I like Goodreads for keeping track of my lists. List of books to read, & list of books that I have read. & I can easily sort them in different ways. Mmmmmm. Lists & sorting.
This is the first year that I really kept a To Read list & worked on reading things from it, so I thought I'd share the pages I went through this year. In chronological order. Not counting books I had already read previously.
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1. Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, #2)
2. The Folk of the Fringe
3. Prentice Alvin (Tales of Alvin Maker, #3)
4. Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)
5. Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture
6. Alvin Journeyman (Tales of Alvin Maker, #4)
7. The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength
8. Heartfire (Tales of Alvin Maker, #5)
9. The Crystal City (Tales of Alvin Maker, #6)
10. Lost Boys
11. Treasure Box
12. The Worthing Saga (Worthing, #1-3)
13. The Giver (The Giver Quartet, #1)
14. No Country for Old Men
15. Five Children and It (Five Children, #1)
16. Around the World in Eighty Days
17. Anna and the King of Siam
18. Fairest
19. Spock Must Die! (Star Trek Adventures, #1)
20. Earth Afire (The First Formic War, #2)
21. Hot Sleep (Worthing, #2)
22. Battle Royale
23. Stargate SG-1: Dialing up. The Official Guide to Season 1-5
24. Jesus Without Religion: What Did He Say? What Did He Do? What's the Point?
25. A Year of Biblical Womanhood
26. We
27. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (With the Light, #7)
28. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (With the Light, #8)
29. Sherlock Holmes: Misteri Yang Tak Terpecahkan (A Slight Trick of the Mind)
30. True Grit
31. Instant Mom
32. The Pastor: A Memoir
33. Thus Spoke Zarathustra
34. The Pulse
35. I am currently reading: Glass, Paper, Beans: Revelations on the Nature and Value of Ordinary Things
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Not bad, I think! You can see that this is the year that I tried reading Orson Scott Card books besides Enderverse stuff; I reeeaaally enjoy The Tales of Alvin Maker. I quit reading two books this year... I was bored to tears by the writing style of Eragon, & Thus Spoke Zarathustra got pretty redundant. I've also reached a point where I am currently bored of dystopias.
Goals for next year, reading-wise: read more non-fiction, more stuff I've compiled on my Nook HD, & more non-ACD Sherlock stuff. Maybe. ;-)
Friday, December 27, 2013
Monday, December 09, 2013
Re: Being Task Focused
My husband thinks I should blog more about my personality & what is it like for me, so I figured I'd start with one of the aspects that I feel makes me seem least approachable.
The default state of my mind is analyzing/prioritizing what needs to be done. This is nice because it allows me to put logic into action-- for example, I figure out easily that I should eat lunch before I scrub the kitchen floor, so that I don't get hungry while the floor is wet. My brain is full of planning & consequences & results & contingency plans. (Honestly, not as much of that last. I don't deal as well with changes as I'd like.)
The point is, my brain works by establishing a plan & then following it. Even when I am taking time to relax, it is still part of a plan. I plan to work on typing this until I get hungry, then I shall eat lunch & work on chores. I plan to get x & y task done, so that I can unwind with fun thing z until event a. That is how everything happens for me.
You can tell how important something is to me by how much attention I pay to the details... which seems to come across in the opposite way, sadly. People think I'm being grumpy & ignoring them, when the reality is that I'm just trying to do what I feel is most important, usually because a person is important to me. It often happens that I show up to an event of some sort, & anyone who tries to greet me before I can get my coat off feels brushed off. I just want to get comfortable first, get my hands free, so I have more opportunity to give you my full attention.
No one looks at my degree of concentration & thinks "I really appreciate how seriously she is taking the task at hand". They just think "she must be mad at me".
This gets even worse when there are unanticipated changes. My brain tries to figure out why the changes are there, & how I can best continue to accomplish the task, & my face & tone of voice turn into CRAZY ANGRY WOMAN. I'm not actually crazy angry woman! I'm just trying to operate at optimal efficiency! I promise.
Another way that this aspect of me shows up is sometimes I seem nit-picky. I'll try to suggest a way that a thing could be done, or ask someone why they did a thing they way that they did, & it comes across as nagging or not trusting the person. In reality, I'm just trying to help & to understand. I'm not even necessarily trying to say that my way is the best way! I truly want to hear your opinions & thought process, because you matter to me. My interest in the situation is actually an interest in you, but it is so commonly misinterpreted. (My least favorite part of this is when people assume that I'm mad at my husband. I'm not mad at anyone, my husband understands, please don't make a snarky comment.) It's my way of trying to be involved, which I only bother to try to do when I like you.
Ways for you to work with this facet of how I am:
-Be patient. Let me finish the thing I'm doing before you assume how I feel. Maybe even offer to help me with the thing, if applicable.
-Explain changes in the plan as much as possible. Some people just roll with changes like they don't even exist, but I feel much better the more I know what's going on.
-Plan with me. If I don't seem to be able to engage with you at the moment, tell me that you'd like to talk with me before I leave, or whatever is applicable.
-Ask me straight up how I feel, if you're unsure. I'm always honest. (Even if I actually am mad at you, I will find a way to let you know what is bothering me.)
-Don't take it personally. The most important thing to me is people & my relationships with them, I just show it differently.
Ways for me to try to be 'better':
-I am trying to work on my tone of voice & facial expressions, so I won't seem so upset.
-Maybe I can be more open about communicating why I am so intent on whatever I'm doing, so people see that there is a reason for my determination.
-&/or I could more frequently use phrases like "give me five minutes please" (with a smile) or some such?
-I'm not sure how to become more accepting of change, but I can try to handle it better.
The default state of my mind is analyzing/prioritizing what needs to be done. This is nice because it allows me to put logic into action-- for example, I figure out easily that I should eat lunch before I scrub the kitchen floor, so that I don't get hungry while the floor is wet. My brain is full of planning & consequences & results & contingency plans. (Honestly, not as much of that last. I don't deal as well with changes as I'd like.)
The point is, my brain works by establishing a plan & then following it. Even when I am taking time to relax, it is still part of a plan. I plan to work on typing this until I get hungry, then I shall eat lunch & work on chores. I plan to get x & y task done, so that I can unwind with fun thing z until event a. That is how everything happens for me.
