by Victoria Sweet
Hennepin County Library audiobook 11 discs
read by the author
genre: non-fiction
This was interesting and definitely kept my attention. Dr. S worked at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco for twenty-ish years. (http://lagunahonda.org/) She also was fascinated by Hildegard, a twelfth century nun, and wrote a book called Slow Medicine after writing her master's thesis and her PhD paper about this topic. I'm just going to jot a few notes / reactions to the book below.
Why did pre-modern medicine and Hildegard of Bingen appeal to her so much?!?! I just don't get it.
My lack of compassion concerns me . . . when it comes to people making horrible life choices and killing themselves with drugs, alcohol, etc. . . . I wonder why so many medical professionals, tests, procedures, etc. are spent on them. Ethically, I realize it's not productive to say someone like me should get to determine who gets health care and who doesn't. Our entire health care system (and societal ills) are so complex. I guess it's good that people like Dr. Sweet do all that they can for all patients.
The parts on money, "efficiencies," and bureaucracy . . . ugh. I realize that this is how the world works, but spending more on administration and PR seems counterproductive to saving money!
I couldn't believe she kept referring to a patient's "retarded" daughter . . . not so much the non-PC term as the fact that a medical doctor would use a "no-no" word at all!
The specific patient examples were the most interesting part of the book to me.
Interesting to consider dementia as a polynomial equation with several variables.
Anima / soul / animation - interesting way to look at it.
Too much focus and repetition on the four humours, four symbolically (seasons, elements, etc.). Enough!
Her pilgrimage . . . sounds interesting. But without a spiritual goal, I wonder about her purpose. She shares what she learns in the walk across France and Spain. I like that she and her friend did the trip in three or four different stretches.
She references Scripture and faith, but isn't a believer . . . she has an interesting perspective.
Interesting look at medicine, philosophy, economics, etc. My attitudes and beliefs don't align with the author's, but I learned a lot and thought about my perspective. This was a very worthwhile book to "read."
The title is taken from the French term for charity hospitals - L'Hotel Dieu - God's Hotel.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Perennials
by Julie Cantrell
Scott County Library paperback 338 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships
My perspective on this book may change after our discussion tonight. Right now, I'm ambivalent. I almost want to go back to see what I wrote about the author's book The Feathered Bone . . . in my memory, I liked it pretty well. This one, not so much. Lovey / Eva is 45 and living in Arizona. She's pretty New Age, in my opinion. When her parents all but beg her to come home to Mississippi for a few weeks, she makes it happen regardless of the negative implications for her at work.
Dedication - "For my children, and for all children, and for the child in all of us - May you always know the truth: you are loved." I thought this was a wonderful dedication page!
Page 81 - "I needed my family to stand up for me, help me heal. Instead, Bitsy attacked, Chief stayed silent, and Mother told me never to speak of it again." I can't understand a loving family reacting this way to a family member's emotional agony. It just doesn't make sense.
Page 90 - "Half of me wants to hug my father and assure him I wouldn't change a thing. But the wounded half wants to tell him how badly I needed him to stand up for me. How much his silence has hurt me." Tell him!!! One of my biggest frustrations with these books is that people don't talk honestly with one another!
Page 99 - "It's hard to think of my parents aging. Someday holding Mother's hand as she takes her last breath, or waking to the call that my father is no longer with us. My eyes water at the thought, and I push it away. Far away. I can't imagine how hard it is for them to watch their friends fade, one by one." Ugh! This has been too much on my mind lately! I want to live life fully, ready to head to Heaven whenever God calls me! I'm glad I don't have close friends dying yet . . .
Page 155 - I love this conversation that Lovey and Fisher have! "You want me to be honest?" Yes! Thank you, Fisher, for having an honest conversation! Thank you for providing another perspective on Bitsy and Lovey growing up!
Page 183 - Mary Evelyn's birthday tea . . . a group of 16 year olds having an etiquette lesson . . . it's partly very appealing and partly horrifying!
Page 208 - I'm curious about the author's personal beliefs. Christianity is included in the book, but it certainly isn't a main theme. When Lovey does yoga with her mom and dad and ends with "Namaste. The light in me sees the light in you," it just seems counter-intuitive to call this Christian fiction.
