The Road

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

Amazon link

Published in 2007. 287 pages.


Genre: Fiction - Adventure, Literature

What its about (taken from amazon.com): *NATIONAL BESTSELLER, PULITZER PRIZE WINNER, A New York Times Notable Book, One of the Best Books of the Year, Oprah's Book Club*
In this stunning departure from his previous work, McCarthy envisions an unspecified post-apocalyptic scenario. Cities have been destroyed, plants and animals have died, and few humans survive. The sun is hidden by ash, and it is winter. With every scrap of food looted, many of the living have turned to cannibalism. A nameless man and his young son plod toward the sea. The man remembers the world before; as his memories die, so, too dies that world. The boy was born after everything changed. The man has a fierce paternal love and will to survive. Although the holocaust is never explained, this is the kind of grim warning that leads to nightmares. Its spare, precise language is rich with other explorations, too: hope in the face of hopelessness, the ephemeral nature of our existence, the vanishing worlds we all carry within us. Hypnotic and haunting, relentlessly dark, this is a novel to read in late-night solitude. Though the focus never leaves the two travelers, they carry our humanity, and we can't help but feel the world hangs in the balance of their hopeless quest. A masterpiece.

My thoughts: The sole reason I read this book was because of my brother Brian. I had actually gotten it for him for Christmas (just because he asked for it). He read it so quickly and immediately contacted me to tell me how much he loved it and how in a way, it had changed his way of thinking and his appreciation for life. From that point on, my interest was piqued. So, finally, I decided to take the plunge. About 50 pages into it, I contacted Brian with a bunch of questions, as I was considering putting the book down and not finishing. It seemed so dark and bleak, hopeless. These nameless characters were difficult for me to 'bond' with or even care about. With some input and lots of encouragement from Brian, I decided to continue. By the halfway point, I was hooked. Although it continued to be a dark novel, there is definitely more to it than you initially realize. Throughout the book, there are ups and downs and you begin to feel as though you are right there with them on this journey. I saw a few themes such as: Never give up, we need human contact, Unconditional love for your child, Fear, trust and desperation, Glimpses of hope and coming to terms with death. The reason I did not give The Road a higher score is because of the tough time I had getting into it at the beginning. I believe everyone who reads this book, will think about it days, months, maybe even years after completing it. It is one of those books. It will leave an impression on you that you wont soon forget!

Overall score: 4/5

When I finished it: May 31, 2008

What I'm reading now: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares

Amazon Link

Published in 2003. 294 pages.


Genre: Fiction-Youth Lit

What its about (taken from amazon.com): They were just a soft, ordinary pair of thrift-shop jeans until the four girls took turns trying them on--four girls, that is, who are close friends, about to be parted for the summer, with very different sizes and builds, not to mention backgrounds and personalities. Yet the pants settle on each girl's hips perfectly, making her look sexy and long-legged and feel confident as a teenager can feel. They make a pact to share them equally, to mail them back and forth over the summer from wherever they are. Beautiful, distant Lena is going to Greece to be with her grandparents; strong, athletic Bridget is off to soccer camp in Baja, California; hot-tempered Carmen plans to have her divorced father all to herself in South Carolina; and Tibby the rebel will be left at home to slave for minimum wage at Wallman's. Over the summer the Pants come to represent the support of the sisterhood, but they also lead each girl into bruising and ultimately healing confrontations with love and courage, dying and forgiveness. Like the Pants, the reader bounces back and forth among the four unfolding adventures, and the melange is spiced with letters and witty quotes. (Ages 12 and older)

My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book. Although in the very beginning I thought I would get confused on who is who, but each girl is so different that you can easily tell them apart. Of course, the concept is a bit silly that these 'magical' pants fit all four friends of various shapes and sizes. However, if you can get past this, which if you are reading this series, should not be difficult, then sit back and enjoy the ride. I love that this book takes place over the summer (my favorite season of the year) and that these girls lives seem to be marked by their summers. Of the four girls, I believe each reader will be able to identify more easily with one over the others. But also, I think growing up (or even currently), we all have someone in our lives that represent each of these characters. The character I liked the least in the beginning turned out to be my favorite character by the end. So... keep an open mind. One other comment I would like to make is that I do feel there are a bit more 'details' in this book than I would like my 12-year old reading (this series is considered for ages 12 and up). Initially I thought it could be a cute story for Kaitlyn and I to read together, but thankfully a friend of mine (thanks Jen!) told me what happens, so I read it myself). I do feel that the author handled 'that' situation very well and showed the emotions that go along with it. I dont want to give anything away, but just beware if you have younger daughters who may not have reached that stage in their life yet. The book includes letters written from one girl to another and each section is from a different girls' perspective. There are also some great quotes throughout the book (which I typed up on MY laptop - which is still crashed...) otherwise I would include a few here. But they were really cute.

Overall score: 4.75/5

When I finished it: May 19, 2008

What I'm reading now: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Marriage Monday is Coming!!

You're invited to join us for Marriage Monday on June 2, 2008.

Easy Guidelines

The Marriage Monday meme meets at Chrysalis the first Monday of every month. Similar to a group writing project, bloggers post their thoughts on specific topic, and then link up there. Afterward, participants enjoy visiting as many other linkers as they have time for.

June: The Month of Weddings

This Monday at Chrysalis the topic for the Marriage Monday meme will be, "Our Wedding Day." Here's your opportunity to share the exciting details of your wedding.

May also include...

• wedding reception • honeymoon • wedding vows • funny anecdote

Use Your Creativity

You can tell your story any way you want! And feel free to make up your own title to go with your piece. In lieu of prose, you might consider creating a...

• slide show • song • poem • video clip • podcast

My computer...

CRASHED!! :(
This is my main source of communication with the outside world and it's gone... I dont know what we did 10-15 years ago when modern-day computers and internet did not exist. I feel naked without my laptop and internet.
So - I'm borrowing Tim's laptop, but of course it does not have all of my programs, files, fave places, etc on it. So it's no where near the same.
Thank goodness I have a wonderful cousin who also happens to fix computers for a living. Tommy was willing to drop his previous plans for this weekend and head down tomorrow morning to fix it for me. Well at least attempt to fix it. I'm nervous. My laptop is not even 2 years old. I do have my pics & digital scrap stuff backed up on an external hard drive. Which for me, my pictures are everything. However, it will be difficult to overcome the possibility that I may lose everything else. Let's stay optimistic that after tomorrow I will be back on track (with all files intact!)
So - if you dont see or hear from me for a bit, thats why... Thank goodness blogs can be accessed from any computer! :)

Ten on Tuesday ~ Week 13

10 Favorite Time Wasters


(And by time wasters, I mean things I do when I should/could be doing something more productive!)

1. Downloading digital scrapping stuff
2. Sending Instant Messages online
3. Reading other people's Blogs
4. Sleeping/Napping
5. TV: watching my fave shows every night
6. Reading: I can get 'lost' in a book for hours
7. Editing/organizing pictures on computer
8. Sending text messages on cell
9. Writing on my own blog
10. Cleaning the girls' playroom (why bother?!)

Next week: 10 Ways the World Has Changed Since I've Been in School

Fun, Busy Weekend!

Poppop and I drove the girls up to PA on Saturday, for Tommy & Kim's Engagement Party/Kim's College Graduation Party! It was really nice, we got to meet alot of new people. In fact, I even 'met' my cousin Julie for the first time in close to 7 years! Karen & Julio were there with the kids, which was very nice. Sean and Boochy came for a bit and the girls were excited to see them. Good food, good drinks and good company! Even good cake smashing (...ewww...)

Pops, Karen & Julio
Korn & Bean!
Julie & Brett
Multi-purpose cake (with yummy raspberry filling!) Stars of the day!
Madeleine
Kim's nephew P.J.
Sean & Boochy
Pops



A great day turned sour real quick on the way home. We were taking 202 to 76, however with horrible sun glare, we got on 76 going West (when we wanted to go East). This forced us to pay a toll - I was like 'what?!?!' Then realize we're on the Turnpike headed toward Harrisburg. As much as I'd love to visit our little nephews, it wasnt in the plans for that night. Of course, the first exit was 15 miles along. Somehow (and dont even get me started), Pops and I BOTH missed that exit, and had to drive another 15 miles. Talk about feeling stupid. I was so incredibly upset. There was no other way to go, so after driving more than 30 miles West, we had to turn around and head back toward King of Prussia. It was over an hour roundtrip - which means it took almost 3 hours to get home (instead of 1.5 hrs). OK, so now I can look back on it and realize it could have been so much worse. So, life goes on, but that was definitely the most brain-dead, time-consuming, gas-guzzling move I have made in a VERY long time.

On to Sunday... we were tired and spent the day relaxing, cleaning and napping. Around 5pm, my mom arrived from Florida! We are so excited to have her and their dog Ginger here with us for almost 2 weeks! It was nice settling in... we ordered dinner and watched a movie together.

Today, the girls and I spent the morning together. We walked up to the park and along the main road to see the Memorial Day parade. Kaitlyn was not in a good mood, for whatever reason, she decided to cry, whine and complain the entire time until the parade actually started. Then thankfully she was able to pull herself together. Friends of ours met up with us and our crew set up camp :) The parade included police and fire trucks, our mayor, the Linwood princesses. Kids threw out candy to the crowd and they gave little American flags to each child along the route. The Mainland band played music and there were tons of kids from all of the sports teams. It was actually quite nice.

