It has been over a year since I've posted to this blog. Why, you ask? Well...I was curious about the blogging world and started with my "Much A'Blog About Nothing" as an experiment. Was it successful, you might ask next? Yes and no.
My intention was just to throw some thoughts out there and see what happened. Then somehow, someway, my "thoughts" turned into book reviews and a whole different beast was born: "My Ever Expanding Library."
In the meantime, Much a'blog became a poor, sad, neglected creature; then a stolen one, lol. Google Alerts tells me (frequently) of activity on Much a'Blog, but turns out it is someone else's blog, most likely with the correct URL et al (I can't confirm this, having never actually visited the other Much a'blog site). Regardless of the possible theft of my not overly original blog name, I wish that other blogger well and have switched this blog over to match it's own URL "seòl-mara".
It has become increasingly diffcult to find something original in the big, bag, blogging world and this word seemed to fit me and my life well.[With the disclaimer that I am of Scottish descent but do not speak a word of Gaelic (though I have witnessed, in slack-jawed wonder a version of Win, Lose, or Draw in Gaelic, which the contestants found highly amusing, but sadly, I completely missed the humour.)]
What the blogoverse, blogging world/universe...however you wish to name it... has taught me is the potential for more out of life. I have (virtually) met some great people from around the world and don't know if I could step away from blogging now; life would seem less, I think. It has also encouraged me to write, to think about my writing, and to refine my skills in the form of going back to university to complete my degree. Where will this all lead me? Who knows but I'm enjoying the heck out of things and hope for an unlimited continuation of this particular experience.
So, which way will the tide take me now? I am a forty year old, single mom that works full time and is technically a full time student, so I figure I'm going to have a few things to say about any and all of these life factors in the future. This is only the beginning....(again).
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, August 14, 2009
Book Excerpt
I have a new book excerpt for the Divorce Party over at: http://everexpandinglibrary.blogspot.com/ . Go check it out and let me know what you think!
(I am working on separating this blog to put my book content over to the other blog, as listed above. It is a slow process, so I'll continue to put partial book posts here until they other site is fully functional. Thanks for your understanding.)
(I am working on separating this blog to put my book content over to the other blog, as listed above. It is a slow process, so I'll continue to put partial book posts here until they other site is fully functional. Thanks for your understanding.)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Word Verfication Balderdash
Here's a new word game, in the form of a weekly meme, thought up by Sheila at:
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
The gist is this: you take all those crazy verifications codes you come across while commenting on blogs and give them authentic sounding definitions. Sounds easy right? We'll see.
So far here's what I've come up with:
Uphoust - The act of dusting the upper floor of a house.
Buleg - The term for people that have no definition between the end of their butt and the beginning of their leg.
That's all I have for now but I'm sure there'll be more next week. It's a weekly meme so save up them up and share your post on Thursdays.
(Side note: When I did my spell check before posting, it questioned my use of the above two words, who'd of figured?
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/The gist is this: you take all those crazy verifications codes you come across while commenting on blogs and give them authentic sounding definitions. Sounds easy right? We'll see.
So far here's what I've come up with:
Uphoust - The act of dusting the upper floor of a house.
Buleg - The term for people that have no definition between the end of their butt and the beginning of their leg.
That's all I have for now but I'm sure there'll be more next week. It's a weekly meme so save up them up and share your post on Thursdays.
(Side note: When I did my spell check before posting, it questioned my use of the above two words, who'd of figured?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Lamb : Top Ten reasons to read this book:
My friend and I have been reading the same book (call it our 2 person book club, if you will) and are offering our reviews here on Blogger. But rather than be duplicitous, I have decided to borrow a page from David Letterman and tell you the Top Ten reasons why I think anyone should read Lamb by Christopher Moore. Here goes:
10- Canadians in general, but more specifically Toronto Maple Leaf fans, get an honourable mention in this hilarious book (though you do have to purchase a version of it containing the "Afterword II", like the Special Gift Edition, that I read):
9- You will find the answer to what the "H" stands for, as in Jesus H. Christ (haven't you always wanted to know?).
