Mute Button

Quite possibly one of the greatest ideas is the mute button. There are times when the noise of electronic devices becomes too distracting. Rather than rant and rave, it's a simple push or click to silence things for a while. Silent cell phones, quiet TVs, muted computer programs. The sound of silence is a wonderful thing when you need a moment to clear your head or get some work completed. Too often do we forget that we can turn off our devices or silence them. Instead, we feel enslaved by their insistent cacophonous clamor to "look at me" or "pay attention to this" when all we need is a moment with our own thoughts. When you know your will power to ignore or resist the siren call of the beeping alert is too weak, reach over and press that mute button.

Hamish Macbeth Mysteries by M.C. Beaton

(NOTE: These are my personal opinions and not a paid review or endorsement for any product or works.)

I discovered these books a little while ago and I have been "eating them up" like crazy over the past couple of weeks. There are 27 books in the series and I've read 14 so far. I'm currently reading my 15th title. I haven't really been reading them in order because I grab them from my local library every time I see a title I've not read yet. I've exhausted the titles available at my branch, so I've started reserving them through inter-library loan from other branches within the system. I think the main character of Hamish Macbeth is the primary draw for me. He's very easy-going and relate-able. While everyone in the series constantly wonder why he is so unambitious, it's refreshing to see a character that you can count on to stay put. It's almost like watching a favorite TV series with the confidence that it won't quit on you before you get tired of it. It's true (for me) that sometimes the plots can be a little formulaic, however, I see that as more of a comfort than a nuisance. A little bit of predictability mixed with a few surprises makes the reads so enjoyable. I have found myself reading 2-3 of the novels a week, which is a rare feat indeed for me. I haven't been as voracious a reader since I was in high school, before the cares of (first) full-time college classes and (then/currently) a job and family demanded the majority of my time. I find the writing and welcome pauses in the story make it easy to take "small bites" if I need to or to feast upon many chapters in a single sitting if I can steal the time.

I still have a good number of books to read in the series, but I'm seriously considering giving Beaton's Agatha Raisin series a try once I finish with Hamish. I think the best part for me is that there are so many titles available to fill my curiosity and desire for more time with the colorful, and very human, characters of this Scottish Highland backdrop.

Allergies

Is it possible to find a silver lining in allergies?! In continuing my personal challenge to find positives in everything I encounter, and thus be more grateful for everything in life, I'm certainly going to try.

The most common allergic reaction to anything is sneezing. This could allow you to learn who cares for you when they say "Bless You" or some other similar response.

Let's say you break out in hives. These are quite possibly the worst allergic reaction to anything, in my personal experience. The constant itching anywhere your epidermis exists drives me batty! So, what could possibly be the upside? How about your own personal heater? Hives have this nifty quality in that they tend to generate an enormous amount of heat wherever they are found. This is especially helpful in the winter.

My current optimistic challenge, however, is figuring out how to be grateful for the swollen eye (looks very much like Pink Eye, but it's allergy-induced, NOT caused by bacteria, so it's not the contagious kind). Well, I did manage to get an excessive amount of sleep last night because of it (my body naturally wants extra sleep when something malfunctions so it can try to repair it). A red swollen eye is also an interesting conversation piece. My students were naturally curious about my eye and some of them couldn't stop staring at it. While that was a bit awkward, at least I knew that they were not falling asleep in class or playing on their cell phones. :-)

Fuzzy Blankets

I am an unashamed wuss when it comes to cold. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet and everything slows down for me when I'm too frosty. All I really want to do at times like these is sleep. The best comfort for me in the chillier months is not a cup of hot cocoa (love the stuff I got from Costa Rica!) or spice tea, but a warm fuzzy blanket. If I had my way, I would cuddle under the blanket my dad got us for Christmas a few years back from sunset to sunrise, only coming out when the sun finally decided to get to work. Of course, no one can always have their way; we must slog through some of the less comfortable moments of the year to fulfill our obligations to society. That makes the warm fuzzy blanket waiting for you at home that much more special.

My Local Library

I am so happy the public library was conceived and I am glad that our local library is now moved into a larger space. This afternoon I can watch my daughter and her friend as they do their homework, while working on my daughter's Christmas dress at the same time. I love being able to spread out to cut the fabric. While I sometimes think it is sad that so few people frequent the library, I am also grateful that there is still room to spread out. Oh, I can also take a minute to post this blog from the computers available for public use. :-) Kudos to Ben Franklin and all the library advocates out there!

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Please guide my hand, give me strength, and bestow your grace upon me. I ask that you help me find those most precious virtues of patience and forgiveness as I navigate my way through this day filled with encounters with many of your other children. Thank you, dear Lord, for your patience and willingness to hear my plea and aid me in my journey of self-improvement. Amen.

My Night Class Students

Right now I am so very grateful for the patience and understanding of my students attending my night class. I am very behind in my grading and other various paperwork, but they seem to be tolerant enough to not push me. Every once in a while I get a gentle reminder that I haven't graded anything or handed back any graded papers in a long while. They tend to stay on task a little more often, as well. This inspires me regularly to hold onto my life goal: my PhD in educational psychology with an emphasis on adult education. I don't like to see any group of people forgotten, and adult students are the most glossed over group of people in academia. We have years of research in teaching babies through teenagers, but then the research stops. I suppose education experts assume that adults who want to learn will learn; apparently adults don't have particular or specific learning needs and any technique chosen to convey information is interchangeable with any other.