Morning Meanderings… I Am Home… and brought back a totally awesome geeky mug!

Good morning from Brainerd Minnesota!  Yup… as of 8:47 pm last night… I am home.  I am not unpacked…. I am not showered… (TMI?  😆 )  I am due at work in about… ummm…. 45 minutes…. but I am going to write this post real quick before I move on.  😀

I did manage between the plane rides *blessedly uneventful* and the ride home to finish a book and an audio.  AWESOMENESS.  Really 😀  Tonight there is a good chance I will finish a second audio. 

So for my geek moment of the day I have to show you the mug I bought at Universals Studios:

Front
Back

Which really is super cool on its own and Ithat is why I bought it but…. oh look what I discovered on the plane when I looked at it again….

 

 

Whoa!!!  What is this magic!!!!!   Yes, when you add a hot liquid the feet show up on the mug!  I was going to just put this in the reading room with my Potter books as a souvenir but now… I have to use!!!  And so I did…

SSSQQQQUUUEEE right?

 

 

I think I am going to purchase one or two more for gifts…  Ok thats my time.  I work, hopefully tonight I will get back to working out.  It’s good to be home 😀

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (Georgia Mini Version)

 

Welcome to It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.  I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited.  **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

 

 

Hi all!  No bells and whistles to this post tonight as I am currently in Georgia enjoying the company of my College Son and Navy Son.  I will choose two winners next week (yes, I will pick from this past weeks participants) but tonight I want to spend my last night in Georgia hanging with my boys so I am not going to list my posts form this past week (there was not much anyway) and my reading going forward is pretty much the same as last week… I have been in Florida since Thursday morning and drove to Georgia yesterday to spend the weekend with Navy son so book time has been very slim….  however, if you did not see my Saturday post about Harry Potter World in Orlando… I think you should take a look :D.
Other than that – here’s the link to post your It’s Monday What Are You Reading.  I hope that once I get home tomorrow evening that life will slow down for a bit and I will get back to visiting all of you because I really do enjoy seeing what my bookish friends around the world are up too and what you are reading.  😀

 

 

Drinking Butter Beer at Universal Studios Orlando.

 

 

 

Both my sons: Justin (left) and Brad

 

Have a glorious start to your week!

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Movie Review: Rock Of Ages (80’s Fans! Listen Up!)

 

Sherrie Christian was just a small town girl… living in a lonely world.  Then she took a midnight train, going anywhere….

 

(lol… ok 80’s peeps… I had to use that because well…. that pretty much is the story..)

 

But oh yes, there is more.

Sherrie is hoping to make it big with her voice in LA but her start turns out to be a little more rocky than rock and roll.  When she meets Drew, he invites her to apply for a job where he works at the once famous Bourbon Bar where at one time they raked in the big names – including giving Arsenal(Ton Cruise, errr…. Stacy Jaxx’s band) their big start  *insert swoon here* …

Payin’ anything to roll the dice… just one more time…
Meanwhile, the mayor and his wife, are all about shutting out the awful rock and roll music down as part of their “cleaning up the city” program and Patty (Catherine Zeta Jones), the Mayors wife has an odd obsessive desire to start with The Bourbon and Stacy Jaxx.

 

Some will win…. some will lose… some were born to sing the blues….

 

what happens next… is pure… rock and roll.

 

 

I am die-hard loves of all things 80’s (leg warmers, aerobics, Music, big hair, and yes, Bubble Yum) and I… didn’t think I wanted to see this movie.  😯  I thought the preview was a big cheesy, a bit musical….

but then a friend of mine said “Best movie I have seen in a long time”, and I was sold on giving it a try.  Then I watched it a second time with my husband.  Then a third time with College Son…. then probably watching it again tonight with both sons. 

Why?

Rock Of Ages is not only song upon song on awesome 80-ness (my word), it is also many great stars…. Alex Baldwin’s role will shock you and make you laugh, fans of Russell Brand will not be disappointing in his brilliant portrayal of Bourbon Manager Lonny, and love him or hate him – you are bound to be impressed with Tom Cruise who – (I looked it up) sings all the songs himself and had written into his contract that he would not allow any voice improvements… just pure Cruise…. and I was impressed. 

