Ginger_Sister’s blog

Through the River

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:38:55 -0800

I recently received two books from The Ooze Viral Bloggers. One of them has become quite a beautiful edition to my library.

This is not that book.

The book I read is Through the River, Understanding Your Assumptions about Truth, by Jon & Mindy Hirst with Dr Paul Hiebert.

It maybe that I was expecting something different, it may be that I shouldn't have read the Preface, it may be that I already have this in my mental vocabulary, but I felt very 'Bored Now' by the book.

I was expecting something much more in the style of "A New Kind of Christian", where a theological discussion was taking place as a conversation between two fictional characters, or even "The Dream Giver" where half the book was Allegory and the other half discussed it. This book was neither.

The central allegory of the story was very rudimentary. It just wasn't interesting. This made it very difficult to finish the rest of the explorations. I just felt like this book was a lecture that the professor was trying to make interesting by giving it a hypothetical situation.

I still kept feeling like this could have been done better.

The other thing that drove me nuts was the references to Dr. Paul Hiebert. I completely understand the need to give him credit for the work he did, but tone in which they kept referencing him was really supercilious and I wasn't impressed. It felt like they were showing just how important they were that he hung out with them and talked about this.

I just didn't enjoy this book much at all, which is too bad. It was a great idea, it's just the execution that left something to be desired.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Mama I coming home!!!!

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:19:52 -0800

I just got my tickets to go home over Christmas.

I'm so excited!!!!

I haven't seen some of my immediate family in almost 3 years!!!!!

Yay! I Leave Chicago and Fly into London, Gatwick on the 16th and get THREE WHOLE WEEKS of family! WOOHOO!

I'm going home, I'm going home!

(does Numfar's dance of Joy and the Snoopy dance, and some of Elaine Benes' dance from Seinfeld)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

My horrible week's end

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:13:06 -0800

I have just not had a very good go of it the last few days.

"Let me e'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up" [1]

Thursday I had to drive someone to Gary, IN for family therapy. With two teens in the car we became stuck in a dark, rundown section of Gary at 8:30 at night with a flat tire that wouldn't come off of the car.

Someone stopped and helped us, and had to take a firemans axe to it to knock the tire loose so we could put the spare on. Then we had to drive home (several hrs) on a donut. This is the nutshell version. There are various other outrages and insults that are involved.

The next day the cops came to the hotel I run and arrested an employee that I've had for 9 yrs for identity theft. I know her kids, and grandkid.

I had to pick her out of a lineup, and make a statement.

It was horrible.

I felt sick.

I still do.

Life in my world.

I am really feeling the need for serious Buffy time again.

1. geek points for the reference

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Ugly Truth.

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:50:29 -0800

I had the misfortune to watch this movie last night. I was so looking forward to it. Apparently I like torturing myself.

How do these movies get made? How do they persuade talent to do them? They're not even funny.

Here are my beefs.

1) It's always tight-ass, neurotic, cat-loving, super controlling women who are stunningly good looking but incapable of finding a man. Inevitably because their standards are 'just too high', [a] and they are just plain desperate because its been [insert time period] since they've had good sex. The woman, though intelligent and educated is always extremely naive when it comes to 'how to get a guy' and has to enlist the help of all kinds of jaded or sex deprived friends to help her land a good one.

This is just plain ridiculous. Don't knock standards, they can be very helpful and protective, and can often be a sign that someone knows themselves, and what works for them, well. Also, Sex isn't the be all or the end all, nor is it the most important thing in a relationship. The single woman/cat lover cliche is SO VERY OLD! In this movie the main female character was portrayed in being so wrapped up in her ideals of a man and so desperate to catch him that she allowed herself to do all kinds of hi-jinks that were so anti her thoughtful and controlled character. Granted we all do stupid things from time to time, but you can't sell me on the idea that a T.V. producer who can make split second decisions on which camera to go to, and the best thing to say in a situation would not find an excuse to visit the powder room and remove her climax inducing panties before a business dinner, or feel the need to Cyrano de Bergerac her way through a baseball game date with earpieces, sounding to all the world like someone suffering from acute Turrets Syndrome.
2) It's always guys [b] who are the lowest common denominators of maleness. Sex is the most important thing, and the more you get of it the better a "man" you are. Men only put up with relationships for the sake of getting sex. They think with their penis and as rude and crass as they want to be.

