Books, books, and more books

I have mentioned this before. I work in the community as a medical social worker so much of my day is spent out on the road on my own. Well, I love to read but I'm never able to read as much as I would like. But since I am driving around close to 2 hours a day I listen to audio books. That added to listening to them on walks, at the gym, or just around the home I have recently passed the 300th audio book mark. Here is about 10% of my favorites since the last time I bored people with this topic:

1. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess: The optimistic ending was too unbleievable for Americans to handle and it's orignal US publication was missing the final chapter.

2. American Gospel, Jon Meacham: Liberals can write about religion too and put religion, politics, and American history in perspective.

3. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand: Not sure if I like the whole everyone for themselves cut-throat approach to society but the story really stuck.

4. Beautiful Boy, David Sheff: Absolutely heartbreaking true story about a father havign to watch his son's drug addiction spiral out of control.

5. Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson: The most fascinating Founding Father, a genuinely funny man and larger-than-life character who was way ahead of his time.

6. Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy: The most violent book I have ever read, unforgettable, unpleasant but absolutely riveting; plus it has the Judge, one of the creepiest villains ever.

7. Cell, Stephen King: On a given day at a certain time a pulse goes over every cell phone in use and everyone that hears it turns into a zombie; I couldn't pick up my stupid phone for a week.

8. Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer: Nonfiction narrative that Foer wrote after the birth of his son examining his dietary habits and the ethics of eating animals when it is unnecessary.

9. Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, Joseph Persico: More people died on the last day of WWI than on D-day in WWII but everyone knew the war was going to end at 11am!

10. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer: The terrifying true story of Krakauer's own trip up Mt. Everest that resulted in the deaths of several team members; left me gasping for air.

11. Justice, Dominick Dunne: I love true crime and Dunne is certainly captivating; he has so many inside stories of infamous criminal acts that it just sucks you in.

12. Luckiest Man, Johnathan Eig: Fr more than just a sport's story, it turned Lou Gehrig into a hero of mine, he was a wonderful example who lived a life I'd like to emulate.

13. Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frenkl: As a former Holocaust survivor Frenkl tried to make sense out of an insane world, so much knowledge is packed away in this slim text.

14. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden: Who would've thought a Jewish guy could write the life of a professional Japanese entertainer so well?

15. No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy: I know, this is my second McCarthy book but the musings by the downright evil Anton Chigurh are so eerie the book had to be included.

16. Odd Hours, Dean Koontz: Second best of the series next to the first book; surprisingly violent and actually pretty funny.

17. Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell; Any of his books are great; social science in an interesting and entertaining way, you definitely keep thinking about this one long after it is gone.

18. Q&A, Vikas Swarup: I never saw Slumdog Millionaire but the movie is based on this clever and fast paced novel, I have a hard time imagining the movie being better.

19. Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates: Despite the novel being 50 years old it remains sad, depressing, but poignant; it makes you want to appreciate what you have.

20. Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane: My favorite book by this author and from what I hear it is far better than the movie; it is such a twisted, messed up story that frys the brain.

21. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck: We like to cry a lot about our current economic problems but try the Great Depression, now that sucked; hard to believe that was America.

22. The Greatest Story Ever Sold, Frank Rich: As the Iraq War ages it is becoming more difficult to understand how the American public was suckered into entering this conflict, this book show us how we were fooled.

23. The Hard Way, Lee Child: My first Jack Reacher novel, I'm hesitant to fictional international espionage but this series reads more like an old-fashioned who-dunnit than anything else.

24. The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb: A fictional tale based around the Columbine murders; at first I don't think I liked it but it really stuck with me.

25. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright: The definitive text on how Americans and fundamentalist Muslims got so entangled; the story is a lot more complex than most Americans want to acknowledge.

26. The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria: He is quick to point out that it is not the end of America but the rise of the rest; as a nation we need to quit fighting the evolution.

27. To See Every Bird on Earth, Dan Koeppel: Ever wonder about bird-watching culture, well if you have this book is for you; bunch of nerds.

28. What Happened, Scott McLellan: Bush's White House spokesman speaks out and it ain't all pretty, can't blame the guy for being frustrated, he was totally used by the people he admired and trusted.

