Monday, February 23, 2009

I CAN"T BELIEVE SHE SAID THAT

I watched the Oscars last night. The little guy was passed to a sleeper by the name of Slumdog Millionaire, last night too many times to count. If you have not seen the movie I suggest you see it. It was a great movie. It was a very different concept then I have ever seen before. Sean Penn won a Oscar for Milk, which I did not see. I wanted Heath Ledger to win last night. He did post humorously. I hope he won because he deserved it not because the Academy felt sorry for him. I thought that movie was great. The acting by Heath Ledger was wonderful. It was very intense. In the movie theater you could not hear a pin drop.

Between The Reader, Kate Winslet and Doubt Meryl Streep was up for best actress.
I thought Meryl Steep's acting was better than the Kate Winslet. They say if you see a movie and if you hate the antagonist that the actor did a good job. I did see the Reader and I did not like the character, Hannah that Kate Winslet played. But there was something that I like Meryl Streep better in Doubt. Well Kate Winslet did win the Oscar, I was disappointed. I could not believe what Kate Winslet said to Meryl Streep.
She could have been nervous and did mean what she said. She told Meryl Streep to suck it up. I could not believe she said that. Maybe she was trying to be funny.
But, it did not come out that way. I am sure the press will be making comments. Meryl Streep has class and would not comment. But to put down a veteran actress like Meryl Steep I can't get over it.

Most of the gowns were beautiful there was one I did not like she looked like she was wrapped in the material.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Mailbox Monday



Thank you Marcia for hosting Mailbox Monday.
This is what I received in my mailbox this week:

The Age Of Shiva by Manil Suri,
Little Pink House by Jeff Benedict
My Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood
Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Rowing Lesson by Anne Landsma
Voices Under Berlin by T. H. E. Hill
Mission Accomplished: Stop the Clock by Muriel P. Englewood
Tight Rope by Michael Karpin
Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

This is the first time I received so many books at the same time.
My room is getting smaller and smaller. I can't give awway my books it is like throwing away a old friend. TOO PRECIOUS!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day



Happy Valentine's day to all my readers. I hope you all had a great Valentine's day.
I went out with my girlfriend and we saw a foreign French movie, and then went to 5 Guys and Fries. Not the most terrific place to eat for Valentine's but everything was crowded in Myrtle Beach. We were not going to wait for a hour to eat.
The last time we went out we went to a restaurant called Rioz. The wait if you can believe it was 3 hours I was not going to do that again.

Happy Valentine's to all.
I will be posting the winner to People of the Book by Tuesday. I have just been to busy with studying this week. Please bear with me. I will also be posting this week a new book giveaway so keep your eyes out for that too.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Reader- Thumbs Up



The book club actually ran itself. We discussed the book The Reader, there was so much to discuss for such a small book.


The Reader was about a 15 y.o boy that become involved with a German older woman in German after the war. He does not realize that she was a S.S officer till many years later, after he is in law school.

These are the questions that come to mind while reading the book:

She gets involved with a 15 year old. She rescues him, after he falls ill with Hepatitis and vomits on the street and she takes him in until he can get home. They have a affair. She asks him to read to her on a regular basis not realizing till years later she is illiterate.

The truth comes out to only him. She ruins his life with the affair he has as a young boy. He gets married and has a child but the relationship is ruined because of the affair he has with Hannah.


Hannah becomes a SS officer because she is illiterate. She goes job to job.
She has a chance to become promoted but she is afraid that she will be found out so she rejects a few promotions. She decides to work for the S.S.

Many years later when the boy becomes a adult he is going to law school and he, and a group of students are asked to observe a trial. The trial is Hannah and some other S.S officers.
She is accused of doing something and executing the order by her other co-workers.
But she can't write, she doesn't admit it to anyone. She does go to jail for life.

The two messages are literacy, and German guilt what happened and the younger generation wants to know what happened but the older generation wants to sweep it under the rug. The other question what would you have done in the same situation if you had to go into the German Army?

It probably was a loosing battle you would have been killed if you contradicted the German S.S. Morally what she had done was wrong. The other thing was she did not know how to answer questions, she was very naive, and ignorant about how the world worked. Possibly because she isolated herself because she could not read.

Two things happen he starts to send her tapes of the books, why does he do this?

I was angry that he felt obligated to do this. Why does he feel obligated? After a while she learns to read and she wanders why he doesn't correspond but still sends her the tapes. I think this is the only connection he has and he still wants some connection with her.

Would you tell or are you very ashamed of not reading that you would sacrifice every thing to not be found out?

During the time she is a S.S. officer she has the prisoners stay back in the work camp, to read to her, which bides more time( I think 60 days) until she has no choice but sent to the gas chambers.

Does she do this for pity or for selfish reasons To be read to. Why does he feel so guilty and help Hannah even after the truth comes out.

We come to the conclusion we find out that he wants to help her at the the trial.
He figures out only then that she can't read. He wants to tell the judge but decides against it. He keeps it quiet. He may perhaps feel guilty because he never told the judge he can't read.
The other thing in the book it talks about that shame and guilt by all German citizen after WW2. After the war they wanted to sweep it under the rug. How could their parents do this and allow Jewish citizens to be killed.

Was there any one character that you liked in the book?

I said no. I did not like Hannah she showed no remorse or feeling up till the end.
She is very stoic and cold person. German people during that time were nationalistic, and exact there were never a gray line everything was black and white.
Especially when she gave the reason why she let the church burn with the Jews in the church and did not open the door.

Everyone was surprised that after many year she was going to be let out for parole.
She killer her self. I am not surprised but the other members of the book club were. She could not face the world. in jail she felt safe. Out in the real world she would have to have others take care of her now that she is old.

I do like books that make you think about issues. The person who recommended the book was unable to make it. But for the first time in awhile we had a good discussion. I do hope we get new members soon we are loosing people. Today there were 5 people that showed up.

I highly recommend this book to read if you want to talk about literacy.
A great compliment to this discussion would be to have one of the organization that works with literacy come to your book club meeting. I am not a prude I don't think but there was some parts in the book I could have done with out. Don't forget in the U.S. we are not so free to read and watch movies that are explicit with sex as much as Europe is. That is the only thing I would say that was wrong with the book.

Thank you Elaine for recommending this book.

Our next book discussion will be at Teasa's on March 11th @ 1PM. We will be reading The Painted Drum.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Great News



Now my good news for you readers that are wondering how I did. Ready for the drum roll. I did do well. I passed with a 88 on my first A/P test. It was worth it not celebrating my b-day until Wednesday. I made some stupid mistakes. I will know next time. What happened was she asked the question and they were multiple choice. You really have to read the answers. I must have gotten 3 wrongs for not reading the question right and analyzing the questions too much. Example, how stupid I knew this one. To make water how many molecules make water?
1) 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom
2) 1 hydrogen atom and 2 oxygen atoms
3) 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecules
4) 1 hydrogen molecules and 2 oxygen molecules

Of course the answer was 3. How stupid. I just answered without thinking there would not be trick questions. Anyway I am sure there will another test and I will make sure this doesn't happen again.

I have been taking classes for Medical Coding that I started last semester. I decided I really did not want to do that. I realized I used to be a nurse and I let my license lapse over 10 yrs. ago. Medical Coding is too distant for me. I love the medical field. I always loved health teaching. So I changed my major from Medical Coding/ Clerical Medical Assistant and I am adding Nursing. I did so well last semester I decided all this would be is a review but somethings like Medical Technology has changed. So not everything would be old. I would learn some new things. But I must be nuts. It took me till middle age to decide to get back into it. I took it for granted my Nursing license.

Review and Trailer of Defience


The movie Defiance with Liev Shriebner, and Daniel Craig.


The story is based on a true story, based on a book. I remember seeing this book at least 15 yrs. ago in Barnes and Noble but I did not pick it up. After Schindler's list I wanted to grab everything like a sponge about the Shoah.

This movie is a very different kind of movie about the Jews during the Shoah. This time they fought back. The reason I felt this was different was, every movie that takes place during the holocaust either is the passivity of the Jews, about the awful sad atrocities that happened during that time. Or the elderly, that were survivors tell the true facts, and flashbacks. It is the first time I have seen anyone do something to fight back.

Finally Jews that fight back!!