Page 213 - Finally! I don't want to add a spoiler here, so I'll just say that one of the things hinted at is stated outright. It wasn't a shocker because I was waiting for it.
Page 231 - "I keep quiet, capturing every subtle gesture and sound Mother makes, determined not to forget a thing." Take photos and videos! Write stories down! I treasure the artifacts of my life with my mother . . . and I cannot get new photos, videos, or memories any more.
Page 278 - I like her timeline. I kept thinking, "What has she done with her life between ages 18 and 45?!" I wish the timeline had been included earlier, but most of the story focuses on her current life and flashbacks to childhood.
Page 286 - I love the conversation that she and Chief have the night of the party. They should have had the conversation a few decades earlier, but . . .
Not sure what page . . . . there was a twist I *didn't* anticipate! Again, don't want to put spoilers here.
Page 310 - "Our body's death is not the tragedy, girls. It's when we waste our time in life feeling dead on the inside. That's the real reason to grieve." Their mom shares this gem of wisdom with Bitsy and Lovey, but it feels like too little, too late. And I still don't get why Bitsy turned into such a nasty human being.
Page 323 - "It's a heavy role, shuttling a soul into the next world, and I feel there's no right way to manage this." Too true . . . sitting with someone on their death bed is a heavy role. I hope to make it easier for my kids by assuring them of my salvation through Jesus Christ. Death is not scary to me (at least, my own death) because of God's Word.
Scott County Library paperback 338 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships
My perspective on this book may change after our discussion tonight. Right now, I'm ambivalent. I almost want to go back to see what I wrote about the author's book The Feathered Bone . . . in my memory, I liked it pretty well. This one, not so much. Lovey / Eva is 45 and living in Arizona. She's pretty New Age, in my opinion. When her parents all but beg her to come home to Mississippi for a few weeks, she makes it happen regardless of the negative implications for her at work.
Dedication - "For my children, and for all children, and for the child in all of us - May you always know the truth: you are loved." I thought this was a wonderful dedication page!
Page 81 - "I needed my family to stand up for me, help me heal. Instead, Bitsy attacked, Chief stayed silent, and Mother told me never to speak of it again." I can't understand a loving family reacting this way to a family member's emotional agony. It just doesn't make sense.
Page 90 - "Half of me wants to hug my father and assure him I wouldn't change a thing. But the wounded half wants to tell him how badly I needed him to stand up for me. How much his silence has hurt me." Tell him!!! One of my biggest frustrations with these books is that people don't talk honestly with one another!
Page 99 - "It's hard to think of my parents aging. Someday holding Mother's hand as she takes her last breath, or waking to the call that my father is no longer with us. My eyes water at the thought, and I push it away. Far away. I can't imagine how hard it is for them to watch their friends fade, one by one." Ugh! This has been too much on my mind lately! I want to live life fully, ready to head to Heaven whenever God calls me! I'm glad I don't have close friends dying yet . . .
Page 155 - I love this conversation that Lovey and Fisher have! "You want me to be honest?" Yes! Thank you, Fisher, for having an honest conversation! Thank you for providing another perspective on Bitsy and Lovey growing up!
Page 183 - Mary Evelyn's birthday tea . . . a group of 16 year olds having an etiquette lesson . . . it's partly very appealing and partly horrifying!
Page 208 - I'm curious about the author's personal beliefs. Christianity is included in the book, but it certainly isn't a main theme. When Lovey does yoga with her mom and dad and ends with "Namaste. The light in me sees the light in you," it just seems counter-intuitive to call this Christian fiction.
Page 213 - Finally! I don't want to add a spoiler here, so I'll just say that one of the things hinted at is stated outright. It wasn't a shocker because I was waiting for it.
Page 231 - "I keep quiet, capturing every subtle gesture and sound Mother makes, determined not to forget a thing." Take photos and videos! Write stories down! I treasure the artifacts of my life with my mother . . . and I cannot get new photos, videos, or memories any more.
Page 278 - I like her timeline. I kept thinking, "What has she done with her life between ages 18 and 45?!" I wish the timeline had been included earlier, but most of the story focuses on her current life and flashbacks to childhood.
