Sunday Synopsis

I'm back!

  Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors and Other True Cases by Ann Rule
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ann Rule is the ultimate true crime author. Her research is so complete, and she writes events in such a compelling way, that you could easily be reading fiction. But you're not! This really happened.

There are two anchor stories in this volume. One of the stories took place at the Spreckels beachfront mansion in Coronado, California. At the time, billionaire Jonah Shacknai owned the mansion. There were two tragedies in as many days. First, Shacknai's son fell from the stairs to the marble floor below. Less than two days later, his girlfriend is found hanging from a balcony off one of the bedrooms, her hands tied behind her back. This is a serious mystery, and Ann Rule presents several angles and possibilities like the seasoned crime reporter she is. Honestly, the story was extremely interesting, but I was left with even more questions!

The other story is one I first heard snippets about on one of the TV shows I watch. It was about Susan Powell who vanished in 2009. Her husband Josh was not the loving man he claimed to be, in fact, was quite the opposite, and his family held many secrets. This story was deep and intriguing.

There were some other shorter stories toward the end of the book, all of which were engaging and thought-provoking. There really is no one better at true crime than Ann Rule.

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Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy.

Ugh.  Monday was.... Monday!!!!  Murphy's Law.  My water bottle leaked - all 20 ounces of fluid - in my work bag and all over my school papers.  My bag got lodged under the seat of the car, and when I grabbed it, the strap broke.  I forgot to check my "box" and had to go all the way up to the office before school started.  Then we wasted 35 minutes making sure all students had a locker.  Next up was the fire drill.  And... today was my library day with students, and there was no air.  It felt like the Amazon!  Tuesday WILL be better!  I demand it be so!

I'm still working my retail part-time job.  I don't have a lot of free time, but the extra money is nice, and I actually don't mind it.  Yes, I have to help people who are sometimes not so nice, and I have to clean up after them, but I take some satisfaction in making sure the store is neat and orderly before I leave.  The people who have worked there a while complain a lot, with about one exception, but I try to be positive when I'm there.  Because - if I don't like it, I could just quit, and I guess they can't.

And now...

This is logic!

I love puns!

Gotta finish with something cute!

Have a great week!

Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy today.

Well... school has officially begun!  It was a pretty good day, although I wasn't looking forward to it.  I'm ready to retire.  My bank account isn't on the same page as I am, though.  Maybe at the end of this year. My son will be off to his last semester (God willing) of college in two days.

Parents, don't lie... this was you on the first day of school if you have little ones or teenagers!

And this was me:

And this will be me in the next week or so with all the exposure to germs:

I'm still working two jobs, but I can't keep it up for long.  I have such a hard time quitting a job!  I like most of the people, but they don't pay too well, and it's really hard to get up and go to work the morning after you work closing in retail.  How do you say, "I am leaving"?  I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make anyone mad.  The pay isn't great, but it's helping financially.  What do I do?

Only 2 months and 2 days until basketball season!  Actually, Houston's home opener is October 24.  I'm curious to see how the addition of Westbrook changes the team.  I never really liked him, but now that he's a Rocket, I'll have to!

Image Credit

Now a few funnies!

Have a great week!

No Random Tuesday cuz Work Got Me Like...

Work got me like...

Working two jobs...

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Random Tuesday

Here it is... Tuesday again, and time to link up with Stacy .

Image Credit and Video for news story.

My heart goes out to the victims of the shootings in El Paso and Dayton.  It sure does make one think twice about going to Walmart or a bar.

This is my last week off before returning to what will hopefully be my last year of teaching (#31).  Students come back the 19th.  I will have one and a half more weeks with my son before he goes off to what will hopefully be his last semester of college.  Hopefully.  I'll get to see my sister, my daughter who lives in another city, my BFF. and perhaps, my mom, if I'm lucky, before I go back to teaching.  Oh, and let's not forget... work at my part-time job, too.  It's going to be a busy six days!

Here's something cute!  A gray seal named Zola, who lives at St. Andrews University in Scotland, has learned to "bark" the first seven notes of the Star Wars theme and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."  You can read the story and listen to Zola at this link.

And now...

Hahahaha!

Have a great week!

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