flight paths discussion

Finally after much fiddling i found a way to start this thread for the new year
Hope you all are feeling fresh and ready for a better one!

And i finally got into the Manual for cleaning women. My mistake was to start with the forward and prologue. Really, the stories are more welcoming.
I have also just begun Songs for the Cold of Heart. It may take all week but it has a great start.

May the reading angels smile on our choices!

I recently finished The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

Did anybody read it? I'm interested to discuss the themes... if the book was about the relentless pursuit of something more? Or am I reading too much into it.

Good morning! First day back at work. 16 working days left. That seems surreal.

I'm reading Out by Natsuo Kirino. It's so very good. It's written so that the reader knows all but the characters don't. That adds a lot of suspense and "oh, no!" moments. This is a murder drama that is very different from the North American style. I'm liking it. The book is also very subtle in how a murder changes a person, even without their knowing it.
I'm really enjoying this book.

Next up is The Orenda for a group read in one of my GR groups. I am looking forward to starting that one by the weekend.

Happy New Year everyone!

It's my first day back at work after Xmas break and my first day in 2019 without coffee. Oh man. I got this!

@Shannon, I have The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock on hold at the library, so I'll let you know!

I paused a bunch of books that I had on hold at the library over Xmas break, so I predict a busy January of reading!

I'm currently reading All Over Creation.

@Petra: I really liked Out. The Orenda looks interesting.

@Megan: Happy New Year! Congratulations on the coffee. I can't imagine giving it up so good for you.

I'm finishing Jayber Crow--one of my favorite books of all time I think. I love it so much. The writing is breathtaking and Jaybe himself so sweet and vulnerable and such a mystic (in his way). I love Wendell Berry's poetry and this book shows his talent as a poet.

I'm just beginning Evening in Paradise: More Stories. This is a great week for me: I also love Lucia Berlin. She's such a wonderful writer, warm and funny. Like listening to a great storyteller.

Magdelanye wrote: "Finally after much fiddling i found a way to start this thread for the new year
Hope you all are feeling fresh and ready for a better one!

And i finally got into the Manual for cleaning women. My ..."

I loved Manual for Cleaning Women! I'm now reading her collection of stories, Evening in Paradise, which so far is lovely.

Happy New Year from around 5 to 9 hours in the future !

Somewhere between 8 and 847 working days until retirement !

Alternating between space Orson Scott Card with The Swarm and medieval england
C.J. Sansom with Tombland.

Ice wrote: "Happy New Year from around 5 to 9 hours in the future !

Somewhere between 8 and 847 working days until retirement !

Alternating between space Orson Scott Card with [book:The Swarm|26..."

I hope your retirement (when it comes) is wonderful. That's a big range! I have 6 months.

Wow Petra 2 weeks and you can reclaim your lifes structure. Retirement seems to be a big theme for this year.

Trying to be brief, to remember everything I've just read...Shannon i looked up The Mermaid book and see you only gave 3 stars. Worth pursuing?

Megan, giving up coffee and white suger was definitely one of the best things ive ever done. Find other beverages to love! I live green tea chai and i also make a tea from various roots and barks that is delicious and beneficial to my health.
you will soon be happy with you decision.

Ellie i know you love Manuel for cleaning ladies thats why i was so happy to find it. its not like i imagined, the endings so often hurtful

@Magdelanye - that's a tough question to answer. I didn't love it, obv. That said, I'd like to discuss it with someone to see if it was a fairytale-like parable around being unsatisfied in life OR if it was just a quirky period piece with a bizarre almost supernatural mermaid in it. I really don't know. I'm leaning toward the latter.

I would say it's a rental... (library loan) and not a purchase. That way you can bail if you're not feeling it.

hmm..re the mermaid book, even its just a quirky period piece, if you can see a parable, bonus.

Struggling a bit with songs for the cold. some of it is very engaging but just when im most involved in the story it veers off into some fold, so many characters and none of them that i can relate to.

More luck with Lucia. Im warming up to her and enjoying her casual blunt style

Thanks to MaryAnne i persevered with Songs for the Cold of Heart when i almost gave up around p156. Now totally engrossed and amazed at this major accomplishment and enjoying very much.

Also pecking away at the Manual for cleaning women. It was disconcerting to pick it up the other day, just after reading in Songs... about the abortion attempt, to read a story with the same theme. In fact, i think I've already conflated the two.

Thinking that the silence here reflects everyone hunkering down with good book. This morning i finished World Without Mind and very much appreciate his endorsement of the activity of private reading away from screens.
This is one of the better books on tech culture that ive read.

Counting down, one week until Petra is officially retired. Ellie, hang in and appreciate your last months. Ice too ⚘

12 more get-ups (but who's counting?)!

We had a quiet weekend. It was so nice to just hang out together.

I finished reading Out by Natsuo Kirino. I was engaged with every page. It's a very dark Noir story.

Ladies, so many of you are about to have a huge life transition with retirement. What are the big plans for everyone?

I'm working for 25-30 more years, so I'll hold down the fort! :)

I'm doing pretty well with no coffee. I am drinking it on the weekends but weekdays I'm off.

I'm currently reading Vi and have The Perfume Collector waiting for me.

what do you do approaching the end of a whopper book? I stall, like coming here. MaryAnne, if it werent for you i might not have perservered.
Petra I looked your noir, sounds very dark indeed.

are you including weekeds in your get-ups count?

Encouragement to Megan who should be starting to feel the benefits of drinking less coffee.
i didnt realize how young you are, sure hope the planet makes it through the rough transition.

Its been snowing here all day just turning to sleet. Im going to hunker down and see how Eric Dupont manages to bring all the loose threads together.

It's always great to log on and see posts here. I so enjoy hearing what you're all doing and reading.

No, weekends aren't counted. My last early morning (5am) get-up is January 23rd. That's a Wednesday. It just worked out that way.
I'm feeling a bit odd about it all. I'm finishing tasks, training others to do portions of my job, encouraging my staff, etc but not starting new projects that I can see need doing or making meeting plans, etc.
It's an odd place to be.
I'll feel okay about it on January 24th, I think. When this in-between life is over.

Out is dark but very readable. It manages to make the 4 women sympathetic and likeable. It even made the really bd guy seem sympathetic. It's a very well written book.

Megan, good luck on your coffee ban. I am rooting for you all the way. Have you given it up for good? Or for January? Either way, that takes determination.

Enjoy a cozy evening at home on a snowy evening, Magdelanye. I'm hoping snow holds off until the 24th. Driving is horrific when it snows.

Thanks everyone! The coffee ban is going well. I'm just drinking it on Sat/Sun now, so it's basically like having a treat.
Petra, I'm hoping it will be permanent. I've tried about 5 different times before and actually when I had my son he got sick every time I had coffee, but once I went back to work I went back to drinking it.

@Petra, the 24th is coming up so fast!

@Magdelanye, I'll take that as a compliment. I hope my reading choices make me come across a bit wiser than I maybe actually am. :)

at last I have found a computer I can access occasionally. It may be a little while before I can get my laptop fixed and i have gotten somewhat more used to the fone but it sure is nice to have a keyboard and the ability to jump around a bit.

Megan, I meant it as a compliment!
Petra and Ellie, our potential elders, with you!
MaryAnne, are you out of reach. I have been waiting to discuss Songs for the Cold of Heart. I agree, this is pretty much a must read.

So the Canada reads longlist is out. I was less than thrilled because I,ve read many and familiar with most. In fact, when the announcement came, I was reading a book that is on it, An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim. It has some intriguing bits in it and is a lot better than company town. She also is very pretty and personable, I think she will make it to short list.

Ice and Ellie, forgive me if you are drawing a blank on Canada reads. It's a Canadian fetish ;-)

Now I am finally getting to The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. Anyone else here a fan? I think he is just brilliant and I am reading everything he's written as I can get my hands on.

Am also reading a few stories every day from the A Manual for Cleaning Women and by now I am in. Not love at first read but a steady growing admiration.

May the sun shine on us all!