You can tell how important something is to me by how much attention I pay to the details... which seems to come across in the opposite way, sadly. People think I'm being grumpy & ignoring them, when the reality is that I'm just trying to do what I feel is most important, usually because a person is important to me. It often happens that I show up to an event of some sort, & anyone who tries to greet me before I can get my coat off feels brushed off. I just want to get comfortable first, get my hands free, so I have more opportunity to give you my full attention.
No one looks at my degree of concentration & thinks "I really appreciate how seriously she is taking the task at hand". They just think "she must be mad at me".
This gets even worse when there are unanticipated changes. My brain tries to figure out why the changes are there, & how I can best continue to accomplish the task, & my face & tone of voice turn into CRAZY ANGRY WOMAN. I'm not actually crazy angry woman! I'm just trying to operate at optimal efficiency! I promise.
Another way that this aspect of me shows up is sometimes I seem nit-picky. I'll try to suggest a way that a thing could be done, or ask someone why they did a thing they way that they did, & it comes across as nagging or not trusting the person. In reality, I'm just trying to help & to understand. I'm not even necessarily trying to say that my way is the best way! I truly want to hear your opinions & thought process, because you matter to me. My interest in the situation is actually an interest in you, but it is so commonly misinterpreted. (My least favorite part of this is when people assume that I'm mad at my husband. I'm not mad at anyone, my husband understands, please don't make a snarky comment.) It's my way of trying to be involved, which I only bother to try to do when I like you.
Ways for you to work with this facet of how I am:
-Be patient. Let me finish the thing I'm doing before you assume how I feel. Maybe even offer to help me with the thing, if applicable.
-Explain changes in the plan as much as possible. Some people just roll with changes like they don't even exist, but I feel much better the more I know what's going on.
-Plan with me. If I don't seem to be able to engage with you at the moment, tell me that you'd like to talk with me before I leave, or whatever is applicable.
-Ask me straight up how I feel, if you're unsure. I'm always honest. (Even if I actually am mad at you, I will find a way to let you know what is bothering me.)
-Don't take it personally. The most important thing to me is people & my relationships with them, I just show it differently.
Ways for me to try to be 'better':
-I am trying to work on my tone of voice & facial expressions, so I won't seem so upset.
-Maybe I can be more open about communicating why I am so intent on whatever I'm doing, so people see that there is a reason for my determination.
-&/or I could more frequently use phrases like "give me five minutes please" (with a smile) or some such?
-I'm not sure how to become more accepting of change, but I can try to handle it better.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Initial Thoughts on Adventure Time
So I've been hearing a lot about Adventure Time since it began. A lot of Respectable Adult People really like the show & proclaim its goodness. They say it is clever, funny, & addresses real-life relate-able issues.
Since we now have Netflix, I can freely & instantly explore stuff that captures my curiosity, so I decided that I needed to check this deal out. Last night, I watched the first four segments.
Well, it wasn't bad! I enjoyed the animation style, & the music caught my attention more than once. I enjoyed the simple yet fun nature of the plots, the whimsical characters, & the style of story-telling.
However... most of the actual dialogue bogged me down a bit. I liked some of the quotable amusing moments, but overall most of it seemed waaaaaaaay too eager to please. I felt like it was trying so hard to be cool, hip, & trendy. I don't need "sexy" in my media, especially my cartoons. I don't need every line to sound like it wants to be a soundbite.
I can sort of see why it has made a name for being a "crowd pleaser"... but I feel like I'd be happier if it calmed down a bit & didn't try so hard.
(I'm sure some of that sounded like weird ways to describe a cartoon. I hope it made some sort of sense.)
It didn't really make me "feel" anything, nor did I feel I could really relate to any of the characters.
Bottom line: I'll probably end up watching more... if I get bored. But I've seen nothing to make me a "fan", nor am I eager to recommend it to others.
Since we now have Netflix, I can freely & instantly explore stuff that captures my curiosity, so I decided that I needed to check this deal out. Last night, I watched the first four segments.
Well, it wasn't bad! I enjoyed the animation style, & the music caught my attention more than once. I enjoyed the simple yet fun nature of the plots, the whimsical characters, & the style of story-telling.
However... most of the actual dialogue bogged me down a bit. I liked some of the quotable amusing moments, but overall most of it seemed waaaaaaaay too eager to please. I felt like it was trying so hard to be cool, hip, & trendy. I don't need "sexy" in my media, especially my cartoons. I don't need every line to sound like it wants to be a soundbite.
I can sort of see why it has made a name for being a "crowd pleaser"... but I feel like I'd be happier if it calmed down a bit & didn't try so hard.
(I'm sure some of that sounded like weird ways to describe a cartoon. I hope it made some sort of sense.)
It didn't really make me "feel" anything, nor did I feel I could really relate to any of the characters.
Bottom line: I'll probably end up watching more... if I get bored. But I've seen nothing to make me a "fan", nor am I eager to recommend it to others.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
An Open Letter to My Husband
Three years ago now, we were FINALLY able to see our wedding as a thing that was going to happen. Everything had finally been settled-- the honeymoon, our apartment, even the emotions of our parents. I'll never forget how sweet & supportive you were that whole summer while I was getting so frustrated about each big & little snag.
I think I told you about the minor break-down I had the morning of the wedding, but I was extra annoyed when I was told "it's just nerves". It wasn't. There was nothing but total peace in my heart about what we were finally about to do. I wasn't even bothered when you showed up with grease on your tie, or when you noticed you forgot to bring my wedding band. We got married, & it was everything I wanted, because all I wanted was to marry you. *high-five*
Marriage has been awesome! You're not late to dates anymore, I can make sure you eat actual food from time to time, you learned to rinse dishes, I get to steal your warmth, you assure me that housework isn't always the number one priority in life... you've shown me that marriage is even cooler than I'd imagined.
I think some of our current struggles are harder than those things we had to learn at first. Some of the day-to-day-to-day-to-day problems are smaller, but get so tedious in repetition. You're getting really good at not seeming too worn out by me being worn out. But I want you to always know that it's still just little things! I am comfortable letting you see me get tired of fighting these little things, because I am comfortable in the foundation of our relationship. You are doing your best, & your best is still impressive to me. I am still won over by your patience & your smile. I love getting to see your strongest & your weakest. I am grateful for each bump in the road because we get to learn through them.
It's been a long summer for both of us... but I can't imagine any of it without you. Actually, this whole year has been a bit of a big deal for me-- ever since that February night, you know the one, I've been working so hard on discovering/embracing how I function & trying to grow & work with it. You've done a lot of that yourself, plus we've been piecing together my growth & your growth... & of course we're still not done. I am so proud of what you've done this year, I am so blessed to have you as my partner & best friend, & I am so excited to have paperwork that binds you to me for the rest of my/your life. We got married young, we're still young, but I'd do it the same way all over again because I love doing life side-by-side with you.
You don't have to clean up your office to be a good husband. You don't have to understand what I'm thinking right away. You've always done what is needed-- you care about me, & show that you're in it for the long haul. I can't thank you enough for that. I can only hope that my love is as evident to you as yours is to me. I'd rather struggle with you than party with anyone else-- & our parties are always better anyway. ;-)
I think I told you about the minor break-down I had the morning of the wedding, but I was extra annoyed when I was told "it's just nerves". It wasn't. There was nothing but total peace in my heart about what we were finally about to do. I wasn't even bothered when you showed up with grease on your tie, or when you noticed you forgot to bring my wedding band. We got married, & it was everything I wanted, because all I wanted was to marry you. *high-five*
Marriage has been awesome! You're not late to dates anymore, I can make sure you eat actual food from time to time, you learned to rinse dishes, I get to steal your warmth, you assure me that housework isn't always the number one priority in life... you've shown me that marriage is even cooler than I'd imagined.
I think some of our current struggles are harder than those things we had to learn at first. Some of the day-to-day-to-day-to-day problems are smaller, but get so tedious in repetition. You're getting really good at not seeming too worn out by me being worn out. But I want you to always know that it's still just little things! I am comfortable letting you see me get tired of fighting these little things, because I am comfortable in the foundation of our relationship. You are doing your best, & your best is still impressive to me. I am still won over by your patience & your smile. I love getting to see your strongest & your weakest. I am grateful for each bump in the road because we get to learn through them.
It's been a long summer for both of us... but I can't imagine any of it without you. Actually, this whole year has been a bit of a big deal for me-- ever since that February night, you know the one, I've been working so hard on discovering/embracing how I function & trying to grow & work with it. You've done a lot of that yourself, plus we've been piecing together my growth & your growth... & of course we're still not done. I am so proud of what you've done this year, I am so blessed to have you as my partner & best friend, & I am so excited to have paperwork that binds you to me for the rest of my/your life. We got married young, we're still young, but I'd do it the same way all over again because I love doing life side-by-side with you.
You don't have to clean up your office to be a good husband. You don't have to understand what I'm thinking right away. You've always done what is needed-- you care about me, & show that you're in it for the long haul. I can't thank you enough for that. I can only hope that my love is as evident to you as yours is to me. I'd rather struggle with you than party with anyone else-- & our parties are always better anyway. ;-)
Friday, October 11, 2013
A to Z Book Survey
I'm totally stealing this from My Life as a Teacup (neato blog), & she got it from Chocolate & Cream Cake (also worth checking out).
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Author you’ve read the most books from.
*pretends to not mind the wording just used*
Orson Scott Card, John Grisham, & Lloyd Alexander.
Best sequel ever.
I love A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle SO much. It's the third in the Wrinkle in Time series, & they are all great, but this one is special to me.
Currently reading.
The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson.
Drink of choice while reading.
TEA. All the tea. Particularly chai or spearmint. It can be a wise choice to choose a flavor that is also good cold... ha. Or just start with iced tea. Also hot chocolate is always a favorite.
E-reader or physical book?
I prefer physical if I have the option. The weight, the smell, the sometimes-yellowed pages. It's nice to have easy access to flip back if desired. I like being able to feel where I am in the book. & if I drop it, it most likely won't risk needing replaced (for well over a hundred dollars at least). That's always nice. That said, I do love my tablet & it's great for having many books with me on-the-go. Also, free access to classics that I haven't yet read. Totally groovy. I sometimes prefer the tablet for reading in bed, so if I'm laying down flat & it slips from my hand I don't lose my place.
Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school.
Y'know, I graduated high school at 16, plus had vowed at 13 that I wouldn't date anyone until I was 20. (I did end up breaking that vow by a month + eighteen days, but not without much prayerful consideration.) Soooooooo we'll pretend you want to know who I'd've been buddies with & sort of maybe crushed on a little while a teenager. I'm also going to assume you mean someone actually around high-school age? & do you also mean someone I knew about when I was that age? (I don't do well with open-ended questions.)
Let's just say Calvin O'Keefe. He's a sweetie but not a pushover. Also a redhead. I kind of wanted a redhead. He's smart, easy to be around, respectful...
Glad you gave this book a chance.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. I was supposed to read it for school, but COULD NOT get into it so it got removed from my curriculum. (Yay homeschool? I'm actually kind of surprised my mom let it slide. But she doesn't actually like Jane Eyre, so that was probably a big part of it. In addition, the workbook wasn't very good. & I already read like a... person who reads a lot of books.) But then there it was on my shelf when I'd read every other book I owned & couldn't get myself to the library... & I loved it.
Hidden gem book.
Orson Scott Card's The Tale of Alvin Maker series. I consume the Ender's Game/Shadow series/es on a regular basis, but only recently have I attempted to read any of his other stuff. My favorite chapter of A Swiftly Tilting Planet was always The Lightning with Its Rapid Wrath, which is set in the early days of America & as if superstitions & so forth were real... & the Alvin Maker series is entirely about that! I never knew such a thing existed! If you know of any other books that would fit this sub-genre, please let me know, because I dig it.
Also, James Herriot's books.
Important moment in your reading life.
A few different things come to mind. I like this prompt. When I was I-don't-even-know-how-young & had read so many things & didn't know what to read next & was getting a little bit angsty about it, my mom let me read John Grisham's The Testament. After that, she let me read The Client. Then she just set me loose on all the John Grisham books she had. They were my first 'adult' books (classics don't really count). There was murder & rape & swearing & legalese! & I ate it up. & I have no idea how old I was, really. 12 or 13?
