The 100 Reads Project In Full Swing

I finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  I first fell in love with Marquez and his fiction when I read Chronicles of a Death Foretold in my World Literature class in high school.  His books are richly painted glimpses into the Caribbean at the turn of the century, incorporating values and traditions of the indigenous, Spanish, and African cultures.  Love in the Time of Cholera was an interesting page turner because the middle of the book felt slow at times, but I still was so intrigued at the way he introduced the story that after every chapter I thought "Well, now we will find out what happens."  But you don't really find out what happens until the last 50 pages.  Meanwhile, it is easy to enjoy the rich storytelling and depth of character development in the middle 250 pages.  By the end of the book, I certainly found myself not-so-secretly hoping for the love story to come true at last for the two protagonists.  I am excited that my list of 100 Reads includes another book by him.

I am starting the project with the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace. . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  Three Cups of Tea features the story of a mountaineer (Mortenson) who found himself in Pakistani village after a failed attempt to climb K2.  He was so moved by the inhabitants' kindness, that he promised to return and build a school.  And he kept his promise to the villagers, plus building 54 additional schools, particularly focusing on the goal of educating girls in a part of the world still plagued by severe gender discrimination and oppression.  This book is of particular interest to me because of the promotion of educating girls, as a lot of health and economic research has shown that educated girls become educated mothers and women who work better jobs (often starting their own small businesses) and lead healthier lives, starting a cycle of good health generations in their family.

This Season in Obscure Holidays

It's officially the holiday season around here.  I know because I was walking through Macy's the other day on my way to lunch (thank heavens for the Skyway system in Minneapolis) and I got stabbed in the eye by a hanging snowflake and Harry Connick Jr. Christmas carols followed me through the men's department, around the shoes, and while I craftily dodged the "perfume ladies" and their spritzing and dashing and grabbing your hands and slathering them with some putrid smelling glittery lotion.

Thanksgiving and Christmas get all the attention this time of year, and perhaps for good reason.  They each come with a fabulous spread of foods.  And, to a lesser extent, some mass media/advertising attention is paid to Hanukkah (and it's 200 different spellings) and Kwanzaa in an effort to keep the holidays politically correct.  

But there are a lot of holidays going on this time of year that get easily overlooked behind the turkey and the cut-out cookies, the fabulous department store discounts, and the stuffed stockings.  Luckily, we've had ourselves a bit of an ice storm and I have nothing but time to bring those holidays to your attention!  Perhaps you can squeeze in one more party and one more turkey loaf for one of these fabulous occasions as well! 

Friday, November 26: Black Friday.  Because nothing says holiday cheer like leaving your family to line up outside of Wal-Mart at 2am only to stampede like a bunch of deal-seeking wildebeest and trample an employee.  To death.  Happy Holidays! 

Saturday, November 27: National Listening Day.  "Huh?  Did you say something?  No no no, I was listening.  I just, uh. . . need you to repeat that for me one more time."

Tuesday, November 30: Stay Home Because You're Well Day.  Unless you're an hourly worker, sans benefits, like some of us who are out there livin' the dream.  For us, this is a lesser known holiday, "Go To Work Because You Have A Job, Yay!" Day.  

December is National Tie Month.  I expect some much better dressed men in Downtown Minneapolis for this month.  Spruce yourselves up, boys! Especially if you participated in the god-awful observance of No Shave November.  Ugh. 

Wednesday, December 1: World AIDS Day.  Ahem. [steps on to soapbox]  Part of the epidemic of AIDS is biological; it is caused by a nasty virus that can be elusive to the infected individual.  Many people are infected with HIV and don't know for some time after infection, giving them the opportunity to spread it to sexual partners or between mother and newly born child.  Another part of the epidemic is social.  We're afraid to talk about HIV/AIDS because it makes us talk about issues that we're uncomfortable with.  For example, men who have sex with men but don't identify as homosexual are at a dangerously high risk of HIV infection but we don't talk about that.  Further, HIV/AIDS is running rampant through parts of the world where sex is used against women and children as a weapon of war and conflict.  But we frame HIV/AIDS infection as the responsibility of the infected person by saying things like "They shouldn't have sex with someone they don't know" or "They should have used protection."  I think we all wish it were so easy.  The last part of the epidemic is the continued need for resources.  There are retroviral treatments that can extend an individuals life with HIV and prevent the onset of AIDS.  They are having mixed, but mostly positive results.  There are drugs that prevent the spreading of HIV from mother to child during birth and these are showing extremely positive results and are greatly reducing the burden of HIV on infants.  But these are not inexpensive treatments and they need continued funding and support along with increasing support for comprehensive sex education in the US and abroad, the continued empowerment of women worldwide to have control over their own sexuality and sexual decision-making, and to further punish individuals who use sex as a tool of violence.  Learn more here.   

