Books

For some, the start of summer meant diving into books and enjoying a pleasant summer of reading. For me, it meant treading water and not drowning in the immense workload of mother, wife, runner, employee, etc. I started several books and some I finished while others were left to be drawn out. After the race last weekend I picked up a fun book from my cousin Catherine that jump started my reading again. I've finished off a few of my unread books this weekend and thought I'd share a few of my thoughts...

Harry Potter 7: I know what you're thinking...How could the #1 Harry Potter fan let the book drag out for so long. Well, it's a mixture of book theft from my mother, increased workload, and I've now realized the fear that once I finished, it would be over. I actually just finished book 7 moments ago. I have to say that I was very pleased with the ending and it was extremely hard to avoid hearing the ending up to this point. I am happy to say that I will be open to discuss the book at this point in time. Overall, I loved it! (oh yeah, who is the new headmaster!?!)

Eclipse: This was the most anticipated book of the summer for me. I love Edward, I love vampires, I love the Cullen Family. The book was great, and gave me the delicious read I was expecting. It could have had some deeper twists, but it's a YA book, so what more could I expect? I will be counting down the days to Breaking Dawn...

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things: I intended to read this on my trip home from Oregon, but spent most of the flight sleeping and didn't get too far. What I did read peaked my interest enough to keep going. It was an entertaining book that had me rooting for Virginia all the way through. She's a great heroine and I hope I can be more like her!

Austenland: I think this is my favorite book of the summer. I feel a great love for this story. I purchased this and intended to listen to it while running in Oregon however I did not begin listening to it until I returned home. Stephenie Meyer recommended this book so I knew it had to be a good one. For me, I really enjoy going into a book knowing nothing about it. I had NO idea that Austenland was referring to Jane Austen so when the book began with the character Jane being obsessed with "Pride and Prejudice" or I should say, Mr. Darcy, I thought that the book may be a bore. It turned out to be a total delight and I enjoyed entering the world of Austenland. If you have the chance, pick up this book and settle in. It also moved me to rent "Pride and Prejudice" although it was only the 2 1/2 hour version. I may need to spring for the 6 hour Collin Firth version when I have a little more free time on my hands.

So with summer coming to a close it looks like I finished 4 new books. I did read Twilight and New Moon for a 2nd time at the beginning of summer but won't count those in my total.

The shelf on my night-stand is getting really full and as I pulled Harry Potter off I noticed several other books that have been leant to me that I started and never finished. I've gotten a new interest in books after this last week so perhaps I will dive into the other unfinished books on my shelves.

Happy Reading!

UPDATE-My first ever iMovie creation

I'm not sure this will work, but this is my first creation using iMovie as well as my first creation using my video camera which I purchased back in May. I have filmed a lot, but not done anything with it. I hope this turns out like I thought...

This didn't post like I thought it would so I worked on it again today. The *NEW & IMPROVED* version features music, sound effects, and a shorter run time. TAKE 2!

Hood to Coast

Running Hood to Coast this year with the Banana Slugs was one of the most fun things I've done in a very long time. For a few days I felt like a kid again with no responsibilities other than assassinating the competition. The hills, distance, lack of sleep and frequent stops at the honey bucket couldn't come in the way of my running high. I'm looking forward to next year and improving our times. Thank you Catherine for putting this all together. You're AWESOME! ;)

Once you go MAC you'll never go back!

We recently had a major computer fiasco in our house which ultimately ended in having 5 computers in my living room with cords running all over the house. I decided that $1100 on a new Dell PC was far too much to spend for a computer that couldn't connect to the internet. The strange thing was that my Dell Laptop was connecting to the internet perfectly but it was running XP and not Vista (which the new computer had). After spending 6 hours on the phone with Dell it was determined that the problem was "Vista compatibility." What's crazy is that I never wanted Vista, ever. I asked multiple times for a computer with XP OS but was told that Dell was no longer offering that OS. So, I took the Vista computer, spent $1100 and was extremely disappointed. As a side note, I found that all the major computer stores were only offering Vista as well. So, as a warning to all of you out there...if you need to buy a new computer you will be required to get Vista (which really and truely sucks as far as being compatible with anything and everything). There is however another option.

