Gingrich shares lessons from a life in politics with students

http://www.lincolntimesnews.com/?p=51202&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gingrich-shares-lessons-from-a-life-in-politics-with-students
Despite what your personal beliefs are, this was a wonderful visit by Newt Gingrich to my daughter's school on Wednesday. He didn't speak about politics, but encouraged the students to learn something every day, dream big, and be true to themselves. I applaud Newt, who had canceled his NC tour last week, for re-thinking his visit to our town for the morning. I hope our kids learned something...

Did You See It?

Those of you who know me well know what a voracious reader I am. I read all the time. There's something wrong in my world if I don't have an open book nearby. I read the Twilight series while they were still in hardback because one of the high school girls told me she hated to read, but couldn't put it down. When my friend told me about this new series two summers ago called "The Hunger Games" I knew I had to read it too.

I don't usually like science-fiction, especially futuristic Americana. But this is so different. Suzanne Collins created an entirely different world from which we live in but made it believable. It seems familiar somehow. The characters, for the most part, are lovable; the situations, depressing. And of course, the heroine is vulnerable but courageous. I loved the book, and had to read Catching Fire and Mockingjay just as quickly as the first book.

So I've been very skeptical about seeing the movie. It is hard to take the creations in my head (the pictures that I formed while reading the book) and adapt them to what I'm seeing on the screen. Usually book-to-movie stories disappoint me. So imagine how excited I was to see the pictures in my head come to life on the big screen.

The producers did an amazing job of sticking (mostly) to the story line. The wardrobe and set designers used the images in my brain to create the characters. And, for the most part, the casting department chose actors who fit the characters. I really enjoyed seeing this book come to life on the big screen.

The one inconsistency from my mind has to be in the character of Haymitch. I saw him as more of a DeNiro character than a Woody Harrelson. You don't get a good sense of his motivation from the movie like you did in the book. He was a little too likeable. But Katniss and Peeta and all of the people in the capital looked so much like I knew they should. The author did a great job describing them, and the movie makers did a good job of listening.

If you haven't see it, or aren't sure you want to, read the book first. It starts out slowly as it sets the characters in the location and time, but quickly picks up so that you'll be wanting to read the other two books in the trilogy before you can put the first one back on the shelf. Or in my case, in the archived list on my Kindle!

"You can always tell a liberal- you just can't tell them much."

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Too Good not to Pass On...

It’s that time of the year again. Please raise your big toes and repeat after me:  As a member of the Sisterhood, I pledge to follow THE RULES when I wear sandals and other open-toe shoes:

*I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

*I will keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free or go without.

*I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

*I won’t wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend/coworker/mother/sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

*If a strap breaks, I won’t duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

*I will resist the urge to wear the jelly shoes of my youth out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others.  No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

*I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

*I will promise if I wear flip flops, that I will ensure they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking, and I will swear NOT to drag my feet while wearing them.  They’re not “shuffles”, they’re flip-flops.

*I promise to, every now and then, take off my sandals and splash in the puddles like a child!

Tuesday 10- Present and Accounted For

1. Whew- I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted anything!

2. Life is busy! The girl did so well at volleyball. Her team ended up being 5th in the south. They beat teams from Northern Michigan, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida.

3. Things may be a bit calmer for a few weeks without volleyball every weekend and two nights a week!

4. I'm ready... they can calm down at any time!

5. Actually, it's already been nice. I went to a friend's house on Saturday and we grilled hamburgers and sat in the hot tub. Just relaxing!

6. Yesterday I took Savannah and a friend to the US Whitewater Center. This is a really neat place. It was built to use as an Olympic training center but they do way more there. You can use a raft, kayak, zip line, ropes course, rock wall, and all sorts of other things. It is a great place to just sit on the deck and watch other people do that stuff, too!

7. I just watched. It sounded like fun, but I didn't have the energy for free falls and zip lines. My book and I had a good time!

8. I'm at work today and things are pretty slow. Actually, I'm waiting on other people to do their work so I can do mine!

9. We have sets to paint tonight for children's worship on Sunday. Last week we did a big Easter mystery (complete with a visit from the Easter bunny!) and now we'll start on our Super Sports Spectacular and learn how to train to be an Olympic Christian! Sounds like fun to me!

10. So hopefully I'll do more than pop in here and read and pop out. I know I've left a few comments, but not much. Y'all have a great Tuesday out there, ya hear?