The Fun Theory

I just watched a great video from "The Fun Theory".

Essentially it is an experiment to see how many more people will use the stairs instead of an escalator if the stairs are "fun".

Just goes to show that music is indeed good for everyone!

A couple of other good videos to watch on The Fun Theory too!

Green: A Review

Green
Book Zero: The Beginning and the End
By Ted Dekker

Reviewer's Guide

Be sure to check out Ted Dekker's Green Website for Downloads, Videos and More!

Book Description

At Last . . . The Circle Reborn

The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

But even more, Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers . . . and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was a huge fan of the original Circle series and couldn't read those books fast enough. Then Ted Dekker started referring to the Circle in all of his books, and I sort of lost interest. I'm not a fan of popular authors compromising their initial story (in this case, a trilogy), and later on adding additional books. I've seen it before and the quality tends to decline. But I did want to be fair to Green and give it a try, despite my initial reservations.

The book is described to be either the beginning or the end of the original "Black", "Red" and "White" trilogy. I honestly don't think that newcomers to this series would understand the concept of Green if they tried it first, but it does work well for a new ending to the story for those of us who are already familiar with the characters and plot. It took me a while to get involved in the story, but I did find that as the plot thickened, my interest in the story grew. I enjoyed the ending and its symbolic reference to the Circle. Overall it was a decent read. I don't think it completely changed my mind and won me over, but I did enjoy the book.

Snow

Well unfortunately we got snow this week. But the girls have had a great time playing outside.

I can't seem to organize the photos the way I would like today, so you will just have to take them as they are...even if it is out of order!

Happy thanksgiving everyone.

This weekend I am thankful for:

• My husband who cares deeply for me and our girls that he takes out on 'dates'
• My precious girls, they are loud and moody but oh how I love them so
• Great friends, the ones that I can be real with
• Encouraging family
• That I am able to go to school, and that I'm actually doing well! (I know I shouldn't be so surprised with myself....that will be a work in progress)
• A great community to live in
• Heating, although expensive it is effective
• Learning how to play the piano and still loving it a year later

Encouraged

Yesterday I got back my first mark for one of the assignments that I handed in a couple of weeks ago.

This mark was for a 3-page paper I had to write about me and why I am taking the Women's and Gender Studies course and whether I consider myself to be a feminist or not and why.

The paper is only worth 5% of my total mark.

But I got 100%!!!!

I completely realize that the topic is very subjective and the prof (or whoever did the marking) was looking more for general information. Most people probably got a similar mark.

But MY very first mark is 100%!!!!!!

I have told myself numerous times not to get too excited over this little paper. Yet I am so encouraged because starting well means that I will continue well, and hopefully end well.

Also, the woman that works at the regional college, and oversees my classes, is just finishing up her career counseling. There are a few televised classes that I am looking at for the winter semester, but there are a few glitches. One class requires 12 credits completed. I will be at 9. Another class I would really like to take as it would relate to my future job as a social worker (it's about Families), but it is a second year class and I don't have the first year's course yet. So this awesome woman has offered to contact the U of R on my behalf and determine if they will make exceptions for distance education students.

Options are very limited when they only offer 6-8 televised classes per semester, and just a handful more of online courses. If they don't offer classes that are needed for my program, or ones that would apply to the job somehow, then I have to look elsewhere and transfer credits later on.

So for now I will be thankful for my class advocate! Don't stress about tomorrow...don't stress about tomorrow.....

******Tonight is horribly white and slushy. The drive to take our babysitter home was nerve-wracking but we made it safely! She lives 15 minutes out of town, so we had to do some highway driving. I think I may need a new plan for lousy winter weather******

Edited to add: Friday morning I got back a mark for an assigment worth 30% of my final mark. 98 percent baby!!!

Feeling Overwhelmed

Last week I was feeling good about school.

I had successfully completed 2 assignments and handed both of them in.

I had requested several library books to begin work on another assignment, this one being an essay.

I received the library books and hadn't even started to look at them when the library phoned this weekend to say that they are requesting one of the books back this week. Since I have to send it in the mail, I have to read the ENTIRE book in 2 days.

So I cracked open that book today, but was constantly interrupted by Ella. In fact I was on page 2 when she began bugging me.

Ugh.

And the interruptions continued ALL afternoon.

I have my first of 2 Psychology midterms next Monday.

I have several more assignments that are creeping up as well.

Where on earth will I find the time/energy to do it when there are small children at home?

Am I completely crazy, or will I be because of my decision to return to school?

In The Arms of Immortals: Review

The Black Death—Revisited

In Book Two of the Chronicles of the Scribe series, popular author Ginger Garrett

takes readers back in time to “the greatest natural disaster to ever strike humanity”

In another heart-stopping historical fiction thriller from the author of In the Shadow of the Lions, critically acclaimed author Ginger Garrett paints a captivating portrait of a time when terror ruled and faith was hard to come by. In the Arms of Immortals (David C Cook, September 2009) travels a richly imagined journey into a key moment of history…the arrival of the Black Death in Europe.

This story of unseen battle, loving presence, and eventual redemption begins when a strange ship docks in a medieval Sicilian harbor. That night an old man falls ill… then the baker’s wife… then a street urchin. By morning half the townspeople are dead and more are dying—horribly. And no one has a clue what is happening or how to stop it. Not the local priest. Not the rich baron or his powerful knight. And not the three women at the heart of this book: the baron’s proud daughter, Panthea, the outcast healer, Gio, and Mariskka, an unwilling visitor from another time.

Though the Church fights to stand between the plague and the people, the sickness is too powerful for a Church that will not allow medicine to be studied outside its walls. The Church holds a monopoly on healing and on God, but when neither rescues the people, the people lose hope in both, and the conflict between Science and Faith begins its long burn. In a time when the faithful have no answers and the faithless terrorize the countryside, only the bravest will dare hold on to a silent God.

The Chronicles of the Scribe Series are thrilling tales of an angelic presence called “the Scribe, the first writer”—dictated to a series of twentieth-century strugglers, but lived out in the pages of history. Each of Garrett’s novels in the series targets a different significant moment of the past—both its mundane reality and supernatural significance—with a special emphasis on women’s experience. Tautly suspenseful and deeply moving, In the Arms of Immortals will deftly lift readers into its fascinating narrative of angels and demons, mortality and immortality.

In the Arms of Immortals (Chronicles of the Scribe, Book Two) by Ginger Garrett

David C Cook/September 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7814-4888-8/softcover/304 pages/$14.99

www.davidccook.com www.gingergarrett.com

My Review: The author must have done a lot of research in this book. It was a interesting storyline. I don't think everyone would enjoy this style of writing, but it was still a decent read.

Extra Extra!

Today is when John gets paid.

Today he is getting some extra money.

His total net is over $13,000 today.

Thank you RCMP!!

(Do you think they will let us keep it?!?)

It appears that they made a slight error in the payroll this week.

I wish that this could happen more often in our favor.

Too bad we have to pay it back.

But it is fun to see that account balance and dream, even for a few moments.....