madameblogalot

Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West: This short National Geographic film is informative and interesting and filled with beautiful scenery. I like this kind of thing and have been impressed with the work of Lewis, Clark, The Corps of Discovery and the assistance of Sacagawea and the other Native Americans who helped them. I am always amazed at the journals, maps and drawings kept by Lewis and Clark as well as the fortitude of all involved (especially Sacagawea-giving birth and caring for an infant!) I would call this one a HIT for me.

Next: Wow…Michael Crichton has some interesting stories, ones that are current in today’s society and have far reaching effects for the future. I think it is a good way to open the eyes of the general public to real issues that seem too lofty for many to think they can understand. While I did not enjoy this story as much the one I read last month, it did give cause for lots of thought, especially after reading the Author’s Notes and Bibliography. The story seemed disturbing, even more so after seeing how much of it is based on fact! It reminded me also of a review I had recently read about another book soon released about a chimpanzee that evolves into a human. (Just the review of that book disturbed me.) I learned some new terms with this book and some new ideas (and that some new ideas are really a hundred years old!) I will call this one both a HIT and a MISS for me. Though the story did take on more meaning after reading the notes and bibliography…

Deception Point: I thought I’d go with a Dan Brown novel to see if the language was any less strong/frequent. (Not much.) The story was pretty good. It is filled with ideas of government conspiracy theories, which I think are not too far fetched. The story also involved NASA and ideas to privatize it. Living close to Johnson Space Center and knowing many in the area associated with NASA, this part of the story seemed close to home. While I liked the story, I did not really like the ending. I think I would rate this one as a HIT anyway.

Inception: Some friends have been wanting to see this movie. We found a semi-free night and stayed up late watching it. It is just a good movie. I enjoy the thought-provoking nature of the story. I still rate it a HIT.

Timeline: I found this story intriguing at the beginning. And for a while I thought that without all the harsh language it could be a fun story for young adults too. I did find out that this story has been made into a movie, and at first I thought I’d like to see it. I still might, but with all the harsh language and the gruesome violence I am not sure the movie is for me. As for the story, I will rate it as neither a HIT or MISS.

The Wheel of Samsara: This short story is available to read online. It is a quick read. I have to say that while I did not quite “get it”, I laughed out loud at the final sentence. I will rate it as neither a HIT or MISS.

Reader’s Digest: I read most of the magazine. As always, it’s a HIT with me.

The Orkney Scroll: Found this book on the paperback exchange shelf at the library and liked the way it sounded. It is an archeological mystery book, sort of reminded me of Agatha Christie and also another art history mystery series. This book was a quick and easy read as well as interesting. I don’t mind learning a bit of history with my fiction! I will rate this one a HIT and will be looking for other titles in this series as well.

The Cosby Show Pilot Episode: We sat down with the kids to watch this classic on Netflix. I have seen it before and think the kids had too. We really enjoyed it. It was fun to see some of the differences that were part of the pilot and the following episodes (I believe one of the girls called the brother “Teddy”, they only had 4 kids, the house was different downstairs…) There were several times I laughed out loud. I will rate this one still a HIT after 20+ years.

While I have known for most of this year just what a game getting into college is, it was really driven home to me even more this past weekend. I have heard most of the information before, but I guess now that we were visiting a school that my son is seriously considering, it was all driven home a bit more. And the more I think about it, the more I don’t like it.

There are more kids applying to and attending college than ever before. That can be a good thing. But that fact has driven it to become a very competitive game. Kids apply to 5-10 colleges now and hope to find a decent financial aid package from at least one of these schools. The financial aid itself is a big game with the rules being used today differing from the ones in place when we were in college.

All financial information is based on the parents’ income as well as the students’ (with heavier weight placed on the students’ assets.) But, if parents are unwilling to help a student, the student does not have much recourse unless they can get a good job, join the military, wait until age 24 or get married. If parents who will not help pay are at least willing to fill out the FAFSA form, students may then qualify for a government loan even if parents will not help.

The government expects parents to pay for a child’s higher education. That’s it. Parents are expected to have sacrificed life and/or lifestyle in order to save thousands of dollars for outrageously overinflated college tuition prices and fees. (I was told that the formula is based on a family’s income from the year 1967 but the college prices are certainly NOT based on that year!) Now I am not against parents making sacrifices for their kids since they chose to have and raise them. But I do not agree that we should go into debt again (we did that already with our own college educations!) to provide our kids with a college experience (one article phrases it as parents should be penalized for choosing to drive new cars and have iPhones. REALLY? They have worked for their money and should be able to choose how to spend it. If they want and can afford these things, why should they forego it so the kids can be handed a new computer and iPhone upon entering college?)

These things are all good and becoming a necessary part of our children’s world, but why at our expense? When we made the choices and sacrifices to provide for our own educations and to spend the next ten years paying it off, why devalue it for our children? Is that not only feeding the entitlement ideals this generation seems to already exude? Doesn’t something mean more to a person when they have invested heavily in it? Doesn’t sacrifice on the part of the student give them ownership and teach them to value it more? Won’t they be willing to do that for something they greatly desire? Is the college game shortchanging our kids from the outset?

We are about to head out to visit a college campus in another state. It is actually my sister’s alma mater so I know she will be glad to hear it! I am anxious to get the college decision finalized, but most of it is resting on the financial aid my son is being offered. So, until we get final word from the schools which he is most interested it, we are making visits to see how the campus fits him….

Maybe I am a bad mom. But late last year when my daughter needed new glasses for the upcoming school year, I declined taking her to the eye doctor. She does not wear her glasses like she should, and going to the eye doctor and getting her prescription eyeglasses is not cheap. Since her prescription is very light, I thought we’d try to just get over the counter reading glasses. She did find a pair that helped her to read better, but she doesn’t wear them much because they are too heavy and give her a headache. (So she says, or maybe she just doesn’t want to wear them at school!) At any rate, I never had checked in to buying prescription eyeglasses online. I read an article that talks about how much cheaper it is to buy your eyeglasses online. While there is the risk of not liking them once you get them in, it is argued that the price is so much cheaper that it’s worth it. I will have to remember that in the future when my daughter next needs glasses. (Especially if I buy them and then she doesn’t wear them all the time like she is supposed to!)

My mom was re-doing the border in her kitchen. When I saw it still in the package, I laughed, saying that is how I feel lately!

Of course, it’s not the full text on the banner, which really states “Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often.” A much better sentiment of how life should be!

Just a reminder to spring ahead one hour tonight/tomorrow morning at 2. Set your clock ahead one hour. Yes, you “lose” that one hour of sleep. It is supposed to help us save energy on lighting by using the natural light longer into the evening hours. While I have read that the savings are minimal, lots of people enjoy the longer hours of daylight.

To learn more about Daylight Savings Time and it’s origins, you can read what Yahoo News had to say about it today.