My efforts to lose weight are proving fruitless.
About 24 years ago, when I weighed a whole lot less, I fit into a very tiny-waisted wedding dress.
Today I suppose I'd need a barrel.
My weight began to creep up almost immediately after I married, but I kept it in check. My husband also has weight issues and his favorite diet when we first married was the Scarsdale Diet, which was very similar to the Atkins Diet.
So occasionally we'd do some half-hearted Scarsdale Diet and things would be lovely.
Then it was time to have a baby, and endometriosis reared an ugly, painful head. Infertility loomed. I was 23 years old.
The doctors put me on a variety of drugs, some of which mimicked pregnancy in an effort to "kill" the endometriosis so I could then have a baby.
My weight blossomed like a stink flower overfed on Miracle Grow.
Then at the tender of age of 29 came the hysterectomy and hormone pills. Boom. Instant menopause. Also instant migraines and more weight gain.
My weight crept and crept. Up and up. Conspicuously missing was exercise - I wasn't raised to exercise. I lived on a farm, I slung hay bales when I was young.
But I no longer did those activities. Hiking, something I loved to do but my husband did not, became infrequent because I feared to go by myself as the world churned with rage.
I worked part time and full time jobs and put myself through college. I stayed busy but my work was not physical.
In August 2003 I took a trip to Williamsburg. The weather was hot and humid. I huffed and puffed during the entire trip.
I vowed to lose weight. But nothing happened.
My husband went on the Atkins Diet in 2004 and his pounds fell off. I followed suit and lost weight too. I also gained problems with depression and constipation. I felt terrible.
I went off the diet. But even today, bread makes only rare appearances in our house; we eat much better and healthier. I began buying organic - fresh fruits, veggies. Not so much processed food. Fewer snacks.
I attempted to exercise in spurts, but nothing stuck. I couldn't find the time and I didn't think it would help.
Finally, in December 2006, I began walking very slowly on the treadmill. Before this I would attempt to do miles at a time and become frustrated when I couldn't, so I didn't go back. This time I just did five minutes and called it a day. Then I did seven minutes. Then 10.
In a month I was doing a 1.5 miles every day. I began to lose weight. Things looked good. I was feeling better.
Then the dizziness struck. I couldn't keep my balance when I was walking the floor, much less a treadmill. Desperate to keep my momentum, I bought Denise Austin tapes. I did them as best I could. A couple of times I lost my balance and fell on my face, but I persevered. In July I was able to get back on the treadmill.
In August 2006, I developed shin splints. This hurt a lot.
I bought a recumbent exercise bike so I could get off my feet. I began lifting small weights.
Finally in November I hopped back on the treadmill. I worked myself back up to 20 minutes a day. Then Wham. February of this year brought me plantar fasciitis that turned into a heel spur.
And here I am, still limping along. I am walking 10 minutes a day on the treadmill, sitting 10 minutes on the bike. Occasionally I go to the sports complex and walk around it twice, which is supposed to be about a mile. Some days I make it around four times before my feet hurt so bad I can hardly make it to the car.
I also lift weights. I do some exercises on a medicine ball, I get in the floor and stretch. Occasionally I do a Tai Chi routine with a video tape. What's really missing, though, is good cardio and I know that.
My feet are still hurting, though they are better. I ignore it and do the best I can.
The weight has crept back. I'm not quite where I was in 2005 but I am close. I crave sugar a lot. I try not to give in but often do. I eat 100 times better than I did even four years ago, but the weight keeps coming.
Despite the return of the flab, I feel better than I did 2 years ago. I have more energy and I am stronger. I can walk longer distances without feeling winded. The effort has had tangible results.
Just not the results I want.
I'm not asking for solutions, I'm just trying to put it out here where I can look at it. To many people I am sure I haven't done enough. Not enough willpower, some think. No self control.
Maybe they are right.
But for me, the changes I have made have been difficult and in some respects incredible. I know I can do more, if the injuries will halt long enough for me to figure it out. And I really want to find a way to change my eating habits that doesn't leave me feeling depressed, or sick or weak or any of the other things that diets often do to me.
I have to be able to think and work and get through the day.
I am not looking for longevity. I figure I will live as long as I am supposed to. But I would like to feel good while I'm on this earth. I'd like to be able to walk to McAfee's Knob without wondering if someone will have to ride up in a 'Gator to get me back down.
I consider myself to be in terrible shape. Mrs. E., bless her heart, told me during our recent first "get to know a fellow blogger" meeting that I didn't look anything like she expected from my descriptions. She did not think I looked as bad as I believe I do. Her words made me feel a little better about myself.
I would like to lose 15 pounds by Christmas. I think this is doable, even with Thanksgiving.
I just don't have any idea how to go about it at this particular moment.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
Keeping Warm
A friend who lives in England told me she keeps her house at 57 degrees at night and 67 degrees during the day in winter (after I translated for Celsius, which is what they use there).
in the past we have kept our house at 68 degrees in winter, night and day. However, with the price of electricity rising - APCO has a request before the SCC and has been granted leave to go ahead and start charging higher rates again - we've been looking at other options.
We heat with a heat pump and a furnace. The electric bill used to cost us about $200 in the winter. This past January/February/March, it hit $300+, and we expect it to do the same in the upcoming season. It's quite a punch in the paycheck.
We don't quite know what uses all the power. Our house is not that large - 1,500 square feet - but there you go. Maybe we don't have enough insulation or something.
So we're considering keeping the house between 60 and 64 degrees. However, 64 degrees is cold for me to sit and work at my desk. I huddle in a blanket but my fingers freeze and typing slows down. I have an electric space heater that I use but my husband swears it takes as much power to run the small electric heater as the furnace (although I don't believe that myself). The government differs with my husband's thoughts on this matter. It says if you cut the thermostat back and use a space heater in one room you save money.
We also have a fireplace with a stove insert. The wood stove requires the built-in fan to run by virtue of its design. The stove insert blasts heat into the house, so much so that it makes the living room nearly unusable. The heat traps itself in the front room. We have to run electric fans to blow it through the rest of the house.
The wood stove is nowhere near the room I use for an office; I am in the other end of the house.
I am not sure we're gaining anything with the wood stove. Plus I am allergic to many trees and the wood smoke from the fireplace generally makes me sick.
I am wondering what other people do for heat, and how warm they heat their homes. I am wondering if people are able to keep the cold at bay.
I am hoping for a mild winter with lots of rain.
in the past we have kept our house at 68 degrees in winter, night and day. However, with the price of electricity rising - APCO has a request before the SCC and has been granted leave to go ahead and start charging higher rates again - we've been looking at other options.
We heat with a heat pump and a furnace. The electric bill used to cost us about $200 in the winter. This past January/February/March, it hit $300+, and we expect it to do the same in the upcoming season. It's quite a punch in the paycheck.
We don't quite know what uses all the power. Our house is not that large - 1,500 square feet - but there you go. Maybe we don't have enough insulation or something.
So we're considering keeping the house between 60 and 64 degrees. However, 64 degrees is cold for me to sit and work at my desk. I huddle in a blanket but my fingers freeze and typing slows down. I have an electric space heater that I use but my husband swears it takes as much power to run the small electric heater as the furnace (although I don't believe that myself). The government differs with my husband's thoughts on this matter. It says if you cut the thermostat back and use a space heater in one room you save money.
