Down The Memory Hole

Down the Memory Hole by Bonnie Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When my grandmother begin to do weird things, the family thought she was being deliberately difficult. She argued with the neighbor over a parking spot, when cleaning her house we found money squirreled around the house, and one Thanksgiving she put a damp towel in the oven to catch the turkey drippings.

Trying to explain this to the kids was difficult. There were some books about Alzheimer's disease, but nothing that captured the emotion that Bonnie Turner does in the book Down the Memory Hole.

When his grandfather can no longer care for himself, Buzz finds himself saddled with his grandfather as his new roommate. Buzz resists at first because when his grandfather slips into the "Alzheimer Car", he confuses Buzz for his dead brother Barkley. Buzz decides to use this to see if he can help his grandfather get better.

The book accurately shows the frustration caretakers have when dealing with a person who is slipping away before your eyes. The grandfather rebels by throwing his teeth away and refusing to wear a diaper. Reading this book was like spending a day with my own grandmother.

This short story is a great way to introduce middle school readers to this complex disease.

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To Travel Hopelessly

To Travel Hopelessly by English Teacher X
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the vein of  Dishwasher  and Waiter Rant, To Travel Hopelessly is a story about a young man who bucks convention and takes his BA in English to Thailand to teach English class.

What follows is a humorous story about a guy who is a TEFL (Teacher of English as a Foreign Language) around the world. Armed with some cash and a desire to have fun while he explores the world, "X" finds fun and adventure while he travels the globe.

It's part travelogue, part memoir, and full of drugs and women.

Not as fresh as reading Dishwasher, but an easy read nonetheless.



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Around the Web: About One

Every other week, I find myself puzzled that the calendar proclaims it's Wednesday or Thursday.  Like sand, my time slips by so quickly.

I lose track of my days in a mass of schedule juggling, attempting to fit so much into a little bit of time.  It can be rough trying to make my life fit into bearable pieces.  In the past, I religiously followed the Flylady system to make keeping the house bearable.  Fifteen minutes can make a difference, but fifteen minutes cleaning doesn't help me when I realize I've missed an appointment or I'm late sending a form back.

Ay yi yi!

This summer has seen me my busiest yet.  With The Teen looking at colleges, The Boy attempting to flex his independence, and The Mister in training, I have a purse full of notes that I can't keep track of, but I still seem confuddled.


I've tried various apps and systems in the past, and most have been decent, but not encompassing everything I need.  About One fits this bill.

In an age that has found my pen and pad replaced by my Notes app on my device, it's nice to have an online organizer.  Unfortunately, there isn't an app for the iPhone.  Currently, the only app available is for the Windows Phone.

The most helpful part of this system is the medical form.  As July barrels towards August, the back to school paperwork is beginning to make it's appearance in the mail.  Some of the forms have been delegated to The Teen and it's easy to give her this task now that I can give her a neatly typed list of information about their pediatrician, rather than a hastily scrawled message I jotted on an envelope.  I feel more organized already, and I am teaching my children a lesson in family organization as well!

About One is an easy to use site, the interface streamlined and clear to navigate through.  Keeping in mind that people don't want to have a whole bunch of things to wade through, the site is designed with that in mind.  Unlike to following video, the site doesn't try to be cutesy.  It's straight and to the point.






*****************************DISCLOSURE***********************************


 "I was compensated by AboutOne to review their online organizer. All opinions and text are my own."

Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine if Abraham Lincoln, writer of the Emancipation Proclamation, was not the man you studied all those years ago in history class. Now imagine that by day Lincoln was a sharp newcomer who harbored a double life as a vampire hunter.

This is the story of that very thing.

What made me so annoyed with Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter the movie was that it failed to follow the story that hooked so many readers. The movie as a solo was entertaining, but I has a feeling it got dumbed down to play to a wider audience.

But I digress...

The story was a fresh idea. When he is ya child, Abe sees his mother pay the price for his father's bad business dealings. He then begins to hunt the creature who took her life, and sees that there are many more than he thought existed. One night, an attack goes awry and Abe is saved by Henry, who teaches Abe that not all vampires are alike. Henry helps Abe hone his skills and sends Abe back out armed with a list of vampires and the skills to handle these creatures.

What made the book such a fun read was that the reader was given the option of what conclusions to draw.

The book compared to the movie, was definitely a better bite.




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The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting book about the human psyche. What makes one person a psychopath and one an extreme go getter? Jon Ronson answers this question is this easy to read book. Jon is originally given the assignment to find out the meaning behind a mysterious manuscript received by academics over the world. He then begins to explore the motive behind the manuscript and his search leads him across the world as he tries to narrow down the exact definition of a psychopath. Highly entertaining.

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Bodies in Winter

Bodies in Winter by Robert Knightly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Typical meandering book about rogue cops.

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Foodler

The shift to summer has me off.

I come home from work, do the "How was school?" routine, change clothes, flip through the mail.  I may take a call from my sister, do a bit of door to door (the next election is closer than you think), or just relax by watching my DVR'd Judge Judy all the while warning the kids about the foolishness we witness.

I look up and dang it - It's almost eight and I haven't even looked to see what's for dinner.

TGFF Thank Goodness for Foodler.

Foodler is a new service that allows busy people to place an order online to their specifications, pay by credit card (always a plus) or cash, while choosing between delivery or pick up. Upper Darby is limited to the amount of places that deliver.  Couple that with the torrential rain and it was easy to decide on the only place that delivered, South Style Pizza & Deli.

Foodler is super easy to use.  When placing an order on line you have the choice to customize your order, making it the way *YOU* want.  I can avoid trying to yell over the bustle of the kitchen on the other end, no misunderstandings because I put the order in (translation - if I get the wrong thing, it's likely because I screwed up), and I was able to use the web browser on my Kindle to place an order.

Order placed, I waited for dinner to arrive at my door. And wait I did. My order didn't arrive until an hour and twenty six minutes after I had placed it.  I did miss a call from the restaurant to confirm the order, but once I connected, the young lady on the other end was very cordial.  After we made the connection,  I was told the order would arrive in thirty minutes.  Here I have to add that it seemed to be a bit of a delay in the time I hit send on Foodler to the time I was contacted.  I placed my order at 7:42 PM and didn't get a call for confirmation until 8:01 PM. The food arrived and there was confusion on the driver's part.  I split my payment.  I used a $20.00 Foodler credit (known as Food Bucks) and made up the difference with cash.  South Style Pizza & Deli didn't recognize that I had paid a portion with the credit.  I showed the driver my confirmation receipt and offered to print a copy if necessary.  He took my word for it, and left with a sincere 'thank you" and told me to "have a great night." Acknowledgement of my patronage is always a plus. I really do like Foodler.

Playing around with the Take Out option, my choices opened up:  there are Asian, Mexican, Indian, and Japanese to name a few. I recommend Foodler for those busy people who want to grab a bite to eat without the wait.  If you're like me, you know weekends are busy.  This upcoming Saturday will be another weekend of driving all over, attending activities for the kids and the community, and trying to find a few minutes.  Foodler offers an option to place an order for future pick up.  So if I get a taste for sushi in the morning, I can order dinner between errands an pick it up at a time that fits my schedule.

I can eat around the world without the travelling around the world.  Sweet.

******Disclosure*****

I was compensated to review this business