Supertalk is gone…

I have not been at work on a regular basis for about 2 weeks due to Christmas and a Vacation to Vegas so I have not missed my talk radio. I heard the construction sounds just before I left and hoped that there was some kind of strike or station issues and my regular routine would be back soon. I listened to Christmas music and finished out the few days before leaving for Vegas. Arriving back at work I was shocked and dismayed to find music playing.

Music is fine, but I miss Glen and Dave. I have been searching the stations looking for some kind of intelligent talk for my workday. I need something more than bad jokes and commercials that are trying to sell me things that I neither want nor need.

I am hoping that one of the other stations will pick up both the Glenn Beck Program and The Dave Ramsey Show. Until then I am getting both of the newsletters and recapping yesterday’s news on my lunch break.

Sign me up as the new Reds closer

Hillary Clinton’s has a campaign blurb stating that she saw first hand what it was like to be president and that she is therefore prepared for the job.

I watch a lot of Reds games… and have for more than 8 years. In fact I have watched with interest for about 20. Surly that qualifies me to play…. Right?

Long Overdue

I am way behind in my blogging again. We leave for Vegas on Sunday so I will post lots of pictures in the new year.

Thought for the day

If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure. It transcends all barriers.

- Ed Sullivan

Rounding third and for heading home.

Joe Nuxhall is and always will be, the sound of the Reds in my heart.

My prayers are with the Nuxhall family.

Christmas Sprirt

I love Christmas. I love getting together with family, baking, shopping and the general merriment that goes along with the entire season.

Along with all of the good comes a great big dose of stupidity. The first example is Sydney, Australia. Santa is no longer aloud to say HO, HO, HO! He is now supposed to say HA, HA, HA! As to not offend anyone, lest they think he is calling small children prostitutes.

Glenn Beck

I started listening to him a few months ago at work for some background noise and very quickly became a fan. He is conservative but not the burry your head in the sand, living in the past sort of conservative. He has a fresh viewpoint on current issues and is willing to admit when he does not know enough about an issue to debate it.

I love the variety of guests on the show last week he had Rudy Giuliani today he had Jeff Foxworthy. Both shows were fantastic.

I highly recommend both his radio show and his TV program.

A football favorite

Katrina’s Meatball Subs

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 table spoon milk
1 large egg white
Garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Sauce
½ lb spicy Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
8 oz low sodium tomato sauce
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, quartered with the juice.
Basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Italian rolls
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Provolone cheese, sliced

1.) Brown the Italian sausage in a cast iron skillet.
2.) In a large pot combine the ingredients for the sauce including the browned Italian sausage. Simmer on medium.
3.) Mix the meatball mixture and form small balls. Place in the same skillet as you browned the sausage. Brown the outsides. Do not overcook.
4.) Combine the meatballs with the sauce. Simmer for 20-30 minuets or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle.
5.) Layer one slice of provolone cheese on the bottom of the Italian rolls, add the meatball sauce. Top with the mozzarella cheese.
6.) Wrap individually each sub in Pam sprayed aluminum foil leaving the tops open to the broiler. Bake for 10 min. Broil until cheese is melted and the bread is crisp.

The Socialism Parade

We need to wake up as a society. Socialism is no longer creeping in we are throwing parades and ushering it in with ticker tape.

Healthcare
Sea Trade Treaties
Amnesty Cities
Imminent Domain
Political Correctness
Religious Intolerance

What happened to the tradition of great thinkers in this country? What happened to the pioneering spirit that our country was founded on?

Why are we following in the footsteps of country’s and systems that are failing? It seems we are spending most of our time apologizing as a country for not being like the rest of the world.

We need to wake up or we will find ourselves in a country that we don’t recognize.

Halloween in the 1980's

A few books from the month....

Celebrity Detox: (the fame game), Rosie O'Donnell
Martha Stewart living annual recipes, Martha Stewart
Elegant Christmas ornaments to crochet, Barbara Christopher
Real Food: what to eat and why, Nina Planck
52 Projects: random acts of everyday creativity, Jeffrey Yamaguchi

Old Fall Picture

Polish Night

We had Polish night on Monday, real kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. It always makes me think of Granny and Popa.

The Nobel Joke

Al Gore … really? Over a woman who risked her life to save 2,500 children during the Holocaust!

