PAVEing a Blog

Some updates you will see on my book review page!

AWESOME Book Review site at a perfect little library in Delaware

http://whatwevebeenreading.blogspot.mx

I like the library in Lewes, DE, as I first volunteered there when I moved to DE, back in 2005.  Think of a library full of skylights, that resembles a glass parlor where they make glass, and surrounded by gardens, and you have the Lewes, DE library!

James Patterson’s I Funny

Patterson combines the genuine passion to draw readers to read, he succeeds. Funny, committed, and graphically as well as plotfully interesting, this is worth reading, picking, up, and passing along. The hook near the end grabs your heart and will not let go, as it takes you by surprise, James Patterson style.  Since he has a contest that he is currently doing with the glasses, of course, this makes this cool to wear comedian glasses.  🙂

Throw in a staff of funny people and what do you have?  🙂  Many I Funny!

Maybe this is info is from before Day of the Dead, sure, but check my face book and you will see so many of them!  I traveled to Reforma to see these awesome figures made for Day of the Dead, and line Reforma they did.  Yet, I failed to realize that they would be coming to the streets of Alavaro Obregon!  No kidding, and still here.  Many of these figures have hydraulics lines built in them, and as they made their way down the streets, steam would emit and surprise the spectators.  You realize the intricacy of these figures as you get close and see their handiwork, all of them fantastical in some format but always bright colored.

I liked the small wooden versions of these figures you can purchase, where I often saw them on Oaxaca.  Day of the Dead was more awesome this year than last due to the amount of entertainment that was brought in our back yard, concerts, the many ofrendas, and so much more each night, it was amazing.  It took just 2 weeks to walk up and down to see the many tributes to so many people, from the likes of James Dean to Marilyn Monroe, to famous Mexican poets and writers.

Burning feet through your socks, waking up in a pool of sweat, changing sheets every night for three/four nights due to sweat – pure sweat then shaking to chills to the morning, eyes swollen, migraines that rock, ears that ache and feel they are being drilled in, trying to walk and it feels like you are in a fun house, and the worst, maybe the WORST – coughing until you are sideways over a sink hoping it just pours out so you will STOP COUGHING dog gone it!

…this has been my experience since Saturday, and many others that have travelled down my path – so I call it the Ode to Being Sick… Now looking at Thursday, I see one major accomplishment, my fever disappears, then comes back, but it does disappear, my breathing comes in patches of clearness over the last few days, so there is hope, and I do not have to change the sheets every day now, no sweat bombs, so again, progress, but amid all this, is a laughable moment worth sharing, karaoke….yes, karaoke…

In the beginning of this seemingly plague on my body Sunday night, I heard it.  Actually all of Roma Norte heard it.  Maybe you hard it too, Karaoke party at someone’s house, I could hear the changes in songs, the various awful voices and often heard the good, the bad, and of course the ugly.  Wow, when you can hear the song behind the voice then the voice apart more, this is, is this Karaoke?  Thing is I needed to sleep desperately, so I closed the windows.  Awesome, now I could only heard the hum, the volume of the karaoke was at supersonic level so the whole neighborhood could “enjoy”.  I can discern the singles, the duets, and honestly, one man I thought WAS the Karaoke show, he was THAT good – I also heard the applause and the crowds on that one, he earned it.  So out of the show so far, I heard one single guy out of say 15 so far that wowed even me, a sick listener, and the crowds into a frenzy.  Then there was that duet, I honestly think it was the same guy and a good singer, but they rocked as well.  Then…

Krystal.  I call her Krystal because I could hear her crystal clear.  She certainly was cute at first, like the first 15 seconds, then her “cute, she is someone’s daughter” karaoke personality ran thin as it went on – and on – she went on into around I would say 2 – maybe 3:00 in the morning?  I kid you not, I was the lone member that stayed with her no matter what – oh trust me, main bed room, guest bedroom 1,  guest bedroom 2, the bathroom with the door closed, it did not matter SHE WAS EVERYWHERE.   You know when you hear something so much it starts to wear away?  Nada.  I do not remember a single song she sang, except that it sang their track, and she sang hers, kind of like Punky Brewster on Sudafed, too young, and too powerful.  🙂  So, while not a great way to spend the day, at least I had accompaniment, when she stopped, I promise you, I thought I heard the Hallelujah chorus from the neighbors below.

I can’t stand medicine, but being on three different types, would have helped this first day,  but alas, the medicine I received from the visiting doctor three days later just was the reward for putting up with the Roma Norte show.  The Doctor did say a wave of this was going around, it certainly must be, I originally had a 48 hour bed rest, but then with a second visit was written a 2 week pass to stay home, soooo, if you are out there, drink water, Vitamin C, tons of healthy food, and less of the starchy, sugary, fatty food to prevent a weak immune system, I’m up to 2 litres a day of water, and eventually, it will level out.

