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[Manybooks]

Hayes wrote: "Morning everyone. Sorry to hear that Christine. What were you reading?

Gundula: That's exactly it. Not only does everyone learn things in a different way, also in different ways at different times..."

I have to organise myself as well. I am also a visual learner, but I cannot learn with graphs, I learn by reading chunks of letters and lots of examples. I usually do extra tables and charts for my students, but if I do diagrams, I confuse both them and myself (I've always had trouble with math and patterns). I used to get comments at school, like, I don't understand how you could be so logical in grammar and language and so useless in math and physics, I can parse a sentence, but don't ask me to chart it. Actually, one of the best ways I found for teaching and practising verb conjugations in German, is to make a dicing game out of it, it gets the students practising, but avoids the tediousness and potential embarrassment of having to conjugate a verb in front of the class (I never do that anymore, it's horrible).

Christine, did you end up dreaming about the book? I've done that with weird books before, they invade my dreams, oops.

[[deleted user]]

Good morning everyone!

I stayed up late because I am enjoying my book and didn't want to stop. Christine -- you read too many "unhappy" books for my constitution. (I'm a sissy.) Did you just finish the Lemon Cake book? You didn't rate it, so was it bad weird? It's on my tbr pile, so I'll check out what you have to say once you are awake.

[[deleted user]]

Gundula, Yes I did! Ugh! And Jeannette, it was indeed the lemon cake book. I haven't rated it because I'm still deciding. It started off so good, and then it got so...freakishly strange? Also, I initially was okay with the author's lack of quotation marks (most of the book is dialogue, but there are no quotation marks used ever), but then it just became confusing because it was written in first person. I kept stopping and thinking, "Did she think that or did she say it?"

I'm trying to write a blog review, but I feel like my book blog has become a b*tch about books blog.

[Manybooks]

Christine wrote: "Gundula, Yes I did! Ugh! And Jeannette, it was indeed the lemon cake book. I haven't rated it because I'm still deciding. It started off so good, and then it got so...freakishly strange? Also, I ..."

Sometimes I hate when that happens, if the book is too strange and the dreams too freaky, but I've also had dreams about books that were wonderful. When I was reading the "Outlander" series, I had wonderfully exciting historical dreams that felt like a novel in themselves, but I've also had dreams about books that were weird and nightmare-like; I know I should not read certain types of books or watch certain types of movies before I go to bed, but I don't listen to the voice inside of me who says so.

[[deleted user]]

Well, there is one book to take off of my list. Too bad it turned out that way. I love the title.

I don't remember having dreams from books, at least not anymore. When I was young I would be frightened by books and movies, but now I don't watch anything frightening. Like I said, I'm a big chicken now!

[[deleted user]]

I posted my review on my blog. I feel mean. I hate being mean to books, especially ones with cake on them.

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "I posted my review on my blog. I feel mean. I hate being mean to books, especially ones with cake on them."

Oh, well, I hope the author doesn't follow your blog! :)

The kids okay? I hope they having fun at school -- or will soon!

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote:

Oh, well, I hope the author doesn't follow your blog! :)
"

Me too! Haha! But I'm pretty sure that nobody reads it but me. However, the time that Anita Diamant commented on my review of her's, I almost passed out.

[[deleted user]]

I read the review. It sounded more sad than b*tchy. At least your reviews are honest. Some of these reviews on blogs are just gushing, 5-star, love-fests for skunky books. You really wonder sometimes.

[Kathy]

Christine, sorry the lemon cake book was such a lemon (sorry, someone had to say it). I won't worry about getting to that one anytime soon now. I am still stuck in Agatha Raisin land, the series by M.C. Beaton. I haven't even gotten to Mockingjay yet, and I was complaining about Amazon being slow to deliver it.

Gundula, my son who is a philosophy major needs to take German, couldn't get in the class this semester (maybe he'll listen to me and register for his classes early next time). They suggest he take either German or French because those are the languages most often used by major philosophers of yesteryear. His favorite professor spends time in Germany each year, so my son has opted for the German. I may be asking your advice next semester on tips for him. My son actually has all of his philosophy courses in and should have already taken the German, but, again, he needs to listen to his mother better. LOL!