Al Gore will not give up his private plane, yet he is worthy of a Nobel Prize. Give me a break.

Who can expect more from the committee … after all they did consider nominations for Stalin and Hitler. Mossolini, Kaiser Wihelm II and Alfred Ploetz all received nominations and were considered for the prize.

I guess I don’t have a chance …. Seeing as I am not a communist or a socialist. More on that later.

Art and Craft Shows

Lakota West

Topher and I spent a lot of time at the Lakota West Show on Saturday. There was a fantastic turnout of vendors and visitors. The quality of product ranged from amateur to professional with a nice mix in the middle. All of the booths were inside with the exception of a few food booths and a farmers market located at the main entrance. All of the staples were there - jewelry, photography, pottery and fiber arts. I was delighted to see a silver smith and a photographer who still uses film and develops it himself.

In all it was a fantastic show. We were able to pick up a few gifts for Christmas and a collage of an old tobacco farm to hang at home.

Hyde Park

Christy and I headed down to the Hyde Park Show on Sunday afternoon. It was a hot day and everyone was a bit wilted. As always the quality of the show was very high. There were a lot of original paintings, pottery and photography. Many of the jewelry booths had hand made beads and charms along with some assemblage pieces which were incredible. The layout of the show made it very easy to see all of the booths without getting stuck in the traffic of people, dogs and strollers.

This is one of my favorite shows because of all of the unique pieces that are not found at many of the other local shows.

Next weekend is the Sauerkraut Festival!

Vote 2008

I stumbled across this website designed to help you match your opinions with those of the current front running presidential candidates.

God help me this was my match.

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R)

Numbers

My intention was to by my 28th birthday research the front runners in the 2008 presidential election. As of today there are 219 people currently trying to get our attention for presidency. That is 47 Democrats, 67 Republicans and 105 other/ independent candidates that have formed exploratory committee’s. Those numbers do not include the canadates that have dropped out.

What an incredible waste of money for the majority of that list.

Inspire Me!

Cincinnati has an enormous amount of events to enjoy. We have two professional teams. We have many semi-pro teams that many people overlook – roller derby to name one. We have fantastic events that everyone can participate in – softball, volleyball, soccer.

Cincinnati also has an incredible art and craft base. I have been attending art and craft shows for the past few weekends and I am amazed at the amount of talent living around me.

I was particularly impressed at the Mason Arts Festival on Sunday. The event had all of the essentials – food, music, face painting. It also had a lot of very unique jewelry, pottery, textile arts and photography. I was impressed by the time spent in the display and setup of the goods being sold. Everything was beautifully done even if it was not my taste.

The Mason show also had a great display of student art starting with elementary school drawings up to high school collage, masks and sculpture. I was again impressed with the creativity and time put in to the pieces.

The Mason show is not one that I will miss in the future.

It was a weekend that left me totally inspired.

Sally Field

It’s hard for me not to like Sally, in my heart she will always be Gidget and the flying nun. I loved her in Steel Magnolias and Murphy’s Romance.

Her recent fumbling incoherent spouting about the war left me a bit puzzled. Her claim was that if the world were run by women there would be no war.

Does she know any women? Her statement may be true if the world was run by one woman, but put more than two women in a room and there will be scrapping.

Sally, please stick to acting where we really, really do like you.

Two of my favorites

I have been blog lazy lately ... mostly because I have been busy everywhere else. Lots to say ... maybe I will post over the weekend.

A look back

One of my favorites

Summer Fun

No child was hurt in the pool that night, despite what the pictures later revealed.

Sarah hanging out.

Invitations

It all started at a wedding a few years ago. Topher and I were joking about how weddings make people crazy and how the meaning is lost somewhere between the guest list and the color scheme. So we decided that we were going to get married in Jamaica.

Fast forward a few years. We are engaged, but dad does not fly. Topher and his family have vacationed in Destin for years so we decided to take our close friends and immediate family and get married on the beach. What better way to invite people to a beach wedding than a message in a bottle.

Another Recall

In two weeks we have seen three product recalls for products made in China. These recalls beg the question what’s going on?

There are several theory’s floating out in the media ranging from China trying to kill us to a coincidence that the products have been found in the past few weeks and products from China are safe. Both theories seem equally far fetched in my opinion.

