Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Lady Gaga - Wake up!

My two little boys love to tell jokes.  Most of them go something like this:

"Hey Mom!  Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Because he's a party coconut-head!"

Knee-slapping, belly laughter ensues and then my two-year old repeats the same joke verbatim.

I crack up right along with them, and when I'm feeling especially charitable I will throw in a knee slap of my own.

Yesterday however, my son told me a joke that was actually funny!

He asked, "How do you wake up Lady Gaga?"
"POKER FACE!"

I have to admit, he got me that time.  I genuinely laughed and listened as he told me another:

"What do you call a teacher who doesn't fart in public?"
"A private tutor!"

I was in hysterics!  Who knew my 5-year old had such a sense of humor?  More to the point, where was he getting this stuff?

It was my little guy's turn to tell his jokes, so we all quieted down, turned toward him and waited for the parroting to begin.

He asked, "How do you wake up Lady Gaga?"
"POKER TOOTER!"



Yep, I'm pretty sure that'd do it.

Friday, April 01, 2011

The Lovely Bones: A review

A haunting tale of a young girl who was brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold chilled me to mine. The story hooked me immediately when Susie Salmon, the main character, states, "I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." Susie took a shortcut while walking home from school when she was lured into an underground hideaway kept by her neighbor. There she was raped and killed. Sparing gore or graphic content, Sebold created a scene that was chilling and downright frightening. (Being the scaredy cat that I am, I almost walked away from the book after this scene because I don't. do. horror.) However this is a ghost story of a different kind. The story is narrated by Susie, from heaven, as she keeps watch over her grieving family. The changes Susie sees in her family are both sad and heartwarming. Susie sees that through her death her little sister is able to blossom as she no longer resides in Susie's shadow. 

This book had a distinct mood change from frightening to enlightening and Sebold was able to do so seamlessly. A brilliant break-out novel for Alice Sebold.