My Patriotic girls :)

The whole crew...except...
My cheerful one (cough cough)
Our mayor
Princess
Princess
Waving our flags
What's coming next?
Marching Band
Sparky




After the parade, we went home to unwind and regroup. Unfortunately my mom had woken with a headache and backache, so she took some pain pills and stayed in bed. Pops and I took the triplets to the OC boardwalk, Kaitlyn stayed home with Mommom. It was a perfectly beautiful day and of course OC was packed! It was nice to see, I couldnt believe there were even hundreds of people out on the beach. We got Mack's pizza and some cotton candy. Walking the entire length of the boardwalk in both directions goes much faster with all of the stores open and people everywhere!

Morgan, Mommy & Madison at Mack n Manco Pizza
Poppop & Megan
Silly triplets
Packed beach!

Packed boardwalk!
Cozy girls...
Poppop with his 'girls'

Then we all settled in for a nice night at home. We had dinner together and the girls watched The Princess Diaries with Mommom before bed.

Back to the regular schedule tomorrow - school, gymnastics, playdates, softball, homework, etc... Life is good.

Happy Memorial Day

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

Free Movies!

When school's out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It's a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer. (taken from the Regal Cinema website).

Click here and select your state to view this summer's FREE movie list!

This is scaring me...

This may be one of my first real posts about politics. Honestly, its not really about politics though. Its about life.

I just had to stop for gas on the way to taking the girls to school the other day. We always keep our eye out for the cheapest gas in our area, which today was $3.65 per gallon. And Southern NJ falls into the least expensive category in the country. Check this map to see how your state/county compares. The average price of gas in the USA right now is about $3.90/gallon. Some places are well over $4.00! Now I'm going to sound like your mom when I say this, but I totally remember when I first started driving, gas prices were around $1.15/gallon. What has changed? Truly, thats not a rhetorical question. I know we are in a war right now, which dont even get me started on that. But even so, does that account for $3/gal hike in gas prices? According to msnbc, analysts and the Energy Dept are expecting prices to climb even higher this summer. WHAT?!!? We went to PA yesterday and every gas station we passed was $3.99!!

This all leads to less spending by Americans. Which equals lost jobs and higher unemployment. I dont know that we will be able to afford to take our boat out this year. Why? Because of the price of fuel. There is no room for luxuries like that right now.

The economy in general is scaring the hell out of me. First of all, the housing market. I feel bad for those that chose being a realtor as their profession. According to CNN, the rate of foreclosures is skyrocketing. The hardest hit states in this country are California and Florida. The number of foreclosures was up 60% this February compared to last year. Thats insane. And the overall rate for 2007 increased 75% over the year prior. Do we see a trend here?

People arent purchasing big-ticket items right now, which includes homes, cars, boats, etc. And how many homeowners are losing their homes, its astronomical.
And vacations - I have talked to so many people who are foregoing their vacation this year because of money. The airline industry is hurting (also because of the fuel costs).

Groceries...even the price of eggs has been affected. Our average grocery bill is close to $1,000 per month. So there are times now that we cannot get things like fresh fruit or meats because we need the essentials first.

Unfortunately, I do not have a suggested resolution. I wish I did. But one thing I do know is that this November, we are all going to make a MAJOR decision that will definitely affect the future of this country. Possibly more than we realize. Please consider strongly who you are going to vote for - dont take this decision lightly. And whatever you do - vote for what you believe in.

OK, now I will step down off my soap box! :)

Adventure Aquarium

On Wednesday, the entire First Grade class took a field trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. When the permission slips came home, they allowed parents to send in a request to be a chaperone and they would pick out of a hat. Guess who got picked?!?!! I was so excited!
So each parent chaperone was assigned one or two other children in addition to their own. I had two little girls that Kaitlyn is friends with and we had a blast. We rode on school buses to get there (over an hour drive each way). It was funny because the kids in our area are not used to riding a school bus, so it was a first for them. They were so excited...



When we first got there, we all met along the waterfront - so beautiful! We were right close to the Ben Franklin bridge and of course I got some pics of the Philadelphia skyline (click on any image to see it larger).

All of the groups separated when we got there and went our own way. The first thing we did was visit the Touch-a-Shark area. This turned out to be the favorite exhibit for all 3 of the girls, so we went back again before the end for a second visit! There were also other areas where kids could touch the sea creatures and they loved them all!

We saw penguins & seals outside. Colleen, these pics are for you!! :)

Huge sea turtles swimming with other fish. Gigantic hippos. And my favorite part: The Shark Tunnel - awesome! You walk through a glass tunnel, surrounded by water, where sharks of every variety swim all around you - even over your head. I couldnt get any good pics to actually capture the feeling, but let me tell you, it was really cool.

What an AWESOME Fun and Perfect day!!!