China realized a long time ago that Americans want the highest volume at the lowest cost no matter what the quality. That is exactly what we have been getting. Does no one but me wonder why products that were made in the 40’s and 50’s are in fantastic shape and things made in the last 10 years are falling apart. I realize that material things do not last forever, but it seems to me that with advances in technology material goods should last longer than they once did. I can have a pair of jeans that my grandfather wore to work in the fields 40 years ago in fantastic condition – but the jeans that I purchased last year have lost the original shape and are coming apart at the seems. Something is wrong with that picture.

We have a major problem on our hands and it has been ignored for some time because it is going to cost us all very dearly to fix it. We depend so heavily on foreign factories to make inexpensive low quality products that when the US starts making toothpaste again and we have to pay $8.00 a tube there is going to be a huge backlash. Not to mention we do not have the labor sources that we once did, most Americans do not want to work for $9.00 an hour.

The most alarming question is who is to say that if the products were made in the US the quality would be better. Sure harmful materials like lead based paint would not be used but would the quality be better?

Thought of the day

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

- Socrates

Snap Shot

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows will be out July 21, 2007.

When I was growing up there was not a book series that both girls and boys read. Girls read Nancy Drew, The Little House books and the Baby Sitters Club. Boys read The Hardy Boys. The Harry Potter Series transcends gender, age and socio economic boundaries.

I highly recommend the series for family’s looking for a great summer read that everyone can enjoy.

I can’t say enough about the series or the author.

Mike Vick

Mike Vick has the ability to fly to Vegas, he could call a bookie and bet on a baseball game, he could go to a track and bet on some horses. All of which are perfectly harmless and legal.

But no.

Mike wants to see dogs being torn apart. What kind of a person wants to see that? What does that say about his character? I feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for anyone involved. The lack of compassion and humanity is frightening. Judging from his actions he did not seem to think anything was wrong with his hobby.

What a great example of not being able to take the ghetto out of a man. That’s a real shame, because the boy could play. The emphasis is on could - he may not have the opportunity to do so in the future. If he does not have to do jail time, what team wants to be associated with him? With all of the drugs and domestic abuse that franchises have to deal with I doubt they want to add animal cruelty.

I hope his sentence includes some serious counseling.

Recent Reads

French Women Don't Get Fat - Mireille Guiliano
MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook: For the Farm Girl in All of Us -MaryJane Guiliano
The Devil in the Jr League - Linda Francis Lee
Beading for the Soul; Inspired Designs from 23 Contemporary Artists -Deborah Cannarella

Spring Pictures

Survivor

I have not been keeping up with my blog.... between the new job and the wedding I was a bit swamped. I can not resist commenting on the departure of Rosie O'Donald from the View.
IT'S ABOUT TIME!

I don't get to watch the View very much anymore, but when I did she made the entire experience unpleasant. She is, in my opinion a prime example of the social decay of the media. Hopefully, Rosie will stay off the airways and save us all from her constant whining. Maybe she can do something constructive with her time, she has talked enough about how to change the country, perhaps she should run for office.

Congratulations Elizabeth, you survived.

Free Ride

King’s Island tried to discontinue free transportation for employees this season. Gasp! What’s the big deal? It makes sense that King’s Island no longer needs to bus employees in from the city, population is dropping. The Mason, Lakota and Kings School districts are able to support the staff that King’s Island needs to run the park. But the city of Cincinnati stepped in and put pressure on the park to keep the bus service running.

What other employer provides a way to get to work? Isn’t the whole point of a summer job as a teen to problem solve? How am I going to get to work? How am I going to pay for gas or bus fair? A free ride to work was a perk of the job, it was not an entitlement. But that is what we teach the youth today – entitlement. When you are young it’s a free ride to work as people get older it’s free healthcare. What is next?

I have news – someone is paying for all of the free stuff, and you better believe it’s not the people who are using the service.

My current reading list

Godless : the church of liberalism - Ann Coulter

Mariel Hemingway's healthy living from the inside out : every woman's guide to real beauty, renewed energy, and a radiant life - Mariel Hemingway

Saving your marriage before it starts : seven questions to ask before--and after-- you marry - Les Parrott


The Southern girl's guide to surviving the newlywed years : how to stay sane once you've caught your man - Annabelle Robertson

The global war on guns : inside the U.N. plan to destroy the Bill of Rights - Wayne R LaPierre

The Lion King

Topher and I went to see the Lion King last night. The creative team was amazing. The voices sounded more like instruments than vocals. The entire show was very, very impressive.