8-The age old question of "What if Jesus had known kung fu?" that the author felt needed to be answered, gets answered. I'm sure at one point or another, we've all asked the same thing.
7-You will discover whether or not it's actually possible to teach an elephant yoga and where the phrase "In case of emergency, break glass" probably came from.
6- Learn how the double-double coffee came to be (granted, date sugar and goat's milk are the chosen mediums, but you gotta start somewhere, right?). Again, us Canadians, and our affinity for Tim Horton's coffee, will find much relevance to where it all began.
5- See history in the making as other firsts come about - matches, the charcoal pencil, sarcasm, dumb blond jokes (most likely not historically accurate but they are fun).
4- It will make you (re)read the Bible in order to verify the facts of the story and separate them from the fantastical elements manufactured by the author (and there are lots of these) - Upon completing the book, I got to page 2 of the Old Testament - I know, it's a work in progress
3- Come away from the book with a better understanding of the Aramaic language by learning the translations for wuss and doofus, as they were used in ancient times (though why they didn't appear in the footnotes of my Bible, I'm not entirely sure).
2- The truth (or alternate, alternate truth) about Mary Magdalene is revealed. And it's a truth that women world wide have known for an eternity: women are most definitely smarter than men.
1-You'll want to add Biff to your phone-a-friend list in case you make it on to Who Wants to be a Millionaire, cause he knows stuff no other person on earth knows (Okay, so maybe it's manufactured, but he's so convincing in the telling that even Jesus believed him). Actually, you'd just want to count him as a friend; he's the kinda guy you'd want to have around in the direst of times to add levity to any situation.
1- You will laugh till you cry (or pee your pants) then want to do it all over again!
What, can't I have 2 number ones? Yes, I thought the book was that good and will be re-reading it at some point in the very near future (maybe when I get to page 50 of the Old Testament- which will probably turn out to be sometime next year, at the rate I'm going).
So, I tip my hat to Mr. Moore for keeping me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end and I say to my (small) audience, if you haven't read this book, go do it now!
For more information, check out the author's website:
http://chrismoore.com/
10- Canadians in general, but more specifically Toronto Maple Leaf fans, get an honourable mention in this hilarious book (though you do have to purchase a version of it containing the "Afterword II", like the Special Gift Edition, that I read):
9- You will find the answer to what the "H" stands for, as in Jesus H. Christ (haven't you always wanted to know?).
8-The age old question of "What if Jesus had known kung fu?" that the author felt needed to be answered, gets answered. I'm sure at one point or another, we've all asked the same thing.
7-You will discover whether or not it's actually possible to teach an elephant yoga and where the phrase "In case of emergency, break glass" probably came from.
6- Learn how the double-double coffee came to be (granted, date sugar and goat's milk are the chosen mediums, but you gotta start somewhere, right?). Again, us Canadians, and our affinity for Tim Horton's coffee, will find much relevance to where it all began.
5- See history in the making as other firsts come about - matches, the charcoal pencil, sarcasm, dumb blond jokes (most likely not historically accurate but they are fun).
4- It will make you (re)read the Bible in order to verify the facts of the story and separate them from the fantastical elements manufactured by the author (and there are lots of these) - Upon completing the book, I got to page 2 of the Old Testament - I know, it's a work in progress
3- Come away from the book with a better understanding of the Aramaic language by learning the translations for wuss and doofus, as they were used in ancient times (though why they didn't appear in the footnotes of my Bible, I'm not entirely sure).
2- The truth (or alternate, alternate truth) about Mary Magdalene is revealed. And it's a truth that women world wide have known for an eternity: women are most definitely smarter than men.
1-You'll want to add Biff to your phone-a-friend list in case you make it on to Who Wants to be a Millionaire, cause he knows stuff no other person on earth knows (Okay, so maybe it's manufactured, but he's so convincing in the telling that even Jesus believed him). Actually, you'd just want to count him as a friend; he's the kinda guy you'd want to have around in the direst of times to add levity to any situation.