Hello everyone. I have had company recently visiting so my time was not my own.
I gave up coffee in Dec thinking that waiting until Jan would be harder. I am drinking puerh tea and having root coffee as substitutes.
I am not thrilled with the long-list Canada Reads but decided a few years ago to no bother with it as it is less about literature than about entertainment.
I am reading The Last Unicorn as a clearing out of my emotions from the hard topic in The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between that is well written and thought provoking about surviving the political imprisonment of family members.

I’m also underwhelmed by the Canada reads long list. I saw Candy Palmater speak and I asked her about being in Canada reads and she didn’t have very many nice things to say about the process or the event itself. It’s definitely for entertainment and not about literature.

I’ll keep my eye on the short list but I won’t be going out of my way.

Mary Anne a coffee free friend! 💕💕

hey Megan, in case you missed the detail, i gave up my addiction to coffee probably before you were born!
i believe ive given it here on flight paths somewhere, but it is pertinent now so ill list my morning tea/coffee substitute which i brew in a clay pot from Chinatown every 5 or 6 days. The other mornings i just heat up a cup and add honey and lemon.
the amounts are proportional and even the ingredients can be altered. Must have
SLIPPERY ELM BARK
( the powder is hard to work with)
Sarsaparilla: 1/4 the amount
Marshmallow root
Angelica root
Licorice root
star anise...1 or 2
add boiling water and simmer for as long as you like. Kept cool in glass or crock.
Wild cherry bark can be
added for coughs, and other compatible roots and barks for specific effects.
of course you could drink this any time but its best taken on an empty stomach so voila, tastier than coffee.
To justify putting this here and not in a more appropriate thread i will say that i am usually reading when i drink it!

right now though i have a cup of green tea chai on the go with soya milk and ginger tea is my other staple. Really, coffee is not a treat.

So wow Megan you saw the great CP in person! was your question from the audience or did you get some personal moments? i have no doubt she would have negative things to say about Can Reads, they really ganged up on her.
It does appear, from what ive noticed, that its a tactic to try to get the best book out of the way early. The Break was by far the best book of the bunch i remember.
I do wonder how many people read that awful book that won that year, how many liked it and how many didnt, and if it will be remembered at all.

Its starting to be night now...am i looking forward to lingering sunsets and brighter mornings.
peace and cheer

sorry! forgot to include rosehips in morning tea recipe. I use a lot for the vitamin c

@magdalyne thanks for the tea recipe! I’ll have to make it 💕

Magdelanye wrote: "Thanks to MaryAnne i persevered with Songs for the Cold of Heart when i almost gave up around p156. Now totally engrossed and amazed at this major accomplishment and enjoying very much.

Also pecki..."

I am reading Songs for the Cold of Heart right now and I'm beginning to resent things I have to do that are taking me away from this book, like work, job applications, eating, sleeping, etc. Dupont's storytelling is mildly addictive. (That is not a complaint.) :)

Petra wrote: "It's always great to log on and see posts here. I so enjoy hearing what you're all doing and reading.

No, weekends aren't counted. My last early morning (5am) get-up is January 23rd. That's a Wed..."

For some reason I'm not getting any notifications from this group. So odd.

But Petra, how wonderful to be so close to the end (even closer now that I'm writing this--practically here!). I can't wait to be in that position. It feels like forever away but it's just 5 1/2 months. But I'm living vicariously through you.

Magdelanye wrote: "at last I have found a computer I can access occasionally. It may be a little while before I can get my laptop fixed and i have gotten somewhat more used to the fone but it sure is nice to have a k..."

I think I like the idea of being an elder. But I'd like almost anything that meant I could retire!

I have the Echo Maker on the desk right in front of me! I find Powers challenging but, yes, brilliant. When I'm no longer doing lesson plans I'll be devouring him. Sadly, right now I don't seem to be able to concentrate on reading very well although I am reading a collection of wonderful poems by Lucie Brock-Broido titled Stay, Illusion: Poems and another (so far) excellent book on public education and the reform movement, After the Education Wars: How Smart Schools Upend the Business of Reform. I wonder if I'll be as obsessed with the survival of public education after I retire. I sort of hope I will.

