Reflections on Aging

     I wanted to thank Lynne Morgan Spreen for this article she has written, How Terribly Strange to be Seventy, bringing it home about aging; it's made me reflect a little more than usual, since I just turned 70 this year. This is where I get philosophical, and down to Earth about 'everything'.   

 

     Every decade we should take stock in our life here on Earth; leave nothing out.  I look back on myself, seeing my relationships over the years; where I have succeeded and where I have failed. I think deeply on this subjects.  I look back and reflect on my accomplishments or lack thereof; where could I have made a difference, either in myself or in others?  I reflect on this.  In the process of all of this thinking, our Earth comes to mind; believing our Earth should fall into this category of considerate thinking.

     Our Earth is changing every minute of every decade, along with us.  I think about who should take responsibility for these changes; we take care of ourselves, to stay alive,  alert, and active, but without this planet we live on, we are nothing.  I know this is a bit off the topic of self-aging, but how much do we consider the aging of this planet? Do we consider what we eat and drink, of course we do.  But do we consider where those sources come from?

     The soil we walk on, the water we drink, or the air we breathe, it all changes over time, and do we care about how it is taken care of over these decades, or do we just take it for granted, leaving the care and responsibility up to someone else?  Who are the caretakers of these things we consume?  Is it being taken care of for the good of everyone, or is it for the good of those few we put our trust in?

     We are aware of our own bodies, the changes we either make in it or changes that are made for us.  Either way, we are responsible for who we are in our relationship with this planet Earth in which we live.  The Earth sustains us.  The Earth ages, and everything on it changes, the same as you and I change with age.  

     The question is how much do we invest in taking care of what gives us life?

Is All Good Fiction Psychologically Wise? Musing on Michael Cunningham’s Novels

I can't answer the question, whether I think all good fiction is psychologically wise, but I will always give it my best shot.  Maybe to me it should be, but I doubt that it is the expectation of the majority. 

As we say, not all works of fiction are read and enjoyed for the same reasons, or to find insights. 

During my reading of one of Michael Cunningham’s novels, By Nightfall, I felt uneasy, sadness prevailed in my mind, most of the time, and writers of this style of prose will almost always have significance on my personal life.   I will explain why. 

I find it disconcerting, while I’m reading, to feel every inch of me tingle, to feel as though someone were striking me as if I were a tuning fork - where words take hold of my nerve endings, while I await the next sentence, or the next paragraph, to bring some light into an uncomfortable subject that has to be viewed by this reader.   Until the shoe drops, I catch myself holding my breath. 

Writers such as Cunningham won't shy away from thoroughly expressing themselves, by expressing their characters needs and desires.  And even though this writer, Cunningham, holds a gentle hand, giving you a glimpse of the world around, and the world within, he can stir images up that will capture those insights we may or may not want to hold onto.  We very well may end up struggling with our own inner demons.

This line by Gustave Flaubert, ‘Madame Bovary, ch. 12, was altered and used in Cunningham’s novel.  “...exaggerated turns of speech conceal mediocre affections: as if the fullness of the soul might not sometimes overflow in the emptiest of metaphors, since no one, ever, can give the exact measurements of his needs, nor of his conceptions, nor of his sufferings, and the ‘human word is like a cracked cauldron upon which we beat out melodies fit for making bears dance when we are trying to move the stars to pity.’    

So, the question is, why do you love the fiction you love?  On an introspective morning, these were my thoughts. 

Let me put it this way, the question really is, why do I read what I read, if it turns my world inside out, and upside down?  Just for that reason!  Where are we, who are we, what are we, if we are standing still in the dark?  

Some people like to live in the mundane, because it is safe.  It cannot hurt you.  I do not live there, not any more.  We cannot move beyond stagnant, if we are not challenged by the least expected; we will never discover whom we are, and move forward, if we are standing alone.

Give me more 

Life evolves

Dormant is dead 

I don't always feel comfortable, being stretched to my limits by what I feel in the written word, but unless I experience it, I cannot know it is there, and never realize I am alive. 

Give me more

Deeper, Richer  

Appreciation for life 

In rereading Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, in preparation to reading Cunningham's The Hours, I saw this quote from Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. Cunningham also repeated this quote: 

" 'Fear no more the heat o' the sun

Nor the furious winter's rages.' " 

The ordinary is what VW and Cunningham’s characters tell you about in their stories. These intimate looks from these writers are what make them, and what they see and give us, extraordinary. 

In Today’s World

What Is a Conservative? - What Is a Liberal?

I'm not sure what moderate conservative means, then or now, as Dwight D. Eisenhower depicted a very aggressive stance in his beliefs in the fight for peace, and what appeared to be an at-all-cost use of U.S. nuclear threats against other countries.  I don't think that type of aggression will work in today’s world.  Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower

Do we see other countries looking at us, now, as they did during the Eisenhower days?  What I do see? 

I saw John McCain making it clear in HIS Presidential speeches/race/stance, the Republican Party being stuck in a past mentality.  With the introduction of the ultra-conservative, Palin, this opened the floodgates to an aggression that has turned Republican Party lines into a battlefield of chaos.  (Simply put in my humble words:  The world and the Republican Party, enough chaos.) 

I look at Mitt Romney, the handy-wipe man with an indecisive look in his eyes, and a stance echoing of corporate greed, all lying in the forefront of his running.  Someone who made it obvious, change in his party is needed, finding a true platform to succeed again, as an independent party system with respectable and meaningful values.  Respect is the operative word I see here. 

 Times change, countries, beliefs, people...EVERYTHING changes with time.  But the value in respect should never change.  History is best when seriously looked upon, as it WILL give an objective view of the future.  Balance, weigh, measure.... History teaches what was once good for the country, is not necessarily good for the current times, or the future, but true respect should never alter.

We now look at gun control...how many people live in the dark ages when seeing their right to bear arms?  Are these moderate conservatives or Liberals?  Just who are these people?  How many CAN'T see what guns have become, what people have become, in this day and age?  Archaic thinking clouds judgment, and clouds respect for any other view. 

We don't live in the backwoods, with friendly neighbors with small town thinking.  The world is no longer isolated.  We are no longer isolated.  And what's good for us, is not always good for the neighbors.

I can only speak for myself, I know, and what I want for this country and for this world.....The bottom line is, I want peace, and that only comes with a nurturing respect for each other, whether they live next door or a country away.

On The Subject of Procrastination:

I’m reminded of the animals who are settling down in their nest for that long winter’s nap; they sniff and circle, and circle, then sniff the area again, and circle some more until they find just the right spot to park their butt.  It's not so much wasting time, as it is making sure your nest is ready for that long journey into Never-Never Land, during the long sleep.

I imagine every writer is different, in their approach to parking their butt.  It can exclude you from the outside world.  So, what is it?  What makes order turn to chaos?  What pushes that button, to shut out the environment around you?  It all reverts back to that word, creativity. 

It’s not so much an illusive word, as much as it is a word that involves that “other” self; the self that floats and drifts, to conjure scenes, elements, and people with extraordinary means.  It’s a tug-of-war: To do or not to do; to say or not to say.  An actor staying in character, a writer becoming that character, when the outside world begs to differ, and challenge that person you've become, while delving into that character’s mind. 

It’s not a world that will always be pleasant to the writer; it’s not a world that is always secure, at times questioning, challenging the psyche to a breaking point.  It can be a vortex, a black hole, or on better days, a place of recognition of loved ones, a breathing space; a pleasurable escape from whatever beckons from the world outside of your nesting place.

Being creative can exhilarate, fulfill, damn and frustrate.

So what makes it all happen?  What’s it all about? What’s the draw? 

The key word is NEED.  Just as the animal needs to prepare for that long dream, we need to prepare for OUR long dream, and the long journey it takes before we fully wake to the world of reality.  We are two in one...selves.  Understanding this makes that drive, run, journey, into a need that is more acceptable. 

Procrastination is a prerequisite for some writers; a must; calm before the storm of creative adventure. 

The Downfall of an Honest Living...

When Companies Grow Bigger Than Their Britches

When did companies start to lose interest in their employees?  The family man, the woman at the job sight with kids at home to feed and clothe; when did the personal relations between the owners and the workers start to fall apart?

 

Family owned businesses brought families together, working together to make a living for themselves, and for the future of their employees to come.  Growing businesses mean growing income; growing income means more product or services to provide, and this leads to people hired to complete those services.  The expansion balloons; more stress, more needs, more worries to shuttle around - to avoid.

With responsibilities compounding, more responsibility is delegated to workers in management.  Here lies the dissolution of familial relationships.

 

The employer, now at the top, can only see their immediate surroundings, that snow caped mountain in which to take their immediate family for winter vacations; they can no longer see the valley beneath them; their extended family, their employees, where common man and woman live, eking out a life that is driven by a standardized cost of living wage, a wage that no longer can support their families.  

The equality, between employer and employee, is driven apart by the need for money.  The standards are no longer equal.

The employer now raises his own cost of living, by demanding more money to seek their own pleasurable needs, forgetting that they had employees who were once part and parcel to being their family in creative equality.

There will never be equality, that’s a given, but there should be recognition, understanding, and a giving heart.

Were it not for the hard work; of the employee, there would not be that mountain top of security for the employer.

A few thoughts about the word, change

http://retrocampaigns.tumblr.com/post/29904462329/labor-day-1956-young-republicans-salute-labor

     When I saw this Retro Campaign Sign, I had a thought.  

     You may say, to friends and family members who are Republican, "It's not the same party it once was", but you are actually implying they should listen, read, watch, and learn how to change their minds about their Party.  They do not want to listen.  I wondered why.  These are my thoughts about this illusive word, change. 

     But, first, the issue comes down to this:  Why can’t they listen?  Why can’t their minds open up enough to listen?  Why the wall?  Why the anger?

     How many people do you know who are hard core in their "traditions"?  Heritage rolls the dice, here, where these traditions are embedded in a heart and mind.  Embedded is the operative word.

     It appears, to me, that people who hand down those traditions, from family member to family member, have a very hard time understanding this concept of change....whether party change, or change in the food they eat, or altering that recipe, or places they inhabit; or to the point of not even wanting to change the color or style of clothes they wear...heritage becomes a ritual of sorts; practiced for generations, (whatever they may be) - Families holding onto these  sacred “things” for generations - Holding on for dear life, for the future of family. 

     It is now a mind-set.  It would take a stick of dynamite to change a mind-set, because common sense does not enter this equation:  It is tuned out.  No common denominator that I know of exists between two opposites; common sense does not exist because they know what they know, and nothing more to know; it would only complicate their equal plain of existence ....what has been passed down through the years; taught and learned....where learned responses become hard as granite.

     I think about my friend who I lost in this past political year. I understand, now, our differences.  My understanding won't bring her back into my world, or mine into hers, as I now see how different our worlds really are.  We exist.  We see.  We hear. We are there, but with an invisible world between us.

Time To Plant

100-notable-books-of-2012

When I read this list of books, I feel an inadequacy, in that I have only two of these books, and only one, Bernice L. McFadden's have I read; so many writers, so many authors, and so many books, but so little time to read every one.  

The one book on this list I've read, Gathering of Waters, was so profoundly wonderful, it feels as though there is no need to read anyone else's work.  But, I know this isn't true, it just feels that way.  But, in the same breath, I follow only two handfuls of authors.

The other novel I have is Arcadia, by Lauren Groff.  This one is on my stack of books to be read.  She was a favorite of mine when I read and discussed her book, Monsters of Templeton, and at that time I felt the need to make her a set of ceramic bookends.  Book discussions, for me at least, can offer so much more to the text; the words come alive by people who have an opinion...by looking at every angle of thought.  I see these living words in visuals, as art forms.  

And then, of course, there are book discussions that leave me dead in the water, seeing nothing but book reports popping up as if it's a form of introspection.  These I leave to others to deal with, and move on.

At first I was going to say, "because of this problem...."  But, in actuality, I don't considered my thought processes a problem, just because I'm looking for something deeper and thought provoking; words need to provoke thinking capabilities, in my case.  But an author also has to give that opportunity to you as a reader.

There are times we might need that "fluff" in our lives, the lighter side to storytelling, I see that and understand this as well; and I let the silly side become my favorite word.  No critiquing this go-round.

Again, the "but" comes up, when you think about reading a list like this one given here.  Fluff never becomes 'notable', or 'list-able', it just stays fluff.  But, no matter, the criteria is to just enjoy.

A time for all seasons, this I know...as we contemplate our lists to plant the seed; a time to envision, as we sit down to read.

A Review - The Gargoyle - A novel by Andrew Davidson

“Andrew Davidson was born in Pinawa, Manitoba, and graduated in 1995 from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. in English literature.  He has worked as a teacher in Japan, where he has lived on and off, and as a writer of English lessons for Japanese websites.  The Gargoyle, the product of seven years’ worth of research and composition, is his first book.  Davidson lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.”

www.thegargoyle.com. 

The Gargoyle takes off fast and furious; I was hooked from the first page.  I love how Andrew Davidson writes, a memoir in fiction.  It's almost poetic in its delivery, not the flowery kind, but the 'hit in the gut' kind.  It's taken me aback a few times, whoa Nellie!  But this character is speaking in his language of truths.  You can't shy away from that.

Those were the words I spoke to Debbie Haupt, the moderator of her General Fiction Board, on the Barnes & Noble Book Club Forum.  My first impressions, as I started to read this novel, The Gargoyle.

The following are the words of a friend who posted to me on my Face book page while we were talking about the use of certain offensive expletives concerning another novel---:  “ i found the use of words and language much more offensive in the poorly written 'Gargoyle' book - one man's meat is another man's poison...

I am now going to try to explain how I feel about this novel, The Gargoyle, not as a defense, but simply as a love for this book, and for this writer, Andrew Davidson.  

There are moments in our history no one can explain, except as Déjà vu; we simply feel those moments enter our being, mostly unannounced, shake our heads, and continue to move forward in time.  We all have a history, but some histories are more explainable than other’s.  That’s what I will try to get across to you while I write this book review, a hopefully believable history of these people, and how they related to me.

The main character in this novel, and I stress the word novel, because it is definitely a work of fiction, was a character of first person, living in today’s world, giving you a knockdown, blow-by-blow, of what his life was like before, during, and after his “accident”; a life as a burn victim of grotesque proportions – To be believed, or not.  The work that this author put into the creating of his novel is spellbinding, just as seen in his acknowledgements of resources.  And as I’m trying to write this review, I can’t put a name to this “main character”.  I didn't think anything of it, while reading the story.  It didn't seem important.  So, why now?  I can’t find his name anywhere in this fictional memoir!

When I mentioned, “It’s almost poetic in its delivery”, I should have said it wasn't “almost”, it was exactly that, poetic.  The rhythms of the words, the words themselves; the heart, the feelings that came through to this reader from writer of first person, rendered my heart in two pieces at best, then and now. Time traveled, you traveled, in and out of over seven hundred years of history!  These stories are amazing!  Can you believe that you, or anyone, could exist to tell that story, and then connect them all together by two people?  I suppose if you have enough faith in love, with a strong belief system in the Divine Spirit, anything is possible – well, at least in this story it is, and all bound by their truth by this author.  
It’s believable for me.  It was spellbinding; it was grotesque, but alive and compelling in a strange sort of way.  It was real.  Somewhere down the line, we are told we’re dealing with the life of an aberrant pornographer.  He admits this to us in no uncertain terms.  In other words, details follow....I believe him.  This made me pause.  I asked myself, “Do I really want to read further”?   I said, yes, I had to, to understand who this person was, or is, and what this has to do with his story as a whole.  

We look at what it’s like being a writer, a scribe, an artist, a devoted individual, or atheist;  then we are plunged into the lives of the scum of the earth.  All are graphically depicted in this story.  We deal with subjects that few writers touch upon, the hell someone experiences after being burned alive.  These feelings are real to us, we grow to understand this person, whether in the real world, or fiction, no matter what time in history you want to place them, it becomes real.  This is a human life, experiencing things no one should have to experience, and then live to tell about that life in their story.  This author tells this story to us as if we are sitting right next to him, the main character with no name; whether in his hospital bed, through his rehabilitation process, living in the outside world, talking to people, or just dealing with his disfigured life as a human being in a world who can’t see beyond their own reality.  This story makes you think twice.
As I mentioned, it’s written in memoir form, and real emotions come through this story to the readers.  The laughs that were interjected throughout made it real.  I laughed, even at the expense of this character, because that’s how he wanted us to feel him.  The aloneness of depression and what it does to you, how it makes you think, of course I felt that too, but above all we can’t forget the love that carried us through this, by these characters, even through their pain, was nothing less than miraculous.

I’ll never know how Andrew Davidson accomplished the writing of his story, but he gives us something, nothing short of Powerful and Beautiful.  I call this literary genius.  This story, for me at least, was a story to be held on to, tightly, to truly understand its full contents and impact.  I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions which coursed through these five hundred pages, taking place throughout eras that reflect upon present time.  We can’t be here, now, without a past to form us.

The character, Marianne Engel, was that creator, the secondary character (if that’s what you want to call her, but to me she was first and foremost in this story)....She gave us her stories, through language and sculptures, then chiseled a past for our unknown First Person, so he could live and exist for himself, today - As well as to live for us in this story in epic proportions.

My Tribute to Bill Moyers

During these last few months, while listening and reading everything I can on politics, I've come to a few conclusions.  Most people who vote party line, have it ingrained in their heads that today's parties are still the same, as in the days of yore.  The standards were set, and followed, agreed upon, year in and year out.  

So, what good does it do, now, to talk about change in one's party?  The only sameness, these days, is that it takes money to buy these parties out - But, as the prices go up, so does the amount of favors that are given in return.  

People, the lobbyist is now holding a bigger purse, accumulating party favors at bid price, and changing the way we live side by side, middle class workers versus big business - These are BIG Corporations, Enterprises that can't be touched, so it may seem.

There's a lot of shaking of heads among us, not knowing what can be done to counter this predicament, hence leaving an uneasy, useless feeling; and therefore nothing is done, and nothing changes - All questions are left unanswered.  All laws and bills are left in the hands of the highest bidder.  Let's not rock my boat, as it were.  “’They’” must know what they are doing, right?”  Let's not cause hard feelings between us. Let's leave well enough alone, it’s out of our hands....it’s that simple.  Talking about politics, with confirmed believers in their party, is like trying to rip a bandage off of a festering wound.  

And as I watch Bill Moyers' discussions each week, I see that there IS a little bit of hope that surfaces from them, not much, sometimes, but just enough.  No matter what, Bill always asks that same question, "What can be done - what can WE do, if anything, to change all this....."  I see him as a man of integrity, someone who always looks for hope for the future of our country, for the lives, us, who inhabit this complex world we live in;  always echoing his audiences unanswered question, 'what can we do to change?'  

I admire him for tackling subjects that I'd never think to approach.  I admire him for his gentle give and take, an approach that heals, and doesn't rip and tear those sore wounds; bringing restoration to a nation who wants to heal their wounds from within.

I encourage each and every one of you to listen to his program.  It's intelligent discussion at its best.  I never stop learning by listening.

http://billmoyers.com/

One Candle

After watching Meet the Press and World News this morning, it was time to turn all news off before I sunk into depression. 

We live in a world of unrest, and throw in a world full of people who have no thought or concern, what-so-ever, for human life. Then add men preparing for wars; men arming their countries; men fighting over land; men killing indiscriminately.  

Anne Frank represents the innocent lives in this world of today, who can only hold one candle for the voice of many.

"Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness."

― Anne Frank

Vintage Books & Anchor Books's photo.

   I'm lighting my candle.

A letter from Bill Lathrop, President - UFCW Local 1167

VOTE NO ON PROP 32

Proposition 32, a measure on November's ballot, is the most anti-worker measure we've ever seen.  It threatens our jobs, wages, retirement, contracts and more.  In short, it silences union members while giving even more power to corporate special interests and CEO's to attack our rights.

Proposition 32 pretends it's about "stopping special interests" but that's a lie.  Its millionaire anti-union backers don't care about reform.  They don't care about our jobs.  They certainly don't care about us.  They care about their profits, and they'll do anything to get us out of the way.

Prop 32 was carefully written to weaken unions and silence workers.  While the anti-union millionaires backing it say it's balanced, it's actually full of special exemptions for all sorts of corporations, Wall Street firms, billionaire CEO's, big insurance companies and SuperPACs.  Not surprisingly, the very same corporate interests behind the measure all have their own exemptions in Prop 32.

Don't be fooled by their lies.  The fact is, the measure's backers intentionally designed it to confuse voters in order to cover up their real agenda - to silence our voice and eliminate our union's ability to fight for things like jobs, good wages, workplace safety and retirement security.

This measure is the first blow of a one-two punch.  If anti-union CEOs behind Prop 32 eliminate our voice, they'll waste no time cutting our jobs, wages and retirement to boost their own profits.  Prop 32 is bad for our families, communities and the state's middle class.  We must defeat this deceptive measure.

We urge you to vote NO on Prop 32 this November, and ask your friends, family and co-workers to do the same.

To learn more, visit www.CaliforniaLabor.org/NoOn32.  To volunteer, please contact Joe Duffle at (909) 877-5000.

In Solidarity,
Bill Lathrop, President
UFCW Local 1167

Stand Up and Be Counted

My political platform for today

What amazed me, I think the most, was what I'm hearing from  the people who stood up on stage, in front of this huge convention floor of people, and told their side of what and who Mitt Romney is, on a personal level. 

The companies that Mitt Romney invested in, were not people to him; people who worked hard all their lives to simply eek out a living, provide for their families - These companies represented a profit to Mr. Romney, and dissolving these companies, dissolved these people into the system of foreclosure, and the unemployed.  

----And it boggles my mind to think that there are so many uninformed, good people out there, who actually think Mitt Romney is what this country needs.

----And it boggles my mind to see just how much President Obama has accomplished in just four years in office.  Never before in history, has so much good been done. 

He fights for those who can't stand, the voices that are weak, and allows us to speak.  He hears our words.  He's a man of honor, and fights tooth and nail for the people of our country, so don't underestimate what more can be accomplished in the next four years.  

Don't take us back to a devastated economy, as we were four years ago, by voting for Mitt Romney.  

Do the right thing for you, for all of us, and re-elect President Obama.

A Review - The Light Between Oceans – by M. L. Stedman

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-light-between-oceans-ml-stedman/1107086384

I just finished reading this novel last night. M. L. Stedman has to be one of the most outstanding writers of this century! I've never been so captivated, by not just character and story, but the atmosphere surrounding this lighthouse.  It was inescapable; a living thing, breathing life into all that it touched.... This will be in my review of The Light Between Oceans....once I stop crying long enough to write it!

