What's up?

This is a bad time of year....figure skating started and I've started PT and there are all these bloody books lurking about....o, and I've been working on getting a van.

I love figure stating....probably because I can't stand up on shoes with blades or 4 wheels. I tried for puppies years but decided cement and and wood they using in roller rinks are hard on your butt so after 5 years, I decided to give it up! Then I went to join my dad in Germany where some friends took me to and ice skating rink. They convinced me that ice skating was way, way easier than roller skating. (14yo are so gullible!) So off we go with a friend on either side. Those skates seemed to have minds of there own! Next thing I knew they were crossed! I asked my friends what to do in such a situation. They let go of my and started laughing hysterically. Lesson: some friends are either big fat liers or don't know what they are talking about. Lesson: falling on ice is just as hard as wood or concrete do hurts the same BUT it is also very cold and wet. I don't remember how they got me off the ice but I can tell you that was a lesson learned quickly....my last attempt to try ice skating! It took me 3 years but I did finally manage to ride a 2 wheeler.

PT, what fun (sarcasm). It's early days so not much to show but I'm going.

I've figured it out. I borrow a Kindle to read to and from and while waiting for PT.  I have a paper back to read at home. Audio books are listened to at bed time. So far this is working well except I can't read and watch the skaters at the same time! AND then there are the book reviews I need to write (lots!!!) I haven't figured out exactly how fit in this later as it seems I am in a reading frenzy but not mush into sharing. It's not to worry, things will get figured out!

O, VAN! One other owner (paralyzed vet from first gulf war). He passed and his mother asked the people they got it from to sell it for her at a really reduced price. It's a 2002, White with grey interior. Power just about everything especially the lift which will lift me and chair up and in and lock us down. I hope to have it in about 2 weeks. Randy, sales guy, if off this week so it will have to be next week before we work out what little changes need to be made for me. So, hopefully I will have a van before Thanksgiving! Thanks to all who held good thoughts about me getting it!

Well, today was PT day and I am pooped! Later friends~

frugalcreativity.com

I stole this posting from Frugal Creativity. I know it is not nice to steal but you see 65 years ago I was born with this disability and I just thing she did a better job than I could do. So please read.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2010

October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month

I'm passing along this press release, just as I received it, to help raise awareness of Spina Bifida and ways to help prevent it.


Spina Bifida Association Launches New Program and Asks You to Educate Yourself and Loved Ones During Spina Bifida Awareness Month


Through Education SBA Hopes to Help More Families Learn About the Birth Defect 

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - October 1, 2010) - Did you know that birth defects occur in 7 out of every 10,000 live births in the U.S.? And Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect? In honor of October being Spina Bifida Awareness Month, the Spina Bifida Association is asking folks to take a few minutes today and get involved in the awareness month by educating loved ones.


The first question many have: What exactly is Spina Bifida? In short, Spina Bifida happens when the spinal column doesn't close completely.


And how many births each day are affected? Well, it's hard to believe, but eight births each day are affected by Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. If you think about it, there are currently over 65 million women in the U.S. who could become pregnant and each one of these ladies is at risk of having a baby born with Spina Bifida. So because Spina Bifida occurs during the first month of pregnancy (that's even before most women know they're pregnant!) it is that much more important to take proper precautions to help try to prevent it now.


Okay. So what type of precautions can help in prevention, you may wonder? Although at this time there is no known cause of Spina Bifida, research has shown that if a woman takes 400 mcg of folic acid every day and before she becomes pregnant, she reduces her risk of having a baby with Spina Bifida or another neural tube defect by as much as 70%! That fact is reason enough to encourage women (and men) to get out there this month and spread awareness.


Families with a history of Spina Bifida should take extra dosages of folic acid prior to pregnancy. Hear one mom's message: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qshRfegnGD4


And in honor of October's Spina Bifida Awareness Month, SBA will also be launching some great new online resources, including:

1. SB University (SBU) (http://www.sbuniversity.org/), a new online educational program featuring taped sessions from the 2010 National Conference as well as monthly live seminars conducted by Spina Bifida medical professionals from around the country. During Awareness Month, SBU will debut new sessions each Monday.
2. SBTween2Teen (http://www.sbtween2teen.org/) a new Web site for tweens and teens with Spina Bifida. Complete with blogs, videos, real stories, fact sheets, and an Ask the Expert feature, the interactive site helps tweens and teens navigate the difficult road to adulthood. There is even a social networking component run through Facebook, allowing tweens and teens to interact with one another and build peer-to-peer relationships!
3. Preparations, a new transition-focused Web site launching in late October allowing parents, caregivers, and clinicians to answer specific questions with regard to a child's developmental milestones. This tool can even help young adults remedy some transitional challenges.

For even more information, tips and resource, you may visit:http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/ And be sure to join the Spina Bifida Association on Facebook: www.facebook.com/spina.bifida.learn


The Spina Bifida Association (SBA) serves adults and children who live with the challenges of Spina Bifida. Since 1973, SBA has been the only national voluntary health agency solely dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with Spina Bifida and those whose lives are touched by this challenging birth defect. Its tools are education, advocacy, research, and service. Through its network ofchapters, SBA has a presence in more than 125 communities nationwide and touches thousands of people each year. For more information visit:www.spinabifidaassociation.org. Disclosure: I have not received any compensation in any form for sharing this information. Just trying to help spread the word!

POSTED BY MELISSA AT 12:16 PM

Top 10 Things that Annoy People who use Wheelchairs...but maybe shouldn't

Here's the official list of the

Top 10 Things that Annoy People who use Wheelchairs...

1.	Able-bodied people parking in accessible parking space	37%
2.	Accessible bathroom stalls being used by an able-bodied person	12%
3.	Talking over my head as if I'm not here	9%
4.	Continuing to insist on helping me after I've said no thanks	8.3%
5.	Congratulating me for things like going to the grocery store like it's worthy of an Olympic medal	6.1%
6.	Strangers asking what happened to me	5.7%
7.	Not inviting me to an event because you are protecting me from some frustration (let me figure it out)	5.3%
8.	Patting me on my head. Don't.	5.0%
9.	Holding on to the back of my chair so I can't move	4.4%
10.	Speaking slowly to me because I'm in a wheelchair	3.5%

Now that we have the Top 10 List, we just have to get people who are behaving badly to cut it out!

I don't agree with some of these so I thought I would comment on them one at a time.

1. Not all people who park in handicapped spots are in chairs but that does not mean they don't need them. For years I went without a chair or walker or even a cane. But then my body started hurting with distance. Finally a doc I was working for asked me where I was parking. He was most surprise I was using the regular parking that was a fur distance away. After a sever lecture we started the process to get my car a disabled sticker and a closer parking space.  About a year later a guy started to jump my case for illegal parking. After he ran down, I pointed out my handicapped licence plate and explained my problem with walking distances.  Moral: Not all people with disabilities use walking devices but still need close spaces. Look for stickers, licence plates, and tags that hang from the rear view mirror first.

2. I cut people a break on this one. They may be about to burst or have diarrhea. And if they don't go now they my mess themselves. Moral: it could have been a disabled person in there as well as an able bodied person. My problem with some bathrooms are architectural barriers that keep you from getting there. No joke, I have had to go back out to find someone to move a trash can so I can get to the disabled stall. And then there are the stalls that aren't big enough to get you and your chair in and be able to close the stall door.

3. This is one I have not run into often. I attribute it to ignorance and fear of what they don't know so ignore it and just speak right on up. But then I've dealt with my disability all my life ...also, I've always been the shortest person in all classes which is why I probably became such a big mouth. Moral: don't take offence from ignorant people. Just speak up and let them know you can talk for yourself.

4. Don't take it personally. If you watch you will see these 'helpful' people do the same thing for able bodied people. They want the sale and they have been trained that the most helpful get the biggest sales. I generally thank them for their offer, ask their name, and then say 'Mary, let me look around a bit and when I find something I need help with, I'll come and find you." Moral: don't take it personally.

5. This one used to bug the hell out of me until I realized they don't understand that the things we do and the way  we do them are 'normal' for us. Just like the same sorts of things are 'normal' for them. We all have to adapt to something. These people just don't think they could handle things if they were in our shoes. Moral: cut them a break, they fear they could do it if they were in the same conditions.

6. This is one I figured  out at a kid as they were the ones who generally asked (much to the horror of the parent with them). Here's what I figured out. If I can't talk about it, I have a problem. If they can ask it, I have the chance to educate someone. And if they can't handle the answer, they shouldn't have asked it in the first place.
(Sorry, I couldn't think of a moral for this one.)

7. Piffle! Talk to the person about it. They may have dealt with it before. If not, there's no time like the present! What a lot of people don't recognize is that most every place you go today has ways to accommodate us. You may need to call ahead to find out how but it can be done. One new years, we wanted to go to a swanky dinner in what was once a  very beautiful home. We called for reservations and explain my chair would not go up the stairs. No problem, they told us how to come through the kitchen. A wonder of sites and smells no one else got to experience that night. We might have stayed the night but there was no elevator to the second floor. Moral: most things are doable. It's rare to find a roadblock but everyone finds some sometimes.

8. Head patting it a sign of affection and being a shrimp all my life, I have had it a lot. I either ignore it (some of my friends are just like that) or growl and snap or ask where my cookie is. The soon get the idea and stop after we both laugh. The other alternative is to be honest and tell the person you really wish they would not do that as you are no longer a child of 6 and it really bugs you. Moral: it is OK to be honest about feelings.

9. Sorry, folks, I've never had this one happen. If I did, I would probably ask them if there is a danger I've missed and if not, LET GO. Moral: you may have to sit there but you don't have to take it!


10. This person is ignorant. Listen politely and then answer them at your normal speech. (Or if you are in west Texas, realize it is not you. They ALL talk that way.)

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lucy is the mom of 5, works on the small town newspaper, and is highly involved the school activities. After one the regular meeting of the group of 4 (moms who have been raising their kids and helping others for years) decide there is a need for a bake sale to help kids in need with school supplies, Lucy is sent off to round up the moms who used to bake. Problem: they are all into other things or have moved, are empty nesters, etc. Next meeting, it is decided it is time to involve the new moms that have moved into Lucy's neighborhood.

The meet and greet and bake sale planning is held at Lucy's house and all goes well. Next meeting is a taste and decide on the best products and who's going to make what and all the other details involve.

Comes the day of the bake sale and all the women schedule to work the first half of the day show up. Except for Mimi who works for the city and is a royal pain in the butt who reports everyone's slightest offences except her son's roaring motorcycle.

Lucy is sent off to find out what is going on as Mimi is also not answering her phone. What Lucy finds is burning cookies and smoke and Mimi slumped over the counter. As she goes to pull Mimi out the of the smoke filled house, she discovers Mimi's problem is not due to smoke inhalation but a carving knife embedded in her back.

Ah but that is not the only mystery in town. Someone is sending unsigned note to the paper about hazing of the JV football team and the cheerleaders (one of whom is Lucy's daughter). And then there is the tramp who shows up for Mimi's funeral only to show up dead himself.

While this is one of a series of books, don't worry, everything is nicely wrapped up (not who I thought 'did it'). There is an starter for the next book. BUT most importantly, there are some good recipes at the end that were referred to in the novel. You could jump to the end and start a batch and read while they are cooking unless you are one of those people who block things out while reading.

This is another that I would call a "cozy" mystery. So fix yourself a cuppa, curl up in your favorite chair, and enjoy yourself.

(This is an e'book I got for my Mac Kindle.)

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Oh, Hachette, I can't thank you enough  for letting me listen this book for you! I don't know why you have an abridged version of this book.. It is so beautifully written. The descriptions are so necessary for the settings and the people!

I can say Katie is new to a small rural town in North Carolina; that she is reserved and lovely and has moved into a small cottage in the 'boonies'. But that doesn't really describe her. It doesn't show her reservation or give you any feelings of something ominous in her past; that she may be running from something or why.

An abridged version might not build her slow friendship with her new neighbor, Jo, in the only other cabin near hers or her relationship with the grocery story owner and his 2 kids.

This is a cosy mystery. The start is gentle but the writing makes it worthwhile as we start to learn about Katie as she makes friends we learned to love. That gentle pace picks up as we learn who and why Katie is on the run  and we run with her to the end.

It was nice to take on a story that builds and builds and builds to a strong ending.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as DH and I!

The Red Church

The Red Church by Scott Nicholson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As most of my friends know, I am not a fan of the 'horror' genre. So why the heck would I read this one? I've been following Scott Nicholson's Kindle tour and as I read his postings, I found I liked them. While some were very lengthy, I didn't mind reading them because of the way he wrote. And then he wanted his fans to push his ebook sale of "The Red Church" up to the 100 mark. Well, I have Kindle on my Mac and 99 cents was a good price to help a friend....yes, I went to Amazon and got it.

I had just finished my last book and thought I would see what I had gotten for 99 cents. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have to finish it.

Next think I knew, it was time to go to bed. I had met 2 brothers, who while walking home from school had to pass the old red church (which like most from it's time, had a grave yard beside it). The younger brother (not knowing all the history of the church or ghost stories) saw something that drew his attention (a 'girly' magazine) and called his reluctant brother over to see the findings. Next thing you know, an almost dead person grab an ankle with causes much screaming as the ankle get unhooked and the boys race home to tell their parents of the gruesome happening!

The parents meanwhile are at home fighting. It seems a evangelical preacher from the area had left several years ago for California with the wife and a few other woman to start the Church of the Two Suns. The husband had 'rescued' her from them and brought her back to the mountains. But the preacher was back and the wife seemed to have come 'under his spell' again.

Two more strange deaths occur.

The church bell rings but how....there is no bell cord.

Yep. I was hooked. I finished it this morning.

There are ghosts and monsters terrible happenings but maybe because it is primarily told through the 13 year old big brother, it is not a gory as it might have been.

But I think my friends who lean that way will enjoy it as much as I did. 'Definitely right for this time of year~

View all my reviews

Agatha Christie Marathon

Ok, I know it looks like I've been off books. But it is not true! We have been listening to lots of shorts by Agatha Christie from Audible.com.

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Dramatised) 44:17
After the Funeral (Dramatised)    1:27:20
The Blood-Stained Pavement (Unabridged)    22:52       
Cards on the Table (Dramatised)  1:27:28     
Endless Night (Dramatised)    57:19     
The Golden Ball (Unabridged)   22:19     
The Gypsy (Dramatised)   27:46     
Hallowe'en Party (Dramatised)   1:27:39   
The Herb of Death (Unabridged)  30:48   
The Market Basing Mystery (Unabridged)  20:26   
The Plymouth Express (Unabridged)  30:23   
Sleeping Murder (Dramatised)    1:27:05  
The Thumb Mark of St. Peter (Unabridged)   28:43
The Tuesday Night Club (Unabridged)  27:34
The Wasp's Nest (Unabridged)  20:36

All but one we really enjoyed. "Endless Night" just didn't seem to match up as well as the others and I am sorry to say I can't tell you why. It wasn't bad, it just was not as good as the others.  But the prices were right for a wee splurge. 

The Bride Collector

I have to thank Libby of Libby's Library News for putting this book up as a giveaway and Hachette Audio for offering it to her!

When the audio arrived, I thought "Why don't we (DH and I) just listen to the first disc and see what we think. We can listen to the rest of it later (12 disc set)."

Well, that was Friday and this is Sunday and disc 12 has finished. What does that tell you? Yes, we did like it...a lot!

This is how Hachette described the book:
FBI Special agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he's picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted. 

It's there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person's life when she touches the dead body. 

In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise's help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most 'sane people' sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls...or inside.


There is more to the description than this but I am choosing stop here because that last sentence is a salient part of the book. Where is the line between sanity and insanity? Is the line clear? Blurred?

I think the book does well in delving into those questions as it takes you through a hunt with the help some wonderful characters!

I could not see this book abridged without significant loss.

John Glover does a superb narrating job!

Audio or paper version, I think mystery/suspense lovers will enjoy this book!

Cynthia Roberts answers a few questions

It's lovely when an author will take the time to answer a reader's questions. As Cynthia Roberts was nice enough to do so, I want to share them with you. 


Romance novels are easily set in any time or place. Why did you chose to set yours among Indians?
I chose to write an historical Indian romance because the first fiction I ever read was a novel from Cassie Edward’s Savage series. I read her entire sequel and since most of her books were mostly based on the Plains Indians, I wanted to focus on a tribe indigenous to my area. My series of 5 consists of the original tribes that made up the Iroquois League of Nations here on the East coast. 


Where did your love of Indians come from?
I've always had a fascination for Native Indian culture since as long as I can remember. I think it started back when I was a little girl and use to watch all the John Wayne movies with my dad. Even at such a young age I felt they was no justification as to how they were treated by our forefathers. As my passion for writing grew, so did my desire to portray them for who they really were. 


I've not done a lot of fact checking about your representation of the Indians of the time but it does seem to "ring true". Where does your information come from? How did you research it?
I spent hundreds of hours sitting upon uncomfortable wooden chairs at the state museum library handwriting notes on multiple legal pads as I researched their folklore, religion, language and culture. I personally feel that if I'm using a culture in one of writings and benefiting from it, it's important to pay tribute to the true essence of who they are as a people. For far too long Native Indians have been painted in a savage light and not the honorable, respectful and reverent individuals they truly were.


Will your next novel continue with the tribes of the north east?
Book #2, "Captive Heart", actually picks up where my female villain is banished to the tribe of the Oneida as punishment. The very fate she has mocked her entire adult life sends her on a dangerous journey that tests the very essence of who she is and the woman she secretly wishes to become.

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

While tooling around in ITunes, I came across a podcast of Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver that was narrated by Sir Ian McKellum. While I could listen to him read just about anything, I found myself intrigued with the story (as was DH).

The story came to a nice conclusion but I just could not let it go! I wanted to know more about what would happen to this young boy who lost his father and became linked to a wolf.

This is the summary from GoodReads:
Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks the land. According to legend, only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. Torak and Wolf are terrified of their mission. But if they do not battle to save their world, who will?

I gotta tell you, while this series may have been written for a young adult audience, this little old lady and DH enjoyed all 6 books as told by Sir Ian McKellum. Hardback or audible, if you too are young at heart, you might want to check this series out.

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My mom (91) recommended this book to me. I had already put it on my wish list but as she has good taste in books... When I found I had Audible.com credit and the book there, I went for it.

The joy of this audio version is hearing the voices of the our hero in his 90+ year old as well as in his 20s.

Just prior to taking his finals to become a vetranarian, his parents die leaving him nothing as it appears they spent everything they had to send him to a Cornell. After burying his parents, he returns to take his finals only to walk out on them and walks and walks until ultimately he ends up in the circus...not THE CIRCUS but 'the circus'. THE CIRCUS would be one you would know today. 'the circus' would be one of less known circuses of the depression era that did not survive.

Between the different time zones we learn of different love stories...human love, animal love, circus love as well as the evolusion of a man.

I am afraid to say much more for fear of giving away too much. So let me just say, my mom made a good recommendation which I think others will find equally enjoyable.

Wind Warrior by Cynthia Roberts

Cynthia Roberts

I love reading stories about Indians and have since probably since the 5th grade when I heard the legend of the blue bonnets. I searched our school library for more myths and legends and stories about people who could come up with such beautiful stories. When the book mobile came around, I checked every time! The pickings were slim. Most of what I have found has been about the plains Indians. And most was a sad history of mistreatment at the hands of the white man. But occasionally I found stories the before times of how they lived.

When I had the chance to win a copy of Wind Warrior, I jumped at the opportunity. When I was told I had actually won, I was ecstatic. It is the story of 2 people who have visions of one another. Leslie is a white woman who has lived through the lose of her beloved husband and child and is living with her cherished father in the wilderness. She is strong of mind, heart, and spirit. As a new horror descends upon her, those characteristics help her fled for her life..

Enter the second dreamer, an Indian war chief, Winnokin, the head chief of the Senecas (a north eastern tribe). He will find and heal her only to have to deal with the horror she was fleeing from when they met. They must win out for the book to continue to educate both Leslie and readers about the ways of the Seneca; a truly evolved and civilized people.

While I truly enjoyed the basic love story, I especially enjoyed the vision of the Seneca Nation and its people.

Oh, good news! Cynthia Roberts plans to come out more books about the Indians of the north east. And if like this one, they will stand alone.

Jeanne Robertson "Don't send a man to the grocery store!"

