Weekend Wrap-up

On Friday afternoon, Nana Char stopped by for a short visit with the kids. Maia was all better from her 6 day strep adventure, having only gone to school on Thursday and Friday last week. Rebecca went to a rocket yoga class in the evening then we had Panera for dinner.

On Saturday morning, we went to Frying Pan Farm on Maia's request, since she missed her first ever field trip (to Great Country Farm) while sick. We saw the usual assortment of baby animals and then did both the carousel and tractor/wagon ride for giggles. Ian was uncertain about the carousel, but he loved the tractor ride (which he did while wearing his "Tractor Pull" shirt).

In the afternoon, we had a barbeque with the Smiths. We played a couple board games, let the little kids enjoy the water table, and had shredded steak, burgers, and dogs.

On Sunday morning, Rebecca went hiking at Riverbend with her friend, Hannah, then took the kids to the Farmer's Market while I stayed home and relaxed. My parents came over for dinner (Worcestershire steaks and hot dogs) and Maia went to bed early with a stomachache (but got up bright and early today just fine).

How was your weekend?

Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Wake Up Calls by Cosmo Sheldrake:
An interesting, but mostly forgettable album that will make you feel like you're standing in a virtual aviary.

Final Grade: C

The Sins We Seek by Krista D. Ball:
The final book in the Dark Abyss of Our Sins trilogy moves fast and builds intensely. I thought that the story?s focus on depth instead of plot sprawl was very effective, and narrowed the world and plot towards a satisfying conclusion. I felt like the series might have been more powerful with Book 2 and 3 merged and trimmed of the repetitive parts. Book 1 is definitely the strongest book in my opinion, but the series as a whole is so short, fun, and approachable that it's well worth the journey. I recommend it for its sympathetic multi-dimensional characters, its playful banter, and its ability to explore serious real-world themes in a welcoming, thought-provoking way.

Final Grade: B

Better Call Saul, Season Six:
The final season of this show was great. The show manages to find a satisfying conclusion in spite of being a prequel to tons of established lore, and is best when it focuses on these characters in the "now" rather than what they become in Breaking Bad.

Final Grade: B+

On the Count of Three:
This black comedy about two friends who make a suicide pact is well-done but not particularly memorable. It reminded me in some places of Blindspotting, without rapping. On Hulu.

Final Grade: B-

Memory Day: Snapshots

This picture was taken 10 years ago today, on May 24, 2013.

We were at the Veramar Vineyard in Berryville, VA, on the way to a bed & breakfast in downtown Winchester to celebrate Rebecca's recent graduation from her physical therapy program at NOVA. These were the halcyon days full of free time where we could just dump a bunch of cat food in a bowl and take off for the weekend on the spur of the moment.

Ian Year 2 Month 1 Battle Report

Ian is a 25-month-old force of nature. His tantrums have receded and though he can be stubborn, he's happy more often than not. He wakes up around 7:30 AM after a full night's sleep and yells powerfully until someone gets him out of the crib. His lungs can propel a sailboat across a pond at 12 knots.

Ian loves books and has memorized several about Trucktown and Thomas the Tank Engine. After we read them to him, he'll reread them himself reciting all of the words. We still do joint story time for Ian and Maia before bedtime, where we read 1 - 2 stories (Rebecca is more patient and does 2). He absolutely loves Maia and always gives her a big hug before bedtime. Maia is a great big sister too and is mostly patient with him.

Ian's still a great singer too -- he can most often be found wandering around the house singing the ABC song as loud as possible. There was a very brief period where he sang, "double doodoo X, Y, and Z" but that passed quickly. Now he sometimes sings, "Now my nose is ABC. Next time won't you sing with me."

Self play is getting better every day. If bored with our company, he'll wander into the other room to play with Duplos or read books all by himself. However, he likes being with us too, especially on car trips and errands. At the grocery store, he'll say, "We have [whatever we just got off the shelf] at home!". We must buy a pouch so he can eat it as soon as it's been purchased at the checkout counter.

Review Day: Storm Forge by Paige L. Christie

There are no major spoilers in this review.

Storm Forge is the last book in the four-book series, Legacies of Arnan by Paige L. Christie. It delivers from start to finish, weaving all of the threads from the first three books into a perfect conclusion while simultaneously elevating the earlier books into something more than they already were with new layers and hidden context. I couldn't put this book down (I finished it in a weekend), and appreciated the tale so much that I immediately purchased a complete physical set to grace my bookshelf for future rereads.

Time has always been a key aspect of how this story is told. The earlier books offered us glimpses of the main characters, Cleod, Leiel, and Kilras, through vignettes spanning over forty years. Yet in the course of the first three books, only a few weeks had passed in the period we might label as the present. This lack of forward momentum definitely frustrated me at the time, but it was necessary for the final book. Each of the earlier books weaves a unique layer of new understanding into a tightly-wound flywheel until the pressure is almost unbearable.

Storm Forge finally allows that flywheel to spin out of control, and the chaos doesn't stop until its final pages. The characters continue to adapt and evolve, and each one is given the space to shine in climactic moments. I was constantly surprised by the direction of the plot in each chapter, and even more impressed by how many callbacks to earlier events were crucial to my appreciation -- this conclusion would not have been nearly as impactful if the earlier books had been any differently crafted.

This under-the-radar series deserves recognition as a masterpiece on par with any of the more visible bestsellers. If you enjoyed any earlier part of this series, you'll want to finish it. If you're a new reader intrigued by the idea of a series where the damsel in distress might not actually want to be saved, try the first book, Draigon Weather -- you will not be disappointed! With the concluding volume, Paige L. Christie has expertly fitted the capstone on a tightly-plotted, deeply moving series about friendship, hope, and the power of change.