tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67629066874548412532024-03-08T06:33:15.568-05:00the reading spot Book Reviews & ReflectionsSandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-58932088606444138752024-03-06T09:00:00.001-05:002024-03-06T09:00:00.134-05:00Reflections: Redesign Your Mind: The Breakthrough Program for Real Cognitive Change by Eric Maisel, PhD<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTf-t_rbwMtwLv4y3PlrDJy0q9BJNzHnCCofvRWREfxsZj0lM1kko00RkzIr1xMm6y3VViczjwaTigP7ZjDIP2RIT8SBbSAarP482OH7VDezemg19eDRGH-aV5UdBldnbPrqPKXIv4nszfFOTO_p0EXD01vOGbd3HtLh62SlzZiMAuvwFuFJXVgkaLEY/s500/Redesign%20Your%20Mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTf-t_rbwMtwLv4y3PlrDJy0q9BJNzHnCCofvRWREfxsZj0lM1kko00RkzIr1xMm6y3VViczjwaTigP7ZjDIP2RIT8SBbSAarP482OH7VDezemg19eDRGH-aV5UdBldnbPrqPKXIv4nszfFOTO_p0EXD01vOGbd3HtLh62SlzZiMAuvwFuFJXVgkaLEY/w390-h433/Redesign%20Your%20Mind.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For years, I’ve been smothered
with internal negative self-talk derived from external influences such as conflicts,
tragedies, and other traumatic experiences. The suffocation of the negative
self-talk enabled me to live a life full of anger and insecurity. I know I am
not alone in this debilitating conversation. All of us have some negative
self-talk that inhibits the true person we are meant to be— confident and
active individuals. The trick is how to rid ourselves of it so that we can
breathe. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When I started reading <i>Redesign
Your Mind</i>, I loved the metaphor of the mind being a “room” that needs to be
redesigned. The idea of restructuring the mind with a different way of thinking
as one reconstructs/rearranges a room with various items to make it fresh and
functional was easy to understand. Throughout the book, Dr. Maisel acted as an
Interior Design professor to teach us how to redesign our “room “(mind) with different
writing prompts in each chapter. Each chapter presented a new item to either
add or replace an old item that needed to be removed because of the negative vibe
it inhabits. One of my favorite writing prompts is in Chapter 4. Dr. Maisel
suggests that one should install a safety valve to relieve pressure (anxiety)
as well as eliminate negative self-talk from one’s life. <o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Here is my reflection on the
writing prompt that asks to play with the words pressure, safety valve, and
pressure release valve.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVZkS9LStZT8AVgst9vA9GYOniIGhOOj4iTRA9qKGQnCFuR198yhNnMvtLnR8j8v5TMQchYZRqT1DvQRucZ-iarmxMQ551ih7reh02M3N6H_vZ5OEjmN_8XTKlsdGCUES36f-HbNE2LgjGMI8Hp0Pvp5zkJNhw-J3rRKKEIPYU2PQgpOdOaJ6unfdKSk/s1024/Redesign%20Your%20Mind.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVZkS9LStZT8AVgst9vA9GYOniIGhOOj4iTRA9qKGQnCFuR198yhNnMvtLnR8j8v5TMQchYZRqT1DvQRucZ-iarmxMQ551ih7reh02M3N6H_vZ5OEjmN_8XTKlsdGCUES36f-HbNE2LgjGMI8Hp0Pvp5zkJNhw-J3rRKKEIPYU2PQgpOdOaJ6unfdKSk/w299-h224/Redesign%20Your%20Mind.PNG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">(This diagram demonstrates what I
need to do to relieve pressure(anxiety) and how to find peace. The calmness switch
was an addition from Chapter 5)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By actively engaging in these
prompts, you will gain more insight into how your mind works and your power to
change your perspective. The prompts move you forward in a positive direction so
you can feel the inhalation and exhalation of your healing breath with ease and
purpose.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Redesign Your Mind: The
Breakthrough Program for Real Cognitive Change</i> is a program (not just a
book) that should be a daily part of your life. It is food for your mind, body,
and soul. <o:p></o:p></p>Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-22850152270889523262023-07-11T12:38:00.005-04:002023-07-11T14:10:22.384-04:00Book Review: Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwamLnB1IyaLzW4JSF1dWd0UWN871vnBieRcUoLsRhvC9tav4cQO8v6gGwAdzkjPVfNGp-JBvZXJ3mHrLmHQTCIKVStm6NL9Xu3wVCPknZEnZpIaOESAEqBaz_xT5YFpJqzXcGS_QpUFic83NuxmyaRFEiHkJLnsxJLj43TADn8ZtOuvc_0YKaoelevY/s612/Just%20as%20I%20am2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwamLnB1IyaLzW4JSF1dWd0UWN871vnBieRcUoLsRhvC9tav4cQO8v6gGwAdzkjPVfNGp-JBvZXJ3mHrLmHQTCIKVStm6NL9Xu3wVCPknZEnZpIaOESAEqBaz_xT5YFpJqzXcGS_QpUFic83NuxmyaRFEiHkJLnsxJLj43TADn8ZtOuvc_0YKaoelevY/s320/Just%20as%20I%20am2.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just As I Am</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt;">is a wonderful
autobiography about the life of Cicely Tyson.
If you are a long admirer of the actress or you just discovered her, you
will be intrigued about how she became one of the most respected performers of
all time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The book delves into Ms. Tyson’s humble
beginnings growing up in New York. She was from a hard-working class Caribbean
family.</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">She had a complex relationship
with her mother and father; she was a teen mother, and she had some complicated
marriages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As for her acting background, Cicely
Tyson was very choosey in her roles for the stage, film, and TV. She is most
famous for portraying Miss Jane Pittman and Harriet Tubman as well as minor
role as Kunte Kinte’s mother in the tv series <i>Roots</i> based on Alex
Haley’s novel. Also, she starred in <i>Busting Loose</i> with controversial comedian
Richard Pryor, which was something one would think was unusual because of the
dignified work she was associated with.
But her role in <i>Busting Loose</i> was very dignified. She played a schoolteacher opposites Pryor’s ex-con
character, who is enlisted to drive her special education students to a new
school. This family-orientated comedy
showed a different acting ability that Ms. Tyson mastered.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Throughout </span><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Just As I Am</i><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">, Ms. Tyson informs
the reader of the different aspects of her life with straightforward honesty.
It was one of the most enjoyable autobiographies that I have read in a long
time.</span></p>Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-78463469700752875502020-12-15T09:13:00.002-05:002023-07-11T12:22:29.179-04:00Book Review: Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWBNxlv6jE_kQGVbcQ8MkSiSbedGlgyBfjaQlzqBtwf_oHNgYkdCREJjbu2ph4cNyl4tezcsHdTXwe0E7t432_6McRjzqYTYVdVSVLWehL8eTetHGqGQnFxIMUjzKUjklIOtdylgxzGoAEqLhAbm_b5s4hHSd573t2NYOtx435W8bNRfbtNSjZZFzPd4/s1000/blue%20shoe%20annie%20lamont.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="693" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWBNxlv6jE_kQGVbcQ8MkSiSbedGlgyBfjaQlzqBtwf_oHNgYkdCREJjbu2ph4cNyl4tezcsHdTXwe0E7t432_6McRjzqYTYVdVSVLWehL8eTetHGqGQnFxIMUjzKUjklIOtdylgxzGoAEqLhAbm_b5s4hHSd573t2NYOtx435W8bNRfbtNSjZZFzPd4/s320/blue%20shoe%20annie%20lamont.jpg"/></a></div>
This book was boring and Ann Lamott’s writing is annoyingly dry. I usually finish a book that I started ( it may take me a longer time if I drop off and pick it back up). But, this book I will not pick up again. I dropped off at page 18.Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-49924156068779760002020-12-05T16:41:00.002-05:002020-12-05T16:41:44.033-05:00Book Review: La Masa a Casa (The Dough at Home- An Italian-Latina Cookbook) by Stephanie Laterza<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54169839-la-masa-a-casa" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="La Masa A Casa: The Dough at Home-An Italian-Latina Cookbook" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592566230l/54169839._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54169839-la-masa-a-casa">La Masa A Casa: The Dough at Home-An Italian-Latina Cookbook</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13592826.Stephanie_Laterza">Stephanie Laterza</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3679005426">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Not only does Stephanie Laterza supplies step-by-step recipes for her special doughs, empanadas, and pizza, but she gives us the backstories of these delicious creations. Stephanie Laterza wrote this book during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide a comfortable space during this unprecedented time. La Masa a Casa (The Dough at Home- An Italian-Latina Cookbook) is the storytelling cookbook that reminds us of those moments of why we have the joy of cooking!<br />
