The Blind Side - Michael Lewis

I'll admit it, I do enjoy football. I have probably watched 80% of the Sundays for 17 of the last 19 seasons - and with DirecTV NFL Pass, that is a lot of games. In all that time, I have heard the announcers talk about "West Coast Offense", "nickel and dime", etc., but I'll be honest, I didn't have a clue what they were talking about. I grew up with the legend of Joe Montana and Bill Walsh - and let me tell you, I am still sick of hearing about the 49ers. I have lamented the declining ability of players to actually TACKLE - all this shoving and pushing, bring the man down already.

The Blind Side helped me understand all of it and I am looking forward to watching for the left side tackle in the Super Bowl this Sunday. The Blind Side tells the story of the growing importance of the left side tackle position on the offensive line (and before this book, I knew that was a position but that was about it...). It starts with Lawrence Taylor (LT) and the new move to sack the quarterback. Before this book, I had assumed the sack statistic had been around since the dawn of football. Now, I know that it was invented after LT came to play. The topic sounds boring, but Lewis finds a way to intersperse the history of the game with the story of Michael Oher. Michael is being groomed to be a left side tackle and the story of how it happened is heartbreaking.

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. It will have a home in the library, and more importantly, I think it will change how I watch football.

Confessor - Terry Goodkind

Yippee, the Sword of Truth series is over! This last book in the series was fast paced and action packed; wrapping up all of the major characters that have played a role in the last 10 books. This is not a book that someone who hasn't read any of the rest of the series should read. I have read the rest of the series (more than once for most books) and I was thinking, "and how does this character fit again?"

Somehow he has tied up all the loose ends and still left the door open to return to this world sometime in the future. However, it wasn't enough for me to keep the series. Now that it has been finished, I'll be taking all of the books to the book store for credit.

Touchstone - Laurie R. King

I enjoy Laurie King books and usually, I enjoy her non-series books more than her series books. Touchstone was different. It is set in 1920s England with a US FBI agent investigating a terrorist who is believed to be an English gentleman involved in workers' rights. The book was slow going and in fact, I finished it a few weeks ago. I just didn't know what to say about it. I trudged through the beginning of the book and somewhere in the middle it picked up steam. It wasn't a book that made me think about larger issues as some of her other ones do, it was just a story to me.

I'll be keeping it for now, but if it wasn't a Laurie King book, it would probably get passed on with out having a permanent home in my library.

Happy birthday Higgy!

In honor of Higgy's 38th B-day, here's 38 happy thoughts related to having him in my life:

1. Wonderful warm bear hugs
2. Cuddling on cold winter nights
3. Fabulous sunny side up eggs (yes, he can cook)
4. The way his eyes crinkle when he smiles (or laughs)
5. A son who looks like him
6. A daughter who does too!
7. Wearing his extra large sweats when my maternity clothes weren't good enough
8. Mentioning that I want the bed changed, and finding it with clean sheets at bed time - I thought I was going to help
   
9. Watching British comedy (ok - at least some of them)
10. Vacations in Wales - complete with family
11. Walking in the snow in Paris - probably the only time I didn't absolutely hate snow
12. Discussing our future
13. Reminiscing about our pasts
14. Bedtime stories - I love hearing about his pre-me exploits (most of them, anyway)
15. Seeing him read stories to our son
16. Watching him hold our daughter while he's playing games on-line
17. Being able to have him hold a child during a Bills game - he has to calm down
18. Watching him sleep
19. Seeing him vacuum - he knows I HATE it
    
20. Hearing him laugh out loud at the movies - it almost always prompts me to do the same
21. Curry and chips - something I never would have tried without him
22. Morning tea, pots and pots of it
    
23. Being able to say, "I can't believe I married a frat boy"
24. Being able to tell shared stories
25. Having fond memories of Columbus, Ohio (date 2)
26. Reading R.A. Salvatore - something I wouldn't have done without him
27. Hearing the term "knackered" with an accent on a regular basis
28. Knowing that the reason it is pronounced yog-urt (yog rhymes with jog) instead of yo-gurt is because in Britain it is spelled yoghurt
29. Holding my hand up when asked what the best money he spent was (or any time he tells the stories of his 2nd and 3rd best expenses were)
30. Reading aloud to each other in the U-haul as I moved across country
31. Having a husband who my friends consider a friend too
32. Feeling so much love for one person and feeling it returned
33. Having someone who loves our kids and lives so much he has taken thousands upon thousands of pictures in the last few years
34. Warming up my side of the bed before I get in, even if it means his side is cold
35. Looking at pictures on my wall that have a crazy Higgy mustache from his college days
36. Looking through our photo albums and seeing the smiles
37. The view from the top of the Lincoln Center, our first kiss
38. Knowing that our future is together

Happy birthday Higgy, I love you!

Cuddle & Chat before sleep

One of my favorite parts of the day is cuddling with Higgy while talking about the day. It's my favorite way to unwind before going to sleep.

