It's Just My Opinion

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Star crossed lovers meet tragic end. Romeo and Juliet? No. Although the author borrowed his title from a Shakespearean sonnet, Romeo and Juliet this is not!

Don't get me wrong. I liked the book. Emphasis on liked. Perhaps I bought into the "hype" and expected too much, but I did not find it "epic," "tragic," or "surprising" in any way. I wanted to be emotionally invested, swept up in a surging tide of romance and tragedy, but reading TFIOS was more like a lazy float down the river.

The author's pretentiousness, and the precocious characterization, annoyed me. I actually tired of the nonstop metaphors. The author seemed to be trying too hard. The characters, although they were suffering from cancer, were not exactly likeable, and the story itself was predictable from the beginning. To the people who say it made them cry, I must ask, "Why?" I knew what was going to happen, and these fictional characters are not, quite frankly, sympathetic. No, I did not cry.

This was just a good book. Good, not great.


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Ads That Bug Me

Commercials!  We mute a lot of commercials around here.  Certain songs really trigger my annoyance.  For example, there is this commercial.  It's a perfectly good advertisement... except for the song.  Remember this song from the 80's?  I must have heard it a million times, and I don't want to hear it again!  So, this comes on, the mute button goes into action.  What commercials do you mute?

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Friday Confessions

Hardly anyone reads my blog anymore, and it's my fault.  I have not paid much attention to my blog lately.  That's my first confession today.

Moving on... since we got back from our cruise Monday, I haven't felt like doing anything.  I usually stay very busy, crafting, organizing, writing, reading, but in the past few days, I haven't felt like doing much of anything.  I did try two new recipes, and my daughter did get me to the gym a couple of times, but I mainly want to nap and watch TV.  There's my second confession - out in the open now!

My husband and I played bingo when we were in Las Vegas last month (among other things like BlackJack and slot machines), but now that we're home, we're still addicted to bingo.  One of our daughters was horrified because she pictures it being all strange old ladies, and admittedly, there are a "few" of them, but there are other types of people there, too.  It's fun.  We both won in Vegas, but we haven't won here yet, and we've gone about four times, about once a week.  So, that's my final confession for today.

Link up at High-Heeled Love for more confessions.

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Wordless Wednesday

You would think that my twins would get to walk together for graduation, but you'd be wrong.  She graduated with honors, so she goes first.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Why should honors kids go first?  Oh well.  I am so proud of both of them. 

 

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It's Come and Gone

Graduation was Thursday night.  The graduation party was yesterday.  I survived.  I've managed not to cry (just teary) by staying busy.  Now that the whirlwind is over, it will probably hit me that my babies are high school graduates.  They will be 18 soon, also.  Will my role as "mom" change?  Probably.  I guess I knew when they were born that this would eventually happen, but there is nothing like actually experiencing it.  And it goes by so fast!  Everyone says that, but it's just TRUE!  It's also true that moms worry - about EVERYTHING!  I think of all the possibilities, things that COULD HAVE happened and didn't, and for that, I am thankful.  Blessed.  Amazed.  Proud.

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Two Days?

I can't believe my twins graduate in TWO DAYS!  For those of you with young children, cherish their growing up years.  It happens so fast!  You will blink, and they will be in middle school.  Blink again... high school.  Now... graduation.

I am so very proud of them.  My daughter will be attending a private Christian college in the fall.  I can't imagine her being six hours away from us.  She received a scholarship from the University as well as a scholarship from her school for American Sign Language.  She's graduating on our "Distinguished Achievement Program" with 12 college hours already complete, and perhaps another three depending on how she did on her AP exam.  She works so hard to do well in school. It doesn't always come easily for her. All of the things she has accomplished in school are because she chose to do them, not because I wanted her to do them.  She has been in dance, color guard, winter guard, National Honor Society, and American Sign Language club.

My son is going to stay home for a semester, maybe a year, and attend community college.  He doesn't know what he wants to do yet, but he has expressed interest in getting a Bachelor of Science in Pipeline Engineering.  But that may change.  Some days he wants to go to college, others, he wants to go to technical school, and still others, he wants to work full time.  He will be getting a start next fall, though.  He also received two scholarships.  One of them was a local scholarship from Progressive Waste Management, and the other was from his FFA chapter.  He is graduating on the recommended program, and I have to say, he is smarter than his grades show.  His grades are good... A's, B's, a few C's, but he is capable of so much.  He has been involved in a variety of activities, but his main interest was FFA, which is an awesome organization!

I really didn't write this to brag, although I'm sure it sounds that way.  My kids are not the very top of the class, nor are they the very bottom, and they are not involved in dozens of extra-curricular activities, but they have found their interests and pursued them,  and I am proud of, not only their accomplishments, but the well-rounded, kind, honest young people they are.

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