After stumbling across a 30 Day Journaling Challenge on Twitter (courtesy of @ReeseRyanWrites), I've decided to jump in with a big SMASH. Instead of journaling, I am going to be blogging. Hopefully some of you may join me with either journaling or just jotting down some of thoughts, too.
My little man turned two, not really, but yesterday we had a party for him. And I have to say, the preparation for the party had been pretty crazy. Looking back, not only was the madness of getting things together worth it, I feel so fortunate everything went down the way that it did. The company, the day, weather and everything else was picture perfect.
We are so fortunate to have close family and friends who
care about our children as much or more than we do. It meant the world
to Kim and I to have people come from as far as Puerto Rico and all over
New England just to celebrate Jackie's second birthday. That kind of
personal sacrifice to spend a beautiful Saturday at a baby party did not
go unnoticed. Kim and I really appreciated it.
Take a look below at the video that was playing at the
party. The pictures show a small snap shot of Jackie's second year of
life. Because his party was before he turned two, I'm adding the
pictures from the party below, too. You should also the songs playing in
the video are Jackie's favorite.
Finally, it's worth noting that Jackie had a
tough time going to sleep. There was excitement bursting from every pore in his body. He finally crashed with trains in his hands and a smile on his face.
In this coming of age tale, we see Tarlan, Elodie, and Algulphus more
often referred to as Gulph fulfill a prophecy. After being whisked into
safety they all have their own harrowing tales of survival. One's a
prisoner in plain sight, another is a glorified gypsy (traveling
minstrel), and another grows up in the frozen wastes of a long forgotten
realm. The story quickly moves along and we are thrown into each
characters POV and where they are in the world.
As Tarlan,
Elodie and Gulph follow their destiny, each has their world turned
upside down. Relax, I won't put in any spoilers. Let's just say the rug
gets pulled out from each of them and their eyes are open to the world
and they are faced to make big decisions that will impact the future of
Toronia.
Overall, I thought Crown of Three
was a good book. It was refreshing to see a thirteen year old actually
act as the gullible thirteen year old that they are. It was even better
to see that they weren't awesome at everything just because they are
fulfilling a prophecy. Too often in children's fantasy novels, the main
characters are experts with the sword, the bow, leading people, they
rarely make mistakes and leave the battlefield unscathed. So it was nice
to see characters struggle, it seemed realistic and it kept me reading.
I
was hoping to use this book as a read aloud for my 4th grade students
in school at the beginning of the year. Reading the jacket the book
seemed like a great way to get the students excited about reading books.
After reading the book from cover to cover, book but I don't think
this would be the best choice. Although the book has challenging
vocabulary for a 4th grader I thought the fact a couple of characters
get decapitated, main characters meet their doom as if George R. R.
Martin was the author, some students may find the story a little too
intense. This would be a better read aloud when we study fantasy later
in the school year and the students have grown up a little more.
Questions I was left with after reading:
-What
are the three realms? Are they Isur (the city of Idilliam is located
within the realm, also the location of castle Tor which the country
Toronia gets its name from), Ritherlee, and Yalasti or Icy Wastes (maybe
this is a barrier keeping people from the mountains called Yalasti)?
Safe to say I was a little confused.
-Was the purpose of some
characters to set the stage for upcoming books? For example, Palenie and
her explanation of her village, Stown and all of his cronies.
-How
do people know about legends (magicians) and mythical beasts (tigrons
and thorrods)? Should the reader know about these things too? I felt
like I was missing out on something.
Pros
- world building
- good pace
- 13 year olds act like 13 year olds
- incredible cover art
Cons
- background knowledge for the reader
- chapter titles needed character names to show POV we'd be reading from
-
no map, it would have been a great help for 9-13 year olds to have
something to refer back to since three characters are off in the
different and often confusing realms of Toronia.
I've recently read the book Hoop Dreams Fulfilled: An Athlete's Failures and Redemption on His Journey to Professional Basketball by Tyson Hartnett. Take a few minutes to read the review below, watch the trailer and check out Tyson's website. Any athlete who has felt that all odds were against them will be able to relate.
Hoop Dreams Fulfilled: An Athlete's Failures and Redemption on His Journey to Professional Basketball
by Tyson Hartnett
It is impossible to read this book and ignore how your
passion shaped your life. Whether you’re passionate about golf, sewing,
reading, drawing, gardening, scrap booking or collecting cats, this book will
resonate with you. This authentic account brings you through: Tyson the Boy,
Tyson the Young Man, Tyson College Athlete, Tyson the Lost, and Tyson the
Professional.
After reading this account of Tyson, I’ve come to realize 3
things about myself:
1. I wasn’t alone even when I felt some of those same feelings
in my basketball career,
2. I am truly happy with the decisions I’ve made in life,
and
3. I’d be lost if there was no basketball in my life.
People need to hear and be exposed to Tyson’s story. It’s
great being recognized by your family and peers for something you've put your whole
heart and soul into. It feels wonderful being heralded as the best. And nothing
compares to the joy you feel when you know you’re on your way to achieving your
goal.
But what’s the cost?
Tyson showed by committing himself to earning a D1
basketball scholarship he distanced himself from friends because many people
didn’t match his work ethic. Tyson showed the other side of the coin, the
business of athletics. Tyson showed the ugly truth of not living up to someone else’s
expectations. Tyson showed what it’s like not being able to live up to your own
expectations.
Although it was a couple years prior to Tyson, I went through
many of the same basketball camps, AAU tournaments, D1 program and various
agents to get contracts to play basketball overseas. I can say that Tyson’s
account is more than authentic. It’s heart breaking. Reflecting on the book,
Tyson had so many people in his corner to support and assist him achieve his
goals, yet, he seemed utterly alone and unprepared throughout the journey.
When I was reading I couldn’t help but ask my Kindle how could
his parents let all of these bad things happen to him? If Tyson were so
committed, dedicated and focused, why would he do stupid things to jeopardize his
progress towards being a successful basketball player?
Although Tyson didn’t say these words, the point was made
loud and clear. Everyone needs balance. In fact, it was my biggest take away
from reading this gripping account. I want to know where were his parents.
Overall, this book was
interesting and authentic. Would I recommend this book to someone? Of course I
would. Not because I feel like I know Tyson, but because his message is clear. No one is going to hand you anything in life.
You need to out work the person next to you. Grab life by the horns and hold on
because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Be satisfied knowing you gave your best
effort. And above all, good things happen when you work hard, bad things happen
when you don’t.
It's safe to say this book isn't informative, humorous, hilarious or even entertaining. It's all of those things and more. Reading Justin's story was like watching Dumb and Dumber for the first time while laughing and muttering to myself, "Is he seriously going return those magazines?"
To start, we find Justin going home to seek advice from his father before asking his long time girlfriend to marry him. Outside of his father's expletives (for those who don't appreciate those kind of choice words), horrific (at times) accounts of his interactions with women, I felt he was hopeless. I rooted for him, at one point I even silently hoped she'd say, "No," so there would be another book. After all I can relate to his experience about popping the question. What if she says no? What then?
I really did enjoy the book and I'd recommend the book to anyone in need of remembering how awkward it could be to talk to girls in middle school, oh wait, he was awkward through his 20s and so was I.
My goal this summer vacation is to run 100 miles. For some one with my running abilities it may sound like a lot. But, it really isn't. I've got 67 days to do it. In order to hit the goal, I have to run at least a mile and a half everyday.
I've already began running and I have 97.1 miles left. That's right, it says 97.1. Yesterday I ran 1.3 mile loop and today I ran 1.6 loop. Every tenth of a mile counts. Every step counts. My mantra already is, "Put one foot in front of the other." There is no way I am going to short change myself. I simply can't afford to! I guess there are going to be a bunch of trips to Lake Quannapowitt. It's flat and I do flat courses really well. Maybe I should look into getting some new running sneakers to avoid any problems with my feet or legs.
Just the other day I took part in a somber and enlightening experience. My wife's paternal grandfather passed away. It was interesting to witness the different range of emotions. Most people were quieter than they usually were, others were withdrawn and some full of tears. There were a few who were pleased to see Jim/Grandpa Mac be in a better place.
How often do we have an opportunity to tell people how we really feel about them? I watched my father-in-law and his brother talk about their father. With all that they went through, because they grew up in the same house during different eras, they had a much different view of their father from one another. Actually, I know when I heard about the special relationship Jim and Jimmy (son and father) had with each other it made me think the relationship that I have with my own father. The good thing was thinking of my father brought a smile to my face along with uplifting kick start to my mood. As I looked in front of me I saw my parents who'd gone to the funeral although they had only met Jim less than a handful of times. It got me thinking, what did the brothers say to their father before he passed away? Did they ever get a chance to say everything they wanted? Did their dad know and acknowledge what their feelings were? Would I have the opportunity to tell my father how I felt about him? Had I ever told my dad all the things I appreciated about him?
