#14 - Participate in the Hershey Library Summer Reading Program 3 times (1/3)

I participated in the Hershey Public Library's Adult Summer Reading program this past summer.  I didn't win any prizes this year, but I read a lot of books!  The reviews have been posted here, but here's a quick list of the books that I read between June 1 and August 31:

Watership Down
The Lovely Bones
House Calls
Angela's Ashes
'Tis
If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor
The Lost Symbol
Johnny Tremain
The Secret Life of Bees
If Only That Horse Were A Member Of My Church
The Shack

#66 - Do a complete organization on my gmail account (6500+ emails!)

I thought I'd post a status update on this one:  I started out with over 6,500 e-mails in my INBOX and now I am down to 1,932!  I am impressed with myself.  After I get my inbox down to 100 emails or less, I will start going through each label to make sure everything is properly, um, labeled. 

Also, I have gotten into the very good habit of labeling e-mails when they come in.  They don't necessarily get archived right away, but once they are labeled they are that much easier to find!

#64 - Put together a scrapbook/photo album for the Alaska 2009 trip

I ordered some prints a while back when snapfish was having a sale, but this week I ordered another 25 because SeeHere.com was having a sale.  When the SeeHere photos arrive, I'll have all the printed photos I need to start making a full-on scrapbook.  However, I will still need..... a scrapbook!  And some other materials.  I'm not sure how I want to present the whole thing yet, but at least the pictures are printed!

#55 - # Go to 5 new-to-me non-chain restaurants (1/5)

Mike and I went to Rancho Grande in Mechanicsburg about two weeks ago.  The place was very rundown looking from outside, but a little nicer inside.  Probably could use a paint job.

Aside from that, the staff was super friendly and attentive.  We both ordered specials (the Rancho Dinner and the Grande Dinner! haha) and were very full by the end of the meal.  I couldn't finish mine at all.  Everything was very good.  The red sauce on the burritos was a little sweeter than I usually like, but still yummy.  The chile relleno was DELICIOUS and I would love to know how they make it.  Even Mike liked it - which means it wasn't toooo spicy. 

However, as it is about a 20 minute drive to get there, and on the way you pass about 3 other mexican restaurants, I don't think we'll go there again unless we are already in the area.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City was a fun read, but having seen the show and the first movie definitely colored my reading experience.  The characters of the show were derived from this book (and before that, the New York Observer columns), however are drastically different in some cases.  That element really kept pulling me out of the stories when I would be picturing the actor that portrayed a certain character and then they would be described very differently or doing something that would be "out of character" for the TV version of the story.

That being said, I do think that the TV series and this collection of essays have a continuity of tone and subject matter.  It was fun to see a much darker Carrie Bradshaw (drugs being more of the scene than shown in the show), but it also just made me want to watch the show more.  I don't want to say that the TV show has wrecked this book, but it certainly evolved from the book and brought everything to a different level.

The Shack

I have been trying to figure out what to write about The Shack since I finished reading it over 2 weeks ago. 

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it - and really, you should.
But, I also feel like I have so many thoughts about the book buzzing around in my head that I'm not sure where to begin or what to say at all.

The Shack starts out as a mystery novel... and then it takes a turn into... something else.  A something else that is totally worth the ride.  Not to the religious, but to the spiritual.  While there are definitely some Christian overtones, I think there is something different to take away from this book for everyone who reads it. 

I am definitely adding this one to my permanent collection and I will come back to it again.  Highly recommended, 4/5 stars.

#48 - Try 24 new recipes and blog about them (3/24)

I guess I forgot this was an item because I have now 3 new recipe posts since I started the 1001 days again.

Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins
These were very good!  I guess I have to stop saying that I don't like cornbread. I am going to make these again soon (Mike likes to have them when I make chili) but I think I will make them with mini hot dogs inside next time.  I read about that somewhere.  Sounds yummy.

Sausage & Cheddar Pinwheels
I made these to take to a church function, but I should have waited and baked them the morning of instead of the night before.  They were a little dry after we heated them up again.  And in the time it took to heat them, we could have just baked them!  But they were still gobbled up with none leftover, so they must have been pretty good!

Banana Pancakes
Sometimes a recipe just grabs you and says MAKE ME I'M DELICIOUS!  That is what happened with these.  They really were delicious and they will definitely be made again - perhaps with chocolate chips next time....

