"Tuesday with Morrie" - Amazing book!!

Today I listened to the entire audio book version of "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I am one who normally does not listen to audio books, but it was encouraged by my human behavior professor. At last minute she was told that our class was highly encouraged for the students to read it. Since it is so late in the term, Dr. Grosset told the three of us to go and find the audio version as it would a quick listen. Our job would be to pay attention to the "biopsychosocial" dimension for both Mitch and Morrie. In the social work class this is what we have been studying the whole term, so it is fitting to have to pick out these for the story.

The audio version is on 4 cds. I put it in my car this morning and started the first disc on my way down to my internship. With in the first ten minutes of the cd I had tears streaming down my face. I knew that it was about a student having meetings with his ailing professor, but I didn't know of what. I soon found out that the professor was suffering ALS which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. I guess I thought about how my grandfather has Parkinson's Disease and it is really starting to take over him. By the time I was halfway home from my internship I was on the second cd. I had class tonight and so on my way down I finished the second cd and started the third. I was drawn into the story and was surprised in how good it actually was. I remember it being a very popular book back when I was in high school but didn't want to read it as I am not one who buys books because of the popularity or hype that one my have. Maybe that is why I never got sucked into the Harry Potter or Twilight books. Anyways...when I got to school I knew I didn't have much left of the third cd. I wanted to just sit in my car and listen to the rest of the cd. If it would have been warmer I probably would have done just that. I could not wait until class was over so that I could jump back into my car and get sucked back into the world of Mitch and Morrie. I finished the story just before I got home. Such an amazing book. It is about life, love, death, and what one should do before passing on. It is about the friendship between the student and professor that was created from the first class back in the '70s when the student was a freshman in Morrie's sociology class and how the friendship developed over the years, then fell to the backwoods to pick back up when Morrie was dying from ALS.

With completing this book I also think back to which professors, instructors, or teachers had made a great impact on my life. Which ones took the time to sit and actually care if I was learning more than what was being taught in class. I enjoyed my own Sociology professor this Fall term, which I am sure I will think of himk now everytime the McDonaldization topic comes up in conversation or if I see it in movies. There are just some people who make lasting impressions that will never leave us.

For my readers who have not read this book, please do!! What an awesome book. If you read the book it will be a quick read as it is only about 200 pages. If you listen to the audio version it will consist of four compact disks.

Feb. theme for NaBloPoMo.com

Since I posted everyday this month for January I thought I would try and do it again. :) February's theme for NaBloPoMo.com is called Ties. While I may not post everyday abut this subject, I will try and have a few posts on this. Here is Feb's badge. :)

Kaylee, Happy 6th Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LIL MISS KAYLEE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Six years ago today a little 5lb 4oz girl was born and placed into my arms. That day was one of the greatest day of my life. I can not believe that just six years ago she was born. It really feels as if it was yesterday!!! Today is bittersweet for me now though. I love birthday but then my mind wanders over to the "Well look what you have missed! Look what you could have had!" I then remind myself of what she has done in the past six years and what I have done in the past six years.

For her birthday this year, I actually put her gift in the mail BEFORE her birthday. That is pretty good for me! The past couple of years I have sent her stuff late and it was more of a valentine's day gift or even late as an Easter gift. So this year I was determined to get the stuff in the mail early. What did I get her?? She is still really into Princess stuff, and was having a Princess themed birthday party. I got her a $15 Target gift card, a Princess & the Frog coloring book (she loves to draw and color), and a Disney Princess reading book. With out even thinking until I got home I looked and the gift card that I picked out was in the shape of the frog...so it goes with the whole Princess theme. :) I sent her at Christmas time a Target gift card as well and she loved it, because she got to pick out stuff with money. It was cute to hear what she bought. Yes it was barbie princess stuff. :)

Today I will go and have breakfast at Chips and get the birthday pancakes. Then I will have to come home and work on a Psych. paper that I have been putting off way too long. Hopefully dinner I will be able to try a new Japenese place that I have not tried yet. So I will make it a good day. I wanted to leave you with a poem that a birthmom friend wrote a couple years ago when her own birthdaughter had a birthday. She is not the only one who feels the way she does in the poem.

Birthday Pain

By: Krissy Mitchell
Birthmommy to Rylee Renee
My baby girl turns four today
My heart is aching
There is so much pain
Just four short years ago
I held her in my arms
I was her "Mommy"
Her very First
I was the first to kiss
Her soft little head
To cuddle her close
To my heart so dead
Tears would drip
On her little face so pure
How can I let go of
My daughter so dear
Four years gone by
My heart is still numb
I think of that day
When I was her "First Mom"
 

Best team on Biggest Loser this season??

I got sucked in this season of NBC's The Biggest Loser. Anyone else watching this season?? I have watched the show off and on ever since the first season. It is not a show that I have to watch every year as the host Allison really gets on my nerves. I personally liked it when it was host from the first season. I am drawing a blank on her name at this time.

Anyways...who is your favorite team? Who do you want to go home next?? When Rob and I watch competition reality shows we tend to pick out "pony" on who is going to win. We always pick the team or person on the first episode as that is the only way for it to be fair. Rob this time picked the RED TEAM. I like the red team, but I do not like the wife on the red team. She lost quite a bit of weight the first week and then she has had immunity for the past three weeks. It seems that as if she was throwing the game because the second and third week she either didn't loose anything or lost one pound. This is crazy as if you look at everyone else, they are dropping like crazy in weight including the females. Another team that I like is the PURPLE TEAM. Her teammate was sent home on the second week and she has been busting everything she has each week since her mom went home. I loved watching her this week in the first competition. Even though she was receiving red X's she never gave up. She did 10-12 laps which I think was the most out of all of the teams. I also like who I think I picked as my favorite team is the GRAY TEAM. These cousins are just amazing!!! They work hard, play hard, and loose massive pounds each week.

On to who I do not care for now. I can not stand the GREEN TEAM. They are negative and just rude. Since they were given the two pound disadvantage this week, I feel as if they didn't try. The daughter wanted to give up last week and walk off the show because Jillian got up in her face. Now since this week they were the bottom team, the daughter automatically said, "send me home. I have been wanting to go home...so send me home." Personally if I was a voting team member on the show I would have voted to send the mother home. Why send the daughter home?? If you send her home then it acknowledges that she can give up on things when they get hard. They did end up sending the daughter home and she has not lost that much since she left the Ranch. Another team that I don't care for is the PINK TEAM. The daughter gives too many excuses on everything. I wanted to tell her, "Ya...so you are loosing in this second competition...but you could at least try!"

Hopefully I have sparked your interest in the show. If not...that is ok, too. I understand that we all have our shows all set up on Tivo. :) I actually catch the show on Friday evenings as FLN replays the show from Tuesday. :)

New Movies for weekend of JANUARY 29, 2010

Here is the listing of the new movies that were released this week. There were only two this week...but at least we are almost done with the month of January!!! Then back to getting some good movies back in the theatre!! At least that is what we all hope!! Today while working in the box office the popular movie of choice today was Edge of Darkness. I will have a better grasp tomorrow evening when I close the box office. :)

When in Rome: rated PG13 - Stars: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel - The Plot: Beth (Bell) is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, when she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love during a whirlwind trip to Rome, she finds herself aggressively pursued by a band of suitors. **This movie looks cute, I am not too sure if I will get around to seeing it though.**

Edge of Darkness: rated R - Stars: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston - The Plot: As homicide detective Thomas Craven (Gibson) investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent (Winstone) tasked with cleaning up the evidence. **This movie looks pretty good as well. I hope to see this before it leaves my theatre here in Connecticut.**

Best candy?

When one is asked what the best candy is, they may sit and think for a bit. I know that I would The best candy all depends on the type of mood you are in. Sometimes the best candy is something salty, or chocolaty, or sour, or sweet.

Right now I have an obsession of the Sour Patch Kids. I would tell you that I do not like super sour candies so you may ask why I like these then? My answer is, "I don't know...they are just good." Such a great response, I know. I am one though who eats these little sour things differently than probably most. Rob will take a handful and just pop them all in his mouth. Someone else may eat them one by one. I on the other hand may eat them one by one...but I have to roll the candy around in my fingers first. I like some of the sourness on the candy but not too much. I take the candy, squish it into a little ball and then just roll it around. Odd, I know. I am sure it is part of some autistic thing in my personality. A friend of mine saw me doing this the other day at work in the break room. She asked, "Amy what are you doing?" I laughed and said, "This is how I eat these yummy little candies." When she walked away I laughed at myself, and realized that everyone has their own way in eating candy. My friend, Karyn, has a specific way in how she eats Hot Tamales. I can not tell you the specific way but she has said it is the best way in eating them.

So now as you go and eat your favorite candy, maybe you will think about how you eat it. :)

Sisterchicks Book Series

Anyone heard of this series?? Well I can thank my mom for getting me hooked to one of the best and funniest friendship book christian series around!! The series is written by a Christian author named Robin Jones Gunn. If you do not know who she is then look her up. She has written all type of books for middle school aged girls, high school girls, young college aged girls, and now a series for women who are are out of college.

The Sisterchicks series is basically a bunch of books that can be read in any order. They are about two girlfriends *which sometimes are sisters* (different characters in each book) embarking on a new adventure. I have close to all of the books except for probably the couple latest ones. These books will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again. Every woman would enjoy this book series as there is something in there for everyone.

I will leave you with this from Robin Jones Gunn:
"Sisterchick: Noun: A friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat."