Book Review: Life's a Beach

I recently signed up on GoodReads, so I thought I would try posting my review here :)

Life's a Beach Complimentary Edition by Claire Cook

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Actually 4 stars might be pushing it slightly because it was a wee bit slow to start. Once things got going, it was pretty good. I'm no editor or a regular reviewer or anything, just so you know...



I got this from B&N when they were having a free eBook promotion, so I would say the value was excellent! The characters were quirky and fun, and although the author gives us a good view into their personalities, I felt the physical descriptions were somewhat lacking. It might just be me, but I like to have a mental image of the characters.When I read I see pictures, so without those descriptors I come up with something generic which produces a less than ideal connection with the story.



That aside, I did like how Ginger interacts with her family, and the quirky behavior made for a fun read. I particularly identified with her desire to find her artistic passion. Ginger is pretty sarcastic with a dry and sometimes goofy sense of humor, so I could identify with that as well.



All in all, it was not a bad book and completely appropriate for a light summer read. Not cerebral or profound, but entertaining.



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Summer Already?

I've mentioned this before, but I love fireflies! Lightning bugs, whatever...you just don't see them in Southern California, so I look forward to them every year. The weather has been really crazy here with fluctuating temperatures and the horrific outbreak of tornadoes, but it seems to be finally settling into something resembling normal. Today is 89 with a heat index of 97, 56% humidity with dew points at 73 - not officially summer yet, but it sure feels official. It's what we've come to expect for this time of year.

Good Ol' Days was hot- horribly hot!  We went downtown for a couple of hours, and I got so hot that I felt sick. It's really hard to enjoy the festivities when it's that hot. The boys got to buy a couple of things, plus they got invited to go swimming when we got home, so I didn't feel too bad about cutting the day short.They each got a cheap air gun that shoots little plastic pellets, so they spent the evening setting up action figures in the back yard and shooting them. Later, I was checking to make sure they were empty and pointed it at the floor when I shot it - practicing safety and all - and promptly shot my husband in the butt when the pellet ricocheted off of the floor. Nice shootin', Tex!

My dad has been in California visiting his sister and other family members, so the boys have had to spend the weekdays with their grandparents. Let me just say, we all can't wait until my dad gets back tonight, and I will leave it at that.

I am about to finish up with Fundamentals of Media Communication and I am so glad. The instructor is good, although hard to understand at times as I think English is not her native language, but otherwise no issues there. The class is really about the history of media and is soooo dry! I have a 10-15 page research paper due this Saturday on the topic of my choice (The Effect of E-Readers on Literacy) and hmm, well if I do the minimum pages of 10, then I only have 8 more to go. Now, I do have the research all done, but I have to organize the material and write it. Thankfully, they require double spaced lines! My last class was Fundamentals of Design and we got to play with Photoshop and Illustrator. I thought sure the Media class would be fun too - I was so wrong. Next I have Fundamentals of Digital Imaging, and then after a short summer break, Color Theory. Somebody told me Color Theory was boring, but I'm hoping for the best.

Dusting Things Off

Back in September (waaaay back) I made a decision. There have been a few times since then that I have questioned my sanity; asked myself what the heck I was thinking. What did I do? I enrolled in online college classes. I am pursuing an Associates Degree in Web Design and Interactive Media at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After that, maybe a Bachelors in Graphic Design? Lol, we'll see.

School has kept me busy and I've been trying to find time to do everything, and the blog has suffered. I was told by more than one person that things around here were looking pretty dusty. So, I am dusting things off around here. I was also told that school will act like a sponge and suck all of my available time into it if I don't learn how to manage my time effectively. I have already seen some evidence of that, so I'm trying to be more organized. Not easy as it doesn't come naturally to me, except for those areas that I am OCD in,of course :)

So far I'm really enjoying my online school experience. Most of my instructors are helpful and encouraging and really care about the students' understanding of the material. Instead of just saying "Good job, now here's what's wrong..." they tell you why it's good, what needs to be fixed and why, and then give you suggestions on how to fix it. I've had several classes since October, and so far I have experienced good instructors, mediocre instructors, and a couple of excellent instructors - not necessarily in that order. Overall it's a positive experience. I'm just noticing how things don't change just because it's college. Some teachers are indifferent as to how well you do or if you pass or not. And then there are the teachers who want you to do well and excel and they are willing to get in there and fight with you. School was always easy for me; the only subject I had to really work at was math. My problem with school was that I was seriously bored. And, so, I didn't take it seriously.

Another thing that hasn't changed are the classroom dynamics. Just because it's online, does not mean that you don't deal with personalities. All of those people that you rolled your eyes at in high school are still there, they just have different names. Remember "teacher's pet", and "wannabe-teacher's pet"? How about the "class clown" and "class narcissist" - ("everything is all about me")? Yeah, names and faces have changed but that's about it. I find myself renaming them all with names I am more familiar with. Makes it more fun :)

Okay, so I'm taking college classes towards a degree - check! I'm getting the blog operational again-check! I'm on a roll, so what's next?  Oh yeah...there's still that 20 lbs I'd like to lose...*sigh*