My Favorite Blogs of the Year

I thought that it would be nice for me to share the blogs that I love. I follow over a hundred blogs that I check in on a pretty much daily basis. Of the hundreds that I follow some are new, some are ones that I have followed when I first started blogging, and others are just ones that I hate to disconnect even though I don't always read because right when I am ready to pull the plug they post something great. I have dropped many blogs as my changes in reading material has shifted over time. With all that being said here are the ones that I follow religiously and anxiously await for their next post.

If you don't follow any of these, then I suggest you take a look and consider doing so.

1. Bookshelves of Doom - this one is fantastic. Great insight and the sarcastic tones of many of the posts is exactly what I need to get through my days when I have too much to do and don't know where to start. This blog also keeps up on the latest buzz in the YA world and many times I find things out here first.

2. Mind Salad - a blog of a student in my school. She is not only extremely gifted with her writing skills, but a great person. She knocked out NanaWrimo and is just a very cool person to get to know. Check out her blog and be amazed by the wonders of a middle school student. To anyone who doubts great things from this generation should have no doubts after discovering this blog.

3. Words for Teens - I recently came across this blog and love it. I find myself reading it almost everyday since I started following about a month ago. Great reviews and book news.

4. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - This is another great blog. The thing I like about this blog is that it gives me a perspective away from my own. It provides me with books that I typically would not read on my own, but after coming across books from this blog I always know that trying something new from this blog will turn out ok.

5. Library Lounge Lizard - A long time fan of this blog. A perfect place to go to find that next great read.

6. The Book Swarm - I just recently started to follow this blog and this one is quickly becoming one of my favorites. No more to be said. Just check it out and find some good book suggestions.

7. The Life and Lies of Inanimate Flying Objects - Another blog that I came across a year or so ago and still love to check out. Haley also frequents my blog and leaves comments.

8. YA Books Central Blog - Another great blog that I just started following about a month ago. Quickly becoming one of my favorites as well.

I follow about 40 more blogs that are all excellent and hence the reason I follow them. I just wanted to highlight my current favorites. What are your favorite blogs? Leave a suggestion for me to check out. There are so many great ones and it is hard to always find them on my own.

**There is another great blog that is not book related, but random rants from a friend who wishes to stay hidden among the ranks. However, I wanted her to know that I love the blog.**

My Favorite 20 Reads of 2010: What are yours?

I am not sure I will be getting to 100 books by the end of the year, but I think 96 books is pretty good considering how busy I am with teaching, two kids, lego robotics, and coaching.

I went through the list the last couple days and here are my top 20 books that I read this year. You can see my previous post that has all the books read, but here are my favorites.

These are not in ranked order

• Matched by Ally Condie
• Reckless by Cornelia Funke
• Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham
• Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant
• Clone Codes by The McKissacks
• Rise of Darkling by Paul Crilley
• Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
• Still Missing by Chevy Stevens(not YA)
• Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green
• Twenty Dollar Bill by Elmore Hammes
• Merger by Jacquely Wheeler
• Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
• Framed by Malcome Rose
• Eating Animals by Jonathon Foer
• Notes Left Behind by Brooke Desserich
• Salt by Maurice Gee
• Lockdown by Alexander Smith

If I had time I would go through and explain why each was chosen, but I don't have time. This is the busiest winter break I have ever had. Read them or check them out on Amazon to see if they appeal to you.

Have you read any of these? Did you like them? I had one book suggestion from my previous post asking what you read that I have missed. Leave me some titles of books that I should read. I just put 20 some books on hold yesterday as I went through my massive pile of post it notes with scribbles of websites, book titles and other things. I am winter cleaning so I reserved the books and eliminated the piles.

What is your list of top reads? Leave a link if you have them posted on a blog or leave them in the comments. We only have a few days left to share our 2010 lists before the year is over.

Training - P90X - Day 2 - Plyometrics

Late last night I was looking through everything trying to find a way to become more organized with tracking my workouts, food, measurements, etc. As I was reading through the materials again I realized that I was supposed to do the Ab Ripper X workout yesterday as well. Last night I made my way downstairs to knock this 15 minute workout out. Whew! That workout kicked my core and this morning I was sore to put it lightly.

I crawled out of bed this morning. I slept in to about 7:30 which is late for me. I like to get my workouts done before the kids wake up. Aiden came down and laughed at my misery today as I tried to fight my way through the Ply workout. Tony said this was the main workout of the program and I can see why. My legs were burning just in the warmup. I took more breaks than I wanted, but I was dead tired. My legs are fatigued like no other.

I love it!

I love it because I have a system that I can follow and I no it will work. I love it because I feel parts of my body that gave me problems last year during my runs that will be stronger this year. My hips, my core, quads and hams are all going to be better off for the training when this is done. My flexibility will also improve and that is a major weakness of mine.

My knees were killing me during this workout. Partly because I am out of shape. Partly because I am doing all of this in my basement where concrete is right underneath the carpet.

I have a food journal to document each day. I might share this. I just need to decide what will be best for me and my motivation. I have to eat a lot.

Needless to say that grocery shopping yesterday was expensive. It is not cheap to eat healthy. Additionally, with the holidays and birthdays and so forth we had pretty much nothing but junk food in our house. I had to start from scratch. You have no idea how much mind control is needed to be home all day and not snack on this or that every time I walk by the pantry.

If my kids did not love the snacks so much I would throw them away, but that is a battle I am not going after right now.

Until next time.

Have you created some goals yet? It is that time of year where we all set goals. Start small and make a clear  path to your achievements.

Books Read in 2010: 96 Books - Can I Squeeze in 4 more to get to 100?

Here is my current list of books that I have recorded as read for the 2010 year. I am four away from 100. I did not include any books read for training or running, but books read for my blog reviews. I have two days to knock out four books.

Check out the list. What great books did I miss that I should read in 2011? Leave a comment and let me know. I am always looking for new material to read.

In the meantime I am working on some top 10 lists, but while I debate with myself check out my reading selection.

Training - p90x - Day 1: Chest and Back

I am ready.

I just go done with my first P90X workout. The chest and back was first up on the workout schedule.

I can barely type right now.

That was a great workout. I recorded all the initial tests to chart my progress. Let me just say that I was not too happy with myself and how much I have let myself go. It is one thing to know it mentally, but quite another to see the numbers down on paper.

Today is the day I go grocery shopping and begin to eat healthy.

Why P90X? I chose this because as I charted out my plans for running this year I realized that the month of April just does not have any half marathons close enough to my home that are not the last week. I am going to need to be home the last week of April and the first week of May as little Hoosier #3 will be coming into this world. I was looking for a race in early April, but just could not find one.

That leaves me to a race in May. That is five months away. I cannot train for five months. I will burn out before any races start and I have several I plan on running in the summer and fall.

I decided to go with this program because it is 90 days. That puts me into March. By that time I will have hopefully dropped some weight(down to racing weight which will help with training and injuries) and be more fit to push myself harder during my training runs. During this time I hope to become more flexible and to also knock out some base running.

Starting in March I can then begin my 10-12 week half marathon training program that will have me ready to go by mid to late May.

Then from May - October it is all about maintenance, working on form, and continuing to shave time off my runs.

I have a plan. It is still in rough form, but is beginning to develop.

One step at time. First step completed by starting P90X. Second step buying healthy food. Third step get my mind back on track.

It is time to eat some breakfast. I am starving.

Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Pages: 366
Author Website: www.allycondie.com

Inside Book Jacket

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

My Thoughts

I remember seeing this book nominated on the book nomination list for this tournament and was very excited because it was a new book and something that I knew nobody on the judging panel had already read. I also loved the cover. It was simple, but yet portrayed the idea of a girl trying to find a way to break loose.

I began to read this book and right from the start I loved it. I knew that unless the author went super crazy on me that this would be one of my favorite reads of the year. 

I don't like romance stories. I am a guy who lives for action, adventure, dystopia, creature laden books. The back of this book has little blurbs from authors about the romance is so great. I read some online review that just adored the love in this book. This had me scared because the romance was not really present in the beginning. 

After reading the last page I never felt the romance killed the story. There is a love triangle(which book doesn't?), but it was done perfectly. The emotions and actions were expressed, but it was not dragged out for pages and pages like Twilight(barf).


The whole concept that the government controls everything i.e. what you eat, when you eat, what you do(pretty much everyone sorts), when you die, curfew, nobody allowed in your house, who you marry, etc. is what separates this novel. I kept reading being blown away that nobody argued the actions of the government. The government has such mind control. People are happy with the system after people of the past(I would assume that would be us) had too many choices, too much technology, too many this or that that lead to a bad way of life.


Being a love story I really liked every character. There was not one character that bothered me. Ky and Xander and very cool and likable male characters. Cassia is the perfect main character. She really is set up with the qualities needed to pull this book off. She is not too dramatic on the love scene, she is smart, but does not have some irrational decision making attitude. Everything is at the right balance.


I had to read this novel slow. One reason is that I did not find it to be a fast read. I really wanted this book to not end. I looked for passages that stuck with me. I kept thinking how much it would suck to only have 100 songs to hear or 100 poems. The loss of freedom really struck a chord with me.


I remember on page 29 when the grandfather was discussing the committees that created the 100 lists and destroying everything else how angry that made me.


I remember on page 51 when Cassia mentioned that nobody wears a watch because time is kept for all of them how much I thought that would not be a great way of life. I also thought about all the kids that can no longer read a regular clock that is not digital(not sure where that came from).


I remember on page 65 loving little lines in the book that just stuck with me like, "Every minute you spend with someone gives them a part of your life and takes part of theirs." Powerful stuff.


I remember finishing this book and being so glad to have read this and being bummed out that I have to wait another year for the sequel.

100 push up workout - week 1: day 2 and 3

I am typing this on my iPad so please excuse any errors.

Today I knocked out day 3 of the week 1 of the 7 weeks to 100 push ups

Set 1: 14 and knocked it out
Set 2: 16 and knocked it out
Set 3: 12 and knocked it out
Set 4: 12 and knocked it out
Set 5: 16+ and knocked it out and finished with 61

Wednesday I did day 2 workout
Set 1: 13 and done
Set 2: 15 and done
Set 3: 11 and done
Set 4: 11 and done
Set 5: 15+ and completed 50

Have a good holiday.

Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament Book Review: Runaway by Wendelin Van Drannen

Title: Runaway
Author: Wendalin Van Draanen
Pages:278

From her website

"It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through tough and tender and angry and funny journal entries, Holly spills out her story. We travel with her across the country--hopping trains, scamming food, sleeping in parks or homeless encampments. And we also travel with her across the gaping holes in her heart--as she finally comes to terms with her mother's addiction and death. Runaway is a remarkably uplifting portrait of a girl still young and stubborn and naive enough to hold out hope for finding a better place in the world, and within herself, to be.

My Thoughts
This review is going to be an ongoing review. I am starting this review early. Despite the fact that I am only 20+ pages into the book as of right now I need to start to describe this book. This girl is angry. She has had a rough life. Nobody believes anything she has to say. She has been homeless. Her mother was a druggie and now lives in a foster home where the parents are very mean to her, but act perfect in the public eye. It makes me angry to even read about it.

I also had to stop and think about the kids we teach and see each day. So many of them we don't always get the full picture of what they are dealing with on a daily basis. This girl in the story does not do her homework, but would you if you were stowed away in a freezing cold laundry room and not fed? It makes me stop and remember to really think about the 1000+ kids in our building and all the baggage some of them bring to school everyday.

14 Hours Later.....
I finished the book. I read this book in one day. I could not put it down. I have read other novels by this author(Swear to Howdy being one of my all time favorites) and this book did not disappoint. In many ways I liked it more than her other novels. It seemed more real, more edgier, but at the same time perfect for middle school kids to read. She presented life on the street as being very hard and dangerous, but never brought in any details to heed caution to who should read the book.

The journal structure of the novel was perfect. This is the ideal way to present the ideas of Holly. She is one mad girl just trying to find some guidance and trust in the world. She has runaway from her problems and this time is successful.

The novel stuck a nerve with me and no in a bad way. I kept picturing this girl going through all of this feeling bad for her and it made more realistic for me as I kept thinking of some of my students and one in particular who shared something so devastating to me that it has not left my mind. It reminded me once again that we teach students who deal with things that are so difficult that I can see what school is the last thing on their mind.

What I really enjoyed most about this book is such a small feature, but something so clever in my eyes. Sammy from the Sammy Keyes series makes an appearance which corresponds to the first novel in the series where Holly was a small character in that book. How the author kept things within the same world, but creating a whole new tone to the story was a creative masterpiece. I am blown away by authors and how they can create these wonderful stories time after time.

This is going to be a tough decision on my part and for my partner on choosing which book makes it to the next round in the tournament. I have to read Matched by Ally Condie next and then begin to deliberate which one is better. Starting with Runaway was a great start to the tournament and a book that I would recommend to many students in my school. This one is a keeper. Check it out.

Emails That I Have Sent Myself - Part 1

Okay, so not only do I have a massive pile of magazines to dwindle down(part 5 coming soon), but I have an even more massive list of emails in my gmail account. Of the 1000 plus emails for me to sort through at least 300 are from me. What? Yes, when I read something great online or on Twitter I always email them to myself so I can post about them. Well, I have not done that second part of this and now it is time. Over my holiday break I plan on dwindling my emails down to a single page and rid my inbox of everything that is no longer needed.

Anyways, here is the first part in stuff from my email inbox that I think are worthy of sharing. This is going to be long series.

1. Urban Dictionary's Words Of The Year - A radio interview where the founder of Urban Dictionary discusses the most popular words/phrases added to the site this year in response to the latest words added to Oxford Dictionary. My favorite is the BP phrase.

2. Problems with labeling of food and drink products - As my Lego Robotic team continues to conduct research on sugar and caffeine I have been so surprised at how sneaky the food industry is when it comes to actually sharing what we are putting in our bodies. This post calls out Coca Cola for their misleading ad. Sure, the smart, healthy person would pick up on this, but with the obesity and overweight issues we have in America it is obvious that what these companies do work when pulling a fast one over us.

3. This seemed like a cool link - to teach yourself how to tell time without a clock. However, I would be screwed at step 1 because I would have no idea how to determine which direction south is. Plus this seems way too complicated for my simple mind. Thank goodness for cell phones and watches. On a side note, it is a lost art for students to be able to tell time on a regular clock that is not digital. I am blown away by the number of kids who don't know how to read a regular old clock. Signs that I am getting old.

4. Here is a great video. As the caption suggests when go to the link we are all suckers for end of the year lists and memories and all that good stuff. This is a good video. I think the reason we like these types of things is that our lives move too fast and we forget how much actually goes on in a year.