<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5281645-sandra-proto">View all my reviews</a>Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-20285239580257515632015-08-26T09:00:00.000-04:002015-08-26T09:00:03.631-04:00Reflection: Excerpt from Promise Me You Won't Go To Beirut Part 3 by George J. Thomas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisSJ3ltCebNAbcfhC1UsrhkTGabQOwksp81Wb-7mOotVrYHgsOWnNjhF8BPOPGvdwRgeDmLppU0snePasoSwZSGpaiT2FVoNv9F9tdKeStMgjXEWMPUNDEqpkE8wn9qDxVyEk3zyUWAs/s1600/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisSJ3ltCebNAbcfhC1UsrhkTGabQOwksp81Wb-7mOotVrYHgsOWnNjhF8BPOPGvdwRgeDmLppU0snePasoSwZSGpaiT2FVoNv9F9tdKeStMgjXEWMPUNDEqpkE8wn9qDxVyEk3zyUWAs/s200/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Available at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-you-wont-Beirut-Memoir/dp/148206782X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439290540&sr=1-2&keywords=Promise+Me+You+won%27t+go+to+Beirut" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Amazon.com</a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nine years ago, I decided it would be interesting and challenging to paint pictures of some of my bonsais, however, in Chinese style using Xuan (rice) paper, Chinese inks and watercolors. On a visit to London’s China town, I purchased all the materials and instructional books I needed, from a Chinese art supplies shop. Back in Spain, I was dispirited to find it impossible to master the skill of painting in this medium without a teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nevertheless continuing my interest in oriental arts, I joined a class in Spain, to learn the techniques of ikebana - the stylized minimalist flower arranging art of Japan. Originally designed for Japanese Bushi (warlords) and Samurai (warriors), it is now practiced and appreciated by people the world over. During several visits to London, I had further tuition in the art of ikebana from Tomoko a Japanese woman, a sensei or teacher of the art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George J.Thomas</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To my </span>surprise,<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I discovered that the ikebana teacher in Spain Kit Nicol was also an expert tutor in Chinese brush painting with more than 30 years’ experience. I then had some professional tuition from her over a period of months and grasped the essentials of the art. My teacher, who only visited Spain for a few months at a time, then returned to England and left me once again to my own devices.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On the internet, I came across the website of the UK based Chinese Brush Painters Society (CBPS). I became a member and was delighted to find that there were online tuition programs offered by several of the most experienced members of the society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">George J.Thomas</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Over the course of four years, I had the most brilliant tuition from a very patient teacher - Marion. For example, she would send me by post, a bamboo painting project, with detailed technical instructions and ten copies of famous Chinese paintings of the topic. Then I would produce my attempts at the paintings, take photographs and email them to my tutor. She would do a detailed critique of my work, pointing out the mistakes and where I needed to improve; this sometimes meant producing second attempts.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Over the years, I worked through various projects such as, pine trees, landscapes, water, animals, figures, flowers, progressively improving until I eventually had the occasional painting published in the society’s quarterly magazine. Every year there is a competition for paintings to appear in the CBPS calendar, and to date I have had paintings in three years’ calendars. I have sold a few paintings, and participated in several local art exhibitions, but my prime interest is the pleasure of painting rather than having any serious commercial aspirations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">George J.Thomas</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">By chance one day, I was given a beautiful orchid plant to look after by a friend of my wife. As a keen gardener and bonsai addict, this was a new challenge as I knew nothing about orchids. Many years later I have more or less mastered the art of growing orchids and have quite a respectable collection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Now the scene is set, all that remains is to stress my memory and try and dredge up long forgotten incidents and people before they disappear forever.