[Manybooks]

Kathy wrote: "Christine, sorry the lemon cake book was such a lemon (sorry, someone had to say it). I won't worry about getting to that one anytime soon now. I am still stuck in Agatha Raisin land, the series ..."

Kathy, does your son's university offer a course in German for reading knowledge? It is sometimes better for someone like your son, who needs to learn how to read German for his studies (like philosophy) to take a course on how to read and write the language, because many of the main-stream German courses focus more on verbal communication and less on rapid vocabulary learning, reading and writing (they do do that, of course, but specific reading course usually focus on that). Maybe your son should approach the German department at his university and see if such a course is being offered or if there is a chance of him being able to take a "reading course" (which is usually a course specifically geared to one or a few students' needs). Also, there are a few rather good books on learning to read German available on Amazon, one I know about is called German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German. German for Reading Knowledge looks good as well, but I have not used it or read it (although it is on my to-red list).

[[deleted user]]

Good morning everyone!

Fall has arrived here in Iowa. It was in the 50's when I got up this morning. We are expecting lovely weather for the Labor Day weekend. We'll be doing some yard work and maybe heading down to Des Moines. That's pretty much all the excitement we'll get this weekend! ;)

Hope some of you have more interesting things planned. Have a fun day! :)

[[deleted user]]

I am loving this cool weather today! Finally I can open the windows. The cats are freaking out running from window to window, haha!

Jeannette, I am going to have to look up how far we actually are from each other. It would be so fun to see you.

[[deleted user]]

According to mapquest: 5h 21m. We should meet up in Davenport someday! That's the biggest metro area in the middle. I bet they have cupcakes in Davenport! :D

[[deleted user]]

Are you sure it's 5h 21 minutes and not 5h 20 minutes?
That may be the deal breaker for me.

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "Are you sure it's 5h 21 minutes and not 5h 20 minutes?
That may be the deal breaker for me."

Fine. I'll fess up. I think it is 2h 28m from Ames to Davenport, and 2h 29m from Geneva to Davenport! What a baby!! ;P I'll buy the first round of cupcakes just to make up for it, okay? xoxo

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: What a baby!! ;P I'll buy the first round of cupcakes just to make up for it, okay?"

Interesting how you picked a location closer to you....hahaha!!!!

[[deleted user]]

You are too funny!! But, I am still only buying the first round!

[Kathy]

Wow, Gundula! Thanks for all the great information. I plan to check out the books you listed and pass on to my son. Also, I will tell him about checking on the read only courses. Great suggestions!

Wasn't I just complaining about how hot it was? I was delighted that when I went out to a couple of garage sales this morning, it was actually chilly. Yay!

Hubby in for the long weekend. Should be nice.

[Manybooks]

Kathy wrote: "Wow, Gundula! Thanks for all the great information. I plan to check out the books you listed and pass on to my son. Also, I will tell him about checking on the read only courses. Great suggesti..."

I'm not sure wether your son's university will have courses like this, but it's worthwhile checking out, especially if he primarily needs to learn how to read German. And, by the way, most of these reading-type courses do teach a rudimentary pronunciation of German (at least, I always did when I had to teach a course like that), it's just that the main focus is on reading, vocabulary, how to translate, basically what you need for academic work.

I hope it gets chilly for us, as well. This last week was another heatwave, with stinking hot temperatures and smog warnings.

[[deleted user]]

Hi everybody! Sunny and cool here today as well, but we are having a farewell to summer party tomorrow: poolside lunch at a friends' house.

Weather has changed a lot... I remember one of the first vacations my then boyfriend (now husband) and I took together (20 years ago). Last weekend of September/first of October... we went to the island of Ponza and had a lovely warm swim. Can't do that any longer. Gets too cold and stormy by the middle of September.



http://www.romecentral.com/weekend_ro...

[[deleted user]]

Hi Hayes! Good morning everyone!

I think I'll be taking the kids to the orchard tomorrow to do apple picking. They have good varieties right now. I love having tons of fresh apples.

Hayes, the party sounds fun! Have a good time tomorrow!

