Amanda's Weekly Zen

The Hamlet Road Trip

2012-05-08T10:58:00.001-06:00

“I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future.” – Jack Kerouac “On the Road”, a photo by Amanda's Weekly Zen on Flickr.

Summer is the perfect time for a cross country road trip and many Americans get in their cars and hit the road. Some have destinations and sites along the way planned, others will just wander for a time and let the road tell them what is worth seeing. Then there are those of us who pick out our summer reading and base the rest of the summer on those books. Whether you want a nice Stay-cation with your favorite reads or want to hit the road with your book on an inspired Reader Vacation, you will find some great Reader Vacations right here at Weekly Zen in our Summer Reader Vacation Series. To kick off our series I will offer you two different types of Hamlet inspired Reader Vacations.

Reader Vacation 1: The Hamlet Stay-cation'
What to Read:
Hamlet! There are so many versions of Hamlet out there and more often than not you are likely to find one at your local library. I suggest reading a critical edition of the play. In a critical edition you will have background information on the play, Shakespeare, the culture that surrounds the play and often a few essays breaking down themes and the like in Hamlet. Some of my favorite editions include:

Hamlet (Signet Classics) [Kindle Edition]
Hamlet (Norton Critical Edition)

In addition to reading the play you will want to also have some of the films on hand. Below is a list of the films and movie adaptations based on Hamlet:

Films:

Hamlet (Germany, 1920) Svend Gade & Heinz Schall directors
Hamlet (UK, 1948) Laurence Olivier director
Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark (West Germany, 1961) Franz Peter Wirth director
Hamlet (aka Gamlet) (Russia, 1964) Grigori Kozintsev director
Hamlet (aka Richard Burton's Hamlet) (1964), Bill Colleran and John Gielgud directors
Hamlet at Elsinore (TV, UK, 1964) Philip Saville director
Hamlet (UK, 1969) Tony Richardson director
BBC Television Shakespeare Hamlet (TV, UK, 1980) Rodney Bennett director (a videotaped production)
Hamlet (USA, 1990) Franco Zeffirelli director
The Animated Shakespeare Hamlet (TV, Russia and UK, 1992) Natalia Orlova director
Hamlet (UK, 1996) Kenneth Branagh director
Hamlet (USA, 2000) Michael Almereyda director (Modern Retelling)
The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark (2007) (AUS, 2007) Oscar Redding director

Adaptations: (using Hamlet story elements)

The Bad Sleep Well (aka Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) (Japan, 1960) Akira Kurosawa director
Strange Brew (Canada, 1983) Dave Thomas & Rick Moranis directors.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (USA, 1990) Tom Stoppard director
Renaissance Man (USA, 1994) Penny Marshall director
The Lion King (USA, 1994) Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff directors.
In The Bleak Midwinter (aka "A Midwinter's Tale") (UK, 1996) Kenneth Branagh director
Let the Devil Wear Black (USA, 1999) Stacy Title director
The Banquet, (China, 2006) Feng Xiaogang, director
Sons of Anarchy (television show, USA 2008) Created by Kurt Sutters
Karmayogi (2011 film), (India, 2011) V K Prakash, director

Where to Go:
Right in your own living room. For this vacation all you need is a comfy place to sit and read and watch a DVD.

What to See and Do:
This Reader Vacation is all about staying and focusing on the book so you will be seeing the movies you pick from the list above and you will be reading the play. I suggest take one day and read the play with friends or family (reading it out loud with others will be the best way to approach the play). And then take another day and pick 2-4 of the movies on the list and have a movie marathon.

How Much Will it Cost:
If you already own the play or you can find one at your local library then the only cost you will incur from this vacation is the price of movie rentals ($4 x4 movies = $16) and movie snacks (anywhere in the range of $20-50 depending on what you want to eat and drink).

When to Go:
Rainy days, sick days, snow days, or any day that you feel like you feel the need for a little ghost mystery action story in your life.

Reader Vacation 2: The Hamlet Road Trip
What to Read:
Hamlet! Just like the stay-cation you will want to read a good edition of Hamlet. Once again here are a couple of my favorite editions:

Hamlet (Signet Classics) [Kindle Edition]
Hamlet (Norton Critical Edition)

Where to Go & What to See and Do:
Here is where this vacation gets exciting. Grab the keys and Hamlet and hit the road to any of the numerous Shakespeare Festivals around the United States. Here are some that I recommend that are happening this summer:

Utah Shakespeare Festival: This summer they will be performing classic Hamlet. For more information and to buy tickets check out their website (http://www.bard.org/plays/hamlet2012.html).
Springfield Shakespeare Project: This summer they will be performing Hamlet in a different way in Hamlet vs. Zombies. For more information and to buy tickets check out their website (http://springfieldshakespeare.com/sample-page/hamlet-vs-zombies/).
Kid Theatre West: if you have kids 11-18 who want to participate in a workshop all about Hamlet this is the place to go. For more information check out their website (http://kidstheatrewest.com/summer-2012-camps/hamlet).

How Much Will it Cost:
The price ranges on where you go and how many place you choose to visit on your Hamlet Road Trip. I would plan on spending anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to around $2000.

When to Go:
Summer is the perfect time to head across the United States on a road trip and luckily there are some interesting ways to experience Shakespeare and Hamlet happening all over the US in June- August. So gas up that car and head out!

More Information:
I mentioned just a few notable places to experience Hamlet this summer. There are tons of theatres in the US that perform Hamlet and other Shakespeare plays all over the US. Here is a website dedicated to listing those theaters:

http://www.shakespearefellowship.org/linksfestivals.htm

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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games Book #2)

2012-05-02T08:42:00.000-06:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book in The Hunger Games series. At the end of the first book Katniss and her fellow tribute from District 12, Peeta, both survived the brutal games and were crowned victors. Life should have been easy for them from that point on but both were to discover that life just became more problematic. Love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta persists and now there are whispers of rebellion in all the districts. While Katniss and Peeta prepare to take their Victory Tour to each district, Katniss is confronted by President Snow and told to calm the district with their tale of love or else she, her family and friends will die. To top it off this year’s Hunger Games will have a cruel twist of fate for many and Katniss once again finds herself fighting for her life.

The Hunger Games was an interesting read and to be honest I almost did not want to continue reading the series… that ending though, that made me pick up the second book. The second book Catching Fire started off slow and boring. The reader was somewhat tortured with Katniss and her teenage angst about the boys she loved, but did not love. The first few chapters almost lost me as a reader. It was not until [SPOILER ALERT] the Quarter Quell announcement came out that the tributes for that year’s games would all be past victors that the book started to get good. It was a great twist to the story and the players in the games in this novel were much more dynamic.

This book was definitely better than the second book. The political strife story was much more dominant and the silliness of teenage love turned a little less silly. Finally in this book our heroine seemed to have her wits about her, even though she was kept in the dark about the plans of the victors, mentors and game makers.

Like the first book, this book had a fantastic ending. Collins has perfected the art of giving you an ending full of emotion and levity while at the same time leaving it wide open so the reader has no other choice than to rush out and read the next book. If you read the first book, seen the movie or simply just want to find out what everyone is talking about read this book.

How to buy a Used Thousand Trails Membership

2012-04-30T11:27:00.000-06:00

I was looking over some of the new thousand trails Contracts and noticed an interesting change.

The upgrade fee to an elite membership is near 5000.00 dollars and one must pay 3 dollars a day after 60 days. Ouch this is a big difference from the original contracts. For full-timers this 3 dollars a day adds up to about the cost of a years’ worth of insurance on our rig. Which over 10 years would be well over 10,000 dollars. At this price one is better off just purchasing a used contract form a good dealer.

How to buy a Used thousand trails Membership

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Now it takes about 3 to 8 weeks currently for TTNLT to facilitate the change of owner on a used membership. So this is defiantly a draw back. However depending on the use of the membership this could save a great deal of money for the owner over the length of ownership and about 50% off of the price of a new contract.

Since DA Juice Mon ( 40 foot sailing Yacht) was declared a total loss after suffering severe cracking due to a grounding in a bad storm off the coast of Islamorada FL in the Keys. Amanda and Mav insisted on a non-sinking yacht. Therefore we purchased a luxury 40 foot KZ Escalade 5^th wheel. (Thank you Mark Scott at Giant Recreation World Orlando for saving us about 10 grand his direct line is 407 448 1949 tell him Norwood sent you. )

While I don’t like the direction of Thousand Trails, Naco, Leisure time, Mid Atlantic, Outdoor World I regrettably must admit there is real financial benefit to being a member. So Amanda and I familiarized ourselves with the new contracts and fees. And while I normally recommend our guy in LOTS CA I feel one can do a lot better buying a used membership now since the new membership have so many draw backs.

