I came across these questions on another blog, and thought they were interesting.
What was the last book you bought?
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly AND Buffalo Bill Cody: The Man Behind the Legend by Robert A. Carter
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
How do I pick? If I like a book, I ALWAYS read it more than once. The last book that I read over again was A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Definitely. Again, it's hard to pick just one. One that comes to mind is Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life by Alma Hogan Snell.
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Probably all of the above. I don't think there is any pattern to how I choose.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Non-fiction.
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
I've thought hard about this, but I'm afraid I don't really have an answer. I think that I personally prefer beautiful writing, but I'm not sure that it's more important than a gripping plot. It probably depends on the book and the reader.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
My Bible, Bold Fresh, and The God Chasers.
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
A Walk in the Woods, I finished it (for the 4th time!) sometime last week.
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
I have. Usually I pick it up and finish it after a break, but there are a few I've never completed. An example is "Neither Here Nor There" by Bill Bryson. As much as I love his writing, I have never been able to get through that book. Perhaps if I knew my European geography better...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
My Thoughts on Wisconsin
We have officially been here in Wisconsin 6 weeks. Almost halfway done. I love Wisconsin so much more than D.C. The people here are soooo much nicer, even sick and dying patients are so polite and nice. I think the politeness here surpasses southern hospitality (or what's left of it). The people here are simple, down to earth people. Yes, they are a little to unashamedly liberal. But they are still down to earth, nice people.
I have come to love the weather here most. It's cool here. Even with 70% or higher humidity it's always pleasant here. The sunsets and clouds are unreal here! Every evening the sunsets are like amazing paintings. I've tried taking pictures, Courtney's tried paintings, but nothing we do can capture the splender of these amazing sunsets. It's times like this when I realize that God made an amazing creation, world and universe. My only complaint with the weather (thus far no snow) is that it is soooo windy here. I guess I should have had a clue when we passed dozens of windmill farms on the way here.
I will wait to make my entire judgement of WI until I've delt with the snow here, and I've completed the remaining 6wks. But on halfway done impressions things are fantastic here.
I have come to love the weather here most. It's cool here. Even with 70% or higher humidity it's always pleasant here. The sunsets and clouds are unreal here! Every evening the sunsets are like amazing paintings. I've tried taking pictures, Courtney's tried paintings, but nothing we do can capture the splender of these amazing sunsets. It's times like this when I realize that God made an amazing creation, world and universe. My only complaint with the weather (thus far no snow) is that it is soooo windy here. I guess I should have had a clue when we passed dozens of windmill farms on the way here.
I will wait to make my entire judgement of WI until I've delt with the snow here, and I've completed the remaining 6wks. But on halfway done impressions things are fantastic here.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
An update on our Wisconsin adventures
Setting out, we were afraid that we were hitting Wisconsin at the wrong time. This area is all about sports-- water sports during the summer, and snow sports during the winter. We, of course, are missing out on both of those.
But after 5 1/2 weeks here, we've decided this was the perfect time to visit. The weather is beautiful, and we are having a wonderful fall season. Here's a little of what we've been up to:
Farmer's Market: Madison has a weekly farmer's market downtown. It is truly an experience! In addition to fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, they have fresh-baked breads, apple cider, eggs, pastry, chocolates, preserves, honey, fresh fish, fresh meats, and pretty much anything else that you could possibly think of. Many of the vendors are certified organic, and I can vouch for the flavor of the veggies! Then they top it all off with sidewalk artists, street musicians, and choirs. It is so much fun.
Henry Villas Zoo: The zoo is a great feature of the Madison community. It is located on one of the lakes, and is completely free to the public. It's small, but we enjoyed it more than any other zoo we've been to. It's well laid out with a good variety of animals, and although we may have simply had very low expectations after the disaster of the zoo in DC, we absolutely loved it. It felt less like a zoo, and more like a park. In fact, many people go there to jog, because it's beautiful, interesting, and not all that crowded. It felt like going for a stroll in the park, only instead of saying "hey honey, look at that cute squirrel" we said things like, "hey honey, look at that cute grizzly bear."
Apple Picking: We first heard of the "Eplegaarden" through church. The church had organized a day of apple picking, but unfortunately we got rained out. So as soon as the rain let up, Brandon and I headed out on our own. It was truly an experience! The website promised an Old-fashioned, Norwegian "eplegaarden", and that is exactly what they delivered. The orchard was stunning, and it was incredibly peaceful. The apples were amazing, a thousand times better than storebought. Brandon never thought he liked apples until we picked these fresh. Now he can't stay out of them. AND we still try to find excuses to talk about "selv plukkin" at "da eple orchard" because after all, we had a very "gut time."
Corn Maze: Yesterday, we headed off to a corn maze. This was a first for both of us. Overall, we had a good time, although it was not quite as exciting as we expected it to be. The first half of the maze was too easy... only one time did we go the wrong way, and we figured it out within minutes. The second half of the maze was difficult that we NEVER knew where we were going and just happened to wander out by chance. Although that sounds exciting, it really wasn't. We had a few exciting moments where we started feeling truly lost. Apparently, we've watched too much "Survivorman" lately, because we started talking about starting a fire and trying to figure out how long our bottled water and chocolate would last. But then some people caught up with us who informed us that a tractor would be by to pick us up at 5:00 if we weren't out by then. These people also had a map, so they were able to actually navigate. Maybe it would have been more fun if we would have had a map. Who knows. But anyway, we enjoyed the walk and we enjoyed just being able to spend another laidback afternoon together. Probably won't ever fork over the money for another corn maze though.
Well, that's been our fall in a nutshell. We're hoping to make a trip to the Dells soon, and I'm trying to talk Brandon into doing some horseback riding. We'll see. :) Now we are just dreaming about snow...
But after 5 1/2 weeks here, we've decided this was the perfect time to visit. The weather is beautiful, and we are having a wonderful fall season. Here's a little of what we've been up to:
Farmer's Market: Madison has a weekly farmer's market downtown. It is truly an experience! In addition to fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, they have fresh-baked breads, apple cider, eggs, pastry, chocolates, preserves, honey, fresh fish, fresh meats, and pretty much anything else that you could possibly think of. Many of the vendors are certified organic, and I can vouch for the flavor of the veggies! Then they top it all off with sidewalk artists, street musicians, and choirs. It is so much fun.
Henry Villas Zoo: The zoo is a great feature of the Madison community. It is located on one of the lakes, and is completely free to the public. It's small, but we enjoyed it more than any other zoo we've been to. It's well laid out with a good variety of animals, and although we may have simply had very low expectations after the disaster of the zoo in DC, we absolutely loved it. It felt less like a zoo, and more like a park. In fact, many people go there to jog, because it's beautiful, interesting, and not all that crowded. It felt like going for a stroll in the park, only instead of saying "hey honey, look at that cute squirrel" we said things like, "hey honey, look at that cute grizzly bear."
Apple Picking: We first heard of the "Eplegaarden" through church. The church had organized a day of apple picking, but unfortunately we got rained out. So as soon as the rain let up, Brandon and I headed out on our own. It was truly an experience! The website promised an Old-fashioned, Norwegian "eplegaarden", and that is exactly what they delivered. The orchard was stunning, and it was incredibly peaceful. The apples were amazing, a thousand times better than storebought. Brandon never thought he liked apples until we picked these fresh. Now he can't stay out of them. AND we still try to find excuses to talk about "selv plukkin" at "da eple orchard" because after all, we had a very "gut time."
Corn Maze: Yesterday, we headed off to a corn maze. This was a first for both of us. Overall, we had a good time, although it was not quite as exciting as we expected it to be. The first half of the maze was too easy... only one time did we go the wrong way, and we figured it out within minutes. The second half of the maze was difficult that we NEVER knew where we were going and just happened to wander out by chance. Although that sounds exciting, it really wasn't. We had a few exciting moments where we started feeling truly lost. Apparently, we've watched too much "Survivorman" lately, because we started talking about starting a fire and trying to figure out how long our bottled water and chocolate would last. But then some people caught up with us who informed us that a tractor would be by to pick us up at 5:00 if we weren't out by then. These people also had a map, so they were able to actually navigate. Maybe it would have been more fun if we would have had a map. Who knows. But anyway, we enjoyed the walk and we enjoyed just being able to spend another laidback afternoon together. Probably won't ever fork over the money for another corn maze though.
Well, that's been our fall in a nutshell. We're hoping to make a trip to the Dells soon, and I'm trying to talk Brandon into doing some horseback riding. We'll see. :) Now we are just dreaming about snow...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Maybe I will stop eating out altogether...
Brandon and I are not health fanatics, but we do try to eat well. We buy organic when possible, we eat good protein and vegetables, and try to limit artificial/processed foods.
However, we do still eat out at least once a week, and I enjoy a Diet Dr. Pepper occasionally... and we eat dessert almost every day (although we really should put a stop to that).
So as you can see, we're not total fanatics, but we do try to eat as naturally as possible.
With that in mind, we decided to get takeout from a nearby Asian restaurant. We studied their menu online, and saw that we could order anything MSG-free.
We drove to the restaurant, walked in, and saw four different signs saying "food made according to request- will make anything without MSG".
So we placed our order, requesting that they hold the MSG. Immediately the lady taking our order said "Oh, it's already in there."
We pointed to the sign and again made our request. She again protested, "I don't know if they can make that without MSG. It's only a little bit!"
Neither of us really felt like arguing, so we basically said "Okay, just ask them and if they can't, then okay." Then we sat down to await our order.
She followed us over to where we were sitting. "Why don't you want MSG? Are you allergic?"
"No," I replied, "We just try to be healthy and since the sign said you could make it without..."
"Oh, then don't worry about it. MSG is very healthy if you aren't allergic. It's really good for your brain. The Japanese eat a lot of it."
Um, okay.
Brandon, being a nurse, really did want to jump in and argue that point, but the lady didn't let him get a word in edgewise. I felt like I was in that commercial where the man tries to tell the woman that high fructose corn syrup is unhealthy, and the girl replies that it's fine, after all "it's made from corn" (as if being connected with a starchy, high carbohydrate vegetable somehow makes it healthy). But I digress-my rant about high fructose corn syrup will have to be another story for another time.
SO we took our MSG filled food, went home to eat, and I promptly got a massive headache.
I didn't automatically connect my headache with MSG. I do get headaches frequently though, and they are often triggered by food. I've tried keeping food journals, but so many different types of food trigger them that I've never been able to figure out a pattern.
But because of the conversation, I did a little research on MSG. First and foremost... according to the article I read, it KILLS BRAIN CELLS! (so much for being good for your brain). Additionally, headaches are one of the primary reactions to MSG. Interesting.
Overall, I found 62 symptoms connected with MSG. SIXTY TWO. Three of these symptoms always occur with my headaches. Very interesting. I also found a published study linking MSG to obesity; though to be fair, almost everything we eat is linked to obesity.
Expanding my research, I read a few articles relating to Organic food. Most of the articles said that it's a waste of money, because "pesticides have been deemed safe by the FDA." First, I don't put any faith in the FDA. Second, even these negative articles admit that organic food has more nutritional value, specifically more Vitamin A and Vitamin C. We also know that organic meat is antibiotic/growth hormone free.
Link those findings to a study finding that frogs are developing significant genetic defects due to Vitamin A deficiency, directly due to pesticides.... hmmm.
Well, let's just say that I'm convinced that MSG=bad and ORGANIC=good.
So I'm going to try a little experiment. I'm going to expand my organic efforts and eliminate MSG from our diet. I'll let you know if my headaches disappear.
However, we do still eat out at least once a week, and I enjoy a Diet Dr. Pepper occasionally... and we eat dessert almost every day (although we really should put a stop to that).
So as you can see, we're not total fanatics, but we do try to eat as naturally as possible.
With that in mind, we decided to get takeout from a nearby Asian restaurant. We studied their menu online, and saw that we could order anything MSG-free.
We drove to the restaurant, walked in, and saw four different signs saying "food made according to request- will make anything without MSG".
So we placed our order, requesting that they hold the MSG. Immediately the lady taking our order said "Oh, it's already in there."
We pointed to the sign and again made our request. She again protested, "I don't know if they can make that without MSG. It's only a little bit!"
Neither of us really felt like arguing, so we basically said "Okay, just ask them and if they can't, then okay." Then we sat down to await our order.
She followed us over to where we were sitting. "Why don't you want MSG? Are you allergic?"
"No," I replied, "We just try to be healthy and since the sign said you could make it without..."
"Oh, then don't worry about it. MSG is very healthy if you aren't allergic. It's really good for your brain. The Japanese eat a lot of it."
Um, okay.
Brandon, being a nurse, really did want to jump in and argue that point, but the lady didn't let him get a word in edgewise. I felt like I was in that commercial where the man tries to tell the woman that high fructose corn syrup is unhealthy, and the girl replies that it's fine, after all "it's made from corn" (as if being connected with a starchy, high carbohydrate vegetable somehow makes it healthy). But I digress-my rant about high fructose corn syrup will have to be another story for another time.
SO we took our MSG filled food, went home to eat, and I promptly got a massive headache.
