tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85813716904491894732024-03-05T05:13:09.970-08:00MusingsManuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-69302092994202764722011-08-03T09:48:00.000-07:002011-08-03T09:51:01.904-07:00Moving!Just in case you find this somewhere in the ether that is the internet, I am creating a new blog to share my experiences in Tokyo as I finally begin my career as a teacher librarian.<br /><br />You'll find me here, <a href="http://mylifeeast.blogspot.com/">My Oriental Odyssey</a> and of course in Tokyo! Hope to "see" you :)Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-55966749695406451522011-07-03T19:28:00.000-07:002011-07-08T14:40:24.050-07:00Happy Canada Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96Eoze9UAmdXlhIzJQVFN7sJq_MoONRwd-_AimV_lquPYqAnLXZ7iPyFaGwGv8C55GHOOxSqPpRznNWnWzWTrCHRwap3rRj-vC9w9hxQAgm-Y9mkLK4By2R0P0a9yQOvUpx9VlKgLLFg/s1600/Point+Pelee1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96Eoze9UAmdXlhIzJQVFN7sJq_MoONRwd-_AimV_lquPYqAnLXZ7iPyFaGwGv8C55GHOOxSqPpRznNWnWzWTrCHRwap3rRj-vC9w9hxQAgm-Y9mkLK4By2R0P0a9yQOvUpx9VlKgLLFg/s320/Point+Pelee1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627099496503109554" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOrMUUMpKi89cdBRg54_Z54NJItDi5eSdtQ6r7uwhM1NGZXCz-ALkC3Fv0lYaSmYRfl0PybI-wLL0EVTphyphenhyphenrCHmqQuChgeRwbgDv-OpjvF7rBv0OYKMtUmNdApGs_DG6sBIQt4f6tDuk/s1600/Point+Pelee2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625318899809585858" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOrMUUMpKi89cdBRg54_Z54NJItDi5eSdtQ6r7uwhM1NGZXCz-ALkC3Fv0lYaSmYRfl0PybI-wLL0EVTphyphenhyphenrCHmqQuChgeRwbgDv-OpjvF7rBv0OYKMtUmNdApGs_DG6sBIQt4f6tDuk/s320/Point+Pelee2.JPG" border="0" /></a> Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend--Canada and USA both!<br /><div align="center">From Manuela and baby Brianna<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-74748325948607563182011-06-04T11:05:00.001-07:002011-06-04T11:08:16.865-07:00Beauty and Innocence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXbtyzmRcPSyZa26tR3X8mNvXTyIEQIK1v8KADBixSSIKWqi_uX0Dz3X2zG6o4R3T_Df7-RvEG7LzGyITd30f926nVRXrzE5PdoNbGgYceUPT4sMznOQaU4Pp5X9hn-Xhsew0xDdSPXo/s1600/Hydrangeas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXbtyzmRcPSyZa26tR3X8mNvXTyIEQIK1v8KADBixSSIKWqi_uX0Dz3X2zG6o4R3T_Df7-RvEG7LzGyITd30f926nVRXrzE5PdoNbGgYceUPT4sMznOQaU4Pp5X9hn-Xhsew0xDdSPXo/s320/Hydrangeas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614427714033858802" border="0" /></a>My sister had a precious baby girl on March 23. Brianna Rose has already made our lives so happy and exciting!<br /><br />We love her lots and look forward to watching her grow up and develop into a beautiful person :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeL8yyzc0OGuaRdkot5pf7lcMbbOnV8ZV-WqA_h6PiCfr_sH3GYETklL8CbE0KZqpjoAksu7P9aWByPlyhfTVUZXSKlb8BBlX3rCL9aL4_9E8-8TUrkK6fkmWjZFJAPjJFZu_eLce2wo/s1600/Hydrangeas.jpg"><br /></a>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-55472473988841181812011-05-25T04:12:00.000-07:002011-05-25T04:13:34.218-07:00Where Am I?Have I disappeared into the blogger universe? Here I am posting--let's see if it's actually out there now!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-44762371882406079532011-04-09T19:49:00.000-07:002011-04-09T19:50:43.586-07:00Just a ThoughtYou know, sometimes I find myself amazed at how someone as seemingly intelligent as I am can be so stupid when it comes to people.Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-58426494834655065802011-01-17T08:17:00.000-08:002011-01-17T08:20:03.548-08:00Happy Birthday To...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/capricorn.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/capricorn.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Me!<br /><br />Today I am 43 years young and while the prospect of getting older doesn't excite me as much as when I was a kid, I'm actually okay with it!<br /><br />I am so looking forward to a new year that is filled with possibilities, challenges and goals that are met.<br /><br />Have a great day--it's on me :)Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-55454045084482986722010-12-31T12:43:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:03:35.761-08:00Happy New Year!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >May 2011 be happy, healthy and successful--Cheers!<br /></span></div>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-69191267713646191992010-12-30T10:05:00.001-08:002010-12-30T10:16:02.261-08:00Yep, Homemade Turtles!Less than 2 days before we get to start another year--what are you doing to celebrate? Christmas was rather low key this year as New Year's Eve will be. I'll be spending it with my mother and aunt and plans are to rent a sci-fi pic (a favourite genre of my rather cerebral aunt ;) Food will be healthy excepting the turtle candies that I just finished making. They are so much better than store bought! There is nothing like the taste of homemade caramel and the time used to make them is worth it. Best part is that I give most of them away as gifts or, if you're in my neck of the woods, stop by for a New Year's greeting and some candy!