Jeanne Robertson "Mothers vs Teenage Daughters"

Jeanne Robertson "Flight attendant deals with a bad potato"

Ramona

Ramona by H. Jackson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was first published in 1893. I think I read it before I went to college but I am not sure. What I am sure of is how it has hung in my memory. I think I saw recently that TTN had a movie version with Loretta Young playing Ramona.

What did I learned from this book? About prejudice. About why I need to watch out for it within. Looking without I am sadden to feel that much has not changed in 100 years.

I do remember thinking it a good love story.

I think I would like reading it again.

View all my reviews

Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


drat rat it! i had a lovely well thought out review that the computer gods ate up! so now all you get is the condensed version: my dad banned me from seeing the movie...'might destroy what religious beliefs you have!' college, first review assignment...grabbed.


piffle! may have effected him but ...he had to be kidding.

recommend...no. oh, it is well written but not a mind bender...well, not mine anyway.

FYI, this is the summary GoodReads posted:

Today universally recognized as a landmark in American literature, Elmer Gantry scandalized readers when it was first published, causing Sinclair Lewis to be "invited" to a jail cell in New Hampshire and to his own lynching in Virginia. His portrait of a golden-tongued evangelist who rises to power within his church - a saver of souls who lives a life of hypocrisy, sensuality, and ruthless self-indulgence - is also the record of a period, a reign of grotesque vulgarity, which but for Lewis would have left no record of itself. Elmber Gantry has been called the greatest, most vital, and most penetrating study of hyposcriy that has been written since Voltaire.

View all my reviews

Dot. The world's smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a Noki...

Character Interview w/ Percy Parker! {Strangely Beautiful Series by Lean...

A true story

We were traveling down to the Panama Canal Zone by boat as that was where my father was stationed (by the way, his 3 daughters were born there during two earlier tours of duty). As I did not remember any childhood boat trips, I was excited and curious to find out if I would be subject to "mal de mer".

Turns out I was not. My problem was the boat not only went up and down, it rolled side to side at the same time! For a person with little sense of balance to start with, this was a challenge!

Baby sister (newly graduated from high school) was victimized. As the dutiful 'big sister' (OK, so she is way taller than my 4'8"), I got her as settled as I could with a damp cloth on her head and trash can close by the bed before going to find my father, THE DOCTOR.

Given some Dramamine, I returned to save the green sister. Ah, magic! Not long after taking said pill, her green hue turned back to its normal porcelain beauty and she dozed off to sleep.

I returned to the report the good news to my father, THE DOCTOR. Happy parent proceeded to give me the same medicine!

"But Daddy, I am not sea sick!"

"Ah, but preventative medicine is a good thing."

In obedience, I returned below to take said pill, recheck sister's comfort, and read.

That, good friends, was about the last thing I remember until shortly before we landed. No joke, I slept for 3 days and 3 nights (trip took 4 days). (Little sister was never again sea sick. And I missed a lot of really, really good food!)

Moral: Sometimes my father,THE DOCTOR, was fallible. Sometimes preventative medicine is not a good thing. I dearly love my father, THE DOCTOR stories! ('Just wish he was still alive to share the laugh.)

My Father, the doctor

He said "preventative medicine is a good thing." I know, you didn't have a father to say this. You've read it. You've heard it. So why am I talking about it? Because they are talking about it right now on TV.

I have probably lived 35 years past my father's best expectation because I listened to him. I found good doctors that will communicate with me.

The number one killer of women is heart disease. It took my grandfather and father. I've had high blood pressure since my early 30s and have been treating it that long. I never could check my blood pressure with a cuff and stethoscope but when my doctor told me about new machines that didn't require a stethoscope, I got one. I used to use it daily. Now I listen to my body all the time and know when I need to check it daily and keep a record for my doctor.

Ah, they just said it....listen to your body and push your doctor to hear what it's saying. If you have a doctor that does not listen to you, FIRE THE DOCTOR! The program is called "Speak up to save lives". That's your job, to speak up.

Did you know that women do not exhibit the symptoms you have so often heard? Check it out! Knowledge can save your life. DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU, YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO THINK ABOUT IT!  My dad's first heart attack was in his early 30s.

Take care of yourself! And share what you learn with your family and friends!

Why do so many books I read get such high ratings?

Easy...I read books I expect to really enjoy! Why else take the time to read (or listen) to them.

But how can you rate a book like say The Kitchen House as highly as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation?

Again, easy. They are different genres. Think of it like food....how would you compare a great steak with a great pie? I wouldn't. I would appreciate each in it's own category. Like food, my book appetite varies. Consequently, my expectations start high (5) and if they meet my expectations, that's what they get. Rarely do books go below 'good' which means just that...I enjoyed them for what they are but...

Do you ever give anything less than a 'good' (3) rating?

Unfortunately, yes. It makes me sad when I do. Sometimes even angry. I've wasted time I could have spent with a book I could have really enjoyed! I wonder at my sanity...how could I not have seen before hand this would not meet my escapist need? Why didn't the person that wrote the blurb write the book? What happened to my writer who normally gives me so much pleasure?

One didn't ring, it clunked but I couldn't figure out why. It was after all, 'fiction'. Half way through the book, I read every review I could find; every interview. Everyone else liked it. What was I missing? I read some more. Still not likening it but still wanting to like it. Then I researched the historical foundation. I talked to my 90yo mom about human nature of her youth and what she had learn about what it was like for her parents. Now I knew why the story did ring for me.

FYI, it is permissible to dislike a book. It's also OK to write a negative review. Reviewers should try to explain why it was 'amiss' for them. Authors should not take personal affront as the review just one person's opinion about the book, not about the writer.

I really want to enjoy books I read! I want to share my excitement as I do! When I do get into one that does not come up to my expectations, I will share that with you...hopefully with good reasoning for my opinion and with the knowledge that I may be in the minority. Sometimes broccoli is really good, but some times it just tastes bad!

Snapea Crisps

After finishing with the vampires in preparation for my doctor's appointment next week, DH took me to Sprouts (who have opened a store just down the road from us...YEA). I love them as they are so nice to me when it come to helping me pick the best of the best fruit!

While whizzing around the store, I came to am abrupt halt in front of a display of Snapea Chips...original flavor baked made by Calbee Snack Salad.  Isn't that a good looking product? And it looks like it should be crunchy. And I was craving a good salad with lots of textures. So I bought a bag. I recommend you break them up when using in a salad.

These are so good! Even without the salad or dip or anything! But I have to warn you...very addictive! I looked them up on the web, you can see all their products here.

No, I am not getting any rewards from Sprouts or Calbee....but I do so like both!

The Postcard Killers

OK, so I have no patience! but after I loaded it, I just had to start listening to it. Besides, having dumped my butt (no bounce) onto the ground twice yesterday, I needed something to distract myself from my pain filled self. This was a was an excellent distractor!

The story is about a very attractive couple who attract other couples only to gruesomely kill them. One victimized couple consisted of the only daughter of a New York cop. He will travel Europe to find the killers. Along the way he is joined by a Swedish reporter. 

I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but trust me, if it can draw me in and keep me interested more in the story than my pain filled body, it is a hell of a story! The murders are horrific but you mostly know that from the reactions of the finders which keeps the goriness to a minimum. 

I also liked listening to this book because I did not have to struggle with foreign words and names and accents as the 3 narrators did such a great job!

O, I did check, The Postcard Killers is available at Audible.com as well as Amazon.com in Kindle format as well as wherever you get your paper copies.

I must thank Hachette Book Group for sending me this book for review! Especially as they know it will have no bearing on my review. 

I got Postcard Killers in the mail!

From Karen Ukraine at Hachette Book Group! O, yes, James Patterson and Lias Marklund's The Postcard Killer, read by Katherine Kellgren, Eric Singer and Reg Rogers. (Audible, unabridged, 6 discs) I wonder if DH can get this onto the Kindle so we could listen to it on our way to and from and while waiting for the vampires?  (Blood must be sucked a week before the doctor sees me.) I think I will go ahead and load the disks onto my computer (just incase).

What? O, sorry. Picture:

Cool cover! This is a quote from the book site:

PARIS IS STUNNING IN THE SUMMER

NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him—he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each café through the eyes of his daughter's killer.

THE KILLING IS SIMPLY MARVELOUS

Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.

WISH YOU WERE HERE

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm—and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

Now see why I wanted it? Don't worry, you'll get my thoughts when I finish!