Today is my wonderful Grandma Wilson’s birthday! I believe she hits the spry age of 86 this year and is still trucking around like never before. I hear she is going up to Penticton to visit Mom and Dad, so I hope she has a great visit and all can wish her well. Wish I were there Grandma - Happy Birthday!!
Yes, that’s me on the right in my Lone Ranger outfit back on Halloween night in 1976 - pretty slick looking character, eh? I always loved Halloween as a child walking the streets of Penticton in my costume and collecting candy; I loved it as a teen when we smuggled fireworks into Princeton and then had gigantic egg and roman candle fights with friends and I love it now watching my kids dress up and go through the whole process again (not too sure how I will react when they are teenagers!) It’s a great time of year and I can’t wait to get out and go trick-or-treating tomorrow night!
Here’s yet another spook-tacular film that is sure to get you into the Halloween spirit…
Pound for pound, jack ‘o’ lanterns are one of the coolest traditions in Western civilization!
Here’s another Halloween tale that is sure to scare you into submission…
Well, since our last post on this issue we are happy to announce that major changes have occurred with Svea’s sleeping habits. As you read earlier, our first step was to get her out of Mom and Dad’s room to which we switched her crib into the computer room. There she spent a couple of lonely nights crying for Mamma and keeping us all up. Then, one her own free will, Svea suddenly decided to go to her own bed (bottom bunk) that Mom made up for her and has not left since. She has only two conditions for this: 1. Magnus has to go to bed with her, and 2. she needs her Elmo sippy cup. She is basically sleeping through the night and very happy with her new arrangement - and everyone involved is happy with that!!
Well, today the family went out into the countryside near Jinzhou to go and seek out our Halloween pumpkins. This day has quickly become tradition in the Engleson household and this year was, once again, a fantastic day out. The sun was shining, very minimal smog (at least I think there was) and the temperature was just right; it was just a perfect October day. Special thanks goes out to the Defieux’s for organizing this and the Brown’s for sharing the day with us - all had a great time! In the end we all came out with a lot of loot; I believe we ended up with 6 large pumpkins to carve and with that Halloween is in full swing. Awesome day!!
I figured with October 31st so near it would be cool to catch up on some of the ghoulish Halloween tales that we love so much - except with a bit of a twist. So please, sit back, grab some corn and be prepared to be scared out of your wits! We begin with the classic story of Frankenstein…
When we first arrived in China way back in February of 2003, the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and Chinese Renminbi was at 5.2-1 (5.2rmb=$1). Soon after, the rate took off for us and, basically, for the past couple of years we have been able to enjoy as much as 7.5-1 in our favor - these we will look back upon now as the glory days. Because recently, the exchange rate is back down at 5.5-1 and falling very quickly with each passing day. On October 1st (when our pay period kicks in) our paychecks were at 6.5-1. When you add in the cost of inflation to this trend, China has become a little bit more of a costly of a place to live. Now, obviously things are still very good here and I am not certainly not complaining, but there is no question the winds of change are quite noticeable in our wallets (when Kristin allows me to carry mine!)
Wow. The other day a student came up to me and asked the question: what grammar book is the best one to read and study from? (to which I replied, none!) She then asked me about this Elements of Style book and whether or not it was a good one or not. I had never heard of it so I quickly gave it a glance through and was totally amazed by what was inside! Ladies and gentlemen, this book is the grammar book I have been searching for my entire career. The charm of this book is in its simplicity and direct applications to writing - the detail inside reads more like ideas a good writer should know and apply, not just boring definition of rules that never seem to make any sense. Another charm of this book is the fact that it is illustrated, which just gives it such a nice, relaxing feel as you flip through the pages. Elements of Style, which was originally pressed in 1919, reads like a book but all throughout it is useful and valuable information that can be easily applied. So, if any of you out there are dying for a top quality grammar book (and I know you all are!) pick this little beauty up and just watch your grammar skyrocket!
The other day Kristin found a cheap Chinese version of Connect Four and the family has not been able to stop playing since. Magnus is absolutely hooked, Kristin thinks she can beat me, Svea always plays out of turn and I am trying to figure out a way to get the game made out of wood, or granite, and establish a national championship for it. Connect Four - a true classic!
Zero sleep Friday night, 2 hours on Saturday night; 2 five hour ice slots fully played within a 16 hour span. Yes folks, this is exactly how I feel right now…
Today the Dragons are off to Shenyang to play some hockey. The Shenyang trip is always a great one because of its high emphasis on merrymaking and the inter-squad game that has become a huge tradition: The Shenyang Cup, which is a unique piece of hardware in the sense that in order to win the trophy you have to lose the inter-squad game. We will also be able to play a couple games against the local team there, which are always eventful - so, it should be a great weekend of hockey and rest will definitely be needed upon our arrival home Sunday night.
Well, I have just finished reading the granddaddy of all graphic novels - the one and only Maus. This book (published in 1986) took thirteen years to complete and recounts the struggle of the author, Art Spiegelman’s, father’s survival of the Holocaust as a Polish Jew during World War II; the book solely draws upon the father’s recollections and experiences during that time. The book also follows the author’s troubled relationship with his father and the way the effects of war reverberate through generations of a family. In 1992, it won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award. In the book, Jews are animated as mice (Maus is German for mouse) while the Nazi’s are cats; and let me tell you this, ladies and gentlemen, there is absolutely nothing cute and funny about the content inside this book. The tale(s) are very real and very graphic (pardon the pun) and recount what it was like during that time. Maus is an absolutely magnificent read and if anyone has interest in this subject area I strongly suggest you go down and pick yourself up a copy today.
