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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