Page 286 - I love the conversation that she and Chief have the night of the party. They should have had the conversation a few decades earlier, but . . .
Not sure what page . . . . there was a twist I *didn't* anticipate! Again, don't want to put spoilers here.
Page 310 - "Our body's death is not the tragedy, girls. It's when we waste our time in life feeling dead on the inside. That's the real reason to grieve." Their mom shares this gem of wisdom with Bitsy and Lovey, but it feels like too little, too late. And I still don't get why Bitsy turned into such a nasty human being.
Page 323 - "It's a heavy role, shuttling a soul into the next world, and I feel there's no right way to manage this." Too true . . . sitting with someone on their death bed is a heavy role. I hope to make it easier for my kids by assuring them of my salvation through Jesus Christ. Death is not scary to me (at least, my own death) because of God's Word.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sting-Ray Afternoons
by Steve Rushin
Hennepin County Library hardcover 319 pages
genre: non-fiction memoir
I really enjoyed reading this book! I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed it had I not also grown up in Bloomington, MN at the same time as Steve Rushin. Recognizing the landmarks and remembering my own experiences enriched the reading. Steve is a fantastic writer, though, and I'm sure much of the humor and coming-of-age would translate to any city and state in the 1970s.
I don't remember much about Steve (we both graduated from Bloomington Kennedy after having been at Lincoln), but I distinctly remember his brother Tom! Older than us by a year, Tom was cruel and nasty (in my teenage eyes) when I encountered him at Lincoln. Reading this book makes me wish I'd known Steve! I saw him as just a "jock" and didn't realize he loved to read, play with words, and write.
page 28 - I had never heard 3M referred to as "Mickey Mouse Mining" before! The nicknames for Normandale - "Harvard on the Hill" and others - I was familiar with, but the 3M nickname was new to me. (His dad worked for 3M.)
page 33 - In 1970, "Dr. James T. Grace, Jr., has confidently asserted that cancer will be a memory by 1979. 'I predict that we can enter the decade of the '80s without the specter of cancer hanging over our people,' Grace says, a statement that everyone can suddenly affirm with the brand-new sentence starter: 'If they can put a man on the moon, surely they can [fill in the blank with your wildest dream].'" This is so true! The optimism about the future was so powerful at that time! (I was a little kid, too, so what did I know?) But the thought that cancer would still be such a major killer more than forty years later? Unthinkable!
page 44 - Oh! This made me laugh out loud! "Tom's Brillo-pad hair likewise won't lend itself to any form of basement taming. By the time Tom is seven, Bernie the Barber, scissors snipping in one hand, will survey his head from every angle and finally grab a handful of hair in exasperation: 'Your hair,' he will announce, 'belongs on a dog's butt.' The statement is no less cruel - and possibly a great deal more cruel - for being true." (At this point, it was just the humorous way he set up the scene about haircuts that made me laugh, not the unkindness toward his brother. Steve really is a talented writer!)
page 47 - "And so, in three of its 1956 models, Chrysler offered the Highway Hi-Fi, an in-car record player that could play specially manufactured 7-inch discs at 16 2/3 rpm . . . " What?! Playing records in a car?! There were so many places where I was amazing at how Steve incorporated his love of reading and information into his personal memoir.
page 60 - The Romper Room part instantly reminded me of how much I believed that she could see the kids watching her on tv! I wanted so much for her to say my name! Again, Rushin includes some very interesting history about the show that I didn't know about before reading this.
page 191 - Oh! The scene when he goes to the hotel with his friend to get Vikings autographs and after two weeks of wishing to connect with Alan Page . . . he is told that Mr. Page does *not* give autographs so *don't* even ask! I love love love how this turned out! His mom letting him wear his ratty "hillbilly" homemade Page jersey . . . and Alan Page noticing! "So - my chicken chest heaving, and on the brink of hyperventilation - I continue to watch as he pauses at the stairs, turns and looks back at the lobby, evidently having forgotten something at the front desk. But he hasn't forgotten anything. No, Alan Page walks directly toward me, takes the BIC from my trembling hand, and signs his name in one grand flourish in my Mead notebook. He smiles and puts his hand on top of my head, as if palming a grapefruit." I love this! But then, Alan Page is one of my personal heroes, too. But not because of football!
