madameblogalot

Master and Commander:(film) Not having seen this before, I was not sure if I would like this. I felt like it gave a good enough picture of what life might have been like at sea (too good a picture in some places for me!) I liked the young Blakeney, the time spent on the Galapagos Islands, and the surprise ending. I guess I would call this a HIT.

A Perfect Stranger:(film) Not sure about this one. Some good things to say and point out. Not sure if it would reach the audience it might be intended for. Not too cheesy, as it easily could have been. I would say this was neither a HIT or MISS for me.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: While an interesting concept and story, I did not enjoy all parts of it. (I have been surprised by the elements and graphic nature of some things written in the 19th century, though not nearly as graphic as it is these days.) The story was interesting enough and I was curious to see how it ended. The story was neither a HIT or MISS for me.

Blithe Spirit:Seeing a local production of this show was a fun “Halloween” treat. While is was not a strong performance, we enjoyed it well enough. I have especially come to appreciate the scenery production. While I would rate the show itself as neither a HIT or MISS, I would rate the set as a HIT.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer: I bought this book for my son but I don’t think he’s read it. Knowing it was a “young adult” book, I was surprised at how graphic the parts about Lincoln’s wound were. In fact, any part having to do with “gore” was rather graphic. Come to find out, the author was apparently told by a group of second graders to keep in all the blood and gore, but not so much that parents flip out. (I find it hard to believe that 2nd graders said that-7th maybe….) So at least that accounted for his descriptions…I also found it hard to follow at times, in that the author jumped back and forth between different individuals’ stories a bit too much/too often for me. The information is probably pretty accurate in that the author has done extensive research for adult volumes on this account. All in all, I would say the book was like most this month, neither a HIT nor MISS.

The Rule of Four: This was an interesting book that drew me into it’s story quickly. While there were some elements I don’t care for, it was not too bad in regard to language. I did not like reading about “college life” (sex, drinking, etc) as being so normal (since I have a kid not far from going to college!) But as for the story, I liked it. Some of the reviews likened it to The DaVinci Code. Since I have not read that book, I am not sure. But it did seem something like a From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler for adults. I enjoyed the suspense, the mystery and was not too surprised at the ending. I will call this book a HIT and the best one so far this month.

The Scarlet Cord: I got this book off the paperback exchange thinking I would enjoy it since it is one of those Biblical fiction novels. This is a version of the story of Rahab. Normally I like these kinds of stories. But in this one I did not like how Joshua, the leader of Israel, was portrayed. I did like some of the historical references used. I was also surprised by how graphic some of the story was. Of course, knowing what we do know about Rahab, that would be included. I was only surprised because the copyright is 1956. I did like the closing paragraph, but overall, I would rate this book as a MISS for me.

I know lots of people gripe about how slow the postal service can be. And in this day and age of instant communication, it is rare to wait at all for any sort of communication. But can you imagine waiting 64 years for a post card? I guess it’s better late than never!!

*click link above to see the video

I have never cycled over 30 miles before. But Saturday, I did 78! It took all day but was lots of fun!

This was a sponsored two day ride, but I could only do one day. That was a good breaking in! The routes were nice (though some of the roads and shoulders were not great for bicycles), there was a very steep bridge on one section (I made it over without having to walk!). My favorite part was the stretch along Bolivar Peninsula. Even though it was windy, the shoulder was wider and the road was smoother.

I loved having breakpoints every 8-16 miles. This allowed us to go to the bathroom, snack, apply sunscreen and stretch. I think taking it like that helped keep us from dehydrating or from feeling sore. It is something I would do again, but might bring a little more snack since lunch was not until mile 60. And it is definitely good to have someone to ride with!

I had a friend come to me last night and ask me to blog about something she had gotten in the mail. As a local business owner, my friend received a letter from the local high school requesting her co-operation to help reach parents in the community.

What is this event that the high school needs help in reaching out to students’ parents? It is report card pick up! Instead of trusting students to take home their grade reports or mailing them to each individual home, the school is asking the community to be aware of the “positive reinforcement” they will receive if and when they come to pick up their child’s report card (no word on what happens if they don’t show up.)

On report card pick up night the high school is serving free hot dogs, cookies and drinks. There will also be a drawing for five students (when their parent picks up their report card) to win a $100 scholarship. My friend is questioning what is happening when parents have to be bribed to get their child’s report card. Maybe it’s just another result of what we have become used to in our years of being educated and rewarded with positive reinforcement-we can only perform what is actually expected of us if there is an external reward for us.

A carrot on a stick? A bribe? Positive reinforcement? A parental duty?

Yesterday was the World Championship Ironman Triathlon. One of our new friends was a first time participant in the race! We were thrilled to “track” her times online, seeing her times, wondering/thinking about/praying for her all day. She was chosen in the lottery to participate and finished with an hour to spare. I cannot imagine all that her day entailed. Her email said she just could not describe it. But I hope to get a glimpse of it when she returns and shares her adventure with us!

I did not realize I could turn the comments box off for each individual post. It is easy to do. When I write the post, I simply scroll down and uncheck the box which allows comments. I won’t do this often, but it’s good to know that it is available.

Recently I had to buy ink cartridges for my printer. This was the first time I had to replace them since we got the new computer and printer. I know printer ink is expensive (and I had to replace all of them at the same time!) so when I began to look I wanted to find the best price. I bought all the ink cartridges at local retail stores, one being significantly cheaper than the office supply store (but they were out of all the colored inks.) But then I found a website in which I could have saved even more money.

When I see the savings offered, like a 10% savings on dell 926 printer ink cartridges, 15% off ink and toner, $3 Canon cartridges, I have got to make sure that I look there first next time! When I spent nearly $100 to replace those ink cartridges, a percentage of savings would be significant!

I hope that next time I am ready to buy printer ink, there will be such good sales and special prices going on. I will at least remember to check online first before going out to drop $100! Some sites are also offering free shipping, leaving no reason not to order online!