24 October 2017

Woodjie and Rose Dancing



I'm only including the video in which both children danced together, but they did very well.  I'm still organising and settling in from our trip, believe it or not.  Things have to be put away in 500 different places throughout the house.  I suppose people who travel frequently just go ahead and get another toothpaste and so on.

21 October 2017

Roller Dance Competition!

We just got back from a roller dancing competition in Union, Missouri!  That's near St. Louis.  We had a great time and met people from several states.  Do you like the kids' new outfits?  Many of the people competing from our roller rink got the same costume so we all matched.  The same person who did our outfits also did the same outfit in other colours for other rinks.  Well, it makes finding your people a little easier.

The children won several events, including the dance competition.  Frankly, there was a much more advanced pair of skaters in their division, but they weren't moving together so well and apparently that's a big big deal in dance pairs.  Our coach taught Woodjie and Rose a simple dance and he taught it over and over and over. 

It's good to be home, though.


Rose wearing makeup for the first time.  Apparently that's a thing to do at these events so we splurged.

D took this photo of Woodjie and I cropped it and used a filter. 


03 October 2017

Citizen Newt: the Making of a Reagan Conservative


Citizen Newt:  the Making of a Reagan Conservative details Gingrich's career path from college professor to Speaker of the House.  It's an authorised biography that pretty much leaves out every detail of his personal life and focuses solely on the man's politics, his influence and his advocacy for the constituents of his district in ethnically diverse Georgia.

Here you'll find a reminder that politicians from a given party and time aren't all carbon copies of one another.  Newt Gingrich has always adamantly supported civil rights and was one of the few Republicans favouring a national holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr.  He's championed so-called "green" causes and is a staunch conservationist.  Back in the day when quite a number of people were seriously bandying about the idea of quarantining AIDS patients, Gingrich stated that the cases ought be reported but not quarantined, and that treatment ought be available.

At the same time, here's a fellow who supports food stamp work requirements and generally opposes tax increases.  But he's not always in line with his own party.

The one criticism I'd have of this book is that, while it's very detailed on many of the political infights and deals through Gingrich's career, the book ends as he becomes speaker.  It's certainly very detailed and well-researched and is likely to become a go-to book for any political writer wishing to gain insight into this time period in American national politics. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bringing Garbage Home

Some people up the street were throwing this table away. It was in pretty bad shape and one of the legs was off. I've glued the leg back...