FunnyBlog

Fight or Flight

Fight or flight…what do you think? Clowns creep me out. I would definitely never fight a clown. And that is how I am starting this post so that I can use one of the limited pictures from my third back up computer.
LG and I have been discussing this theory of fight or flight lately. As I accused him of using fake sicknesses as a way of avoiding stuff…”that would be a flight technique”, I told him.
For the most part, I didn’t marry a fighter. He avoids contention at all costs, which is a good thing and a bad thing. But, I just love LeGrand. He makes me laugh. He is learning to put up his dukes (as my Grandma Dorothy would say) a little more, which is a good thing because he is an attorney by trade, and for all of my therapy to work, someone needs to put me in my place at times.
Anyhow, back to the fight or flight. LeGrand was explaining this theory to the girls at dinner last night. He had learned in a legal education class that mentally ill people can immediately and easily switch into a fight or flight mode, whereas normally healthy people only do so when in extreme situations. LG questioned the girls after his explanation, “If a big black bear were coming at you, what would you do?” “Run away, or stay and fight it.”
Abigail and Bella didn’t hesitate to say they would run as fast as they can.

Sophia on the other hand is always our imaginative one. She said, “I would throw gummy worms at the bear.”

We all decided unanimously that we need to keep Sophia’s hair blonde the rest of her life, no matter how much peroxide it will take.
Where does she come up with this stuff?

Book Review: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Sheila asked if I am being paid to do book reviews and the answer is regrettably “no”. Although I will be sharing a book review next month on a book that was sent to me to review, so I guess technically I was paid in a free paperback.
LeGrand was so jealous that he offered to trade me my blog for his law practice. Because we are so poor, he was surprised when he had thought that I ordered a book to be shipped. I nonchalantly told him it had been sent to me to review on my blog. A day later he said, “Alice, I don’t think you know how cool it is that someone just sent you a free book to review on your blog!” I guess I don’t, but I do like it that my husband is jealous of me.
I have said it a million times that I would never want to be paid for my blog because I feel like it would force me to settle with expressing my true opinion and that would be tragic.
However, I have made it a goal to read more. I have completely quit watching T.V. and I am enjoying more reading at the especially perfect time of year: SUMMER.
I like to share my reviews because it forces me to take a moment
and reflect on each book to completely integrate into my life.
Take them or leave them. Better yet, read the books for yourself.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Besides being a quick read, this book was not only historically rich with a view into Seattle during times where Jazz was new and racism was old, but was also a touching story of first love and family ties. I gained an open window into the history of WWII, especially the shame that surrounds the American government imprisoning our own citizens solely because of their race.

I enjoyed the age old and overall theme of children who have to find their own way among their parents’ expectations, especially when the parents are sometimes wrong. Ford privileged us with two generations worth of intertwined plots. I normally don’t like books that time travel, but this book was done with such ease that it didn’t bother me at all. Reflection was an important part of this book and memories written as if you were there actually left me with an equal desire to read of the past and present.

Most of all, this book was a love story. I am sure that the overriding love themes are probably the real reason for the book’s popularity. Loyalty to love, loving your choice, the complexities of love and hopes between family members, and always remembering your first love are all the meat of the book. And of course, the most exciting theme of all is that it is never too late for love.

The only complaint I have for the book is the ending. I always struggle with the end of books. If I ever write a book, the end is going to be perfection because I am all about THE END. This end was good, but not prefect. At least it wasn’t a bad ending and that is hugely complimentary from me because I bet 80% of the books that I read have bad endings. Even if the author would have thrown in “and they lived happily ever after” it would have at least given me a little more closure;I am all about the closure, especially when it comes to fiction. When the closure has to be derived from my own imagination, I don’t like it; I want the author to dictate his own story, especially the end.

View all my reviews >>

Book Review: Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain (Paperback) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was a little racy for my taste, especially in the middle. There was a lot of inappropriate sexual content…at least for my pretty sheltered mind. I don’t tend to like the slow going pace, and this book was especially slow at first, but I am glad I persevered as the author did a good job of portraying the horrors of the Civil War. I guess slow going reading favors the period of time that the book depicts.

I saw into a window of the lives of backwoods people in The Appalachians, but a lot of the time it was a window that I would have liked to walk away from to pretend it was not there. I don’t like some of the oddities of the people portrayed, especially as a Tennesseean. It’s books like this that make some people think we are still all barefoot and pregnant living off the hog and our veggie gardens. I am sure much of what is talked about it true, but I just don’t like it…maybe that makes me a fool, but I would rather pretend stuff like incest doesn’t exist in the world as I know it. Sometimes I felt like I was reading an awkward story that was the frame for the awkward movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

I really enjoyed reading about the art of homesteading and the author’s beautiful and sometimes very detailed descriptions of nature, especially our own gorgeous Appalachian Mountains.

My favorite line by far was the old goat lady who said, “Marrying a woman for her beauty makes as much sense as eating a bird for it’s song.”

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Meet Piggy Piggy.

My kids crack me up.

Here is an overheard conversation today.
Abigail questioned me, “Mom, if we got a pig, do you think it would eat bacon?”
Sophia almost under her breathe, “That’s just wrong.”
Why is that so funny to me?
Maybe it’s the fact that Sophia knows that bacon is from a slaughtered pig.
Or maybe because she so matter of factly protested.
Either way, I am still laughing.

First Crush

I love my daughters.

I love my relationship with them.
We always have fun! But, I am able to have the most fun with Abigail. I have discovered that the older my kids get, the more ways I can mess with them.

As I blogged about previously, Abigail’s 5th grade year was spent with a lot of teasing because of her first major crush. You can see the side of the face of her beloved smartie pants’ boy Google. It’s only natural that all of her little sisters have also decided that they love this boy. They regularly say his name to get the baby to smile.

They are both so smart and funny that it’s just natural that everyone kind of puts them together. They are smart enough to not take it too serious and funny enough to mess with.
At the end of the year awards ceremony Google was an Awards Hog.
Abigail got a bunch also, but not as many as Google. She wouldn’t want to make him look bad. As they walked up a bunch of times to get their different awards, they each displayed the same quick and determined gate. They were each trying to be humble while they were so pleased with themselves.
I just love these kids.
Here is Abigail’s glance over her shoulder on the one trip that she ended up standing next to Google.
The look says something like, “Mom, you better NOT embarrass me!”
Hope she doesn’t mind me sharing the awesome photo on my blog.
Oh, and kudos and many thanks to my masterful photographer friend Keith Poveda who captured the kodak moment. If you want his number give me a holler.

Eric Carle

This will be a post without a picture because I would never ever dream of breaking the copyrights of Eric Carle. He is BY FAR my favorite artist, writer, and illustrator. You may be familiar with his work. Two of my favorites are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you Hear? and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I was moved by this part of his autobiography in The Art of Eric Carle.

In 1935 I started school in Syracuse. I remember vividly a sun-filled room, large sheets of paper, colorful paints, and fat brushes. One day my mother was asked to see the teacher. Convinced that her son had misbehaved – why else would a parent be asked to come to the school? – she was immensely relieved to be told that her boy not only enjoyed drawing and painting but that he was good at it. It was impressed upon my mother that from now on she was to encourage and nurture this talent. This was advice she would honor for the rest of her life.

It struck me as I kept reading how this small experience of a teacher praising a talent in Kindergarten, totally and completely shaped the work of Eric Carle. His mother always encouraged him from that time forward and Eric remembered this as his initial moment of feeling talented.

I want to be the person who inspires others. I want to motivate by compliment. I want someone to do something great because I took a moment to notice something small. And what if I can multiply that by 100? And what if I multiplied that every day? And what if we all just tried to look for the good in each other? Would we all live a life that felt as nice and as happy and uplifting as any page of any book of Eric Carle?
To me, heaven couldn’t get much greater.

I choose you

I choose you.

Every day.
I choose you.
No matter how poor.
I choose you.
As I always have.
I choose you.
No matter how broken.
I choose you.
As I always will.
I choose you.
No matter how hard.
I choose you.
I have to.
I choose you.
No matter how wrong.

I choose you.

I must.
I choose you.
No matter how long,
I have to wait for your success,
or your happiness, or your comfort, or your perfection.
I choose you.
And because I do,
nothing else matters.
When I choose you,
I am a success.
I am happy.
I am at peace.
And I am perfectly whole.

Mr. Obama

Abigail was telling me yesterday that she had written a letter for The President. She is preparing for a trip to Washington D.C. soon.

Sophia questioned, “Did you write Dear Mr. Obama”, and for some reason that struck my funny bone.
I think Abigail may just be writing these letters for some blog attention. I don’t want to disappoint her.
Dear Mr. President,
I would love it if you made everything cheaper. I know you can’t but could you check with the Legislative Branch, please?
You may be wondering why I am asking. Well, my family is in the red zone. We have 4 kids, two pets, and two parents. All but my dad are girls (even the two pets), so, you know how that is with all the drama, clothes, and make-up. Again, thank you for reading this.
Sincerely,
Abigail Gold
P.S. Please reply