Ellie, Definately Powers needs to be read with full concentration and you are wise to postpone the pleasure. He certainly packs a lot in and his insight is astonishing at times. I have his latest waiting for me...a bit intimidating in size but i cant wait to read it.

In fact, i have a delicious line up that will take me through the next month or so. Just now I ve started Elif Shafeks earliest hit, The Bastard of Istanbul. Has anyone from this group picked up on her yet?

And O Ellie I am loving Lucia B by now. I cant remember who in the group ( bad moderator!) loves short stories and who not so much, but these are outstanding.

Petra i hope you are relishing your last week.
MaryAnne hope to see you for a more relaxed visit in a couple of weeks.
Megan May coffee be truly over for you!
And Natasha, hope you found the time and space to gobble up the rest of Songs.... the rest of you need- to-read, i think MaryAnne agrees
Ice maybe not, it might be too rambling for your taste, but it is permeated with mystery.

its been bitterly cold these last few days but the sun has been doing its best to shine through the coastal fog so, beautiful relief from the rain. May everyone be safe and warm!

Magdelanye wrote: "Ellie, Definately Powers needs to be read with full concentration and you are wise to postpone the pleasure. He certainly packs a lot in and his insight is astonishing at times. I have his latest w..."

Magdelanye, I forgot to write, I love your recipe for tea. Can't wait to try it.

It's cold here but not like it sounds where you are. Soon to be snow. So annoying here; it just messes up traffic and they almost never close the schools!

Elif Shafak sounds interesting. It's on my list. My list keeps growing longer while my time /concentration for reading grows shorter! I'm taking another intensive poetry workshop (online) starting next week. I'm very excited although it's going to be difficult to make time for writing. But I'm determined and I've done it in the past!

Petra, I'm thinking of you: just a few more days! I can't wait to hear the reports from the other side. :)

Good morning!
I still can't believe that in a week I won't be going to work. It's very surreal. I'm at that point, at work, where I am feeling a little bit redundant. I'm finishing off the last few projects, I've passed on as much information as I can think of, I've assigned projects I cannot finish and I can't start anything new. It's a strange feeling.

Ellie, I will tell you all about the other side. I'm excited for you, too. Five months will pass quickly.

I have The Bastard of Istanbul sitting on my bookshelf. It's been there for years now and I have not yet read it. Looks like I should pull it out soon.

We've had all the sunshine, Magdelanye. Sorry about that. We should have shared more with you up North. :D
Today is raining. I don't think it'll snow in the next week. I hope it holds off until I don't have to drive in it. That's a selfish thought......

I'm in the middle of reading The Orenda and really enjoying it.
When I jog I'm currently listening to Calypso. I find David Sedaris' stories interesting. He has a wonderful perspective on family & relationships. And he's funny to boot. It makes for an entertaining run.

I would not want to give up coffee. I could, I think. If I don't have a cup, I just substitute tea and don't miss the difference. But I enjoy coffee. I almost only drink it in the morning (2 cups); hardly ever in the afternoon.
Meghan, I do stand by your decision to give it up and know you'll be able to make the transition. Magdelanye's tea sounds like a delicious substitute.
My husband recently bought a David's Tea blend called Buddha's Blend. It's white tea with jasmine and hibiscus (I think). It's quite nice.

I hope to start reading more poetry once I'm retired. I'm a poetry newbie and don't even know where to start. I enjoy Rumi and A.E. Housman I know but I'm unfamiliar with so many.

As someone who retired almost 6 years ago now i can say it does give more opportunities for reading but it doesnt seem to reduce the rampant tbr.

I am totally engrossed in the bastard of Istanbul. its not as polished as the other 2 ive read by her but i think its the one to start with.

ive had the orenda in my sights for years.

Ellie good look with your poetry workshop. I would love to do something like that. Right now i have my work cut out for me: a large box beside my bed contains all my poetry folders. i never did send you my chapbook, my bad. still dying to read yours.

And dont you agree Ellie that if Petra likes Rilke theres a whole world of exquisite poetry ready to be discovered. Mary Oliver!
who died this week would be an excellent start.

is today R day at last for Petra? hard for me to keep track of my own days let alone the schedules of others but a celebration is in order today i believe.
Petra, fill us in!