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18.3999996185303px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sandraproto.blogspot.com/2015/08/reflection-excerpt-from-promise-me-you.html">Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 1</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sandraproto.blogspot.com/2015/08/reflection-excerpt-from-promise-me-you_19.html">Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 2</a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s1600/GeorgeThomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s200/GeorgeThomas.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10.3999996185303px; line-height: 14.5599994659424px;">George J. Thomas is an author/artist<br />For more information go to:<br />h<a href="ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;">ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/</a></i></td></tr>
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<i>Originally, from Glasgow, Scotland, my business career enabled me to travel extensively internationally over many years, especially in Europe, Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">
<i></i><br /><i></i></div>
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<i style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Have lived in Saudi Arabia, the British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic. Now I live in Xàbia, Spain.</i></div>
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<i></i><br /><i></i></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
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<i> -George J. Thomas</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-45003134404525922042015-08-19T09:00:00.000-04:002015-08-25T11:03:32.452-04:00Reflection: Excerpt from Promise Me You Won't Go To Beirut Part 2 by George J. Thomas <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisSJ3ltCebNAbcfhC1UsrhkTGabQOwksp81Wb-7mOotVrYHgsOWnNjhF8BPOPGvdwRgeDmLppU0snePasoSwZSGpaiT2FVoNv9F9tdKeStMgjXEWMPUNDEqpkE8wn9qDxVyEk3zyUWAs/s1600/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisSJ3ltCebNAbcfhC1UsrhkTGabQOwksp81Wb-7mOotVrYHgsOWnNjhF8BPOPGvdwRgeDmLppU0snePasoSwZSGpaiT2FVoNv9F9tdKeStMgjXEWMPUNDEqpkE8wn9qDxVyEk3zyUWAs/s200/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-you-wont-Beirut-Memoir/dp/148206782X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439290540&sr=1-2&keywords=Promise+Me+You+won%27t+go+to+Beirut">Amazon.com</a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">After having had a small stroke whilst working in Prague, and during my recovery period, my secretary and friend Zdenka persuaded me to go along to a major bonsai exhibition, being held in the gardens of one of the many palaces in Prague. I was completely enthralled by the bonsais, some of which were over 150 years old. This started me on my voyage of discovery. I bought around ten bonsais and the tools, pots and materials which I needed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxCOWjMoL6YB2kf_KbtWNxDOIsJ-zST10MeUOpBgwGMx12pwwWbij89l4M01QROlaFtBwIAYKOs_jQ-INBzPxCtiBgfUaDpDPdrgJp5CI1xwFFQhfQc6nw04WbjTTH-MRmQ_NdK8AKZk/s1600/Organge+Blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxCOWjMoL6YB2kf_KbtWNxDOIsJ-zST10MeUOpBgwGMx12pwwWbij89l4M01QROlaFtBwIAYKOs_jQ-INBzPxCtiBgfUaDpDPdrgJp5CI1xwFFQhfQc6nw04WbjTTH-MRmQ_NdK8AKZk/s320/Organge+Blossoms.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> jasmine orange bonsai<br />(murraya paniculata)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A</span>ccording to the neurologist treating me, my small stroke was incompatible with the stressful business life I was leading, and I ended up retiring at the age of 58. Already having a house in Xàbia, we moved from Prague to Spain in February 1999. However, my bonsai collection did not take kindly to the move from the cold winter of Prague to the heat of an exceptionally warm and dry Spanish winter that year. During the course of the year, progressively all but one of my bonsais died, probably because most of them were species more suited to northern European climes. My only survivor was a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">jasmine orange (murraya paniculata),</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">which 14 years later is still growing healthily.