<br /><br />A few days ago, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Poets Society</span> was on t.v. Robin Williams as the English teacher was so wonderful. Thoreau's <span style="font-style: italic;">Walden </span>is mentioned and I came across this quotation in a review:<br /><br />"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."<i> Walden</i>, Henry David Thoreau<br /><br />This will be my mantra for the upcoming year. I need to stop being afraid of the possibility of failure and just embrace the experience and "advance confidently". What's yours?<br /><br />Wishing you a happy and fulfilling start to 2011!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-89136586882522363992010-12-14T14:15:00.000-08:002010-12-14T14:26:56.150-08:00Another Year Already Over?!?!When I look at the calendar it amazes me that we're already deep into the Christmas season. We've had our first snowstorm of the season and I was rather annoyed with myself--"I can't use my brand new snow blower!!!!" Apparently, one needs to drain the gas and oil, d'uh!, after the final use. How this slipped my mind I'll never know but there it is. So, I spent an invigorating hour with the icy winds blowing at my face while the rest of me was working up a sweat :)<br /><br />I've been thinking about where I was at the start of 2010 and where I am now. I've accomplished quite a few of things that I wanted to including (insert drum roll here)cleaning up my basement!!! I managed to give away quite a lot of household goods, threw out a lot of old cans--apparently they don't have as long a shelf-life as I'd thought ;) and recycled several boxes of old magazines. I also made space for a corner of my basement and have turned it into a workout zone complete with television and stereo to keep me moving to the beat! <br /><br />I'm trying to read a book a week. That's slowed down a bit because of the holidays but I'll hope to pick that up again. My biggest goal for 2011 is landing that teaching job! I must admit to having doubted myself and my teaching ability due to the poor job environment. I've now opened myself up to moving from my lifelong home and am excited for what may happen. In my cleanup, I came across an old box of work from grade school. In it was a large sheet of chart paper that my 3rd grade teacher had written on with my "bio". The final sentence proclaimed that when I grew up, I wanted to be a teacher, and indeed I do. I'm excited about taking another online course too which will give me my qualifications for teaching history.<br /><br />All in all, the year is shaping up as a good one but I am sure 2011 will be even better!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-16943791839906787532010-09-11T09:54:00.001-07:002010-09-11T10:11:16.686-07:00I Read a Book!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/Schoolhouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/Schoolhouse.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, I admit--the title to this post might be odd if you know me. As a new teacher and someone who majored in English you'd think that reading a book wouldn't be such a big deal! Well, it is to me because reading is something I haven't done of late, at least for pleasure.<br /><br />So, I went to my library branch online and put a hold on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". I had seen the ads for the movie and they touted it as the movie of the smash best selling book. I had 14 days in which to read it (because it's in such high demand). The first few chapters were rather boring. If you know nothing about this book, it was written by a Swedish author. I often wonder how much is lost in the translation. So, lots of Swedish names and places I'd never heard of.<br /><br />In brief, it's about a financial journalist who gets in trouble for writing an article about some big financial guy (sorry for the rather lame use of language!). He has to spend some time in jail for this but before he does, he is approached by the lawyer of another bigwig of Swedish industry. This person wants our lead character to find out what happened to his niece over 30 years before. The action finally starts to kick in once he begins his research. Intrigue, family drama, a serial killer--it's all here but at the end of the day there's nothing really new. If anything, this is an interesting book because it takes place in Sweden. It does have a different feel to it when comparing it to an American thriller of this sort. I want to watch the movie and see how it compares.