LIFE tiles

If you play the new Game of Life from Milton Bradley, you will get to collect LIFE tiles. These are tiles you pick up for doing things - have a child, go on vacation, those memories that make up your life. So, here is a LIFE tiles list of happy thoughts from the last few days:

• Learn more about a friend - nothing beats some one on one time to talk
  
• Family game night - because friends are family
• Visit the Zoo - you gotta love like the wide-eyed look on your son's face as the hornbill hops then spreads its wings and flies

In the game, each LIFE tile then earns you money for some acheivement - Pulitzer Prize, Invent a Game, etc. I think the experience is worth more than the money (even if it were real).

And strange aside - we have 3 boxes of The Game of Life. How does that happen?

One happy thought for each day since I posted last

1. a clean and empty sink to start the day
2. watching my son pick up after himself, without prompting
3. seeing my daughter smile in her sleep
4. shopping with Mom, although I usually find way too much good stuff
5. free long distance phone calls (maybe I need more local friends?)
6. my car's seat warmers on a cold night (yes, I know it doesn't really get that cold here)

Hugs and Kisses

I am happy to have family and friends who give me hugs (and kisses) when I need them. Sometimes you just need that human comfort.

Firmin - Sam Savage

This is a book club pick and not one that I voted for. It is " Savage's sentimental debut concerns the coming-of-age of a well-read rat in 1960s Boston." The rat lives in a book store and tells his life story. It was definitely different, and thankfully quite a quick read. I started it this morning and finished it this afternoon. It wasn't terrible, it was just forgettable. Rat eats book and lives in slum...

I borrowed it and I'll be giving it back.

Caffeine and medication

I have had a horrible headache for going on 4 days now, so my happy thought is the caffeine and medication that is able to take it from blurring my vision painful to just annoying. Without these wonderful things, I would be entirely unable to function.

Leatherby's

We started going to Leatherby's so long ago that I don't remember not having Leatherby's in my life. Friends have been amused at how quickly we can gather 10 family members for ice cream with less than 20 minutes notice. One of yesterday's happy moments was the seasonal Apple Pie ice cream sundae with caramel, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. I am looking forward to Strawberry Chocolate Chip in the spring.

I survived today

There aren't many days when I have both kids to myself for hours on end; today was one of those days. Higgy helped my sister move in SF. Since 2 kids 2 and under would really not help with the move in process, I stayed behind. We've all been sick this week and I was really not sure if 3 sick (although healing) people would be something fun. I had more fun than I thought. Big Brother was very good and only asked me to put the Little Sister down once. Well, one time he did want me to let her keep crying to stay with him. Little Sister was her usual charming self - although with more sleeping and less crying than usual. Somehow I was able to get them each to sleep during the day and through bath time to go to bed at night.

I got many smiles from each of them and they made my day.

Stardust - Neil Gaiman

This book was a fairy tale. A boy goes off to find a fallen star for his love and the star is a girl. A delightful story filled with talking animals and all manner of adventure. It brought a smile to my face several times. But, I don't think it would be worth reading again.

I'll be passing it on.

New Year's Resolutions - and a new thing to blog about...

Anyone who has been around me lately knows that I have been more cranky and negative than usual. At least, I am going to guess they think so, I would hate to think that I am like this all the time... My New Year's Resolution is to blog about happy things at least 4 times a week.

Hopefully, this will at least start me focusing on the good things and not just all the bad.

Today's happy thing - the sound of rain. I love rain. I don't mind getting wet and I sure do enjoy the rain dropping on a roof, car, puddle, anything really. We're in for a huge storm this weekend; I'll have a few days to enjoy it.

Books to look forward to...

Last year I gave the preview of what I would be reading in the coming year, so here's an update on what is to come...

Received for Xmas:
Your Money or Your Life - Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
A History of the World in 6 Glasses - Tom Standage
Banker to the Poor - Muhammad Yunus
A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin
The Blind Side - Michael Lewis

Book Club for the next few months:
Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The Accidental Masterpiece by Michael Kimmelman

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

Where I Was From by Joan Didion

Books left over from last year's list:
The Invisible Circus - Jennifer Egan
White Fang - Jack London
The Christmas Box -Richard Paul Evans
Adam Bede - George Elliot
The Cloister Walk, Dakota and Amazing Grace - Kathleen Norris
Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer
Selected Fiction - Henry James
The Time of Our Singing - Richard Powers
The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Stolen Lives - Malika Oufkin
Dearest Friend, A life of Abigail Adams - Lynne Withey
Africans in America, America's Journey through Slavery
Time to be in Earnest - PD James
Sappho's Leap - Erica Jong
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Sixth Precinct - Christopher Newman
Protect and Defend - Richard North Patterson
Family Orchard - Nomi Eve
PG County - Connie Briscoe

For the other books I have already on my shelf, which as you can see from last year's list doesn't mean I'll read it anytime this year, I have added an applet on the bottom of the blog. It's a facebook application that allows you to put in your coming reading and what you are reading now. I still have to add in the books I got from Christmas and the ones coming up in book club, but it will give you a look at what is lying around - in case anyone cares.

Happy New Year!