Sunday, September 21, 2025

A memoir and a recounting of my week

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake ~ by Anna Quindlen, 2012, memoir, 208 pages, 10/10

Quindlen writes about a woman’s life, from childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, using the events of her life to illuminate ours.  Considering and celebrating everything from marriage, girlfriends, our mothers, parenting, faith, and loss, to all the stuff in our closets, Quindlen says for us what we may wish we could say ourselves.  As she did in her columns in the New York Times and in her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life (2000), she uses her own past, present, and future to explore what matters most to women at different ages.  She mentions marriage, girlfriends, stuff crowded in our heads (like memories of work, home, appointments, news, gossip, plans) so that our heads are not only full, they’re overflowing."

Quotes to remember:

1.  ". . . reading . . . books and poetry and essays make us feel as though we're connected, as though the thoughts and feelings we believe are singular and sometimes nutty are shared by others, that we are all more alike than different." (p. x).

2.  ". . . it's sometimes more important to be nice than to be honest." (p. 32).

3.  ". . . Donna was my best friend, what my daughter calls her bestie, what is now referred to as a BFF, or Best Friend Forever." (p. 34).

4.  "One study of college students showed that both men and women valued friendship, but they were deeply divergent when asked what friendship entailed.  Guys thought it meant doing things together, women that it meant emotional sharing and talking.  Another study showed that while stress produced the old familiar fight-or-flight response in men  or, as we women often think of it, lash our or shut down  it produces what the researchers termed a tend-or-befriend effect in women.  When things go wrong, they reach for either the kids or the girlfriends.  Or both." (p. 35).

5.  "Asking why is the way to wisdom.  Why are we supposed to want possessions we don't need and work that seems beside the point and tight shoes and a fake tan?  Why are we supposed to think new is better than old, youth and vigor better than long life and experience?" (p. 41).

6.  "My mother was a housewife, a rather reserved person with a sweet nature . . . But the truth was that once upon a time my mother had been someone else. . . . I know this because of the drafting table in the basement. . . . Apparently for a short time after high school my mother worked as a draftsman  that's what she said, draftsman, not draftswoman  at General Electric." (pp. 43-44).

7.  "How did I forget for so many years about my mother's drafting table?  Where did it go?" (p. 49).  (MY NOTE:  My husband had a drafting table at home, which I used for drawing illustrations for a book.  One of my daughters wrote for an assignment in third grade that "my mother doesn't go to work, but she works for a man . . ."  Yes, drawing the illustrations to be used in his book.)

8.  Eldest children are often much more understanding of the need to be alone; I am an eldest child, as is my husband, a marriage of two executive-function humans that I sometimes joke should be outlawed by Congress." (p. 78).

9.  "My grandmother used to recite a little ditty:  A son is a son till he takes a wife, but a daughter's a daughter the rest of her life.  I always thought it had ominous undertones.  When my father demanded that I quit college to care for my mother when she was ill, I occasionally made bitter comments about the tradition of Irish Catholic households sacrificing their daughters for the greater good.  But it wasn't just my father, and it wasn't just the Irish, and it wasn't just then." (p. 134).

  1. On TWOsday, I wrote about having to replace my laptop, HERE.
  2. Wednesday's Word was "whew," HERE.
  3. Thursday's Thoughts were about the herstories of women, HERE.
  4. Friday's "book beginning" was about the history of civilization, HERE.
  5. Saturday Stuff was puzzling, HERE.
is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Puzzles

Yesterday, someone scattered these small puzzle books on tables in our lobby for us, so I chose "Find-A-Word."  It shows the boats on the water (fourth from the left on the top row).  I'll enjoy doing these puzzles.  Thanks, anonymous donor.

Friday, September 19, 2025

Beginning ~ with a wake-up call

Beginning ~ Preface
Starry Messenger is a wake-up call to civilization.  People no longer know who or what to trust.  We sow hatred of others fueled by what we think is true, or what we want to be true, witout regard to what is true.  Cultural and political factions battle for the souls of communities and of nations.  We've lost all sight of what distinguishes facts from opinions.  We're quick with acts of aggression and slow with acts of kindness.
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization ~ by Neil deGrasse Tyson, 2022, history and philosophy of science, 288 pages

Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time ― war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race ― in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all.

In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment ― a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science.

After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrate life’s priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response. No outlook on culture, society, or civilization remains untouched.

This New York Times bestseller walks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From insights on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, an array of brilliant and beautiful truths that apply to us all, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.