[[deleted user]]

Good morning everyone! Nice and cool here, too; 54 according to the internet weather. Fall temps for sure. We are heading to Des Moines to do some window shopping in a little artsy neighborhood called Valley Junction. We haven't been there in a while.

The apple orchard sounds good to me, too. Fresh cider and warm donuts! yum

The beach is gorgeous. Even without the swim I would still go there. Enjoy your lunch by the pool, Hayes.

Have a happy holiday weekend everyone in the US! :)

[[deleted user]]

Yeah...donuts! I forgot they'll have donuts. Have fun artsy window shopping. :)

[[deleted user]]

How could you forget those little cinnamon sugar donuts? The orchard near my brother's house made them on-site. Cold cider and warm donuts. Now I want to go to an orchard, too. Well, it is a 3-day weekend and I'm sick of being in the house! I'm going to go for my morning walk now.... See ya! (in Davenport)

[Kathy]

The farmers' market yesterday was amazing! I got peaches, a watermelon, butternut squash, and green peppers in the produce dept. And, then there were baked goods of which I bought wheat dinner rolls, banana bread, and small sample loaves of zucchini (will get the large loaf next time), apple crunch, and banana nut. Oh, and I threw in a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies for me and a jar of sweet pickled baby beets for me. I, also, found some great toys at garage sales for the baby, and I bought a small solid wood table ($2) and a couple of old wood Coke crates ($5 a piece). And to top it all off, my husband decided that he wanted to go visit our daughter, her husband, and granddaughters to take them their peaches and watermelon. And the weather is wonderful here now. A very nice day indeed!

Christine, trips to the apple orchards are great. Hayes, what a nice idea for a party, goodbye to summer. I hope you all had a fun time. Jeannette, the artsy window shopping sounds like my kind of activity. Hope you enjoyed it.

[[deleted user]]

Wow Kathy! What a lovely way to spend a Fall Saturday! Yummy food, great bargains and sharing with family. I think your husband needs to come home soon for good. :)

We enjoyed our trip very much. We browsed gift and antique stores and we found a few fun trinkets, too. We went out for tea and cookies and ended our day with a big shopping trip at Target. We always seem to spend too much at Target! lol

The weather is holding up nicely, so I hope we'll get outside to enjoy it some more.

Enjoy the rest of the day everyone!

[[deleted user]]

We had a gorgeous day poolside. The weather really cooperated. We might just sneak another one in if it doesn't rain all through the week, as the forecasts predict. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[[deleted user]]

Hayes wrote: "We had a gorgeous day poolside. The weather really cooperated. We might just sneak another one in if it doesn't rain all through the week, as the forecasts predict. I'll keep my fingers crossed."

Glad to hear it Hayes! :)

[Kathy]

It's so nice to hear about everyone enjoying their weekend!

[[deleted user]]

I'll say good night since I missed the morning. We did go apple picking today. We picked a 1/2 peck of Jonamac, and a peck of Cortland. Then of course we got apple cider donuts, cider, caramel apple stuff, and a few other treats for the kids. Basically all I've had to eat today is orchard stuff (love that!).

Kathy, Your trip to the farmers' market sounds awesome! Glad to hear that Hayes had a great party, and also that Miss Jeannette enjoyed her day. :)
That reminds me, I have to go to Target tomorrow. I need like 4 things, but I'm sure I'll get a lot more.

I'm off to read some more of my book....

[[deleted user]]

Good night, Christine! I had a list for Target -- that's a joke! ;) I'm glad you got some donuts, too.

My husband wants me to bake him an apple cake tomorrow.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Hi everyone, sorry I've been so quiet lately. I love you all and have been reading all your posts.

We have spent every waking moment in the last couple of weeks house hunting and then dealing with the aftermath. We did find a house in another city but it got a little complicated (a wonky house inspection and a senile agent for the vendor) so I've been slightly stressed. The latest bump in the road has been that our landlord doesn't want to let us break the lease so I've been cleaning, showing our apartment to bunches of strangers all weekend and trying to prevent my daughter from freaking out because I've been too busy to give her much attention. Anyways, that is the abbrieviated version. It's lovely to hear about all your pre-fall activities, apple picking, garage saling, donut and cupcake craving etc.