page 216 - The scene where the "Creek Freak" confronts his dad on the Fourth of July! Oh my! This, too, is beautifully written! I'm too lazy to include it (or re-type it) here, but what a great way to honor his dad and paint a vivid, powerful picture!
page 249 - ". . . but my year of reading about California will not go to waste. I am powerless to stop my factual exhibitionism." This made me smile! I love that he read voraciously in preparation for the family trip to California and then regaled his family with what he knew about the places they traveled.
page 257 - When they encountered a bidet in a hotel room . . . "Tom is telling on him now. 'John was trying to drink out of the . . . ' The new French word eludes him, and Tom finally says, 'John was trying to drink out of the butt washer!'" Too funny!
page 286 - Mortality and fear . . . When he worries that his own dad might die young, after a friend's dad of the same age dies of a heart attack. This scene makes me so sad for the young Steve (and so impressed that the adult can write about his young fears and struggles in such a personal and deep way).
page 305 - This was weird. I don't even remember anything about the first day of school at Bloomington Kennedy in the fall of 1982 . . . "A large dead fish will be rotting on the front walk into JFK when we disembark the school bus for our very first day there. Written in fish blood on the concrete: NEWCOMERS DIE." How could I not remember seeing / smelling something like that? Later on that page, "But of course no teacher has seen it yet, and when the first one does - within the hour - the message in fish blood is hosed away, and I'm left to wonder if it was ever there in the first place. Nothing remains but the faint smell of fish." Now I wonder if it really happened.
page 305 - So sad that his mom died so young! Again, he uses words so effectively to memorialize her. "In dying, she allayed my greatest fear - of death. Dying joined shoe tying and coat zipping and bed making on the long list of acts Mom demonstrated for her children, so that we could someday do it for ourselves." This, along with the scene where she substitute teaches at his Catholic school in junior high, are wonderful passages about his mother's impact on his and his siblings' lives.
page 307 - Their last time together (all five siblings) at the house they grew up in . . . I can't believe they emptied the house on their sister's wedding day! Ugh! I'm so glad I didn't grow up with four brothers!
This book is wonderful. I'm glad I read it. I wish I'd known Steve better in high school. He seems like a great guy!
Hennepin County Library hardcover 319 pages
genre: non-fiction memoir
I really enjoyed reading this book! I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed it had I not also grown up in Bloomington, MN at the same time as Steve Rushin. Recognizing the landmarks and remembering my own experiences enriched the reading. Steve is a fantastic writer, though, and I'm sure much of the humor and coming-of-age would translate to any city and state in the 1970s.
I don't remember much about Steve (we both graduated from Bloomington Kennedy after having been at Lincoln), but I distinctly remember his brother Tom! Older than us by a year, Tom was cruel and nasty (in my teenage eyes) when I encountered him at Lincoln. Reading this book makes me wish I'd known Steve! I saw him as just a "jock" and didn't realize he loved to read, play with words, and write.
page 28 - I had never heard 3M referred to as "Mickey Mouse Mining" before! The nicknames for Normandale - "Harvard on the Hill" and others - I was familiar with, but the 3M nickname was new to me. (His dad worked for 3M.)
page 33 - In 1970, "Dr. James T. Grace, Jr., has confidently asserted that cancer will be a memory by 1979. 'I predict that we can enter the decade of the '80s without the specter of cancer hanging over our people,' Grace says, a statement that everyone can suddenly affirm with the brand-new sentence starter: 'If they can put a man on the moon, surely they can [fill in the blank with your wildest dream].'" This is so true! The optimism about the future was so powerful at that time! (I was a little kid, too, so what did I know?) But the thought that cancer would still be such a major killer more than forty years later? Unthinkable!
page 44 - Oh! This made me laugh out loud! "Tom's Brillo-pad hair likewise won't lend itself to any form of basement taming. By the time Tom is seven, Bernie the Barber, scissors snipping in one hand, will survey his head from every angle and finally grab a handful of hair in exasperation: 'Your hair,' he will announce, 'belongs on a dog's butt.' The statement is no less cruel - and possibly a great deal more cruel - for being true." (At this point, it was just the humorous way he set up the scene about haircuts that made me laugh, not the unkindness toward his brother. Steve really is a talented writer!)
