Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Dream New Dreams - Pausch



Jai (said Jay) Pausch, the wife of a Carnegie Mellon University professor and mother of three, was thrust unwillingly into the spotlight when her husband, Randy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Rather than sit back and complain, however, in a fashion true to himself, Randy Pausch moved forward with what was left of his life and fought.  But despite doctor's efforts, the cancer metastasized and spread to other organs. There was no hope left.

He then agreed to give what he referred to as his "last lecture" at his school... And, it went viral. What was supposed to be an unassuming last talk turned into an overnight sensation, a book (also entitled The Last Lecture), offers to appear on national television with the likes of Diane Sawyer and Oprah Winfrey, and even the opportunity to speak before Congress about cancer funding.

While these events occurred, and through to Randy's eventual death, Jai Pausch stood by his side, served as his caregiver, and figured out how to survive the loss for both herself and her children.

Her book, Dream New Dreams, offers her point of view of the events, as well as an update as to how her life has changed and evolved since her terrible loss. She talks of her efforts to continue Randy's anti-cancer efforts and to rebuild a life that no longer fulfilled her "dream" of growing old with her husband and children.  She also talks in depth about the role of caregiver for someone suffering from illnesses like cancer and how she managed the challenges, while learning (not always the easy way) to take care of herself as well.

I very much enjoyed this book. As many were, I was very touched by Randy Pausch and his story. I was just as touched by Jai's story and how she has managed to deal with her loss and hurt, while caring for her children, reestablishing a life and accepting new dreams. A touching memoir and a good read, particularly for someone dealing with similar issues of loss or illness.


4/5- Great. Push it on your friends and family.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Tuesday Tunes - 08/27/13




A great lyric is like a great book...



 
Copperline
James Taylor, Artist
James Taylor and Reynolds Price, Writers





Even the old folks never knew
Why the call it like we do
I was wondering since the age of two
Down on Copperline

Copper head, copper beech

Copper kettle, sitting side by each
Copper coil, cup o’ Georgia peach
Down on Copperline

Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
I'm only living until the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Take me down on Copperline

Warm summer night on the Copperline
Slip away past supper time
Wood smoke and moonshine, yeah
Down on Copperline

One time I saw my daddy dance
Watched him moving like a man in a trance
He brought it back from the war in France
Down onto the Copperline

Branch water and tomato wine
Creosote and turpentine
Sour mash and new moon shine
Down on Copperline
Take me down on Copperline

First kiss ever I took
Stole a page from a romance book
The sky opened and the earth shook
Down on Copperline

Took a fall from a windy height
I only knew how to hold on tight
And pray for love enough to last all night
Down on Copperline

Day breaks and the boy wakes up
And the dog barks and the bird sings
And the sap rises and the angels sigh, yeah...

I tried to go back, as if I could
All spec house and plywood
Tore up, and tore up good
Down on Copperline

It doesn’t come as a surprise to me
Never touch my memory
Well I’m lifting up and rising free
Down on Copperline

Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
I’m only living til the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Down on Copperline
Take me down (we were) on Copperline...
Oh, down on Copperline.
Take me back down on Copperline.
Take me down on Copperline.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

ASOL #3 - 08/23/13

Why does everyone else's lives seem so much more interesting than your own? Now that I've initiated this post, I can not for the life of me think of anything to say...

The past couple of weeks at work, they have been removing some older asbestos tile floors and recarpeting. This has been an ongoing project in our building, a little each year. This year they jumped in and finished multiple floors, including the one above me.

The office above mine, of course, ended up being the trouble spot... Lots of banging and scraping. Eventually, I moved to another room to work as I was a little concerned about the dust falling down. I'm really hoping it was just dust from the drop ceiling!  Ha, ha... It should be finished soon (early next week) and the office owners moved back in.

And then the students come back in just a few weeks... I'm already having to adjust my driving to the obvious "out-of-staters" (read this... "Uh, I'm not really sure where I'm going...I'll just stop here in the middle of the road and look at my campus map to see if I can figure out if I'm going the right direction..." Ugh!

I am a Boston driver ya'll, I've got places to be and people to see!

Get the heck out of my way!!!

:)






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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? - Thompson Square



*This book was an advanced reading copy sent to me, free of charge, for my honest review and opinion.  All comments in this review are the honest opinion of the blogger.


It's no surprise that I am a country music fan, just check out my Tuesday Tunes. I'm a reader, through and through, and country music is really good at creating stories, so I love it.

