Book Beginnings & Friday 56 -- Running the Books by Avi Steinberg

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by A Few More Pages. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence, or two, of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

Pimps make the best librarians.  Psycho killers, the worst. 

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice. Check out the rules and join in the fun.

Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. Post a link along with your post back to this blog.

 

A permanent expression of doom in her eyes.  Brutish abused Poor's neediness, but also watched out for her.  Or so it seemed.

This was a good book.  I have a couple of friends who have volunteered in the county jail and my brother is currently in prison.  So reading about a (formerly Orthodox) Harvard grad who finds himself working as a prison librarian in Boston felt fairly relevant to me.  He had a good mixture of heart-rending parts and laugh-producing parts. 

It's 9:16 p.m.

Image via Wikipedia

and all is well.  I'm home, I'm safe, I have clean clothes on a clean body, Nico the cat is at my side and I'm ready for bed.  I slept more on this train trip than ever before -- making up for all the nights I couldn't sleep while in Indiana, I guess.  Tomorrow I'll take care of Mark and Lilly in the morning and Fiona will be home after school. 

I'm so thankful for the time I spent in my home state and for the people I was able to spend time with.  I wasn't sure how it would feel to be back home in Colorado, but right now it feels right.

I left my fleece hat on the train -- I'd had it since the mid-90s.  I hope that somebody finds it and uses it for another 15 years.  I did a fair bit of reading while I was in Indiana but even more cross-stitching.  I'm almost half done with the cross-stitch I'm making for my daughter.  I keep thinking I'll post a picture. 

I was able to visit my brother in prison twice.  It was hard to leave him there, but good to be able to talk to him and hug him. 

Blessings to you all on this fine Colorado evening.

Hey all

Today marks a year and a half since I got hit by a car.  I'm here in Indiana, my home state, visiting family and friends -- the first time I've traveled since before the accident as well as since separating from my husband.  It's been a tumultuous visit with lots of firsts and lots of sadness, as well as a bit of peace at times and acceptance from others at other times.

I have spent the past week soaking up time with dear friends.  I was able to visit what I consider my "home church" on Sunday and it was a solace.  I feel no desire to go to church in Colorado, but I think if I lived here again, I would be at Assembly every Sunday.

Tomorrow I will see my daughter for the first time in nearly two weeks.  Before that happens, however, I will be visiting my little brother in prison.  My mother and step-father are picking me up bright and early in the morning for that visit.  I haven't seen him for several years and have had only very brief phone conversations.  For a while we weren't sure that I would get visitor clearance in time and I'm so glad I'm able to go -- my mom worked really hard to make it happen and the people at the prison bent a lot of rules, I think, to get me in during my visit.

After our visit to my brother, we will pick up my daughter and go to my aunt and uncle's house to spend time with them.  I'm looking forward to having some relaxed time there and to seeing my cousins as well.  We will be there for several days.

This is some crazy hard stuff, some crazy hard times.  But again I am surrounded by goodness.

I've been working on a cross-stich pattern for my daughter -- beautifully colored butterflies on navy fabric.  I'll try to post a picture at some point, hopefully an "in-progress" shot.  I'm looking forward to giving her the presents I've collected for her here and there, as well as some fun presents from our friend Dara and two new books from our friend Becca.  I'm looking forward to spending time with my mom.  I'm hoping I can get presents wrapped before Christmas morning but I know that right now I need to be getting ready for bed so I can make it through a very full day tomorrow.

Blessings to you all on this cold and dark December night.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank is the first in a series by Ellen Hopkins, loosely based on her daughter's own addiction to meth.  I picked this book up, not only because it has been so popular, but because my younger brother is in prison on meth-related charges.  I wanted to share two of the poems I thought perhaps my brother could identify with.

Just Before the Drop
(p.88-9)

You know how you
stand and stand and stand
in line for the most gigantic incredible roller
                                                                                                                   coaster
you've ever dared attempt.

Anticipation swelling,
minute by minute by minute,
you choose to wait even
longer, to ride in the front

                                                           car
and finally it's your turn.

They buckle you in, lock the
safety bar with a jolting clunk!
Hook engaged, the chain jerks
you forward.  You start to
                                                           climb
crank-crank-crank.

Cresting over the top, time
moves into overtime
as you wait for that scant
hesitation, just before you
                                                        drop
knowing you can't turn back.

You know how you feel
at that instant?  Well, that's
exactly how it feels when you
shake hands with the
                                                         monster.

Problem Number Four:  Feeling Good

(p. 414-5)

The biggest problem of all.

You know how riding real fast 

in a car

or a spectacular takeoff

in a jet

gives you an awesome rush of adrenaline?

You know how spotting an eagle

cruising low over

the treetops, 

or watching a baby finally master

the try-try-again

of walking makes you glow all over?

You know how singing a beautiful song

with dead-on pitch,

or getting every test answer right,

including the extra credit

brainteaser,

makes you feel like you could take on the world?

You know how waking up to perfect skies,

enough sunshine to warm you, not 

enough to bake you,

or watching a silent fall of quarter-sized

snowflakes

gives you delicious shivers of pleasure?

Somewhere on my stroll

with the monster,

I'd lost these things.

Related articles

• Authors' boycott cancels Teen Lit festival after Ellen Hopkins 'disinvited' (guardian.co.uk)

If anyone needs a new penpal

My brother is in prison in Indiana.  It occurred to me that perhaps some of you would like to send him letters.  Let me know if you have more questions.  His address is

Seth L. Cummins
D.O.C. #197023 LOC: A3

Westville Correctional Facility
5501 South 1100 West
Westville IN 46391

The A-Team movie and my brother

Last Wednesday was our 9th wedding anniversary and we decided to use anniversary money from my in-laws to go see the A-Team movie.   I definitely watched this show as a child and wondered what I would think of the movie.

It was a lot of fun.  The actors who played Face and Murdoch didn't really look like the original actors but the more you watched the more you realized how much they had the personalities and mannerisms of the originals down pat.  Liam Neeson played Hannibal, which was really fun.  It surprised me to see such a big name actor but I got the impression that they all had a blast creating the movie. 

I was a little taken aback at how much watching the movie brought my brother into my mind.  We watched the show together so often.  My brother adored B.A., Mr T's character.  We had contests during the commercials to see who could guess first what each ad was advertising.  And man, did we think we were cool when we quoted Hannibal, "I love it when a plan comes together".  (Truth be told, I still think I'm pretty cool when I say it now.)

My brother has been incarcerated since last summer -- meth related charges.  Thinking about him while watching the movie just sort of made me ache.  I ache for the time he will be in jail, for things he will miss, for the freedom he lacks.  I want to be able to turn back time to those crucial moments where he weighed financial gain against breaking the law and to those moments where he weighed depression, sadness, and isolation against using a drug that, at least temporarily, took all of that away.

And of course, I wonder how much having B.A. as a role model affected my brother's life choices.  :)  I can say that here because I know that he would find it as funny as I do.

As a side-note, there is an interesting subplot in the movie regarding B.A.'s vow of non-violence -- made while in jail.  I was a little disappointed with the way it played out.  I assume there are all sorts of internet discussions out there about this facet of the movie and I may try to find a few -- as someone whose main church involvement in the past 15 years has been in a pacifist denomination, it was an intriguing part of the movie.

The Simple Woman's Daybook -June 24, 2010

Thanks again to Peggy!

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... a slowly cooling down Denver evening

I am thinking...of my brother.  I've been eating a lot of cinnamon toast lately and it reminds me of Seth because there is a story about how, when he was quite little, he would sneak out of the house in the morning and go knock on our neighbor's back door and ask for cinnamon toast.  :)

I am thankful for... surviving being hit by a car a year ago yesterday and being able to celebrate said survival last night with a large group of friends.  Also that my husband got a job and my friend Dara found us a new computer cord so we can be back online!

From the kitchen... lovely black Japonica rice

I am wearing... a very old, very soft, very holey white cotton Hanes T-Shirt that belonged to my grandfather who has been dead for over 10 years. 

I am going...to try to remember to call the dentist next week to make an appointment for my six-year-old daughter.

I am reading... Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft

I am hoping...to talk to my mom on the phone sometime soon.

I am hearing... classical music on the radio, the fan blowing on me, children speaking Spanish outside my window.

Around the house...must wash sheets for in-laws' arrival.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  doctor's appointment in the morning for some osteopathic manipulation and to check in, meeting a woman who is trying to find homes for our foster cats, possibly going to a crafternoon on Saturday, in-laws fly in on Saturday night and I'm so glad!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... hiking friends in RMNP

The Simple Woman's Datebook -- May 11, 2010

 From Peggy at Simple Woman's Daybook -- post yours here

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...cheerful cheerful birds and cool morning air

I am thinking...about what kind of new camera I'm going to buy with my birthday money

I am thankful for...all that my husband did to give me a lovely Mother's Day

I am remembering...that my friend Lisa's birthday was yesterday


I am going...to make brownies with Fiona and freeze them for this weekend


I am reading...Eearth:Making Life on a Tough New Planet by Bill McKibben (that really is how the title is spelled.;))

I am hearing...Pandora playing Margaritaville

Pondering these words..."He had never thought of himself much as a praying man, but as he sat in the car in the growing darkness and the minutes passed, he knew what it was to pray.  It was to will dreams into existence and spectres into reality.  It was to will an end to anguish and a beginning to joy."  From the last page of A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George

A few plans for the rest of the week: Assembly meeting at Alpine Valley School tonight, meet a woman from Jazzercise tomorrow to talk about potentially swapping childcare for unlimited workouts, physical therapy on Thursday, on retreat with Alpine Valley this weekend

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...my brother Seth with my daughter six years ago.