page 47 - "And so, in three of its 1956 models, Chrysler offered the Highway Hi-Fi, an in-car record player that could play specially manufactured 7-inch discs at 16 2/3 rpm . . . " What?! Playing records in a car?! There were so many places where I was amazing at how Steve incorporated his love of reading and information into his personal memoir.
page 60 - The Romper Room part instantly reminded me of how much I believed that she could see the kids watching her on tv! I wanted so much for her to say my name! Again, Rushin includes some very interesting history about the show that I didn't know about before reading this.
page 191 - Oh! The scene when he goes to the hotel with his friend to get Vikings autographs and after two weeks of wishing to connect with Alan Page . . . he is told that Mr. Page does *not* give autographs so *don't* even ask! I love love love how this turned out! His mom letting him wear his ratty "hillbilly" homemade Page jersey . . . and Alan Page noticing! "So - my chicken chest heaving, and on the brink of hyperventilation - I continue to watch as he pauses at the stairs, turns and looks back at the lobby, evidently having forgotten something at the front desk. But he hasn't forgotten anything. No, Alan Page walks directly toward me, takes the BIC from my trembling hand, and signs his name in one grand flourish in my Mead notebook. He smiles and puts his hand on top of my head, as if palming a grapefruit." I love this! But then, Alan Page is one of my personal heroes, too. But not because of football!
page 216 - The scene where the "Creek Freak" confronts his dad on the Fourth of July! Oh my! This, too, is beautifully written! I'm too lazy to include it (or re-type it) here, but what a great way to honor his dad and paint a vivid, powerful picture!
page 249 - ". . . but my year of reading about California will not go to waste. I am powerless to stop my factual exhibitionism." This made me smile! I love that he read voraciously in preparation for the family trip to California and then regaled his family with what he knew about the places they traveled.
page 257 - When they encountered a bidet in a hotel room . . . "Tom is telling on him now. 'John was trying to drink out of the . . . ' The new French word eludes him, and Tom finally says, 'John was trying to drink out of the butt washer!'" Too funny!
page 286 - Mortality and fear . . . When he worries that his own dad might die young, after a friend's dad of the same age dies of a heart attack. This scene makes me so sad for the young Steve (and so impressed that the adult can write about his young fears and struggles in such a personal and deep way).
page 305 - This was weird. I don't even remember anything about the first day of school at Bloomington Kennedy in the fall of 1982 . . . "A large dead fish will be rotting on the front walk into JFK when we disembark the school bus for our very first day there. Written in fish blood on the concrete: NEWCOMERS DIE." How could I not remember seeing / smelling something like that? Later on that page, "But of course no teacher has seen it yet, and when the first one does - within the hour - the message in fish blood is hosed away, and I'm left to wonder if it was ever there in the first place. Nothing remains but the faint smell of fish." Now I wonder if it really happened.
page 305 - So sad that his mom died so young! Again, he uses words so effectively to memorialize her. "In dying, she allayed my greatest fear - of death. Dying joined shoe tying and coat zipping and bed making on the long list of acts Mom demonstrated for her children, so that we could someday do it for ourselves." This, along with the scene where she substitute teaches at his Catholic school in junior high, are wonderful passages about his mother's impact on his and his siblings' lives.
page 307 - Their last time together (all five siblings) at the house they grew up in . . . I can't believe they emptied the house on their sister's wedding day! Ugh! I'm so glad I didn't grow up with four brothers!
This book is wonderful. I'm glad I read it. I wish I'd known Steve better in high school. He seems like a great guy!
Monday, January 22, 2018
Rapture of the Deep
A Bloody Jack adventure
by L.A. Meyer
Scott County Library hardcover 454 pages
genre: YA historical adventure fiction
I liked the skin diving, Jacky's cleverness with retrieving the treasure, Jemimah and her B'rer Rabbit stories, and the taking of the Spanish ship. I'm kind of addicted to these books, the way Jacky can't stop from getting into things!
by L.A. Meyer
Scott County Library hardcover 454 pages
genre: YA historical adventure fiction
I liked the skin diving, Jacky's cleverness with retrieving the treasure, Jemimah and her B'rer Rabbit stories, and the taking of the Spanish ship. I'm kind of addicted to these books, the way Jacky can't stop from getting into things!