It is about Defiance,There are four brothers. They are all partisans in the forest. the two older brothers both become defiant with each other. They both have to make a choice. One of the brothers wants to avenge the deaths of the Jews by the Germans, the other brother feels that life is precious. every life you save you are responsible for, it is survival. He feels saving old woman's life is more important than killing ten Nazi's. It is interesting how all of the Jews that are saved are in the forest and how they become a community. The brother's fight to decide how this will play out either as revenge or just to survive. One of the brother's decides he wants to fight side by side with the Russians and leaves with a small group to fight the German Nazis. The other brother wants none of that and stays in the forest to just survive with the group hoping that they all will survive.


My favorite quote
One day of freedom is another day of faith


You can read a review from The New York Times here

Check This Out!!

You can now stream tv and movies through one web site instead of the broadcast channel.
It is all in one place. Check it out here.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Extension of Book Giveaway


Unfortunately I did not get a large response from my give away that ended yesterday.
I am extending it till next Monday. I was mistaken to ask everyone that wanted to enter my giveaway only to just leave a comment. Because of the lack response I have to add one other stimulation. If you want to be entered add a comment to both of my blogs. Add a post to your blog talking about my contest and link it up to mine. You will find my other blog, Jewish Ranting on my blogroll.


Sorry about the confusion

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Will The Ground Hog Appear


it's Ground Hog's Day tomorrow. It will tell us if we can celebrate or not. If winter is almost over depending on the ground hog comes out of it's hole and stays or runs back in and still have more cold weather and snow to contend with.


It actually has been nice in the last couple days. I am sorry to grind it in to y'all that still have contend with the blistery cold.

Just to add a little humor to this post I live in Myrtle Beach. We have many tourists that come down here to escape the snow. First there are alot of people from the south. They make me laugh when they tell me when it is 50, this is C-O-L-D. Cold are you kidding they need to go up north to know what cold is. Now when you talk 20-30's that is cold and it actually cold a few times this year.


We were ecstatic a few weeks ago it was forecasted, we are getting snow. You have to understand that here, most people don't even know or even feel or taste it is foreign to them.

What the south does, since we are not equipped with salt and the trunks. You are going to laugh. They closed everything down.. You ask so how much did you get. A big drum roll, A BIG -0- ZILCH!! I went to class in the evening there was not a drop on the ground and guess what when I got there, the whole school was empty not one car. How stupid it looked ridiculous. Then the next day a late opening at 10 AM. I missed my A/P at 8 am. This was so ridiculous.

The next thing is when I see people on the street in Myrtle Beach. You won't believe this they are sun bathing in 30 degree weather. Or they are wearing flip flops and shorts in this weather. Us natives from SC ( I have lived here 8 yrs) can tell a tourist from a native. It is just so funny. A few of us are trying to figure out the rationale to all this. it must be that they want to rub it in when they get back to Minnesota, and such places.


With this note here is the trailer to Ground Hog's Day if you would like to watch.


Happy B-Day To Me



Since I don't have time to post tomorrow I thought I would post today. I usually am not home today but I have my first test in A/P. I am sooooo nervous. This is a basic course. I took it many years ago. I am probably working myself up and sweating it( Don't sweat the small stuff) too much. I had asked for the day off to study.

So, you are probably asking what are you doing now behind the computer when you should be studying. Good question. I thought I would communicate to my blogging friends. On top of it it is my b-day tomorrow. I have to have sometime for myself to enjoy since I can't enjoy anything tomorrow.

I have my test tomorrow and class, YUCK!! and I would like to spend some time with my son tomorrow but I have to work. How horrible to work on my b-day!!too. And then Tues. Wednesday and Thursday I have classes. i won't have time to even celebrate on my actual b-day. Don't feel that sorry for me on Wednesday I have only one class and then I can celebrate with a group of my friends that evening. It just would have been nice to spend the day without working or school and having some fun with my son.

Israeli Film: Adam Resurrected



I am posting this article from Nextbook about a independent film featuring Jeff Goldblum and William Defoe.
I love to see independent films, and foreign films. This film is looks a bit unusual but that is what adds to the flavor of the film. It is based off a novel from a Israeli author from the 60's. The movie is a Israeli film. Hopefully I will be able to see it on a video sometime soon. I don't think we will be getting it here. It is just too controversial for the South.
It takes place during the holocaust.