Adventures Of Kim

The Hearts Have It

2011-07-16T21:23:00.005-04:00

It has taken me awhile to read and to get back to writing about it, but I have read a couple of really great books that were thought provoking and very enjoyable. Summer activities have taken me outside and have kept me busy as they should but I have been able to sneak in a few pages here and there and have used Oliver's nap time as an excuse to curl up with a good book a few times. These days it is with lemonade not hot chocolate, however. So onto the books.

The book club girls and I chose to read Carson McCullers' "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" last meeting. You can see from the book cover that this book may not be so happy, but this is an anniversary cover and is actually a photo of the author. I think it really shows a little window into an author's life because, unfortunately, I feel that most profound authors are a brooding bunch and have some major personal issues. This is also what probably makes them interesting and able to escape reality to put words onto paper in such a distinct manner. Hmmm to envy or not to envy.

McCullers is a Georgia author from Columbus and this book is set in this area without giving exact geographic location. I find it phenomenal that she was only twenty-three when she wrote this wonderful book and she deserves all the praise that litters the back of her book. The best "back of book quote" comes from Mary Sarton. She writes "When one puts [this book] down, it is with... a feeling of having been nourished by the truth." I read that sentence before I read the book and wondered what it was driving at and now that I am finished I think it is a perfect statement.

McCullars finds a gripping and interesting way to tell the story of a number of characters lives. They are all unique and all serve a purpose to get to a defining end which for better or worse is definitely truth. So well thought out are the characters and how interested you become in their well being. It is everything you could ask for in a book. This book is about social class, race, and generally the human species and our ability to survive together. Amazing book. I am for sure going to partake in McCullers other novels when I've finished up this project. (That may be years from now, but I WILL be reading more of her stuff.)

When the book club met in July, I was the only one who had finished the book because, well, I think we are all getting caught up in our summer activities but the girls said they were definitely going to finish it. So maybe I will be able to share there insights when we meet again.

I also just finished Graham Greene's "The Heart of the Matter." While these books both have the word HEART in the title and are both set in the 1940's they are extremely different. They both refer to The War but McCullars is looking at it from the "far away thing that is happening over there" point of view of small town America and Greene is looking at it as the reason his characters have a job to do in West Africa. (Both do not like the Germans...)

Greene's book tells the story of a distinguished police officer who has made his life and career in West Africa. His wife can't stand to be there anymore and can not figure out why her husband hasn't had enough of the place. He won't leave even when he has the chance to. But all that is back story but eludes to the meat of the book. It is all about love and what that really is and how it works when you are of devote Catholic faith.

Scobie, the police officer, falls so deeply that he doesn't really even know if it is love. In his mind, the feeling of being responsible for making someone happy means love and he can not stand to not meet his responsibilities. This book has such a different look at what love could be. The way this man deals with it is just utterly tragic. It makes this book thought provoking in the fact that it is like nothing else I have read on the subject and the fact that it is completely believable makes it all the more a worthwhile read.

On to the new stuff, The book club chose to read "The Sheltering Sky," by Paul Bowles. This is a post WWII book set in North Africa. (This is becoming a theme! I now know what type of book I need to write to get on a "Best" list.) This book is suppose to be about marital woes and traveling debacles so it should be interesting. I've only read the first 10 pages so we'll see where it goes from there.

Happy Reading!

Expatriates and Spies

2011-05-20T13:43:00.003-04:00

This months book club book was The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The girls and I were excited to read this as none of us had ever really read any Hemingway before. We figured now is the time and why not read the one that Time labels as a top book of all time. Unfortunately, I don't think any of us thought this was a super book by any means. I spent most of the time waiting for something to happen or to have some epiphany as to why this book and Hemingway are considered so great.

This book is suppose to "encapsulate the angst of the post-World War I generation" but it rarely spoke of war or other problems other than basic money problems. To me this book read like a sophisticated college road trip log. It details a journey with friends that begins in Paris and ends in Spain. The problem is that is it. That is what the book is in a nutshell. It gives street names that they pass, restaurant names that they eat in, and bars that they stay too long in. The love interest is every ones love interest, (Who hasn't had a trip where "the slutty girl" tags along) but you would think this would bring a lot of drama. Too bad it is downplayed and considered normal by the narrator. Really the only way I got through this book was when I decided to change my mind set and made believe that I was a man reading this story. I know that sounds weird but it worked and made the fishing expedition scenes and the details of Pamplona's bull fighting interesting and worth the read. Maybe Hemingway is a mans man writer, I don't know. (my husband loved The Old Man and the Sea) Once I left my emotions for the characters out the door and knew I wasn't going to be invested in them on a highly personal level the outlying story became much more available to me and let me enjoy the scenery and location. So while this book wasn't my ideal page turner I'm glad I read it and will definitely check out Hemingway's other works. ...but it may be awhile.

The other book I read this month is The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre. This book took awhile for me to get into as well, but that was mostly because I usually read this right before going to bed and I would fall asleep after 2 paragraphs. The next night I would re-read and fall asleep again. Vicious Cycle. Anyway, I thought this book was excellent once I really got into it and I am not a spy book lover by any means but I definitely am going to read more by this author. He sets up this complicated half informed scene and you just have to trust it and go with it. When it all comes to a head you are completely blown away at how all the pieces come together in no way that you thought they would. It is smartly written. Their is a scene that I just can't get out of my head. It is a life or death situation and the characters are having this intense discussion that includes political and social views and the ideology that supports it or negates it. It is incredible. And the end, well you will just have to read the end. Beautiful in the most ugly way.

Well that is it for this month. I've started reading Carson McCullar's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter for book club next month. She is a renowned Georgia author and I'm already into the book and am excited to see where it goes. I haven't decided what else I will read this month, but whatever it is I'm sure it will be interesting.

Happy Reading!

For the Love of ...Books

2011-04-20T13:40:00.007-04:00

I'm just going to jump into it. I finished reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder and I'm still thinking about it and can't get it out of my head. I don't know if I actually understood everything that I read or all of the understated undercurrents that take place in the book. What I do know is that almost every sentence is an eloquent well thought out construct of words that you can feel the beauty of even if you don't quite get the actual meaning. I know this sounds horrible, like, "You don't get it but you like it? Well Yes, exactly. I'm willing to accept that this book was a little over my head, but I also know that I'm going to read it again, probably when I'm 40. Maybe I'll be mature by then?!
Completely randomly this book was brought up while I was listening to RadioLab on NPR one night. (I must really like RadioLab, this is the third time this week it has come up in conversation. It is a science and medical commentary that is very smart and engaging. Check out their podcasts at RadioLab.org) This particular story was about a college girl who was in a horrific accident. She was hit by a truck and was so badly damaged that they had to pile her intestines outside of her body to alleviate the pressure on her body. Sad scary stuff. There is interesting back story but the premise is that nobody thought she would make it or recover except her boyfriend. She made it. She stabilized but she was non-reactive but sometimes violent and was considered a vegetable that was blind and deaf (she was deaf before the accident). She could breath on her own and could be fed through a tube but the decision her parents now faced was to put her in a home (institution) or a recovery center. Her mother reflects on the situation by referring to The Bridge of San Luis Rey and how she read it with her daughter and how it was speaking to her now especially the last sentence. "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." With her daughter at death's doorstep and her acceptance of her daughter's future brought out by this passage, a door opened for me and the meaning and absolute beauty of this book was revealed. (somewhat) That really shows that the more you read and know the more able you to grasp and find understanding of the world around you. (This is my mantra for reading with Oliver and all children. It is SO important) ...and the girl. With the pure devotion and a never giving up attitude by her boyfriend, he was able to find out that somewhere inside his girlfriend's damaged body SHE was still there. He used techniques that Helen Keller's teacher used and was able to "write" on her wrist to communicate with her and she was sent to the recovery center instead of the home.

