No reason for the odd title. Just seemed like fun!
Lately I’ve been giving myself a mental kick in the bum about not finishing books that I start. I have two books that I began reading while pregnant with Jimmy 2 years ago. Each of these books have been brought out once a year, an effort at finishing them made, and then the book put back on the shelf. This time will be different! I know I don’t need to be so harsh on myself, but I feel a little like the girl who begged her mom for piano lessons and then wanted to quit the second day. I am going to finish what I started! If you’ve read either of these and have some great insight on why I should persevere to the end, I’d appreciate it. Or, if you’re in need of a read and want to pick up your own copy and encourage me along the way, feel free (if you have time!)
Fresh Faith by Jim Cymbala
A look into spiritual complacency: how we got here, and how to get out of it.
Maestro by Bob Woodward
A look into Alan Greenspan’s actions at the Federal Reserve during the 1990’s and early 2000’s. This book is on loan from Lee 🙂 This is a good book for people who would like to understand more about how the Fed works, without digging through a more scholarly book.
I know that I’m never going to be a big reader. With the amount of leisure time I have right now, I generally just prefer to get my information wired in via the ‘net. However, it still makes me feel somewhat luxurious to sit down with a book and a cup of chai and learn. I’d love to get to the point someday where I finish one nonfiction book each month. We’ll see…
Today our newest kiddo is 24 weeks (in utero). Although preemies as young as 21 weeks have successfully reached adulthood without extended medical problems, 24 weeks is a commonly agreed on age for fetal viability (although the survivability statistic is still less than 50%, my research shows as low as 20%). I love that we have a level I NICU (Providence) only an hour away. Not that we’re ever going to have to use it, but it still makes me feel better. When a person is confronted with these statistics (survivability at 24 weeks and under) it has some major implications as to the moral issues associated with abortion. If a mom can abort a baby that has a chance at life outside the womb, shouldn’t that be considered murder? (not to mention abortion at ANY time, but that’s a whole new topic) According to research done by the Guttmacher Institute, the number of babies aborted in the U.S. after 24 weeks is estimated to be 1,032. When world-wide statistics are taken into account, I can only imagine that this number increases dramatically. You can’t face this research without being held to an internal decision on your own beliefs on the topic.
Whoa. This partnership has sealed the deal for me. I am so stinkin’ excited. Now if only I could get a good price on a Total Gym, my life would be complete 😉
One night at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Junior Suite: two-hundred sixty dollars
Dinner at the 4 star Crow’s Nest, floor 20 of the captain cook: one-hundred twenty dollars
Half-hour massage: fourty dollars
Winning the above package and going for free?
Priceless!
We had the pleasure of escaping to Anchorage this past weekend for some much needed alone time. What a blessing! We enjoyed our time together, a chance to relax before the arrival of the baby. This “pre-baby” vacation is becoming a tradition, as we drove down for a weekend at the Land’s End Resort in Homer about this time before Jimmy was born (mid-second trimester). On a side note, the Land’s End Resort is a great choice for a weekend trip with your spouse. They offer getaway packages that include 1 or two night’s stay, dinner for two, and continental breakfast. These packages start at $129. If the 7 hour drive to Homer sounds like too much, you can opt for the flyaway package, which includes round trip airfare from Anchorage, 1 or 2 night’s stay, dinner for two, and continental breakfast, starting at $380. Land’s End’s Chart Room restaurant has great food (some of the best seafood I’ve had, and I’m from Southeast!)
Back to the Captain Cook… We had a fun time acting like Iron Chef judges during our meal at the Crow’s Nest. For the main course Kevin ordered the scallops, and I tried the rack of lamb. The food was good, we appreciated the complexity of the flavors, and the effort put into the elements of the plate being complimentary to one another, but we both agreed that we didn’t feel the need to try it again anytime soon. And I (forgive my Alaskan hillbilly taste buds) felt like the lamb tasted similar to caribou?! I can get caribou for free! They sell lamb for $40. Hmmm…
The room was fine. Nothing to blog about, but fine 😉 They did, however have some of the coolest mini shampoos, conditioners, and lotions. Not the boring cylindrical shape, these are flatter, and I assume designed to take up less space in the luggage. Sweet.
Hey fans. Here’s a repost of a March 07 topic. Thought I’d share again just in case anyone was interested in making their life easier…
During the last couple of days the term “RSS” has been popping up in my conversations. And, my excitement at how my life has been changed by these three simple letters is usually met with confusion. I know some of you readers already understand this, so I’ll see you in the next post. The rest of you, stay with me, because this post could change your life. I’ll try to keep it short, really.
RSS enables me, Janeen, stay-at-home mom who is addicted to the internet but tries to keep her time online to a minimum, to stay informed on a wide variety of topics (as well as stay in touch with friends) with a minimum of effort. By viewing a single website I can get a rundown on the day’s news, see if my friend’s have updated their blogs, keep up on major politics, and see if there are any screamin’ hot tech deals for the day. How? Well, wikipedia explains RSS much better than I can. I use Bloglines.com to aggregate all of my feeds and then periodically check on it throughout the day. For an information addict like me, this is amazing. Give me 5 minutes and I can update myself on a myriad of information. This way when I am making small talk at the next adult event I attend, I can come up with something more interesting to say than “Jimmy ate a WHOLE banana last week.”
The Maxwell House 