I also remember reading Shakespeare for the first time. & Les Miserables, of course. My first Batman comic. Also, I have only recently really begun to dig into non-fiction... sorry...
Just finished.
Instant Mom, by Nia Vardalos, is the last book I finished. It was beautiful.
Kinds of books you won’t read.
I usually don't read new fiction (with the exception of course of Orson Scott Card because he is still writing for series that are old now). I do not read romance novels (including "paranormal romance"). I probably wouldn't get much into military fiction.
Longest book you’ve ever read.
Les Miserables maybe? Probably?
Major book hangover because of…
I think the Harry Potter books did this to me more than any other. I don't want to sound like one of those weird obsessive fans! (They can be awfully scary. Which is why it took me so long to actually read the books.) But I really like the characters & the world.
Number of bookcases you own.
For books? *uses a bookcase in the kitchen & the bathroom, sorry (but not really), I love shelves* One big entire, one short entire, some books scattered elsewhere.
One book you have read multiple times.
If I like a book & own it, I've probably read it multiple times. That's what I do. My husband will read just about anything once & only once, but I am the sort to return & return. I'm going to say Batman: The Long Halloween, because comic books are great for rereading even if you aren't usually one to reread. & if Tim Sale did the art, you may as well just keep it handy for browsing constantly, because he is the best.
Preferred place to read.
I love my living room. It has a couch, a loveseat, a wingback chair, & two recliners on wheels. It also has my bird, places to set down a beverage, blankets & throw pillows, an outlet for charging my tablet... oh, & I could play music on the tablet/xbox360/recordplayer all handy. Also, the cabins at McCormick's Creek State Park-- each cabin has a picnic table on a patio, plus a screened-in porch for when it gets dark & the bugs come out. OR A THUNDERSTORM HAPPENS, which in a cabin in the middle of the woods is THE BEST THING EVER. I'm not much for reading in public.
Quote from a book you’ve read that inspires you.
Gah, I'm bad at book quotes. I really prefer to treasure books as a whole, & not pull things out of context. It's in the entire context that any quote is given its whole meaning. But here, I'll toss something at you:
"Changing the world is good for those who want their names in books. But being happy, that is for those who write their names in the lives of others, and hold the hearts of others as the treasure most dear." -Children of the Mind, Orson Scott Card.
Reading regret.
Not getting into the Lord of the Rings books. I've still not finished them. Eh, I can't really quite bring myself to regret not getting into something I can't seem to get into! I'm super cool anyway!
Series you started and need to finish.I'm missing books 5 & 6 of With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child. I even broke my own rules & read 7 & 8 without having read 5 & 6! I also want to read the rest of The Rats of NIMH series, having finally read the first one.
Three of your all-time favourite books.
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L'Engle. Batman: Legacy, by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, & Alan Grant.
Unapologetic fangirl for…
Uh... good/relateable characters. Fiction loaded with truth. Characters who are good & right but don't "fit the mold" per se (perhaps they don't get along well with others, use unconventional ways to do what is right, that sort of thing-- examples might include Severus Snape, Peter Wiggin, Haymitch Abernathy); I'd never really made the connection before, but I love that sort of thing! Sherlock Holmes & Batman.
Very excited for this release more than all the others.
I may have mentioned that I don't really read new releases... I can be pretty picky about what I need to know about a book/series/author before I pick something up. So even though I feel like I'm doing a lot of talking about Orson Scott Card & ya'll are probably going to disown me for liking his stuff anyway, I have to say Earth Awakens, which shall be the last of a trilogy of prequels to Ender's Game. Guys, I do love his writing. I also never buy his books new, so he doesn't actually get my money. Can we accept that compromise?
Worst bookish habit.
I bend spines relentlessly. I almost exclusively buy used books, & don't have many books that are actually really pretty or anything... I just get books to read them. & bend the spines.
X marks the spot: the 27th book on my shelf.
Rilla of Ingleside, by L. M. Montgomery. I have to admit I haven't even read that one, I just got a box set of Anne of Green Gables...
Your latest book purchase.
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, by Adam S. McHugh. One of the best books ever, if you are a Christian.
Zzz-snatcher book (latest book that kept you up way late).
When I was reading Anna & the King of Siam, by I did so late into the night consistently. I really enjoyed it, & need to have my own copy.
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Author you’ve read the most books from.
*pretends to not mind the wording just used*
Orson Scott Card, John Grisham, & Lloyd Alexander.
Best sequel ever.
I love A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle SO much. It's the third in the Wrinkle in Time series, & they are all great, but this one is special to me.
Currently reading.
The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson.
Drink of choice while reading.
TEA. All the tea. Particularly chai or spearmint. It can be a wise choice to choose a flavor that is also good cold... ha. Or just start with iced tea. Also hot chocolate is always a favorite.
E-reader or physical book?
I prefer physical if I have the option. The weight, the smell, the sometimes-yellowed pages. It's nice to have easy access to flip back if desired. I like being able to feel where I am in the book. & if I drop it, it most likely won't risk needing replaced (for well over a hundred dollars at least). That's always nice. That said, I do love my tablet & it's great for having many books with me on-the-go. Also, free access to classics that I haven't yet read. Totally groovy. I sometimes prefer the tablet for reading in bed, so if I'm laying down flat & it slips from my hand I don't lose my place.
Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school.
Y'know, I graduated high school at 16, plus had vowed at 13 that I wouldn't date anyone until I was 20. (I did end up breaking that vow by a month + eighteen days, but not without much prayerful consideration.) Soooooooo we'll pretend you want to know who I'd've been buddies with & sort of maybe crushed on a little while a teenager. I'm also going to assume you mean someone actually around high-school age? & do you also mean someone I knew about when I was that age? (I don't do well with open-ended questions.)
Let's just say Calvin O'Keefe. He's a sweetie but not a pushover. Also a redhead. I kind of wanted a redhead. He's smart, easy to be around, respectful...