This month I also read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro for the book club. This book infuriated me because it seemed like the easy answer to everyone's doomed destiny was staring them in the face yet it was never talked about or thought about in the book. This seemed to me to be a gross oversight by the author. While the book does bring up some interesting questions on how far science should go, I feel so much was left out that I can't figure out why the book was even on the Time 100 list at all. These may be harsh words as I thoroughly enjoyed discussing this book with the book club members and thought there insights were helping me see the value of this book. However, this was a character driven book and I cared for none of the characters. Aha!, but is that the point of the book, is it so deep that my distance and unhappy feelings towards the characters is the intended reaction? I think that would be giving the author way too much credit. Good book to discuss not so great to read. Read for yourself, then we'll talk!

And finally, I finished a book that is not on the list but was for my own pure enjoyment. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Horrible title, great book. She nails the local food movement and what it takes to be a mostly self-sufficient farmer. This is a year of food life and what her family does to eat with in a 100 mile radius. I loved the farm parts and the cooking parts, some areas got too preachy and her "true" environmentalist crazy came out several times. (I call it crazy, but they are issues she is passionate about that I think go above and beyond what a "normal" person would consider to be actually doable and sustainable) I liked this book so much that I actually have two copies on reserve for me at The Book Stop. (picking them up today so don't think you can steal them!) I am giving them to friends who I think would enjoy this type of reading as well. My take aways for the book include really, I mean really looking, at where my produce comes from at the supermarket and making buying decisions based on that (I'm not ready to give up bananas just yet), my determination to hit the farmer's market every Saturday I can, and to have Pizza Fridays at the house, just like she does with her family. ...starting with homemade dough. A delicious and thought-provoking book that was a perfect read while I was planning and planting my garden. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Bill.

So next month will bring a review of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre and next month's book club read The Sun Also Rises by Earnest Hemingway. (I feel so literary!) Plus finds at the Smyrna Library book sale.

Book Club and Book Buying

2011-03-06T12:51:00.007-05:00

Hey there! So, I'm going to get myself up to speed and then talk about how the second hand book buying is going.

In February, I met up with the new book club members and discussed "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Thank goodness Laura downloaded some "book club questions" otherwise I think we all would have just said we enjoyed the book and went on to talk about our kids. We will have to try to do that for all the books. The book was amazing. It brought you back to another era and really made you think about daily life and the trials and tribulations a lot of people faced. I enjoyed that the book was told by Scout at an older age looking back on the events, it showed the difference between what she thought was going on and what really went on now that she can have some distance from it. I think the book club is great, the veggie nachos and margaritas were really swell too! I love hearing different interpretations of the same passages. It is so good to hear a different point of view. I think we have a good group of people too. We all seem to be busy girls with a lot going on who want to still take the time to read a good book and have some me time. I can't think of anything better.

We decided to read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger for this month. What a wonderful book. When I read this before I automatically sided with Holden and took his problems as my own. This time I had thoughts that he was just a spoiled rich kid who needed to "man up" and get with the program. Things change, points of view change as you get older. Boo Hoo Ho Hum, getting older sucks in a lot ways... But in the end I was cheering for Holden again and was moved by his want to be the actual "catcher in the rye." Also, that the ideal thing that would make him happy and whole was actually a misinterpretation of a song he had heard. So is life. Everybody needs a somebody to pull them out of a hole. I'm glad Holden found his.

I'm about halfway through "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" by Thorton Wilder This is a completely different type of book. I'm still trying to figure it out. It is intriguing and confusing at the same time. I'll let you know more when I figure it out.

So on to book buying! So far I have found every book I have read at The Book Stop in Smyrna. My own local second-hand store that I love. (Including "To Kill a Mockingbird" I couldn't believe it. There it was just sitting on the shelf after my whole diatribe about its scarcity!) I have recently started volunteering for The Smyrna Public Library through The Friends of Smyrna Public Library. My job is to look through all the donated books that the librarians cannot use for the library shelves and organize them and price them for the semi-annual book sales The Friends have for the library. The revenue this brings in is staggering. So my first day I was in complete shock as to what was being donated to the library. Almost new hardcovers of "famous" fluff-read (I mean fiction) authors. These are the books that cost 25 bucks new. I hold on to books at that price point but I guess I get it the more I think about it. The people who get great enjoyment out of the John Grishams, Nora Roberts', and Clive Cusslars of the world seem to have this drive to get the newest one as soon as it hits the shelves and then devour it in a day in a half. I can honestly say this is not my type of reading. I really thought I would be sorting through the old and obscure that nobody was thinking about anymore. These still exist in the donated books but not to the extent I thought. As a volunteer, I get first dibs on things that interest me so we'll see what comes out of this. In the meantime, I love books and love to see what people bring in and I'm helping out the library, so bonus for me!

This weekend was the Cobb County Public Library system's huge book sale and I scored big. I found "Herzog" by Saul Bellow, "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison and "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" by John Le Carre from the 100 list all for 25 cents a piece. Can you believe it? I picked up some other stuff too. Books for Oliver (all 25 cents a piece), some titles that just caught my eye, and a load of those famous author's books like I stated above for my mom, dad, and mother-in-law. People love them....

I have book club on the 15 of March and I can't wait to see what we decide to read next!

I'm blaming the holidays!

2011-01-25T15:17:00.004-05:00

I haven't written in awhile and I have plenty of excuses, some of them are even pretty good, but I will spare you the drama. But I think it is covered thoroughly below. Since November I've been trying to get through "All the King's Men," but am literally still on page 82. I feel like I'm still waiting for the story to get started. Everything I have read (which is not a lot) has been build up, OK not really build up because that sounds like it would be interesting and suspenseful, let's say back story, Yes, back story for something. I don't know what that something is yet...

Since the book is slow I've used every excuse to put off reading it. Family's in town for the holidays. CHECK. A friend loaned me a book, I should read that first so I can give it back promptly. CHECK. This book is on sale on Amazon and looks really good. CHECK. I read a paragraph in "All the King's Men" and I fell asleep. CHECK. CHECK. Needless to say I was going nowhere. Then my friend, Laura, swoops in and and invites me to join a book club that is using the Time's 100 list as its book list. Wahoo, Perfect! They are starting with "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee, since most of the group has already read it and can do a comparison from what they thought when they read it in high school to how it is as an adult.

So I ran over to The Book Stop to find a copy and Ginny informs me that "To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of the hardest books to find secondhand. I couldn't believe it. You would think with all the copies out there it would fill the shelves. She said it is common practice these days for teachers to tell their students to take notes in the book so it is almost impossible to find a clean copy. Who'd a thunk it? She hasn't had a copy in her store for the past 6 months. I got it at the Vinings Library (All of Smyrna Library's copies are overdue or lost), but I fully intend on finding a used local copy at some point for the collection!

I have to say this book is really good and the more I read the more I know I have never read this book before. Can you believe it? I know I saw the movie ages ago and I thought I had read it, but no. Growing up in North Dakota may have something to do with it? Teachers were more apt to pick titles about the prairie, fur-trapping, or extreme survival because that related to us more, maybe? Maybe my "too cool for school" attitude had something to do with it? I'm sure it was on many a reading list I received at one time or another, but my thought would have been "Everyone reads this book, I going to pick the most obscure, least known book on this list just to be different." Yep, I was that kid. Annoying sometimes...

Right now I'm cruising through "To Kill a Mockingbird" and am really enjoying it. More on it and the book club later. Thank you for getting me out of the funk, Laura!

M. Night Shyamalan technique saved it

2010-11-19T02:54:00.004-05:00

So I've recently finished book number two, Atonement by Ian McEwan. As soon as I started the book I got worried that I wouldn't be able to read all the books on my list. So flowery, so much detail about how everything looked, and about every thought that ran through each persons head regardless if it was pertinent or not. I was worried that their may be many of 'this sort' of book on the list. I'm much more of an adventure/outdoorsy/non-fiction reader by nature. But I said to myself, "Self, you said you were going to do this, their has to be a reason why they selected this book and even though it is not like the things you normally enjoy reading you need to give it a chance." So I did and it was worth it.

