Light to Dark

Sunny late summer morning
A balcony
Two cups of coffee
A banana

Dark Places*
e-reader
Park tickets
Sunscreen

Hoping that this quiet morning of reading (or the coffee) gives me the courage for an afternoon water park. Have a great Sunday adventure.

* I'm not sure this Flynn novel was the right one to read in an unfamiliar dark room.

Starry Night II

This morning I awakened a bit earlier than norm (not much because the alarm did start with a four) so I could stand outside and try to see the Perseids.  My backyard is a little sheltered from light pollution; the morning was cool and the sky dark.  My neck crane was rewarded and as I spun around gently under a cover of stars, I was reminded that this is an amazing universe.

Hope you have a great Wednesday.  

Climb Every Mountain

Humphrey's Peak, AZ
June 2012

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”

― John Muir, The Mountains of California

Summer vs Winter

I like conversations that drift into stories about books.  Today a conversation about business strategy and drifted into something like this:

Add this to your list but don't read it now...it's depressing.
Is it a winter book?
Exactly.
I need a summer book.
Inferno is a good summer book.
Should I really read that?
It's a typical Dan Brown formula, it's predictable in a way and yet you want to keep reading.
So a summer book?
Yeah, a summer book.
Have you read 100 year old man?
Yes! It was so funny.
A great summer book.  

The strategy of book reading.

A Bit Squirrely

To complete the weekend, sometimes all one needs is a half bottle of wine and a hour and a half phone conversation with their best friend.

No matter if you were camping, running, walking, or programming, I hope your weekend was pleasant and absent bugs.

I also hope that were you running, you didn't have a squirrel run out in front of you (twice).  Allegedly, it may cause a runner to make quite the squeal.

Walk the Plank or Make a Lunge?

All the book news today highlights Dan Brown's latest work Inferno.  (You're on your own here.)

I'm going to buck the trend and go with fitness.  Related:  Did I mention later this week I will be donning a swimsuit outdoors for the first time this season?

Perusing recent stories in NYT, I discovered The Scientific 7-Minute Workout.  With a fairly nerdy background, I'm drawn to anything that includes the work "Scientific" in the title (as if this gives an article more weight.).  The NYT Scientific study takes about 2 minutes to read so it's a fine pairing for your morning coffee.  I incorporate many of the exercises into my weekly training but now I'm curious as to what could happen if performed sequentially.  Data set pending.

(Note:  read the Journal article if you want the science; NYT was just the hook.)

Walk This Way

I've been daydreaming of my next long holiday.  Colleagues and friends who know I like to travel have been asking me "where will you go this year?"  I haven't quite sorted the answer, but I know I'll take a long walk.

The NY Times features Europe, in 9 Walks.  I've been fortunate enough to manage two of them; perhaps one day, I'll promenade through the rest.

I Tri-ed #240

Today's writing has been briefly delayed by a triathlon and a long nap.  I'm fairly certain this is the most supportive book club in the history of all book clubs.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Things I learned today that were not in any of the books I read in prepping for the day:

• You might awake to pouring rain.  In this case, one should go back inside to apply sunscreen.  If you don't, your back might look like a Rubin vase
• Timing chip = left side
• Sometimes life doesn't give you a warm-up.
• When your alarm is set for 4, you will awake at 3 and start thinking about the swim
• You may accidentally end up in a faster swim heat
• Despite being better than average at math and having keen memorization skills for numbers, you will forget where your bike should be racked
• There are no instructions for removing your neighbor's handlebars from your back wheel spokes
• You will smile when a 10 year old passes you
• You will smile when you pass an 18 year old
• You may forget to drink water on the bike
• You will hug the first person you see when you cross the finish line.  Thankfully, I happened to know the person removing my timing chip so it wasn't so strange.
• The body markings are a challenge to remove.

So here's to tri-ing something new, setting goals, facing fears, and being just a little bit crazy.  Have a great weekend!

En-titled to be Wrong

People would likely stop talking about the HBO series when I mention my current read if I would manage to get the title correct:  In Cold Blood (not True Blood).  Apologies, Truman Capote.  I blame my recent fever.  This book has been on my shelves at least five years and has never been read.  The combination of the heat and my recent illness spurred me to lift it from its horizontal position (library overflow) atop a variety of other novels and in doing so, continues my habit of "real book" after e-book.

I think In Cold Blood might have been a GBC read from years past.  If so, I'm catching up.  We'll see how it goes.  Hope you have managed to avoid the heat of the weekend and made time for a little couch reading.

In the Heat of the Night

It took 75 pages before The Heart is a Lonely Hunter hooked me. Still when I go back to the book, I have to reread a few pages prior to my starting point to re-enter the story. [Sometimes easier to step into a dress from the 40s than a novel.] Mick and Mr. Singer are quite likable characters; many of the others are not. Mick is a tomboy stirred by classical music and creeps through the night to sit under window sills to find access to symphony. Mr. Singer cannot speak nor hear and has become the person that our other characters seek out for inspiration and comfort. They make an unlikely duo in the boarding house setting.

There are other characters that I expect to be of significance, but have not yet quite discovered their contribution. Dr. Copeland provides medical access to all but cannot seem to find a way to mend the wound with his children. Biff lost his wife to religion and then twenty pages later to TB.

This book was not the best pick for a fast moving read but in these hundred degree days of summer, perhaps it does have the right pace.