I started a poetry book by a young Canadian woman who writes about her life a widow of a suicide, with kids. Is this her life? or a borrowed theme? i could hardly bear to read on. I felt badly for not liking the poetry more, her language. I froze on it, have not even entered it.
But in it, one of the better poems is called Ice. it begins:
I have lived my life on ice

and ends with these lines:
I am tired
old
I want something solid and slow
like a rocking chair
where i will rest and watch my children
speed away down hills of ice.

Judith Lapadat
Mixed Messages

after posting this i did the research i needed to to discover that the young woman poet did survive the suicide of her husband, raised her kids, now a respected prof at Northern Lights college and a painter. I entered the book as currently reading. i still cant seem to love these poems, but i live the woman who wrote them as a means of coping with such a blow.

@Petra I think today is your last day! I hope it goes well!

I'm in the midst of a sick child, me being sick and a husband with a job change, so it's a bit chaotic in my life right now. I hope things calm down.
I'm still doing well with no coffee, I drink it on Sat/Sun mornings but otherwise nothing. I actually feel a lot better, so I need to remember this when I walk past Starbucks when I'm sleepy.

I've been reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. We're trying to get our house into a boho/minimalist look, so this book is helping us figure out what we need to toss.

@Magdelanye that sounds so depressing. There's so many people leading such hard lives.

Hi everyone!
Yes, today was my last day. I am now home and feeling a bit of a loss. I can't imagine not going back and yet I'm so looking forward to a new life with new adventures. I am sure this feeling of loss will be just for today.

I had a most wonderful retirement party yesterday. People came from both the hospitals that I've worked for. Naturally the current hospital would come and about 20 people from the other hospital came as well.
One was a student I had on my team 2 summers ago. She was a star worker for a student who had not yet finished her schooling; one of the best students I've had in years. She told me that she was unsure of her course choice but after working for the summer, she got a passion for the job and hospital work. She excelled in her second year at school and is now working and doing really well.

The party included several old photos with me in them over the years, a couple of nice speeches (I fell in love with myself...I'm wonderful. LOL!), fruit, cake, pastries, a few gifts. I had a wonderful time catching up with everyone.

Today, I spent the time writing thank you email, going around the hospital saying my good-byes and doing the final sweep of my office to clean it out.

I've been very spoiled indeed.

Now it's time for the next phase.

I haven't been reading anything; just a page or two, here and there. I haven't been running regularly this past week as well. Hopefully, I'll start to get back to both in the next day or two.

Oh @Petra congratulations on your retirement! I hope it is a seamless transition for you. Enjoy every moment. Do you have any immediate plans?

Thank you! I had a marvelous sleep-in this morning.

Natasha, I don't have any immediate plans other than trying to find a new routine of some sort that lets me have a balance of everything. I'm not sure yet what that means.
We are considering a trip at some point this year. We haven't been able to decide on a destination yet. I'd love to drive across Canada at a leisurely pace. That would mean starting in the late Spring, I think, or maybe early Summer. Hubby would like a trip to the Caribbean; he's not particular when that would happen (this year; next year). There's a lot to discuss and think about.

It's all good planning thoughts and a lot of fun.

I checked out carving classes at Lee Valley this morning. There's a carving seminar this Saturday (first come; first in) which will be popular and crowded. There is also a bark carving class in February. I think I'll sign up for that one. I may try for Saturday's seminar but the classroom is small and I suspect I won't get in. But I might try. :D

The weather is starting to clear right now. I hope to get out for a run this afternoon. It's a treat being able to contemplate an outdoor run on a weekday! I usually get home in the dusk when it's too dark to get outside.

wow Petra...im not sure retirement is the right word for all the activities youve got lined up. a cross canada road trip sounds wonderful. Maybe a little trip up the coast as a prequel?

Ellie I hope you are not too jealous to comment :-) Your turn is coming soon. And you too seem to have unlimited energy for the extracurricular Have you started your poetry workshop yet? i have not written a poem this year.

Hope things have eased up for all the patients at home Megan. It certainly makes everything else more difficult.