The book is divided into three parts as it goes through a family's history and how one nights' events and misunderstandings changed the fate of all of them. The first part was everything leading up to "the crime." I figured out "the crime" and how it was going to play out much sooner than the author would let me have the outcome in words on the page. Thus the flowery language and too much attention to detail. The book was saved by two things for me. Part two was a view of WWII and the flowery language and attention to detail was riveting and I wanted more. Finally, the ending which actually ends after the end of the story (I know that doesn't make sense, but it does if you decide to read it) clinched it. The author took a page from M. Night Shyamalan (who unfortunately hasn't made a good movie in quite awhile, though I feel he is trying hard.) There was a twist, a twist that I didn't ever see coming and would alter my views and thoughts of the book if I ever read it again. Like looking for clues, like you did when you re-watched The Sixth Sense. This twist made the book and all my frustrations more than tolerable and I would recommend it especially if you enjoy English literature.

So what is coming up? Well, I've been back to The Book Stop and purchased two additional books, but I also have All the King's Men waiting for me. This book is on the massive side, so I have been trying to decide if I should start it or if I should blow thorough one of the much shorter books I recently purchased. In the end, I'm going with All the King's Men. I figure it will take me through the winter holiday's and my friend, Bill, said it was good read in passing when he saw it laying around my house. Bill's a reader, so I trust his judgement. Next time I write I'll talk about the new books I bought for the collection and how the second hand book hunting is going, along with how much I've spent and what books I've traded in.

Happy Thanksgiving Early!

One down ninty-nine to go!

2010-11-04T22:22:00.004-04:00

So I've finished Animal Farm and it has left me feeling melancholy and defeatist. During the whole book I found myself yelling REVOLT ANIMALS, REVOLT AGAINST THE PIGS in my head. Would that happen in real life or would we blindly serve those who are taking advantage of us? Unfortunately, I think in most cases we would sit back and take it. Like the animals who just knew it had to be ok that they were going through all this hardship because in the end they were working for the betterment of themselves, only to find themselves in the same dictatorship with a different face on it.

I understand why this book is on "the best list" because it really breaks down why communism doesn't work in a clear and concise way. Communism depends on equality between all and everyone doing their job based on their abilities. Under that structure someone is going to end up doing most of the work and provide for the others. And that is just the start of the breakdown. If those in leadership roles take advantage the whole system immediately shuts down and you now are part of a dictatorship. There are plenty of political arguments to be made but I find it unfun to rant to myself, I'd rather banter back and forth than to lay out my views on paper. Not a "happy" book but a worthwhile book for sure.

I'm on to Atonement. I have no idea what it is about, but since it has Kiera Knightly on the cover, I'm guessing maybe a pouty English girl is in my future. With all the Halloween and football stuff going on last week I had a hard time fitting in reading time hopefully this week will be smooth sailing. Crap baby is crying! Til next time!

Projects and Changes

2010-10-27T11:20:00.002-04:00

Hello everybody!
It has been a really long time since I have written and I have decided to get back into the swing of things. I started this blog as just a means to put thoughts onto paper (so to speak) and then it morphed into my pregnancy/baby diary. Now with Oliver here at a full 17 months old and me not writing since he was a month old I've decided to change paths once again. While it is inevitable that Oliver, Jonathan, and Bluebelle will seep into the conversation, I want to focus this blog on a special project. I'm actually borrowing this idea from a friend but am morphing it into what I hope will be something special.

So the project is to read all of the books on All-Times 100 Novels list by the end of next year. While this is a noble feat in itself, my plan is to write reviews of the books, talk about how "easy" it is to curl up with a good book while dealing with daily life, and also talk about how I go about finding these books. My idea is to only purchase used books locally. No new paper, no shipping. I think it will be fun to hunt for some of these titles. Some will be easy, others not so much. My plan is then donate the amassed collection of books to a good cause. Still thinking of what that will be.

Here is the list: (Can't wait to hear what some of you think of these titles!) please check out http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1951793_1952021_1952025,00.html to see the parameters in which the books were chosen.

A - B
The Adventures of Augie March (1953), by Saul Bellow
All the King's Men (1946), by Robert Penn Warren
American Pastoral (1997), by Philip Roth
An American Tragedy (1925), by Theodore Dreiser
Animal Farm (1946), by George Orwell
Appointment in Samarra (1934), by John O'Hara
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (1970), by Judy Blume
The Assistant (1957), by Bernard Malamud
At Swim-Two-Birds (1938), by Flann O'Brien
Atonement (2002), by Ian McEwan
Beloved (1987), by Toni Morrison
The Berlin Stories (1946), by Christopher Isherwood
The Big Sleep (1939), by Raymond Chandler
The Blind Assassin (2000), by Margaret Atwood
Blood Meridian (1986), by Cormac McCarthy
Brideshead Revisited (1946), by Evelyn Waugh
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927), by Thornton Wilder
C - D
Call It Sleep (1935), by Henry Roth
Catch-22 (1961), by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye (1951), by J.D. Salinger
A Clockwork Orange (1963), by Anthony Burgess
The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967), by William Styron
The Corrections (2001), by Jonathan Franzen
The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), by Thomas Pynchon
A Dance to the Music of Time (1951), by Anthony Powell
The Day of the Locust (1939), by Nathanael West
Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927), by Willa Cather
A Death in the Family (1958), by James Agee
The Death of the Heart (1958), by Elizabeth Bowen
Deliverance (1970), by James Dickey
Dog Soldiers (1974), by Robert Stone
F - G
Falconer (1977), by John Cheever
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1969), by John Fowles
The Golden Notebook (1962), by Doris Lessing
Go Tell it on the Mountain (1953), by James Baldwin
Gone With the Wind (1936), by Margaret Mitchell
The Grapes of Wrath (1939), by John Steinbeck
Gravity's Rainbow (1973), by Thomas Pynchon
The Great Gatsby (1925), by F. Scott Fitzgerald
H - I
A Handful of Dust (1934), by Evelyn Waugh
The Heart is A Lonely Hunter (1940), by Carson McCullers
The Heart of the Matter (1948), by Graham Greene
Herzog (1964), by Saul Bellow
Housekeeping (1981), by Marilynne Robinson
A House for Mr. Biswas (1962), by V.S. Naipaul
I, Claudius (1934), by Robert Graves
Infinite Jest (1996), by David Foster Wallace
Invisible Man (1952), by Ralph Ellison
L - N
Light in August (1932), by William Faulkner
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), by C.S. Lewis
Lolita (1955), by Vladimir Nabokov
Lord of the Flies (1955), by William Golding
The Lord of the Rings (1954), by J.R.R. Tolkien
Loving (1945), by Henry Green
Lucky Jim (1954), by Kingsley Amis
The Man Who Loved Children (1940), by Christina Stead
Midnight's Children (1981), by Salman Rushdie
Money (1984), by Martin Amis
The Moviegoer (1961), by Walker Percy
Mrs. Dalloway (1925), by Virginia Woolf
Naked Lunch (1959), by William Burroughs
Native Son (1940), by Richard Wright
Neuromancer (1984), by William Gibson
Never Let Me Go (2005), by Kazuo Ishiguro
1984 (1948), by George Orwell
O - R
On the Road (1957), by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962), by Ken Kesey
The Painted Bird (1965), by Jerzy Kosinski
Pale Fire (1962), by Vladimir Nabokov
A Passage to India (1924), by E.M. Forster
Play It As It Lays (1970), by Joan Didion
Portnoy's Complaint (1969), by Philip Roth
Possession (1990), by A.S. Byatt
The Power and the Glory (1939), by Graham Greene
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), by Muriel Spark
Rabbit, Run (1960), by John Updike
Ragtime (1975), by E.L. Doctorow
The Recognitions (1955), by William Gaddis
Red Harvest (1929), by Dashiell Hammett
Revolutionary Road (1961), by Richard Yates
S - T
The Sheltering Sky (1949), by Paul Bowles
Slaughterhouse Five (1969), by Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash (1992), by Neal Stephenson
The Sot-Weed Factor (1960), by John Barth
The Sound and the Fury (1929), by William Faulkner
The Sportswriter (1986), by Richard Ford
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1964), by John le Carre
The Sun Also Rises (1926), by Ernest Hemingway
Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), by Zora Neale Hurston
Things Fall Apart (1959), by Chinua Achebe
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), by Harper Lee
To the Lighthouse (1927), by Virginia Woolf
Tropic of Cancer (1934), by Henry Miller
U - W
Ubik (1969), by Philip K. Dick
Under the Net (1954), by Iris Murdoch
Under the Volcano (1947), by Malcolm Lowry
Watchmen (1986), by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
White Noise (1985), by Don DeLillo
White Teeth (2000), by Zadie Smith
Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), by Jean Rhys
Graphic Novels
Berlin: City of Stones (2000), by Jason Lutes
Blankets (2003), by Craig Thompson
Bone (2004), by Jeff Smith
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams (2002), by Kim Deitch
The Dark Knight Returns (1986), by Frank Miller
David Boring (2000), by Daniel Clowes
Ed the Happy Clown (1989), by Chester Brown
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (2000), by Chris Ware
Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories (2003), by Gilbert Hernandez
Watchmen (1986), by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Yesterday, Oliver and I headed to The Book Stop (http://www.thebookstoponline.com/)
on Atlanta Road (my favorite used book place). Please visit Ginny, she is really great and helpful. Anyway, I brought in my list of the "A" books and a few pregnancy books to trade in. Ginny helped me locate some of them. (I was having a hard time focusing with my little one going crazy for a new Curious George book we picked up.)

