Reading Tuesday

It is Tuesday morning here and I am tired (literally) of staying up late to blog every night. So, while Connor is enjoying a snack, I am posting.

On Saturday morning, while at the farmer's market, I saw a lady off to the side with stuff spread out on bleachers. There was a mad crush of people around her, so I ambled over to see what she was offering. I picked up this book:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

For a quarter!!! I could hardly believe my luck. I am like #248 on the wait list at Paperbackswap for this one. Yay! I started reading it already, even though I have others from the library sitting here. Waiting patiently. Boni was correct in suggesting this one to me, it is right up my alley so far.

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We have an appointment today for "counseling" in regards to our new overseas transfer. Yippee. We went through this 3 years ago when we went to Guam. Basically they just want to make sure that we are financially responsible to handle living in a remote area, that we are aware of harsh climate changes, distance from family, etc. Yes, yes, yes. Move us already! It is nice to know where we are going (so we don't keep wondering), but the crummy part is now we get to wait. And wait.

Peace.

Reading Tuesdays

Does anyone else remember "Reading Rainbow" with LeVar Burton? Such a catchy theme song, I find myself humming it sometimes.

Anyway, I finished two more books. Yay me!

The Handmaid and the Carpenter - It was kind of meh. I am glad that it was only 150-some odd pages, because it really didn't hold my interest. Fictionalized romance of Mary and Joseph with a few paragraphs about Jesus. Not one that I would run out and buy, but if the library had it and you didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday, well it may fit the bill for you.

In the Company of the Courtesan - Interesting tale, but very long winded. It did have a surprise about 3/4 of the way through it, so it wasn't a total wash.

Time to update my yearly list.

Peace.

Tuesdays are for reading

We went to the library last friday. I still am amazed at how nice the library is on this island. Blows Guam's out of the water completely. Since we are bookworms, we left with a bag full (a reusable canvas bag because that is how we roll).

I picked out:

Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich I *heart* this series. I can whiz through these books in about 24 hours.

The Teahouse Fire - Ellis Avery I thought it looked interesting. No other reason.

The Handmaid and the Carpenter - Elizabeth Berg Fictional account of the romance of Mary and Joseph. Looks like a quick read.

Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan One of my favorite authors. This is a big book, so it may take me a while.

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Speaking of reading, I do try to keep up with my blog reading via my Google Reader. I am trying to carve out a little bit of time every day to leave a few comments, but I can't get to everyone's all of the time. I have had a bunch of new readers and have added you all to my google reader, and I pinky swear that I will get to your blog and comment soon.

I have taken my blogroll off of the sidebar (along with many other things). I am trying to streamline and update the look of my blog. I will be cutting the list down and then adding more knitting blogs to it though. I plan on making a post that has my "master" list and then just linking to it in my sidebar so that the sidebar isn't so clogged up.

I am still trying to figure out the Ravelry progress bars. I have been activated to use the code, I just can't for the life of me get it to work. I may just throw in the towel and use the progress bars as outlined here: Progress bars (for dummies like me). Since I am still mulling over switching to wordpress.com or not, I won't stress about the Ravelry bars since they aren't supported on Wordpress.com.

Oh, and if the wonderful Saipan blogger that posted a comment on my last post is reading this (which I doubt), please don't spam me with your drivel again. I don't appreciate it. I tolerated it once from Plutonic Pluto or whatever his alias is, mostly because I don't like to delete comments and censor. But, if it happens again, I will start deleting comments. Thanks much!

Peace.

Tuesdays are for reading

I am on a roll here, people. NaBloPoMo might have just been the kick in the seat that I needed to get my blogging on.

Tuesday's theme will be "reading". I love to read. I have been reading about a book a week lately. Currently, I am reading "In the Company of the Courtesan" by Sarah Dunant. Pretty decent so far, even though I am at a standstill (my fault, not the author's). It isn't ground-breaking fiction, but it is okay. I am intrigued by the whole "courtesan" concept. They served a greater purpose than just being whores to those that had the means. It is interesting to think how much they influenced politics, art, literature and kingdoms.

