The Wingding Whoopee!: May 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

visit from abuelo and abuela

Early this month, we had a lovely visit from my parents, who made the trek out to DC. (To our children, Diana's parents are nyanya and babu - the swahili words for grandmother and grandfather - and my parents are abuela and abuelo - the spanish words for the same.) We spent a long weekend at a beach house in Chincoteague, we saw Iron Man, we had a giant lunch with cousins, we saw a documentary about reconciliation in Rwanda, we enjoyed dinner at Diana's mom's house, hit some museums, and much more. It was a wonderful visit.

Here are some photos (here's the slideshow).

Thursday, May 8, 2008

photos from schools in sierra leone and the gambia

from the other blog (for the benefit of those who only read the family news):

Over the past few weeks I visited several primary schools in Sierra Leone (Freetown, Port Loko, Mayimba) and the Gambia (Bakau area and Mansa Konko
area).

Sierra Leone photos (or click here for a slideshow)

The Gambia photos (or the slideshow)

Here is a preview:

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Diana's books 2010

10. The Balkans, a Short History, by Mark Mazower.
9, The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson, book 5), by Rick Riordan.
8. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson, book 4), by Rick Riordan.
7. Misquoting Jesus, by Bart Ehrman.
6. Snow, by Orhan Pamuk.
5. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. (fiction audio) Engaging. The frustrating psychology of a very odd man. Shows how a person can bring himself to do unspeakable things. 4/5 February.
4. The Calligrapher's Daughter, by Eugenia Kim. (fiction) This is the story of a Korean upper-class family in the first half of the 20th century, when the Japanese annexed Korea and gradually attempted to eradicate Korean culture, even forcing Koreans to speak Japanese only and take Japanese names. The writing is lyrical and restrained, like the ritualized, Confucian lifestyles of the traiditional upper class. The author carefully depicts the food at family meals, the clothes and everyday objects used in that period, and the traditional Korean home. A delightful read. 4/5 January.
3. The Problem of Pain, by C.S. Lewis. (nonfiction audio) Lewis describes the pain that humans, Christ, and animals suffer. He points out that it is not God's job to keep us pain-free; in fact, that would be Satan's plan. Our (LDS) theology concurs with this idea, in that we grow through trials, which act as a refiner's fire to our spirits. Thus the question "Why does God let people suffer?" becomes moot. Lewis's treatise on pain is insightful and thoughtful. 3/5 January.
2. The Titan's Curse, by Rick Riordan. (fiction audio) Percy Jackson, book 3. 3/5 January.
1. The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan. (fiction audio) The second book in the Percy Jackson series. Same writing, same reading, new adventures. A fun, quick read. 3/5 January.

