Comment Friday: 14/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

The idea is to read the following post, then leave a comment while you're here.

The advantages are

• you will get a link back to your blog from the comment you leave,
• your blog will get some extra exposure from my loyal readers (<lol>both of them</lol>),
• and I'll visit your blog (I'll even Stumble it if it's any good at all! One caveat on that last though: it might not be today, or even tomorrow, but eventually I will make it to every site that leaves comments here . . .)

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

I've stopped re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling now that I have—and now that I'm reading—book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I discovered that Wikipedia had decent recaps of the books, so I'm depending on that to refresh my memory. (Did I ever mention that Riley is a huge HP fan? Plays all the computer games, some of them better than I, and has me reading Book 5 to him? Well now I have!)

I am officially finished struggling in my XML Programming class at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

Riley has been in an all-day camp this week, and I just turned in my last assignment. Stick a fork in me—I am done!

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you are reading and what you think about it!

I'd still really like to know which blogs you are reading frequently, and what new tools and technologies you're excited about (raving about even) these days!

And have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Matière du jour:
Hector Berlioz
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 13/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

The idea is to read the following post, then leave a comment while you're here.

The advantages are

• you will get a link back to your blog from the comment you leave,
• your blog will get some extra exposure from my loyal readers (<lol>both of them</lol>),
• and I'll visit your blog (I'll even Stumble it if it's any good at all! One caveat on that last though: it might not be today, or even tomorrow, but eventually I will make it to every site that leaves comments here . . .)

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

I'm still re-reading (to refresh my memory) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out at midnight TONIGHT so, yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also.

I think I'm finished struggling in my XML Programming class at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

All next week—the final week of my class!—Riley will be in an all-day camp, so that will help immensely.

I've gotten to the point that I can get my projects working most of the way, and what I cannot get to work the other students cannot get to work either, so I just turn in what I've got and hope the instructor can figure out where we all went wrong.

It's amazing to me how something that seems so easy could be so temperamental and difficult at times.

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you are reading and what you think about it!

Tell me what blogs you're reading frequently, and what new tools and technologies you're excited about (raving about even) these days!

And have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Matière du jour:
Felix Mendelssohn
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 12/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

And have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for me, I'm still re-reading (to refresh my memory) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out soon so, yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also. Actually, now that I've seen the movie (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), I will probably just jump into re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince now.)

I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the movie, I mean).

Imelda Staunton (who played Delores Umbridge) was absolutely perfect, which is to say she was detestable from the word go!

And Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) was also quite enjoyable to watch . . . she was perfect for the role, playing luna as the space cadet she should have been: soft-spoken, walking around in a dream world, skipping everywhere, a real ditz!

My favorite line in the movie was when Harry and his friends were discussing the need to find a place to practice magic in secret and Ron's younger sister, Ginny, asks Harry what happens if they get found out (they're not supposed to be learning to actually cast spells this year) and Hermione (of all people) says: "Who cares . . . I mean it's sort of exciting isn't it . . . breaking the rules." to which Ron replies "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?"

I am still struggling—and still hanging in there—in my XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.) Things will get better next week when Riley starts a half-day camp all week (and a full-day camp the the week after that—which just happens to be the final week of class!)

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Matière du jour:
Franz Schubert
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 11/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm ticked off at Blogger at the moment.

For some reason, they no longer allow Blogger Template Tags in anchor tags (y'know: <a>) in a post! That had hosed up posting new messages for a while (and who knows what it's done to the messages I've already posted with Blogger Template Tags in them—which is how I used to do the "Post to del.icio.us" thingie!)

So what am I up to? I'm still refreshing my memory by re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (the movie—and book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows both come out soon. And yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also.)

I am still struggling—but hanging in there—in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

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Matière du jour:
Romantic Period
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 10/∞

The following post is over an hour and a half late, but I'm posting it anyway!

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm re-reading (to refresh my memory) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling before seeing the movie when it comes out in a few weeks—and before book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out next month. (And yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also.)

I am still struggling—but hanging in there—in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

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Matière du jour:
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 9/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I have just finished The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).

I hope to have a review up later today, but in the meantime you can read my post on The Woods by Harlan Coben.

Updated!

In other news, I am—for the moment—keeping my head above water in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

The pace of the class is brisk, and I've breezed past the easy stuff and now I'm starting to bog down in the wizardry behind the curtain (DTDs and schemas).

By the time Riley gets more active in his summer programs (the last have of July) I just might be coming up for the third time and clawing desperately for something to hold onto to keep me afloat.

I'm hoping that these two sections that are bogging me down now are the last of the really cryptic nonsense (and at times it literally seems to make no sense)!

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Matière du jour:
Ludwig van Beethoven
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday: 8/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm just about finished with The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick) and I'm doing something quite unusual for me, and that is that I'm reading a second piece of fiction at the same time!

This second book is The Woods by Harlan Coben.

Harlan Coben is one of those authors I truly enjoy reading. The man is absolutely gifted at turning out page turners and, so far, The Woods is no exception. That being the case, it shouldn't take me too long to finish it and I should have a review up fairly soon.

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Matière du jour:
Mozart's Concerto No. 21 and Symphony No. 41
(Category: Music)

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Comment Friday (Number 7/∞)

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

As for moi, I finished reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster, and I'm still reading The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).