Seriously. Grow up! If this is all that you are going to be, we're well shot of you! Men take responsibility, Men give and receive, Guys take and callously use others. In this movie the main character not only disparages women who are lonely on a regular basis, but he repeatedly ignored his supervisors instructions on air, and basically only did what he wanted to do. Every once and a while you see a glimpse of a relationship with a young boy and his 'responsibility' to the kid, so you're led to believe that there is more to this man than you can see. COME ON! The Diamond-in-the-rough guy is all played out. There is something to be said for seeing the true person, but this is so far from that. The guy likes who he is. He hides the responsibility as if it is a weakness, or something of less value.

3) The Guy helps the Crazy lady catch a Man by playing all sorts of mind games.

This is the worst part of the romantic comedy for me.

Just so we're clear. I think relationships that come about by manipulation of the things you think will titillate your partner and obfuscation of who you really are, so that only the characteristics and traits he/she would like appear, for the sake of securing him/her are wasted time.
I will never play games with someones affection, and I would walk away from anyone who does. It isn't romantic to me. It isn't funny. It's cruel, and it will never build a relationship that lasts. It ends. Always. Either in an apology (if you have some character) or just walking away after you've taken what you wanted (as witnessed by the main guy's answering machine messages in this movie).

What makes it even more frustrating for me is that I frequently work with teen girls who have seen this over and over and think that this is the way they're supposed to behave, or the behavior they're supposed to put up with. They just get their hearts crushed in the process.

As you may have guessed I thought this movie was Drivel, plain and simple. I just want to be able to watch one romantic comedy that doesn't make me want to curse. They're just not funny. They're just cruel and callous. I think I need to watch Wall-e to cleanse my palate. At least robot's understand :)

Can I rate a movie with negative stars?

a) and sometimes they are just absolutely ridiculous ideals, I'll grant you that. They're so over the top. Tolstoy reading, Austen loving, long walks on the beach, love all animals but cats the best, etc.
b) guys are not men. Guys are men in age only. They live life as one big game, enjoying all they can get, never taking responsibility, expecting the world to revolve around them, consequences be dammed, etc.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Where my nose was stuck in October.

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:33 -0800

I decided that I would undertake more of Scott Westerfeld's books, since I was writing summaries of the Uglies series for the RFI website. I decided to embark on the Midnighters series, and started with book one: The Silent Hour. It is the story of five teenagers who all were born at Midnight, and therefore can see things that others can't. They get a whole extra hour at Midnight, where the rest of the world is frozen, and their powers come alive. On can fly, one can mind cast. You get the picture. They discover that there are ancient creatures that can only move during this 25th hr, and they have a dangerous power, and are evil. This book was fun. Fluff but fun. Westerfeld is an engaging author, and not overly verbose. It is a quick read.

The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found was a formulaic book that really didn't seem to have much of a story. Sure there was stuff going on. Lord Umber is clearly a man from our world who escaped into another one just as we succeed In destroying ourselves. He is struggling to find meaning, and documenting everything he finds. He comes across Happenstance, a young boy with startling eyes, who has no recollection of his past. There is some conflict, but for the most part this was a fairly bland story. It seems like it's mostly exposition for later volumes in the series. I'd read another, but only if it promised more action.

Love, Stargirl is the sequel to Stargirl, both by Jerry Spinelli. I loved these books, and this one is written as a letter from Stargirl to the boy she loves, Leo. She's dealing with the heartbreak of the last year, and the move from Arizona to Pennsylvania. We meet Dootsie, the adorable 5-yr-old. The "Honeybee's" and a myriad of other characters, all a part of Stargirls new entourage. It was so good watching this unusual girl rediscover herself in the midst of a new world. I highly recommend these books, especially for girls. It's such a great lesson in how important it is to be yourself.

