Ireadthereforeiam: Thread IV

Autumn in Arrowtown- spectacular trees and quaint houses.


Main street Arrowtown, with Autumn colours. The street was pedestriansed for the Autumn Festival. We watched the parade of vintage cars, pipe band, emergency vehicles, floats and entertainers which came down this street. Little Lenny waved his wee heart out, it was so lovely.

The trip down....lovely landscape

Kawarau Gorge (internet pic), and the Lindis Pass (internet pic)

The highlight of the trip to Arrowtown was seeing how engaged W was in exploring! He grabbed the toy bow and arrow set and went off with his older cousin to shoot rabbits (not a chance, but good luck kids!), make hideouts, cut branches with his little pocket knife saw, and generally did kid stuff. We also went on the bike path for a 12 km ride...even Lenny! He was very proud to have done such a big kid ride. :)

JANUARY BOOKS
1. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Booker Prize 1996) 324p
2. Pincher Martin by William Golding. 230p (tally 554p)
3. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize 1992) 302p (tally 856p)
4. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler (Pulitzer Prize 1993) 249p (tally 1,105p)
5. Daphne du Maurier: A Daughter's Memoir by Flavia Leng 234p (tally 1,339p)
6. Five go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton (read aloud to Wilbur) 190p (tally 1,529p)
7. The Maples Stories: Everyman's Pocket Classics by John Updike 255p (1,784p)
8. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 261p (tally 2,045p) From Bowie's top 100
9. The Circle by Dave Eggers 491p (tally 2,536p)

FEBRUARY BOOKS
10. Plato for Beginners by Robert Cavalier NF 153p (tally 2,589p)
11. The Property by Rutu Modan (GN) 222p (tally 2,811p)
12. Science on Stage by Stephen Hilgartner NF 150p (tally 2,961p)
13. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 336p (tally 3,297p)
14. So, You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson NF 282p (tally 3,579p)
15. That Eye, the Sky by Tim Winton 150p (tally 3,729p)
16. Wrinkles by Paco Roca (GN) 102p (tally 3,831p)
17. Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 111p (tally 3,942p)

MARCH BOOKS
18. Chocky by John Wyndham 151p (tally 4,093p)
19. Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding DNF (read 169/386p, tally 4,262p)
20. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphries 184p (tally 4,446p)
21. Montana, 1948 by Larry Watson 175p (tally 4,621p)
22. Science, non-science and pseudo-science: Bacon, Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn, and Feyerabend on defining science by Max Charlesworth NF 46p (tally 4,667p)
23. Climate Change Denial by Haydn Washington and John Cook NF 163p (tally 4,830p)
24. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 548p (tally 5,378p)

APRIL BOOKS
25. Small Steps by Louis Sacher 256p (tally 5,634p)
26. The Sailor who Fell From Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima 143p (tally 5,777p)
27. Julius Winsome by Gerard Donovan 215p (tally 5,992p)
28. Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope NF 299p (tally 6,291p)
29. Science A History by John Gribbin NF DNF (read 347/600+p, tally 6,638p)

MAY BOOKS
30. What is This Thing Called Science by Alan Chalmers NF 170p (tally 6,808p)
31. The Iron Man by Ted Hughes 134p (tally 6,942p)
32. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
33. The Five people you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
34. The Philosophy of Science: An Introduction by Kent Staley NF 297p

JUNE BOOKS
35. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 536p
36. Not my Father's Son by Alan Cumming 295p
37. The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower 350p

BOOKS ACQUIRED
1. Daphne du Maurier: A Daughter's memoir by Flavia Leng $1
2. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (second hand, first edition!) $5
3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (new) $16
4. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (thoughtful gift from Nittnut)
5. Infidelities by Kirsty Gunn (new) $2
6. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Menfetsu
7. To Save Everything, Click Here by Evgeny Morozov CURRENTLY READING
8. Liberty in the Age of Terror by AC Grayling
9. Freedom Next Time by John Pilger (4 in a row all gifts from roundballnz)
10. Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe $4
11. Jernigan by David Gates $23 (new)
12. The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes $15 (new)
13. The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom $3
14. Neuromancer by William Gibson (free from Uni book swap)
15. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin $6.67 (new)
16. Great Jones Street by Don DeLillo $6.67 (new)
17. The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don DeLillo $6.67 (new)
18. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagirhara $15 (new)

MOVIES TOO
1. The Force Awakens (date 3/1)
2. The Chipmunks III: Something about a road 'chip' (5/1)
3. The Force Awakens (again!) (8/1)
4. Zootopia (29/4)
5. Florence Foster Jenkins (8/5)

DAVID BOWIE'S TOP 100
Reading one of these a month, I hope! So far me and Berly are going strong, and May's read is still in negotiation.
Struck are the ones that I have read, bold are ones I want to read....soon. Suggestions welcome!

Interviews With Francis Bacon by David Sylvester
Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse
Room At The Top by John Braine
On Having No Head by Douglass Harding
Kafka Was The Rage by Anatole Broyard
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
City Of Night by John Rechy
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Iliad by Homer
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Tadanori Yokoo by Tadanori Yokoo
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin
Inside The Whale And Other Essays by George Orwell
Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
Halls Dictionary Of Subjects And Symbols In Art by James A. Hall
David Bomberg by Richard Cork
Blast by Wyndham Lewis
Passing by Nella Larson
Beyond The Brillo Box by Arthur C. Danto
The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
In Bluebeard’s Castle by George Steiner
Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
The Divided Self by R. D. Laing
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Infants Of The Spring by Wallace Thurman
The Quest For Christa T by Christa Wolf
The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter
The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Herzog by Saul Bellow
Puckoon by Spike Milligan
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
Darkness At Noon by Arthur Koestler
The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot
McTeague by Frank Norris
Money by Martin Amis
The Outsider by Colin Wilson
Strange People by Frank Edwards
English Journey by J.B. Priestley
A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Day Of The Locust by Nathanael West
1984 by George Orwell
The Life And Times Of Little Richard by Charles White
Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn
Mystery Train by Greil Marcus
Beano (comic, ’50s)
Raw (comic, ’80s)
White Noise by Don DeLillo Rereading for June- https://www.librarything.com/topic/223975
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom by Peter Guralnick
Silence: Lectures And Writing by John Cage
Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews edited by Malcolm Cowley
The Sound Of The City: The Rise Of Rock And Roll by Charlie Gillete
Octobriana And The Russian Underground by Peter Sadecky
The Street by Ann Petry
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Last Exit To Brooklyn By Hubert Selby, Jr.
A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn
The Age Of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
Metropolitan Life by Fran Lebowitz
The Coast Of Utopia by Tom Stoppard
The Bridge by Hart Crane
All The Emperor’s Horses by David Kidd
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos
Tales Of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders
The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music by Gerri Hirshey
Before The Deluge by Otto Friedrich
Sexual Personae: Art And Decadence From Nefertiti To Emily Dickinson by Camille Paglia
The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Teenage by Jon Savage
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Viz (comic, early ’80s)
Private Eye (satirical magazine, ’60s – ’80s)
Selected Poems by Frank O’Hara
The Trial Of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens
Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes
Maldoror by Comte de Lautréamont
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler
Zanoni by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Ritual by Eliphas Lévi
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Leopard by Giusseppe Di Lampedusa
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno
The Insult by Rupert Thomson
In Between The Sheets by Ian McEwan
A People’s Tragedy by Orlando Figes
Journey Into The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg

BOOKER WINNERS
I'm trying, I really am trying to get through this list before I die. I give myself at least 30 years to achieve this (the books, not the death)

1969: P. H. Newby, Something to Answer For
1970: Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member
1970: J. G. Farrell, Troubles (awarded in 2010 as the Lost Man Booker Prize)
1971: V. S. Naipaul, In a Free State
1972: John Berger, G.
1973: J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
1974: Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist and Stanley Middleton, Holiday
1975: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
1976: David Storey, Saville
1977: Paul Scott, Staying On
1978: Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea (On my shelf)
1979: Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore
1980: William Golding, Rites of Passage
1981: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
1982: Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark (On my shelf)
1983: J. M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K (On my shelf)
1984: Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
1985: Keri Hulme, The Bone People
1986: Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils (On my shelf...but looking for a better copy to replace it with)
1987: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger
1988: Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda (On my shelf)
1989: Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day (On my shelf)
1990: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance (On my shelf)
1991: Ben Okri, The Famished Road (On my shelf)
1992: Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient... and Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
1993: Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (On my shelf)
1994: James Kelman, How late it was, how late
1995: Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
1996: Graham Swift, Last Orders (On my shelf)
1997: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
1998: Ian McEwan, Amsterdam
1999: J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace
2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang (On my shelf)
2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi
2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little (On my shelf)
2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty (On my shelf)
2005: John Banville, The Sea
2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering (On my shelf)
2008: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
2009: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (On my shelf)
2010: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question (On my shelf)
2011: Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
2012: Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
2013: Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
2014: Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North (On my shelf)
2015: Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

CURRENTLY READING

Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social Change edited by Moser and Dilling.
Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope
What is this Thing Called Science: an Assessment of the Nature and Status of Science and its Methods by Alan Chalmers
To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism by Evgeny Morozov
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Why Social Justice Matters by Brian Barry



Phew!

*Waves* Hi Megan! :)

Happy New Thread, Megan! Love the autumnal toppers!

Hope you had a fine weekend. I see you are doing some heavy reading. No fluff?

Miss seeing you around, my friend.

Happy new thread! Love the fall pics at the top. Arrowtown looks like someplace I'd love to explore!

>8 Ape: hi Stephen! Glad you caught me here on LT in what is lately a rare occurrence. :)
Happy first place.

