Don't Try This At Home

This Is Only A Test

We interrupt this amazingly witty blog with your life. Apparently you have forgotten that what goes on outside your blog does, in fact, take precedence over said blog. Because of this oversight we must rectify this situation by filling each and every one of your days with errands and obligations until you are again aware that you have a life outside of the blog. If you can make adjustments by Monday you will be allowed to return. That is all.

(pssst! I'm sneaking in to say that Shalee tagged me for a meme I already did: The Weirdo Meme. You can see mine here.)

WFMW: The Question Mark

Have you ever updated your blog or another web page only to view said page and NOT see your changes? How frustrating! Next time, try this: At the end of your URL type a '?' (without the quotes) and hit Enter. This should trick your browser into finding the newest page and refreshing its cache.

Here's an example just in case that didn't quite make sense. If your URL is
http://donttrythisathome.typepad.com/
but you aren't seeing your changes, you need to add that question mark so it looks like this
http://donttrythisathome.typepad.com/?
Then hit Enter.

To view more hints and tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer the original Works-for-Me Wednesday tipster!

The Summer of Sucktastic Books

I will be the first to admit that I am a book snob of the highest order. I like my classics. I expect my books to have some meaning and some meat to them. Even the books I pick for fluff are usually a little less fluffy than the norm. I don't mind trying a new author, but I expect a lot out of them.

This summer, though, I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and try a few books from the bestseller lists--something I usually avoid like the plague. My biggest problem with bestsellers is that I feel they have been dumbed down for the masses as if we can't hold a real thought for more than two seconds.

Of the six books I read this summer (a woefully inadequate number), some were for book club and some were just random books I picked up from Borders. Only two were not sucktastic. Only two were worth buying, keeping, recommending, and re-reading: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

• The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardener: This book is interesting enough, but isn't a real challenge. Those of you who like a paperback pool book or something you can keep in the car and pick up for those 10-minute waits here and there, this is your book. The premise is that a family's daughter is abducted. A few years later a girl about their daughter's age is abandoned at the hospital where the dad is a doctor. They adopt this girl to replace their daughter. Is this adoptive daughter the daughter of the man that abducted and murdered their original daughter?
• The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay: This is a book that can be discussed on several levels. What exactly is the power of one? Is it the influence of one person on another? Is it the impact of a single event? Is it the power of one person over his own destiny? We meet PK when he is only five years old and is sent to school. From there we watch him as he grows, learns, matures, and trains to become the best boxer in the world. The memoir of his life in WWII Africa is engrossing. Don't miss this one.
• Whiteout by Ken Follett: I picked this up on the $5 rack at Borders. I have only read one other Ken Follet book and that was The Pillars of the Earth. Pillars is one of the best epic, historical fiction novels I've ever read and I highly recommend it. It's also very different than Whiteout. In Whiteout, Follett tackles bio-terrorism. Toni Gallo is the security head at a pharmaceutical company who finds that some very important and deadly chemicals are missing. Throw in a Christmas snowstorm, a romance with her boss, and some nasty villains and you've got yourself a story. The thing that saves this book is Follett's writing. He doesn't belabor the point and he moves things along just fast enough to keep you interested. I could have done without the contrived love interests, but I suppose those are an integral part of any bestseller these days. I'd recommend it if you have a plane ride in your future.
• Deception Point by Dan Brown: I have had this on my list of books I could read for a while now. I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons for what they were and thought I might enjoy one of his earlier novels as well. This is another pool book (in fact, that is where I read this one). It is not a great pool book, but it will do. This is supposed to be a thriller you just can't put down. The book is about NASA finding a meteorite with fossils that prove there is life in other parts of the universe. Various agencies are brought in to authenticate the find. Here's where I started having problems--not with whether there's life "out there", but with the fact that the entire plot could have been avoided if a major character had just done her job (which I kept saying to myself as soon as she failed to do so). That little tid-bit made it hard for me to relax and enjoy the book; I just couldn't buy that the best in her field would make such a rookie mistake. And again with the contrived love thing. Can we please have a strong woman without her needing to eventually fall into the arms of a man? Love is grand. I love LOVE. But not when it's not a part of the story. Gah! If I'm reading a love story? Great. This was not a love story.
  