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Undeterred, I started creating bonsais from scratch, mostly by buying small trees from garden centers, cutting them down drastically and developing them as bonsais. I improved my techniques by joining a local Spanish bonsai club, and today I have around fifty bonsais and am a member of the Asociación Española de Bonsais. But I digre<i>s</i>s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"></span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Next Week: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 3</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Last Week: <a href="http://sandraproto.blogspot.com/2015/08/reflection-excerpt-from-promise-me-you.html">Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 1</a></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s1600/GeorgeThomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s200/GeorgeThomas.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10.3999996185303px; line-height: 14.5599994659424px;">George J. Thomas is an author/artist<br />For more information go to:<br />h<a href="ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;">ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/</a></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<i>Originally, from Glasgow, Scotland, my business career enabled me to travel extensively internationally over many years, especially in Europe, Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: start;">
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<i></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Have lived in Saudi Arabia, the British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic. Now I live in Xàbia, Spain.</i></div>
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<i> -George J. Thomas</i></div>
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Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-30839276184165969322015-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:002015-08-19T09:23:26.386-04:00Reflection: Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 1 by George J. Thomas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugh34EMxDhCqXaaQEcgyP8m3OxmtQyyQOKVigRVwW3nSAmBxg5TscYi8hpdRRo-Q3AB8WjHozgQlmaSH8yFIc2Mih1MO43KefesVSMbnVQalK4zqrhgbYvxhDqTiYm3qbeCNHeXT7YtQ/s1600/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugh34EMxDhCqXaaQEcgyP8m3OxmtQyyQOKVigRVwW3nSAmBxg5TscYi8hpdRRo-Q3AB8WjHozgQlmaSH8yFIc2Mih1MO43KefesVSMbnVQalK4zqrhgbYvxhDqTiYm3qbeCNHeXT7YtQ/s1600/GeorgeThomasMemoir.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-you-wont-Beirut-Memoir/dp/148206782X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439290540&sr=1-2&keywords=Promise+Me+You+won%27t+go+to+Beirut">Amazon.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">As I begin the winter ritual of pruning, wiring, and
the general tidying up of my bonsais after their summer growth, I reflect on
the size which many of them have reached as they have grown and matured during
the many years I have cared for them. Along the way, some of my bonsais have
died, afflicted by old age or disease or inclement weather. Some trees have
withered, branches covered in lichen mingling with living limbs, aging much
like their human counterparts. The deciduous trees have lost their leaves, just
as I have lost my hair. This work, and this particular winter have induced in
me a certain degree of melancholia, having recently suffered a potentially life
threatening illness. At the age of 72, I decided that I should commit to paper my
life experiences, for my three children, and to give my eleven grandchildren a
record of their grandfather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 14.2pt;">This will be an intriguing journey for me, delving
into my mind, trying to resuscitate memories of the many and curious incidents
in my life, particularly in some of the remoter parts of the world. Out of
interest I took the trouble to count the number of countries I have visited
during my many years of travelling across the globe and it totalled 67. Apart
from Britain, this includes the countries, where I lived for some years, Saudi
Arabia, British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfj1KysShKQ1CfCtHNqbSgzTKuBlDPZvH3Y5xf9sQs26YjDotAX5qRiuXEV01U_Uh4q2if33E6MESV-fmmvDGKTqBy5DXMoooXMFjxHsZtveX2WP7A7JfIVM-CrB2BtD5eNZR2IBV4_E/s1600/GeorgeJThomasRunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfj1KysShKQ1CfCtHNqbSgzTKuBlDPZvH3Y5xf9sQs26YjDotAX5qRiuXEV01U_Uh4q2if33E6MESV-fmmvDGKTqBy5DXMoooXMFjxHsZtveX2WP7A7JfIVM-CrB2BtD5eNZR2IBV4_E/s200/GeorgeJThomasRunning.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George J. Thomas running in<br />
the desert in Saudi Arabia (1982)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Due to the nature of my career, and the constant
travelling, there was little time to pursue hobbies or other leisure