5. The last link for this post is one that just popped in my inbox while creating this post. It is a link to one of my daily newspapers from Twitter. This is a compilation from the Cybil Book Judges that post to Twitter. Check it out. Not sure if I am in there or not.

The cybilsjudges2010 Daily has just been updated, and you can view it at http://paper.li/madiganreads/cybilsjudges2010

Another 5 from my email inbox of over 1000 coming soon!

Book Review: Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs

Title: Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs
Author: Ursula Vernon
Pages: 208
Cybil Book #39

Book Site

From Penguin.com

Danny Dragonbreath knew girls were trouble. But the new foreign exchange student, Suki the Salamander, is beyond trouble. Not only has she reduced his best friend, Wendell, to a blithering, lovesick tadpole, but she’s apparently the object of an elaborate ninja frog kidnapping plot. Danny is never one to pass up an adventure (especially one involving ninja frogs), and so he and Wendell and Suki set out on a dangerous quest through the mythical Japanese bamboo forests to find out what these fearsome frogs want. Danny may not be able to breathe fire like a normal dragon, but he and Wendell have watched lots of kung fu movies and can totally take on a bunch of ninja frogs. Or, um, so he hopes . . .

My Thoughts

I have previously read another book in the series dealing with the Were-Weiners(book 3) and my sentiments towards that book are pretty much the same as with this book(book 2...I am reading in reverse order)

I really don't think I needed the other books for this novel to make sense. This is a novel series that does not really need each book to wrap things up. Each book stands on its own. How can one not love the concept of a dragon that can barely breath fire and an iguana who is his friend? To make it even better, there are ninja frogs and all sorts of weapons and cool other characters.

The setup for these books are essentially the same in every series, but just different characters and plot line, bu the stories move along at the same pace, system, and style. Which is perfect for a younger audience that likes that consistent tone(hello, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew for us older people).
This book is geared for a younger audience for sure. I breezed through this book and did not really have to focus too hard to understand the plot. I can see some of my sixth grade students really gravitate towards this book. I found it funny and engaging to hold my interest despite the fact that I like more gritty novels. The images and flow of the book worked really well. The addition of the graphic novels panes helps to really keep the story moving very fast. Add in some action and some humor and you have all the ingredients for a hit series. All in all, this was just a fun read. The whole element of martial arts, ninjas, and the addition of a girl character made this book an enjoyable read.

Ornament Post Update

A few days ago I created a post asking for a picture of your favorite ornament on your tree. I mention in that post that I would share my own ornaments. Here is a slideshow with explanations below. Enjoy!



1. Dragonfly - This cheaply constructed $1 dragonfly purchased from Walmart is my son's favorite ornament. This kid loves bugs, animals, nature, etc. He looks at this ornament every single time he comes downstairs to the Aiden, Addy, Aaron tree(Amanda, my wife, has her own tree upstairs). I asked him what his favorite one was and this is what he chose.

2. The snowman is my Addy's favorite ornament. Aiden has one like this also. These came from my mother. The snowman lights up to several colors. Addy carries this ornament all around the house and finally I was able to convince her to place it on the tree.

3. I picked out the remaining four ornaments. I could not pick just one. I realized that this is an impossible task. You forget about the meaning behind some of the ornaments until you actually take time to think about them.

Starting off with the mouse on the Chicago Bulls backboard. I chose this one because it reminds me of my grandfather who has passed away. He loved the Bulls back when Jordan played. I don't think he missed too many games that were on TV. Seeing this ornament always reminds me of him with his pipe and Chicago Bulls sweatshirt.

The next ornament is the white ball with red glitter. Nothing fancy, but these were given to Amanda and I by my grandmother for our first Christmas tree. I was still in college and Amanda was waiting tables and teaching. We were poor and did not have much. We always put these up every year to remind us of my grandmother who is probably one of the sweetest ladies on earth and for us to remember life back in day prior to kids. How time flies!

The third ornament is Goofy. If you look at the tree downstairs in our house it is 75% covered in Scooby and Goofy ornaments. I am an avid fan and collector of both of these cartoon characters. It is tradition for me to get a new ornament of Goofy or Scooby for my birthday or Christmas. I have some pretty cool ornaments as well as some really special Goofy collectibles that my grandparents found back when they used to go "antiquing".

The last one is Larry Bird. How could I not include a Larry Bird ornament? One, I am a Hoosier and Larry is the epitome of being a Hoosier(there could be a case made for John Mellencamp and Axl Rose potentially). I loved Larry Bird back in the day. Second, how many people can claim to have Larry Bird on their Christmas tree? Not too many my good friends. Hence the reason that my wife has me put my ornaments on a separate tree as her tree is all color coded and matches with white lights with ribbon and all that jazz. It looks quite good. The other tree is a collection of many pieces that the kids decorate. So there are about 50 pieces all side by side on the bottom of the tree. We let them decorate as they choose.

There you have it. My ornaments. I hope you enjoyed reading about them as much as I did typing about them.

Below is a submission from Mrs. Cleveland.

It's difficult for me to pick just one ornament that I love, because I have a huge collection of ornaments. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is getting all of the ornaments out and putting them on the tree, recalling memories of when I received them and who they were from. Now that I have children, I've asked family members to pick out an ornament for each of my girls every Christmas and label the year and who it's from. My goal is for both of my girls to have a fully decorated tree of their own, filled with ornaments and memories from loved ones when they grow up and leave my home someday. However, this leaves me currently in need of a second tree because I have so many! The picture attached includes three of my many favorites. What a difficult choice I had when narrowing these down! The two snowmen on the left is the first ornament I bought after marrying my husband almost 10 years ago. It represents us together for our first married Christmas. The Willow Tree family ornament on the right represents my complete family; husband, two children, and myself. I'm so blessed. And the one in the middle represents just me and my love of cooking and baking.

If you would still like to submit your ornaments go right ahead. There is never a bad time to share your ornaments on this blog. Send the pictures and descriptions to aarmau@gmail.com

Happy Holidays

Book Review: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Title: Reckless

Author: Cornelia Funke
Pages:394
Cybil Book #38

Book Website

For years, Jacob Reckless has been escaping to another world--a world behind the mirror, where witches haunt the forests and fairies and dwarfs roam. A world for treasure hunts and magnificent quests--but also a world locked in a deadly war.My Thoughts


Jacob's secret seems safe, until one day his younger brother Will follows him, to disastrous consequence. Faced with a curse that is quickly turning Will to stone, the Reckless brothers are thrust into a race against time to find a cure before one of them is lost forever.

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, master storyteller Cornelia Funke introduces a lush, enchanting landscape of fairy tales and legends re-imagined as never before. Reckless is a thrilling adventure and a tale of heroism, filled with danger, mystery, and above all, magic.



My Thoughts

I have read several other novels by this author in the past and one of them really grabbed me. They just did not blow me away like so many students claimed they would. I enjoyed the novels and I am not saying that I did not like her writing because she is a good storyteller, but I share this viewpoint because I really, really, really, really liked this book. I loved this book from the start by staring at the cover which is awesome.
 
I hesitated and hesitated reading this book because of my past with her previous novels. Once I started this book I could not stop and had it done in 24 hours.
 
The way she has taken the Grimm tales(many of them I need to go back and actually read about to see how much was actually intertwined) was very cool. The action scenes were stellar. There was fighting with blood and death by a whole host of creatures(don't you even think about looking at the unicorns). One of my favorite parts(not a spoiler) was the snakes shooting out of the walls. Such genius!!
 
