This month for our book list, I want to go in a slightly different direction. I want to talk about poetry. I know that for some, poetry is boring and hard to read and unnecessary for a happy and fulfilled life, but there are some people out there who really enjoy a good poem and this is for you. I want to focus on English writers because in college I studied mostly English writers and it makes writing this post easier if I write about what I know. I’ve chosen three poets and will list some of their best works (or at least some of my favorites). The three poets I’ve chosen are John Donne, William Blake and Percy Shelly.
Sir John Donne lived from 1572 to 1631. During his early life he was a bit of a wild child, and during his later life he became a priest, and both of these periods of his life are reflected in his poetry. Early in his life, he wrote poems like “The Flea”, which is a very funny poem in which a flee biting both Donne and his love is equated to marriage. Later in his life, his poetry took a distinctively religious turn as he wrote many sermons and holy sonnets. One reason that I enjoy Donne so much is because of the great love he had for his wife and the many poems that reflect that love. “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is a beautiful poem about how he and his wife are so connected in love that there’s no need to be sad, or to make a fuss when they must be separated for a little while because their souls are connected still. Even in his later religious poetry, he writes about his love for his wife. He wrote “Holy Sonnet 17” after his wife passed away and the poem is a beautiful piece of writing about how God is the only thing that can fill the void left by his wife. The romantic in me loves this kind of poetry and John Donne is one of my favorite poets.
William Blake lived from 1757 to 1827. His most well known work is the collection of poems titled Songs of Innocence and Experience. Just as it sounds, the poems in the Innocence section are poems about innocence (shocking, right?), joy, religion, and the natural world. They’re generally upbeat and light. The poems from Experience are darker, usually concentrating on more serious subjects. Many of the poems from one section are shown from an opposite perspective in the other, such as “The Lamb” from the poems in Innocence and “The Tyger” from Experience. I enjoyed all the poems from this small collection. As a side note, Blake did all the illustrations for his poems himself. Some of them are quite intricate, with a lot of detail and I won’t go too far into an explanation, but Blake etched them out onto metal plates and filled with ink sort of like a stamp himself. He was an excellent artist.
Percy Shelly lived from 1792 to 1822. He wrote during the time of the Romantics (a period of English poetry, not romantic as in love). He was very dedicated to the idea of Romanticism, he even wrote a poem about a fellow writer, William Wordsworth, who he thought had betrayed the Romantic style of writing; was a sell out so to speak. The poem is called “To Wordsworth”, and is actually a poignant criticism of Wordsworth because he echoes a poem that Wordsworth once wrote (if anyone is interested in looking at this poem, it’s called “London 1802” and was written about John Milton, another poet). Most of Shelley’s poetry is quite lyrical and a few a quite political. Some other poems of Shelley’s that I enjoy are “Ozymandias”, “Ode to the West Wind” and “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty”.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Jump Back In, The Water's Fine
Welcome back from the Christmas break. Going off to visit family or spending time with your spouse who has suddenly reappeared with nothing to do after a few weeks of grueling tests is always nice, but now it’s time to reenter our every day law school lives. I don’t know how the rest of you feel, but I find getting back into the routine of work and/or school is a bit gloomy. A whole new semester is stretched out before me without the hope of another break for quite a while. I find that I have to have some sort of motivation to once again get up early so that I can get to work on time instead of enjoying the luxury of sleeping in as I have been for the short break. At the moment that motivation is “Woo whoo! One Semester left!” (I even have the countdown clock set up on my personal blog!) Of course there are other motivations out there, like seeing friends who have been away for a few weeks, working so that my husband and I aren’t homeless, that sort of thing. Once that first day back is over, everything is fine again and I’m happy to be back, but that first morning is a killer. Does anyone else feel the same way? And what do you do to combat the first-morning-back blues?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Play It Again Sam
It’s that time again, time to dust off your book shelves for something new to read. In keeping with our previous book lists, I have three new items, but this month I thought I’d go with plays. So much great literature is written in play form, in fact some of the first literature around was a play. There are so many great plays that I had a hard time narrowing them down to three for the purposes of this blog, but I finally decided on three that had a little variety but were all very entertaining. They are Othello, Our Town, and Pygmalion.
Othello was written by William Shakespeare around 1603. I know that most everyone had to read this play in high school, but I simply could not have a section about plays for our book group and not include a play from greatest playwright in history. I decided to go with Othello because it has one my favorite villains in it, and I love a good villain. Iago is able to lie and insinuate Othello into a frenzy causing him to act rashly and lose everything that he has. And yet, though he is plotting the downfall of Othello and other characters, he is called Honest Iago throughout the play. The play itself is very interesting and well written as all Shakespeare plays are.
Pygmalion was written by George Bernard Shaw in 1913. It’s the story of man who makes a bet that he can pass a flower girl off as an aristocrat by changing the way she speaks. I know what your thinking, movie buffs, and yes, this is the original play that My Fair Lady was adapted from. There are a few differences of course, but the adaptation was well done. Of course, George Bernard Shaw got his inspiration from the Ovid story of Pygmalion, the man who disliked women until he sculpted the perfect woman and fell in love with the sculpture. He prayed to the goddess Aphrodite who turned the sculpture into a woman whom he then married.
Our Town was written by Thornton Wilder in 1937. It’s the story of life in a small town in the thirties, especially following a young couple who marry in the second act. The third act ties everything together (as usually happens in plays) as one character sums up by saying “My, wasn't life awful--and wonderful,". It’s an absolutely beautiful play that made me try to look at things a little more closely and be thankful for what I have and for every minute that I have with the people I love.
Othello was written by William Shakespeare around 1603. I know that most everyone had to read this play in high school, but I simply could not have a section about plays for our book group and not include a play from greatest playwright in history. I decided to go with Othello because it has one my favorite villains in it, and I love a good villain. Iago is able to lie and insinuate Othello into a frenzy causing him to act rashly and lose everything that he has. And yet, though he is plotting the downfall of Othello and other characters, he is called Honest Iago throughout the play. The play itself is very interesting and well written as all Shakespeare plays are.
Pygmalion was written by George Bernard Shaw in 1913. It’s the story of man who makes a bet that he can pass a flower girl off as an aristocrat by changing the way she speaks. I know what your thinking, movie buffs, and yes, this is the original play that My Fair Lady was adapted from. There are a few differences of course, but the adaptation was well done. Of course, George Bernard Shaw got his inspiration from the Ovid story of Pygmalion, the man who disliked women until he sculpted the perfect woman and fell in love with the sculpture. He prayed to the goddess Aphrodite who turned the sculpture into a woman whom he then married.
Our Town was written by Thornton Wilder in 1937. It’s the story of life in a small town in the thirties, especially following a young couple who marry in the second act. The third act ties everything together (as usually happens in plays) as one character sums up by saying “My, wasn't life awful--and wonderful,". It’s an absolutely beautiful play that made me try to look at things a little more closely and be thankful for what I have and for every minute that I have with the people I love.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
It's Finals Time
Finals have rolled around again which means it’s that time of year when we spouses see our law students less than usual. For the spouses of the first years, you are probably experiencing what life would be like if you were single again. One of the great things about law school (or so my husband tells me) is that your entire grade is determined by one test, not a lot of busy work and homework assignments. However, one of the worst things about law school is that your entire grade is determined by one test. Should you be having a bad day, or misread a question or two, your grade could drop without hope of bringing it back up. This is one reason why our spouses are gone most of the time during finals week and usually a few weeks before. They need to study, study, study. The first year students have no idea what to expect from the tests, so they have an especially stressful few weeks. What I wanted to write about here are ways to help our spouses relieve some of that stress, so if anyone has any suggestions, please post a comment. To help my own husband relieve some of his stress, the best thing I can do is to listen to him as he talks about what he needs to do to prepare for his tests. He’ll tell me about when he’s going to study with a group, what time his tests are, how far he’s gotten through outlining his notes and other things of that nature. I think that it helps him organize his thoughts better if he can speak them out loud, so I talk with him about what he’s going to do and when he’s going to do it. Also, we live in a studio apartment so I have to keep a little more quite than usual if he decides to study at home. Those are just a couple of things that I do to help my husband make it through finals time. Are there any suggestions from the other veteran spouses out there?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Washington Monument Tour
Hey Everyone,
We had a great time touring the Washington Monument last week and wanted to share some pictures with the group. The views from the top were really amazing and it was a nice, short trip for the kids. As a bonus, when we were walking back to our cars, the president's helicopter flew right over our heads and landed on the grass behind the white house. There were hundreds of people lined up on the balconies of the house apparently because Bush was arriving to "pardon" a turkey. Hope you can all join us in December!