Starting to feel a little brightening around the edges of the day. Cheers!

@ Magdelanye, jumping back a bit, where do you get all the individual ingredients for your tea? I'm having some trouble sourcing them locally. Thanks! :)

Megan, i get them at Famous Foods in Vancouver. The only one hard to find is the slippery elm bark. I think they will ship. where exactly are you anyways?

Hows retirement coming along Petra?

Magdelanye, I'm still on vacation and that's what it's feeling like so far. :D
I had a sense of loss on Wednesday. It started somewhere on my commute home and lasted until I went to bed. I also crashed on the couch early on Wednesday.
But I felt myself on Thursday morning and have been feeling really relaxed since. Today was very nice and relaxed. We had done our shopping yesterday, so no crowds or snarly driving today.
I went out for a slow run and felt really good. I ran longer than I have in months.... 8.7K!!

I finished every task off at work, passed on as much knowledge as I could with documentation. left a well-trained team. I feel as though I've handed over the torch.

Ellie, I am anxiously waiting for you to join me in retirement. You deserve to lose the stress the system is instilling in you each day.

I never made it to Lee Valley today for the carving seminar. I was drinking my coffee, reading and doing a sudoku puzzle. I can wait until the class in February to start carving.

@Magdelanye I'm in Edmonton. I might have to venture over to China Town on my lunch when it's nice outside and see what I can discover.

Edmonton eh! My home town. Been trying to get back for a visit for years.
The roots and barks in morning tea recipe are not found in chinatown, other than the licorice and star anise which are used in chinese medicine.

Petra You had me in stitches with this 'final report' but i must say im sort of glad you skipped the carving workshop for now and just chilled.

One more story to read in the manual for cleaning women. By now Im besotted with Lucia Berlin and hoping that the collection that Ellie just finished has different ones.

Barreled through Lional Shriver Big Brother. Anyone else a fan?
Finding Vendana Shiva slow going but i found her on you tube and that was totally inspiring.

I really am in a cocoon of sorts here. Only this evening i have found out about current world crises. Very hard to comprehend. It seems JT has totally lost it and that these people playing such high stakes games are completely ruthless. i did listen to the news but had to turn it off.

We have snow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - does not happen often,

roll on the ground laughing ........................

Easy to visualize our Ice Bear rolling around on the snow...
Im glad we had a day of sun! Green stuff pushing out of the earth.
Our first dandelion!

Magdelanye wrote: "Edmonton eh! My home town. Been trying to get back for a visit for years.
The roots and barks in morning tea recipe are not found in chinatown, other than the licorice and star anise which are use..."

I can only take so much of the news these days. While I feel what's happening urgently demands my attention, it's so painful I can't withstand too much at a time!

Petra wrote: "Magdelanye, I'm still on vacation and that's what it's feeling like so far. :D
I had a sense of loss on Wednesday. It started somewhere on my commute home and lasted until I went to bed. I also cr..."

Thanks, Petra. I can hardly wait: each day at work is so difficult and also painful. I've been made a target by one of the more powerful women and it's been awful. What seems so odd is we work with children with special needs, not some big conglomerate, so all the petty politicking and gossip seems so unnecessary. I guess people--some people, anyway--just enjoy those things for their own sake.

Anyway, I look forward to getting away from all that. Some days I feel like I never want to talk to another person again. But then there's always GR and my good friends here at home. So just passing frustrations, I hope.

Good luck with your carving--you're right: stay warm now and carve later!

Magdelanye wrote: "wow Petra...im not sure retirement is the right word for all the activities youve got lined up. a cross canada road trip sounds wonderful. Maybe a little trip up the coast as a prequel?

Ellie I ho..."

I'm not too jealous at all (just been so busy I haven't had a chance to check in!). I'm living vicariously through your experience. And my own turn is not too far away.

I've just started my poetry workshop and am already behind schedule. Between work, my guitar lessons and the poetry, I hardly have time to read (but, of course, I still do: it's like the air I need to breathe).

Anyway, I hope you're loving your retirement. I can't wait to read more about it (as I said, I'm enjoying yours while waiting for my own: a way to keep on going).