29. When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin-Laden, Bill Maher: Difficult guy to like but man, he makes so many good points regarding society, culture, and politics that are just hard to object.

30. No Way to Treat a First Lady, Christopher Buckley: I won't ruin it for you but in this satirical novel the president has died under mysterious circumstances but you'll never guess how.

Well, there they are, my recent favorites. If you're a reader check a couple of them out; after all, I'm right in regards to what is a good book and what is a bad one.

Choo-Choo

Henry has fallen in love with trains.

Which is surprising, since he doesn't watch TV at home, and I am pretty sure he has never seen a train in real life. It's amazing what he picks up from his friends and Nursery.

So being the good parents that we are, we went to every single store, trying to find a simple
(and when I say simple I mean cheap) toy train.

It was obvious that Thomas the Train has a monopoly...and I refuse to pay $15 for a train with an ugly face on it (I know I may be eating my words in the near future).

So after 4 or 5 different stores, we found these paint-your-own/build-your-own train kits from Michaels.

We spent all night, painting and gluing together the train. What we do for our kids! Do we love Henry-or have we crossed the 'I'm obsessed with my kid' line?

I think it turned out really cute. But there's one problem. Can you guess what it is?

There was no locomotive at the store...or at any of the Michaels we went to. How can you have a train without the locomotive?
Henry could care less, but it drives me crazy...it doesn't look right.
So to all you crafters out there-help me find the locomotive!

Temples and Mosques

On July 28, 1998 I was a missionary in Ukraine sitting in a District Meeting. Just as we were about to open with a prayer the Sister Voge, Mission President Voge's wife entered the room. As soon as the prayer ended she jumped in and explained that as soon as President Voge had left the hotel to come to our meeting that morning she received a call from the mission office with the exciting news that a temple was to be built in Kyiv.

This was huge! The first LDS temple to ever be constructed in the former Soviet Union and I was one of the first people in the world to hear this exciting news. Well, I dreamed of attending the dedication but since the open house is going on right now it ain't gonna happen. That's right, just over 12 long years after the announcement the temple is to be dedicated.

That is why I have sympathy for the proposed Islamic community center to be built 2 blocks from Ground Zero in NYC. Let me make one thing clear, this decision is up to New Yorkers, not every American with an opinion. This seems so silly to me, I mean come on this is America, we should be free to build our religious structures where ever we want as long as we are obeying local laws.

I've heard the argument that it might be legal but it's not appropriate. Well, is it appropriate for Mormon's to be building temples in the heart of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? How about the Mormon temple that has been proposed to be built in Rome, Italy? Mormon zealots massacred over 100 unarmed men, women, and children from Arkansas in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Would it be appropriate for us to build a temple in that state? I answer yes to all of the above.

At any rate I feel for my Muslim brothers and sisters. It might take awhile to build their facility but hopefully it will be completed. It took more than 17 years to build the temple in Ecuador. 12 years for Kyiv's and the Rome temple was announced more than 2 years ago with little progress since then. It took over 5 years for the temple to be built in Boston when it normally only takes 2 in the US.

Sure, our temples can take time to build because of government corruption as well as archaic laws and frustrating procedures. But I'm willing to bet that some of the people in these locations just don't really like Mormons and their not particularly fond of the gigantic emblems of our faith being built in their community. And that is why I feel empathy for the very public struggle Muslims are going through at this time.

BIG BOY STATUS

My last post about Henry was titled "terrible." That's because that is what he had been- terrible. Throwing fits, being a little turd. But since that last post, we have really been working on his communication skills and he has made such an improvement. He now says, "Puleech," (please) and "unk yu," (thank you) and he signs please, milk and eat. Now of course he still throws fits, but that's what the happy chair is for. I just can't believe how quickly this little tiger has grown up.

About two weeks ago Henry just decided on his own; no more sleeping in the crib. It's like he made a non-verbal agreement with us. He would sleep on the futon and not get up, as long as we left the door open for him. And it has worked now, for two weeks. This is a miracle around here. Just as a reminder, Henry hasn't slept well through the night-ever! Over the last six months, we would be lucky to have him sleep through the night one time a week. And now it's like he is in his element and he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. He's a big boy now.