>9 msf59: hiya Mark! I have been AWOL the last week or two. Bad Megan. Work spiralled out of control (hours-wise), but the pay off came this week in the form of a pay cheque. And then I went on holiday and was tech free. So. Now I'm back (ish)

>10 cbl_tn: Arrowrown is gorgeous, but lately getting a little overrun with selfie stick wielding wanderers ;)

A new thread!!! Congratulations and about time. ; ) I am going to have to post the Bowie list on my thread next time so I can keep track of it. And I love your Booker List--I may have to borrow that idea. All in all, you are a fine partner in crime.

>12 Berly: I just went and did my homework on the Bowie book for May...I'm thinking The Bird Artist sounds wonderful. I love the area that it is set in, NW Cananda...that is where Newfoundland is, isn't it?

I was just on our book thread and left you a message!! The Bird Artist was on my original list and I left it off by accident when I tried to narrow it down. I think it sound really good. And, yes, I believe Newfoundland is part of Canada. ; ) Do you want to just go with that one for May?

Happy New Thread Megan.

I remember Arrowtown very fondly; I found a book by your Dad in the Post Office there at the far end of the Main Street. Not the one you gave me, but a much smaller one.

I was also there in Autumn as you may recall and it was a beautiful place to be for sure.

>14 Berly: yes, let's go for The Bird Artist for May. I just checked the library and there is one copy, its across town but I can go past the library tomorrow on my way to visit friends. So, I will nab the only copy I hope!!

>15 PaulCranswick: that's right, Paul. I remember now. Since you visited there, my brother moved into the area...he is 5 or 6 kms away from the township and i cant believe how wonderful it was there this time of year. It must have been 15 years since I have visited in Autumn. I just wish I had taken more photographs, I always forget the whole capturing the moment thing.

Congrats on the new thread, Megan.

Wonderful autumn colors up top. I'm a fan of The Bird Artist. Great book.

Your topper prompted me to go and look at our NZ photos. This is my Belly in Arrowtown posing so she'll be allowed into the ice cream parlour.

Happy new thread and congrats on your research job success from the last thread - sounds like it is just the start of a great working relationship.

Good luck with your heavyweight reads- any chance you will be able to slip something light into the mix?

M--I got a copy of The Bird Artist from the library today. Hope you got a copy 'cuz I already started a thread!! LOL. : )

>17 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I saw on the book page that it is Michael J. Fox's favourite book! And we know it was in Bowie's top 100, although, 100 books is a lot. I really like the look of it, if the cover is anything to go by. Even if the book is not great, I will definitely enjoy holding it and seeing on my bedside table.

>18 PaulCranswick: Gorgeous photo, she knows how to please her mamma and papa :) (Clever girl, as the youngest, I also knew that )

>19 charl08: Heavyweight reads are done piece by piece. And I usually throw in a fiction to balance it out. I have to!! I am nearly finished DOmestic Manners of the Americans, so that will leave space for a non-academic one.

>20 Berly: Great timing!!! I got mine today too :)
It looks good, and get this, its the first in a trilogy so if we like we can get stuck in to the other two.

>21 LovingLit: A trilogy?! Like I need more books to get sucked into. LOL

Nice Pics up above Arrowtown surely is stunning in Autumn ....

I might be joining you guys on The Bird Artist. Just sayin'...

Happy new thread, Megan! LOVE the toppers - gorgeous! I also requested The Bird Artist, so if it comes in, I will join you and Kim.

>22 Berly: *evil laugh*

>23 roundballnz: it had been a while, but now I remember many an Autumn there. It's amazing, and even better to have a relative to stay with who has access to secret river and walng spots.

>24 msf59: woohoo! Now it's a party. Lovely to have you along on the ride.

>25 Crazymamie: my eyes must be crossed or something, I read the first part of your name and merged it with your sentence.....so i read your first words as "crappy new thread" and ever so briefly wondered what was so wrong with it! ;)
As if you would arrive to condemn....lol.
I hope you get to read The Bird Artist too! We can wait til everyone is ready, I'm sure.

This morning I finished- finally!- my 28th book. Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope, which I started on a whim (just to have a wee look at, you see).
I'll write a review soon, but can say now now how taken I was with the many polite and refined ways she has of so completely and utterly denigrating the American people. I read it to completion mainly for that...it was quite funny because of it, her snobbishness really came through, but i admired the utter bold frankness of her opinions. In between the subjective observations, the book also told me a lot about how US culture developed almost as if in direct reaction to the British/European ways.
I'm thinking 4- stars at least, maybe plus one for entertainment. :)

Presentation results in.
A+!
Phew. And- woohoo!
The draft essay was handed in as well as a part of that grade, and the feedback was all either good or useful. It took an age to get the result, but worth it now. I celebrated with a glass of bubbly with my sister who was looking after the kiddos for me for class.

It was worth 25% of the final grade....and now? Onwards with essay writing...which means nutting out the philosophical issues I need to address: such as the nature of scientific understanding. No mean feat.

Hooray for an A+!!! You go, girl!

>26 LovingLit: Oh, dear! "As if you would arrive to condemn" made me laugh. I would never!

>29 Crazymamie: Well done you, Megan!

>28 LovingLit: Impressive stuff!

Happy new thread, Megan!

>28 LovingLit: WOO HOO! Well done, you!!

Congrats on doing so well, Megan!

Arrowtown is lovely! Thanks for posting these lovely images.

>29 Crazymamie: I didn't think you re the type to swoop in, leave an insult, and then go! :)

>30 rosalita: thanks Julia! The essay is proving hard to write, but the presentation was on the progress of it, and I had at least got far enough to know that it is complex

>31 charl08: thanks! It was at the low end of the scale (points-wise) but I'll take it however it comes.

>32 humouress: thanks! It was a nice result after a three week wait.and the break from writing the essay was good too, in hindsight, as now I go back to it with fresh eyes and can see where I need to change things.

>33 jnwelch: thanks Joe :) It's a nice happy surprise.

>34 Whisper1: autumn is lovely. We are having a run of crazy warm days lately too. It is really good to get out there and enjoy it with the kids. (read: not be trapped inside with the kids!)

Hooray for an A+!! You always come through, my friend, like the trooper that you are. Hugs!

Happy New Thread, and congratulations on your A+, Megan!

Gorgeous fall pictures in Arrowtown. Hooray for the A+ too!

>36 msf59: all the blood, sweat, and tears are worth it!

>37 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. It feels like it is the one domain that I have control ocer...not that I'm neurotic or anything....of course not!!

>38 Berly: yay! My marks were not in red pen though, apparently red pen is too threatening. Ooooo-kay.

>39 nittnut: Hooray alright, its a biggie too. Worth 25% of the final grade.

Thanks everyone! I love your support :)

>40 LovingLit: I love the idea that red pen is too threatening. Maybe a nice mint green would make corrections relaxing?

BOOK 28
Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope (299p)

This book is a fantastic rant from a European (British) lady who visits the new(ish) lands of America and who doesn't much like the people she meets. It is the early-mid 1800s and Americans are proud of their independence, they are proud of their equality and freedom, and they want to keep it that way. Mrs Trollope however, sees uncouth and uncultured ways wherever she goes. Although she many times absolutely loves the picturesque and dramatic natural scenery, she cannot abide by the way that the Americans are.

She describes in great depth how far people will go to avoid thanking someone, or how most people seem too above menial work to be her maid or cleaner, and how everybody continually evokes this notion of equality when doing so. She picks to shreds the inconsistency with this notion and the existence of slaves, and the treatment of Native Americans. And she dislikes thoroughly the dress, facial expressions, and vernacular of the American women....they are not at all like they should be, in her mind. I loved reading this, the language was so beautiful, sometimes you were sure she must be paying a compliment with using such pretty language, but the message was passive/aggressive and very clear- Americans really ought to be more European.

It was funny to read, but also did lay out a lot of the foundations of how a new society consolidates. It is fascinating to consider the trajectory of American culture from this time onwards. She points out the obscene way that people are obsessed with making money (if only she could see the world now!), and the hypocrisy of religions that preach freedom and fairness so fervently while condoning slavery and lining their own pockets first. Although her ranty style is clearly opinionated, I liked her bold statements and have enough brain matter to consider for myself what her biases were or might have been. The book said as much about her and her lifestyle as it did about the Americans'. A rollicking good, if somewhat flowery, read.

>42 LovingLit: Excellent review, Megan. What a country. Thumb from me.

ETA: Oops. Thumb from me if you post it on the book page.

Lovely new thread. You're reading lots of interesting nonfiction these days, Megan!
And... a thumb from me, too, for your review of Domestic Manners of the Americans. If you post it. :-)

Thumbs? Thumbs?
*off to post the review to the book page*
(so easily led)

>45 LovingLit: Smiley-face

This is the Thumber of Your Great Content? Apologies to Willie Shakes. Our kids would be pummeling me right now.

>43 jnwelch: >46 jnwelch: thanks for the thumb...and I had to work backwards to work out what you meant there! Starting with Willy Shakes....who until now I had no idea referred to William Shakespeare! Lol, so now, I get the reference :) And even better than that, I think it very clever!

>44 EBT1002: my non fiction is taking over, that is for sure. It's probably telling that I always have (try to have) one fiction on the go, and that one seems to take a lot less time to finish.
I have lost a little mojo with my current essay reading (by that I mean readings that i need to do in order to write my essay). I should kick start a few of those non fictions!

>47 LovingLit: Ha! Glad it made sense in the end, Megan. Our kids often give me a hard time about my obscure sense of humor.

Domestic Manners of the Americans sounds fun, Megan: This book is a fantastic rant. My mother was the queen of rants! Wow, could she go!!

>46 jnwelch: Good one!! And I had never heard "Willie Shakes" either, but I like it. : )

>50 Berly: :-)

>48 jnwelch: The visionary are often maligned ;)

>49 lit_chick: I think that so long as it is recognised as ranty, there is a heap of really interesting info in there.

