#scoonified

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My Sunshine Away - Review

One of the sad truths of adulthood is that every person has a past. It may sound silly, but I feel our faces show age because of the disappointments and regrets by which we find ourselves burdened. We lose the bounce we used to have in our steps because we feel the weight of sorrow, and no one is spared. Everyone has a load to carry.

M.O. Walsh’s book, My Sunshine Away, paints a vivid picture of how the guilt of childhood can follow a youngster into adolescence and adulthood. The main character’s childhood desire, Lindy, is raped at the age of 15. While he wasn’t the one to commit the act, he is left with his own compunctions relating to the event. Throughout the pages, he tries to make his anguish accessible through sharing his tale of this episode as well as the events in and around his home of Baton Rouge. 

I found this book to be a gently folded mixture of heartbreak and aspiration. He paints the picture of his town and the decades of his memory well. Moreover, I found the web of characters to beautifully woven. Sometimes, after reading a book, I find myself within a period of marination. The words soak into my skin and it is only after a period of time and perhaps another read that I can cultivate the thoughts that are starting to take root. This was one of those books. 

Those who don’t like the book seem to find issue with the slow, unwrapping pace of the story. Yes, the stride is slower than that of a thriller, but for the type of story that is being unfurled, a stroll seems appropriate. Another thing people seem to take issue with is the author’s mentioning of Hurricane Katrina and how it affected Baton Rouge. It is my understanding that he uses this Hurricane Katrina/New Orleans/Baton Rouge situation as a metaphor for how he felt about Lindy in relation to himself. This novel is like an onion - it has tearful layers. The reader has to take the time to appreciate the layers.

Who would I say this book is for? The person who wants a novel about trying to come to terms with one’s past. If you want sunshine and rainbows, this is not the book for you. Also, Anne Rice also likes it a lot, so there’s that. :-)

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History Stays With Us

(picture from http://theboxmove.weebly.com/)

So it turns out that previous generations don’t just leave us with stories and the familial physical similarities. It turns out they also alter our genes. I suppose this can’t be too much of a shock. I mean animals have mutated for thousands of years, and humans are a beneficiary. But, it is still nice to have the science to back it up. 

So if you want to give your friends some smart talk in regard to this subject, here are some links. 

1. Grandma’s Experiences Leave Epigenetic Mark on Your Genes. Whether Grandma had a great life or a horrible childhood could impact your genes. Also, whether you hand a bad childhood can impact later life. If you are lucky, both could also leave you with greater resilience. http://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/13-grandmas-experiences-leave-epigenetic-mark-on-your-genes

(Methylation is mentioned a good amount. Here’s a pretty cool podcast that talks more about this biological process and ways to fight angry methyls: http://chriskresser.com/methylation-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care/)

2. This multi-generational game of kickball is linked to higher levels of addiction, suicide, etc. in Native Americans: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/05/28/trauma-may-be-woven-dna-native-americans-160508

3. It can alter the stress hormones in the descendants of Holocost survivors: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/descendants-of-holocaust-survivors-have-altered-stress-hormones/

4. And it can even try to protect you from malaria by giving you sickle-cell anaemia: http://www.nature.com/news/sickle-cell-mystery-solved-1.9342

Also, something that is pretty cool -- you can send a saliva sample and find out about your DNA: https://www.23andme.com/service/, http://geneticgenie.org/.

Yay, science!

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From a psychology standpoint, Married at First Sight offers some pretty great advice. :-)

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Karaoke Overdrive!

I adore karaoke. It is one of my favorite things to do in the whole world. 

See that face? That’s love.

Yesterday, I found what I consider to be the karaoke singer’s dream come true -- I got to sing at a jam session. The microphone stayed in my hand the entire time, every song was mine to hold and care for. It was amazing...absolutely unbelievable.

The 90 minutes of almost constant use of my vocal chords had snuggled the crevices of my brain with nuggets of elation. It was as if the universe was sitting on my shoulder, saying, “Look! Here a thing you have always wanted. This one moment is yours. Cherish it.”

I did. I do. I want more. So much more. I want all the things!! 

But even if that moment was just a moment, I will cherish it. 

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Book Review - Delicious by Ruth Reichl

So I finished Delicious! by Ruth Reichl. I thought is was pretty cute...then I read some other reviews and found out critics didn't agree. This led to a period of reflection. Why had I enjoyed the book when the few critics I had skimmed did not? Then I realized a possible origin for the disunity! When I started on page 1, I didn't know Ruth Reichl's status as a well-known foodie/food critic. My blissful ignorance meant that I, unlike those in the know, didn't already have her neatly positioned in a perfectly square, pink pastry box before I cracked the spine.

