The Boxcar Children 1942 by Gertrude Chandler Warner

This year I made a goal to read 100 books; I am tracking this as part of a Goodreads Challenge, as well as a board on Pinterest. So far I have a total of 61, which today (September 3) places six books behind schedule. (I am currently reading eight books, so if I manage to finish them all this week I’ll be back on track!)

The first book I finished, way back in January, was The Boxcar Children. This was the first in a series of the same name that I originally read as a child. There are nineteen total in the original series, and I am happy to say I now own all of them. I have decided I would like to read thru all nineteen this year, but haven’t really put much effort into it, so I’m only on number seven currently. Anyway, I chose this as my first book for the year because I found another reading list (along with the Time 100 list I’ve been reading through). This one is from Pinterest, and it has 26 suggestions for 2017, which comes out to one book every two weeks.

The first entry on the list is to read “a book you read in school,” which I started at the same time as The Boxcar Children, which was the second entry, “a book from your childhood.” (The book I read in school will be in another blog post.) This was in fact one of my favorites from childhood, and although it has never been a challenge to read, it has always managed to capture my imagination.

This book is about four siblings – Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden – whom we meet as orphans, running away so they don’t have to live with their grandfather, whom is supposedly mean. They end up in an old, abandoned boxcar in the middle of a forest, with grass growing over tracks. They find an orphan dog with a hurt paw, and nurse him back to health, calling him “Watch.” They also find, nearby, an old dump full of “treasures” – broken but useable dishes, a board to make a shelf, some pots and pans, etc. Henry goes into town to do some odd jobs and buy food. By the end of the story they are discovered and reunited with their grandfather, who it turns out is a very kind old man. The rest of the series is more of their fun adventures.

Now, a little about why I enjoyed it so much. Just before starting third grade, we moved across town to a double wide trailer in a campground. About 50-60 yards or so behind our trailer was a set of railroad tracks, and next to them a dirt path leading out of town. I used to wander along that path exploring nature and the things man left behind, and one day I discovered my very own treasure. It was a dump, abandoned, probably long forgotten by the city, or whomever happened to own the land. It was much like I imagined the one in the story to be! I didn’t bring home anything to use, but I did spend countless hours exploring it and pretending to be like the four Alden children.

Reading it again, as an adult, I still had that fascination with the adventure of living alone in the boxcar, finding things to make a “home,” and a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It was a good first pick for this year, and it set the stage for many more great reading adventures. I hope to write about them all (all 100!) before the year closes, so stay tuned.

The Lord of the Rings 1954 by J.R.R. Tolkien

“Three Rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,
Nine for mortal men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
in the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.”

The third book on the TIME Top 100 list is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was originally written as one book in three parts, so it’s included as one book on the list, although I read the three separately (and it took me about seven months to get through them, as they weren’t as interesting as I had hoped).

I had been putting off reading this book for years, so when it came up on the list I was reluctant to start.; I’m not sure why exactly, I really enjoyed The Hobbit both times I read it (in fact, I hope to read it again this year). I wish I could say that finally reading it made my reluctance seem silly, but honestly, I didn’t really enjoy the story very much. There wasn’t enough plot to keep my attention for long periods, and Tolkien writes with a lot of description. Sometimes I enjoy that, but as this was written about someplace I couldn’t picture in my mind, with creatures that I had no experience with, I found it difficult to follow.

There are a few themes that I remember that gave the story some redeeming quality in my mind – the idea of a true leader vs. a temporary fill-in; the idea that a group is not always the best approach to an epic adventure; and the idea of home not always being a place of innocence and contentment. Let me explain.

First of all, there were a couple of examples of lands or countries in Middle Earth that were being ruled by men who weren’t the “true” rulers. I don’t really remember specifics, I just remember this coming up a few times. And in each case, it was made clear that the people and land suffered under this temporary or, in some instances, “fake” leadership. This was made plain when the true leaders returned and took over, and life began to be prosperous again.

This stood out to me because I have worked under many types of leadership in my adult life, both in education positions and in retail, and one thing that has always remained true is that if someone is just a “pretender to the throne,” the business or classroom fails. It takes a special kind of person to really take charge and make things work and grow the way they are intended to work and grow; to stop surviving and start thriving.

Next is the idea that groups aren’t always the best option; or in this case, fellowships. When the “fellowship of the ring” was established, it was intended to be protection and guidance for Frodo, who was tasked with returning the ring to the mountains of Mordor (specifically Mount Doom). However, as the journey progresses, we learn that this task is really something only Frodo, and his best friend Sam, can accomplish. The others are more like moral support, or background noise.

This also brought up something else that I found interesting:  although this fellowship was sent out as one unit, each individual had to take a personal journey as well, unique to himself, a sort of spiritual quest as he faced the challenges of battle and the evil power temptation of the Ring. So on this one long, epic journey, we are presented with several smaller journeys that help to shape the bigger picture. I thought that was another fitting form of “fellowship” – each of the smaller parts served to strengthen the whole of the story.

Finally, the idea of home, specifically the Shire (where the hobbits lived) was intriguing to me. At the beginning of the story it’s presented as an idyllic place, where innocence and ignorance live, a place none want to leave, and if they must do so, will be looked back on with fond memories. And yet by the end of the story, when the hobbits finally return, this vision of innocence and perfection has been shattered by all that they have seen and done, and for Frodo, it no longer feels quite like home. Even the happy ending wasn’t quite happy after all. I liked that. It reminded me of my own life, when something major or even traumatic happens and my perceptions of my surroundings, my safe places, shifts, and I feel somehow lost or displaced.

I don’t know that I will read this book again, although I know there are symbols and depths that I have yet to explore within its pages. Perhaps I will simply read the SparkNotes for it and find my fulfillment there. For now, I will leave you with one of my favorite photos, which includes this epic adventure, billed with the ability to piss off four groups of “geeks” in one shot:

Nineteen Eighty-Four 1949 by George Orwell

“Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish a dictatorship.”

In November of 2014, I began reading through a list of 100 novels created by Time Magazine in 2005. The first one on the list was To Kill A Mockingbird, and I wrote a blog post about it here. The next book was 1984, by George Orwell, which I had never read before. It was interesting, though a bit disturbing.

The premise of the novel is a description of the world in 1984 (thirty-five years in the future at the time it was written), a post-nuclear war world ruled by only three superstates:  Oceana, Eastasia, and Eurasia. At that time, the world was in a constant state of war, although it wasn’t always clear who was at war with whom, and the battleground is always somewhere far away from the home and life of the main character, Winston.

Another piece of this society is one of the most commonly known today, the surveillance system known only as “Big Brother”. In the book, there are tele-screens that are actually dual-purpose devices, playing a steady stream of propaganda while simultaneously recording everything that is going on.

A few other interesting aspects of this future world are “newspeak”  and “doublethink”. “Newspeak” is a truncated version of English in which words are strung together and abbreviated to create new words, similar to text language today. It was deliberately limiting, intended to make revolutionary thought impossible because the words were literally gone from the common vocabulary.

“Doublethink” was also meant to squash independent thought. It was “to know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it.”

Upon finishing the novel, I was left with a feeling of sadness when Winston was finally “assimilated” into society; it’s not often I’ve come across a novel without a happy ending. It was also quite disturbing to compare the events and suppositions of the story to society today. How many citizens of the world are being forced to think a certain way or speak with limited vocabulary without even knowing it? How much of our lives is actually our own, and how much is being watched in one way or another?

I know with the recent election of Trump as President, many people have been comparing the world to Orwell’s imagined future. I’m not saying I agree with that, but I do believe that words are a very powerful thing, and that if we aren’t careful, “dystopian” will become more than just a genre of literature.

All Cats Have Asperger’s Syndrome 2006 by Kathy Hoopmann

I have mentioned in a few posts that I am trying to read through a list of 100 novels (put together by Time Magazine writers about ten years ago), and that I’ve set a goal of 100 books in 2015 through Goodreads.com. Last November I wrote about the first book  that I read from the Time list, and in January wrote one about my first book for this year. I had hoped at the time to be able to write a post about each of the 100 books as I finished them, but as usual, life got in the way. So here I begin again.

The second book I read this year, way back on February 5th, was called All Cats Have Asperger’s Syndrome. One of the substitute teachers I worked with while doing my student teaching at Troy Jr/Sr High let me borrow it, and I must say it was a fun read! I was familiar with it from a YouTube video called Asperger's Cats, but hadn’t read the book previously. Not only were the photos cute and well related to the facts, I found the writing to be very accurate as well. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone – no matter whether you have a cat, someone you care about on the Spectrum, or just need a fun book to brighten your day! And if you have a chance, check out the video (just click on the title, it’s a link), it will no doubt make you smile.

Halfway to the Middle at the Midpoint

I have set a goal for myself, as part of the Reading Challenge on Goodreads, to read 100 books in 2015. Well, today is the midpoint of the year (182 days both have passed, and will come to pass), and I am halfway to the middle of that goal – in other words, I’ve read 25 books so far:

1. The Shack, by William Paul Young
2. All Cats Have Asperger’s Syndrome, by Kathy Hoopmann
3. 1984, by George Orwell
4. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
5. What You Pawn, I Will Redeem, by Sherman Alexie
,
6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
7. Skippyjon Jones in the Dog-House, by Judy Schachner
8. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
9. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
10. The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien

11. The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon
12. 11th Hour, by James Patterson
13. 12th of Never, by James Patterson
14. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling
15. Unlucky 13, by James Patterson

16. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
17. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling
18. The Magician’s Nephew, by C.S. Lewis
19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
20. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

21. The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, by Thornton W. Burgess
22. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
23. Grumbles from the Forest:  Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist, by Jane Yolen
24. Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
25. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling

Within this list are books written by 17 different authors; books from four different series (three of which all the books have been written, and two of which I will hopefully finish this year); and 19 of the 25 I read for the first time. Techincally, two books (The Fellowship of the Ring and What You Pawn, I Will Redeem) aren’t books – the former is part one of a three part book called The Lord of the Rings, but the copy I have was broken up into three separate volumes; and the latter is actually a short story, but it counts on Goodreads as a book.

Also, I have decided to read Time Magazine's Top 100 Novels, thought without a time constraint imposed, so of these 25 books, seven are on that list (including The Fellowship of the Ring, as The Lord of the Rings counts as one book out of their 100). I also read a book from this list at the end of last year (To Kill A Mockingbird), and wrote a post about it, so I’m up to 8 out of 100 on that goal. Most of the books I’ve never even heard of, so I’m interested to see how it goes! So who else has a reading goal? I’d love to hear about it!

The Shack 2007 William P. Young

“It would be like this bird, whose nature it is to fly, choosing only to walk
and remain grounded. He doesn’t stop being a bird,
but it does alter his experience of life significantly.”

This analogy was an explanation of Jesus becoming man, fully human, while also remaining fully God. I love the simple picture it paints of such a complex concept.

This book is one I’ve heard about for several years now, and I finally took time to read it this past week. I have to admit I wasn’t convinced I would like it, even after reading well into it, although I can’t really say why. I suppose all of the stress in my life right now has taken it’s toll on my ability to enjoy things I would normally spend a great deal of time on – like reading, creating, going for walks. But I’m very pleased to say that, by the end of the story, I reached the conclusion that it really is a great story, very well written, with interesting perceptions of how God may interact with us if we were given the opportunity Mack experienced.

I was also pleased to find that the theological issues that were raised were dealt with in very logical, easy-to-understand ways, and didn’t seem to go against anything I’ve learned or come to believe from my own relationship with God. In fact, I found the author’s ideas about just that – our relationship with God – were actually along the lines of what I’ve been figuring out in my own life, which was both comforting and amusing.