I was really excited, therefore, when I got the opportunity to review Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? by Thompson Square - a popular country music wife/husband duo, who's big hit is a song of the same title.

Daniel, a rocker teen turned rocker adult, is second guessing his (minimally successful) efforts to make his way in the music business. His high school sweetheart, Casey, is an intelligent, good girl with bad taste in men who dreamed of being a poet. The book skips back and forth from memories of their younger years to present day.  In high school, the two pair up to write a song together at a teacher's suggestion and eventually fall in love (after obligatory dislike of one another). The relationship doesn't last, because Daniel sees himself as big-dreams, little promise and wants Casey to have all the opportunities she deserves. Eventually, they have to work through their fears and hurt feelings to end up together

...blah, blah, blah. Been there, read that.

Music, unrequited love...  I really expected to like this book.  The writing is good (though the banter between the two-supposed teens is hard to follow at times and unrealistic) and I was even sort of invested in the characters. I just wasn't invested enough to buy the formulaic, cheesy plot. At one point I thought, "Maybe the book was written for fifteen year old Taylor Swift fans...?!"  It doesn't really read like a young adult novel though, but perhaps I'm wrong.

I wanted to like this book. I really, really did!  Sadly, I was left unimpressed.


2/5- Just okay.  Choose with extreme prejudice.


 


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Tuesday Tunes - 08/20/13






A great lyric is like a great book...


I Guess You Had To Be There
Lorrie Morgan, Artist
Jon Robbin, Barbara Cloyd, Writers






Hello, honey, how was your day?
Well, you're sure in a good mood tonight!
Oh, by the way, I was downtown this afternoon
And I saw the most amazing sight.
Through the window of a small cafe
I saw a man and a woman holdin' hands,
And they looked so much in love it took my breath away
Can't you see it, don't you understand?

Well, I guess you had to be there,
Yeah, you really had to be there,
Some things you just can't explain
It's just not the same
I guess you had to be there!

I just stood there my heart poundin'
I couldn't move, all I could do was stare.
I kept rememberin' when we used to look like that
Two people with so much to share.
They were talkin' and they were laughin'
Just like we used to do every day,
And then he kissed her tenderly
What's the matter, you don't have much to say?

And as I watched you with your new love,
I haven't seen you that happy in years.
We've drifted so far apart and it's hard to admit it
But there's nothin' left for you here (so I guess)....

Well, I guess you had to be there,
Yeah,you really had to be there,
Some things you just can't explain
It's just not the same
I guess you had to be there!

Monday, August 19, 2013

ASOL #2 - 08/19/13

I have recently gotten into genealogy and have been putting together my family tree via an online service. I was surprised with the amount of information already online just by searching last names. Turns out portions of my tree are already online...

My favorite being the tree from my grandmother's side which shows my parents and sister, but not me. Sorry folks, I don't actually exist! This whole blog has been a figment of both our imaginations.

ha ha

My father had actually done some research years ago and thinks he discovered we are connect to the Grimm family line (as in the fairy tales). Pretty cool!  That would certainly explain things, wouldn't it!?  I continue my research and hope to be able to verify it at some point.

I'll keep you updated!


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Thursday, August 15, 2013

ASOL #1 - 08/15/13


I've realized...

... that I most enjoy blogs that give me often-funny updates on bloggers' personal lives.  No big surprise there, right?!

Silly me, that seems to be one area where I am lacking.  So after a previous post's positive response, I'm moving forward. If it brings me new readers, awesome. If not, but it makes even one of you laugh, it was worth it!

What to call it?

Sheila, over at Book Journey, calls her posts Morning Meanderings... But let's face it, a morning person I am not, so it would be Mostly late evenings, right before I fall into bed, Meanderings - and that's just too damn long!

And someone is already using Slice of Life...  I thought, "Well, I can't really steal it, can I? Someone's already using it..." But, it turns out that their posts are part of Two Writing Teachers writing meme - and, frankly, mine will not be "writing" but more likely babbling.

Then I looked up the phrase and, according to Wikipedia, a "Slice of life is a phrase describing the use of mundane realism depicting everyday experiences [,] in art and entertainment." [comma added by yours truly]  Kinda fitting, don't you think?!

So, sorry ladies, I'm kinda stealing it - though I will add an "A" to make it my own.

And, by the way, I find the abbreviation (asshole) hilarious... perfect, given my warped sense of humor (I found this absolutely hysterical, LOVE these ladies!).