Next post WILL be about those figures from Day of the Dead – I just had to spend some time getting the terminology right  🙂  Peace, as the holidays draw near! (Be careful with your karaoke choices, or at least, the volume.

P.S.  If I was to do an Ode to those Sick, then those sick know this one, Ode to Friends that contact you.  Seriously, you know the ones, there are those that out of the blue, contact you as first wind of you being sick the very first day, and immediately go out of their way to want to do anything, and they do so much, but they don’t stop, they keep sending emails, checking up on you, asking what can be done, they do the littlest things, and the biggest things, and act like it is nothing – they are worth their kettle of chicken noodle soup.  (AND MORE).  Then you have the band wagoners, those that will hear after a few days, from others, THEN you get this strange email, straggler email, saying, “Heeey, heard you were sick – how you doing…”  Honestly, ?  If you were sick for this many days, not at work, and this person just noticed now, do you think healthy is at the top of the list?  So an Ode to those that take that extra measure to show they are there, even when they are not there, this more than sleep, a certain vitamin, a certain way to sleep, a certain tea, this is a HUGE factor in the coming back to wellness side of life that deserves a HUGE thank you for thinking of the smallest, and the biggest things that can be done,  🙂

Okay – I will not finish that, those of you that have the embarrassing habit of accidentally burping at the table, accidentally, I said…know that rhyme, and if you don’t sorry, can’t help you, lol….BUT – I thought of that when I was able to actually get out of bed today for the first time for more than 10 minutes, and thought -“I AM ALIVE!”

Delays in posts, heck yes, sick, sick sick, but overall, I am slowly returning to the world of living, lol. So to begin my trek back, this article is AWESOME about reading, writing, etc…

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/writing-groups-for-adults-and-kids-have-things-in-common.html?_r=2&

and I will see what I can do to get back on track with posting…:)

( I have acquired a new fascination, going into facebook, and taking posts, and re arranging them and reposting them as comments, see below:

Okay so Tuesday night, my first concert in Mexico City, SLASH – LOVED it.  yes it is 1:23 AM and I am in trouble waking up this morning…

LOVED the concert, arm to arm, neck to neck with people on the ground – LOVED IT….

Night night….(I hope those pictures taken of me at the concert do not surface….:)

Whew…So many things that were not said before leaving for The National Writing Project, NCTE, and the ALAN Conferences, and so much that happened during and after!

What makes Mexico cool…okay so the Friday before break – that would be the November 16th, I decided to stay in as the last ASF football game (was that the 16th?) – ended in a disappointing halt, getting home SUPER late – so I did not make the dinner I scheduled but plan to do so this week 🙂  – I wandered through the Parque Rio and found…an orchestra!  NO KIDDING!  A full orchestra was playing made up of students, adults a wild mix!  It was an AWESOME – AWESOME Friday night to see so many people in the park, enjoying classical music, and then following you had Flamenco dancing and music, as well as native music that was partial indigenous and partially new wave – it was so relaxing – and well, unexpected.  This is the cool thing about Mexico, you can just BE if you want to, not being owned by work, hours or anything in general – unless you want it to be that way.  When you happenstance across an event like this, you realize, wow – I am falling in tune with things I enjoy and I can make Mexico anything I want it to be!  🙂  This was a great start to a weekend before vacation…

I will start with the tail end of my adventure in NCTE – the last Conference I attended was called ALAN – the Monday and Tuesday of November in Las Vegas, November 19 and 20th – which is an awesome event for meeting authors, understanding YA literature – and overall grabbing connections to curriculum that bring back the power of Young Adult literature.  Below are the pictures I had signed and and having sent back to to school –

Overall, this was a huge success for several reasons…but getting a more personal look into how authors get their ideas, develop them, and take them to print – this is a priceless investment…that only strengthens the ability to reach out and assist in curriculum – and rebuilding resources on the cutting edge where students can tie experiences to studies – synthesis!  🙂

Also, don’t forget to slide over to the right and take a look at our 911 link – the project we are building with interviews and photos that honor heroes from 911- we are making progress!  🙂

New book reviews on the link to the right, titled, “WHAT and WHERE should I read?” – that is the new James Patterson book – awesome awesome lobbyist for reading….

Many exciting things on the horizon – next post, I will share the floats that were displayed on Reforma, but appeared mysteriously on Alavaro Obregon and are still there, way cool!

Whoa….I just burned through these two books, check out the reviews at the following link :

https://harrybrake.wordpress.com/when-i-get-a-little-money-i-buy-books-and-if-any-is-left-i-buy-food-and-clothes-erasmus/

I have about 50 to get through but if they are as all interesting as these two books – wow – I am loving life!  🙂

Alice – proof I obtained an autograph for you!  🙂