<br /><br />Anybody read anything lately that they would recommend? Fiction or non, I'm a fan of both! Now, off to choose my latest read :)<br /><br />Have a beautiful weekend!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-39225486588937144022009-05-10T07:12:00.000-07:002010-12-30T17:22:08.758-08:00One Year!<a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/thththsomanybooks.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 100px; height: 100px;" alt="" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/thththsomanybooks.jpg" border="0" /></a> Wow, I can't believe it's been a little over a year since I posted here! I've been posting mostly to my other blog. Now that I'm finished school, I'm going to try to do what I set out to do and just write here for the sake of writing.<br /><br />Thanks to those of you who left comments!<br /><br />I've spent most of my time reading children's books over the past year and must say that there are some awesome ones out there. If only I had the money to buy some! But, that's what libraries are for and I have been using mine to the max.<br /><br />Some of my favourites are <em>The Librarian of Basra, Something Beatiful, Winston the Book Wolf, </em>and a beautiful edition of <em>Henny Penny. </em>I was teaching a grade one/two split for the past month and the kids absolutely adore reading. Can't tell you how much that excites me! Reading was always a pleasure for me and as a teacher that is something I want to instil in the kids who cross my path. It shouldn't be work--it should be fun!<br /><br />The book club I joined this past winter has been moving along without me :(<br />I've been much too busy but now I have the time. They are reading <em>Captain Corelli's Mandolin</em>. I'm still waiting for a copy from the library.<br /><br />Anyone out there reading something good? Pass it along and let's share!<br /><div><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/thththsomanybooks.jpg"></a></div>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-51884457766122335322008-05-08T03:19:00.000-07:002008-05-08T03:21:51.200-07:00Long Time, No PostWow, it's been a long time since I posted here. I've been busy on my other blog and actually haven't done any reading since the weather got nice! <br /><br />I'm going to aim for my 2-3 chapters a night, leaving the day free for errands. I did manage to go see Iron Man and really enjoyed it. Robert Downey Jr. was great in the role and I'm looking forward to seeing a movies about The Avengers (if you go see it, stick around for the end of the credits where there is a little teaser about what's coming next).Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-4979127273927103792008-04-14T05:29:00.000-07:002008-04-14T05:41:37.136-07:00One book down...<a href="http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/?action=view¤t=girlreading.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/girlreading.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />Well, I made a conscientious effort to read at LEAST one chapter a day and I finished the Anne Perry book, <em>Death of a Stranger</em>. I've started on <em>In the Name of God</em> because it's short. I'm also going to attempt one of my already started nonfiction books tonight.<br /><br />I don't want it to seem as though I'm reading JUST to get it out of the way. I enjoy it. It just seems a bit harder now to stay with more than one chapter!<br /><br /><em>Death of a Stranger</em> was decent as far as the William Monk series goes. Perry has a style of writing that can be a bit irritating at times (she can be repetitive and tends to state the overstate the obvious) but she always describes Victorian London very well. This wasn't so much of a whodunit as it was a whydunit and Monk gets his memory back.<br /><br />Happy reading to all!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-76422208525890614492008-04-04T11:49:00.001-07:002008-04-04T12:14:21.045-07:00Library FridayI went to the library to look for <em>The Book Thief </em>. It was out so I have to wait for a loan to come in from another branch. I did, however, manage to take out 3 other books, all of them fiction. Forget about one book a month, I'd like to get back to one per week. So, my new resolution is one nonfiction per month and TRY for one fiction per week.<br /><br />First up is <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Stranger-Anne-Perry/dp/0345440064/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207336269&sr=1-1">Death of a Stranger</a> </em>by Anne Perry. It's part of a mystery series featuring the character of Inspector Monk. The series takes place in Victorian London and I truly enjoyed it. For whatever reason, I hadn't read any for some time. Which is probably a good thing because I've got several to catch up with and don't have to wait for the "next one".