It is scary buying a quality used thousand trails membership at a distance because you pay 2000 to 3000 dollars upfront and you don’t see anything for nearly a month. I believe this process makes buying a used membership difficult and time consuming for an individual. This will stop most people from even considering a used contract.

Buying a used membership is a bit confusing and if you are not comfortable with the person you are buying from I would suggest finding a good Broker. A good broker has many years of experience dealing with the contracts departments and is able to resolve issue quickly that might have taken a long time without their assistance. There is no doubt you will pay a bit more for a membership using a broker. But this broker may very well save you a great deal of money in upgrades by helping you find the right membership the first time.

This may not sound like a lot but I have purchased 5 different thousand trails contracts over the years and know firsthand that every contract is different. There are 1000s of variations. So having someone familiar with all the thousand trails contracts is very necessary to buying a contract that best fits your needs.

If you need help finding a Broker to buy or sale please email me or Amanda at nocar303@gmail.com (be sure to title your email TTNLT or something similar)

Good luck on your research will see you on the TTNLT Trail!!!

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Gasprilla Island and Boca Grande Florida

2012-04-22T10:13:00.001-06:00

Gasprilla Inn in Boca Grande Florida
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

After our six month stay in Sarasota Florida we decided to finally set sail. We left from Bradenton (Norwood sailed the boat there while I was in Orlando doing the Walt Disney World Marathon) and headed straight for Sarasota. After two days rest in our old stomping ground we finally made our way out into the gulf and headed south. Our big destination was Key West but we were pretty sure that we would not make it all in one trip we would have to stop somewhere along the way. When we left Sarasota we did not have a rest area in mind because we had to see what the waves would be like in the Gulf. As it turned out we had a fantastic day in the Gulf. It was flat and sunny and we were making good time (almost 6-7 knots!). So we sailed and sailed until night began to fall and decided to cut back in for shelter near Gasprilla Island and Boca Grande. Neither of us had been here before but our guide book made the two places sound like fantastic places to hang out and walk for a few days.

When we arrived it was late at night so we dropped anchor where it looked like we were not longer in the channel and went to sleep excited about what the morning would bring. When we awoke we say houses, houses covering every inch of the land on the tiny island. It was disappointing. We thought that there would be more open land left. Later that morning we piled into the dingy and went out to see where we could go ashore to walk around Boca Grande which sounded like a great little town to explore and eat in. Once again we were disappointed. There was not an inch of shore that was not private. Every inch of beach there was a sign posted that you could not come ashore. Even at the restaurant the Pink Elephant there was a 10 minute only parking spot and locals said it was a guarantee that you would be ticketed there. Well that was enough for us to say the heck with it and prepare to move on to a more boat friendly place. It is a shame that they are not more friendly to cruisers, I am sure they lose a lot of tourist dollars that way.

So we went back to our charts and discovered that across the very large channel was Cayo Costa a Florida State Park. We decided that it sounds promising so we pulled up anchor and made the short trip over, which I will tell you about next sailing post.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2012-04-10T14:12:00.000-06:00

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Set in the fictional nation of Panem The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the story of nation of people who after a failed rebellion are barely surviving in their districts. The Capitol oversees the 12 districts and makes it clear to the people of Panem that any future rebellion will be terminated not only quickly but also with extreme violence. To reinforce their point they force each district to pick two tributes every year to a deadly game… the Hunger Games. One boy and and girl (ages 12-18) will be taken from their homes and thrown into a fight to the death against their fellow tributes. The child who survives wins the favor of the Capitol with a new home, food and money not only for themselves but also their district will receive gifts.

Katniss Everdeen has lived in the Seam of District 12 for 16 years and considered being a tribute in the Hunger Games as a death sentence. When her younger sister Prim, the only person she has ever loved is picked for the 74th annual Hunger Games she immediately volunteers herself for the position to save her sister from death. Katniss along with her fellow district 12 tribute Peeta must figure out how to be the last tribute standing.

First let me say that I cannot believe children are reading this book. Honestly there is not too much out right gory details of violence in this book but the idea of kids reading about children fighting to death with other children is somewhat disturbing. That being said this book is riveting. Katniss, although somewhat lacking in the personality department, grabs me from the first chapter and invites me along on her journey to stay alive without having to shed too much blood along the way. While I read this book in only a two day period and I found it hard to put down I do have to say that I found some of Katniss’s cluelessness to be annoying. I was really hoping that we would not have another clueless when it comes to feelings female protagonist in a children/young adult novel. She is after all a hunter and a survivor so why does she also have to be a silly 16 year old girl when it comes to love?

Peeta the other tribute for district 12 is a much stronger character than Katniss in that he at least knows what he wants, but his lack of self-confidence is insufferable at times. While I am somewhat annoyed by both our main characters in this novel I cannot say that the book as a whole is disagreeable. The plot drives this book and it is well written with detailed, yet somewhat elusive descriptions of place and action. The climax and many of the major events in the book are not always surprising but they lead you on quickly enough to want more. Also I have to say the ending is one of the best open endings I have read in a popular fiction book to date. Without telling you what happens let me just say that it made me buy the second book immediately upon finishing.

You should read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins if you are looking for a book that has a good plot and somewhat tolerable characters. If nothing else, read this book so you will know what everyone is currently talking about.

Boston Massachusetts - Seeing the World of The Technologists

2012-04-06T13:04:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite living authors Matthew Pearl recently had his newest novel The Technologists come out (publication date was February 2012). Almost immediately after reading the book Boston was on my list of my next Reader Vacation. The novel is set in Boston in 1868 and the story centers around the newly formed MIT, their rivals Harvard and the city of Boston itself. Never having been to Boston before I knew that there would be a lot to see and one Reader’s Vacation would not be enough. So I went through the book again highlighting some of the areas that sounded the most intriguing and below is the Reader Vacation I planned:

What to Read:

The Technologists is set in Boston 1868 and starts with, of all things, seven shipwrecks. […]As the book progressed more unusual, seemingly hard to explain catastrophes were happening to Boston. The police force was at a loss for answers so they had to make the choice of turning to one of the two colleges in the area, Harvard or the new formed Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They choose to place their faith in the college that was not shocking the city with their “technologies” and sought the help of the professor of science from Harvard. Harvard’s science department unfamiliar and unwilling to accept the new way of looking at the world that was present in MIT was unable to adequately explain what had happened or what would happen next. It looked as though all was loss for Boston until a secret group formed within the walls of MIT began to investigate from the shadows. Quickly the MIT students begin to see how the experimenter was tormenting the city, their only question left was, how they would stop him. [Read the rest of my review here]

Where to Go:
Boston of course! Some books are not hard to decide where to vacation and when to read them when on a vacation and The Technologists practically begs you to take a trip to Boston. With that decision out of the way the only real thing to decide then was what to see while in Boston, or in other words pinpoint where in Boston we would be spending our time. There were three destinations that I finally narrowed it down to in my Technologists Reader Vacation:

1) MIT- for the simple reason that this is where the protagonists spent most of their time and it was so prominent in the book (MIT could arguably be one of the characters in the novel so much revolved around it)

2) Charles River- simply because my current lifestyle always seem to draw me to the water

3) Port of Boston- because of the opening scene. I wanted to see the area where all the trouble for Boston began. The opening scene was so riveting and held such an emotional charge for me that it seemed only fitting to visit the location of the scene.

What to See and Do:

“Throughout his boyhood in a port town, he’d heard so many people spoken of as “lost at sea.” Now it seemed to him the strangest turn of phrase. As long as he was in the water he could not be lost.”-Matthew Pearl, The Technologists

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
MIT in itself is a destination to see and just attending some of their events visiting their libraries and museums could very well be your entire vacation. With that in mind I had to narrow down what I wanted to see based on my reading of the Technologist and what I decided was I wanted to see Technology as the characters saw it in The Technologists. Which meant that Maihaugen Gallery would be a natural stop on my Reader’s Vacation.

Maihaugen Gallery is located in building 14N-130 on the MIT campus and its hours are Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm. It houses several traveling and permanent exhibits and most of the exhibits deal with technology in some way or the other. It is the main exhibit space in the MIT Libraries as the home to historical documents, photographs, rare books, maps, artwork and other artifacts from the Institute Archives and library collections.

MIT Rowing Team on the Charles River

Charles River:
The Charles River is a river with a history (as most rivers in large cities are). It was once considered so polluted that should you fall into it you immediately were encouraged to take a trip to the hospital and receive a tetanus shot. Today it is rated somewhere around a B+ and there are even spots where people swim. It is also a popular spot for sailing and rowing. In fact the MIT Crew Team practices in the Charles River. On its 80 miles of banks you will encounter 4 universities (Brandeis University, Harvard University, Boston University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Whether you walk the banks or sail in it the Charles River is definitely a place you will want to take a day trip. If you really want to live out The Technologists Reader Vacation you may want to take a kayak or canoe down the Charles River where Marcus and his fellows practiced their rowing. Charles Bank Park is a good place to enjoy the Charles River from and launch that kayak from if you are so inclined.

Port of Boston

Port of Boston:
Technically the Port of Boston is not a place you can just walk up to and hang out, it is after a working Port. But if you are on a boat you will be able to get close enough to see the shipping containers and what it takes to move them. This in itself if quite impressive, but beware and stay out of the way of the large ships and cruise ships. If you want to just be a tourist in the general area though (read here landlubber instead of sailor) then you may want to visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace which is located across highway 93 when you are position at Long Wharf (it is on the Freedom Trail route as well). Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a place to shop, eat and you can also see street performers and other events.

How Much Will it Cost:
This all depends on how you get around Boston. Most of the locations you can walk to once you get to the Freedom Trail but more than likely you will want to ride the T (Boston’s subway transportation). If you are driving yourself then count on paying for parking (there is really no way around this). However experiencing the Charles River, walking in Faneuil Hall Marketplace and going to the Maihaugen Gallery are all free of charge. But plan to spend at least of couple hundred dollars on eating, transportation and parking for the day. (Note this does not include accommodations and travel to Boston that is a whole other story.)

When to Go:
The best bet is most likely sometime in the early summer months. The weather will be pleasant but things will still be open (I am thinking of MIT in this case which may have reduced hours for summer).

More Information:
Maihaugen Gallery: http://libraries.mit.edu/sites/exhibits/maihaugen-gallery-2/
Freedom Trail Map: http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/maps/pdfs/boston-nps-map.pdf
Faneuil Hall Marketplace: http://faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
MIT Rowing Club: https://sites.google.com/site/mitrowingclub/home

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Sarasota Florida

2012-03-31T15:05:00.000-06:00

Me looking out at our anchored boat and the Ringling Causeway Bridge 2012

Before we ever dropped anchor in Sarasota it was on the list of places we would like to live on the water so when we actually had the boat and were ready to head somewhere it is not a surprise that Sarasota Florida was our first real destination. Norwood was much more familiar with the area having grown up there but for me it would be my first time getting to know the place. Besides the Ringling Art Museum (highly recommend this to anyone in the area) which we had visited in the past I was not really sure what there was for me to do there. We were also not really sure how much time we would spend in the area because we had plans to sail around Florida and someday make it over to the East Coast as well. So we played it all by ear and decided to start our time there doing the things that tourists would do. One of the first things we did was join the Selby Botanical Gardens (http://www.selby.org/). We spent days just drinking tea and enjoying the gardens. We met some great people who were on a visit to Sarasota at the time and chatted with them. Overall it became a daily hangout for us while we were in Sarasota.

Norwood ringing the bell at Selby Botanical Gardens 2012

One day while sitting in Whole Foods in downtown Sarasota(our other daily hangout) I noticed an advertisement in Natural Awakenings for Yoga Teacher Training at a local studio. I had been practicing yoga at the time about 8 months and I really wanted to take my yoga practice farther and dedicate more time to it and in my mind participating in yoga teacher training was a way to do that. After talking it over with Norwood I decided to visit the studio that would be hosting the yoga teacher training and see if it was at all a possibility.

Me (in yellow) adjusting one of my fellow students in Yoga Teacher Training 2011

Cake! Nothing better than a yummy cake after 5 months of yoga.

Turns out the people were friendly and knowledgeable and I felt I could definitely spend five months of my life with them. Dedicating myself to the yoga teacher training meant one thing though… we would have to be in Sarasota for at least another five months. Although we had planned on leaving for the Keys in November 2011 we all decided that the yoga thing was something that I needed to do while we were in Sarasota. So we there we were anchored metaphorically and literally in Sarasota until January 2012. My yoga training is a whole another adventure that I will talk about in later posts and writings. But to give you an idea here is something I wrote while enrolled in the program…

Strum Your Prana with the Cord of Yoga

Besides my yoga training there was just one thing left for me to do before all my land commitments were fulfilled and we could officially set sail and that was complete the Walt Disney World Marathon 2012. That of course is another adventurous story that I will have to share in yet another post but for now let me just say that… I finally finished that marathon!

Me (in the red) with some friends after the WDW Marathon 2012... check out my medal!

So it was a week after the completion of my Yoga Teacher Training that we finally set sail. We left Bradenton on January 23 and started to make our way south. Our first stop was Sarasota (we went back to Bradenton just to take care of the car and a few other loose ends) then we headed out in a long first trek to Gasparilla Island… which I will tell you all about next post.

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Harry Potter series are now ebooks!

2012-03-30T08:57:00.001-06:00

Dear readers of Weekly Zen I am not sure if I have ever expressed here how much I truly enjoy the Harry Potter series but let us just say I am a huge fan. I find myself reading my very well worn paperback copies twice a year. Since we have often lived what we like to call and alternative lifestyle (you can read this as small spaces that move a lot) I have replaced many of my “books” with ebooks and both the Kindle and the Nook. When making the switch a while ago I was somewhat disappointed that my favorite series, the only books I find myself reading each year were not yet ebooks. Well as of March 29, 2012 that is no longer the case. Harry Potter is now in ebook form! And they are available for any ereader device out there. You can find them at your local libraries that have digital collections now thanks to Overdrive and Abode Digital Editions. You can also find them DRM from places such as Open Books which will allow you to read them on any reader. And you can also find them available for the many generations of Kindle.

I have also noticed at my local library that there are MP3 audiobooks of the Harry Potter series also available. Guess who will be loading up her iPod and Kindle with Harry Potter this weekend…. this girl. Happy Reading!

Dropping Anchor in Sarasota

2012-03-30T08:32:00.001-06:00

Sarasota Bay near Island Park

After our first long sailing trip we were hoping that the next day would be uneventful, especially since we were only a few hours away and had the whole day to make it there. Wrong again. The actual travel to Sarasota went fine. It was a beautiful day and there were no more bridges so it was smooth sailing… literally. It was not until we actually were in the Sarasota Bay and right outside Marina Jacks in the mooring field that we ran into trouble.

I would not say that I am particularly clumsy, but I would not say that I am graceful either. I hover between a disaster and lucky most of the time. The day we first dropped anchor in Sarasota my luck was on vacation. We have a windlass so all I really need to do is press a button with my foot and the anchor will come up or drop down. Easy right? Well if everything goes smoothly then yes it is easy, but as I mentioned my luck was on vacation that day. As I was dropping the anchor the chain started to build up and it became stuck on the pulpit. Without really thinking I reached down and grabbed hold of the chain to yank it and let it start to fall again. My feet were off the buttons but the gears had not stopped moving. It all happened in just a matter of seconds. In the time it took me to grab ahold of the chain the gears moved and pulled back and there was my hand stuck between the chain (on top) and the gear which the chain moves over the windlass (on bottom). Screaming at the top of my lungs all alone at the pulpit I could not think of what to do. At this point it did not hurt but I could see what was happening and I was scared. Without moving my eyes from my stuck hand I reached my right foot out in hopes of hitting the button that would drop the chain and release my hand. Luck seemed to reenter my life at that moment because I was able to release my hand just as Norwood came up to the pulpit to see what was going on. It was now that the pain started and I could not stop myself from crying as I looked at my swollen broken looking hand. My hand was so swollen that I could not move it. I had never had any broken bones before so when Norwood asked me if my fingers we broken I could not answer. All I knew was it hurt more than I have ever felt anything hurt before and I could not move any of my fingers on my right hand.

Time seemed to stop at that time as Norwood figured out a way to get me off the boat and to the hospital that was only a mile away. After what seemed like an eternity I was on shore and Norwood was asking a family if they would give me a ride to the hospital. I got into the car with them as I said goodbye to Norwood, he had to go back and finish anchoring the boat. Four hours in the Emergency Room and as it turns out I had a contusion on each of my fingers (except my thumb who narrowly missed all the excitement). No broken bones but possible nerve damage in my ring and pinkie finger (both had taken the worst of it).

It was not until 6 months later that I completely regained all the feeling in my fingers. I have to say that this experience really did not put Sarasota in my favor. Now even months later the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Sarasota is not the months we spent there “living” but the almost broken fingers from my first day in Sarasota. Next Sailing post… 7 months in Sarasota.

The Beginning of a Sailing Journey

2012-03-29T20:01:00.001-06:00

Sunset on the water
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

June 2011 Norwood and I decided that life as a fulltime RVers just did not hold the same excitement it once did. We had seen much of the US (you can count on one hand the states that we have not spent time in) and we both felt that we had seen what we wanted by land more than once so it was time to do something different, something neither of us had done before... travel by boat. So much of what we wanted to see in the RV was near the water but RV resorts are not really (in many cases) near the water. It only made sense to move to the boat. Neither of us was sure if we would last long on the boat. Sure we spent time in close quarters before, but there was so much more to sailing than there was to RVing that we were just not sure about. Our relationship, strength, confidence and so much more was going to be tested and in the end we had to decide if all the work would be worth it. Here I sit 10 months later with quite the story to tell and the journey has only just begun.

As you have seen on this blog before the adventure began in Bradenton Florida in a little marina called the Twin Dolphin. We bought the boat and on the advice of the people who sold us the boat we spent a month in a marina to get the boat ready for living and traveling. Future sailors let me give you a little advice… spend a month in a marina getting to know your boat even if it is not your first boat. Norwood and I are experienced in living off grid and even we had things come up that we did not think about before “getting on the boat.” It was nice to have the car nearby and an easy way off the boat and to land quickly. So even if you have sailed before, I highly suggest that if you plan on traveling by boat for a long time, stay in that marina first and get the boat set up, it makes all the difference in the end.

So we spent our month in the marina and then we took off for our first sailing adventure to Sarasota. You can read about our first outings in Egmont Key and Desoto Memorial and Bradenton Florida .

Where the story left off on the blog was our first landing in Sarasota. It was a rough trip. At our first bridge we our Jib line, which was slowly (unknown to us) wrapping around the prop while we did circles in front the bridge waiting for the opening stalled the engine. There we were with the bridge opening and the engine stalled. Over the VHF we could hear the bridge telling yelling at us asking if we were going to go or what and Norwood realizing what was happening ran to the front and dropped the anchor. He had to stop us from drifting into the bridge and then jump overboard with a knife and cut the line from the prop. An hour later the prop was free and we were ready to head through the bridge and continue our journey to Sarasota.

After the first bridge debacle we thought there was nothing else that could happen and we would most assuredly make it to Sarasota that night… nope. Unfamiliar with the area we were not sure which channel to take to head towards Sarasota. We took the one that looked the biggest… we were wrong. Apparently the biggest channel in that area was a small one that would take you to a little island only at high tide. It was low tide and needless to say we hit the sand bar and became very stuck. We had of course Boat US (every sailor should have some sort of tow service) so all we had to do is wait for them to come and pull us off and tow us to a safe anchorage.

Although it was not the best trip, it ended on a good note. We anchored in a safe place and would start off a new day in a new city. Next sailing post… dropping the anchor in Sarasota for the first time.

Reverse osmosis to purify tank water RV and Sailboat

2012-03-28T09:08:00.002-06:00

I have run into so many sailors from Saint Pete, all the way around the keys and up the east coast of FL who are not using Reverse osmosis to purify tank water. Some say just buy bottled water and some just don’t care. Well if you’re like us then you probably care about the quality of water you put into your body. No one wants to have some water born sickness at sea. So here is what I designed for under 500 bucks. you can use this for an RV also.

I purchased

1. An ultraviolet 110 volt water purifier for bacteria. Wire it and run it to your inverter.

2. a filter for chemicals that I was afraid might be in our old steal tank

3. A reverse osmosis system dump the waste water back in the water storage tank, only do this if water consumption is an issue. The filter lasted about 10 months I just changed them.

Hook them up in the order above. And you will have water that beats the paints off bottled water.

If you want to not use a bacteria filter you can use water killing chemicals and a carbon filter just be sure you know what you’re doing.

Our water is about 10 to 20 parts per million.

I will post more on how I solved issues with living on the hook.

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

2012-03-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my review of The Professor’s Assassin last month I stated that I was eagerly awaiting the release of Pearl’s new novel The Technologists and that from the preview that was included in The Professor’s Assassin it looked like it was going to be one of his best. Well needless to say I was not disappointed. Pearl delivers yet another page turner that had me guessing “who done it” until the very end.

The Technologists is set in Boston 1868 and starts with, of all things, seven shipwrecks. For those who do not know, currently me, my husband and super pup Maverick are on a sailboat sailing around the entire coast line of Florida. It was somewhat eerie to begin the book on a foggy and raining day while sitting on a boat only to discover that Pearl was painting a similar picture in his new novel. Besides the riveting poetic language from sentence number one I was hooked simply because I truly felt the picture being painted around me. But the mysterious disasters did not stop there. As the book progressed more unusual, seemingly hard to explain catastrophes were happening to Boston. The police force was at a loss for answers so they had to make the choice of turning to one of the two colleges in the area, Harvard or the new formed Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They choose to place their faith in the college that was not shocking the city with their “technologies” and sought the help of the professor of science from Harvard. Harvard’s science department unfamiliar and unwilling to accept the new way of looking at the world that was present in MIT was unable to adequately explain what had happened or what would happen next. It looked as though all was loss for Boston until a secret group formed within the walls of MIT began to investigate from the shadows. Quickly the MIT students begin to see how the experimenter was tormenting the city, their only question left was, how would they stop him.

For readers whom this is the first Pearl book you have or will read I must take a sidebar in this review and tell you that if you enjoy it, buy the other three… you will not be disappointed. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Pearl’s novels but I do have favorites. The Last Dickens published in 2009 is my favorite of his works but it has some serious competition with The Technologists. It is not often that I read a mystery and do not pick up on where the author is going long before the culprit is revealed. In Pearl’s latest I suspected many people and was surprised to find out who was really behind it all. For that and Pearl’s attention to detail in his meticulous research I gave The Technologists five stars. Hats off to Pearl for yet another masterpiece.

Novel Moments:

“Throughout his boyhood in a port town, he’d heard so many people spoken of as “lost at sea.” Now it seemed to him the strangest turn of phrase. As long as he was in the water he could not be lost.” (Kindle Location 200)

“Technology is the dignity that man can achieve by bettering himself and his society.” (Kindle Location 892)

“When you stop the mind from inventing, you stop nature.” (Kindle Location 2339)

The Professor's Assassin by Matthew Pearl

2012-02-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Professor’s Assassin by Matthew Pearl is a prequel to his latest novel The Technologists. The regular reader of Pearl will know that he does not disappoint the reader looking for an engaging historical fiction novel. His short story about a professor who is determined to find out the identity of a murderer at the University of Virginia and bring him to justice is no exception. Pearl’s talent for tantalizing the reader with thrilling tales shines through once again. William Barton Rogers (later to be the founder and president of MIT) is the science professor at the University of Virginia and is startled to discover that the riots of campus “volunteers” have turned deadly. Rogers is the first to want justice when one of his colleague’s is slain in the street at the hand of a student and volunteer. With his prodigious knowledge of the area and the help of other students Rogers goes on the hunt for the person responsible so he cannot kill again.

Pearl, as in his novels, creates a character in Rogers that makes the reader want to follow him into the darkest alley to find out who has committed the crime and bring that man to justice. From the first page we, the reader, are captured and cannot leave until the thrilling end.

The short story is riveting and leaves the reader wanting more. The short story also includes sample chapters from Pearl’s upcoming novel, The Technologists, which if the sample is any indication of the rest of the novel is going to be phenomenal. Trust me readers of historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers… you will not be disappointed with The Professor’s Assassin.

Novel Moments:

“William Barton Roger’s eyes tracked the bursts of light in the darkness outside. The other men in the room kept away from the window, as though there was somewhere to hide.” (Kindle Location 33-36).

“Jack would not be so limited forever. Nor would Rogers. More choices would come-they must.” (Kindle Location 944-49)

View all my reviews

Red Feather Lakes Colorado: A Reader's Search for a Place to Sit

2012-01-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.”― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Meditation has long been an interest of mine. My first real study of meditation began when I started my first BA at the University of Colorado. During my twelve years in Boulder I became quite accustomed to walking over to CU’s main library and picking a subject at random and reading my way through the shelf. It was earlier on when I discovered the vast section on religion and became quite fond of the “Buddhism” shelf. What held me captivated was the works on meditation. In 1996 I read a book called “Walking on Lotus Flowers: Buddhist Women Living, Loving and Meditating” which was a collection of stories from Buddhist women. One story stood out to me and even to this day I still reference it. A woman lived in a cave and was alone with herself and her meditation practice. After reading the book I always questioned myself and if I was strong enough to be able to sit with myself and only myself for any period of time. I was sure that not being around people would not be very difficult but the books, I was desperately afraid that without books I might just go insane. So from the day I read “Walking On Lotus Flowers” I have always kept it somewhere in the back of my mind that I wanted more from my meditation that I wanted to someday sit in a cave and see what I could discover about myself.

It was not until many books and years later that I actually embarked on a mini self-exploration retreat. In September of 2007 I took my first meditation related Reader’s Vacation.

What to read:
Determining what to read on this reader’s vacation was perhaps the hardest part. As I mentioned there are so many books to choose from but a real reader’s vacation is all about immersing yourself in a book and the place around you so you do not want to have too many (no more than two or three books at a time is my preference). Finally I narrowed down my reading choices based on the following:
• Meditation experiences from real people
• Meditation experiences that involved travel
• Meditation experiences… not a how to meditate guide

Based on my very broad guidelines I choose the following book:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
In the book Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert chronicles her journey to find herself after a long divorce. She decided to take a year and spent it in three different places for three different purposes. The book is divided into three books. In Book I Gilbert describes her time in Italy for which she hoped to speak Italian and eat Italian food. In book two Gilbert travels to India to pray at an ashram. In book three Gilbert would return to Indonesia where at first she had no plans what she would do during her stay but a palm reader 2 years before told her she would be back and would stay with him, so in the attempt to experience something different she went on a whim hoping he would remember her. [Read the rest of my review on Goodreads]

Where to go:

“We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy's fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure--your perfection--is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the buy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.”― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

The possibilities are endless here and the time you will need to perform such a vacation could be a weekend, a week, a year or a lifetime. My Reader’s Vacation took me to the mountains of Colorado over a weekend to a little place called Red Feather Lakes Colorado. Unlike Gilbert I did not feel the need to travel all over the world to find myself. I was positive that I was somewhere in the mountains of Colorado. One day while I was pursuing the free newspaper stands in Boulder I discovered a course curriculum for meditation courses at the Shambhala Mountain Center. There was an advertisement for a free Labor Day weekend retreat. As fate would have it Labor Day was that weekend and we did not have any other plans.

The Great Stupa at the Shambahala Mountain Center

Red Feather Lakes Colorado is the home to the Shambhala Mountain Center. While it is not an ashram in India it is a place where you can escape the busy world around you and live for a weekend or longer in a community that meditates, does yoga and together everyone takes care of their surroundings. We spent a weekend at Shambhala and participated in the free workshops their offered during a Labor Day Weekend event. From yoga to Zen poetry we tried everything they had to offer but what stood out to me was the Great Stupa where we could meditate at any time of day. Although it was just a weekend that I sat in the Stupa the experience stood with me to this day. I would sit for hours in front of the large Buddha and just sit. Then we would walk the trails around the Shambhala Mountain Center and listen to the world around us. At meal times we joined the others in the center and ate food that was grown and prepared right there just hours before we were to eat it. All my senses were stimulated while at the same time being relaxed. Just like Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love I had an awakening while in meditation. My life did not change dramatically in that moment but that Reader’s Vacation profoundly changed my life and led to an even longer Yoga Reader’s Vacation four years later.

The Buddha inside the Great Stupa

What to Do and See:
When traveling to Red Feather Lakes Colorado of course you will want to see the Shambhala Mountain Center. Depending on the time of year there are workshops for just about everything. Personally I recommend traveling there sometime in June- August. During those months the weather is absolutely perfect for hiking and outdoor yoga and meditation. Besides participating in the workshops make sure you allot plenty of time to tour and meditate in the Great Stupa. It is North America’s largest Stupa at 108 feet and represents the aspiration for peace, harmony and equanimity for all. Also the area is literally a national forest with tons and tons of hiking trails, lakes and quite little place to sit with your thoughts. Although there are little places to eat when you head into the towns nearby I highly suggest you eat at least one meal at the Shambhala Mountain Center. The last time we were there they green their own veggies and prepared the meals fresh each meal. They ask for money or work donations for the meals.

How much it will cost:
This varies on what you want to do at Shambhala and how long you want to stay. If you just want to go to the Great Stupa for a day and look through the meditation books they have right there in the Stupa it is free (donations are of course always encouraged). If you want to participate in workshops for a weekend the prices range from $300-1000 depending on lodging needs and the workshop. Just a note, there are scholarships available and I met many people who were working to pay off their stay so do not let price deter you from taking the journey if you really want to.

When to Go:
As I mentioned earlier summer months are really a fantastic time to be in the Colorado Mountains (June- August) but the center is open all year long so any time you can fit in should work. Just be sure to pack season appropriate.

More Information:
More information about Shambhala Mountain Center: http://www.shambhalamountain.org
More information about Walking on Lotus Flowers: http://www.amazon.com/Walking-On-Lotus-Flowers-Meditating/dp/0722532318
More information about meditation: http://www.amandasweeklyzen.com/search/label/Meditation
More information about Eat, Pray, Love: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/112092721
More information about Elizabeth Gilbert: http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/

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Meditation Tools

2012-01-02T09:39:00.002-07:00

Meditation
Originally uploaded by rmhealing

The student of meditation may find themselves at times overwhelmed with the various “tools” that are out there designed to guide or assist the student in meditation. I know when I was a beginning student I spent a great deal of time exploring what I thought I needed to “sit” and tried many things to help with my concentration. Now after years of trying out the various meditation tools I have come to a point where I simply need a comfortable place to sit, a recording of a singing bowl and a “zen” alarm to signal the end of my session. However, since that was not always the case I have decided to put together a post detailing some of the common tools out there for meditation and how they are used.

Zafu Meditation Cushion: Since many traditional forms of meditation are done sitting one of the most basic tools a student will need is something to sit on. Commonly you will find people using a Zafu (a little round pillow on which to sit) but there are so many different types of instruments out there designed to make you sit tall yet comfortably for your meditation session. From chairs to stools you will find it all and there is no right or wrong tool. It all depends on what you want to sit on. In truth, while your comfort in sitting is the most important step to begin your practice most likely you could find something around your home that will work. If you have a yoga mat you could sit it on the floor with your back against the wall and find enough comfort for your session. While you should start with this tool, do not worry too much about whether or not you have the “right” sitting setup. It is right if you are comfortable yet erect (in other words no slouching meditators here).

Mala Beads: Mala beads very simply are prayer beads. They are used in many different types of religions (even Catholics use prayer beads, commonly called a rosary). The number of beads and the style of beads will vary (in yoga there are 108 beads) but all are designed to help you concentrate on restating a mantra (for example: gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté, bodhi svaha). The idea is that you touch each bead on the strand, say your mantra then move on the next bead and repeat. Once you have come full circle on the strand you have completed your meditation.

Zen Gardens: A Zen garden is a small sand garden often with a few rocks and a rake. In order to help focus your attention on only one task you are to rake the garden. I have a small Zen garden and I at times find it useful when I have difficulty entering into my meditation. It is calming and aesthetically pleasing in any room. You can find relatively simple and inexpensive Zen gardens almost anywhere. You can also very easily make your own.

Singing Bowls: If you are a student of meditation or yoga you will find yourself hard-pressed not to have run into a singing bowl sometime in your practice. They are so commonly used in both meditation and yoga classes throughout most of the U.S. Singing bowls are usually of two forms metal or crystal. They come in various sizes that will be tuned for different areas of the body or mind. The sound and the vibration from the bowl are wonderful tools for helping you to enter further into yourself, but you do not necessarily need to have a bowl present in your meditation to enjoy the benefits of their music. There are several good recordings out there of bowls that you can put on your mp3 player and listen to on a personal device or on a stereo in your meditation room. Out of all the tools I have tried and used my recording of singing bowls is the one that I still use daily.

Incense and Aromatherapy: Incense or other forms of aromatherapy are commonly used to create a mood in your meditation room. It is also used cleanse an area. It is used in many cultures and religions. I am not aware of smells being used specifically for concentration purposes but I certainly do not see why one could not use a smell as a concentration tool. You could introduce a smell into your meditation room and begin to find adjectives to describe the experience of the smell until no other thoughts but the smell exist in your mind. If you are a meditation guide I would avoid using smells with students (unless you are familiar with all your students) because there are many who have sensitivity to smells. Many types of incense for example give me a headache and make it difficult for me to concentrate.

Candles: Whether real or LED candles can be an inexpensive and useful concentration tool. They not only help to set a mood in your meditation room but the flame can also be a tool used to meditate on. Candle gazing is common for many beginning meditators. Focusing all your attention on the flickering flame will help you to draw inward sooner and keep your concentration in one place.

Alarms and Timers: Besides your meditation pillow, the alarm or timer you use to end your session is one of the most important tools you will want to always have with you in your meditation sessions. I would highly recommend not using a regular alarm clock. The annoying beeping can be somewhat jarring when coming out of a long meditation. There are many products out there that offer more soothing sounds to end your sessions. Personally I use my cell phone. I have used my favorite Om chant recording and created a ring tone out of it and it is my alarm. Put your cell phone on airplane mode so no incoming calls can interrupt your session and set it for the desired time. The best part about using a cell phone as your meditation alarm is that you will more than likely always have it with you and you can easily change the tone.

The above are just a few things that you may run into when sitting with others in meditation studios or monasteries. All of them are useful, but in the end it is only you that can decide which tools you choose to use. Remember your practice is the most important thing not necessarily what tools you use to meditate.