We also have a fireplace with a stove insert. The wood stove requires the built-in fan to run by virtue of its design. The stove insert blasts heat into the house, so much so that it makes the living room nearly unusable. The heat traps itself in the front room. We have to run electric fans to blow it through the rest of the house.
The wood stove is nowhere near the room I use for an office; I am in the other end of the house.
I am not sure we're gaining anything with the wood stove. Plus I am allergic to many trees and the wood smoke from the fireplace generally makes me sick.
I am wondering what other people do for heat, and how warm they heat their homes. I am wondering if people are able to keep the cold at bay.
I am hoping for a mild winter with lots of rain.
Right or Left Brained?
Becky at Peevish Pen pointed me toward this test that tells you whether you're right or left brained.
I was rather surprised.
I was rather surprised.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
13 Random Lines
1. From National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States. Page 13, the sentence that encompasses Line 13:
Making up the eastern third of Kentucky and Tennessee and extending into Virginia and Alabama, the Cumberland Plateau is composed of sedimentary rocks deposited 250 to 350 million years ago during the region's transition from shallow sea to continental uplands.
2. The American Heritage Thesaurus, Page 13, Line 13:
"To oversee the provision or execution of: administrate, carry out, dispense, execute (Compare conduct). (defining the word "administer")
3. Folk Medicine: A New England almanac of natural health care from a noted Vermont country doctor. By D. C. Jarvis, M.D. Page 13, Line 13:
The amount of sugar in your blood is one teaspoonful. This amount is so essential that, were it reduced to a half teaspoonful, you would lose consciousness.
4. An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard. Page 13, Line 13:
Oops. Page 13 just says "Part one". So 13 pages from the end, Line 13:
Pretty soon all twenty of us - our class - would be leaving.
5. Last Days of Glory, by Tony Rennell. Page 13, Line 13:
One conspirator sent a suggestion of how the positions in the private office should be carved up, putting himself down for a promotion and a handsome L1,000 a year salary, and ending his note with the ridiculously melodramatic suggestion that Reid should 'burn it at once if you think best.'
Okay, that's enough of that. It's not 13, though. Yikes.
Making up the eastern third of Kentucky and Tennessee and extending into Virginia and Alabama, the Cumberland Plateau is composed of sedimentary rocks deposited 250 to 350 million years ago during the region's transition from shallow sea to continental uplands.
2. The American Heritage Thesaurus, Page 13, Line 13:
"To oversee the provision or execution of: administrate, carry out, dispense, execute (Compare conduct). (defining the word "administer")
3. Folk Medicine: A New England almanac of natural health care from a noted Vermont country doctor. By D. C. Jarvis, M.D. Page 13, Line 13:
The amount of sugar in your blood is one teaspoonful. This amount is so essential that, were it reduced to a half teaspoonful, you would lose consciousness.
4. An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard. Page 13, Line 13:
Oops. Page 13 just says "Part one". So 13 pages from the end, Line 13:
Pretty soon all twenty of us - our class - would be leaving.
5. Last Days of Glory, by Tony Rennell. Page 13, Line 13:
One conspirator sent a suggestion of how the positions in the private office should be carved up, putting himself down for a promotion and a handsome L1,000 a year salary, and ending his note with the ridiculously melodramatic suggestion that Reid should 'burn it at once if you think best.'
Okay, that's enough of that. It's not 13, though. Yikes.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
FYI: Virginia Voluntary Water Conservation
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2007
GOVERNOR KAINE ENCOURAGES VOLUNTARY WATER CONSERVATION AND CALLS ON LOCALITIES TO UPDATE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANS
~Warns that drought conditions could become acute in the spring of 2008 if lack of rain continues ~
RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today urged localities to update water conservation and drought contingency ordinances and plans and begin preparations to implement those plans. The Governor also encouraged citizens and businesses to strictly follow all calls for water conservation issued by public waterworks or local governments.
In areas where local water conservation requirements have not been initiated, citizens and businesses should voluntarily conserve water to the greatest extent possible. This includes minimizing non-essential outdoor water uses such as irrigation and vehicle washing as well as reductions in indoor water uses.
“Assure that there are no water leaks in your home; limit showers to periods of less than 5 minutes; turn off the water when you brush your teeth; and only operate dishwashers and clothes washers with full loads,” Governor Kaine said. “These simple actions when performed by millions of citizens throughout the Commonwealth can result in a significant reduction in the stresses placed on our water resources.”
The entire Commonwealth is currently experiencing significant drought, which intensified in the six weeks preceding last week’s welcomed wide-spread rainfall. While last week’s rain addressed many short term drought impacts, the underlying long term precipitation deficit remains.
Fortunately, the Commonwealth is approaching the time of year when water demands will diminish greatly. With the end of the active growing season, the water needs of actively growing plants will be virtually eliminated and human demands for most non-essential outdoor water uses will cease. If, however, weather predictions of a dry winter materialize, Virginia is poised to experience significant drought with the onset of the growing season in the spring of 2008. The long range weather outlook calls for the potential for above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall through January 2008. While it is unlikely that serious water shortages will occur prior to the spring of 2008, it is essential to prepare for the potential for serious water supply impacts in the coming months.
All local governments should review existing local ordinances requiring mandatory non-essential water use restrictions at this time. Any locality that has not adopted such ordinances should consider doing so now. All local ordinances should be consistent with the mandatory non-essential water use restrictions contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan. It is likely that these ordinances will be required in the spring of 2008.
“The best drought responses are those that take into account the individual nature of water supplies and the users of those resources, and these must be developed at the local water system level,” said Governor Kaine. “We must use the window of opportunity that we have between now and the spring of 2008 to develop the best local response plans that we can. I applaud the efforts of the 55 water suppliers in the Commonwealth who have implemented existing water conservation plans to address the impact of the current drought on their systems.”
The Governor is also directing all executive branch agencies and institutions to review existing drought water conservation and contingency plans or develop new plans and eliminate all non-essential water uses at this time. The elimination of non-essential water uses must be consistent with the requirements contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan.
Today’s actions are in addition to those the Governor has already taken to address specific drought impacts on farmers and forest lands. As the result of Governor Kaine’s request that the US Secretary of Agriculture declare the entire Commonwealth an agricultural drought disaster area, all Virginia localities are now eligible for federal disaster assistance to address agricultural drought impacts. On October 18, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the Commonwealth that includes a ban on all outdoor burning. The most immediate danger related to the drought is the potential for a significant fall wildfire season.
“I ask that all citizens be vigilant in controlling potential sources of wildfires,” said Governor Kaine. “This includes being mindful of parking vehicles in proximity to fuel sources such as dried grass as well as avoiding all outdoor burning. While the recent widespread rainfall has provided some temporary reduction in wildfire potential, this relief will rapidly dissipate without additional periodic rainfall. The current ban on all outdoor burning will remain in place until further notice.”
For water conservation tips, visit: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/waterconservation.html
The October Drought Monitoring Task Force report is available at: http://www.deq.state.va.us/waterresources/drought.php#DroughtStatusReports.
The Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan can be found at: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/pdf/droughtresponseplan.pdf.
Office of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2007
GOVERNOR KAINE ENCOURAGES VOLUNTARY WATER CONSERVATION AND CALLS ON LOCALITIES TO UPDATE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANS
~Warns that drought conditions could become acute in the spring of 2008 if lack of rain continues ~
RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today urged localities to update water conservation and drought contingency ordinances and plans and begin preparations to implement those plans. The Governor also encouraged citizens and businesses to strictly follow all calls for water conservation issued by public waterworks or local governments.
In areas where local water conservation requirements have not been initiated, citizens and businesses should voluntarily conserve water to the greatest extent possible. This includes minimizing non-essential outdoor water uses such as irrigation and vehicle washing as well as reductions in indoor water uses.
“Assure that there are no water leaks in your home; limit showers to periods of less than 5 minutes; turn off the water when you brush your teeth; and only operate dishwashers and clothes washers with full loads,” Governor Kaine said. “These simple actions when performed by millions of citizens throughout the Commonwealth can result in a significant reduction in the stresses placed on our water resources.”
The entire Commonwealth is currently experiencing significant drought, which intensified in the six weeks preceding last week’s welcomed wide-spread rainfall. While last week’s rain addressed many short term drought impacts, the underlying long term precipitation deficit remains.
Fortunately, the Commonwealth is approaching the time of year when water demands will diminish greatly. With the end of the active growing season, the water needs of actively growing plants will be virtually eliminated and human demands for most non-essential outdoor water uses will cease. If, however, weather predictions of a dry winter materialize, Virginia is poised to experience significant drought with the onset of the growing season in the spring of 2008. The long range weather outlook calls for the potential for above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall through January 2008. While it is unlikely that serious water shortages will occur prior to the spring of 2008, it is essential to prepare for the potential for serious water supply impacts in the coming months.
All local governments should review existing local ordinances requiring mandatory non-essential water use restrictions at this time. Any locality that has not adopted such ordinances should consider doing so now. All local ordinances should be consistent with the mandatory non-essential water use restrictions contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan. It is likely that these ordinances will be required in the spring of 2008.
“The best drought responses are those that take into account the individual nature of water supplies and the users of those resources, and these must be developed at the local water system level,” said Governor Kaine. “We must use the window of opportunity that we have between now and the spring of 2008 to develop the best local response plans that we can. I applaud the efforts of the 55 water suppliers in the Commonwealth who have implemented existing water conservation plans to address the impact of the current drought on their systems.”
The Governor is also directing all executive branch agencies and institutions to review existing drought water conservation and contingency plans or develop new plans and eliminate all non-essential water uses at this time. The elimination of non-essential water uses must be consistent with the requirements contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan.
Today’s actions are in addition to those the Governor has already taken to address specific drought impacts on farmers and forest lands. As the result of Governor Kaine’s request that the US Secretary of Agriculture declare the entire Commonwealth an agricultural drought disaster area, all Virginia localities are now eligible for federal disaster assistance to address agricultural drought impacts. On October 18, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the Commonwealth that includes a ban on all outdoor burning. The most immediate danger related to the drought is the potential for a significant fall wildfire season.
“I ask that all citizens be vigilant in controlling potential sources of wildfires,” said Governor Kaine. “This includes being mindful of parking vehicles in proximity to fuel sources such as dried grass as well as avoiding all outdoor burning. While the recent widespread rainfall has provided some temporary reduction in wildfire potential, this relief will rapidly dissipate without additional periodic rainfall. The current ban on all outdoor burning will remain in place until further notice.”
For water conservation tips, visit: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/waterconservation.html
The October Drought Monitoring Task Force report is available at: http://www.deq.state.va.us/waterresources/drought.php#DroughtStatusReports.
The Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan can be found at: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/pdf/droughtresponseplan.pdf.
Quarreling with the News
Today in The Roanoke Times (some links are to other news outlets because I have such a difficult time finding things on the Roanoke paper's website):
Item 1.
On page 1.
"Young adults use more medicines"
How in the world can this be "good news" - that more people are taking drugs? Maybe for him, the prescriber, it's good news, but these drugs are, in my opinion, relatively unproven. They haven't been around 100 years. Who knows what they actually do to people. Not to mention side effects.
No. This is NOT good news. Good news would be "more young adults are eating proper portions of healthy fruits and vegetables and eschewing candy, soda, and other processed foods."
What a nation. We think popping pills solves everything. Egads.
Item 2.
Virginia Section, Page 1.
Living in Limbo
Salem is one of the 10 sites NS picked for its intermodal facility. Two of the sites are in Botetourt County, but no one seems to think they're sites that would be chosen because they are miles from the interstate.
Salem residents are concerned because they don't know where the site is going. The Virginia Rail office was to have made a decision first in February, then in April, but nothing has been forthcoming.
The area of Salem chosen is near where my grandmother lived. I spent many days on East Riverside Drive, which is across the Roanoke river from the proposed site.
The Roanoke River has a tendency to flood in this area; my grandmother was wiped out three times before she moved to Front Street (which is also close to this train facility).
There are old people, and young people, who live near this facility, and it will not be a place that facilitates good health. Smoke and noise, etc., not to mention the stuff that they cart through there, will cause health problems.
Item 3.
Virginia Section, Page 3
Drought in Southeast is expected to cut nation's beef supply.
We are in this space, my husband and I. We haven't the feed to get through the winter, and the price of hay has doubled, which we cannot afford. We're trying to hang out as long as we can... though I am not quite sure why.
I don't expect the weather to suddenly become more predictable in future years; I think it will be less so. The small farmer is going to have a devil of a time trying to exist, much less make ends meet.
With the housing boom busted, I don't see so many farms being sold to subdivisions; instead, I see farms being foreclosed on and folks ending up living with their children (because most of the farmers are older people).
Item 4.
Virginia Section page 5
Man recorded life in 5-minute segments
This fellow, now dead, wrote 37.5 million words in a journal. Which is a somewhat like a blog except without hyperlinks.
My initial reaction was that he needed to get a life and look outside of himself. I'm not sure what that says in terms of my own blogging and journal writing. I believe strongly in journaling and writing about your feelings, etc., etc.
Just not to the point of actually not living.
Item 1.
On page 1.
"Young adults use more medicines"
... "This is good news, that more people in this age range are taking these medicines," said Dr. Daniel W. Jones, president of the American Heart Association.
Still, he said many more people should be on the drugs that lower cholesterol or blood pressure and which have been shown to reduce risks for heart attack and stroke....
How in the world can this be "good news" - that more people are taking drugs? Maybe for him, the prescriber, it's good news, but these drugs are, in my opinion, relatively unproven. They haven't been around 100 years. Who knows what they actually do to people. Not to mention side effects.
No. This is NOT good news. Good news would be "more young adults are eating proper portions of healthy fruits and vegetables and eschewing candy, soda, and other processed foods."
What a nation. We think popping pills solves everything. Egads.
Item 2.
Virginia Section, Page 1.