<br /><br />The second is <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Man-Trieste-Michael-Pearce/dp/0786714654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207336143&sr=1-1">A Dead Man in Trieste</a></em>. It is the first book of a mystery series also. It intrigued me because of the setting (I'm a history nut!) and I hope that it will be as good as the title makes me think it will.<br /><br />The third book is <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Name-God-Paula-Jolin/dp/159643211X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207336367&sr=1-1">In the Name of God</a></em>. The main character is a young Syrian girl and the story is aimed at her struggle with Fundamentalist Islam. Of course, very topical but written by a Westerner who lived in the Middle East for many years. I am hoping that this too will be interesting.<br /><br />Happy reading to everyone out there in Blogger land. I've also added <em>Calvin and Hobbes</em> to my blog. Along with <em>The Farside </em>and <em>Herman</em> it is one of the all-time brilliant comic strips (in my humble opinion of course).Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-6607197434970052642008-04-02T07:56:00.000-07:002008-04-02T08:07:34.662-07:00New Books for AprilI have added a few books to my Library at the right of this post. <em>The Professor and the Madman</em> and <em>Misquoting Jesus </em>are both books that I started to read and for some reason or other put on the backburner. They are both nonfiction but also are not very long. I hope to be able to finish them this month. <br /><br />I also placed <em>The Book Thief</em>, a piece of young adult fiction that was recommended to me by MB, a fellow blogger. I have not given up on <em>The White Castle</em> just yet but I have found it incredibly dull. That could be because it's a translation but I think it is just not that interesting (and I'm half finished). I'll give it another go and try to get in 1/2 an hour of reading per day--very doable!Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-15377579655405752012008-04-02T07:02:00.000-07:002008-12-08T17:08:58.750-08:00Finally!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NC8pho56W5HsETW3Jh6F18RkhPduPA8FrTsugS_pL5rPKiQcIbg6434MMNiA-grQlJfZJYpp9IPuJ7NXdzbs1XC2RArh77X6p5h9PpTnlgMfuiNh4hXCBQMu9pAFnGhnkxC-D3vTQd0/s1600-h/The+Closing+of+the+Western+Mind.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NC8pho56W5HsETW3Jh6F18RkhPduPA8FrTsugS_pL5rPKiQcIbg6434MMNiA-grQlJfZJYpp9IPuJ7NXdzbs1XC2RArh77X6p5h9PpTnlgMfuiNh4hXCBQMu9pAFnGhnkxC-D3vTQd0/s200/The+Closing+of+the+Western+Mind.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184652954870148658" /></a><br />Well, here it is, the beginning of a new month. I can finally say that I have finished reading a book! How pathetic is it that I used to be able to finish a book a week and now it takes me several months! A goal that I need to revisit is that of reading at least one book a month.<br /><br />In my defense, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Closing-Western-Mind-Faith-Reason/dp/1400033802/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207144741&sr=1-1">The Closing of the Western Mind </a></em>was a tough read. Charles Freeman packed a lot of information into 340 pages and I admit to taking the time to read the notes at the book for many of his citations. I would recommend the book if you are someone who is interested in the history of Christianity. I think that a lot of people accept things as always having been a certain way but it all had a start somewhere. I especially found the concept of the Trinity fascinating and the struggle early church leaders had in finding a role, if you can believe it, for Jesus in Christianity. Of course, there is a lot in here about philosophy and the Greek tradition. It is interesting to see how much of it was incorporated into this new religion!<br /> <br />To close my rather brief review, I'll just include what the author claims the central theme of his book is: "that the Greek intellectual tradition was suppressed rather than simply faded away. My own feeling is that this is an important moment in European cultural history which has for all too long been neglected. Whether the explanations put forward in this book for the suppression are accepted or not, the reasons for the extinction of serious mathematical and scientific thinking in Europe for a thousand years surely deserve more atention than they have received."Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-83811482808629837142008-03-20T14:49:00.000-07:002008-03-21T05:39:38.565-07:00You Were There<a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/travel-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/travel-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>I walk amongst the ruins of the Roman Forum<br />And wonder that they have stood the test of time;<br />I turn to share this with you but I'm alone.<br />The Colosseum is across the way, standing in its glory;<br />Hundreds of years have passed and yet the tourists still walk beneath<br />Those arches, picturing in the mind's eye the events that took place there.<br />I want to ask you how you feel, standing there, breathing in the history,<br />Wanting to share this feeling of awe that washes over me but I'm alone.<br />Those romantic moonlit nights along the Amalfi Coast;<br />Lovers walking hand in hand passing through groves of lemon trees.<br />I'm alone but buried deep within my heart, my mind, my soul<br />You are there.</em>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-4977869108091901042008-03-15T15:40:00.000-07:002008-12-08T17:08:58.905-08:00French Cinema<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-HHFTQKiYQbf7hhcgxC5UDpGvXVKuISFugDu8yDwhjrLmm05kAthZSEbwoI8kKI0ovcqAGjvzNAoeqeABaEG3Nj2q8TacNOdhAeFDJQNtXuUQr78KuCyOIN_7bASXNxg__7UwyLmII4/s1600-h/Les+Yeux.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178103988799089218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-HHFTQKiYQbf7hhcgxC5UDpGvXVKuISFugDu8yDwhjrLmm05kAthZSEbwoI8kKI0ovcqAGjvzNAoeqeABaEG3Nj2q8TacNOdhAeFDJQNtXuUQr78KuCyOIN_7bASXNxg__7UwyLmII4/s320/Les+Yeux.jpg" border="0" /></a> I got up early this morning and watched a French movie. I had read an article about body image earlier in the week and the author mentioned a French horror film, <em>Les Yeux Sans Visage,</em> where body image is taken to an extreme. A doctor's daughter has her face horribly disfigured in a car accident. He is obsessed with returning her to her former beauty.<br /><br />His assistant searches for beautiful young women in the streets of Paris to replace his daughter's face with. Yes, rather macabre. The daughter has to wear a mask because she can't bear her reflection. Her father is a renowned surgeon and has conducted experiments on grafting. There is a rather gruesome scene where we see the doctor removing the "face" from a second victim. I won't tell too much more for fear of spoiling the story for anyone who may want to watch it.<br /><br />It's a great little movie, especially since it's from 1959. I enjoyed the music score by Maurice Jarre <em>(Dr. Zhivago</em>). It set the mood for the film. The look of it was also tres cool! Movies from this era beat the blood and guts movies that we get now. Who doesn't remember Saturday afternoon matinees? In the Windsor/Detroit area, kids in my era grew up watching Sir Graves Ghastly on Channel 4. This movie reminded me of those Saturday afternoons.Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-17922484744826618442008-03-12T16:37:00.000-07:002008-03-12T16:46:36.806-07:00Travelogue<a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/travel.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg203/Manuela-40/travel.jpg" border="0" /></a> I was doing some cleaning in the house and glanced at some of my photos from past travels. I LOVE to travel! If I could afford to, I'd go somewhere every year. <br /><br />I've only gone once without family and friends and while it was a fantastic experience, there is nothing like sharing a new place with family or friends. The memories are there and when we get together we enjoy nothing more than sharing some of the experiences we had while abroad.<br /><br />I've decided that along with the other topics I'd like to write about on this blog, I would add that of travels--past and those I'd like to have in the future. I don't know yet if they will follow a chronological order. I'm fortunate to have parents who are from Europe and especially a father who loved to roam the world. They instilled that wanderlust in me and a thirst to learn more about exotic and historic locations. <br /><br />So, tune in to my travel stories and share any of your own if you happen to drop by. My first entries will deal with France. Adieu until then.Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-34087885654864513752008-03-08T06:56:00.000-08:002008-03-09T16:22:50.923-07:00Poor AnneFriday night I went out with a girlfriend for dinner and a movie. We've both got English degrees and are history nuts so we went to see "The Other Boleyn Girl". Yes, there were some liberties taken with history and sure the drama was a bit overwrought at times but overall I thought the movie was better than some critics are saying. I enjoyed both Scarlett and Natalie's performances. I think I would have liked to see another actor in the role of Henry VIII--Eric Bana just didn't do it for me.