| The Countdown by Jill A. Davis (ebook review by "ME") |
[03 Aug 2003|09:06pm] |
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This was a cute, funny little ebook (a book you can read on the web). Its by the same author who wrote Girls' Poker Night. It's a short story of a day in the life of a crazy lady who wonder if her job working at a Law Firm behind a desk which has bullet-proof Plexiglass infront of her. Its a cute story. Here is a link so you can read it also.
RATING: 4 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: The Countdown
AUTHOR: Jill a. Davis
PAGES: ?? (ebook)
AWARDS: None
LINK TO EBOOK: The Countdown
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| Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis (Book Discussion Questions) |
[03 Aug 2003|08:15pm] |
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History Channel... |
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I know I read this book almost a month ago, but I did not answer the book guide questions, so I took time now to answer them for my records only. Thanks!!
Eat, Drink, Gossip...Who said Poker Night was just for the Guys?
Dissatisfied both with writing a "Single Girl on the Edge/Ledge/Verge" column and with her boyfriend, Ruby Capote sends her best columns and a six-pack of beer to the editor of The New York News and lands herself a job in the big city. There, Ruby undertakes the venerable tradition of Poker Night—a way (as men have always known) to eat, drink, smoke, analyze, interrupt one another, share stories, and, most of all, raise the stakes.
When Ruby falls for her boss, though, all bets are off. What happens when Mr. Right has his own unresolved past? As smart as it is laugh-out-loud funny, Girls' Poker Night is a refreshingly upbeat look at friendship, work, and love.
1. The first line of the book is "Happy endings aren't for cowards." What does this mean to Ruby? How does it relate to the other characters in the book?
Ruby has to fight for what she wants.. so if you get all you want out of life, you weren't a coward and got your happy endings. Too many characters to list, sorry.
2. Ruby's father's name is Adam (p. 55) what is the significance of the 'first man' in Ruby's life? How does this relationship influence future relationships?
I believe Ruby thinks her father is strong and has a name to back it up. Ruby has to find the same kind if not better qualities in another man, before she will be happy.
3. Does the way in which Ruby's relationship with Dr. Steve is cut short reinforce her relationship with her father?
I think because she did not get alot of love from her father, she is looking to fill the void, with love from another man.
4. Ruby's friends are very much an extended family.
Like families, they share similarities. Besides a love of poker, and gossip, what traits do they share? (explore humor here, or fear of commitment, a sense of being 'stuck')
Amazingly all of ruby friends have to over come problems in their lives, like hers. One friend has come out openily gay, the other is about to leave her husband, but later finds out she doesn't she's just pregnant and the other is a model with no love life.
5. Why did the author choose to have John, Ruby's brother, be ten years older than Ruby? What might the author have been trying to accomplish? How does this relate to the loss of Ruby's father?
Ruby has her older brother, so se can look up to someone in her household, and same with her mother, I believe.
6. What reasons might Ruby have had for becoming a writer? The letters she received from Michael, the columns she writes ... how do these reinforce the themes of loss and searching?
Ruby wants to express herself and maybe look to get some kind of meaniing or gain out of her life, so she choose to be a journalist and now she's looking for that one big story. Ruby is and was always looking to fill the void of her fathers love, now that she has dumped the old boyfriend she has even more room in her heart for her boss whom has the crush on her also, now that they are together the void has been filled and disappeared.
7. Toward the end of the book, Ruby witnesses a woman's death, and then writes her obituary. This is an important moment for Ruby. Why?
The woman who died infront of her, was an old spinster who collected dolls, she say this as a future picture for herself, when she realised the lady died old and alone. Ruby did not want to have that happen to her.
8. When Ruby visits Psychic Randy, and recalls that she did not attend her father's funeral -- why would the author choose to have this revealed in the midst of the psyhic instead of the therapist?
Ruby never feels she go any closure from her fathers death. SO while this is brought out in a psychic reading and not couseling was a big break thru for her.
9. Much like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" Ruby realizes the 'answers' are within, instead of being in the external world. Is this a relief?
Ruby is gald, she didnt need anyone's help when she realises her whole life was working out just fine, she just didnt see it as that. Now she has the man she wants and job... nothing can hold her back now.
10. Like Ruby, the Cadaver is a flawed character. Unlike Ruby, her name is never revealed. Why might the author choose not to reveal the Cadaver's name?
I think the autor might not have revealed the cadavars name because she was not very popular in the book. To add a little mystery or to keep up with what ever one was saying about her, to make her seem not worthy of a name.