Hugs to you all!

[Lisa]

Hey Lee. I hope you get a tenant asap and see the end to the glitches!

[[deleted user]]

Be brave Lee! As if moving and buying a house isn't stressful enough....

xoxo

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Thanks girls! I'm trying to take it one task at a time and one day at a time but my brain tends to race ahead. I can't get it to shut up.

[[deleted user]]

Lee,
Moving and showing property are so consuming, I feel for you! I really hope that everything goes quickly and smoothly for you. Those estate agents can be a nightmare to deal with too, yikes!!! Hugs!

[[deleted user]]

Oh Lee! House hunting, moving, and all the trimmings! So stressful indeed. Good luck with everything!

[Kathy]

Lee, let me add my wishes for a speedy and smooth tenant finding and house hunting. Very stressful stuff. Keep us updated on it all.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Thanks ladies, you are all so sweet! Reading all your posts cheers me up every day even if I'm not feeling so chatty myself. I'll try and pop in here every now and again so you know I'm not dead - LOL! And you know you can always PM me if you need anything.

[[deleted user]]

Good morning .

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "Good morning ."

Me, too! Allergy season?

[Kathy]

I have my yearly check-up with my GYN today and am not looking forward to it. He's the one who smugly told me that people usually gain back the weight they lose (this was when I had lost quite a bit). Now that I have actually gained back about half of the weight I lost, I am dreading seeing him. He mighty not say anything, but I know he will be thinking, "I told you so." I'm not obese or anything, but I am definitely much heavier than I want to be. Arghhhhhhhhhhh!

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "Christine wrote: "Good morning ."

Me, too! Allergy season?"

Sick...again. I figured that this might happen since we are having our first blast of the public schools in years. Emma brought this one home for the weekend. It's another basic head cold.

Kathy, Don't let him guilt you. If he's mean to you then let me know and I'll sneeze on him.

[[deleted user]]

Kathy wrote: "I have my yearly check-up with my GYN today and am not looking forward to it. He's the one who smugly told me that people usually gain back the weight they lose (this was when I had lost quite a b..."

How about a nice lady doctor, Kathy? I mean, I prefer going to a doctor who actually owns the equipment she's checking, as opposed to a visitor, so to speak. ;-)

[[deleted user]]

Hayes wrote: I prefer going to a doctor who actually owns the equipment she's checking"

Hahaha!!! Hayes, Don't do that! When I start laughing I get one of those non-stop coughs.

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "When I start laughing I get one of those non-stop coughs."

That's the same cough I've got this week. My sympathies... it's awful!

[[deleted user]]

I like that description, Hayes. :)

I was at my gyn today to get a re-check on my blood pressure. Guess what? I do have white coat syndrome. My blood pressure is in "stroke zone" just driving to her office.

Kathy, don't feel bad! Is the doctor Mr. Universe or something? Hayes is right -- find someone who doesn't make you feel bad about yourself.

[Kathy]

You ladies always make me feel better. Thanks. Hayes, I like your thinking. I do feel that a female GYN would be better, but it's just that I've gone to this guy (he delivered both my kids) and his father before him (his father at least had a sense of humor) since I was 22, and I guess it's a hard habit to break. Also, changing doctors here is a big ordeal, as so many aren't taking new patients. Jeannette, he is definitely not Mr. Universe, but he is skinny. Christine, get your sneeze ready.

[[deleted user]]

I had something nice happen to me today. I went to my usual volunteer gig at the CSA, so I only took my little wallet with driver's lic., library card, and 10 bucks -- just the essentials. So, I stop to get milk afterward and you know how it goes, I pick up a few extras. Then I discover I don't have my ATM card and the ten bucks isn't enough (I needed 23). So, embarrassed and all that I was, some young lady offered to take my 10 bucks and pay for the rest! I was stunned (and I refused)! It was so nice and these students can't be rolling in the dough! I just hadn't expected it and I might have accepted a dollar, just to be polite, but I couldn't expect her to give me $13. Still, it was very thoughtful and very very nice! :)