Then I skated through the next in the "Trueblood" series. I'm so enjoying them. Such a delightful guilty pleasure. Life is so much more fun with vampires, shifters, faeries, and Sookie Stackhouse. Definitely Dead was no exception. Sookie has started dating a Were-Tiger, Quinn, and is going to pack up her murdered cousin's apartment. In the middle she saves Louisiana's vampire Queen a lot of Disappointment, and even Death. She also discovers some horrible things about Bill, the first love of her life, and Civil war Veteran (yes, in case you hadn't figured it out, Bill's a vampire). Sometimes Sookie gets a tad tiresome, but if you listen to it, like I do, the soft southern lilt of the reader makes up for any poor editing :)

Kate DiCamillo never fails to win my heart, and The Tiger Rising is no exception. This story follows a young boy who's miserably picked on at school, and ignored at home. He lives in a small motel where his father is the maintenance man. It's been their home since his mother died of a long illness. There is heartbreak and hope intertwined all through this book. Kate DiCamillo creates characters of depth and life. You just want to reach through the book and hug them. Then, of course, there is the Tiger.

Push by Sapphire is a novel that is coming out in theaters this week. It's the story of Precious, a 16yr old African-American girl who's father has repeatedly raped her. She's pregnant with her second child by him, and has just been kicked out of school. She's illiterate, and abused by her mother, who has stood idly by as Precious has been abused by her father. What makes this novel even more authentic is that it's written in Precious's voice, just like she would speak it. A daring and heartbreaking book.

My second Russian Novel. Crime and Punishment was not near as enjoyable as Anna Karenina. I really was not impressed with Raskolnikov. He really was just a user who thought he was superior to everyone, and therefore entitled to live by a different set of rules. Bah. I wasn't fooled. He really needed a good spanking! That being said, some of the other characters were interesting. Razumhikin, Donia, and Svid...whatever the rest of his name is. I might attempt Dostoevsky again, but I would rather do Tolstoy again.

Whisper to the Blood is the latest in Dana Stabenow's 'Kate Shugak' series. I love this Author, this Series, and this lead character. Kate is interesting, complex, deep, clever, and in short, everything I would want to be, in the same circumstances....well most everything :) This installment is great in furthering her story, her struggles with admitting her love of Jim Chopin, dealing with the native politics, and finding her place in the Niniltna Native Association. Kate is also working to find who killed the person going around selling the idea of a new gold mine in the area. Twists, turns, snow mobiles, and Mutt, half dog half wolf that is Kate's best friend, all populate this enjoyable read.

The Treasure Map of Boys is the latest in the Ruby Oliver series. Ruby has panic attacks, and has trouble navigating the world of boys, high school, friendships, and being a social pariah. She's intelligent and inventive, and insecure and inept all in one. The book is ok. Not Brilliant, Not Horrible. I was glad for a new installment, as I'm somewhat invested in her fictional life now, but wouldn't be heartbroken if no more came out.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

September in Books.

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:58:35 -0800

I'm still trying to catch up.