In other news, school is out for Riley (my six year old kindergarten graduate), but the summer session at Saint Paul College has only just begun. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.) This summer I'm enrolled in an online class, XML Programming.

I also met, yesterday, with my academic advisor there to discuss which of the elective classes I should take for this certificate. (The academic advisor is, coincidentally, my XML Programming class instructor for the moment.)

I had originally been leaning toward PHP and MySQL Programming, but he showed me the folly of thinking and I'll most likely take Java Programming 1 instead, followed up by the not required, but definitely advisable Java Programming 2 and Java Certification.

I can take the PHP and MySQL Programming at some later date to enhance by skill base, but PHP isn't nearly as, ahem, fiscally responsible (a phrase which here means providing copious employment opportunities) as Java.

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Comment Friday (Number 6/∞)

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

As for moi, I am still reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster, but I have finihsed reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon—I'll have a review up later today. With A Spot of Bother finished, I'll now be reading The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Comment Friday: 5/∞ (Read About My Contest)

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Before I forget: I decided to make this week's Thursday Thirteen into A CONTEST.

I'm still reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster and I'm still reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon—which I've almost finished—and will have a review up soon.

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Comment Friday (Number 4 of ∞)

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

I'm still reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster and I'm now reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, and will have a review up soon.

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

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Thursday Thirteen (1 of ∞)

Thirteen Things Books Read By The Neighborhood Wives Book Club For a while now I've been thinking I should get involved in some memes—I started doing a Comment Friday a few weeks back—and I think Thursday Thirteen is another one that I can handle weekly, so I'm gonna give it a try. Since I'd like this to be, first and foremost, a book talk blog, here are thirteen books—in somewhat chronological order—read by the "neighborhood wives book club" that Julie has time to make it to some months (the books I've read, as a direct result of her participation there, are in bold): Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I'm amazed that this book, a memoir, was ever written (a phrase which here means: "I'm sorta amazed Burroughs was still alive to write it!") A very strange book about a very strange childhood in a very strange family. I liked it, if only because it made my family seem somewhat normal by comparison. The Color of Water by James C. McBride. I enjoyed this book (subtitled A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother) even though I'm not black, not jewish, and not so many other things McBride is. In fact, it might be for that very reason that I did enjoy the book. To be honest, it has been a while and I don't recall it as well as I wish. What I do remember is that—as a wannabe writer—I found the following snippet of description worth keeping in my writer's notebook: You could see him coming from a distance, appearing out of nowhere like an angel, his silhouette seeming to rise from the ground in the simmering heat . . . The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Now here's a book I highly recommend. It reminded me a bit of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (so it goes!) Only different. Read them both and decide for yourself. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. I don't read all the books they choose for the book club. But there must have been something on the book jacket of this one, or something said at the bus stop when I saw Riley off to school one morning. Or perhaps I had Riley with me at the Library when I picked it up for Julie and (Riley being Riley) he was playing one of the games on the kid's computers there, so I just started reading it while I waited for him. But I did read this one when it really isn't something I would normally have picked for myself. I don't recall it completely, but I do recall enjoying it. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Another book I probably would have avoided for myself (or not—I do have a fascination with history, after all). A book about the plague? Yeah, that sounds like fun. But it was a surprising great book. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I have reviewed this book a while back (I rated it a 9), so I'll let that stand for itself. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I also reviewed this book a while back also (and, again, rated it a 9). Frangipani by Célestine Hitiura Vaite. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. A Widow for One Year by John Irving. Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

1. West of Mars
2. Going Crazy Slowly

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Comment Friday (Number 3 of ∞)

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As odd as this is for me to say, I'm reading much more than I should be right now, and what I'm reading is not really what I should be devoting the most energy to.

Anyone reading this blog for awhile probably has figured out that the Final Exam for my JavaScript class (AKA: Internet Programming - Client Side) at Saint Paul College is right around the corner—Monday, in fact—and I should be studying for that. And finishing up my final projects.

So what am I reading?

For fiction I'm reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (author of the truly excellent and highly recommended The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time).

For non-fiction I'm reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster, so don't be surprised if my reviews of books become better. (And—though I hope not—snooty!)

You've been warned!

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Guess What Day It Is . . .

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (I'm sure they'll notice soon).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm finishing up The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, and will have a review up in a day or so.Post to Del.icio.us

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Ah . . . The Joy of Blogs

One of the "interesting" (a word which here means "strange or unexpected") things about the wide world of blogging is this: somewhere "out there" (a phrase which here means "out in the world of myriad blog hosting options") there just might be another blog named "Love All Books" (in which case I'd wonder about the blog's owner and his choice of names—regrets? Moi? Nah!)

Why do I bring this up?

Well, after posting about it being Comment Friday at Blog about your Blog, who do I get my first comment from? Another blog named Blog about your Blog!

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Blog about your Blog

There's a blog that I'm now into called Blog about your Blog. I'm still lurking at the moment, but I just left a comment there.

Why?

It's funny you should ask!

It is because today is Comment Friday at BAYB, a great idea if I ever heard of one.

So I hereby proclaim this site a Comment Friday site (yes, I'm stealing the idea) and will also visit your site if you comment here. If I like your site, I'll even link to it—and I visit the sites I link to fairly often—but I'll only do either as long as you hold my interest!

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