Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
One more post about the movie and me. When I was six years old I was to go with my mother to the dry goods store to get a spool of thread. She decided to stop and run the vaccumn so we stayed at home about five more minutes. It was election day in KC in 1934. When we got to the corner and turned to go to the store we stopped; horrified at the shots and surrounding chaos. Three people had been murdered, Two right at the polling booth next to the dry goods store. Another right outside. Itwas our next door neighbor who owned the store right next to the dry good store.. He had stuck his head out the door to see what was happening.he was shot in the head. It was a faction fight within the Pendergast machine that got out of hand. If my mother hadn't stopped to clean the carpet we would probably not be alive. There was something in our newspaper asking if anyone had a memory of 1934 in KC and I called and left a short message. I had no idea it was because R. Altman was going to make a movie about that year. Someone called from Hollywood about six months later and the rest is history. They did incorporate some of my story into the movie. As I said thast was an interesting brief interlude in my later life. Even though I was an extra the first night filming there were only five actors and I was the only woman and number five so it was truly exciting to be directed by Altman himself. In one scene I was supposed to be travelling with my husband and was to come out of the restroom in a train station in the 1930's. My husband said that was perfect casting; me on a trip with my husband coming out of a restroom. nina
That's an extraordinary story, Nina. What memories you have!
Joy, Janny's book is fantasy & you might enjoy it. If you can read the first couple of chapters, you'll know one way or the other.Nina, cool story. 5 minutes made a world of difference. Ever see the movie "Butterfly Effect"? I thought it was well done, although I didn't care for the futility.
Jim wrote: "Joy, Janny's book is fantasy & you might enjoy it. If you can read the first couple of chapters, you'll know one way or the other."Thanks, Jim. I've put in a reserve request for Janny Wurts' _To Ride Hell's Chasm_ at our library. They have quite a few books by her.
Wiki has page about her at: ====>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janny_Wurts
GR LINK:
Janny Wurts
How weird to read a Wikipedia page about a friend. I need to discuss that with her. It's pretty thin. Too fill in a bit, she's an excellent author & illustrator, as the article says. All of her books have had her paintings for their covers, in one edition or another, I believe.
She's also an accomplished bag piper. Her band just took first place at some games on Saturday & Janny got a 3d & 4th for her solo piping.
She & her husband, Don Maitz, have a small farm with a couple of horses. She's the same age as my wife & has wonderful taste in craft/art - i.e. she loves my bowls. She's also taught me more than I ever hoped to know about the publishing industry. Very smart lady.
Her writing is fairly dense. You can't just skim it. You need to read & comprehend it. She does not use a lot of allusions like Zelazny does, though. She says exactly what she means & does so very well.
In writing about horses or boating (she's also an accomplished sailor) she uses some jargon, but always describes everything well enough that I understand what is happening, even if I don't understand the jargon. Both horses & sailboats have a LOT of jargon associated with them & I think that's quite an accomplishment.
Her signature style is a lot of action leading to a climax in the middle of the book. Then, she turns around & you climb to another climax at the end of the book. Very exciting, full of tension & not just the usual fantasy. Politics, geography & characters all have a lot of depth to them.
Jim wrote: "Joy, Janny's book is fantasy & you might enjoy it. If you can read the first couple of chapters, you'll know one way or the other.Nina, cool story. 5 minutes made a world of difference. Ever s..."I didn't see Butterfly Effect. I will try it. nina
Jim wrote: "How weird to read a Wikipedia page about a friend. I need to discuss that with her. It's pretty thin. Too fill in a bit, she's an excellent author & illustrator, as the article says. All of h..."Janny Wurts sounds like a remarkable person. How did you meet her, Jim?
Below is a link to the Netflix descriptions of three different "Butterfly Effect" movies:
http://www.netflix.com/Search?lnkce=i...
PS-Below is the IMDb page of "Butterfly Effect" (2004):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/
I met her here on GR, Joy. We got to exchanging PM's & found we have a lot in common.