I didn't automatically connect my headache with MSG. I do get headaches frequently though, and they are often triggered by food. I've tried keeping food journals, but so many different types of food trigger them that I've never been able to figure out a pattern.
But because of the conversation, I did a little research on MSG. First and foremost... according to the article I read, it KILLS BRAIN CELLS! (so much for being good for your brain). Additionally, headaches are one of the primary reactions to MSG. Interesting.
Overall, I found 62 symptoms connected with MSG. SIXTY TWO. Three of these symptoms always occur with my headaches. Very interesting. I also found a published study linking MSG to obesity; though to be fair, almost everything we eat is linked to obesity.
Expanding my research, I read a few articles relating to Organic food. Most of the articles said that it's a waste of money, because "pesticides have been deemed safe by the FDA." First, I don't put any faith in the FDA. Second, even these negative articles admit that organic food has more nutritional value, specifically more Vitamin A and Vitamin C. We also know that organic meat is antibiotic/growth hormone free.
Link those findings to a study finding that frogs are developing significant genetic defects due to Vitamin A deficiency, directly due to pesticides.... hmmm.
Well, let's just say that I'm convinced that MSG=bad and ORGANIC=good.
So I'm going to try a little experiment. I'm going to expand my organic efforts and eliminate MSG from our diet. I'll let you know if my headaches disappear.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Looking back
Sooo...
It's been awhile since I've posted, I've been leaving it all to Courtney. However, I am now here to "catch-up". I've done alot of reflecting on the whole travel thing since arriving here in Madison. It's been great for me to compare the fast pace of D.C. to the slower, more friendly atmosphere of Madison.
So the following are a few things I learned while living in D.C.:
1. The supermarkets are absolutely amazing. Because there are so many cultures in the D.C. Metro area, the supermarkets are loaded with so many variaties of basic goods as well as culturally unique items.
2. Absolutely no one can drive! It does not matter if you are in D.C., on the Virginia side, or Maryland side, no one can drive. I've been told, by my fact searching wife, that per capita, the D.C. area has the highest traffic accidents in the U.S. And I believe it. The odd fact is that the police are to busy fighting major crime, that traffic control is almost non-existent. However, it is my personal opinion that all drivers in the D.C. area should be sent to a refresher driving school.
3. And the most important point I learned: EVERYONE WANTS TO KILL EACH OTHER! It seems nearly everyone in the D.C. metroplex has some chip on their shoulder that they are all to willing to share with others. And if you cross these people they often react in violence. The first 15mins of the evening news (it's a 1hr program) is filled with the lastest violent acts of the day (approx. 7-1 0 murders/day). Someone warned me before we left for D.C. that "everyone is on drugs and everyone wants to kill eachother". I found that their statement proved to be 100% true and accurate.
I learned alot while in D.C. However, I am greateful to have moved on. So, no offense to any of you who live there, but I found it a great place to visit but you won't find me living there.
It's been awhile since I've posted, I've been leaving it all to Courtney. However, I am now here to "catch-up". I've done alot of reflecting on the whole travel thing since arriving here in Madison. It's been great for me to compare the fast pace of D.C. to the slower, more friendly atmosphere of Madison.
So the following are a few things I learned while living in D.C.:
1. The supermarkets are absolutely amazing. Because there are so many cultures in the D.C. Metro area, the supermarkets are loaded with so many variaties of basic goods as well as culturally unique items.
2. Absolutely no one can drive! It does not matter if you are in D.C., on the Virginia side, or Maryland side, no one can drive. I've been told, by my fact searching wife, that per capita, the D.C. area has the highest traffic accidents in the U.S. And I believe it. The odd fact is that the police are to busy fighting major crime, that traffic control is almost non-existent. However, it is my personal opinion that all drivers in the D.C. area should be sent to a refresher driving school.
3. And the most important point I learned: EVERYONE WANTS TO KILL EACH OTHER! It seems nearly everyone in the D.C. metroplex has some chip on their shoulder that they are all to willing to share with others. And if you cross these people they often react in violence. The first 15mins of the evening news (it's a 1hr program) is filled with the lastest violent acts of the day (approx. 7-1 0 murders/day). Someone warned me before we left for D.C. that "everyone is on drugs and everyone wants to kill eachother". I found that their statement proved to be 100% true and accurate.
I learned alot while in D.C. However, I am greateful to have moved on. So, no offense to any of you who live there, but I found it a great place to visit but you won't find me living there.
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