Living in Limbo
Salem is one of the 10 sites NS picked for its intermodal facility. Two of the sites are in Botetourt County, but no one seems to think they're sites that would be chosen because they are miles from the interstate.
Salem residents are concerned because they don't know where the site is going. The Virginia Rail office was to have made a decision first in February, then in April, but nothing has been forthcoming.
The area of Salem chosen is near where my grandmother lived. I spent many days on East Riverside Drive, which is across the Roanoke river from the proposed site.
The Roanoke River has a tendency to flood in this area; my grandmother was wiped out three times before she moved to Front Street (which is also close to this train facility).
There are old people, and young people, who live near this facility, and it will not be a place that facilitates good health. Smoke and noise, etc., not to mention the stuff that they cart through there, will cause health problems.
Item 3.
Virginia Section, Page 3
Drought in Southeast is expected to cut nation's beef supply.
National Cattlemen's Beef Association spokesman Joe Schule says the sell-off of
breeding stock will ripple through the industry until breeding animals are
replaced.
"You piece all those small producers together, you've got, normally, a very vibrant cattle industry in the southeast region and really a big part of the cattle economy," Schule says. "It's definitely going to continue the stagnation of the cattle herd."
That will hurt consumers, Schule says, because supply is a big factor in the price of beef.
We are in this space, my husband and I. We haven't the feed to get through the winter, and the price of hay has doubled, which we cannot afford. We're trying to hang out as long as we can... though I am not quite sure why.
I don't expect the weather to suddenly become more predictable in future years; I think it will be less so. The small farmer is going to have a devil of a time trying to exist, much less make ends meet.
With the housing boom busted, I don't see so many farms being sold to subdivisions; instead, I see farms being foreclosed on and folks ending up living with their children (because most of the farmers are older people).
Item 4.
Virginia Section page 5
Man recorded life in 5-minute segments
This fellow, now dead, wrote 37.5 million words in a journal. Which is a somewhat like a blog except without hyperlinks.
My initial reaction was that he needed to get a life and look outside of himself. I'm not sure what that says in terms of my own blogging and journal writing. I believe strongly in journaling and writing about your feelings, etc., etc.
Just not to the point of actually not living.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Nickel and Dimed
I was sure my plans for Saturday evening had been busted as soon as I woke from an unexpected nap. I had been reading and I fell asleep with a book in my lap. The clock said 6:15 p.m. and I was to pick up a friend in a half hour.
I wasn't dressed.
Suddenly I realized that I never called the box office at Hollins University to reserve seats for the play we were to see. What if it was sold out?
Panicked, I called to check. An answering machine picked up. I left a breathless message about wanting to reserve two seats for the evening.
Then I hurried to dress.
When I picked up my friend, I confessed I wasn't sure we'd have seats. "That's okay, we'll just go get something to drink (as in a soda, since neither of us drink alcohol)," she said.
Fortunately, there were plenty of seats available and my worries were for naught.
We went to see Nickel and Dimed, by Joan Holden.
The play is based on the book Nickel and Dimed, on (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
I have not read the book.
The play emphasized how difficult it is to get by on minimum wage or near minimum wage. Heck, let's face it, unless you're making at least $40,000 a year, it's hard to get by in this country, and not everybody can make $40,000 a year because we don't pay people what they're worth. There are firefighters and policemen on food stamps, for pities sake.
And the costs are skyrocketing, what with increases in gas, electricity, and food. Basic living items. When did a gallon of milk climb to $4.80? I don't buy it often and that's what the last gallon cost.
The play was about Ehrenreich's undercover work for the book. She went to Florida, where she found a job as a waitress. She could not make ends meet there without taking on a second job as a maid in a hotel, and even then she could barely pay the bills. Not to mention do anything else, because she was worn to a frazzle from working 12 hour days, every day.
Her coworkers had hard lives, too, and they are all portrayed through the play. We see how difficult it is to bring up children or be pregnant without health care because you can't afford it.
In Maine, Ehrenreich worked as a house cleaner for a national franchise firm, and as a dietary aid in a nursing home. She discovered that non-corporations are better to work for than corporations.
In Minnesota, she worked for "Mall Mart." The sleaze factor of this retail corporation simply oozed from the stage.
The actress who portrayed Ehrenreich, Susie Young, did an outstanding job. I was very impressed with her performance.
The play must have made some in the audience quite uncomfortable - it was family weekend at the university and many of the girls at Hollins are, let's face it, from the upper class. Heck, it made me a little uncomfortable and I am nowhere near the upper class.
But I am not in that working class living paycheck to paycheck, and for that I am grateful.
The play offered no alternatives, no solutions. I am not sure what those solutions are. Fair wages, for sure, but that becomes a catch 22. If the price of eating out becomes cost prohibitive, then the waitresses are out of jobs completely, after all. Most of the solutions that I can think of fall under the "socialism" scream, and we know how terrible many people think that is.
I will read this book now. I should have read it sooner.
I wasn't dressed.
Suddenly I realized that I never called the box office at Hollins University to reserve seats for the play we were to see. What if it was sold out?
Panicked, I called to check. An answering machine picked up. I left a breathless message about wanting to reserve two seats for the evening.
Then I hurried to dress.
When I picked up my friend, I confessed I wasn't sure we'd have seats. "That's okay, we'll just go get something to drink (as in a soda, since neither of us drink alcohol)," she said.
Fortunately, there were plenty of seats available and my worries were for naught.
We went to see Nickel and Dimed, by Joan Holden.
The play is based on the book Nickel and Dimed, on (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
I have not read the book.
The play emphasized how difficult it is to get by on minimum wage or near minimum wage. Heck, let's face it, unless you're making at least $40,000 a year, it's hard to get by in this country, and not everybody can make $40,000 a year because we don't pay people what they're worth. There are firefighters and policemen on food stamps, for pities sake.
And the costs are skyrocketing, what with increases in gas, electricity, and food. Basic living items. When did a gallon of milk climb to $4.80? I don't buy it often and that's what the last gallon cost.
The play was about Ehrenreich's undercover work for the book. She went to Florida, where she found a job as a waitress. She could not make ends meet there without taking on a second job as a maid in a hotel, and even then she could barely pay the bills. Not to mention do anything else, because she was worn to a frazzle from working 12 hour days, every day.
Her coworkers had hard lives, too, and they are all portrayed through the play. We see how difficult it is to bring up children or be pregnant without health care because you can't afford it.
In Maine, Ehrenreich worked as a house cleaner for a national franchise firm, and as a dietary aid in a nursing home. She discovered that non-corporations are better to work for than corporations.
In Minnesota, she worked for "Mall Mart." The sleaze factor of this retail corporation simply oozed from the stage.
The actress who portrayed Ehrenreich, Susie Young, did an outstanding job. I was very impressed with her performance.
The play must have made some in the audience quite uncomfortable - it was family weekend at the university and many of the girls at Hollins are, let's face it, from the upper class. Heck, it made me a little uncomfortable and I am nowhere near the upper class.
But I am not in that working class living paycheck to paycheck, and for that I am grateful.
The play offered no alternatives, no solutions. I am not sure what those solutions are. Fair wages, for sure, but that becomes a catch 22. If the price of eating out becomes cost prohibitive, then the waitresses are out of jobs completely, after all. Most of the solutions that I can think of fall under the "socialism" scream, and we know how terrible many people think that is.
