I'm Cheating On My Books....

So, I'm going to cheat a little on my initial description of this blog and post a review of a movie I recently saw. 

I posted on Facebook that I was going to sit down and watch Midnight In Paris, and I was surprised at the response that I got from both lovers and haters of the movie. It was interesting, because that's kinda how I felt going into watching it. 


Woody Allen and I really don't get along. I had never seen a movie of his that I liked. In highschool, when Leonardo DiCaprio was my hollywood boyfriend, I watched Celebrity because he was in it. Not only was Leo not in it nearly enough, but the movie was pretty stupid. Antz, which I know he didn't write or direct, I still found really pretentious and stupid. Vicky Christina Barcelona... don't get me started. And so on, and so forth....


But when I read the description of Midnight in Paris, I was really excited... until I noticed that it was written and directed by Woody Allen. This made me somewhat trepidatious and ambivalent . But, I thought I would bite the bullet and watch it. 


The things that I LOVED about it were these characters developed from authors, artists, and musicians from the 20s. I loved Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They talked like they write their books in the movie, and I thought that made them fantastic and funny! It seems really cheesy, but I really liked it. Salvador Dali was fantastic, as a surrealist painter, was really strange and things that would make normal people think you are crazy, he finds completely acceptable. LOVE IT! Fabulous!  


The one BIG thing that I hated about this movie (and all of Woody's movies that I've seen), is that he writes himself as the main character, even if he won't be playing the role. Owen Wilson's role, was basically to play Woody Allen, because Woody can't play that young engaged-to-be-married man anymore. He's too old. So he makes an actor play him in the role. It's so FRUSTRATING! I think Owen Wilson could have done a great job if he'd played it his own way, but all I saw was Woody Allen... and I didn't like it.


Another thing I disliked, the movie poster, which I think is beautiful, is somewhat misleading. I thought I would also get to meet Vincent VanGogh in this movie. Does the poster not suggest that? But no... no Vinny. I know, I know. MOST of the time travel takes place in the 20s, and Vinny was long dead by then... but I was hopeful. It's a beautiful movie poster regardless...


So, if you were a lover or a hater of this movie, PLEASE post your thoughts! I would love to read them! :)

Trying Not To Be "That Mom"

I can't remember who told me this. Could have been a former manager at Coles, or maybe Erin, knowing what Rob does, or could have been another dozen people I know who are, or know, EMTs. But someone once told me that it was standard when a mother calls 911 for an ambulence, that when the EMTs arrive, their very first question is "Is this your first child?" because that can help them determine that ACTUAL seriousness of the injury or problem or whatever. And I probably laughed at this statment, and thought "HA! Silly mother's. I'll never be like that!"

I came to a realization... I am like that.

I place several phone calls to my mother, casually asking how she is, but in actuality, I am calling to ask a question about whether the thing my baby is doing is normal, or should I be freaking out and going to the hospital. Before today, it was always me overreacting (internally, never actually freaking out so people could see it).

So, this morning, Rosalie woke up just before 6am. She went to sleep about 11pm, so it was a pretty decent 7 hour sleep (yesssss! *win!*), but when I went in to feed her, she had a bit of burnt orange puke around the collar of her sleeper and on her face. None on the bedsheet, none on the blanket. I feed her only wearing her diaper, but I put a different sleeper on her afterward. Within 15 minutes she was back asleep, which is unusual. Normally she takes about an hour after eating to be completely out again, to the point where I can move her. So I went back to bed, and at about 6:50 I heard her again. But it wasn't crying, it was like coughing. Little coughs, barely audible from our bedroom. I get up to check on her and she is wide awake with this orange coloured vomit covering the front of her sleeper, and bedsheet and blanket got a bunch too.

If it had been the normal, whitish, milky coloured vomit, I wouldn't have thought twice. That's normal. Sometimes when she eats too much some of it comes back up. No biggie. But this? What the hell is it? Where is it coming from if she didn't ingest it?

So I wake up Roland, because at the very least, we're going to need to bath her. While I am waking him up, she is on the verge of falling asleep in my arms. Is this considered lethargy? I mean, she hadn't slept enough overnight. Even with the 7 hours, she's supposed to be getting 8-10 hours overnight (plus the intermittent napping during the day, which should equate to approximately 16 hours), so maybe she should be sleeping. Or is she sick?

So, we pop her in the tub and she's good in there. She generally likes her baths now. And then after the tub she cries a bit, and just sits for a bit in her bouncy chair... this is pretty consistent with how her mornings generally are. So what am I to think?? Maybe she is fine?

So what do I do? I book a doctor's appointment for the earliest time I could get, which is 3pm. If it happens again, I'll go to the mediclinic or if other symptoms start (like a fever kicks up) then I'll go to emergency. I'll be that mom that freaks out over something that could be nothing.

But I now have a theory about the whole "is this your first child?" question. We freak out about these things because we have never dealt with anything like them before. And in some ways, babies function different than we do. For example, I know for a fact that their temperature is more sensitive than an adults because they are so little. Just like a cows temperature is way less sensitive than a grown humans. Cows don't get cold outside in the winter, because they are freakin' huge. So mom's go through this process of finding out what's wrong or how much kids can take by playing everything on the safe side. So with our next baby, if they throw up burnt orange coloured puke, I will already know if it's a problem or not. And I may also find out from the doctor, what I should or shouldn't be concerned about when it comes to puking.

This business of parenting is so much about learning on the go. People will give you little tips about this and that before they happen, but you can't possibly find out everything beforehand. I'm sure when this is all over, and I tell another mom about it, I will here the "When [insert child's name here] was little, [s]he had something similar..." stories...

~*~

Ok... Book review... This one's a new one, because I have read it (relatively) recently. During my pregnancy to be exact.

Creating Your Birth Plan helps expectant mothers make informed decisions about the assistance they'll require for childbirth. Designed to encourage collaboration between pregnant women and their caregivers, it includes information on:

- What to expect when delivering in a hospital, in a birthing center, or at home
- How to select an advocate to ensure expectant mothers' wishes are honored by their caregiver
- The natural stages of labor in a problem-free birth
- Explanations of various medical or surgical interventions, and potential complications and benefits of each
- Natural alternatives to drugs, technology, and surgery

This book was given to me as a recommended read for my prenatal class. I found this book extremely helpful for preparing for my labour when I had no idea what to expect. Every decision you can possibly have is laid out in this book with your options and an explanation of the pros and cons of these options. It's comforting to know it was written by a doctor who's been in labour and delivery for a long time and know's what she's talking about and has seen it all (or so it would seem). It is an American book, and being a Canadian, our health care system is quite a bit different, being that cost is not an issue with most alternative options. 

It's a great book to have with you at the hospital as a reference. It covers and intervetions that may be offered to you during your labour, so you can ask for a couple minutes to think about it and then reference the book; although to be honest, I had other things on my mind at the time, and never did. But if you are a more dedicated control freak than I am, you would more than likely find it extremely helpful.

A recommend for any pregnant woman!

3 weeks! *Hurrah* and a Winner *HURRAH!*

I have been horribly lazy this week, and thus have been absent from the Blogging world for a bit. Well, actually honestly, I've been a bit busy... but either way... I even had to catch up on my blog reading, let alone my blog posting. Sorry. I realize that my readership has dropped because of it :(

Anywhoo! This is an extremely boring post today, only to announce the winner of the giftcard draw!!

And the winner is
....
...
..
.

ERIN!!!


YAY! Congrats. Here are some pictures to prove it's all legit and stuff...

3 entries...

...And a winner!

It really didn't work, my whole plan for this contest. I'd hoped that a lot more people would post and want to be in on the draw, and therefore exposing themselves as readers, but... alas. Maybe I'll try again for my year anniversary post.

~*~

This may be the last previous book review I post. I'm not very enthused with my other ones (although I am tempted to post a couple of book reviews of books I didn't like, just to prove that I do do some of those. But they are VERY short, so... we'll see... if I get desperate.)

Nothing to do with today's post. But enjoy anyway! Ken Robinson is AMAZING, and if you want to see an awesome lecture, watch Do Schools Kill Creativity on YouTube. He is freakin' amazing. I have watched this video every few months since I first saw it in 2007, when we watched it in my first semester in the College of Education. SO FAB! Then I read this book when he came to do a lecture at the U of S in 2009, just after I had graduated.

The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. The Element draws on the stories of a wide range of people, from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons; from Meg Ryan to Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera; and from writer Arianna Huffington to renowned physicist Richard Feynman and others, including business leaders and athletes. It explores the components of this new paradigm: The diversity of intelligence, the power of imagination and creativity, and the importance of commitment to our own capabilities.

With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier, and that once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. The Element shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.

This is an amazing book about doing what you love regardless of what society deems appropriate or worthy. This is a great read for those who are unsure of what they want to do in their life, for teachers who have students who commit themselves to unconventional pastimes, and for anyone who wants to understand themselves better!

Hawaii

Now is the time to talk about the best place on earth...

... Hawaii :) :) :)...More specifically, the island of Kauai.

For anyone that has the financial means, I HIGHLY recommend going. It is a fabulous place that has PERFECT weather (not too hot, a little rain every day, but it's not intrusive like the rain in Saskatchewan, it's a nice misty rain that mostly happens at night). The main reason I think people would choose to go to a place like Mexico or the Dominican Republic over Hawaii is the cost. It is way more expensive to go to Hawaii, and more specifially Kauai because there are not any all inclusive resorts. There's no need. The crime rate is low (seriously, their jail is a joke, driving by you see the inmates playing volleyball on the opposite side of an 8' chain link fence. Talk about low security), the water is delicious (I think I've heard the volcanic rock serves as a natural filtration system), everywhere has public beaches, there are no private ones. So who needs a resort? On Kauai you also NEED to rent a car. There is no public transit, cabs are few and far between, and everything is really far apart. But it is SOOOO worth it!

For those that know me (which may be all of you), you already know I am obsessed with the place. The first time I remember going to Hawaii was in April of 2009, just after I graduated from University. I can't even discribe in words how fabulous that trip was for me. I went with my Dad and my Brother and we had an absolute blast. My brother, being 20 years old at the time, was reminded on our first night there that the drinking age in the States is 21. Not old enough to drink in the United States, we needed to concoct a plan so that he would not be under direct scrutiny. So I took on the noble cause of becoming the "designated distraction" during our evening outings. This consisted of getting rediculously drunk and drawing attention away from the gentleman that isn't old enough to drink. It worked perfectly. My bro was never asked for ID again on the rest of the trip. Who knew that drinking with your brother and dad could be so fun? And yes, drinking was a requirement of this trip, as my dad is quite fond of Mai Tais, and I discovered my weakness for Peach Blossom Mojitos.

I've also been told by my parents several times that I learned to walk in Hawaii. Not on Kauai, mind you, but on Kona (otherwise known as the Big Island). Apparently when I was a year old, I had trained my older sister to do everything for me with just a grunt or a point. But when we went to Hawaii, there was a little boy staying in a condo near ours that was the same age as me, but could walk. My sister found this WAY more entertaining, so she ditched me. I think I learned a hard lesson that day. Anywhoo, I started walking within days, once I realized that she wasn't coming back otherwise. So Hawaii has a special part of my heart for teaching me to walk.

In December of 2010, Roland and I were married in Hawaii, back on Kauai this time. Roland had never even been on a plane at that point in time, and being from Saskatchewan that also meant he had never been to the Ocean. So it was quite a big deal for him, and I think for that reason, I think it will hold a special part in his heart as well... ya know... and the whole wedding thing and such. We had an amazing time, and we didn't really want to leave. Roland and I jokingly say that we will move there when they build an Audi Dealership on Kauai (we won't hold our breath though)

~*~

If you ever get the chance to go to Kauai, and I hope you all do, I can't stress enough how much you should go to the National Botanical Gardens there. These botanical gardens don't get nearly enough support and there are some of the rarest plants ever there, and it's absolutely beautiful. Go on the Allerton Garden tour, it's totally worth it. 


Lucinda Fleeson wrote this amazing book after working at these Botanical Gardens for several years. It is a great representation of life on Kauai, and was a "Recommended Read" for those attending my wedding (I think the only person that considered reading it was Erin, and she didn't finish it before going. I should be more strict like my University Professors. lol)

After years as a reporter, Lucinda Fleeson decides to chuck it all -- her pretty house with the English garden , her high-powered job at the big-city newspaper -- to live on the edge of a rainforest in Kauai. At first barely habitable, her no-frills cottage sits amid mango and octopus trees and bamboo groves. Geckos, roosters, and wild pigs roam freely. Sparkling oceans, lush green mountains, and rocky coves are just down the dirt road. Working at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, she learns that native plants are dying at an astonishing rate in Hawaii -- known as the extinction capital of the world -- and invasive species have taken over much of the island. With Fleeson as our guide, we meet plant hunters and propagators trying to save endangered flora and scientists studying plant evolution and ecology, and we're offered a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a botanical garden on a mission to reverse the devastation of a natural paradise. And as Fleeson learns about efforts to preserve our planet, she also awakens to a deeper, more satisfying life.


