Keeping Up With the Self-Challenge

Finished Resolute this afternoon and really enjoyed getting even more information about the Franklin Expedition.

Today my copy of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman arrived. Feynman is one of the Renaissance men Ingrid Cummings wrote about in The Vigorous Mind; he sounded so charming that I wanted to know more. Here is what Science Digest had to say about Surely You're Joking: "Buzzing with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist."

So far I've enjoyed my Renaissance Mind "curriculum" adopted as a result of reading The Vigorous Mind (which I still have to wait to review because of the book tour concept):

In the nonfiction category: I've finished one book on yoga (and have two others in progress) and Resolute. I'm certainly spending more than the recommended 20 minutes several times a week; but this is reading, and I read every day and certainly for longer than 20 minute sessions.

Documentaries: The Samurai Sword (excellent, and Fee really enjoyed finding out all that goes into the ancient method of creating the swords--pretty awesome process) and The Bronte Sisters (not so good; short and just not that interesting - hard to believe, given the subjects).

(cross post from Bayou Quilts)

Went to see The Reader Tuesday night (after our Sunday cancellation). Fee and I met Amelia at the cafe upstairs, and Holly joined us later. So nice to have a meal and a glass of wine and then go downstairs to see the movie.

The film was really well done. I'm not giving the plot away to any of you who may not have read the book, but it is a story that will make you think. There are several moral dilemmas, and the movie covers them beautifully. Neither the book nor the film tries to manipulate your emotions (which is good, because the moral questions should engage your intellect, and it would have been so easy to have made this an emotional miasma).

Amelia and I read the book about 10 years ago, and neither of us remembered the part about the daughter. It was a lot of books ago, and I could easily have just not registered that as important; but neither of us were sure if it was an addition or if we'd simply forgotten. It has no effect on the story, so it is simply a matter of curiosity.

Kate Winslet was excellent as Hannah and David Kross did a wonderful job as the young Michael. Ralph Fiennes is also good, but his role as the adult Michael was somewhat smaller.