And it's over

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?

Many of them were but late afternoon and after midnight were the worst.

2)  Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged for next year? 

If you like mysteries, I would suggest anything by Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton. Don't overlooked self-published and free books. I got Elusive by Sara Rosett for free, and it was a great read. One of my favorite sci-fi series, Wool by Hugh Howey, was self-published  and low cost.

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I think it was done very well. My only suggestion is for my self to read more and get extra sleep the night before.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I liked the mini-challenges.

5) How many books did you read?

I only read 2. Since I don't get to read much I still feel like I accomplished something.

6) What were the names of the books you read?

Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout by Rick Rigsby and The Last Firewall by William Hertling

7) Which book did you enjoy most?

The Last Firewall

8) Which did you enjoy least?

I enjoyed them both. Maybe next year I will read enough to have a least enjoyable book.

9) If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not applicable

10) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I will definitely be a reader next time.

Mid-event survey

1. What are you reading right now?
The Last Firewall
2. How many books have you read so far?
1 1/2
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
The Litigators by John Grisham
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I've had a lot of self-imposed interruptions: cooking dinner, a nap, Facebook. I'm just taking my time and enjoying more reading than usually fits in my day.
5. What surprises you most about the read-a-thon, so far?
I thought I would have read more by this point.

Reading for 24 hours give or take

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
West Texas
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I have two books in progress I am looking forward to finishing: The Last Firewall by William Hertling and Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout by Rick Rigsby.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Iced tea and honeydew melon
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a former journalist and a current educator. 
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
This is my second read-a-thon but I didn't post last year. I am going to try to remedy that this year.

30 in 30

And it's ooooover (in my best Kitchen Stadium announcer voice). NaBloPoMo has come to an end once again. I learned a few things this time around:

1. I'm much better at photo blogging than word blogging.
2. I'm very good at procrastination.
3. I should write more so I won't be quite so rusty.
   

In the zone

In one of our rapid-fire text messaging sessions, Ken said stability is my comfort zone and that is why I stay put. I guess that's true in that I don' like change. But I find it odd since I rarely feel like things are stable. There is always some sort of chaos swirling around me and it seems like it has always been that way. Maybe it is time to take a leap of faith and see where I land.

Truths

When some people ask for help or advice, they really only want you to agree with them.

You can only do so much for another person. Some things they have to do themselves.

You can only change yourself.

For you

For you, a photo by chrissanna68 on Flickr.

When I was little I used to go junking and driving around with my Papa in his old pickup that we affectionately called bloop bloop. I often wanted to pick these purple "flowers." Papa would stop the truck and pick me a bouquet. Several sprung up in our yard before the recent cold spell. Ken picked this one for me.

Soundtrack

My taste in music is to say the least eclectic. I may listen to classical one minute and punk the next. Sometimes it depends on my mood, other times I just let iPod shuffle me so tunes. Here's a few of my favorites:

Drive-by Truckers: Any of their songs are OK by me.



Etta James: Wish I could wail like she does.



Social Distortion: Mike Ness's voice makes me want to sing along at the top of my lungs.



Johnny Cash: A true classic and when he sings this one with June it makes me smile.



The Dead Milkmen: Punk with a sweet touch.

In review

One of the highlights of the week when I was a kid was "The Muppet Show." I loved the skits, loved the music and loved the guest stars (even though some of them I had never heard of before.)

So today we skipped the Black Friday shopping insanity I hate and went to see the new movie with Kermie, Piggy and the gang. My personal favorite is Gonzo. If you liked the show as kid and just want some sweet entertainment this is a safe bet. I loved it. The plot didn't ignore that the Muppets had been away for a while and was crafted true to the original shows and early movies. Watch for some famous faces at random intervals. The songs were fun, light frothy fare. The Muppets still dance, and the opening theme will still make you smile.

We made the right choice. Two hours with The Muppets beats two hours of fighting the crowds for cheap stuff we don't need.

P.S. Filmmakers, not every villain needs to be an oil man. Luckily, this wasn't over done as much as I have seen in other shows. But as the daughter of a father who works in the oilfield and a mother who works at a coal-fired power plant, I don't see the energy industry as the great Satan that some think it is.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's hoping you didn't get bombed by live turkeys.

Tradition

Tonight I am making cornbread. It's better for the dressing that way -- not stuffing, dressing. It needs time to sit and dry up a little so it can so soak up the chicken broth. There used to be a whole houseful of people in this very house on Thanksgiving. My grandmother would cook for days. Pies, cakes, huge turkeys, vegetables and all that stuff. Tomorrow I will be working, and there will only be two of us for the feast, but there will be granny's cornbread dressing.

Word of the day

Today's word is frustration. Everything I have tried to do has taken longer, required more effort and annoyed me more than it should have.

In review

It's day four with the Nook Tablet, and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. In fact, I'm writing this review with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of free and inexpensive books available. My first download was Jules Vernes' "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" for free. It is an excellent e-reader, but its web and video capabilites beat my high expectations. I watched a free Smithsonian documentary and have done plenty of web surfing. I've had trouble with previous touch screen keyboards (I'm looking at you, iPhone), but have had none with the Nook.

Sunday night coming down

It's going to be a short but busy week. One of the flaws of working for a seven day operation is holidays aren't really holidays. Someone will need to cover, much work will need to be done before days off and you don't always get the actual holiday off. This year I am working Thanksgiving, which isn't a big deal really since there will only be two of us here. I'll try to get some turkey and dressing done Wednesday with plenty of leftovers for the big day. My grandma's cornbread dressing is always better the second (or third) day anyway.

Minutia

Some random thoughts:

• I become easily obsessed with things, especially in miniature.
  
• I deconstruct swiss cake rolls and eat gummy bears in order from least favorite to most favorite.
• I prefer odd numbers to even ones.
• I don't like to make eye contact unless I know someone really well.
• I like kung fu movies with Bruce Lee.
• I have a hard time letting go of paper.
• Talk shows make me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed for the guests.
• While I do some of my best work on deadlines, I hate them.
• I am quicker to cry when angry rather than sad.
  

The medium

I'm a fan of print. I love paper and ink. I will search for the most untouched copy in the stack, but this has created a clutter issue. So to keep getting the books I love and avoiding the hoarding I hate, I bought a Nook tablet today. Review to follow.

People are strange

With everything going on in the world, can someone explain to me why "Twilight" and the demi-ashton divorce are in today's top stories?

No queue

Two things I won't be standing in line at midnight for:

1. The latest episode of the "Twilight" saga
2. Black Friday shopping
   

20 years

Photo bomber, a photo by chrissanna68 on Flickr.

Happy anniversary, honey! After two decades, you still make me laugh. Love you past, present and future.

It's Monday

in addition to various other proof i have received that it's monday, my blackberry won't type capital letters. i wish i could have stayed in bed with a good book. it's been one of those days.