This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves Hawaii, Horticulture, Journalism, or Armchair Travel reading.

It tells the great story of Lucinda Fleeson and her escape from her traditional Journalism job and life in mainland American to become a fundraising guru at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens on the island on Kauai.

Two Weeks, a deadline, and blogging realizations...

So it was brought to my attention that I had the word verification option setting enabled, which hinders people attempting to post comments, and I also had it set up so that you had to have a google account to post comments. These are things that happened because they are the default settings and I never bothered to change them. My bad.

SO because I didn't realize this, AND I still want to bribe people into reading and posting on my blog so that I know who's reading, I'm extending the draw for the gift card another week. (Sorry Erin, you don't get to be the winner by default... unless no one else posts again this week.) So the draw will take place on June 24th at approximately noon. Post on either this post or the It's Been One Week post and you are entered to win.

AND YAY for my two week birthday of blogging! You may have noticed I slowed down a bit. This is for a few reasons 1) my life is just not that interesting 2) I'm running out of previously reviewed books that I've written a decent amount on (0f the 247 books I have listed on GoodReads, I have only reviewed 19, and my early reviews are only a couple of sentences long :/)  3) I still haven't finished my current book yet. And last but not least 4) I was informed that posting every day is a little intense, and may scare people away. SO, I'm toning it down a little.

Happy Father's Day!

~*~

Random Book choice again. Read this one after a good friend read a bunch of us an excerpt from the book and had difficulty getting through it because she was laughing so hard. Plus it was one of the favourites of one of the guys that work at McNally, so I thought I would give it a go. I didn't regret it.

Everyone knows about the immaculate conception and the crucifixion. But what happened to Jesus between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount? In this hilarious and bold new novel, the acclaimed author Moore shares the greatest story never told: the life of Christ as seen by his boyhood pal, Biff.

I love this book! SO funny! A knowledge of Christian mythology is not required, but would be useful. I don't know squat about the Jesus story and I still found it enjoyable! But I see that I could have gained a bit more out of the book had I known the background story.

Hardcore or Just OCD?

So I had mentioned before that I used to have this Fabulous App on Facebook called Visual Bookshelf that I would constantly add books to once I had read them. If I felt moved to, either by hatred or by enthusiasm, I would write a review for them. (These are currently the reviews I am posting. UPDATE: I am finally over 100 pages into the book I'm reading now! It's only taken me 2 months! *fail*) When this program was cancelled, or whatever, they recommended that you use GoodReads, and gave you an option of transferring your booklist to this new program. I thought that was very kind of them and gladly transferred my booklist over. Only to find out that I didn't really like how it worked, and that 13 of my books didn't transfer for some reason. It didn't even notify me of this! I just happened to notice because my book count was lower than it should have been (case of hardcore or OCD? exhibit #1). So because they gave users notice that they were folding (or whatever), I had a chance to find a way to print off my list from Visual Bookshelf in order to compare it to the list in GoodReads (case of hardcore or OCD? exhibit #2). We didn't have internet at my house at the time, so I did this all at my parent's house, but I wasn't going to sit there for several hours looking through this list on their time, so I put a note on it that no one should throw out this list or else their life would be forfeit (case of hardcore or OCD? exhibit #3). Anywhoo, this list has been sitting at their house for over a year, and I finally remembered to bring it to my house to cross reference it. It took me a few days because I could only search through it when Rosalie is sleeping, but I FINALLY figured out which 13 books were missing, which of course the last one was about 10 books from the end of my list (case of hardcore or OCD? exhibit #4). Now my life seems complete again (case of hardcore or OCD? exhibit #5).

So, in your opinion, needing to have this list of books accurate, is this a case of OCD or am I just hardcore? Do you feel this is a complete waste of time and I should make efforts to stop actions such as these, or does it give me more book cred'?

~*~

This book review is totally random and not at all related to this post, but it's one that I think I will have difficulty tying to any post because this book is not at all relatable to my life. None of my English professors were like him, I never had an affair with one, and I have never lived in a rural environment.

This is another book that I read directly before going to see the movie. John Malkovich is awesome, by the way.

A divorced, middle-aged English professor finds himself increasingly unable to resist affairs with his female students. When discovered by the college authorities, he is expected to apologise and repent in an effort to save his job, but he refuses to become a scapegoat in what he see as as a show trial designed to reinforce a stringent political correctness.
He preempts the authorities and leaves his job, and the city, to spend time with his grown-up lesbian daughter on her remote farm. Things between them are strained - there is much from the past they need to reconcile - and the situation becomes critical when they are the victims of a brutal and horrifying attack.
In spectacularly powerful and lucid prose, J.M. Coetzee uses all his formidable skills to engage with a post-apartheid culture in unexpected and revealing ways. This examination into the sexual and politcal lawlines of modern South Africa as it tries desperately to start a fresh page in its history is chilling, uncompromising and unforgettable.

A wonderful novel about the journey a middle-aged man goes on in order to finally appreciate life. No wonder this book resulted in Coetzee's award of the Booker Prize.

On a more personal note, I was disappointed in the ending of this book, solely based on personal preference. The very last choice Lurie makes in the novel is one that I completely disagree with on a moral level-- thus creating a slight blemish on the facade of a book that could have potentially been a "5 star" book

Don't Forget! Post your own reply on the blog entry It's Been One Week! and you could win a prize! Draw date is June 17th! Only 2 days left!

Hypocrisy

I have discovered something about myself recently that I am not that pleased about. I am a blissfully ignorant hypocrite. And I apologize to people who have known this about me before I realized it, you have probably been on the receiving end.

I came to this conclusion while perusing other people's blogs. Many people have a list of links to other peoples blogs that they are reading (like my section on people who inspired my own blog), so I was going through, looking at many of these blogs and one of them was called "You're Kidding... right!?". It is all about a woman who is pregnant and she is doing a weekly blog about her thoughts and changes and everything. Now that I have had my little munchkin, I have absoloutly no interest in other people's pregnancies. I basically read maybe one paragraph before I clicked away being slightly annoyed. Why? I don't really understand what provoked this response to someone else's joy. Also when I was in prenatal yoga, and started a new session, there were a bunch of women that were in the first and second trimesters, when we talked about our pregnancies I had to conciously not roll my eyes at things that they said. What the hell, eh? I loved my pregnancy, and talked about it ALL the time. Almost exclusively. I tried to avoid putting things on Facebook, early on I figured that there were too many people I don't know well enough on FB that I didn't need everyone knowing about her, but that REALLY didn't work out. Also, after she was born I told myself not to post pictures of her... NOPE! I post tons now. I am still sticking to not having her as my profile picture... we'll see how long that lasts.