RATING: 5 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: Girls' Poker Night
AUTHOR: Jill A. Davis
PAGES: 227
AWARDS: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/081296683X/qid=1059957316/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1552935-7220953?v=glance&s=books
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| Normal Girl by Molly Jong-Fast (book review by "ME") |
[02 Aug 2003|09:51pm] |
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At just nineteen, Miranda Woke seems to have it all. Her parents are famous socialites, she's already been written up on Page Six sixteen times, she's on all the right invitation lists, and drugs and alcohol are never in short supply. But while her image screams "It girl," she'd rather be a normal girl, and the A-list feels even more uncomfortable than her Manolo Blahnik shoes. In fact, she's become the "living embodiment of an awkward phase" with "more issues than Haper's Bazaar." Neither Xanax nor Deepak Chopra tapes help. And now that her junkie party has trashed her parents' house, she has to liquidate her trust fund to pay Moms' decorator for a quick fix. But worst of all, Miranda thinks she just murdered her own boyfriend.
In an all-too glamorous world where the cell phone is always ringing, Miranda sees no escape other than a downward spiral of cocaine, Valium, and heroin. It takes friends who offer more than air kisses to force Miranda to look in the mirror and get some help.
RATING: 4 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: Normal Girl
AUTHOR: Molly Jong-Fast
PAGES: 195
AWARDS: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375757597/qid=1059876260/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/102-1552935-7220953?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
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| Namesake Sign??!!! ... Cool..!!! |
[02 Aug 2003|09:22pm] |
Your Sun Sign Profile
Gemini
Your sign is that of witty Gemini, the third sign of the zodiac, the sign that is characterized by communication. Geminis are very intellectual individuals, and are forever interested in broadening their horizon - they are eternal students!
Mercury, the planet of communication, rules your sign, and makes you an articulate and versatile person. You are outgoing and sociable, and due to your lively attitude, you are the born entertainer. Clever and ingenious, you usually get what you want with your charm and wit.
First of the three air signs, you are a dexterous, multifaceted, and flexible individual. As the most diverse and eloquent sign of the zodiac, you crave mental stimulation above all. Your curiosity, combined with your ability to synthesize information, makes you the messenger of knowledge and information.
As a Gemini, you rule the third house, the sector of your chart that describes how you perceive, process, and communicate facts. It also has to do with short journeys, siblings, neighbors, and anything within arm's reach.
Your sign is a mutable sign, responsible for keeping information flowing. You are gifted in adapting to situations and making compromises. Of all the zodiac signs, you are the peacemaker and troubleshooter who actively finds solutions to tricky situations.
Your strengths, dear Gemini, lie in your cleverness, inquisitiveness, and openness to exploring new ideas. Once you have found something that interests you, you proceed with logic and scientific precision. However, as soon as you've consumed a subject, you are also able to switch your focus to a new topic. With your naturally practical and skilled approach, you excel in whatever you put your mind to.
One of your main weaknesses is that you can be shallow and hypocritical in your dealings with others. You can confuse people with your unpredictability and cynical attitude, and they might not trust you completely. Since your brain works so quickly, you tend to be nervous, restless, and anxious, which sometimes leaves you highly irritated.
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| Daily Horoscope... |
[02 Aug 2003|09:21pm] |
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You have a keen analytical mind, which has served you well in the business world. Alas, dear dear Gemini, this characteristic does not always serve you so well in your personal life. It is likely that someone close to you has been bristling from your lack of empathy. Take some time to reflect upon the events of the past few weeks. Could you have inadvertently sent a wrong message? Use today to correct any unintentional slights. A simple "I'm sorry," will do wonders.
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| ~~~ Drink Up... Thank Me Later!! ~~~ |
[02 Aug 2003|08:00pm] |
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Purple Mother Fucker
1/2 oz. blue curacao
1/2 oz. Southern Comfort®
1/2 oz. Amaretto Di Saronno®
1 part cranberry juice
Pour ingredients into mixing cup 1/4 full ice. Stir then pour into shot glasses.
Dirty Banana
- 3 part(s) Vodka
- 1/2 part(s) 99 Bananas
- 1 part(s) Kahlua
- 1/2 piece(s) Banana
- 2 piece(s) Oreo Style Cookies
- 2 part(s) Milk or Cream
Directions/Comments: Blend with Ice and serve as a milkshake style frozen drink. A thick sweet treat with a suprising kick to it. Garnish with grated choclate on top!
Mudslide
This classic shooter is smoother than mud, and much cleaner to drink.
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Creme
Combine in a rocks glass with ice. Add astraw. Drink quickly through the straw.
Hummingbird
1 oz Banana(s)
1 oz Coconut Cream
1 oz Creme de Banane
1 oz Rum
1/2 oz Tia Maria
1 oz Strawberries
Crushed Ice
Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Slippery Nipple
- 1 part(s) Sambuca
- 1 part(s) Bailey's Irish Cream
Directions/Comments: Pour shot glass 1/2 full with Sambuca. Fill the rest with the Bailey's Irish Cream.
Orange Crush
- 1 - Orange (squeezed)
- 1 shot(s) Sugar (fine, granulated)
- 1-2 shot(s) Vodka
- 6 cube(s) Ice
- 2 oz Water
- 1 splash(es) Sprite
Directions/Comments: In a shaker, combine 1 squeezed orange (including peel), 1 shot glass fine granulated sugar, 1-2 shots vodka, 6 ice cubes, and 2 oz of water. Shake vigorously. Pour into 2 martini glasses & add 1 splash of Sprite. This drink tastes like Orange Crush & can be dangerous. The flavor of alcohol cannot be detected. (MY NAMESAKE DRINK!!)
Sex on the Beach
1 part peach schnapps
1 part vodka
top up orange juice
top up cranberry juice
dash of lemon juice
5 ice cubes
1 orange wedge
Shake the vodka, peach schnapps and lemon juice together with cracked ice. Strain and pour into a highball glass.
Top up with cranberry and orange juice.
Witch's Brew
2 Bottles of Champagne
1 Gallon Orange Juice
1/2 Gallon Orange Sherbert
1 Bunch peeled Black Grapes
Sugar to taste
1 Bottle (2l) Lemon-Lime Soda
1/2 Bottle Vodka
Combine Champagne and orange juice in large punch bowl. Scoop sherbert into bowl until it has produced a nice scum over the top. Add sugar to taste if desired. Float peeled grapes in mixture, and garnish bowl with the rest of the grapes. Drop in pieces of dry ice for steaming effect, but note that no one should put dry ice in his/her mouth. If you want to raise or lower the alcohol content in the punch, add vodka or clear soda respectively.
Yellow Bird
- 5 oz Rum
- 4 oz Triple Sec
- 3 oz Tia Maria
- 20 oz Orange Juice
Directions/Comments: Fill blender with ice. Blend 15 seconds. Pour into glass. Makes more than one......
Alabama Slammer
1 ounce sloe gin
1 ounce Southern Comfort
3 ounces orange juice
1 ounce amaretto
Fill a mixing glass with crushed ice. Add sloe gin, Southern Comfort, amaretto, and orange juice. Shake and strain into shot glasses. Serves: 4.
Blowjob
1/2 part vodka
1/2 part kahlua
cream
Place vodka and kahlua in shot glass. Top with whipped cream. Drink without using your hands!!
Brain Eraser
2 parts vodka
kahlua
Amaretto Di Saronno®
dash of soda water
Mix and drink.
Godfather
- 1 part(s) Goldschlager
- 1 part(s) Jagermeister
- 1 part(s) 151 Proof Rum
Directions/Comments: Mix all together in a metal mixing container and then pour into shot glasses. Enjoy!
Grasshopper
2 oz Green Creme De Menthe
2 oz White Creme De Cacao
2 oz Light Cream
Shake
Screaming Orgasm
1 part vodka
1/2 part kahlua
1 1/2 parts Baileys® irish cream
Pour vodka, then irish cream, then kahlua into an old-fashioned glass over crushed ice. Stir. Use only high quality vodka as cheap vodka can cause the irish cream to curdle.
Pink Pussycat
2 oz Alize
Fill with Pineapple Juice
1 splash Grenadine
Pour above listed ingredients into a
Rocks glass filled with ice.
Salty Dog
1 1/2 oz. Gin or Vodka
3 oz. Grapefruit Juice
Combine gin or vodka and grapefruit juice in a shaker filled with ice and shake. Salt the rim of a highball glass filled with ice and pour the drink into the highball glass.
Tootsie Roll
- 1 part(s) Kamora
- 1 part(s) Orange Juice
Directions/Comments: Mix the two ingredients and enjoy. It sounds nasty but it tastes great.
Horny Monkey
1/4 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1/4 oz. Kahlua
1/4 oz. Peppermint Liqueur
1/4 oz. Banana Ramazotti
Layer in a shot glass, the bailey's at the bottom.
Jersey Lightning
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy
Juice of 1 Lime(s)
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
Italian Stallion
1 1/2 oz. Bourbon Wiskey
3/4 oz. Campari
1 teaspoon Sweet Vermouth
Dash Angostura Bitters
Lemon Twist
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice, stir and strain into a chilled martini or cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Flamingo
1 1/4 ounces gin
1/2 ounce apricot brandy
splash of lime juice
dash of grenadine
Shake with ice.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
SWEET-TART LOLLIPOP
1/4 shot (11 ml) DeKuyper Razzmatazz® Raspberry Schnapps
1/4 shot (11 ml) Absolut Citron®
1/4 shot (11 ml) Amaretto
1/4 shot (11 ml) Bacardi Limon Rum®
1/4 shot (11 ml) Peach Schnapps
fill Lemonade
Mix all ingredients in a collins glass over ice (if a 32 oz. glass is available double all the ingredients), mix in a shaker and serve with a cherry. Should taste like the old chalky lollipops that cam on a hard plastic stem!!!!
