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August 2007
"No blablablabla!" — Harriet Sammis
Breastfeeding and Work: 08/31/07
The Moms Rising Blog wants to hear about experiences of breastfeeding from working mothers. Rather than put my answer in their comment field, I thought I'd expand things a bit here.
I have two children and I've breastfed both of them. With Sean I was at my previous job. They had rooms set aside for pumping and resting. The rooms had power outlets but no water for washing up. I had to pump twice a day for eight of the ten months I was breastfeeding Sean. I hated pumping at work.
The rooms had online sign up sheets and the company policy was that pregnant women and women who needed to pump got priority on the rooms. Reality, though, was very different. The room I had to use was located in the sales wing of the building. There was always a salesman in there making a high stakes call because he could close the door so the others couldn't hear how well he was doing or who he was calling.
I quickly harnessed my inner mama grizzly bear. Boy could I growl and pound on the door until the jerk got out of there. I also got called a lot of colorful names. It didn't make for a restful state of mind for pumping. Pumping is easier when one is calm. I'd waste a good five or ten minutes just trying to calm down enough so I could pump.
So when I found out I was pregnant with Harriet, the one thing I was dreading most was pumping again. With my new job I wouldn't have access to a room for pumping and the bathroom didn't have a power source. I concocted this elaborate plan for bringing along a portable car charger to run my pump but in the end a better solution fell into my lap.
I was offered the chance to telecommute. To sweeten the deal, I countered with offering to telecommute during my maternity leave because I knew I'd be bored and there isn't anything physically demanding about being a web producer (beyond lugging around computer equipment every now or then).
With telecommuting I didn't have to pump for the nine months I breastfed Harriet. Weaning early was her idea, not mine. While it isn't exactly easy to nurse and type at the same time, it was a lot less stressful than fighting the overly macho salesforce for a spot in the pumping room.
Scarface Claw: 08/30/07
Judy and Charlie brought back a small pile of adorable children's book from their recent trip abroad. Scarface Claw is another of those books.
Scarface is your typical bad boy tom. He's big; he's mean and he's territorial. He will growl and hiss at any cat and any dog (including the dogs from Hairy Maclarry from Donaldson's Dairy). Scarface isn't scared of anyone... except... himself!
Scarface has more of Dodd's humor and adorable illustrations. Scarface while scary to the dogs and cats of the story is rather cute in all his posturing. He's probably a big old lap cat when he's down prowling at the end of the day.
childrens | books | lynley dodd
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Booking Through Thursday: Statistics: 08/30/07
Booking Through Thursday
There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but ... how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?
I was curious about the recent poll and ran a poll of my own on livejournal. So far, 100% of the respondents (one person told me she had accidentally clicked 'no') have read at least one book this year. The bulk of my online friends have read between 10 and 100 books. The poll is still going and open to anyone if you want to put in your two cents.
Among my immediate friends and family, even the slowest readers I know have read at least one book. The only non readers I know are children who haven't learned to read yet but are eager to learn.
I do live in a fairly urban, well educated area. We have a good source of books through new and used stores and libraries. Also most of my friends are folks I've met through BookCrossing, so I would expect that most of them would have read at least one book.
Seeing in the Dark: 08/29/07
Seeing in the Dark is a short but dense series of essays on different aspects of amateur astronomy. Each chapter is a different topic or a different experience from Timothy Ferris's life.
Ferris begins his fascinating book by describing how he got hooked on astronomy as a child. He includes a loving review of an older science book: A Child's Geography of the World by V. M. Hillyer. I was so excited by his review of his childhood favorite, that I bought a copy for myself!
Seeing in the Dark took me longer than I expected to read. It's full of so many interesting details and facts that I had to savor each chapter. One of my favorite bits was his meeting with Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), the man who discovered Pluto. Apparently the Smithsonian asked him for the telescope he used to make the discovery. Tombaugh turned down their request. Why? He was still using it!
nonfiction | books | timothy ferris
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Crewel World: 08/29/07
Crewel World is the first in the Needlecraft Mystery series and probably the last one I'll read. It's supposedly a cozy mystery but I found it one of the most depressing books I've read this year. Usually in a cozy the death of a character isn't the focus of the book except to provide impetus for the main character to solve the crime. Here, though, the tragedy of the death was the central focus for a large chunk of the novel.
Roughly speaking, Crewel World is divided into thirds. The first third introduces the characters, especially the sisters: Margot and Betsy and the town of Excelsior, Minnesota. The second and most depressing third focuses on Margot's death (not a spoiler as it's mentioned on the back of the book) and the harsh reality of the clean-up from a violent death.
In the final third, Crewel World finally falls into being a cozy mystery. While trying to figure out what to do with the store and her life, Betsy begins to realize that something isn't right with how the murder is being investigated. In learning how to run her sister's store, she sees what the police are missing.
My favorite pieces of the book were the beginning and the ending thirds. Betsy's depression after her sister's death is so well written that I was on the verge of tears while reading through the planning of the funeral. I just don't know if I want to grow that emotional roller coaster on future books in this series.
#21: 13 Photos of Me: 08/29/07
I just had my birthday. So here are photos of me. These are mostly taken by relatives.
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| 1. Me in 1973 | 2. Me in 1986 |
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| 3. Me right after Sean was born. | 4. Me taken by Sean, 2007 |
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| 5. Me taken by Sean, 2007 | 6. Action shot taken by Sean |
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| 7. My once missing engagement ring. | 8. Me pregnant with Harriet, June 2006 (taken by Sean) |
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| 9. Me pregnant with Harriet (Taken by Sean, June 2006) | 10. Right after Harriet was born (Taken by Sean, Sept. 2006) |
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| 11. Sean, Harriet and Me at Lawrence Hall of Science | 12. Harriet and me in shadow at Clam Beach, 2007 |
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| 13. Harriet and me at Crescent City, 2007 |
Slinky Malinky: 08/28/07
Judy and Charlie brought back a small pile of adorable children's book from their recent trip abroad. Slinky Malinky is one of those books.
Slinky Malinky is a cat who likes to steal things. Slinky goes out at night, finds things and brings them home. One night, though, Slinky gets too carried away and ends up with more things than he can handle. This adorably written and illustrated book by Lynley Dodd chronicles Slinky's nighttime misadventures.
Birthday Wrap-up: 08/27/07
My birthday started out with many lovely ecards and birthday wishes from family and friends. My livejournal friends page had so many lovely birthday wishes.