>50 Berly: >51 jnwelch: I'm going to start referring to I'm as that from now. Just to see how many looks I get.

>42 LovingLit: That one is getting a lot of good press around here; I may eventually read it.

>47 LovingLit: *gasp of horror* And in this week, too! (400th death anniversary (also of Cervantes), with BBC WS broadcasting heaps of tributes. Though, I admit, they didn't refer to him as 'Willy Shakes'.)

>42 LovingLit: Although I'm not actually buying it right now, definitely a BB! Good review.

To my favourite New Zealand based A+ student; have a lovely weekend.

The Frances Trollope book looks exactly why the British Empire melted in the sun.

Congrats on the excellent result .... go you !

Megan, I'm glad to see you are still making the good grades. Good luck with the nature of scientific understanding. I am sure it will be worth it when you get that topic figured out. *smile* How much longer before you reach your education goal?

Happy New Thread, Megan. Congrats on the A+ that's fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing these colourful photos.

Happy new thread Megain - lovely opening photos and congratulations on your A+! And glad you enjoyed Mrs Trollope so much and thank you for giving me the push to pick up and read that too!

>53 humouress: maybe if I had heard the bastardised quote aloud I could have got the gist better. But I did realise it was the 400th anniversary of his death recently!

>54 karenmarie: I do love being the deliverer of a book bullet :)

>55 PaulCranswick: Favourite NZ based A+ student?! Pretty narrow parameters, but I'll take it! ;)

>56 roundballnz: I feel pretty good about the result, but am already nerve-wracked about getting the next result! Sheesh, talk about needing to give myself a break!

>57 Donna828: I hope it will be worth it when I get it figured out....I have realised that I have to do some more reading of my own, rather than waiting for the stuff to get taught in class. I need more time than that to formulate my essay.

>58 Ameise1: the autumn colours in that part of NZ are well known for being brilliant.

>59 souloftherose: I liked your review that started "in which the author does not like America" or the like. That was very much the gist of it, wasn't it? I'll review it at book club tomorrow night, and hope to pull off a BB there too!

>60 LovingLit: You do realize you are pre-stressing now, don't you? You got an A+. Believe in yourself. I do think some side reading might help quiet that down a tad. : )

Excited to start The Bird Artist soon!

>62 Berly: I specialise in pre-stressing :) And I know that I need to not. But a little bit of stress keeps me working hard too, so maybe I just need to be a bit more moderate.
Or, as you say, just get reading.

Def have a case of Pre-stressing, some is good but not all the time ..... When I was studying would always be writing essays overnight thru to 5am on due day was the only way to get the best out of me ... still is really

>64 roundballnz: *faints*
How can you do that!? Wow, that is the complete opposite of my working style. As I confessed to my lecturer last year, I write slowly and panic easily. It was actually really good doing my job last month writing that report, as I had to write fast, and just get it done. It was a good lesson, that at least I can if I need to!

BOOK 29
Science A History by John Gribbin DNF (read 347/600+p)
I read until I could read no more. The reason I could read no more was that I have more pressing and more interesting things to read. This book was for university class, the history and philosophy of science. I missed a few lectures so read the book to make up for what I missed. It was written in a appealing way, with lots of personal anecdotes about the ancient scientists, and gave a great account of the development of early science.



BOOK 30
What is This Thing Called Science by Alan Chalmers NF 170p
OMG this book was tough going. I have very little (read: none) knowledge on modern science itself, so reading about the philosophy of it, which is mainly critiquing science, was hard. Once I finished, I immediately started reading it again, and thank goodness- the second time around has been a little easier. I am mainly (re)reading this for its discussion on the scientific method, for my essay which is talking about how climate change denies piggy-back scientific method in their publications to give themselves more authority on the subject.



BOOK 31
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes 134p
This pretty little book is quite odd! I was reading it to W last night (we are over half way through). The iron man has been buried by the locals for stealing tractors and the like to eat, and his 'hillock' is giving off earthquakes. I didn't want to scare W unnecessarily, so I read the rest myself to check if it is too scary (we had a little earthquake here yesterday, and I don't want to bring forth any fears, plus, zombie fear is around lately since some kid showed him something on the internet at school involving a zombie rising from the dead and biting someone's face off.....GRRR, mama bear not happy about that!). Anyway, I read the rest, and it gets supernatural, and crazy enough (I think) to continue reading to him without any fear setting in. I have the follow up book too, which apparently is about environmental concerns. This one has the main theme of peace on earth, which can only be good!

>66 LovingLit: I read the Hughes book at school (would have been 7 or 8) as a class book that was used to spark off writing stuff. Weird how memorable those books were (good choices by the teacher I guess).

That zombie thing sounds scary. I wouldn't like that at this advanced age, never mind at W's.

>65 LovingLit: Hahahaha .... its one of my special talents

I'm a wee late but Happy New Thread, Megan! Arrowtown looks awesome!

>67 charl08: I love doing things with my kids and wondering, is this going to end up being a significant moment in their lives? On a much smaller scale, daily activities surprise me. My lovely other usually gets the highlight yelled to him as soon as he hits the driveway, and it is never what I thought it would be!

>68 roundballnz: that it is. There are people at uni (and everywhere I suppose, lurking about, waiting til the last minute to get cracking ;)), who work the whole night on an essay due the next day. I see them and almost sweat FOR them!

>69 Carmenere: howdy :) Never too late, Arrowtown was awesome. I want to go back and play in the Autumn leaves by the river again. It was idyllic. My mama's heart melted seeing the kids love it so much :)

>70 LovingLit: It's funny which things make memories...as long as they are having happy ones to yell out each night, then life is good.

What Kim said. I find that having children pretty much fully grown, it is the small things that mattered most. The little every day kindnesses and surprises that have stayed in their hearts and which they pull out to look at again and again. Life is so delightful that way.

Wow, a course in the philosophy of science. I'm a scientist and I don't even know if I could get through that class. Way to go for your efforts!

>64 roundballnz: and >65 LovingLit: I did my best work under pressure, typically the night before it was due. But this was pre-Internet, so I would have to get all my sources and references lined up from the library in advance.

>71 Berly: yes, I think so too. When I think of my best childhood memories, yes, it is the time dad took me to get a brand new skirt. But only because as the youngest I always got hand-me-downs or second hand clothing....other than that, the best memories I have are playing til it was dark with mum and dads friends' kids, exploring, tree climbing , hut making (Tom boy? Yes, mostly), and other free stuff :)

>72 Crazymamie: you know, I remember my mum giving me a really loving and grateful look once when she saw that I had replaced the toilet roll in the bathroom. And the other day I found myself giving Lenny the same loving grateful look from witnessing him do the same. I wonder if he will remember that!? Prob not....

>73 The_Hibernator: I tell ya what. It is blimming heady stuff....never having learned science or philosophy I am covering ground that is so new to me. A baptism of fire!

>74 karenmarie: I think there is something in that method...as the panicking type I tend to want to just get started. The only issue is, if you don't have anything to 'get started' with, you are in trouble. In the last few days I have had to go back and read because I realised that you can't just make up the words from nothing:) (I'm a slow learner huh?)
It felt like regressing, having spent about 8 hours now just ingesting info, I have a better place to write from. I think I do that because I don't trust my memory...so reading all the stuff and then writing would mean leaving stuff out.

>70 LovingLit: comes in useful, its not unusual to be given requests, which have impossibly short deadlines

Though working for long periods at that intensity, is not good for body or mind ....

>74 karenmarie: sounds much like me ( pre internet as well)

>70 LovingLit: "My lovely other usually gets the highlight yelled to him as soon as he hits the driveway, and it is never what I thought it would be!"
That is a very sweet image.

Happy Weekend, my friend. You know, you're also my number one favorite New Zealand based A+ student.
Truly, you are knocking the socks off that program. It's very cool to witness, even from several time zones away.

>77 EBT1002: the highlight was this the other day: "dad! Dad! I found a suasage-shaped acorn!"
:)

Aw thanks :) The A+ was at the bottom end of a ten-point scale, but I'll take it any which way. Currently I am thinking deeply on the first draft of a half-written essay which is due in ten days. *gulp*

>72 Crazymamie: Best childhood memories? Playing in the fields behind my home with my twin brother and our pals. Kissing Nicola Walker. Singing our heads off to eight-tracks in the car ("Hello, I'm Johnny Cash). Long summer evenings drinking tea and listening to my Gran tell us stories from her own childhood. Day trips to the seaside.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

Hi Megan. I am slowly working my way through threads to get caught up. Looks like I missed all of April, until this morning. Congrats on acing your presentation (A+ - WOOT!) and thank goodness Wilbur only suffered minor cuts when the mirror fell! Nice to see you have such a fascinating potential topic for your Master's thesis.

Arrowrown is gorgeous, but lately getting a little overrun with selfie stick wielding wanderers ;) LOL, we will soon be inundated here on the island with similar wanderers. There is no getting away from them. *sighs*

Making note of Domestic Manners of Americans.

>81 Ape: Oh. So. True.

And wow for an A+. I haven't had one of those since high school.

>79 PaulCranswick: mine are those too....basically running about in the fields behind out house, exploring. Tagging along with big brother and doing forts, matchbox car racing in the mud, and once, he even wrote my name in petrol and then lit it! Possibly not safe, but as an in awe younger sister, it was awesome

>80 lkernagh: oh, you really are caught up! Well done :0
My sister in law was complaining about tourists walking down the middle of the road, oblivious to the fact that it is a road. lol, I guess it takes all types....

>81 Ape: lol (so hard).
In NZ 'fanny' means something different to what it means in the US. It is a constant source of hilarity. But, I have to say, I never had a bum-bag either (which is what we call a 'fanny pack').

>82 The_Hibernator: I never got one of those in high school! I am a newly converted A+er, and I have to say, I quite like it. Now, to just get one for the things that are worth more than 'some' of the final grade....