Thank you Christy and Pat!

The Zone

We are within the three month mark!

Snap Shot

Who is coming to dinner?

Fictional Characters I would invite to my dinner party.
1. Harry Potter
2. Han Solo
3. Annie Savoy
4. Rhett Butler
5. Vivian Ward

Letter to a Christian Nation – Sam Harris

Intelligent people who have a small understanding of a topic, but do not grasp meaning and intent are most dangerous to any argument. Intelligent people can make good points, even if they are off base.

The bible is both the most simple and the most complicated book ever written.

A simple man can pick up the bible and glean wisdom, hope and eternal life.

An intelligent man can pick up the same book and glean wisdom, hope and eternal life or he can justify his own pious life by mocking what he does not grasp.

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris is an excellent example of the intelligent man. The book is well written, however simple minded his point of view. He takes no account for the distinction between the Old and the New Testament and he makes no distinction between the human element and Godly authority. His reference points are taken out of the textual and social contexts.

The fact that biblical champions are flawed and sin is not a testament to the fallibility of God, to the contrary shows us that we are able to overcome our own flawed and broken lives with Gods direction.

He does make some great points. Some Christians shove the word of God down the throat of everyone in their path. The hypocrisy in churches is astounding from the top to the bottom. Christians are some of the narrowest minded people on the planet. But, he does not look at the intent of Christians. Most Christians are like our biblical examples, flawed and broken but trying to make a difference. People who share their beliefs live public lives, so when they fall, when they stumble it is a public stumble.

Sam, I say to you, if you truly want to make an argument against anything, you should try to live it to understand it.

Apathy

Apathy is the greatest danger to our lives; it destroys freedom, family and love.

Freel at Spring Training

Picture Taken by : The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger

My Picks

Top Restaurants in Cincinnati

10. Dee Felice Café - Halibut and Lobster and Oyster Shooters
9. Essencha Tea House – Awesome Assortment of Tea
8. Rumpke’s Concession Stand – There is nothing better than an overpriced hot dog and beer when it’s 100°
7. Lu Lu’s Noodles – Fried Rice
6. Fricker’s - Wings
5. Graters’ Ice cream – Flavor of the Month
4. Grande Finale – Flower Salad
3. Teak Thai Cuisine – Wonton Soup
2. Carrabba's - Salmon
1. Chili Time – Chili Fries and Double Decker’s

Happy Birthday Mom!

The Long Awaited Season

The pitchers and catchers have long since reported in. The rest of the team has backed off the weights and started stretching. The smell of dirt is in the air somewhere… not here… but somewhere.

The Reds play the Twins for on March 3rd at 1:05 for the first pre-season game in Sarasota. We gave up Clayton (SS), LaRue (C), Franklin (P), Aurilla (SS), Johnson (P) and Schoeneweis (P). There are some big names in that group and word on the street is that the Reds are looking to unload Adam Dunn but that we have no takers yet.

Still, we have the strongest pitching lineup in years. Our field is set with a strong bench behind us. Hopefully we can loose that fear of winning and make it a summer to be at the park.

Great American did a great job after the All Star break of brining in crowds with cheap tickets and $1.00 hot dogs. If they continue to be family friendly they can guarantee ticket sales – win or lose.

Snap Shot

Shut Up or Leave

We had a snow storm earlier this week. I know that you people who lived in Alaska (Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago or “Up North”) laugh at our snowstorms. I know that our snow is nothing like the mounds of impassable snow that you are accustom and our six inches seem like a joke to you. I know that you “Alaskans” are able to navigate the streets of Cincinnati with ease in snow and ice and you wish that we would just stay off the road. I know that your weathermen are able to predict to the moment and the millimeter the amount of snowfall and you laugh at our amateur attempts to give weather updates.

Cincinnati has rapidly changing weather. Cincinnati has hills. Cincinnati only gets about one big snowfall a year and when we do get that big snowfall it takes everyone off guard.

Cincinnatians love to focus on the weather. We slow down to look at the falling snow, driving rain, rolling fog and big fluffy clouds.

