may your may days be bright…

“save the cat” – screenwriting 101 – few good ideas – mostly just recycled things – because, as you know, most movies are recycled anyway…

“out of the silent planet” by lewis – cs lewis – narnia fame – ransom, the narrator, a teacher, is captured and taken to a whole new world – actually, a better world – unlike ours – that’s uncommunicative, silent, with the rest of the world b/c our prince is a fallen angel – a reread for me – i liked the series the first time – this read was good too

“five chiefs” by john paul stevens – former supreme court justice – his memories of five chief justices he met/worked for – lots of laws and decisions he mentioned that aren’t in the top 10 that i typically read about (marbury v. madison, dred scott, brown vs. board, ny times v. sullivan, miranda, etc.) – i fell in and out of “getting” all that stevens wrote – above me at times – but great book – and good point about originalists (those that always want to know what the “founders” would’ve done – stevens points out that laws are for the living – even the founders believed this – and i think it rings true)

“hunger games” – and finally, there’s this book i’d heard about… okay, before i mislead a sixth grader, let me assure you that i heard about the book months before it ever came out, and i read it years ago – so a reread – enough time that i’d forgotten small details (that katniss came from the appalachian mountains – so it makes since that she’s a volunteer)

what’s to like about the “games”??? how about that it reads quickly – which i hope you do this week as you finish your next-to-last journals

maf

i’m done reading – it’s time to be brain dead and watch people run… 🙂

i read four books this week – i’ll be brief on two and take more time with what i enjoyed

“the writer’s journey” – motifs in movies – and how this “genius” movie guy figured them out

“the book” – baseball stats that prove traditional theory wrong – like, never bunt (or not usually) – and bat your pitcher eighth

“imperfect” by jim abbott – this book was awesome – very recommendable for a middle school kid – gifted – disabled – guy – girl – sports or no – just great (we’re journalling next week about it) – anyway, abbott writes about the issues we all face in life – who are we – what will we be known for – and he’s pretty good at helping us along that trail – again, great book

“the big miss: my years coaching tiger woods” by hank haney – i liked this book b/c it talked about how you coach a gifted athlete – a driven athlete – good insight into tiger’s world – haney obviously wrote it to protect his rep (you can tell criticism gets under his skin) but the whole issue of trying to figure out tiger made the book an easy read for me

reading cs lewis’s sci-fi series right now while i wait for something new – hope your journals and reading is fun this week

maf

yes, the annual blog where i wish everyone a holiday no one but bostonians celebrate

(go trent and trey’s mom tomorrow as she runs the streets of boston)

“Last Hunger Season” by Thurow – read on the nook last week – excellent all-ages account of the fight to end hunger in Kenya – western Kenya still has a “hunger season” where families have to make choices like starve or send money to the school so that they’re kids can go to school – amazing – and sad – makes you want to support US efforts to help – great, great read

“Rafa” by Nadal – he’s a tennis player – pretty successful one (like first to win 10 slams by 24) – he probably talked the book out to a writer in spanish – so the differences in language – much less culture – is pretty interesting – reminded me of the beckham book i read – international stars seem to be more down to earth than american ones – it’s surprising to find that out – anyway, nadal was done with school at like 16, but he’s full of insight and wisdom – not to mention guts (i love running and seeing a five-hour tennis match – that’s a marathon match indeed)

remember, the seventh grade has a wonderful book “we love parades” now available at your friendly online bookstore to purchase and enjoy

sincerely,

mafeld

so, yes, it’s resurrection day – and yes, you still don’t have to blog – you, my friends, MUST NEEDS TEST!!!

(evil laugh)

yes, try and stress hugely b/c your life hinges on these big huge tests that you will take next week

(sarcasm pause)

so, i guess this gives me free reign of the blog this week since no one will read – olive-a – it was a blessing to get your addendum to the last blog – glad that you’re reading hunger games – as a guy, or rather, as a “Mr. Mayfield” guy that seems to miss every relational cue, i totally missed that the love triangle that i suppose makes this series loveable to all – i, in contrast, found the first book terrible – i thought katniss was an awful character b/c she was selfish – true to only herself and not willing to sacrifice herself – like peeta was

now, thankfully, the series got better for me – and in a wonderful display of irony and total contempt upon her audience “lookin’ for love in all the wrong places,”  i think my YA group was totally dissastified with the ending – that there wasn’t a big wedding – a big love fest – instead, the series ends like life does – messy, but with hopeful linings if you look for them

and that leads me to the lone book i read this week (i read some publications – christianity today, SI, espn the mag, sabr, the economist, etc…)

“for the love of the game” by sl price – mike coolbaugh, 35-ish year old first base coach, in 2007 is hit in the neck with a line drive foul ball and dies instantly in a minor league game – the book tells his story, his family’s story, the story of the guy that hit the ball – even others around – terrible event – disrupted life forever for many – and the book is one of the darker books that i’ve ever read because price didn’t try to find some silver lining at the end to neatly wrap it all up – it obviously makes you wonder about how you spend your days – and whether you tell those around you often enough that you love them b/c you just never know when your days are done…

so, in hopes that the ARMT kills you all:)

LOVE!!!

maf

happy first week of baseball – and last week before testing

i finished spring break up with the book “lombardi” by manariss – nonfiction about the coach of the green bay packers – the guy didn’t get a head coaching job until his 40s – so good story about hanging in there when the breaks don’t go your ways – sad book with his family (he wasn’t the best dad)

i then moved to “the best i can be” by rafer johnson – gold medalist at the ’60 games – wonderful, encouraging story about overcoming – from race to depression to the little things that bump up in a sporting event – would love for you all to read this book

then, on to the electronic kind – “portrait of pacifists” – wonderful complement to anne frank’s diary (for those of you that have read it) – a french town during wwii helped keep jews from the nazis – and this pastor and his wife helped – they hated war, all wars, and yet felt compelled to do something b/c of the nazis – but rather than fight, they used non-violence (which is a form of fighting – guess we just never think of it that way) – enlightening story i never knew about

remember to get in a good testing pattern early – so start getting those breakfast foods ready for your nutritional needs:)

maf