Savvy Thinker » Travel

Review The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

Karin — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:42:07 +0000

I wanted to read this book after I read Man Seeks God, even though Weiner wrote it first. Again, I got it from the library.

Books about happiness have interested me, it seems like forever. This one is better than most and definitely more fun. It is not a self-help book. It is more like a travelogue.

I laughed my way through it. And some of it is laugh out loud, that just begs to be read to the person in the room with you. In fact, I did. Weiner's sense of humor, his sense of irony, must be very much like mine.

Weiner has, like his name as he points out (whiner) a low-grade depression most of the time. So he is definitely interested in seeking happiness. He learns that certain places have a higher happiness rating, so he goes to those places in search of the elusive happiness, to see if what he has heard is correct. Toss in assorted odd characters, plus ones who show him the ropes. Toss in his penchant for including interesting details, tidbits, sound bites of miscellaneous fitting quotes or just plain trivia that applies to where he is. I can't begin to remember all of it.

His humor is never malicious. Sometimes it is dark, but not always, and he finds he holds love for some of the people he meets along the way that he would not have thought. There is a touching incident in Moldova.

He begins in the Netherlands, then goes to Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova (the lowest happiness rating on earth), Thailand, Great Britain, India and America. In many ways, he finds that like Dorothy, home holds the heart.

The short of it is that he finds that happiness is relational. It depends on friends, family -- and more. You could read the epilogue first and get a feeling for all he learns. (I didn't and wasn't even tempted -- unlike my usual method of reading.) Then you might not read the book, but you would miss a very good read, indeed.

Have you read it?
I rate it 5 star out of 5 star.

The only thing I disliked was how much alcohol was imbibed along the way.

It is available for Kindle:

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Geography of Bliss

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Happy Passover and Easter

Karin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:56:58 +0000

Jerusalem from the air.

And another, part 1.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-04-02 20:54:16.

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Costa Rica

Karin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:56:23 +0000

Have you ever noticed how things come together? if you are reading about it in one place, you see it in another?

I've had that with a couple of things lately. One was Costa Rica; the other was patience.

Another book I've been reading and enjoying is Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives? I read about the book in a catalog I received and thought it was one I'd like to own. Good choice!

Sara Davidson talks turkey about being a Boomer, born between 1946 and 1964 and the sea changes that will happen and are happening as that group comes of retirement age. I think the book will speak to those older than Boomers and younger.

She interviews a great many people, and I found the interviews touching, funny, inspirational, educational and worthwhile. I recommend the book to anyone thinking about it.

The basic premise, sort of, is that there are three ways of dealing: those who want everything to stay the same (and they might have been or will be forced out); those who only want to retire; and those who want to do almost anything than what they've been doing, but don't wish to retire. And within that broad range, she places her interviews.

At one point, she hears that many people are retiring to Costa Rica for a variety of reasons including affordability and (lack of) taxes. She goes on a fact finding trip to see what is available with a couple of real estate people in Costa Rica along with the group they are taking around. It reminds me a bit of time share visits, though not the pressure. She ultimately realizes it is a bit out of touch for her, with travel time and lack of connections to market her writing. But it is beautiful and the beaches are to die for.

I had just read that section, when I saw part of a segment on Costa Rica on TV. At first I thought it was a vacation spot, and it was so unbelievably gorgeous, I said, I don't care what it costs, I would book in for it....for one night...no matter how long it took to save. Then I found out it was a vacation home. I wish I knew more about who owned it and how they built it, where they live and how they made their money. That's a lot to ask, isn't it!

Basically, there were separate circular pods all open to the beach. One large pod was a kitchen big enough for everyone to cook in. I'm not sure if that was adjacent or separate from the large family room with fireplace that overlooked the ocean with about 150 feet of invisible sliding doors and overlooking a pool with no edge. The grown children each had their own pod. And there was a bunker pod equipped for hurricanes where they would gather in a storm, though each pod was supposed to be bunker worthy too. Furnishings were minimal and white so all the emphasis was on the view.

I realize the photography was perfect; the lighting was perfect...perhaps being there (or getting there) would not be nearly as beautiful or perfect as it was on TV. But I have never seen a more beautiful place ever.