I was a little confused at first. It did take a while to get a feel for the flow and layout of the land, alliances, characters, etc. There is a lot going on. Hence the reason I loved this book. I was just telling someone the other day that I need an adult read with several plot lines with creatures, politics, alliances, game changers, magic, etc.(which is why I bought Brent Weeks Dark Prism). This novel satisfied my craving. If you are new to her writing know that sometimes it takes a while to get everything figure out.
 
Once I had it down in terms of who was who I could not stop. I had to read. I am going to go out on a limb here and state that this book has cracked my top 10 list of books read in 2010. That is a bold statement because I have not unveiled that list, but am thinking it is going to be there.
 
I do question the age rating for this book. It is suggested for 9-12 years of age. Not sure if this should not be older? The main character is older and there are some pretty creepy things that do go on. Just a thought and more importantly don't want older readers at my school to be turned off by the age rating.
 
Read this book. You will not regret it. Remember to give it some time. Sometimes the wordy passages are worth it if you just slow down and process what vivid descriptions she is giving you.
 
The major question is - how long until book 2?

Training for Tri - Day 2: Swim Time Trial

As I think about entering the indoor tri in about a month as mentioned in many previous posts this week, I need to know my times for the entry form. They want to know the following info:

1. Swim Time for 36 laps or 900 meters
2. 10 Bike Ride on stationary bike @ resistance level 6
3. 2.5 mile run

I decided to test my swim time out. I really have never timed my swimming and have only swam starting about a month ago. I was able to swim the 900 meters in around 20 minutes I have no idea if that is good, average, bad, superbad, or sucky. I was dead at the end of the swim and had to stop the last 10 down and backs each time to gain my breath. My technique is not very good and it only gets worse as I fatigue. Additionally, I just cannot find a rhythm. I swim good for a few laps and fall apart for a few. I have some serious to do on my swimming if I want to be able to complete this round in a decent time and not feel exhausted.

Testing out the bike ride tomorrow.

I am also sore from the lifting regimen from yesterday. I can really feel it in my back.

It feels good to be sore. Now I just need to tailor down the amount of Christmas cookies I am consuming.

What are your goals? This is the time of year to find some goal to achieve. Keep it in moderation and attainable. Slowly work your way back to a harder goal. Start small and take small steps to gain confidence and focus.

Audio Book Giveaway: Room by Emma Donoghue

It has been a long time since I have done any sort of giveaway here on the blog. I have decided to kick things off by offering the following item

Room by Emma Donoghue Audio Book

Audible Audio Edition


Listening Length: 10 hour(s) and 52 min.

Program Type: Audiobook

Version: Unabridged

Publisher: Hachette Audio (September 13, 2010)

Product Description from Amazon


To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

©2010 Emma Donoghue; (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Here is what you have to do to enter

1. Become a follower of this blog +1 (+2 if a new follower)
2. Stick this post on Twitter +1
3. Stick a link to any other avenue i.e. Facebook (+1 for each one)
4. This one is way out there, but something I am working on for January - submit a band from the 90's and two songs that they performed that you like. For example, MC Hammer - 2 Legit 2 Quit and You Can't Touch This. +2

Leave all this in the comments to this post. I will announce the winner on January 9th

Thanks for playing

Book Review: Night Fairy

Title: The Night Fairy
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Pages: 117
Cybil Book #37

Author Website (a beautiful website)


Synopsis
From 2008 Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz comes an exhilarating new adventure — and a thoroughly original fairy who is a true force of nature.


What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.

My Thoughts

I read this book this weekend because I needed to knock down my TBR pile. I was reluctant to read this novel because fairies are not really my thing. The cover gave me the impression of a lovely sweet little story that some kids love. That is not my cup of tea. I started to read the book and found myself realizing that there are some lessons to be learned from this book.

1. Don't let things that we cannot control affect who we are. Flory tries to be something she is not after losing her wings. Her journey helps her to open her eyes about judging others, but she tried way too hard to be something that she was not. How many people(including ourselves) have fallen prey to this mindset?

2. Don't judge a book by its cover. As I write this I chuckle to myself realizing that is exactly what I did with this book. The larger meaning is that we are so quick to judge and stereotype and not give people a chance without ever giving them an opportunity to express or display who they really are. Working at a middle school I see this phenomenon all the time. How do we stop people from juding so quickly? I wish I had an answer, but it is something we are all guilty of at some point in our lives.

3. What goes around comes around......the whole full circle concept. I completed this book and felt like I needed to watch the Lion King scene



We can only control our own actions. If we live life the way it should be lived, then we will find ourselves right back where we need to be only with more knowledge and insight to live better.

I went deep with this book designed for younger ages. It is a good read. I rather found myself doing more reflection on my own life from this book than any self help book. Check it out and see what you learn.

Training for Tri - Day 1: It Has Begun

Last night I hit the peak of my mindset to actually get back to form when my daughter patted my belly and told me, "Dad, you have a baby in your belly too!". That was the final straw. Now, I am not that overweight, but obviously my daughter has noticed a change in my body and therefore it is time.

My other motivation is to possible sign up and run in an indoor triathlon at the end of January. I am out of shape and this race is not too far off. I feel like I need to sign up to stay focused, but not sure if I will be ready. The race is
1. 36 laps in the pool (900 meters)
2. 10 mile bike ride on stationary bike at level 6
3. 2.5 mile run on small indoor track

I will see how the next week goes with training and make a decision. Tomorrow I plan on swimming the 36 laps to gauge my time. I hope I don't drown.

This morning I knocked out the following workout. I incorporated some cardio(still working on my foot), the 100 Push-Up Plan, and the IMPACT workout. I built a hybrid workout and it was a good one. Here it is folks.

1. 1 Mile Run @ 7:52
2. 100 Push-Up - Week 1 - Day 1

Set 1: 10 - 10
Set 2: 12 - 12
Set 3: 15 - 15
Set 4: 10 - 10
Set 5: 12+ - 50

3. Impact Training - Day 1

1. Hover Plank 30 Sec
2. Hip-Up 15 each side
3. Bicycle and Rotate 2 x max
4. Running Man Situp 1 x max
5. 100 Pushup Training
6a. DB Deadlift 2 x 12 (40lbs)
6b. DB Incline Bench 2 x 15 (55 lbs)
6c. Pulldown 2 x 10-15 (115 lbs)
7a.Stepdown 10 each side (50 lbs)
7b. Db Rolling Tri Superset 2 x 15 (40lbs)
7c. DB Single Arm Row 2 x 10-15 (40lbs)

100 Push-up Challenge - 7 Week Training

I needed something to help jump start my motivation to getting stronger, leaner, and faster with my running. I purchased three books and am currently starting the 7 Weeks to 100 Push-Ups

I started with the initial test after reading how the program works. I had to see where my current status is so I know what program to go with. I completed 40 push-ups placing me on the Advanced Training - Level 2 pathway.

Saturday I decided to give the Week 1 training a try just to see. I will go all out starting on Monday, but just wanted to give it a try.

Here is what I needed to do.
Set 1 13 - nailed all 13
Set 2 - 15 - nailed all 15
Set 3 - 10 - nailed all 10
Set 4 - 10 - nailed all 10
Set 5 - 12+ - knocked out 50 and felt a major burn

I look forward to knocking out a circuit training and the workout again on Monday. Will keep you posted.

