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eReaders…Do You LOVE ’em or HATE ’em

I LOVE paper books!  I do. I love the feel of the paper, I love that I can see how much is coming up on a page, and that I can flip ahead to see how much is left to a chapter–and, you know–make a decision for the next 10 minutes from there.  MOST of all, I love that I can continuously interact with the books right then and there, and THEN I can easily go back to it to remind myself of either what I learned or what moved me. I love paper books and I read them all the time.  In fact, I kind of prefer them.

Here’s an example of me interacting with a self-help book.  

Total Forgiveness by, R.T. Kendall

And this is what I look like in non-fiction in Palabra Amiga: Domina el idioma, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. (As far as I can tell this is NOT available on Amazon…but only at Velazquez Press.)

And here I am relaxing in fiction with the glorious John Steinbeck, To a God Unknown. I can’t help myself.  Yes, I know that chapter 10 was the most moving while here I am marking the absolute BEST sentence in the whole book which is: “The trail left the river again, and as Joseph neared his tent the clouds rolled backward from the west to the east like a curtain of grey wool and the late sun sparkled on the washed land, glittered on the grass blades and shot sparks into the drops that lay in the hearts of wildflowers.”

You know what else I love? Reading.  Just plain reading. And technology. And I think it’s just fantastic that technology has met READING.  

So, I’m not here to say “tech only.”  I’m here to say that it has its place. Here are some of them. Do you sleep with someone by your side?   On those sleepless nights you (or they) can stay up late reading without disturbing each other by having the light on.

Or THIS!  My latest accomplishment…


Total Ilumination

I don’t have a ‘she-shack’ but I have created a sacred, peaceful place right outside my master bathroom. And I call it my “secret lair.”  (Do you know how many things three teenage boys took care of all on their own when they couldn’t find ME to take of things in the two minutes they spent looking for me and didn’t find me?)

They are all grown and gone now but I still have my secret lair.  And last week it was 102 degrees all day, three days in a row. So when it got dark and cool and I wanted to sit in my secret lair and read, for an instant, I thought “aw, shucks, now it’s cool enough but it’s too dark outside to read…but wait! The kindle!” 

BLISS.

Currently on my kindle I’m reading Serpent Box by a hometown guy Vincent Louis Carrella (And I LOVE it!)  Don’t get me started, but the way he weaves words in the MOST unique way is just amazing.  The story blends old time religion, snake oil, the Appalachian backwoods and story. What a story!  Just very, very unique all the way ‘round. I was in a hurry to read it when I found Vincent one fine day so I did purchase it from Amazon kindle.  I am highlighting my favorite sections-no it’s not the same as paper-but I am LOVING it. I DO get to keep it, and so I will be able to go back and share with Vincent some of the parts that I found most poignant.

I have a one hour commute-each way-to work.  Wouldn’t you know the kindle plays audio books as well.  I have subscribed to Audible.com before and have purchased some good books from there.  However I generally download books via the OVERDRIVE app.   There are few books that I read more than once and audible.com books can get expensive. One is bound to purchasing a $15 book every month. For me, that can add up quickly. FREE books from the PUBLIC LIBRARY! Who doesn’t love THAT!! No, I don’t get to keep them, but generally I’m totally OK with that. 

The most fantastic thing I did on Kindle last year was to go through the entire quadrilogy of Neoplitan Novels by Elena Ferrante. My sister and father turned me on to her.  If you love stories about the human condition and relationships and how people work things out…this four book story is for YOU. Ok, this is supposed to be about the Kindle, let me stick to my topic.   The reason I brought it up is that I “did” these four books in all THREE formats. Paper, e-reader AND audio! I couldn’t get enough of it fast enough! At one point I was listening to the audiobook on the way home and later that night picked up the paper book right on the chapter that I had left off on during my commute home. 

Here’s an article comparing OverDrive and Libby

Oh, and it’s NOT just for grown-ups.  Audio books come along on every road trip I take with my son.  I WANT him to look out the window still! He can’t do that if he’s playing a video game, watching a movie or reading a paper book.  So, audio book it is. I have really enjoyed the books that he has picked out in the genres that he likes. It broadens my horizons and we are even MORE together and gives us something literary to talk about.  We’ve listened to The BFG by Roald Dahl and several books in the series Spirit Animals by various authors. And something new he’s reading called Watermelon.

So there you have it, my review and reason for getting a Kindle…if you LOVE reading. The Kindle doesn’t do much except books. It CAN do other things but they are so slow and difficult to find. I did find the camera on mine once and the pictures are so low resolution it wasn’t even worth it. If it’s more of a tablet that you need then look at the Kindle Fires. I can’t imagine reading eBooks on my laptop and I broke my iPad a little over a year ago. So I purchased a Kindle because it was much cheaper. Charles just bought a Kindle Fire 7 with his birthday money on that Amazon Prime Sale last week for $29! The iPad and Kindle Fires act more like tablets–mini computers. So you might want to go that route and kill two bird with one stone. All the price differences come in when you increase the memory (or gigabytes.)


What about you, are you reluctant to try literature in a technological format?  Do you use a kindle already? Do you use a different eReader? Tell me what you think of it.

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Coffee…’Nuf Said.

Allow me to let some pictures paint my 1,000 words.

This is SO me rolling out of bed to stumble down the hallway, into the kitchen before grabbing the counter top and pushing the button on the coffee maker.  The counter top has never failed me like it did this woman.

My husband used to get up between 4 and 5 a.m. so by the time I got up at 7-ish he was raring to go and would greet me like it was 1pm like a tidal wave and then…

We’re not together any longer. Maybe because it took him unusually long to learn this poem…maybe because when I recited it, I was not nearly as cheerful.  