1- You will laugh till you cry (or pee your pants) then want to do it all over again!
What, can't I have 2 number ones? Yes, I thought the book was that good and will be re-reading it at some point in the very near future (maybe when I get to page 50 of the Old Testament- which will probably turn out to be sometime next year, at the rate I'm going).
So, I tip my hat to Mr. Moore for keeping me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end and I say to my (small) audience, if you haven't read this book, go do it now!
For more information, check out the author's website:
http://chrismoore.com/
Thursday, August 06, 2009
BBAW's
From the pages of my fellow noob to the blogging world ( http://hefollowedmehome.blogspot.com/ ), I have found the BBAW's. So here are my responses to the required questions to be added to the list:
1-What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?
I'm not much for putting my thoughts on paper or any other method, not that I haven't wanted to but just couldn't ever really find the right words to do it. After some blogging research, I just decided to throw away my inhibitions and do it!
2-What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you or inspiring you
That would have to be my book soul mate, bff, proof reader, linker and one and only follower (at the moment, though hopefully more will join in soon) also known as http://hefollowedmehome.blogspot.com/
3-What one question do you have about BBAW that someone who participated last year could answer?
Seriously, which is the BEST blog I should be reading about reading?
So there you have it, the best answers I can think of at the moment. Check out the link above to see what it's all about.
I've learned a thing or two
Life lessons are always coming at me and I thought it only fair to share any recently acquired knowledge here:
1-Though I pile my books so high beside my bed, with the intent of reading them soon, only to trip over them several times per day, their proximity to my bed while I sleep does not allow for the process of osmosis to work, much to my chagrin. So I buy a bookcase to store the books and reorder them on a "to read" priority. (The bookcase has been placed on the other side of the bed where I walk less often therefore I'm less likely to bang my knee, stub my toe, what have you and so far so good... but it's only been 3 days... and yes I am slightly anal-retentive, organizing my books by height within the shelves and by genre though not yet by alphabetical order by author, which will have to wait for another, more free, time.)
2-Regardless of how long you leave a bunch of grapes in the fridge they will not automatically ferment and become a wonderful bottle of white or red wine. Apparently there are other ingredients involved in the process of wine making, or perhaps some foot stomping (do people still do that?) that I am ignorant of, and will continue to remain so, while I am able, and most definitely willing, to purchase the prepackaged products from my local liquor store. The grapes do, however, become a gelatinous, gooey mess covered in mold if left for too long unattended.
3-Middle age spread is inevitable, especially when you are sitting on your backside at work, in front of a computer, all day then go home and sit with a book/in front of the TV/on the computer yet again, and the in between times are spent sitting in you car driving from home to work then back again. I haven't yet figured out if it's reversible but I'm working on it.
These are the sad facts I have become increasingly familiar with. It just goes to show how much more in life there is to learn.
1-Though I pile my books so high beside my bed, with the intent of reading them soon, only to trip over them several times per day, their proximity to my bed while I sleep does not allow for the process of osmosis to work, much to my chagrin. So I buy a bookcase to store the books and reorder them on a "to read" priority. (The bookcase has been placed on the other side of the bed where I walk less often therefore I'm less likely to bang my knee, stub my toe, what have you and so far so good... but it's only been 3 days... and yes I am slightly anal-retentive, organizing my books by height within the shelves and by genre though not yet by alphabetical order by author, which will have to wait for another, more free, time.)
2-Regardless of how long you leave a bunch of grapes in the fridge they will not automatically ferment and become a wonderful bottle of white or red wine. Apparently there are other ingredients involved in the process of wine making, or perhaps some foot stomping (do people still do that?) that I am ignorant of, and will continue to remain so, while I am able, and most definitely willing, to purchase the prepackaged products from my local liquor store. The grapes do, however, become a gelatinous, gooey mess covered in mold if left for too long unattended.