Time to get serious. Contemplating a race at the end of January. If I go with it, then time is against me. Decisions Decisions.

T Shirt Design Contest Shirt is Ready to Preview

Here is the final shirt for the Coffee For The Brain T-Shirt Design Contest. This logo won by a landslide taking in 79% of the votes from the 10 designs submitted. check out the shirt and if interested in buying one please let me know. I will be placing orders in January.

The Custom White T-Shirt I designed on CafePress.com

2 Amazing Things That Almost Caused Me To Crash My Car Yesterday

This weekend has been super crazy busy as we try to get everything done prior to finishing three long days of school this week and traveling to Indiana for the holidays. I had to drive to help coach a basketball game and decided to try a new app on my phone to mix things up.

I tested out the RDIO app. It is my favorite app on my phone and iPad right now. It is taking over my life.

This app allows you listen to pretty much any album, song, artist, and playlists from friends on your phone for free. It currently claims to have over 5 million songs. I streamed a few albums on my drive(the second amazing thing that almost caused me to crash my car) through my speakers via an AUX jack and was in music bliss.

What I love best about this app is that it is free. I added a few albums to my collection and BOOM there it was ready to go on both my phone and iPad when I got home. I woke up this morning to stream my favorite new album on my iPad to my Apply TV that is connected to my surround sound system. I was drinking coffee, reading, and listening to some amazing music in a few seconds and all for free!

If you don't have this app, get it, and when you do let me know so we can follow each other with our playlists and music. Get it before it either costs money or Apple takes it away!

The second thing that almost caused me to crash was an album that I was listening to on RDIO. The new Michael Jackson album. I know there are many critics who are upset that it was released because it was not finalized by Michael himself.(just google search "upset by release of Michael Jackson album" and you will find all you want).

I agree with the people who are upset. Michael took his music very seriously. He was a genius. He crafted each song with all his life, soul, and passion. However, with that being said I am so glad to hear this music. This album is beautiful. It feels so good to hear his voice. He is the man. PERIOD!

The first track, "Hold My Hand" starts the album off on the right foot and you never lose ground until the end when you are waiting for more. I like every track. I have listened to the album about six times since yesterday evening. I will have a more complete breakdown of this album in a future post because this one is already long enough.


I have to leave with this. Hearing Michael Jackson(link to his website) sound so good and back to what he does best has me wishing he was still around. The tour was ready to go, the album was almost finished, the man was ready to take his crown and achieve more, and it was all lost so quickly by a man who nobody really took the time to get to know. It just goes to remind me as both a parent and teacher to take the time to care about everyone around us. Someone could be smiling on the outside, but have many issues inside. How well do you know your friends? How well do you know yourself?

So, in closing download RDIO to your phone, listen to music free, become my friend so we can share music, and listen to Michael Jackson because it is a great album.

Mr. Maurer Daily Newspaper(Twitter Reading Feeds)

Mr. Maurer Daily Newspaper(Twitter Feeds)

Yes, I know I am asking you to respond to this. Get over it!

It is getting closer to Christmas. What does that mean?

Presents
Gifts
Santa Claus
Family members that you absolutely love and adore and cannot wait to spend an entire day with or more?
Did I say presents yet?
Holiday Cookies
Pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham

NO!

What it means is that you only have about a week or so until you can no longer play I Spy: Christmas Tree Challenge. I mean who does not play this game?

Sit around your tree and say, "I spy with my little eye a(n)__________" The other people around you have to figure out what ornament you are referring to. For me we just take turns so my kids don't fight, but you could easily make this competitive and add a little flare.

What is the interactive component of my title? I want you to take a picture of your tree. Along with the picture submit an I Spy phrase. I will post the picture and your clue to this blog and we will try to guess what it is.

Don't want to do that. Fine. How about taking a picture of your favorite ornament and explaining why you chose that one. Snap a picture, write an explanation and submit.

Submit all photos, clues, explanations, etc. to my email aarmau@gmail.com

And yes, as soon as I get home I will start with my own I Spy and my favorite ornaments. I will even have my kids do the same.

Book Review: Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

Title: Dead Boys
Author: Royce Buckingham
Pages: 208 pages
Kindle: $10.99(this might be the most I have spent on a book for my iPad yet)
Cybil Book #36

Author Website

Synopsis(from author website): When twelve year old Teddy Mathews moves to a strange desert town in the middle of nowhere, he finds himself living among rattlesnakes, scorpions, black widow spiders, and downstream from the local nuclear plant.


As the newcomer, he also has no friends. Even worse, the first three boys he meets mysteriously disappear. Teddy begins to investigate. To his horror, he discovers that they’ve all been missing for decades—he’s been hanging out with dead boys!

Add a mutant kid-eating tree next door, and Teddy's got an incredible mystery on his hands loaded with ghosts, desert dangers, and a sinister dark world lurking just beneath the deceptively sunny surface of my strange childhood hometown of Richland, Washington.

My Thoughts

I made the plunge to buy this book on my iPad because I have heard great things about this novel. I also know that his other books are big hits in my school. So....I hit the buy button and 11 bucks later I took the plunge to this creepy world of Teddy.

The premise of a tree that needs to suck the life of kids in order to survive sounds a little cheesy. But, and I mean BUT, this storyline is anything but cheesy. Teddy finds himself immersed in a world of dead kids and fighting to survive.

As I read this book I kept trying to figure out why Teddy was doing the things he was doing. When it all comes together I instantly thought, "Brilliant! This author is brilliant!"

The story reads fast, sucks you in completely and is not going to let you go until you finish the last page. I had moments where I was honestly scared. Serious, no joke I was so captivated into the world of Teddy that I believe my heart rate increased a couple times. There are also some gross scenes that I loved(spider scene so gross...I will never view corn the same way again).

The storyline is not overly complex which is perfect for middle grade. There are some crazy scenes, plenty to grab the interest of any reader(even reluctant), and something for everyone.

There were a few things that bothered me, but that is just because I am old and picky. The things that bothered me are not things that I think would bother a middle grade reader. I will be recommending this book to my school librarian to purchase for our school catalogue. Go ahead and read this to have a good scare and fun, quick read that will hold on tight and not let go.

Friday Morning Reflections and Thoughts

This morning I forced my way out of bed despite how comfortable my blankets felt. You ever those mornings where you wake up and your bed feels like it has been changed into a cloud of heaven where you are afraid to move because if you do you might not ever be that comfortable again. I was in that moment this morning.

I went to the gym to workout where nobody was there. There was probably a total of 10 people. For some reaosn my mind flipped a switch and I got to work. Knocked out some good excercies and also did my Initial Test for my new program goal - 100 Push-Ups. My training guide for this came in and therefore I tested to see where I currently am.

I completed 40 successful push-ups with proper form. For my age group(30-39) that places me in the Very Good category(37-46). Now I will follow this 7 week program to move towards 100 push-ups. A new little challenge to help me stay motivated.

I also ran a mile to test the foot again. Ran an 8 minute mile and felt great. I think the foot is back where it needs to be. Now I need new shoes and a new focus mentally and it is on.

I would also like to give a big THANKS to EA (Electronic Arts) for their brilliant app sale approach. Not only did I previously not own any of their apps, but due to their sale I now own 5 apps and probably another 5 or so more before this sale ends. AGGHHH! Apps are taking over my life just like I talked about with students.