If Only That Horse Were A Member Of My Church

If Only That Horse Were a Member of My Church is a book of short stories, jokes, inspirations, and quotes compiled by Charles W. Byrd.  I really enjoyed having this book to pick up when I just had a little bit of time to read each day.  Each story has it's own qualities to bring to the table (touching, hilarious, ironic, blessed, thought-provoking, etc) and they are arranged in a way so that each story is not overwhelmed by the ones around it.  This book only comes in at around 100 pages, but it certainly left me with a lot to think about! 

I also realize about half way through reading my copy that it is signed by the author!  This is my third autographed book find.  Neat-o!

#39 - Track Survey, etc revenue

I have been tracking survey revenue as well as my mystery-shops in a google spreadsheet for 2 full months now.  I think I am on track to continue with this practice!

#18 - Use the Briarcrest Pool

I did it!  I went to the pool on Saturday around 7pm.  It was lovely to just lay in the water, but I got bored quickly.  I did some laps (which was awkward due to the weird shape of the pool) and floated on my back.  There was one family there (dad and 2 kids in the pool with the mom watching) but they were in the low end, so we weren't really near each other.  It was relaxing.  I'm hoping to go at least once more before they close the pool in a week or so.

#34 - Research Auto Insurance and possibly combine plans

Well, well, well.  This one falls under the category of "easier said than done."  It would save us money to combine our auto insurance and be insured under one plan.  However, for Mike and I to be on the same plan, we would have to be married or we would have to change the titles on our cars (a possibility of marriage is really that far down the line, I suppose).  From my research, it sounds like esurance would have allowed us to have us both on the same plan, but they were not cheaper than if we just keep our current plans.  So, this item is finished.  The research took me about 3 days, which were not entirely wasted as I did learn a lot more about the process that is involved for having 2 people on the same plan (even if it did not work out).

The Secret Life of Bees

I had meant to read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd BEFORE seeing the movie, but it did not happen that way.  I think I saw the movie on TV or netflix over a year or more ago.  Reading the book helped me to have an even greater appreciation for the film.  The film captured the feeling and atmosphere of the book very well.  I do not specifically remember if the film was true to the book in details, but it was definitely true to the book in heart. 

I also really liked the way that the book tied in facts about bees with every chapter.  The bees of the story were another character that reacted to the events going on in the lives of the Boatwrights, Lily, Rosaleen and the whole of South Carolina as momentous changes are going on in the US as a result of the Civil Rights Act.  I guess that kind of makes this a semi-historical piece with the way the characters are affected by the goings on in the country.  I highly enjoyed this book, but I do wish that I had not watched the movie first as I would have liked to generate my own images of the characters instead of remembering the actors from the movie.

Johnny Tremain

I remember Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes being talked about in school, but I know that I never read it.  Sometimes our teacher would have us pick one of three books and then we would study that book in groups.  I think Johnny Tremain was one of the books that I didn't not have a chance to choose.  It was only rather recently in my reading career that I became interested in historical fiction, though.

The story of Johnny Tremain is definitely one of historical fiction.  Forbes makes Boston of the late 1700's come alive on the page.  This book definitely made me check the dictionary a few times as it tends towards language of the day. I also ended up doing some research about the Revolutionary War to help me remember why the historical characters were so important.  It was great to have Johnny brushing elbows with Paul Revere himself!

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is 509 pages long and I read it in 4 days flat.  Just like Angles and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol is definitely a page-turner.  The book focuses on the US this time (Washington, D.C.) which I found to be an intriguing element as his other Robert Langdon books have been set in Europe.  Because the book focuses on the emerging field of Noetic sciences as well as Freemasonery - two things I know nothing about - I found myself sitting in front of the computer poised to do a little research every once in a while as I read.  However, I really don't think it is necessary to do so.  The information provided in the book is plenty to go on as you follow the story - just try not to rip the pages as you turn them quickly!

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

Mike got If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell for Christmas a while back from his sister.  He insisted that it was  "coffee table book" and that he would just look through at the pictures, but he wasn't planning on reading it.  It has been floating around in the living room ever since.

Let me tell you right now: READ THIS BOOK!  Bruce Campbell is definitely a B Movie actor (Army of Darkness and Evil Dead II certainly fall into the B Movie category), but he does an excellent job pulling you into the world of movie making where profits are not the first order of business.  With in depth descriptions of how to raise funds (and how not to raise funds) as well as descriptions of rigged devices they used to "get the shot" this book kept my attention.  He has a great way of telling a specific story about a person that makes you realize that he pays attention to everyone - not just his friends in the business. 

I'd love to see Bruce write another book now that he has more TV work under his belt with Burn Notice!