I joined (or more accurately re-joined) a small group last night, one of the many associated with Westside Family Church (WFC) and connected with their recently opened Leavenworth campus. I promised the other members of the group that I would research (it’s one of my talents/gifts) one of the study questions from the guide (which can be found here) for this week’s installment of the Model Family sermon series.
Movie Review: Before We Go (2015) 4 Stars
Release (U.S.) September 2015
Watched (via Netflix streaming) April 2016
Rating: 3.5-4 stars
After a sunset walk along Angel Falls Trail with Terry, Lexy and Porthos, we whipped up some baked hot wings and sat down to find a movie to watch. First stop Starz On Demand. We looked at every movie offered and discounting the ones we had already seen, found not a single movie worth watching. I asked Terry, “We’re paying how much per month for Starz?” Yeah, they got cancelled this morning, despite Dish trying to entice me with a $5/month for 6 months ‘deal.’ I switched to HBO for a special price this morning to see if we’ll get any better movies with the oldest and biggest premium channel in the business.
Next we both checked our Netflix streaming queues. I also checked movies I’d bought on sale at Google Play and suggested we re-watch the re-make of True Grit. We held that in reserve until we could find something we hadn’t seen. Terry found some strange high school comedy/drama from the mid-80s called Lucas that we attempted to watch for 15 minutes but gave up. I lived through the 80s once. Once was enough. I also checked Hoopla (streaming video from local libraries) and my PBS app but came up with nothing promising. I went back to Netflix and reviewed the drama recommendations. I don’t normally do dramas because they can be a downer and I really didn’t want to start my weekend off on a sad note. But the reviews on Netflix for Before We Go were higher than the normal so I decided to take a chance once we ditched Lucas.
I’m glad I did NOT read any of the ‘critics’ reviews of this film as I quite enjoyed it. Charming and sweet and not bad for the directorial debut of Chris Evans. A very different view of New York from the eyes of two strangers not on a train. I liked it because it was different and hopeful.
As A Mattery of Fancy: A Good Quarter for Art (reblogged)
Some of my uncle’s recent watercolors for your enjoyment.
So Your Home Printer Just Ran Out of Ink . . .
Home printing and printers are the bane of my existence. I’m very spoiled. My employer is a large law firm. Law firms excel at killing trees (i.e. printing reams and reams and reams of paper). I’ve had access to exceptional printers (actually the modern-day term is ‘multi-function device’ or MFD for short) for decades. Of course, the flip side to this is I hate printed materials. I don’t want to store them, file them, fold them, dust them, move them, etc. You can’t search for a printed item like you can an electronic copy. So a piece of paper is of no use to me whatsoever. My husband, however, is not so enlightened. Neither are most of my relatives, none of whom have followed me into the realm of paperless nirvana.
Continue reading “So Your Home Printer Just Ran Out of Ink . . .”
Book Review: American Tumbleweeds by Elva (4 stars)
Excellent book review posted on my uncle’s blog:
Book Review: American Tumbleweeds by Marta Elva Four Stars “Tragedy of condemning children to the consequences of their parents’ deeds.” Compelling and heart breaking. An already-fragile family rips apart in the border-straddling communities of El Paso and Cuidad Juarez, isolating its youngest member at a vulnerable time of her life. Inez’s sad tale of paradise […]
via Book Review: American Tumbleweeds by Marta Elva (Four Stars) — As a Matter of Fancy
Abstract Art Juxtaposed With Muralist Book Discussion
I received an invitation from Kaite Stover, Director of Reader Services for the Kansas City Public Library, a few weeks ago, asking me if I would like to read The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro (also author of The Art Forger) and attend the discussion to be held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Saturday, March 19th. I readily agreed because the book sounded interesting and there was the added bonus of a special tour of the Contemporary Art gallery conducted by the curator, Jan Schall, Ph.D. Continue reading “Abstract Art Juxtaposed With Muralist Book Discussion”
In Search Of: An Austen Audiobook
I’m starting a new blog post series today. I hope to help people navigate the local library’s online catalog and successfully find the items they want to read, listen or watch. For purposes of this blog, I define “Local Library” as the Lansing Community Library, one of the many regional libraries participating in the NExpress regional shared catalog of the Northeast Kansas Library System.
I’m calling this series “In Search Of: ” as a practical guide to finding materials I want to check out. This series will contain real world examples taken directly from my everyday routine life. If you have a question, situation or scenario that you struggled with, please post a comment or email me the particulars and I’ll be glad to assist or connect you with the correct library resource personnel.
What I’m Searching For and Why
Today’s conundrum brings us to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Next month, my Local Library’s adult book group will be reading and discussing this classic. My preferred format for reading these days is to listen to audiobooks from my smartphone through my Bluetooth headset while commuting to work. My two hour daily commute would otherwise be wasted time when I could have been reading!
The challenge with a book like Sense and Sensibility comes from its classic status. All libraries will have multiple editions, in print, ebook and audiobook formats. In this case, there are also videos thrown into the mix because Sense and Sensibility has been adapted for television and film many times. So, when I first search at the NExpress online catalog, I know my results are going to be many and I will need to filter them down to get to the format I prefer.
NOTE: You should already have a NExpress library card and PIN (issued by your Local Library) and have successfully logged into your NExpress account. This allows you to place a hold on any item you find in your catalog search results and have it delivered to your Local Library and held at the front desk for your pickup. Continue reading “In Search Of: An Austen Audiobook”
The Fallacy of Corporate Leadership
Great post (again) by Modesitt and here’s my favorite quote/excerpt:
Study after study has shown that stress levels actually are lower in upper management and higher in those who work for them and that the highest stress levels are created at lower levels of management when the expectations of upper management conflict with the lack of adequate resources for achieving those expectations and when the compensation differential between those tasked with a job and those supervising them is highest.
Local Library Makes Computer Access Easy as Pie
Easy as pie? For me, it is way easier. I’ll explain that later.
My local library, the Lansing Community Library, recently installed software created by EnvisionWare which makes accessing a computer a snap.
Here’s a quick ‘how to’ to give you an idea of just how easy this is.
Don’t have a library card? No worries. Just stop at the front desk and the friendly library techs will give you a guest pass or issue you a brand new shiny Lansing Community Library card.
Continue reading “Local Library Makes Computer Access Easy as Pie”
Movie Review: Testament of Youth (4 stars)
Released: January 2015
Watched Netflix BluRay: February 2016
Read Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain: January/February 2015
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: In 1914, Vera Brittain overcomes the restraints on women of the time to become a student at Somerville College, Oxford. When World War I breaks out, her brother Edward, her fiancé Roland Leighton, and their friends Victor and Geoffrey, are sent to serve at the front lines. Brittain follows their sacrifice, leaving college to join the Voluntary Aid Detachment as a nurse tending the wounded and dying (both British and German) in London, Malta and France.
My Thoughts:
I watched this with my husband on Sunday afternoon, Valentine’s Day. A less bleak day than Saturday the 13th (overcast and never above 25 degrees). Today is bright and sunny and in the 50s. Almost spring like. I’m beginning to think I should have watched Testament of Youth yesterday instead of the Water Diviner. Continue reading “Movie Review: Testament of Youth (4 stars)”