Diana's books 2009

31. To Destroy You is No Loss: The Odyssey of a Cambodian Family, by JoAn Criddle. (nonfiction) The harrowing, incredible story of an upper middle-class family from Phnom Penh who get displaced when the Khmer Rouge takes over the country (1970s). The insurgents literally evacuated the entire city and forced everyone to relocate to villages in the name of Communism. They brutally massacred a million people in the process. Criddle records the story as told to her by this family, who survived and made it to the U.S. after many years of hunger, fear, loss, and deprivations. This story is amazing, and I recommend that everyone read it. 4/5 December.
30. The Black Book of Secrets, by F. E. Higgins. (fiction audio) A delightful, fanciful tale about a boy in 19th century London who escapes drunken parents and finds a friend in a small town who seems to have some magical qualities. It's essentially a tale about human nature, the struggle between good and bad in everyone. Well written and read. 4/5. December.
29. Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think, by Brian Wansink. Wansink shows how easy it is to overeat without thinking about it. He provides tricks for fooling ourselves into eating less without realizing it. For example, use tall thin glasses instead of short fat ones. They hold less liquid when full, but we think we've had enough when we drink from a full glass. Fill up smaller plates for dinner rather than dinner-sized plates. Etc. Your choices are not mindless at first, but as you make these and other changes in your eating habits, then they become somewhat mindless. Plenty of good tips for healthier eating habits. 3/5 December.
28. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. (fiction audio) A fun start to a series about a boy who discovers he's a demigod and that the world of Greek gods is real and in the U.S. Rivalries and battles chock full of mythological creatures ensue. There's a fair sprinkling of modern-day jargon and objects like cell phones, which provides some humor but doesn't let you escape completely into fantasy, as in Harry Potter. The writing style is suspenseful but not amazing. The reader is good with voices, but unfortunately has the annoying habit of talking like a real 13-year-old with too much rising intonation. I'm enjoying it and can fully see the movie in my head. 3/5 December.
27. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. (fiction audio) Published in 1982 by Recorded Books. My first reading. Nowhere near as good as her early works, but still peppered with laugh-out-loud humor. Not heavy on plot or character development, but more like a send-up of the gothic novels that populated the early era of fiction in England. Made funnier to me, having written a paper in college on gothic novels, particularly on the one Jane's heroine has just finished, _The Castle of Udolpho_. 3/5 November.
26. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. (fiction audio) The version I checked out of the library happened to have been published in 1980, so I'm not linking it to Amazon, because clearly it's not there. Everyone is familiar with this story anyway. The reading was wonderful (one also came out last year) and although this is my 2nd reading, I absolutely loved it and finished it in 2 days. It was like being with old friends again. 5/5 (...if only because I feel exuberant!) November.
25. Heaven Stones, by Pablo Neruda. (poetry) Translated by Maria Jacketti. Each poem is about a stone found in the earth, such as topaz, amathest, quartz, petrified wood, etc. This is one of the less often translated collections of Neruda. 3/5 November.
24. Sonnets from the Portuguese: A Celebration of Love, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (poetry) Beautiful sonnet cycle written in the Victorian era to her husband, Robert Browning. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" comes from this cycle. 4/5 November.
23. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. (fiction audio) A delightful and eldritch coming-of-age story about a boy raised in a graveyard and the evil society attempting to destroy him. Fresh, intriguing details about the "danse macabre" and other ghoulish lore. Nice depth to the characters. 4/5 October.
22. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. (fiction) An epistolary novel about the only British island occupied by the Nazis and the writer who falls in love with the wonderful circle of friends she meets who live there. A lot of people love this book; I liked the historical detail, but the letter format became overbearing for me. 3/5 October.
21. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, by Jennifer 8. Lee. (nonfiction) Where did the fortune cookie come from, China? Think again. America? Japan? Over the course of the book Lee answers this question and offers up plenty of interesting tidbits, such as where to find the best Chinese restaurant in the world, and what it means to be a Chinese restaurant worker in the U.S. Not well written, but the topic drew me in enough to keep me going. 2/5 September.
20. Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis. (nonfiction audio) I'd never read this, although it is often quoted from the pulpit in our church. Now I see why: I would argue that a good 95% of the ideas mirror our doctrine exactly, even though Lewis belonged to the Church of England. But he is speaking of "mere" Christianity, so at its core we share vital concepts about the role of Christ and the atonement. Edifying. 4/5 September.
19. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett. (fiction audio) The Queen of England (contemporary) falls in love with reading, and the aftermath. Wonderfully read. Fun story. 3/5 September.