My advice to you “Alaskan”, sit back and relax. There will be delays; there will be breaking news to report every inch. All public events will be canceled. If you have dinner plans with a Cincinnatian they will be rescheduled. Take a deep breath, make some tea, light a fire and enjoy the view. Life will resume.

Presidential Hopeful Senator John McCain

Sen. John McCain, (R-Arizona) seems to be the leading Republican choice for the 2008 election.

I had the pleasure of meeting him in 1998 and became a closet fan. He was down to earth and willing to speak unscripted.

He is remarkably liberal for a Republican Presidential hopeful and I am not sure how well this will serve him if he is running against Barack Obama who is a conservative democrat. It will be difficult to distinguish the between the two and Obama is very charismatic and a real “grass roots guy”.
McCain should do well against Hillary because of her far left views on everything from abortion to international politics. Hillary has the ability to make even the most liberal Republican look Right Wing.

Turning 27

List of things to accomplish before I turn 28.

1. Finish Christmas early so that I have time to enjoy it.
2. Cook one new recipe a month.
3. Finish 2 afghans.
4. Crochet 20 stars and 6 bells.
5. Crochet 2 angels.
6. Visit one new place a month.
7. Finish both scrap books and start a new one.
8. Begin the research on the Lawson family tree.
9. Throw another Christmas Cookie Exchange.
10. Host a fiber craft party.
11. Finish the research on Barack Obama.
12. Begin to research the other presidential candidate hopefuls.
13. Visit the farm.
14. Read one book that supports and one that disputes global warming.
15. Visit two new states.
16. Decorate the master bathroom.
17. Archive the Vegas trips.
18. Teach canyon a new trick.
19. Start the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list by Ukaunz – finish 20 by 2008.
20. Organize the garage.
21. Take a class or seminar.
22. Learn how to make clay beads.
23. Visit the Zoo.
24. Scrap the wedding pictures.
25. Pick up a new massage client.
26. Get 4 massages
27. Give myself a manicure twice a month.

Abby

Canyon

Canyon loves her Duck.

Real World / Road Rules Challenge – The Duel

What a disappointing end. I can not stand Wes. He is not a nice person. I understand it is reality tv and they edit the show to make it entertaining, but when he behaves the same way on interviews it makes it very hard to believe that the editing is not accurate. I should feel sorry for his girlfriend, but I don’t. She can watch the show. She sees how he speaks to people.

I was happy for Jodie, she was my pick from the beginning. She works hard and she did not trash anyone on this challenge.

I love these shows, I can’t help myself.

Push Not the River - James Conroyd

Push Not the River was one of my 2006 book picks. A few days ago I found out that James Conroyd wrote a sequel so I rushed to the library and checked it out. So far it is as good as the first book.

Push Not the River is based on the true story of Anna Maria Berexowska. Anna, a Polish girl living during Catherine’s Russian invasion of Poland, struggles with the death of her parents, her rape and an arranged marriage. Anna is forced to evacuate several households leading many including her son to safety.

Against a Crimson Sky picks up where Push Not the River leaves off. Napoleon is invading Russia and the Polish people are caught in the middle of the battle. Anna must play both sides of the political divide to keep her family and household from falling to the Russians, yet keep her allegiance with Poland.

James Conroyd uses beautiful language without getting “frilly” and his storytelling ability is a rare treat.

Also Reading:
My life in France, Julia Child
Art quilts : a Celebration : 400 Stunning Contemporary Designs
The No Spin Zone, Bill O'Reilly

Senator Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama is intriguing. I read his book The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream and I have subscribed to his newsletter.

He is optimistic about our future as a country. He believes that the people should be more active and take an interest in local government forcing a change on a national level.

The senator has announced that he is filing a presidential exploratory committee. He states that he will make further announcements about his plans Feb 10.

There are two major things that bother me so far about him. First and foremost he is a democrat. I have a major problem with many of the pillars of the Democratic Party and because he is part of that party he would be expected to support those pillars. Secondly he believes in evolution, yet attends Trinity United Church of Christ. (More on Trinity United Church of Christ in a future post.)

I will continue to investigate his beliefs and standards. I am interested to see how and what he as voted on as a Senator. I will say that he does not evoke the same deep negative emotion that Hillary Clinton does.

As I said I am intrigued.

