Happy Random Tuesday

 Our weather caster said, "Be that as it may" three times Sunday night during one newscast.  Perhaps she could have used "despite this," or "nevertheless."  When my husband says, "Nevertheless," I like to counter with "Ever the more." Get it?

The phrase, "Be that as it may" became popular in Middle English by Chaucer although he wrote it, "Be as be may." Chaucer is best known for The Canterbury Tales written  between 1387 and 1400.  I wonder if people (other than those who major in English Lit) ever read The Canterbury Tales anymore.  My mom had to read it when she was working on her Master's. Thankfully, I didn't. 

Middle English is like a whole different language.

Moving right along...  Have a laugh at one or two of these!  Which is your favorite?

And my favorite:

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Sunday Synopsis- Stephanie Plum #25

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trenton and the burg are the same as they always are. And Stephanie is, too. She works for her cousin Vinnie who owns a bail bonds store. Stephanie is a bounty hunter who tries to rangle those that miss their court dates to reschedule with the court. Otherwise, the bail bond business loses the money.

This time, there are deli managers mssing, all from the same deli. All that is left behind is a shoe. It doesn't give police much to go on. When the deli owner fails to appear, Vinnie becomes the default owner and forces Lula and Stephanie to work at the deli. No one wants to take the trash out because that's where the managers have been disappearing from. Ranger steps in, with Morelli's blessing, to keep Stephanie safe.

Stephanie also goes into the burrito business when she has to take the food truck to a concert site where she is expecting to locate another FTA. There is never a dull moment!

Somehow, Janet Evnovich manages to sneak humor into the story even though the subject is murder. The storyline was clever, and the book is fun and easy to read. You might actually laugh out loud. And Wulf makes an appearance in this book. Very enjoyable.

Stephanie's family plays a much lesser role in this book than in others, and she and Grandma Mazur don't go to the funeral home even once!

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Out of Sorts

 

Has anyone else had a day where you just felt blah?  Out of sorts for no specific reason?  Of course!  We all go through that. 

So I decided to look up where the word "blah" came from.  Nothing interesting.  Then I looked up "the blues" for which most of the definitions had to do with music.  No surprise there.

Then I looked up "out of sorts" and found that to be quite interesting.  It means that we are feeling"off," not ourselves, and can refer to physical or emotional discomfort. 

The origin goes back to 17th century typesetting.  The word "sorts" was used to refer to a set of letters used in printing, so when one was missing, the set was "out of sorts."  I learned something new today, even if I am feeling a bit blah and ho-hum.

How about something funny to lighten the mood?

Sophisticated Cat!

Have a great  week!  And don't forget to visit Happy TuesdayHappy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts. 

Sunday Synopsis-Cozy Mystery

Raspberries and Retaliation by Katherine Hayton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Holly is back in Hamner Springs helping her sister run the family bakery. Now that I'm into the 4rh book, it seems unnecessary to include why she's back and where she's been. Anyway, Holly and Aiden are on a walk when they discover a dead body. Aiden is taken in for questioning because he knew the deceased.

She was part of a family who are gathered near town for a family reunion. Her boyfriend disappears, so he is a suspect as well as Aiden. Then, another murder occurs. Who could have done this?

Holly will get to the truth with the help of her friends, but maybe without her sister. They have a huge falling out. I'm happy to say that by the end of the book, they will have made up. (spoiler) The mystery does get solved, so the reader can be comfortable in the conclusion, and it may surprise the reader to find out who it is.

I didn't like this plot line as well as the other three. I didn't think there was as much suspense about the murder. On the other hand, this was an easy and fun book to read. It is also free from swearing and cliffhangers, as promised by the author. A definite cozy mystery.

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Senior Care and Assisted Living

 

Watching a parent decline so much that they need assisted living, or in my case, memory care, is difficult enough without having to worry about which place would be best.  You can benefit from my four years' experience and countless hours of research by using a checklist checklist for phone calls and visits.  This may help you make a critical decision in the life of your loved one and will help take at least one item off your caregiver to-do list. I hope you find the best place for your family member.

And if you like this, you might also like the medical information plannermedical information planner were you can keep track of yours or your family member's needs such as doctors, conditions, blood pressure, blood sugar, surgeries, medications, and more.

I hope these will help in your journey.

Sunday Synopsis - Shogun

 

Shōgun by James Clavell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My husband has been trying to get me to read this for a while. Well, we started watching the mini-series, and I was hooked! I HAD to read it, all 1152 pages of it. To my surprise, this is one of the best books I have ever read! And while the mini-series follows the book closely, it's not exact, and the book, as usual, is better.

The premise: Set in the 1700's, Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea with the very few remaining members of his crew. They finally spot land, and it's a place most Europeans have never seen: Japan. He has to become accustommed to a new language, new customs, and the internal political situation he has found himself in, The Japanese refer to him as the barbarian and Anjin-san (ship pilot).

The first 80% of the book had me on the edge of my seat dying to know what would happen next. The last part seemed to drag on. But focusing on the better parts, the reader becomes enamored with Blackthorne and his interpreter, Mariko, who you will fall in love with just as Blackthorne does. The reader will root for Toronaga in his quest to win control of Japan from Ishido. It is jam-packed with action, adventure, emotion, and the most fascinating historical information.

There were a few things that did annoy me. First, the book uses the word karma at least once on every page. That may be a slight exaggeration, but very slight. They also mention committing seppuku (suicide) almost as much as it mentions karma. One other thing that may have been exaggerated is the many many times they apologize, so sorry, neh? And last, sometimes it was difficult to know whose thinking I was reading. The point of view shifted frequently. It's a truly omniscient point of view.

Despite some things that bothered me, I highly recommend this book.

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What Towel?

In a preview for Grey's Anatomy, which I haven't watched in at least two years, Meredith said, " I've come too far to throw the towel in."

I've always said throw in the towel (not throw the towel in).

Which is correct?  Does it really matter?  And what towel?

I'm going to break it down.

As I suspected, according the the Internet, the correct phrasing is "throw in the towel." Besides, you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition as in "throw the towel in."

From context clues, we can determine that it means to quit or give up.  But did you know that the expression began with boxing?  When a boxer is getting beaten and sure to suffer defeat, he/she or someone in his/her team will literally throw a towel into the ring as a means of surrender.  As my mamaw used to say, "Doesn't that beat all?!" (translation, imagine that)

Have a great week!  And don't forget to visit Random Tuesday ThoughtsRandom Tuesday Thoughts and Happy Tuesday!