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It seems that I have offended a reader of my blog. "Anonymous" won't be reading my blog anymore because of my post "Clean Up Sunday". Although I am disappointed to lose a reader, I won't back down from what I posted.

Here's the thing...it is MY blog. The place where I can express myself. And it isn't always sugary sweet. And too infrequently influenced by wine/vodka. My intention and purpose of that post was three-fold:

1. To bring to light the stupid chain emails that circulate through in boxes like wildfire. Many people take them at face value and make knee-jerk judgements after reading them.
   
2. To show the hypocrisy of the political machine. It is absolutely incomprehensible for a front running candidate to not be perfect in every way, but when someone points out the fact that the man running the show around these parts does it too... Weellll then.
   
3. It is a photo people, one tiny second out of the day that will forever be remembered on film. Did he put his hand to his chest after the picture was snapped? Dunno.

Is Anonymous no longer a reader because I stayed true to myself? Of course I am a Democrat. I am a tree hugging, young female. I don't exactly fit the Republican cookie cutter. I was raised to think liberally by a woman many considered to be a hippie.

Do I love my country? Yes, absolutely. We fly the flag with pride, vote, pay taxes and enjoy freedom of speech.

Maybe it boils down to Anonymous not liking the fact that I don't put my hand over my heart for the National Anthem or say the Pledge of Allegiance. When I hear the National Anthem, I stand silently with my hands held behind my back. Okay, I mouth the words. As far as the Pledge of Allegiance...I don't pledge allegiance to anyone (or anything) other than my God and my family in that order. i would rather have a POTUS that pledged allegiance to his (or her) fellow citizens instead of a symbol. Would I sacrifice for my country? Yes I would. And in a small way, I already do. I am a military spouse living 11,000 miles from home.

In no way was I being disrespectful to the POTUS. I used a common nickname for him and said "WTF?". I would say the same thing to him if he were sitting in my living room. Then I would offer him a vodka gimlet and a Landjaeger with cheese and crackers.

I wish I knew who Anonymous was, I could address you more personally. I respect other people's opinions and am all about agreeing to disagree. Just know that if Barack doesn't win the nomination, I may end up voting Republican because I don't totally *heart* Mrs. Clinton. That is the beauty of being a free citizen, you can change your mind.

Peace

Wrap up

Wow, I have been quite neglectful of the blog lately. Time seems to just slip right past me most days. Plus, DH was dinking around with the new computer the other night and the screen went black. Hrrrrm...that's not supposed to happen. He was messing around trying to get the info off of the old hard drive onto the new one and has some kind of external thingamajig hooked up. Poor darlin, he really tries hard. So now we are back to the laptop, which I am not too fond of. Oh well. When I win the lottery, I can buy my own little puter ( a Mac ) and do what I want. Guess I should start buying tickets.

The biggest downside is that I try to comment on blogs and I can't. The comment page just keeps reloading. Frustrating. Friends in blogland, know that I am reading and wanting to comment!

A pretty hibiscus on a very clear day. We have a big hibiscus bush in front.

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We took Connor to the beach for the first time on Friday. He had a good time, I think. He only cried a couple of times. We bought him a cheapy floaty tube and when he got to where he could touch the bottom, he would take off. The beach is now Connor's aqua walker.

This little girl decided that she wanted to take her puppy swimming. I watched her for a while to make sure she didn't drown it. So cute!

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Last weekend, we did some beautifying of the CNMI with Angelo's group, Beautify CNMI! There was even a little write up in the paper.

Click here to read a good post from Cinta and to see a cute family shot at the end. We plan on doing more volunteering with this group in the near future.

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Since only one person *technically* signed up for my PIF challenge, I decided to choose 4 others. I started working on one of the projects this week. Here is a sneak peek:

Where have I been that I have not used circular knitting needles before now? Holy moley, I am a woman obsessed now. Since I took this picture, I finished knitting it (and no, it isn't a hat). I immediately casted on for another similar style, only using a smaller needle and they are bamboo, not metal. Wow, bamboo rocks! Someday, I will be able to try out the Cadillac of knitting needles, the Addi Turbos...until then, I will be obsessing with my one pair of bamboo circulars.