Sarah
Friday, November 16, 2007
Not Just for Kids
This month for our book list, I thought that juvenile books would be fun. There are so many good books out there for young people that can also be inspirational for those of us who are a little bit older and that I don’t think should be discounted. Since there are so many, I thought the best way to narrow them down to three for the purpose of this blog was to pick them off the Newberry Award list. Newberry Award winners are always insightful and poignant usually with a good moral and plenty of imagination. The three books that I’ve chosen from this list are Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Maniac Magee, and Holes.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry was written by Mildred D. Taylor in 1976. This is the story of a black land owning family and their struggles during the 1930’s. It’s told from the perspective of a young girl of this family. She is able to describe the events of racism and anger from a unique point of view because as a child, she doesn’t understand race and hate, only fair and unfair and can give an uncomplicated unclouded view of the events that take place in the novel, as no adult could, much like Scout in to Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a heartbreaking look at the pre-civil rights America, but an excellent read.
Maniac Magee was written by Jerry Spinelli in 1990. This is the story of a young boy, Jeffery, who runs away from home because he can’t understand the strained and hateful relationship between his aunt and uncle who were raising him, and follows him as he enters a town and meets the people there and effects everyone. Once again, this book deals with racism, as the town is divided into two sections of race and shows how Jeffery deals with this divide, not realizing what racism is and that people can dislike one another simply based on skin color. This book also delves into the importance of family as Jeffery spends time with several different families as he tries to find a place where he belongs.
Holes was written in 1998 by Louis Sachar. This is the story of a boy who is sent to a detention camp for stealing shoes, which he didn’t, and follows his adventures at the camp as he meets other delinquents and finds buried treasure. It also discusses a family curse, an outlaw from the wild west times, and an athlete with a foot odor problem. This is an imaginative tale interweaving the stories of several characters over several generations, culminating in a boys camp discovery. Sacher is able to tell quite a story that is interesting and funny and one in which the characters learn a little something about integrity and loyalty and friendship.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry was written by Mildred D. Taylor in 1976. This is the story of a black land owning family and their struggles during the 1930’s. It’s told from the perspective of a young girl of this family. She is able to describe the events of racism and anger from a unique point of view because as a child, she doesn’t understand race and hate, only fair and unfair and can give an uncomplicated unclouded view of the events that take place in the novel, as no adult could, much like Scout in to Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a heartbreaking look at the pre-civil rights America, but an excellent read.
Maniac Magee was written by Jerry Spinelli in 1990. This is the story of a young boy, Jeffery, who runs away from home because he can’t understand the strained and hateful relationship between his aunt and uncle who were raising him, and follows him as he enters a town and meets the people there and effects everyone. Once again, this book deals with racism, as the town is divided into two sections of race and shows how Jeffery deals with this divide, not realizing what racism is and that people can dislike one another simply based on skin color. This book also delves into the importance of family as Jeffery spends time with several different families as he tries to find a place where he belongs.