I made this comment the other day. It is not that kids are necessarily lazy. The problem lies with the fact that they live in a world where everything is instant. They know longer need to know unnecessary facts because all of those things are in the palm of their hand(literally). They need the skill sets to learn how to sort, organize, analyze, study, etc. the data. They need the skill set to be able to problem solve. They need the skill set to know what to do when they don't know an answer.

As teachers and schools we are so far behind. Frustration sets in because we are asking them to do things with technology and methods that are outdated. A computer is fine and fast. Buy why type in a long web address when they can push a touchscreen app button and there it is? We are behind times.

Not sure where I am going with this point as I became sidetracked talking about EA apps. Back to the games. If you don't own Pictureka! give that one a whirl. Amazing how a 60 second timer can prevent you from finding three fruits. The insanity!

Well, I am stopping here as I have officially lost my mind. My brain has been drained from any more thoughts or ideas. I started losing my mind last night and I am in need of a break to refuel my thinking cap. Have a great weekend. I must tend to reading for both the Cybils and my very own book tournament. Of course, playing more apps on my ipad and drinking coffee and listening to X-Mas music and...............

Book Review: The Charlatan's Boy

Title: The Charlatan's Boy
Author: Jonathan Rogers
Pages:305
Cybil Book #35

Author Website

From the book website and backcover of novel

As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village in the company of a huckster named Floyd. With his adolescent accomplice, Floyd perpetrates a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier, such as the Ugliest Boy in the World act.


It’s a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see young Grady perform as “The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp.” But what can they do? Nobody believes in feechies anymore.
When Floyd stages an elaborate plot to revive Corenwalders’ belief in the mythical swamp-dwellers known as the feechiefolk, he overshoots the mark. Floyd’s Great Feechie Scare becomes widespread panic. Eager audiences become angry mobs, and in the ensuing chaos, the Charlatan’s Boy discovers the truth that has evaded him all his life—and will change his path forever.

My Thoughts

Coming right out the gates with a strong opinion I rather enjoyed this book despite the fact that I am not sure why I had such a great time reading the novel. This is not something I typically would read or even pick out from the bookshelf. This is not something that I would like even if I did read a book like this. HOWEVER, I really liked this book.
The book had a "feel" to it. What was that "feeling"? I cannot describe. In many ways the tone, setting, feel of the layout of the land reminded me of the Boneshaker. BUT, don't begin to judge this book if you have read Boneshaker because it so very different and hence the reason I cannot explain my "feeling". I just had to know what was going to happen next to Grady and Floyd. I hated Floyd and as I read the book I kept waiting for something terrible to occur or some nasty secret to be unveiled. While I was feeling the hatred for Floyd I just had to know that Grady was going to be okay. What came about of these characters? I am not sharing that with you my young lad(s).

I chose this book because it needed more readers and I hope that this review snags more readers. I need to talk about this book. I need to find out why I really liked this book. There was no high octane explosions, no murder, no real love story, no nothing(bad grammar I know) that I typically look for in books. But, this is such a great read. If only I could tell you why.

Things I learned from my massive pile of magazines - Part 4

Part 4 will continue things I took away from Men's Health December issue. Go here to read part three

I will start off by stating that after reading the article on Todd Durkin I went on Amazon and bought his IMPACT book. I am such a sucker for books and workout ones in particular. I need something new and fresh and this looks promising. I also picked up 100 push-ups in 7 weeks training book. Between these two I should have plenty to do starting in January.

Buying these items reminds me of the fact that magazines are just monthly catalogs of things to buy with articles to persuade you to buy these items even more. The media giants are smart because they just worked on me.

Another article grabbed my interest in this issue for several reasons
1. The title, How a Fat Nation Can Slim Down - I was interested to read the ideas suggested
2. Some of these topics are ones that could be used in my Lego Robotic team presentation
3. Further motivation to change my eating habits to healthy and normal

What I learned?

• Brian Wansink, Ph.D conducted a study on larger people vs. regular people and their behavior in eating at restaurants. Crazy stuff was pointed out by seat location, plate sizes, men and their manly image, etc.
• More than 50% of calories come from carbs
• Average man watches 3 hours of tv and 24 minutes of exercises - This is sad my friends!!!!
• 2/3 of Americans are overweight
• 1/3 of men and 40% of women born this century will be diabetic and die before their time
• Average American consumes 45 lbs of sugar
• a single 64 ounce Double Gulp provides the same amount of sugar as what was at one point in time a lifetime supply of sweetener
• Average American drinks 16 ounces of pop a day and if that were to be replaced by water they would weigh 15 lbs less than what they currently do.

There were some good solutions/ideas presented. Nothing mind blowing or anything new, but awareness of parents and what they feed their kids, schools need to change, companies need to stop targeting people and d more than just tell us to exercises, government should get involved like they did with cavities and tobacco, and just a whole collective battle to change things.

I think it is time. How many of us know of someone who has body aches, problems. illness, disease, etc. that could probably be eradicated with some exercise and change in their diet? We all know these people and it is time we take care of ourselves so we can take care of others.

Enough with Men's Health. Up next, another Outside magazine and ESPN.

New Discussion Group Created for Book Tournament

Trying to be savvy with technology and find a way to have one location for all judges to communicate. Here is what I created.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coffeechug/



The link above is a user group I created for all judges. If interested you can request to join the group and I will accept the invite. Once you are in then this will be the place for all of us to share our thoughts, ideas, questions, etc. about the book tournament, the books we are reading, reading topics, etc. I thought it would be nice for all the judges to have a central place that nobody else can ready without permission to share our ideas. This is not required, but something that could be a lot of fun. I am currently in one for another book judging award committee(Cybils) and it is a great resource.

I hope all of you join!

Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament Receives First Book Review

Last night we had our meeting with all the judges. It was a quick and swift meeting where we talked about the tournament bracket and how things would work. I strongly encouraged the judges to please write a book review for each book they read and I would post them here on the blog. I also STRONGLY encouraged them to also write up an explanation of the book they have chosen to move on to the next round. I think it is important for all of us to know their thoughts and reasons because it opens up a dialogue about what we take away from each book. Additionally, it is very important for students to learn how to write and express their ideas.

This morning I was checking my email and already a review was in my inbox. AMAZING! Talk about motivated judges. The criteria for the reviews were quite simple - write about your thoughts, what you liked, disliked, setting, characters, mass appeal, etc. Essentially, you make the review out to be however you want it to be. I did not want to force people to write if they did not want to and therefore kept everything quite open.

Here is the review from a 6th grade guest book reviewer(there was no indication to provide a name so I am leaving it out)

Title: Where the Red Fern Grows
Author: Wilson Rawls

Review

Where the Red Fern Grows is a somewhat small novel about a boy and his two dogs. Many hear that it is sad and dismiss it, but I loved it and it doesn’t fall under my favorite genre. Wilson Rawls writes amazing story about how a boy raises two very special dogs into the perfect hunting team. I had second thoughts about reading because I heard it was very sad. It wasn’t nearly as sad as I thought and I regret ever doubting the book.

Lego Robotic Team in the Press and Media

Here are two links for newspapers that covered the Regional Lego Robotic Competition this past Saturday.

http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=522336&query=lego league


http://photos.qconline.com/photog/glob.php?id=148178

Very cool to see kids in action, excited about learning science and math. Go Robo-Dogs

Lego Robotics Team - Robo - Dogs -- Heads to State

This past Saturday, nine students from Bettendorf schools(3 5th graders, 2 6th graders, 3 7th graders, and 1 8th grader) competed in the regional competition at the Putnam Museum. Teams had to compete in five categories throughout the long day that included 3 robot runs, research project presentation, core values, teamwork, and robot design. 22 schools competed and our team, the Robo Dogs qualified to make it to state after delivering a fantastic presentation on the effects of sugar and caffeine in energy drinks, pop, and a few other beverages. The robot did not perform as well as we had hoped, but still placed in the top 5 and we are already hard at work creating a new robot with new strategy and design.