Glad you gave this book a chance.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. I was supposed to read it for school, but COULD NOT get into it so it got removed from my curriculum. (Yay homeschool? I'm actually kind of surprised my mom let it slide. But she doesn't actually like Jane Eyre, so that was probably a big part of it. In addition, the workbook wasn't very good. & I already read like a... person who reads a lot of books.) But then there it was on my shelf when I'd read every other book I owned & couldn't get myself to the library... & I loved it.
Hidden gem book.
Orson Scott Card's The Tale of Alvin Maker series. I consume the Ender's Game/Shadow series/es on a regular basis, but only recently have I attempted to read any of his other stuff. My favorite chapter of A Swiftly Tilting Planet was always The Lightning with Its Rapid Wrath, which is set in the early days of America & as if superstitions & so forth were real... & the Alvin Maker series is entirely about that! I never knew such a thing existed! If you know of any other books that would fit this sub-genre, please let me know, because I dig it.
Also, James Herriot's books.
Important moment in your reading life.
A few different things come to mind. I like this prompt. When I was I-don't-even-know-how-young & had read so many things & didn't know what to read next & was getting a little bit angsty about it, my mom let me read John Grisham's The Testament. After that, she let me read The Client. Then she just set me loose on all the John Grisham books she had. They were my first 'adult' books (classics don't really count). There was murder & rape & swearing & legalese! & I ate it up. & I have no idea how old I was, really. 12 or 13?
I also remember reading Shakespeare for the first time. & Les Miserables, of course. My first Batman comic. Also, I have only recently really begun to dig into non-fiction... sorry...
Just finished.
Instant Mom, by Nia Vardalos, is the last book I finished. It was beautiful.
Kinds of books you won’t read.
I usually don't read new fiction (with the exception of course of Orson Scott Card because he is still writing for series that are old now). I do not read romance novels (including "paranormal romance"). I probably wouldn't get much into military fiction.
Longest book you’ve ever read.
Les Miserables maybe? Probably?
Major book hangover because of…
I think the Harry Potter books did this to me more than any other. I don't want to sound like one of those weird obsessive fans! (They can be awfully scary. Which is why it took me so long to actually read the books.) But I really like the characters & the world.
Number of bookcases you own.
For books? *uses a bookcase in the kitchen & the bathroom, sorry (but not really), I love shelves* One big entire, one short entire, some books scattered elsewhere.
One book you have read multiple times.
If I like a book & own it, I've probably read it multiple times. That's what I do. My husband will read just about anything once & only once, but I am the sort to return & return. I'm going to say Batman: The Long Halloween, because comic books are great for rereading even if you aren't usually one to reread. & if Tim Sale did the art, you may as well just keep it handy for browsing constantly, because he is the best.
Preferred place to read.
I love my living room. It has a couch, a loveseat, a wingback chair, & two recliners on wheels. It also has my bird, places to set down a beverage, blankets & throw pillows, an outlet for charging my tablet... oh, & I could play music on the tablet/xbox360/recordplayer all handy. Also, the cabins at McCormick's Creek State Park-- each cabin has a picnic table on a patio, plus a screened-in porch for when it gets dark & the bugs come out. OR A THUNDERSTORM HAPPENS, which in a cabin in the middle of the woods is THE BEST THING EVER. I'm not much for reading in public.
Quote from a book you’ve read that inspires you.
Gah, I'm bad at book quotes. I really prefer to treasure books as a whole, & not pull things out of context. It's in the entire context that any quote is given its whole meaning. But here, I'll toss something at you:
"Changing the world is good for those who want their names in books. But being happy, that is for those who write their names in the lives of others, and hold the hearts of others as the treasure most dear." -Children of the Mind, Orson Scott Card.
Reading regret.
Not getting into the Lord of the Rings books. I've still not finished them. Eh, I can't really quite bring myself to regret not getting into something I can't seem to get into! I'm super cool anyway!
Series you started and need to finish.I'm missing books 5 & 6 of With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child. I even broke my own rules & read 7 & 8 without having read 5 & 6! I also want to read the rest of The Rats of NIMH series, having finally read the first one.
Three of your all-time favourite books.
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L'Engle. Batman: Legacy, by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, & Alan Grant.
Unapologetic fangirl for…
Uh... good/relateable characters. Fiction loaded with truth. Characters who are good & right but don't "fit the mold" per se (perhaps they don't get along well with others, use unconventional ways to do what is right, that sort of thing-- examples might include Severus Snape, Peter Wiggin, Haymitch Abernathy); I'd never really made the connection before, but I love that sort of thing! Sherlock Holmes & Batman.
Very excited for this release more than all the others.
I may have mentioned that I don't really read new releases... I can be pretty picky about what I need to know about a book/series/author before I pick something up. So even though I feel like I'm doing a lot of talking about Orson Scott Card & ya'll are probably going to disown me for liking his stuff anyway, I have to say Earth Awakens, which shall be the last of a trilogy of prequels to Ender's Game. Guys, I do love his writing. I also never buy his books new, so he doesn't actually get my money. Can we accept that compromise?
Worst bookish habit.
I bend spines relentlessly. I almost exclusively buy used books, & don't have many books that are actually really pretty or anything... I just get books to read them. & bend the spines.
X marks the spot: the 27th book on my shelf.
Rilla of Ingleside, by L. M. Montgomery. I have to admit I haven't even read that one, I just got a box set of Anne of Green Gables...
Your latest book purchase.
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, by Adam S. McHugh. One of the best books ever, if you are a Christian.
Zzz-snatcher book (latest book that kept you up way late).
When I was reading Anna & the King of Siam, by I did so late into the night consistently. I really enjoyed it, & need to have my own copy.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Nashville, in Review
SATURDAY.
The plan was to leave Saturday morning by 10, but we had a tire go flat on Friday night, so we were up early to be at the tire place when they opened so that we could get that fixed... that ended up going well (free = best ever, actually) & we were on our way at 9am, so that was groovy.
The drive was very nice. Lunch was on the way at a Long John Silver's & A&M, where you can eat cheese curds & drink root beer that tastes like it should be dessert.
We checked in at a Red Roof Inn, which was cheap, & the only regret there is that it didn't have a pool (Jamie really likes pools). But we filled our time without a pool...
First off was the wedding, which was in a little church that was absolutely precious. I love little churches, especially with fun woodwork & stained glass.
I loved what they did-- after the wedding, the guests were released for a couple hours to grab dinner before meeting back at the church for the reception. That's cool. So, we had dinner at The Pharmacy, & it was fantastic. I had the Kentucky Mint phosphate & sweet potato fries, Jamie ordered The Cheese Burger. All of it was great. We sat in an upper back corner outside. You must go eat there.
The reception was nice, I talked to strangers & even got onstage & spoke into a microphone with everyone staring at me. Oh, & danced.
SUNDAY.
In addition to The Pharmacy, the bride had listed out five other restaurant options for us to try while in town. One was Pancake Pantry. We figured hey, they probably serve breakfast, so why don't we try it for that... so uh... we drove to it, & drove past it, because the line was huge. Oh my. It must be the greatest pancakes ever. We may never know. We were really getting hungry by this point, so we pulled into the first place we found that served breakfast, which ended up being Jack in the Box. We've recently begun getting those around our hometown, but I personally had never been to one before. The coffee was good (& helped our moods), & spicy chicken on a biscuit is a great idea that tastes as good as it sounds. Meanwhile, I got in touch with a friend of mine I hadn't seen in yeeeaaars because she moved to Nashville, & she came & met us at the restaurant. She highly recommended seeing the Parthenon while we were in town, so we drove over there with her, & Centennial Park is gorgeous. From there, we parted ways & headed to Adventure Science Center, where we planned to explore before heading back toward home. BUT THEN. Mumbling (& then not-so-mumbling) a couple of choice words, I realized that I had left my messenger bag in Jack in the Box. I kept my purse with me the entire trip, since it has my phone & is my wallet. But my messenger bag came in with me anywhere I thought we might be for a little while, as I'd stowed neat things in it-- my tablet, my Nintendo DSi with its case & 7 games, a book, some yarn & a crochet hook, candy, & band-aids. The bag itself is embellished with embroidery & patches. I've made that thing my own & it has served me well. Anyway, it was the first time I'd ever left a bag behind like that. I was quite unhappy with myself. We drove back to the restaurant, & the bag wasn't still at the table, which I'd figured would be the case. So I asked the manager lady behind the counter if they'd picked it up. She asked the guy who would have done the cleaning. He said that he started to pick it up, but the guy said it was his, so he left it there, & that guy took it. He talked like the nice manager lady knew who the guy was. She was a little confused. "Do you know the guy? What is his name? Do you have his number?" He said the name, & her face did a fascinating thing. As it turns out... he was there applying for a job while we were eating our breakfast. SO THEY HAVE AN ENTIRE PAGE OF HIS CONTACT INFORMATION. Brilliant, eh? So she promised me that they'd look into it & keep me updated. So we went back to the Adventure Science Center... which is a fun place. My favorite part was the space stuff. After growing up with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, every other museum seems so small to me, but we had a grand time. The nice manager lady called me back & said that he'd returned the bag & she'd have it in the safe waiting for our return. When we did return, oh how happy I was to see that bag again. She said that the thief didn't answer the number he'd listed as his primary contact, so she'd called his listed emergency contact number & talked to his mom. OHHHH BURN. My tablet was still there, frozen on one of the start-up screens (good defense mechanism, tablet! I knew you loved me) & with the sticker I'd put on the back pulled off (yarn & candy both tried to take the place of the sticker to cheer me up, but they aren't functional as tablet decor). Everything else was still there too... except my DSi, & its case, games, & charger. Ugh. So, they're still filing a police report & everything, but I'm likely to remain without those things. Also, they are not going to hire that guy. ;-D
Then we drove home! THE END. The moral of the story is... things are just things, & hey, maybe it's better for me to have a few things stolen than for the restaurant to have hired him & him ripping off even more people.
The plan was to leave Saturday morning by 10, but we had a tire go flat on Friday night, so we were up early to be at the tire place when they opened so that we could get that fixed... that ended up going well (free = best ever, actually) & we were on our way at 9am, so that was groovy.
The drive was very nice. Lunch was on the way at a Long John Silver's & A&M, where you can eat cheese curds & drink root beer that tastes like it should be dessert.
We checked in at a Red Roof Inn, which was cheap, & the only regret there is that it didn't have a pool (Jamie really likes pools). But we filled our time without a pool...
First off was the wedding, which was in a little church that was absolutely precious. I love little churches, especially with fun woodwork & stained glass.
I loved what they did-- after the wedding, the guests were released for a couple hours to grab dinner before meeting back at the church for the reception. That's cool. So, we had dinner at The Pharmacy, & it was fantastic. I had the Kentucky Mint phosphate & sweet potato fries, Jamie ordered The Cheese Burger. All of it was great. We sat in an upper back corner outside. You must go eat there.
The reception was nice, I talked to strangers & even got onstage & spoke into a microphone with everyone staring at me. Oh, & danced.
SUNDAY.