Holes was written in 1998 by Louis Sachar. This is the story of a boy who is sent to a detention camp for stealing shoes, which he didn’t, and follows his adventures at the camp as he meets other delinquents and finds buried treasure. It also discusses a family curse, an outlaw from the wild west times, and an athlete with a foot odor problem. This is an imaginative tale interweaving the stories of several characters over several generations, culminating in a boys camp discovery. Sacher is able to tell quite a story that is interesting and funny and one in which the characters learn a little something about integrity and loyalty and friendship.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Angel Tree
Christmas Service Project
For all who are interested in contributing to an angel tree this Christmas please email me (sarahmhopkins@verizon.net) and let me know.
I will pick up as many tags as we need from the Salvation Army and then distribute them to you. We need to deliver the gifts to the Salvation Army by Saturday, December 8.
We will have a wrapping party on Thursday, December 6 (more info to follow). Thanks for all your help!
Sarah Hopkins
For all who are interested in contributing to an angel tree this Christmas please email me (sarahmhopkins@verizon.net) and let me know.
I will pick up as many tags as we need from the Salvation Army and then distribute them to you. We need to deliver the gifts to the Salvation Army by Saturday, December 8.
We will have a wrapping party on Thursday, December 6 (more info to follow). Thanks for all your help!
Sarah Hopkins
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
How Do You Say "I Love You"?
When Chris and I got married, we received some books as wedding presents, as I'm sure most of you young couples did. One of the books we received was a book called Then Comes Marriage by Mark D. Ogletree and Douglas E Brinley. Being new to the marriage scene, and to the couples scene as well, I read through looking for some good advice on how to be the best little wife ever. While I may not have won that title by any stretch of the imagination, I did read an interesting chapter about the language of love. The book asserts that there are five different love languages and if you can discover which one best matches your spouse, you can use that method often to let your spouse know that you love and appreciate them. These five love languages are:
Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch
I had never thought of this before, but it makes perfect sense to me. I can point out a different member of my family who are the physical representations of each of these love languages. I wish I could say that this was helpful in my dealings with Chris, but he's so very mellow and seems to like most of these equally that I can't tell which he prefers, and I flat out asked him which he likes and he gave me a shrug and said "I don't know". Of course that could be his subtle way of saying "dear, I'm a dude, and we don't talk about our feelings", so I didn't press him. I would be interested to hear if anyone agrees with this notion and if they know which one they prefer. I myself actually prefer three all at once, but I know that Chris reads this every so often so I'm not going put it up there and make him figure it out all by himself. That's my subtle way of saying "so there ha ha ha".
Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch
I had never thought of this before, but it makes perfect sense to me. I can point out a different member of my family who are the physical representations of each of these love languages. I wish I could say that this was helpful in my dealings with Chris, but he's so very mellow and seems to like most of these equally that I can't tell which he prefers, and I flat out asked him which he likes and he gave me a shrug and said "I don't know". Of course that could be his subtle way of saying "dear, I'm a dude, and we don't talk about our feelings", so I didn't press him. I would be interested to hear if anyone agrees with this notion and if they know which one they prefer. I myself actually prefer three all at once, but I know that Chris reads this every so often so I'm not going put it up there and make him figure it out all by himself. That's my subtle way of saying "so there ha ha ha".
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Usborne Book Party
I’ve just become an
USBORNE CONSULTANT
And you’re invited to my
KICK-OFF PARTY!!
Please come and see the awesome books that I’ll be selling.
Wednesday, November 7 at 7:00
At my place:
6176 Edsall Road Apt 84
Alexandria, VA 22304
I know it’s short notice but I wanted you to be able to get books
in time for Christmas.
I’m so excited to show you the great products that Usborne has to offer. The party will help me practice showing off the products, and will help me build my display, as well as give you all a chance to see them and decide if you’d ever like to have your own party. It’ll be a lot of fun to see you, look at fun books and eat some yummy treats.
Let me know if you’ll be able to make it, 703-888-6222.
Thanks so much!!