I am loving The Bird Artist, somehow I am managing to read it often, and can squeeze this in between panicking about my philosophy essay. I am up to chapter 11, which means there is less than 50 pages to go.
eta: oops, that pic was not the right one :L

I did it, I finished a fiction book!
*phew*
This philosophy essay I am "writing" (I say it like that seeing as what I am doing can hardly be called writing) is taking an absolute age to get down on paper. The last 8 hours i have spent in it has all been re-jigging stuff, and so I have added no words to the total. I am stalled at 4,500/6,000 words.
Like.
Blood.
From.
A.
Stone.

>86 Berly: tell me about it!
:)
It doesn't help that the lecturer keeps having suggestions of other ways of doing it, or new things to add. I don't think he realises that every "new thing" to discuss in my essay means at least 5 hours of research for me.
/rant

In other news, me and my sister took our kids out for dinner tonight. And it wasn't a disaster! Yay! After a friend put on Facebook about how ot one but two waiters commented on how well-behaved her kids were at a restaurant, I did a massive eye roll and thought to myself how that is an impossible scenario with my lot. Especially with cousins in tow. But...somehow we managed, and there was no drama. It was delicious, they ate heaps, and the kids all said xie xie (is that how you spell 'thank you' in Mandarin?) to the waiter.
We had: chicken wings, spring rolls, salt and pepper fish, chicken rice, vege noodles, and book choi with garlic. Yum!

*Googles what "fanny" means in New Zealand*

Oh, dear.

Happy Friday, Megan! I thought of you, while traversing New England. It is a beautiful place. We even hiked a tiny slice of the AT (Appalachian Trail). I want to go back and spend more time, hiking the woods.

I plan on starting The Bird Artist next and yes, you would love This House of Sky.

Hope all is well.

Catching up here. I loved The Domestic Manners of the Americans when I read it several years ago. I had plenty of ancestors in Midwestern states that worked as servants in someone else's home. If you had lots of children and little land, several of your children would hire out as farm laborers (boys) or household servants (girls). I'm thinking her difficulty finding household help may say more about Fanny Trollope than about Americans...

>87 LovingLit: Hope you crack the essay (I'm sure you will). It sounds like a massive topic to me - no way you could cover all of it in your word limit.

And the thank yous at the end of your meal with the kids - really sweet. Well done them (and you!)

>87 LovingLit: Yep, xie xie is right! I would kill for some Chinese food. A friend of mine in the US posted photos of their dim sum the other day and I was about ready to get on a plane. There are a few Chinese restaurants in the city, but none of them look decent and they are not popular at all, and I've certainly never seen any of them advertising dim sum.

Love the xie, xie. We are hearing lots of Mandarin around here lately. The kids are learning it in school this year.
Good luck with the essay. You will sort it out. You always do. :)

>88 Ape: he he. Yup. That is what it means here!

>89 msf59: does the AT start in New England? I imagine it would be very pretty there.of course the AT just reminds me of Bill Bryson.

>90 cbl_tn: she was speaking only from her experience I guess. It can't be that there was no one available to work as domestic help.

>91 charl08: the topic is massive, but Iam taking the narrower view of it to just encompass the aspects of science that the denial movement uses to both bolster their own arguments and to denigrate climate science's arguments. Basically about how "science" is easily picked apart.

>92 ursula: I haven't had Chinese food for ages, it was really fun. And that salt and pepper fish was lovely. (mmmmm, memories)

>93 nittnut: around the table last night we also had young master Monty reciting his mihi, the speech outlining your ancenstry that is common in Maori introductions.

Happy weekend, Megan.

I have started reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Mainly because in the third Back to the Future film, Doc Holiday names his kids Jules and Verne. and because I chanced upon the large print edition of it at the library. (I always feel like I am whining through a book when the print is so large, it is very encouraging)
And, I like it! Who'd a thunk it?

Happy New week! Hope you're enjoying 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea :) That's a really great reason to read it. hehe

>97 The_Hibernator: It doesn't take much of a reason for a book to catch my eye, and those classics that you hear about in popular culture every so often, well, they demand your attention at some stage in your life. And for 20,000 Leagues...that time is now :)

I now *officially* have an OK amount of words in my essay. (5,550 out of the "uo to 6,000 required). I have submitted the complete draft for the lecturer to peruse, and now I await the hatchet job he will no doubt do on it (I am fast running out of confidence with this process).
I stil ahve three weeks to hand in the essay, and in that time must also do a presentation with 25% of the grade, and mark the head of departments first year classes essays as well.
*prays to the goddess(es) that this can all be fitted in and done well*

^ And, woe is me, it seems I cannot even spell :(
(Jeez, who wrote that post #99 anyway!!??)

>96 LovingLit: I loved that one. Well, to be frank I've read all Jules Verne in my late teens. He was such a visionary.

I keep my fingers and toes crossed that everything goes well with your essay. I'm sure it will.

>101 Ameise1: thanks! I have a wee while to get it polished. I just fear the feedback will be all about changing it, and it's hard to see which direction he wants me to go in....
But, I will carry on and just wait and see.

Wow Megan. You finished your first draft with three weeks to go before the deadline? Impressive stuff.

I like your reason for reading Verne. Kind of linked in with the topic of your writing, or is that me grasping at straws?

94: Right, I'll have to always remember to never ask a Kiwi if they have a flashlight in their fanny pack.

>99 LovingLit: draft 3 weeks before its due ???!! *** falls over in shock ****

Hi Megan! Hope you had a good weekend. I will start The Bird Artist today. Anticipation builds...

Oh, I loved Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea when I was a youngster, Megan - I read every Jules Verne I could get my hands on. Mysterious Island was probably my favorite, and it has a connection to TTLUTS.

Hi Megan, just dropping by on this sunny Monday morning to make sure the gates of Antarctica haven't swallowed you up!

>96 LovingLit: I've been wanting to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ever since I read All the Light We Cannot See last year. I won't say too much about the plot of that one just in case you haven't read it but there is quite a lot about the Jules Verne book in it and it really piqued my interest.

My goodness. I don't drop by for a few days and read about US fanny vs NZ fanny, essays, Bill Bryson and the AT, Maori mihi, Chinese food, and etc.

I loved 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I read a 1993 translation by the Naval Institute Press, which was absolutely fantastic.

Good luck on your essay! I'm impressed that you still have 3 weeks to turn in the completed essay, well ahead of the game.

Hi Megan.

>104 Ape: *goggle-eyed gasp*

>103 charl08: pretty prepared right? The class teacher said the draft was due this week, so being a blind follower of authority, I did just that.
And 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is very "philosophy of sciency", I thought that when reading it. All the science and society stuff is very related.

>104 Ape: yes, you will! Although, American culture has its tendrils far and wide in the world, so we have heard these words before :)
I was *shocked* as a child to hear tht a chocolate bar existed called a "snickers" bar. Because when you take away the first "S" you have the word "knickers"!!!! (which here means girls underwear). He he.

>105 roundballnz: wake up Alex! It's alright, I will have a tonne of work to do on it. I just have the right amount of words is all :)

>106 msf59: happy reading Mark. And you are so in time for the May GR still...even though I think Ithalassotherapy last three posts on the thread lately. I'm ready to talk!

>107 jnwelch: maybe I should be reading this book to Wilbur!? I have just started an abridged edition of The Black Arrow about the war of the roses in Britain in the 16th (?) century. He is currently hung up on the fact that there is a boy in it called Dick. His puerile boy-mind is making it hard for him to listen to the story....

>108 lit_chick: haha, the gates of Antarctica did indeed open last night! A cracking Southerly came through, blowing and gusting and raining. But today it is sunny again! *yuss*

>109 rosalita: aaaah, I love book connections! Remember when Jolerie used to log which books were mentioned in other books?! I loved that. (I must check up on her....)

>110 karenmarie: wow, you really are caught up. You even refreshed my memory of my own goings on.
If I am not ahead of the game, I feel deeply out of control. I'm the first to admit it though, I do panic easily :)

>111 nittnut: hi Jenn:)
There are some fun language misunderstandings that could arise between NZers and Americans!

>113 LovingLit: Wilbur might like it, Megan. My one concern is it might seem too old-fashioned to him? It was old-fashioned in my time, and that didn't bother me, but it might him.

Some books I loved as a kid bombed with ours. The My Father's Dragon series was a yawner, as far as they were concerned. Same with Beatrix Potter's Fairy Caravan. I wish I'd tried George Macdonald on them, but I couldn't tell you whether he would've worked with them or not. On the other hand, both of them enjoyed the old-fashioned The Happy Hollisters series. Our daughter LOVED reading the Nancy Drew series with me, and our son LOVED reading the Oz books with me (there are a lot more of those than most people realize). I didn't try Jules Verne with either of them, but our sci-fi loving son would have been more likely to enjoy it.

>114 jnwelch: you can just never tell, can you. Don't they know that we know best??!! ;) (my mum is still trying to get me to believe that)
I think the old language in 20,000 Leagues might be odd for a 7 year old. But more than that, the slower story pace. The ones he gets from the school are wham bam....over. With so much action in between scarcely described. (I'm thinking, "where are the adjectives"!!??)

Meanwhile, this is me right now.
My.
Essay.
Is.
Killing.
Me.

You can do it!!! My Dad says a glass of red wine always helps. : )

>117 Berly: I like your dad. No doubt I will indulge in a brain-cell-killing beer or two tonight after the stress of class (did anyone get the feeling I'm not enjoying this course as much as others I have done?)
Either way, I must carry on :)

Hi Megan! Found and starred your thread.

>118 LovingLit: Just sending some good vibes your way for the essay.

Any thoughts on what the next Bowie book going to be? I did so enjoy the last choice.

Hang in there with the essay. Beer may not help get it finished, but it will certainly help adjust your attitude towards it.

