Tuesday, August 26, 2008

And Then There Was One

This last weekend, another one of my brothers moved out and went to college. He's going to Great Bason community college, which is located in exciting Elko Nevada. Chris and I went down there over night on Friday to visit with my family (who Chris hadn't seen in 2 years) and we had a great time. The thing that surprised me the most about the entire trip was the lack of tears from my mother. Since there are seven kids in our family, I'm sure my parents never thought they would have us all out of the house, but we're all getting older and with Joe moving out, there is only one left, the baby, Jordan. My mother usually starts to get all weepy when she realizes that she's going to have fewer of us around, but I have to say that she did very well this weekend. I think that part of the reason she was able to keep herself from crying was the fact that so many of us were there to help with the moving process, and when we all get together, it's like some kind of crazy, hyped up dinner party where the guests are loud and boisterous and do back flips in the parking lot of the Wendys (Jordan). My mother didn't have time to remember that she was only going to have one child left at home until we had gone, and I'm willing to bet that the tears started flowing once she got home and just had Jordan to look at.

Friday, August 22, 2008

At Last

My Chris was offered a job yesterday! After years of law school, then months of preparation for the Bar exam and then weeks of sitting around watching movies, Chris’ hard work has been rewarded. He’ll be working at a firm down town so he won’t have a bad commute, he’ll be doing litigation work which will be similar to work that he’s already done, and he’ll be making money instead of accruing more loans, which is a huge relief. Of course I’ll miss being his sugar momma, what with the great jokes and all, but I suppose it will be nice to have Chris be making more than I do. All joking aside, I’m so proud and happy for Chris. Congratulations, love.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Thanks to Chris' Dad

I don’t usually read non fiction. I’ve been sticking with the classics since my high school days with a few exceptions (Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.). But normally when I deviate from the classics, I stick with fiction. I’ve been reading quite a bit of non fiction lately (thanks to my in-laws who have quite a different array of books than me. My father in-law especially has inspired me to read many of the non-fiction books that he enjoys) and I wanted to write a bit about them here because I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Founding Brothers – Joseph Ellis
I found this book to be really interesting. Just as it sounds, this was about the men who had a hand in shaping the country during the revolutionary period. Just like everyone else, I read 1776 and I also read a book called Founding Mothers which were both set in the same time period, and the amount of insight you can gain into the lives of these great people by reading these books is enormous. I did have to laugh a little bit because Joseph Ellis was blatantly bias against Thomas Jefferson. He couldn’t write a sentence about the late president without inserting some sort of slur against Jefferson’s character. I couldn’t tell if Ellis did this because he disliked Jefferson for himself or because he was so obviously enamored with John Adams, America’s new favorite dead president. Either way, I did have a bit of a giggle every time Ellis couldn’t put aside his prejudices long enough to write his book in an unbiased way.
The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson
This book was fascinating. It was about the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 to commemorate Christopher Columbus's discovery of America. It talked about all the problems that were had during the construction, the arrival of new inventions including the zipper and the Farris Wheel, and the impact the fair had on the people and economy at the time. It also talked about one of the most horrific murderers America has ever seen. The man was murdering women left and right completely unsuspected for years before finally being caught.
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
This was a memoir. It described events in the life of the author that would have brought a lesser person down. She endured near crippling poverty, a drunken father, an irresponsible mother and numerous other hardships. One of the more interesting aspects of this book, for me, was the fact that the author never shows any self pity. She seems almost detached at times, looking back at what sort of life she led objectively, able to accept things the way they were without complaining about the circumstances that she was placed. Not only did she have a very interesting and difficult childhood, but she was able to rise above where she began to become a health happy adult.
All in all, I think that I may read more non-fiction in the future if my father in-law feels inspired to suggest any more to me.