The Great Snowy Mississippi Squirrel

I first spotted this fellow looking out my bathroom window, but, being busy and not having a camera handy, I could not get a shot. About a week later he (HE being the default gender for squirrels in my mind.) came right up onto our patio and we were able to snap quite a few shots. He even posed nicely at times.

The title of my post is, of course, tongue in cheek. There is no such thing as a snowy squirrel, and if there were, (or if I am wrong and there IS) I can guarantee you it is not indigenous to Mississippi.

The sighting of our oddity led to an afternoon's discussion of genetics and dominant and recessive genes. Seriously, what homeschool family would NOT segue spotting an albino ANYTHING in the wild to a biology lesson?

Would it not be cool if more and more white squirrels were born in this neighborhood? His presence obviously shows that some of the squirrels are carriers of the gene. If he mates up properly it could happen. Somehow I doubt squirrels are too picky about inbreeding. This is Mississippi, after all. (JOKING!)

In the neighborhood (if not a wider area of the town) where my mother-in-law's family home is the squirrels are black. I assumed at first that this was a regional difference. After all, I had heard of red squirrels but only ever seen grey. Turns out, I learned later, that it is a different species, but not one native to eastern Kentucky. The story I was told was that there was a local man who imported pet squirrels from Europe that eventually escaped.

It is easy to take something like what color a squirrel should be for granted. Seeing the black squirrels years ago in Kentucky, and now this white one...the change stands out immediately when you see it.

I suppose it says something about how safe our neighborhood is for wildlife. There is a reason albinism is so rare, and recessive genetics is only part of it.

Without zoom (wildlife photography must have been a nightmare before zoom.)

On the patio

Giving me a look

Speaking of "Inspired to Write..."

I am thinking of picking up my author's pen (or keyboard) again. The stories are starting to bubble behind my eyes and my bout of panic/depression about DH being out of work is lifting. I need to do something creative. And since my sewing room is currently a disaster area (The damage reports from Hurricane Christmas are still being gathered,) writing is the easiest.

I find it embarrassing to tell people I like to write fiction. The inevitably leads to questions about content. Now that I have left college and started raising a family, there aren't many people around (that I speak with) who appreciate Science Fiction and High Fantasy. I feel like it would be less painful to just tattoo the word "NERD" across my forehead than to talk writing with people around here.

Did you ever feel like you were living on an island of "Things that Interest Me" surrounded by a sea of "Other People's Interests" ?

So, as I said, I don't like to tell people I write. Easy enough since it has been decades since I had anything published.

There are some things I think I need to just get over, like a quick tendency to embarrassment and worry about what people think, to the detriment of what I like or think is cool.

Non-sequiter - DH cannot find his Magic decks. Poor guy has looked all over the house and in the storage. My amazing brother made a Christmas gift to DH out of one of his own favorite decks.

My amazing Christmas gift from my amazing brother was something so amazing that very few people (especially in this town) can truly appreciate it. I collect dice. And 6 sided dice are too mainstream. (I guess I am a dice hipster.) D10s and d20s are my particular favorites. (That is 10 and 20 sided dice respectively, for those of you who don't know the lingo.)
My amazing brother spent hours in the university wood shop (after he had finished the assigned work/projects) using scrap wood to make me the most amazing d20 I have ever seen.

It is the size of a bowling ball! Granted, the numbers are hand written and some of the edges are rough, but ... the thought that went into matching the gift to personality and spending time to work on the gift...wow. I am very touched.
He said he might work on making better calculations of the inside angels where the pieces fit together (under the surface) so there would not be such rough edges, also perhaps getting rubber letter stickers or stencils.

Perfect or not, I love it. I have knitted a d20 before, but due the the flexibility of the sides, it doesn't hold the shape as well as wood. Does have less potential to do damage when rolled, though. I guess that is a plus.

Settling of the Dust

The week before Christmas, (or thereabouts. You'd think I would know by now to update this blog PROMPTLY and thereby minimize the effects time can have on my memory of the details.) DH was offered a job at a software firm here in our town. We will not have to move. He is making more money than he did at the previous company, with better benefits. So far it seems an altogether satisfactory resolution.

