Monday's Missives

• Your unsolicited nursing advice for the day: Most of the time if left alone poison ivy lesions will self resolve. However if the areas are large, continue to spread, have warmth to them and/or are near your eyes, mouth or private parts you should see a doctor.
• It is 0708 on 04/04/2015.
• Today is opening day of Scarborough Fair. They are also having a big deal for Easter at Clark Gardens. There will be a sunrise service at the gardens tomorrow. 
• The sunrise this morning was really pretty- pinks, purples and finally gold. Nice.
• Winona Rider's character in Mr. Deeds mentions falling out of Boo Radley's apple tree and breaking her arm. Boo was a character from To Kill A Mockingbird.
• I have never read that book- should I?
• My guess, and it is baseless really is that it would be whippin' to try and finish.
• Long ago I said I would read War And Peace and have made multiple valiant efforts. I can slog my way through long, dense books but holy smokes- I felt like I had literally been beaten after reading some of it and gave up. People that knew me were surprised and recommended I try again and stick it out. I seem to recall it being recommended to watch one of the movies  based on it and read a Cliff's Notes first before reading the book but knowing all that makes it more of a beating. I feel beat down thinking about it now as I write this.
• Teachers back in my day would call it cheating if you used Cliff's Notes on a reading assignment. Instead, they should have been actively used in the class prior to the assignment if they really wanted the material to be enjoyed, absorbed, understood and retained. 
• It is weird the things we get wrong.

Something About Me

I enjoy reading Cliffs Notes on any subject so much I won't pass a cheap one up in a bookstore or if I see one at a friends house. I have no idea how many I've read, although I don't recall ever reading one in college for course work.


Related trivia: The familiar black and yellow stripes on the cover of Cliff Notes are meant to connote emergency use as in the yellow and black striped patterns around emergency switches in aircraft.

Related flashback: I remember a high school English teacher adamantly demanding we stay away from Cliffs Notes saying something like,"If your brother or sister are in college and they suggest you use them, they aren't doing you any favors, you better stay away from them and learn the material on your own." A very strange opinion I realize now- it would be much better to recommend the use or even provide the Notes on the work being studied, peruse the Notes, discuss the work and then dig into the book. This would increase retention, understanding and enjoyment of the book dramatically.