Practical Mindfulness

Practical Mindfulness by DK Publishing

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Meh.... is it wrong to say there are a few people I know that I wish would read this book though?



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The Checklist Manifesto

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Written from the point of view of a surgeon, using advice and examples from the building and aviation industry, this is a call to utilize the much maligned checklists. The world is immensely complicated, and although our minds rebel against the idea, even the most brilliant, most experienced expert sometimes misses the simple things. Also as the world gets more complicated there is no longer a "master builder" there is simply too much information, many experts need to be able to work together and communicate the important things for success to happen. Also distinguishes between the READ-DO and the DO-CONFIRM checklist. The back has a checklist in how to create a good checklist. Studies from the finance industry show that some people, even when confronted with the success behind a good checklist still don't want to use them. I have long been a firm believer in a good checklist - so I say Bravo!



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Montauk Daisy's first bloom!!

Montauk Daisies start blooming after the first few cold nights, I've had them bloom until mid December as long as we don't get the dreaded "freezing rain" they can even do light snow.  So as someone who LOVES winter and despises summer (really garden fresh veggies are the only thing that allows me to survive summer) these flowers bode better weather ahead!

Quinoa Salad

Picture of my quinoa salad (that  I pretty much have almost every day for lunch - I call it crack)

First make a batch of quinoa and let cool (I put some rosemary and thyme in the water to flavour the quinoa a bit0  Then in a mixing bowl I put some vinaigrette (today had sundried tomato vinaigrette) toss in some steam fresh canned corn, shredded carrots, radishes and celery (quick whirr in the food processor) diced cucumbers, fresh parsley. toss then add quinoa and toss.  Keeps in a tupperware in the fridge just fine for a week.  So yummy. Pretty healthy too.


ETA:  I totally forgot the diced yellow and red pepper - they are sitting very undiced, very not in my salad, on the counter right now :(  will add tonight and take a new picture and post tomorrow. 

Fall yarn ready to go

If only the weather would cooperate!  I have Wabbit Season, Duck Season - going to make camo mitts with orange trim and orange socks with camo trim:

And fall mini skeins for more hexis, all from Gnomeacres:

Trying not to cast on anything new until either I finish the Philosopher's Stone or Oct 1st (new Nerdopolis tournament starts)

 
 

 

The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I need more stars!!! I accidently picked up "warriors of the storm" last spring, and it was book 9 in the saga of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, I loved that book so got book 1 to read. This book takes Uhtred from a 10 year old Christian boy whose father gets killed in a battle with the Danes, and whose uncle wants to kill him off so he can legally have the title of Ealdorman of Bebbanburg ( he took the title anyway, but Uhtred's death would be convenient) He amuses/impresses Ragnar - when he attacks him with a child's sword after his father is killed and Ragnar takes him and raises him as another son in the ways of a pagan Viking warrior. After Ragnar gets killed because of Danish political treachery is when the spinners of fates at the bottom of the tree of the world, Yggdrasil, really start making his life and choices interesting.

We know he lives through the shield walls and battles, because the book is told as a memory by an older, judging by the commentary wiser, Uhtred, and I know some things that will come to pass in the first 8 books because I read book 9 (still want to know what happens with Bridda) Book ends with Uhtred, 20 years old, proven as a warrior ("one in 5 men are true warriors in the shield wall, one in 20 love it - those are the most dangerous") married, and the book ends when he sees his son Uhtred for whom he wants to one day reclaim Bebbanburg .



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Curling

Curling by Annalise Bekkering

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It is a 23 page "book", pretty sure it's written for kids. Keeping that in mind, it does explain the basics of the sport (which I've watched, but didn't really know what was going on - I saw it as shuffle board on ice) So now I know the basic rules, scoring, positions, the fact that the ice is colder, thus harder, than hockey ice, the "pebbles" are actually ice droplets from water misted onto the ice, the ancient formation of the sport (apparently we can blame Scotland for this sport as well as golf)

Since I'm being sucked into trying the sport, potentially joining a league, at least I will have a clue. Wish me luck!



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Vertigo

No posts last week, got hit with some serious vertigo ( I always thought the "room spinning" was figurative, nope through my eyeballs the floor was up then it wasn't then it was sideways and then I was down)  I spent a few days sucking on  ginger root because the world was still a bit rocky and I was making myself "sea sick"  ugh.

PSA:  the next person who says something about it happening to "women my age" will be in the ER on a gurney.  The only 4 other people I personally know that have had the issue are men. So hmmmf.

zucchini calzones and eggplant calzones

Got the recipe from The Chew -- Mario Batali Calzones with eggplant and zucchini. (Two separate recipes - the eggplant is stuffed with an eggplant caponata filling, the zucchini sit with some salt to pull water out and is mixed with a ricotta mixture) I needed a good eggplant recipe, because one of my plants makes prolific chocolate brown eggplant about 3-4" long and about 2" in diameter - but 7-8 ripen at a time. And lets face it everyone can use another yummy zucchini recipe! Served up with a tossed balcony garden salad and some tomato/basil sauce to dip in.  Came out really good - have leftovers in the freezer.

Palm Tree and Sunbrella

One summer I will have my completed cotton throw!

 

Sweet Tomorrows

Sweet Tomorrows by Debbie Macomber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Final :( installment of The Rose Harbor saga. Two happily ever afters. Elvis the dog (much like Rover Jo Marie's dog, Macomber makes pets live and breathe and be part of the story not just the scenery) Learn the "unclassified" version of Mark's story.

Read this in one day, started in the am at laundry, picked up before dinner, made the mistake of picking back up after dinner and ended up reading until 1:30 am --- on a work night!

Sad that this series is over, but hopeful Macomber is developing another soon.



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more harvest pics

OMG - love SB's article about Sat's game!

I really loved this article on SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/9/4/12791146/alabama-crimson-tide-usc-trojans-football-dont-hit-bama-in-the-dick

I mean this headline:

And this chart:

Seriously, even if you don't like Alabama, even if you despise Saban ( lots of people apparently do.. probably because he beat their team)  even if you don't follow college football - read it!

Long season ahead....

Two overtimes, no defense... sigh... sadness....

Tide vs Trojans

It's been a long offseason, but Alabama football is back!! (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Nick Saban?) I will admit, I was worried because a lot of key players from last year are gone, but one must have faith in one's coach- because Nick Saban.  Honestly the Tide played sloppy. Very sloppy.  Saban started Barnett, I think he let his nerves get to him on the big stage, then put in Jalen Hurts, who screwed up his first play and I banged my head.  But he played well - think Saban has his starter. 

One of the reason's I love Saban is I'm a lot like him - yes, we won 52-6, but we played sloppy, very sloppy.  If the team doesn't get it together they aren't going to win another championship.  They are lucky USC played sloppier.

Went to Chili's

I have to say, it's been literally years since I went to Chili's.  The 9 years I was working in Totowa, I'd rather go to Jose Tejas, and the location in Parsippany was turned into a Buffalo Wild Wings.  Even though in East Hanover I work maybe a half mile down Route 10 from one, I always escape out the back way so I get on 10 about 2 miles further down, most of the time Curt and I go to dinner we start at home, so I'm not going all the way back towards work - not for a chain restaurant anyway. But Curt left work late, traffic heavy on a holiday Friday, so he met me at work and we went over.  The menu has changed!  A lot!  They still do have the Southwest eggrolls - so we split them, beer list sucked so went with Sam Adams Octoberfest, Curt had a burger, I had the Chipotle Chicken fresh Mex bowl. (picture of bowl glomed from interwebz)

Not bad for a surprise dinner out, but I really won't go back on purpose.

Colouring with new crayons!