So feel free to stop by and check out slices of (this asshole's) life...coming soon!

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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

With or Without You, A Memoir - Ruta

Domenica Ruta grew up in Danvers, Massachusetts, a working-class town north of Boston, in a home hoarded with trash that sat on the side of a polluted river and salt marsh.  Her mother, Kathi, was an unreliable woman who managed to turn a run-down taxi business into a million-dollar company and then lost it all to a drug addiction.  She often shared her drugs with Ruta (Nikki), kept her home from school to watch movies, and even tried to convince Ruta to mother a child as Kathi could no longer have children due to a hysterectomy.

Despite the chaos of her childhood, or perhaps because of it, and the seeming lack of books anywhere in their home, Ruta developed a love stories and escape. In With Or Without You, Ruta tells of her childhood struggle and the chaotic guilt and drug/alcohol-filled years that followed after she accepted that the only way out was to cut her mother out of her life completely. Despite all, her mother was a powerful source of love and inspiration in her life and the act of breaking free was a difficult one.

An unconventional coming-of-age story, Ruta's writing is raw and real. A good read, though not particularly exceptional. Living close to Danvers, I enjoyed the read for its threads to my own life though, and would definitely suggest it to others.

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tuesday Tunes - 0813/13





A great lyric is like a great book...


Someone Like You
Adele, Artist
Adele and Dan Wilson, Writers




I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you

Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited

But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me, it isn't over

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised in a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me, it isn't over yet

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah

Nothing compares, no worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Monday, August 12, 2013

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

My Lost and Found Life - Bowsher

Life is good for Ashley Mitchell. She is popular, the homecoming queen, dating an attractive (though uncaring) football player, and her mother pretty much buys her everything she wants. But Ashely's life is made up of lies, and is about to change dramatically.

Her mother, an accountant, is accused of embezzling funds from her employer and suddenly disappears. Ashley is seen as guilty through association. With her mother gone, and her father dead for many years, she is also suddenly alone. Payments on her home and credit cards go unpaid. She quickly realizes that she must figure out how to support herself (get a job), find somewhere to live (her mother's ex-boyfriend's camper with no water or electric), and find new friends as her summer trip and college plans have changed. She also realizes that perhaps there is something behind this "being thankful for what you have" stuff...

In My Lost and Found Life Melodie Bowsher shares a coming-of-age story like no other. An enjoyable read... Now, I've got to call my mother!

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.




Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays - 08/06/13



A great lyric is like a great book...




I Don't Have To Wonder
Garth Brooks, Artist
Taylor Dunn & Shawn Camp, Writers

 

Drove to the church
In my suit and tie
But I just couldn't bring myself
To go inside

So I sat alone
In my truck across the street
Watched that chauffeur smokin' cigarettes
By that long white limousine

I could just imagine
What was goin' on in there
Sunlight screamin' through the stained glass
And those flowers in her hair

And in less time than it takes a tear to fall
Those bells rang loud as thunder
As they opened up the doors
Now I don't have to wonder anymore

Laughin' and a cryin'
Tossin' that bouquet
And when you got in that limo
I drove off the other way

And I still don't know
Why things happened like they did
But I parked that old pickup
On that lonesome river bridge

I took your ring from my pocket
An d I held it one last time
Watched that diamond sparkle
I drew back and I let her fly

And in less time than it takes to tear to fall
Oh that old ring went under
Lord, and now it's gone for sure
No and I don't have to wonder anymore

Well the angels sang like thunder
As I felt myself go under
Now I don't have to wonder anymore 

Monday, August 05, 2013

Friday, August 02, 2013

July ReCap 2013...





July 2013 Update 

July was a calmer month than June was, but still busy so I didn't read quite as much as I had hoped.  I am behind on my 2013 reading goal, I better step it up! 

This month I read:
Total Read: 3
YTD:  24
Adult: 3
YA/children's: 0
Abandoned: 0

Including:

Dear Marcus - Jerry McGill
My Lost and Found Life -  Melodie Bowsher
Wild - Cheryl Stayed

Abandoned:
None
 

Favorite Book(s) of the Month:
Wild - Cheryl Strayed


Challenges Update:
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge = 24 of 58
A-Z Book Challenge = 16 of 26
Library Reading Challenge = 23 of 36
E-Book Reading Challenge =  12 of 25
What's in a Name 6 Challenge = 5 of 6 


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