Jim wrote: "I met her here on GR, Joy. We got to exchanging PM's & found we have a lot in common."I guess that's what GR is all about. It's great when we find people with whom we can enjoy good conversations.
Nina, what absolutely wonderful stories, thanks so much for sharing them. It's amazing the little details our lives hang upon.
Jim, love, absolutely love the horse stories. All you need is an illustrator for a wonderful child's book.
Jim, love, absolutely love the horse stories. All you need is an illustrator for a wonderful child's book.
Today, while getting new tires installed and aligned, going to start reading "Those Who Save Us" local book club selection. I'm also taking a medical terminology course and need to start studying the next chapter. Which book will win out this morning? LOL
I would guess that medical terminology is pretty dry reading. I always wished Latin had been available in school. I would have liked to have learned it. Very useful. I have so much trouble trying to remember tree names.
Linda wrote: "Today, while getting new tires installed and aligned, going to start reading "Those Who Save Us" local book club selection. I'm also taking a medical terminology course and need to start studying t..."Linda, I found _Those Who Save Us_ a compelling read. I think it will win out over the medical terminology. :)
Jim wrote: "I would guess that medical terminology is pretty dry reading. I always wished Latin had been available in school. I would have liked to have learned it. Very useful. I have so much trouble tryi..."Jim, I studied 3 years of Latin in high school. IMO, that background wouldn't help me to remember or decipher tree names. :)
But I'm glad I studied Latin because, by my doing that, Latin hasn't been a mystery to me all my life... and I'm not intimidated by people who say they've had a background in Latin.
I think Latin also helped me to think logically and to understand grammar more deeply, with its detailed noun declensions and verb conjugations so deeply ingrained in my mind.
As far as Latin helping me to decipher word meanings, I think present-day dictionary etymologies have been just as useful to me.
I know a few pages of the med term will be read in order to keep up with the reading/testing. Medical terminology is Latin, Greek,eponymns,acronyms and medical terms not built from word parts. Sometimes the latter are the hardest to remember. Perhaps afterwards I'll take a course in one of those language!! LOL
Joy, "Those Who Save Us" looks good so far.
Linda wrote: "I know a few pages of the med term will be read in order to keep up with the reading/testing. Medical terminology is Latin, Greek,eponymns,acronyms and medical terms not built from word parts. Som..."I had to look up the word "eponym". I should have realized what it meant from the word eponymous.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/...
http://www.onelook.com/?w=eponym&...
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/...
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eponymo...
From there, I went to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
which gives a list of eponymous diseases.
An example: Parkinson's disease - named after Dr. James Parkinson
Interesting!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wordstruck is exactly what I was--and still am: crazy about the sounds of words, the look of words, the taste of words, the feeling for words on the tongue and in the mind."
-Robert MacNeil, Wordstruck A Memoir
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Joy - the link to the list of eponymous diseases - I just added this to my bookmarks. Thanks!
Linda wrote: "Joy - the link to the list of eponymous diseases - I just added this to my bookmarks. Thanks!"One of the diseases on the list of eponymous diseases was "Vincent's angina". I found it interesting because of the following info:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The common name, trench mouth, was probably coined during World War I when many soldiers suffered from the condition. There are a number of other theories to the origin of the name. Vincent's angina was named after French physician Jean Hyacinthe Vincent (1862-1950)."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent%...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim wrote: "I would guess that medical terminology is pretty dry reading. I always wished Latin had been available in school. I would have liked to have learned it. Very useful. I have so much trouble tryi..."Have to reply to that. I agree with the usefulness of Latin. NOW, I do. But in high school, where I was required to take a language (1950) there was a bitch who I feared (the whole school did?) who taught Latin and Spanish. Consequently I took French. Living in NY with its proximity to Quebec I thought it therefore MIGHT be useful. Unfortunately I have zero ear for language and, though I passed course, only remember a few French words. Were you really that serious in high school though, that you looked on courses with an adult eye? I sure wasn't, I just attacked the path of least resistance.
Earl wrote: "...Were you really that serious in high school though, that you looked on courses with an adult eye? I sure wasn't, I just attacked the path of least resistance."Earl, I chose Latin and French in H.S. simply because my older sister had chosen those languages. I can't remember any other reason.
I think were were brought up thinking that we would become teachers, a goal our mother instilled in us. So it was natural to follow the academic track.
BTW, my Latin teacher was very stern and angry-looking all the time. She was a good teacher except for the fact that she seemed overly intimidating.
What am I doing today: Moving plants inside because we are having a freeze tonight. And all my impatients look so healthy and it's too early for a freeze. We have such crazy weather; it could be warmer on Thanksgiving than tonight. Also, I am having old friends for supper. I say supper; not dinner as there will be no cocktails or appetizers. I want everyone to be hungry when they eat Navy bean soup and cornbread and apple/cranberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and coffee. If any of you were closer to me I'd say, "Come on over." Now that the house is clean I am reading, "Personal History/Katherine Graham." I now know how the other fourth live; 40 room houses etc. Joy, where is Mt. Kisco? nina
I had a wonderful day today... one of my favourite pass-times... meeting my friends for breakfast. We're about 10 "gals" who meet on a monthly basis... this is a time when we throw our diets to the wind and over-indulge. High on caffine.... Gossip non-stop and generally have a few hours of non-stop laughter and GIRL-TALK. Sorry guys... "NO MEN ALLOWED"!!!!!
I only took Latin one year in high school but we had a great teacher who made learning Latin fun. Yes, can you believe fun? She had contests every weekend ending on Monday class. We were to find Latin deriviates from words in the newspaper; cut them out and bring them to class and the one with the most words didn't have to do Monday's night homework assignment. I guess we didn't realize we were actually doing an assignment then. Also, she arranged to have an evening toga party. We wore sheets arranged as best we could into a toga and reclined around a carpet and ate food which she thought might be authentic at that time. We talked to each other in Latin. And truly it was fun. nina
Nina wrote: "I only took Latin one year in high school but we had a great teacher who made learning Latin fun. Yes, can you believe fun? She had contests every weekend ending on Monday class. We were to find La..."I guess my favorite subject/teacher in high school (1950)was my geometry teacher, can you believe that? Mrs Bean had some sort of method that agreed with my learning process and made it easy. I'm not a math whiz, I went back to school in the 90's and took some calculus, and some of those little snots could calculus rings around me. My high school English teacher Mr. Smith was an ambulance driver volunteer in the civil war in Spain (where Hitler was practicing up). He taught and translated Shakespeare for us and I actually ENJOYED it. Later attempts to tangle with Shakespeare and do my own translation left me with a very grave case of 'who the hell needs Shakespeare'.
All I can add to this eponymous diseases subject is a line from my act :"My doctor's so dumb he thinks Lou Gehrig's Disease is an uncontrollable compulsion to play first base for the Yankees!"
Earl wrote: "Nina wrote: "I only took Latin one year in high school but we had a great teacher who made learning Latin fun. Yes, can you believe fun? She had contests every weekend ending on Monday class. We we..."Very lucky to have such a good teacher.
Hello all. Interesting to read your comments about your learning experiences with various teachers.Nina: To answer your question, Mt. Kisco is in Westchester County, NY, a bit north of the city of White Plains. One of our sons was born in the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco.
Nina: Thanks for reminding me about _Personal History_ by Katharine Graham. I've put it on my To-Read list.
Bev: It's nice to see you posting. Hope you had a good time with the gals at breakfast!
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Hello all. Interesting to read your comments about your learning experiences with various teachers.Nina: To answer your question, Mt. Kisco is in Westchester County, NY, a bit north of the city o..."Thanks, as Kay Graham referrs to MT.Kisco in so many ways, I was curious at to it's location. Her book is a good book for winter weather or as it turns out it is unseasonably cold here this weekend and I find reading it, I get a glimpse of behind the scenes look at history through all the fascinating famous people's eyes who she has encountered in her lifetime. How could I have lived through some of these times even if I was young, and have known so little? nina
Ed and I took a boat ride down to the Lake George camping islands last Thursday. We were almost the only people down at the islands. I felt like Hiawatha. LOL That's why we love this time of year on Lake George.Last night (Saturday) I went to the show at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls. The show was a tribute to Barry Manilow and Bette Midler. It was fabulous! I felt as if I were at a party, with the singing, clapping, toe-tapping and jokes. The audience even stood and danced at their seats. It was a real feel-good show. It felt like New Year's Eve.
Before the show, I picked up more audio CDs at the library. I love the audios, especially when my eyes get tired from reading, watching Netflix movies, and doing computer stuff.
I stopped in Lake George Village on the way home today (Sunday) to enjoy the view of the lake from Beach Road, but I couldn't find a parking space anywhere near Beach Rd. The joint was jumping! The weather today was great for the wind-up of this Columbus Day Weekend.
Nina wrote: "Thanks, as Kay Graham referrs to MT.Kisco in so many ways, I was curious at to it's location. Her book is a good book for winter weather or as it turns out it is unseasonably cold here this weekend and I find reading it, I get a glimpse of behind the scenes look at history through all the fascinating famous people's eyes who she has encountered in her lifetime. How could I have lived through some of these times even if I was young, and have known so little? nina"Nina, those are my sentiments exactly! I can't imagine what it must be like to mingle with so many high-powered people. I'd certainly feel like a fish out of water. I imagine that it must require nerves of steel to function on that level.
Tonight, after being away from my computer for about a day, I realized that I wasn't being notified about new comments at my Goodreads groups. So I checked my Goodreads account and found out that I had to re-verify my email address.I don't know why this seems to happen every once in a while to various people. But if you find that you're not receiving GR notifications, check your Goodreads account to see if they instruct you to re-verify your e-mail addy.
I hink it is such a delight to go to a play and have it be so entertaining to so many just adds so much to the enjoyment. You almost feel as if you are part of the production. Sounds like a great one. Wish I could have seen it. nina
Nina wrote: "I hink it is such a delight to go to a play and have it be so entertaining to so many just adds so much to the enjoyment. You almost feel as if you are part of the production. Sounds like a great ..."Are you still living at Lake George or did you move back into town? nina
Nina wrote: "I hink it is such a delight to go to a play and have it be so entertaining to so many just adds so much to the enjoyment. You almost feel as if you are part of the production. Sounds like a great ..."So true, Nina. The feeling of well-being after an uplifting live performance has to be experienced to be believed. I remember seeing Liberace at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. I experienced the same "high" during and after that show. I wish I could go to more shows like that. Having uplifting shows like that in our home town at the Wood Theater is so wonderful! Of course, music is a big part of it.
Nina wrote: "Nina wrote: ""Are you still living at Lake George or did you move back into town? nina"Yes, Nina, we'll transfer after Election Day in November, just in time to scramble to get ready for our family to visit for Thanksgiving. And believe me, it's a scramble! LOL I lose half my clothes in the transfer... can't find anything for weeks. LOL
But when you find your clothes again you have something to be "thankful" for at your Thanksgiving gathering. nina
Nina wrote: "But when you find your clothes again you have something to be "thankful" for at your Thanksgiving gathering. nina"LOL - You mean IF I find them. I'm missing a sweater already. :)
Missed out on raspberry picking. Local newspaper had an article on U-pick 2 pounds of raspberries, give 1 pound to the farm and keep the other pound for free (they were short on help). However, Sunday night we had a frost...and the minimal amount of berries left were damaged by the frost. I bookmarked their website and plan a raspberry picking outing next year.Today, going food shopping in the rain. Maybe I'll get lucky and it won't be pouring when I venture to and fro from the car to the store.
