Book: Dear John

This is my second Nicholas Sparks book recently, and like most of his books, it's an enjoyable and engaging story. I am finding, though, that the more of his books I read, the more kleenex I require: if this was a movie, it would no doubt be a tear-jerker. Still worth reading, even if from the beginning - or actually, from the title - it's obvious that this love story doesn't have a fairy-tale ending.

Dear John
by Nicholas Sparks

Thankful Thursday: Just Beachy

I don't get to the beach all that often, despite it's being a mere 45-minute drive from here. Every time I do get there, I tell myself myself I should go more often. I'm not much of a sun-worshiper as I burn far too quickly, but I love being by the water. I could sit for hours and watch the waves crash on the sand, or take a long walk on the hard damp sand, usually carrying rather than wearing my shoes, even in the winter.

My parents' church plans a handful of beach days during the summer, and I penciled every one of them into my calendar. I attend a different church, but I know a lot of the families there. The group gathered around mid-afternoon yesterday, as many others were already leaving for the day. The bigger kids hardly left the water, and the little ones played in the sand. The grown-ups relaxed in comfortable chairs under big umbrellas and made sure that nobody drowned, got lost, missed out on BBQ hot dogs for dinner.

Later, there was a campfire and endless s'mores. I know, because I ate at least one too many, and oh, the sugar headache! If summer had a taste, it just might be s'mores. (I even lived up to a double-dog dare to eat a marshmallow recently extinguished from the flames and only a little carcinogenic.) It was wonderful day in that it was a seized opportunity to relish simple pleasures, and for that I'm thankful.

Green is the "new Patriotism"

I guess if I was the mayor of and I'd challenged the Democratic Party to have the greenest political convention ever, I might say that too. (Never mind that in my life, sentences using that structure are normally fashion-related, as in 'green is the new black.' Which also seems to be true based on recent shopping experiences.)

I read with interest the Wall Street Journal article* explaining the great lengths necessary to make the convention green, sustainable, recycled, recyclable, AND pro-union, made-in-the-USA, organic and healthy. Wow. Not surprising that they've hired a Director of Greening to head up this task.

She's recruiting hundreds of volunteers to sort through bags of trash to separate it for reuse, recycling or composting. A Carbon Advisor is calculating the carbon footprint of the convention, including not only the impact of the event, but the travel of every person who attends. Caterers have been told fried foods are banned at the convention, all foods must be organic and locally grown, and each plate must include at least three colors. As a part-time foodie, I love it when food looks pretty, tastes great, and is healthy, too. But for the record, a bacon cheeseburger with fries does have three colors, more if you eat the tiny bit of lettuce and almost-ripe tomato. (Don't worry, you can't tell it's not ripe under all that mayo.)

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a pretty impressive effort and an admirable goal. To simply be aware of the environmental impact is a big step in the right direction. An event like this provides an opportunity to illustrate how small changes made by a lot of people can make a big difference. So, I guess I'll keep recycling and doing my part, and believe that every little bit helps.


* Article details: The Greenest Show on Earth: Democrats Gear Up for Denver appeared in the Wall Street Journal on June 25, 2008.

Book: Goodnight Nobody

Sadly, the cover of this book was the most exciting thing about it. Jennifer Weiner's other books have been much better, where she sticks with the fun chick lit but she wasn't as successful with the mystery element.

I did finish the book, because I was somewhat interested in finding out "whodunnit" but was disappointed because some of the other plot lines were left unresolved. I can't help it - I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and I figured this book would have one. Not that it was unhappy, just too many loose ends. Overall, I'd have to go with "not recommended."

Goodnight Nobody
by Jennifer Weiner

21st Century

Well, I've finally started upgrading the technology in my life to the current century. I've just managed to print a single page on my new printer, which I bought for two reasons: the price was right, and it has a wireless connection. Because my space is... cozy, the printer won't fit on my desk so being able to print from across the room is going to be really nice. Actually, until I found this wireless printer, I wasn't even going to get one because I just didn't know where to put it.

As for the price, I was pretty happy with the number of features I could get for a very reasonable price. However, like putting gas in my car, I will need a personal loan to buy replacement ink cartridges. Just a guess that the printer companies make the profits on the ink not on the printers themselves. (How could they at $95?) Just imagine how much gasoline would be if each brand of car required it's own unique brand of gasoline. And the gasoline pumps were equipped with microchips, so your car would know if you put generic gas in it. I guess if it was really like a printer, you'd have to buy a whole new tank when you needed gas because refilling the existing tank would also create an error message. Don't let the oil companies read this.

Next on the upgrade list: trading in my "discman" for an iPod... so I can put all my CD's in storage to make room on the bookshelf for the printer.