My main concern is stretching the money we have left from his severance and making it last until he gets his first paycheck. Once the money starts coming in again we will be fine. The next couple of weeks are not going to be fun, but they are "not fun" with an end in sight. I can handle that. It'll boil down to prioritizing the bills and pinching the grocery budget.

I feel inspired to write, however, I do not feel inspired to combine blog posts on diverse subjects. Back in a bit...

With pride I present my grandmother at her 90th birthday party this past October.

Curve Ball

Well, life has stepped up to the mound and lobbed one right at our heads. We found out yesterday that my husband will no longer be working with the company he has been with for the past 6 years. With his severance and our small savings we are good until January. If we don't have a new job by then we will have to move on to Plan B.
I spent this morning going over our normal budget and typical grocery shopping list to see where we could get spending to a bare bones minimum and try to stretch our funds as far as they will go.

This area is not known as a hotbed of technological industry. I have the feeling we will be moving. It would have been nice to get this news before we signed a lease and moved this summer...(grumble) I'd prefer to move somewhere close, stay near family in the southern US, but in reality, I'll take whatever we can get.

I am not quite sure what I feel right now. There is an odd combination of terror and peace I cannot explain. I am very worried, but at the same time I feel like we have been in this situation before and gotten through it, we will get through this too.

I just hope it doesn't take as long as it did then.

Busy busy (almost) busy

Just popping in to say it might be a while before I can get anything posted. I have about a bajillion crafts and hand-made gifts I want to do for Christmas this year and have only just gotten started. I'll be sitting at my sewing machine more than the laptop. (Who am I kidding? That is absolutely NOT true.) Well, I'll be sitting at the laptop much less.

Of course...since I have been ignoring this blog rather skillfully for months now, I don't know why I bother telling you (2 or 3 people who read this) that I won't be posting much for the next month and a half. How will it be different than what you have been getting?

So, instead to this being a low-post warning, let it be a notice that once the holidays are gone I do actually plan to get back to this blog more often. I have said similar things in the past, I know. We'll see how it goes.

Family catch up:
My kids have all gained in age. 11, 13, and 14 now. This never ceases to amaze me. They are getting into ages I can not only recall being, but EASILY (without brain strain) remember being. My mother never seemed flabbergasted by my aging. She handled this sort of thing better than I, I guess.

DD14 (! 14! Wow!) and I are planning to see if we can't get enough sewing done between now and May 2012 to have a booth at the weekly farmers' market next summer. I think it will be fun and educational. Home school...child labor style! (But first, Christmas gifts)

As of tomorrow my dear husband and I have been a couple for 15 years. (!) I can remember the date because it tis the same (other than the year) as the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance from Back to the Future. Heh...15 years...that puts us halfway between the dance and Marty going back in time.

We have moved into a smaller, nicer, rentally-er house. It is in a nice neighborhood and everyone is pleased. The only thing I do not like is trying to find places to store all of the too much stuff we have. It seems obvious that more stuff culling is needed.

That's all I have for now...here is a picture of dd10 in the lobby of the HealthWorks Childrens Museum.

The Dangerous Beast

So, I was hooking up the laundry machines myself, mostly because I felt guilty that DH and DB were doing all the heavy lifting (including saiud laundry machines.) OK, no problem. I had to go to Home Depot to get a "pigtail" for the dryer. (That is the electric cord. They come seperate and there are a few different types. The new house's outlet doesn't match the old.) I was slightly worried that I had still not gotten the right kind. I was worried I would get it all screwed to the back of the dryer and then have to take it off because it didn't fit the outlet.

I got the brilliant idea to check the fit before I attached the pigtail to the dryer. I neglected to hold to loose end and make sure the connectors didn't touch anything (including each other.) I plugged in the loose pigtail and PWAP! there were sparks, smoke, a bright light, and the smoke detector started sqawking.

Obviously, something went wrong. I removed the battery from the smoke detector, cleaned up the scorched connectors, and tended the burn on my arm (spark attack.) I attached the pigtail and tried again. The plug fit (yay) but the dryer didn't come on. It was 11pm, so I decided I had lost my chance to do any laundry that night. I said "Forget this!" and went to bed.