We have less than a month to get ready for state and we have much to do. The team is not just happy with making it to state, but the confidence that is glowing from them that they really believe that they can actually compete makes this team AWESOME. In order to be competitive there is much to do to bring everything to the next level. We discusses what went well and what didn't and have plans to throw it all on the line in January.

Here are some brainstorming ideas(good luck deciphering)

I have much that I want to post and share, but will most likely wait until everything comes to a close. I don't want to give away any team secrets or strategies until the time is right. Most likely I will create a separate blog or wiki that follows the Lego Robotics, but that won't happen until late January.

Here is the team

Here is our robot, Demitri

Until next time......
I hope to keep better track of our team on this blog until the new site is up and running.

Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament Has Begun

Today we had our meeting with the judges. Books were handed out and the format for the rounds were explained. We are ahead of schedule, but that is only to offset any complications down the road. Check out the bracket page above to see what 48 books made it and be ready for a fantastic time. If you still want to judge I might be able to fit you in so just contact me if still interested.

Training - Back to Basics

Today I jumped in the pool do swim some laps. I have not swam in over a week after the Y pool closed down when the motor died. I did at least 40 laps maybe a few more because I lost track at some point. It feels good to slowly get refocused. I had a breakdown when I came home as I consumed another piece of that darn triple layer chocolate cake.  I pretty much swam for 5 minutes of pleasure.

I will have that cake out this house tonight which I am not sure if that is something to be proud of since I think I am the only one eating it.

I jumped on the scale and surprise I am not where I want to be.

I am a good feeling about my training. As my motivation continues to pick up I know everything will be realigned and in good shape after the holidays. No need to stress when I know I will indulge in a mass amount of Christmas cookies and food. It is what it is people.

Now, if I continue to indulge after the 25th, then I have reason to worry. I have confidence in my ability to get back on track.

For now I just need to continue to slowly work my way back into shape in the cardio department. Another mile run tomorrow to test the foot.

Keep on truckin'

Things I learned from my massive pile of magazines - Part 3

This post will cover my thoughts of the Men's Health December issue. This one is in my top 5 favorite magazines. Despite the fact that David Zinczenko has been accused of recycling articles and pictures(quite obvious when you read about it online and also frustrating to a consumer) I still find this magazine to draw me in to everything it shares.

1. Suggestions for top 3 coffee bean picks(yes, I plan on buying them all now, thanks Men's Health)

• Best Light Blend they suggest Zoka Tangletown Blend
• Best Medium Bodied they suggest Verve 1950 Blend
• Best Deep, Bold blend they suggest Gimmel Coffee Leftist Espresso Blend

Never heard of any of these, but after some posts on Twitter and now this I have some serious coffee coming my way(twitter recommendation I read was Flying Goat Coffee)

2. Pull Out Poster had a great workout. I plan on incorporating this into my first workouts after the holidays to get refocused on my training even though I hate dead lifts with a passion.

3. Some delicious looking meatball recipes. Too bad my family does not like meatballs or else I would make them.

4. Great article titled, From Average Joe to Pro discusses how to train no matter who you are. Todd Durkin, the trainer of the article states that he trains all his clients the same no matter if they are NFL players or a regular guy like myself. Durkin has a book called IMPACT! Body Plan. Never heard of it, but may be worth checking out.

• Guy in article followed his training and dropped 12 lbs in one month and many body ailments disappeared.
• Not easy, but in order to change workouts, must change mind(so true with everything in life am I right Coffeechuggians?)
• Proper warm up makes you sweat. Running on treadmill for 5 minutes and bench press with just bar is USELESS people. I know that and yet how many of us do that? Actually, I just did that today knowing it was a waste of time. Do as I write not as I do!!
• Dynamic warm up of about 15 exercises in 7-10 minutes. Tough people!
• Workouts should take 45 minutes and not two hours. Efficient with time
• Giant sets - 3 exercises or more with no break in between
• Durkin provides some killer workout ideas. I am going to try out the Death Crawl and the one labeled as one of his favorite drill to end any workouts. They look super nasty, but am up for the challenge. Will keep you posted.

There is much more to share and that will come in part 4.

Things I learned from my massive pile of magazines - Part 2

Continuing to shuffle through my magazines I will continue with my post from the December issue of Outside magazine.

I read an interview of Conrad Anker (check out his blog). He is a mountain climber and does a variety of other things. What caught my eye was an image of him climbing up what appears to be a frozen waterfall. This article made me remind myself that I can accomplish anything(marathon?) and to not be afraid to take risks. Check his blog above you can see some crazy pictures that make you realize that sometimes we live life too "safely" and need to push ourselves pass what we believe our limits really are.

The other article that grabbed my interest was about training. We need to have both hard training days and recovery days. The recovery days really need to be easy and this emphasis is important to me. I plan on pushing my body to a much better racing time this year and in order for that to happen I need to train harder and more efficiently on my hard training days, but really stick to the plan and have those recovery runs where this year I pushed harder on those days than what I should have. Great article.

Outside is a great magazine and definitely more worthy of my money than Maxim.

Part 3 will be posted tomorrow and will provide you with my insights from Men's Health magazine December issue. Stay tuned...

Training - First Run Since Foot Injury

Today I woke up to below zero temperatures. My motivation has been just as high. I keep telling myself that it is time for self control and getting back to where I was a few months ago. As I tell myself that I am indulging and scarfing down another piece of triple layered chocolate cake my wife got me for my birthday and eating endlessly for 24 hours. Today I feel like things have returned. Finally!

We did a basic chest workout to start this week off. After lifting chest it was time to test out the foot. I synced up my Garmin Footpod to also try this device out to see how accurate it really is indoors. IT was incredibly precise. The YMCA has a track that takes 16 laps for one mile.

I was not going for speed

I was not going for time

I was going to see if my foot could handle the one mile run as prescribed by my doctor.

The foot could handle the mile. I ran the mile in 9:55.

It felt fabulous to be running again. I have missed getting out and running. Running inside is not as enjoyable, but today it was as I was actually able to do it. I will be able to run every other day this week for 1-2 miles and if it feels good then I can increase by 10%.

It is time. I need to get a race in the month of April before little Hoosier comes around. I need to plan and begin to train if I want any hope of a better half marathon time from my first run last this year or a potential first marathon run.

Watch out people. Here I come.

Book Review: The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant

 Title: The Magnificent 12: The Call
Author: Michael Grant
Pages:243
Cybil Book #34
Book Website: www.themag12.com (another amazing website - so much to do)

From inside the jacket sleeve
Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.

And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys' bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it's up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen's dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn't want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?

A laugh-out-loud story filled with excitement and magic, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call is the first book in bestselling author Michael Grant's hilarious new fantasy adventure series.