By the way, if you ever see a copy of this book (in picture above) at a garage sale (where I got mine) or a thrift shop, I highly recommend you pick it up...it is full of great info on every kind of stitching and has awesome diagrams. If I had to pick only one book to have in my library for needlework, this would win. It is Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. I think that mine was $2.

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The sewing machine is officially DOA according to Sam's Electronics. They can't repair it because it seems that I broke off a big piece of metal that holds the shuttle race in. I am bummed that I am without a sewing machine for a while, but to be honest...I kinda hated that one anyway! Too many bells and whistles. I bid on a vintage Singer machine on ebay...only has 5 stitches! Just my speed. But, I have been outbid. So, the search is on again. Got to keep it under $75 including shipping.

And, we dyed more of Connor's diapers. I *love* them!

Peace.

Finished my 19th book for the year

Today I finished "Inheritance" by Lan Samantha Chang.

It was just okay, didn't exactly keep my attention and draw me back to it with each free moment I had like other books have. I would give it a B-. I really enjoy books set in China, especially ones that deal with women/mother-daughter relationships. I read one last year called "Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter" that really has stayed with me. It might be my favorite so far in the Chinese Mother-Daughter category.

So, I started "To The Nines" by Janet Evanovich. Should be done in the next couple of days, they are quick easy reads. Then I am trying to decide on reading either "Mirror Mirror" by Gregory Maguire (I have already read "Wicked" and want to see the stage performance next year when we go home), "The Boleyn Inheritance" by Philippa Gregory (still need to get "The Constant Princess"), or "The Kitchen God's Wife" by Amy Tan.

Recently I finished reading "Hard Eight" by Janet Evanovich - part of the Stephanie Plum series. The book isn't in good enough condition for me to offer it for swapping on Paperbackswap.com, so I am offering it to anyone that wants it. Gratis. Just email me. It has a cracked spine. The pages are all there, it is just a little worn. I think that it has been read by many people before me.

Last year, I read 53 books. I hope to top that this year, even if I only get through 54 books.

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This weekend, we are planning on going to the PAWS Dog Show : The Best of the Worst! on Saturday and hopefully hit the Taste of the Marianas Festival sometime. I am hoping that Lady can bring home the "Booniest" title at the dog show.

Wow, this post has alot of links!

Peace.

A charmed life

Thank you, thank you to all of you bloggers out there that left such wonderful congratulatory comments! I have read all of them and really appreciate them. : )

Life is so sweet right now. I know that I am still on Cloud 9 with this little guy. He is everything I could have ever hoped for and then some. I love this picture, he looks like he is celebrating a victory in his sleep.

DH works with a great guy down at the Port, and we have spent some time at their home for barbeques. They had a baby a couple of weeks ago also. The other day, he dropped off this arrangement of flowers for us. They are so gorgeous in person, I can't hardly believe that they came out of his yard. But, that is just another beauty of island living, the wonderful tropical flowers.

I haven't done any crafting, really. I did start reading a book that Jenn sent me, "Love, Rosie". I really like it so far, but it is just hard trying to find time to read. I hope to eventually be able to read while we nurse, but for now we are still in the learning phase so it requires all of my attention.

Continuing with my happy theme today, I got an email announcement that my guy, Barack Obama has decided to take the first step in running in 2008!!! YAY!!! That makes me incredibly happy. There is a video here. Or you can read the text here. He is just filing the papers to create a presidential exploratory committee, but it is the first step! WooHoo!!!

I have so much to catch up on, but it will have to wait for a while longer. I have a handsome little man that needs me. Hard to believe that he will be a week old tomorrow!

Peace

Right on track

The first week of the year isn't over yet and I have already finished my first book, The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland.

Very good book about Josephine Bonaparte and her life before and up until she met Napoleon. It is the first in a series of three. I have the third one, I am just waiting until I get another credit at Paperbackswap.com so I can order the second one.