I was afraid the PWAP! had fried the new pigtail. It would be $20 to replace (after tax.) But, another possibility was that I had tripped a breaker. I checked it out the next morning and it was indeed just a matter of flipping the breaker back on.

I got both machines hooked up (after another trip to Home Depot for a washer, a strap wrench, and a screw clamp) and have started to make headway into the nearly a week's worth of laundry that is patiently waiting to be cleaned.

There is a nasty looking mark on my arm, but it doesn't hurt any more if I don't touch it.

What I learned this week

1. August is HOT. Do not move in August if you can at all avoid it.

2. Even if you are just moving across town, rent a truck. The cost of gas for (many) multiple SUV loads will be more than the cost of the rental. Plus, it should cut down on the time spent moving.

3. We have too much stuff. Even after culling a LOT of junk, we still have too much stuff. Moving into a smaller house has made that abundantly clear.

4. Loving husbands are worth their weight in gold.

5. Electricity is a dangerous beast. Modern society has tried to tame and enslave it, but it will bite if you aren't careful.

6. The cable company and the phone company are not my friends.

7. U-haul makes and sells very good boxes.

8. Being able to do your own laundry is a blessing.

9. I can hook up a washer and dryer all by myself, provided I have big strong men to get them from one house to the other.

10. Do not sit on the end of a trailer that is not hooked up to anything (even if you are just 10 years old)

11. I cannot remember what relaxing feels like.

Moving On

We did find a house we like. I got a supply of boxes. This week we pack and next week we should be moving. I can't wait.
And that is all I want to say about that.

Public schools in our area get back to their lessons at the end of this week. Since our home school is changing locations in the near future, we are putting off the official lessons until things have settled. Until then we will have sporadic review lessons and the sorts of lessons that can be taught a few minutes at a time, or while doing other things.
dd13 has expressed interest in art, drawing and animation in particular. She also wants to study Japanese. Which means I get to study Japanese. We have been creeping along slowly for a few weeks and both of us are enjoying it. Later in the school year we will take a field trip to a sushi restaurant, or try some easier Japanese recipes here at home. Since I am thousands of miles out of my comfort zone, it will be an adventure. I don't even know HOW to eat sushi.
dd12 says she doesn't have any idea what foreign language she wants to study. So, I devised a combo language/world geography social studies curriculum. We'll pop around the globe, studying countries and cultures, as well as a sampling of the language. Then, next year she can choose which she like and we will focus on that.
dd11 is still focusing on general subjects. I actually haven't finished planning out everything she will be doing. Of course, she gets to tag along on our popping around the globe. She says she wants to study Greek, which is within my experience. Our place is going to look like some sort of weird encryption camp with all the difference alphabets. If, after the sample year, dd12 decides to study Russian, or Hindi (among others) it will get even better.

Here is a picture for you to enjoy - dd13 (when she was dd1) and her uncle.
(She is the one who is upside down.)

So...it comes to this

My house and I hate each other. It hates me and I hate it right back. (It started the feud, not me. I used to like this house.)

We are currently preparing for foreclosure. I haven't shared this with many people because I am embarrassed about the whole matter. It isn't my fault, though. When we bought this house we were making $85k / year and for the last 2 years earnings have gone to more like $40-$45k. I am already doing just about everything I can to keep expenses down. If I pinch our pennies any further I may face a class action lawsuit. Though, "Pennies v Housewife 2011" isn't likely to make the headlines, not when so many other people face similar situations.

We have been looking at rentals in the area that we can afford and that aren't dumps. There are a few if you are willing to live outside of town. We found one today that we are comfortable with. We'll hear Monday or Tuesday if the owner is comfortable with us. I am optimistic, but trying not to get my hopes up too high.

I am ready to get started moving, but only because I am ready to be done moving. I need to go this weekend and see about getting some boxes. We have some from moving a few years ago, and some from purchases we have made, but no where near enough to move all of this, even after the planned do-we-really-need-this purge. I may be asking friends around town if they have any. I may also be stalking the rear of local stores. If my dishes end up smelling like bananas, you'll know why.

Anyway, pray for a favorable landlord, patience in moving, and nice weather at the turn of the month.

For you enjoyment...a marigold from dd13's flower box, before the heat did it in.

Scorpius and Antares

Thursday the girls and I spent the day cruising around Memphis. In addition to the Zoo, which we have been to so many times over the last 6 years that we no longer need a map, I decided that the Pink Palace would be a nice way to cool off and still learn something.

The Pink Palace has a museum, an IMAX theater, and a planetarium. We did not have a chance to see the IMAX.

The museum has natural history displays as well as some of the history of the city itself. It was interesting. Dd12 lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw the geology hall. (Homeschool mom takes notes, starts to plan science lessons for the fall...) We are still talking about the quartz crystal the size of our television.

The highlight of the visit was the Sharpe Planetarium. dd13 has always loved the sky and I figured even the less enthusiastic girls would like it. I was correct.

The program was different from what I saw when I went to a planetarium as a kid. This was just a pretty straight forward exploration of the Summer night sky from the southern USA. It focused on Antares, in the Scorpius constellation. From there we were shown how to find Vega, Altair, Deneb, Arcturus, Spica, and Polaris. We all walked out feeling rested (I loved those seats!) and educated.

I didn't realize HOW educated until last night (Friday.) JD and I returned home from our bimonthly budget date to a parking spot and walk toward the house that matched the orientation of the planetarium screen.

"Hey! There is Scorpius! And that star there in the middle is Antares," I said. I stopped and gawked for a few minutes. (It was a good night for gawking.) After a short time the girls started coming outside to see what we were looking at. As each one saw something she knew the name of the excitement level rose. All of us cursed the trees around the edge of the yard that are so lovely during the day.

"I can't see the Summer Triangle because of the trees!"

"The big dipper WOULD be over there, but the trees are in the way!"

"Is there a way to turn off the light on the pole?"

"This is SO cool!"

"We can't see the scorpion's tail because the house is in the way."

"Go get the binoculars!"

A trip to a museum that was pretty much chosen because it was indoors and air conditioned turned into a whole lot more. We all had a great time last night. Now I need to figure out where we can go nearby that has a larger open space and as little light pollution as possible.

I want to see what else we can see.

Here is a picture from Thursday that was NOT taken at the Pink Palace.

It is of a giraffe.

I must have a fever.

No, I suppose I don't really; I just feel like I do. It is so darn hot, and the AC in this decrepit old house isn't worth a hill of beans. (At roughly $1 for a 1 lb bag, a hill of beans isn't really a good measure of the lack of value in something.)

I let dd13 drive the car around in a deserted parking lot yesterday afternoon. No, of course she isn't old enough to drive, it was sort of a pre-lesson. We both had fun and the starts and stops were noticeably less jerky after we had been practicing for a few minutes. She had a lot of fun. Still, I am glad it will be a few years before things get serious on this topic.

Here is a pic of dd10 almost a year ago on her birthday. We went to the park and took loads of photos. Some of them came out wonderfully.

Sewing recently and a tree

The current hobby du jour (is that redundant?) is sewing. I managed a handbag from a pattern. It came out nicely. Although, Since I wanted to work from stash (that is, use fabric I already own rather than shopping for new) it is not what I would have chosen for a handbag (since I am not a 10 year old girl) I think it may end up going to a munchkin for her birthday. Still, fabric choice aside, it is well constructed (for a first attempt) and I am proud.

My writing has stalled as I try to decide what it is I actually want to write. I have a number of story ideas crying to be let out; at least, they cry until I sit down at the computer; then they are silent and leave me to figure out what to do.

A tree fell on our house last month. Minor roof damage, nothing huge. It was a bit of a shock, though, going outside and seeing a tree on the house.

Here is DH and the roofer looking at what needs to be done.

I'll spare you the "It's been a long time" bit.

I have been actively ignoring this blog. I feel bad that I haven't posted. I feel as if there is no way anyone could be interested in what I have to say. I have been in the dumps a bit, really, with no actual reason to be there. I have been neglecting my writing, as well, and mean to snap out of that. I am tired of the couch potato life, but may have started to sprout, so getting up is going to be difficult.

So, I'll try to get something here at least every week. But don't hold your breath. I'd hate to be responsible for the asphyxiation of someone who actually DID want to read my writing.