Brooke
P.S. It’s always okay to bring a friend!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Cox Farm Outing Tomorrow
Hey Ladies,
Just a reminder that we're going to visit Cox Farms tomorrow (Mon Oct 22). Meet at 10am at the picnic benches by the stage. It costs $8/person 2 years and up. Bring a lunch and a camera. It sounds like an amazing place complete with 20 minute haunted hayride, slides, petting farm, children's area, live music at lunch, free apples and cider, and a pumpkin to take home. The website is www.coxfarms.com. Hope to see you tomorrow!
Sarah
Just a reminder that we're going to visit Cox Farms tomorrow (Mon Oct 22). Meet at 10am at the picnic benches by the stage. It costs $8/person 2 years and up. Bring a lunch and a camera. It sounds like an amazing place complete with 20 minute haunted hayride, slides, petting farm, children's area, live music at lunch, free apples and cider, and a pumpkin to take home. The website is www.coxfarms.com. Hope to see you tomorrow!
Sarah
Friday, October 19, 2007
A Few Fall Festivities
I am not claiming to be an expert on VA/DC events...at all, but I did find a few events that I never knew about and thought would be fun fall events! I thought I would share!
1. Claude Moore Farm 18th Century Market Fair
We have driven by signs for Claude Moore Farm several times on the GW Pkwy. We decided to stop off and check it out. The lady told us to come back for a great event on Saturday. She gave us free passes and told us we had to return. Looks pretty cool...Jamie is excited for the homemade root beer.
2. Mt Vernon Family Fall Harvest
Some of you may have already been to this last year...we haven't, but we think we might try to hit this one too. Looks like a party!
Happy Fall to all!
1. Claude Moore Farm 18th Century Market Fair
We have driven by signs for Claude Moore Farm several times on the GW Pkwy. We decided to stop off and check it out. The lady told us to come back for a great event on Saturday. She gave us free passes and told us we had to return. Looks pretty cool...Jamie is excited for the homemade root beer.
2. Mt Vernon Family Fall Harvest
Some of you may have already been to this last year...we haven't, but we think we might try to hit this one too. Looks like a party!
Happy Fall to all!
Monday, October 15, 2007
I am writing you about something very close to my heart. I am writing you about Autism. Most of you know that I work at a school for kids with learning disabilities. In my time there I have learned a lot about Autism and a lot about how it effects children and their families. I am now very interested in research, studies and any type of speculation about Autism.
This Saturday there will be a Walk Now for Autism....
October 20, 2007 - The National Mall
At Seventh Street, NW - between Madison and Jefferson Drives
- Washington, DC
9:30am: Opening Ceremonies
10:00am: Walk begins
11:30am: Closing Ceremonies
1:00pm: Resource Fair closes
I am planning on walking with TJ and my dog. We have formed a team named; Team England, I would love and appreciate it if you ALL JOINED with us in the Walk For Autism, as apart of our team!! Email me back if you are able to come and we will come up with a good meeting place down town! Kids are welcome, so feel free to bring strollers or whatever you need! (For my family in Utah I know you won't be able to make it to the walk, so please make a donation if you are in the position to do so.. You have no idea how grateful I am to have such a supportive family!!)
If you are feeling generous you can make a donation to the Cure Autism Now website. Even $5 would help! All the research that can be done for autism is beneficial. Cure Autism Now and Autism Speaks are amazing foundations that have done so much work for Autism. Any donation is Tax deductible and I can email you the Tax ID number for that. You can donate at:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=214840&supId=193012715
Thank you for all your love and support!
This Saturday there will be a Walk Now for Autism....
October 20, 2007 - The National Mall
At Seventh Street, NW - between Madison and Jefferson Drives
- Washington, DC
9:30am: Opening Ceremonies
10:00am: Walk begins
11:30am: Closing Ceremonies
1:00pm: Resource Fair closes
I am planning on walking with TJ and my dog. We have formed a team named; Team England, I would love and appreciate it if you ALL JOINED with us in the Walk For Autism, as apart of our team!! Email me back if you are able to come and we will come up with a good meeting place down town! Kids are welcome, so feel free to bring strollers or whatever you need! (For my family in Utah I know you won't be able to make it to the walk, so please make a donation if you are in the position to do so.. You have no idea how grateful I am to have such a supportive family!!)