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "I hink it is such a delight to go to a play and have it be so entertaining to so many just adds so much to the enjoyment. You almost feel as if you are part of the production. Sounds ..."I had the pleasure of seeing Liberace at the Westbury Music Fair (boss gave me free tickets). A joy to see Liberace in all his splendor (colorful attirement). I watched him when I was a little girl...he was on early in the morning when my folks were still asleep. I recall sitting in my pink and white rocking chair in front of the tv while Liberace played piano. On top of the piano were candles and ballerina(s) were dancing nearby.
I'm wondering if there are any bicyclists in the Glens Falls group who use the Glens Falls - Lake George bike trail? It is one of my main sources of exercise these days. I mostly ride it alone and it is the ONLY place I ride (too chicken for streets unless I can't possibly avoid them). The only local bike club caters mostly to young racers, so I don't know many bikers. I wouldn't mind pairing up with a couple GR buddies for a ride if any are available. Now that it's cool a windbreaker and long pants are necessary, but the worst of the idiots (who think it's a sidewalk. walk 3 abreast and are AMAZED when a bike approaches them from behind at 5X their walking speed, and the little kids who haven't been taught to keep right) are now all mostly missing.
Linda wrote: "Missed out on raspberry picking. Local newspaper had an article on U-pick 2 pounds of raspberries, give 1 pound to the farm and keep the other pound for free (they were short on help). However, Sun..."Linda, what a shame about the frost ruining the raspberries. I can imagine how farmers dread coming of the first frost. It means money out of their pockets.
Linda wrote: "I had the pleasure of seeing Liberace at the Westbury Music Fair..."Linda, before seeing Liberace in person, I had never realized the impact of his live performance over his performance as viewed on TV. He really knew how to put on a show and make people happy by developing a cheery, light, and entertaining atmosphere.
One musical performance I love to see on TV every year is the New Year concert (in Vienna, I think). There's one lively piece they play ("The Radetzky March") in which everyone in the audience claps as the music plays. I fairly fly out of my chair with cheerfulness and enthusiasm when I hear that part of the performance. Such is the power of music.
Below is a Wiki link to a page about the "Radetsky March" (composed by Johann Strauss Sr.):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radetzky...
It says: "It is almost always played as the last piece of music at the Neujahrskonzert, the Vienna New Year Concert."
What a great way to celebrate the New Year!
Earl wrote: "I'm wondering if there are any bicyclists in the Glens Falls group who use the Glens Falls - Lake George bike trail? It is one of my main sources of exercise these days. I mostly ride it alone and ..."Earl, Ed and I tried that bike path several years ago. We started out at the Beach Road entrance in LG Village. Although it looks flat, it's not! We found that it was a gradual uphill climb and not pleasant at all.
There are probably flatter areas of that bike path, but we never tried it again.
Another good spot for bike riding is along the Feeder Canal which starts out in Glens Falls. It's very pretty there (wooded, along the canal) and is very flat with no uphill grades.
It crosses the entrance to Haviland Cove in Glens Falls and begins not too far west from there at the Feeder Dam. Are you familiar with it?
We once rode our bikes all the way to Hudson Falls on the Feeder Canal path. I'm glad we did it then because I'm afraid of falling now, with osteoporosis nipping at my bones. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of getting a three-wheel bike. I've always loved bike-riding.
Trying a new recipe - Giada from FoodNetwork.com - Regatoni with Squash and Prawns. Never cooked squash before. Dish looked so delicious on TV. No Rigatoni in the cupboard so I'll make with zit. Will have to stop at store for some prawns, though. Prep time is 20 minutes and cook time is 25 minutes. I'll let you know the results. Hope its Yummy.
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: Earl, Ed and I tried that bike path several years ago. We started out at the Beach Road entrance in LG Village. Although it looks flat, it's not! We found that it was a gradual uphill climb and not pleasant at all.There are probably flatter areas of that bike path, but we never tried it again.
Another good spot for bike riding is along the Feeder Canal which starts out in Glens Falls. It's very pretty there (wooded, along the canal) and is very flat with no uphill grades.
