Sunday Reflections

To my renewed love of reading: Thank you. I've missed you. Sitting and reading a book, even one as dense as John Adams, for hours has been refreshing. It's also sparked some interesting dreams again.

To my dreams: If you are going to make a complicated love triangle, can you make sure to finish it the next night? I'm interested to see how this one plays out. Also, the science experiment the hot guy and I were working on last night was awesome. Keep it up.

To my dear friend: The 2 1/2 hour conversation made my day. Definitely need to do that more often. Glad to hear you are doing well.

To you who didn't call: You missed out.

To my former student: Thanks for the kind words. It's good to hear I'm still making a difference.

To my roommate: I love that you texted me from London. Live it up.

To the the crabby guy who emailed me at work: I don't know you. You don't know me. Was I really worth your time to make such a disparaging comment? I didn't think so.

To ABC Family: Thanks for making cheesy movies to watch on a Sunday night. Great contrast to the heavy reading (see above) I'm trying to finish before Wednesday.

To the chocolate chip cookies: Sorry I didn't have any eggs. But it was Sunday. Not going to the store. I'll have to make you tomorrow.

To my morning run: Only two more of you I have to do. Then I get to run because I want to.

To the half marathon on Saturday: Be kind.

To my lazy weekend: I don't remember the last time I had one. Felt nice not to be rushing from one thing to the next. Also, thank you clouds for making it overcast so I could finish my long run in spite of the 80 degree weather.

To my family and friends: You truly are amazing!

Edward vs. Edward

Most women and girls right now have a fetish for Edward Cullen from the Twilight series. He may be dark and broodish with carefully disheveled hair, chiseled cheekbones, and glowing eyes but he lacks appeal. His controlling, overacting personality is quite annoying. He whines, complains, manipulates, and his overprotecting nature only makes his relationship with Bella even more frustrating to read or watch. Frankly it diminishes his physical charm and ability to captivate my attention.

Compare that with Edward Ferrars from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. At first glance he isn't strikingly handsome and his manners are described only as pleasing. However, looking past that natural shyness, he has a kind, affectionate, and loyal heart. He is willing to sacrifice his own personal happiness with the woman he loves to honor his promise to another. Only until he is truly free to declare his love does he ask Elinor to marry him. No manipulation. No possessive antics. Honest, true love. He may not be an Edward Cullen or a Willoughby physically but Edward Ferrars' strong moral character rivals that of these "sexy" men, which makes him that much more physically attractive, that much more intriguing, and far more fascinating. Give me an Edward Ferrars over an Edward Cullen any day.

Not My Day, Week, or Month

I don't like to complain but honestly January was not a kind month to me. It was equivalent to Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day except it was a month long. I was hoping February would be better. I was hoping to avoid Katherine Paterson's adage from Jacob Have I Loved:

February is just plain malicious. It knows your defenses are down...February hits you right in the stomach. And not with a lightning strike like a September hurricane, but punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully.

What has happened you may ask? What could possible get Thamina riled up so much? Hmm...where to start. Could it be someone hitting my car? Could it be because I was pulled over even though I legitimately was speeding and still didn't get a ticket? Or maybe that I was careless and burned my fingers on a hot pan? Honestly what really set me off was my own fault but after the month I had I thought February was going to treat my kindly. Nope! Because for the first time in my life, I didn't read a recipe correctly and completely ruined the treats I was making for dessert night which will probably be my last dessert night because I have school conflicts that night. Now I'll have to settle for something ordinary and bland. I don't have time tomorrow to buy new ingredients and remake the brownies.

February you were supposed to be kind. You were supposed to make up for last month. You were supposed to have some mercy on my already worn out soul. Alas...you must be friends with January.

AOG - Day 27

1- I am grateful for good parents. It has been nice spending the past few days with them. Though I've spent a good chunk of it catching up on sleep, it has been fun watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with my mom, playing Five Crown with my parents and Grams (even though she destroyed me), having my dad help me put up Christmas lights, and relaxing in the kitchen while my mom and dad continued with the daily grind of life.

2- I am grateful for the lessons we have learned in the past even though they may have been difficult and pain-filled. These lessons prepare us for the future and help us move forward with faith.

3- I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. My bishop challenged each of us in the ward to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover beginning November 1st and finishing Christmas Eve. I enjoy my daily interactions with these scriptures and the insights I receive.

AOG - Day 17

1- I am grateful for agency. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself (2 Nephi 2:16).

2- I am grateful for be willing to take risks in life. I don't risk my health or my safety. But I take a chance on people, on opportunities, on new ideas.

3- I am grateful for Jane Austen. As my sister's roommate once said, "Where's my Mr. Knightly?"

AOG - Day 16

1- I am grateful for the successful installation of Windows 7 and my friend who spent time on the phone helping me.

2- I am grateful for the Book of Mormon challenge our bishop gave us. As a ward we started our reading on November 1st and should finish by December 24th.

3- I am grateful for my bull-headed, risk taking, no regrets personality. I believe I have lived a better life because of it.

Jumping to the End

I've never believed in jumping to the end of a book to read what happens. I felt that ruined the story. To be honest, I have jumped to the last chapter in only one book but I could see where the author was heading and had to know if my suspicions were correct. Well, in my book of life I would really like to know how this all ends. Too many questions exist in my mind and I have no insights to any of them. I wish I knew, had an inkling, or something...

Borrower of Thoughts

Today my post is another borrowed thought from my friend Michelle. She captured exactly what I have been feeling lately especially in the last paragraph. Since her blog is private, I have copied her post exactly as it appears on her blog.

Good Characters Make Me Happy
Now, friends, I can't recommend this book wholeheartedly, in spite of its brilliant writing. But the main character Oskar--a ten-year old boy who "invents" in his mind to cope with tragedy--is so well-drawn and so endearing, I had to share a little.

"What if the water that came out of the shower was treated with a chemical that responded to a combination of things, like your heartbeat, and your body temperature, and your brain waves, so that your skin changed color according to your mood? If you were extremely excited your skin would turn green, and if you were angry you'd turn red, obviously, and if you felt like shittake you'd turn brown, and if you were blue you'd turn blue.

Everyone could know what everyone else felt, and we could be more careful with each other, because you'd never want to tell a person whose skin was purple that you're angry at them for being late, just like you would want to pat a pink person on the back and tell him, "Congratulations!"

Another reason it would be a good invention is that there are so many times when you know you're feeling a lot of something but you don't know what the something is. Am I frustrated? Am I actually just panicky? And that confusion changes your mood, it becomes your mood, and you become a confused gray person. But with the special water, you could look at your orange hands and think, I'm happy! That whole time I was actually happy! What a relief!"

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safron Foer

Christmas Story

My Favorite Christmas storybook is Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree.

Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree
Came by special delivery.
Full and fresh and glistening green -
The biggest tree he had ever seen.

The story continues as Mr. Willowby realizes his tree is too tall. The top is whacked off and the maid takes it to her room. She too needs to take a bit off the top and discards the remaining portion. The story continues as the poor tree continues to be cut and thrown out. However, the ending brings warmth to my heart as the final recipient of the tree is a little mouse who lives in the wall of Mr. Willowby's house.

Oh, wasn’t it grand to have a tree—
Exactly like Mr. Willowby?

Gratitude - Day 20

1. I am grateful for books. Harry Potter transports you into a world where the unexpected is always happening. When I read those books, I become an unnamed character experiencing the same adventures as Ron, Hermione, and Harry. My favorite book is The Blue Castle. Nothing compares to sitting on the porch of Lake Mistawis watching the sunset and being (to use an LM Montgomery phrase) deliciously happy. I love reading! However, some people feel the need to translate books into movies and they fail miserably at the attempt. Some things are better left to my imagination. Movies rarely do any book justice.

2. I am grateful for good movies. Annette and I label movies as DVD worthy, opening night, full price, matinee, dollar, and redbox. Some movies are fantastic on the big screen - Batman Begins, Bourne series, Star Wars, etc. Fun entertainment value. Others are barely worth the dollar theatre. I don't need to mention those because we all have our lists. The best movies though are the ones worth buying. Some of my favorites movies are the action-packed thriller, the Disney cutsie fairytale, and the historical epic. But what really captures my attention are movies that get you to rethink your current perspective. These include A Time to Kill (edited), Dead Poets Society, Glory, The Pianist (edited), and Wall-E. I am grateful for quality movies that don't insult my intelligence.

3. I am grateful for a listening ear when I need to vent, flesh out my thoughts, or just have "big people" time. That last phrase came when I was a first year teacher. After work, I usually went and visited my friends Rob and Bryan. When I came over they would laugh and say, "Thamina, do you need big people time?" I am grateful for all those who take the time to listen to me.

More Movies

They are making a movie of the only book where I skipped to the end to find out what happened. It is a young adult book called The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. From the trailer it looks like they are keeping very true to the story.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/theboyinthestripedpajamas/

This movies looks cute and was referenced in You've Got Mail. So of course I have to see it. Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/balletshoes/

Because its James Bond:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/quantumofsolace/

Miracle at St. Anna looks amazing. However, Spike Lee directed it so it will probably be rated R. Too bad.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/miracleatstanna/