so i’ve decided it’s the little things that make life fun – like today, i wear my swatch watch for the first time since like grade school – discovered it a year ago at the parents’ house, got it out and searched for a battery, had no luck with the itty bitty battery that was needed, found it on amazon for $2.90 and now – viola – i have my little watch working again – bringing out the male in me that does so love to fix things:)

(and you get bonus this year for saying “hey, cool watch dr. mafeld” on a day that i wear it – your reward for hanging in there through the summer books i’m reading – i know, i know – they’re awful – none about teens falling in love…)

i read a good amount of football media guides this week for i helped at SEC media days – i learned such things as mizzou didn’t field a team in ’19 due to the spanish flu, kentucky doesn’t know the name of their coach for the first two seasons (how does that happen? seriously, no one wants to take credit for those teams), and south carolina’s board of trustees banned football in 1906 – fun times for close readers of these guides

the one book i read was “a storm came up” by doug segrest – doug is a sportswriter with the b’ham news – and i would hope he’d say we’re decent friends – i would classify his 1963-setting in rural alabama as a high school YA book – very serious situations in the book – but it’s a great, great book that makes you think about what you can do in tough situations – and how you would respond

the good news is i’m starting to work on our room just about every morning (still taking volunteers for service hours – there’s no greater service than helping teachers prepare for the minds of tomorrow – they’re they minds of tomorrow which explains why they have no brains today)

the bad news is it’s good that i’m working right now b/c the room isn’t the best:)

but hey, the internet connector doesn’t come out of the wall anymore so that’s something good

happy last week before my birthday week (although, i don’t have a birthday week and people that do have nothing else better to do than invent reasons to celebrate themselves)

mafeld

for some reason, this was the week to read – but before that…

adison – please clarify the book the POV’s are coming from – because my last check had you on “manifest” and i’m not remembering anything from your writing that has to do with the book – of course, if it’s just you telling about your summer, then sorry about your posterior… 🙂

olive-a – YEAH FOR FINISHING BOOK ONE!!! and my apologies on offending your harry potter fandom – however, in my defense, or at least the way i see it, harry grew up over the books – he didn’t change – there’s a difference – he started the series a good kid and he ended the books a good man – no difference – same thing with ron and ms. granger – who they were at the start were who they were at the end – no transforming – they just grew up – which is sort of how i hope you’ll be one day b/c you started my class perfect so there’s no major transformation to go through – others, however… 🙂

alright, to the books…

“of africa” by soyinka – even years later, continental europe messed africa up – there’s still fallout, from the governmental structure to civil wars – this book did a great job showing that

“indescribable” by giglio and redman – book of amazing galaxy shots and testimony to the power of God in the universe – wonderful book that makes you take a step back to appreciate what’s around you

“candy experiments” by leavitt – elem kids rejoice!!! a book on how to take your favorite candies and blow them up:) (rather, just do some cool things with them – and possibly learn a bit about the science behind it as you go – really loved this book)

“the hobbit devotional” by strauss – 60 devotions based on the hobbit – good reminder that just as bilbo was called, we all have a big adventure awaiting us – whether we like it or not:) in life to travel

“shakespeare on toast” by crystal – how do you read shakespearea? this guy argues through the meter and verse – very interesting read – pretty quick and light, but the iambic pentameter stuff helped me – and should help me help you next year

and finally…

“14 minutes” by salazar – distance runner, now coach of The Oregon Project for Nike, talks about having the passion and drive to be great, and the wisdom to know when to pull back – to trust in faith over perfection – loved the book as a runner – as a teacher of young people – as a person of faith

hope your week to come is great – i’ll be at football media days so look for me next to a D-lineman – i’ll be the smaller one…

maf

so this one is early because i’m off to tour the world tomorrow morning…

“the longest race” by ayres – book on distance running – on running philosophy – on the earth and what we’re doing to it – on how to live counterculturally – and the point is that while our society values speed and power, life is really about enduring – about patience and waiting – good lessons – enjoyable

“les miserables” by hugo – oh, i was so proud to finish this one in a week – i read the 1200 page abridged edition – so i missed 200 pages – but i got most of it – lots of side roads taken in the book that i could figure would not be in the rock opera – what i liked about the book was what i like about all long books – you get involved and watch them grow over time and through the years – and who they are at the end is very, very different than who they were at the beginning – now, today’s young adult books do rival some classics like “miserables” in length – if you chain all the books in the series together – but you just don’t get the character development – bella, edward, katniss, even lovable harry potter are all EXACTLY the same people at the end of the story – now, it’s not like the books end with them aged tremendously, but maybe some author could throw a curve ball with the next series i read and do something about that problem… 🙂

and it’s on to season five of “friday night lights” – clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose

adison – great to hear that baseball finally ended and you’re getting in both some reading and blogging – however, you only mentioned one awesome sister – i would assume the younger one???

mafeld

happy july – happy recovery day from the last day of june (also known as post-liberty day parade day or post-long run day)

“speed to glory” and “heart of a champion” – both short juvenille bios on olympians – the first is about cullen jones, probably the most famous african-american swimmer the US has had – i enjoyed that one – swimming books are almost as good as running books – the second book is about gymnastics – which is just not my thing (aka, agility, bendability, etc.)