Ok Musicophilia was just plain fascinating. It's by Oliver Sachs, the author of Awakenings . The book explored the unique relationship of the Brain and Music. As an amateur musician myself I enjoyed traversing the journey with sever tic's that calm when music is played. Those who have lost all capacity to remember, until music is involved. The miracle of perfect pitch and all it's connections. I even did some tests myself. After reading an encounter with a composer/musician who had lost perfect pitch after a stroke, he discovered he could remember the pitch of a song and then pull the perfect pitch out of it. I tried it myself and in 90% of all songs I can do the same. Think it, sing it, and then play the recording and be Right On! The exceptions are songs that I've played/heard in multiple keys. I think I'm going to have to get this for my mum for Christmas.
Julie and Julia was rude delight. I completely understood Julies need to do something that made her stand out. And what an undertaking, trying to cook every recipe in Julia Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie struggles, and has issues, and loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She swears, hates aspic (meat flavored cold Jello). Cooks a mean Crepe, and tries an egg for the first time. You salivate at some of the descriptions, feel tremendously sorry for her husband on occasion, and root for her to succeed. A great read, Highly recommend for all who struggle with mattering.
Then I embarked on a couple of Austen fan fiction. Austenland is the story of a Pride and Prejudice obsessed single woman who's wealthy relative bequeaths her a holiday living the story and time period. She struggles along, trying to find her footing in reproduction Regency England. She makes out with a 'servant', predictably hates the Darcy stand-in, and along the way learns about herself. It wasn't horrible, just fluff, and not the best fluff at that.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is the story of a Regency girl, obsessed with (you guessed it) Pride and Prejudice, and as the result of a gypsy fortune teller, and horrid horse riding accident, ends up in the body of a girl in LA who's just caught her Fiancee cheating on her. Well mayhem ensues, and her friends don't really understand her lack of memory and weird fascination with all things technological. Eventually she learns about herself, and manages to snag the right man. I felt a bit at sea in this book at first, and the technological discovery became ridiculously redundant before long. I did find, however that this is meant to be book two of two, and I imagine that would have helped.
And here would be the naughty book of the bunch. April told me I should read it, and I got it on CD and read it in my car. I kept having to turn it off at the bank drive through, and Taco Bell because it was beyond racy. It was interesting having a different cultural view, as the three protagonists in the book were three strong African American women. That was about the best part of the book. I was blushing far to many times. Yeah, this is not for the faint of heart. And Definitely NSFW!
Catching Fire. What can I say? An excellent follow up to the fabulous Hunger Games. If you haven't read these books, mark them in your schedule, buy them now, but for your sanity's sake...wait until the third and final installment comes out next year to read them.
Good Lord I love these books. I'll recommend them to anyone. They are gripping, philosophical, post-apocalyptic, and with gritty and engaging characters. Katniss and her family and friends face the latest challenges with the government, and life will never be the same. This book is full of twists and turns, and meaty encounters. You will eat this book up. READ IT! (Next year)
Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant was just one more occasion for her to showcase her remarkable talent to spin a tale that enthralls and engrosses you. The book is lyrical, beautiful, haunting, and hopeful all in one. In this story an orphan visits a fortune teller to see if his sister is still alive. She tells him that he should follow an elephant and that elephant will lead him to his sister. At the same time a Magician is performing and decides that today he want's to really DO magic, and summons an Elephant, much to everyone's surprise. I cried 4 times. I'm not gonna lie. I finished the book mourning the fact that I had no one to read it to. I even called my dad and told him that. It is beautiful.
The World According to Bertie is the latest in the 44 Scotland Street novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. This book, like all the ones before it in the series, are written serially and published in a Scottish Newspaper. It is really fun visiting these characters again. Seeing Matthew meet his soul mate, following Angus Laudy as he tries to get Cyrill acquitted, and hearing Bertie tell more than one person that he thinks his new brother Ulysses looks just like his psychotherapist. A delightful addition to the series. Great character study, and almost like a visit home, via Big Lou's coffee shop.

Last, but not least, was Girl Meets God, the memoirs of Jennifer Winner, an Orthodox Jew by choice, who slowly finds herself embracing Jesus. She writes her story, sharing her journey of faith, tying it into the ecclesiastical calendars of both Liturgical Christianity, and Judaism. I see much of myself in her. She loves to read, and learn, struggles with alone-ness, and often finds the revelation in the midst of pain. A couple encounters that really resonated with me were a) the 'Enough' revelation, b) the baby pain and c) eucharist as a journey.
a) One Christmas she stays at school, not wanting the drama of home, and has Christmas with friends. She then goes home to an empty house, and is overwhelmed with loneliness. She has a conversation with God, telling him that she knows it's supposed to be enough that his son came, showed us a new way, offered freedom and love. Jennifer then says that it is enough....but "Please don't make it have to be enough". I totally resonated with that place of celebration of who God is, but with that bit of fear that says "Please let me not be so alone that all I have is you".
b) She shares the journey she has of dealing with failed relationships, and also walking with a friend, Hannah, who wrestles with and then chooses to cheat on her spouse. Jennifer shares Hannah and her husbands pain in the aftermath of the infidelity. She talks about how they all go to a wedding together, and all three of them are in their own pain, Jennifer because she wishes it was her, and Hannah and her Husband because they're still reeling. She also shares about how Hannah and her husband conceive a year later. She talks about how that baby is a place for them of choice and renewal, but also a reminder. Jennifer shares that it's also a place of sacrifice for her, as it's a reminder to her of what she doesn't have yet. I feel her all to well.
c) Jennifer shares how, in the early church, they would often give communion to those dying so it would be bread for the journey. She shares from the story of Elijah, who was asleep by a brook when the angel came to awaken him and feed him. "Rise and Eat lest the journey be to great for you". She shared that communion was not a place of great meaning all the time, but instead it became what she needed to complete the journey. I like that imagery. I think I'll give it a try if I'm ever allowed to lead it at church.

