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Imprimis

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Posts posted by Imprimis

  1. No, it wasn't me. I've never read anything by Wilkie Collins, but I've seen many recommend her books on here. I need to put something by her on my 'want to read' list. :001_smile:

     

    Wilkie Collins (a he, btw :)) was a contemporary of Charles Dickens. In fact they were close friends and collaborated on a number of short stories and plays. They worked together on a literary magazine called "Household Words."

     

    Anyway, I had never read anything by Collins until after I read the book Drood by Dan Simmons. It's a trippy, historical fiction/mystery/fantasy/thriller that features both Collins and Dickens. I loved it, btw!

     

    I started Collins' The Woman in White after reading Drood, got about half way through, but didn't finish it. I don't recall why I put it down---I think I purchased a new book that I couldn't wait to get to, and never did get back to poor Collins (but I plan to!) despite the fact that I was really enjoying it.

  2. Ours died about a month ago. We used to call it "The Monster in the Closet" because it was so huge dh added shelves and wiring to a closet in the kitchen just to house the stinkin' thing. After nearly 10 years the thing finally went out in a burst of blown fuses and electrical smoke.

     

    It was beautiful :).

     

    I've not missed that stupid thing at all.

     

     

    Exactly how I felt when ours bit the dust.

     

    I absolutely do not miss it one bit. Really, there was very little in the way of adjusting to life without a microwave.

     

    I bid mine a joyous "arrivederci!"

  3.  

    I'm very shocked at how greatly the first borns are outnumbering the others. I also wonder, out of those who voted middle or last or second, how many would also have first born characteristics based on factors like their gender or time-span between siblings.

     

     

     

    I voted last since I'm the youngest of 4, but using the time-span criteria mentioned, I am a first-born as I am 8 years younger than the sibling closest in age to me.

     

    Interesting.

  4. I can't speak to the particular kits you linked, but I have purchased several Thames and Kosmos kits as well as a couple of K'Nex ones.

     

    I've always been so impressed with the T&K products. They tend to use quality materials, the instructions are helpful, and my kids have really enjoyed learning with them.

     

    I've yet to see one that left me (or my kids) disappointed.

  5. I would like to hear your experiences (good and bad!) with AP English Language and/or AP English Literature courses your highschoolers have completed.

     

    I know there are several options out there now for online and distance learning. Which would you recommend and why?

     

    Are there any that you feel were disappointing or not worth the cost?

     

    My daughter is a rising junior and I'm trying to finalize our plans for next year.

  6. The first time I used the internet was in 1997 when we got our first pc. I made an account on America Online (still have my original screenname, btw), and promptly found the bulletin board called Mom's Online.

     

    I even remember my first post on Mom's Online---it was in a thread about nursing. My oldest was 17 months at the time.

     

    I also spent a lot of time browsing the AOL boards Writer's Online and Walt Disney World :)

  7. Okay---mine is a rather bizarre small world experience: Many years ago, I worked as an account rep for a temporary agency, placing people in jobs, securing accounts, etc.

     

    Well, one of our accounts was a large waste management company. We sent several temps there daily. Basically, the temps worked with mountains of garbage---sorting and so on.

     

    One afternoon as the temp workers came in to get their paychecks, one of them asked to speak with me. When I walked over to him, he reached in his pocket and handed me a photograph of myself taken a couple of years prior. As I stood there with my mouth open (wondering how the heck someone I barely knew got hold of a photo of me) he explained he found it on one of the garbage floors he was working on. By this point I was thoroughly gobsmacked.

     

    This was in a fairly large metropolitan area. In other words: LOTS of trash was generated there. The odds of someone finding a photo of someone they recognize among the heaps and heaps of trash have to be pretty astounding.

     

    After I got over my astonishment, I realized it was probably thrown away by an ex-boyfriend (or perhaps his new girlfriend ;)) as the photo was taken somewhere we had visited together.

     

    Weird, weird, weird.

  8. You must not know any quilters. ;)

     

    Uummm...yeah. I have more fabric, thread, tools, and notions than I'll probably ever get the chance to use. The good thing is both my daughters sew and they are free to "shop" my stash whenever they like.

     

    I am, however, a scrapbooker too. And, yes, I have supplies spilling out of every drawer in the house. I'm encouraging my kids to scrap and make cards so it doesn't go to waste.

  9. Ok---while in Italy last week (in Epcot, alas ;))---I picked up How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci by Michael Gelb. It's a combination personal growth/mini da Vinci history book/ mini art course that encourages (by using the suggested exercises) strengthening your thinking skills.

     

    I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be, however the book does contain some interesting info and I do feel some of the exercises are quite helpful. Plus, I've got a list of da Vinci books now that I plan to make my way through eventually.

  10. When I was pregnant with my first, my ob recommended alternating hot and cold for my headaches.

     

    Take 2 washcloths, place one in a pan (or large bowl) of iced water. Put the other in a pan of hot water. Wring out one cloth, place on head for 45 seconds, switch to 2nd cloth, place it on for 45 seconds. Alternate and repeat for 10 minutes. This works best if you catch your headache at the onset.

  11.  

    I'm not big on eating out in the first place, so going out is not a big priority for me. I'd rather spend the time with the whole family and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. Call me unromantic, but there it is.

     

    While I love going out to dinner, I'm with you in that I'd rather spend time with the whole family, so the five of us go out to eat quite frequently.

     

    I think the last time dh and I actually went out to dinner alone was when our teen was 4 weeks old and my mom thought we needed "a break" so she shooed us out the door and babysat while we went to eat at a restaurant around the corner from our home.

     

    One thing I would like to do as a couple is to start golfing again. Before we had kids (and, actually, throughout my pregnancy with my oldest) we went golfing every couple of weeks. At this point, I probably wouldn't even remember how to swing a club...

  12. I always thought it was logical because we speak with a pause at each of those places. Of course, my people are all from Indiana and Kentucky. We might think more slowly than some folks.

     

    It would seem that quick-witted people might NOT need an Oxford comma when they speak, because once they have settled on the first two items in the list the third has long since suggested itself.

     

    Some of us are still processing well into the speaking of the second item and require a pause before stating the third.

     

    Exactly! (And, I'm not even from Indiana or Kentucky) :D

  13. I can't do it. I need my serial commas! All of them.

     

    We did use a grammar program (can't recall which one it was) a few years ago that taught it was optional to place a comma before the "and" in a series. I ignored that :glare:.

     

    Commas, parentheses, and exclamation marks are some of my favorite writing tools! ;)

  14.  

    We're 'old' parents and quite a few of our friends are older parents too. Many of us are far livelier than the younger parents of some children we know.

     

    I'm not much into stereotypes, and certainly most older parents I know would in no way match the stereotypical 'older' parent as hinted at here.

     

    Cassy

     

    Yes, it is unfortunate that some assume that older parents are not as involved or active. Or that younger parents can't possibly be ready to raise a family.

     

    Frankly, I don't think there's any arbitrary magic age to be the best parent possible.

     

    I absolutely agree that it should be a personal decision.

     

    I touched on this in yesterday's spin off thread.

  15. The only Follett novels I've read have been his historical fiction books (my favorite genre)--Pillars, World Without End, and, Fall of Giants. I enjoyed each of these.

     

    Many of his books are thrillers, right? Which is generally not my thing. I remember when Pillars was released, many were surprised because it was so different from what he had been writing previously.

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