18. Selected Shorts: Food Fiction, various authors. (short stories--audio) Some wonderful, some zany stories surrounding (what else?) food! Live performances, excellent. 4/5 September.
17. Nonviolence, by Mark Kurlansky. (nonfiction) A history of nonviolence in the West. Nonviolence=proactively working towards peace. Kurlansky shows, from the time of Christ, that violence has always been about power grabs, and that in every conflict violence has brought more violence and war. Seekers after peace tend to be persecuted. I've known these principles to be true, but it was eye-opening to hear them corroborated example after example. The text was a bit dry at times. 3/5 September.
16. Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos. A constellation of three women, a man, and a youth and how they come to love each other and to understand the importance of deciding to love. It's the kind of novel you can't put down. The writing is good, the characters compelling. Some of the main characters are too good to be actual humans, but I wished I were them all the same. It was lovely to inhabit their world. 3/5 August.
15. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama. (audio) I enjoyed hearing in his own voice the story of Obama's childhood, youth, struggles with racial identity, and his trip to Kenya to meet his father's side of his family. At the end of the book is the speech he made at the DNC when Kerry ran for president. I'd wanted to hear it, and I found it moving (you know how those rally speeches can be). Once in awhile I got a bit bogged down by philosophical ruminations, but overall it was good. 3/5 August.
14. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. (audio) First time I've read it. So gothic! Poor, isolated, whip-lashed people. The story kept my interest throughout. It's fun to read a classic once in awhile. 3/5 August.
13. Doctrine and Covenants, by Joseph Smith and other prophets. A collection of revelations from God during the early days of the Church. NR August.
12. Ecological Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman. (audio) 2/5
11. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming. (audio) Delightful reading with fun sound effects. The kids love it, too. I was surprised to find the story quite different from the movie. Loads of fun. 3/5
10. The High King, by Lloyd Alexander. (audio) This book thrilled me! I love Taran's character--his strength, integrity, kindness. You couldn't find a better hero. 4/5
9. Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, by Anne Mendelson (nonfiction). The first half of the book is a history of milk and milch animals (cows, goats, sheep, buffalo) across the globe. Next the nefarious story of fresh milk purveyors whose bottom line has been money rather than quality. Mendelson does not champion raw milk, but she does laud unhomogonized milk and cream. Pasteurization kills bad bacteria (though in the old days the process was done in small batches at low temps and so not as form-altering as current ultrapasteurization, done in bulk at super high temps); homogonization separates out the fat globules. Supermarket milk starts as skim and has fat added to it (even "whole" milk, which isn't as fatty as raw). Her main beef is that the flavor and consistency for cooking are destroyed by homogonization. The second half of the book is recipes that I'm sure would be delicious if I could only find unhomogonized milk! 3/5 March.
8. The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker. (nonfiction) Interesting self-help book on learning to trust your instincts when it comes to true fear (as opposed to worry or anxiety). De Becker claims that humans are well-equipped to make snap judgements about whether or not they should be afraid and get away, though we often disregard those instincts and use reason to dissuade us from action. So if you think you shouldn't walk down a dark alley at night, DON'T DO IT! Grueling reading at times, but informative. 3/5 February.
7. Taran Wanderer (Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander. Book 4. Taran quests to find out who he is. 4/5 March.
6. The Castle of Llyr (Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander. Book 3. Taran grows futher as he struggles with romantic feelings for Eilonway and faces a rival in Prince Rhun. 3/5 February.
5. The Black Cauldron (Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander. Book 2. Taran joins a venture to destroy the cauldron through which the evil lord creates undead. 3/5 February.
4. The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander (juvenile fantasy). Book one of five. I read these as a girl and am revisiting. The reader is excellent except for making one of the main characters sound more annoying than he probably would read in print. But this coming-of-age series is endearing, provides some Welsh lore (and names! mercifully, I can hear them instead of reading them), and gently and skillfully imparts nuggets of wisdom about life. 4/5 February.
3. I know I read more in January, but I forget what! That's what happens when I don't keep up the list. Brain like a sieve.
2. Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission, by Christopher Paul Curtis (juvenile fiction). A funny, more fantastical story than _Funny Money_, but not as good. Still, I look forward to the not-yet-released sequel. I hope Curtis does more historical fiction as well. 3/5 January.
1. A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (juvenile fiction). 2000 Newbery winner. A fun, light tale about a girl in high school who leaves her parents in Chicago to live in a small town with her grandma because her father is out of work (Depression era). The grandma is a hoot. We follow the two of them through a year of clever adventures. A quick, fun read! 4/5 January.

