Spotlight: Rise of the Iron Eagle by Roy A. Teel, Jr.

by Carol1 Comment
Excerpt from the opening of Chapter 8: John walked into Starbucks at the corner of Topanga and Lassen just before six thirty a.m. He got a coffee and a copy of the Daily News, and the headline said it all, “‘Billy the Kid,’ Crips Gang Member and Serial Rapist, Body Found in Legion Park: Iron Eagle Said to Be Killer.” He shook his head, “I should really start looking for the people who leak this stuff.” He walked to a flower shop a few doors down to purchase a dozen long-stemmed red roses. His truck was parked in front of Country Deli, a local landmark for nearly fifty years. He knew the area very, very well, but he knew it for all the wrong reasons. He pulled out of the lot and headed west through the neighborhoods of oak and eucalyptus trees, following Lassen as it turned from a busy thoroughfare into a quiet neighborhood of post-World War II homes and...
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Thursday’s Tale: Cinderella

by Carol2 Comments
Okay, today's tale is not the typical Cinderella story we know and love. It's Roald Dahl's version, but it does have a happy ending. Cinderella I guess you think you know this story. You don't. The real one's much more gory. The phoney one, the one you know, Was cooked up years and years ago, And made to sound all soft and sappy just to keep the children happy. Mind you, they got the first bit right, The bit where, in the dead of night, The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all, Departed for the Palace Ball, While darling little Cinderella Was locked up in a slimy cellar, Where rats who wanted things to eat, Began to nibble at her feet. She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out! The Magic Fairy heard her shout. Appearing in a blaze of light, She said: 'My dear, are you all right?' 'All right?' cried Cindy.'Can't you see 'I feel as rotten as can be!' She beat her fist against the wall, And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball! 'There is a Disco at the Palace! 'The rest have gone...
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Readers’ Workouts – 6/23

by Carol3 Comments
So, here are my steps for the week. At least I got my steps in overall for the week, even if I didn't hit my goal on a daily basis.   I'm giving up on any kind of plan for now. I'm just too busy to stick with it. Mid-July, it should settle down a bit. My goal is to get in at least 8,000 steps a day, 50 crunches and 10 (easy) push-ups. The rest'll just be icing.   My week: Saturday - Relay for Life - lots of walking in the rain Sunday - Fishing Monday - 20 minute walk, 50 crunches, 10 push-ups I'm down 9.2 lbs from 5/19. I usually listen to a book while I'm running or walking. The week I'm still listening Natchez Burning by Greg Iles. How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog. Thanks!...
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Jurassic World (2015)

by Carol8 Comments
Dinosaurs are cool. Chris Pratt is sexy. The kids survive. And it's a fun movie. That's all you need to know. I've always loved Jurassic Park, so Jurassic World was on my must-watch list this summer, along with everyone else apparently. We saw it last Sunday and it's the first time I've been to a sold-out showing at our town's theater in years. Amber doesn't like 3D, so we saw it in 2D, although there were some points where I thought, "I bet the 3D on this is pretty good." A giant, new dinosaur gets loose in the park, a genetically-created dinosaur who is basically a killing machine. Chaos and bloodshed ensue. We have some heroes, some bad guys, some just naïve people. The ones we care about get a happy ending, well except for a few of the critters I was rooting for. It's what I was expecting and I enjoyed it....
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Thursday’s Tale: Mercury and the Sculptor

by Carol4 Comments
Today I've got another one of Aesop's fables. I usually associate Aesop with animals but this one features the god Mercury and a sculptor. Mercury, wanting to know how much he was esteemed among men, disguised himself as a traveler. He went into a sculptor's workshop and saw figures of Jupiter, Juno, himself, and most of the other gods and goddesses. Pretending that he wanted to buy one, he said to the sculptor, pointing to the figure of Jupiter, “What do you ask for that?” “A drachma,” answered the man. “And what for that?” meaning Juno. The man named a higher price for that one. Mercury's eye now caught his own image. "Now, will this fellow," thought he, "ask me ten times as much for this, for I am the messenger of heaven, and the source of all his gain?" Mercury asked the price, laying his hand on the figure of himself, with wings, rod, and all. “Why,” replied the man, “if you really mean...
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Readers’ Workouts – 6/16

by Carol4 Comments
So, here are my steps for the week. At least I got my steps in overall for the week, even if I didn't hit my goal on a daily basis.   And here's my current workout plan that I'm apparently just ignoring. Summer is so doggone busy. And I've been spending more time cooking. We're doing a Whole30, and actually cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner is way more time-consuming than having a bowl of cereal for breakfast and throwing together a sandwich for lunch. I may have to give in and start getting up early enough to exercise in the morning. :( I think I need to schedule a race so I have a goal I'm working toward again. My week: Sunday - 40 minutes of weights Monday - ¾ mile walk with the dog I'm down 8.4 lbs from 5/19. I usually listen to a book while I'm running or walking. The week I'm listening Natchez Burning by Greg Iles, which I'm not sold on yet. That's a...
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