What I'm Reading Lately

Not much going on at Fluther HQ, so I'll update you on my reading list.  I mostly read non-fiction, so these may not be frothy beach reads but there may be something you'll enjoy:

"The Finger: A Handbook"  by Angus Trimble.  I picked this one up at random at the library, and it turned out to be quite interesting.  It is a history of how fingers have been portrayed and used in art and culture through the ages (and THE finger has meant exactly what it means today for millenia).  Two thumbs up!

"The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag" by Alan Bradley.  This is the second book in a series featuring 10 year old Flavia de Luce as our crime solving heroine.  She lives with her dotty stamp collector father and two annoying older sisters in a small English village in 1950.  A good mystery with an unusual detective!

"Cro-Magnon" by Brian Fagan.  I've read a couple of his books on the Ice Age, and he's a very accessible historian.  This one deals with the coming of modern man to Europe.  What can I say, I love me some Ice Age pre-history.

"At Home: A Short History of Private Life"
by Bill Bryson.  Bill is one of my favorite writers and this is his latest.  He discusses the history of each room in the home, and it's quite fascinating how we came to design and live in the house as we know it.  Plus, he's a hoot.

I spend quite a bit of time in my car driving to and from work, and waiting for the boys at their various activities.  So I try to have a book on CD to listen to, and I'm currently playing "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens.  I like to listen to classic novels, it makes me feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile for my brain while I drive and/or sit, plus I can feel all kinds of superior for having 'read' a classic :-)  That said, Dickens is really quite enjoyable, his stories hold up well, the characters are memorable, and I get to learn a lot of Victorian slang and customs.

So what are you all reading?

Another Opportunity to Cast Your Vote

Pia is entered into a contest to obtain a grant for her classroom here:

Book Trailers Teaching Idea

(type her name--Pia Longinotti--into the search box and her entry will pop up)

Vote for something positive, she promises she won't be doing any attack campaign ads!

Vote Now and Vote Often!

Our boy RJ is a 5th grader now (can you believe it!) and in the strings program at his school. Brings back a lot of memories of Pia and Katie sawing away at the violin.  Cara, I think you tried the trumpet one year?  And Pooh Bear totes got away scot free with no musical talent whatsoever (you are your mother's child.  I played [incredibly pitifully] the flute in 5th grade and I'm pretty sure I was asked to quit by my poor music teacher).

ANYWAYS, the district strings program has entered the "Clorox Grants for School Futures" contest and is asking for our votes!

Go to the Clorox contest site, and click on "Vote Now".  Type in Logan in the search box (this is for the district's entire 5th-6th grade strings program, not just for Logan School's), and select Logan Elementary 5th & 6th grade band/strings program.  Click on VOTE; you'll need to register but you don't have to agree to get their ads etc (but who doesn't LOVE Clorox!?), agree to the terms of use, enter the characters code, then go back to Home to vote.

It's actually a good deed, the strings and band program in District 81 is great, and I'm sure is woefully underfunded.  And it's worth it just for the chance for me to video RJ playing the violin :-)

A Sweet Treat

Pia brought me home a prize from the Freeman Store (yes, there is a little store in the wide place in the road where she teaches):

Three "Blue Chintz" dishes!  Those who have known me long enough (that would be my sisters) will recognize this pattern as my wedding china.  I still love it.  Blue & White 4Ever.  Thanks, P!

A Day Out!

Lorraine and Jon arranged for a 'private showing' of "Winter's Bone" at the Magic Lantern, so Katie, Pia and I joined them and enjoyed a matinee!  It was a lot of fun to have the theater to ourselves (and P & K STILL chose seats right in front of me), and the movie was excellent, recommend it highly.

I did catch a lot of shit for being sure one of the characters was played by Casey Affleck, which everyone immediately shot down.  Oh well, I still think he looked like Casey (albeit a much older more gnarly version).  Also, Jon would have been perfect casting in this movie, which takes place in the Ozarks, provided he was willing to get some prison tats and lose a few teeth.

On our way out, we found the parking meter had been "yarn bombed":

Fun!  Katie & I then went shopping, and I found a cute linen blouse at the Bon Clearance Center for $11.00, so I have one thing for Roatan!

Breakfast of Champions

I may have discussed this topic already...but I am a breakfast bore.  My 'go-to' breakfast for at least the last 20 years is a multi-grain bagel topped with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar cheese and coffee.  It is morning perfection.

Every once in a while, I veer from my morning routine with a bowl of cereal.  I pretty much hate cereal except for two kinds:

Kellogg's Corn Flakes (MUST be Kellogg's, no crappy generic brands allowed).  Yes, they get soggy, but as long as you eat fast you're fine.  I think they are perfect crispy, corny goodness.

Sugar Crisp.  They now go by some sort of politically correct name (Honey Crisp? No Sugar Smacks? Your Child CAN Eat This Cereal Without Bouncing Off the Classroom Walls?)  For some reason, I love this cereal, must be a childhood thing.  So good.

Yay for Fall Sports!

I'm so happy, I get to be a soccer grammy!  Mikey is participating in a soccer program on Saturdays, and having a lot of fun.  He's quite the little soccer bopper, scored 3 goals his first time out.  This week he wasn't on his "A" game, having stayed up late to go to the school carnival (where he used all his tickets for the cake walk until he won a cake.  Doesn't every little kid worship the cake walk?), but it was a good time.  I was pretty low key compared to most of the parents, who were videoing every moment, but got a couple of terrible pix:

 Here's Mikey taking a break between quarters.  His team is the "Blue Tigers".  Go Skyhawks Sports Teams!

Mike immediately 'got' the value of the flop.

Alex and RJ are participating in cross country at their school.  They had their first meet last week and it was madness, I tell you.  Hundreds of little kids...

 We thought Al had come in 2nd place in his age group...but turns out he only ran one lap, not two.  Boo!

Riveria is quite a good little runner.  We are hoping he will qualify for the all city meet!