It crosses the entrance to Haviland Cove in Glens Falls and begins not too far west from there at the Feeder Dam. Are you familiar with it?
We once rode our bikes all the way to Hudson Falls on the Feeder Canal path. I'm glad we did it then because I'm afraid of falling now, with osteoporosis nipping at my bones. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of getting a three-wheel bike. I've always loved bike-riding."
No, the GF-LG bike path is definitely not flat and deserves a 3-ring cog in the front. But the answer to the hills is GEARS, and also a bike that puts you in a leverage-advantageous riding position. What you probably call "bent over". However the 'drop bars', the lowest position doesn't agree with my back either. But they do get you 'under the wind'.
The Feeder Canal trail IS nice and flat, but not as well maintained as the GF-LG. It is usually littered with branches and such.
I should probably be afraid of falling as well, as I'm pretty ancient and I've already had one bad experience a couple years ago (including trip to emergency room for xray). But apparently I'm not smart enough to be cautious. AND with my lousy back my selection of good cardiovascular exercise has shrunken to zilch.
I just thought there might be a biker or two in here and thought I'd ask. There really deserves to be a bike club for the non-triatheletic in this area. Ricks Bike Shop features a weekly ride 6pm Wed in the summer, dunno where they go. If the 'new' Medicare cuts off my epidural shots I may have to hang the bike up permanently anyway.
Linda wrote: "Trying a new recipe - Giada from FoodNetwork.com - Regatoni with Squash and Prawns. Never cooked squash before. Dish looked so delicious on TV. No Rigatoni in the cupboard so I'll make with zit. Wi..."I love squash. Eddie mashes butternut squash. It's delicious. Good luck with your recipe, Linda. Prawns are large shrimp, No?
Earl wrote: "... No, the GF-LG bike path is definitely not flat and deserves a 3-ring cog in the front. But the answer to the hills is GEARS..."Earl, we have bikes with 3 speeds. Guess that's not enough for inclines. What is a 3-ring cog?
Good luck with your bike-riding. Be careful.
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Linda wrote: "Trying a new recipe - Giada from FoodNetwork.com - Regatoni with Squash and Prawns. Never cooked squash before. Dish looked so delicious on TV. No Rigatoni in the cupboard so I'll mak..."I just selected the best price shrimp - which was a medium size.
Found this on the web:
"Prawns, shrimp or scampi?
A shrimp is a shrimp; a prawn is, well, a shrimp. The two words are used interchangeably in markets and restaurants everywhere. The textbooks may agree that a shrimp is a shrimp, but many people (and quite a few cookbooks) refer to this most popular of shellfish as a prawn.
Some people say the difference is size. In many parts of the country, small and medium shrimp are sold simply as shrimp, while large, extra-large, and jumbo shrimp are called prawns. Unfortunately, this "rule" doesn't always hold. In some areas, all shrimp, small and large, are sold as shrimp, while in other regions, all you'll find are prawns."
Purists may argue that the term "prawn" is reserved for the shrimp's close relative, the Dublin Bay prawn. The Dublin Bay prawn resembles a shrimp, but it's distinguished by its small pincer claws (similar to those on a lobster) and a narrower body. Sometimes called Florida or Caribbean lobsterettes or French langoustines, these shellfish can be hard to find in markets. And unlike shrimp, Dublin Bay prawns are usually cooked with their heads on. The claws make quite an attractive presentation, although they're too tiny to render any meat.
In Italy, Dublin Bay prawns are called scampi, which has confused North Americans even more. In Canada and the US, scampi refers to a dish of large shrimp that are cooked with garlic and butter or olive oil.
Found this on the web:
I always wondered about the difference between prawns, shrimp & scampi. Thanks, Linda.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Educated (other topics)Pride and Prejudice (other topics)
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The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
War and Peace (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Tara Westover (other topics)Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
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Jim, that's quite a recommendation for the book! Dare I try it? :)
PS-Would that be "fantasy" or SF?