I'm starting with Animal Farm by George Orwell (which I remember reading in 8th grade, but was too cool for school to really care about the message), All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, and Atonement by Ian McEwan. (which unfortunately has Keira Knightly on the cover. I hate movie covers. Now that character will be Keira and not the picture I form in my head. At least I have not seen the movie yet.) So last evening I thought about what I would write in this blog and if this was really doable. I think it is! With wheels turning I climbed into bed at about 11:30 with Animal Farm in hand, I got cozy, opened to page one, and promptly fell asleep.

Oliver at 1 month

2009-06-01T20:43:00.003-04:00

Here he was at two weeks....

Now he is a whole month old and I can't believe it!

He is just growing and growing, becoming more alert, and is doing a really good job at keeping mom and dad up at night.

Ollie says check you later.

Oliver Wayne is Here!!

2009-05-14T13:00:00.008-04:00

He is happy and healthy and we are overjoyed to finally meet him. Here is his story...

Oliver Wayne joined our family when we thought we would still have a couple weeks to prepare for his arrival. I had been on bedrest for the second week and thought for sure that at this doctor appointment my amniotic fluid level would be back in range. So, I would be put on modified bedrest and little Oliver would hang out until I was at least 37 week along. Jonathan and I were in the ultrasound room and learned my fluid level was back at 7.5 cc, which is the level that put me in the hospital 2 weeks earlier. Then we did the non-stress test. I thought the top band was just super tight, I was very uncomfortable, and my face felt just really hot. Jonathan looks at the monitoring tape and then at me and says, "Can you feel that?" I said, "I'm hot and this band is really tight. Do you think I can loosen it?" He replies, "No it is not the band, you are having contractions." And from then on, like every 3 minutes I was having contractions. Only one was a doozey, but I knew I wasn't going on modified bed rest after that. Dr. Shin came in and said she wanted me to stay on the monitors for another 15 minutes and to not eat or drink anything. That's when I new something was up because how was I going to eat or drink something while I strapped to monitors.

Jonathan and I went into an exam room Dr. Shin came in and said, " So, I think we should have a baby today!" I instantly burst into tears and Dr. Shin said, "No, No it is a happy day, It's baby day. I scheduled your c-section for 5 o'clock. So, here is your paperwork and we'll see you at the hospital in about an hour and an half." Jonathan and I were both kind of in shock that everything was set up and we were going to have Oliver in just a few hours. We asked some questions and then headed to the hospital.

Before I knew it I was being prepped for the c-section and things were just falling into place to have our little one. I was nervous but Jonathan was there and the staff answered every question I had. I was calm until Dr. Shin arrived, that made it really real and I was told that my heartrate went up when she came into the room. Dr. Shin went to work and before I knew it we had a crying baby. The nurses took him and were cleaning him up while Jonathan gave me the play by play of what was going on. We were so happy when we found out he was in great shape and didn't need to go to the NICU and we went to our recovery room as a family!

Oliver Wayne Brinson born Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 6:53 p.m. 6lbs. 7 ozs., 17.5 inches long.

Now we are at home and Oliver is really great. So many facial expressions so little time. Love his long fingers, big, big toe, little perfect nose, full lips, and baby soft hair. What is not to love...

Bye Bye! We'll have lots more for you soon.

How things change!

2009-04-20T16:10:00.002-04:00

So here is my lovely "Kim at 33 weeks pregnant" photo. Yep, I was in the hospital after having a sonogram at my doctors office because my doc. was worried I was undersized for how far along I am. It turned out that my amniotic fluid level was pretty low and she shipped me off to the hospital for fluids and 24 hour observation.

Things are not all bad, however. Baby B seems to be doing great even though he has very little room to move in there. They figure he is 4lbs. 13ozs right now and his heart rate is good and steady. He passed their wellness assessment with flying colors. He is in the breach position right now and does not have an opportunity to change that because of the low fluid level around him.

So, now I am at home with my amniotic fluid level still considered low but increased from Thursday. I'm on bed rest and am instructed that I have to take it easy and only get up to go to the bathroom, eat a meal, or take a 5 minute shower. Super bummer. Jonathan has been great. (even though he took the picture on me in the hospital) :-). He set the bedroom up for me with a special wedge pillow, laptop tray, and a multitude of TV trays and chairs so we can dine together and watch a movie. He also made the upstairs bathroom functional this weekend. We were at the point of putting up the trim baseboards and crown, but he decided to forgo that and just put in the toilet, vanity, and shower door. While it will probably be a chore to later install the trim, it is really great to have that amenity upstairs again.

So now for he hard part, filling my days while just being able to hang out in bed. Sounds great to some, but I'm already trying to come up with creative things I can do. Hopefully work finds enough paper pushing type things for me to do and netflix never runs out of movies. This will be a good time to get to the reading I want to and probably comb the entire Internet.

The following picture is some of the stuff I had been working on. These are the burp cloths and pair of baby booties I made for my friend Megan's baby shower. I am hoping I will still be able to finish the sets for my other pregnant friends and Baby B soon. (I just have to figure out how I can run the sewing machine petal with my hand while still keeping the fabric straight) Just Kidding. I know that will have to wait for a little while...

Well, wish me luck and sanity and feel free to contact me at anytime. I'll be here :-)

My Super Fun Baby Shower

2009-04-06T14:55:00.003-04:00

So, my baby shower weekend started with a big a surprise. On Friday, I got home from work, was looking for socks to put on my swollen feet and Jonathan comes homes and says, "Someones here to see you." ...and honestly I was like, Who is it now, I really just want to put my socks on and sit down for a minute. But to my very happy surprise I took a look around the corner and who did I find? BRITTNEY!

