The Last Lecture

I just finished The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and it was one of the best and most uplifting inspirational books I've ever read. What an amazing man. Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon. From time to time professors will give "last lectures" where they consider " If I should die tomorrow, what would I leave behind". They would then give a lecture on what they would want the world to know, parting words if you like. Randy decided he wanted to do his last lecture, only he really was dying of pancreatic cancer. The book is basically the lecture, a legacy for his children and anyone lucky enough to pick it up.





The last lecture was entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" and it was a compilation of Randy's childhood dreams, lessons he had learned and his discoveries about life. This was not a man who was talking just to hear himself talk, he was down to earth, humble and incredibly intuitive.

What did I learn from this book?
---That self esteem can't be give. When we coddle our children we are not giving them self esteem. It has to be built and you do that by giving them something they can't do and have them work hard at it until they get it.
---That when you are doing something and you are screwing it up, if no one says anything to you it means they have given up on you. I want to remember this when my youngest is on a sports team. When you feel the coach is hard on you, that is good because it means he believes in you.
---That brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it bad enough.
---That I tend to be a detail person and have a hard time remembering to step back from time to time to look at the big picture.

I got this book from the library, but I plan on going out to buy it. This is a book I would want to have, to remind myself of what is important in life. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I give this a 5 out of 5.

Personal Mission Statement

Back in December I send out a resume that I had completely forgotten about. I got a call for an interview. I went Tuesday. I'm torn. I have a new job working at a local shop, basically doing grunt work. Their training takes over a year and since the orders are currently behind, I'm really just a facilitator. The owners are wonderful. Every time I finish what they ask of me, the thank me and tell me what a good job I do. It's so nice after working at a restaurant where if you went to the bathroom the owner would call you a dumb-a$$. But I digress....

The interview is for a challenging and rewarding career that would actually use my BA to some degree. I wont hear back for at least 2 weeks, but I'm not sure if I should tell my current employer. It is a bit removed from my BA so I'm a little leery that I will even get the job. So I guess this blog is 2 fold. Should I say something or wait until I get a call back? I know my current employer is hoping I will stay for a while, but I really need more hours and at this time they can't give me more. So discuss amongst yourselves....share what you come up with!

Secondly, at my interview, a question they asked was, "What would be your personal mission statement?" Hmmm. I said...(please don't laugh too hard)...To be the best you can be, no matter where you are in life. You can be a waitress, work in a shop or as a doctor. If you are all you can be, you can help others through some difficult times. Sometimes it's not about doing the job at that moment, but listening to who came into the business and being there for what they may need at that moment." I felt like a commercial for the army. Really?!? Man, I must talk to hear my voice sometimes. Have you ever thought about your personal mission statement?

You know, after that, maybe I wont get a call back. Hhhmmmm.

The Bomb That Followed Me Home

I just read "The Bomb That Followed Me Home" by Cevin Soling and I am at a loss. Let me share with you what information I got.

Children's book: The Bomb that Followed Me Home: By Cevin Soling

NEW YORK, Jan 5, 2009 - Rumpleville Books is pleased to release the third book in Cevin Soling's series of "fairly twisted fairy tales." The Bomb That Followed Me Home is the story of a boy, who is followed home by a stray bomb. The bomb follows him everywhere--by trees and landfills, and even the yard of a cantankerous neighbor who yells at the boy for running on their lawn. This same neighbor planted hedges three feet into the boy's yard. The boy's parents are resistant to keep the bomb, "who will polish it and change its fuse?" But still the young boy wants to keep it, and even has given the bomb a name-Rusty. The boy's father tries to find the bomb's original owner, calling all kinds of authorities like the Department of Defense. He also reaches out to the Weathermen. No one is missing a bomb. Finally the bomb is "given" to the cantankerous neighbors... And then his parents take down the hedges.

The Bomb That Followed Me Home has received its share of acclaim. Midwest Book Reviews cites the book, as "surreal .The whimsical, modern-art style of the illustrations are a perfect fit for the loopy mood of this delightful story." Flash News cites the book as author Cevin Soling's "vengeance" against "people who are mean and psychotic." FOREWORD magazine gave The Bomb high acclaim, writing that Cevin Soling and illustrator Steve Kille "have the power to make readers laugh, and then think. Then scoff at the futility of thinking."

The Rumpleville series are contemporary fables that are replete with social commentary The fairy tale format highlights the perverse morality of contemporary culture and foiled promises of "happily ever after" endings. Like Animal Farm, the simplicity of plot also draws attention to the political intentions of the work.