It could be argued that many of the leading authors did their best writing while inebriated...

>119 connie53: good for you! We were lost for a bit, but no longer :)

>120 charl08: thanks for the well-wishes. I need them, I feel the clock tick tick ticking away as I grapple with the issues. I think I will get there though.

>121 karenmarie: I will abstain tonight again (from beer). I really do think much more clearly without alcohol! Although, writing while drunk could arguably improve what I have.

>122 kidzdoc: lol, that is great advice. And from a doctor too! (I can take that as doctors' orders, can't I!?)

Ignore the clocks! They are all messed up anyhow.

>124 Berly: ha! A great reminder that time is nothing but a drooping imagination!
I am seriously affected by the pressure of it though. I really suffer from the fear factor when writing to a deadline. And you all know how far away my deadline is....nearly three weeks still! Its just that most students can work on their due items full time when it gets close to the time that it's due, I have just the time that both kids are in school/kindy, and then after 8pm (but usually I am too tired to get much productive work done if I start after 8pm). Weekends are to be negotiated with my lovely other, who also needs some time to himself. It is a struggle to find a block of *extra* time to get my slow brain clunking!!
Tomorrow, I shall fuel my brain with coffee, and get writing!!

Three weeks before the due date? And Alex, 5 hours before it's due? On or after, for me *sigh* :0( Well, they did have to pull me out by C-section because it was two weeks after my mum's due date and I hadn't budged.

Speaking of due dates, that reminds me ...

ETA: best of luck with the essay!

>126 humouress: you were hanging in there! I have no idea if I was early, late or on time. Being the third child, and a (happy, I'm told) accident, my mum wasn't that big on timekeeping :)

Essay progress (cos I know, you're all just dying to hear my latest essay drama!): well, it's progressing. Which is what I always think, until I get the dreaded feedback - or as I referred to that process in class last week: the hatchet job! Ha ha, well, I laughed anyway. So. We will see.
I need to work on the presentation now, it's on Wednesday and I think I will have time to be well enough prepared to do Ok.

Digestible chunks dear lady and plenty of coffee breaks. You need plenty of quiet reflection to organise your thoughts and plan your writing before committing your thoughts to paper.

I work to deadlines every day of my life and only realise if the pressure is getting to me when a little muscle under my eyelid starts twitching. I am more scared of my wife than my work so the twitching usually is under control.

Have a great weekend, Megan, and very best of luck.

>128 PaulCranswick: you're right, Paul. I think I need to refine my writing process. I could work far more efficiently. The university library runs workshops on dealing with the mountains of information you tend to collect when researching, also on writing, and on working efficiently. I think I'd do well to get on to one of those workshops before next semesterer!
Luckily I have my breaks between writing sessions well defined by the kids' needs, and although I never get out stuff to do them, I can usually catch a minute or two to sort some ideas out.

On to today! SATURDAY!!
Taking the kids to W's league game, dropping in on my brothers friend who needs his cat, rabbit and fish fed (and the rubbish put out), and then dropping off a bag of gear to a friend, then going back to the league club rooms for prize giving, and dinner (as the team of the week, it's our turn to turn up).

Exciting!
Wilbur got player of the day, but more than that. It seems he has learned to tackle all of a sudden. *not mentioning the $1 per successful tackle offered as incentive for learning*
He did heaps of great tackles where before this weekend has mainly just ran alongside the opposing player and watched them score a try. It's so cool to see him getting more confident and succeeding because of it. He filled his wallet too, with the undisclosed discounted amount of $7 awarded for successfully tackling *ahem* 9 times.

Cap that off with a visit to feed the animals, and a quick spa thrown in, and I call today a lovely one so far.

Gotta love player incentives!! Go Wilbur!! And mom gets a spa visit. Perfect.

>131 Berly: does spa mean that same thing for the both of us? My spa is a small square(ish) bubbling broth of hot water. (and by *my* spa, I mean my brother's friend's spa)
Oh, and I was JUST posting in your thread too :)

Mmmmm....that sounds more like a hot tub. And those can be great things, too! Spa usually involves massages and mani/pedicures. But relaxing is relaxing so I am glad you go to go.

Discussion is heating up over our next Bowie read on my thread...help!

>133 Berly: I have heard of hot tubs from that film (of you can call it that!!) Hot Tub Time Machine....needless to say, I am wary of using the term now! Yep, that thing we call a spa pool.

He he. True that!

>135 LovingLit: LOL

Happy Sunday, Megan! Hope you found some "down" time this weekend. Fingers crossed.

You made an appearance in a dream I had last night, (completely G-rated, I promise) but we had a pleasant conversation. LOL.

Go Wilbur!!

>135 LovingLit: No one else is up yet, but I still woke up! Dang it! Hope you get a nap today.

>136 kidzdoc: people told us that (me and my lovely other, that is) when I was pregnant, and I thought- gosh, do you have to rain on our parade like that?! But, oh boy were they right. And as Murphy's Law would have it, I was up three times in the night with (1) Lenny who needed to tell me about how he hurt his toe on the driveway yesterday afternoon while I was at university, and then (2) Wilbur who needed a drink of water, and then (3) the cat who needed to meow in the hallway for no apparent reason (until he was placed grumpily outside by me!).
So I guess in the case of this meme it could read :You will never "sleep" again.

>137 msf59: I did get down time! Watched Wilbur play league, and at the opposite end of the day went to the local league club rooms for prize giving (which are a stone's throw from our place really). There I was transported back in time to when I was a teenager and used to hang out at the rugby club rooms which were a stone's throw from the house I grew up in. Wow, sporting facilities are like a time warp. Cinder block, ancient portraits on the wall of past club presidents, a poky bar selling two types of beer and two of wine, fried foods for sale and tables set up for the socializing. I loved it! It was definitely old school, and unchanged for decades.
I have had LT dreams too, early on I had one featuring the 75ers dream team: RD, yourself and someone else....all partaking in a deep conversation about something or other. It was cool, I felt like I really got to know you guys better in that dream.

>138 Berly: It was 2:51am my time when you posted that, I hope you weren't up that early!
I wont get a nap today but I will get time at uni to work on my presentation, which is way better for me :)

Glad you had a good Sunday watching Wilbur's league. Have a good week ahead!

Book 33
The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This one I picked up recently for $3. I cant say I loved it, but as it was half good, I gave it 2.5 stars. It was a pretty light treatment of the afterlife, one that proposed there are five people that you meet in heaven. (Is anyone getting deja vu here!!?) Each one of these people is supposed to teach you a lesson, and the people may be ones that you had the most tenuous of connection to in the land of the living. It was fun to read, but I don't do metaphysical stuff well. Mostly I could just see a cheesy movie in what I was reading.

>140 The_Hibernator: thanks! After Wednesday I will be finished with class for semester one, and will have 2 weeks left to refine my 6000 word essay. I am on target to get that done, so that is good as I will also have 30+ essays to mark for my department head (so I really cant stuff that one up!!). I will have to act my best professional self and fool her into thinking I am competent :)

>141 LovingLit: I read that years ago when it first came out. It was all the rage in the mode of Chicken Soup for the Soul. I thought it was nice - it sort of worked for my idea of heaven - Sort of. I kind of prefer C.S. Lewis for my metaphysical stuff that's not actual Bible.

>135 LovingLit: I was so sleep deprived for the first 6 months after my daughter was born that I don't know how I did it. I was 40 years old, had a C-section, and went back to work after 9 weeks.

>141 LovingLit: I read it, didn't rate it (drat!) so don't remember even an overall impression of it. It's still on my shelves, though, so I can't have hated it.

>143 nittnut: I liked it as one idea of a kind of afterlife, it just read as a little sugary for me. If you are looking for a completely out of the box afterlives encounter, I loved Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman. I loved it so much I gave it away to someone! (huh?- well, it makes sense, kind of).

>144 karenmarie: yikes, that experience does not sound good.
Ironically, I was the most rested I have ever been in the 6 months after I had Lenny. Because he actually slept, and I actually could too seeing as older brother was in the safe hands if his dad, and I had those breastfeeding hormones kicking in (that supposedly get you back to sleep after you have fed). It was the exact opposite of when Wilbur was a newborn. I was one frazzled sleep-deprived loony tune then!!

My first two kids didn't sleep for more than two hours straight for the first year. I was a wreck. My third one was a piece of cake!! Phew. I do not miss that.

I haven't heard of 40 tales; it sounds good, but the LT prophet says I won't like with a high degree of confidence. LOL. What does it know?!

>146 Berly: holy moly. That sounds like a nightmare.
Some parents really do get the short straw experience, don't they? What gets me is one of my friends who had sleepy babies talked about how jealous she was of me "getting to go out" when she was stuck at home while her babies were asleep. Didn't she know that I only went out out of desperation. Because I'd been staring at the walls holding a grizzling baby for hours on end? Another one mentioned how lucky I was to get all that "extra quality time" with my youngster.
O
M
G
That one has gone down in folklore now, other friends and me regularly laugh about that comment. Extra time is not all that "quality" when you are so tired you don't even know your name, and you live in fear of the sound of your baby crying as you know it means an hour plus pacing the house -again- in the wee small hours.

Gosh- this has turned into a rant, and I didn't even mean it to! Baby memories will do that to a woman ;) I am grateful to have some friends who know what it was like having a tough baby, they get it. And I feel so lucky that Lenny was so easy!

In other news.........................
My presentation is tomorrow! And I handed in my final draft for the lecturers' final comments, mentioning that he didn't need to rush the comments as I wasn't sure I had the resilience to deal with what changes he had in store for my essay until after my presentation. He emailed back that it was excellent and showed clarity of thought and argument...or something equally positive. I was so shocked I nearly fell off the chair.