She flew all the way from SLC just for my baby shower and to be the best gift I could get. I can't believe Jonathan had totally kept me in the dark about it. His only clue that something was up was the statement he made the night before, "I know something you don't know." Which I completely dismissed because he knows lots of things I don't know and I know he would never spill the beans on a secret. He is much better at it than I am. He knows he'll never get a surprise party from me. Anyway, Brittney and I hugged it out, got some BBQ, made some cupcakes, and most importantly girl talked.
The next morning came very fast. Brittney and I frosted cupcakes, got ready, and hopped in the mini van with soon to be Grandma Cheryl and Great-Grandma Lillian. Liz (the ultimate planning princess) had everything in order and was busy setting everything up. She really thought of everything and I can't believe how great everything was. I think if I use the word everything one more time you will get the picture on how great EVERYTHING was. HA.

The baby shower was at Aunt Fannies Cabin which was THE restaurant in Smyrna way back when. It is now a part of the Smyrna Welcome center and has lots of history and early century charm. I think it was the perfect location for the shower and really solidifies Smyrna as my new home.
Here are the pregnant Kim's. Kim is due about 1 month after me and is having a little girl. Making here daughter Reese a big sis. Very exciting. I'm setting up the quilt square arts and crafts area.

This is my big belly and Liz with little Charlie. I can't wait for Baby B to meet his playmates!

This is what we all have to look forward to. By the time the babies reach three years old us mommas have to become a human jungle gym. Tracy does this with expert precision.

This is me with baby Marlie. She is such a sweet little girl and received the award for being the youngest babe at the shower as she was born at the very end of December.

And here are more of Baby B's future playmates and look at them go! Already sitting up and moving about!

Here are my ever vigilant pregnancy fitness class friends, Rebecca and Amanda, working on their quilt squares for Baby B's new quilt. They are both due in May. Coming up very quickly!!

Brittney is getting her baby holding fix with little Marlie. Brittney got great smiles from her.

Linda, Tricia, and the gang chatting and working on quilt squares.

Gift time! I really can not believe the generosity and thoughtfulness of everyone. Baby B is already spoiled! I'm truly grateful for being able to have such friends.

Yeah! Kim and Jessica! Not at a race this time, but I hope to be in running shape soon. She gave Baby B the mobile for his crib and nightlight for his room. What comforting gifts!

Great-Gram Lillian holding a sleeping Charlie. How sweet!

And me doing what I do best. Spouting off about something...

...At least Tiffany thought I was funny. Amy, not so much. Ha.

As things winded down I got a picture with Grandma Cheryl. It all went by so fast, that I feel like I really didn't get to talk to anyone. I had a lot of fun, but have no idea where the time went. I just know Baby B is going to be an extremely lucky baby to have so many great women in his life.

Blanket for Baby B

2009-03-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share the baby blanket I finished for little Baby B. (Well, technically it is not finished. I have to add his name and date of birth to the other side, but that will just have to wait a little bit longer.) This project was actually really fun to do and you could really see your progress with every stitch. ...unlike knitting which I have learned only makes me frustrated, so that kind of stuff has been put away.
The blanket is a really soft fleece so I have high hopes of our little one loving to cuddle with it and I think it will wash up well. Well now that I've finished this I have no excuse but to finally finish the baby booties I've been working on. Wish me luck!

27 weeks! ...less than 3 months left!

2009-03-04T08:17:00.000-05:00

So, here I am at 27 weeks. My belly has really popped out in just the last couple days. (My belly button is extremely shallow and its new texture kind of freaks me out a little bit!) I'd say I'm still carrying really low and am gaining in width more so than out. Oh well, what can you do. The books say that little Baby B is starting to put some fat on his bones now and will continue doing so until he is born. He should be almost 2 lbs by now. That is amazing to me because I know that is more than the weight that some of those octuplets were born at. Things are still going really well. I'm excited to enter the third trimester next week. It seems like a major mile stone. I have my glucose test next week and I'm not too worried about it or at least that is what I keep telling myself. Then I start going to the doctor for check-ups every 2 weeks. Everything is kind of speeding up. I hope JB and I are really ready for it. We have made the list for our hospital bag and will be using the very awsome bag Brittney sent me for my birthday. SSSSOOO, enjoy my mugshots!

And here is me in my more "natural" state, working on the bathroom tile. That was so much work!!! Darn uneven Smyrna walls!

Are you seriously taking a picture of me looking like this, JB!

Bluebelle's 4th Birthday

2009-02-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

Bluebelle sat so pretty waiting for her birthday bow to be tied.

Here are Bluebelle's fatty eggy beef baby food laced cupcakes. Yum!

And Bluebelle waits patiently.

Like all good little kids she goes for the bacon and yogurt frosting first!
ALL GONE! Can I have another?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE GIRL!!!

IT'S A.....

2009-01-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

So, If this picture doesn't make it extremely obvious to to you. (My administrator, Crystal, was confused) This picture is from his waist to his knees, with the rest of his legs tucked are behind him. My coworkers were giving Jonathan pats on the back for this one. I'm just so glad I don't have to worry about sentence formation anymore. I was always looking for a way not to refer to my baby as an it. And now I am so happy to say the word HE.

However, Baby B was still a little uncooperate and would not give us the really cute profile picture, but we did get another face-on skeletal shot. This may be a glimpse of things to come.

Anyway, the doctor came in and said everything looks really good and normal and the baby weighs 15 oz. and my due date will not change. I'm so happy things are progressing so nicely.

YEAH! BABY BOY!

Baby B's Ultrasound Pictures

2009-01-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

So here are the pictures of Baby Brinson I promised. I will post the ones from next weeks sonogram in a much more timely manner. This first one is just at 6 weeks along. Baby B is the little triangle in the black oval. It was crazy to see this little thing with it heart beating so fast.

And here is Baby B at 16 weeks. The head was on my left side and Baby B's feet were all tucked up under my right hip.

And now for the little bit eery one. Baby B is looking right at us. Which gives us a very good look at the skull bones and really nothing more. So active! Cross your fingers for a successful 20 week ultrasound picture!

Holidays!

2009-01-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

So the holidays have already come and gone! We had lots of parties and visitors throughout. My parents stayed through Christmas, helping us remodel the upstairs bathroom. It has come a long way. Dad did all the demo, new plumbing, new electrical, put in the window, the shower pan, and all the sheetrock and hardibacker. Of course, finding the many surprises that makes this house so "special" and time consuming. Jonathan is now mudding the sheetrock and hardibacker, so we may be able to tile this weekend. We'll see...

Mom and I got to do lots for cooking and baking over the holidays. We made cookie bags and platters for parties and friends around Atlanta. I think we did a good job because we got some rave reviews! It was really good to be in the kitchen with mom again. We had a really good time searching through recipes and deciding what to make for all the dinners and special occasions that were coming up.

Mom and I also completely finished the wedding album. Yes, Jonathan and I's wedding album. I know we got married in 2005, but I had this whole scrapbook thing I wanted to do with all the pictures Brian had taken throughout the week long event. And needless to say it has been sitting there 1/2 done for a really long time. So if you come over and I want to show you wedding pictures from four years ago you know why. They are brand new to me again!

We all went down to Statesboro for Christmas and had a really good time visiting with Jonathan's mom, Cheryl, and his brother, Travis, who was on leave from the army. We don't get to see him much because he is stationed in Alaska and has had two tours in Iraq, so it was extra special to get to hang out with him. The weather was extremely warm and it was hard to believe it was Christmas, but Santa Claus came regardless and gave us more than what we needed.

I had my 16 week appointment just before Christmas and Jonathan and I were hoping we would be able to find out the sex of the baby, but alas the baby is just as stubborn as Jonathan and wouldn't show us! But it was really great to finally see what is going on in there. Baby Brinson was facing down then flipped around to face up and clapped it hands several times then faced up looking to the sensor. Very active. My doctor kept saying "You can't feel that!? You can't feel that!?" and I just kept having to say "No, I don't feel a thing." I have a few sonogram pictures I need to scan in and put up. I promise I will do it soon. I have another sonogram on the 15th of this month, my 20th week appointment. (Halfway there!) Hopefully Baby Brinson will be a little more willing and we will be able to start planning what the final nursery plans will be and if Jonathan and I will have to start debates over what names to pick. We have it pretty narrowed down for a girl and are still in hot debate over boys names.