Now, I shall search for and upload an completely unrelated photo, because...what the heck.

The space shuttle exhibit at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
It has been a couple of years since we visited. Might look into going back.

Quest

Over the last few weeks I have been researching my family history. I realize I have been rather sloppy about it, taking the word of previous researchers as fact without verifying or sourcing the information. All fine and good when it is just a bit of fluff and a hobby. Until I stumble upon something really interesting...

I have (sloppily) traced my grandmother's family back to royalty. Cool. But then there is this voice in the back of my mind saying, "Are you sure? Just because this person said that this person told them that someone else said...that doesn't exactly make for concrete proof." So, I am going to refocus on that particular line to document as much of the information and family line as I can. The more solid sources, the more likely the information is accurate.

And if I cannot find the sources, then it is just a legend, a tale that may or may not be true. (Still cannot bring myself to completely let it go.)

I'll let you know.

4 to 8 inches of snow expected

I know my friends in Canada and Minnesota will laugh, but everyone here is in a tizzy over the forecast 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) of snow for us here in Mississippi. We generally only get a whopper like that once every decade. If it does get that bad everything will be shut down.

One of the benefits (drawbacks?) of home schooling is that we don't worry about snow days. We can still have lessons. Of course, the girls get to play in the snow (when we have it) whether schools are out or not.

We'll try to keep warm here. You all do the same in your cozy homes.

We now conclude this Mississippi weather announcement and return you to your regularly scheduled furniture rearranging or quilt piecing.

Happy New Year!

Wow! Last post was in March. That can either be interpreted as nothing having happened or too much going on. Either way...

I would like to post more often, but I won't make any promises.

Plans for possible blog posts include; my garden (sorry you missed that this year. It went well.), my hobbies (right now quilting, tatting, crochet, knitting, and photography), my daughters (ages 13, 12, and 10), my wonderful husband, my falling-apart house, and whatever else comes into my head.

One of my resolutions is to take at least one photo every day to document 2011. If I manage, I will try to remember to post then here.

Other resolutions include losing weight, being a better teacher, and getting back to my writing. We'll see how that goes.

Jan 1, 2011 Photo - Family Tree Quilt I made for my mother-in-law's birthday gift.

Dia duit!

I have begun (in earnest) studying the Irish language. I had puttered around with it in the past off and on, but decided to really give it a go. I am really enjoying myself.

Dd 11 says I sound like I am choking in the back of my throat. I need to work on making my CH sound more subtle, but still distinguishable.

The program I am using is imersion based, which means they aren't actually EXPLAINING anything, just showing pictures and saying ... something ... in Gaeilge. I have to learn to recognize what they are saying, repeat it, and (I hope) figure out what it means. It is actually working pretty well. Though, I do miss having someone spell out exactly what I am learning.

The pronunciation is the hardest part and I am sure I have a terrible accent. With time and practice I think it will get better.

It is nice to learn some of the language of my ancestors. It makes me feel like I haven't totally been disconnected from where my family came from, well, the Irish side that is. I don't know if I could handle Norwegian. ;)

Sla'n ! (How do you put accent marks using an American keyboard?)
That means Good-bye.

And, for your visualy enjoyment...
Dd 9 constructing her gingerbread (graham cracker) house back in December.

Movie / Book Review Time!

My husband recently told me, with a cute little pouty face, that his favorite blogger had not posted in a while. I told him Zirbert had a life and family and day job and everything, so not to be upset. He told me he had been talking about Palai Eboulethen. Yeah, well, I have a life and family and all that. Plus, most of my online communiques have been sent out via Facebook or, more rarely Twitter. Sorry this old stand-by has been a little neglected.
+++++

Book Slash Movie Review Time!

Recently I (and then two of my daughters, the hubby, and brother) read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of children's books by Rick Riordan. (Not kiddie-picture books. These were written for the Harry Potter, Chronicles of Prydain crowd. Perfect for my 11 and 12 year old kids, and me, who never managed to fully grow out of a rolling fantasy adventure.) I read the books before I knew there was a movie coming out, but recently enough to be delighted by the news.

Which should I start with, Book Review or Movie Review? Well, I could mix them together.

Both were EXCELLENT.

The movie took the usually shortcuts of leaving out some scenes and characters completely for time considerations, which I have come to expect and I do cut movie makers some slack for that. Still, the camp was cut drastically short and I really missed Mr. D, who did not appear in the movie at all. Also missing from the movie was Clarisse, whom I did not miss.

There were changes to the story that I don't understand as well, as they would have had little effect on the run-time of the movie. Why remove all mystery about who Percy's father was? Figuring that out was part of the fun of the first book. It added a touch of mystery. Oh well. I do suppose they would have had to extend the camp scenes in order to bring the mystery out and explain it. Still, that would have been a good thing. Characterizations suffered for the rush through slow parts to get to the excitement.
They changed the "law" from THE BIG THREE (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) SHALL NOT HAVE CHILDREN to GODS CANNOT HAVE CONTACT WITH THEIR DEMIGOD OFFSPRING. What is up there? I realize that the Law covered a series of books originally, but only one movie here, but still... The books were way cooler on this. Since when do movies NOT set up for sequels? That is pretty much standard practice now-a-days, yes? It is as if the studio did not expect the movie to do well and therefore made sure their story could fully be told in only one film. On some level I can respect that, but the extended story was better.

Removing the theft of Hades' helmet was a choice I guess I can understand, but I think the book made more sense. Maybe they thought it would make the movie too much longer (which I do not agree with) or they thought that the theft of another powerful magic/divine item/symbol would cloud the plot for viewers, which I can see them thinking, but also do not agree with. The multi-faceted plot to start a war with the gods made more sense than everyone trying to gang up on Zeus by getting his bolt.
+++++

The acting was passable where the main children were concerned. The girl playing Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) looked so much like Tiffany Amber Thiessen, that if I didn't know Ms, Theissen was an adult now (having seen her on a few episodes of White Collar) I would have thought it was her. (Ironically, Miss Daddario also played a part on White Collar, though I never saw any resemblance between the two actresses there. Then again, I do not remember them ever appearing together.)
The boy playing Percy needed a haircut, but that is somewhat regrettably in style these days and can be forgiven, I guess.
Grover was fantastic. The Lotus dancing scenes were a treat.

The background children were a bit wooden. The campers fighting did not look natural at all. It was painful to watch. Again, if the camp scenes had been extended the director and casting agents might have paid more attention or been more picky. *sigh*

The adults were fabulous. Pierce Brosnan, always so debonair as a slick Remington Steele or James Bond, was WONDERFUL as the hairy, gruff, centaur warrior Chiron. Outstanding!

I would not have chosen Sean Bean for the roll of Zeus, myself. And I would have been wrong. He was amazing.

It was too bad Athena was little seen in the movie. The lovely Anna Kanakarides was wasted on a one-line part. Too bad. She was great. She should have had more to do. (The fake accent was unnecessary, though. I blame the director, not Ms Kanakarides.)

Uma Thurman as Medusa was incredible. When I saw her name in the opening credits I expected she would be playing Athena, or Aphrodite (who was woefully cut out of the film) but she was a treat as the slick and stylishly evil Medusa. Very cool.

I loved Rosario Dawson's Persephone. That character was so much better than the one presented in the book. Persephone has always been one of my favorite mythological characters. There isn't much written about her actual personality, but I had filled in the gaps with my imagination. Riordan's imagination was very different than my own, but the movie was more in line with what I liked. And leaving Demeter out entirely, if she were going to be like the book's version, was a wise choice.
+++++

There were parts of the movie that were really great. The CGI effects were very well done.
I have never been particularly impressed by the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, but after seeing the fight between that monster and Percy last night, I have to give that beast more respect, I would not want to meet him in real life.
The Hydra scene was an IMPROVEMENT on what was in the book. The Nashville, TN Parthenon location beats the St. Louis arch hands down for atmosphere that fits the Mythology-in-Modern times setting of the story. And the Hydra was ... (running out of adjectives) mind-blowing! Much better than a chimera and an echidna...oops, excuse me...much better than a chimera and Echidna. (I did really miss the "I am the Mother of all Monsters, not an egg-laying hedgehog! I hate Australia!" line, though.)
+++++

Despite how much I liked the movie, there was one glaring (to me) area where they fell down on the job. Blame it on my being a classics major.
Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, seems to have done his homework well when it comes to accurately presenting ancient Greek mythology. His acknowledgments include classics professors and I was not able to find any mistakes in his ancient facts as presented (even to explaining how the eternally virginal Athena could have a daughter.) The modern lives, facts, and circumstances are his creation, but still remain true to the personalities presented in mythology. The movie took all that and just washed it away for the sake of ... I don't know what.