I will read this book now. I should have read it sooner.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Books: Destiny
Destiny
By Elizabeth Haydon
835 pages
Copyright 2001
This was the finale of the Rhapsody trilogy (Rhapsody and Prophecy were the other two). I've read these three books over the last six weeks. All three were quite long.
Destiny suffered a bit from a strange subplot that mostly made no sense to me. Rhapsody had part of her memory taken from her by her lover/husband, and this played a big part in much of the non-main-plot action. I found it mostly annoying because it really served no purpose other than to make the book go on and on.
Another oddity about this series of books is that a "time editing" character" named Meridian shows up at the very beginning and end of each book. The reader is clueless as to who this person is and what it is he is attempting to do, aside from alter time to keep the world from burning in fire. We finally find out his purpose in the Epilogue of Destiny. It was clever but I didn't much care for it. I won't go into detail in case someone out there is a rabid fantasy reader.
Frankly, the story would have been just fine, and maybe a little stronger, without the time editor, if it had just been told as the good v. evil epic that it was. I suppose the author couldn't bear to lose the cleverness of it. I also think the final book would have been stronger without the subplot of the memory loss thing.
The writer does a nice job at world-building, and her characters are (mostly) strong. Some of the scenes drone on a bit, and the characters, mostly all of them, seemed determined to inflict much emotional trauma on each other before declarations of absolute love and fidelity. I found that a bit annoying, too.
The main plot works out very well with good resolution.
It may sound like I disliked the book, but I didn't. I think I am a little disappointed that I didn't find it as enthralling as the first two, though.
3 stars
By Elizabeth Haydon
835 pages
Copyright 2001
This was the finale of the Rhapsody trilogy (Rhapsody and Prophecy were the other two). I've read these three books over the last six weeks. All three were quite long.
Destiny suffered a bit from a strange subplot that mostly made no sense to me. Rhapsody had part of her memory taken from her by her lover/husband, and this played a big part in much of the non-main-plot action. I found it mostly annoying because it really served no purpose other than to make the book go on and on.
Another oddity about this series of books is that a "time editing" character" named Meridian shows up at the very beginning and end of each book. The reader is clueless as to who this person is and what it is he is attempting to do, aside from alter time to keep the world from burning in fire. We finally find out his purpose in the Epilogue of Destiny. It was clever but I didn't much care for it. I won't go into detail in case someone out there is a rabid fantasy reader.
Frankly, the story would have been just fine, and maybe a little stronger, without the time editor, if it had just been told as the good v. evil epic that it was. I suppose the author couldn't bear to lose the cleverness of it. I also think the final book would have been stronger without the subplot of the memory loss thing.
The writer does a nice job at world-building, and her characters are (mostly) strong. Some of the scenes drone on a bit, and the characters, mostly all of them, seemed determined to inflict much emotional trauma on each other before declarations of absolute love and fidelity. I found that a bit annoying, too.
The main plot works out very well with good resolution.
It may sound like I disliked the book, but I didn't. I think I am a little disappointed that I didn't find it as enthralling as the first two, though.
3 stars
Friday, October 26, 2007
A Tale
A post at Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl about moths reminded me of a tale I read a very long time ago.
I have not been able to recall the name of this story, or where I saw it. I did a search on the 'net but came up empty handed. Perhaps someone will recognize the story from my paraphrasing and elaborations here and point me towards the original version so I may give proper credit. I am taking many liberties with the basic plot and writing this story:
**Update 10/28/2007: Beth found a link of a very similar story for me. I am not sure if this is the same one I read; I tend not to think so because I don't recall the queen being involved and I thought it was a ghost story, not an angel story. However, it is close enough that it could very well be.**
Now on with my "version" -
****
The Ghost That Saved The Train
The night sky showed stars glittering like diamonds as Ben blew the whistle on the steam engine. The train gathered speed as it carried its passengers through the October night along the grade toward London.
He'd traveled the route many times now, and always felt his pulse race as he headed into Finnigan's Straight Away. The slight incline helped the train move quickly down the tracks toward the trestle bridge.
Suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in the lights before the train. The man waved his arms up and down, frantically signalling the train to stop.
Alarmed, Ben applied the brake for all he was worth. The train screeched and finally slid to a stop, scaring passengers and crew alike.
Ben jumped from the engine and walked down the track, seeking the man who had stopped him.
He found no one.
Puzzled, he sat down for a moment. In the distance he could hear the river and knew he was not far from the trestle bridge. On impulse he walked the track while his crew waited anxiously, trying to calm the passengers. What he found nearly made his heart leap from his chest.
The bridge was out.
The ghostly man had saved the train from pitching over the ravine and into the darkness. He had saved many lives, whoever he was.
Ben hurried back to the engine. It took a long time to find safe passage for the passengers, and even longer to back the train down to the nearest station.
The unknown man preyed on Ben's mind. He wanted to thank this savior. As he headed for bed, he walked around the engine's front and noticed a large moth, now dead, attached one of the lanterns the train used for light.
He picked up the lantern and went into a dark room in the station.
When he lit the lantern, there before him on the wall was the outline of the man he had seen, only this time the arms were not waving.
The moth had saved the train.
I have not been able to recall the name of this story, or where I saw it. I did a search on the 'net but came up empty handed. Perhaps someone will recognize the story from my paraphrasing and elaborations here and point me towards the original version so I may give proper credit. I am taking many liberties with the basic plot and writing this story:
**Update 10/28/2007: Beth found a link of a very similar story for me. I am not sure if this is the same one I read; I tend not to think so because I don't recall the queen being involved and I thought it was a ghost story, not an angel story. However, it is close enough that it could very well be.**
Now on with my "version" -
****
The Ghost That Saved The Train
The night sky showed stars glittering like diamonds as Ben blew the whistle on the steam engine. The train gathered speed as it carried its passengers through the October night along the grade toward London.
He'd traveled the route many times now, and always felt his pulse race as he headed into Finnigan's Straight Away. The slight incline helped the train move quickly down the tracks toward the trestle bridge.
Suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in the lights before the train. The man waved his arms up and down, frantically signalling the train to stop.
Alarmed, Ben applied the brake for all he was worth. The train screeched and finally slid to a stop, scaring passengers and crew alike.
Ben jumped from the engine and walked down the track, seeking the man who had stopped him.
He found no one.
Puzzled, he sat down for a moment. In the distance he could hear the river and knew he was not far from the trestle bridge. On impulse he walked the track while his crew waited anxiously, trying to calm the passengers. What he found nearly made his heart leap from his chest.
The bridge was out.
The ghostly man had saved the train from pitching over the ravine and into the darkness. He had saved many lives, whoever he was.
Ben hurried back to the engine. It took a long time to find safe passage for the passengers, and even longer to back the train down to the nearest station.
The unknown man preyed on Ben's mind. He wanted to thank this savior. As he headed for bed, he walked around the engine's front and noticed a large moth, now dead, attached one of the lanterns the train used for light.
He picked up the lantern and went into a dark room in the station.
When he lit the lantern, there before him on the wall was the outline of the man he had seen, only this time the arms were not waving.
The moth had saved the train.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
13 Minor Annoyances
1. Books on tape that haven't been rewound. I know it is so difficult to hit that rewind button. It's a courtesy thing, though.
2. That stiff plastic from hell that is used for packaging, like on batteries and scissors. I need scissors to open the packages. What if it is your first pair of scissors, how do you get into it, I wonder?
3. Paper cuts. They hurt worse than a big bold bleeding cut.
4. Loose buttons. I wore a brand new pair of pants on Tuesday and the buttons fell off. I ended up using a paperclip to hold my pants together until I could get home. What's up with that?
5. Cell phones. They are handy but do we have to have them on during supervisors' meetings? Or dinner? I leave mine in the car all the time. I don't particularly want to be reachable when I'm in the grocery store or visiting a friend. I don't use it when I'm driving, either. I'm not really sure why I have it. Emergencies, I guess.
6. Pop ups on websites. Yeah, it's all about capitalism and getting my money away from me, I know. But too many pop ups and I don't visit at all.
7. Authors who don't know when to shut up. I really don't care if J. K. Rowling thinks Dumbledore is gay (Harry Potter books). What she wrote is what she wrote, and I don't have access to the mini-camera in her mind, just what she puts on paper.
8. Multiple charity requests. Every day, in the mail, people send me things wanting me to write them a check. What is it with you people? Yes, I know, you do good things. I support your good things. But I send you a check on my schedule, not yours. In the meantime you've wasted good dollars sending me multiple mailings over the course of the year. I ponied up all I could afford at the time. Give it a rest. You'll get yours when I have it to give.
9. Reality TV. Fortunately I don't watch too much TV anyway, but I wouldn't mind watching if something came on that was creative, had possibilities, seemed inventive, etc. Like Seinfeld. Or Designing Women. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Anything that has a plot.
10. Meetings that take all day. I attended a meeting this week that was NINE hours long. Do you know how sore your bottom gets after you've sat almost all of that time?
11. People who think that driving in the rain means ... driving like it isn't raining. I know we've not had rain in a while, and maybe people have forgotten that it's slippery, but slowing down is better than dying. Over the course of the last two days I've seen several wrecks. I watched one tractor trailer jack-knife in front of me. He was going too fast and then suddenly this stop light popped up out of nowhere. Bad stop light.
12. People who complain about the rain. We've had a drought. Get over it. Rejoice because you'll have drinking water. A little water on your head won't hurt you.
13. What's your minor annoyance? Maybe it's people who acknowledge minor annoyances...
2. That stiff plastic from hell that is used for packaging, like on batteries and scissors. I need scissors to open the packages. What if it is your first pair of scissors, how do you get into it, I wonder?
3. Paper cuts. They hurt worse than a big bold bleeding cut.
4. Loose buttons. I wore a brand new pair of pants on Tuesday and the buttons fell off. I ended up using a paperclip to hold my pants together until I could get home. What's up with that?
5. Cell phones. They are handy but do we have to have them on during supervisors' meetings? Or dinner? I leave mine in the car all the time. I don't particularly want to be reachable when I'm in the grocery store or visiting a friend. I don't use it when I'm driving, either. I'm not really sure why I have it. Emergencies, I guess.
6. Pop ups on websites. Yeah, it's all about capitalism and getting my money away from me, I know. But too many pop ups and I don't visit at all.
7. Authors who don't know when to shut up. I really don't care if J. K. Rowling thinks Dumbledore is gay (Harry Potter books). What she wrote is what she wrote, and I don't have access to the mini-camera in her mind, just what she puts on paper.
8. Multiple charity requests. Every day, in the mail, people send me things wanting me to write them a check. What is it with you people? Yes, I know, you do good things. I support your good things. But I send you a check on my schedule, not yours. In the meantime you've wasted good dollars sending me multiple mailings over the course of the year. I ponied up all I could afford at the time. Give it a rest. You'll get yours when I have it to give.
9. Reality TV. Fortunately I don't watch too much TV anyway, but I wouldn't mind watching if something came on that was creative, had possibilities, seemed inventive, etc. Like Seinfeld. Or Designing Women. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Anything that has a plot.
10. Meetings that take all day. I attended a meeting this week that was NINE hours long. Do you know how sore your bottom gets after you've sat almost all of that time?
11. People who think that driving in the rain means ... driving like it isn't raining. I know we've not had rain in a while, and maybe people have forgotten that it's slippery, but slowing down is better than dying. Over the course of the last two days I've seen several wrecks. I watched one tractor trailer jack-knife in front of me. He was going too fast and then suddenly this stop light popped up out of nowhere. Bad stop light.
12. People who complain about the rain. We've had a drought. Get over it. Rejoice because you'll have drinking water. A little water on your head won't hurt you.
13. What's your minor annoyance? Maybe it's people who acknowledge minor annoyances...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Get Out the Vote
Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half. - Gore Vidal
The hallowed halls of the Virginia General Assembly never heard such a speech as the one Mary Johnston gave before the learned politicos on January 19, 1912.
An advocate for a woman’s right to vote, Johnston, an area native and by then a much-accomplished and well-respected author, told the legislatures that she paid $1,000 annually in taxes to the state, yet had no voice in how the revenue was spent.
Her family settled western Virginia and had fought in all of the country’s wars up to that time. Yet recent legal immigrants, who knew nothing of democracy, she said, were treated as if they knew better than she what the interests of the state might be.
“We are asking that those who live under the laws of a state … may have something to do with the making of those laws,” Johnston said in another speech, this time before a meeting of governors. “We are asking that we who pay a very considerable portion of the taxes of the State and of the country may have a voice in the apportionment of those taxes. We are asking that we who work may have a say as to the conditions under which we work.”
For six years, Johnston gave up much of her life so that women could obtain the right to vote. She suffered from vicious personal attacks from anti-suffrage groups. She did not give up.
How sad then that today, the local voter registrar expects less than half the entire population of the county to turn out when the polls open on November.
Less than 100 years after Mary Johnston took a stand and fought for the right to vote, have we thrown it away? If just half the population votes, and half of those are female, then only 25 percent of the women in this area will bother to exercise a right for which some women were imprisoned.
Not long ago, I heard someone on a late night radio talk advocate a change in the voting laws so that only landowners could vote.
I have heard other people advocate taking the vote from women and from minorities. No doubt about it, at this very moment, there are folks working to undermine a linchpin of democracy that 50 percent of you, male and female, black or white, apparently take for granted.
If you don’t vote, they could very well be successful, because you can be sure they will vote for candidates who think similarly.
Voting is your right. It is also your duty as a citizen to take this single action every year to ensure that the county or the country is overseen by the best person.
So make plans now to go vote. Tell your boss you may be a little late the morning of November 6.
It’s that important.
The hallowed halls of the Virginia General Assembly never heard such a speech as the one Mary Johnston gave before the learned politicos on January 19, 1912.
An advocate for a woman’s right to vote, Johnston, an area native and by then a much-accomplished and well-respected author, told the legislatures that she paid $1,000 annually in taxes to the state, yet had no voice in how the revenue was spent.