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
by Kate DiCamillo
Hennepin County Library audiobook, 4 CDs
read by Tara Sands
genre: children's adventure fiction
Although I love DiCamillo, this title just didn't work for me. The reader, Sands, did a fine job with the vocal work. I think it was just too "young" to appeal . . . I try to think of the reader who would love a book. For this one, a smart, imaginative 8-10 year old seems about right.
My reaction as a "reader" was that Flora is an incredible brat. She ignores her mom, is bossy toward her adult neighbor . . . Though her character is developed more fully as the story goes along. This is clearly for younger readers with short chapters and simple sentences (though DiCamillo adds in some challenging vocabulary for those young readers!).
Ah. Her mom is neglectful and unkind; that's why Flora is such a brat toward her.
William Spiver is just plain irritating.
The "Terrible Things Can Happen to You" and the comic books in general were my favorite part.
Hennepin County Library audiobook, 4 CDs
read by Tara Sands
genre: children's adventure fiction
Although I love DiCamillo, this title just didn't work for me. The reader, Sands, did a fine job with the vocal work. I think it was just too "young" to appeal . . . I try to think of the reader who would love a book. For this one, a smart, imaginative 8-10 year old seems about right.
My reaction as a "reader" was that Flora is an incredible brat. She ignores her mom, is bossy toward her adult neighbor . . . Though her character is developed more fully as the story goes along. This is clearly for younger readers with short chapters and simple sentences (though DiCamillo adds in some challenging vocabulary for those young readers!).
Ah. Her mom is neglectful and unkind; that's why Flora is such a brat toward her.
William Spiver is just plain irritating.
The "Terrible Things Can Happen to You" and the comic books in general were my favorite part.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Ageproof: Living Longer without Running out of Money or Breaking a Hip
by Jean Chatzky, Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Ted Spiker
Scott County Library hardcover 306 pages
genre: non-fiction, self-help, finances, health
I read about this book in the Costco Connection (June 2017) and requested it from the library. The interrelatedness of health and wealth is actually pretty logical - the two intertwine and connect in so many ways. I renewed this book the maximum number of times and thought briefly about buying my own copy. I have many take-aways, but will try to cull out the main ones here.
Their guidelines for a physical fitness AND a financial fitness self-test took me a while to complete . . . until I finally moved on with the intention of going back and completing them. The physical fitness test included fitness (push-ups, curl-ups, mile walk, and "get-up"), perceived stress test, tape test (waist size less than half your height?), grip test (the one that tripped me up - where to find a hand grip meter?), blood pressure, real age test, and professional tests (the battery of tests you get at your annual physical). They also list a bunch of things to talk with your doctor about at that annual appointment.
Fiscal fitness included income level, household expenses, net worth, emergency savings, retirement accounts, credit score, and mirror test. I have lots of notes on paper . . . I'll need to complete the info and put it in my system so I review it at least once per year. I may put it with our budgeting stuff so that Louie and I have conversations about it.
I made a list of "to-do" items. One of the biggies was to automate as much as possible. We already do this with our finances, but not so much with physical good choices. Making substitutions (e.g. veggies instead of chips, a walk instead of time on FB, . . . ) was another big one. Here are some of the other notes I made:
- move more
- use cash
- be aware of stressors, find a healthy response, and practice it
use deep breathing to help calm and focus
I also made a note about some questions to ask and a book to get from the library.
In the last part of the book, the section on your home really resonated for me! I've been working on de-cluttering for most of the last year. I grew up in a packrat household and it can be hard to let go of the excess stuff I've accumulated. These pages are helpful!
Amen! The section below on paper . . . I've made a lot of progress in this area, but can definitely improve.
This passage actually came before the others I've posted. But I like having it as a final thought. Home as sanctuary. Yes!
There are five other pages I took pictures of, but I'm not inspired to include them here now. This book was a pretty good use of my time. A lot of it (especially about a healthy diet and the importance of exercise) was familiar info to me. I liked the book a lot.
