Well, as you all should know by now I have officially opened Chocolate the Other White Meat on it's own domain name. This will be the last post on blogger. It's been fun but it's time to go now!!! See ya'll over there!!!!
Ok, so this book is not for the weak of heart by any means. It's an interesting look at sex, drugs and the European view of American lifestyles. Everything from why cannabis was villanized and outlawed in the 30s to 9/11 fears and beliefs from a Dutch perspective.
If you are interested in winning your own copy you can do two things, first you can post here for 1 entry and second you can link back to this post on your own bloggy about it. Then come back here and let me know that you did so I can enter you a second time. The winners will be announced on Friday. I have two books, my copy and a copy to give away but as I'm trying to keep my library to a minimum number these days I'll give away both!!!!
So the book review...Visions by Jean Koning is a book about a Dutch artist felt that his own behavior was beginning to mimic the American way of life rather than European. He talks about smoking pot which he has researched exactly why it is that cannabis is illegal in the U.S. and it is very interesting indeed. He also talks about sex and religion.
A profound discussion is included about how he felt about 9/11 and his family. He and his wife and child were flying from London to New York on the 5 year anniversary of 9/11 and had this to say, "There have been enough victims. Worldwide. Let's all just stand up, drop everything we do and start screaming - worldwide - IT HAS BEEN ENOUGH!!!" He believes that the fear that Americans continue to thrive on is ridiculous and needs to stop, the fear that is worldwide now about the terrorists needs to stop.
Overall I enjoyed this book, very interesting look into the life and times of Jean Koning.
Remember to post here for your chance to win a free copy or link back from your blog!!!
I wrote a review on Wednesday about his novella, "Katka" and now today for your reading pleasure I have an interview with him!
Q 1. What made you decide to write a Novella rather than an actual, longer novel?
A. Two reasons, one the story was originally a screenplay that I adapted, and two, and the most important, I don't think people really read anymore. I don't know if the world is suffering through a major phase of ADD, but I feel like more and more people just sit at home and watch TV.
Q 2. Do you plan on writing a sequel?
A. Haha. I never planned on it, but I have been asked that question so many times now, that it crosses my mind, and i've played with a few scenes.
Q 3. What prompted the setting in Prague?
A. I used to live there and it was inspired there.
Q 4. Who is your favorite character in Katka and why?
A. Simona, by far. She is a Tsunami with legs and attitude. But really because she is every guy's dream and nightmare....the list goes on and on.
Q 5. Who was the harder character to write?
A. Wow, i'm not sure about this. Truthfully, no one jumps out. They were all very fun to write.
Q 6. Where did the idea come from for this novella?
A. From waking up one morning in one of the hotels in Prague and getting off on the wrong floor of the elevator,and walking dead smack into a Mail Order Bride Conference!
Q 7. Do you have future plans for more novellas or novels, or do you have a project in the works?
A. Yes, Yes, and Yes. First off, I have two other stories, Suicide Blonde and Four Days in November almost finished. Then I want to publish my first novel, Teaching Pandas to Swim. And lastly, a European Production company has picked up Katka to be made into a movie.
Q 8. When and Why did you begin writing?
A. At a very young age and because my father used to tell me and my brother stories at bedtime every night. I truly feel like my dad had the first Harry Potter stories, but just never wrote them down! Damn! Anyway...i did it because i always loved reading and being able to escape into different worlds or places.
Q 9. What kind of books do you read, are you reading anything interesting right now?
A. I read a lot of Fiction, like Palahniuk, Welsch, Hornsby. And right now i'm rereading The Odyssey by Homer.
Q 10. Do you have anything you want to say to your readers and/or other writers?
A. To writers, just keep writing. At least a page a day. And to readers...keep reading! And thanks for your support.
Thanks to Stephen for your time and I look forward to your upcoming stories and novel! Again, I reviewed Stephen's book on Wednesday, you can check it out here - "Katka" and you can find his book on Amazon.com here "Katka".
I wasn’t sure at first if I would enjoy this book. It’s so short! But not really, it’s 107 pages, so it’s short for me (How long was the last Harry Potter book? Yeah I read that in one day) However, I really enjoyed this book and while Stephen could have stretched it out to a full length novel I was very impressed with his character development of Gavin, Katka and Simona.