So as I read, instead of looking for recipes or a food critic perspective, I was able to marvel at the author's imagery and sunny culinary disposition. When the protagonist, Billie, gave descriptions of foods, spices, and fellow lovers of the palate satisfying world; I felt like a piece of me was awakened. I actually started to pay more attention to ingredients as I cooked, and as I ate I tried to see if I too could taste individual elements. I am sure it will be no shock that I do not possess said talent, but it was fun to have a character make me want to dip my toe in those foreign waters.

Some of the story line, I will admit, is a little marshmallow-fluffy at times. Billie has a love interest that feels a bit like an after thought. Also, our narrator also has a dark past that could have used a bit more attention.

That being said, I was taught to give compliment sandwiches. :-) For my bottom slice of bread, I will say the pages contain a treasure hunt from a generation past. Learning about history through fiction makes me such a happy reader. I enjoyed the content of these letters.

As final reflections, I do believe I would read this book again. Despite some minor flaws, I greatly enjoyed seeing the world through Billie's eyes. If someone were to ask me who else would fancy this book, I would say the person who is looking for a nice piece of chick lit while laying on a beach towel, listening to the waves crash in the distance. :-)

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Some people play with their food. I play with what is left when the food is gone. :-)

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This is what happens to me when there's a Superbowl.

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When writing, nothing offers a needed distraction like a selfie. lol. 

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Silly Winter, Snow’s for Kids...

We, the dwellers of the Midwest, have been lucky. Until this day, the only items needed for warmth were a sweatshirt and a scarf. 

But now, the cone has fallen. 

(Bum, bum, bum!!)

Friends and comrades, our luck has run out. Journeys including cracked skin, covered cars, icy roads, and practically useless layers of clothing has begun. 

The top of the ice cream cone has become a motivation annihilating dagger. Now is the time where we will find ourselves justifying reasons to don pajamas and blankets for the five hours of sunlight we are given per day. 

The length of our sentence will feel never-ending...like the incredibly stupid Scary Movie and its need to make sequel after sequel after sequel. Those brain-liquefying movies will never stop; and neither will winter...or zombies.

Regret the milk, bread, and eggs unpurchased. Regret your inability to fly. Regret your Snuggie-less-ness. 

Dream of palm trees, fellow Midwesterners. Palm trees and pineapples. 

I love pineapples.

**hugs**

Shannon

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First Post!! Yay!!

Today I put on my big girl pants and I started a blog. Time for a pants dance... or a no pants dance. It’s really your choice. I support you either way. :-)

So welcome to my first blog post on the beautiful Tumblr!! I am going to be totally honest -- I am a person who is a bit scatterbrained and it shows a bit in the way I have been working with social media. I have a YouTube channel that I sometimes post in, I have a Googe+ page, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. I also participated in National Writing Month, which was an extremely supportive experience, and I loved ever second of it. 

But when people shout-sing SCOON as a greeting, what do you expect? When at a party and asked to choose between chocolate and vanilla cake or when in a grocery story choosing between five different types of mustard; whatever the choice, there is always a part in my brain that is like “I WANT ALL THE THINGS!!” Then my brain goes to taste tests and petit four parties...Ah dreams...

This week was good and bad for a multitude of reasons that I won’t fully get into, but one thing that left me with a slight ache in my heart region was the completion of my Intro Improv program. After four intro classes, I will be staying on for advanced classes, but some of my classmates will not. Sigh. If you have never taken an improv class, I highly recommend the plunge. In the very least an Intro 1 course will give your soul a little boost. 

For our last class, we took some time to talk to each other and solve some first world problems as our teacher performed one-on-ones. One issue that needed to be addressed and reviewed by this panel of experts was deciding on the legitimacy of writing surfaces. Below is our list. You will also see that we included criteria in our judgments -- Longevity, Ease of Use, Classiness, and Legibility because we are legit.

Now we were not the ones who made the creepy guy talking about candy or the adorable penguin, but smack in the middle -- that’s our list. We also got distracted by shiny objects (improv -- you just go with where the scene takes you) so the list was never truly finished and got a bit messy. That being said, I hope it still gives you a little chuckle.

If you are looking at this list and think there is a major adjustment needed, let me know. As I said, it was only our first draft and we had to go chase butterflies.

Well, that’s it for now. To my improv buddies, I love you all and I miss your faces already. To anyone who took the time to read this -- thank you. :-) 

**hugs**

Shannon