Auntie Nettie Reads A LOT 2013 - 3rd Quarter

via the Twitters and TOTALLY sarcastically

Well, I usually read a lot MORE  (see the earlier lists), but this year has also been "read"iculous. This quarter I made an effort to stop staring at my computer at home after work, or at the device on the train after work. My to-read list and request lists are still PAGES long despite this effort. I'm hoping a road trip with my mother to the Cape will give me a chance to work my way through a pile of ARCs and unread new books.

The usual caveat applies: If you are just finding the blog, please note that this list was maintained mainly so that I could remember what I've read this year. The record does not fully represent me or all of my interests, so don't judge my reading habits. My interests change quite frequently. Also, as a general rule, I don't do book recommendations or link to major retailers or publishers (UNLESS IT'S MAH FREEENNDZZZ). Except for the ARCs listed below [thanks major publishers!], most of these books came from MY library or a public library. 

Go forth, use your library card and READ! 

July-September
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
A handful of online book snippets via iBooks
The J.M. Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society by Barbara J. Zitwer
The River of No Return: A Novel by Bee Ridgway (didn't finish)
Time Flies: A Novel by Claire Cook
Mrs. Queen Takes the Train: A Novel by William Kuhn
The House on Willow Street: A Novel by Cathy Kelly
The Last Word (Document 6) A Spellman Novel by Lisa Lutz
Ladies' Night: A Novel by Mary Kay Andrews
Elizabeth the First Wife by Lian Dolan *
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Fly Away by Kristin Hannah (ARC)
The Lavender Garden: A Novel by Lucinda Riley (ARC)
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic: A Novel by Emily Croy Barker
Forever Interrupted: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid (ARC)
The Unfinished Garden: A Novel by Barbara Claypole White
Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman
The World's Strongest Librarian: 
   A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
The Woman Who Dies A Lot: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde
Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe: A Novel with Recipes by Jenny Colgan
The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe: A Novel by Mary Simses
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Dead Ever After (Final Sookie Stackhouse) by Charlaine Harris
Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts
Steadfast: The Elemental Masters, Book Eight by Mercedes Lackey
The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice
The Passion of the Purple Plumeria: A Pink Carnation Novel by Lauren Willig
The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand
Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Novel by Lauren Graham
Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison

Photos of the Day: September Sauron Sunsets

Sun setting over New Jersey, as viewed from 16th floor of NYC hotel

  "Concealed within his fortress, the lord of Mordor sees all.  
His gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh.  

You know of what I speak, Gandalf: 
a great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame."
—Saruman  (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Does the Eye of Sauron make our "Minas Tirith" burn?

via iTouch, Friday night, September 27, 2013

Cynthia's milestone birthday celebrations

Press Lounge, ink48

Celebrate the right to read

Letters from/for Drew: Snail and Blog Mail

Drew's letter 9/21/13

Dear Drew:

Thank you for your letter.

I miss you too! I need to call you guys on the computer some night soon. I'll talk to your mom about making a time - or maybe one day when you are at Grandmary's house for a sleepover?

I did know the babies were standing up. I saw a picture of them getting ready for bathtime, but I didn't know about all their teeth. Do they bite you? Watch out! What toy did your mom buy them that they love?

Are they crawling into your room too? Do you think they will be walking by Christmas, or just crawling and climbing all over the place? Do they race each other?

I am excited to hear about you playing flag football and playing on the Ravens team and wearing the black jersey. Do you wear helmets and pad in flag football? Is there tackling in that one, or only in the "regular" football? Be careful. I think you should only wear black and blue, not BE black and blue. I bruise a lot, so have to wear long pants to hide how clumsy I am banging myself on my desk.

I'm glad you are starting lots of new book series. I have heard of the Spiderwick Chronicles, and the Magic Tree House books, but do you know? I never read ANY of them. You'll have to tell me what they were about. Do you know what you want to read next, because I am always looking for recommendations - for now and for buying your Christmas presents and birthday. Do you read to the babies, or by yourself in your room? (Do you know, sometimes Grandmary liked to have me read out loud to your dad when we were really little. There are silly silly pictures at Grandmary's house somewhere in your special room.)

My favorite subjects in school were music and reading. NOT P.E. and our library time was VERY different when I was your age. There were no fancy iPads. We barely had old fashioned typewriters, and NOT in the library, because they were too loud. P.E. was hard. There was too much running and jumping, and then balls kept being thrown at me or ... at least that's what it felt like. I think I was supposed to be catching, or hitting, or throwing that silly ball -- instead of ducking.