Henry has also found a fascination with Play-Doh. This is also a miracle. Henry hasn't been one to sit and play with one toy for a long time. But now he sits and plays with his Play-Doh for hours. And he is content and happy.

Henry had the time of his life riding piggy-back when we went swimming. Just like a big boy!

And this afternoon at the zoo, Henry made himself at home at the petting zoo, walking around and brushing the goats.

Forget mom and dad, he's a big boy now!

Whoah!

Two of the most influential areas of my life: army and social work. Who-ah, Captain Dan Grinstead, who-ah.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hero of the Day

YAMHILL, Ore. — A small dog who refused to return home until a neighbor followed her helped rescue her owner after he collapsed at home following heart surgery. Charles Mitchell said he was working in his yard last week in the Oregon wine country town of Yamhill when an 11-year-old dachshund named Missy scampered up and refused to leave.

Mitchell told the dog to go home, but she refused, and when he decided to follow her across the street to investigate, he found his neighbor, Charlie Burdon, had collapsed inside his home.

The police chief arrived with paramedics, Burdon was taken to the hospital. Burdon suffered an attack of vertigo and is recovering.

But Burdon and Mitchell, who have known each other for years, both said Missy is their hero.

___

Information from: News-Register

Feminism versus Grizzly Moms

Social workers are inherently feminists even if you are a dude. I'm probably a bigger feminist than most of the women I know including Heidi and Nichole. I think the ERA should have passed, that women (and everyone for that matter) have the right to choose the direction they would like their lives to take, that housewives are greatly under appreciated and often work harder than the man , that female college athletics do not get enough credit, and that women do indeed deserve equal pay. So I found this clip particularly funny...not sure why, I just did.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Sarah Palin's Mama Grizzly Coalition
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

terrible.

I should have known by the blood curdling scream as I picked Henry up off his bike, that it wasn't going to be a good idea to go to the store. But he usually calms down right away when he sees us going outside, or in the car. But oh, no not this time. He screamed all the way to the store. He screamed as I dragged him through the parking lot. He screamed as I forced him down into the cart seat, buckling him in, as the bag boys watched me from the smoking area. He screamed as we entered the produce section. 'OK', I said to myself, 'maybe he'd be better off walking.' Nope. He screamed as he fell to the dirty floor, rolling back and forth, kicking his little legs.

A "nice" lady told me, "that boy needs a spanking."
"Maybe," I replied.
"What?! You don't spank him?"
"No." (Should I be?)
"Well maybe you should start," she said as she rolled her eyes
in disbelief that this sad girl was raising this poor child.
It doesn't help that I look like I'm 18.

Isle two. All I need is like four things. Four. It shouldn't be this hard, or this embarrassing, or this frustrating, or this "I can't believe I'm THAT mother dragging a screaming child through the store"...

A younger woman pulled her head out of the freezer, "Why don't you give him a pacifier already?" Really? You don't think I tried that already and got it thrown back into my face. Come on, do you think I am that stupid? Seriously chick-you must not be a mother.


Last isle, spagetti sauce that's it. I even grabbed the first one I saw. Get me out of here!

Then sweet old grandma Susie came up. She's an employee of the store.
"Are you giving trouble to your mama?"
Silence. Can a 19 month old be embarrassed?
"And not one little tear. Your mama's spoiling you!"
Susie proceeds to take me to the check out line. Maybe her boss encouraged her to get this embarrassment of a mother out of his store!


Check out lady stares at me with empathy. Or maybe pity. "How old is he?"
"19 months."
"Have you ever heard of the terrible twos?"
Of course I have lady, I wasn't raised in the stone age.
"It looks like you've got to worse of the worse on your hands."
Thanks lady. How's that for encouragement!

Maybe it's his natural inborn stubbornness.
Maybe it's his daddy's red-headedness coming out.
Maybe it's my bratiness shining through.
Or maybe it was just gas. Oh lets hope it was gas.
But something makes me think it wasn't.