Scott County Library hardcover 306 pages
genre: non-fiction, self-help, finances, health
I read about this book in the Costco Connection (June 2017) and requested it from the library. The interrelatedness of health and wealth is actually pretty logical - the two intertwine and connect in so many ways. I renewed this book the maximum number of times and thought briefly about buying my own copy. I have many take-aways, but will try to cull out the main ones here.
Their guidelines for a physical fitness AND a financial fitness self-test took me a while to complete . . . until I finally moved on with the intention of going back and completing them. The physical fitness test included fitness (push-ups, curl-ups, mile walk, and "get-up"), perceived stress test, tape test (waist size less than half your height?), grip test (the one that tripped me up - where to find a hand grip meter?), blood pressure, real age test, and professional tests (the battery of tests you get at your annual physical). They also list a bunch of things to talk with your doctor about at that annual appointment.
Fiscal fitness included income level, household expenses, net worth, emergency savings, retirement accounts, credit score, and mirror test. I have lots of notes on paper . . . I'll need to complete the info and put it in my system so I review it at least once per year. I may put it with our budgeting stuff so that Louie and I have conversations about it.
I made a list of "to-do" items. One of the biggies was to automate as much as possible. We already do this with our finances, but not so much with physical good choices. Making substitutions (e.g. veggies instead of chips, a walk instead of time on FB, . . . ) was another big one. Here are some of the other notes I made:
- move more
- use cash
- be aware of stressors, find a healthy response, and practice it
use deep breathing to help calm and focus
I also made a note about some questions to ask and a book to get from the library.
In the last part of the book, the section on your home really resonated for me! I've been working on de-cluttering for most of the last year. I grew up in a packrat household and it can be hard to let go of the excess stuff I've accumulated. These pages are helpful!
This is a crummy photo, but it perfectly captures the tone of what resonated for me.
There are five other pages I took pictures of, but I'm not inspired to include them here now. This book was a pretty good use of my time. A lot of it (especially about a healthy diet and the importance of exercise) was familiar info to me. I liked the book a lot.
Monday, January 08, 2018
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot"
by Michael O. Tunnell
Hennepin County Library hardcover 104 pages
genre: non-fiction, history
I had never heard of Gail Halvorsen, a pilot who helped with the Berlin supply drops after WWII until Jodi mentioned him to me. This book was wonderful, filled with lots of photographs and sharing the story of this amazing young man! From a casual visit and two sticks of gum, he started a wave of candy donations that blessed the children of Berlin and involved many other pilots, donors, candy companies, etc. The drawings and letters from children are so heartfelt and moving!
Page 67 - "It took me a week to eat that candy bar. I hid it day and night. The chocolate was wonderful, but it wasn't the chocolate that was most important. What it meant was that someone in America cared. That parachute was something more important than candy. It represented hope. Hope that someday we would be free. Without hope the soul dies."
Page 93 - Years later, he helped with similar drops to children in Kosovo. "They had hope because of people in America who . . . knew they were in trouble and promised to stand by them. Hope is still the name of the game."
I love the references to hope. Such a powerful thing it is! This was an amazing true story and I'm glad I read it! Kudos to Halvorsen for sharing his photographs and letters so freely.
Hennepin County Library hardcover 104 pages
genre: non-fiction, history
I had never heard of Gail Halvorsen, a pilot who helped with the Berlin supply drops after WWII until Jodi mentioned him to me. This book was wonderful, filled with lots of photographs and sharing the story of this amazing young man! From a casual visit and two sticks of gum, he started a wave of candy donations that blessed the children of Berlin and involved many other pilots, donors, candy companies, etc. The drawings and letters from children are so heartfelt and moving!
Page 67 - "It took me a week to eat that candy bar. I hid it day and night. The chocolate was wonderful, but it wasn't the chocolate that was most important. What it meant was that someone in America cared. That parachute was something more important than candy. It represented hope. Hope that someday we would be free. Without hope the soul dies."
Page 93 - Years later, he helped with similar drops to children in Kosovo. "They had hope because of people in America who . . . knew they were in trouble and promised to stand by them. Hope is still the name of the game."
I love the references to hope. Such a powerful thing it is! This was an amazing true story and I'm glad I read it! Kudos to Halvorsen for sharing his photographs and letters so freely.
My Bonny Light Horseman
by L.A. Meyer
Hennepin County Library paperback 436 pages
genre: YA historical adventure
I love these Bloody Jack books! In this one, she goes from happily running marble and molasses on the East Coast / Caribbean to being prisoner, spy, and messenger. I loved how she shaped up the French farm boys to be a fighting unit.
I added a post-it note on one page. I'm not sure why this resonated so strongly, but it was interesting to see how her hatred for Bonaparte as Britain's enemy turned to respect when she was in the midst of the French army.
"As I look down my ranks, I see that my own is not the only wet eye here. I know that they love him, no question, and I know why. He has raised up worthy soldiers from the ranks and made them generals. He has set up schools for all children, rich or poor, all across his land - I have found that all of my men, well, at least the young ones born after the Revolution, can read and write. He has built roads and visited factories and shaken hands with common workers."
If this is true about Bonaparte, it raises interesting questions about him as a leader. What did he do that was so bad? What did he do that was good? I think most leaders leave a mixed legacy . . .
I cried at the scene in the army medical tent, but don't want to leave spoilers here. This was a delightful book, and I'm ready to get the next one!
Hennepin County Library paperback 436 pages
genre: YA historical adventure
I love these Bloody Jack books! In this one, she goes from happily running marble and molasses on the East Coast / Caribbean to being prisoner, spy, and messenger. I loved how she shaped up the French farm boys to be a fighting unit.
I added a post-it note on one page. I'm not sure why this resonated so strongly, but it was interesting to see how her hatred for Bonaparte as Britain's enemy turned to respect when she was in the midst of the French army.
"As I look down my ranks, I see that my own is not the only wet eye here. I know that they love him, no question, and I know why. He has raised up worthy soldiers from the ranks and made them generals. He has set up schools for all children, rich or poor, all across his land - I have found that all of my men, well, at least the young ones born after the Revolution, can read and write. He has built roads and visited factories and shaken hands with common workers."
If this is true about Bonaparte, it raises interesting questions about him as a leader. What did he do that was so bad? What did he do that was good? I think most leaders leave a mixed legacy . . .
I cried at the scene in the army medical tent, but don't want to leave spoilers here. This was a delightful book, and I'm ready to get the next one!
Gulliver's Travels: or Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships
by Jonathan Swift
Hennepin County Library audiobook 10 CDs
read by Pamela Garelick
genre: adventure, satire, . . .
I confess . . . I only listened to the first section (out of four). The Lilliputians story made me wonder if I've ever read the full book before, or only abridged and comic strip versions. There was so much more detail than I remember! One thing I thought was "How on earth could the Lilliputians get enough food and water for him? And *why* would they bother?!" That question was addressed (at least the "how" part) later in the story. The logistics of his time in Lilliput were too bizarre for me to contemplate.
I jotted a note "what is it that Swift is satirizing?" Some of it was obvious - the machinations of court and the illogical decrees on things like breaking eggs on the small end vs. the big end. But some of it I'd have to do research to figure out what was going on at that time in history to learn how Swift was mocking it. He was such a clever writer!
I'm not sure why I'm okay with returning it to the library without "reading" the rest of it. It's just not what I want to read right now.
Hennepin County Library audiobook 10 CDs
read by Pamela Garelick
genre: adventure, satire, . . .
I confess . . . I only listened to the first section (out of four). The Lilliputians story made me wonder if I've ever read the full book before, or only abridged and comic strip versions. There was so much more detail than I remember! One thing I thought was "How on earth could the Lilliputians get enough food and water for him? And *why* would they bother?!" That question was addressed (at least the "how" part) later in the story. The logistics of his time in Lilliput were too bizarre for me to contemplate.
I jotted a note "what is it that Swift is satirizing?" Some of it was obvious - the machinations of court and the illogical decrees on things like breaking eggs on the small end vs. the big end. But some of it I'd have to do research to figure out what was going on at that time in history to learn how Swift was mocking it. He was such a clever writer!
I'm not sure why I'm okay with returning it to the library without "reading" the rest of it. It's just not what I want to read right now.
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