I tell you, I could have used some of that talk earlier on when I felt completely off track and and saw my essay spiralling into a barely readable mess....he probably thinks I am just fishing for compliments, but I really think there is a place for encouraging words as well as "change this, do that" talk in feedback. Different styles, I guess.

>139 LovingLit: I am glad I made an appearance in one of your dreams. How special. I find it particularly interesting, when you meet someone, that you have never met in "real life". The mind is a wonderful thing.

Good luck with the presentation. All crossables crossed for my pal.

>148 msf59: I find it particularly interesting, when you meet someone, that you have never met in "real life". The mind is a wonderful thing.
I think so too, I had a vivid dream about a member of the band Soundgarden, and I hadn't even been aware of this guy before, or particularly liked the band. But after that I had to buy their CD, it just seemed like I should. After our long talk and all :)


It was this guy. Bizarre.

All set for presentation....as usual I am unsure how I will go, but I know I wont fail, so that is something. Now, I will go for coffee to kick start that brain!

I'll say, Bizarre, LOL! I'm sure your presentation will be awesome!

>150 lit_chick: it was awesome. For the first time I think I actually nailed my presentation (and yet already I am thinking that my cocky attitude will come back and bite me!).
Anyway, I feel good about it. :) And at last the class is over, I can't say I have enjoyed this one. It was low on philosophical discussion and high on criticism :( And- I don't mind criticism per se, I just want it to come with encouragement.

How did it go?!! I am sure you wowed them. : )

Woot! Celebrate. Relax. :)

>152 Berly: it went well. Really well. And, I don't want to brag, but...(can you see bragging coming up ?!!) ...he said he might use one of the examples i used in my presentation for his undergrad philosophy class lecture!
Cool! I didn't threaten to charge him for the privilege ;)

>153 nittnut: thanks, I am. Me and my.lovely other are doing just that. Thanks to my crock-pot-already-made-meal, have all eaten a lovely sausage meat casserole and are now enjoying a beer and ginger beer resprctively.
Aaah. Nice :)

Way to go on the presentation, Megan. You're on a roll!

>155 jnwelch: I am pretty relieved. And I have already moved on to the next task at hand- marking 30 essays! It's fun so far (she says - with only 4 done :))

I knew you'd ace it! And nice compliment to have your stuff "Borrowed" by your professor! Also probably a good idea not to charge him. ; ) Marking essays--in comparison--far less stressful.

>157 Berly: yes...less stressful. Just like 30 little mini projects. And generally you can tell in the first minute how the grade is going to turn out...although, I have been surprised sometimes! I find the obviously bad or obviously good ones easy to mark, its the pesky 'sort of good' or 'sort of bad' ones that take the time to decipher.

Congratulations on your presentation and on your professor wanting to use one of your examples in another class.

>159 karenmarie: thanks! Still awaiting the official grade, ironically whilst grading other peoples' papers myself....so, in general toddling along nicely.

Except for poor Terry the cat! He was suspiciously quiet all day yesterday and when I got back from doing some marking, we decided to take him to the after hours vet. This was after getting him and actually manually checking him, all his fur had hidden that he had a cyst on his neck! We should have checked him earlier, I feel bad now.
Anyway, he had a surgery to flush out and irrigate the wound, and he how has gruesome looking stitches and a drain in there too! (the kids are fascinated) Plus, with his fur shaved, it's really obvious! So we are $350 out of pocket, and probably another $150 for follow ups. *grinds teeth*
But, you have to do the things, the alternative is unthinkable. Midnight bedtime for us though after all that. *yawn*

Poor Terry! *pat pat* I hope he heals quickly. :)

>161 Ape: thanks Stephen :) I was happy to see him eating and purring this morning. Even thou we have had our ups and downs, I still love the old fluff ball.

Does he have to wear a cone of shame (or are cats too intelligent for that? ) Hope he keeps up the recovery.

May the marking treat you kindly...

Cones are used to stop animals from picking at wounds, so they definitely aren't intelligent enough to not use them. Humans aren't either, but we use bandages for ourselves. :P

>163 charl08: no cone of shame for Terry, the abscess is on his neck! We are told to put a kids sock on his back leg so he can't scratch. It lasted exactly 3 minutes.

>164 Ape: heh, true that.

>128 PaulCranswick: >129 LovingLit: Paul is right here, especially the reflection bit, grades are even more impressive if you have not been doing this before now !

You have the twitchy eye thing as we'll ..... there I was thinking it was just me

apparently I was the perfect baby & slept right thru ... but since mid childhood have not been able to sleep more than 2 hours straight. so be careful what you wish for :)

>166 roundballnz: thanks Alex. I suppose me finding this class really hard is a good exercise in persistence, that is how I am viewing it. Next year if I do decide to tackle a masters, I know I will need persistence by the bucket load! Plus its not all bad, I think I will get a good grade, it will have been a painful one, is all. (if I even get a good one!!!)

>160 LovingLit: I'm so sorry about Terry's cyst and the money spent. Glad he's recovering nicely. How old is the old fluff ball?

We just spent about $300 on Inara Starbuck, our 9-year old dilute calico. She was listless and had a dry/warm nose for 3 or 4 days, and it turns out that it is a urinary tract infection. She's on antibiotics for 8 days, and then the vet wants to recheck her urine to make sure the infection's gone. I'm pretty good at cramming pills down her throat and she hasn't bitten me yet, unlike Kitty William, who gently bit my finger while daughter was holding him and I was clipping his nails yesterday.

Hi Megan, hope you had a good weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

>168 karenmarie: the old fluff ball (!) we think, is nearly ten. Definitely in his nines anyways. He has perked up a lot in the last 24 hours, and we are off to the vet this morning to get his drain out.
Me and my lovely other have a good system with regards to pills...I hold Terry and jimmy his jaw open, and he drops in the pill. Then I gently hold his snout shut til he swallows. It seems to work well!

>169 johnsimpson: the weekend was rained out! No sport for W (meaning no energy expelling, meaning high drama levels and noise levels). But, redeemed on Sunday when we went out to help a friend shift a load of hay bales to their new barn. It was great to get out and do some physical activity.

How's the grading going? Hope fluffy (Terry) is doing better!

I started a new thread for our Bowie's Top 100 in June : )

White Noise by Don DeLillo

https://www.librarything.com/topic/223975

>171 Berly: how rude of me! I saw this post and then rushed straight over there to see the thread :) (such is my level of excitement about the newest Bowie read !)
Now I shall go back there again to post the picture of the edition I will be reading.

Here is the pretty book I will be starting very soon, another from Bowie's top 100. (see >171 Berly: for the link to the GR thread)

Good choice on the Bowie pick. DeLillo will be featured on the AAC, later in the year, (see how cutting edge I am?) so I plan on reading one or two his books. Very interesting author. Have you read him?

>174 msf59: he is one of my favourite authors, Mark. I have read White Noise (my first DeLillo), Falling Man, Libra, The Body Artist, and Players. Oh, and Cosmopolis as well, which I didn't rate as highly as the others. I'm saving Americana and Underworld for a rainy day :)

Wow! You are a fan! I think I have only read Libra. I have heard great things about Underworld. I hope to get to that one, one of these days.

I have his new one, saved on audio.

I am a DeLillo virgin. ; )

>176 msf59: I really liked Libra, which surprised me, as it has a "boy's book" kind of a vibe to it. I want to tackle Americana next, it is pretty chunky though....which makes me nervous.

>177 Berly: well, you (and Bowie) picked a good one to start on....some call is his masterpiece. Other people call it boring, but whadda they know!!??

In reading news, I tried as hard as I could to finish 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in time to count it for May, but it is going to have to carry over into June now, as I still have a hundred pages or so to go. I am glad I am reading it, but there are some not-much-is-really-happening-here moments....and a lot of scientific description (well, biological really) of under water creatures. But, at least it is pretty :)



Oh, and in cat news: Terry is allowed out! He ran with gusto into the world this cold morning and sniffed all those yummy-to-cat smells of the great outdoors that he has missed for the last 4 days. Now he just needs to keep away from the other toms out there who want to scrap with him. I want to preserve those $350 stitches!!!

Ha, I did the same thing. I couldn't finish my last book, and ended up finishing it on June 1st. *Headsmack* Well, at least I have a head start for this month now, right?

Megan, I can identify with your lack-of-sleep rant upthread after having an insomniac 5-year-old laying next to me for the past 6 nights. Sweet Haley becomes a talking machine at night! It took her about two hours to conk out after a relaxing bath, stories galore, and Baby Chopin in the background. Brought back the memories of her dad who also didn't require much sleep as a child.

I hope you get the A+ you deserve for your last class. And, why not brag when you work hard and nail your presentation. Good going!

I love your edition of White Noise. Mine is a white trade paperback, about as basic vanilla as it could be, but I'm looking forward to reading it either this month or with Mark's AAC later in the year. Underworld was excellent!

Love the cover of your 20,000 leagues. That's one of those books I think I read, but probably just had a ladybird version!

I'm probably a fan of 20,000 Leagues mostly for the illustrations in the copy I have. It may be the same one you have. :) Some of it is definitely slow going.

I read 20,000 long enough ago to remember that I loved it and if there were any slow parts for me, I have forgotten them.

>180 Ape: he he. Same same. I just finished 20,000 Leagues today, it took me 4 days longer than expected. But I did it.

>181 Donna828: I'm not holding out for an A+ for my class, an A will do. Even an A- will qualify me to apply for a scholarship next year. I don't want to be greedy ;)
Today I actually finished the essay that is due in a few days, I have finally got it to a place that I am happy with it, and it feels great.

>182 charl08: it is one of those books that you've heard of and that you really must read at some point. And now I have! Yay!

>183 nittnut: I'm actually reading a large print edition from the library, but I do love that copy I put up, it definitely has the best cover.