Her family settled western Virginia and had fought in all of the country’s wars up to that time. Yet recent legal immigrants, who knew nothing of democracy, she said, were treated as if they knew better than she what the interests of the state might be.
“We are asking that those who live under the laws of a state … may have something to do with the making of those laws,” Johnston said in another speech, this time before a meeting of governors. “We are asking that we who pay a very considerable portion of the taxes of the State and of the country may have a voice in the apportionment of those taxes. We are asking that we who work may have a say as to the conditions under which we work.”
For six years, Johnston gave up much of her life so that women could obtain the right to vote. She suffered from vicious personal attacks from anti-suffrage groups. She did not give up.
How sad then that today, the local voter registrar expects less than half the entire population of the county to turn out when the polls open on November.
Less than 100 years after Mary Johnston took a stand and fought for the right to vote, have we thrown it away? If just half the population votes, and half of those are female, then only 25 percent of the women in this area will bother to exercise a right for which some women were imprisoned.
Not long ago, I heard someone on a late night radio talk advocate a change in the voting laws so that only landowners could vote.
I have heard other people advocate taking the vote from women and from minorities. No doubt about it, at this very moment, there are folks working to undermine a linchpin of democracy that 50 percent of you, male and female, black or white, apparently take for granted.
If you don’t vote, they could very well be successful, because you can be sure they will vote for candidates who think similarly.
Voting is your right. It is also your duty as a citizen to take this single action every year to ensure that the county or the country is overseen by the best person.
So make plans now to go vote. Tell your boss you may be a little late the morning of November 6.
It’s that important.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Lesser Of ...
In my quest for conservation, I wonder sometimes about the choices I make. Or don't make.
With water, which I am greatly concerned about, I wonder if I am better off washing an oversized load. The rule of thumb is to not wash until you have a full load so I suppose so.
Then there is bathing. Do I shower, or take a bath? I had always heard you use less water in the shower, but I wondered how that could be so. So two nights ago I took a bath. The tub filled in under 3 minutes (which is the short little time I am trying to stay in the shower).
Today I took a shower, but plugged the tub.
Apparently you do use less water in the shower, because in 3 minutes the tub was nowhere near as full as it had been when running water through the spigot. It looks like it would take a 6-minute shower to fill the tub through the showerhead.
The difference is the length of time you get to stay in the hot water. If you take a tub bath, you can soak your sore aching muscles. You can't do that in a 3 minute shower. You barely get clean in a 3 minute shower.
Then there is electricity. I try to cut stuff off but all kinds of things are "instant on," apparently still using wattage. My computer, for example. And my printer.
So I began cutting off the battery backup completely, which hopefully cuts the computer off entirely. I also began cutting off the printer.
Then I noticed that every time I turned the printer back on, the ink jets primed themselves. I think that means the printer is using a little ink every time I hit the on switch. I wondered if the printer uses more ink than it saves in electricity when I cut the printer off. It takes fuel to make the ink, after all. Plus there is my expense - am I saving money or losing money?
Then there is the electric heater. If I use the electric heater and just heat one room, leaving the rest of the house cold, but end up having to cut the furnace on to heat the rest of the house anyway, which has become much cooler, am I really saving anything? We haven't cut the furnace on yet this year, but we'll have to soon.
And then there is the fireplace. My fireplace only works with an electric blower, because it's really a stove insert. If we use that, and have to run the electric blowers all the time, what are we saving?
It's a conundrum, is what it is.
With water, which I am greatly concerned about, I wonder if I am better off washing an oversized load. The rule of thumb is to not wash until you have a full load so I suppose so.
Then there is bathing. Do I shower, or take a bath? I had always heard you use less water in the shower, but I wondered how that could be so. So two nights ago I took a bath. The tub filled in under 3 minutes (which is the short little time I am trying to stay in the shower).
Today I took a shower, but plugged the tub.
Apparently you do use less water in the shower, because in 3 minutes the tub was nowhere near as full as it had been when running water through the spigot. It looks like it would take a 6-minute shower to fill the tub through the showerhead.
The difference is the length of time you get to stay in the hot water. If you take a tub bath, you can soak your sore aching muscles. You can't do that in a 3 minute shower. You barely get clean in a 3 minute shower.
Then there is electricity. I try to cut stuff off but all kinds of things are "instant on," apparently still using wattage. My computer, for example. And my printer.
So I began cutting off the battery backup completely, which hopefully cuts the computer off entirely. I also began cutting off the printer.
Then I noticed that every time I turned the printer back on, the ink jets primed themselves. I think that means the printer is using a little ink every time I hit the on switch. I wondered if the printer uses more ink than it saves in electricity when I cut the printer off. It takes fuel to make the ink, after all. Plus there is my expense - am I saving money or losing money?
Then there is the electric heater. If I use the electric heater and just heat one room, leaving the rest of the house cold, but end up having to cut the furnace on to heat the rest of the house anyway, which has become much cooler, am I really saving anything? We haven't cut the furnace on yet this year, but we'll have to soon.
And then there is the fireplace. My fireplace only works with an electric blower, because it's really a stove insert. If we use that, and have to run the electric blowers all the time, what are we saving?
It's a conundrum, is what it is.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Autumn in the Valley
A collage of muted colors
Note the brown, dry field.
The trees, if they are turning, are taking their time.
Books Recently Read
Drop Dead Beautiful
By Jackie Collins
Copyright 2007
500 pages
4 stars
Mad Dash
By Patricia Gaffney
Copyright 2007
355 pages
3.75 stars
By Jackie Collins
Copyright 2007
500 pages
4 stars
Mad Dash
By Patricia Gaffney
Copyright 2007
355 pages
3.75 stars
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Books: Prophecy
Prophecy
By Elizabeth Haydon
Copyright 2000
697 pages
This is the second in a three part trilogy, the first being Rhapsody.
Rhapsody, a Namer, travels with Ashe, a mystery man, to see a dragon. The dragon likes her a lot.
Ashe turns out to be someone else in several reincarnations of his very long life. Rhapsody eventually figures out who he is, except for the fact that he is her long-lost soul mate, though she does get to that. The reader has known this all along (or at least I did) so I don't think I'm revealing a major plot point.
Ashe also has a doppelganger who is bad; his counterpart is under control of the F'dor, the most evil thing in this world. Rhapsody goes out to kill the doppelganger. In the process she also kills her sister, who has been taken over by the F'dor.
The book ends with a very odd sequence where Rhapsody agrees to give up a night of her memories to Ashe. This includes the realization that Ashe is her soul mate. I am not sure why this information was necessary to delete but I suppose it will be apparent in the third book.
There are many other subplots - a vine that is eating up the world, another king who wants Rhapsody for his own and wishes to declare war on Achmed (Rhapsody's friendly assassin), a piece of living earth called The Sleeping Child, Rhapsody's learning that she is the champion of leaders whether she wants to be or not, etc. Far too much to discuss in a paragraph or two.
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Destiny, beginning this evening, probably.
Recommended for folks who like long fantasy books with good characterization and depth.
4 stars
By Elizabeth Haydon
Copyright 2000
697 pages
This is the second in a three part trilogy, the first being Rhapsody.