If you are feeling generous you can make a donation to the Cure Autism Now website. Even $5 would help! All the research that can be done for autism is beneficial. Cure Autism Now and Autism Speaks are amazing foundations that have done so much work for Autism. Any donation is Tax deductible and I can email you the Tax ID number for that. You can donate at:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=214840&supId=193012715
Thank you for all your love and support!
Kingsbury Book Fair
I just wanted to let you all know that this week, October 15th-19th is the Kingsbury Book Fair. Now, last year it wasn't as big as I would have liked but, this year it is a very nice size considering we are a small private school! Half of what Scholastic makes goes to the Kingsbury Scholarship Fund! So even one purchase will help!! Anyways, if any of you are in the neighborhood and would like to stop by, we'd love to have you!! I'd love to show you around the school and if it is a good time you could even meet the boys I teach. (A real treat!!)
Kingsbury is located at:
5000 14th Street NW
Washington, DC
20011
If you have questions you can email me!! ericaengland@gmail.com
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Playgroup
This is just a reminder that playgroup will be this week! We will meet this Tuesday (Oct. 17th) at 10:30 at Clemyjontri Park located at 6317 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Virginia 22101.
Bring lunch for you and your munchkin(s) and also something to share. There is a large bowery with picnic tables and also a grassy area. This is such a great park. Your kids will love it and you will love the break!
Hopefully everyone comes and please, bring a friend. The more the better! See you soon!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
TONIGHT
Who: You and your husbands are all invited
What: Jill Mulvay Derr, a Latter-day Saint history scholar will be speaking about "The U.S. Government's Failure to Protect the Constitutional Rights of Latter-day Saints in the 19th Century"
Where: LL101 (at the Law School)
When: TONIGHT (Oct 11) at 6:30pm
Come if you can! We hope to see you all there, refreshments will be served.
What: Jill Mulvay Derr, a Latter-day Saint history scholar will be speaking about "The U.S. Government's Failure to Protect the Constitutional Rights of Latter-day Saints in the 19th Century"
Where: LL101 (at the Law School)
When: TONIGHT (Oct 11) at 6:30pm
Come if you can! We hope to see you all there, refreshments will be served.
Trial by Jury
This month for our book list, I though that it would be appropriate to talk about three books that have to do with the law. The three books that I have chosen are quite different, each has a different view of a trial, but they are all three very interesting. They are:The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Trial by Franz Kafka, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
The Brothers Karamazov was written in 1880 by one of the, arguably, greatest writers in Russia. This book, his last, is the story of four brothers and the murder of their father, a despicable man. One of the brothers goes on trial for the murder, and without giving too much away, the culprit is revealed. What I liked about this book, and most of Dostoevsky’s books, is that he is able to give his characters ideas about morals, ethics, religion, and love and then put those characters into situations that display these ideas so realistically that it’s surprising that they don’t just walk out of the book and into real life. Just be sure to find a good translation.
The Trial was written in 1920, but was lucky to be published at all. Kafka told a friend to burn all his manuscripts after he died, but his friend published them instead. The Trial is a scathing mockery of the justice system of his time and country. This book is about a man who is put under arrest, for what he doesn’t know, and follows him as he tries to make sense of the path that his trial is taking. It’s a dark book that doesn’t see lawyers or the court systems favorably, which is funny (or perhaps not) because Kafka himself studied the law. It’s a book that can make us grateful for the justice system today because it could be a lot worse.
To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960, the time of civil rights, which is appropriate because the trial in this book deals with race. One man is accused and on trial for doing something that he clearly didn’t, all because of the color of his skin. It’s a beautiful look at the injustice of hate and the acceptance of people regardless of race, religion and wealth. Most people have read this, so I’ll keep it brief, but as a side note, Gregory Peck won and academy award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the movie.