Rock Of Ages is a funny look at the 80’s, a semi cheesy love story in the mix but that is sooooooo 80’s and some quick wit mixed in (watch the dance moves closely when the ladies are dancing in the church) and I do love me some quick wit! 

My hubby who usually falls asleep half way through movies actually likes this one which is a testimony in itself! 

Over all rating… a big visually risky in points but no foul language, and no sex (implied but not seen)

 

80’s fans… you are going to LOVE it.

 

Holed Up In A Bedroom in Georgia

 

Good morning from Georgia.  😀  On Thursday morning, College son (Justin) and I landed in Florida and had a wonderful two days exploring and experiencing Universal Studios – Harry Potter World (I know that’s not the right name, but that’s what I keep calling it)  We had a blast, rode the rides, had the butter beer, enjoyed the sun!  😀

As you can imagine – all you Harry Potter addicts out there… the park was AMAZING and I highly recommend it to all ages!  Here is a quick little clip that I took of the area but this did not capture it all… I wish I would have filmed more. 

 

 

Then Saturday morning we packed up out of our Orlando hotel and drove our rental car two and a half hours to St Marys Georgia to where my Navy Son (Brad) is living.  He has weekends off so we came to stay with him our final two days of our vacation.  It is a blast seeing where he lives and it was awesome to have both boys in the same place!

Justin (left) and Brad in front of Brad’s house in Georgia.

 

We hung out at Brads did a little food shopping at Wal-Mart for our weekend and then later went to a Hibachi restaurant which was fun and oh so delicious!

Hibachi! MMMMMMMM

One of Brad’s friends came over last night and we played cards until about 10:30 last night when I was too wiped out to play any more.  They continued on to the wee hours of the morning so that is why I am holed up in the bedroom… I am awake but no one else is.  😀  I woke up at 6 am and caught up on emails and a little writing.  Now I am going to jump in the shower and start my day.  I have been quiet long enough 😀 

My reading is still lacking due to the activity in my life right now.  I know the boys are watching the game later and I will do a little reading then and a trip to Wal-Mart to look for some new luggage (part of my long story about my bad horrible experience with Spirit Airlines)

Tomorrow morning we pack up early and head back to the Orlando Airport and fly home.  I will be back in Minnesota tomorrow evening landing around 5:30 pm and then driving the three hours back home.  The rest of the week I plan to keep as quiet as possible 🙂

Where In The World Am I (with pictures!)

Hi everyone!  I have not fallen off the face of the earth, been abducted by aliens, or surrendered to the zombies.  Nope…. alive and well and currently in Orlando Florida with College son Justin. 😀

We landed here on Thursday morning after the worst flight of my life (do not book Spirit airlines – LONG story) and proceeded to eat at a wonderful restaurant for lunch called Dexter’s in Winter Park Florida which really thanks to great food, a wonderful waiter, and a beautiful day – really turned our poor experience earlier to the positive.

Grits, tilapia, and a fried egg sounds a bit odd but was soooooo good!
Pork tacos – also delicious – Justin and I split the two entrees
Justin!

We then went and found our hotel at 5:00 pm, walked around the area we were in and watched Rock Of Ages (I had seen it, Justin had not).

On Friday – we spent the entire day at Universal Studios Orlando and WOW!!!  Harry Potter World was all I imagined it would be!

The entrance!

 

 

Hogs Head which was a real bar and next to it was The Three Broomsticks – a real restaurant!

 

 

 

Justin and I had Butter Beer!!!! I didnt like the overly sweet whip on top (like a cinnamon cool whip) but the drink itself wasn’t bad… mine was frozen and Justins was not.

 

 

 

Doing a quick search of exactly what is in Butter Beer (Justin guessed some sort of cinnamon and juice concoction) I found that Universal Studios is the only place in the world that has the JK Rowling approved Butter Beer as she taste tested the samples herself and picked the one they serve today. Well, that just makes it more exciting!

 

 

We spent most of out time in Harry Potter world and we went on all  the rides and LOVED the Forbidden Journey ride which simulates that you are riding on a broom following Harry which when I type it sounds lame to even me but is not – TRUST ME.  This ride was fantastic!!!  We went on it two times in a row and then had to take a break as it made us a bit dizzy. 😀 

We explored the rest of the two Universal Studios all day – had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and after a few purchases – I now have a super cool Harry Potter mug to go next to my books, we left the park at 7:30 pm.  Awesome day.

Today, shortly here actually, we are packing up from out hotel and driving out of Florida and into Georgia to spend the weekend with my Navy Son.  Things should slow down once we get there, I should be able to read a bit and we will fly back to Minnesota on Monday. 

So that is where I am and what I am doing.  I am linking these pics to Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot.  Hope you will stop over there and see everyone else posting what awesome pics are in their life. 🙂

The Bremer Library and Literacy Leadership Institute (and me)

 

Last week I was thrilled to be a part of the initiative for this new program to build the strength and integrity of libraries and literacy programs throughout the state of Minnesota.  6 libraries and 6 Literacy partnership  agencies were chosen to partake in this institute.  3 people were sent from each area, I represented the Brainerd Library along with the Librarian and another Library employee.

The institute was this past Thursday and Friday.  It involves another weekend in November, an assessment in January, and a wrap up in May of 2013.  To be a part of the Institute you have to be available each step of the way. 

 

Our common goal? 

“The foundation funding of $388,540 will support an initiative to strengthen the leadership of rural libraries and literacy organizations in order to enhance the service these organizations provide to their communities. The initiative will offer training sessions to small cohorts of library and literacy leaders on critical aspects of running a rural library or literacy organization, from budgeting and board development to strategic planning and cultural competency.”

as seen on the Otto Bremer Foundation site

Our first day we spent going over our strengths as individuals.  We all had taken the Strength Finders test as past of this group (I reviewed this book a while back and if you have never took the test I highly recommend it – it is enlightening – the code to take the test is sealed in the back on of the book).  They then explained the strengths and how they work together with those in our own groups, as well as with other in the Institute.  I had taken this test over a year ago for work and it was fun to do it again and see how my strengths lined up this second time:

My current top 5 are:

 

Strategic:  (Talent driven, these people are innovative, inventive, original, and resourceful. 

 

Arranger:  (someone who can take the role of team leader or team player as needed, arranging ideas in a creative way people with these strengths tend to come up with more ideas for brainstorming)

 

Maximizer:  (someone who sees something good, and has the skills and ambition to make it even better.  By nature these people enjoy taking full advantage of their talents, enjoy playing games for fun.)

 

Adaptability:  (A free spirit who is seldom thrown off task by unexpected events and comments.  Instead you react to things as they occur.  You are quite comfortable at letting the future unfold at its own pace.  You do better if you are free to respond to demands as they arise.  Understandably you dislike being forced to follow someone else’s plan of action. 

 

Empathy:  (You are aware of the fluctuating moods of individuals.  You can adjust your responses by how the persons mood is set.  You may be known as a giver, not a taker.  You sense when someone could use assistance. 

 

It really is quite fun!

That evening we had a dinner where they sat us together by our top strengths.  I was with a table of Strategic people and we had questions we would answer as table discussion.  It was interesting to get to know the other participants. 

On Friday we switched gears and had discussion on raising money which normally is not something I enjoy but a particular discussion had me taking notes like crazy, talking to people afterwards for more information, lining up a phone meeting and well… I dont want to say too much right now but I hopeful that I am on to something that could be rather exciting and raise funds next year for our Library and Literacy programs locally. 

Maybe.

Hopefully.

😀

As Friday went on we had the lunch speaker, author Kao Kaila Yang who I wrote about on Saturday.  Later in the day we spent time discussing goals with our assigned mentors who will be guiding up through this seven month process. 

I really enjoyed my time working with this institute and learning more about our local Library and how it functions as well as the literacy obstacles we need to overcome as a state (funding cuts in schools, etc…)  It really is an honor to be a part of this and I will keep you informed each step of the way. 

Here is some more information on what we are doing. 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Welcome to It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.  I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited.  **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

 

Last weeks winner: West Virginia Red Reads

Congratulations!  Please choose a book or bookish item from the Reading Cafe!

