Gluten Free Irony

Gluten Free is a term that is hitting the mainstream. I learned about it several years ago when I discovered I had a wheat allergy. While wheat allergies and Celiac Disease are two different disorders, I know I am safe if I choose Gluten Free foods. So armed with this information, I share my story.

Several weekends ago, our local chamber of commerce held our local nature fest. We had a prior engagement but decided to attend the last hour or so. It was fun mingling with members of our local community. Several businesses and churches had set up displays. A local church with whom we have no affiliation, set up fun ring toss game. My family loved the competition among ourselves. If you were successful ringing the target, you put your name in for the drawing. You guessed it, the prize was a wheat filled dream, pizza. I laughed with my husband about the irony if out of all the entries our family managed to place into the drawing, my name was drawn. Twenty minutes later, as my husband took our children out to eat at gluten feast restaurant, I got the call. I had won the gift certificate to the local pizzeria.

Hope you got a good laugh I did. (I also got several safe food treats)

Leann Holland

 

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Movie Review - It's Complicated

For our anniversary evening, my husband and I wanted to watch a non-family movie. We love our kids but once in a while we like to remember life before kids, a kind of preparation for when they leave us with an empty nest.

It's complicated  seemed to fit that bill. A single mother (Meryl Streep) with her youngest child's leaving for college embarked in relationships with a new love (Steven Martin) and her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin). The cast implied great potential for sensitivity and humor. Multiple times through the movie, situations would start to build but the movie kept falling just short of either humor or sensitivity. The ending was too little, too fantastical, and too late. I recommend you skip this movie. I wish I had.

Signs of The Times

I wish I could say that I was shocked at the news that the NY Times newspaper will at some date to be determined not be printed on paper any more. Okay, I guess you could say that I was shocked that they were brave enough to acknowledge that fact and announce it. The world is changing and changing fast.(See Yahoo's news article. http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20100908/tc_mashable/new_york_times_will_go_out_of_print_sometime_in_the_future )

The events of my life give me an interesting point of view. My high school graduating class was the first class that had computer class in our school system. available for our senior year. I also had taken an adult education class in the neighboring county to learn about computers in my sophomore year. I feel that I have had a front row seat to these changes, always trying to catch up.

In my research to become a published fiction author, I have found two distinct and powerful camps, traditional publication and epublication (Epub). A war is being fought but like modern warfare sometimes it is hard to decide who is friend or foe. Traditional publication is now fighting for digital rights and Epub is evolving at such a dizzy pace that readers and authors are confused.

As with any major technological changes, people will be left behind. There will be hundreds, thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of people left behind when the New York Times ceases their print editions. More will accumulate as the newspapers around the United States change. I wish I had a crystal ball, well, maybe just a story idea? Who knows? 

Trying not to be left behind, I am in process of self publishing my short stories into ebooks. I'll keep you posted.

Leann Holland 

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks Book Review

Last spring during my mother's biannual visit, she gave me the book to read. I have read Mr. Sparks' previous title, A Walk to Remember, and I listened to his story, The Choice on audio book. My husband and I have also seen the movie Message in a Bottle.

So I knew enough to know what I was walking into a very emotional story. It's one of the reasons why the book stayed in my to-be-read pile. It was finally time. I didn't find this book as emotionally wrenching as A Walk to Remember probably due to the fact I struggle to connect with the main character, John. By the middle of the book, I was curious and interested in the story line. The twist in the book is a surprise I didn't see coming. No spoilers, just in case you're like me and running behind on your reading list. Well written and a good read.

A Bit of Fall Color

During our family hike this weekend, we saw this first sign of fall colors. But don't touch!!! Itchy, Itchy!

Ice Cold, A book Review

During our recent vacation to visit family in Michigan, my husband watched cable with his widowed, elderly mother. He saw an advertisment for a new series that started in July on TNT. By the ads, I'm sure you guessed it, Rizzoli & Isles. Unfortunely, at this time we have choosen not to have satellite or cable. In July, we tried to watch it at TNT.tv and it wasn't available.

So, I put the book series on my to-read list. Unfornately, I didn't do my homework well. I started with Ice Cold, the latest in the series. Late last night or early this morning depending on your defination of four a.m., I finished Ice Cold. It is a fast paced enjoyable read of a horrific crime mystery. Maura Isles leaves her Boston home to travel to a medical conference. She becomes missing, dead, missing again and a fugitive to an exciting climax. Even reading this book out of series order, I never felt confused by references to previous cases (books). Check out Ice Cold, if you like murder mysteries.

In my research for this blog entry, I checked out TNT's website about the series. At this time, they have the first episodes of Rizzoli & Isles available to watch on line at their website http://www.tnt.tv/series/rizzoliandisles/ . They have games and an online story available, as well. According to several websites, TNT has also pickup the series for an additional thirteen episodes. We will definately be checking out the TV series soon.

Enjoy,

Leann Holland