The Brothers Karamazov was written in 1880 by one of the, arguably, greatest writers in Russia. This book, his last, is the story of four brothers and the murder of their father, a despicable man. One of the brothers goes on trial for the murder, and without giving too much away, the culprit is revealed. What I liked about this book, and most of Dostoevsky’s books, is that he is able to give his characters ideas about morals, ethics, religion, and love and then put those characters into situations that display these ideas so realistically that it’s surprising that they don’t just walk out of the book and into real life. Just be sure to find a good translation.
The Trial was written in 1920, but was lucky to be published at all. Kafka told a friend to burn all his manuscripts after he died, but his friend published them instead. The Trial is a scathing mockery of the justice system of his time and country. This book is about a man who is put under arrest, for what he doesn’t know, and follows him as he tries to make sense of the path that his trial is taking. It’s a dark book that doesn’t see lawyers or the court systems favorably, which is funny (or perhaps not) because Kafka himself studied the law. It’s a book that can make us grateful for the justice system today because it could be a lot worse.
To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960, the time of civil rights, which is appropriate because the trial in this book deals with race. One man is accused and on trial for doing something that he clearly didn’t, all because of the color of his skin. It’s a beautiful look at the injustice of hate and the acceptance of people regardless of race, religion and wealth. Most people have read this, so I’ll keep it brief, but as a side note, Gregory Peck won and academy award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the movie.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Married to my Ideal
I was reading a book a few weeks ago that presented an interesting idea. The basic premise of this idea was that people are attracted to members of the opposite sex who ultimately reflect their inner ideals. A person who has high standards, and I took this to mean ideas on religion, education, ethics, work quality etc., could no more be with someone with low standards than a fish could love a bird. People can fool themselves and others for a while, but eventually they will return to someone who is like them. This idea may not be new to anyone else, but I was struck with this idea; this means that essentially, I reflect the type of person my husband is! This is actually a great compliment to me because I respect my husband and deep down wonder if maybe he could have done better. But if this idea is true, then the fact that our marriage is so happy is a result of our similar standards and this can apply to all happy marriages. Does anyone else have any ideas about this? Am I way off in left field or is this a big duh to everyone?
Monday, September 24, 2007
Pumpkin Patch and Apple Picking
I love the fall and am hoping to drag my family for a few fall activities I want to go to a pumpkin patch and to an apple orchard to pick apples. I am wondering if anyone has heard of a good place to do either of these things for our last fall in DC! I have found one Orchard and it looks pretty good, but if anyone has heard of anything else let me know. If anyone else is interested in such an activity let me know and maybe we can all go together!
Here is the one Orchard that I heard about through my ward.
http://www.butlersorchard.com/index.html#
Here is the one Orchard that I heard about through my ward.
http://www.butlersorchard.com/index.html#
Thursday, September 20, 2007
DC Tour Group- 1st Outing!
Hey everyone,
Just a reminder that our first outing is tomorrow, Friday Sept. 21st. We're going to George Washington's Mt. Vernon. We'll walk around the estate, visit the farm animals, go onboard the Colonial ship there, and do whatever else the group wants to do. Bring a picnic lunch and meet us at the front gate at 9am! See you there!
PS For all the working ladies, the ship will still be there on Saturday if you want to see it.
Sarah
Just a reminder that our first outing is tomorrow, Friday Sept. 21st. We're going to George Washington's Mt. Vernon. We'll walk around the estate, visit the farm animals, go onboard the Colonial ship there, and do whatever else the group wants to do. Bring a picnic lunch and meet us at the front gate at 9am! See you there!
PS For all the working ladies, the ship will still be there on Saturday if you want to see it.
Sarah
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Reading Too Much Into This
At the first organized meeting of the J. Ruben Clark Law Society Spouses Association, there was a suggestion that a book list or a book discussion would be a good idea. I’m very enthusiastically behind this idea, therefore, once a month, I’m going to try to post something about books on this blog. Since I often spend more time with books than with actual people, I’m more than happy to start off what I hope will be a discussion of some of my favorite books as well as everyone else’s. I’m going to suggest three books that are similar in some aspects and hopefully everyone can either discuss those books, or suggest others that would fit into the same genera. This format for discussing books is an idea of mine, so if it doesn’t work, feel free to let me know and it can be changed to suit everyone. Okay, here we go.