Tom and Jerry
24 Egg(s)
1/2 jigger Rum
2 lb powdered Powdered Sugar
1/2 jigger Brandy
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup boiling hot Water
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 oz Vanilla
Beat egg whites stiff with electric beator, Add sugar gradually, add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanille, add in half of the eggs yolks blend until smooth. In Large mug fill with 1/2 batter 2 shots of 60% rum and 40% brandy (mixture) balance with boiling hot water. Stir well and sprinkle with nutmeg.
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| Saturday Chores... |
[02 Aug 2003|06:44pm] |
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Jim let me sleep in late. I got up at 11:30 with him doing his hair in the bathroom. I of course, had to make sure he shaved areas even. So now the boy looks like he just walked off the military line. We went to the Meat Store and went grocery shopping, yummy food for our tummies. Then we came home and just relaxed a bit. Of course I did the damn dishes. I love paper plates.. now if I could just get plastic forks, knives and spoons. Jim went out later to head to a party with his co-workers and I choose to stay home, but I didnt stay home. I went to the Farmers Market Produce stand and bought $10 worth of fruit/veggies. I headed to the Home Depot next and got some tiles so I can step on them and brake them into pieces to make something cool. Then Joann's craft store to look around and found cool a cool hang up bowl to put water and tea light candles in them. Regular price $24.99, I got it for $7.00. Pretty good. So I brought my neat stuff home and Jim was here, he didnt go to his friends party, so we went and hit the Liquor Loft on 206 and got a small a sortment. So I'm home relaxing and drinking JACKS DANIELS APPLE JACK!!!! Yummy!!
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| Silly Fun Before I Go To Bed.... |
[01 Aug 2003|11:35pm] |
 | Cheer Bear
You're the Care Bear cheerleader! Your spunky personality and optimisim lifts everyone's spirit. Though you want everyone to be happy, you stand your ground on issues you feel strongly about and this can bring disunity among your friends. Despite this, you are a true believer in working together. | |
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| Waylaid by Ed Lin (book review by "ME")!! |
[01 Aug 2003|11:20pm] |
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I'm done. I read this afternoon and just finished this book. Great book!! I reccommend it to any NJ person. Its funny and heart warming. Here's a little about it.
Waylaid is the story of a Chinese American boy struggling to grow up amidst the drugery and sexual innuendo of his parent's sleazy motel on the Jersey Shore. Conscripted into the family buisness, the protagonist spends his summer days and afterschool hours renting out rooms to johns and hookers, lonely old men, and families whose homes have been repossessed. He becomes obsessed with losing his virginity, a preoccupation whose very intensity reflects a society that delivers sex as a distraction from despair. In its blacky humorous exploration of immigrant dreams and working-class realities, Waylaid is a switchblade in the gut to stories of overachievement and sucess that ignore the human cost.
RATING: 5 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: Waylaid
AUTHOR: Ed Lin
PAGES: 169
AWARDS: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1885030320/qid=1059794943/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1552935-7220953?v=glance&s=books
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| Survey Time.... (stolen from Michelle)!! |
[01 Aug 2003|08:43pm] |
A - Age: 27
B - Best Quality: I'm a good listen'er.
C - Choice Of Meat: Beef
D - Dream Date (Celebrity): Adam Schandler (damn he's married)
E - Ex (most recent): David... wow long time ago.
F - Favorite Food: Pizza
G - Greatest Accomplishment: Reading a 1000 page book in a week.
H - Happiest Day of Your Life: The day I met Jim face to face.
I - Internal conflicts: What is my purpose here?
J - Job: Adminstartive Work (just got the job too)
K - Kool-Aid: Grape flavored
L - Love: Jim, Justin, Smokey Jo' and my beloved Checkers.
M - Most Valued Thing I Own: My engagement ring.
N - Name: Jennifer
O - Outfit You Love: Long t-shirt and sweat pants... sooooo comfy!!
P - Pizza Toppings: Pepperoni, Sausage, Onions, Black Olives and Cheese.
Q - Question you want to ask: Am I going to Heaven or Hell??
R - Reading: Waylaid by Ed Lin (loving it.. loving it)!!