In addition to The Pharmacy, the bride had listed out five other restaurant options for us to try while in town. One was Pancake Pantry. We figured hey, they probably serve breakfast, so why don't we try it for that... so uh... we drove to it, & drove past it, because the line was huge. Oh my. It must be the greatest pancakes ever. We may never know. We were really getting hungry by this point, so we pulled into the first place we found that served breakfast, which ended up being Jack in the Box. We've recently begun getting those around our hometown, but I personally had never been to one before. The coffee was good (& helped our moods), & spicy chicken on a biscuit is a great idea that tastes as good as it sounds. Meanwhile, I got in touch with a friend of mine I hadn't seen in yeeeaaars because she moved to Nashville, & she came & met us at the restaurant. She highly recommended seeing the Parthenon while we were in town, so we drove over there with her, & Centennial Park is gorgeous. From there, we parted ways & headed to Adventure Science Center, where we planned to explore before heading back toward home. BUT THEN. Mumbling (& then not-so-mumbling) a couple of choice words, I realized that I had left my messenger bag in Jack in the Box. I kept my purse with me the entire trip, since it has my phone & is my wallet. But my messenger bag came in with me anywhere I thought we might be for a little while, as I'd stowed neat things in it-- my tablet, my Nintendo DSi with its case & 7 games, a book, some yarn & a crochet hook, candy, & band-aids. The bag itself is embellished with embroidery & patches. I've made that thing my own & it has served me well. Anyway, it was the first time I'd ever left a bag behind like that. I was quite unhappy with myself. We drove back to the restaurant, & the bag wasn't still at the table, which I'd figured would be the case. So I asked the manager lady behind the counter if they'd picked it up. She asked the guy who would have done the cleaning. He said that he started to pick it up, but the guy said it was his, so he left it there, & that guy took it. He talked like the nice manager lady knew who the guy was. She was a little confused. "Do you know the guy? What is his name? Do you have his number?" He said the name, & her face did a fascinating thing. As it turns out... he was there applying for a job while we were eating our breakfast. SO THEY HAVE AN ENTIRE PAGE OF HIS CONTACT INFORMATION. Brilliant, eh? So she promised me that they'd look into it & keep me updated. So we went back to the Adventure Science Center... which is a fun place. My favorite part was the space stuff. After growing up with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, every other museum seems so small to me, but we had a grand time. The nice manager lady called me back & said that he'd returned the bag & she'd have it in the safe waiting for our return. When we did return, oh how happy I was to see that bag again. She said that the thief didn't answer the number he'd listed as his primary contact, so she'd called his listed emergency contact number & talked to his mom. OHHHH BURN. My tablet was still there, frozen on one of the start-up screens (good defense mechanism, tablet! I knew you loved me) & with the sticker I'd put on the back pulled off (yarn & candy both tried to take the place of the sticker to cheer me up, but they aren't functional as tablet decor). Everything else was still there too... except my DSi, & its case, games, & charger. Ugh. So, they're still filing a police report & everything, but I'm likely to remain without those things. Also, they are not going to hire that guy. ;-D
Then we drove home! THE END. The moral of the story is... things are just things, & hey, maybe it's better for me to have a few things stolen than for the restaurant to have hired him & him ripping off even more people.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Re: Thinking/Feeling
My husband & I both find the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator stuff fascinating. In fact, learning about our respective types has helped us understand each other better & made our marriage smoother. It's cool, I recommend it. But anyway, that's a huge big broad topic, & today I just want to vent some thoughts on one bit in particular (as you may have guessed by the title). I may need to establish some context for you, though. To put it simply... your brain (& your friend's brain, your first grade teacher's brain, your favorite singer's brain, any brain) has a favorite mode by which it processes information, both incoming & internal. Its favorite is either 'thinking' (y'know, logic & reasons & facts) or 'feeling' (emotions, everything is emotions & has emotions & causes emotions). With me so far? (I'm sure people who already know things about MBTI are shaking their heads at me right now, but whatever.) You are driven more by emotions or facts. You may be somewhere toward the middle perhaps, & that's fascinating, but I just want to make sure you get what I'm talking about.
I am severely on the 'thinking' side of the spectrum. (Which is apparently more rare for women.) My husband is a feeler. (...which is apparently more rare for men.)
Husband & I were watching an episode of a television show, & I was agonizing with one of the characters. The character was right. He was trying to convince the others of what should be done for the best interests of all involved. He had solid reasoning, & he explained things in easy-to-understand terms. He wasn't even being mean about it. But still, no one listened-- they were angry, they didn't want to get past their differences, & they abandoned the whole endeavor. It made me sad that someone could be so clearly right, & yet so ignored! Husband looked at me with a smirk, understanding how I related to that situation, & said "it is more important to be liked than to be right". To which I replied "People should like you because you're right!"
I try to be aware of the feelings of others & if I may be producing negative ones in them, but it is of lesser importance to me than whatever it is that I feel I need to be communicating/doing, & I just can't shake the belief that that is the best & most respectable way for me to live. On the other hand, I love my husband & admire the way that he says things which are nonsense to my brain, but make other people feel good. We're just different, & work better at different sorts of situations.
I say things, in what I feel in the most clear & concise way possible. & then someone takes it the wrong way & gets offended. All I meant was what I said, the exact way that I said it! I had no idea you could be hurt by it! Please just take me literally.
Also, I had a thought on Sunday that I shared on twitter. I was wondering why we teach babies/toddlers animal sounds with such priority. My brain thinks that surely there are other more important things to teach at that age. My best guess was that it's to help develop speech, y'know, practicing sounds. That makes sense.
But then a friend was pointing out that babies are really cute when they make animal sounds, plus many little kids just love animals.
That makes perfect sense, from a feeler standpoint. Those are legitimate reasons. But I never would have come up with that on my own.
& it really made me think... I feel like it could be rather rough for me & any offspring I may have. What perfectly good & healthy things are my brain going to dismiss, just because I find them illogical? What behaviors will my instinct be to squash? Will I be able to find a balance?
I'm not actually all that worried that I'll raise kids who turn into terrible adults. Any kids I ever have will have more influences in their life than just me, & that's a very good thing. I just feel like healthy emotional processing is very important to learn at a young age, & I'm not sure how well I'd be able to handle that, especially if the child is a feeler instead of a thinker.
I am severely on the 'thinking' side of the spectrum. (Which is apparently more rare for women.) My husband is a feeler. (...which is apparently more rare for men.)
Husband & I were watching an episode of a television show, & I was agonizing with one of the characters. The character was right. He was trying to convince the others of what should be done for the best interests of all involved. He had solid reasoning, & he explained things in easy-to-understand terms. He wasn't even being mean about it. But still, no one listened-- they were angry, they didn't want to get past their differences, & they abandoned the whole endeavor. It made me sad that someone could be so clearly right, & yet so ignored! Husband looked at me with a smirk, understanding how I related to that situation, & said "it is more important to be liked than to be right". To which I replied "People should like you because you're right!"
I try to be aware of the feelings of others & if I may be producing negative ones in them, but it is of lesser importance to me than whatever it is that I feel I need to be communicating/doing, & I just can't shake the belief that that is the best & most respectable way for me to live. On the other hand, I love my husband & admire the way that he says things which are nonsense to my brain, but make other people feel good. We're just different, & work better at different sorts of situations.
I say things, in what I feel in the most clear & concise way possible. & then someone takes it the wrong way & gets offended. All I meant was what I said, the exact way that I said it! I had no idea you could be hurt by it! Please just take me literally.