>184 Berly: the slow parts for me were the lists of undersea animals. I don't even know if half of them were real or not! I found it was a little lacking in interpersonal relationship devt. Probably on account of the ancient man perspective it was written from!

>185 LovingLit: I think we all have faith in you Megan but in the group you have certainly already made the grade.

I will tag along on White Noise although my previous attempts at DeLillo have been mixed at best.

Have never read 20,000 Leagues. You inspire me, Megan. What with that and your brilliant university presentations ...

Happy long weekend Monday ...

Have you read The Interregnum: Rethinking New Zealand yet ? I think it might be your type of thing .....

I acquired some books! Three for $20. And, see how restrained I have been this year?

15. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
16. Great Jones Street by Don DeLillo
17. The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don DeLillo

>186 PaulCranswick: made the grade...:) (I get that joke)
DeLillo has had some spectacular successes, and I have also read some that have been more clunky. But I can't get over how much I love White Noise at present...at 4 short chapters in, he really seems to have seen into the future with regard to the ironic way he writes that book!

>187 lit_chick: me, an inspiration?! He he, that is funny. I wish you could see my more chaotic moments, then you would be *quietly backing away*

>188 roundballnz: I haven't heard of that one! And from Lt, it looks pretty new. Clearly I need to investigate....

Hi!

>190 LovingLit: Have not seen it in many bookshops but take a gander here http://bwb.co.nz/books-bwb-texts (I take no responsibility for any $$ spent) they are putting out some good stuff

>191 Berly: did you come to chastise me for already starting White Noise?
I'm sorry! I couldn't help it ;)

>192 roundballnz: I have The Inequality Debate by Max Rashbrooke, the are a great little series of books! I want more :)

Reminds me that I have some Jules Verne books still unread. "20.000 Leagues under the Sea" was too long and too detailed for me - but what an imagination :). I loved "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" - a 5/5 read for me.

Remember liking White Noise but not enough to tempt me to going back to read more of him.

>193 LovingLit: No chastisement from me certainly but I haven't started it yet either!

>193 LovingLit: as do I ... this is why i posted a disclaimer with the link - next payday methinks

>194 ctpress: hi Carsten!
I might read Journey to the Centre of the Earth too and also, Around the World in Eighty Days. I have gotten a feel for how they might pan out now that I have read one!

>195 PaulCranswick: glad I'm not in trouble for jumping the gun ;)

>196 roundballnz: I bought my first one at a readers and writers fest event. Now I see them about and love that handy $15 (ish) pricetag.

Today?
Pumpkin soup slowly cooking, bacon and onion fried and cooling for insertion into bready pockets to be baked and thus called bacon rolls. My dad is coming for tea and it's always nice to make his favourite.
Have visited the library and picked up Not my Father's Son as have heard so much good stuff about it here! First two pages = a great start.

Funny, a friend of mine just recommended Great Jones Street. I had not heard of that one. It's Dylanesque, right?

I would also like to try his short fiction.

>198 msf59: I hadn't heard of Great Jones Street before seeing it yesterday. But as it was cheap, and I love DeLillo, I couldn't not buy it! (obviously!)
Meanwhile I am knee deep in Not my Father's Son by Alan Cumming (who I had never heard of before Lt trumpeted about this memoir). It is very good.

Oooh, and an update on the dinner with dad. He brought a massive crayfish tail...which we duly coated in butter and garlic and baked. And seeing. M lovely other isn't a fan of seafood, all the more for me!
*mwa ha ha*
It was delicious with a glass of Savignon Blanc. (superb mega amaze-balls delicious). My spicy pumpkin soup and bacon rolls were lovely as a second entree/dinner as well. Yum.

>200 LovingLit: That sounds wonderful. What a great guest!

200: Hmmm, I'm curious, how does one develop a dislike for seafood whilst living on an island?

>201 charl08: He also bought with him a bottle of wine and two kinds of fancy cheese (or as Lenny calls them, 'stinky' cheese). Which reminds me, I must go home and eat some of that delicious cheese asap!

>202 Ape: well now, that is a good question. I think the answer is more to do with living in a city than living on an island. Fish comes from the fish and chip shop only in his world! It makes me want to get some blue cod fillets and egg and breadcrumb them, and make him eat them, just to see how much better it tastes that poxy deep-fried week-old rig. /rant
;)

Essay handed in! Woohoo! 6,000 words done, dusted, and submitted. Now it is up to the fate of the gods as to my grades, but: don't hold your breath, the presentation that I did 2 weeks ago still hasn't been marked, and I was under the impression that we were to use the feedback from that to guide our essay writing.
*doh*

Dinner #2-in-a-row with dad prepared and eaten (and delicious....vegetarian Thai green curry). Also took Wilbur to league training and made the kids a delicious vege fried rice meal as well. And tomorrow I have only a hair cut booked. The rest of the day (by day, I mean 9:00 - 2:30) i will be doing house stuff and reading! Mmmmm, reading.

One can hardly beat house stuff and reading, IMO. Enjoy!

Congrats on the essay submission, Megan, and enjoy the house stuff and reading!

>204 LovingLit: WahHOO for a finished essay!! And your tomorrow sounds lovely. Hoping it is full of fabulous!

>205 karenmarie: I can report that so far it is going well, although not much is happening on the "house stuff" front.

>206 jnwelch: thanks Joe. I feel awfully free now! I got out some preparatory reading from the uni library to see me through this break ;)

>207 Crazymamie: fabulous, but lazy!!! I must get off my chuff now and put out the washing/ think about dinner/ tidy up a little. Humph. I'd rather be reading ;)

Finished Not my Father's Son! A quick and unchallenging read. I say inchallenging as it wasnt written with too many big words or concepts, and although the trauma he experienced as a child was challenging, I knew it was going to torn out ok by virtue of him having written the book (you can just call me detective from now on).
I gave it 4-stars!

YAY, MEGAN!!!!! You and Stasia are our shining academic stars - both of you with full-time work beyond the university obligations and both of you doing outstanding work! You make us very proud to know you!!!
I can assure you that the house stuff will still be there when you've let yourself read a bit - a huge bit. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

>210 LizzieD: the house stuff will always be there, you are right ;) It certainly was today after I finished reading! I had great fun though. And- picked up yet another book from the library. Just to add to the pile to 'things to do'.
*looking forward to it*

Hi, Megan! Just checking in with my pal. Sounds like you are enjoying a nice visit with your Dad. Always a precious thing.

203: Ha! Yeah, see, now, I can use that as an excuse. I live approximately 500+ miles (800+ km) from the nearest ocean. I'd like to try more seafood, but most of it around here is...dubious, to say the least. That, or it's just obscenely expensive, as a result of shipping it here so fast.

Just a quick drive-by and 'hi!'. I did one semester of History and Philosophy of Science and then changed to something else. You, clever girl, seem to be taking it all in your stride and even jumping fences!

I am sure that the essay will be a hit, Megan.

I may have missed it but what position is Wilbur, the fierce tackling Wilbur, playing?

If you have another dinner over the weekend with your old man, give him my best wishes and please tell him that his wonderful book still occupies pride of place at the centre of our living room coffee table.

Have a great weekend.

>212 msf59: yup, all good. And he was in a book funk too, so I got to send him off with a couple of must-reads. I picked for him Hhhh and Townie. At least one oft she's I ow you thoroughly endorse!

>213 Ape: it's funny though isn't it, as if you live on the coast the seafood is expensive on account of it being seafood, and if you live inland, prices are hiked because it's miles from the ocean!

>214 PrueGallagher: I don't know about all in my stride, I do get a bit hung up on the details of it all. I like to think of that as fastidiousness rather than finickityness ;) I'm hanging out for my presentation results still...I don't hold out much hope for getting the essay results any time in the next month! (I only handed that I last week)

>215 PaulCranswick: they don't really have positions this young in aware, Paul. Wilbur earned $6 today for doing 6 awesome tackles. Yay! Last week he earned $0 as did no tackles....I think the difference then was that they had missed a game and a practice the week before due to bad weaather, so the momentum was lost. He was pleased to fill his wallet again :)

>216 LovingLit: Wow - getting paid for tackles. No need to explain further why the All Blacks have no equal in rugby!

>217 PaulCranswick: haha, it's pretty extreme isn't it?! His team is a new team, with only 2 kids who have played before. So no one was tackling, they were just running beside them as the opposition scored. One parent said 'I bet if there was $5 a tackle to be won, they'd learn', so we decided to scale that down and bit and try it for 4 games....just to get things started. And it seems to have worked. He can't believe his luck as has never had that much money before.

I assume they still play in bare feet at that age ??? or has that changed .... quite funny watching them get to grips with the game at that age.

Bare feel? No way. You can actually get $120 kids footy boots....we get ours $3 from the dump shop. What we we Can give back in tackle money! Win/win.

I agree with Peggy: "You and Stasia are our shining academic stars..."

And I'm glad you enjoyed Not My Father's Son. It was one of the most memorable audiobooks I've listened to (narrated by the charming Alan Cumming himself).

Have a great Sunday, Megan!!

>221 EBT1002: I whipped through Not my Father's Son very quickly. And now I am sneaking in The Watch Tower as well, while waiting for the other White Noise readers from the Bowie GR to get their copies.

Hi Megan, hope you had a lovely weekend my dear.

Happy new week! I hope Terry is still doing well! Glad you caught that on time.

Hi! Good luck with the grades :). Hope your weekend was nice. We followed the sun to Napier and it was lovely. Now back to regular life, which is mostly hockey. And hockey. *grin*

>220 LovingLit: kids are soft these days ......

Lots of kids play bare foot in the rippa rugby games at my kids school. Maybe not tackle. :)

>223 johnsimpson: the less said about Sunday the better...it rained and my two got on each others nerves, and consequently on mine. But, I did get in three walks for exercise, so that was fantastic :)

>224 The_Hibernator: terry is well, thanks for asking! He had half his stitches out last week, and the last section needed a little longer so will have stitches out this week. He is cuddly still, so that is nice.