Diana's books 2008

24. The Book of Mormon, trans. by Joseph Smith. I try to read this every year. It's a matter of faith. NR December
23. Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper. (audio) The final book in the Dark is Rising series. I enjoyed the others in the series much better. This volume seems a bit muddled in its efforts to pull all the characters together while trying to show that chronological time is a myth to the "old ones." The reader is excellent. 2/5 December.
22. On the Right Wind, by Ripley Hugo. Poetry. I enjoyed these poems. Picked up the book in Missoula last summer (at a cool, independent bookstore called Fact and Fiction). Hugo lived most of her life in Montana, and her poems reflect a gritty, Western sensibility. 4/5 December
21. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor (audio). Another Newbery. Moving story about a land-owning black family in Depression-era Mississippi. Constant struggle against white racism and how the children learn about and grapple with it. Reader is on edge most of the time, thinking something horrific will happen. Plenty of harrowing stuff does happen. Poignant. 4/5 November.
20. Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse (audio). Girl coming of age in dustbowl Depression. Her talent is ragtime/jazz piano. Tragedies and joys and how she deals. Won the Newbery. 3/5 November.
19. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon. Takes place 1939 thru early 50s, mostly in NYC. Young man in Prague learns magic & the art of escape, manages to emigrate to the U.S., and becomes a famous comic book artist with his cousin. I love this book: the plot has many layers that are gradually peeled away to get to the core impetus behind the main character. Chabon's mastery of English is delightful, and I appreciate the Jewish lore and characters throughout. 5/5 November
18. John Adams, by David McCullough. I started this book last year and put it down for several months. It's an engaging, though not easy, read. Towards the end, after Adams's presidency, I found the reading much quicker. I learned about Adams's fiery nature, his staunch incorruptibility, his kind and familiar manner in private, and his eternal hope for the stability and improvement of the nation. Also learned much about Jefferson, who seemed much inclined toward intrigue and hyperbole. The story of Hamilton's rashness and behind-the-scenes nastiness was a surprise. Abigail seemed like a great role model: always up on politics and able to influence her husband in that arena for good, as well as being kind and gentle in person. The copious and eloquent letters people wrote back then made me nostalgic for pre-email days. 4/5 October
17. Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan. Another Bildungsroman, about a young Indian girl married into an ill-fated family: her husband dies and things go from bad to worse. But (this being juvenile fiction) she is always hopeful, and the story moves with beauty and peace. Also a gratifyingly happy ending. 4/5 October
16. The Cay, byTheodore Taylor. Classic shipwreck story I'd never read. About a boy who ends up on an unchartered island with an older Carribbean man during World War II. Touching story, well read. 3/5 October
15. Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, by Christopher Paul Curtis. Hilarious adventure story about a little kid who's given a "quadrillion-dollar" bill. The bumbling FBI wants that bill! Mayhem ensues. Wackier than other Curtis books, but right up my alley. How could I not like it, with references to Chaka Khan and James Brown's pompadour hairdo? 4/5 July

Our movies 2008

Becoming Jane. October. Diana 6/10. Anne Hathaway portrays Jane Austen nicely, though the film itself could've been better. The characters are too briefly treated in the first half of the film, so that I never could remember who was who. The love between Jane and her man was never convincing enough. All of Austen's heroines end in a happy (oh and by the way, rich) marriage, though she herself does not marry.
Daresalam. August. Dave 6/10. Film about Chad's civil war, inspired by some real events. August.
Man On Wire. August. D&D. Very interesting documentary about the Frenchman who tightrope walked between the Twin Towers in the 70s.
The Band's Visit. August. D & D 8/10. Egyptian Police Band travels to the wrong town in Israel for a concert. A night of intrigue follows. Character-driven film; fascinating and funny.
Mamma Mia. August. Diana 7/10. Total camp. Stay through the credits to see Pierce Brosnan in the WORST disco outfit ever!!
Definitely, Maybe. July. Dave 6/10. Diana 6/10.
Across the Universe. July. Dave 3/10. Diana ?/10.
The Miracle Maker. July. Dave 9/10. Diana ?/10.
The Dark Knight. July. Dave 9/10. Diana ?/10.
Wall-E. July. Dave 6+/10. Diana ?/10.