madameblogalot

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks. We traveled to Phoenix to watch (help) my husband participate in his first Ironman triathlon. I don’t think it will be his last!

It was an amazing day (weekend; nearly a week for him) with Ironman village being set up out in the Town park. I was blessed to be able to volunteer for race day, beginning at 5:45 am with the swim exit. It was a lot of fun to see everyone get to the finish of the first third of the race. Nearly everyone made it to the cutoff time of 2hrs 20min. We cheered those who were close to the cutoff time and were saddened with those 10-12 who did not make the cutoff.

After lunch I helped in the women’s change tent for their T2 transition from the bike to the run. After their 112 mile bike ride through the desert and back to town, the athletes headed out for their 26.2 mile run. It was fun to see all the different kinds of ladies who undertook to finish the Ironman race (my husband’s aunt being one of them!) I learned different ways the ladies prepare themselves for such an undertaking and the different things they pack to help them through the day. So many asked me if I was going to do next year’s race. I think I surprised many with my “no” answer! (Volunteers get a preferred registration, after race day and this year’s athletes. Many people volunteer just to be able to get in that line! Lots of this year’s racers were last years volunteers!)

Earlier in the day I met the lady who was captain of the finish line and she said I could come help that evening at the finish to be able to greet my husband. I was glad for that, since by volunteering all day I was never able to see him out on the course (luckily he spotted me at the swim exit and came over and gave me a big wet kiss!) I sat that evening opening medals and rolling t-shirts waiting for him to come in. I was thrilled to hear his name announced and got to him seconds after he crossed the finish line, now and forevermore an IRONMAN!!

Today the neighborhood kids strung a rope across a yard and we had a neighborhood volleyball game. It was great fun and we hated to have to leave. Later when we got home it was still going on. The little 15 month old girl I keep was with me and she ran to get in on the action. When she tripped over one of the older girl’s legs and fell face down on the sidewalk, all the kids came over to check on her. She got up squalling and a little red on the forehead but seemed ok. As I picked her up and carried her to the house to get some ice, all the kids started applauding for her! It was so cute and so sweet! While it may have been a simple playground ovation, it sure made a big statement. I sure am proud of how all those big kids treat a little one year old! (And I would bet her uncle who plays football for Tulane would be impressed that his little niece has gotten such an ovation!)

The Dark Ages: I actually watched this History Channel presentation in Sept. but forgot to list it. I “enjoyed” this film and felt like I learned something and actually put some history together as well. And, as my daughter was studying her world history that week, she quizzed me and it was over some of the things I had just watched! I got some of the questions right! So I guess I will rate this one as a HIT.

Nineteen Minutes: I am not a Jodie Picoult fan. This is only the second book by her I’ve read but daughter may use this as one of her choice readers so I wanted to read ahead of her. This novel about a school shooting is a tough one, which I guess Ms. Picoult writes about (tough current social events.) I just cannot wrap my mind around the way that teen behavior and even some adult behaviors, are normalized in her books-and in so many stories as well. Maybe I have been too naive, or maybe it really is just living in a conservative area of the country. At any rate, the story here is not enjoyable though I was drawn in and wanted to read the book, finishing the 455 page novel in less than a week. Even though I have never been in a school shooting setting I was able to relate to some of the feelings of some of the characters in the book so in that aspect I guess I would rate it a HIT. As for the storyline it is obviously not enjoyable and I hated the ending. I will rate this one as both a HIT and MISS.

the first part last: Another book daughter may read. Not my choice of reading material, but again focuses on a current social issue-teen pregnancy and parenthood. While I hate the language used I did feel like this one was perhaps a bit more realistic, being set in a large city. And the biggest difference in this story is that it is told from the teenage father’s perspective. A good twist. While it does delve into some places I would rather not have my daughter go, it was still descriptive without being too graphic (except for the language.) I did like the tone in which the story was told and felt the bond between the teen father and his newborn baby was beautifully and pretty realistically handled. I love the idea that lends itself to the book’s title: “But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They’d be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end. Then everybody could end their life on their momma or daddy’s stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning light.” This kind of beauty leads me to go ahead and rate the story as a HIT.

Buck: This documentary about the real Horse Whisperer was very interesting and informative. While I have no interactions with horses, I found Buck’s way with horses to be the same way we should be in relationships with people. Buck is amazing; he came from an abusive childhood and instead of becoming an abuser himself, has turned around to help others over come abuse and to avoid abuse in relationships. While he focuses mainly on the relationship between horse and human, it is so readily applicable to any relationship. It sure made me wish I would have been a better parent. I will rate this one a HIT.

The Wildest Dream: I was intrigued by this movie title and “cast list” so I decided to watch while training on my bike one morning. It was narrated by Liam Neeson and is about the question as to whether George Mallory did in fact make it to the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924. I honestly did not know there was a question about it so found the story very interesting. Apparently in 1999 Conrad Anker, a mountaineer, found George Mallory’s body on his own quest to climb Everest. Mallory’s body was below the summit but it is unclear whether he made it to the top first or not. So Anker decided to recreate the expedition to see if it could indeed have been possible for Mallory to have summited in 1924. The story of Anker’s recreation is interesting. I think the one part that hit me the most though was when Anker showed his family the clothing they had recreated to match Mallory’s. By todays ideals, it could be considered substandard. When Conrad showed his wife and stepsons, the youngest boy, a preteen whose father died while climbing in the Himalayas, was asked if he would wear such clothing to climb Everest. When he replied “NO” his mother asked what he would wear. His response, a quiet, fervent “I wouldn’t climb Everest.”

I was also fascinated by the fact that Mallory used oxygen to aid him on the climb to the top, as well as the fact that his final ascent was filmed. As for Conrad and his partner’s remake of the expedition, it too was fascinating. I was really impressed with Leo’s (Anker’s partner) strength in rock climbing as well as how much altitude affects the climbers. All in all, I rate this film a HIT.

American Assassin: The story itself was fairly intriguing. If you like espionage and intrigue and don’t mind rough language, this might be a good one to read. I will rate this one as neither a HIT or MISS for me.

National Treasure: I watched this one with my oldest nephew while on a trip together. I had resisted before but enjoyed the second one so much I thought I’d give it a try. I really enjoy the history of these movies and thought this was a fun one. Towards the end of the movie I realized I had seen the ending already before. I rate this one as a HIT.