Visual Journal Pages II

What fun to play with color!

Visual Journal Pages I

My visual journals allow to me to play and create anything I want. Whatever captures my interest. Where ever the creative juices take me.
A quote I take to heart - "Allow yourself to make bad art".

Rafiki

Always dressed impeccably for whatever life throws this way.

Menopause

- The Musical











Saw this show last night. Absolutely delightful. Been ages since I've laughed so hard for so long. If you have not seen it, and it comes to your town, run out and get tickets.

Beautiful Photo Book

I would highly recommend "Work: The World in Photographs" by Ferdinand Protzman.

"Work is a subject that is both worldwide and personal. It is a shared endeavor at the very core of our identity. From the glamour of a Parisian fashion show to the grit of an African diamond mine, there are countless ways to make a living. The book illuminates scores of them—many in never-before-published photographs—offering revealing glimpses into various eras and cultures and engaging the reader with entertaining text and informative captions."

Patriots Debacle

Those of you who read an earlier post, know how disappointed I was with Michael Vick. Well, that is nothing compared to the news about the Pats cheating. Even now, I sit here shaking my head as I type this.

The victory last night was a resounding thrashing of the Chargers, but, I gotta say that their successes are now tainted. Did they win because they were cheating all along? It really is too bad. Once you realize that someone is not trustworthy in one area, then everything they do is up for grabs. How can you trust anything you hear? And if in fact there is enough evidence to justify the current penalties, why is BB not suspended? Lots of questions and no satisfying answers.

Though it is sweet to watch Randy Moss. He makes very difficult things look easy.

Quote of the Day

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
- from a very accomplished gymnast who is the daughter of a co-worker.

Podcasts

I have an iPod mini, and have had it for about a year now. The strange thing is that I've only ever used it for music. So for every audio book I've listened to, I've had to schlep around a box of CDs in the passenger seat, and swap out CDs as I finish them.

Now, I know this is not rocket science, but it honestly never occurred to me to use my iPod to listen to books and podcasts. Well, got that resolved this past weekend, and have been having a ball. I'm always on the search for good podcasts, so let me know if you have one you'd recommend.

Oh, and I was in the Apple store the other day and really love the newer ones. Might have to upgrade soon! :-)

Recent Reads

Vacations give me a chance to wallow in my reading, and a couple of books I've ingested lately are:

1. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
My book club book for August. I absolutely loved this book. Desai's writing is lyrical and non-linear. Her story of the various losses that impact her characters is told with gentle empathy. The loss of love, family, culture, faith, roots, etc. Simply brilliantly done.
This is not an easy book to read. I was not able to simply blow through it. I found that I had to take pauses every several chapters to let it all sink in.

2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Another book I loved. Have you ever read a book sparingly, and slowly, so as not to finish it too fast? This was one of those books for me. I was grabbed by the first line. And oh what beautiful language. I loved the characters and was not prepared for the ending. Simply delightful.

Isn't life grand when you are surrounded by wonderful reads? I so agree with the quote " a reader never goes to bed alone."

Recent Audio Books

Listened to 2 audio books last month - both very different in style.

1. Life's a Beach by Claire Cook
Classic chick-lit. Light and fluffy. I think Amazon's review of 4.5 stars is grossly exaggerated - I would give it 2 stars at most. Could not imagine reading this book, but it was not a bad listen for commuting.

2. 3 Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
Billed as a travel essay - which it really is not. This is a well written memoir that gives us insight into the life of the author. The trip with his brother is the back drop, for the real story - his life, loves and losses. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Summer

12x12 LO of a recent camping trip.








Details of left and right pages:

A Walk in the Woods

Another 12x12 LO









Detail of left and right pages:

Faces of Luke

A new 12x12 LO.
Click on image to enlarge.

Moon Walk

The moon has featured prominently in my life recently.

Yesterday morning, S and I had a breakfast picnic as we watched the lunar eclipse. It started around 4:50am and lasted for almost 2 hours. We drove to the park, but there was a huge cloud bank in the way. Moved over to the golf course and were treated to the most spectacular sight. I drew sketches of what I saw - will post the page later. When the moon dipped behind houses, we moved back to the park to continue watching. It was a beautiful morning. Chill in the air. Huge moon getting eaten. And then sun rose behind us. The eclipsed moon dipped again behind a cloud bank towards the end, so we missed the last bit - but no complaints here. There was only one other family out there watching. Amazing what wondrous things happen while most people are asleep.

The huge moon was distracting again later last night on our way to dinner. I'm amazed that there were not more accidents as motorists got lost in the sight. And then this morning (it's dark again by 5:30!), the moon lit up my walk. It was a one bunny day. To be honest, there might have been more bunnies about, but I was blinded by the lovely lantern in the sky.

Summer Music

The Summer Music Series in Lowell is one of the gems of the town.
It's a perfect way to have a picnic, enjoy lovely summer evenings and listen to awesome music.

We recently checked out 2 concerts:
One of them was my first Indigo Girls concert. The place was packed with people of all ages, and I liked their music - turns out I know some of their songs. Melissa Ferrick opened for them - she was good, but not as great as when she is in her angry/rocking mode. Met up with friends A&M for a fun picnic and a great night under the stars.











I discovered Koko Taylor several years ago - a chance encounter with an NPR show. I love her music. What a voice. Koko's concert left me feeling a little strange. I guess I had no idea that she was 77 and it felt uncomfortable to sit and expect her to entertain us. It's funny how people don't age in your mind when you don't get regular updated. Her band really rocked, though it was strange that her manager gave false information about her. Shemeika Copeland opened - a young woman with an incredible voice that will only get better.

What's up with Vick?

The 4 most recognizable QBs in US football are (in my fave order) Brett Farve, Tom Brady, Michael Vick and Peyton Manning.

Vick is exciting to watch - he makes things happen. When the news broke earlier this year about dog fighting on his land, I bought into his denial - it was not me; i have no idea of what might have happened on far flung corners of my land, etc. Why? Because I did not want it to be true. I could not believe that he would be that stupid. Well, he fessed up this week. What an idiot (for doing it, not for fessing up). There go his endorsements and he's very likely to do jail time. This is not something he's going to be able to shake off. There is sense of disgust directed at him.

How do I feel? To quote Armand in "Birdcage".... betrayed, bewildered......

God-father-less

My god-father passed away recently.

I had always thought that I was his only god-daughter, so was surprised to learn when I visited him in May that he actually has 3. One is my cousin, and one a total stranger - a lovely person I met for the first time. There might be others I have yet to learn about.

Though I thought of my uncle often, I never really gave much thought to having a god-father. I am surprised at how much I miss having one.

Dragon Boats

Am usually not in town for the Lowell dragon boat races. It's not as large as the one in Boston, but still fun. I don't realize how often I am the only person of color around, until I find myself surrounded by them. Delightful.











We took my nephews to their first ever dragon boat race. They kept looking for fighting dragons :-) Luke is quite the photographer - he kept stopping so he could take a photo - too cute.

Recent Reads

Been reading art/creative books lately, seeking inspiration.
I tend read and re-read creative books - and always learn something new. Ideas seems to seep in and pop out in the most amazing ways.

1. The Art of Photographing Children: Techniques for Making Better Color, Black and White, Handcolored, and Digital Pictures by Cheryl Machat Dorskind

2. Artists' journals and sketchbooks : exploring and creating personal pages by Lynne Perrella

3. Charles Evans' watercolours in a weekend by Charles Evans

4. The complete guide to altered imagery : mixed-media techniques for collage, altered books, artists journals, and more by Karen Michel

5. Creating books & boxes : fun and unique approaches to handmade structures by Benjamin D. Rinehart

6. Digital scrapbooking in easy steps by John Slater

7. Keys to drawing with imagination : strategies and exercises for gaining confidence and enhancing your creativity by Bert Dodson

8. New directions in altered books by Gabe Cyr

9. Sketch & color by Paul Taggart

Quote of the Day

“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” -Anna Quindlen

Recent Reads

1. The Innocent Man by John Grisham
My book club book for July. I am a Grisham fan, so was looking forward to reading his first attempt at non-fiction. Most of the women in the book club had not read Grisham before and really liked the book. Unfortunately, I did not like it at all. I found the writing clunky and awkward. Where was that great story-telling style of his? On the positive side, the story is an interesting one, and gave us lots to talk about. I applaud him for trying a new genre - but must say that he is much better at fiction.