S - Sport to Watch: Football
T - Television Show: CSI & Queer Eye for the Staright Guy (tie)
U - Unique habit: Sewing Quilts together??!!
V - Volcanoes-cool or scary: I've been to Mt. St Helens before, but young.. very cool.
W - Winter: I love to watch the snow fall while outside staring up in the sky.
X - X-rays you have had: My back & my ankle.
Y - Yesterday's best meal: Pizza
Z - Zodiac Sign: Gemini
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| A "ME" tid-bit... |
[01 Aug 2003|08:39pm] |
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name: Jennifer
age: 27
reason for lj username: I'm from the SUNshine state (FL) and I love the drink Orange CRUSH!
aim sn: DItzyGrl8675309
reason for aim sn: Nickname from highschool and the song 8675309 will tell you my name.
interesting fact about you: I have 4 cats and 5 tattoos.
weird fact about u: I hate banana pudding.
quote: "Live life to the fullest, cause if life ain't worth living, then why live at all."
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| Feeling sorry For Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty (Book Discussion Questions) |
[01 Aug 2003|03:43pm] |
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Thriller by MJ (80's) |
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I just started reading this book... I'm on page 95, this book is lame and retarted!! The book is full of letters and notes. I thought it would be a cute book.. god its horrible.
I can answer the book questions already and I'm not even done with the book.. TOO FUNNY!!
Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father has reappeared, and her dialogue with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," and now a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else. A #1 bestseller in Australia, this fabulous debut is a funny, touching, revealing story written entirely in the form of letters, postcards, and missives from imaginary organizations like "The Cold Hard Truth Association."
1. Who grows and changes more over the course of the novel, Celia or Elizabeth? How and why?
Elizabeth, I think. She comes to terms with her friend Celcia and her weird ways and doesnt judge people for what they do.
2. How does the structure of Feeling Sorry for Celia with letters, postcards, and messages from societies such as "The Cold Hard Truth Association" affect the reading experience? How does this structure reflect the experience of being a teenager?
I thought the type of style in the book was good. It reflected it very well, but due to a poor story... I got easily bored.
3. What is the significance of Elizabeth's letters from "The Association of Teenagers" throughout the story?
The letters are basically giving her a kick in the ass to grow up and do more Teenage stuff, she starts doing stuff to improve her life style, the stuff they tell her she needs to do, to became a true teenager.
4. Compare the development of Elizabeth's friendship with Celia to that of her friendship with Christina. Do you think that Elizabeth would have become friends with Christina if they had met in person?
Elizabeth's friendship with Celia is a weird one, the child is never there through out the book. Elizabeth finds another friend in Christina, the one she hoped to find in Celia.
5. Some readers feel sorry for Elizabeth. Does she feel that way about herself? What about the characters around her?
Elizabeth doesnt feel sorry for her self. She is strong and even stands up to her own mother on some stuff.
6. After Celia begins dating Saxon, she writes Elizabeth a letter: "I feel as if I have lost you. You are a different person. It's like you've disappeared.... You weren't happy for me. You never asked me a single question about Saxon or about how I felt. Maybe you thought you had to be cruel to me so I'd learn how to survive on my own. But maybe you were being too cruel, Lizzy? Maybe you just weren't being fair?" Is this true?
I feel Elizabeth was getting sick of her airheaded runaway friend and need something more so she was right to say what she said and not ask if she didnt care too.
7. Describe why most teenagers and adults, who remember what it was like to be a teenager, would identify with some of the experiences that Elizabeth and Christina share with each other?
I really like being a teenager. I can not relate to Elizabeth nor Celia or Christina.
8. Why do you think Celia is always running away from home?
I believe she gets bored easily with her mother, who sounds like a flake. She goes out and finds stuff to do, and when she bored with that stuff she comes home.
9. What does the outcome of Elizabeth's relationships with Celia and Christina tell us about the nature of friendship?
Elizabeth is still friends with both. But I feel she likes Christina alittle more than Celia. Why not... she's stable and nice back to her.
RATING: 2 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: Feeling Sorry For Celia
AUTHOR: Jaclyn Moriarty
PAGES: 276 (only 95 read)
Awards: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AA9JY/qid=1059767407/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1552935-7220953?v=glance&s=books
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| Nice To Know... |
[01 Aug 2003|03:13pm] |
Self-Reflection
You use LiveJournal the traditional way - as a
Journal! Your icon is probably a photo of you,
or something that deeply reflects who you are.
You are confident with yourself, and you are
interesting.
What Kind of LiveJournal Icon are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
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| Thunder Storms Rolling Thru... |
[01 Aug 2003|02:56pm] |
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Addictied To Love by: Robert Palmer |
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I love it when it gets dark and stormy outside. I'm sitting here listen'n to the rain pour on the roof. The power has gone out twice. I'm gonna go read my next book here... I hope to finish it by tonight or tomorrow. Feeling Sorry For Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty. TTFN!
