Book Blog - Book List and Junk

Guns, Germs and Steel covers the history of five continents from about 100,000 years ago until the present day. Whew! I'm just about finished with the book, and it is very well-written. The biggest idea of the book is that Eurasia, in particular, Europe became dominant because of food production, the number of animals and plants available for domestication, geography and climate. The author makes very good arguments based on archeological evidence and both large and small-scale examples.

The second big idea I liked in Guns, Germs and Steel is that history could be more of a science. Although it is considered a social science, it could benefit from a better methodology. Right now, I am reading the last "epilogue" section discussing the similarities between countries becoming dominant and large companies.

The other book I read yesterday was the 146 page, Sh**t  My Dad Says. A New York Times' bestseller, I thought it would be filled with all the sorts of things my dad or your dad typically says. However, the title should have tipped me off; my dad did not swear every single time he imparted his own version of wisdom. While I laughed out loud a few times, it was hard to get past the blue streams of ranting.

School Is Fun?

Yaaaay! We finished our first, fun-filled week of summer school, and it was really nice. I enjoyed the kids, the activities, and using iPad movies, games and video clips. Now, it is one more week, and then a week off! 

Even while I'm "teaching" we had time to go to Sasha's baseball (yes, dear, I know it's fast-pitch softball!) games. It is so much fun watching her get better and better. She not only had some awesome line-drive hits this week, she is able to wait for the good pitches. While the team was warming up for the River Valley game, Phil and I went to the Rock n' Roll Drive-In. It was fun to eat at a non-chain diner with some atmosphere and good food. A detour on the way to Spring Green was actually a bonus. It gave us an opportunity to see some beautiful parts of Wisconsin I don't ever remember seeing before.

Our Treasures Group of friends met at Krista's for lunch. We said good-bye to Donna who quit teaching (which is very sad because she is an awesome teacher). She is moving to Chicago to take a non-teaching job for real pay.

Friday night we used my gift card to go see Bad Teacher. It was really funny, but very baaaad and definitely rated R so the girls won't be seeing it anytime soon. What is up with movies? First, every little kid movie is PG, then PG-13 is aimed at tween kids, and all the really good movies for teens are moving up to "R". Phil thinks they should come up with different versions for the DVD's. All these funny movies could so easily be funny without the "R" and "PG-13" stuff.

Wine-tasting and Granite City with friends was a lot of fun, too. This week, I even had time to finish reading The Greater Journey by David McCullough, cook some new recipes and continue taking afternoon naps!

Book Club Meets On the Thrift Store Circuit

Would you want to walk the Appalacian Trail (AT) or climb Mount Everest? Why? After reading books such as A Walk In the Woods or In Thin Air, my answer is no. The AT is over two THOUSAND miles of hills and mountains, woods and more woods. It is just too long if the only achievement is being able to say, "I walked the whole thing.." However, even the AT adventure is more appealing than Everest. People really do die for no reason on Everest. What do you see - a snow storm? It is $40,000 or more just to make an attempt. If I have that kind of money lying around, I would get a much bigger sense of accomplishment by using it to help others or seeing the whole world or a little of both.

This is the kind of thing Phil and I talked about as we visited the Sauk and Baraboo Thrift Shops and Delany's Surplus Store on Hwy. 12. First, we picked up my big wicker chair and a ton of beanie babies for my classroom, then he bought a machete and a saw, I bought surplus food, and we both picked out a few books.

All in all, it was a good afternoon after a good start of summer school.

Weekend

Slowly, slowly, things are getting done on my two lists - THE "to do" list (which I hate) and The "this would be fun" list (which, of course, I love)!

Summer school starts tomorrow. I'm ready with a bunch of new stuff from videos to crafty projects.

Yesterday, we went boating on Lake Arrowhead. The weather was awesome. The kids had a blast tubing. It was a relaxing, fun day. I'm downloading all kinds of songs onto the IPad. I am also trying to finish my book, but I was sidetracked by a bunch of trashy magazines. We went to Let's Eat for Father's Day. Everyone loved the food, and all of us had leftovers (except, Phil).  The Eggs Benedict Oscar was awesome: cheesy sauce, ham, eggs, crab meat, asparagus, English muffin. I might have to "get me some of that" again.

Summer Work, Summer Fun

Okay, so I bought the coolest little projector for my IPad or my laptop. I have downloaded LOTS of items (mostly free) for teaching and even a few for learning Spanish. Now I will be able to show videos and presentations whenever or wherever I want to show them! The guy at the Apple Store figured it all out. I got the cords, the speakers, everything I need! (Someday, Phil might even talk to me again).

I am on page 154 of A Walk In the Woods, but Phil is on 204 and tells me to get going....

We had brats and watermelon on the deck for lunch. Then I took a nap. Ya gotta love summer.

The Best Laid Plans.....

Well, I went to the library, and all my first choices for a book club were not there! Luckily, the book I did find, A Walk In the Woods, has already turned out to be a good choice. The author's description of his walk along the Appalachian Trail made Phil and me laugh already in the first few pages. It reminds me of The Wilder Life and the book about cooking all of Julia Child's recipes. It may even be funnier! We shall see...

Today, we (the whole family), finished packing up my old classroom. Tomorrow, Robin will sign my paperwork for my completed college classs, and she is giving me some Wisconsin decals from her office! Woo Hoo! Finally, I am getting some of tasks checked off from my dreaded "To Do" list!

Going to the Library

Phil says I should pick the book we read. His only requirement is "Don't pick one that is too long." Thanks. If I was a mean wife I would pick the biography of the Duchess of Devonshire from my list. However, I am not that kind of person (today, at least), so I am off to the library to get Guns, Germs, and Steel and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

I'll also download the books onto my IPad. I have been using it a lot to download books, music, instructional videos and even games. It's pretty cool. However, our laptop and the IPad are getting way too much use around our house. Who is the most addicted? Probably, me (Surprise!). When I think about how much time I have wasted reading Wikipedia entries and conquering Angry Birds, I am (almost) embarrased enough to stop using both devices.