(I noticed that 79% of Amazon's online reviewers have given this book five stars!)
Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Thoughts about the herstories of women

Forgotten Women: The Scientists ~ by Zing Tsjeng, 2018, women in history, 370 pages

Forgotten Women is a series of books that uncover the lost herstories of influential women who have refused over hundreds of years to accept the hand they've been dealt and, as a result, have formed, shaped, and changed the course of our futures.  From leaders and scientists to artists and writers, the fascinating stories of these women that time forgot are now celebrated, putting their achievements firmly back on the map.

This book celebrates 48 unsung scientific heroines  (the number of Nobel-prize-winning women) whose hugely important, yet broadly unacknowledged or incorrectly attributed, discoveries have transformed our understanding of the scientific world.  From Mary Anning, the amateur paleontologist whose fossil findings changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the earth's history to Emmy Noether dubbed "The Mighty Mathematician You've Never Heard Of."  Her theorem is still critical to modern physics.  These are the stories of some truly remarkable women.  There are chapters on:
  1. Earth & Universe
  2. Biology & Natural Sciences
  3. Medicine & Psychology
  4. Elements & Genetics
  5. Physics & Chemistry
  6. Mathematics
  7. Technology & Inventions
I helped clean out the apartment of a resident who went into assisted living and took the books she still wants to read with her.  She left furniture and things (like books) for whoever wanted them.  This is one of her books, which I have in carts and crates and boxes, trying to decide which we can use in our Crown Center library when it reopens after the renovation is completed.  This is one of the books that I had on the top of a stack.  Since I've only skimmed it so far, I will share just one random quote:
"To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being.  You have to care about people who have no power." ~ Jane Fonda (p. 307)

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Whew!

whew / hyo͞o / exclamation = used to express surprise, relief, or a feeling of being very hot or tired. Example: "Whew, I'm glad I have a computer again!"

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Two things for TWOsday

1.  I broke my laptop and replaced it with another.  Whew!
2.  Now I really, really need to catch up on my blog posts.

Friday, September 12, 2025

Beginning ~ with the author's goal

Beginning = Tom Rath's goal
"In 1998, I began with a team of Gallup scientists led by the late Father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton.  Our goal was to start a global conversation about what's right with people.  We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses" (p. i).
StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ by Tom Rath, 2007, self-help, 183 pages, 10/10

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?  Chances are, you don't.  All too often, our natural talents go untapped.  From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.  To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in 2001.  That ignited a global conversation and helped millions to discover their top five talents.  In its latest national bestseller, Strengths Finder 2.0, Gallup unveiled the new and improved version of its popular assessment, with 34 themes.  You can read this book in one sitting, but you may use it as a reference far longer.

My own five strengths (with a snippet from each category) are:

1.  Communication (pp. 65-68) — "You will always do well in roles that require you to capture people's attention" (p. 66).

2.  Connectedness (pp. 73-76) — "Explore specific ways to expand your sense of connection and purpose in everyday life" (p. 74).

3.  Empathy (pp. 97-100) — "You can sense the emotions of those around you.  You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are you own.  Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective.  You do not necessarily agree with each person's perspective" (p. 97).

4.  Includer (pp. 117-120) — "You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. ... you actively avoid those groups that exclude others" (p. 117).

5.  Intellection (pp. 129-132) — "Take time to write.  Writing might be the best way for you to crystallize and integrate your thoughts" (p. 131).

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Thursday, September 11, 2025

How did you "do school"?

"Doing School": How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students ~ by Denise Clark Pope, 2001, education, 240 pages

Since this book is almost a quarter of a century old, I googled the author.  Her faculty page says that she is a senior lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education.  This book follows five successful high school students in their often stressful journey through class work, grades, and tests, all of which contribute to the lack of performance of even our top schools, according to this author.

I was an adjunct professor at a couple of community colleges, so I was curious to see what Denise Clark Pope has to say about the students in this book.  The last chapter in the book is entitled The Predicament of "Doing School," followed by an epilogue and information about the students in her study.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Annual inspection

My apartment will be inspected today.  This happens every year.  They want to see what shape it's in.  It means I'd better do things like be up and dressed and make my bed.  But it always feels like I will fail some exam I did not study for.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Two things ~ a book and a place

House of Shades ~ by Liane Dillsworth, 2024, literary fiction (London), 256 pages

London, 1833.  Doctress Hester Reeves, a Black female doctor, has been offered a life-changing commission.  But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees — a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.  If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of.

But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her.  Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades — including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed.

Where is Fitzrovia?

Google tells me that it is a district of central London, near the West End.  I had no idea where it was, since I live in the middle of the United States.

Sunday, September 7, 2025

It's Sunday again

101 Things You Need to Know
by Scholastic staff, 2003, nonfiction, 64 pages

What's the difference between heat and temperature?  Who was our twenty-sixth president?  How do you figure out the circumference of a circle?  Who made the first national flag?  What is a bar graph?  Where do you place the colon in a business letter?  Why do earthquakes happen?


