saturday 9

Won't You Be My Valentine

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

 

1) Dore Alpert sings that while he considered asking others to be his Valentine, he's sure that this is the girl he wants to love "forever more." What do you think is the secret of a long-lasting romantic relationship? it's a secret to me-I haven't had a long-lasting romantic relationship that was successful

2) Dore is better known as Herb Alpert. He used the name "Dore" early in his career because he thought it was more befitting a teen idol than "Herb." Who made you swoon when you were a teenager? Leif Garrett, John Travolta, and the Fonz

 
3) Herb found he was a better trumpeter than singer. Between 1962 and 1969, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, had 12 consecutive gold albums. They were so popular that in 1966, they sold more records than Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Of those artists (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones), which is your favorite? The Beatles

4) He found his greatest success as an executive. Herb and partner Jerry Moss founded A&M Records and signed an array of talented artists including Cheech and Chong, The Carpenters, and Cat Stevens. Herb was happy to step away from performing and run the record label. Are you comfortable in front of an audience or crowd? Or would you prefer to be behind the scenes? I'm a teacher, so I'm comfortable in front of an audience or crowd, although I prefer being behind the scenes

5) Karen admitted that when The Carpenters were first signed by A&M, she had a crush on Herb and liked his aftershave lotion. Do you usually wear a fragrance? I recently discovered Tova, which I think smells good on me

This is our Valentine's Day Saturday 9 and so this morning we shall focus on the holiday. 

6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for February 14? nope

7) Thames River Cruises offers special dinner cruises for Valentine's Day that give lovers a view of London. Some cruises offer live jazz, others classical music. Which would you prefer: jazz or classical? well, it would depend on with whom I am cruising

 
8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent? my university counterpart for AP Psychology class

9) Men buy and send more roses at Valentine's Day than women do. What's your favorite flower? peonies, although I love most flowers

finished reading

This twisty tale kept me up late!  I thought I had mad skills at detecting plot twists, but I did not see some of these coming.  Sarah, as an overachiever, sets the tone of the novel as a no-nonsense, high-powered, named partner at a prestigious law firm.  Adam, as the other narrator, is a struggling author whose taste of success has left him with writer's block.  Their marriage, although they still care for each other, is faltering.  Adam is accused of killing his mistress, and Sarah steps up to defend him.  Which is just one of the decisions I questioned.  The world of privilege and affluence was an interesting facet of this story; it would have been a completely different book if they were struggling financially or part of a marginalized group.

The secondary characters were well-crafted.  Each plays a significant role in twisting the storyline.  I didn't see the ending coming!

From the publisher:

Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.

The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.

Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.

Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.

But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?

three on thursday

 

Thing one: in precisely 21 hours and 7 minutes, my vacation begins!  I do not have anything planned, but I am open to spontaneity.

Thing two:  a break from school and all the sickness that is being spread around will be great.  Even if it's a staycation and I don't "do" much.

Thing three:  this is my final week of the therapy program I've been in for the past year. I have gotten so much out of it!  Therapy is the best thing I've done for myself.  This program is multi-tiered with a dedicated team including a psychiatrist (for medication management), a nurse practitioner (to monitor basic health: bp, etc), a case manager (to manage all of the team communication and appointments), a peer coach (to help with day-to-day things), and a therapist (to help with behavioral and cognitive things).  It's been a year of appointments, though, but the commitment I made to my mental health has truly paid off.

finished reading

This is an unusual book; it doesn't follow a traditional narrative thread.  There are no sweeping characters to relate to or despise.  It's a story about a place and the many people who inhabit it over generations.  It's quite dense and literary.  I did enjoy figuring out the historical context clues so I had a general timeline.  This would lend itself to quite a rousing book discussion of those who love it and those who loathe it.

The audio is wonderfully narrated.  

From the publisher:

A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.

When a pair of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become home to an extraordinary succession of inhabitants . An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins survive war and famine, only to succumb to envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths a mass grave, but finds the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle; as each one confronts the mysteries of the north woods, they come to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.

Traversing cycles of history, nature, and even literature, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment and to one another, across time, language and space. Written along with the seasons and divided into the twelve months of the year, it is an unforgettable novel about secrets and fates that asks the timeless how do we live on, even after we’re gone?

currently

I am...

Reading: North Woods by Daniel Mason--and I can't decide if I like it.

Listening to:  The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose is the audio I'm starting tonight.