**Please note I am way behind on sending out books so if you are waiting on a book from me I do apologize.  I am planning on packaging and taking a trip to the post office this Tuesday so be sure if you are waiting on a book from me that you have sent your mailing address (not PO box numbers) to my email at joureythroughbooks@gmail.com

I have still not surpassed that reading slump.  I don’t even think “slump” is the right word because its not that I don’t want to read, its that time has not allowed for reading and by the time I get home from whatever I am too tired.  That should change a bit this week as I leave for Florida on Thursday morning and will have plane reading time and a little down time too while there with College Son visiting Navy Son through the weekend.  😀

Last week here are the posts I put up:

Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Building a Pole Barn to survive a Zombie Apocalypse

I Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

 

 

SO here is what is on the reading plan for this week:

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

This is out book club pick for November.

Nashville music star and family man, Cole Michaels, is persuaded to embrace an ‘American Dream’ theology that promises comfort, happiness, and success. But when the unimaginable happens, Cole blames God and abandons his faith. More vulnerable than ever, he is clueless that an evil character with an unspeakable secret is using every available resource to find him.

Can two old sages, a beautiful blonde, a violin called the Mysterious Lady, and a Triumph motorcycle help prepare Cole for his ultimate trial?

Many years ago I fell in love with Randall’s writing – I devoured the three books he had out and waited and waited for more but nothing came…. here is where blogging gets cool – when he wrote this book – he found me, emailed me and asked me to review it.  😛

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.  

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

Just a book I have really been interested in.

 

 

 

 

In search of a place to call home, thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America. But lacking a written language of their own, the Hmong experience has been primarily recorded by others. Driven to tell her family’s story after her grandmother’s death, The Latehomecomer is Kao Kalia Yang’s tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together. It is also an eloquent, firsthand account of a people who have worked hard to make their voices heard.

Beginning in the 1970s, as the Hmong were being massacred for their collaboration with the United States during the Vietnam War, Yang recounts the harrowing story of her family’s captivity, the daring rescue undertaken by her father and uncles, and their narrow escape into Thailand where Yang was born in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp.

When she was six years old, Yang’s family immigrated to America, and she evocatively captures the challenges of adapting to a new place and a new language. Through her words, the dreams, wisdom, and traditions passed down from her grandmother and shared by an entire community have finally found a voice.

I met Kao this past week at a literacy conference and she blew me away… I could not wait to read her book!

 

 

 

That’s the plan – what is yours?  I would love to see what you are reading and what you read this past week as well.  Please link up your What Are You Reading post below where it says click here.  I am going to try to get around to your posts as I can this week. 

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I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Life has never really been easy for Detective Michael Bennett.  After he and his wife adopted ten , children (not a typo), she took ill and eventually died of cancer.  For years non Michael has been making it work with the help of Grandpa Seamus and the live in nanny Mary Catherine.  He juggles life between the kids and his job and for the most part it works.

Then Michael finds himself with the opportunity to be part of taking down a big time crime lord and after the set up is launched and the gun smoke has cleared, a good friend and fellow officer is left dead and the crime lord has escaped.  Michael feels as though he is about to crack in two, and instead grabs the whole family, Seamus and Mary Catherine too and  heads to the sanctuary of their family cabin in Newburgh New York. 

At first this time away is bliss, kids splashing in the lake, burgers and steaks on the grill.  really just what the doctor ordered – but as Michael has learned all to well time and again… things are not always as they seem.  When two of his kids get caught up with some local gang members things go bad very quickly… what starts out as looking random is soon discovered it is not.  It looks that Michael and hid family are being targeted.

Whats a guy got to do for a little “r and r”?

 

I just seen this new cover…. is that what Michael looks like? Is it? Is it???? 😉

 

I have enjoyed the Patterson/Ledwidge author combo in this series since I first listened to the first book in this series, Step On A Crack, which explains the Bennett family dynamics.  This series is not as gruesome as some of Patterson’s books can be, the family dynamics really give it a nice level feel without being overly gushy the other direction…. Michael is still a detective in New York and the crimes are sometimes harsh.

As this series goes on I am really enjoying it.  The story line has not become old for me, I enjoy the family and the underlying possible relationship (someday…. maybe…) between Mary Catherine and Michael.  The kids, ages 3 to 13, offer a fun addition to the books to as kids will be kids… the little ones adorable… the older boys getting into mischief as you will see in this book. 