Christmas Picture

2008-12-08T13:44:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share the the photos leading up to the family christmas photo Jonathan, Bluebelle, and I took. The process was just as fun as taking the real thing.

Bluebelle actually did well once she realized we were just taking some pictures and doesn't she look good in her Atlanta Thrashers scarf! Go Tharashers!! See, even in Georgia you can enjoy some good hockey action.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

We didn't take enough pictures this Thanksgiving season. But, mom managed to snap a few. This is the fresh flower centerpiece I made for the table and the BRINSON art in my kitchen.

This one is me in the lovely new apron my mom made for me with, my favorite, a pineapple on it.

And finally, Jonathan and I carving the turkey. Jonathan was trying to carve and I was trying to direct his every move. He put up with me, however. The whole family was at the house

Here was our menu. Thank goodness mom and Cheryl were so willing to help me because I thought we need to cover everything. And everything sure tasted good.

Alton Brown's Brined Turkey

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Butzin's Classic Stuffing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Spinach and Cheese Puff

Green Bean Casserole

Lillian's Creamed Corn

Lillian's Field Peas

Cream Biscuits and Onion Dip

Cranberry Sauce

Orange Jello Mold

Grandma's Apple Pie

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Cheryl's Pecan Pie

Needless to say we were all full. I had a lot of fun in the kitchen and a great time with the family. And that is really something to be thankful for.

The Good News...

2008-11-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

Well... Some of you know and for some of you this is brand new news. Jonathan and I are having a baby! I know, can you believe it? I'm 13 weeks into it as of this week and all of my appointments have been going well. So, I felt it was time to share the news with all of those we care about the most. Jonathan and I are so thankful and excited to have this opportunity to raise a little one and to have a new member join our family. We think Bluebelle is excited too, she just doesn't know how to show it yet.

So, I'm including a couple pictures of my 13 week belly. Don't be too judgemental, as I'm trying to be more open and including. I do have a slight bump, however I think most of it is a part of my pre-existing condition, called "too much food." See, I'm still my old self as well. :-)

This picture wasn't staged at all. Jonathan and I often gaze into each others eyes. :-)

My great friend, Nicole, wanted me to share my first trimester nausea story on my blog and threatened that she would blog about it if I didn't because she thought it was funny. So here it goes... Yes, I had some nausea during the last 12 weeks, still do a little, but I feel that I'm very adept at handling those feelings and forcing them back so it doesn't affect me because of my childhood issues. I was a very VERY excitable child. I would get so excited, in fact, that I would puke my brains out before every birthday party I would go to and before every trip to Iowa to see my extended family I would take. Actually it was like a week of puking before the Iowa trips (I really enjoyed hanging out with my cousins). So, by the time I was 10, I myself thought it was really ridiculous that I couldn't control myself when I was really happy about something. So, I started to come up with ways to keep my cookies down and got really good at it by the time I was 12. Way too much information, I know, but as I was telling Nicole I think that those experiences really helped me get through the first 12 weeks with almost no issues what so ever. Isn't it crazy what you can be thankful for!

So I'm planning to update this blog often and use it as sort of my pregnancy journal. So, feel free to check back as often as you like.

Great gifts from my favorite boys

2008-11-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share the lovely dino pictures I received from Steven and Andrew for my birthday.

The Triceratops is Steven's and the Pterodactyl is Andrew's.

The photos also show my very messy office. I like to think it is an organized mess. :-)

Thanks boys!

The Vibe

2008-10-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

So here is my new shiny car....

The color looks familiar, doesn't it?

And here is my cool sunroof. Never had one of those before! Lots of button, lights, and features that are slowly introducing me to twenty-first century automobiles.

The Corolla

2008-10-06T12:58:00.000-04:00

I have driven my maroon 1995 Toyota Corolla since March of 1996 when my dad so kindly purchased it for me. He chose this car for me because it was safe, with its two airbags, and it was reliable, because it is a Toyota. I, however, really wanted this silver 1969 Pontiac Bonneville convertible that was a boat, unsafe, and I'm sure very unreliable. I hate to say it, but Dad has been right on a lot of important decisions that needed to be made.

I ended up loving my car right from the start. It had real get-up-and-go, it could hold a bunch of my friends, only got stuck in the snow twice and stuck in mud once (all my fault not the car's) and the best part about it was the freedom that came with it. It was really the first time I felt like I was a grown-up and I could go where ever I wanted. The sky was the limit, literally (I never dared to take her off any "sweet" jumps).

I really felt that all-American freedom (I know it is a Japanese car but some of the parts were made in America and it was assembled in the United States) when I moved to South Dakota. Open road, open sky, a girl, and her car. What more could you ask for? She and I had many adventures and she never failed me, even with my oil change neglect and spark plug ignorance.

Over the years she has needed a little more TLC, thanks goodness as I was moving farther and farther away from my home and my mechanic (Dad) I found a good boyfriend that was willing to keep her moving.

As life kept moving forward, I moved farther, the boyfriend became the husband and the Corolla's color and interior kept fading but kept running along.

So you are probably wondering where is ode to the Corolla is coming from. Well last week through no fault of her own, she was parked in my office parking lot and a gentleman driving a huge Chevy Avalanche reversed into the back and side of her. I was in shock as my boss, who's office overlooks the parking lot, yelled, "Kim! Someone just ran into your car!" I ran down to find her bruised and broken. I told myself, "It will be OK we'll just get it fixed and she'll look like "new" again." Jonathan went to get estimates the next day and called me to come down to the car to chat about it. I left my office and wondered why he didn't want to just come up to talk to me. He told me the news. The Corolla was totaled, her damage exceeded her worth. I bawled and thanked Jonathan for making me come down to the car to talk as he knew what my reaction would be and knew I would be embarrassed to cry in front of my coworkers.

I never thought in all her years that her demise would come from being parked at the office. I thought she would grown old gracefully and end up being that car that was parked on the back of a big piece of property Jonathan and I would someday own. Halfway covered by a tarp, a wheel or two missing or off-kilter, always coming in handy when you needed a part or just drive to the other side of the property, but didn't want to take the "nice"car.

So, now I'm shopping for a new car, 12 years since the first. I'm sure it will be clean, shiny, and have that new car smell. I'm excited about all the possibilities, but some how I know I will always miss the Corolla with her faded upholstery, permanent Coca-Cola stain on the side of the drivers seat, and Batman toy from when I worked at Subway as a Junior in High School hanging of the rear view mirror.

More Deck...

2008-09-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

The deck saga continues.... Here are our latest efforts. Stay tuned for stairs and railings!

THE DECK

2008-09-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

For those of you who know Jonathan and I real well, you know we've been talking about this deck thing we are building since about May of this year. Jonathan really got started on it. Did all the dirt work, poured the footers, got the needed inspections and permits, and then it sat.

For a multitude of reasons, it kept getting put off. Most of the reasons were really good ones, some not so much. But we had this thorn in our side every time we even looked to the backyard.

So finally Jonathan and I had a free weekend last weekend and we just went at it. In two days we got the whole lower deck put up. What a sigh of relief. So here is what it looks like so far. Life is creep'n up on us again and we only have Sunday to work on it this weekend, but I really think we can get the posts and beams and some ancillary items completed that day if it doesn't rain. Cross your fingers.

I grabbed the camera late in the process. This is the lower deck w/the posts, beams, and joists put in. The joists are hung between the beams because the deck is so low and the ground is so hard and full of tree roots. Love that Georgia clay! At 16 hand driven nails per joist, it equaled sore arms and a lot of hammering. (I contributed about 7 of the 16 per joist)

Here the decking is going on. We get to use the pneumatic nailer for this part, Jonathan lined up the boards while I nailed. You have to be very quick with the trigger, I was the queen of putting two nails in one spot.