The novella is set in Prague, Gavin, an American visiting the city to get away from his troubles in the US has run into this woman, Katka, who he is very attracted to. They wind up together and seemingly in love. However, when they team up with Simona to begin a scam of mail order brides things take a turn. Gavin ends up alone with Simona and decides to keep up the mail order bride business to earn some big money but he wonders if he could ever fix the mistakes he’s made with Katka. I was drawn to this book even though it’s gritty and tough with an undertow of things that some people would never do but greed can make people do crazy things.
Well written and nicely laid out and played out I am giving this book a top rating and can’t wait to read more by Stephen R. Meier.
Check it out at Amazon.com, "Katka" by Stephen R. Meier
So school is finished for me as I’ve said before but did you know I finished with 3 A’s, and 2 B’s? Mhm that’s right! I am so proud of myself!! Now, I had originally begun this journey with the intent to complete an interwoven program between the local tech school and a private 4 year college, however, after talking to a counselor from the 4 year school I have found it will actually be cheaper to be a transfer student with my associate’s degree. So the next two semesters I will be finishing up my associate’s degree at the tech school and then enrolling in the 4 year college to finish my bachelor’s degree in Accounting and go on there to complete my Master’s degree as well. Why? Because then I can take the CPA exam and become a Certified Public Accountant. Doesn’t that sound fancy and fun? Mhm I think so!!! LOL! I am looking at about 3 ½ more years of work but the classes at the 4 year school can be taken online so really if needed I could get a job after I am finished with my associates degree.
Kris started giving guitar lessons again last night. He’s very excited to have students again. I think it’s in his blood to pass on the guitar knowledge he has.
Tomorrow night we are bringing an amazing band to our youth group’s end of the year party. Neviah Nevi (click for their myspace page) is a rocking band with an amazing female vocalist. You remember scream-o metal from the 80s? That’s what this is. Only it’s scream-o metal with messages like “Liberation for these demons, my flesh is warring. His blood is freeing”, and “I will hide beneath your wings til this violent storm is past, I will trust You.” So I am looking forward to hearing them again and I will have a review on Thursday for you about them ;)
I know I haven’t yet posted pics of the softball players in my family so here are a few…
Ciara up to bat, she walked to first, stole second and third (the catchers/pitchers are 10 to 12 years old and some are inexperienced!)
And then here she is running home!
Shyann up to bat, she also walked to first, stole second...
And here she is BARELY beating the ball (yup it's in the 3rd basegirl's glove) this is her version of sliding into 3rd...
I am so proud of them. I don’t have pictures but last week on Thursday they played their little hearts out. Shyann got a hit that brought in two runs and got her to second base and Ciara got a hit that got a run in and got her to first and she tried to steal second but as she said, “I forgot to slide” and she was tagged out but she did amazing because she the more timid of the girls and doesn’t always step out like that.
Now remember I have Chocolate the Other White Meat up and running so please go check it out there. I'm thinking within two weeks or so I'll have an "I've moved" post up.
An amazing new book is out for tweens and teens. “The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape” is a harrowing tale of two girls that live in an orphanage. They are twins who like to cause a bit of trouble here and there but when a woman comes in who wants to adopt only one girl there is uproar and we get to see the tale unfold of Saskia and Sadie Dopple and their friend, Erik Morrissey Ganger, a former thief. Saskia gets adopted by a rich, but slightly strange woman. While we watch as Sadie and Erik escape the orphanage to find Saskia we also watch a tale unfold at the mysterious mansion that Saskia has been whisked off to. As Saskia stumbles on a plot that puts her life at risk and Erik and Sadie have a gang of enemies chasing them, the three all have to make decisions on who to trust and what to believe. The book is written well and has an interesting feature: it contains comic book illustrations of some of the action and adventure! This book will be interesting to both girls and boys because of that feature I think. I had my 10 year old daughter read it and she absolutely loved it. The comic book illustrations amused her and she called the book, “awesome and very exciting” and declared the illustrations to be “very cool.” I enjoyed it as well, so I think that it is a great book for all ages even though it is aimed at youth.
Click here to find “The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape” on Amazon.com
I have a bit more free time these days so I plan on reading some of the great books I have sitting on my shelf. My list currently contains (click the titles for the links): “Following Jesus: a non-religious guidebook for the spiritually hungry”, “I’m Fine with God…It’s Christians I Can’t Stand”, “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”, “Boundaries”, and “A Comedian’s Guide to Theology.” Please let me know if you are interesting in reading my reviews of the books because I’ll gladly post them!! LOL! I have a lot more books on my shelf than that but I’m going to stick to those right now because I have gardening to do and Warcraft to play ;)
Mkay, I finally got it done! We cheated a bit and used GoDaddy's website tonight feature and built Kris' as a premium so when you look at mine you'll see that it actually goes to his page ;). Here's the link - Chocolate the Other White Meat and if you want to check out Kris' site, it's not live yet, but soon and very soon it will be. Check it out ForkSix Productions!
Mkay folks, as soon as I get the bugs worked out of switching everything over to MY OWN DOMAIN NAME I won't be posting here at all ;) So check me out at Chocolate the Other White Meat
My daily devotional today was Job 35 – 37 and I gleaned a lot from it. So I wanted to share, but be aware this is a long post ;)
Job 35.1 – 8 The Elihu said, “Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God.’? For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’ I will answer you and all your friends, too. Look up into the sky, and see the clouds high above you. If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him? If you are good, is this some great gift to him? What could you possibly give him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.”
This is not to say that sinning is fine because it doesn’t affect God but our sins really only hurt us. They do not knock God off the throne when we behave like the world does. So many times the world will say, “oh look, you fell, there is no God”; when really, our sin doesn’t affect His Righteousness at all. On the other hand, our ‘righteousness’ does not affect Him much either. Isaiah tells us in verse 6 of chapter 64 “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” So what good do filthy rags do for God? Nothing. We are only saved by grace and redeemed by His mercy. Elihu is pointing out to Job that regardless of how ‘good’ or how righteous Job may feel he has been, it does not affect God in His infinite wisdom.
Job 36.5 “God is might, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.”
Job 36.16 – 17 “God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food. But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.”
We’ve all heard, ‘love the sinner, but hate the sin.’ But who can say they have truly lived that way? God can. He hates no one, but He does hate sin. That should be our goal as well. How much do you have to hate someone to attack and accuse them for not walking in harmony with God rather than telling the way to salvation? How often do we want to just write people off because they are so far away from God? We should look at the people who are living in the world and see two things: 1. What to NOT do, what traps to NOT fall into. 2. People who need the love of Christ.
Finally, in regards to unanswered prayer and/or suffering in our lives that we do not understand and cannot comprehend:
Job 37.13 – 18 “He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love. Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still, he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?”
Job 37.20a “Should God be notified that I want to speak?”
When we are at our lowest, we can question God, wonder why He does not seem to be there. But if we look we will find Him, we will find that His love is enough for whatever we are walking thru and even though we do not understand it He has a plan. Jeremiah 29.11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
So I was perusing my options for a new Pay Per Post opportunity and I came across an interesting website! This is a paid advertisement however, I am very excited about this one. I found web site hosting to be a neat site that rates and reviews various hosting sites. It has Best Hosting Awards each year including awards for "Best Budget Web Hosting", "Best Blog Web Hosting" and "Best Windows Web Hosting" along with a slew of other opportunities!
Now, all of you know that I have been toying with the idea of my own blog site, along with setting up a website for my husband and I feel that this website is going to help me out with some ideas of where to turn to find just what we need for ourselves. These aren't web hosting sites that are obscure and questionable, one of them featured at #9 of their Top Web Hosting of 2009 is GoDaddy.com and we've all heard of them!
I also enjoyed their blog (click blog for link). With articles such as Web Hosting at Risk: Are You? and Factors to Consider for E-commerce Hosting, web site hosting is the site that has the information you need to set out on your web hosting search.
Again, this is a paid advertisement.
Earn Cash with WidgetBucks -
