Turkey Day Pics

Just a couple actual Thanksgiving pictures....didn't get any great whole family shots, but here's a few cute ones...

Mom working on a cat puzzle....all the women in my family are great puzzlers :)


Dad carving the bird!


Mom and I being silly with the Indian Corn. Sexy right?

Turkey Day

Mine was...so good! And it went by so fast :( My day was filled with turkey, pie and lots of entertainment. My parents and grandma made the trek over from Sequim to my apartment here in Lynnwood and we spent a cozy day eating treats and catching up. 3 highlights of my day included: watching my dad listen to his ipod for the first time (with my music...all kinds, English, Spanish, Rap, Rock, Shawn McDonald, James Blunt, Hairspray soundtrack, etc, etc, etc). Putting the Christmas lights, and my few meager decorations on my tree. And finally, playing Catchphrase with my family was one of the funniest things I've done in a long time. All in all it was a great day of relaxation and laughter....here's hoping yours was as well :) God Bless...and in true cat lady style, I hope this makes you laugh as much as it did me...

in other news...

can you tell it's a quiet day at work today? Oops, hope I didn't just jinx myself :S

Anyway, in other news, I need a new picture of me for this blog. However, there are two problems with that 1). I do not have any stunning (lol!) and/or very current photos of myself that portray my blog personality. what the heck? Yeah, I don't know what it is either...and 2) More importantly, I don't know how to change it! In order to get a picture on there in the first place I remember it being quite an ordeal and Andy was definitely involved in helping my technologically illiterate self. So I suppose for now, it is simply a thought...or perhaps a cry for help? Or simply a time waster here at work...more to come later....

hmm...

Competence, like truth, beauty and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.
- Laurence J. Peter

THE SHACK

dun dun dun...do I dare review the book that has been made so much of, as of late? I dare...

Book Review: The Shack
by: William P. Young

My Rating: 7.3

I liked it! However, I really had to push my way through to the end before reflecting back on the book to realize that I did like it. Haha. It was a parable to what it looks like to walk with God and interact with Him, especially as He is the Trinity. I can see where people could easily reject some of the ideas mentioned, on their face, if they were not careful to read each line of text and truly understand what it is that William Young in attempting to portray with his use of a black woman (God), asian woman (Holy Spirit) and Arab Carpenter (Jesus...a little more obvious) -it is NOT that He is condoning the idea of God as a woman, but rather that God is an asexual being, and simply chose to portray God as a woman in this novel in an attempt to broaden peoples' perspectives on the idea of God and shatter images of Him as an old man with white beard who sits on His throne. For taking that chance I applaud the author. I also enjoy the use of the interaction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit throughout the book. In today's culture there is so much debate surrounding the idea of the Trinity and what that truly means, I enjoyed Young's perspective of a simply love between three people that is unequaled in the human universe, due to its purity. The thing that impacted me the most reading this book was the incredible imagery that is used towards the end of the book in one of Mack's (main character) interactions with the spiritual realm and the healing that comes from it. More than anything, this book made me think. I'm not one to easily take things on their face as accurate (especially when it comes to controversial biblical topics) and so I didn't with this book either, and in doing so it made me contemplate what I truly believed about the Trinity, the gender of God, humans interactions with God, etc...All in all, it's certainly worth reading, provided that you go into it recognizing that it is, in fact, a piece of fiction and an analogy, not absolute truth!

I'd say...read it! And then tell me what you think :)

Lars and the Real Girl

Movie Review #2 -

Lars and the Real Girl
My Rating: 8.0

I'm not a movie person, but if I was this is my type of movie. It's a little off kilter as far as movies go, but I found it enjoyable as well as really was able to take on the plight of the people in the story. It felt significantly more real-life than many "romantic comdedies" (and I wouldn't even necessarily categorize this one as a romantic comedy, not typical by any means). I enjoyed a movie without violence, swearing and very little sexual innuendo for the firs time in a long time! It seems that very few movies are made without those things anymore. Anyway, I won't spoil it for you, but I'd highly recommend this movie if you're looking for something a little different, a little bit confusing at first, and yet heart warming in outcome.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Movie Review!

Rating: 4.0

I'm switching to Movie Review (only for the day). I'm not a big movie watcher in general. Right Ivan? Haha...I much prefer half-hour TV shows (even if I watch 4 in a row) rather than 2 hour movie. What does that say about me? I'm not sure...Maybe I am truly shaped by a culture that doesn't even have the patience to watch a 2 hour movie anymore...Although, the fact that cinema is one of the biggest sources of entertainment for Americans would be a testament that instead I am the anomaly. Anyway, beyond all that speculation, I DID watch a movie yesterday, admittedly while baking cookies and washing dishes...however, I did.