I DID have fun on the boat with my friend. It was really different from my vacations during the winter when I come out and see you, and the babies, and your parents, and Grandmary and Grumpa. I'm trying to plan my next trip. Do you have a list of things you want to try and do with me? We always go bowling and try and see a movie - but you never wait to save a movie to see with me! Maybe hiking again? Too bad Grumpa doesn't have 3 kayaks, or all 3 of us could go out on the water. You are getting really good. Think about it and let me know.

Thanks again SO much for your real letter in my mail box. I read it almost immediately on my walk back to my office. I was outside by a metal food truck waiting for my lunch sandwich and it made the time go much faster. Real mail is so much better than just bills and advertisements! (I even think the girls behind me in line were reading your letter. I don't think they realized people still wrote and sent real letters!) Tomorrow I'll print this out and put it in an envelope and send it to you.

Lots of love,
I miss you too!

Auntie Nettie

P.S. What are you going to be for Halloween?
P.S.S. Kiss the babies for me.
P.S.S.S. Hug mom for me and say thank you for writing the addresses on the envelope and sticking it in the mail.

9-21-13

Dear Nettie, I miss you alot. Did you know that the babies were standing up? Cannon has 3 teeth and Sarah has 2 teeth. Mom bought them a new toy and they love it! Now that they can crawl they're EVERYWHERE!

On Monday I get to go to flag football. My team is the Ravens and I get to wear black jerseys. I'm really excited.

I started a new series of books since I'm out of books. There called the Spiderwick Chronicles. I barly just got done finishing nuber fifty of the magic tree house books. I am having a fantastic time in school. My favorite subjects are P.E. and Library. I like Library because we get to use Ipads and check out cool books.

It looks like you had an amazing cruise you went on. I liked your postcards. Again I miss you alot.

See you at christmas.

Drew

How Many Days until the Weekend?

via the Twitters

Photo of the Day: Sphinx with No Name

 Maker Faire, Saturday, September 21, 2013

Side of Cargo Container

Artist still working on additional panel to the right, out of view.

Substitute Sphinx, and it almost still works.

A Horse With No Name

On the first part of the journey,
I was looking at all the life.
There were plants and birds. and rocks and things,
There was sand and hills and rings.
The first thing I met, was a fly with a buzz,
And the sky, with no clouds.
The heat was hot, and the ground was dry,
But the air was full of sound.

I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain.
In the desert you can remember your name,
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la

After two days, in the desert sun,
My skin began to turn red.
After three days, in the desert fun,
I was looking at a river bed.
And the story it told, of a river that flowed,
Made me sad to think it was dead.

You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain.
In the desert you can remember your name,
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la

After nine days, I let the horse run free,
'Cause the desert had turned to sea.
There were plants and birds, and rocks and things,
There was sand and hills and rings.
The ocean is a desert, with it's life underground,
And a perfect disguise above.
Under the cities lies, a heart made of ground,
But the humans will give no love.

You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain.
In the desert you can remember your name,
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.

La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
La la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la

Songwriters: BUNNELL, DEWEY

Found at: http://youtu.be/zSAJ0l4OBHM

Photo of the Day: Families at the Faire

Maker Faire, Saturday, September 21, 2013

Tutus, robots, and children of all ages staring at the Life-Sized Mousetrap: 

Perfectly illustrating why I love the Faire.

Photo of the day: 3D Printer Art

 Marker Faire, Saturday, September 21, 2013

Portion of work by Shane Hope

3D Printed Paintings of Nanomolecularity

3D printed molecular models and paint on plexiglass.

Shane Hope

Shane Hope nano-nonobjective-oriented ontographically scribbles scriptable-scalable species-tool-beings quacker-castin' computronium-clouds.

---

Photo of the Day: Overexposure

Maker Faire, Saturday, September 21, 2013

Art inside a shipping container wall. 

Only "slightly" altered by playing with the editing devices.

A day at the Faire, with all kinds of stimulus, and I feel a little overexposed myself.

It was great, mind you, but I need to regroup.

Time Flies: The Twins Grew Up!

Look at what a difference about 10 months makes! 

 Happy Birth Week Nov. 2012

Cannon and Sarah: Professional Glamor Baby Shotz (TM)

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

No one could stay up to check on Santa.

January 2013: Stare down: Sarah wins!

FEED US! We're hungry!

We solemnly swear we are up to no good! They learned from the Weasleys.

Duckface and "Cheese!"

Look at us, we're fancy!

Unimpressed twins are unimpressed!

Look at Cannon's drooooooooool!

Sarah does not like tummy time.

Webble wobble twins

Making a break for it on Labor Day.

Yep. They are standing.

 Ah yes, the obligatory baby butt shots. Had to. 

Luckily, there is NO traffic to this site.

Also, to note, for the record: Cannon's super resemblance to Drew at those ages.

Sarah is her OWN distinct little personality, for sure.

Thanks to my parents, sibs, family Facebook accounts, and e-mail for the majority of these pictures. 

I haven't shot anything of them, or SNUGGLED, since January. 

They won't want to snuggle so much in December.

Sad Auntie is sad.

When is my flight again? December 20-what?

Photos of the Day: Family Fotos

Time for family photo therapy! Look at how big everyone has gotten. 

Thanks to Grandmary and Grumpa for sharing. 

 Sarah, Drew, and Cannon

Amber, Nathan, and Elle (plus pets!)

Man, I miss these kids! Time to book plane tickets for this winter!

Society of the Bartleby: I prefer ...

via the Twitters

I would like to start society making this a real thing, 

and be able to redeem of these tickets PER DAY!

Maybe a: Society of the Bartleby *

Our motto? I would prefer not to.

There's already swag.

*Bartleby, The Scrivener: Herman Melville

Quote of the Day

 via the Twitters

Quote of the Day

 

 via the Twitters

Quote of the Day

To quote a friend:

Sometimes you just have to visit that small Mexican town of Incommunicado. 
No passport required. No suitcases needed.

Please hold.

This is my brain. This is my brain full of static.

It short-circuited enough today, that it was either:
~ spend the day blogging for the week
OR
~ nap.

I chose the latter. It was glorious.

Naps are totally wasted on the young. I think of all the times I refused to nap ... and I shake my head. I could nap all the time. Every single day.

Posts may resume as the static fades.

Quote of the Day

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Plugging My Friend's Book

I am so proud of my friend, aka The Ironic Mother. Leaving our organization and New York was a big step, but she had gone on to some great things, including writing a BOOK! Arts & Numbers

Now she's on a series of book tours.

Guess what I'm doing tonight?

I'll be the one in the back, cheering loudly. Maybe with Levain cookies, banners, and a grin.

For ONCE, I will link to Amazon. BUY IT. It'd be a perfect graduation gift for arts grads, along with Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art.

September 11, 2001

 Never forgotten.

Quote of the day: Downtime Justificiation

via the Twitters

Justification for why my posts aren't so comprehensive lately. I'm RESTING my brain from some other pressures.

Dreaming Out Loud - Sabbatical

Photo from here

As you have seen, last month's cruise was a delightful sampling of vacation travel. It just whet my appetite for Canada, the Maritimes, sea sailing, travel, and being away from the City, the stresses, and all kinds of things.

I'm saving my pennies for a future trip. (Not my Canadian pennies, however.)

Ah ... some of my vivid dreams are to go back, go on other journeys, sail on a tall ship or yacht - but I'll cover that in another months.

Dreams, you see, can shift, and drift, and sail, and wisp away on currents ...


I came back and have been in the midst of all kinds of sea changes at the office. I find myself in familiar turbulent waters. To move the metaphor back to a land setting, I find myself approaching a crossroads.

I see the intersection coming up on the horizon.

The decisions are, go straight on full steam ahead, turn left ... or turn right -- both into the unknown.

Right now, I can't see the forest for the trees. I'm in the weeds.

Photo from here

To be totally pragmatic, my dream this month is about all about money.
Benjamins. Currency. Funding. Cash. Grants. Dollars -- and "Sense"

Image from here

Image from here

Money: So I can take a "sabbatical" to find out what I really want to do with the other half of my life.

If I wasn't worried about paying off my debt(s), paying my bills, and/or paying my rent, would I escape from current scenario and try new things, explore new locations, spend time with family, take my time and get re-educated/re-trained, and really plan what to do, instead of just lucking into career opportunities?

Yes.

Hell yes. 

In a gold-plated heartbeat.

Image from here

Life is too short to be this stressed-out and stuck behind a computer in a cubicle in an airless building.

But the reality is, this is just a VERY expensive dream. I don't have the kinds of fairy godmothers who have this kind of  discretionary giving. The ability to just to wave a not-insignificant money at a random person to wipe the slate, waive the monthly bills, build a nest egg, and fund a series of journeys down a new set a paths.

Maybe this isn't a really a sabbatical I'm dreaming about?

Time to keep stashing my coins in the wish jars.

Photo of the Day: Play it Buddha

 

"You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day - 

unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour."

~Zen Proverb

Or just chill like this Buddha, strumming your guitar on a random awning on the East Side.

I get bored sitting in meditation. I'm better walking or baking.

Photos of the Day: Adventures in Advertising

 Don't these all look like advertisements for cruising?

Nope. I took 'em all.

With material that Mother Nature presented, it's hard to go wrong.

Sometimes She makes me feel "this" small.