For the first group of books, I thought I’d start with something relatively safe. I know many of the ladies who are a part of the JRCLSSA and I know that most of them have read and enjoyed Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, so this post is going to be about books that are similar. Evelina by Frances Burney, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope are all books that, for me, fall into the category of charming, period love stories with interesting characters that are all set in England.
Evelina was written first, in 1778. This is the story of a young girl who has grown up in the country and is introduced into good society in London. She learns to maneuver in good society as she falls in love with Lord Orville, a proper man from the best circle. Of course no love story is complete without a few hi-jinks and secrets. This novel is an epistolary novel, meaning that it’s written in the form of letters, which can be a bit distracting as the novel isn’t continuous and unbroken as the other two novels are, but it's such a charming story that the form of the novel lends itself to the charm because we know what Evelina is thinking.
Pride and Prejudice came next in 1813. I’m sure that most everyone knows this story from either reading the book or seeing one of the many (at least 6 probably many more) movies that have come out over the years. This book has some of the most well developed characters in literature and the way Jane Austen is able to depict a scene is nothing short of genius. The love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is (for me) one of the most romantic in literature.
Barchester Towers was written in 1857. It’s the second of a series of six (I haven’t read the other five as of yet, but will get around to it one day). This book is really about the leading citizens of an imaginary city named Barchester who can’t seem to get along. The Church of England plays a large part in this book, which can at times be a little confusing if you don’t know much about the organization of that Church. It’s actually quite funny with plenty of misunderstandings and a few despicable characters. This book is being grouped with the other two because of the love interest between Eleanor and Mr. Arabin who, of course, are two deserving people who have to go through a few things in order to be happy.
There you have it. Those are my suggestions for the month. If anyone has read any of these books, please comment on them, and if anyone has any other suggestions of books that would fit here, please list them and I’ll add them to the list on the side of the page.
For the first group of books, I thought I’d start with something relatively safe. I know many of the ladies who are a part of the JRCLSSA and I know that most of them have read and enjoyed Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, so this post is going to be about books that are similar. Evelina by Frances Burney, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope are all books that, for me, fall into the category of charming, period love stories with interesting characters that are all set in England.
Evelina was written first, in 1778. This is the story of a young girl who has grown up in the country and is introduced into good society in London. She learns to maneuver in good society as she falls in love with Lord Orville, a proper man from the best circle. Of course no love story is complete without a few hi-jinks and secrets. This novel is an epistolary novel, meaning that it’s written in the form of letters, which can be a bit distracting as the novel isn’t continuous and unbroken as the other two novels are, but it's such a charming story that the form of the novel lends itself to the charm because we know what Evelina is thinking.
Pride and Prejudice came next in 1813. I’m sure that most everyone knows this story from either reading the book or seeing one of the many (at least 6 probably many more) movies that have come out over the years. This book has some of the most well developed characters in literature and the way Jane Austen is able to depict a scene is nothing short of genius. The love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is (for me) one of the most romantic in literature.
Barchester Towers was written in 1857. It’s the second of a series of six (I haven’t read the other five as of yet, but will get around to it one day). This book is really about the leading citizens of an imaginary city named Barchester who can’t seem to get along. The Church of England plays a large part in this book, which can at times be a little confusing if you don’t know much about the organization of that Church. It’s actually quite funny with plenty of misunderstandings and a few despicable characters. This book is being grouped with the other two because of the love interest between Eleanor and Mr. Arabin who, of course, are two deserving people who have to go through a few things in order to be happy.
There you have it. Those are my suggestions for the month. If anyone has read any of these books, please comment on them, and if anyone has any other suggestions of books that would fit here, please list them and I’ll add them to the list on the side of the page.
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