I watched the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - a book I also read not that long ago (but prior to the beginning of my book reviews). I enjoyed the book and was surprised at the depth to which it actually goes, farther than what one would assume to be a Teen-girl book. It explores the themes of true love and support between friends and what that looks like (as well as other more surfacy topics).

I was sorely disappointed in the movie. As with most books-made-movies the story fell drastically short of what the original book story portrayed. Not only were the story of the individual girls changed (especially Lena! her story was NOTHING like the one in the book) but I felt like so much of the emotion and dpeth portrayed in the book was gone - leaving simply a teen-flick dealing mostly with teen crushes. I was sorely disappointed...

I'd recommend the book before the movie of course. I'd give the book a 7.0 for such as easy read....enjoy!

The Cat Lady

It's official...I AM THE CAT LADY. My friends oh-so-lovingly dubbed me with this title a while back due to 2 things: 1). I absolutely adore cats, oftentimes more than people (not saying I should, just stating the facts) and 2). I'm pretty much the only single person left in the world (ok, just my world in which anyone my age is married, engaged, and thinking about children). I am doomed to be the "cat lady" to grow up an old maid who has hundreds of cats, who (eventually when I die) eat my decaying body because no one finds me in my lonely apartment where I live alone.

Ok...maybe that's a bit extreme, but - I had my first true experience of being a cat lady yesterday. It was my day off, so I went for a run. On my way back, I walked into our apartment complex (a very long and uphill drive way). Close to the front a cat ran up to me! It was all gray, and - get this - it was wearing a gray sweater! How weird? A cat in a sweater. Don't get it. Anyway, I stopped to pet it for a moment, although being wary (as I am allergic to cats, lol - which will make being a cat lady difficult) not to fluff up the fur too much. I planned to progress up to my apartment, but this sweater-wearing-cat followed me! It jumped at me and tried to grab my ipod cord! It rubbed against my legs and feet and purred...awwwwwww. It followed me all the way to my apartment. I think it was hungry, but I don't exactly have a supply of cat food on hand - I gave it CheezIts....heehee. My cat at home loves pretzels, so it was worth a shot! Unfortunately "sweater cat" as I have so named her in my head, wasn't interested, and scampered away to find another single lonely lady with better snacks. lol.

Needless to say...there are 4 cheezits outside my door. and I've had a look into my future....eek!

Bones

Book Review Tres:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Siebold

My Rating: 5.0

I listened to this story on tape...well cd, rather than reading. Does that have some effect on my enjoyment of the story...unlikely. Although, by the end I did find myself wishing it was over so that I could move on to something else I wanted to listen to.

This story was another recommended to me by Amazon, and I must say I'm starting to be wary of "their" judgement! This book was entitled The Lovely Bones...clearly, before even beginning to read one can assume it will surround a murder. However, I was a little shocked by the introductory chapters in which *spoiler alert* young Suzie Salmon is brutally raped and murdered, and described in detail. Something I really didn't need to hear...although I suppose the story would lose some of its grip without it. From there...the story proceeds to tell of Suzie Salmon watching the story unfold of her family and friends' lives and how the each cope with the sorrow of losing her in their own way. Essentially, her family is torn apart as her father tries to get revenge on the man he believes to have killed her and ends up badly beaten and with permanent injuries. Her mom has an affair WITH THE DETECTIVE ON SUZIE'S CASE, and then moves across the country because she can no longer stand to be a part of her own family or face her own children, still living. The alcohlic Grandmother comes to live with the family, and the youngest child learns to live in the shadow of his dead sister and without true love from a parent (father) who cannot love his living children due to the memory of his dead one and a mother who deserted him for a tepid affair and a job at a winery. Throughout the story, not only are the family and friends being watched, but also the killer...the reader finds themself simply wanting to reach out and tell everyone that he's RIGHT THERE. But you can't! And neither can Suzie, secluded in "her heaven"...an interesting portrayal of heaven, to be sure...without God, I'd venture it pretty inaccurate. Haha. Anyway, throughout the book, one would think that the finale would reveal a capture of this man, some justice served after the many rapes and deaths (Suzie was not his only victim) that he caused. Instead, rather, the culmination of the story comes with an "out of body" experience in which Suzie is able to switch souls with a friend of hers still on earth for a short time and have sex with the boy she loved....(when she died at age 14...could she truly love him? She barely knew him)...Rather than take her time on earth to point out her killer's wareabouts or spend time with her family who would have desperately needed to see her. She chooses to have sex and then return to her heaven. What?!?!?!*Spoiler alert* the killer dies...by icicle. Yes, by icicle. Accidental death. Odd.