Thinking:  I'm not thinking.  I thought enough for the day.

Feeling:  kinda tired

Celebrating: today, I started teaching a Civics class; I have never taught a Civics class, although I have taught all of the concepts embedded in my American history classes.  I put the students at ease and gave them a voice in how we'll begin together because they had a week of class with a different teacher and some of them were very nervous about the switch.

Grateful for: years of experience.

Enjoying: a creative challenge.

Weather:  14° and partly sunny

A quote I want to share: 

sunday stealing

Click the icon to play along

Sunday Stealing Gets Strict Meme

One Word Answers ONLY
1. Where is your cell phone? left
2. Tell us about your hair. curly
3. What's your favorite thing? hugs
4. What room are you in? living
5. Where did you grow up? nearby
6. What aren't you good at? finances
7.  Your favorite drink? Dunkin'
8. Where do you want to be in 10 years? traveling
9. Your mood. creative
10. Last time you cried. Thursday

finished reading

In Volume 2, more about Emma's neighbors in St. Crispian's,  is revealed. Emma's interactions with both Roland and the Duke of Islington are flirty banter at its best.  And the Tenant, as a mysterious figure, makes me wonder if romance is in the air.  I was greatly amused by the Jane Eyre gathering and the meeting, and the hijinks that ensued.

From the publisher:

“I was sitting at my desk reading, with a cup of tea, my windows flung open, when I heard The Tenant enter his garret, just on the other side of the wall from myself.”

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House. In Volume 2, more about Emma's neighbors in St. Crispian's,  is revealed. Emma's interactions with both Roland and the Duke of Islington are flirty banter at its best.  And the Tenant, as a mysterious figure, makes me wonder if romance is in the air.

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.

saturday 9

You Make Me Feel So Young

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

1) This morning, do you feel younger or older than your years? younger

 

2) In this song, Frank Sinatra tells us that every time he sees his lover's grin, he's happy. What's something you can reliably count on to lift your spirits? hanging out with my Breakfast Club friends, as I did this morning 😊

 

3) The lyrics mention hide-and-seek. What games did you play when you were young? we played neighborhood games like hide-and-seek, deer (which was night hide-and-seek with flashlights), and elaborate recreations of TV shows

4) Frank Sinatra was a fan of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, believing it helped his throat feel better after an evening of performing. Is Campbell's soup in your kitchen right now? there might be a can or two of "cooking soups" aka the cream of something or other soup

 

5) Frank's favorite dessert was a slice of lemon ricotta torte. He believed every meal should include "a final flourish." Do you more often indulge in or skip dessert? skip

 

6) At Sinatra's home in Palm Springs, CA, you'd find a less sophisticated dessert. He always kept Entenmann's Crumb Cake on hand for his young granddaughters. Share a memory of your grandparents.  my grandparents were avid readers--my grandfather was always reading the newspaper and I think they fostered my own love of reading

 

7) In 1956, when this song was popular, Frank was tooling around Southern California in a blue Continental Mark II. That model was known for its interior of hand-stitched imported Scottish leather. 70 years later, Scottish leather is still used in luxury cars because it's both soft and durable and the production methods minimize environmental impact. If you could splurge on something right now, what would it be? A luxury car, jewelry, travel, clothes, something else? (No responsible answers allowed!) lately, I've been making a retirement travel bucket list: domestic and international

 
8) Also in 1956, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Forbidden Planet were popular at the box office. Do you have a favorite sci-fi movie? the original Star Wars movies

 

9) Random question: What were you doing three hours ago? cleaning the bathroom

finished reading

It's been a while since I've read YA lit.  This was a story about books and grief.  It got a little repetitive and melodramatic for me, but it was poignant.  And it did make me wonder why no one gets grief counseling.  What I most enjoyed were the sections about books.  The fictional world the author creates within the real world made me want to read the Orman Chronicles.

From the publisher:

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

three on thursday

 

Thing one: today was my annual physical / wellness checkup.  I am well.  My blood pressure is perfect, my weight is down, and I have no pain or complaints.

Thing two:  next week, I start teaching a Civics class.  This is new to me; I've never taught a semester-long course dedicated to Civics, although I have taught all the content at one point or another in my illustrious career.  This is probably the only time I will ever teach the class.  A scheduling blip.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Thing three: in this week's groceries, there is a new-to-me discovery of BetterGoods brand sparkling blackberry water.  I wanted something for a treat.