I thought this sounds like an off beat children's book. So I read it and really I'm flummoxed and perplexed. This is being marketed as a children's book. But as you can see in the book description they give the bomb to the cantankerous neighbors and the next thing you know they are taking down the hated hedge. Not only that, but if you look back at the 2nd paragraph it states: Cevin Soling and illustrator Steve Kille "have the power to make readers laugh, and then think. Then scoff at the futility of thinking." HUH?!? I don't think I ,as an adult, possess the ability to do that. Honestly? I'm not really sure what that means.

The illustrations are really cool; however, the story didn't flow well. We start off with the bomb following the boy home. As the boy gets to his neighbors yard, we digress for a couple of pages and it becomes all about the psycho neighbors. Then back to the bomb and how it has to be looked after... it just felt disjointed. I'm not sure if this was a book that was supposed to be a metaphor of society and how we lack the ability to deal with our neighbors and just bomb them instead of dealing with them, or just a very strange attempt at a children's book that thinks out of the box. Either way, I would not recommend reading this to children, they lack the higher level thinking needed to understand where this book is figuratively going.

I would have to give this a 0 out of 5 for a children's book.

Happy Birthday "H"

Happy Birthday "H"


You are sensitive....
You always know when those around you need
extra love and attention. Your spouse to be ("B")
is so very blessed to have you.


You are determined....
You will go far in life and achieve all you
set out for. The world will be blessed you are in it.


You are caring....
You have always put family needs before your
own and we are blessed to have you.

You are loving.....
You have given me so much love and joy.
I would not be here today if it wasn't for you and "A".
When I didn't think I could go on , I would look at
you and know I was truely blessed and God must
surely think I'm special to have given me
such and awesome child.


You see "H", it is your birthday,
but I'm the one who has been given a gift.

I love you so very much. I thank God for you in more
ways than you could ever know.

Only One other could possible love you more than I do.

Firefly Lane

I just finished listening to Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. This book is about a friendship that spans over 3 decades.

Tully Hart learned early to count only on herself. Her mother, Cloud, a pot smoking hippie, left her with her grandmother and took off. When she is a freshman she is invited to a high school party by the most popular guy. When she gets to the party, the guy gets her drunk and rapes her. Tully walks home and in the dark sees Kate Mularkey, the girl who lives across the street from her grandmother. Kate consoles Tully and promises to keep the rape a secret. They become inseparable. When Tully's grandmother dies and her mother refuses to take her, the Mularkeys take her in. Tully and Kate go to the same college and major in journalism.

Tully is driven. Determined to get the job she wants, she chases it, but sometimes at the expense of a real relationship. Men fall in love with her, but she never lets them get close. Kate has graduated with her degree, but it was really Tully's dream, not hers. She really just wants to find her true love and be a wife and mom. Through it all, they stay best friends. Their friendship is tested and at one point seems to finally have suffered its last insult.

This book took me back to when I was young and the friends I made. I found myself reminiscing about the times we had. It was set from the mid 60's to the 2000's, so I found myself also reliving the things that had been going on in that era. It was a real tearjerker too, though, which I was not prepared for. I would listen to this as I feel asleep and I was bawling like a baby. Needless to say, didn't get to sleep that night! I normally stay away from all things sad... "The Notebook"? Never saw it. Will not watch "Marley and Me" or "The Curious Case" either. I don't volunteer myself for a box-o-Kleenex-fest. I did however come away from this book uplifted, not depressed. That says a lot.

I loved this one and give it a 5 out of 5.

I Am Not A Cop

I recently finished I Am Not A Cop by Richard Belzer and Michael Black. I am sure you have heard of him before. If you are as old as me you remember him as a stand-up comic, if you are younger you would know him from TV. I was intrigued that he had written a book, so I had to give it a try.

From an interview on NPR, Belzer says he has fictionalized his life for this story. His friend, Russian Rudy Markovich, is a medical examiner who consults on the show. They have dinner and Belz can tell there is something on his mind, but Rudy blows it off. They part and as Belzer passes by an alley he sees Rudy being beaten by two thugs speaking Ukrainian. Belz comes to his rescue and the guys run away. Rudy says it was a mugging, Belzer knows better, but lets it go. Rudy goes missing and Belzer gets caught up in trying to find him. As he does, a tabloid journalist is getting under his skin and causing some bad publicity. In an effort to keep him in check, Belzer is assigned a "personal assistant" to keep him out of trouble. Kali is drawn into the case and the two of them cross paths with a very dangerous Russian mafia in an effort to find out what happened to Rudy.

