Photoshop+ Books= Random Post

Meet Ammon. What a handsome little devil, but he acts like a perfect angel! His mom wanted to use my camera to take some pictures of him and I in the end had to take the majority of them so she could try to get him to smile. Typically that's all he ever does. But he had just woken up from a nap and wanted to eat, not a good combo. Sleepy and hungry...GRrrrr. This is the RAW picture... This is after I messed around with it in Photoshop...

Ky doesn't like it when the face is washed out like this but I thought it was cute. I just love his little expression. It makes me wonder what is going on inside his head, Hmmm.

So jumping into the next topic- I wanted share some of the books I've read over my break. I typically check out books from the public library and never have trouble getting them finished on time. Not the case the past couple weeks. Unfortunately I was 3 months behind on reading the Ensign so I had to force myself to read one in between each book and boy was that ever torturous.

Anyway I'm sure I'm a better person for doing so, at least that's what I'll keep telling myself!

If any of you are interested in economics, politics or anything so do with socialization, you would enjoy this book. If you just want a laugh, then you too would enjoy it. I read it in correlation with my Sociology class on Wealth, Poverty & Power, in America. It gives a perspective on the life of the unskilled worker and low-wage working class. I love that it disproves so many misconceptions about the poor, working-class and the American Ideology- that anyone can make it if they just work hard enough. Blah blah blah, I could go on a tangent right now but I will spare all of you the misery of listening to me rant about this subject.

Anyway, here is some background into the book. Barbara Ehrenreich, the author, was a journalist who posed as an unskilled worker and tried to get by on minimum wage. She worked as a maid in Maine and here is a sample of what she learned from her experience (straight from the book, pg. 92).

"Let's talk about s..., for example. It happens, as the bumper sticker says, and it happens to the cleaning person every day. The first time I encountered a s...-stained toilet as a maid, I was shocked by the sense of unwanted intimacy. A few hours ago, some well-fed butt was straining away on this toilet seat, and now here I am wiping up after it. For those who have never really cleaned a dirty toilet, I should explain that there are three kinds of s... stains. There are remnants of landslides running down the inside of toilet bowls. There are the splash-back remains on the underside of toilet seats. And, perhaps most repulsive, there's sometimes a crust of brown on the rim of a toilet seat (do you have tears yet? I'm dying all over again), where a turd happened to collide on its dive to the water. You don't want to know this? Well, it's not something I would have chosen to dwell on myself, but the different kinds of stains require different cleaning approaches... (why do I always find poo stories so entertaining? Freud would have something to say about that)

You will have to read the book to find out what those are and what she has to say about body hair, specifically the kind I can't mention on this PG-rated blog!

I've picked up 1176 several times but never finished it. This time I did. It wasn't that I didn't like the book the previous times, I just had other books at the same time and I couldn't get into it as much as the others. I love history and I love books about history and this one is amazing. America is nothing short of a miracle, in how it came to be.

My friend gave me this book to read. I cried. It really makes you think about what you would do in a similar situation. Provokes discussions on euthanasia and other controversial topics. It is a quick read and one that all can enjoy. Just have the tissues handy.

I enjoyed The Kite Runner but A Thousand Splendid Suns ,was far better. I'm so grateful to live in America where I am free and can't imagine living life so sheltered and controlled by men. This book shows what true friendship is all about and how two women survive the impossible. I cried in this too. I'm really not super emotional but if a book touches me, I'm a mess.

My current read is, The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. I've already read, The Other Boleyn Girl, by the same author and loved it. After reading it I went on a "royal family", reading frenzy. So far this book seems like it is going to be a good one. I'll let you know. If you have some fav books that you would like to share with me, please do. I have plenty of time on my hands!