And, just so all the people that DO know me know, this pregnancy thing does not really apply to you. I DO love hearing about your pregnancies when I know you! I still find that interesting because it's about YOU. But all of these people I don't know and will never get to meet their babies... pah... boring.


Anywhoo, I'm sorry I'm a hypocrite. I'm sorry if you've been on the receiving end of this. I will attempt to be a little more aware, and perhaps I can curb that horrid trait I have acquired at some point...

~*~

In the spirit of being a hypocrite, I am posting a review I wrote on a book that I normally would not admit to having read. At this point I would also like to point out that I have read lots of Sophie Kinsella's books (which is referenced in this review), also, not something I generally admit to. Not that there is anything wrong with them... it's just the snob coming out in me.

This is the story of how a haughty former sorority girl went from having a household income of almost a quarter-million dollars to being evicted from a ghetto apartment... It's a modern Greek tragedy, as defined by Roger Dunkle in The Classical Origins of Western Culture: a story in which "the central character, called a tragic protagonist or hero, suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected.


Very Sophie Kinsella-esque... except that it's all actually true... or a version of the truth. Quick summer read. Not for anyone that wants a very in depth, emotionally moving read. It's fun and funny.


Don't Forget! Post your own reply on the blog entry It's Been One Week! and you could win a prize! Draw date is June 17th! Only 3 days left!

I've Spent Time in the Hole...

So, the real world job that I got that forced me to leave McNally Robinson was to work in a Provincial Correctional Centre (a.k.a. JAIL). This is not something I ever considered doing, but I had a friend that was working there and government experience never looks bad on a resume, so I thought I would give it a go.

This surprises most people when I first meet them, because I don't really look or act the part. When I respond "I work at the Correctional Centre" when asked what I do, the next question is "what do you do there?", because I don't think people can wrap their heads around me working as a guard...

Initially, the whole reason I applied there was because I was hoping to be able to teach. I was under the impression that all you had to do was work as a Corrections Worker (CW) for a year, and then you could apply to teach. While that is true, positions are mostly based on seniority, as most government positions are. The guy that worked as the substitute teacher when I started there had been the substitute teacher for like 30 years, and had been told time and time again that when one of the permanent teachers left or retired or whatever, he would get their job, only to have their positions eliminated once they left. Plus there were a bunch of people with Education Degrees that have been working there longer than I have. SO, I wasn't very hopeful about getting a teaching job there. But I had tried substitute teaching right after I finished University and the work was so sporadic that it's tough to budget, so I got the jail job instead. And it has actually led me to another teaching position at the Youth Facility in the city, it's subbing, but it's pretty OK in conjunction with my hours at the jail.

I can't really say too much about working at the jail for security (and political) reasons, but I can tell you this: most of the time I am WAY overpaid for what I do, which is basically babysitting adults, and other times I don't get paid nearly enough. You can imagine what happens when I don't feel I get paid enough... but I can't talk about that.

I work shift work, which a lot of people hate, but I really don't mind. Plus I think it helped me with the adjustment of nighttime feedings.

It pays the bills, it's government work, and the benefits are awesome (I'm getting paid pretty well to stay at home and look after my daughter). So I can't complain too much.

And no, I don't get to carry a gun, nor would I want to (the most common question ever asked by people who don't know much about the Provincial jails here). :)

~*~

I read this book after I started at the jail. Some people at work don't like watching prison movies (like The Green Mile, The Rock, Shawshank Redeption, etc) or TV shows (like Lockdown, or Oz) because it's too much like working while you're at home. I find it a little fascinating to see the different interpretations of what prison life is like, or how the different systems work, like Canada vs. the States.

Anywhoo, I think the review pretty much says it all...

Ditmarsh Penitentiary holds many secrets within its walls. A maximum-security prison, it contains every breed of hatred, self-destruction, greed, and regret. Its inmates aren't the only ones who grapple with these emotions. Under constant threat yet given absolute authority, the guards routinely cross the divide between law enforcement and criminality.

Corrections Officer Kali Williams takes pains to avoid the complicated traps of inmates and guards alike. Then a young inmate named Joshua comes to her for help. He claims that another prisoner has drawn an elaborate comic book, which holds a guide to the illicit underworld of Ditmarsh. The struggle to obtain the information encoded in its pages has been the cause of ever-increasing violence throughout the prison.

At first Kali can't take Joshua seriously. But soon afterward, the artist-inmate disappears completely. As she retraces his steps, she enters a labyrinthine world inside the prison with unexpected connections to the outside world. Along the way, she uncovers the most bewildering secret of all – the mystery of human compassion, the twisted forms it can take, and the violence and redemption it makes possible.

Very interesting take on the Corrections Officer profession, however it's a difficult book to recommend.

I believe that in order for this novel to be appreciated, the reader needs to have a working understanding of the profession of a Corrections Worker in order to really understand the situations the main character is put into and how realistic and likely these situations are. However, the book deals with corruption and what seems like the "worst case scenarios" of people employed into corrections. It may be perceived as mildly insulting and a bit offensive to those who enter these dangerous environments everyday to deal with high profile offenders and keep them away from the public.

The best advice I can give to people who choose to read this book is to recognize what you are getting in to, and understand it's somewhat "hollywoodized" to make an extremely corrupt jail environment. Not all Corrections workers are like that, and the main character is closer to the rule, rather than the exception.

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Don't Forget! Post your own reply on the blog entry It's Been One Week! and you could win a prize! Draw date is June 17th!

It's been One Week!

I have been blogging for a whole week! How crazy is that? Who would have thought I had enough to say to fill up a week worth of posts?

So I had an idea, I have noticed that I have had several views on my page (many of which were directed here by facebook, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH my friends!) My good friend Dani (who has been one of the two people to comment on my blog) had a great idea for her 1000th post birthday, and I figure I would do something similar for my 1 week birthday!

Post a comment on this post of my blog and you will be entered to win a $25 gift card!! Winner's choice of a GC from McNally Robinson, Indigo, or Starbucks! I was going to say just McNally, but not all of those who are reading my blog are from S'toon, then I was going to say McNally OR Indigo, but not everyone has to be a reader in order to read my blog (some people just like reading blogs!), so I threw Starbucks in there too.... not that you need to know my reasoning, but apparently I am all about making my posts longer than necessary.

Thanks a bunch for reading along and keeping me motivated! The draw will occur one week from today, which is JUNE 17th, 2012 (and Father's Day!) at approximately noon. So get your posts in before then!

Note: I have been notified that some people have tried to post on my wall and it won't work. If this is the case, just facebook me (because that is where all of my traffic is originating anyway) and I will include you in the draw.

Harry Potter

This is kinda like a "part 2" to the book to movie adaptations post, because much of the content from this post was initially in that one, but to keep that post [slightly] shorter, I removed them and decided to make a Harry Potter post all on it's own.


Harry Potter is one of those series' that I would have been completely content with just remaining a book series and never becoming movies. Of course, this is slightly unrealistic considering it's the most popular children's series in the world. But when they made the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone into a movie, I was pleasantly surprised. Chris Columbus made a great effort in sticking to the book, casting was decent, and the computer graphics were awesome. This was the shortest book in the series, and very much the most 'child-like' of all of the books, which I am sure made it more adaptable to a movie, but yes, it did succeed in making me like the movie having already read the book, even though this book wasn't the strongest in the series. He did much of the same for the second book, once again, a great movie.


Then there was the third film, based on my favourite book in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I was ANGRY after leaving the theatre. I could not believe what they had done to my favourite book. They wasted time having Harry fly around the freakin' world on a damn Hippogriff and then neglected several key points in the story. The book had lots of very important information for the sequels afterward. For example who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are. In the movie, they NEVER tell you. And directors in the future movies didn't either because it wasn't part of their story and should have been done already! Thus you never know where the marauder's map comes from. People who have read the books would know, but everyone else won't. And it would only take about 2 minutes to explain!


The fourth movie did a lot of time wasting too (instead of a Hippogriff, this time Harry fought a dragon for an insane amount of time instead of completing it impressively quickly like he did in the book), but at least it wasn't rediculous. The fifth movie got back on track, I liked it again and was hopeful for the last two books, only to be disappointed by the sixth. But the seventh book, split into two movies, worked well. The four last books are pretty long, so having two movies for one book gave them more time to wrap up the story. It worked well, I enjoyed them both (especially the telling of the Story of the Three Brothers in part 1, I watched it on YouTube before bed for quite a while).


When Roland and I started dating he hadn't read any of the books, but had seen the first four movies. He said that he had no interest in reading them, but because we were in a new relationship, and I think he was still slightly interested in impressing me, when I asked if he would read them if I bought them for him, he said yes. I bought him the third book first for several reasons. 1) The first two movies were good adaptations and he had gotten the info he needed from them 2) the first book isn't as strong as the third, and I wanted him to want to read them all, not just the first book and then stop 3) It was my favourite 4) the movie was SO BRUTAL that I wanted him to understand why I was so angry about it... still... to this day. After I had given it to him, I asked him every day if he had started it, and he said that he hadn't had time. I think it was about a week later, I got a text from him at about 10pm saying something like "I've read 40 pages and none of this happened in the movie!" Once he finished the book, he conceded that the book was better, and proceeded to read the rest of them (up to the sixth book, the seventh wasn't out at that point yet.)


We went to the fifth movie in the theatre together, and he thought it was ok, but was annoyed by several things they didn't include. He also ranted that he probably would have liked the movie a lot more had he not read the book. Ignorance is bliss, but I sorta felt like I had won. He now understood. When we went to the sixth movie, he basically stomped out of the theatre (the sixth was his favourite book), and after walking in silence to the car, we got in and I said "So.." and he snapped at me "I don't want to talk about it!!" I smiled and again felt like I had won. Before we went to the second part of the seventh movie, he said "if they don't have the Gringotts Dragon in it, and they don't do it right, I'll be mad" They did it properly and he was happy. *win* :)

~*~

I never did write a review for Harry Potter because it already was popular before I read it (I did resist for quite a while, then caved, and ended up loving them from the second book on, and came to love the first in time), so it seemed unnecessary, and I enjoy talking about them as a whole, rather than book by book. So the following is not a book review, but has many of my opinions within it...

When I was working at McNally, and Nicole had become the Events Coordinator, she had planned a Harry Potter vs. Twilight Debate, where people encouraged to take a stance and apply to be on the debating team for either book. Unfortunately, she did not get the response she wanted. Only one person from each side applied, and both of them were elementary aged girls. She didn't think this would make for a sufficient debate, so she asked people from around the store to be on their teams. I initially had no interest, I didn't even respond to her pleading mass email. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to and felt I had good arguments. I had read both books and thus could refute the Twiligher's points. I figured I had it in the bag. So I told her I would do it.

The following is the "script" from the opening statement I was supposed to make. She gave us a time limit of 3 minutes. This is about 8 minutes long, but she never cut me off :) Please note that this was a script, meant to be spoken, and I didn't worry too much about punctuation or run on sentences or anything. I just read it out loud to myself, figured it sounded good and went with it. 

Hope you enjoy!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow debaters, and esteemed Judges, I am Annie ******* and I am here today to attempt to convince you that Harry Potter is the superior Series when contending with the Twilight Series. I have decided to first address the 4 questions mentioned on the flyer for this debate, and then I will move on to other issues I believe are important in determining which series is better.

"Question 1: Which series has better relationships? In my opinion, Harry Potter wins this hands down. The Harry Potter series provides us with realistic relationships in the forms of Couples as well as Parents, siblings, and friends. Ron and Hermione have a long standing attraction that both are concerned will ruin their friendship, but also neither wants to tell the other how they feel. How often does that happen in a teenage relationship? Comparatively in Twilight, the romantic relationships are based heavily on infatuation either by appearance or by scent. The idea that a plain looking shy girl can catch the very good looking god like creature creates unrealistic expectations among the intended audience of the novels, which is primarily Teenage Girls. I'm not saying 'don't set high expectations', but seriously?

"Question 2: Which series has the better werewolves? This question is almost unfair because Harry Potter wins it so easily. The werewolves in Twilight are not even werewolves! It states in the book that they are merely shape shifters, this is proven by the aspects that describe the werewolves in Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, Werewolves are only in the form of wolves during full moons, and these are people that are infected by being bitten by another werewolf. None of these classic descriptions are fulfilled by the Twilight series.

"Question 3: Which series has the best action? No Contest. Harry Potter by a mile. Not only does each book have some level of action within it, but the last book is almost entirely action that is concluded by an epic battle between good and evil where many people are killed, and good perseveres. The Twilight series ends in a Cold War like scenario. The good and evil sides meet in a field and talk out their issues. All it needed was some tea and cookies and it would have been like a trip to my grandmother's house.

"Question 4: Which series leaves you wanting more? This one is slightly tougher, but I think Harry Potter still takes the cake. Like any story with an evil villain, this story concludes with his defeat, but no matter how many times the world is saved it seems to get itself into trouble again. Who knows how many more adventures Harry could have.

"There are also other aspects in Harry Potter that has contributed to it being a better series. J.K. Rowling excelled in many areas that Stephenie Meyer could learn a lot from her.

"J.K Rowling is a very smart writer in many ways.

"The first is her style of writing. Ms. Rowling uses many literary devices in Harry Potter that makes it an interesting read. Ms. Meyer is a story-teller at best, which may be the most important aspect in being a writer, but it certainly can not make a great author by itself.

"Harry Potter incorporates many aspects of world folklore into the series, including Fluffy the 3 headed dog, a possible descendant of Cerberus from Greek Myth, to the Veela who bear a striking resemblance to Slavic fairies of the same name. Twilight has 2 types of creatures from folklore and Ms. Meyer has twisted their characteristics until they are only vampires because they drink blood, and only werewolves because they are wolves sometimes and people others.

"Harry Potter touches on many issues that are relevant and close to the hearts of many people today. They deal with terrorism, prejudice, bullying, animal rights, and women's rights to name a few. The Twilight series is not completely void of messages to it's audience. It's a story of unconditional love... and that's about it. That's 5 to 1 for Harry Potter!

"One of my favourite things about the Harry Potter series is the progression the writing style and plot take as Harry grows up. The first book starts with a 12 year old Harry in a book that is really meant for 12 year olds. By the last book we have a 17 year old Harry and a book that is larger and has more intense reading in a book that is meant for older teens. Twilight begins as a teen novel, but drastically changes by the last book and has really become an adult novel. There are issues dealt within Breaking Dawn that has exceeded it's original intended audience and has become somewhat inappropriate. If Breaking Dawn was made into a movie exactly how the book is, I believe it would be pushing an 18A rating.

"The last point I will make is in regards to the cultural effect the novels have had on the world. As of June 2008, the Harry Potter series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages compared to Twilights' 42 million copies worldwide with translations into 37 different languages as of March 2009. Granted, Harry Potter has been around for 7 years longer than the Twilight Series, and Granted it has 3 more books in the series, but I don't think that can entirely account for the 358 million copy difference. I believe Twilight to be a passing fad, and in a few years, when all of the movies have been made, the sales will slip and eventually be forgotten by the public and will not be the powerhouse Teen novel it is today. Stephenie Meyer didn't create anything new and spectacular when she wrote the Twilight series, she fed off of what has been done often before with the human/vampire love story, and made it desirable for teens. Harry Potter on the other hand changed the face of children's literature, there had been NOTHING at all like Harry Potter before Harry Potter. The New York Times created a Children's Bestseller list in 2000 after the success of the Harry Potter series, and as a recent Education student, I noticed the question was often asked in class 'what do I say to a young reader that just finished harry potter and asks “what do I read next?”' Harry Potter has set a standard for Children's literature and I believe that it will persevere to become a children's classic in the future.

"Thank You."

Book to Movie Adaptations

One of the things about great books is that people always want to make them into movies. Sometimes, great movies are created on the coattails of a book. But this is sort of a tough subject for me. I am a book loyalist. Lots of times, I prefer the book just stay a book, but there is always that bit of excitement when a book I have read is announced to be coming out as a movie.

Take The Other Boleyn Girl for example. For a long time, this was my favourite Historical Fiction novel, and as I said in the Book Geek/Snob/Nazi post, I discovered this book and the whole reason it is popular is because I read it. When it was made into a movie I was excited... until little bits of info started to come out about it. Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn? Awesome. She is amazing. Eric Bana as Henry VIII? Well... he's a great actor, but he's not even a red head! Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn? Really? Are you serious? Does she even know who these people are? GAWD! Epic FAIL! Jim Sturgess as George Boleyn? *swoons* He is my Hollywood Boyfriend. He can do no wrong. Hottest man alive. AND he has a legit british accent... SO HOT! Well, the historical accuracy was awful, the plot was thin, and Scarlett Johannson was BRUTAL. The other 3 actors did well with what they had to work with. But the movie didn't even stick to the story in the book that well. What the eff?

I have gotten better about accepting movie adaptations as they are. I used to hate any movie that wasn't the exact same as the book, but now I can appriciate them for the medium that movies are. Films only have about 2 hours, 3 tops, to tell the story that takes people, sometimes weeks to read. It just can't be all fit into a limited time slot like that. There are still aspects that I look for in an adaptation, for example the reason that they change or remove things. If they remove them for time, when it's not really an important point or not needed for plot development I am more forgiving than if they change things to make them more hollywoodized, or prettier, or more action packed.

Then there are the movies that pleasantly surprise me. The Help is an example of a great adaptation. It stuck to the plot of the book, only removed unimportant storylines in order to save time, and didn't exclude anything important. Stand By Me which is the novella The Body by Stephen King, is an awesome adaptation because it's only about 100 pages long, so nearly everything was in the movie. Fabulous. (Little side note: Stephen King has not always been a fan of the movies that are created from his books. I remember reading an article that said that sometimes it's like sending your daughter off to collage, and all of the worst things you worry about happening to her do, and there is nothing you can do about it. I think he was referring to the movie for Christine, but I can't totally remember.)

Roland often asks me why I bother to read the books before going to the movies because I end of hating many of the movies I see, which isn't entirely true. Granted, often when we leave the movie theatre, I proceed to tell him every part they skipped or changed, but that doesn't always mean that I "hated" it. He prefers to remain blissfully ignorant of how great the book is in order to enjoy the movie, I, on the other hand, prefer to know exactly what could have been and I don't want to like a movie where they bastardize the book. If they don't treat the book with respect, I want to berate it as bad as I berate The DaVinci Code (which I also believe was a terrible movie).

~*~

Sapphire's Push is a book that I think people would appreciate the changes that were made to bring it to the big screen. Push is SO brutal and graphic that it needed to be downplayed in order to be made into a film, or else it would have had to have gotten an NC-17 rating. The power of suggestion was used well in the movie, so that you know what's going on, but you don't need to actually see it. The movie version, Precious, is one of the great adaptations of a book, in my opinion. 

Relentless, remorseless, and inspirational, this "horrific, hope-filled story" (Newsday) is certain to haunt a generation of readers. Precious Jones, 16 years old and pregnant by her father with her second child, meets a determined and highly radical teacher who takes her on a journey of transformation and redemption.

Sapphire's writing style and use of voice and dialect are amazing. She is a contemporary author to be in awe of. All of the issues dealt with in this book are horrifying, but what is more horrifying is that situations like these, situations that seem so unbelievable, have really happened to people. It's hard to say that I "love" this book due to the disturbing subject matter, but it is definitely worth reading, just be aware of what you are getting in to!

Construction?

WARNING: First RANT post...

Can someone explain this to me?

I go for walks almost everyday with my dog and my babes. There is an area known as a bufferstrip that surrounds my neighbourhood. This bufferstrip is mainly greenspace, but some areas have paved walkways. For our short walk we go just to the non-paved areas. This is how that area looks...

There is one part of this greenspace that gets wider, and I like to throw the ball for Boca in this area (if anyone works for the city and is capable of giving out tickets for off-leash dogs, Boca is on a leash. It's an invisible leash that is about a million miles long... so... you can't see it in this picture... but it's there....so... yeah... you can't ticket me). The other day, the part where the path gets wider looks like this...

Now we enter the bufferstrip from pathway that is on the other side of this sign. There was no posting there, so I continued on about my way. If you look in the above picture, there is a line of pylons in this picture. I stayed on what is the left side of them in this picture.

These are my questions. 

1) Where do you figure I should have been? On the left or right of the pylons? There is no indication of this in any way near this sign. I do not know where the work was being done, but there were trucks on either side of the pylons. 

2) Are these not traffic signs? There is no public traffic through this area, only foot traffic, so why would they put these kinds of signs in this walking area? and not at all accesses to the area?

3) If this is indeed a traffic sign, wouldn't that imply they should notify me some way that they are doing this to a route I use often? Maybe one of those blinking signs that say "Construction on bufferstrip to begin May 31. Expect Delays...

This is just dumb and annoying in my opinion...

Book geek/snob/nazi status

Some of you may be wondering how I can possibly self declare as a book geek and snob, and what those two titles entail. How does one become a Book Geek, Snob, or Nazi... well I will enlighten you right now.

I developed all of these traits from working in bookstores, no word of a lie. Although, I can say that I was predestined to become a Book Geek/Snob/Nazi from a young age. I do remember not ever wanting to read books that had water damage, or torn pages, or the like. This is where the book nazi title comes in.

Anyone who has ever seen my book collection, or attempted to borrow books from me knows what I mean when I say I am a Book Nazi. Every single book I own is in absolute mint condition. If I were to walk into any bookstore in the city and say "I bought this book yesterday" I don't think anyone would question me. The spines of my books are not cracked or bent. The covers do not curl. The pages are not dogeared. The only thing that may give me away is sometimes, depending on the publisher of the book, the edges of the pages change to a slightly yellow colour, this I can do nothing about, but if I could, I would. During my internship I was taking middle-year aged books to school to read during silent reading time and one time I didn't close my juice the whole way and a book got a little bit wet. I went out and bought another copy. THIS is the tale of a Book Nazi.  I have also considered making a waiver for people to sign if they borrow my books. On the waiver it would include that while not being read, the book is to remain in a plastic bag to avoid any unforeseen water damage, and that bag must be a small McNally plastic bag, because they fit trade paperback books perfectly to prevent bending. I have never had to create this waiver, because if anyone says that they are interested in reading a particular title, and I say that I have it, they get this look of horror on their face, like I am saying that if they give me their first born child as collateral I will let them borrow a book. Very few people borrow books from me. But the ones that do know that they are expected to replace any books they damage, but that has yet to happen. This can be rooted to the bookstore environment as well because in order to return books to the publisher, they must be in mint condition (unless they are strip covers, which is a whole other matter), so even though I have NO intention of EVER returning any of my books, I like to know that they are SO pristine that even the publishers would take them back... plus you never know when a book might be worth a million dollars as a collectable in the future.

The Book Snob title comes from my choice of reading material. I LOVE to discover books. By that I mean find a title that no one has ever mentioned to me, that I have not heard of from any other source, purchase it and tell people about it after I read it. What better place to do this than while at work in a bookstore? It's still technically work if I am shelving books and turn to the back cover to see if I would read them. I do not read book club books ever. If a movie based on a book is coming out, I will read it, but NEVER the movie-tie-in cover. If that is the only cover available, I won't read it... and I probably won't go to the movie either. I might read a title if the person that recommends it to me is also a book snob, like Lyndon or Nicole, but very few people are like them. I think this comes from not wanting to buy into a fad. So many books that become huge are just crap *coughDaVinciCodecough*, and I am snobby enough to think I am above that. I also like to claim that I am the reason a book gets popular if I read it first. Like The Other Boleyn Girl. I made that book popular and it got made in to a movie for chrissake! How awesome am I? Pretty awesome, I'd say.

Ok, and the Book Geek title is a little more self explanatory. When people talk about books, I get excited. Even if they talk about the crappy ones, I like to explain why I think they are crappy. If someone says "I loved The DaVinci Code" I am ALL OVER telling them how stupid that book is. Honestly, one of the worst books I have ever read (sorry, slight tangent). Anyway, I LOVE to talk books. Sometimes even books I haven't read, because if you like a book, and tell me why, I might be able to recommend another one, and that goes back into my Book Snob title. And you can also see how that ties into bookstore employment.

See! It's all interconnected. And it all started with bookstores. I LOVE bookstores. :)

P.S. Sorry, apparently these posts aren't getting shorter any time soon. I honestly thought I could keep this one short. My bad. Hope you aren't bored to tears.

~*~

So far, I have only posted books that are Fiction. I am a typical female reader insofar as that I prefer fiction to non-fiction. HOWEVER, I do read a lot of non-fiction as well. The book Columbine by Dave Cullen, I believe was in the History & Politics section of McNally, I *think* the subsection was something like "Contemporary American History" or something like that. The Columbine Highschool massacre was and event that hit very close to home when I was in Highschool. It was shocking to hear about kids my age killing other kids my age, in an environment that was similar to my every day environment. It's something I think about often, even today. I bought this book in Hardcover, the most expensive format, because I couldn't wait for the trade paperback, and I rarely buy books in Hardcover because I am too cheap, I don't like how heavy they are, and I don't generally mind waiting. So that's saying something for this book...