<br /><br />I did a little bit of research when I got home. I know the "story" pretty well but can get mixed up with a lot of the names, details, etc. Two sites that are quite good are <a href="http://tudorhistory.org/">Tudor History</a> and <a href="http://www.elizabethi.org/">Elizabeth 1 </a>. Take some time to look at the galleries and read a bit about what life was like for the women of these times. My next task will be to check out some biographies--if anybody out there reads this, I'd love some suggestions. <br /><a href="http://tudorhistory.org/"></a>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-29952972479523945172008-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:002008-03-02T20:46:32.969-08:00Treading on DreamsLast night I watched a fascinating movie that I'd never heard of, <em>Equilibrium</em>, starring Christian Bale.<br /><br />World War III has taken place and the world has fallen under the control of Father and the Tetragrammaton. The government has outlawed feelings--anger, hatred, bigotry, etc. These are the emotions that have led to wars. Citizens are forced to take Prozium (a clever uniting of Prozac and Valium) which eliminates emotions. Of course these aren't the only feelings being erased. Man loses love, joy, happiness--you get the picture. John Preston is an elite soldier whose job it is to wipe out the "Sense Offenders", citizens who feel. One day, shortly after executing his partner who has been "feeling", Preston accidentally breaks his morning dose of emotion suppressant drug and begins to feel for the first time, setting off a chain of events.<br /><br />I've always been interested in stories that take place after some sort of catastrophe. How would humans react? Could they pick up the pieces and rebuild? Should they? There are always the references to <em>1984 </em>and <em>A Brave New World, </em>both classics of the genre.<br /><br />Sean Bean, who plays Bale's partner, quotes from a poem by William Butler Yeats. He is reading from a book he confiscated from a raid on a group of sense offenders. I just thought it was beautiful and wanted to share it here.<br /><br /><em>He Wished for the Cloths of Heaven</em><br /><br />HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,<br />Enwrought with golden and silver light,<br />The blue and the dim and the dark cloths<br />Of night and light and the half-light,<br />I would spread the cloths under your feet:<br />But I, being poor, have only my dreams;<br />I have spread my dreams under your feet;<br />Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-6226413570414287992008-02-23T17:04:00.000-08:002008-12-08T17:08:59.519-08:00Love This Pic!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnGKvejqjFwqA_tO7SJ7wi2yg4KY5V-zSMU0zlYzak9kmHx6_0BglhzvuCRhk78KGdh8zPkKGs8c6GnLZmyg3Rq0zCWqfD_POTt5Y-jUKFUKALifRSDFhWIOhIO039MKGGWSvgdmoZrs/s1600-h/book+worm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170346684203804962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnGKvejqjFwqA_tO7SJ7wi2yg4KY5V-zSMU0zlYzak9kmHx6_0BglhzvuCRhk78KGdh8zPkKGs8c6GnLZmyg3Rq0zCWqfD_POTt5Y-jUKFUKALifRSDFhWIOhIO039MKGGWSvgdmoZrs/s320/book+worm.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I came across a great piece of clip art from a fellow blogger and book lover and just had to put it on this page.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Now, I'll just have to start doing some writing and of course finish up some of my reading!</div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>Thanks again MB--from one proud bookworm to another.</div><br /><p></p>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581371690449189473.post-42499760457561431712008-02-19T19:13:00.000-08:002008-12-08T17:08:59.733-08:00Why I'm Doing This<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk5vIjtKUPtw2PpKcsibOS5mWqnatgrJzUpE-NKc9ity_xdHLoSop1sC5wKb4-23z3uqYnDQofA-R1PabAKATbyJOcvFYWDPy-DPFRYH89y84TLtwokwUJuk4k7uthrKoifbR1K4eG9c/s1600-h/P1010350.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168896789144021234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk5vIjtKUPtw2PpKcsibOS5mWqnatgrJzUpE-NKc9ity_xdHLoSop1sC5wKb4-23z3uqYnDQofA-R1PabAKATbyJOcvFYWDPy-DPFRYH89y84TLtwokwUJuk4k7uthrKoifbR1K4eG9c/s320/P1010350.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I started my first blog a few weeks ago. It was originally intended for writing short stories, mini-essays, thoughts about things I've read, heard, seen. It has now become a page that I share with a community of people, mostly women, who are trying to make healthy lifestyle choices. These choices may be about getting more exercise, changing eating habits, losing weight--sometimes 10 pounds or 300. It's about support and getting a cyberspace version of a pat on the back.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, I decided that I would create another blog, within this service, and do what I had originally set out to do. Whether anybody reads this or comments on it isn't important. It's more about myself finally getting back to writing. </div>Manuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09330448362043206094noreply@blogger.com3