>225 nittnut: no news on grades yet, but am getting my course set up for next semester. It's exciting and a little foreboding as well.

>226 roundballnz: >227 nittnut: they reckon (by they, I mean my lovely other) that no shoes for rippa rugby is so the kids can't step on each other with sprigs, and so they can't run as fast..ie. it evens out the kids speeds so that not so many runaway tries can be scored. So in that sense, shoes makes them a tad more hardcore ;)
My immediate thoughts as to a lack of shoes was that they were too expensive for families.

Tonight I read for an hour in a hot bath. My favourite pastime. I nearly dropped the book though in a borderline-asleep patch! Oops. Wilbur has seen me reading in the bath before (being a night-owl) and rightly tut tutted me, stating "I hope that's not a library book, mum!".

>228 LovingLit: Oh, Wilbur! I love it!

Happy new week, Megan!

I have White Noise on the TBR shelves...... hmmm..... I'm not a Bowie GR member but I suppose I could crash the party for this one.....

>228 LovingLit: Love Wilbur.

>228 LovingLit: That's why there are multiple copies of some books on my shelves. Ones to keep and read, ones to loan, and ones to read in the bath. Lol

Are you quite frozen? It's chilly at yours today. We are having a brief respite from frosted window panes, and there's just enough wind this morning to maybe get my washing dry. :)

>229 scaifea: that all started when I read my uni text book in the library, smaller than a paperback novel, but $150 (nearly US$100) worth! I was saying to him how careful I was going to have to be with it, as I didn't want to low the book, and still have to pay for it as well! He remembers.

>230 EBT1002: please do crash the party, although you won't have to crash as its an open door policy. Even more than that, you are actually invited to join :)
(would begging be going too far? Maybe....well, stick to an invitation for now)

>231 nittnut: I've only ever dunked one corner of a book in the bath, that was lesson enough to take a lot of care reading in the bath.
Cold yes. Yesterday 0 degC, and this morning the same. But lovely and sunny now. In fact, I just washed the windows! I haven't done that in a v long time. Although.....I only washed 8 panes. And some of those not even both sides....which out of 38 eta: 46 panes in the house in total isn't that significant. But- its better than none right!?

How cute that he remembers about the book loan comment. Your two came to mind when reading LaRose - there is a small boy in the story who comes out with similar gems.

Reading in the bath! I shudder a little just thinking about it. Not just because of the potential for a submerged book, but that amount of moisture could lead to mold/mildew in your bookshelves. *Shudders* I'm not joking when I say I've had nightmares of my book collection being ruined by unrealistically aggressive mold. It might rank up there as one of my biggest fears, haha. :P

>233 charl08: he is a serious chap, be lecturing him on the cost of my text books has probably had more of an impact than I thought it would! All I wanted was for them not to get wrecked....a fair intention I think.
;)
Kids are hilarious, and they dont even know it. That is why I think it important not to laugh at the funny things they say. They are so innocent.

>234 Ape: Its good to have irrational fears! or, rational in your case, like, say if your bath was next to your bookshelf. Is it? So, is your bath in your living room, or are your books in your bathroom? ;)

Technically my bathroom and bookshelves are 1 room away. *shudders*

I became paranoid about moisture when I left a wet rag on a shelf above a pile of books, and the next day found mildew spotting on the page edges. It was basically just water stains, but I have that stack of books isolated from the rest of my shelves now. I call them "quarantined." :P

>236 Ape: fair enough. I guess our fire dries out the air from the bathroom, so they cancel each other out.
We had some silverfish a while ago on the bookshelves and I must have got riled up about it as months after (after I had got them all), W found a tiny one and came running to me yelling "mum- there's one of those bugs that eats your books!!!"
That one is now gone to and I have resumed vigilance.

Did I mention I got the supervisor that was my number one choice?!?
*so happy*
And I didn't even have to pluck up the courage to ask him, it was set up behind the scenes with the dept head who is co-supervisor.
Hooray!
If this semesters independent study goes well, the talk is that they will carry the supervisory roles forward to next years Masters (if I get the scholarship). Could this actually all be coming together! I'll cross my fingers and carry on :)

Ooh sounds like things are definitely coming together. Good stuff!

>239 charl08: of course, I still have that little thing to do, called ALL THE WORK!
*tries not to think about it*
;)

Looks like all the planets are aligning .... good for you

Just dropping this here...

I am clearing out some books. Do any of these interest you? Open to NZ friends. :) Sorry everyone else, but the shipping you know.

A History of Their Own: Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dover thrift edition - my son's school reject)
Blossoms and Shadows

off my shelves:
The Kingdom of This World
Close Range
Justinian's Flea (Penguin edition)
Frenchman's Creek

How is White Noise coming along?

Hi Megan - just popping in at last to read all your news. Sounds like uni is going fantastically! Is next semester a research project for honours?

I am not going to post a rant about people who had children who slept. T was particularly unsleepy. And there was this time when Fletcher fell asleep in the car, and I parked the car just outside some random house in Karori, and fell asleep too, and someone I half-knew came along and woke me up to see if I was all right and asked me 20 questions about whether I was really all right. Uh, yes, just tired and having a sleep...

Then there was the time when friends with a *good sleeping baby* said "Oh but we really WORKED at getting xxx to sleep well". Like we didn't try... T is still an awake kid.

Oh look, I just did post a rant!!! How about that.

The crayfish tail sounds delicious. Yum.

Right I am going to do some marking but I will be back before it is September... have a lovely weekend.

Hi Megan - we don't have rugby here in my little corner of North Carolina USA, but daughter played rec soccer (football to the rest of the world) for about 3 years. I never used money as an incentive for sports or books, but I have been known to offer $1 for her to try a new food. In fact, I think I owe her $3, and I still do it even though she's 22. Sometimes the looks she gets on her face are worth way more than $1, but I've never upped the ante.

Well done to the All Blacks but the Wales team has given a jolly good account of itself in both games.

Have a great Sunday (what is left of it anyway), Megan. xx

>241 roundballnz: yes, planets aligning. Had the first meeting today with supervisors, looks like I have some topic defining to do.

>242 nittnut: Oooh, I am late to my own party! Justinians Flea looks appealing, is it still available?

>243 EBT1002: I have stalled on White Noise to allow time for the others to get their copies. In the meantime I have read Alan Cummings memoir, and The Watch Tower, which I finished last night.

>244 cushlareads: this semester I am doing an independent study course as a lead in to Masters next year (scholarship dependent). I'll be doing a literature review on or about the topic of structured vs unstructured play for children.

>245 karenmarie: I don't mind a few dollar incentives here and there, so long as any actions don't then depend on the income!!

>246 PaulCranswick: I watched the latest game at my sisters place with the kids. My brother in law wasnt that impressed with the impromptu king fu kick practice session that took place part way through, he apparently wanted to watch the game :)

>238 LovingLit: Yay for getting the supervisor you wanted. It makes a huge, huge, huge difference.

Sorry - Kerry got it first. Have you read The Kingdom of This World? I was thinking you might like that one.

>248 The_Hibernator: I know! I was really pleased to bag the couple who are referred to as the dream team for supvisors :) It will make all the difference for my experience I'd say.

>249 nittnut: is that link correct? Magical realism isn't so much my thing....but if it is the correct link and you think I should read it, then who am I to disagree!? ;)

>250 LovingLit: It is magical realism, but it's not like Sarah Addison Allen. It's more along the lines of 100 Years of Solitude without being 100 years, if you know what I mean. An interesting way of writing about a real historical event. PM me your address, and I will send it. If you don't like it, I am sure you will find someone to pass it on to.

I have my copy of White Noise!! I will also say that it was very nice of you to stall on your read of it. ; )

And congrats on finishing the paper and landing the dream team for supervisors. Whoo Hoo!!

>251 nittnut: aaaaah, intriguing. In that case, how can I resist? I have always wanted to read One Hundred Years of Solitude as well. *must get on to that*

>252 Berly: she's back! Glad you got your copy as I could resist no longe and resumed reding of it last night. It's good to get back in, and as with a lot of the books I like, this one is about the journey rather than the destination.
I had my first meeting with the dream team of survivors yesterday. So far so good- except that my topic hasn't been handed to me on a plate like I prefer ;) They are giving me free reign to design my project within the general topic of structured (which I will call sport) vs unstructured play. Yikes! You mean I have to come up with it myself? (I'm such a better follower than a leader)

No silver plate for the topic, huh? You are going to have to work on narrowing down the topic yourself? Well, I believe in you. Nobody gets the grades you do by being a total follower. ; ) You can do it!!

Off to start my DeLillo journey...

>253 LovingLit: Yes you need to come up with it yourself :D .... am betting you know what you want to do - perhaps overthinking is going on - you got this

>254 Berly: ;)
Yes, my silver platter expectations were overplayed! LOL

>255 roundballnz: Overthinking, moi!!?? (translates to "yes, exactly- you know me so well")

I better get back to overthinking my topic now....actually, first- coffee!

Funny story.

Have strained my neck muscles from doing too many funny face expressions last night for Wilbur.

How cool is that!? Lol

>257 LovingLit: I would smile as hard as I could but I am scared that a muscle spasm may leave me with a permanent grin! xx

>257 LovingLit: How do you even work out for that? Tell him he owes you a face massage. Bahahaha!

>258 PaulCranswick: watch out doing funny faces, I was always told that if the wind changed your face would stay like that. I never believed it though...much ;)

>259 nittnut: I don't think you can work out for that. You know those stringy lines from your chin to your collar bones....hold your bottom jaw in a certain way and they are very prominent...it was the muscles that you activate to get that happening. They are coming right now, but I loved it when I figured out why they were sore. Fancy that :)