So hope blog

Archive for March, 2010

Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1)
I found this book interesting. Contrary to the teachings of The Holy Bible, the author claims that satan is a “myth,” that Jesus was only a great person (no mention of “Savior”), and seemed to imply that the “things written down 2000 years ago” are open to debate. My questions is this: If all these things written 2000 years ago about God and Jesus were true, WHY would God, in “speaking with Mr. Neale Donald Walsch (as he claims)”, suddenly reverse his previous statements about satan, the validity of the Bible, and the absolute sovereignty of Christ?
I am a skeptic, and I like to think I have an open mind. This book was recommended to me by a colleague. However, I could not help but thinking that Mr. Walsch definitely has a “profit motive” in his writings. “If the item sells, continue to write.” Never mind it may be misinformation. Mr. Walsh, I hope you get this “God thing” right- your eternity may depend on it.
Please reference “Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” by Josh McDowell. A professed athiest that became a Christian because of his research. Go figure.
Bell Bike Cover

I used the Garmin Forerunner 305 for just about a year. It worked great and was very helpful for tracking my runs but then it just stopped working. The software that came along with the watch now can not recognize the watch. I have tried several recommended fixes and none of them work. A one year life span is pretty weak.
Pirastro Olive Violin Strings

Teenager Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another prep school for failing his classes and having a really bad attitude. Here he recounts his adventures and observations during a weekend on his own in New York City.

I remember being quite shocked at Holden’s anti-social thoughts and non-stop profanity and not liking him at all when I first read this book. It was a pleasure to reread it forty years later and find that my feelings for him had changed a lot; now I find him a bright, charming, and pitiable combination of the social misfit from “Napoleon Dynamite,” the angry young man from “Rebel Without a Cause,” and a bit of Eddie Haskell, too. His penchant for vulgarity and manic emotionality remind me of a scared puppy who’s all bark and no bite; he’s in desperate need of attention and affection and luckily, he gets it.

This classic character study of a troubled boy is highly recommended for mature readers.
Eforcity Red SportBand with

This is the exact same thing that most stores sell for $39.99 or $49.99. After the sticker shock, I looked on-line and found this for $10-$20 less. It keeps your GPS on the dash and doesn’t slide around. You also don’t get the suction cup mark on your windshield. It allows you to easily toss it under the seat and out of view of potentional theives. All-in-all, a good buy.
Belmonte Violin Viola Stand

I had an ipod classic before getting the touch and i can honestly say i will never go back. The ipod touch is a product worth getting.
Opteka OPT SC72FE Titanium

This nuvi portable mount works great and is pretty stable. The only time I had an issue was taking a curve a bit to fast. This is also easy to hide under my driver seat. Well worth it and much less expensive than the Garmin site even with a 20% discount.
Portraits of Columbus A

Just purchased this scale. My boyfriend and I love it. The back-light feature is especially useful for early, dark, mornings. The scale is attractive, modern and feels sturdy and well made. The only negative I’d say is that, living in an older building, our floors slope slightly and vary in slope from room to room. We tried out the scale in the bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedroom and each time got a different weight, varying up to a 4 lb. difference. Naturally this suggests that the scale is pretty temperamental according to where it’s placed. It didn’t bother us too much, since we’re only keeping it in one spot and will track weight loss according to the original number. Overall, we love this scale and would recommend to anyone.
Empty Words

In this funny thought-provoking story, a rich boy-genius criminal mastermind takes on the fairy world, but this is not the fairy world we often think about. This is a high-tech group of races that live deep underground. At stake is a staggering amount of gold. Now, Artemis is amoral, but seems to become distinctly evil by the end of this novel, adding tension to this novel.

Though this is written for young teens and preteens, older fans of young evil geniuses will enjoy this and will sometimes ponder it.

A cipher runs the length of the book for those codebreakers who want to tackle it. Fortunately, its solution is not needed for understanding the story. The cipher has a very tiny twist that makes it interesting.

Artemis Fowl (available in several editions) is part of a series that continues with a variety of adventures & characters. In these we see Artemis embrace his evil nature and resist his evil nature. We also see some girls get involved in the action. The first three novels in this series can be found in Artemis Fowl: The Criminal Mastermind Collection (paperback). The series should be read in order.

Parental concerns: There are a few things parents might want to consider. Consideration is not a bad thing. Remember, by checking out the book, you get to read it first; it is pretty funny. For my part, I found the series OK for my son. I was not so sure for me. The hero is an evil criminal mastermind, in a child-like sense. Should I be hanging out with a criminal mastermind? Also, in the battle between Artemis and his fairy enemy Holly, I wanted both to win. I don’t think this is a relativistic view of right and wrong, though; Artemis is wrong. So, how come I wanted Artemis to win? I do like him. And the dwarf’s method of digging tunnels is so alimentary, sometimes with explosive results at the, uh, exhaust end! Should I be reading such rude bottom humor? And then every once in while there is the rare ideological comment that might
2x Digital Telephoto Professional

This book was ok… a little hard to follow at times, as it went on and on. Would have like to ask more questions of why this or that.

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garmin forerunner 305 remains the reference for GPS tracking of your heart rate monitored activities.
no extra sensors makes it suitable for all activites: running, biking, skiing, kayaking, trekking – you name it.
quite bulky, but nothing you cannot get used to – after all it is a tool, not an accessory.
garmin’s connect website is awesome with link directly to google earth and not least the player, which let’s you replay you route on a map, with indication of speed, heart rate and elevation – way cool.
HO TrainMan 70 Ton