
14 Reassembling the social : an introduction to actor-network-theory / Bruno Latour. Latour, Bruno.
15 Actor network theory and after / edited by John Law and John Hassard. Law, John,
16 Justice, society, and nature : an exploration of political ecology / Nicholas Low and Brendan Gleeson. Low, Nicholas.
17 Reimagining political ecology / edited by Aletta Biersack and James B. Greenberg. Biersack, Aletta.
18 Political ecology : a critical introduction / Paul Robbins. Robbins, Paul,
20 Science on stage : expert advice as public drama / Stephen Hilgartner. Hilgartner, Stephen.
21 Climate change denial : heads in the sand / Haydn Washington and John Cook. Washington, Haydn,
22 Solo videorecording : DVD. Michood, David.
23 Science : a history 1543-2001 / John Gribbin. Gribbin, John,
24 Creating a climate for change : communicating climate change and facilitating social change / edited by Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling. Moser, Susanne C.
25 Animal farm. Orwell, George
26 Science, non-science & pseudo-science : Bacon, Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn and Feyerabend on defining science / by Max Charlesworth. Charlesworth, M. J.
27 The transformation of cities : urban theory and urban life / David C. Thorns. Thorns, David C.
28 Festival & special event management / Johnny Allen ... et al.. Allen, Johnny.
29 Recreation programming : designing leisure experiences / J. Robert Rossman. Rossman, J. Robert
30 Event tourism : concepts, international case studies, and research / Donald Getz, Ph.D., professor, school of tourism, the University of Queensland, Australia affiliated with the Norwegian school of hotel management at the University of Stavanger, Norway Donald Getz resides in Calgary, Canada. Getz, Donald,
31 Events management : for tourism, cultural, business and sporting events / Lynn Van der Wagen and Lauren White. Van der Wagen, Lynn.
32 Urban social theory : city, self, and society / Michael Bounds. Bounds, Michael.
33 Experts in science and society / edited by Elke Kurz-Milcke, Gerd Gigerenzer. Kurz-Milcke, Elke.
34 What is this thing called science? : an assessment of the nature and status of science and its methods / A.F. Chalmers. Chalmers, A. F.
35 Discursive psychology / Derek Edwards and Jonathan Potter. Edwards, Derek.
36 Social science research in New Zealand : many paths to understanding / Carl Davidson and Martin Tolich (editors) Davidson, Carl.
37 The happiness industry : how the government and big business sold us well-being / William Davies. Davies, William
38 Goodbye pork pie videorecording : director's cut / AMA ; written by Geoff Murphy, Ian Mune ; produced by Nigel Hutchinson, Geoff Murphy ; directed by Geoff Murphy. (DVD 1-2) Murphy, Geoff,
39 A field guide to melancholy / Jacky Bowring. Bowring, Jacky.
40 The environmental impact of land and property management / edited by Yvonne Rydin. Rydin, Yvonne,
41 Discursive psychology / Derek Edwards and Jonathan Potter. Edwards, Derek.
42 Global logistics : new directions in supply chain management / edited by Donald Waters and Stephen Rinsler. Waters, C. D. J.
43 Managing supply chain and logistics : competitive strategy for a sustainable future / Ling Li. Li, Ling,
44 Global environmental politics : concepts, theories and case studies / edited by Gabriela Kütting. Kütting, Gabriela,
45 Psychology of pain / Suzanne M. Skevington. Skevington, Suzanne
46 Starting fieldwork : an introduction to qualitative research in New Zealand / Martin Tolich and Carl Davidson. Tolich, Martin.
47 Ulrich Beck : a critical introduction to the risk society / Gabe Mythen. Mythen, Gabe.
48 World at risk / Ulrich Beck ; translated by Ciaran Cronin. Beck, Ulrich,
49 The regeneration trilogy / Pat Barker. Barker, Pat
50 Liberation ecologies : environment, development, social movements / edited by Richard Peet and Michael Watts. Peet, Richard.
51 Analyzing social settings : a guide to qualitative observation and analysis / John Lofland ... et al.. Lofland, John.
52 Slaughterhouse-five : or, The children's crusade : a duty-dance with death / Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut, Kurt.
53 Analyzing social settings : a guide to qualitative observation and analysis / John Lofland ... et al.. Lofland, John.
54 After the ice : life, death, and geopolitics in the new Arctic / Alun Anderson. Anderson, Alun M.
55 Starting fieldwork : an introduction to qualitative research in New Zealand / Martin Tolich and Carl Davidson. Tolich, Martin.
56 Writing for social scientists : how to start and finish your thesis, book, or article / Howard S. Becker ; with a chapter by Pamela Richards. Becker, Howard Saul,
57 The innocent anthropologist : notes from a mud hut / Nigel Barley. Barley, Nigel.
58 A plague of caterpillars : a return to the African bush / Nigel Barley. Barley, Nigel.
59 The Taieri Gorge Railway : guide to the Taieri Gorge and Seasider rail trips / Gerald Cunningham. Cunningham, Gerald,
60 The end of the penny section : when trams ruled the streets of New Zealand / Graham Stewart ; edited by Anna Rogers. Stewart, Graham,
61 A voice for mothers : the Plunket Society and infant welfare, 1907-2000 / Linda Bryder. Bryder, Linda.
62 An introduction to the philosophy of science / Kent W. Staley, Saint Louis University, Missouri. Staley, Kent W.
63 The well-being of nations : the role of human and social capital / Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Healy, Tom.
64 The end of the penny section : when trams ruled the streets of New Zealand / Graham Stewart ; edited by Anna Rogers. Stewart, Graham,
65 Play from birth to twelve : contexts, perspectives, and meanings / edited by Doris Pronin Fromberg and Doris Bergen. Fromberg, Doris Pronin,
66 A history of children's play and play environments : toward a contemporary child-saving movement / Joe L. Frost. Frost, Joe L.
67 Play from birth to twelve : contexts, perspectives, and meanings / edited by Doris Pronin Fromberg and Doris Bergen. Fromberg, Doris Pronin,
68 Introduction to the philosophy of science / Anthony O'Hear. O'Hear, Anthony.
69 Sport, recreation and play. UNICEF.
70 Key themes in youth sport / by Ken Green. Green, Ken.
71 The pursuit of unhappiness : the elusive psychology of well-being / Daniel M. Haybron. Haybron, Daniel M.

