Category: Random Thoughts

Ceremony for bike ride fundraiser

My dad passed away earlier this year, and he was chosen to be one of the people named on the jerseys for the fundraiser for cancer research for firefighters.

The bikers will ride down California, stopping at various fire houses along the way.

The riders all had to raise money for the honor of riding with the group. The check will be presented when they finish the ride.

The family was presented with the jersey, framed with dad’s name on it.

One rider was patient while we took photos of the names.

It was a nice ceremony. I am glad we were able to be a part of it.

The Play That Goes Wrong

Earlier this year, I went to see Hamilton. I got emails with advertisements for upcoming plays. One caught my eye as it was described as “Monty Python meets Sherlock Holmes.” My cousin agreed to go with me. My mom did, too.

Mom and I went early and got drinks at Equator coffee and tea. I got an oolong tea and mom got a latte. We met my cousin there. He had a sour cherry soda.

After we finished our drinks, we walked to the theater and settled into our seats. The play started right on time, with the lights on. We were laughing from the first moment. I loved the whole thing, but the ending had so much slapstick, I had a hard time figuring out whodunit. It really didn’t matter, though, since the comedy was the important part.

As I went to stand up, a friend poked her head into our section to say hi. I didn’t know she was going to see the same play. It was nice to see her.

After the play, we went to one of my favorite places, Koja, for a late lunch. I also got a Thai iced tea at the vegan place. All was delicious.

We talked for a long time after, before heading home. The train was late, so we caught a train to bring us closer to home, and called uber. My daughter beat the uber driver there, so I have a cancellation on my uber account. So much for my 5.0 star rating.

We napped before dinner. I hadn’t realized how exhausting laughing that much could be. It was such a fun day.

First Day of School, round 2

MWF and TTh run differently at our house. Wednesday was the actual First day of school. Yesterday was the first Thursday of school.

I don’t have classes on MWF, so Wednesday didn’t affect me much. Yesterday, I had class in the evening. I tried to get my to-do list together so I could do it on the way home. I got a lot of it done, actually. I got home from work before my kids got home, so I managed a nap after a few chores.

I started packing the car about fifteen minutes before departure time and it took me longer than I anticipated. We left for school a little late, but made it on time. I realized that I forgot some of my equipment. I have the syllabus, but I didn’t realize that I’d get far enough to actually need all of the tools. And, toward the end of class. the instructor told me to skip the first project, anyway, since I’d done it last semester. Good thing I didn’t get far.

I got a background done.

It wouldn’t be acrylic painting class for me if I didn’t paint other things besides the canvas. Off to a great start of the semester!

Book to movie – Where’d You Go, Bernadette

I read the book when I heard the movie was coming out. I enjoyed the book, especially the quirky characters. I was concerned that some of the parts of the book would be overdone in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. The movie followed the book very well. There were a couple of parts from the book that weren’t in the movie. It was probably better, since they were minor things and leaving them out didn’t take anything from the original story. In retrospect, they didn’t need to be in the book at all.

The movie was well cast. No one seemed to be trying to make her character bigger than she was, and no one made her character ridiculous.

Bottom line, I enjoyed the movie just as much as the book. I was very happy with it.

Books read by Barack Obama

Someone sent me this list/essay.  I found it interesting.  Some of the books show up on other lists, like List of lists.  This current list is by Barack Obama.

“It’s August, so I wanted to let you know about a few books I’ve been reading this summer, in case you’re looking for some suggestions. To start, you can’t go wrong by reading or re-reading the collected works of Toni Morrison. Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else — they’re transcendent, all of them. You’ll be glad you read them. And while I’m at it, here are a few more titles you might want to explore:

Sometimes difficult to swallow, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead is a necessary read, detailing the way Jim Crow and mass incarceration tore apart lives and wrought consequences that ripple into today.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a collection of short stories that will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction.

Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel­’s epic fictionalized look at Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power, came out in 2009, but I was a little busy back then, so I missed it. Still great today.

Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women examines what happens to characters without important women in their lives; it’ll move you and confuse you and sometimes leave you with more questions than answers.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson is a whole lot more than just a spy thriller, wrapping together the ties of family, of love, and of country.

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr came out a few years ago, but its arguments on the internet’s impact on our brains, our lives, and our communities are still worthy of reflection, which is something we all could use a little more of in this age.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is a beautifully written memoir about the life of a woman in science, a brilliant friendship, and the profundity of trees. Terrific.

Inland by Téa Obreht just came out yesterday, so I won’t spoil anything. But those of you who’ve been waiting for Obreht’s next novel won’t be disappointed.

You’ll get a better sense of the complexity and redemption within the American immigrant story with Dinaw Mengestu’s novel, How to Read the Air.

Maid by Stephanie Land is a single mother’s personal, unflinching look at America’s class divide, a description of the tightrope many families walk just to get by, and a reminder of the dignity of all work.”

What are you reading Wednesday

Well, this is delayed, and has been for a while, unfortunately.  Yes, I am aware it’s Thursday.

My current audiobook is The Hate U Give.  I should finish it by tomorrow afternoon.

I have a few books due for bookclub soon.  I should probably get going on them.

I am reading the sequel to OH. MY. GODS. BY TERA LYNN CHILDS on the Kindle.  I might finish that early next week.