Ok. Soon I should have October's great and Terrible reads posted. Enjoy.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

August Reads Redux

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:36:46 -0700

The vast total of my August Reads can be found here. Enjoy

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Can somebody make it stop?

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:52:46 -0700

I have 8 people around me who are pregnant.
Two of which are related to me.

I'm happy for them, REALLY I am.

That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

New Fall Colors

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:02:30 -0700

I got stuff put in my hair. More color than is there naturally.
Here are the Highlights :) Enjoy

PA181318

PA181312

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

August Reads

nobody@vox.com(Ginger_sister) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:47:28 -0700

In my ongoing attempt to catch up. Here's the next installment.

In Your Dreams is the next in the 'Portable Door' series. Again following Paul as he begins to learn more of his heritage. Poor Paul. He tries so hard, but keeps bumbling through. Sadly that's not very safe in his world. His uncle has left him an unusual legacy, he's learning the methodology and paperwork of monster slaying, and tangling with Grendel's Aunt, all while coping with a girlfriend who has left him for good. Paul has the weirdest dreams, a car that is spirited, literally, and a reputation that is accidentally quite good. He does figure it out in the end, and all' well that end's at J.W. Wells and Co.
Stargirl was an unexpected gem to find. It is the story of Leo, a high school student in Arizona who's world is turned upside down by the arrival of a decidedly different girl, who calls herself Stargirl. Stargirl marches to her own drum and (well actually Ukulele) and, surprisingly, captivates the imagination of the entire High School. Leo is smitten, and Stargirl returns the affection, but then it goes awry. She takes too much attention away from those who actually seek it, creating enemies, and even goes so far as to cheer for opposing teams, which tips the scales of public opinion against her. Leo has to choose, to be the best kind of man, or bow to the pressure of popularity. A GREAT read. I cannot recommend this, and it's sequel (to be reviewed later).
The Perilous Journey is a sequel to the first Mysterious Benedict Society book. I enjoyed it almost as much. You met up with old friends, and made new ones, as the Benedict Society heads overseas to find their dear compadres, Mr. Benedict and Number 2. LaDroptha Curtain has kidnapped them, and the MBS has to combine their strengths in order to solve the clues and save the day. One of the most poignant moments for me was when Mr Benedict had to manipulate S.Q. Pidallion, and wound his honest heart. It was very good to see a book show the consequences and remorse that surround such actions. I liked this book, and how it uses my mind in the process of the story. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
When in the course of human events it has been more than a year since I have read the Harry Potter books I begin to get, well, Itchy. Of course the anticipated arrival of another in the movie installments is always a good reason to venture forth into Rowling's world once again. Hey, lets be real. I don't need an excuse to go back to Hogwarts! This time around two things struck me. One, how much fun it is to read this series as one of your close friends is reading it for the first time. Two, how much what you are going through affects the way you read them. I was expecting to feel like I was coming home. Enjoying old friends and remembering good times. Instead I began to read from a perspective I've never seen before. A couple of close friends have been going through some rough times with trust issues. I have been so intrigued to see Dumbledore from this perspective. He really bore the brunt of Voldemort's choices, and was the carrier of that history. Then here comes Harry, he starts doing some of the same things. Keeping Secrets. Speaking Parsletongue. Not telling the whole story. Thinking, sometimes, that he's above the rules. Can you imagine the faith and trust Dumbledore must have had in order to believe that Harry was going to turn out different? Especially as it becomes clear that the Scar and connection between He Who Must Not Be Named and Harry becomes more significant. If you haven't read this series yet....What are you waiting for? They are brilliant!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend