postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

sunday stealing

 

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The Desert Island Meme

You're stranded alone on a desert island ...

1) Which three BOOKS could you read over and over again? The Pillars of the Earth series by Ken Follett, The Bromance Bookclub series by Lyssa Kay Adams, and The Three Pines series by Louise Penny

 

2) Which three MOVIES could you watch over and over again? Love Actually, When Harry Met Sally, Elf

3) Which three SONGS could you listen to over and over again? Imagine by John Lennon, Mysterious Ways by U2, Canon in D by Pachelbel

finished re-reading

I chose this book for both of my book groups to read; since I first read it in June, I can't stop thinking about it.  Here are my original thoughts.  I would change nothing.  The audio is very well done.

saturday 9

That Funny Feeling

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, Bobby Darin admits he cares more for the girl than he should. What's something you have recently overdone (eaten too many potato chips, stayed up too late, etc.)? tonight (it's Friday and I'm posting early because I'm going out of town Saturday) I had a second serving of dinner and I really shouldn't have

 

2) Bobby wrote this as the theme song for a movie he starred in with his wife, Sandra Dee. That Funny Feeling (the movie) turned a profit at the box office and "That Funny Feeling" (the record) made the Billboard Top 40. Can you think of another movie and song that were both popular? "Footloose"

 

3) While Bobby had a successful movie career and earned an Oscar nomination, he didn't get the part he wanted most: Tony in West Side Story. While he could sing and dance very well, producers didn't think Bobby looked like a romantic leading man. What actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat?  George Clooney

 

4) Elvis enjoyed watching Bobby perform, but understood that if he sat in the audience he would be a distraction. So Elvis always watched Bobby from the wings. Think about the last thing you saw in a theater (concert, movie, play). Were you distracted by another audience member? Was anyone crinkling paper, checking their phone, whispering, etc.? the audience was well-behaved

 

5) When the editor of a teen magazine asked if he could cook, Bobby not only said yes, he offered up his manicotti recipe. What's your favorite pasta dish? (To eat, not necessarily to whip up in your kitchen.) chicken and broccoli alfredo

 

6) In addition to cooking, Bobby's friends recall he loved talking about classic cars and baseball. Which of those three would you be most comfortable discussing? cooking

 

7) In 1965, when Americans were listening to "That Funny Feeling," aspirin was the top over-the-counter pain reliever. You could get a bottle of 200 tablets for just $1. Is there aspirin in your medicine chest right now? no

 
8) Also in 1965, I Dream of Jeannie premiered. The sitcom about a beautiful genie living in the suburbs was developed to compete with Bewitched, about a beautiful witch living in the suburbs. Which show do like better? oh--don't make me choose!!!!!

 

9) Random question: After a friend leaves your home, you spot a small, bound book on the floor next to your sofa. You flip through it and see that her journal fell out of her purse. It's mostly shopping lists and appointments but also includes personal observations, Once you realize what it is, do you close it and keep it closed until you can return it to her? Or do you continue reading? close it

three on thursday

 

One: the assistant principal visited me during my planning period.  Just to check in with me, to see how the year is going.  We had a very nice chat.  

Two:  I managed to leave early today and get some errands done after an appointment--it was fantastic to get routine tasks done during the day!

Three:  last week, I mentioned that I sent thank-you cards to the kids who made my birthday extra special--and this week, they are thanking me for thanking them!

wordless wednesday

 

finished reading

This is the continuation of last year's The Grey Wolf, picking up after Chief Inspector Armand Gamache miraculously stopped a huge terrorist bombing in Montréal. He is immediately consumed by the unsettling thought that there is a bigger criminal scheme that he missed.  Piecing together clues from old journals, fragmented notes, and a tattered map, Gamache and his most trusted team are in a race against time.  

I thought most of this was darker than other books in the series, but I was on the edge of my seat trying to anticipate the ending.  And my beloved village of Three Pines gave me comfort.  

From the publisher:

Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.

But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.

Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning…

In a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.

From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.

dona nobis pacem

 

The world is uncertain.  I am putting peace into the universe.  Peace begins with me.

Find other peace bloggers here.

currently

I am...

Reading: The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

Listening to:  nothing

Thinking: I need to choose a new PCP because the insurance company and my local hospital are splitting up

Feeling:  discouraged

Celebrating:  at least I was able to get information and clarification from the insurance company about my options

Grateful for:  well, I am grateful for insurance

Enjoying: relaxing on my comfy couch

Weather:  45° and cloudy

A quote I want to share:  

sunday stealing

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Monday Morning Meme

1. What was the last thing you laughed at? myself--at the time of day and my still being in bed

2. Who among your friends/family "gets" your sense of humor? I'd say they all do

3. What jewelry are you wearing at this moment? none

4. If you could offer one bit of etiquette that everyone should follow while dining out, what would it be? chew with your mouth closed while not making slurping/chomping sounds

5. What's the first thing a guest would notice when they walked through your front door?  the wall of family photos

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

finished reading

Another mystery for book lovers! The main character, Susan Ryeland has returned to England and as a freelance editor, is working on "the last" Atticus Pund mystery novel.  As she unravels the editorial mysteries, she is embroiled in a parallel mystery.  The fun ensues from there.  This is a great series with fantastic audio narration.

From the publisher:

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel, and her Greek boyfriend Andreas in search of a new life back in England.

Freelancing for Causton Books, she’s working on the manuscript of a novel, Pund’s Last Case, by a young author named Eliot Crace, a continuation of the popular Alan Conway series.  Susan is surprised to learn that Eliot is the grandson of legendary children’s author Marian Crace, who died some fifteen years ago—murdered, Elliot insists, by poison.

As Susan begins to read the manuscript’s opening chapters, the skeptical editor is relieved to find that Pund’s Last Case is actually very good. Set in the South of France, it revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont, who, though mortally ill, is poisoned—perhaps by a member of her own family. But who did it? And why?

The deeper Susan reads, the more it becomes clear that the clues leading to the truth of Marian Crace’s death are hidden within this Atticus Pund mystery.

While Eliot’s accusation becomes more plausible, his behavior grows increasingly erratic.. Then he is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run accident, and Susan finds herself under police scrutiny as a suspect in his killing.

Three mysterious deaths. Multiple motives and possible murderers. If Susan doesn’t solve the mystery of Pund’s Last Case, she may well be the next victim.