“run to overcome” – a reread for me – on my second attempt – or really second go round, i enjoyed reading how meb woke up at 4:30 am every morning when he first came to the US in order to do homework with his father – his parents stressed – we would say “overstressed” in today’s parenting – the importance of education – no wonder that all of the people in his family have achieved great things in college – and no wonder that my junior high boys that go home and play video games all afternoon go, um, nowhere…

“the guy under the sheets” – by chris elliott – his autobiography – in severe satire – there was a funny line at the beginning where he spoke of needing to finish the opening scene of chapter one so that he could go back to the beginning in chapter two and then progress chronologically – which is basically what all biographies do – that part was my absolute  favorite – lilly has a GREAT father in “how i met your mother” (that would be chris elliott)

“les miserables” – there are several was to attack this book – hugo wrote like 1400 pages – the county has an abridged 320 – barnes and noble gave me a 1200 page edition – so i’m in for a long haul – i’ve decided, at page 500, that i have to like this book – because otherwise i’m ridculous for reading it and can’t sucker anyone else into making the same mistake – that said, it’s definitely a book that can be cut down – but there are great moments in it – my favorite so far is the metaphor between indecisive men and cats

i would tell you that metaphor but i can’t decide if you’re ready for it:)

luv,

maf

so there’s the CMS’ “Wedding of the Century” that day – and the grand parade through the streets of columbiana – the debut of the 2012 marching band, i guess – all on the same day – decisions, decisions – where are you people for advice when i need it???

“reagan diaries” – i think i mentioned i started this book last week – well, guess what??? it’s now done and returned to the county library – no pushing or shoving as you all collectively race to get it (secret message i wrote and left on page 530 for that special someone that follows to check the book out:)

anyway, the “diaries” were good – i would say that it empowered me to pick up my pen and write mine – but i stopped four years ago in protest of my life – it wasn’t worth writing about anymore – and i believe my protest is working so i’m sticking with it:)

okay, third try on a review – the book was good – good sense of what the president was thinking and dwelling during his reign – what consumed him – i imagine all diaries would reveal as much

“radical” reread book from my pastor at brook hills – and his sermon was matthew 28 today so it was pretty much sitting through the book again:)

“pym of nantucket” edgar allan poe wrote this book – his lone fictional novel/work – it’s an acquired taste – not your traditional poe with twisted darkness – a little more like what his peers were producing at the time – the good thing about the book is that you read it and see how jules verne could get his travel/sci-fi books 40 years down the road – one influenced the other – so while the first book (poe’s) isn’t that great and just sort of ends – odd plot development (either no climax or like two) – the fact that book influenced others made it bearable – and i don’t like poe generally so the book was actually an improvement for me – but poe lovers can be warned – stay away!!!

suppose that’s it – hope your liberty day week is wonderful

mafeld

(no, it wasn’t a big wheel – 4-wheel – working engine and all – and yes, when it’s a billion degrees outside and you’re an hour into a run, you do look for small things to movitate yourself – that or you hallucinate the whole thing…)

“3 and out” – there was a coach – richrod was his name – actually, Rich Rodriguez – long time ago, he almost became the head coach at alabama – thankfully, he didn’t – he became michigan’s coach – and this writer watched the program fall apart during the three years – he got inside access – i enjoyed the read – anything to get me ready for college football season – and sort of scout bama’s first opponent…

“another season” – gene stallings was bama’s coach when i first arrived on campus – he wrote a book in ’97 about his son – john mark – who had down syndrome (john mark passed away within the last five years) – the book was written to help the RISE center on campus – it tells about stallings’ coaching career – and about john mark’s fragile life – amazing book that i read 14 years ago – and read again this week – i noticed my granddad’s copy on my grandmother’s shelf – my granddad’s been gone for eight years now so it was special to read one of the last books he understood

moved into politics afterwards – ronald reagan’s diaries – i’m in ’85 so three years to go – big book – i’ll save impressions for next week

and season two of friday night lights is almost finished – not sure that english teacher should’ve given julie “the world according to garp” – i’m not sure i’m ready to read it

AND!!! best news of all – i sort of have my very own kenyan orphan now!!! marvin o

happy week

maf

hope week two of june is wonderful for everyone – lots of summer reading going on here…