Berlin and a Step

Two things happened yesterday which took my breath away, and children of the 80s, it was not in the "Top Gun" sort of way. One we need not discuss (potential book material); the other involved stepping off a ledge into a 12' abyss or at least that's how I saw it through my rose-colored goggles.

Both moments were frightening. Both left me with a moment of sheer weightlessness that I hope I will one day describe as a "life lesson," "character building," "growth experience," or any of the other cheesy two word combinations which tries to mask fear and emptiness to inspire hope.

I expect that will be how I will feel.

Now, I am tuned into an appropriate playlist and finding solace in the music which accompanies The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Saturdaze

It's Saturday.

Be adventurous.

Be nice.

Be carefree.

Start a new book.

Staying Afloat

Because I am scheduled to take the most expensive swimming lesson in the history of man [Note to self: secure pricing before the commitment], I will close the week with this suggestion for summer reading: Learning to Swim by Sara J Henry. Described in the reviews as "mystery" and "thriller" the read is projected to have a few things in common with my first lesson.

Henry hails from The Atomic City and we share an alma mater. Before you read, know that this is projected to be the first in a series, much like my personal journey to avoid sounding like a Lamaze class when in a pool.

Enjoy the weekend and happy Memorial Day.

Triangle Man

Several of us in (and out) of the GBC are wondering where to go with our reading list. For my thoughts, it is approaching the end of summer so I feel as though I should go with more serious literature, but yet, I am not ready to give up those light reads which seem to match the longer mostly sunny with occasional thunderstorm days. What to do? In the end, I have selected Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello and a sample of My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler. (As you can see I have not made the transition to autumn reading.)

So my conscious does not let me leave you with suggesting only books about bags and er, baggage. (Thank goodness for NPR.) Nancy Pearl in this link has put together a pretty interesting list of reads and since she modifies a line by They Might Be Giants in her review, I trust her recommendations. (Such high standards I have.)

Make a little birdhouse in your soul.

Makes Me Feel Fine

So you are awake really early on a Monday morning and you are wondering what to do?

You could search your email to find the title of the next book for GBC (or read about it here): Taking Lottie Home by Terry Kay. This is one of those books which has emerged during discussions so repeatedly that I feel like I have already read it. (I have not, however I can certainly imagine GBC Milena saying the title with her California-turned-Tennessee voice.)

With just over a week before the discussion, there is still time to (summer) breeze through those last few pages while humming along with the jasmine in your mind.

7-8-(9)-10

By now a couple of you may have noticed that I missed an odd day. The rest of you might now glance up and check the date. Yesterday was indeed an odd day.

Your summer reading tip is brought to you by Moda (not to be confused with my sister). While perusing through the store Monday, I overheard a very excited conversation about a story and then after asking me, "Are you looking for anything in particular?", the follow-up question was, "Have you read Gold Coast?" The next few comments were related to the book with various advice of: "read the series" and "do not read anything online about the books." I give weight to enthusiasm so Nelson DeMille just might make my list.

Stick Figures

While I thought that I might move into more "serious" reading in support of my new career, a book on the shelves caught my eye Monday evening, and I was not able to resist one more item in the "chic lit" genre. My sister had picked up a used a copy of Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell and had passed it along to me. The book has a Leopard print spine - why not?

With my current extended day schedule, I am only reading a few pages each night but with the first 100 pages, the book is quite consistent with the TV series of the same name which this author may have watched courtesy of Hulu. Of course, I should have made that comparison that in reverse, but I have not yet crossed over that caffeine threshold of creative wordings. As you look forward into the weekend, good luck with your book selections and choose something fun!

Couch Surfing

I have reached the point in my current read where I do not want to stop. To use a sports reference, this is the "sweet spot" of reading. It is the time where one begins to shift one's schedule, abandoning all unnecessary, non-income related items in order to enjoy those last hundred pages uninterrupted to see if things do indeed have a happy ending.

As the day draws near to its own happy close, I am sending birthday wishes and love to the woman who let me read books on the sofa every summer instead of playing outside. Thank you.

Moomin In

As today is the first day of summer, I am reminded of the lovely all-night parties that my Scandinavian friends are likely still enjoying as an official introduction to the beautiful (hot in our case) months ahead. As you may have noticed from Saturday's chart, Finland is on my mind.


I do not think I have mentioned one of my favorite writers from this area, Tove Jansson. In addition to her other accomplishments, she is the author of the Moomin books (which I did not include in my calculations of Finnish titles for those of you who are curious). Comet in Moominland and Moominpappa at Sea are among my favorites from the collection. These are whimsical reads and might be nice additions to your summer reading list. There is a small hint of sadness in the books, but I think it aptly represents of the region. If you are traveling to the area, Moominworld is also worth a stop for ice cream.

Reece's Pieces

The June meeting of the GBC was by all accounts a successful affair. Big salads, ice cream sandwiches, yellow lanterns, and a hot summer night. The members even discussed the book. No spoilers were shared for those of us who had not yet ventured South of Broad (at least in the literary sense).

I must take this opportunity to shamelessly promote a new author (who happens to have a fabulous sister). Republican, First, Last, and Always: An Biography of B. Carroll Reece will soon be available from both Amazon and Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This is Dr. Bowers' first hardcover release, and I am certain we can arrange a signing. Having already read the book, I can say (without bias), that it is interesting, funny, and particularly relevant to anyone who has spent any time in Northeast Tennessee. It is also a good look at the motivations for office. In her honor, I leave the font in Times New Roman: "the only writer's font."