Join the 12 at the website: http://www.themag12.com/

Book Trailer




My Thoughts

Pros
1.I was not expecting much(did not want to raise my expectations based on previous YA novels) and this book caught me off guard. I loved this book. So much that it has affected my shortlist nominations once again. It is not deep with storyline or development of characters, but there is everything needed to keep students coming back for more with future installments.
2. Some great scenes that made me squirm here or there, but not so graphic that I need to heed warning to parents and students. There is just enough to grab the interest of some reluctant readers or ones that need that edge to keep them interested(I am one of those people). The snake scene was almost too much because I hate snakes and it just made me squirm in my lazy boy.
3. Humor - students need humor to enjoy reading and this has just enough to keep things light and funny.

Cons
1. Being one that has read many books and his other larger novels, it was short in depth. This is a con on my behalf as I like deep novels, but for others this could be a plus. However, based on the age range I think that this might be complex enough. I look forward to finding out how he takes this storyline to the next level.
2. I kept waiting for a connection with the flashbacks. We never bridge the two together, but maybe he has plans for the future.
3. I have to wait for book two as it is not out yet and I hate waiting when I fall in love with a series.

Yes, this is going on my working shortlist and will cause me to take one or two off. A good read for any middle age group. This one can open up the world of Percy Jackson, Pendragon, and all the other series that students might be considering reading. This one is lighter on the reading and will help them get ready for some other fantastic series.

Things I learned from my massive pile of magazines - Part 1

Tonight I began to go through my magazine pile and begin to dwindle down all this reading material. I have not had time to read the 12+ magazines that I subscribe to. I love to read. I love getting mail. Magazines satisfy both of those needs. Here is the first pit stop of magazines

I sifted quickly through the December issue of Maxim. This magazine I receive due to a previous magazine owned by the parent company had gone under so they are filling out the remainder of the subscription with this one. Anyways, I was suffocated by  the cologne and did not find any that I liked and walked away with some crazy races across America that piqued my interest. The Tough Guy Challenge, The Death Race in Vermont, and the Spartan Race were three that would be a tough, but fun challenge for craqzies like me. Probably won't do any of them, but it helps to get me remotivated to start running again. Lastly, an advertisement for the Ultimate Guys weekend where you have three days of going through the tactical training for special operations. I wonder what the cost is of this event to go and blow things up, shoot at targets, and completely overload the testosterone component to us males. This magazine took all of about 7 minutes to get through. Moving on to better reading material.

Moving on to some better reading I had to read the last two issues of Outside Magazine which came in a package with my National Geographic subscription. The one I read was the December issue. Did you know that the Swiss Army knife was made in 1884? That was a long time ago. I remember receiving my first Swiss army knife in 2nd grade from my dad. He told me it was sharp and to be careful. Being a boy it took no longer than that night while laying in bed to slice my finger and it hurt something bad. You live and learn. They no wmake more than 15 million a year. Crazy stuff.

I came across some other crazy stuff, but you will have to wait until Part 2.

Oh boy, I have to do what?

As I sit here this Sunday morning I feel a bit stressed(maybe stress is too strong of a word) with everything going on right now. I have myself all over and many of the things I am working on or want to get finished up are of my own accord. I have tried for the last two weeks to get myself to a point where I could feel good about moving on on some new projects and ideas, but just have not seemed to get to a place where I feel confident about things. So, I have decided to post my to do list here on my blog because putting out here in the cyberspace arena seemed to work when I was training. Here is my list of what I plan to get done this week.

1. I have a stack of about 20 magazines that I need to read through and either discard or keep based on content(yes, I have a massive pile of magazine that I feel contain too much good stuff to toss. I know bizarre, but it fits in well with the thousands of book in my house). In order to forced myself to actually get through these magazines I am going to be making posts about what I feel was valuable reading.

2. I need to get my reading count to at least 40 by next Sunday for the Cybils. I have some serious reading to get done prior our online discussion about our shortlist of best books.

3. I need to finalize some project ideas for second semester. As I finish these projects up I will probably post on my Twitter feed for feedback and maybe even here.

4. I have not made a Nerd Factory video for quite some time. I need to make one because I have so much to share. If you only knew what my parents purchased me for my birthday you would be begging to see the video footage.

Those are my four big things to get done on top of the daily living of teaching, Lego Robotics, coaching basketball, getting back into training (I finally get to run this week), reading my Twitter account(so, so addicted), and my family.

If I get these things off my plate, then that will allow me to enjoy my future projects

1. Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament kicks off in January. Judge meeting on Tuesday, but this tournament is a major time consumer. There is a lot more to running this than I imagined, but I am so excited to see how it unravels.

2. International Pen Pal Morning Club where I am going to expand the global connections of my elementary ELP students and open things up to any BMS student who wants to correspond with students from around the world. The first meeting is this Thursday at 7:35. This will also be another time consumer.

3. I begin coaching basketball with my 8th grade squad starting in January. Enough said there.

4. Lego Robotic team state is in January. Time to redesign robot.

5. Most important to my heart is getting ready for some races in the spring. I need to get back in shape, cut weight, get stronger(physically and mentally) and knock out a race or two before May when Little Hoosier #3 arrives.

6.  Get the Coffee For the Brain T-Shirts order forms out and about to donate the money to charity. The votes have been in for a few weeks and time to get this ball rolling.

7.Enjoy life and what is the point of doing all of this if you don't enjoy it.

I feel better already about posting this and the checklist begins now as soon as I pay bills, get groceries, help clean the house, and prepare for a Skype conference call on Tuesday.

Time to move. Stay tuned and keep me posted with anything going on Coffeechugians

Book Review: Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Title: Ninth Ward
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Pages: 217
Cybil Book #33
Author Site

From the website

Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleanes’ Ninth Ward. She doesn’t have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya’s visions show a powerful hurricane–Katrina–fast approaching, it’s up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.
Ninth Ward is a celebration of resilience, love, family, and friendship, and a deeply emotional story of transformation.


My Thoughts

I probably would never have picked this book to read off my TBR pile of not for the love it has been receiving. Not only have some of the people I know working with Cybils been loving this book, but it is a book that is receiving a lot of attention and being nominated for a variety of lists as one of the best of year.
The reason that I would not have chosen the book on my own is for the cover. It just does not appeal to me personally. However, upon completing the book the cover makes perfect sense and I get it.

This is a book that just tells a story of a young girl and her caretaker named Mama Ya-Ya. I was drawn into this story from the start. I am not sure why I was sucked in, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I could just visualize all these scenarios that were probably just like this story in real life when Hurricane Katrina hit. It never really clicked in my head that there are people who really did not have any other options or family to resort to during this time. You watch the coverage on TV and it just looked like chaos. I cannot even imagine the true chaos of actually being there.

This really is a beautiful story. I read this book in one day. Even though I pretty much knew how everything was going to end up I just had to read to see how things would end up. Besides the cover I cannot really find any other faults.

This book had one line that stood out to me that I keep thinking about. It was a question and I just love it.

Go check out the book and in the meantime think about this question and post your answer.


What is it that makes laughter feel so good?

Anyone Remember This Show?

What other shows do you remember that most people have forgotten?

Coffeechug and his Little Lattes Contraption Wiki is now up and running

We have a new wiki(yes another one!) to document our latest project where we will be building contraptions, syncing them all up(15 total = at least 45 simple machines = at least 75 steps) to accomplish one task. Check out the wiki at http://www.coffeechugcontraptions.wikispaces.com/ and feel free to read through the overview packet posted below. As always please offer any suggestions, thoughts, ideas that we use to enhance our project.

This wiki will be updated almost everyday as I have time to load up photos and videos of the kids in action.

Engineering overview

View more documents from Aaron Maurer.