When this all went down, the new iMac was released. Here's a picture of the new computer that is so incredibly goregous!
http://www.apple.com/

It was all meant to be, the perfect timing. I had a terrible computer that cost me $1100 and the new iMac was released costing the same amount but offering a better computer in every way. So I ordered the iMac and watched the FedEx tracking as it traveled from China (don't worry, it doesn't have red paint on it), Phillipines, Alaska, Indiana, California, and to my house. I even video taped myself opening the computer becuase I was so excited about this new member of our family.

This computer is wonderfully simple to use. Just how a computer should be, right? We shouldn't have to work so hard to get a computer to work. It also has lots of fun features like the photobooth. We have enjoyed sitting in front of the computer and taking pictures of ourselves. The monitor actually flashes when a photo is taken. It's so smart! Here's a picture of Andrew and Calvin from earlier today:



So the happy ending in this story gets even better. Andrew got an email from the accountant for the city of Modesto yesterday and it turns out that they over charged for our health insurance premiums for the last year and will be issuing a reimbursement of $1100. Wow, good things come to those with Macs.

My Inner European

Your Inner European is Swedish!

Relaxed and peaceful. You like to kick back and enjoy life.

Who's Your Inner European?

This is amazing! Maybe April's annual trips to Sweden are just what I need! Take me with you next summer!!!!

Curious Calvin and the Treadmill

This is a story for strong stomachs and strong eyes. Don't scroll down if raw skin and puss bother you.

This is my treadmill. I run on this treadmill everyday as part of my training for Hood to Coast. I am really excited for the upcoming race, and spend much time each day on this treadmill. Last week, while Andrew was out of town backpacking Calvin touched the back of the treadmill where the red circle is shown above and his hand was sucked under the belt. I jumped off, pulled him out and felt the intense heat of his hand. I thought that his was going to be a contact burn as if he had touched a hot plate, but I was wrong.

I rushed him to the sink and put it under cold water which caused a new wave of screams. I looked at his hand and saw the cause. Exposed raw flesh. I freaked out. Andrew handles these sorts of things with his cool collected fire fighter rescue skills. I on the other hand freak out. I ran next door and banged on the neighbors door to find no one home. Where were my super awesome neighbors!?!? It was then that I decided I needed to call 911. As soon as help arrived Calvin stopped crying (Hazel slept through the whole thing) and we were told that he needed to be taken to the ER. Some other neighbors from down the street came to stay with Hazel and to help me get to the hospital. I was a little shaken up.

At the hospital they cut off the dead skin, cleaned the wound and bandaged his hand. The most traumatic part of the evening was forcing him to take the tylenol with codene which he spit out all over us. The doctor said that Calvin's hand should be fine but it will take a few weeks to return to normal. The injury did not go through all his layers of skin which will speed up the healing process. He should regain normal movement and use of his hand with time. We're going back in tomorrow for another check-up so we'll get more info on how things are healing.

Now on to the photos. Again, this may gross you out so stop here if you don't want to see the yucky stuff.

Picture 1- 24 hours after the incident (now that i'm looking at the pics they don't look nearly as bad as it did in real life.
Picture 2- 48 hours after the incident

Fun with Grandma

I spent most of the day in the Bay Area today getting my hair done and going into the office. I had a really nice day but the part I enjoyed most was visiting with Grandma Atwood. I haven't seen her in a while and it was nice to visit and hear of the things she had been up to. She showed me a great brochure advertising Baywood that literally made me want to move in. They sing, dance, swim, have great meals, play bingo, and go on outings. Everyone looked so happy in the photos and I thought that this would be a great place to live! My grandma is even in one of the photos that has been featured in the newspaper many times. She's turning into a local celebrity!

Before I left I showed her my blog and the blogs of my other family members. She was happy to see pictures and know that there were updates on her grandkids and great-grandkids at the click of a button. So, keep your blogs updated -- Grandma is reading, laughing, and enjoying every word.

Thanks again for a fun night Grandma!