Tonight I am going to start Vanity Fair by Wiliam Makepeace Thackeray. A classic that I have yet to read. Then I want to see the movie with Reese Witherspoon in it.

Peace

Books I have read in 2006

For my future reference since it is now 2007 and time to start a new list:

Books I have read in 2006 (53)

Two for the Dough
Victoria Victorious
The Horse and His Boy (Narnia)
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Narnia)
The Magician's Nephew (Narnia)
Skipping Christmas
The Christmas Box
Good Grief (audio book)
Husband-Coached Childbirth
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Girl's Poker Night
Bayou Farewell
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Wicked: The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Courtesan
Jane Eyre (audiobook)
Ya-Ya's In Bloom
Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
Little Altars Everywhere
Buster Midnight's Cafe
So That's What They're For
Rural Renaissance
The Quilter's Apprentice
Snow Falling on Cedars
P.S. I Love You
The Shunning
Angels & Demons
The Shop on Blossom Street
A Murderous Yarn
Unraveled Sleeve
A Stitch In Time
Framed In Lace
Crewel World
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married
The Pilot's Wife
A Walk in the Woods
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix
Dirty Girls Social Club
Dear America: Journey to a Land of Plenty
The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love
How to Make an American Quilt
Last Chance Saloon
Watermelon
Marley & Me
Zoya
Hollywood Babylon
Belly Laughs
Baby Laughs
The DaVinci Code
Pushing 30
Girlfriends Guide To Pregnancy
Falling Leaves: Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Make it 53

This morning at ugly-thirty I finished "Two for the Dough" by Janet Evanovich. Part of the Stephanie Plum series. I like this series and have ordered the next one off of Paperbackswap.com. It will only take 2 months to get here.

Next up is "The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B". It is about Josephine Bonaparte.

So that makes 53 books read this year. Doubt I will get another finish in the next couple of days.

How do I do it? We don't watch TV. Refuse to pay for the crappy cable service here and there are no local channels at all, so we don't watch tv.

Why was I up at ugly-thirty today? Because I have a monster growing in my belly that does not allow me to sleep like a normal human being.

Thanks, Jenn!

Yesterday, we got a great package in the mail from Jenn. I was curious as to what she had sent, so on the drive home I *of course* looked at the customs label and saw that it said a book and a baby item. : )

I remembered that she was going to send me this book, but had no clue about what she could have sent for the baby. She had previously sent me the book "P.S. I Love You" by the same author and I loved that book. It made me laugh and cry. I am hoping this book is just as good. I have packed it into my "hospital bag" and am planning on starting it when I go into the hospital.

Don't ya just love the ducky wrapping paper? It is too cute! And it matches the baby gift so perfectly! She stitched us a hooded towel with the cutest little duckies on it! I can't wait until the baby is here and old enough (read: stumpless) to take a proper bath. Then I can take a picture of it with it's stinking cute hooded towel.

Thanks again, Jenn! Your stitching is so neat and perfect, we just love it!

The generosity of the online stitching community never ceases to amaze me. I am so thankful for the friends that I have made through the blogging world.

It seems like everyone is doing a year-end wrap up and listing their stitching accomplishments for 2006. Shamefully I haven't kept very good track of my stitching accomplishments, and I don't feel like going through old blog posts to search them out. The only resolution that I will make for 2007 is to photograph my stitching with each finish and make an album on my webshots. For some idiotic reason, I deleted all of my old finishes from previous years. Live and learn.

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I will do a year-end book wrap up though. This year I have managed to read 52 books. Not too bad I guess. I really wanted to finish all of the "Chronicles of Narnia" but have only made my way through 3 of the books. I just can't read alot of those stories at once, I have to be in the mood. Here is a listing of my favorite books that I read this year:

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan - I really enjoy Amy Tan's writing style and enjoy how she immerses her readers into the Asian culture so smoothly.