Fox New Article

Article from Fox News.
Female Teen Bullies Record Beating of 12-Year-Old Girl, Post on InternetMonday, January 15, 2007

NEW YORK — One 12-year-old girl in New York was verbally and physically attacked by a group of older girls, then was forced to endure the humiliation again after her assailants posted their attack on the Web.

The assault happened in North Babylon, Long Island, on Dec. 18. The attackers were three 14-year-old ninth graders at North Babylon High School. Some told FOX News the victim somehow disrespected her assailants, while others say she was picked at random.

Beaten in front of a neighborhood elementary school, the victim was verbally assaulted, her hair was pulled and she was repeatedly slapped and kicked in the head and body before the young gang ran away laughing. The kids were caught after school administrators learned other students were watching the video on the Internet.
"There's a lot of fights that people just tape now and then they'll stick it on YouTube or MySpace," one female student told FOX News. "It doesn't happen really in school, it happens like a lot, like somewhere else, and they just tape it and put it on the Web site."

In this case, the three assailants were suspended. The school district wouldn't give any more information because of the girls' ages.
Suffolk County police told FOX they were called after the video was discovered, and that they interviewed everyone involved. But the victim's parents didn't want to press charges and the girl had no lasting injuries, so the case was dropped.
But child psychologists warn it can be extremely difficult to recover emotionally from events like this.

"Can you imagine what it must be like for someone to actually see themselves being beaten in that way? To actually seeing those images?" asked clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere. "So you're outside of your body watching this happen. I think it makes it doubly or triply worse."

MySpace and Blogging

It amazes me the personal information that people put on the web. When I first started blogging in 2005 I was very careful not to post pictures or use descriptive language about where I live and work. I loosened up on the pictures, but I still don’t post my address or phone number. I also don’t post personal information about myself, family or friends.
I visit other Blogs and MySpace profiles and I can not believe the information that people share.

MySpace is especially surprising to me. There is a hide function on MySpace that allows only “friends” to view your site. Yet very few people use it. The police and other government agencies must have a field day with all of the stupid people who vocalize drug use and underage drinking. I am not advocating either; however I find it amazing when a 17 year old posts explicit pictures and tells the date and location of a party where there will be no parents and she and her friends will be there getting drunk and high.

What a world we live in.

The Importance of New Year’s Resolutions.

I have in the past made very broad New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions like at the end of the year to be sad that the year is gone or to stop procrastinating, pretty lame and pretty common. If I were to throw in get in shape and make more money, I would cover most of America’s New Year’s Resolutions.

This year I wanted my resolutions to make a difference, to inspire action. It’s important to have goals that are attainable, defined and measurable. It is easy to let the small things pass by without taking action. Goals keep us grounded and serve as an anchor to what is important.

Best Books of 2006

These are my favorite fiction and non-fiction books from last year. I read a lot of books that were not very good, so it was easy to hit the high spots.

What Would Jackie Do, Shelly Branch
The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women, Naomi Wolf
Essentially Lilly: a guide to colorful entertaining, Lilly Pulitzer
Mama Gena's School of Woman of Womanly Arts, Regena Thomashauer
Eat mangoes naked: finding pleasure everywhere and dancing with the pits!, Sark
Japanese Women Don't Get Fat, Naomi Moriyama
Slander: Liberal Lies, Anne Coulter
Memoirs of a geisha: a novel, Arthur Golden – Beautiful book, bad movie
How Clean is Your House, Kim Woodburn
Citizen Girl, Emma McLaughlin
Sky Burial, Xinran
Night, Elie Wiesel
Gap Creek, Robert Morgan
Talk before sleep, Elizabeth Berg
First they Killed My Father, Loung Ung
The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory
The Little House, Philippa Gregory
When Broken Glass Floats, Chanrithy Him
Queenmaker, India Edghill
Harley Brown's eternal truths for every artist, Harley Brown
Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue
Push not the river, James Conroyd

Books on CD
Talking Back, Andrea Mitchell
Burnt toast, Teri Hatcher
When Madeline was young, Jane Hamilton

New Blog

So I have taken some time off.

My old blog was uninspiring at best. I had a lot to say, but every time I opened it to write my enthusiasm was squashed by the bland color and flat graphics.

So I was on a mission.... a two and a half week mission. I found a new template and made some minor adjustments.