“eat and run” by scott jurek – the title is self-explanatory – most of the book is about scott’s tremendous work running – and then at the end of every chapter, there’s a vegan(ish) recipe – hence, eat and run – his journey is amazing though – he’s had to battle some dark moments – and his willingness to pull through and keep going is what makes him an encouraging read

“from the heart” by laura bush – i had to wait on this one b/c 5,000 others were in front of me at the library when it first came out – now, it sits beside her husband’s book in columbiana – i didn’t remember/realize that she spent 10-ish years as a teacher/librarian – figured it was shorter than that – probably my favorite part of the book was her adult life teaching – i did enjoy the private tour of the white house – and how she recreated the post 9/11 environment – lots, i do, forget how tense that time period was

“running the rift” – new book at a library near you – i think it’s a translation – nevertheless, beautiful fictional account of a rwandan runner who’s caught in the midst of genocide during the mid ’90s – he, like most tutsi’s – lost everything – and the world had a hard time catching on – or even caring – about what was going on – reading the book gave me a better understanding of an event i didn’t know a lot about – and it reminded me again that it’s important to stop evil when you see it working (simple as that sounds, we live in an era where we like to leave people alone and not judge…)

“running for my life” by lopez lomong – oh, what a joy to read – what a blessing – what an ecouragement – lomong was abducted from his church in the sudan at age six, made a child soldier, escaped to kenya and lived on one meal a day in a refugee camp for 10 years, came to america, became a US citizen, carried the US flag and ran for the US in the 1500 meter race in ’08, looks to qualify in three weeks for this year’s olympic team – now works with world vision ministries to help south sudan – just an amazing story – an amazing person – and a book that encourages you to believe

so lots of books last week – even made it to season 2 of friday night lights re-runs – must return and continue to anticipate football

maf

okay, so “little women” wasn’t the highlight of the week that went to…

“muck city” – coming soon to a library near you – great book about a unique high school in the everglades in florida – how that school and its kids (and teachers) overcome suffocating poverty to achieve great things – absorbing read – really, really loved it

“insurgent” – finished it early in the week – i’m ready to give up the divergent series – i’m getting too old to appreciate teen romance and drama, i guess (oh, for those days when i did appreciate teen romance – wait??? not sure i ever recall appreciating teen romance)

“little women” – i’m going with the nook here and calling this a 1,400 page book – which makes my accomplishment of reading it in two days all the more impressive – i guess – anyway, little women was not written for me – i’m pretty sure about that – nevertheless, it was a decent book – liked it much better than insurgent (if you can’t guess, i didn’t like that book:) and, oh, when jo broke laurie’s heart, i just wanted to cry and cry…

reading college football now as my reward for “little women” – in fact, with two fiction books read this week, i may just call that “good” for the summer and stick with biographies and such

great to see my lovely ladies at the duke ceremony today – thanks again to faryn for inviting me – and to julie for, for, for, mmm… give me a week to think about it…

mafeld

so school ended this week – YEAH!!! now, i am free to read what i want to and free to write what i want to…

“marathon” – remind me not to speak to this guy in chicago this fall – i reread the book – which i got in 09 in chicago – had forgotten most of it – what i liked? the pope running the marathon what i didn’t like? the book’s central premise that we had to marry off our sweet 30 tv anchorwoman before it was too late – she certainly did need a man to make her life complete…

“oceana” – who knew i would grow up to read a book on oceans by the lead character of “cheers” – a show that i had to go to bed before it came on (and then hear my parents laugh for the next 30 minutes) – anyway, scary book about what overfishing does to the world’s seas – hopeful though – and lots of pretty pictures of fish and coral

“insurgent” – started it – don’t want to finish it – again, i forget why don’t want to continue reading some series – this was one of them – it’s like twilight in that it strikes that odd combo of “ooh, we’re on the edge of death and the world is against us” and “ooh, i want to kiss you sooooooo much”

grrr….

i’m not going to finish this book any time soon – but i will finish – then, i’m moving back to the safe world of non-fiction – and never reading another teen fiction book again…

happy summer!!!

maf

no promises that i won’t big league you if i see you there (i’m just that important:)

last week was finals, but i somehow snuck in a book or two (i’m just that good:)

“the total tragedy of a girl named hamlet” – i wanted to like this book – it just didn’t work out – i rooted for the wrong guy in the book (the good guy for the girl was apparently the won that just boldly kissed her and made her “feel it” – the quiet one that was her friend??? yeah, he’s out in the dark now…)

“mystic bat” – again, i pulled hard for the book – i lost – even a book about baseball – it was just that kind of week

the kids and i have an origami e-book now to keep us company – “origami x” by robinson – all the way through until the summer – i think the book is designed for smaller kids, but even bigger ones can too be flummoxed by how poorly they play with paper:)

i’m off to start crying some more tears about the students that will be leaving me – and those that left so long ago…

maf