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| Green Grass Grace by: Shawn McBride (Book Discussion Questions) |
[01 Aug 2003|01:14pm] |
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It's No Crime by Babyface (80's) |
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Okay.. okay. So I read this book like 2 weeks ago, but I forgot to do the book quide questions, so here they are (for my records).
Henry "Hank" Toohey, a thirteen-year-old altar boy, is an incessant smart-ass with a deep love of life...and other four-letter words. But with his foul mouth comes a heart of gold, and he's going to need it to get through the last weekend of summer 1984.
Everyone up and down St. Patrick Street, Henry's claustrophobic Irish-Catholic block in Philadelphia -- with its seventy-eight row homes, seventy-eight skinny mile-high lawns, seventy-eight statues of saints, and seventy-eight Mondale-Ferraro signs -- knows that the Toohey family is falling apart. Henry's mailman father is having an affair with a neighbor lady right under his mother's nose. His big brother has been a drunken mess since his girlfriend died. And his little sister is counting on him to keep her laughing through it all. But Henry has a plan to pull the family back together: He'll propose to his chain-smoking fourteen-year-old girlfriend, Grace McClain, at a neighborhood wedding. To prepare, he and his ragtag group of friends pinball around the streets, making elaborate plans for his proposal, riding bikes, rating breasts, bothering the local merchants, talking trash about Mike Schmidt and Bob Seger, and kissing behind the seafood-store dumpster.
Gritty, giddy, and bursting with Henry's boundless energy, Green Grass Grace is a heart-thumping rocket ride back to adolescence that is riotously funny and tragic at the same time.
1. In a rapid staccato style salted with curses and slang, Henry Toohey brings his own story to life in Green Grass Grace. How would you describe the book's tone and language -- and, by association, Henry? Did the writing style or Henry remind you of any other books or characters?
The book grabbed me with the four sentences which were:
Hellfire hallelujah and halitosis. Mike schmidt sits to pee. How you doing, fuckface? My name's Henry Tobias Toohey. The writing was awesome. Henry I took as a kid trying to express himself and he did just that. I can't say I have every read a book like this before. I loved it!!
2. Why do you think the author chose to set the novel in 1984? How does this time period shape these characters and their outlook? How might this neighborhood have been different if the story had been set in the present day?
I think the author choose that year, because I really don't think anything was going on during that year, like a war or anything, that the author might have to comment about in the book. It might also be the authors personal favorite year.
If the bok was set in present time, I dont think the parents would let the kids run around the streets like they did back then, drugs, gangs, killings, drive bys.. all kinds of reasons.
3. In what ways could this Philadelphia neighborhood be seen as a character in its own right? What's the personality of the neighborhood? How are the troubles that Henry's family is experiencing characteristic of -- or distinct from -- the problems facing the entire community?
The kids of the neighborhood stayed basically on there block, infront yards playing Freedom and going to the local park. It was like there shelter away from home. I got the feeling that the neighborhood was carefree, people doing what ever they wanted. The community has all sorts of little problems, sex, heartache, fights and people coming together.
4. Even more than most teenagers, Henry is very concerned about his personal style. Describe the image he's crafted for himself. Do you think other characters see him the same way he sees himself?
Henry has a big comb he always carries he calls it his Big Green. He hides it at night so no one will take it and is always combing his hair. He has to look good for the ladies. I think his friends have grown use to it and it doesnt matter to them what he looks like, but to Henery it does.
5. While Henry presents himself as wise beyond his thirteen years, his romantic and idealistic take on the world doesn't always match reality. In what instances does he accidentally reveal his naivete? How has he changed by the story's end? Do you think he'll lose his romantic optimism as he grows up?
When he asked his neighborhood sweet heart to marry him, she turned him down because they were both young.. 12-13 years old, but he thought for sure she would say yes. I feel that he still has the romantic optimism but it was turned way down after he got burned by his sweetie. I think he will have it when he grows up, some lucky lady will get Henry and not know there that "lucky".
6. How does the author use humor -- especially in describing Henry and his friends' boys-will-be-boys exploits -- to lighten the more serious elements of the story?
Its hysterical. Every woman that is introduced in the book even his own mother, he will say that persons name and guess what bra size they are wearing.
7. When his father denies point-blank the question about whether he's having an affair, Henry thinks, "For the first time in my life...I watch him with sadness and something less than complete love. He lied right to my face, and the whole year of him letting me down, letting us down, hits me at once" (169). Why does this incident have such an impact on Henry?
