Think: Merry Christmas from all of us!

God bless you! -From the Allergic Husband, Kaiya, Kent, and me.

Cook: Video of Gluten-Free Corn Bread Dressing Recipe

Read: Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

The latest set of books that I couldn't put down (while on my stationary bike) was Veronica Roth's Divergent series.

I've identified spoilers below for those who'd like to skip that section, but I can't give away the ending anyway. Roth hasn't completed the third book in the series yet. Grr!
Well, let's review.

If you read the cover description on this book, you're probably thinking "this is soooo Hunger Games." And I would have to agree that there are a lot of similarities.

There's a female protagonist, Beatrice or "Tris," and a governmental system set up to control the masses using unpleasant means (ie. a dystopian society).  Tris is un-trusting of those around her, and for a good reason. Her parents didn't trusted her with some important information during her childhood.

But I would also add that there's an element of Harry Potter involved.

The citizens are sorted into different communities based on their personalities and vocational aptitude.While there's no "sorting hat" and the citizens are free to choose their community on their 16th birthday, their future is limited by their decision. Once they make their choice, they must favor aspects of their personality valued by the community and live with those people until they die.

Spoiler paragraphs coming up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Skip to me with the green flag.

Like Harry, Tris chooses to move to a community of the brave (the Dauntless rather than Gryffindor) even though she is considered "Divergent," or doesn't favor any one personality trait over the other.

Once with the Dauntless, Tris makes friends and enemies like Harry at his school, but her enemies are not only a part of the other communities; they're also within the Dauntless.

In addition to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, Roth's story utilizes the idea of "simulated realities" like in the popular movies Total Recall and The Matrix.

Although Total Recall and the Matrix have people plugged into a machine without their knowledge, Tris and her community of Dauntless are voluntarily injected with hormones and chemicals that make them face their worst fears and conquer them. Essentially, they're training modules.

However, like The Matrix and Total Recall, this altering of perceptions can and is used for evil purposes, but in this case by the Erudite (people who value intelligence).

...End of Spoiler

But beyond the obvious similarities with some big-time hits, Roth's writing is engaging. The characters are rich and complex. You can expect the unexpected from their "diverging" personalities (hardy, har, har).

I really feel for her characters just as much as Katnis. I hate when Tris hates, love when she loves, and I want her and her group of friends to survive the coming upheaval of everything they know. I want them to become the leaders of a new world order (in the non-Biblical sense).

I don't remember any language problems in the first two books. However, just like the Hunger Games, their is some violence, a few life or death situations, and a brief touch on sexuality.

So if you're an adult who likes fantastic realism, go for it! Because of the sexuality, and my religious persuasion, I would recommend the book for anyone 18 and up even though this series is meant for a teen audience.

And if you're thinking about a Christmas present, I'm sure these two books will please. I'm holding out for the third so I can potentially buy the set.

Why, Roth, why have you not completed the last book in the trilogy?!

Age Recommendation: 18+

Running Shoe Rating: 5 out of 5

Laugh: It's Windy Here, But...

Laugh: Many Faces of Me

Craft: How to Clean and Oil a Sewing Machine

Cue angelic choir. This is a beautiful piece of equipment.

This weekend, I did a little sitting. But it was active! I cleaned and oiled my newly adopted sewing machine!

The things I know about the sewing machine include what I've learned from
a) my community class on sewing when I was 14-15 years old,
b) my Mom, or
c) the instruction manual on my newly adopted machine (thanks Rick and Dot).

Pick me! Pick me!

What do I know? I know thread is fed through the top and combined with thread at the bottom. It's metal, some plastic (newer models), and it needs to be maintained. Singer (the company who made my machine) is one of the oldest and well known manufacturers of machines. The moving parts are incredibly complicated. And...that's it. :)

So let's look at a little history first via Wikipedia.

Did you know that the first sewing machine was created in order to work with leather and extremely thick cloth like canvas?

Ooooh!

Or that Isaac Merritt Singer stole ideas from at least three sewing machine inventors to create what we now know as today's at-home machine?

Mr. Howe's Invention

Did you know that Singer's first love was acting, he tried to create a rock drilling machine and a wood cutter, or that he was "married" at least five times (sometimes two or three at the same time) with 16 children?!!!!

Isaac Singer. Not sure what's so great about this guy. Nice clothes?

Or the key indicator that you need to clean your machine is a build-up of lint in the bobbin seat?

Yuck! It'll look like this, but in the bobbin seat.

Neither did I!

Now that we're officially wowed by the sewing machine, take a look at the steps I took to clean and oil this very complicated and well-known machine.

First, I bought or just gathered:

• sewing machine oil (with a long spout)
• q-tips
• canned air
• paper towels
• trash can
• newspaper
• screw driver (came with my sewing machine)
• lint-free brush (came with my sewing machine)
• light, lots of light

So then I read my instruction manual. It showed me how to remove panels of the sewing machine to get to the moving parts.

