Wordless Wednesday -- My evil plan is working...

Teaser Tuesday

Oh, baby.

Time for the Tuesday Teaser. Again the reminder of what this is all about. We are asked to:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
  
• Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  
• Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser.
• And again remember – avoid spoilers.

Giving money to the school system is like giving money to a bum on the street: It might briefly feel rewarding, but deep down you know they're not going to spend it wisely because they never have. In the case of the bum, your dollar is likely going to support some global distillery, while in the case of our schools, your dollar is going to support some politician's agenda.

Schools now enjoy four times more money than they did in the 1960s. Have they gotten four times better? No, they have not. Have math and reading skills improved? No, they have not. Have graduation rates improved? No, they have not. Do you think throwing even more money at the problem will improve all that? No, it will not -- though the teachers' union will probably send you a Christmas card.

The U.S. census bureau reports that we spend an average of $9,138 per public school student in 2005-2006. Other estimates claim the real number is actually at least double that amount. Either way, that's some serious money and we should demand some serious results. But we're not getting them.

from ARGUING WITH IDIOTS by Glenn Beck.

Food for thought... and then do something about it.



Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

Wachoo you looking at?

So making a little progress in THE NINTH DAUGHTER by Barbara Hamilton. I need to give it devoted attention. The good news is that the "current events" mood seems to be moving along and I'm getting back in the mood for historical mysteries more.

Tonight is the season premiere of Lie To Me. Yayyyyy!!! Good show. And my Cowboys are playing.

Kidney doctor says numbers are okay except the creatinine went up a tick. Will see her again in two months. Means drinking more water. Sigh.

Didn't take a Zyrtec this morning. After walking Tug, my eyes started bothering me again. I'm wondering if the eye allergy thing is somehow associated with the stuff in the fields. When it first struck last fall, we had just been out in the fields at a shooting tournament in Great Falls. Just trying to narrow it down somehow.

The good news is that I have a job interview next Monday. Pays pretty okay for this area (which is not that great) and will probably entail some evenings but it's a job and I'll do my best.

I've been listening Pandora.com while I write this and I've been distracted by songs by the Who and the Beatles. Might have to give in and sing along.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Twelve Years

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. Paul Sweeney

The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life. Hugh Walpole, Sr.

Love is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench when there is plenty of room at both ends.

The world has grown suspicious of anything that looks like a happily married life. Oscar Wilde

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

The art of love... is largely the art of persistence. Albert Ellis

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig

See, Benedryl has no effect on m...zzzzz

Oh dear, another quick post today.

It's been a beautiful but hot day today and quite windy. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler but Wednesday is the best-est -- highs in the 50s and rainy. Woo hoo!

Still reading the same stuff so no update there. I had the urge to go to a used bookstore this morning but let it go away without indulging. I've way too much to read right now anyway. Steve's been gone today, coaching a shooting class. I've been doing laundry. I took Tug for a walk this morning before it got hot and it was another good long one.

Last year, around this time of year I experienced some eye trouble which I think turned out to be allergies -- a new occurance. It's happening again so something gets stirrred up out there that bugs my eyes. I've been avoiding any medication because of blood/ui testing for doctors but I finally did take a Benedryl this afternoon to see if it would help. Getting a little sleepy now, as expected.

Enjoy your Saturday...

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

It's Friday aaaaa AAAA aaahhh!

Just started THE NINTH DAUGHTER by Barbara Hamilton. This is the first in a new series featuring Abigail Adams in 1770s American colonies. Here's a description:

1773: The Massachusetts colony is torn between patriots who want independence from British rule and loyalists who support the King. At the center is the educated and beautiful Abigail Adams-wife of John Adams, the leader of the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization opposing the Crown. When a murder occurs in the home of their friend and fellow patriot, Rebecca Malvern, John is accused of the gruesome crime, which was seemingly perpetrated to obtain a secret Sons of Liberty document. With both her husband's good name and the fate of the Sons of Liberty at stake, Abby must uncover a conspiracy that could cost them all their freedom-and their lives.

It was just published and has 368 pages. It's always very nice to find a new historical mystery series/author especially that covers a time period that I love a lot. The American Revolution isn't done very much for some reason. So I have high hopes for this one. Yet, I'd very much like to get back to my historical mystery series reading (Jecks, Tremayne, Knight, Alexander, Lake, Sedley, and on and on) but I'm not there yet. I do miss those characters.

I had to give blood for labs this morning. Kidney doctor appointment on Monday morning is the reason (fingers crossed that everything is still going in the right direction if not already in the "just fine" category). Stopped and got a couple items at the grocery store on the way home. Tug for some reason wanted to go walking early today. I usually don't take him until at least 11-ish because he somehow "forgets" about a walk any earlier and bugs for another one later in the day. But he started staring at me and following me around the house at 9 and I finally took him at 10. I didn't mind because it's supposed to be in the mid 80s today but he better know that this is the the one and only walk. It took an hour so maybe it will stick.

Otherwise today I should read and do some house cleaning. Tonight on tv is Say Yes to the Dress. Tomorrow Steve has volunteered to help a shooting class all day.

Take care and much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

We look smart in glasses

I finished WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS by Deborah Grabien. This is 2nd of 2 in series featuring John “JP” Kincaid, a member of Blacklight, a legendary British rock group. Here's a description:

Blacklight’s recent tour has been rough on guitarist JP Kinkaid: a heart attack in Boston and a significant ramp-up of his multiple sclerosis have left him more physically fragile than usual. With the tour over, JP is relaxing by sitting in as second guitarist for a new CD by his longtime local friends, the Bombardiers. The Bombardiers are breaking in a new frontman, singer/guitarist Vinny Fabiano. Self-absorbed and abrasive, Vinny is new to the Bay Area music scene. All anyone seems to really know about him is that he has some very expensive instruments, but no obvious source of income to pay for them. A few weeks into the sessions, Vinny is found dead in the Bombardiers’ rehearsal space, smashed over the head with a custom guitar. The murder leaves the Bombardiers--who are already in hot water with their record label--without a singer or a regular guitar player. JP, calling in a favor, asks Blacklight’s legendary frontman, Malcolm “Mac” Sharpe, to step in and sub for Vinny. But then Vinny’s cousin and guitar tech is found murdered in Marin County, and Vinny’s most valuable guitar---a $75,000 custom Zemaitis pearl-top--is missing.

This was just published and has 288 pages. It is an interesting look behind the scenes of rock but it is very light on mystery.

So what takes so long to get caught up on news every morning? These are the websites I check out daily:

• www.foxnews.com


• www.drudgereport.com


• www.weeklystandard.com


• www.americanthinker.com


• www.hotair.com


• www.michellemalkin.com


• http://briefingroom.thehill.com


• www.biggovernment.com


• www.politico.com


• www.opencongress.org


• www.thomas.gov


• www.scotusblog.com


• www.nationalreview.com

I also check my local newspaper's website which is actually rather sucky. I also check out www.cnn.com to see what's going on in Tabloid Land. And I get the Wall Street Journal as a paper newspaper (comes in the mail) but I occasionally get a jump on that at their website www.wsj.com. And that's just current events; that's not counting any book blogs. Phew!

I don't really have anything going on today other than walking Tug. I could go to the library to pick up a couple holds. I should just plant myself down and do a lot of reading. So we'll see how the day turns out.

Have a good 'un.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster