BlaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhG!

I have no idea why anyone would want to read this ridicullious c*&@ that I write because I am bored, but this blog is about stuff. You know Israel, cooking, family life, politics, entertainment...stuff. Whatever is on my mind! Enjoy!

Sunday, January 22, 2006

I'm back - again - I think!

OK - I seem to be back in business here. So a brief rundown for those who are certain that I have fallen off of the face of the earth. Yes I have been horrible about keeping in touch with everyone - Sorry! Life got really busy in our house this year (it's all good though).

The kiddies are doing great. (I will refer to them by their initials here to preserve their privacy). B and Y are in 2nd and 1st grade respectively, and they are all around great boys. M is SUCH A GIRL!!! Man - I had no clue how different the sexes could be at such a young age until she came along! She is trying to dress herself already. (I think if I hadn't forced them into the dressing themselves thing a few years ago, the boys would have expected me to dress them for the rest of their lives.) She is also showing an interest in the potty, (something the boys didn't even care about until after they were three.)

E is crazy busy this year. He is teaching a high school Halacha class in the morning (7:30am - YAWN), and running his firm, as well as going on trips for his father.

Of course, I am not one to sit around the house. I went back to school this year. Last semester I took only two classes to get used to it, but this semester I am full time. I love it. I mean - I loved staying at home with my children, but it's great to be out of the house, and busy, and using my mind a little. When I am not in school I have to cook and clean at home, do my homework, help the kids with their homework, study for the GRE's and drive my kids to all of their extra curricular activities and B-day parties. I am totally loving all of it though.

So that's my life in a nutshell. Now that I have a laptop (thanks GM), I am able to publish this thing on the run, so well see how that goes. (If anyone has any security recommendations for wireless internet connections I would greatly appreciate it.) If you are still coming here looking for my posts - thanks and tell your friends that I am posting again.

Jenn
Somehow the draft of this old post finally reappeared, though half of it is gone. So below you will find a small sampling of the books I read this summer. More recently though I finally read "The Rule of Four." It was worth the wait, and I thoroughly apologize to those who were trying to check it out of the WBF library last week. I know how frustrating it is to try and get this book. If you haven't read it yet, and plan to, my only advice is practice saying "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili" for a few weeks before you do so.

At this point in time, I am not reading as many novels as in the past. My reading selections have been veering toward the non-fiction section, as I prepare to take the GRE's. No I do not consider this studying on Shabbos! I chose my major because I find it interesting, and I choose my Shabbos reading because I find it interesting, so no conflict there. Now if you want to talk about whether one should be reading secular works on Shabbos at all, well that's an issue to discuss with your local orthodox rabbi.

So without further ado - here is my take (originally written several months ago) on a few of my simmer reading projects...

Anyone who knows me, knows that my weekend afternoons in the summer are generally spent reading. This summer was no exception. For those who also enjoy a good book, here's a brief rundown of what I have been reading...

The Coffee Trader By: David Liss I loved reading Liss's The Conspiracy of Paper and he didn't disappoint me with the Coffee trader. While set in the 17th Century Amsterdam, I found many of the daily dealings and issues every bit as applicable today. This book was hard to put down, and I will never look at my morning cup of coffee the same again.

White Coat: becoming a Doctor at Harvard Medical School By: Ellen Lerner Rothman, MD All I can say is Ugggh!!! How a woman who writes like this got through Harvard I will never know.

The Outside World By: Tova Mervis
This book is about a very "Modern Orthodox" family who's son becomes more religious and marries the "Yeshivish" daughter of a childhood friend. I found the characters a little too stereotypical, however I enjoyed this book. Especially given my diverse background, I felt that I could relate to all of the characters a little. This was definitely a good read.

Sorry - but that's all that survived. Perhaps I will find the time to write about all of the other wonderful (and not so wonderful) books I read last summer, but don't hold your breath.

Jenn