I think Henry thought he was one of the boys to his dad, and he wouldnt have been lied to. So he asked to get the straight answer and when he was lied to he was crushed. his father still saw him as a young child, who might not keep his secret like his 2 older brothers have.
8. Why do you think Francis Jr. is having such a hard time being a good husband and father? What expectations did he have for his life, and how have things turned out differently? Why has Stephen's depression hit him so hard?
Frank has the outlook on life he should have done more in his life so he wouldn't be a mail man. I think at the end he realised there was much more than to life, then biskering and cheating on his wife, when his 2nd eldest son gets hurt. I think he saw himself living his youth thru his son, and when Stephen cage himself in and didnt care anymore, he freaked out.
9. Each time Henry and his friends visit a shop in their neighborhood, they are treated to the shop's brand new TV commercial. What do these commercials add to the color of the novel?
It tells alittle about the changing times and tells more about the buisness so the suthor doesnt have to explain what kind of establishment it is, but he does it in a very dramatic and cool way.
10. All of the action of the story is set in just a few days' time -- the last few days of summer vacation. Why is this time frame especially appropriate and meaningful?
Its the last of the summer for the kids, there gonna be heading back to schol. They might not have all the time in the world when school starts to play or hang out, once homeowrk and reports come flying in. The might also see this as a change in growing up, they might be going to a new school and its a change from old to the new.
11. What role does the Catholic Church play in the story? Does the irreverence with which it is sometimes portrayed -- the character of Father S. Thomas Alminde, for instance -- undermine its influence, or is the church actually a positive force in these characters' lives?
Every one in the neighborhood goes to the same church. The priest is a cracked sex pervert and the kids know it. I think it is a postive affect on their lives... they all believe in it.
12. Henry reflects that it "could as easily be 1963" (58) in his neighborhood. He later explains, "People let themselves get frozen in a bad place, lost in space, until they get used to it and can't change. They bury the best of their love beneath a pile of stubborn bullshit, losing chances, wasting time, missing life" (249). For which characters is this description most fitting? How did this neighborhood become so depressed, so trapped in the past? What makes Henry the right person to shake things up?
I think he is talking about his father (Frank) and brother Stephen, and Archies parents.
The neighborhood changed when they were having the block party and a family from the neighborhood was in a horrible accident at the end of the street. Everyone was there after it happened. One of the 4 members of the family is dead. (Stephens girlfriend) Henry is a great does of reality that the neighborhood needs at the wedding of Bobbie's sister, he asks his young love to marry him, of course we know she turns him down.
13. Why do you think the author chose Green Grass Grace as the book's title?
It describes the color of the eyes of his true love. Green eyes like Grass for Grace.
14. All of Henry's idealism and optimism coalesces in his plan to propose to Grace, pull Stephen from his blues, and save his parents' marriage. Were you surprised when his elaborate designs fell apart? What was wrong with his plan?
I was heartbroken when Grace turned down Henry. Stephen did come out of his funk, but went to see the picture of his old dead girlfriend at the local park and got shot by another neighbor's kid, Ralph, who's mom was getting porked by Frank, Henry's and Stephens father. I really dont think anything was wrong with his plan but he needed to be 5-6 years older then it would have worked out great.
15. Although the events of the wedding reception transpire far differently from the way Henry had imagined, they do point the way to real change for the Toohey family. What challenges does this family still face, and how do you think things might be different for them in the future?
Stephen gets shot. Which makes Frank realise his son was still alive as he thought of hi as already dead, and not willing to live on. He feels bad for cheating on his wife and is back to her. I think the Toohey family will be just fine, and maybe this was meant to be to change their lives and outlooks on them.
BOOK RATING: 5 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: Green Grass Grace
AUTHOR: Shawn McBride
PAGES: 284
AWARDS: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/074322311X/qid%3D1059760274/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-1552935-7220953
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| ... just curious what i get on this Quiz ... |
[01 Aug 2003|12:55pm] |
[ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<img [...] lite,>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] <img src="http://images.quizilla.com/K/kreeton/1057987192_resfriends.jpg" border="0" alt=""You can't have my Bud Lite, Tommy.""><br>FRIENDLY MCFRIENDLYPANTS: Your journal is used as a<br>connecting device between you and your friends.<br>This is actually pretty cool. Maybe you have a<br>lot of friends away in school and it's hard to<br>keep in touch. Or, maybe you all just can't get<br>enough of each others' lives. Good for you! <br><br><a href="http://quizilla.com/users/kreeton/quizzes/What's%20the%20purpose%20behind%20your%20LiveJournal%3F%20(with%20pictures!)/"> <font size="-1">What's the purpose behind your LiveJournal? (with pictures!)</font></a><BR> <font size="-3">brought to you by <a href="http://quizilla.com">Quizilla</a></font> |
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| The Answer Is Yes... by Sara Lewis (Book Discussion Questions) |
[01 Aug 2003|12:25pm] |
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I Know What I Like by: Huey Lewis & the News |
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Jenny Brown has three simple wishes: to enjoy a happy marriage, to have a job she loves, and to be reunited with her birth mother. But her wishes don't seem to be coming true. After moving from academic Cambridge to suburban San Diego, Jenny finds her biologist husband more interested in his transgenic mice than in her, she's fired from her steady job at the bank, and she can't locate her biological mother. Just when her life seems hopeless, Jenny stumbles onto the Institute of Affirmation, a quirky adult education center where every idea is a good one. With oddball courses such as Drawing Blindfolded, Homecooking for Pets, and Bad Habits Support Group, the institute really isn't Jenny's kind of place. Yet she finds herself returning there again and again. Could it be that the Institute of Affirmation, with its disarming director, Michael, has what she needs after all? The answer is yes!
1. If there were a real Institute of Affirmation, which course(s) would you enroll in? Can you think of a course might you want to teach?
Make A Wish course, Making Magic and Miracles course. I don't think I would teach any. They sound so cool, I would probably take as many as I could at a time.
2. In one of the classes that Jenny takes, Making Magic and Miracles, the teacher outlines three steps to solving any problem. Is this just a wacky, fictional parody of a new-age self-help class, or do you think Glenda Wick's three-step system might be useful for solving real-life problems?
I think it might be very useful, and I liked how Jenny Brown made a little notebook of her 3 wishes and then hide the book and only pulled it out of the hiding place, after she had fullfilled all 3. Then wrote how she achieved them.
3. Jenny experiences profound ambivalence about searching for and becoming reunited with her birth mother. If you are not an adoptee, imagine that you are. Would you want to search for your birth mother? How do you think your decision would affect others close to you, particularly your parents? If you are an adoptee, imagine that Jenny is a friend of yours. What advice would you give her about searching and becoming reunited with her birth mother?
If I was an adoptee, I would look for her, but I would not get my hopes up. If I found her, I would be friends with her and stuff, but she would no way become my "new" mother.
4. How do you feel about Jenny's husband Todd? Does your view of Todd change as the book progresses and you gain more information about Jenny and Todd's marriage? What outcome did you expect for this couple? How do you think being an adoptee has influenced the course of Todd's life?
I did not like the character Todd. He was a loser of a husband, all into his work and never had time for Jenny. I really expected them to split up and I was cheering for it to happen. I think because Todd was an adoptee he didnt want to get close with anyone, besides himself, afraid of rejection or anything else.
5. Jenny's approach to life is emotional and spontaneous, while Todd is scientific and methodical. Jenny often wishes that she could be more like Todd, following a prescribed life plan with clearly defined milestones and goals. Do you think that Todd ever envies the way Jenny operates?
I really didnt believe he did, until she found her birthmom. He looked at her in a whole new light. He wanted ahet she had and actually I wonder if he will start again looking for his birth mother/father.
6. Considering that Todd is a biologist, and both Todd and Jenny are adoptees, how much of a role does the nature vs. nurture argument play in their lives?
A whole lot. Todd has his reasons for doing stuff and so does Jenny. She's more nurture, and Todd's nature.
7. Jenny has a tendency to collect "mothers," women who want to take care of her and with whom she often develops close bonds. Near the end of the book, Jenny redefines her concept of family, as "the collection of people you choose to be closest to." Are there people in your own life whom you consider "family," who may even fill the role of parent, though they are not blood relations?
No, I really don't. I have basicially lost all respect for Jim's parents (especially his dad), I would have liked to looked at them like that, but there so wrapped up in his ex-wife and what she's gonna do next. I dont need to add to the paranoia there, or to my life.
8. The play, Fields of Love, seems to be a colossal disaster just before it unexpectedly comes together at the last minute. This production is one example of an "everyday miracle" in the book. What are some others? Can you think of moments in your own experience when seemingly hopeless situations have had surprisingly positive resolutions?
Jenny finds her birth mom. She makes all kinds of friends when she is lonely in her life. She finds what she really should be doing in life, besides not going back to work at a bank.
Sometimes I wonder if Jim and I are gonna make it. If I lose something, I can basically find it real fast after I think where I may have left it. Or, is that dumb luck?!!
BOOK RATING: 4 out of 5 STARS!!
TITLE: The Answer Is Yes
AUTHOR: Sara Lewis
PAGES: 274
AWARDS: None
AMAZON.COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0156005646/qid=1059756761/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_3/102-1552935-7220953
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