Rhapsody, a Namer, travels with Ashe, a mystery man, to see a dragon. The dragon likes her a lot.
Ashe turns out to be someone else in several reincarnations of his very long life. Rhapsody eventually figures out who he is, except for the fact that he is her long-lost soul mate, though she does get to that. The reader has known this all along (or at least I did) so I don't think I'm revealing a major plot point.
Ashe also has a doppelganger who is bad; his counterpart is under control of the F'dor, the most evil thing in this world. Rhapsody goes out to kill the doppelganger. In the process she also kills her sister, who has been taken over by the F'dor.
The book ends with a very odd sequence where Rhapsody agrees to give up a night of her memories to Ashe. This includes the realization that Ashe is her soul mate. I am not sure why this information was necessary to delete but I suppose it will be apparent in the third book.
There are many other subplots - a vine that is eating up the world, another king who wants Rhapsody for his own and wishes to declare war on Achmed (Rhapsody's friendly assassin), a piece of living earth called The Sleeping Child, Rhapsody's learning that she is the champion of leaders whether she wants to be or not, etc. Far too much to discuss in a paragraph or two.
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Destiny, beginning this evening, probably.
Recommended for folks who like long fantasy books with good characterization and depth.
4 stars
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Rain!
We received a half-inch of rain yesterday. It seemed to all fall in a few minutes. A downpour.
Much of it ran off because the ground is simply too parched to take it all in. We need a good soaker.
This was not enough rain to enable me to stop taking 3 minute showers. We need inches before that can happen. But I am sure the grass and trees enjoyed it.
Much of it ran off because the ground is simply too parched to take it all in. We need a good soaker.
This was not enough rain to enable me to stop taking 3 minute showers. We need inches before that can happen. But I am sure the grass and trees enjoyed it.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Rain?
The skies are gray and overcast. There is a threat of rain.
But only a threat. No large, life-giving drops are falling to take the sting from the parched earth. Mother Nature's tongue is hanging out and the sky offers no succor.
Hello, Autumn.
The leaves have finally - finally - begun their annual parade of color. The reds outside my window are muted; the oaks still sport green leaves. The poplars have yellow and brown coloring. Fall is not at its peak yet, but I don't expect to see anything striking.
Beneath those green oaks, a turkey hen delicately picks up her feet. Her head bobs as she grasps insects. She stops and stands erect, looking ... looking. She fluffs her feathers and moves on, down the hill to vanish into the gully.
The air is moving with a breeze; the limbs of the blue spruce dance a slow waltz. The sun might break through the haze - yes, there it is, casting its rays across the dry, brown land.
No rain today, no salvation for the thirsty.
But only a threat. No large, life-giving drops are falling to take the sting from the parched earth. Mother Nature's tongue is hanging out and the sky offers no succor.
Hello, Autumn.
The leaves have finally - finally - begun their annual parade of color. The reds outside my window are muted; the oaks still sport green leaves. The poplars have yellow and brown coloring. Fall is not at its peak yet, but I don't expect to see anything striking.
Beneath those green oaks, a turkey hen delicately picks up her feet. Her head bobs as she grasps insects. She stops and stands erect, looking ... looking. She fluffs her feathers and moves on, down the hill to vanish into the gully.
The air is moving with a breeze; the limbs of the blue spruce dance a slow waltz. The sun might break through the haze - yes, there it is, casting its rays across the dry, brown land.
No rain today, no salvation for the thirsty.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
13 Resources for Writers
Creative Marketing Solutions. Marcia Yudkin is a marketing guru. She has a free newsletter that comes out on Wednesday. Highly recommended.
LibrarySpot. Encyclopedias, research resources, etc.
ThinkExist. Quotations finder.
Encyclopedia Mythica. A resource for myths, legends, religions, lore of all kinds.
Character Building Workshop. Great list of character archetypes.
Biblomania. More than 2000 works of literature along with study guides, also research references.
Book of Days. A listing of calendar events and word definitions. Very interesting site; useful for history writers especially.
Guide to Grammar and Writing. It is what it says it is.
Freelancer's Copyright Guide. By the National Writer's Union. Information about copyright.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. An interesting place to browse; some of the free reading is helpful.
Craft of Writing. An article about using MS Word's editing features; especially helpful for the "track changes" feature.
Funds for Writers. A listing of grants, contests, etc., for writers. Two free newsletters, one for small paying contests and another for higher paying contests. Highly Recommended.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The good stuff is available if you can become a member, but some of the free reading online is interesting. Of particular interest to freelancers is the "Writer Beware" section, which lists organizations and persons to avoid in the writing business.
LibrarySpot. Encyclopedias, research resources, etc.
ThinkExist. Quotations finder.
Encyclopedia Mythica. A resource for myths, legends, religions, lore of all kinds.
Character Building Workshop. Great list of character archetypes.
Biblomania. More than 2000 works of literature along with study guides, also research references.
Book of Days. A listing of calendar events and word definitions. Very interesting site; useful for history writers especially.
Guide to Grammar and Writing. It is what it says it is.
Freelancer's Copyright Guide. By the National Writer's Union. Information about copyright.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. An interesting place to browse; some of the free reading is helpful.
Craft of Writing. An article about using MS Word's editing features; especially helpful for the "track changes" feature.
Funds for Writers. A listing of grants, contests, etc., for writers. Two free newsletters, one for small paying contests and another for higher paying contests. Highly Recommended.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The good stuff is available if you can become a member, but some of the free reading online is interesting. Of particular interest to freelancers is the "Writer Beware" section, which lists organizations and persons to avoid in the writing business.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Dealing with Drought
For us, this year has been far worse than any other for the lack of rain.
In previous drought years, it seemed we'd get just enough of a passing shower to make the fields grow.
This year, we have not made enough hay and our cattle's future is quite uncertain. We're looking for hay to buy, but if it can't be found, they'll have to go to market.
I am worrying about our well. I have placed an oven timer in the bathroom to ensure 3 minute showers.
I am sorry to say that, growing up on a well and always living on a well, water has been a commodity I've taken for granted. I have taken my share of 15 minute showers. It is hard to beat a long hot shower when your muscles are sore and you're aching from a day of hard gardening or whatever.
I also keep pails in the bathroom to catch the cold water from the spigot. It takes a long time for the hot water to find its way to the tub. I use the cold water on my flowers.
In the Times today, the story was the drought isn't as bad as it was in 2002. We beg to differ.
We think it is worse.
In previous drought years, it seemed we'd get just enough of a passing shower to make the fields grow.
This year, we have not made enough hay and our cattle's future is quite uncertain. We're looking for hay to buy, but if it can't be found, they'll have to go to market.
I am worrying about our well. I have placed an oven timer in the bathroom to ensure 3 minute showers.
I am sorry to say that, growing up on a well and always living on a well, water has been a commodity I've taken for granted. I have taken my share of 15 minute showers. It is hard to beat a long hot shower when your muscles are sore and you're aching from a day of hard gardening or whatever.
I also keep pails in the bathroom to catch the cold water from the spigot. It takes a long time for the hot water to find its way to the tub. I use the cold water on my flowers.
In the Times today, the story was the drought isn't as bad as it was in 2002. We beg to differ.
We think it is worse.
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