Saturday, December 4: National Cookie Day.  I do so love any National [insert something delicious here] Day.  

Friday, December 10: National Salesman Day.  I get it.  This is someone's job and we should celebrate them just like we celebrate teachers, bosses, secretaries and the like.  But, in all honesty, less than 5% of the teachers I have had were real jerks, but at least 80% of the salesman I have had to deal with (I am looking at you phone companies and internet and television service providers) were real ass-hats.  Maybe this year in celebration, they could try not being that way.  You know, to spice things up.  

Friday, December 10: Human Rights Day.  All humans are created equal.  Unfortunately, some are still more equal than others.  The beauty of the Human Rights Declaration is that it asks for rights to be extended and recognized in many areas of human life.  The right to adequate nutrition, the right to adequate health, the right to a safe place to live, the right to education, the right to make a livable wage doing fulfilling work.  Pick your topic and fight for it on this day and every day.  Learn more here.  

Wednesday, December 15: Cat Herders Day.  Is this for actual cat herders or for people who have professions that are akin to cat-herding?  For example, anyone working with children and their snotty noses and sticky jelly fingers.  

Thursday, December 16: National Re-Gifting Day.  Oh, do not roll your eyes like that and think 'Gosh, what a tacky holiday!'  We've all done it.  And you know it.  

Tuesday, December 21: National Crossword Day.  I, for one, am glad this day falls on a Tuesday rather than a Friday or Sunday?  The Crosswords/Sudokus/Cryptoquips are far and away easier at the beginning of the week.  

Okay, hope that's sufficient to get you through the holiday season.  I don't know what kind of baked goods you make for National Salesman Day (arsenic brownies, perhaps), but I am sure you'll figure something out!

Oh! And Happy Festivus (the holiday for the rest of us) which officially falls on December 23.  

One thing of note: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was on the list of official holidays and I could not agree more.  

Let's Get Literary

I made an update, but forgot to update you about the update. 

Stop chasing that sentence like a tail-chasing pup and come back to me, here. 

You know why you didn't know it was an update?  Because it wasn't an actual post, like this update on the update is.  You're asking how that is possible and I am answering.

I added a... page! (Gasps can be heard spreading through the reading crowd like wildfire*)

So, for the first time (and possibly the last) in the history of Misadventures of a Modern Mugwump, I am going to allow you to let your eyes wander over to the right side of the page and find the new toolbar labeled "Pages."  And under that you will see a link to Home (that's where you are now; welcome to my e-Home!) and to a new addition: 100 Reads.  I won't describe it here, because it is described there, so click on over and enjoy!

* First Mom gasped on the couch, and then Dad in the easy chair.  And the dog "harumphed" and it was counted as a gasp because this blogger will take all she can get. 

You Can Find Me on the Treadmill

So, there are lots of great things about being a real graduate: no more classes, no more late night term paper sagas, no more stressing over exams, no more no more no more.... No more things to do in the evenings?  No more thesis clogging my every thought and spare moment?  


Oh. My. God.  


Now what?!  

Well, a 10K, of course.  I have all this time in the evenings, and other than the occasional social engagement, the brief errands here and there, I have too much time to be idle.  So much so that it is uncomfortable-- I can't sit still, I don't sleep after a night of doing nothing; it's awful, really.  But, I recently have also bought a gym membership and I have to go 12 times a month to get a pretty good discount from my health insurance provider. What do you get when you combine free time and a gym membership and a need for a good challenge?  10K training.  




[Gosh, sorry.  I didn't notice the photo didn't show.  You probably didn't either actually.  Will attempt to fix...maybe]


First saw an awesome training plan in a friend's copy of Fitness magazine and unearthed a copy from their website.  It's funny because it is sort of arranged how I do my weekly training anyway: interval runs and swimming or biking for my cross-training, and I try to do my longer runs on weekends because I have more time.  I think this training program and I might get along perfectly well-- as long as I can stick to it.  Fingers crossed!