activities, apart from long distance running which I took up in my 30’s after
quitting smoking. I became quite addicted to running and clocked up my first
marathon (3 hours 22 minutes) at the age of forty. During the period when I was
spending a lot of time in Russia, the company sent me on two intensive Russian
courses at Birmingham University, then again for an introductory Czech course
prior to moving to Prague. However since I retired, these fifteen years have
been a period of self-discovery and to my surprise a flourishing of hidden
talents. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Next Week: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> <a href="http://sandraproto.blogspot.com/2015/08/reflection-excerpt-from-promise-me-you_19.html?m=0">Excerpt from Promise Me You Won’t Go To Beirut! Part 2</a></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s1600/GeorgeThomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl1wRfAgER8/VcnTuG1wD8I/AAAAAAAAHdI/6kUPDDqwIk0/s200/GeorgeThomas.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>George J. Thomas is an author/artist<br />For more information go to:<br />h<a href="ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/">ttp://georgejthomas.com/author/</a></i></td></tr>
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<i>Originally, from Glasgow, Scotland, my business career enabled me to travel extensively internationally over many years, especially in Europe, Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.</i></div>
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<i>Have lived in Saudi Arabia, the British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic. Now I live in Xàbia, Spain.</i><br />
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<i> -George J. Thomas</i></div>
Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-90669935371556152532015-01-29T13:00:00.000-05:002019-01-06T19:04:26.977-05:00Reflection: Being a Two-fisted Reader<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsGJAY2wco8/VMkybL3BafI/AAAAAAAADYE/UZFLw9nUYRc/s1600/twofistedreader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsGJAY2wco8/VMkybL3BafI/AAAAAAAADYE/UZFLw9nUYRc/s1600/twofistedreader.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Back in college, the thing to do besides going to
classes was to go<b> </b>downtown to the bars. I use to go with my roommate on
Thursday nights for the drink specials (Buy One Get One Free). We would sit at the bar and savor the flavor
of one of the BOGO drinks unlike the red-face guys standing in the corner with
a beer in each hand laughing and talking with their friends. The Two-fisted Drinkers (which I heard the
guys refer to each other) would first guzzle the beer in their right hand and
then their left until they were both empty.
The look of disappointment would gloss over their face. They would sway back and forth slurring their
words on their way back to the bar. Obvious, they did not need another round
but insisted on it and the bartender would oblige.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7in_bLJ49g690Pd4GylpVAYx-J7QCB4Ll2KZXEwcpXy0_1Y81yMrmJcwTT2TAh4egFdsvK3pCesOdbsJmjTFDhMYsj86r13l3oZuCa0YNTR7XFoeyrbIp-xTd_a1tyDIV3mrxZM_ksNM/s1600/new+bookcases-edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7in_bLJ49g690Pd4GylpVAYx-J7QCB4Ll2KZXEwcpXy0_1Y81yMrmJcwTT2TAh4egFdsvK3pCesOdbsJmjTFDhMYsj86r13l3oZuCa0YNTR7XFoeyrbIp-xTd_a1tyDIV3mrxZM_ksNM/s1600/new+bookcases-edited.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Personal library<br />
Photo by Sandra Proto</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Just thinking about this
reminds me of reading two books at once. Even though I am not like the guys who
are two-fisted drinkers, I usually only have one book in my hand but I go back
and forth reading two. My reason for
doing this was to alleviate boredom from reading one kind of book. I have an extensive personal library that
consists of 300-plus books. Yes, not
only am I a <i>Two-fisted Reader </i>but a <i>Book-a-holic</i>. I have scavenged book stores, library sales,
thrift shops, online, and on the streets (yes, I found discarded books on the
street and adopted them). My library has
an array of books from Shakespeare to self-published authors and I usually read
a fiction and a non-fiction book at the same time (I switch back and forth on
my mood). If I am stressed, I read a
fiction book and escape into someone else’s world or read a couple of poems
from a poetry book and get lost in the imagery.
If I felt very studious, I would dive into a non-fiction book of essays
or history to wake me up. Whenever I read; I totally emerge myself. Sometimes I would read a passage three times
to let it sink in. But, what I noticed
about my reading habits when I was reading two books at once was that it made
me a much slower reader than usual. I
did not read all the books that I was hoping to read in a year (this of course
does not include the numerous picture and chapter books that I read to my
daughters before bed). Basically, my <i>To
Read List</i> was at a stand-still. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veLNzV9uWyw/VMk0TmF3UaI/AAAAAAAADYo/Mbg6EnTymnk/s1600/2015%2BReading%2BChallenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veLNzV9uWyw/VMk0TmF3UaI/AAAAAAAADYo/Mbg6EnTymnk/s1600/2015%2BReading%2BChallenge.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">So, being a<i> Two-fisted Reader</i> is a little problematic,
and this is why I vowed to only read one book at a time. No longer will I over indulge and become
inebriated with words that stifle my goals.
I will nurse one book to feel the impact of its meaning and reflect on
it. This is not an easy task. I already slipped a little by reading the
beginning of the first chapter of my next read (but I did stop myself). Right now, I am reading <b><i>The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan
for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss by </i></b></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2664.Arthur_Agatston"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Arthur Agatston</span></i></b></a><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> but here are some of my other books that I
am planning on reading this year:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Things Fall Apart </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/88885-the-african-trilogy"><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">(The African Trilogy #1)</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> by </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8051.Chinua_Achebe"><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Chinua Achebe</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">THINGS FALL APART tells
two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a
“strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces
Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its
classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful
fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which
elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the
destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing
European missionaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Inés of My Soul by </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2238.Isabel_Allende"><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Isabel Allende</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Born into a poor family
in Spain, Inés, a seamstress, finds herself condemned to a life of hard work
without reward or hope for the future. It is the sixteenth century, the
beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and when her shiftless
husband disappears to the New World, Inés uses the opportunity to search for
him as an excuse to flee her stifling homeland and seek adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Sonata Mulattica by </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15201.Rita_Dove"><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rita Dove</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The son of a white woman
and an “African Prince,” George Polgreen Bridgetower (1780–1860) travels to
Vienna to meet “bad-boy” genius Ludwig van Beethoven. The great composer’s
subsequent sonata is originally dedicated to the young mulatto, but George,
exuberant with acclaim, offends Beethoven over a woman. From this crucial
encounter evolves a grandiose yet melancholy poetic tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">A Poetry Handbook by </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23988.Mary_Oliver"><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Mary Oliver</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">With passion, wit, and
good common sense, the celebrated poet Mary Oliver tells of the basic ways a
poem is built-meter and rhyme, form and diction, sound and sense. Drawing on
poems from Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and others, Oliver imparts an
extraordinary amount of information in a remarkably short space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">My goal for this year is to read ten books but
hopefully I can stay focused and read more.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">Let’s see what happens;0)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-59397531771909308062014-12-04T14:21:00.000-05:002019-01-06T19:04:26.959-05:00Reflection: A Lesson Before Dying <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nine months ago I finished reading <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Lesson Before Dying</i></b> by Ernest J.