Not sure why this is sideways!

Then I blew out some of the lint with the canned air (trying not to blow lint further into the machine).

Bottom of the machine with newspapers underneath.

I used q-tips to get rid of the stubborn lint and gobs of old oil (will look dark or yellow...like poop...had to say it) with lint. Several people will tell you that it'll only take 4-5 q-tips, I used about 20-25 because my machine hadn't been cleaned in a while. So just grab the container in preparation.

Special disk seat (for embroidery).

Drive shaft area above the needle.

Bobbin seat.

The nether regions.

When I removed the bottom panel of the machine, I noticed a fine layer of blackened oil (that had dripped from the moving parts above over time) on the panel. I squirted it with oil and rubbed it off with a paper towel. I didn't want to use water because it might encourage rust to form.

Then I oiled. Thankfully my manual showed all of the exact points to drop the oil. If your manual doesn't specify, adding one drop to each moving joint or gear face should take care of the job. I also brushed some of the exposed metal pieces with oil to prevent rust.

Now it's time to sew! And a little more reading of my manual. :)

Safe as Houses

Feels good.

Sorry for the long hiatus. Here’s something new:

It’s 9:00 pm. And we’re ready for a run. As I take my first step onto the pavement in front of our house, I breathe a sigh of contentment, or maybe relief. I start to jog while Kent starts to pull, because heaven forbid the imaginary threats in our neighborhood catch his tail. Or are they my demons? I breathe comfortably from my nose and stare at the pavement in front of me. Not another twisted ankle this year. Uh-uh! We run pass families “safe as houses” behind white-washed doors and brick.

It’s time to pick up the pace. I open my mouth to take in more air left baked from the heat of the day. Dry as a bone. Kent leans his powerhouse shoulders right at the end of our street. He knows the way and goes with gusto. He’s also the most trusting and most fearful dog I’ve ever known, rarely both at the same time.

While his anxiety’s high, I’ve let go for the moment. Let go of high pitched ringing that’s returning to my right ear. Let go of the week-long daily headaches that have attacked me since I’ve stopped the steroid and the muscle cramps that return with the diuretic. Let go of the Meniere’s disease and food intolerance. 

I let go of the inconclusive test results and the four pieces of paper that say I have no allergies. Let go of the doctors who prescribe me unrelated medication to take care of sniffles and inflamed sinuses that I’ve lived with for, well, forever. Let go of Google searches for side effects and recommendations that a so called “doctor” conducts in front of my eyes. Will the medicine hurt our future baby?

I let go of the dental pains, the migraines, the thyroid problems, the digestive issues, the rashes, the shingles, the depression, and the cancer in family and friends. I don’t think about these things. Well, maybe a for a little bit.

Instead, I think mostly about rosemary and how extraordinarily it lives in our front flower bed. It just sits there, day after day, soaking up 104 degrees and full sun. Although I can’t run in those temperatures in full sun, I can watch TV at home in 90 degrees. Gives my little mitochondria a workout. But mainly it’s to save up for those crazy/wonderful/harebrained-idea type purchases that Kevin convinces me to make. You know, the ones that at the moment seem like a waste of money, but later become our next hobby that we can’t put down.

I think about how the moon tonight looks like the one in the old DreamWorks promos. You know the one with the boy who’s sitting on the edge of a waxing crescent, dangling his fishing rod into a pool of water below. That could be our kid, in the mountains, in cooler weather, in a few years.

I think about marathons. I know my neighbors see me run. But for those few seconds of consideration as they drive past me or I run past them, do they feel compelled to exercise just like me? Are they as obsessed with staying healthy as I am? Could we do a “couch to 5K” right here in our neighborhood where people show up? Or am I pushing fitness and wellness too much. My bad. It’s my job.

I think about the sprinklers where Kent is getting a drink (and his sticker-riddled coat soaked). Our water is slowly drying up out here in west Texas. What a luxury this little oasis is! I soak my legs it the water and pat me down before carrying on. Can you believe two blocks away and most of its already evaporated?

I think about fame. I wonder if it’s just a job for the people on American Idol, the Big Bang Theory, and 24, or do they get caught up in the superficial whirlwind of it all. It took me forever to find an interest and even mild talent for clothes and appearance, and I have problems with wanting to buy shoes and clothes I don’t need. They’re so shiny! I can’t imagine what a focus on image would do to a person if thought about 24/7.

I think about Lindsey and our first “true” run together on this very street. Gosh she was fast for no training at all! I wish I had a better mind for numbers, distances, and time. I had to ask Kevin the best route to run a mile with her. Good thing I married the man. :)

And I think about God.

How “fearfully and wonderfully made” we all are! Truly, “Your works are wonderful.” And I pray for the strength to focus on the wonderful more often and respect the fearful.

So, pretty productive run.

Thanks for watching out for me little Kent. You got me home safe as houses.