Now some of those questions aren't ever going to be answered but I have realized that even if the brothers never got a chance to say all they wanted to to their father, they haven't truly missed out on the opportunity yet. Just because Jim is gone, he isn't forgotten. I don't remember where I heard this, but I do think it is very fitting. You live on forever through the impact you've left on others.
The brothers who spoke during the funeral service have passed on what they could to their own children about their father. In fact, they passed on a ton of stuff to me about Jim, too. But I couldn't help but think, what did my father pass on to me?
Longwindedness.
As a teacher, I know that longwindednessain'ta word, yet I find myself always telling some long winded story to my students. It usually ends up with me learning something the hard way. All I can think about it when I tell the story is how my father helped me, punished me or supported me through my ordeal. It goes without saying, I feel like I've never had a chance to accurately tell him about the impact he's made on me that I relate to countless others. I know how and why these parables come to be. It is because I see my father everywhere. In the Jaguar driving down the street I can see my father saying, "Now that is my dream car," in his Jamaican accent. Boy, do I wish I was there the day he got his first Jag. I can see him saying, "If my grandfather where here to see what I've become today, he'd be proud."
I hear him, too."If I had known how much this Jaguar would have costed, I would have gotten the X-J8." That's what he told me when I asked him if he was going to buy or return the Jag because the lease was almost up. I've had to explain to my students that I grew up in a house where your best wasn't good enough yesterday and expected tomorrow, but in the moment it falls short of the mark.
I feel the presence of my father when I pick up my son and daughter and hold them tight when they aren't feeling well. Being in a house with my dad and having a sniff, cough, runny nose, itchy eyes and any symptom of ailing health could become a berating death sentence where you felt it was your own fault for getting sick (Did you see how long winded that sentence was?). "Put something on your feet or you'll catch a cold." "Take something for your cough." "Blow your nose." "Did you take something yet?"
Looking back, I think I purposely didn't take anything because I knew I could always count on my dad when the chips fell. In the middle of the night, regardless if my father had to wake up before the birds to get to work on time, my father was there. He never gave me the Monday Morning Quarterback comments of, "I told you so," or "You should have dried your hair before you went outside without a hat on to shovel the snow from the neighbors yard." Instead, he was patient, kind and a stable rock one could only hope was their father. So he saved those comments for the next time I was showing sign of being sick because he was the elephant who never forgot anything that happened under his watch. When my kids aren't feeling up to par, I can only hope to emulate what my father was to me. I hope my kids will know that I love them and I'd do anything to help them get better. But my true hope is that they feel, see and hear their grandfather the way I do. It'll be impossible for me to know if they will or not. In fact, it would be unreasonable for me to expect them to have the same memories that I had. After all, there won't be too many instances where grandpa will be able to nurse them back to health like he did for me, show up to games in the midst of a snow storm or clap the loudest at a band performance (even when I didn't practice as much as he told me I should have). But what will continue to live is my father's impact. I know that this is more of a long winded rambling more than it is one cohesive piece with a message in mind. It sounds a lot like my father. And you know what, that is something that I hope you take with you.
I can't believe it, my father is smiling in a photo!!!
My dad (smiling with pride because of his daughter), Allison (my sister), & Mom
He is may look big, imposing, serious and stern but he has emotions under that facade.
After stumbling across a 30 Day Journaling Challenge on Twitter (courtesy of @ReeseRyanWrites), I've decided to jump in with a big SMASH. Instead of journaling, I am going to be blogging. Hopefully some of you may join me with either journaling or just jotting down some of thoughts, too.
In this coming of age tale, we see Tarlan, Elodie, and Algulphus more
often referred to as Gulph fulfill a prophecy. After being whisked into
safety they all have their own harrowing tales of survival. One's a
prisoner in plain sight, another is a glorified gypsy (traveling
minstrel), and another grows up in the frozen wastes of a long forgotten
realm. The story quickly moves along and we are thrown into each
characters POV and where they are in the world. 