2. Helen of Troy by Margaret George
I absolutely loved this book. I was a little worried in the beginning - her father was Zeus in the form of a swan?!! - but was hooked almost immediately. It is great fun to read this story from Helen's point of view - we always hear so much about how the guys experienced it, with Helen as the footnote - "the most beautiful woman in the world". I finished the book a couple of night ago, and savored every page. After my sojourn in the land of Helen, Hector, Paris, Achilles, gods, goddesses and heroes I must admit that it has been a tough transition back to reality.

3 Bunny Day

There is something magical about early morning walks. Everything is still fresh and new and filled with possibilities.

The other amazing thing is all the wildlife out and about. Always lots of birds. Some days I see deer. Other days bunnies. Last week I stumbled upon a family of turkeys - mama and 6 babies. Not sure who was more startled initially, but as they got used to me, they allowed me to get rather close. I've stopped to move turtles and frogs off the streets, and consider myself incredibly lucky to see wildlife so regularly.

As to the title of this post? My days are named after the animals who grace me with their presence.

Latest Audio Book

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts

This audio book is a cross between a mystery and chick lit, and was interesting enough to hold my attention for the complete 10 CDs. I liked the readers voice, so that worked for me too. An interesting story that had me guessing until the end as to whodunnit.


From Publishers Weekly
Roberts's latest novel of romantic suspense is a cunningly calibrated portrait of a young chef's recovery from violent trauma. While driving in the Grand Tetons, displaced Bostonian Reece Gilmore stops in the small town of Angel's Fist, near Jackson Hole, Wyo., and considers the "Cook Wanted" sign in Joanie's, a local diner. Still rattled by a shooting spree at her Boston restaurant that left her wounded and the only survivor among 12 co-workers, Reece is easily spooked, as noted by her plainspoken new boss, Joanie, and the locals who frequent the restaurant. Among them is a wary, unattached mystery novelist, Brody. Indeed, when Reece claims to have witnessed a murder while hiking along Snake River, few except Brody are inclined to believe the skittish new resident: Sheriff Rick Mardson hasn't found any clear evidence of a woman struck down near the river; Doc Wallace is suspicious of Reece's fragile mental state; and Joanie isn't about to cut Reece any slack while running a busy kitchen. Roberts cleverly casts suspicions on the locals while developing the romance between the two feisty protagonists. A slow-burn start combusts in a satisfying denouement; Roberts's legions of fans will be enthralled.

Obesity Can Be Contagious

I heard this on the news earlier this week and fluffed it off- I mean come on!

It did however peak my interest. Here is an article from the NY times. Research shows that your friends can make you obese. Interestingly neighbors and family members do not have a similar effect.

Visual Journal Pages II

Home with the sniffles today. Here are some recently created pages.

Visual Journal Pages I

Here is a sample of pages created this summer. It is an interesting exercise for me to use images and not just words.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I've been on the library waiting list for ages for this new book by Khaled Hosseini, and finally got my hands on it this weekend. I read the book in almost one sitting, and in certainly less than 24 hours. It's the story of 2 women in Afghanistan. We meet each woman as a child and follow their individual stories until their paths intersect. Written in a deceptively simple style, this story traces the lives of these women, their hopes and dreams, their heartaches, their loves and losses.

I don't think it was amazing as "The Kite Runner", but would recommend it.

Recent Reads

One of the great joys of a vacation for me is the oodles of reading time available. I love curling up with a good book, and the sheer joy of being able to simply loose myself for hours in a good read is delightful.

1. Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham
My book club book for June. I love other works by the author, so was really looking forward to a great read. Was very disappointed. The idea of a story in 3 parts with the same characters is fun, but I simply could not get into this book - and when one of the characters turns up as a giant lizard from another planet in the 3rd story - he totally lost me.

2. Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Took me a little time to get into this book - it needs a good solid couple of hours for the story to really start to gel, but once I was in, I was hooked. A fun read about the mishaps of adventure travel, with a dash of problems in Burma. Told in quintessential Amy Tan style.

3. Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy
A quick read about characters in a little town in Ireland. Not as interesting as some of her other books, so would not recommend it, but is probably an good beach read - nothing too dark or complex.

4. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
There is so much hype about this book I thought I'd give it a read. It's a New Age self-help book centered about the "Law of Attraction" - in a nutshell, you attract to you what you think about or focus on. Some interesting quotes, but the writing is atrocious - what is with all those exclamation marks?

5. A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
A reunion story - best friends from high school gather 27 years later for a wedding in the Berkshires. Story of regrets, missed opportunities, lives contiued without each other. An interesting read, if only to imagine what it would be like to meet up with my high school buddies again.

Latest Audio Book

2nd Chance by James Patterson

The second in the series of 5 of the Women's Murder Club. Not great literature by any means, but not bad for listening to on the commute. It's funny how much I've gotten used to listening to an audio book while I drive. I've taken a break this week to listen to music for a change. Feels very different.

From Amazon.com:
2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.

Hate No More

Did you know that there is a hate crime committed every hour in this country?

It would mean a lot to me if you would take a look at this brief video and write your sentors. Just click here to send your message to congress.

Thank you.

Happy Summer Solstice

We are also celebrating an anniversary. One of the cool things about our relationship is that we do not have set dates for our celebrations. The dates vary depending on when the events fall in any given year.

Happy Anniversary babes.

Bygone Days of Travel

While at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park, came across this exhibit of Air Hostess uniforms over the years. Times certainly have changed.
(Click on pics to enlarge)

Latest Audio Book

1st to Die by James Patterson

Not sure that I have read James Patterson before, though I know that he is a very popular mystery writer. This is the first in a series of books involving the Women's Murder Club. A little too cutesy in some respects - reads like mystery chick lit - but interesting enough for a commute. I did figure out who dunn it - so was not really a surprise.

The most annoying thing about the book is the reader - they really can make or break an audio book. Completed the book yesterday, and started on the second in the series this morning.


From Amazon.com:
The Women's Murder Club pits four San Francisco women professionals against a serial killer who's stalking and murdering newlyweds in bestselling author James Patterson's newest thriller. Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector who's just gotten some very bad news. She deals with it by immersing herself in her newest case and soliciting the personal as well as professional support of her closest friend, who happens to be the city's medical examiner. The two women, along with an ambitious and sympathetic reporter and an assistant DA, form an unlikely alliance, pooling their information and bypassing the chain of command in an engaging, suspenseful story whose gruesome setup is vintage Patterson. "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?" the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. "Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?" Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they've got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won't see coming. Patterson, author of the popular Alex Cross mysteries, promises future adventures for the Women's Murder Club, which may give him an opportunity to develop his heroines' characters more completely and win new fans among those who prefer their detectives in high heels and lipstick.

San Diego Sojourn

The annual DAC (Design Automation Conf) was in San Diego this year, and I was out there for the week. As trade shows go, it was okay. Location was fantastic. The guide books list San Diego weather in May/June as gloomy days - but we had lovely weather the entire week. If this is what gloomy looks like, I'm going to have to go back for sunny days! Why is it that I do not live there again?

We spent the first half of the week at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. My room had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I'm not kidding. I'm going to have to call them and ask them who makes it. The room on the 14th floor of the Harbor Tower looked out over the marina and the bridge to Coronado. The hotel is right next to Seaport Village and a couple of blocks from the convention center and good restaurants.

We moved to the Balboa Park Inn for the second phase of the trip, and stayed at the Orient Express Room - red walls, a Chinese marriage bed, strange decorations, very loud location and a weird "dead body" smell. Great location though - right next to Balboa Park - which we spent a couple of days exploring. I think we got used to the strangeness of the room - it got quieter on Friday and Saturday nights, and the smell faded after we aired out the room overnight. If you ever stay there - skip the breakfast and find yourself something good to eat.

This was our first time exploring Balboa Park. I had visited the Zoo on an earlier trip, so this time explored the museums and grounds. Quite delightful. I was in awe of all the really cool flora in the park - never seen most of it before. Loved the park. Especially great for picnics and hanging out. The Jacaranda trees have purple flowers out there. Fig trees grow to immense sizes. The carousel has an actual brass ring.

My pal Jos came down from LA for a quick visit, and we got a chance to catch up. Saw the Padres beat the Dodger at Petco Park. Had excellent fish tacos at Tin Fish. Did a lot of walking, and no reading. All in all a fun trip. Came home to find the cat well, if a little leaner. Feels like I was gone for a long time. Glad to be home.

Recent Reads

Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson

Quick, delightful read. The story of a blossoming friendship between 2 women generations apart in age. A wonderful recounting of the path to intimacy.

From Publishers Weekly
In Swedish novelist Olsson's somber debut, Veronika Bergman returns to Sweden after a childhood following her diplomat father around the world (her mother abandoned the family), and after publishing her first novel titled Single, One Way, No Luggage. She rents a small house in a rural town to work on her second, but in solitude finds herself seized by feverish dreams and paralyzed by the "stillness" of the landscape and the memories of her recently dead fiancé. Reclusive septuagenarian Astrid Mattson, thought by the village to be a witch, takes an interest in Veronika, and the two strike up a friendship based on loss. Against the backdrop of the changing seasons and their small, plangent houses, the two women slowly tell each other their most closely guarded secrets (which concern their mothers and lovers), and venture, tentatively, out of the safety of their routines. Olsson has a clear feel for the emotional wellsprings of both characters, but can't convert her terse lyricism into a fully realized story.

Home Again

I spent the past several days in Croydon, UK. My cousin Reena (the youngest on my father's side) got married on Saturday, and it was lovely to catch up with relatives that I have not seen in ages. Her father (my godfather) was diagnosed with cancer late last year, so the entire weekend was rather bittersweet.

I stayed at the Travelodge - great prices with very basic services. There were no phones in the room, or anywhere in the hotel - other than the one the front desk used! It certainly made it interesting trying to sync up with others staying at the hotel - you could not just call them, you had to physically go to their rooms. Needless to say, a few wrong doors were knocked upon :-) When I asked the front desk for an iron, I had to leave a deposit - like I was going to steal the iron, and bring it back across the pond with me. It turns out however, that the 30 irons they started out with have dwindled down to about 10 - who would bother to steal them? Someone clearly.

Latest Audio Book

"PS I Love You" by Cecelia Ahern

Classic "chick lit". A cute story, though I was annoyed by all the "giggling, crying, etc". Stuck it out though - a very different fare than what I usually listen to. Completed it this morning, and am glad that I did - though cannot say that I recommend it. Though if you are in the mood for a sappy story, this might be right up your alley.

From Publishers Weekly
Ahern, the mediagenic 22-year-old daughter of Ireland's prime minister, debuts with a sweet, sentimental tale of a young widow's trials and triumphs in the year after her husband's death. Soul mates Holly and Gerry married in their early 20s; when Gerry dies of brain cancer at 30, Holly is utterly bereft. But Gerry has a final gift: a series of letters, which Holly is to open on the first of each month from March to New Year's, and which will guide her on her journey from grief. Gerry correctly predicts that Holly will not have gone through his belongings by June, found a new job by September or considered falling in love again by December, but with his posthumous epistolary encouragement she does all those things. She also enters a karaoke contest, takes a beach vacation and dances at a holiday ball she'd always attended with Gerry. The months pass as close friends help prop Holly up; around her, a marriage falls apart, a couple gets engaged and a friend announces her pregnancy. Within her tight-knit family, Holly's youngest brother makes a revealing film of her birthday party, her elder brothers change places in her allegiance and her parents take in one stray grown child after another for stays short and long. Ahern's speed (she wrote the book in three months) and her youth do show-the wisdom in evidence owes much to Nicholas Sparks and Sophie Kinsella-and her prose is pedestrian. She boasts a natural storytelling talent, however, resulting in a compelling tale sparked by an unusual premise.

Quotes of the day

"No matter what's ahead - no matter what I do or don't do, no matter what comes to me or what's taken away - I'm going to die anyway. So what is there to be afraid of? Why all this terror and clenching? Like the trees before the bulldozer, I'm going down. I might as well yield."
- from "LEAP!" by Sara Davidson

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor."
- Mark Twain

Rainy Days

We are currently in a rainy pattern, and I am delighted.
This has been a tough allergy season, and I am hoping that all the pollen gets washed away. Would be lovely to be able to take a deep breath outdoors again.

Ten wonderful things about rainy days:
1. Don't need to hunt for those sun-glasses
2. It's fun to play with umbrellas
3. The world looks so shiny and clean, and smells great too
4. Perfect excuse to make a fire and curl up with a great book
5. Also a perfect reason to stay in bed and read all day
6. Ideal day to explore museums, bookstores, libraries
7. Excellent for an indoor arts and crafts activities
8. Fun to splash in puddles
9. Instant car wash - and mine really needs it
10. Instant access to new, fleeting reflections.