I've never been to Costa Rica, have you? [Addendum -- we went on a cruise in December 2007 -- one of the things we did was traverse the rain forest from the canopy.]

Karin

Originally posted 2007-06-16 13:48:45.

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Review: My life in ruins (movie)

Karin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:58:18 +0000

Bookgirl and I went to this movie last night. It's amazing how bad a critic can make a movie sound. It got zero stars in our local paper by a syndicated critic.

There were about 10 people at the late showing, including us. All women. We all had fun.

Yes, yada yada, it's not Shakespeare. It's not sci fi or adventure. It's probably not a guy flick.

It's just a light romance with a bunch of quirky tourists (we were glad we'd never traveled with quite such quirks) who bond throughout the trip in endearing ways. There's some humor, a bad guy, a quirky employer. It is all done light heartedly. Yes, there are cliches. But that makes it interesting, just to see how they play out. (The older lady who steals is one of them.)

Nia Vardalos is as beautiful as ever. She has a wonderfully expressive face. I think it's too bad the movie got no stars, because it will probably be gone before anyone hears word of mouth that it is a very nice movie to while away some time in.

I hadn't realized that Richard Dreyfuss is in it. He also has an expressive face. Nuances in the eyes.

One caveat: Nia walks around the ruins in unbelievably high heels. We've been to Olympia, Delphi, and Athens, so it was lovely to see this scenery again, including the Pantheon at night (magical!) But there is no way I could have walked in any of them with high heels without turning an ankle. Delphi had quite steep slopes with a lot of gravel. I was afraid coming down I might just slip on the gravel. No way would I navigate in heels.

The bad guy gets his comeuppance. Georgia (Nia) finds love. There's some comedy; some pathos. We get to see the views.

I want to go to Greece again.

What's so bad about going to the movies just to have a good time.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-08 13:29:34.

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The Living Desert

Karin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:43:53 +0000

You will find a slide show of The Living Desert here by the same man who did the slide show of national parks that I posted yesterday. Again, there are military pictures near the end.

May every desert in our lives bloom.

The last time we were out West, we were gifted with a double rainbow, one lower than the other, but parallel. There had been no storm, but the rainbows followed us for many miles and at one point our car was centered in the middle of both rainbows. We couldn't take pictures fast enough to catch the view we were seeing as we passed through. That's the only time I've ever seen a double rainbow that I can remember.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-03-22 10:21:07.

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Zero waste, zero garbage

Karin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:31:57 +0000

Here's a town in Japan that is 80% zero waste, zero garbage and expects to be 100% by 2010.

I know there are times I feel guilty about the footprint I leave, and I recycle everything that I can. How about you?

What do you think?
It sure is a worthy goal!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-23 12:28:21.

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yanni (live! at the Acropolis) – the rain must fall

Karin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:55:32 +0000

There is no more beautiful spot in all the world than the Acropolis, especially when it is lit up at night. I want to go again.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-04-17 10:02:26.

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Baby selling in China

Karin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:18:36 +0000

What a tragedy for all the babies and their birth families. While I was aware of baby selling in parts of the world when I adopted from China, 10 and 12 years ago, I didn't believe it happened in China at the time I adopted. Who knows how much of it went on in those days.

Where there is money to be made illicitly, there always seems to be some degree of greed/need. But there is no thought given to the innocents in this, to the babies. Will they reunite them with their families? will any families come forward?

Tragic that families feel the need to sell their children or are swindled into doing so.

Every child deserves a loving family, but in this world it doesn't always happen. Let us work and pray for a more equitable world, for the safety and health of children everywhere, so that no child is separated from their family, from necessity or neglect or scandal, and can grow into their selfhood unencumbered and in joy. So let it be.

Karin

Henan police break up alleged baby-trafficking ring

By Chen Qian | 2009-1-8 | ONLINE EDITION

HENAN Province railway police caught 11 suspects of an alleged baby-trafficking ring after finding seven infants less than one month old taken onto a train.

The seven infants were girls. They were saved by police at Zhengzhou Railway Station in Henan. The girls are now at a social welfare home in the city, Xinhua news agency reported today. Two more suspects are still at large, police said.

