Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hey Paula!!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
And yet another book review!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Oscars
Another Book Review
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Book Reviews
While I'm not participating in any specific "book" challenges, I do read books and I do review the books I read. I thought it might be a good idea to post my reviews right here on my own blog for my readers' enjoyment. Everyone is always asking me for some great book recommendations and this way you'll be able to read the review as soon as I finish the book. For those of you who would like to look at all of my past reviews, simply click on the link in the right hand column of my blog and it will take you to Amazon where you can view them.
Here is the review of the book I dubbed "My Top Pick of 2008." The book's title is The Art of Racing in the Rain and the author is Garth Stein. To set this up, it's a book that's narrated by a dog who is living with a man who very much enjoys car racing. It's not quite in my usual book review format but it's a review I enjoyed writing because it became so funny.
The Art of Reading A Book You'll Love
This is one of the first times I can remember writing a book review within minutes of finishing the book. I feel the need to do this because I fear if I wait until tomorrow, I won't be able to express to you just how wonderful this book truly is. With tears streaming down my face, I'm urging you to read it.....something I've never done before.
You don't have to be a dog lover.....you don't have to be a race car lover. All you have to be is a reader looking for something worthwhile to read; something you'll never forget; something you will be missing out on if you don't take the opportunity to do something for yourself and begin a journey with a dog and a man.....a journey you won't soon forget. One warning though....do not read the end right before you're ready to go to sleep because sleep will not come. You will be too full of your thoughts and your feelings and a sadness overshadowed by happiness.
As soon as I finished the book, I instant messaged a reading friend of mine to encourage her to read the book right away. This discourse was so funny that I feel the need to post it right here, within my review, since perhaps some of you might feel the same way she did.
Myself: OMG..I just this minute finished The Art of Racing In the Rain and I can't stop crying
Friend: oh no
Myself: I was going to beg you to read it but I feel now I must order you to do so
Friend: it's a dog book, right?
Myself: It is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read
Myself: Yes, it's narrated by a dog but it's so much more
Friend: hmmm
Myself: I just wrote the first two paragraphs of my review if that will get you to read it
Friend: okay okay
Myself: Promise me you'll read it and get Laura to do so as well
Friend: I hate car racing...despise it!
Myself: That is so insignificant
Friend: that turned me off more than the dog narrator
Myself: It's not the racing because there's hardly any of that in it
Myself: It's what makes someone a winner and not a loser
Myself: And they use the car racing as the backdrop for that
Friend: are there more than two paragraphs about car racing?
Myself: I swear to God.....do not ask me one more question about car racing.....Get the darn book because I'm asking you to. lol
Myself: You want great reading experiences.....this is one of them
Friend: the only thing worse would be if it was about car racing in INDIA!
Myself: lol
Friend: ok. so I just read the first 5 pages at Amazon and it has some promise
Myself: thank you
Myself: okay enough already......just read the book and let me know the minute you finish it when you're crying your eyes out and writing about it for that stupid Sunday Salon of yours lol
I posted this chat within my review so you can see just what I have to go through simply to get a friend to read a book I like. Obviously I get no respect in this regard.
Well the bottom line is that she read it and now I see her recommending it to everyone she knows. Needless to say, I'm not going to tell you anything else about the premise or about a dog named Enzo and a man named Denny who has a wife named Eve and a little girl named Zoe. That's all you need to know.
You will laugh and you will cry but, in the end, you will feel fulfilled with a promise of hope....a promise as seen through the eyes of a dog. It doesn't get much better than that.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Super Bowl XLIII 2009
Last year, my team, the NY Giants, was in the Super Bowl so it made it much more exciting for me as I had a vested interest in the game. This year, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals take the field and it really doesn't matter to me which team wins. But, I'm going to root for Arizona because I'd like to see the underdog win. This is the first year in awhile that Michael will actually be home with us to watch the game. I remember last year he was in Brazil at the time and was text messaging us throughout the entire game for updates.
To make the game a little bit more exciting, I entered a pool that's run by one of my brother's friends so I'll let you know how I doing throughout this blog entry. This is how it works. If the score at any point has these numbers in it at the same time, I win some money.
Pittsburgh 0 Arizona 9 Pittsburgh 8 Arizona 9
So, for instance, if the score at any point is Pittsburgh 20, Arizona 19, I win. If it is Pittsburgh 38, Arizona, 29, I win. Or any combination of those numbers.
The game is now over and I didn't win anything!!!
I will be updating this throughout the entire game and, like I did last year, will be giving you my thoughts on the game BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER.....including my picks for favorite commercials. So get your snacks ready and let the game begin.
As I'm sitting here waiting for the game to begin, I found some interesting trivia that I thought you might find interesting. Here's what voters think the Top 10 Football Movies are:
1. Remember The Titans
2. Rudy (clearly should have been #1)
3. Brian's Song (who doesn't remember those words...I Love You Brian Piccolo)
4. The Longest Yard
5. We Are Marshall
6. Invincible
7. Friday Night Lights (a personal favorite and now my favorite TV show)
8. Any Given Sunday
9. North Dallas Forty
10. Jerry Maguire (You had me at "hello")
BEFORE:
The pre-game show has begun with Faith Hill singing God Bless America.....what a voice!! This is followed by the entire crew, from US Air Flight #1549, who helped save all of the passengers on the plane when it crash landed into the Hudson River. That was pretty special. Then Jennifer Hudson sings the National Anthem. This is her first appearance since her mother, brother and nephew were murdered last October. I think it was better than Whitney's performance although Michael and Bob disagreed with me.
DURING:
End of 1st Quarter -- Pittsburgh 10 Arizona 0
End of 2nd Quarter -- Pittsburgh 17 Arizona 7
HALFTIME SHOW:
I think it's about time that there's been a good halftime show. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band put on a great show. He's definitely beginning to show his age as evidenced by his voice. When he kept pointing the microphone at the audience so that they could sing the chorus, I was thinking he was doing that because he couldn't keep up. My only disappointment was that they didn't sing Born In the USA.
End of 3rd Quarter -- Pittsburgh 20 Arizona 7
Final Score -- Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 23
At the beginning of the game, I thought Pittsburgh was going to trounce Arizona but, in the end, Arizona held their own and almost won.
So here's what you've really been waiting for.....the commercial winners.
Doritos -- This was so funny when they throw a water globe into a vending machine.
Budweiser -- Conan O'Brien thinking he's filming a commercial that will only be shown in Sweden.
Budweiser -- The dalmation fetches a bone and the Clydesdale outdoes him by fetching a huge tree branch....this was my favorite!!
Budweiser -- Two horses in love....one in the circus and one a Clydesdale.
Once again, Budweiser is the clear winner commercial-wise. There was one commercial that was so irritating and that was career builder.com. It gets your attention but is so annoying that you vow never to use the site.
So that's the end of another Super Bowl. No Giants but still a great game. There's always next year. Until then.....