>227 rosalita: Two weeks!!? Yikes. We had only had rain for 2.5 days (with barely a break for dryness) and once the sun came out I was all Hallelujah! I am not looking forward to damp winter at all. The crisp but sunny days, yes, but puddly damp days, no.

>228 lunacat: Climate change strikes again huh? Except no one is willing to admit it. People continue to say things like, we've always had rain/no rain/storms/hurricanes. It feels to me like adverse or extreme weather events are far more prevalent than they used to be, but it is explained away.

>229 PaulCranswick: aaah, the old tree in the lake. I remember it too. I hope your friend has some good weather, it is patchy at best these days! The leaves have turned though so I hope they go to the Queenstown/Arrowtown area to see the gorgeous autumn colours there.

>230 nittnut: I do love the long day at uni. Partly because it means I get to take my reading to the café and chill out, also, a lunch break is nice ;)

Megan, your thread is awesome. Congrats to the Black Sticks and I am looking forward to your thoughts about A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women. What a great title.

Hello, Megan! Happy weekend!

>233 EBT1002: that collection of essays has fallen by the wayside- I need to get into it again as it really had me hooked. I have decided to abandon Ravelstein for now, as I am just not getting it. A good move as it turns out as I am right into Hell's Bottom, Colorado now. I am already fearing the point at which it will come to an end!

>234 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!
You too- I am just about to leave work and pick up a present for my sister and head to her house for her birthday. Yay!

To follow on from my last post, the birthday celebration carried on and me and the kids ended with an impromptu sleepover. It wasn't my fault, it was the wine and the outdoor pizza oven. An enticing combination!
It was fun, and a lovely weekend weather wise as well. Then dinner here with friends this evening to cap it off. Bring on Monday!

Reading-wise...I went to the local library to do some uni reading today but ended up reading an interestingly illustrated book that I found there instead, called Explain Pain.


BOOK 17
Explain Pain by David Butler and Dr. Lorimer Moseley (illustrated by Sunyata) 133p

The book makes the case that pain exists when the brain perceives a survival threat, or enough of a threat to your continued existence that you need to stop and take notice. Which would explain why people can not notice pain, or be 'tricked' into experiencing more pain than you'd think necessary for the type of injury or condition.
I wasn't sure I was completely convinced, thinking back to my own arthritic pain as a 20-something, I do recall being able to be distracted from it sometimes, and pushing on through the pain to do cool stuff like going tramping, but the immediate survival threat didn't apply to me then (perhaps 5000 years ago it would have as I would have been unable to feed/care for myself without assistance). It was an interesting perspective, and one that would surely be useful for diagnosticians and general practitioners who would face people with varying conditions, pain thresholds, and ways of coping with ongoing pain, but also for people who want to get a greater understanding of their own pain processes.

Megan--Just popping in to say Hi! That's a lot of Uni books and very intellectual. : ) Wishing you a great week!

>236 LovingLit: Interesting ideas Megan. The only thing I've read on pain was Susan Sontag, and there were so many new ideas my head struggled...

>237 Berly: A few of those books were checked out for my job at the careers department, which should explain the Land and Property Management title, and the Managing Supply Chain and Logistics one too!! Not typically my interest area, but- that job has been very good for enlightening me on various topics I previously had no idea about.

>238 charl08: I want to read her book....I read On Photography in preparation for what I thought was the next book....what is it again? Regarding the Pain of Others...(touchstone works so that must be it). Was it harrowing reading? I must check if my library has it, as a wee while back that book was top priority!

Nice photo of you and your boys, Megan! I'm glad that they survived the unspeakable trauma of their first wedding. The profile photo of one of my Facebook friends shows him kissing his new wife in the background, as her young daughters turn away from them and toward the camera, both hiding their faces in their hands. I can't rightly post it, but it is utterly adorable!

Nice review of Explain Pain. I'll keep my eye out for it.

>229 PaulCranswick: I love that picture of the tree in the lake.

Hi Megan!

You've always got so many interesting things going on over here!

Pain is an interesting topic and I'd like to read more about it, perhaps even Explain Pain.

>239 LovingLit: I don't remember it as harrowing, more that it made me think about things I'd not considered before - brain strain!

>240 kidzdoc: I think my boys egg each other on. Which shouldn't surprise anyone who has ever met children....but there you go. The picture on your friends' Facebook profile sounds sweet. Lenny has been asking me lately if me and his dad kiss at night. LOL. I said, with a completely straight face, yes- sometimes we do.

>241 thornton37814: I am surprised it is still there, I thought the roots would have routed away.

>242 karenmarie: It is an Australian book, by the looks. So it could be difficult to come across. It is sciencey/medical but presented in a palatable way. And illustrated!

>243 charl08: the cover image most often shown on LT is pretty harrowing! I hope it isn't illustrated.....But I still want to read it. That and about 1,000 other books....as soon as possible. Sheesh, I better get to bed soon and finish Hell's Bottom, Colorado already!

Life Log Entry III

Job one: Research Analyst A new contract has been picked up so my job may revert back to research analyst again. Yay! I have done surveying, database maintenance, editing, proof reading, cold calling, report writing so far. It is certainly varied.

Job two: Content Writer Two of four documents completed. One Half done. One not yet started. Approximately 18 graduates to find and seek permission for to feather in documents. Consistency across the full set of documents to ensure. Can I do this in the 60 hours I have left on the project? Maybe ;)

Study: Meetings to investigate new(wish) topic pushed back...don't know if I should be frustrated or relieved! I am reading but don't feel like I am making progress very quickly (one research article took me over two hours to read!). My only university days are Wednesday and Friday (school hours, with every second Wed an all day affair). Slow going.