And here is JB cutting off the excess. Yeah!

Prauge 8/19/08-8/23/08

2008-09-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

...cont. from Berlin Post
So Brittney and I hop on our train to Prague after getting into the wrong car, who knew the numbers would repeat themselves? We settle in with our four German seat mates and get ready for our crowded 6 hour ride. This was a particularly enlightening ride, culturally speaking, because we learned that some Germans have an extreme fear of shoes touching where you are going to sit.

Brittney, just recently recovered from major foot surgery (her foot was pretty much not attached to her ankle) and all the walking we had been doing made her ankle swell up a bit. so she elevated her foot by propping it up on my seat. The women sitting next to me freaked out about how unhygienic it was for her foot to be on the seat even after we explained why Brittney needed to do this. We transferred Brittney's foot to the other side of me and there was silence in our cabin until our four seat mates got off in Dresden.

We were relieved that we could have some space and stretch out for a bit and this is when we learned that the lady's real fear was not Brittney's "unhygienic" foot, but what her "unhygienic" shoe could potentially put on the seat. As I see it, in America where we would be grossed out by putting our bare foot on an unhygienic train seat, the lady thought we were contaminating the seat by our shoes. Our butts, that would be touching the seat are hopefully covered by clothes, so I think I'm sticking with the America way of thinking on this one.

So anyway, we enjoyed the rest of train ride by sleeping and taking in the scenery. Germany is pretty, looks a lot like, say Iowa, rolling hills, lots of fields, modest amount of trees. I'm guessing this is why so many people of German heritage transplanted to places like Iowa. When we crossed into the Czech Republic it was more mountainous and very pretty as our train followed a valley stream. We also had more visitors to our little compartment. Including some kissing children that Brittney and I both raised our eyebrows at, but maybe we are just getting old.

So the first picture is when we get off the train in Prague and feel completely overwhelmed by the rush of people and our lack of knowing where to go. But, NEVER FEAR, we figure it out and head on the metro to our hotel.

Brittney and I walk around our neighborhood a little bit, but neither of us can stay awake and we decide to take a nap. We wake up just in time to grab some salty food from the hotel restaurant and go back to bed. We chalk it up as a travel day and get ready for tomorrows new adventure.

We begin our adventure at Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad in Czech) we entered through the second courtyard to stare at St. Vitus' cathedral. The first building on this site was built in the 9th century and replaced with Romanesque Archetecture in the 12th century (can you believe how old that is!) With St. Vitus' Gothic style arcitecture started in 14th century. The other buildings inside the wall of the castle were built in 16th and 17th century styles. It is really something great to see.

Here I am trying to get in through the back door because the line is crazy at the front. No Luck!

Lots of People and beautiful buildings everywhere. We also saw some extremely beautiful stemware in a store here that was made using 17th century techniques. Brittney and I made the hike back to Prague castle on our last full day here so I could buy some for my mom and myself. We didn't see anything like them in all of our Prague shopping.

The views from the back entrance of the castle were equally amazing! Prague is so beautiful you actually get desensitised to it. To know that some of the apartment buildings in Prague really rival some our our most beautiful buildings is humbling .

Here is an example of how pretty and ornate the buildings can really be.

We then sat down for what we truly hoped would be an excellent meal after having a sort of gross continental breakfast at the hotel and a super salty dinner the night before. ...and we did. We ate at a little place that had a pre-fix menu and tables made out of the bottoms of old sewing machines.

I had the beef goulash. Now that looks very different from the North Dakota version! It was really good and those white disks are bread dumplings.

Brittney played it safe in case mine was truly awful and got the chicken risotto which was more of a chicken and rice.

We then walked around to the front of the castle gates called the first courtyard. The sculptures that greet you there make me think that they were not always so nice to each other.

This leads to Hradcany square which is a big open area full of extremely beautiful buildings, including the Schwarzenberg Palace that has black and white triangles all over it and looks kind of like Asian meets renaissance. Very cool. My guide book told me this motif is called sgraffito facade and it was built in 1719.

This area also includes Loreta which was a building covered in angels.

We started out the next day farther north in the city at the Jewish Cemetery. Another sad place, but very interesting. Jewish people were buried her until the 1800's and they buried people one on top of another, The stones look so mishmash because stones that were associated with people who were buried earlier were pulled up and kept in place with the newer burials. I guess it is a prayer or a sign of respect to put a pebble or a note on the headstones because many of the sites had numerous pebbles or bits of paper placed on them.

We then headed to the Old Town square, this is me informing Brittney what we are suppose to be learning while we are in this area. I figure everyone already can tell I'm a tourist so there is no reason to try to hide it.

Around the corner is the astronomical clock. It tells you everything from what phase of the moon we are in, to zodiac symbols, to the regular time. Now if I could just figure out how to read it...

We then climbed Petrin Hill, which Brittney will say was our second time climbing the hill, (We took a wrong turn on day two and walked the northern half of the hill) so I had to convince her that this side would be more interesting and totally worth our while. It wasn't much more interesting , but we got this picture for Brittney's mom (she loves pink and her daughter so this was a good combo). We also got some ice cream and Brittney got a chance to really try out her new ankle by running down a very steep hill (I took the stairs next to the hill, that Brittney apparently didn't see) She did very well regardless.

We spent the evening on the Charles Bridge, which every guide book tell you is a must. It was extremely pretty. We came, we saw, we conquered and we shopped!

Brittney diligently downloads our days photos in our hotel room. We also got to see so of the Beijing Olympics while in Prague because that was the only English speaking channel on the tube.

We spent our final full day south of the city center following a walking tour in our guide book. Which was a tour around the grounds of Vysehrad. A castle built in the 10th century. It is said that this settlement was the first to really hold in the area and really established what was to become Prague. It was abandoned in the 14th century when Prague Castle became the strong hold.

Very cool looking sculptures of the people of the day and the Cathedral of St. Paul and Peter were really the sites to see. As well as, the Vysehrad Cemetery where famous Czech people and their relatives are buried in very elaborate grave sites.

We also found an area that was growing grapes. Brittney jumped the little wall to grab a couple (she found them to be a little sour). Then we turned the corner and saw a much easier place to grab one or two. I thought they were very good.

We left the castle and headed down to the Vltava River walkway to see, well the river, and the Cubist houses that line it. Neither one of us was impressed with this form of architecture and I don't think we thought that it even warranted a photo.

But I did find a little outcrop of rock. I took a picture of the hill to show Jonathan that I looked at some Czech geology on my vacation.

This was Brittney's reaction to it, "OK, you can take that photo, but no more wasting film on uninteresting things." And here is the face that went along with that comment.

We continued on and found the "Dancing Building" It is suppose to be reminisent of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astare. I think they did a pretty good job with it. It is so much more modern than any of the buildings around it, but somehow it fits.

Next we embarked on our real adventure. The guide book recommended this little restaurant about a block away from the Dancing Building. It was said that this place had great local fish and seafood a decent price. We hadn't had any sort of fish on our travels so we thought what the heck. The place didn't have an english menu so the waiter read it to us. Very nice of him. And we both decided on the daily pre-mix menu of grilled trout with potatoes, crumpets with berries and espresso for dessert.

And here is what we received! Brittney was such a trooper and did her best to eat it, while covering up the head with a piece of lettuce. She only got mad at me when I said the tail was really good and Brittney said that that is not appropriate take for the dinner table. We finished as much as we could and then the waiter brought out two giant desserts of thick pancakes and hot berries. Way too much, the waiter was disspointed in us that we did not finish it, but what do you do. We drank our espresso and Brittney got her second wind and then some. She was actually kind of hyper and silly for the rest of the day. See whole fish wasn't so bad even if he looked like he could take a bite out of you at any time.

We ended our day by going back to Prague Castle and checked out the Royal Gardens that we missed on our first day. I really loved the Arboritum they had at the back of the gardens.

This tree is actually self pruning! It creates these large knots over the location where the limb was to protect it self from infection. I thought it was cool anyway...

Here is hyper Brittney sliding down a "Yeah to the fall of Communism" Monument.

And me finding some nature on the streets of Prague.

And I think this is a really true picture of Prague. 17th century arcetecture and a Budweiser sign welcomeing you to take part in every part of Prague.

We wandered around and saw some more random things and got back to the hotel kind of late to pack up our things, as we were going to have to leave for the airport at around 4:00 in the morning for our 6:30 flight.

We tried to stay up all night, but sleep got the best of us and our 3:00a.m. wake up call we ordered was very welcome.

We had a semi-scary moment with our taxi (that is the only transportation we could take at that time in the morning). Prague guides really warn against crooked taxi-drivers, but we did everything that they suggested. We had the hotel order it and had a set price, but when we were driving, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere and he could just drop us off and take off with all our stuff or just take us anywhere because there was nobody to be seen for miles. Thank goodness, however, he just brought us to the the airport and the price he gave us was 200 crowns less than the quoted price. So no worries.

We finally got on our plane to for a short jont to Frankfort and then had an ungodly layover for our flight to Atlanta. Let me tell you I was so ready to get back on America soil. We finally crossed the big blue without problems and Jonathan was there to pick us up. We ate at the US Cafe in Smyrna to commerate our long awaited return and shared out journey with Jonathan.

Glad to be back...

Berlin 8/14/08-8/19/08

2008-09-03T09:54:00.000-04:00

Brittney arrives in Atlanta on the evening of the 13th. We gladly catch up with each other and plan our final packing for the "Much More Fun Than a High School Reunion European Vacation." Jonathan gets us through Atlanta traffic so we make our international flight just on time, plus we help a Bulgarian lady through security and to the gate. She seem slightly frightened to go it alone not knowing English. Brittney and I thought maybe it would give us some good karma because we were heading off to Germany and Prague without knowing German or Czech and would be in the same situation soon enough.

When we arrive in Berlin it is about 12:30 in the afternoon, we figure out the bus system with some confusion and hop on the S-Bahn to the stop that is closest to our hotel. No problems, but excited to get rid of our heavy luggage.

Here is the first picture we took in Germany. It was just outside of a small park on our way to the hotel. Brittney and I thought it was just hilarious. Just remember to bring a scissors to any park you go to in Berlin because you may get stuck and have to cut yourself loose.

We decided it would be a good thing if we stayed awake to get acclimated to the time change. We decided to walk around neighborhood called Kreuzberg. The neighborhood is very multi-cultural and has a strong Turkish influence. We tried to make it to the Turkish Market, but the rain kept us away. It was rainy but we braved a nice walk anyway. We went through Victoria Park and saw a really pretty waterfall and some nice architecture along the way.

Then we found a great little Thai place for our first meal in Germany! So glad to get out of the rain!

We're beat! Back to the hotel to crash.

The next morning we are up bright and early to visit the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament building, well not early enough because the line to go up in the dome is unreal. Brittney makes the best of it by strutting her stuff out front. Then Brittney and I get a rare photo together with an odd sculpture near the Brandenburg Tor.

The Brandenburg Tor was amazing, such a symbol of Eastern Europe, World War II, and the Cold War. People were everywhere and it felt like you had to keep moving while you were trying to get a good look. There were actors posing as soldiers and some people protesting the "thing" to protest that day.

So Brittney and I continued on to the Holocaust Memorial and Museum. It was a very sobering affair, but well done and informative. At the entrance of the Holocaust Museum there was a girl who would give you a brochure and tell you how to go through the museum. She automatically started to speak English to Brittney and I, then went to the next group a started speaking Korean, and then to the next group in Italian. I find it amazing that someones brain can work like this going from one language to another fluidly without falter. I hope they pay her a lot for her skill. Probably not, however.

We spent the rest of the day around Potzdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie, where the Americans acted as border guards between East and West Germany, as well as much random wandering around getting the lay of the land. We ate lunch at a great little organic cafe. Tomato Basil Soup was beyond excellent. (Really need to try to recreate that basil pesto they put in it)

Also, I broke one of my cardinal rules of souvenir shopping. We went into this "Always Christmas" type store near Checkpoint Charlie and I fell in love with their handmade Christmas windmills. You know what I'm talking about? They are made of wood and you put lit candles on it and it turns the windmill above it and makes the little wooded figures move in a circle at the base. Well, anyway my rule for souvenir shopping when a plane is involved is that it has to be compact and be able to fit in the suitcase with no issues. Well this has all the issues. As you will see in many travel pictures to come I am carrying a big box in a bag. I'm glad to say, however, all the trouble the "Hummel" (The name it was given on the trip) caused was worth it and it arrived in Atlanta in one piece. Now I just have to wait until Christmas to use it!

The next day we saw a very strange site at the parking area for the S-Bahn stop near our hotel. We figured out that this was a couple who thought they stumbled upon a very "innovative" way to use their teamwork skills. This couple first of all drives a very large van and Brittney and I see them just dumping lots and lots of cans out the back of it. First we think, "Wow, how rude, I can't believe they are just going to dump all that stuff out." But then we realize their master plan. The guy's job is to move back and forth over the cans to "effectively" crush them, while the lady runs to and fro to pick up the sufficiently crushed cans. (They were still working on this plan when we returned to the hotel several hours later) Those Crazy Germans. :-)

So, today was spent checking out the Ku'Damm area and Schloss Charlottenburg. We wandered around took pictures with some of the many Berlin Bears we saw around. Schloss Charlottenburg was beautiful, but kind of felt out of touch and slightly boring at the same time. Guess it not really my thing. I thought the gardens would be immaculate, but they were so structured their beauty was kind of lost on me.

We had a really great meal at Brauhaus Lemke. Very German, but very North Dakota at the same time. Great Dark beer and Brittney really enjoyed her wiener, as well.

We then checked out the big flea market at Tiergarten. Lots of stuff to plunder through, but nothing really caught our eye enough to buy. Then we strolled around the Museumsinsel area and looked at more flea market finds. We were kind of wandering around quietly seeing things, but not being wowed and then all of a sudden we rounded a corner and saw it. The Berliner Dom. Awe worthy, it was hard to take pictures of it because you didn't know what to take first. The cathedral still has daily mass and is under construction right now, that is why it doesn't have its steeple on top.

The following day started out at the East Gallery, where there are 1200 meters of intact Berlin Wall. It was really interesting it view and we even got to listen in on an English speaking tour guides commentary.

We wandered around some more taking in the sites with our final stop being the TV Tower, which was slightly underwhelming and more of a hassle than we would have liked. We also got to fully experience Europe's non-appreciation for personal space while waiting in line to go up, as well as some distinctive odor in the extremely fast elevator ride to the top, oh and on the way back down as well.

We went back to our hotel for a final time and packed our stuff up (this was what our hotel room looked like by the way, more dorm room than hotel, but completely adequate), so we would be ready for our early departure to Prague by train.

Brittney will not enjoy that I put this picture up, but it is the only one I have of this momentous occasion.

Berlin was really great and we had an excellent time. We could have even used an additional day to really focus in on some areas we just glanced at. I would highly recommend the adventure. I will put an entry about Prague in a separate post...

Getting the hang of things...

2008-08-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

I'm new to this and just want to see how things look once I've started. My plan is to start by documenting my trip to Berlin and Prague. Brittney and I took some really fabulous pictures and I know my family would really like to see them with some commentary, so I figured this would be an excellent way to do so. Hopefully, from there I can start just adding things when Jonathan and I do something interesting. That way my parents are not just always waiting for my to give them a call, in which, I then forget to tell them what was interesting all along. And of course maybe someone else will find it interesting as well. (Maybe?)