Amy the Slug

Doldrums, stagnation, inactivity

I have plenty to do, but little drive to accomplish anything. Was this lack of enthusiasm brought on by a restless night? No, not really. Am I sick? Nope. Has something depressing happened in my life lately? The contrary actually; we've finally found some good and consistent volleyball. In fact, Zac and I played doubles on the beach yesterday and I had loads of fun. So why am I feeling so low and sluggish today?

Finished Another

I recently finished reading, The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (You can read a brief synopsis here). First thought: good book. The story centers around students studying an old renaissance manuscript–always intriguing. After reading this book, I want to pull out all my medieval/renaissance literature. The books of the past can be so fascinating. I loved learning about how they were made, what types of things were written down, and how books became special objects passed time from one generation to the next. Though The Rule of Four is more of a present-day mystery, it made me reflect on books of the past. The authors did their job though, because the plot was good enough to stay engrossed and I finished the entire book very quickly. I recommend it to all who need suggestions.

Acting the Tourist

I find it an interesting coincidence that I tend to explore more of my surrounding sights and scenes when someone comes for a visit. True to this idea, we transformed into Hawaiian tourists with the arrival of my in-laws, and checked out a multitude of places–all of which can be found in any good Oahu sightseeing brochure.

We walked around Waikiki and stopped for a picture at the Diamond Head lighthouse (pictures courtesy of myself and Melba Trimble),

visited Pearl Harbor,

hiked around and up to see the Makapu'u Lighthouse (did this often, occasionally accompanied by Flat Stanley),

visited Hanauma Bay,

trekked through the Polynesian Cultural Center,

explored the beautiful Japanese garden on the campus of the University of Hawaii,

gathered fallen Plumeria blossoms at the Koko Head Botanical Gardens,

had Hawaiian shaved ice, saw some beautiful cemeteries and visited many other beautiful beaches. By the end of their visit, we were all pretty tuckered out. It was a busy week, but I appreciated how their visit spurred us into learning that much more about where we now reside. I truly enjoyed their visit.

Now, I'm looking forward to the next bunch of visitors so I can enjoy another new sightseeing tour. After all, there are still parts of the North Shore I haven't yet explored.

Trying Out Something New

Kaiser High School recently put on a wonderful program for the elementary- and middle-school-aged kids in the area. They started with a little chat on Drug, Alcohol and tobacco Abuse and then allowed the kids to choose two different sports clinics to attend. All of the school sports teams were there. It was impressive for the younger kids to see some cool athletes and to learn from them. Tyson chose volleyball and water polo. Zac and I were impressed with the whole show, and we as parents, even got to attend our own little clinic to learn about concussions. It really was a great event (fun and informational). Plus, the highlight of the day for Zac: meeting coach Jon Stanley (volleyball hall-of-fame player).

Someone Else Likes to Read almost as much as Me

Appreciation

Tyson has his own little email account he opened to keep in touch with friends in Massachusetts, and grandmas and grandpas, etc. I, also, have fun sending him emails every now and then. Last week I sent Tyson a simple email that said I was proud of him. He asked in his reply for more concrete examples of why I was proud of him. I made a little list (so easy with that boy) and sent it off to him; it was so fun to see Tyson's smile after reading it. Then he sneakily sent me one more email that said, "Well Mom, I love you. Do you want to know why I love you?" Of course I replied that I did want to know. His cute response:

"You feed me all the time, you do my laundry, you help me with homework, you read me charlie bone and you love me." What a kid. His simple reply really made me feel appreciated. It's always great to have people recognize the little things you do.

Man I love this boy!

Stuck in Scotland

After a recommendation from my good friend, Elisabeth, I finally got my hands on the book, Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. The book reeled me in, quick as can be, and I still feel like I'm stuck dangling on the hook. Its impact reminds me of how I felt after reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I didn't want to/couldn't put it down. It's a fairly lengthy novel, but a super easy read. I think Elisabeth mentioned that it has a few steamy parts and boy, she wasn't kidding! The tale of romance at the heart of the story is intense and continues to revolve in your mind–my mind at least–even after having long finished the book. The characters, Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp Randall, are intriguing in the way they interact, love, fight, forgive and constantly watch out for one another. Outlander is labeled a fantasy, but the genre of romance suits it almost as well.

Actually, I'm not a huge fan of romances, I tend to steer clear of the unrealistic views of relationships present in romance fiction, so for me to stay engrossed with a love story there needs to be an element of the fantastical, or some other component which excites and persuades me to keep reading page after page. This book adds time travel and non-stop action into the amorous tale to keep its reader poised on the edge of their seat (or maybe with a finger poised on each page ready to turn as quickly as possible as to not miss a word). My goodness, I'm still stuck in the Scottish highlands of 1744; I keep looking around for kilts, dirks, tall Norse-looking redheads, lochs, and granite stones rising out of the landscape. I felt drawn into the scenes as if I were Bastien reading some alternate version of "The Never-Ending Story" and being tugged into the tale as if I, as the reader, influenced how the plot would continue. Obviously that is not the case, I had no effect, otherwise such and such would have happened (can't say more than that to keep from ruining it for anyone else), but it proves what a convincing writer Diana Gabaldon is in providing an attention-grabbing story.

I pulled up her website and read about how the story came to be. She mentions that she started writing, just to see if she could write a novel, and included a little bit of everything: war, sex, history, violence, religion, courage, time travel, etc.. Wow! It really does have it all. At times I thought the multiplicity of stuff felt overdone–I will admit that, and I even wondered aloud at one point, "really?", but it is a fantasy so I guess I can see how, inevitably, all those crazy components fit together.

So, would I recommend this to a friend? Yes, with a few stipulations: 1. There are some passionate sex scenes (holy moly! I had to read some of them aloud to Zac just to clear my conscience), so don't read it if that will make you feel uncomfortable, and 2. this book is total mind candy; it's not a story to teach you much, so only read it if you want to be entertained. That being said, Gabaldon's novel will captivate and take you out of your little world, so if you need an escape, then Outlander should, by all means, be your next read.