In any event here, science–or at least this very scientific drawing–proves where awesomeness comes from…

or bloggers, or men, or women, or moms or dads…

And if YOU want to be awesome too, well, try some COFFEE!

ME? 

And THAT’S why I’m SERIOUS about this thang!

A client actually GAVE this to my husband.  Like I said, we aren’t together any longer and so far, I got to keep this coffee machine.  So, I guess that makes ME awesome. (See scientific drawing above.) Although, I am very grateful for all the times he brought me coffee in bed after learning that poem. NO k-cups!  Just straight coffee beans in one bin and water in the other. Would I have spent THIS much on a coffee maker? Honestly, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t know that I could get Starbucks taste right off my kitchen counter with the push of a button.  I don’t even put designer coffee beans in this and it comes out so perfect! I have SAVED a lot of money by avoiding coffee shops, to be honest.  

I watched the videos that it came with more than once.  The coffee strength can be adjusted by turning a dial. Also, the ounces per cup.  So, one could dial down the ounces and up the strength or vice-a-versa depending on one’s…er’h’m…personal character traits.

The client who gave it to us was downsizing to this Nepresso.

   

It ONLY makes espresso, which is FINE BY ME! To prevent just slurping it down, I turn it into a cafe americano just by adding some hot water.  I loved the bold taste of this machine also when we visited her place. It takes k-cups though. Which take up storage in cabinets. They looked elegant and this is what she keeps at her vacation place in Tahoe. 

For everyday, I need a bigger cup.  So, I really do prefer the Jura. I especially like that I can get any kind of coffee beans.  I don’t have to worry about k-cups nor the plastic waste.  On the weekends I make cappuccino and, again, it does not disappoint.  It’s super easy. Just fill that thermos thing, and-again-press ONE button.  It grinds and mixes the coffee, syphens and steams the milk all on it’s own! 

It does take up a bit of space on the counter top, but coffee takes up a bit of space in my life.  Someone else might want to go with one of their smaller machines. Read the specs and check out the counter space that you have, it’s definitely a ‘featured item’ in any kitchen.

Just so you know, for routine maintenance, the filter needs to be changed periodically.  And it needs to be cleaned with these tablets.  There’s a message on the machine when it’s time to do that.  It can be bypassed when I’m out so I can still have my coffee on demand. 

If you aren’t traveling around with a Yeti yet…you are also missing out on an amazing product that REALLY-also-does it’s job above and beyond. But THAT’s a whole other post.





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Won’t Pop a Wheelie

I’ve had this bag for about 4 years and I am REALLY tough on it! I teach 2nd grade and since I live 1 hr from work, I take work home daily. This thing is RUGGED! It’s roomy on the inside and the side pockets are large as well. It has withstood me pounding it up my stairs at home and daily flinging it down a large step behind me at work. Honestly, I pause some days and wonder why I’m so tough on it…but not one single thing has broken, gotten stuck, or torn. And the zippers are super thick and durable too!

When I originally ordered it, the company sent me a wheeling backpack by mistake and when I contacted them to exchange it they told me to go ahead and donate it instead. I LOVE THAT! I gave it to one of the foster mom’s at my school and she found a good home for it. I’m so glad there’s one more kiddo who won’t be moving her things in a garbage bag.

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ALL in ONE–and I do mean ALL

So…. you can google and youtube videos of hilarious sales reps coming to people’s doors. But this one is particularly funny…

And it’s ALL TRUE.  I first heard of this product because a hilarious person knocked on my door.  They were also very very kind.  And they listened to what I was saying, I know because their hilarity kept feeding off what I had said.  So, I purchased.  I was VERY satisfied and then a couple of years later when they knocked on my door again, I told them to SAVE their energy and hilarity and I purchased right away.  After a stint in Amway and many many trips to the grocery store all touting separate cleaners for every. little. thing.  Who DOESN’T want an effective all in one cleaner?!?  Honestly!! If it WORKS! And THIS product does WORK on literally EVERYTHING!  You can’t use clorox based cleaners on a greasy range…but ADVANAGE works!  You can’t mix ANYTHING up really and find that it works EVERYWHERE. But ADVANAGE  does work….really, it does.  Choose your scent.  I don’t really care.  I do hate cleaning-so I LOVE this product!!h

Try it yourself by clicking the link above.

Or Trust me completely and click on this link to get more for your money!

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This thing THOUGH!

So, I don’t buy a lot of “stuff.” But I DID buy THIS! A couple of years ago. I LOVE being on the water. I DON’T plan on actually white water (white knuckle) rafting on it down any rapids. I have your average run of the mill CAR, no rack and an 8 yr. old. And WHERE am I going to store an entire kayak? One that I only use seasonally? I don’t have room ON my car nor IN my garage nor AROUND my house for a bulky kayak. This thing completely fits into the carry bag and I hurl it into the trunk of my car! I LOVE it! It’s plenty roomy for 2 adults. It’s sturdy on the water, no tipping.

I’ve been on calm parts of the river near our home. The Yolo Bypass when it’s crazy flooded. A lake up in Shasta. It’s so great. I’ve seen more wildlife by kayaking out and around beyond the shore.

It takes longer to roll up and put away than it does to inflate. CAUTION-be sure it is absolutely totally and COMPLETELY dry. I now wipe the crevices with a dry towel. I let mine sit out for a couple of days. I don’t know WHAT I did, but once I put it away, didn’t use it for a couple of months and when I unrolled it there was purple mold/mildew stains on it. It’s pretty color purple but there is no way to get it off. I was sure that it was dry when I put it away, but…nope.