91. Read and Review 100 Books (15/100) Dark Lover - J.R. Ward

'In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.'

A friend suggested the Black Dagger Brotherhood Saga to help alleviate the vampire withdrawls I'm having waiting for my next Sookie/Eric fix... and I must admit from a trashy yet entertaining view point it worked a treat! The action comes thick and fast, and impressively for this type of genre, the sex scenes are not used to prop up a thin plot but rather tend to add to the development of the characters... although I didn't fall endlessly in love with the Wrath and Beth I still greatly enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 

49. My two words of the week

What do I think is the best way to learn something new?? Grit your teeth, get out there, ask lots of questions and just generally give it a go... SO, for the first three days of this week I decided to get my butt down to Laredo, Texas to spend some quality time with my Drill Site Manager and Site Safety Rep to basically pick their brains dry on drilling practice... I'm only two days through my trip AND my brain is already overflowing with new theories, practices, and terms... SO its only fair that I share two of them this week as my two words...

Possum Belly

'A Possum Belly, is the metal container at the head of the shale shaker that receives the flow of drilling fluid and is directly connected to, and at the end of the flow line. The purpose of the possum belly is to slow the flow of the drilling fluid (after it has gained momentum from coming down the flow line) so that it does not shoot off the shale shakers. The Possum Belly, derives its name from the similarity of its appearance to the underbelly of a female possum.' 

AND

Pup

'A heavy coupling element for drill pipe, made of special metal alloy steel and has coarse, tapered threads and seating shoulders designed to sustain the weight of the drill string, withstand the strain of frequent coupling and uncoupling, and provide a leak-proof seal.'

91. Read and Review 100 Books (14/100) House Rules - Jodi Picoult

'Rules, we all live by them. Some people live to break them and there are others who live their lives by these rules. Jacob Hunt is one of those people who lives his life by those rules, primarily because he’s “hard-wired” to think just that way. Jacob has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of Autism that keeps him on the fringes of “normal” society along with those that care most about him. It keeps him from having the meaningful relationships that most of us take for granted and eventually ends him in a situation where he looks guilty enough to kill for one of those relationships'


Kept me entertained during a trip from Houston to Grand Junction, Colorado for work. Although I must admit I kinda figured where the plot was going before Picoult got there herself it was still confronting enough to make me think, what if it was me, what would I do?? Typical Picoult novel, dealing with current medical controversies in a confronting and soul searching way...  however I didn't quite feel she hit the mark this time... 

91. Read and Review 100 Books (13/100) Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security, Christopher Cooper

'The fatal inundation of New Orleans was no natural disaster, argues this hard-hitting investigative report. Wall Street Journal reporters Cooper and Block finger two very man-made causes of the tragedy. The first was the decades-long failure of local officials and the Army Corps of Engineers to fix New Orleans' poorly designed and constructed levees and floodwalls, which collapsed under moderate hurricane conditions. The second and more spectacular was the breakdown of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after its incorporation into the Department of Homeland Security, which cut FEMA's funding and authority and reoriented it toward the national obsession with terrorism. The result, when the flood came, was a bumbling federal response hobbled by complacent planning, miscommunication, red tape (even recovery of the dead was delayed by paperwork) and an inability to deliver promised supplies and transportation. The authors' exhaustively researched account slogs through the intricacies of this bureaucratic nightmare and goes beyond the usual pillorying of FEMA head Michael Brown to criticize higher officials in the White House and, especially, DHS. Cooper and Block manage to thread a readable, coherent story through the morass of detail and acronyms, with disquieting implications about the government's ability to cope with catastrophe'


Frustrating to read, this account of what occurred during the catastrophe that was Hurricane Katrina seemed to be a reasonably bipartisan account of the US Governments response toward the Gulf Coast. The book includes background on the levy systems in New Orleans, history of FEMA, and information on the relationships between each governmental organisation involved in the disaster relief effort. I very much found myself reading the book like I was watching a movie, disseminating the players into good v evil... I find Katrina fascinating, most likely due to my current location 300 miles away from ground zero and found that this book gave me a good overall picture of what not only went wrong but also what did go right.. the book showed that to a certain degree people are just that... people... and we can only ever do our best, and even the most capable people can make mistakes in tough situations. This book doesn't lay blame but it doesn't make excuses for people either and in the end it perfectly captures the fact that the US Government dropped the ball and forgot the people of Louisiana in a spectacular fashion... 

49. My two words of the week

dis·sem·i·nate

   [dih-sem-uh-neyt]

–verb (used with object),-nat·ed, -nat·ing.

to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse: to disseminate information about preventive medicine.

AND

ha·bit·u·ate

   [huh-bich-oo-eyt] verb,-at·ed, -at·ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.

to accustom (a person, the mind, etc.), as to a particular situation: Wealth habituated him to luxury.

2.

Archaic. to frequent.

–verb (used without object)

3.

to cause habituation, physiologically or psychologically.

86. Send a birthday card to every member of my immediate family for a year (5/11)

My mother-in-law's birthday was coming up and I had a problem.. you see she just doesn't get my sense of humour, and I have a house full of silly, sarcastic, pop culture reference birthday cards SO instead of causing an international incident (teehehe) by sending a card that makes me giggle uncontrollably but creates a response of confusion on the other side of the world, I headed to Hallmark to search out a birthday card that was a little more traditional in nature... Well I managed to find this beautiful card that not only fits the anti-sarcastic bill but is also covered in bees!!

Isn't it super pretty?? And its not overly soppy and lovey dovey which always feels that little bit tongue in cheek to me as I'm really not a gushy type person... It was the perfect balance of traditional and unique

Now hopefully she forgives us for sending it a little late... but its the thought that counts right?!?! I swear we where thinking of you Doris and we meant to send the card WEEKS before we did, but sometimes with our schedules, the hardest thing about birthday cards is actually managing to get to the post office to buy a stamp!! Next time I go, I think I'm going to have to buy a whole roll!!

49. My two words of the week

sur·feit

   [sur-fit] 

–noun

1.

excess; an excessive amount: a surfeit of speechmaking.

2.

excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking.

3.

an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking.

4.

general disgust caused by excess or satiety.

AND

pa·lav·er

   [puh-lav-er, ‐lah-ver] 

–noun

1.

a conference or discussion.

2.

a long parley, esp. one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.

3.

profuse and idle talk; chatter.

4.

persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.