This was such a fun read. Belzer keeps us guessing as to what is going on, who's involved and is Rudy still alive. With a "reality" feel, I found myself wondering if Belzer really knows martial arts, is he as much as a gentleman as he writes in the book and is he really that much of a smart ass. He was such a lovable character and I loved Kali his assistant. I truly hope he has more books coming because I will certainly buy them up!

I give this a 5 out of 5.

WINNER

Well, Friday I picked the winner of the book "Bear Any Burden". Out of all the many(1) names I picked Amie (go check her out here!). WWOOOHOOOO Congrats Amie. Hope you enjoy it.

People Are IDIOTS And I Can Prove It.

I rarely read these types of books, ones that claim to have answers to your current situation. I know we all need help from time to time, but when I did read a self help book, I never found anything profound enough to change things. But this one...People Are IDIOTS And I Can Prove It by Larry Winget had me at hello. I was not disappointed.

The blurb about the book starts with:
"We talk a lot about the things we want, I want more money, I wan t a better relationship with my spouse, I want good, responsible kids, I want a promotion, I wan to be healthy, I want to be smarter, I want to retire...I want I want I want.
But do you know what people really want? They want what they got. Its a simple formula: You have what you want because your actions produce your results. Not your words and certainly not your wants."

Larry Winget will not coddle you to a better life. He holds a mirror up to you and says, "look...look at where your actions have gotten you."
"A guy wrote me a nasty letter about my books, saying that I didn't have one thing to offer that wasn't plain old common sense. He is totally right. But I have found common sense like common knowledge and common courtesy, is anything but common. ....knowledge is not power. The implementation of knowledge is power." (pg 7)

How true. I have never stopped to consider that. You may know a lot of things but if you don't do anything with that knowledge, what good is it?

This book is broken up into 3 sections:
1) The Idiot Factor...
Here he proves how people are idiots, what 10 things we do to sabotage ourselves and how we can stop being idiots.
2) The Idiot Fixes...
How we can take action.
3) Idiots: The Final Chapter...
It's easy to stay where you are and be an idiot. What are you going to do?


In section 1 Larry asks...
"What is you vision for your life look like? Not Sure? Let me help you answer this one: You are living it." (pg 55)
I have almost always been one to let life happen to me. After I left my 1st(drunken and abusive) husband I had 2 kids to care for on my own. (child support? HA!) So I decided to go to college so I could get a good job. I was driven because my kids were important to me and I wanted to provide for them. Being a single mom, working, and going to college was hard, but I did it. Why? Because I wanted it. I wanted it bad enough to get off my butt and get it. It would have been easy to sit back and stay on food stamps, government assistance and all, but I wanted more. Where am I at now? Hhhmmm...not using my degree. Why? Because I lost the vision, I settled and decided that I could just exist. So a lot of what Larry had to say resonated with me.
One of the ways people sabotage themselves? People don't give a damn. You do what you do because it is important to you. You want to spend time with your kids, save money and have a better relationship with you spouse so you do those things right? Me? not always, sure its important...but is it important enough to change? That's where it hit home. Its about prioritizing. This is only one way out of ten.

Section 2 Larry gives us action lists to help us out. One example is how to manage time better. Here he gives us ten things we can do to manage our time and then in the book gives us space to write down "Why I need to manage my time better" There are over ten action lists and spots to write down why we need to be better in these areas.

He closes the book by telling us if it is easy to do something, it is easy not to do it. Don't buy into the crap that it is hard to achieve what you want.


I like this guy. I took a lot of notes while reading this book. He's right, it is a lot of common sense, but was I using mine...nope. I've gotten so much from this book, but then again, I am the type of person who frequently need a kick in the butt to get out of my funk.

Thank You Larry for that!

I give this book a 5 out of 5. Definitely a book I will keep and continually refer back to to stay on track. Self help...NOT shelf help.

My middle child sent this to me through stumble. Found here. Me too. Nuff said.

AARRRGGG!!!!

Well I got another virus, so I haven't been on in a couple of days. My oldest (thank goodness) is quite handy fixing what I keep getting into. I'm not sure why I have gotten so many in the last couple of weeks. Has anyone experienced a barrage of viruses lately? I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but it always seems to happen when I am surfing on blogexplosion.
Let me know if you are having any problems.

Also I'm giving away "Bear Any Burden" this Friday. If you would like a chance at getting it, leave me a comment and let me know. Click here and leave a comment...so far there is only one entered!