Link to new thread.

New thread. Please post your workouts here. Everyone welcome. :)

My pedicurist told me to avoid cutting toenails too short and to cut them straight across in order to avoid ingrown toenails. Ingrown toenails often lead to fungus. Most people don't cut their toenails properly. Also, nails do need to breathe and having polish on them too often will not help. Finally, here's what I found about tea tree oil. I would suggest trying it for at least a month or two. Consistency is key. Tea Tree Oil Tea tree oil has antiseptic as well as antifungal properties that help a lot in the treatment of toenail fungus. This oil is also used to treat other kinds of skin infections. Use a cotton ball to apply tea tree oil on affected toenail. Leave it on for 10 minutes, and then use a toothbrush to gently scrub the affected nail. Do this 2-3 times daily until you are satisfied with the results.

Earlier today, coincidentally, I was going through your books there. :D

Thank you and I am so sorry to have caused hurt and pain. Thank you. I'm trying to remember what your name is on Good Reads. Sorry to sound a bit off, but it's hard to remember everyone's names when they're not the same here!

Eliana, I'm equally very sorry to have misunderstood. Thank you for being so sweet. :grouphug: You're always one of the kindest souls that I know. Thank you. :grouphug:

:grouphug:.

Haven't been feeling too well for the past week or so. I'll soon be doing 3 Classical Stretch routines and hope to feel better within the next few days. Slowly but surely.

I agree and neither do I :). I've been reading and re-reading your post and am not sure as to your intent and meaning. Are you trying to gently remind me in a rather roundabout way to stay quiet and to stifle how I feel about a book in order to possibly avoid offending others? I'm not sure. Please clarify. I feel that your tone may have been mildly condescending. Just maybe, but I'm sure that I'm mistaken, since, as you know, online conversations are so often misunderstood :grouphug: . Please help me out here and say it like it is, since it's often hard to read between the lines without eye-to-eye and person-to-person contact! :D :grouphug: I don't think that this thread is one where we should feel hushed in any way or asked to politely shut ourselves up. That's not my understanding. Maybe I'm mistaken. There were no personal attacks. I was merely summarizing quotes that were taken from the book and my thoughts on them. To ask us to not share things like that is like censorship, I believe.

Shawne, thank you. I've always loved your reviews also. I think we both loved "Nothing to Envy" (North Korea)? I'm sure that there have been others. You're not on Good Reads by any chance? :) :grouphug: Me too. That's not a fun feeling at all. If I know you well enough, you'll find something soon. :) I LOVE RD! Unfortunately, they no longer bring magazines here :(. I got it on my IPad for a while, but it's not the same. I like regular print copies. I just try to buy a copy or two whenever we travel.

I just finished Infidel - 5 Stars - A few months ago, I read “Murder in Amsterdamâ€, about the murder of Van Gogh’s great-grand-nephew, Theo, back in 2004. Theo Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian refugee had recently produced a short documentary about the treatment of women in Islam. He was killed first and she was meant to be next. She has been under continuous death threats since that time. Infidel is an amazing book, the first one I’ve read by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I definitely plan on reading more. I cannot say that it’s a book that I enjoyed reading, far from it. There were parts that extremely disturbing and painful (regular beatings and genital mutilation – I had to skip those details, since it was just too much for me). She takes us through her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. She ends up in the Netherlands where she escapes an arranged marriage. I cannot even begin to imagine having to grow up Muslim in these societies, or, sorry to say it, in any society really, since I have great issue to take with the way women are treated, and that’s just a starting point. I also cannot imagine growing up under the awful clan system that exists in Somalian and other cultures. I was born in Iran and spent some early years of my childhood there. Unlike what the media would have one believe, most Iranians, at least the ones that I knew and have known, are not particularly religious. I have found that the extremism of religion goes along with the class and education system. The more educated and the higher the class levels, the more they tended to shun religious extremism. Besides, many Iranians view Islam as an Arab import that was forced upon them back in the day. Anyway, not to digress, I am immensely thankful that I am not a Muslim and never have been. I am also very grateful that I never had to wear a headscarf or veil and for the fact that we left Iran before all that rubbish was enforced. The Islam that is practiced in Iran is definitely different to that in countries like Somalia, Saudi, and so on. The average Iranian Muslim is nowhere near as extreme as these other countries. Ayaan eloquently challenges any claim that Islam is a religion of peace. She says it like it is and I love her for that. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the Western world in particular, are quite blind to the realities of Islam – to their lack of women’s rights, free speech, and so forth. Some quotes that I liked and want to share: "I first encountered the full strength of Islam as a young child in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the source of Islam and its quintessence. It is the place where the Muslim religion is practiced in its purest form, and it is the origin of much of the fundamentalist vision that has spread far beyond its borders. … Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved." “The Quran is a historical record, written by humans. It is one version of events, as perceived by the men who wrote it 150 years after the Prophet Muhammad died. And it is a very tribal and Arab version of events. It spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war. The Prophet did teach us a lot of good things. I found it spiritually appealing to believe in a Hereafter. My life was enriched by the Quranic injunctions to be compassionate and show charity to others. There were times when I, like many other Muslims, found it too complicated to deal with the whole issue of war against the unbelievers. Most Muslims never delved into theology, and we rarely read the Quran; we are taught it in Arabic, which most Muslims can’t speak. As a result, most people think that Islam is about peace. It is from these people, honest and kind, that the fallacy has arisen that Islam is peaceful and tolerant.†“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn’t so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called racist.†Again, this book is not an easy read emotionally and mentally, and that's to be obviously expected given the subject matter. However, as far as content and writing style go, it is an exceptional read and one that I highly recommend. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

At least one Classical Stretch routine soon, but hopefully two. Walking with dh on the beach early this evening.