Also, I had a thought on Sunday that I shared on twitter. I was wondering why we teach babies/toddlers animal sounds with such priority. My brain thinks that surely there are other more important things to teach at that age. My best guess was that it's to help develop speech, y'know, practicing sounds. That makes sense.
But then a friend was pointing out that babies are really cute when they make animal sounds, plus many little kids just love animals.
That makes perfect sense, from a feeler standpoint. Those are legitimate reasons. But I never would have come up with that on my own.
& it really made me think... I feel like it could be rather rough for me & any offspring I may have. What perfectly good & healthy things are my brain going to dismiss, just because I find them illogical? What behaviors will my instinct be to squash? Will I be able to find a balance?
I'm not actually all that worried that I'll raise kids who turn into terrible adults. Any kids I ever have will have more influences in their life than just me, & that's a very good thing. I just feel like healthy emotional processing is very important to learn at a young age, & I'm not sure how well I'd be able to handle that, especially if the child is a feeler instead of a thinker.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Re: Female Protaganists in Video Games
It's not that I don't understand things like "if all people were truly viewed as equal, they'd get equal exposure in things like video games & movies". That makes sense. But to get upset each time a video game comes out that doesn't at least offer the option to be female? That feels so foreign to me. Some people start acting like it's unhealthy for video games to feature males. To me, that seems backwards; the world isn't getting messed up because video games are that way, the video games are that way because the wo-- no, video games are that way for reasons involving the consumers, the market, lots of factors. So far, this marketing has worked for them. Anyway, I'm not going too far down that line of thought. Let's travel a different way. Video games have always been predominately featuring males. (That is, when they aren't about lizards or mammals or stars or marbles or... stuff like that.) & guess what. We turned out pretty much okay. I never gave a second thought to why the video games we had weren't about women. I'm not sure I even had a first thought about it. It really didn't matter. I'm not sure how much it ever matters. It's not like the video game is meant to be about ME. I was more interested in whether or not the controls would let me move diagonally, or getting frustrated by scrolling levels with tricky jumps, or laughing at The Cactus Dance. I don't start reading a book & thinking "well gosh, that character isn't at all like me, that makes me really upset". I don't walk out of a theater because a white guy gets the most lines. It's merely a story-telling choice when I come across it. The best characters do tend to be ones that I feel I can relate to in some way or another... but it is both more FUN & more MEANINGFUL when I can relate to them yet be different from them in many ways. When I play a video game, it's like I'm making friends. & what good would my world be if populated with people just like me? I get more excited to see exotic beings like Gorons than when I see a fellow female in a game, to be honest. I want to see creativity. I want to discover. I want my world & my mind to be expanded. I'd rather play a game as a weird androgynous naked fish-person than as a woman.
I'm all for better-written females. I would love to see more females. I also would like to see more people who like they're descended from, like, y'know, maybe Africa or Asia or something. A little more diversity would be awesome. (Even age-diversity. I want to play as an old person, that would rock my socks.) I just can't bring myself to take it personally.
That said, I've also never been persecuted for being a gaming female. I grew up playing video games with my brother, my mom, & our friends (guy friends, just to clarify that, in case it matters in any way). Nowadays I mostly play single-player. I'll play with my husband. Sometimes I play with my d&d group (yes, all those are guys too). I can't remember a single instance where my being a girl was ever even mentioned. Maybe if it ever had been an issue, I'd be more frustrated. I'd wish that more of those gamer jerk guys out there could see a female protagonist of awesome. As it is, I'm comfortable with me being a woman & most video games being about a guy. Most video games coming out these days don't interest me much anyway, because the big thing right now seems to be to make realistic shooter games. (&, to be realistic, most shooters are male. Just thought of that.)
To be honest... most of the modern games I own/play feature a female or the option. Portal 2... the Mass Effect series... the Dragon Age series... the Fable series... Rock Band & Guitar Hero series... Harvest Moon: Magical Melody... Pokémon LeafGreen... I would recommend any of those games. Admire the long hair of those females &, I don't know, do whatever else makes you happy. For bonus points, how about maybe supporting women in the gaming industry? Go make a change yourself, or support people who are trying. Really, just be you, the very best you you can be, whether you're a lady, a guy, or a weird androgynous naked fish-person, & I'll try that too.
I'm sorry if anyone feels judged by this opinion. It's really not about my opinion of you (I still rather respect all the ladies I know who have inspired this blog post!), merely my opinion of the issue.
I'm all for better-written females. I would love to see more females. I also would like to see more people who like they're descended from, like, y'know, maybe Africa or Asia or something. A little more diversity would be awesome. (Even age-diversity. I want to play as an old person, that would rock my socks.) I just can't bring myself to take it personally.
That said, I've also never been persecuted for being a gaming female. I grew up playing video games with my brother, my mom, & our friends (guy friends, just to clarify that, in case it matters in any way). Nowadays I mostly play single-player. I'll play with my husband. Sometimes I play with my d&d group (yes, all those are guys too). I can't remember a single instance where my being a girl was ever even mentioned. Maybe if it ever had been an issue, I'd be more frustrated. I'd wish that more of those gamer jerk guys out there could see a female protagonist of awesome. As it is, I'm comfortable with me being a woman & most video games being about a guy. Most video games coming out these days don't interest me much anyway, because the big thing right now seems to be to make realistic shooter games. (&, to be realistic, most shooters are male. Just thought of that.)
To be honest... most of the modern games I own/play feature a female or the option. Portal 2... the Mass Effect series... the Dragon Age series... the Fable series... Rock Band & Guitar Hero series... Harvest Moon: Magical Melody... Pokémon LeafGreen... I would recommend any of those games. Admire the long hair of those females &, I don't know, do whatever else makes you happy. For bonus points, how about maybe supporting women in the gaming industry? Go make a change yourself, or support people who are trying. Really, just be you, the very best you you can be, whether you're a lady, a guy, or a weird androgynous naked fish-person, & I'll try that too.
I'm sorry if anyone feels judged by this opinion. It's really not about my opinion of you (I still rather respect all the ladies I know who have inspired this blog post!), merely my opinion of the issue.
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