Overall, I would say I recommend this book to anyone who has time to read it; it takes a tragic story of loss, anger, confusion, and ultimately forgiveness, and weaves in a relatable, endearing encounter with our triune Creator that will leave you wanting to find something similar for yourself.

To Kill A Mockingbird 1960 by Harper Lee

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
- Miss Maudie

Although this novel was required reading during my ninth grade year, I can’t honestly say I read even a few pages of it back then. I vaguely remember watching the movie version released on Christmas day 1962, with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, filmed in black and white. The only thing I remembered of the story, however, was Boo Radley.

Fast forward approximately 18.5 years to last week. I got an idea in my head to find a list of the “100 Best Novels of All Time” and found one compiled by Time Magazine on Goodreads; To Kill A Mockingbird was number one, and was easily accessed thru the library at the high school where I work.

This is a story about a young girl named Scout growing up in a sleepy Southern town rocked by a crisis of conscience when a black man was accused of raping a white woman. Scout’s father was chosen to defend this man, who was innocent yet found guilty by a jury of white men purely based on that era’s expectations of racial prejudice.

The back of the book explains it thus:  “Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos… Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American Literature.” More than a masterpiece, it went on to win the Pulitzer prize in 1961.

What makes this novel so memorable will be different for each person who reads it. For me, it was more than just a reminder of the injustices perpetrated on a race of people so many decades ago; more than the childish fears and fancies concerning a strange neighbor whom no one ever saw; more than the drama of a small Southern town in the grips of the Great Depression.

For me, it was about learning to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to really try and see the world from their perspective. It was about opening yourself up to new possibilities of who you might become as you grow and change and try to find your own place. It was about knowing when to stand up for something you believed in no matter what anyone else might say or think, and when to alter the truth just a little to keep the balance between right and wrong. Lessons we all would do well to learn.

My White Whale?

I love the idea of new beginnings, and January 1 is a big one, for everyone. Last year it was even better – it was on a Sunday, the start of a new year at the start of a new week. Tuesdays are ok too, I guess; you never know what will happen on a Tuesday. Just not quite as empowering somehow.

This is, of course, the time for “resolutions” – those lofty goals that people set and almost never attain. Something in the symbolism of the new year beginning gets us motivated to make important life changes; until the realities of every day living creep back in and we realize maybe things can’t really change overnight after all.

So this year I’ve decided to set for myself some “goals”. No resolutions. No promises. Just some goals that I would like to accomplish this year, or work toward accomplishing in the next couple of years. I figure this way I have a better chance of success. Also something I don’t usually do is write them down, which seems silly, since having a written notice of what I want is a great way to keep me focused on getting it. And I'm a writer. This time around I’ve decided to make a list. I love lists, so it’s a win-win.

One thing on that list is to read at least 100 of the books I own but have never read. I believe I counted 103 or so in total, but since I don’t remember for sure (and that’s an odd number), I’m setting my goal for the big one double zero. Starting tonight in fact, with Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick.

I chose this book for two reasons:  it was an important part of the plot on a tv show I was watching on Netflix the other day, so I got interested in it; and it’s all about symbolism. Everything means something else. And new beginnings, resolutions, all of that great “new year” stuff is full of symbolism as well. Perfect fit.

Moby Dick is a tale about a man who is searching for his obsession, the elusive white whale. I don’t know yet what my own white whale is, but we can take this journey together and you’ll discover it alongside me. So what do you say? Should we pack our bags and tag along with crazy old Captain Ahab? Who’s with me?

Book It!

I own books. I don’t want to say “a lot” because what really constitutes a lot? I have over 200. Not sure how much over, probably closer to 300, but I didn’t take the time to count them all. I may do that one of these days. Instead, I counted the ones I haven’t read yet....and guess what! There are 118!!

That’s right my friends, I own 118 books that I haven’t read yet. And honestly, that’s not really even all of them. There were some I didn’t count for various reasons. The point is, I promised myself I would read all of the books I own before I go out and buy more. The thing is, I’d have to average about 2.5 books a week to get these read by the end of July 2013! That’s a lot of reading my friends! And no re-reading any that I’ve read before, which I actually enjoy doing quite often.

So I’m officially making a pledge, to all of you out there in cyberspace reading this, to read all 118 books before I allow myself to buy new ones. With the exception of books for work, my Masters classes (although I shouldn’t need to buy any more for that), and my art. I’ll try to post when I finish one for some sort of accountability, and to share with all of you what I discovered. Books are, after all, kind of like treasure maps – and tonight my journey begins!

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 1865

“‘Be what you would seem to be,’ – or if you’d like it put more simply, ‘Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.’”

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, spoken by the Duchess, as the moral to Alice saying mustard is a vegetable, even though it doesn’t look like one. It doesn’t really summarize any great point from the story or have any special meaning; it’s just one of many random moments that made me laugh.

With this being a children’s story from the 19^th century, we naturally expect there to be a moral. In fact, the Duchess also said, “Every thing’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” In the middle of the very first chapter, it appears that Carroll presents us with one when Alice finds a bottle with a label around it’s neck saying “DRINK ME”.

“It was all very well to say, ‘Drink me,’ but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. ‘No, I’ll look first,’ she said, ‘and see whether it’s marked “poison” or not’; for she had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them, such as, that a red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too long, and that if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’, it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”

As you can see, if you read closely, Carroll is using irony and understatement to mock the stories with lessons for children. Especially that last line (makes me laugh out loud). The irony continues when Alice goes ahead and drinks it after not finding it marked “poison,” and she shrinks!

By the end of the story it’s clear that Alice was in fact the most sane and sensible character in all of Wonderland, and it was the adults who were out of their minds. And then she wakes up, to find that it was all a dream. She shares the dream with her sister, who sends her off for tea, and then takes a moment to imagine Alice as a grown woman, still holding onto her childhood innocence and sharing the stories of Wonderland with her own children and grandchildren.

Perhaps the moral of the story is, that life doesn’t always need a moral, and we should hold onto the magic of childhood as long as possible….

This story was written down after being told to three sisters as a way to pass time on a boat ride. It’s part of the “literary nonsense” genre – that says it all right there. Playing with logic and subverting expectations are fun in small doses, but reading this story, you really do feel as though you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole!

The Catcher In the Rye, J.D. Salinger 1951

“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.”

When his ten-year-old sister Phoebe asked Holden Caulfield what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said the catcher in the rye. He had this idealistic view of the innocence of children, and desperately wanted to save them from the harsh realities of adulthood:  hypocrisy, deceit, pain.

This story is told from the perspective of a quirky young man struggling to find his place in a society more apt to reward conformity and condemn individuality. We see that he is both intelligent and expressive, and yet he fails to apply himself, getting kicked out of school after school. He begins the narrative by looking back, to a day when he tried to feel “some kind of a good-bye”. We soon realize that he is on the edge of that cliff himself, about to fall from the innocence of childhood into the ugliness of the real world. He wants so badly to fit in somewhere, to make friends and be part of something wonderful, and yet when he gets close to finding that he pushes everyone away.

Soon after it was released by Little, Brown and Company (on this date in 1951), it generated a lot of criticism for it’s profanity and discussions of sexuality. J.D. Salinger intended it to be a novel for adults, and yet it has profoundly impacted adolescents, and influenced several other works of fiction.

This notion of losing the innocence of childhood reminded me of a little known movie (one of my all-time favorites) called Wide Awake* (1998). It was actually written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, although it’s nothing like the movies he’s most famous for (The Sixth Sense being another favorite of mine). Instead, it’s a coming-of-age story, about a young boy in Catholic school who is trying to find a way to talk to God; he wants to ask how his grandfather is doing.

In one of my favorite scenes, near the end, he reads a speech he’s written. It sums up the movie in a profound yet adorable way. “Fifth grade is the most rigorous and toughest year yet. Before this year, everything was Batman action figures and Ninja Turtle cartoons. Now there’s family, friends, and – girls. Before this year, bullies were just bullies for no reason, weirdoes were just weird, and daredevils weren’t afraid of anything. Before this year, people I loved lived forever. I spent this year looking for something, and wound up seeing everything around me. It’s like I was asleep before, and I finally woke up. Know what? I’m wide awake now.”

I have to admit, I cry every time I watch it. It has some really funny scenes, does an excellent job of illustrating life lessons, and really makes you stop and think about losing the “magic” of childhood. I recommend it with 4/4 stars. And as for The Catcher in the Rye, if you can get past the profanity, I would say 2.5/4.

*this link will take you to the IMDb page where you can watch the trailer http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120510/

A Martian with a Wild Heart

Exploring the Universe has always been of interest to me. God shows off His creative side in the different colors, sizes, and atmospheres of each planet. It’s like a great dance the way all of them move around each other, and around the sun, keeping everything in balance.

Mars is one of my favorite planets for two reasons:  it’s red (my second favorite color), and it’s the fourth planet from the Sun (my favorite number). I know, terribly scientific of me; I’ll try to keep things more simplistic from now on. Earthlings got to see Mars for the first time on this date in 1965, when the Mariner 4 transmitted photos almost eight months after being launched on a flyby mission. Two years later on December 21 (also my birthday), communications were terminated.

When I hear the name Mars, I think of the popular book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, by John Gray. It became one of the top non-fiction books of the 90’s. Since I began that decade finishing third grade, and ended it starting University, I didn’t feel the need to read it. Plus, I’m often very literal. However, I understand this as metaphor, and in my research I discovered that his basic premise is simple:  men and women are as different as beings from different planets.

His basic assumption is true, and I’m sure he made many great points about relationships. I imagine he chose these two planets because Mars was the Roman god of War, and Venus the Roman goddess of love and sexuality. However, there is another book I’ve actually read, dealing with the differences between men and women, that I found to be more interesting. It’s called Wild At Heart, written by John Eldredge, describing how men and women are created in the image of God.

In his book he presented this familiar concept in a different way. Eldredge says, “Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is how he bears the image of God; that is what God made him to be.” These are also important characteristics of God. Complimentary to this is Eldredge's assertion that women reflect similar aspects of God’s heart:  we want to be fought for, to join in the adventure, and to unveil our beauty.

Arrangement of Parts

[This is the second post for today. At least two more will follow. I hate odd numbers, so I can’t stop at three. Although “one” is an odd number. But if I posted twice every day I’d overwhelm my followers, and right now I only have seven. I can’t afford to upset anyone! Although seven is an odd number, too…. Again, it’s (more than) a little longer than usual, so pace yourself. Sit back and let the random wash over you. Read it twice if you have to.]

I want to explain the structure I’m going to impose on my blog posts. I realize you probably don’t care, (and if we’re honest with ourselves, we’d know that some of you wouldn’t even have noticed), but as long as you read them regularly, it directly affects you. For those of you who know me well (probably almost everyone who reads this at this point), the idea of structure shouldn’t come as a surprise. I’m autistic and ADHD. I need it to survive. So stop arguing.

Since there are several structures already in place, I’m not going to invent one. I’m going to steal one. Rabbit trail:  Before I tell you about it, I’m reminded of a quote I heard once:  “Good poets borrow, great poets steal.” It’s been attributed to T.S. Eliot (however I recently discovered a blog post in which someone tracked it’s origins check it out at http://nancyprager.wordpress.com/2007/05/08/good-poets-borrow-great-poets-steal/). I’m a poet. Among other things. It applies.

Back to structure. Drum roll please:  [dramatic pause] I’m going to use week days. Starting right now (not including what I’ve already posted) I want to have something to write about every day. Before you freak out at the thought of so much to keep up with and stop following me, take a deep breath. Ok? Good.