#1 (minor complaint) How hard is it to have contacts for Annabeth and Athena so their eyes are GRAY instead of blue? If ancient bards and historians made a point of telling us what color Athena's eyes are, why just ignore it? (I admit, that is very minor.)

#2 No Cerberus? That scene from the book was really cute. Time, I guess. But the presence of the three-headed dog guardian is a staple when heroes are journeying into the Underworld. Could it be that the movie creators were afraid of being compared to Harry Potter? Yeah, well, that was inevitable, so changing the MYTHOLOGY to suit hypothetical critics smacks of insecurity. Probably the same insecurity that led to the removal of the Oracle and her prophecy / set up for sequels. Boo to the movie guys!

#3 The Lotus Eaters were not EVIL!!! They were, in fact, quite friendly. They had what they thought was a great life and had no problem sharing with those they met. They were not evil in The Oddysey and they were not evil in Riordan's book. The movie decided they should try to trap people. Why? To make the scene more exciting? Isn't a casino where all your dreams come true exciting enough? There are flashing lights and games and a roller coaster and dancing; why do you need villains?
+++++

All together, I LOVED the series and recommend it to any child (or adult) who likes a good adventure story. I also recommend it to educators looking for a way to get kids to read AND learn some Greek mythology. I recommend the movie along the lines of former statement, but with a cautious warning concerning the latter, thanks to movie writers apparently not knowing, or caring about, staying true to mythology.


10 out of 10 asterisks for the books **********

8 out of 10 asterisks for the movie (-1 for mythology revisions, -1 for bad sword fighting) ********--

For your visual enjoyment...my number 1 fan. Isn't he handsome?

Best Gift I received of 2009

Amazon Kindle

I love it! We are far enough from large bookstores to feel a crunch. There are book stores in Oxford, but they tend to be small and not necessarily carry the books I want. Add to that my health problems of the past year and you have me, sitting at home not reading new books.

With the Kindle I can download books from home instantly. They tend to be cheaper than even many paperback versions. I was shocked at the selection available. It's HUGE!

I loaded it with kids books for our trip to Kentucky for myself and the girls. They love it as much as I do. (Though once they have read all the new books I loaded on that may fade.)

Happy January!

Resolution time!

I fully realize that I almost NEVER keep my resolutions more than a few days, let alone for always. The longest I went was March once.

This year may go the same way, but if I don't try then I am guaranteed to not make a change.

I found some very interesting, Bible-based health books. The primary one in the group is What Would Jesus Eat? (Yeah, I made fun of that the first time I saw it in the book store too.) But it is basically the Mediterranean style diet that has been pushed for a few years as being the most healthy for humans, with a generous dash of scripture and history tossed in.

Also included on my new reading list are books by the same author on biblically treating diabetes, high-blood pressure, and arthritis. Now, these are more than "Pray and if you have enough faith God will send a miracle" books (though prayer is certainly a part of the mix) They rely more on clearing out much of the pollution modern "conveniences" have brought to our bodies, and especially come down hard on guck like fast food.

I know this isn't going to be an easy change. I have eaten like a modern American for all my life. Truth be told, it hasn't served me well, but I am attached to what I know.

For now I am reading through the books and drinking more water and less soda. The really interesting changes come when I start seeing what I can do about eating fish (a lot) and whole grains. Cutting out red meat and processed carbs is not as easy as it sounds.

I'll keep you up to date.

Here is Amazon's Don Colbert list
http://www.amazon.com/Don-Colbert/e/B001IQXMG4/ref=sr_tc_2_0

For your phot-viewing wonder! I present dd9 doing her school work. Enjoy!