Harriet chose to day to pull up to standing. She's still rather shy about her ability and needs lots of encouragement to stand when she's being watched. She seems to move more and take more chances when no one is watching (or when she thinks no one is watching). All of the practice standing, though, wore her out and she was ready for her naps earlier than usual.
After a busy day at work, Harriet and I had to pick up Ian from BART. He had to be in to Berkeley early because today was "moving day." To get there in time, he rode the bus down to BART at 7:30. He wanted to be sure he kept his old desk. He did keep his desk and also managed to snag a more comfortable chair.
Once I had picked up Ian and we had then picked up Sean, we headed out to Chevy's for dinner. We had a nice dinner. Sean and Ian switched sides to put Harriet on the opposite end of the table, allowing me the chance to get fajitas without having to worry about Harriet burning herself. Yay!
Then we went home and it was time for presents. Sean and Ian had gotten me two more Discworld books: Jingo and Night Watch. We already have Fifth Elephant so I have plenty more fun things to read.
We finished off the day by playing Mario Party (Sean and me). I had a rare win; I usually come in last. Then we had mint and chip ice cream. After that it was time to say good night to Sean. So that was my birthday in a nut shell.
sarah | birthday
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Amara: 08/27/07
Amara was one of the first book rings I signed up for through BookCrossing. The ring got stalled or lost along the way, so I purchased my own copy. Finally after having the book sitting on my shelves, I've bothered to read the book. Frankly, I wish I hadn't.
Amara the rampaging, blood thirsty mummy has very little to do with the over all plot of the book, save for killing off a bunch of otherwise pointless characters late in the book. The bulk of the story is actually a bunch of poorly written, ill-conceived erotica. There's a house with a basement where kidnapped people (of both genders) are being raped through plastic barriers but the experience is so pleasurable that they actually enjoy their situation (um, yeah, sure) and there's an Egyptian Copt who is apparently God's gift to womankind. So in between the Copt's sexual exploits and the torture in the basement, the actual plot of the curator and her detective boyfriend tracking down Amara before she can kill again lumbers along.
Frankly the book bored me to tears. Erotica. just isn't my thing and the sex in this book seemed to be the only point. Of all of the books I've read this year, Amara is one of the worst.
Thirty-Four: 08/26/07
In half an hour we'll be officially halfway through the birthday season in this home. I am turning thirty-four. Sometime between this birthday and my next one, I will cross the point of having spent more than half my life with my husband. We met when I was seventeen going on eighteen. I'll have to wait until I turn forty-two to have been married to Ian for more than half my life.
Ten years ago I was eagerly awaiting turning twenty-five so I could rent whatever car I wanted to. In the last ten years, I've only rented one car (Ian usually takes care of the car rentals) and that was to have a car to drive to the worst job I've ever had after being rear-ended by two cars on the interchange between the 110 and 10 freeways in Los Angeles.
Five years ago I was a new mother to a then infant Sean. I was still in those harrowing first couple of weeks where I wasn't sure if I would ever sleep again or ever bond with my son. I was also about the come to the realization that Vicadin does bad things to my mental health.
Last year, of course, I was one week away from welcoming Harriet into the family. I was sore and sleep deprived from sciatica and the heat. This year my birthday is taking second stage to Sean and Harriet's birthdays (as it should). I know Ian and Sean have a few things planned for me and that's nice to know. More on the birthday tomorrow night.
sarah | birthday
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Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy: 08/26/07
Judy and Charlie brought back a small pile of adorable children's book from their recent trip abroad. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy is one of those books.
Hairy Maclary is a dog who likes to go on walks about town. He takes along his canine friends from around the village. The story is told in rhyme and is quite a tongue twister in parts. The story also ends in a way that ties this book together with another of the ones Sean was given: Scarface Claw.
The book has joyful illustrations. Each dog is a cute and individual character. They all look very happy but still are very much dogs.
childrens | books | lynley dodd
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The Ebony Tower: 08/25/07
I'm on schedule to finish Sixteen Short Novels in time for September's BookCrossing meeting. My most recent read was "The Ebony Tower" by John Fowles.
"The Ebony Tower" returns to the theme of mentorship, telling another version a meeting with a roll model. In this case, it's a meeting of artists. David Williams, a frustrated artist detours from his holiday with his wife to interview the cantankerous Henry Breasley who lives in seclusion with two beautiful former art students: Diana (the Mouse) and Anne (the Freak). David spends the weekend being lectured on morality, sexuality and modern art. He is tempted to join this hedonistic lifestyle in the wilderness but does end up returning to his wife saying that he "survived."
The story captures the culture class of the fifties and the seventies, at a time when things were becoming more informal but the era of free love was waxing.
sixteen short novels | books | bookcrossing | fiction
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The Happy Prince: 08/24/07
The version of The Happy Prince and Other Stories I read is a Penguin 60s and only has half the stories of the original collection: "The Happy Prince", "The Young King", "The Devoted Friend" and "The Model Millionaire." The longer collection also includes: "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Remarkable Rocket", "The Birthday of the Infanta", "The Star-Child" and "The Fisherman and His Soul." As I have not read these stories, my review won't include them except to say, I'm glad I read a short version because the four I read were pretty tedious reading.
I have read other Oscar Wilde works and have enjoyed them for their wit and humor but these stories that are something between a fairy tale and a parable were rather dull reads. The only I really enjoyed was "The Model Millionaire" which I'm sure was originally from a different short story collection. The Model Millionaire, while it contains a lesson like the other three, is still aimed at an adult audience and the moral comes in a true shaggy-dog story fashion.
The other three seem to be about the importance of self sacrifice and the futility of doing good works but they are told in such a heavy handed fashion that I wanted to toss the thin book across the room on a number of occasions. As the book is only 60 pages long, I decided to persevere and finish the damn thing before I tossed it.
fiction | books | classics challenge | oscar wilde
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Find Anthony Ant: 08/24/07
Find Anthony Ant
was a birthday gift for Sean from his maternal grandmother. It is like the Where's Waldo books but aimed at a younger reading audience. The pictures while complex enough to be entertaining and interesting, are still simple enough for young children to find Anthony Ant relatively easily.
For slightly older readers, each illustration that stretches across the facing pages includes a maze. There are also other characters to find on each of these pages too.
Sean has enjoyed the book so much that he has taken it to school to share with his friends during Circle Time.
My First Pets Board Book: 08/23/07
Harriet picked out My First Pets Board Book on a recent trip to a book store. She likes the different photographs of animals, especially the pages with the cats and kittens.
As with most DK board books, My First Pets... relies on excellent photographic illustrations. This book is more interesting than the "Touch and Feel" series of books. It starts off like the My First ABC Board Book with pages of labeled photographs relating to differing animals. Then it goes onto discuss the different things animals eat, what they look like up close and ends with a counting exercise. Harriet loves the variety.
Booking Through Thursday: Indoctrination: 08/23/07
Booking Through Thursday
Using a suggestion from Erin today:
When growing up did your family share your love of books? If so, did one person get you into reading? And, do you have any family-oriented memories with books and reading? (Family trips to bookstore, reading the same book as a sibling or parent, etc.)
Both my parents like to read though neither reads as voraciously as I do. The times I most remember all of us reading together are during our summer vacations, especially when were going by RV or were camping. Those trips had lots of time for reading.
I certainly was never discouraged by them about my reading, although I was a late lover of books compared to some of my fellow book lovers. i didn't really get into reading until I was in 7th or 8th grade. Then things just sort of clicked and I've been addicted ever since.
The Truth: 08/22/07
The Truth is the last of the Terry Pratchett books I'm reading for my Beach Blanket Bonanza challenge, although I do now have a copy of Feet of Clay on my TBR pile. I have to say that my summer reading has renewed my interest in Pratchett's Discworld books.
The Truth like the other two books I've recently read, takes place in Ankh-Moorpork. The Watch are present but only on the sidelines. They are trying to hold the city together while the Patrician stands accused of murdering a member of his staff.
The main focus of the story though, is on a local wordsmith, William de Worde who is Ankh-Moorpork's local bard turned newspaper reporter. He and some industrious Dwarves and an overly enthusiastic vampire photographer have found a way of turning lead into gold: the hard way. They have invented the printing press and they are going head-to-head with Commander Vimes to get to the truth behind the Patrician's alleged crime.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the newspaper and the trouble they had gaining legitimacy. I found the mystery part of the book took too long to get off the ground compared to the fast-pacing of Men at Arms.
Read the reviwe at Rhinoa's Ramblings.
beach blanket bonanza | books | scifi | terry pratchett
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#20: Five Years of Sean in 13 Photographs: 08/22/07
My son recently had his 5th birthday. In honor of the big day, here are some photographs of him over the years.
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| 1. Newborn | 2. First tooth |
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| 3. First birthday | 4. First favorite book: Tails. |
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| 5. 2nd birthday. | 6. Reading a book together. |
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| 7. 3rd birthday | 8. Playing video games |
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| 9. 4th birthday | 10. Reading to Harriet |
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| 11. Being silly at breakfast. | 12. On vacation in Santa Barbara |
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| 13. 5th birhday |
Five Years Old: 08/21/07
Yesterday we celebrated Sean's fifth birthday. His school allows birthday cakes so we got two Boston creams with fresh strawberries on top. That was enough for the entire school to enjoy Sean's birthday. We also had to put together a photographic record of Sean's life for him to share with his class during circle time. Sean had also found his old baby memory book from his first day care and took that to share. At the start of the party the birthday boy or girl walks around the sun to symbolize aging by another year. Sean was really looking forward to his chance to go around the sun.
Being his birthday, he was up and bouncing around the house at 7:30 while I was settling into my morning work routine. Usually I have the upstairs to myself until about 8 but not yesterday!
After school we took Sean out to dinner. While service was a little less than par, the food was still good and we had a nice time. Sean's choice for dinner was the Baker's Square near his school in Castro Valley. They've been watching him grow since he wasn't much older than Harriet.
Then we went home for presents. Sean had two lovely cards from his grandma Val and his great-grandpa Eddie. Tonight Sean used his gift money from great-grandpa to buy his first ever set of school supplies (he's really excited about kindergarten starting in September). We got Sean two books: one about flowers since he's such an enthusiastic gardener and one about the solar system. The solar system book is also a series of puzzles that fit into the book. These are Sean's first jigsaw puzzles and are an instant hit. Also he got two more Pokémon DVDs from fist season and a whole bunch of new socks.
sean | milestones | birthday
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Marine Life: 08/21/07
Marine Life is a book Sean borrowed from school. It is a beautiful pictorial catalogue of different types of sea life in the fashion of the DK books, but by a different publisher.
The book doesn't offer any sort of explanation of the different ocean environments but the illustrations are so beautiful that it's a good starting point for discussing marine biology.
I think Marine Life is part of a series of illustrated books but I haven't seen any of the others in the series. Were I to come across others, I would like to read them with Sean.
Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats: 08/21/07
Judy and Charlie brought back a small pile of adorable children's book from their recent trip abroad. Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats is one of those books.
Mrs. McTats reminds me of my grandmother who was always bringing home strays. Mrs. McTats, though, is collecting a new cat a day. She starts with her one cat and soon finds herself with 24 others. Each cat gets a name starting with another letter in the alphabet adding to the fun of the book.
What makes this story so charming, though, are the illustrations by Joan Rankin. They are charming water colors and each animal has a distinct personality. The illustrations compliment the fancy names Mrs. McTats gives her new pets.
But wait -- there are 26 letters in the alphabet! What about Z? Z is a dog.
childrens | books | joan rankin | alyssa satin capucilli
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Rowing to Latitude: 08/20/07
Some of the best books I've ever read have just fallen into my lap. Rowing to Latitude is one of those books. It was part of a book box of library rescues I took from another Bookcrosser last year. After sitting on my shelf for a year, I finally read it for the Armchair Traveler Challenge.
Rowing to Latitude chronicles a number of kayaking trips that Jill Fredston took with her husband, Doug. When they aren't kayaking, Jill and Doug work as avalanche experts in Alaska. Most of the the trips described are along the Alaska coast or along rivers that end in the Arctic Circle. The final chapters of the book cover their trips around Greenland.
I enjoyed the Alaska and Canada trips the most as they describe areas I am familiar with either through direct experience or through reading and correspondence with friends.
Fredston writes vividly, involving all the senses. Full color photographs included in the middle of the book verifies just how well she writes.
Who Said Boo? 08/20/07
Sean borrows the best books from school. One of his more recent checked-out books is Who Said Boo? by Anne Miranda and Ross Collins.
A little girl home early from tic-or-treating answers the door expecting to see kids wanting candy. Instead her house is invaded by a bunch of ghosts, ghouls and monsters. While she's startled by their eerie boos coming from throughout her home, she isn't scared. Why? Her house is already haunted!
The story of Halloween spirits trying and failing to haunt a home is really funny. Better yet are the illustrations and the fun of the different types of pages. Each page opens or unfolds in a different way. Young readers will probably accidentally rip the pages at the folds; it's an unfortunate side effect of the book being so creatively constructed.
Jennie Boo's Blogging Meme: 08/20/07
1. What do you enjoy MOST about blogging?
I enjoy being able to look back to see what I was reading and what the kids were up to. My blog is my diary. I used to keep a paper diary but I prefer the online version now.
2. Are you happy with your blog/website?
Yes because I built it myself.
3. Have you altered your blog template or does it display it's original settings?
I have changed my site many times over the last ten years. My blog isn't a template because I'm not using a blog site or blog software. Nonetheless, I have changed my site. You can use the Wayback Machine to get an idea of what it used to look like.
4. Do you post many pictures on your blog/website?
I have always posted artwork on my site but it's only since May 2006 that I have been posting a photograph with each and every blog post. I got a new camera and it's such a joy to use that now pictures are part of the blogging experience for me. Check out my Thursday Thirteen posts; I'm usually posting 13 photographs for them.
5. What made you decide to begin "blogging"?
I've had my website since August 1997 but I didn't start blogging until February 2004. Blogging didn't really exist when I first went online and then it became popular during a very stressful time of my life. It wasn't until my new job that I felt inspired to keep my website more up to date. Blogging was my motivation to keep the site current.
6. Do you make money with your blog?
I make a little bit of money from Amazon.com from my book reviews. It's enough to buy myself one book or one DVD every few months. I am not actively trying, though, to make money.
7. Do you post personal info on your blog?
If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know I do.
8. To your knowledge does your spouse and/or loved ones read your blog?
Yes. My entire family reads my blog (at least immediate relatives). I never post anything I wouldn't want any of my loved ones to read.
9. Where do you access your blog? (home, work, library, etc.)
I do my blogging from home on a little Mac iBook (see photo)
10. Have you ever posted a YouTube video on your blog/website?
Not on this main site. I've posted one or two YouTube videos on my livejournal site but that's it. I'm not that "into" YouTube.
11. Do you list the blogs/websites of friends/loved ones on your website?
Yes and no. I don't maintain a proper blog roll but I do have some links to some friends and family. Most of my family doesn't blog.
12. On average, how many comments do your posts receive? Most? Least (if not 0)?
I've only been taking comments for a few months now. My Thursday Thirteens generate the most comments but I get the most compliments on my book reviews.
13. Is your blog a creative outlet? A soapbox? A record of your life for future generations? All of the above?
Yes, no, yes. It's been a creative outlet since 1997. I am a professional web designer / producer, so it is also my lab for learning new skills. I don't use it as a soapbox but I do use it as a diary.
14. What is the one thing you would change about your blog/website?
I don't know. I am actually pretty happy with it. I have toyed with selling advertising and doing some paid posting but so far I haven't found a site I'm happy with to make the next move.
15. Would you like me to post an entry later displaying your blog/website address? If so, tell me and leave me a link to your place in a later post.
Sure!
Pikmin for Halloween: 08/19/07
Last Halloween I blogged that Sean wanted to be Batman this year. Shortly thereafter (by Thanksgiving, I think), Sean had changed his mind. He decided instead that he wanted to be a purple pikmin with a pink bud. I told him to wait until his 5th birthday to make up his mind. By then I would have a better idea of what size his costume would need to be.
Now that his birthday is tomorrow, Sean has been once again reminding me about his plans to be a purple pikmin. Last week I ordered purple sweat pants and I know of a place to get a purple hoodie. That will take care of the bulk of the costume.
Today Sean and I went to Michaels to get Spiderman cake decorations for his school party tomorrow. We also picked up felt for me to make the bud and the little purple spikes that stick out of the purple pikmin's head.
I've also decided to make Harriet's costume. I plan to dress her in a white onesie and then make a pink flower head band for her so that she can be a white pikmin. White pikmin are noticeably smaller than the purple ones in the game.
halloween | pikmin | sean | harriet
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Marker: 08/19/07
Marker is the last of the Robin Cook books I read for the Medical Mystery Madness challenge. It was also a disappointment, thought not as much as Chromosome 6 and Abduction.
The book suffers from a slow and predictable plot with a ridiculous motivation for the villains behind the mysterious deaths. The cause of the deaths was easy to figure out and frankly better done in a more entertaining fashion in "The Curse of the King Kamehameha Club" (Magnum P. I. season 1, February 18, 1981). Both versions have mysterious deaths by heart failure of otherwise healthy people and a rivalry over property motivating the deaths. But one has tropical camp and the other is just an otherwise dry and uncreative medical thriller that fails to thrill.
Fortunately now I have managed to read through my back log of Robin Cook novels. I have released them through BookCrossing and can use the free shelf space for more interesting books.
medical mystery madness | books | robin cook | magnum pi
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The Outsider: 08/19/07
Don't let the cover art of this reprint fool you. The Outsider was a year or so before it became the Roswell TV series. So while the cover has the actors, the way the characters are described in the book is very different. But for fans of the show, there are enough similarities to make for a quick and entertaining read.
The Outsider introduces the characters, the town or Roswell and the premise of teenage aliens living among us much in the way that the pilot did for the series. Max is forced to reveal his powers to save the girl he's had a secret crush on for ages. She in turn must decide whether or not to protect his secret.
Liz's acceptance of Max takes longer in The Outsider than I remember it taking in the pilot. Her reasons for distrusting him posted some interesting ethical questions. Powers that can heal can also kill and Liz must decide whether she can trust Max.
scifi | books | melinda metz | roswell
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How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? 08/17/07
The How Do Dinosaurs... series of books by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague are popular at Sean's school. We have two at home, How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? and our most recent purchase How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?
Mark Teague's illustrations are reminiscent of 1930s and 1940s commercial art (think Saturday Evening Post) giving the book a wonderful visual authority and playfulness. Here are dinosaurs acting like preschoolers while their baffled and horrified human parents try their best to raise polite dinosaurs.
My favorite page has a dinosaur who glares at his food refusing to eat what is on his plate. It reminds me so much of Sean at his most stubborn. He and I have gone head to head over what and how much he should eat at many a meal. Sean's favorite is the dinosaur throwing his spaghetti in the air because it reminds him of Harriet who throws her food when she's done eating.
sean | books | jane yolen | mark teague
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Books Received: 08/17/07
Earlier this year I decided it was time to figure out just how many books we have. The easiest way to do it was to pull the relevant info off my BookCrossing shelf.
I know there is a widget for Firefox that can tell me exactly how many books I have and BookCrossing is beta testing an option on the site to do the same thing. But I wanted more information that either option could provide. I wanted a way to track the flow of books in and out by date. I also wanted to learn SQL and what better way?
With close to 4000 records and no easy way to get the date received for a book (it's not one of the sorting options on BookCrossing), I had to click on each and every book on my shelf. It's taken me a number of months doing it whenever I had the time to spare. At last I'm done with the initial data entry. Now I just have to clean up any duplicates and then start to put in the release dates for books I've released from 2003 through 2006. My data for 2007 is current.
So far I have graph that shows the books received over the last four and half years:
The data for 2004 and 2005 spikes because those were the years when I was actively registering all of my books (including books I have no intention of releasing). I've been thinking of doing a book database for a long time! Years 2003, 2006 and 2007 have some personal collection registrations but are a far better sampling of actual book acquisitions.
bookcrossing | btc | sql | books
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Booking Through Thursday: Monogamy: 08/16/07
Booking Through Thursday
One book at a time? Or more than one? If more, are they different types/genres? Or similar? (We're talking recreational reading, here�books for work or school don't really count since they�re not optional.)
Yes and no. I typically have at a minimum, three books going: the main one I'm reading, the one in the bathroom I read while my daughter is bathing, and one by my bed. Within the last year, though, I've changed my approach to reading. I've found I'm faster at reading if I do a speed read first to get the gist of a book and then just before I am ready to write a review on my blog, I go back and do a slower and more thorough read.
If I count all the books I've skimmed but haven't reviewed yet: I am currently reading eleven books. Nonetheless, today I am only actively paying attention to three books:
Last Exit to Brooklyn: 08/15/07
Last Exit to Brooklyn is one of those infamous books that caused an uproar when it was first published and is now kept in print for its historical merits.
Curious about the book, I got a copy through BookCrossing about 2 years ago and I have finally gotten around to reading it. While it's classified as a novel, it's really more accurately six short stories tied together by location and characters. The stories are all written in free flowing dialect that ignores conventional spelling and grammar. Topics covered include: alcoholism, homosexuality, homophobia, transsexual identity, poverty, gang rape and life in the projects.
For all difficult subjects, coarse language and grammarless writing, the book is actually a quick read. It took me about twenty pages to fall into the rhythm of the stories. The stories compare most to the modern day blog rant. In fact, the similarities with the modern blog spoiled some of the book's charm for me and I began to wonder how well it would translate into LOLCAT.
Barbie Holiday Songs: 08/15/07
When Sean was two he came from his day care carrying a pink music box covered with winter holiday icons. Each one played a recognizable carol or song. He was completely addicted to the silly box. The day care provider asked Sean to give the box back as it was actually part of a book: Barbie Holiday Songs but the music box had fallen off the book.
I gritted my teeth when I heard it was a Barbie book. I'm not a fan of Barbie and being a girl, I've done my share of playing with them to keep other friends happy as a child. I did not want to discourage him because of my own dislikes when there was nothing wrong with a bright pink book about sentimental holiday traditions. I don't believe that girls and boys are fundamentally different (beyond the obvious differences in anatomy). So if Sean wanted a copy of the book, I would find him a copy of the book.
It took some doing. The book was published in 1999 and this was 2004. It was long out of print and I wasn't even completely sure of the title. I did finally locate a copy. The book was an instant hit with Sean and for months we had to sing all the songs in the book before he went to bed. All these years later, it remains one his favorite books. Always around summertime he brings out the book and we have to read the story and sing the songs.
Each page is a photograph of Barbie and Stacy. I do like the sets they're posed in for the miniature work. The story too is rather sweet so I can see its appeal. After three years and scores of readings, I'm warming to the book.
#19: Thirteen Good Books: 08/15/07
These are 13 books I have enjoyed reading in the first half of this year. Click on the titles to read my reviews.
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| 1. Anything Considered by Peter Mayle | 2. Black's Beach Shuffle by Corey Lynn Fayman |
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| 3. Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier | 4. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett |
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| 5. Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen | 6. The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips |
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| 7. The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook | 8. Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene. |
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| 9. Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox | 10. Mind the Gaffe by R. L. Trask |
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| 11. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson | 12. 100 Words Per Minute by Adina Sara |
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| (Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai |
When the Wind Blows: 08/14/07
I picked up a copy of When the Wind Blows at one of the recent BookCrossing meetings. I haven't read any of Patterson's books but the book came recommended. I think for now it will be my last of this author's books for now.
The book was easy enough read with short chapters and an easy to follow plot but the premise was too ridiculous and the characters were less well drawn than the average superhero cartoon. Max in how she was described reminded me of Tara from Teen Titans (the animated version, not the comic) with all the same faults: amazing power, abysmal self esteem.
There are no surprises in this book except perhaps that Max can lay eggs (but um, eew!) The rest of the plot plods along for 400 pages or so with with a predictable and unsatisfying end.
bookcrossing | books | james patterson
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Buzz: 08/13/07
Buzz is one of the books we got at Chaucer's books on our trip last month to Santa Barbara. It is a wonderful introduction to arthropods. It's designed for ages 4 to 8 but the photography and layout of each page makes it interesting enough to read as an adult. Be prepared to spend some time with the book as it has 144 pages.
The book though isn't just a light weight text book about all things arthropod. It also contains games (some that require scanning and printing first) and recipes. Buzz has one of the most convincing arguments for eating bugs that I've ever read: crabs, lobsters and shrimp are arthropods too. That's right, crickets taste like crustaceans! It's no different than reptiles tasting like chicken.
Buzz doesn't advocate just going out and harvesting a bunch of garden bugs for eating. Like mushrooms, many arthropods are poisonous. The book, does, however, give pointers on where to get edible ones.
In reading this book I learned about: arthropod anatomy, how to cook them, how to tell butterflies from moths, the different classifications by wing type and different larval types.
Hello Kitty: 08/12/07
Today while reading my LiveJournal friends page, Sean saw that one of my friends was using a Hello Kitty icon. He was instantly smitten with Hello Kitty and we spent the next hour or so at the Sanrio website.
The site has some cute flash things to play with. There's a place to make printable artwork. Sean and I made and printed art from all six choices and if there had been more we would have done them too. Sean and Ian later wrote a story to go with the illustrations which we'll bind together later to make into a story book.
There is also a place to do jigsaw puzzles. First I had to do all of them and then Sean had to do all of them. Again, if there had been more than ten puzzles, we would have done more. He was completely sucked in.
While we didn't buy anything from the site, I know there are a couple of Sanrio stores in our local malls. I'm sure we'll be heading over to one of them sometime in the future, especially with his birthday coming up and / or the holidays.
sean | hello kitty
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Black's Beach Shuffle: 08/12/07
Back in May when I read Breeni's review of Black's Beach Shuffle, I knew it was a book I would love. Before I had a chance to buy a copy for myself, she RABCKed me her copy. Now having read (and loved!) the book, I will buying a second copy for my best friend for her birthday and possibly one for my personal collection. Breeni's copy is now on its way to Australia to another BookCrosser.
Black's Beach Shuffle is the great San Diegan novel. The title itself tells anyone who's been to San Diego (or grown up there, like I did) what to expect. Black's Beach is as the author puts it "a clothing optional" beach and that's putting it politely. Looking at the cover art with all the computers one can guess that the high tech sector of the "Golden Triangle" and the industrial parks behind UCSD (also near Black's Beach) will play a part in the book. In a nutshell, Black's Beach Shuffle is a mystery involving a post dot-com bubble start-up being investigated by a P. I. who is also in a band.
The description of EyeBitz.com was so much like some actually sketchy dot-com's I've worked for that I figured out their part of the mystery but there was still enough left to keep me guessing and reading.
The best part though are the descriptions of San Diego. The locations are correct, the culture is there (including the love/hate relationship with the Padres). Rolly, the protagonist, lives within spitting distance of my best friend. This 180 page mystery was a quick trip home and I stayed up past my bed time to finish it. Black's Beach Shuffle is one of the most entertaining books I've read so far this year.
mystery | books | san diego
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My Friend Mac: 08/12/07
Clueless, negligent or absent parents are one of the cliches of children's fiction that annoys me especially when it serves no point beyond giving the protagonist carte blanche to run willy-nilly and get into mishaps (excuse me, have adventures). My Friend Mac is one of those books that falls into the trap for the soul purpose of uniting a young boy with a young moose.
Ultimately the story is supposed to be about responsibility, life lessons and growing up but it's done in a ham fisted way. Baptiste, the protagonist, eager to have a friend of his own and fueled by his father's stories of a best friend named Mac, wanders far into the forest and adopts a moose calf.
Any sensible parent at this point in to plot would either tell young Baptiste that he can't have a moose as a pet or if they did say yes (as these parents do), set some ground rules for how the moose should be cared for. These parents don't; instead they the moose grow up in the house causing havoc with everything until ultimately the moose becomes an adult bull and leaves of his own accord to find more of his kind.
It's only after the bull Mac nearly kills Baptiste that the parents start to listen to the real reason behind their son's desire for a moose friend. Baptiste is lonely and bored living with his parents out in the middle of no where. So in the end, Baptiste gets to go to school and finds a human friend named Mac. Oh joy.
The one nice thing I can say about My Friend Mac is about the illustrations. They are very well drawn and a good introduction to how moose change as they grow.
Why Photoshop? 08/11/07
I've had a few comments about Illustrator versus Photoshop and people wondering why I more often than not use Photoshop even though Illustrator is more suited for my style of drawing. I agree; my drawings do look like vector art and would be better served by Illustrator (or another vector-based program). But, the tools are only as good as the person using them. I am more comfortable with Photoshop.
I've been using Photoshop since 1995 (version 3 which came on diskettes). As the program has grown so have my skills but I would never claim to be an expert! Lesson number 1 during my multimedia class at UCLA was to never claim expertise because the program is constantly being updated and there will always be someone better at or someone who can do something completely different with the program.
Photoshop has also become the program that most of the web design teams I've worked for use for creating graphics for the web. Designers and artists who work for creating print graphics or Flash tend to work in Illustrator. Even when graphic designers and web designers work on the same team there doesn't seem to be much sharing of skill sets. So in ten years, I've learned painfully little about Illustrator beyond what I've managed to figure out on my own trial and error.
When I am drawing, I am usually drawing for fun. It's a nice way to relax after a busy day and to clear the mind. As I am striving to relax, I don't want to be stressing over trying to get a certain effect or look in a program I'm still a novice at. So instead, I more often than not, default to Photoshop except for times when I specifically need to do something that is easier for me to accomplish in Illustrator.
art | photoshop | illustrator
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Don't Look Now: 08/11/07
Don't Look Now (also published as Not After Midnight) is a compilation of five short stories by Daphne du Maurier. I read the book for the Classics Challenge. It's my first completed book in the challenge as I'd completely forgotten that the challenge had started in July!
Don't Look Now: The book starts of strongly with a perfect mixture of humor, horror and irony. I can see why Hitchcock liked to use du Maurier's works for his movies. A husband and wife recovering from the recent death of their daughter have gone on a well needed holiday to Italy while their remaining child is away at school. A brief joking encounter with a pair of elderly sisters leads the couple into a nightmarish finish to their trip.
One of the sisters claims to be psychic. She says their little girl is with them always and wants to protect them. Here though is where the story picks up pace and I dare not say more to spoil an excellent ending. The ending though had an excellent pay-off that made me feel both sorry for the main characters and had me laughing.
The Breakthrough: This story mixes the occult with science. A young man and self proclaimed loner takes on a new job at what he thinks is a small military installation. While there he witnesses some bizarre medical experiments. While it was fun to read, it didn't hit with the same sort of punch as "Don't Look Now." The ending left me wanting more.
Not After Midnight: Of all the stories this was my second favorite. It is told in an extended flashback as a confession from a man who suffered a nervous breakdown while on holiday in Greece. The ambiguous ending made the story for me: either the protagonist was cursed or guilt has gotten the best of him. Either ending is satisfactory. If I were a English or literature teacher, I would assign "Not After Midnight" for an essay assignment.
A Border-Line Case: This story reminded me of the Avenger's episode: "What the Butler Saw" mixed with the finale of Remington Steele ("Steeled with a Kiss") with a light dash of Puckoon for flavoring. The IRA bit of the story felt contrived as if the only reason to ever have a story set in Ireland is to have an IRA plot. This otherwise eccentric and fun story doesn't need to IRA piece to make it either interesting or entertaining.
The Way of the Cross: The book ends with a short story reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun without the murder or mayhem. Instead we have Robin who is in the same vein of character as Ramses (a proto-Ramses since this story was written in 1971) who hopes to witness the second coming of Christ. There are no twists in the plot or the humor of the earlier stories. It's just a dull bus strip through Jerusalem.
Over all I enjoyed this collection of short stories but the book would have been better without the final story. It was a nice way to start of my participation in the Classics Challenge.
Read the review at Book-a-Rama.
Ask Mr. Bear: 08/09/07
Ask Mr. Bear is another of the old children's book I found last month. As with Mr. Pingle and Mr. Buttonhouse, I was drawn to the book for its illustrations. In this case, the author, Marjorie Flack also illustrated the book.
The book published during the Depression, follows a young boy on a quest for a birthday present for his mother. As with so many children's books, the boy goes from farm animal to farm animal asking advice from each. When each suggests a gift that they can give and that his mother already has, he moves on to the next.
At last though he is out of farm animals and strikes out on his own into the forest to seek the advice of Mr. Bear. When the boy headed into the mountain, I began to grin, finally remembering reading this story to my brother when we were children. The gist of the story is that it's the thought that counts and that showing love is sometimes the most important gift a person can give.
Ask Mr. Bear is another book I plan to keep to read to my children and to myself.
Booking Through Thursday: Multiples: 08/09/07
Booking Through Thursday
Do you have multiple copies of any of your books?
If so, why? Absent-mindedness? You love them that much? First Editions for the shelf, but paperbacks to read?
If not, why not? Not enough space? Not enough money? Too sensible to do something so foolish?
Yes I have some duplicates on my shelves and for all of the reasons listed in the question.
Except for duplicates that I have actually gotten on purpose, I am trying to get a better idea of which titles I have and just how many copies I have. I'm doing this through a combined effort of BookCrossing and my own home-brew Book Traffic Control database.
Green Skirt: 08/08/07
I started drawing when I was 18 months old. As a younger artist I spent my efforts on trying to draw an entire person. It didn't always work but I tried, often drawing a dozen different people over the course of an evening. I drew people from catalogues (Sears, JC Penny's), film history books (my father's), and out of my imagination (something I still struggle with).
When I am drawing an entire person I often find myself getting lost in the details. Since moving onto Photoshop and Illustrator for most of my drawings (although I do still sometimes draw by hand), I've found the process of drawing full portraits awkward and time consuming. Part of the problem is one of handedness; I'm left handed but I mouse (and therefore draw) right handed. The other problem is one of technology. For the last couple of years I've been doing my drawings on a small iBook with only 1024x768 resolution and a track pad. I could use a mouse but since I'm usually drawing with the machine on my lap, there really isn't room for a mouse.
So a small screen, and a less than ideal set up for ornate drawing, has forced me concentrate on a quick illustrative style. Rather than trying to draw an entire person, I now focus on a piece. A favorite subject of mine are feet. Feet look simple but are tricky. I like the challenge even if the results aren't always what I'm hoping for.
drawing | art | photoshop | illustration
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Men at Arms: 08/08/07
Men at Arms is the second book I've read for the Beach Blanket Bonanza. My husband (whom I originally introduced to Pratchett's books) has been selecting the best of the Discworld books for me to read and I have been enjoying these reading "assignments" thoroughly.
Men at Arms is the next in the "Night Watch" group of books. Vimes is on the eve of his retirement from the watch and about to get married. Meanwhile, bodies are showing up in Ankh-Morpork and a new weapon has been stolen. Carrot and a bunch of new recruits set out to solve the mystery and retrieve the weapon before all hell breaks loose.
In Men at Arms, Pratchett sets aside the puns (for the most part) to work on world building and fleshing out his characters. Ankh-Morpork begins to feel like a believable working (as well as it ever does) city. Carrot grows as a character and is rapidly becoming one of my favorites (but then everyone likes Carrot).
Best of all, there is an honest to goodness mystery (and hence plot) in Men at Arms. It was one of the best mysteries I've read this year with enough clues to get me close to solving it but still tricky enough for some surprises.
beach blanket bonanza | books | terry pratchett | mystery
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#18: Thirteen Photos from Preschool Graduation: 08/08/07
These are photographs we took during Sean's preschool graduation.
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| 1. Trying to get his cap to stay on. | 2. Still trying |
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| 3. And trying some more... | 4. It's on temporarily. |
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| 5. Harriet sitting on my lap. | 6. Harriet |
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| 7. Balloons | 8. Ian and Harriet |
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| 9. The principal's daughter as MC | 10. The younger class lines up |
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| 11. Sean and the rest of his class line up. | 12. Diploma time (and no cap) |
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| Sean and his grandparents get lunch after the ceremony. |
Reading Group: 08/07/07
Now that Sean is becoming a more confident reader, he has started to read to Harriet on a semi-regular basis. Harriet adores books and loves being read to. Having her big brother read to her is better than anything.
Besides reading more at home both to himself and to Harriet, Sean has started taking a favorite book to school every day. Today I learned that Sean has started his own reading group. After the entire class is read to, he and his friends break off into their own group and he reads his book to them.
When Sean first started doing his own reading group it was disruptive to the class but he and his teacher have reached a compromise. Sean must sit through one story for the whole class before going off to the corner with his own group. Yay for flexible teaching and for Sean being able to read!
sean | books | harriet | school
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The Ghost Writer: 08/07/07
I won't get Sixteen Short Novels finished in time for the August BookCrossing meeting but I am on schedule to finish it by my five month goal of September.
"The Ghost Writer" when stripped bare is the same type of story as "The Lesson of the Master" where a young brilliant writer meets the older established "master" who inspired him to write in the first place. In the process of being disillusioned with his role model, he grows as a person and finds love.
What makes "The Ghost Writer" different is Philip Roth's unique mixture of autobiography and alternative history. This novella introduces Roth's alter ego: Nathan Zuckerman, a character who returns in further Roth stories. Zuckerman, the novice writer here, spends a night at his mentor's house and meets a young woman named Amy who claims to be Anne Frank.
Meanwhile, Zuckerman struggles with the demands of writing the great American story and the great Jewish story. Advice givers tell him that the two are mutually incompatible and his mentor offers no help beyond telling him to "turn words" around. While Zuckerman explores his options as a writer, his first person narrative hits on many of the cliches he's told to avoid: arguments over money, extra marital affairs, and so forth.
sixteen short novels | books | bookcrossing | fiction
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Mr. Pingle and Mr. Buttonhouse: 08/07/07
I was immediately taken by Paul Galdone's line drawing of Mr. Pingle and Mr. Buttonhouse on the cover and had to take the book home. The book is a thirty-two page exploration of long distance friendships. Pingle lives in a red house and Buttonhouse in a lemon colored one. They are 22 1/2 miles apart in a time and place where the only transportation options are the train or the river.
Pingle and Buttonhouse both decide to give the other a surprise visit. Pingle goes by train and Buttonhouse goes by boat. Both have misadventures on their journeys but it works out in the end thanks to the bonds of friendship.
I really like this book. I love Galdone's illustrations and MacGregor's simple story. This book is a keeper.
Cucumber Slices: 08/06/07
When I first started creating 3d models and rendering my own artwork, I concentrated on interior design inspired pieces. Part of that was a long time love of furniture and architecture (I even considered being an architect at one point in my life) and part of it was because I found furniture easy to create.
Now though, most of my 3D renders have been still lives, heavy on fruits, vegetables and flowers. I needed a change in my creative process. Furniture was getting boring. I've also started to become more familiar with fruits and vegetables from our almost weekly treks to the Farmers' Market and from cooking so many things now from scratch. I know what freshly grown food looks like: its colors and textures.
Finally too I am more confident as a modeler. Vertex modeling, though still not my strongest skill, is one where I have become comfortable enough to attempt more organically shaped models. I am also more confident in my skills as an artist, willing to focus in on details or dramatic lighting rather than always striving to make a render that proves I know what something looks like. These still lives aren't about making perfect models; they're about drama, shape, form, color and light.
digital art | still life | bryce | carrara
Anything Considered: 08/06/07
Recently Ian and I were talking about capers we enjoyed. We were mostly talking about films: A Fish Called Wanda, The Trouble with Harry, North by Northwest, A Shot in the Dark, The Thomas Crowne Affair (the remake more so than the original), Condorman and so forth. A good caper has lots of running around (though not necessary a la Keystone Cops), a bit of mystery or a theft, some romance and some humor.
Anything Considered by Peter Mayle fits the bill of a caper perfectly and is the first book caper I've read in ages. I had wanted to read Mayle's novels after reading two of his memoirs of living in France. They gave a hint of the humor that was probably present in his novels and Anything Considered verified my suspicions.
Things start simply enough for Bennett. He's broke and looking for a way to fix that problem without slinking back to England for the job he left. He puts an ad in the paper saying he's up for "anything considered" except marriage. When the ad nets him a job pretending to be a wealthy tax dodger in Monaco, he thinks he's died and gone to heaven. Unfortunately things quickly go pear-shaped for Bennett.
books | capers | peter mayle
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Sewing Aprons: 08/05/07
I like to help out with Sean's school when I can and especially when it is with something Sean likes to do. During the summer school months, Sean's class will be learning how to cook. Sean already knows a number of recipes so he's looking forward to learning some new ones at school.
Before class can begin, the school needs a few aprons. Since I have a bunch of fabric via Freecycle I knew I could easily have enough to make some aprons. Also an apron is a pretty simple thing so how hard could making a few possibly be? I also thought it would be a good project for my little sewing machine.
So on Friday I got a few things I needed to make the aprons, including the ribbon to use as the ties and the neck straps. Of course he and I were both out of our mind tired for one reason or another and by the time we got home with the diapers and the sewing stuff, the sewing stuff immediately got misplaced (under a chair in our bedroom).
By Saturday I was frantic trying to find the small bag of sewing stuff because I knew that if I couldn't get the sewing machine up and running (due to my own ignorance) then I would need the time to sew the things by hand. I also had to make a pattern based on a small photo Sithy had given me, find and wash appropriate material (stashed here, there and everywhere in our small home), cut the fabric and then of course size the pattern with Sean as my mannequin.
So without finding my little bag of goodies, I set with what I could accomplish. I started with the pattern. I drew it on an unfolded paper bag (the perfect size for kid's aprons, by the way) and found a variety of fabrics. After finding some floral things and some solid blues, I found some red checked material that was nicely gender neutral and in keeping with the schools colors (although yellow would have been perfect). I gave it a quick wash with color safe bleach to get the smell of being in storage out of the fabric. Once dried I started cutting the fabric.
Then came time to set up the sewing machine. It's a cute little thing and I'm sure very capable. Me, though, I'm not. Even after reading and rereading the instructions three times, I wasn't able to control the machine and ended up breaking my one and only needle. Fortunately though I have lots of practice with just a needle and thread. Since I was pressed for time, I didn't try to get a replacement needle to make the aprons on the sewing machine. I need to go to my local library and get an idiots guide to sewing machines with lots of big pictures before I venture on with mine.
Fortunately preschoolers and kindergartners are small and the aprons when hemmed are only 18 inches by 15 inches. So there just isn't much sewing to do. I quickly fell into a rhythm and had them hemmed last night before bed. Then I was stuck. I would either have to give up and get new ribbon today or find the ribbon.
As I was crawling into bed, having admitted defeat at finding the ribbon, I spotted the bag sitting under our reading chair (my old nursing chair) in our bedroom. Yay! So today after breakfast with Sean's help again, I got the straps and ties sewn on. My initial set of aprons will go to school tomorrow. I will see how the kids like them and make more if the school needs them.
sean | aprons | sewing
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The Elephant's Bathtub: 08/05/07
I picked up The Elephant's Bathtub because I knew Harriet would like the first story in the collection and because I like the jolly orange cover. I also have a thing about story collections for children. I have a acquired a number of them over the last two decades.
The book's secondary title is "Wonder Tales from the Far East" and certainly these stories do take place in that part of the world but the writing at times is rather dry. I don't know the dull writing is a result of the style requirements put on text books in the 1960s or from being watered down from the original public domain works listed in the front of the book.
The stories should be more captivating than they are since they involve far away places, legends, gods, talking animals, magic and other elements of fantasy and adventure. Unfortunately the language is so stilted and so carefully chosen to not be too hard to read or too confusing that the adventure is diluted right out the stories. Also they suffer from a heavy handed approach to making sure every story has some sort of moral at the end. Characters get what they deserve because of how they act. I could just about imagine the narrator saying at the end of each story: "See I told you so..."
Nonetheless, I did enjoy a few of the stories in this collection, including the title piece and I'm hoping as my children grow they might enjoy reading some of them too. For the moment I'm hanging onto The Elephant's Bathtub but I might BookCross it in the future.