Gaines. I initially gave it a four-star rating because I felt it was lacking in
showing Jefferson’s side of the story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MeVnWqvICXc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
never read <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Lesson Before Dying</i></b>, the story is about a young man who was
found guilty of murdering a liquor store owner during a robbery and was
executed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jefferson is a young man who
is described as being “slow” and who follows two young men into the liquor
store. Jefferson claims that one of the two men was the one that killed the
liquor store owner. When the police officers arrived, they found all three men
dead and Jefferson taking money from the cash register.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jefferson went to trial for the robbery and
murder of the liquor store owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His lawyer
tried to establish his innocent by comparing him to a “hog.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This comparison of “hog” brings me to Claude
McKay’s poem about the race riots of 1919, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If We Must Die</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">:<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If we must die, let
it not be like hogs</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hunted and penned in
an inglorious spot,</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While round us bark
the mad and hungry dogs,</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Making their mock at
our accursed lot.</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ernest J. Gaines’ use of “hog” is the center point of the
story because Jefferson’s aunt, who is his caregiver enlist the African-American
teacher, <span class="readable">Grant Wiggins</span> as a mentor for
Jefferson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wants <span class="readable">Grant Wiggins</span>
to teach Jefferson how to be a “man” so he can die a “man” and not a “hog.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The story is told through the eyes of <span class="readable">Grant
Wiggins</span> except for one chapter that Jefferson is telling his
story before his execution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, as a
reader, wanted to hear from Jefferson’s mouth what had happened in the liquor
store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mr. Gaines did not let that
happen; I felt cheated as a reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t get it why he chose not to have Jefferson explain himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did get the whole “man” part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because at the end, Jefferson “walked” like a
“man” to his death and with that he taught <span class="readable">Grant Wiggins</span>
how to be a “man” and take responsibility. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, that is a lesson learned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But, also what I learned from <strong><em>A Lesson Before Dying</em></strong>, by witnessing
what has been happening with the killing of black men and boys from Emmett Till
to Eric Garner, is that whether one whistle’s at a white woman, steals cigars and
cigarettes, holds a toy gun, celebrate at a Bachelor’s Party, wear a hooded
sweatshirt and eat Skittles or just having a right to defend someone:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>A black man pleaded to the white men<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>And said, “He’s just a child.”<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>The white men threatened the black man<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em>And said, “Keep your mouth shut if you<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><em>Wanna live to be sixty-four.”</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-from<a href="http://sandraproto.blogspot.com/2014/02/forever-emmett.html">Emmett Till (He was just a child)</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is that it is justifiable to kill a black man or boy because in the
eyes of the law—they are always in the wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have changed my review to five-stars
because I get it now.</span></b><br />
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Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762906687454841253.post-30428373994674234942011-12-29T15:04:00.000-05:002019-01-06T19:04:26.907-05:00Reflection: 2011 Reading ChallengeThis year, I participated in the <strong>Goodreads Reading Challenge</strong>. I am happy to report that I completed my challenge of five books (I know this may seem like a small amount, but these were the books that I chose to read as compared to the array of books requested by my daughters at bedtime).<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/691627.Femme_du_Monde?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Femme du Monde: Poems" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177281522m/691627.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/691627.Femme_du_Monde?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book">Femme du Monde: Poems</a> by Patricia Spears Jones<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208063.Quicksand_and_Passing"><img alt="Quicksand and Passing" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172692293l/208063.jpg" height="200" width="123" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208063.Quicksand_and_Passing">Quicksand and Passing</a> by Nella Larsen<br />
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<img alt="Glorious " src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275662606l/7102906.jpg" id="coverImage" /><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7102906-glorious">Glorious</a> by Bernice L. McFadden<br />
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<img alt="Rhythms" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312055746l/1624987.jpg" height="200" id="coverImage" width="134" /><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1624987.Rhythms">Rhythms</a> by Donna Hill<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/396577.Half_Lit_Houses"><img alt="Half-Lit Houses" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174420623l/396577.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/396577.Half_Lit_Houses">Half-Lit House</a> by Tina Chang<br />
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I am currently, reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163903.The_Yellow_House_on_the_Corner">The Yellow House on the Corner</a> by Rita Dove and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76334.A_New_Earth">A New Earth</a> by Eckhart Tolle for 2012.Sandra Protohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02140111042703961532noreply@blogger.com0