Parenting: week 450-something: Lenny is so sweet and lovely, and then all of a sudden he is a raging mess of anger, yelling, chair-tipping and door-slamming. I am left in the wake of Hurricane Lenny most afternoons wondering what the heck just happened! *deep breaths* What happened to my sweet baby?

Hope Lenny and the other work behaves themselves. Getting back to research analyst work sounds like a good move to me, how great that they have more work. Will you get time off for Easter?

>232 LovingLit: was kinda hoping the Autumn colour are out will be down Queenstown way at month end .... loving walking around the lake.

>229 PaulCranswick: The tree in the lake is quintessential ... nice shot

>246 charl08: I will make use of Easter to have my lovely other around for childcare so I can catch up on job two, which I would just like to get done now so I can get on with study. So, it will be good!

>247 roundballnz: I cant remember if Autumn comes faster the farther south you go, or if it is the other way around...I hope you get in on the Autumn action near Queenstown though, it is usually spectacular.

Hope you have a great Easter weekend!

Wishing you a very Happy Easter.

Hope you have a productive Easter weekend and that you can get caught up on work while your other half can do some childcare. Make sure you schedule in some fun and rest as well!

>249 ChelleBearss: thanks Chelle, >250 johnsimpson: Thanks John, three more days off stretch before us. Today I take the kids to the movies to see Boss Baby, and tonight I am off the see Blondie and Cyndi Lauper perform. Yay! But, I have a killer cold, so it will have to be coffee and coldrex to get me through, and ANY ideas I had of going out with the crew (as in my friends) after the gig will have to be canned. Sleep will be my priority, I think. :|

>251 lunacat: As I just mentioned, my cold could get in the way this weekend. And of course, I was all "this is so frustrating, this is not a good time to be getting sick!" But then I realised that a) there is never a good time to be sick, and b) as times-to-be-sick go, this one is actually pretty good. I don't have to call in sick from job one or job two as am just fitting the hours around childcare and public holidays, so I can just go or not go, and if I go, it will be easier and quieter than it is around here with the kids, so. It looks like I'll be pushing on through!

Sorry to hear of the cold! Of course, being me, I had to look up coldrex. Most of the ingredients are familiar to me (though we usually have to take two pills to get them all) but I'd never come across terpin hydrate before. I hope they help anyway. Pushing on through is sometimes useful, but make sure you don't push it too hard. It's great that your job can be easier than the kids - I'm sure quite a few parents would say the same!

Sleep is a good priority at all times, but particularly when you're sick. Fingers crossed for some decent rest :)

Hi Megan, wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend.

>253 lunacat: well, I also had a concert to go to last night. Blondie. Which there was not way I was going to miss. :) I may have coughed and sneezed my way through it but it was worth it. (Plus, being seated helped). I am so glad I didn't miss it.

>254 Ameise1: Thanks B! A lovely bunch of flowers. The kids have their easter chocolate loot all stored up for the coming days and are off to the heritage park this morning with their dad- leaving me to rest hopefully.

A Room of One's Own- I am finally reading this book. And although it is completely different to what I had imagined it would be, I am loving it. Why has it taken me so long to read this???!!

>256 LovingLit: Funny how that happens, book sits there waiting & when you read it OMG.......

>248 LovingLit: South gets Autumn first, hence why we are still 23C during the day, its turning though, can't wait for Autumn!!!

>257 roundballnz: South gets Autumn first
Of course, duh. I will blame that one on being sick. Can't think straight.

Hopefully there will be a book sitting there waiting for you soon too!! Although Easter may slow the package down....

Blondie and Cyndi Lauper together huh? Interesting. :)

Get well soon! 50% of our household has a killer cold. I am not part of it. Hoping I stay clear.