Fortunately, I have stopped crying, but it was not easy reading these last few pages.  When I showered this morning, I am sure a pound of salt washed down the drain.  The salt air, my skin absorbed from these eloquent lines of Stedman, and the tears I shed for every one of these characters.  No, not just ONE character, but ALL of them.  I even shed tears for the Lighthouse, and the island it was on, if you can believe that!

The one word that jumps out at me from this reading is the word LOVE. 

This author didn’t miss a beat, in showing us all sides and ramifications of that word.  She gave it to us in actions, deeds, requests, withdrawals; matters of the heart, the mind, the soul;  matters of the individuals, of the families, as adults, as children - nothing was missed in the telling of this story, even the love given to this Lighthouse was shown in glistening clarity.

Solitary confinement lurked around in this story – The distance one takes to protect oneself.... We dove into this solitary ocean, like swimmers diving for treasures....we found love was being held captive by shy, yet turbulent creatures. 

The message was deep, so very deep Stedman made us dive, that it hurt at times just trying to find that love, but when you did, the brilliance shown like this solitary candle light, from this Lighthouse.  Even though this Lighthouse never had a speaking part, it had a voice that spoke out like the light it gave...crystal clear, through storms, through calm, through uncharted territory, it spoke to the reader, as it spoke to the sea.

I love stories where there is no accounting for characters.  Predictable, or unpredictable, that is the question we all have while reading.  I never knew until the end page, what I was to expect from this writer.  The only thing I did know throughout this story was, it holds something that is so personal, only the individual reader can interpret for themselves. 

We all make a life in this world, and it’s up to us, as individuals, to interpret our own circumstances; making choices the best we know how, but not always knowing the outcome until it happens. The choices are ours; the responsibility is ours.  These characters had many choices in their lives, they may not have been the ones you would make, or maybe they would, I can’t answer for you.  I only know I was torn in so many directions, while reading these circumstances that these character’s faced, I didn’t know which line of thought my own mind wanted to follow.  It was real, as real and true as life itself.

I recommend reading this book, if you take life seriously.    I recommend reading this book, if you find your own choices too hard to make....after reading this book, you will think twice, taking a double take on your own life.  I recommend reading this book....

A Review - Dakota Blues- A Novel by Lynne M. Spreen

Dakota Blues. I want to say this title over and over again.  I want to think about what this book means to me, and remember this title.  As I look at this picture on the face of the book, with the big bold title, I wonder what it meant to this author, Lynne Morgan Spreen, to write words that encompass a lifetime for a character, by the name of Karen Grace.  I want to ask, who lives in this lonely looking house, sitting on the prairie of North Dakota?  In just a few short weeks, Karen Grace’s life is turned upside down and inside out....but through her strength, this character survives to greet the sunrise of her future.  

Questions about the “Blues”:   Do I feel blue, and saddened by this word?  Will I feel sad when I read this story? The word, “Blues”, reminds me of jazz sequences – simple and melodically following through metaphor - a riff of Karen Grace’s life, and then morphs her stagnant existence into a living and breathing whole presence on the page.  Lessons complete with a story to hold onto.

We can dance to and fro, swing back and forth, as we listen to the lessons; and then Lynne Spreen makes us stand still in the middle of the dance floor, to look at our selves staring back; The mirror, that partner we carry around with us, leading us through life, for which we rarely do stand still for, and to silently listen and learn from these life experiences.

Like always, as you can tell, I won’t give you the story, you have to read it for yourself - but what I can do is quote the first paragraph, in Chapter Two.  I love metaphor, and Lynne Spreen not only gives it to me, but shows it in this life of Karen Grace.  I recommend this book, for the young, and for the old – and all the in-betweens.

The thirty-seater bucked and lurched toward Teddy Roosevelt Regional, but Karen continued to study her computer screen, assessing the pluses and minuses of Wes’ latest cost-cutting scheme.  Only once did she pause, grasping the laptop to keep it from sailing to the floor, but she never stopped, even when the attendant warned the passengers to return to their seats and buckle up.  Like most CEO’s, Wes had been using the Great Recession as his excuse to slash staff to the bone, thereby showing positive growth on the company’s balance sheets.  Anybody who managed to creep up the salary ladder was fair game.  Age was a target, too.  The older employees were tossed onto the ice floes and shoved off into the dark waters of the frigid economy.

At fifty years old and the top of the pay scale, Karen would not let that happen to her.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

This message was passed on to me by someone who wants to change/fix the laws as much as I do.  Please read and take action if you want change!

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

Look what he has accomplished in his life and what he is about to gift this world with.

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure. Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012

 No Tenure / No Pension.  A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.  

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4.  Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5.  Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6.  Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7.  All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time?

I want my children and grandchildren to live in a better world.  
Pass this on to your congress person.

A Review – Boundaries, a novel by Elizabeth Nunez

This is a new novel, and a new author for me.  http://aalbc.com/authors/elizabet.htm

Elizabeth Nunez was recommended by Bernice L. McFadden, a favorite author of mine.  

I wanted to say something right away, about this book, and then finish my comments after I read it to the end.  I stayed up all night, last night, reading, and finished the last two pages this morning.

First comments: (This was twelve pages into the book.)  

I just started reading this novel, and I can say I like it.....it's wonderful to know this publisher, Kashic Books, puts out quality Literary Fiction. 

It's fascinating to me, how writers write.  What I mean is, I enjoy seeing how prose is written in such a way as to literally make you feel.  I don't mean the words, themselves, but the WAY in which those words are placed on the pages.  You get an incredible sense of the writer. You feel their pulse, their heartbeat.  At least I can, anyway.  
Elizabeth Nunez is an award winning writer.  She allows her words to flow with ease, an ease that feels like you are in her boat, floating on a vast ocean when it's calm.  You can observe the undercurrents all around, but you find calmness within this turmoil. 

Last comments:  I didn’t think it would be so difficult to address this story, but I found it wasn’t an easy read, contrary to what I first thought.  Never judge a book until you find its conclusions.

The calmness stayed, more or less, even through a boundless energy was put into this storyline.  I couldn’t feel the energy, though, I only knew it was there because the writer told me it was. With the topics of the subjects scattered wide on every page, I fell out of Elizabeth’s boat, and into a sea of churning subject matter.  I don’t like this feeling of being bombarded with characters' internal struggles, and not feel a thing.  I felt as though I was hit over the head with her oar, but felt nothing for these characters.

I wanted to know if this author was fighting for some kind of rights to live in the US.  Was that her soap box of the day? I was given a story line that dipped and swayed, until I became sick of the redundant references to conflicts of cultures, religious faiths; of black verses white, of black verses black; of tolerance verses intolerance;  the skin color references were endless....the old bitterness that causes havoc in our protagonist, Anna, and the people around her, endlessly spins in your head. 
    
     I crawled back into Elizabeth’s boat, even though it was an uphill fight just to keep my hand from closing this book forever.  It was crowded in that boat, and I wanted to know why these subjects were being introduced at odd moments, given as examples from these characters, and interrupting the flow of story. It was as if the author got tired of keeping you in the moment, by hearkening you back to let you know she knows her history books, whether from first hand experience, or from reading...from whence it all came, I didn't know.

The flat line syntax is unnerving.  Omnipotent stretches into utterly boring dialogue.  Descriptions, references, stories, memories, memoir,  and the history of publishing and editing of books was thrown into the mix as well....all wrapping this novel into a bundle of halting lectures by these characters and this author.  I don’t like to be given history in lecture form in a novel.  I kept saying, stop the redundant telling, you said it once, and once is enough; now get to the damn characters and their POV; get into the moment, and on with the story!

  Two hundred and fifty-six pages of a small size book about immigration and differences that make the world go 'round; and around, and around, and around.