Oh dear. Guess I'll have to look at that list more carefully. I know he's not gentle. I can handle thriller, but not awful horror.

I just came across this list on Good Reads for Stephen King books that are not horror. I love the description: "Stephen King books that won't scare the crap out of me because 1. I already have a sleeping disorder and 2. I cant afford to keep the lights on every night for the rest of my life." :lol:

:grouphug: I hope you feel better soon, Ali. :grouphug:

Yes, I need to look inot 11/22/63. Thanks for that reminder, mumto2. :iagree:. I seldom choose a book based on that either. I think that overall I'm becoming a bit more selective (or at least I hope that I am) as to what to read, particularly what to purchase. There are far too many books that I already want to read & too little time! I saw something on Pinterest of somewhere where it said something to the effect of "I'm sure I'll die with a stack of books by my bed". :D Stacia, I've never had the opportunity to be in a book club. Few people read here, and if they did, I don't think our tastes would be similar, to say the least. I'm not sure if I'd enjoy being in a book club or not. I think it would have more to do with the people in it, obviously. And yes, no dread factor or homework for me, thank you very much :lol:! The dinner would definitely be far more appealing if that were the case!

I haven't read Persepolis & most likely won't, since I've seen the movie. Loved The Kite Runner, as I do all Khaled Hosseini. Also loved To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read as a teen. That's all I've read from the list.

I read The Stand - 4 Stars - For me, there are a few indications when I love a book: * I spend all day looking forward to my naptime and my bedtime, because I know that I can then squeeze in some chapters. * Throughout the day, I spend a great deal of time thinking about the characters and plot. I lose myself in the book. * When the book is completed, I’m still in that world for quite a while. This book did all of that for me. I loved the good against evil-type plot and the suspense. The characters were memorable and there were several that I connected with greatly. Since I read this on a Kindle, I had no idea why it was taking me so long to get through, until I realized that this book is over 1000 pages. I’m not usually one for books that seem, at least to me, to be unnecessarily lengthy and overly descriptive. I remember feeling that way about “The Goldfinchâ€. There were parts that were tedious to get through and that’s why I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5. The ending was a bit abrupt and slightly predictable. I’m realizing that I really do enjoy Stephen King. I’d always been rather wary to read any of his stuff, since I cannot handle horror, not too much anyway. I need to start working on a list of books of his that I would like to read – the ones that are not excessively scary – and I am open to suggestions! MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

I haven't yet tried that specific one, but I have almost all of her DVDs and love them. I notice a major difference when I manage to fit in at least one of her stretches every day (usually 25 minutes long). I'd definitely check out her video samples first and see if what she says resonates with you. I sometimes hesitate to recommend workout DVDs as tastes are so individual :). The most important thing is to find what you like because the only way to keep a routine is by doing workouts that you like. It took a while for me to get to like her workouts, but it was well worth it. I do have the Age Defying book (came free with some DVDs) & it looks very good. Haven't read it yet, just skimmed it. I feel better and think my clothes fit better when I stick to Classical Stretch and similar workouts. Her arm workouts that she includes in almost all of them are superb. Classical Stretch has become my go-to workout now, something that I try to fit in every day regardless. I know when I do Classical Stretch, I feel better than when I don't do the workouts. I also will workout every day because there is absolutely no dread factor for me. If you're thinking of buying a few workouts, she has sales from time to time - Thanksgiving period, etc. That's when I usually stock up on any ones that I'm looking forward to getting. HTH. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I only have time for one Classical Stretch routine this morning. Went for a walk with dh on the beach yesterday & saw the absolute most beautiful sunset ever. I wish that we'd brought our camera. We'll most likely be going again this evening.

Happy Birthday Violet Crown! :)

Stacia, thank you for this. You may recall that I absolutely love Lisbeth! I'll wait & see what the reviews says. Sounds exciting! :D

I miss you also. :grouphug: I'll try to post regularly once again. I'm not gone completely. I just don't seem to have as much time to post like before. Thank you for starting this thread. I miss you all. :grouphug:

Happy Anniversary, Robin! We celebrated our 19th last week & had a lovely dinner also - not a steakhouse per se, but we had fabulous steak nonetheless. I read: Exiles of the City of Love - 3 Stars - This is a book that would most likely only be appealing for Baha’is. It’s a story of a family who were imprisoned, tortured, and banished to Siberia during World War 2. I’ve been a Baha’i all my life, yet my knowledge of the Baha’is in that time period and that region of the world (Ishqabad) has been rather limited. This book is informative and I learned so much. The story is heartbreaking and unforgettable. Their love, devotion, and spirit of sacrifice, is nothing short of inspiring. Farewell to the East End - 5 Stars - I would recommend this series all around. They’ve made me laugh and cry. I love them and hate that that they have come to an end. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

nm