This doesn’t mean I’ll be able to write every day, or that my thoughts will be limited to these topics. After all, this is “Random Rambles.” Truth is, to be able to write well, I have to work at it every day. This blog offers a small amount of accountability for doing that. For July I have a goal to write every day, telling you about something that happened “on this day in history,” or participate in (some silly, some serious) holiday celebrations. When July ends, I want to have some idea of where to go on those days when I need inspiration and my shower muse doesn’t want to get wet. And don't forget, if you want to follow a specific thread of posts, click on that label at the bottom of the page to bring them up.

Sunday will be “altar stones,” thoughts regarding my relationship with God. I’ll explain the title the first time I post one. Those will include thoughts on the sermon from that morning, insights I get from my own personal Bible study, and things I want to share about when and where I’ve seen God the week before.

Monday will be “word lust,” when I’ll share a word, it’s definition, and my thoughts. I may also update you on the progress of my novel “Coming Home.” Tuesday will be “technique Tuesdays,” exploring new art concepts I’m learning. I’ll try to have photos of projects I’ve completed as well.

Wednesday will be “local business,” in which I will either introduce to someone I want you to know, or share a piece of my world here in Pullman. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. I’m looking into making a habit of this, possibly charging a small fee.

Thursday will be “book review,” my thoughts on something I’ve finished reading (occasionally my preconceptions of something new I’m starting). I’m always open to suggestions (although I’ve promised myself not to buy any more books until I’ve read all the ones I own!) so please leave a comment about one. Also feel free to comment on a book I’ve reviewed if you’ve read it; I love hearing what other people think. I’d like to review one book a week. I know what you’re thinking – yes, I can read a book a week. However, I’ll also be telling you about some from my “Books I’ve Read” list.I started it about ten years ago, so there are plenty of options.

Friday will be “photographs,” so I can share some of my own, as well some that I’ve found inspiration from. One of these months I might try my own version of the 30-Day Photography Challenge. Finally, Saturday will be “wellness journey” posts (more on that in today’s next post). That’s it. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?

This Is Your Life, John O’Farrell 2002

Now that I’m back into regular blog mode, I want to continue with my book reviews. Well, it’s more like starting them, since I haven’t actually done one yet! I mentioned in a post on April 8 that I was starting a book of Pirate stories I bought at Dollar Tree. Well, not only did I forget I was blogging, I didn’t finish the book. I lost it!

I’ve read a few books since then, and I will likely be posting about them sometime this week. That makes this my first official book review. And it’s not a positive one.

This Is Your Life is a novel written by John O’Farrell, a satirical author, broadcaster, and comedy scriptwriter from England. It follows a man named Jimmy Conway thru a year of his life (occasionally sharing letters he had written to himself as a teenager about not letting his fame get to him). When the novel opens, he works part time as an English language teacher, and lives in a small town on the shore. He doesn't make much money, and is unhappy with his life. Not long after, he begins to pretend he’s a famous comic in order to get “celebrity treatment,” after a local comedian dies and they mistake Jimmy as an old friend of his.

It’s a creative way of looking at how celebrity obsessed our societies have become, and I give him props for that. It was just so drawn out! There were several scenes that could have been left out, and not only would the story have been told, it would have been more interesting to read!

Perhaps it’s the subtle differences in English humour that made the book seem long; I had a hard time staying focused. Also, the chapters were quite long, so it wasn’t easy to find a good stopping point. (I typically read at night during the school year.) Instead of a 313 page novel, it would have made a great short story!

Ghost Pirates (and Other Tales of the High Seas)

Tonight I am starting a new book called “Ghost Pirates” that I bought at the Dollar Tree the Halloween before last (so that would make it October 2010 for those of you who are curious and not good with math). I wore a pirate costume that year and bought the book because we were looking for costume accessories at the Dollar Tree when I saw it.

It’s a collection of short stories about pirates, ghost ships, etc., edited by Tom McCarthy. For $1 I’m not expecting anything amazing; hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. Once I’ve finished it, I will post a review. I’m also in the middle of reading “Twilight” for the fifth time, and will post thoughts on that as well. Just for the record, I'm not obsessed, just enjoy a good story. Besides, Pirates and vampires….Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, and Robert Pattinson….need I say more??