Latest Audio Book

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid

Listened to this book on CD on my daily commute, and really enjoyed it. It's a good story and the narrator has a great reading voice - which can make or break an audio book in my opinion.

From Publishers Weekly:
Hamid's second book (after Moth Smoke) is an intelligent and absorbing 9/11 novel, written from the perspective of Changez, a young Pakistani whose sympathies, despite his fervid immigrant embrace of America, lie with the attackers. The book unfolds as a monologue that Changez delivers to a mysterious American operative over dinner at a Lahore, Pakistan, cafe. Pre-9/11, Princeton graduate Changez is on top of the world: recruited by an elite New York financial company, the 22-year-old quickly earns accolades from his hard-charging supervisor, plunges into Manhattan's hip social whirl and becomes infatuated with Erica, a fellow Princeton graduate pining for her dead boyfriend. But after the towers fall, Changez is subject to intensified scrutiny and physical threats, and his co-workers become markedly less affable as his beard grows in ("a form of protest," he says). Erica is committed to a mental institution, and Changez, upset by his adopted country's "growing and self-righteous rage," slacks off at work and is fired. Despite his off-putting commentary, the damaged Changez comes off as honest and thoughtful, and his creator handles him with a sympathetic grace.

Happy Mother's Day

I've had this photo of my Mom on my mind the past several days. Due to my amazing :-) organizational skills, I was able to quickly find it - no small feat, since this was back in the day I still used film.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms.

Soccer Girls

Photos from my last trip to Vegas. It's amazing how creative I can be while waiting. Really love how the colors turned out.
Click on pics to enlarge.

12x24 LO:











Detail of Left and Right pages:

Jonah

Here is a page I created while waiting for the Verizon DSL guy to show up and fix my connection problem. I am lucky to have such great models at my disposal.

National Poetry Month

Did you know that April was National Poetry Month? Read any good poetry?

Now, I'm not really sure why, but I have never been much interested in reading poetry. Was it a bad experience in primary school? Was it a horrible teacher? Was I confused and befuddled? I honestly do not recall. I do know that I read poems when I was young - after all don't nursery rhymes count as poetry?

Either way - onward! I decided that I would read several poetry books during the month as my way to celebrate the event. I checked out several books, and did actually read one. Hey, one is better than none!

Why I Wake Early: New Poems" by Mary Oliver was the book of poems I did read. Not a thick book, but it still took me the entire month to get through. She has some lovely poems in it, and I especially liked her descriptions of what she observes and feels in nature.

I've come to realize that I really like poetry in the form of the spoken word. I've listened to local poets who have made me laugh, cry, and think. The fact that I do not love written poetry bothers me. Not really sure why. Maybe I just need to find the right ones for me.
The search continues.....

Recent Reads

I'm delighted to have gotten some good reading time this past week.

1. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
I listened to the audio book read by the author, and was captivated from the start. I learned much, and it was fascinating to hear how he connects much of my feelings about God to rational thoughts. Feel better armed for future discussions on the topic. There were absolutely times that I felt I would be struck by lightning as I listened to the book, but will certainly revisit the book again to really let it all soak in. There is too much to take in the first time. I would highly recommend this book.

2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
An Oprah book club selection, but that is not why I picked it. I have read rave reviews about this author, and wanted to read his latest work. It's the story of a man and his son in a post-apocalyptic world. I simply could not get into it. He has deceptively simple sentences that convey much, but the story simply did not grab me. What was the point? Not sure, and I was disappointed by the book. Would be interested to talk to anyone who enjoyed the book.

3. Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran
This is my book club read for this month. The story of 3 sisters who flee Iran, and end up in a little village in Ireland. All the recipes and writing about food made me ravenous - I ate constantly during the several hours it took me to read the book. The book has the seeds of a great story - an epic, but it does not deliver. The writing is not very good - in my opinion it is written at a middle school level - and maybe that was the intended audience. The juices of cultural mores, immigration, interracial relationships, etc, were simply not served up in any way that I found satisfying. Too bad really, because I would have loved a good read that gave me insight into this immigrant story.