Bayou Farewell by Mike Tidwell - This book was a great read about the disappearing coastline of South Louisiana. Since we lived in S. LA for a few years, it really struck a chord with me. It is an epidemic that is rarely talked about.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - This book didn't interest me at first. It tells you the other side of the story in Oz and leaves you thinking about just how judgemental society is and the struggles that other people have.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - The author made a commitment to himself to hike the Appalacian Trail as a thru hike. (Something DH dreams that we will someday do) As he hikes, he learns more about himself and has to re-adjust his goals. It also gives much background on the AT and the need for conservation of it. Love the wit of Bill Bryson.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson (oops!) - An incredibly moving book. I lost it through the last chapter. I really didn't see the end coming the way that it did. So much so that I had to go back and re-read the last chapter and cry some more.

Marley & Me by John Grogan - This book was my favorite of the whole year. Numero Uno. A must read for anyone that has ever been owned by a dog or loved a dog. I loved this book so much that I blogged about it here. It had me laughing and crying. It has been out for a while and I saw today that it is still #8 on the bestseller list which is really no suprise to me.

Falling Leaves: Memoirs of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah - A great book that describes how one little girl grew up in the face of adversity to become successful and find peace with those that treated her horribly. True story.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern - Jenn sent this book to me and I loved it because it is contemporary (think chick lit) but it also had me laughing out loud and crying. What is it with me and crying over books? : ) I can't imagine facing what the main character had to, but if I ever did, I would hope that I have enough courage to be like her. This book is set to be made into a movie starring Hilary Swank.

And books that I hope to read next year:

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Geisha by Liza Dalby

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

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A few posts ago, I showed my sling that I made and talked about making one out of silk dupioni. Well, I looked at the prices of silk dupioni and thought, "I can't spend $10-14 per yard of fabric...this will have to wait." So, I decided to see how much silk dupioni slings sell for. I found these AWESOME slings that are made by Sakura Bloom.

But holy macaroni, the one that I like the best, Waterlily...

anyone got an extra $260 that they don't know what to do with? : )

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This is one of the photos that I took of a hibiscus in our yard. We have probably 6 or so hibiscus bushes. 2 of them were severely mangled by the yard guy about a month ago, but they are starting to come back somewhat.

Since Angelo brought it up a few days ago via the comments section, I will save the rest of the photos of the pretty things in our yard for my next post...the "I love Saipan" post. This is one that I am going to have to think about and word carefully. I have been thinking about it for a couple of days already.

Peace.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas!

We have been pretty low-key today. It has been a marathon of Christmas cartoon DVD's here at the House of Grinch. You know, those old ones that are clay-mation and are shown every year? DH bought me the set last year, so that's all we have done today. Well, laundry too. I think that DH is making hot wings and sweet potato fries for dinner...how's that for non-conformity?

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On Friday, we went to a Christmas party. It was for a company that DH works with, so it was nice to see them appreciate their employees. The party was held at the Aqua Resort (where we stayed for 30 days when we first came to Saipan and were trying to find a house), which is always nice. There was a big buffet, and open bar and a live band called Resound. They were pretty good, even though I was about to gag when they did Paris Hilton's "The Stars Are Blind". My ears might still be bleeding.

One of the guys gave me this flower "thing" to wear on my head...I felt a little bit like a dork because there were only 2 other ladies that had one. But, the smell of the plumeria (franigipani) was so intoxicating, I loved having it on. So it stayed. I think that it is some kind of a traditional thing here. Even men wear them.

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Yesterday I read the book, "The Christmas Box". It was a quick read. When I say quick, I mean less than an hour. It was a good book and appropriate for the holidays. I am slowly working my way through "Victoria Victorious" about Queen Victoria. Kinda dry, and I am almost done so that is great. It has given me more insight to her life though. Maybe I will read "Skipping Christmas" today. I read it a couple of years ago, but don't remember much of it besides how the movie is.

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For an update on the biscornu...here it is:

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Tomorrow is our next baby appointment...hard to believe that our due date is 17 days away. I remember when I got all excited when my countdown ticker said 100 days. Where has the time gone?

Peace