I have seen on-line a bit of grumbling about how this one ends and some others saying they didn’t know they would have to read another book. To that I say…. hello….. you are in the middle of a series and no one has said “Michael Bennett – The End yet. 😀  If I were to guess, I am going to say that due to the way this one ended I think the series is going to wrap up soon with this one big case. 

If you like a good detective story with really good characters and writing, give these books a try.  I have thoroughly enjoyed them all on audio.  Something about Patterson’s narrated books that are pretty AWESOME! 

Sunday Check List, MONSTER Dash, and A WHOLE LOT OF Fun Books!

Good Morning.  😀  For a while now I have been wanting to put my own twist on a Sunday post.  I like the Sunday Salon, but wanted to implement another cool thing I have seen occasionally around the blogs and that is when people kind of check list what they have going on in different areas of their life.  Today I am going to give it a test run and see how it goes.

Today….

 

I am reading The Late Homecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

 

I am listening to I, Steve Jobs (IPOD), Late Late at Night by Rick Springfield (kitchen CD player), Child 44 (car)

 

I am hoping today…. I can finish a book, write a couple of reviews, visit some blogs

 

I am working on… getting ready to go to Florida later this week

 

I am looking forward to… Florida and hanging out with both of my boys!

 

I need to… prep some books for mailing, laundry, return some items around town

 

I want to… watch a movie tonight with popcorn and a warm blanket

 

I am watching… a light snow fall

 

The books that entered the doors this week are:

 

All are review books except Lord Of The Flies is a win from Banned Book Week and fall to grace was a book I bought after a raving recommendation by a friend.

For those of you who know that I did the Monster Dash yesterday morning (and if you didn’t you do now! :razz:), it was cool out but wasn’t cold until I stopped running then I got COLD fast!  My friend Amy (AKA Wonder Woman) was a trooper and waited for me when I had to make an unplanned bathroom stop at an Assisted Living Home on route as I was not sure I would make it the whole way.  GAH.   I will post more picks of this event next weekend for Saturday snapshot but for one of us in action:

Running in the Monster Dash! Me and my friend Amy who will do just about anything crazy with me!

So that’s my morning post.  Hope your Sunday is wonderful.  Are you doing anything fun?

Sometimes A Book Comes Along That Makes You Drop Everything Else You Are Reading

 

For the last two days I have been a part of a Rural Library and Literacy Leadership Institute that is embarking on a seven month journey together.  This was our first meeting together and I was thrilled to be a part of it, representing along with two others, the Brainerd Minnesota Public Library.  I will write more later about what we are doing as a group, but this morning I wanted to share one happening from yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon when we broke away for lunch our lunch time speaker was Kao Kalia Yang.  She is a Minnesota author that not only overcame great hurdles to learn English, but wrote a book, The Late Homecomber that has won two awards.  I am sad to say that prior to this encounter yesterday I was unfamiliar with Kao or her book.

When we walked to our seats where we would be dining I was excited to see that we each had a copy of the book waiting on our chair.  I whispered to my teammates that I loved events where books were given out!  As we started our salads, this petite 31-year-old woman took the microphone and I wish (WISH WISH WISH!) that I had recorded what she had to say, but wasn’t sure if that was the polite thing to do and she spoke so elegantly, so passionately that I am not sure I could have held my phone up anyway.

I found this speech of hers on You Tube, don’t be frightened by its length, if you can listen even to the first 4 minutes of it you will get why I was so impressed on. 

 

 

When Kao spoke yesterday I was so impressed by the passions she carried for her book.  I have heard other authors speak about hardships in their memoirs and it is like after talking about it so much they lose the power of the words they speak of – does that make sense?  Its like when they talk, it is so longer themselves they are speaking of but some other person.  This is not the case with Kao.  When she read from her book with such genuine emotion I knew I had to read her book… and read it this weekend.

SO this morning I will be putting on a wedding dress and zombie make up and participating in the Crosslake Monster Dash, but this afternoon… I will be reading The Late Homecomber and if it is as good as I think it is going to be…. look out Bookies Book Club I will be plugging this to you as well.  😀

 

Kao and I. Kao was born in Thailand’s refugee camp and immigrated to Minnesota when she was six. Kao is currently a Professor at Minnesota State University.