The one thing I did like about this story was that it was very atypical. It seemed that no matter what the reader would expect...it didn't happen, this did make it seem more realistic. Although, isn't it hard to live in a world knowing that innocent girls' deaths are never avenged? that mother's have affairs out of sadness? and that children are never properly loved due to pain that never goes away? Isn't it pure irony that because one child was so loved, and she is gone, others that would have been equally as loved miss that opportunity?

I'd recommend this book more highly than the previous (Max Tivoli)...as it gives more of an opportunity for deeper perception and thought into our society and the levels of ache that sin has brought us to. However, if you're looking for a pleasure read murder/mystery type book, this is not it!! Beware...

Finally...I'm currently reading THE SHACK. I know, it's supposed to be a big deal right? So far I'm not as thoroughly impressed as everyone seems to make out that I will be...but I'm going to finish it before I completely tear it apart...wait for it ;)

Confessions

Book Review Numero Dos!

Book: The Confessions of Max Tivoli
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 (on a scale of 1-10)



This book was interesting. It was well written - I appreciated the wide vocabulary of the author (Andrew Sean Geer) and the writing style, although at times it seems overly drawn out. It was written in a fairly eloquent way, however because of that, often tended towards wordiness. The story itself was sad and left the reader (well, this reader, haha) with a melancholy feeling. The storyline follows a man named Max Tivoli (who later goes by the name Asgar Van Daler). This man *spoiler alert* is a man who is born as a old man and ages oppositely throughout his life. Make sense? No? Yeah...didn't make sense to me at first either. Literally he is born as an old man...and gets progressively younger throughout the book. When he is 17 he falls in love with a 14 year old girl...although it seems much creepier than that because his interaction with her is one of an old man (even though he is 17, to the world he is 70) and a young girl. More or less the rest of the story follows this young man's desire for the girl (Alice) and how his "age disorder" affects his lust (I would say love...at one point *spoiler alert* he does marry her and they don't stay together). Max Tivoli lives a backwards life in which his family is embarassed of him, his father leaves him, he is obsessed with a teenage girl, his wife leaves him, and in the end he ends his own life - rather than degenerate into an infant for the final years of his life. What are Max Tivoli's confessions? The confessions of his life, what it really was, and who he really was. Virtually no one, save his only friend Hughie and his mother, ever knew you Max really was, or believe who he was. This book is bitter (and not sweet at all!). It was an interesting read, but I have to admit that I kept hoping Max would be able to tell the truth to the only person he loved and they would live happily ever after...too much Disney in my life I guess, ;)

I'd recommend it only if you unlimited reading time on your hands..otherwise, look for something a little more worth your time and with a better message to it's reading.

also...

as an aside to the post I just posted....I've started getting tons of books from the library - from whatever Amazon recommends for me. However, I'm also open to any of your suggestions (you people, I value your opinions much higher than the computer generated list Amazon provides for me)! So...suggest away :)

Book Review Numero Uno

I Dared to Call Him Father:The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encounter with God

by Bilquis Sheikh and Richard H. Schneider

This book was exactly what the second half of the title claims - a miraculous story of a Muslim woman's encounter with God. I have to admit...I never finished the book! I read at least 5/6ths of it...but I got a little bored. Parts of this book were certainly inspiring, Bilquis is a woman of incredible faith...However, the action occurring in the book seemed very repetitive (something like this....I started to feel oppressed/I stopped feeling the presence of the Spirit....then I realized that I needed the presence of the Spirit back, so I prayed and stopped sinning...and there He was!)...Which, is all great and encouraging...but it's similar to my everyday life (except that hers took place in a country full of spiritual oppression).

The thing that I did really appreciate about this book was how intensly intune Bilquis was with the Holy Spirit. She was able to pinpoint feelings of the moment she walked away from the Spirit. I, on the other hand, tend do drift away and not really notice it until it becomes painful. haha.

Anyway, I'd recommend the book for easy reading - and perhaps you have a better attention span than I and you'll make it through the entirety of the novel. Despite my lack of focus during my reading of this book, I walk away from it with a deeper respect for those who live in truly religiously oppressive countries as well as a desire to have the deep intuition of the spirit that Bilquis had in the book. Because really - walking the Spirit is soooo much better than walking away. Right??? the answer is yes... :)