Police were suspicious of eight women with infants at the railway station on October 21, Xinhua said. Police couldn't understand their dialect so they stopped them for questioning.

They soon confessed the infants were not their babies and they were taking them to Shandong Province for sale. Four of the suspects are Guizhou Province natives and four are from Yunnan Province, the report said.

The alleged leader Long Fang confessed to police that she asked her in-law Liu Yongqiong to buy babies in October. Liu later contacted a man surnamed Huang and three other suspects to purchase infants in Yunnan.

Liu and Huang remain at large.

Long purchased five infants for 14,600 yuan (US$2,147) in mid October and organized five women to transport them to Shandong, where her accomplice Zhang Li was waiting for the babies, the report said.

Six suspects took a train from Guiyang in Guizhou Province and met two other accomplices half way. The pair had two babies they purchased for 8,000 yuan in Guizhou. They arrived at Zhengzhou Railway Station on October 21 and planned to take a bus to Shandong with the others, the report said.

After catching eight women in Zhengzhou, police caught five more suspects in Shandong, Yunnan and Guizhou in the following three weeks. Among them, 11 have been detained and two are still being investigated, according to the report.

Originally posted 2009-03-20 19:11:15.

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Karin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:06:37 +0000

Review The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockman

Karin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:15:51 +0000

Suzanne Brockman writes several series. This book is from her Troubleshooter's series, stories of US Navy Seal Team Sixteen. Each book details the story of another member of the team, as well as intertwines the characters more and more.

I'm not sure if this is the first book, but it's a good place to start. I have liked some of the stories more than others, but I like the concept.

I picked this book up again recently and found myself rereading it, something I rarely do.

From Suzanne Brockman's website:

After a near-fatal head injury, U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a terrifying glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the Navy dismisses the danger as injury-induced imaginings. In a desperate last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorist team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly veterans of the Second World War, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton -- the sweet "girl next door" who has grown into a remarkable woman. Once known as the town’s infamous bad boy, Tom has always longed for Kelly. Now he has one final chance for happiness, one last chance to win her heart, and one desperate chance to save the day....

HERO: Lt. Tom Paoletti, U.S. Navy SEAL Commander
HEROINE: Dr. Kelly Ashton, pediatrician
LOCATION: Baldwin’s Bridge, Massachusetts

You can call these romance books with a twist. The twist is, of course, saving the day.

In this book, various voices narrate the action. I particularly liked this. It was believable and not just a writing device. It actually allowed the reader to catch glimpses of the inner persons. And woven through the book are the narrations of a romance and heroic actions during WWII in France. These actions have direct bearing on the circumstances in the book.

There is to be a ceremony honoring the hero of Baldwin's Bridge (Tom's uncle -- and until this point in time Tom never knew of the actions of his uncle in OSS) -- and his uncle plans to give an interview to a reporter detailing the real hero (Kelly's father.)

The characters rise to the occasion, get the bad guy(s), save the day, fall in love -- what more could you want from a story.

And the romance develops over a slow pace -- the entire book -- with a lot of stream of consciousness and flirting and some serious, but not crude, sex.

Tom has been told that his kind of head injury may result in paranoia. And he has bad headaches throughout the book.

When he first catches a glimpse of the man he strongly believes is the Merchant, he recognizes the odd way he puts his backpack on his shoulders. He has altered his appearance some, if indeed it is the Merchant. Tom feels it is his duty to report this sighting, but it is not well received. No legitimate source of intel has anything, but the fact that it is believed the Merchant died of his injuries in the last encounter.

Tom continues to catch glimpses of him -- as well as the tattoo that members of the Merchant's team use to identify themselves.

But has he seen him or hasn't he? Does he just imagine there is danger when there is not? Even though paranoia usually means thinking that only oneself is in danger, whereas here he sees the possibility of others' being in danger, he must decide if he should pursue following this lead, even if it means he could be medically discharged from the Seals.

He calls in as many of his trusted team as he can, making them know it is not an order, that they are acting on their own time (vacation.) Good thing he did too.

The action gets very fast paced at the end where they must find the bomb and save the day.

Have you read any of Brockman's books or series?
Which is your favorite? This is one of mine. I kept putting it down so as to savor the finish.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-28 10:22:39.

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