One of my grandchildren was actually born on this day.
  1. On Monday, I was feeling frustrated, HERE.
  2. On TWOsday, I had two subjects, a book and a word, HERE.
  3. Wednesday's Word was "sidetracked," HERE.
  4. Thursday's thoughts were about all the friends who joined me while eating in the Cafe, HERE.
  5. Friday's "book beginning" was from a book I found "blowing in the wind" on our outdoor patio, HERE.
is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Friday, September 5, 2025

Wayside or sideways?

Beginning
Sue was very excited to be at Wayside School in Mrs. Jewls's class!  She was surrounded by all the kids she had read about in her favorite book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School.
Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School ~ by Louis Sachar, 1994, children's (ages 7-9), 90 pages
"Everyone take out your spelling books," said Mrs. Jewls.  "It's time for arithmetic."  Sue is so excited for her first day at Wayside School.  But things at Wayside are far from normal — and Sue's teacher, Mrs. Jewls, is completely wacky.  She expects the students to add and subtract words!  Sue has never heard of anything so ridiculous.  She knows adding apples plus oranges is impossible . . . or is it?  Anything can happen at Wayside School.
Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Thursday, September 4, 2025

The Thinker is thinking thoughts today, and so am I

It is supper time, and I haven't yet posted my thoughts for today.  The Thinker is reminding me to share some thoughts.  Okay.  Sue and I planned to have lunch together, but I decided to go down to our Circle@Crown Cafe early to have my breakfast when they opened at 8:00 a.m.

Alice McC. joined me at my table.  When Sandy M. showed up, I invited her to sit with us because today's her birthday.  Sue arrive a little before 11:00, as she had planned to do, and joined those of us already sitting there.

When I got a call from Sandra H. asking if I'd like to meet her in the Cafe (she lives in the neighborhood near here), I told her I was already in the Cafe, so come join us.  She was coming to the Crown Center for a program that met at 1:00, but she had time to eat with us before it started.

So my friends from here and there just came and went all morning, and I ended up being in the Cafe with various people as they met each other and left for their own activities.  Do you wonder how long I was in the Cafe?  From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. as those folks chatted and ate together.

When I finally headed home, after walking around the block (going the long way home to get in my steps, in other words), I ran into Dora H. sitting in the lobby and sat down to talk to her awhile.  Other friends stopped to speak to us as they passed by us, like Alyssa with her dog Hazel, and Betty B. who sat down to talk.

I think I got in a good day's worth of socializing:  Alice, Sandy, Sue, Sandra, Dora, Alyssa, Hazel (yes, dogs count), and Betty.  And these don't count the ones we said hello to as they came and went through the lobby.

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Sidetracked

The Little Book of Answers: The How, Where, and Why of Stuff You Thought You Knew ~ by Doug Lennox, 2003, non-fiction, 191 pages

These easy to read vignettes are bite-sized chunks of wisdom on topics like people and places, pop culture, customs, sports and leisure, politics and history, war and military, holidays, animals, superstitions and beliefs, words, expressions, and trivia.  I knew the chapter on words would be a favorite, so I flipped to that section.  This is the part (from page 139) that convinced me I would love this book:

Why do we say someone diverted from a goal has been "sidetracked"?

Early railroads had only a single track between destinations.  Problems arose when a train was met by another goin in the opposite direction or was overtaken by a faster one.  This dilemma was solved with the creation of sidings, short lengths of track built parallel to the main line where one train could pull over while the other went by.  The train had been "sidetracked," meaning that, for a time at least, it wasn't going anywhere.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Two subjects = a book and a word

How to Speak Midwestern ~ by Edward McClelland, 2016, linguistics and cultural anthropology, 199 pages

In this book on Midwestern accents and sayings, Edward McClelland explains what Midwesterners say and how and why they say it.  He provides humorous definitions of jargon from the region.  The glossary even has a section about St. Louis (pp. 53-57), where I currently live, roughly two miles from"the Loop."  Did you know that people here call St. Louis "the Lou"?  Actually, I live among people from all over the world:  Vietnam, Russia, China, Britain, Germany,, and many parts of the United States.  I have been told I have a Southern accent, so I wanted this book when I came across it recently.

Word of the Day

lin·guis·tics
/liNGˈɡwistiks/ noun = the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics.

Monday, September 1, 2025

I'm frustrated

I took 20 books to trade in at a nearby bookstore and got all of $5.00.  That is the last time they will ever see me, especially since they kept ALL of the books that I brought.  Why?  Because they "donate" them.  If I had been thinking rationally, I would have said, "I choose to donate them to the Crown Center library."  Why do they think they have a right to decide what to do with my books?