3-Middle age spread is inevitable, especially when you are sitting on your backside at work, in front of a computer, all day then go home and sit with a book/in front of the TV/on the computer yet again, and the in between times are spent sitting in you car driving from home to work then back again. I haven't yet figured out if it's reversible but I'm working on it.
These are the sad facts I have become increasingly familiar with. It just goes to show how much more in life there is to learn.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Year of the Cock, a book review
I mentioned before that I had received this book from a giveaway at the librarything.com website. The truth is, I forgot I'd put my name in for this particular draw. When I received the parcel pick up notification, I thought it was something else I was waiting for. So, off I went to get my package only to see "Year of Cock" written on the box (an ever so slight alteration of the actual title). I was blushing furiously as I signed my name, saying to the girl at the counter, "I have no idea what this is." I truly thought it was some practical joke someone was playing on me, sending me an adult film.
When I got home, slyly covering the package so my 7 year old couldn't see it and start with the barrage of questions that would most definitely ensue with this new vocabulary, I ran right into my bedroom to see what it could be (possible adult content aside, I was curious). I found the book and packing slip showing that it had indeed been sent by a publishing company and felt some relief. I got the full picture the next day after I logged into the website and saw my winner's notification. Mystery solved.
I have dutifully read the book as promised on entering the draw. Here follows my review:
First, let me start by saying that this is not a book I would have bought had I seen it in the store. It has a definite male point of view, which in and of itself would not prevent me from buying a book at all but the premise isn't necessarily my thing. I'm a single woman and don't feel (at the moment) the need to delve into the male mind. But none of this prevented me from actually reading the book and I was surprised at how quickly and easily I finished it.
It was interesting to see how the author suffers through a meltdown. Though I do not have the appendage that, ultimately, became the obsession/manifestation of his breakdown, I could relate to the issues of self-doubt, self-esteem, etc. as many other people can, too.
He writes with humour and honesty about his own life, which I would imagine is hard to do, especially for a man, with regards to such a sensitive subject. There were times where I would have liked to put my hands through the pages to wring his neck and tell him, "Call your wife!" But, he learns his lessons in the end (hopefully).
I would recommend this book to any man that believes psychiatry or any other form of help is only for the weak. I think it would give courage to others to speak about their problems and not continue to suffer in silence. Overall, a decent job by the author on his first book, especially considering the highly personal nature of his writing.
When I got home, slyly covering the package so my 7 year old couldn't see it and start with the barrage of questions that would most definitely ensue with this new vocabulary, I ran right into my bedroom to see what it could be (possible adult content aside, I was curious). I found the book and packing slip showing that it had indeed been sent by a publishing company and felt some relief. I got the full picture the next day after I logged into the website and saw my winner's notification. Mystery solved.
I have dutifully read the book as promised on entering the draw. Here follows my review:
First, let me start by saying that this is not a book I would have bought had I seen it in the store. It has a definite male point of view, which in and of itself would not prevent me from buying a book at all but the premise isn't necessarily my thing. I'm a single woman and don't feel (at the moment) the need to delve into the male mind. But none of this prevented me from actually reading the book and I was surprised at how quickly and easily I finished it.
It was interesting to see how the author suffers through a meltdown. Though I do not have the appendage that, ultimately, became the obsession/manifestation of his breakdown, I could relate to the issues of self-doubt, self-esteem, etc. as many other people can, too.
He writes with humour and honesty about his own life, which I would imagine is hard to do, especially for a man, with regards to such a sensitive subject. There were times where I would have liked to put my hands through the pages to wring his neck and tell him, "Call your wife!" But, he learns his lessons in the end (hopefully).
I would recommend this book to any man that believes psychiatry or any other form of help is only for the weak. I think it would give courage to others to speak about their problems and not continue to suffer in silence. Overall, a decent job by the author on his first book, especially considering the highly personal nature of his writing.
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