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.

It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town?

This is an extremely enlightening read about the events of the Columbine Highschool Massacre and the effect this horror had on the community, the country and the world. This book fills you in on what the facts behind the incident actually were, not just what the media presented to the public at the time. A must read for those who want to know the true story, not the rumours that the media created.

Life as a parent...

Ok, I'm stopping the "Day #:..." format of my post titles. It seems completely unnecessary and kinda lame.

I realize I am referring back to my first post a lot, which I apologize for, but I really could have made that post a hellava lot longer than it was, but I decided to skim over a few things in the effort to make it shorter. I figure that people must have noticed that, considering the one comment so far (Thanks Dani!!!) was wanting clarification on something I skimmed over (Dani, I hope you liked the last post! I answered your question! See, I totally take requests).

One of the other points that I skimmed over was my reason for having no time to read these days. For anyone who actually knows me, the reason would be blatantly obvious, but for those who don't know me (perhaps this is wishful thinking at this point, considering my blog is only 4 days old), a little more info is necessary to explain my lack of time.

The lack of time is due to my job. And my boss for this job is a pint-sized dictator who doesn't so much tell me what she wants me to do, she just screams at me until I get it right. Job title: Parent to a newborn.

I consider myself the parent of three (on occasion four, sometimes my husband counts), I have Brayden; my 10-year old stepson, Boca; my Rottweiler mutt (sometimes referred to as the "fur-baby"), and our newest addition, my daughter Rosalie; born April 21, 2012 (and my husband Roland, who has a thing for cars, and when he grows up he wants to be Japanese).

Before Rosalie made her arrival, the other two (or three) were not too difficult to handle. Brayden at school during the day, Roland picks him up after school, and many weekends he's either at Roland's parent's house, or with his mom (or more specifically his mom's parent's, but that is a whole other matter that I will probably not post about, because I'm not sure what I can get sued for posting to the internet, even if it is all true). When he is at home he's self sufficient. I mean, he's 10! Boca, after she got over her puppy years, became extremely easy to care for. Being fans of The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, we followed his principles to the T and she is an awesome dog.  As long as she get's at least one walk a day, she's completely balanced and a perfect companion. She's a low energy dog that loves cuddles. She would be a lap dog if we would let her. I think Rosalie's arrival has been a bit of a blow to her because she doesn't get as much attention from me and she get's told to go away a bit more often. She loves it when people come to visit us because either they are holding Rosalie so she comes and gets pets from me, or I am holding Rosalie and the visitor can pet her or throw her ball for her.

Now... the little dictator...

I don't think anyone has ever said that parenting babies is easy, and if someone has said that to you, slap them and tell them to stop lying. I don't care if you have the most perfect baby in the whole world, it's still tough and exhausting.

There are times, especially at this age where it's not too bad. I get to shower almost daily, because when I put her in her bouncy chair outside the bathroom door, I can see her at all times and she stays put. I generally get to eat breakfast in a reasonable amount of time. She's awake but she's content, so I can generally get a bowl of cereal down and skim the paper before she freaks out to be fed again. Lunch is a completely different matter. I generally want to eat something a bit better than cereal for lunch. Today I made a can of Campbell's Cream of Potato Soup. Not exactly rocket science, but it takes time, and if she sleeps while I am actually making it (like she did today), then the second I sit down to eat it she wakes up and wants to eat herself (I swear it's the smell of real food that makes her hungry), so generally I pop in the soother and hoover my food, but generally she spits out the soother and screams while I eat like a mad woman. That, or I give up and feed her first and then eat cold soup.

Recently I had a weekend where Roland and Brayden went on a fishing trip and I was home being a single parent. My best friend, Erin (who now lives in BC), messaged me saying that I had been so calm about everything so far and that if I needed to freak out, to call. Now, here's a little secret. I am not calm. I freak out ALL the time. Generally in the evening. I have sworn at her, screamed back at her, and put her in her crib while she's screaming to walk away and give myself a time-out.

And I always cry about those times later. Because I don't mean the things I say, and I worry that I am damaging her by saying them or walking away from her. There was even one night where I walked away from her, leaving her in her crib to give myself a time-out and she fell asleep on her own. I cried about this a lot because I am worried that she will feel that I had abandoned her and that she won't be able to come to me for help when she needs it when she's older. You may think I'm crazy, I mean, she's only a baby, but what am I teaching her at this early point in her life? The prenatal class we took before she was born taught us that even their birth experience can effect them the rest of their life.

Sometimes, when I am still slightly sane when she's crying, I can remind myself that there are tons of people that would kill to be in my position. Screaming baby and all. Because they would rather be dealing with a screaming newborn than not have one at all. This makes me reevaluate my feelings and determine where they are coming from. Most of the time I come to realize that when I am overtired, I have zero patience. This could be valuable information to anyone that has dealt with me when I am angry. I think most of the time when I freak out it's because I'm overtired. So, if in the future anyone is dealing with a crazy, psycho Annie, ask me "Are you tired?" and that might calm the beast.

As difficult as I have found parenting is, and I was under no illusions before I signed up for this, she makes it all worth it. As much as she cries and as angry as I get, her smiles, and cuddles, and the fact that I know I would jump in front of a bus for her makes it all worth it. Which is what any parent would say I'm sure. (AAAND, there's the cheese factor for this post)

(P.S. I am sorry these posts are SO long, this is really not intentional. I want to make short little 2 -3 paragraphh entries, but there is so much background info that I really don't want to miss anything. Also, I said I wouldn't do many of these "all about me" posts, but this won't happen much after the first few, I promise...)

~*~

Because this post is all about my babies, I decided to post my first kid's book review! Now, this book has been made into a movie, and my perspective on adaptations is a WHOLE other post for later.

 

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

This is a fun book and an interesting way to get kids into Greek Mythology, however it lacks originality as a novel. Many of the plot devices and character traits can be easily compared to those in Harry Potter. For example, the main character is a adolescent male, with two sidekicks; one male and one female. The male has been immersed in the fantastical realm since birth and the female sidekick is a brainiac. Not to mention that the ending of this novel is almost completely parallel to the ending in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Overall Riordan has created an interesting read but is frustratingly riding the coattails of J.K. Rowling.