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Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh

2011-12-10T11:32:00.001-07:00

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh is a fun light read about Shari Jones. Shari Jones finds herself in a real mess, homeless, broken hearted and unemployed. Unsure that her life will turn around anytime soon her best friend Rita proposes an outrageous scheme that involves Shari posing as Rita in an attempt to get rid of her fiancé whom Rita’s traditional Indian parents have chosen for her. Not seeing anything more promising on the horizon Shari agrees to the scheme and travels to India only to find that nothing goes according to plan and once again she has placed herself in a position where she could very well have her heart broken. Shari has a decision to make, should she risk it all and take the pieces of her new life and begin to put them together or should she play it safe, stay in New York and hope that someday opportunity and love will come her way again.

This book is a quick read and it is fun. There is nothing really substantial about this book. The characters are one dimensional and the relationships are superficial but the book is a page turner, full of laughs, a little bit of shock and ultimately what everyone wants in a good tale of love lost and found again, a happy ending.

What this book really has going for it, besides being fun to read, is a great exploration of Indian food. There is a lot of food in this book and some very rich descriptions of the spicy and the sweet. I enjoy it when books can step outside their primary purpose and give us a little cultural education. How accurate the food accounts are I could not tell you not being all that familiar with Indian food myself, but each one is a delicious little morsel you will savor.

There are also some nice blurbs about the culture in India and Bollywood movies that this reader found interesting. Since a majority of the story takes place in India, we, along with Shari discover its secrets and delights. By the end of this book you will find yourself ordering Indian food and curling up in front of a Bollywood film.

Those who want something fun to read over their holiday vacations will find this a great read. It can be read in just a couple of days and will leave you with happy, satisfied feeling.

Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

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Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection

2011-12-10T10:50:00.001-07:00

Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection by Shannon Stacey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection by Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton , HelenKay Dimon, Alison Kent and Angela James (Editor) is a collection of short romance tales all with the theme of Christmas. The first story is “This Time Next Year” is one of a woman who finds herself stranded on the side of the road on the way to visit her grandmother for Christmas. Just at her moment of need a cowboy comes riding to the rescue, pulls her to safety and together they find out just what it means to have someone they love at Christmas.

The second story, “A Rare Gift” is about a man who has no interest in women after a disastrous marriage that is why it takes him by surprise when his ex-wife’s younger sister begins to grow on him during a work project. Now with the holidays approaching he finds himself asking whether or not he can put his trust in love a second time.

The third story, “It’s Not Christmas Without You,” is about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend in order to accept her dream job in the city. Still in love with her boyfriend she cannot bring herself to go home for Christmas. When her boyfriend, who is also still in love, discovers this he is determined to bring Christmas to her in the city in hopes that after Christmas she will come home with him and resume their love story.

The last story in this romance short story collection is, “Mistletoe and Margaritas.” Two years after losing her husband a woman still finds herself not quite ready to move on. However, she still believes in love and is not surprised when her needs start to manifest themselves in her dreams. What surprises her however are the feelings that she has begun to develop about her best friend, Justin. As it turns out he has always had affection for her and when they find themselves at a holiday party together they are no longer able to conceal their true feelings for one another.

I have to admit there are few times when I rate a romance novel higher than 3 stars. This collection started off with great promise the first short story actually engaged me in it’s story line before moving on to the “romance” part of the novel (read here the lusty love scenes). For short stories they actually did take their time letting their characters fall in love and all of them stuck true to the holiday theme. What made this book dip below the typical 3 stars I will give a romance novel is the graphicness of the love scenes. Call me a prude but I have read many Sandra Brown novels with some pretty intense love scenes that did not make me say, “Well now THAT is just going too far,” this collection made me say that more than once. I am sure there are many readers out there that enjoy those type of love scene but for this reader it bordered on erotic fiction and outside the taste of this reader.

People who enjoy romance novels however will more than likely enjoy this collection, as mentioned earlier the contributors do take their time to develop a story between their characters and many of them are enjoyable page turners, the only real problem with this collection is that according to the taste of this reader some of the love scenes were just a little too much.

Publication Date: December 5, 2011

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

Yoga as Music on Elephant Journal

2011-12-05T13:24:00.001-07:00

A while ago I wrote about the movements we do in yoga as a form of music that we perform with our bodies. Well I submitted that article to the very popular and totally awesome online yoga and meditation magazine Elephant Journal and it was published! You can read a revised version of my initial post here...

www.elephantjournal.com/2011/12/strum-your-prana-with-the-chord-of-yoga--amanda-perez/

If you are not a member of Elephant Journal yet I encourage you to join. It is a fantastic publication with a wide variety of articles to read, well worth the money and it's eco-friendly. :)

Happy Reading.
Amanda

Sun Salutations A, B and C

2011-12-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

The Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar are very common in many yoga classes however there are so many variations that it can be confusing which you are doing. There are some great resources online that I would like to share with you about all three Sun Salutations A, B,C. In this post you will see videos from Yoga journal for Sun Salutation A, B and a modified version. A and B are pretty classic and you will see those a lot in classes and online. The modified version is new to me but it looks like a great version of A and C (in C you use the 8 point pose to lower yourself into Cobra instead of Chatarunga). I could not find a video that portrayed C but here is a link to a PDF that lists all three along with common names, Sanskrit and breath…

Sun Salutation A, B, C

Hope you find these helpful and that you add the Sun Salutations into your daily practice.
~Namaste

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation B

Modified Sun Salutation

Classics Challenges 2012

2011-11-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

Challenge Updates:

Updates May 8, 2012:

Hamlet by William Shakespeare finished reading today for Back to Classics Challenge 2012 and Classics Club.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte reading this one for A Classics Challenge and Classics Club

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides listening to this one for the Summer 2012 Book Challenge

Added new challenge information for A Victorian Celebration that starts in June and runs through July. Scroll to the bottom for challenge information.

Previous Updates:
Updates May 5, 2012:
100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life- started and finished this one today for the Summer 2012 Book Challenge in the category of Read A Book in a Day.

Adding books to my Summer 2012 Book Challenge Reading list.

Updates May 2, 2012:
The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks- finished this book for the Mixing It Up Challenge on April 30, 2012. This was for the romance category and it was my first Sparks book. I have to say I have seen a few movies based on his books and thought they were pretty good but I am not sure why people read his novels. This one just didn't do it for me.

Persuasion by Jane Austen- still reading this one for Classics Club and Mixing It Up Challenge.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte- still reading this one for 2012 A Classics Challenge and Classics Club.

Updates April 22, 2012:
Villette by Charlotte Bronte picked it up to read again and going to try and finish it before May. Reading this one for the 2012 A Classics Challenge and Classics Club.

Persuasion by Jane Austen reading this one this weekend. About 6% through the book and so far it is very interesting. Reading this one for Classics Club and Mixing It Up Challenge.

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks- going to start this one later on today for the Mixing it Up Challenge.

Updates April 10, 2012:
Villette by Charlotte Bronte- Started reading this one in March of 2012 for the 2012 A Classics Challenge and Classics Club but ended up setting it aside early April because I was caught up in other books and life events. Will be finishing this one up before May.

Persuasion by Jane Austen- started this one early this month. Moving through it nicely should have it done sometime next week. So far it is a good read. Not sure if it is the best Austen I have read yet but it is still early on in the book for me. Reading this one for the Classics Club and Mixing it Up.

Updates April 4, 2012:
Finished The Hunger Games for Mixing It Up.

I also added another challenge to my list of Reading Challenges for the year.. Mixing it Up. Scroll to the bottom of my list here to read about the rules and the books I decided to read.

Challenges:
Those titles highlighted in yellow have been read.
Those titles highlighted in green are currently being read.

As a student of literature it is not uncommon for me to have a number of “classic” novels in my reading queue. I have to admit though 2011 has been a little sparce in the classics department. That is why when I stumbled onto two classic reading challenges from fellow book bloggers I signed up without hesitation. 2012 will be a year to reconnect with some old favorites and read some classics that I just never got around to reading. Below are the challenges that I entered along with my projected book lists for each challenge. Unlike the last time I joined in on a classic reading challenge all the books below will be read on my Nook and my Kindle. If you are participating in either challenge and want to share your lists please feel free to do so… I love lists. J

2012 A Classics Challenge:

Dates: January 1-December 31 2012

Description: This challenge is hosted by Katherine of November’s Autumn. The goal is to read 7 classic novels in 2012 and participate in the 4^th of the month writing prompt at November’s Autumn.

Book List: (some of these books are also on my Back to the Classics Challenge 2012 list)

1. Villette by Charlotte Bronte

2. Women In Love by D. H. Lawrence

3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

4. Grimm's Tales for Young and Old

5. Tom Jones: The History of a Foundling by Henry Fielding

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

7. Emma by Jane Austen

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012:

Dates: January 1- December 31, 2012

Description: Sarah of Sarah Reads too Much set up the reading challenge in which we are to read one classic for each of the following categories:

Any 19^th Century Classic (Category 1)
Any 20^th Century Classic (Category 2)
ReRead a Classic of your choice (Category 3)
A Classic Play (Category 4)
Classic Mystery/Horror or Crime Fiction (Category 5)
Classic Romance (Category 6)
Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language into your native language (Category 7)
Classic Award Winner (Category 8)
Read a classic set in a country that you will not visit in your lifetime (Category 9)

Book List:

Category 1: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott published in two volumes 1868 and 1869

Category 2: Women In Love by D. H. Lawrence - initially banned, published in 1920

Category 3: Tom Jones: The History of a Foundling by Henry Fielding the 18^th Century English novel that was the subject of my Masters in Literature thesis

Category 4: Hamlet by William Shakespeare READ MAY 8, 2012

Category 5: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde enchanted portraits and overindulgence who could ask for anything more.

Category 6: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë so much in love that it carries over into the grave.

Category 7: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri first written in Italian and then eventually translated into English

Category 8: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940.

Category 9: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is set in nineteenth century Russia, a place that I cannot foresee myself visiting in my lifetime.

Speaking of lists... here is a great list of 100 classic books from Wikipedia that might interest some of you.

The Classics Club:

The Classics Club is the creation of Jillian at A Room of One’s Own. The idea is to create a list of at least 50 classics that you want to read between March 2012 and March 2017. I have set my personal deadline for May 2013. If you so choose you can add incentives to give yourself after finishing a book or a number of books. To me the best incentive is the fact that I have read books from my list of books I have always wanted to read so there will be no incentives on my part.

Below is my list of 50 classics. I have chosen books that I have not read and those I have not read in such a long time I cannot remember if I liked them or not. They are in no particular order and as I read them I will highlight them and place the date finished behind them.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

2. Villette by Charlotte Bronte

3. Women In Love by D. H. Lawrence

4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

5. Grimm's Tales for Young and Old

6. Tom Jones: The History of a Foundling by Henry Fielding

7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

8. Emma by Jane Austen

9. Hamlet by William Shakespeare READ MAY 8, 2012

10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

11. The Inferno by Dante Alighieri

12. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

13. The Sleeper Awakes by H.G. Wells

14. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

15. Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

16. The Touchstone by Edith Wharton

17. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

18. Vanity Fair by William Mackepeace Thackeray

19. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

20. Ulysses by James Joyce

21. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerlad

22. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

23. Middlemarch by George Eliot

24. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

25. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

26. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

27. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

28. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

29. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

30. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

32. Absalom! Absalom! By William Faulkner

33. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

34. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

35. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

36. A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain

37. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

38. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

39. Amelia by Henry Fielding

40. A Bundle of Letters by Henry James

41. Dracula by Bram Stoker

42. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

43. Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

44. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

45. Persuasion by Jane Austen

46. Bel Ami: The History of a Scoundrel by Guy de Maupassant

47. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

48. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

49. Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson

50. The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura

Mixing It Up

Mixing it Up is an interesting challenge that I ran into in April and joined up. It is hosted by Musing of a Bookshop Girl. The idea is to choose one book from the categories below and there are levels of participation. The challenge runs until December 31, 2012.

Here is my list and below you can find all the categories and the levels of partipation:

I am participating in the Cupcake Mix level in the following categories with the following books:

Classics- Persuasion by Jane Austen
Biography- The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman
Modern Fiction- Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Romance- The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks READ APRIL 30, 2012
Travel- Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes by Robert Louis Stevenson
Children’s and Young Adult- The Hunger Games bySuzanne Collins READ APRIL 4, 2012

THE CATEGORIES

1. CLASSICS

2. BIOGRAPHY

3. COOKERY, FOOD AND WINE

4. HISTORY

5. MODERN FICTION

6. GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MANGA

7. CRIME AND MYSTERY

8. HORROR

9. ROMANCE

10. SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

11. TRAVEL

12. POETRY AND DRAMA

13. JOURNALISM AND HUMOUR

14. SCIENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY

15. CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT

16. SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY

LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION

MEASURING JUG: Playing it safe with 1-4 categories

CUPCAKE MIX: Livening things up with 5-8 categories

MIXING BOWL: Branching out with 9-12 categories

TWO-TIER CAKE: Getting ambitious with 13-15 categories

ALL THE TRIMMINGS AND A CHERRY ON TOP: Going for gold with the full 16!

Summer 2012 Book Challenge

The Summer 2012 Book Challenge runs from May 1, 2012 through September 1, 2012. One of the big requirements of this challenge is the no books be re-reads... all new to you books. Also each book must be at least 200 pages. And you are competing with others by obtaining points based on the guidelines below (my reads are in bold and []):

5 points: Read a book chosen for the 2012 World Book Night. [Zeitoun by Dave Eggers]

10: Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted. [Moby Dick by Herman Melville]

10: Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. [The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman ]

15: Read a book in one day. (Must be at least 150 pages long.) [100Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life READ MAY 5 2012]

15: Read a book that you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to yet. [The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde]

20: Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles. [Water for Elephants by Sara Grun and The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus]

20: Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit. [Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes]

25: Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing. [The Shining by Stephan King] Read MAY 17, 2012

25: Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top. [Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky]

25: Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. [The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides]

30: Read a trilogy. Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. [The Dark Divine Series- The Dark Divine READ MAY 15, 2012, The Lost Saint READ MAY 20, 2012, The Savage Grace]

A Victorian Celebration

During the months of June and July readers are gathering up their favorite Victorian novels for two months of enjoyment. There are no minimums or limits to this challenge, the only two rules are that you read a Victorian novel and that you read them in the months of June and July. Below are the novels that I will be reading for this challenge.

Reading List for A Victorian Celebration:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Emma by Jane Austen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

2011-11-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit that there is nothing like the drama of palace life that intrigues me. The gluttony, the power hungry willing to do anything… when done right it can create a real pager turner. That is why this reader very rarely turns down the opportunity to read a historical fiction novel especially one set in the 18th Century. The only downside to fondness for such literature is that there are many such novels out there and not all are worth the read. The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak is worth the read.

Varvara the daughter of a bookbinder from Poland is an innocent girl who believed that the word of the Empress was truth that could always be depended on. After the loss of both her parents Varvara, was taken to the palace where she believed the Empress would care for her because after all the Empress did give her word to her father. She was disappointed to find that she was just another ward who was invisible to everyone because she was considered a no one. It was not until she learned to see what others would not see and listen to the words meant to be kept secret that she rose through the ranks.

Completely satisfied with being a tongue for the Empress Varvara’s (Barbara’s) only wish was to be at the Empress’s side just as she had promised her father before his death. It was not until Sophie a young countess brought to marry Peter III did Varvara ever feel the need to protect someone other than herself and began to question the cruelty of palace life. Together Sophie, later to become Catherine the Great, and Varvara took a small girl and made her Empress of all Russia.

The story of how Catherine the Great rose to power is not that unusual in the historical fiction world. What makes The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great stand out however is the choice of the protagonist. Varavara is the only character we hear from in the book. It is through her eyes that we watch the fall of old power and the rise of new power. It is through her that we discover just how far people are willing to go for power.

This book is a great read for those who are interested in 18th century historical fiction and Catherine the Great. Heck if you just want a good read and are not really interested in either you will enjoy this book. As I mentioned earlier in this review it is a page turner. The only thing that I was disappointed with was the ending. I do not want to spoil the novel for anyone so I will not go into great detail about the ending but let me just say that I felt there were loose ends that needed to be tied up at the end and the ending felt somewhat abrupt and not as satisfying as I hoped it would be. All that said, it is a fantastic book worthy of at least one read.

As a side note I would just like to express my extreme pleasure at how prominent books were in this novel. Any bibliophile would adore this novel simply for the descriptions of the books that surrounded Varvara and the power that storytelling alone had on everyone in the novel.

Publication of this novel is scheduled for January 2012.

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

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Zen Meditations

2011-11-08T11:09:00.001-07:00

After posting a little post here on Weekly Zen about how to meditate I started to receive emails requesting more information. In particular people wanted to know more about Zazen. After gathering my thoughts about what I know about Zen meditations and doing a little additional research here is a brief outline about the different types of meditations that Zen practitioner’s use.

First let’s start by defining in simple terms what exactly Zen is. Zen is simply meditation or a meditative state. Often people may also think of it as some sort of Nirvana. You may also hear many people refer to Zen as a life full of simplicity. Any of these ideas can portray what Zen means because all will bring you wisdom or enlightenment if you spend time with them.

As far as the history of Zen goes, it is complicated and somewhat incomplete. What is known (or is widely accepted) is that it was founded by the South Indian Tamil Buddhist sage Bodhidharma. It was first documented in 7^th century China and from there was said to have spread to Vietnam, Korea and then Japan. The word Zen itself is the Japanese version of the Chinese word Chan which was derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyana. All mean the same thing and can, if you choose so, be used interchangeably.

Now that we have a little history under our belts in regards to Zen let us turn our attention to how you can enter into Zen. There are many paths to wisdom but here are the most common techniques used in Zen Buddhism.

1) Zazen: Zazen is what is often depicted when one thinks of meditation. It is sitting . When you sit you are working on regulating your mind. A technique to regulate your mind can be as simple as counting your breath. How you sit is somewhat important but can be modified according to your body. As was mentioned in my previous post on meditation there are many great tutorials out there with pictures that show you how to sit (at the end of this post I will list several great resources for you). Often people will sit in full Lotus or half Lotus, but any type of sitting in which your back is straight and your airway is not restricted is fine. The most important thing to remember is that the aim of Zazen is to be aware of the stream of thoughts that flow through your mind and allow them to continue their flow. Except them as they are and if you wish let them stay present in your mind. I do this but I like to clean up my thought stream every once and awhile and allow some to be filed away, so they are always there but not always in the forefront.

2) Sesshin: Sesshin is group Zazen and it is often done in monasteries by monks for hours every day.

3)Koan: Koan practice is an inquiry that can take place during Zazen, walking mediation or in your daily activities. Koans are stories that are related to Zen or Buddhist history. They usually take the form of anecdotes that involve a Zen teacher and practical demonstration of their wisdom. They are used to test you and your Zen practice and are meant to encourage the truth to reveal itself. You should let go of conceptual thinking and logical constructions of the world around us so your creativity and spontaneity can bloom in your mind. Here is an example of a Koan:

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup", Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

4)Mantras: if you get books or look at Zen meditation websites not all of them will list mantras as something that Zen Buddhist’s use but they are useful. When you sit in Zazen instead of counting your breath or using visualizations you may repeat any mantra to yourself. The number of times depends on you and your beliefs. You may have seen mala beads and have heard that you should repeat a mantra 108 times. You can if you want to but the main idea behind it all is that you repeat the mantra enough until it is all that is left in your thoughts. Here are some of the general mantras that I have found in my readings that you may consider using…

Clear mind, clear mind, clear mind... Don’t Know
The above can be used when you have too much on your mind and would just like to quite some of the noise.

gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté, bodhi svaha
translation: “gone, gone, gone beyond; opposites disappear, absolute appears”

Namu–de–bang–kwang–bul–hwa–um–gyung
Helps to make our minds strong and complete.

Om
The universal mantra of truth. This is used in many different traditions. It is even used in yoga. It is said to be able to take everything away.

Om–chi–lim
Protects your body from bad energy. When you are feeling sick or need energy this is a good mantra to use.

Om–nam
The mantra of purification. Use this when the place you are in seems to have bad energy attached to it.

Additional Readings:

Here is a list of things you can read to broaden your understanding of the topics discussed above. As always if there is anything you would like to add or you have any questions about this discussion please email me at amanda@amandasweeklyzen.com or comment on this post.

Zen Readings:

http://www.zenguide.com/ : a great website for everything Zen

Zazen Readings:

http://www.meditationquotes.com/index.htm : a great website for meditation quotes and some beginner tips (its focus is general meditation)

http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php : has a great tutorial on how to sit

http://www.zenguide.com/zenmedia/books/chapters.cfm?t=zazen_meditation_guide : a Zazen guide that can be downloaded into a PDF

Koan Readings:

http://www.nozen.com/index.htm : a great little place that offers different Koans for study. It also has a great mobile site.

Mantra Readings:

http://zenmirror.blogspot.com/2009/03/mantra-practice.html : a comprehensive list of Zen Mantras

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Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast by Jan Bethancourt

2011-11-02T09:39:00.001-06:00

Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast by Jan Bethancourt is a delightful little book that is best shared with others. It is not the type of book that you need to sit down and read in order. Flip to any page and you will find something not only relevant to your day but also uplifting and inspirational. So what is Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast? It is a collection of original sayings and watercolors that are designed to make women feel empowered, confident and happy. Lots of smiles in this book. It was started as email messages that Bethancourt sent to her daughter while she was in college. All were designed to make the daughter feel worthy and encouraged.

The entire book is built around the metaphor of chocolate (alas she is not really advocating the eating of real chocolate for breakfast… but this reader is! J ) Chocolate is Bethancourt’s metaphor for confidence, courage, and compassion. It is not really clear why she choose chocolate to serve as those ideas but it fits this collection. It is cute and delicious. The metaphor of chocolate comes up often with beautiful little sayings and every once in a while a cute little watercolor heart jumps into the conversation to visually remind you that you are loved.

I am not sure if the book “unleashed my inner self worth” but it did make me smile. As I mentioned earlier in this review this is a book that means more when it is shared. Since I cannot share the entire book with my reading audience (here though I encourage you to run out and buy or download your own copy) I want to share a few of my favorite tidbits…

“You do not have always have the luxury of choosing your journey. You do have the freedom to choose your path.”

“What if?” won’t change your past. “What now?” will change your future.

“Appreciate where you have been. It takes you where you are going.”

This book would be appreciated by readers who are women, readers who want a little smile and readers who want to appreciate simplicity. Smile dear readers and eat some chocolate with your breakfast!

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Bullet Trains to Yaks by Stan Biderman and Kathryn Minette

2011-11-02T08:55:00.000-06:00

Bullet Trains to Yaks by Stan Biderman and Kathryn Minette is a great little travel diary about a writer and a photographer who travel across China and Tibet to find unique artwork to hang in their home. This was a pleasant piece to read as it was much like a blog complete with posed pictures in front of landmarks. Some of their travel adventures were a bit humorous while others politically and emotionally charged. I enjoyed this book and found it a quick read. It is always somewhat interesting to read about others travels and there are times when their rosy depictions of the places they have visited elicit a strong feeling of longing on this reader’s part to visit said place. That happened somewhat with this book, although that feeling diminished towards the end of the book and after reading the photographers note at the end of the book.

Here are the highlights of the book; there are great descriptions of people, places and food. I loved the food mentions of the mishaps that resulted from some adventurous eating. There are also some great little tidbits that help the less knowledgeable reader pinpoint places in China and get a feel for the landscape. Just like China itself, Biderman and Minette blend the old and new into this small book. There is also some deep philosophical discussion both implicit and explicit going on in this travel narrative.

Here are some of the things that I thought would have made this book so much better. The photographs… I read the eBook version so I did not get the nifty little color photo insert that the paperback and hardback versions promise. The black and white photos in the eBook were just not enough to get the visual experience of their trip. Often I found myself reading then expecting a certain type of photo to illustrate a particularly interesting part of their journey only to find that the photograph was of something less significant to the story. Also the photographs were not always what I expected from a professional photographer. The POV was sometimes drab.

Overall, though this is a great little read that readers who enjoy travel narratives, art, food and China would enjoy reading.

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Words Made Fresh by Larry Woiwode

2011-11-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

Words Made Fresh: Essays on Literature and Culture by Larry Woiwode is billed as being an interesting collection of essays that will study the words and places which effect our cultural, spiritual and literary lives. I personally do not share the religious worldview of Woiwode but I am always open to reading a collection about what effects our cultural, spiritual and literary lives. I was somewhat disappointed with the collection and it has nothing to do with his consistent repetition of the question “What is the author’s responsibility to God and or his audience?” I appreciate such questions and in order to even attempt to understand them we need some powerful writing that will leave a lasting effect on the reader. This collection was not that. The first essay; a story about his experience of killing a wounded deer in front of his wife and child and how that left not only a lasting impression on everyone, was a bit disturbing and if the collection had continued in such a manner this review would be quite different. As the collection continued the pieces became dry and somewhat boring.

One of the most disappointing things about this collection is the lack of a unifying theme. Yes the introduction sets up what the promised theme is but the essays do not follow suit. It was a little discombobulating to go from one topic to another within the same collection.

What was well done in this collection was the ability that Woiwode had to face some of the stereotypes of religion. Not that I am an avid reader of Christian writing, but what I have found in what I have read, is very polite literature whose aim is not to offend. That was not a restriction Woiwode chose to place on himself. Some of the pieces (the first essay in particular) were shocking and disturbing.

I have read other reviews of this book that have stated that he places everyone who does not share his views under attack… that is a bit dramatic. He is strong in his beliefs but I hardly felt under attack as a non-Christian reader. If anything the only feelings I got from the collection were a bit of boredom and at times a little shock. Now as I often say at the end of any review, the fact that I did not like a book does not make is unreadable for another. I can honestly say I have never read a book that I thought… “Oh boy! No one should ever read this book!!!” So that in mind here is who I think would enjoy this collection of essays; persons who share Woiwode’s faith, persons who are already fans of Woiwode’s work and persons who like to read essays (although the last group may proceed with caution).

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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