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: Anyone who actually knows me knows I love me some Steinbeck. Although East of Eden is still my favorite, Grapes of Wrath was still a masterpiece. Although I have lived in Oklahoma since I was three, I had never read this book. My friends, it is powerful. The Joad family is representative of every family in America that had to move to find a better life for themselves in the 20s and 30s. Each family member emerges from the journey changed and with new purpose. The discussion for this book is boundless: are we all part of one "big soul" or are we solely responsible for ourselves? How does nature function (good or evil)? How does one lose his connection with the earth/land/humanity as he lives for himself alone? I highly recommend this book to everyone. Steinbeck's writing is laced with symbolism, but it does not impede your reading. The story is just as wonderful to read without worrying about the deeper meaning. If you choose to delve deeper, though, you will never find a shortage of things to consider and you won't be disappointed.
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards: I do realize this book is popular right now. That may be one of the reasons I hated it so much. I thought the writing was mediocre and the story was boring. It had the potential to be interesting, but Edwards just didn't have the talent to bring it alive. I found myself skimming the paragraphs to discern the gist of the page and moving on. I won't give anything away, but about two-thirds of the way through a few things happen abruptly. My first reaction was that Edwards started to bore even herself and this was the only way to get the end started. The book is about a doctor and his wife who have twins. One of the twins is born with Downs and, it being the 50s, the doctor orders the nurse to take the baby away to a home. The doctor tells his wife the baby was still-born. They raise the other twin. The nurse, instead of taking the child to the home, decides to move and raise the child as her own. You can see how this all raises many problems and how it could have been a riveting read. Unfortunately this book is one of the worst I've read and I cannot recommend it. I only read the entire thing because it is one of our book club books and is being hosted by a friend of mine next month. What I can recommend is walking the other way if you see it in the book store. Of all the books I read this summer, this was the most sucktastic.

Let Me Get This Straight

Let me get this straight:

I post a Dali painting and discussion and I get crickets.

I post a female Sphinx cat nursing on a male Sphinx cat and all of a sudden it's raining comments!

I'm not so sure it's the cats who are sick and wrong . . . But I like it! You guys can come sit next to me any time!

The Definition of Sick and Wrong

I warn you, this is sick and wrong.

I have a friend who has two Sphinx cats. Sphinx cats are the hairless, freaky cats you see in books. Yeah, she actually found a breeder in town and bought not one, but two.

At first, they were a little hard to fathom. Every time I would pet Bennie (the male and first one she bought; I think he's about two now) I would think, something's not right. It feels like something, but I can't put my finger on it. I enjoy petting him but . . . Then I realized what it was I was thinking of. And I won't print it here. Let's just say . . . no, let's don't. Anyway, I got past all that and moved on. My main issue with Bennie right now (until I received this video) is his gas. He seems to only be interested in me when he has gas to pass.

When my friend got Annie in May I was thrilled. This cat is a princess. She has a little more hair than Bennie (on her tail and nose) and she's unbelievably friendly. She's still a kitten. A kitten, it appears, that a) was weaned too early and b) is confused on just who she should be suckling. Not that Bennie is complaining, mind you.

Sick and wrong. The, uh, "knocking" sound? Yeah, that's Annie. Seriously, don't they make a kitty binky or something?

 

Happy Birthday Friend!

Happy Birthday Shannon!

I hope you have a truly fantastic and magical day!

The Well-Swaddled Baby

I am so pleased with how the new baby blanket turned out!

Here's a closeup of the fringe:

Finally, here are the burp cloths I made to go with the blanket. Unfortunately, I could not find the plain blue flannel that matched the star print so I went with purple.

The best part? My brother and his wife will receive them today! Just in time to bring home the baby!

I'm an Auntie! Woo HOO!

My nephew was born tonight! My brother just called and I have a new nephew: Ewan Anthony. He has a large nose (a la his daddy) and strawberry blond hair (a la his mama). He is 20 1/4 inches and weighs in at a healthy 7 pounds, 2.9 oz.

I don't have any pictures yet, but I have been assured they are coming. I can assure you that I will then inundate you with bragging.

And The Hometeam Wins!

My friend Christine has been toying with starting a blog for a while. She's been a faithful reader and commenter here at Don't Try This, not to mention a faithful friend for oh, about ten years. She's an amazing lady, my friends. She's just finding her blogging voice. Won't you go over and welcome her into the fold? You're gonna love her story about her mom jeans. We've all felt this way!

WFMW: A Good Cry

Growing up I remember hearing that women live longer than men because women cry more. The reasoning was that the tears washed impurities and toxins out of the body and this was related to longevity.

Crying also helps us cope with anxieties. A good cry actually helps me relax. A really heavy, red-faced, can't-breathe cry leaves me feeling tired and ready for a great night's sleep. When I awake, I'm ready to begin again. My best cries were when I was dealing with certain change: a new job, moving, tension with another that needed to be addressed. I was able to drain myself and I was ready to be filled again.

To view more hints and tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer the original Works for Me Wednesday tipster!