Archive for August, 2010
The first Mayan ruins that we visited were the Palenque ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula region of Mexico. It was hot! However it was also amazing. The site was great. I remember seeing a special on National Geographic when I was younger about some of the artifiacts they were still finding in this little visited site. Since then however it has become quite a tourist attraction. The lawns and grounds are manicured and there are Mayans selling all sorts of tourist souvenirs. Even though the touristiness of the site disappointed me, I was still awed by the site. The temples were amazingly built. I was impressed with the different architectural styles here than what I saw at Chichen Itza years ago. This was however the first site we went to so I hadn’t seen the immense architecture of Tikal.
My honeymoon was 3 1/2 weeks so I had some time to read, while not traipsing through the jungle and climbing various Mayan ruins. We had some long bus rides as well as hours on the beach, so I was able to finish 5 books and am just finishing up another one right now. Of these 5 books I only brought 2 with me. I picked up the other 3 plus a few extra along the way. I’m only really going to tell you what I thought of these books, so I linked the titles to Amazon so you can check them out if you are interested.
The first one was: The Waterborn
by Greg Keyes. It’s an older book by him, but really good. I enjoyed the characters and liked that it was a stand alone sci-fi book. I’ve read many of his other books, but none of his earlier stuff and was quite impressed.
Then I read Matthew Reilly’s The Six Sacred Stones
It is a very unrealistic action book that I eventually fell in love with. The only problem was that I didn’t read the book prior and he didn’t finish the story in this book either so I will have to buy not only the previous book ( Seven Deadly Wonders: A Novel
but the one after as well ( The Five Greatest Warriors: A Novel
). I don’t mind though because I really liked it.
Then I stumbled upon a book by Kathy Reichs that someone had left at a very small book exchange. I really like her books so I jumped on the chance to read it. This one was Deja Dead: 10th Anniversary Edition (Temperance Brennan Novels)
and was just as entertaining as her other books. The main character is of course still being her ridiculous self which gets her into trouble, but I still like the story line.
The next book I read I found at a bookstore in Antigua. It was titled: The Ruins (Vintage)
I thought it would be great since it was about Mayan ruins in the Yucatan and I had just been there, but it was not. There was not one thing about Mayan ruins even though on the back it is highlighted as an important part of the story. I was extremely disappointed. I wouldn’t buy this book again, but if you like horror then you might like it. If you like historical mystery/horror you won’t.
Finally I read The Alexandria Link: A Novel
by Steve Barry and I loved it! It was just the right length. It was an easy read, with fun twists and turns. It wasn’t as unbelievable as earlier mentioned books. I plan on reading more of his books.
If you read any of these let me know.
I don’t know which brand of beer these bottle caps go to. Does anyone else know?
Man, I’d forgotten what a hassle it is to become certified to teach in another state. There is so much paperwork. They want all your transcripts, fingerprints, background check, verification forms, and you must have passed certain tests which not all states accept the tests that other states give. I’ve had 3 different state certifications before applying for my Alaskan teaching certificate. Lucky for me Alaska accepts the Florida CLAST test or I would have to once again take another test. However I only have one copy of the results so I have to pay more money and get one sent to me. The certification I’m applying for is only the initial certificate however even though I’ve taught for 9 nine years, have a BA of Arts in Education, and a Masters in Educational Leadership. This certificate is only good for about 2 years and then I have to apply for another type. In the meantime I’ll have to take 2 classes.
It was interesting getting my fingerprints taken. In WA I went to the campus police so it was easy and non-threatening. In FL I can’t remember, so I wonder if I was able to do it at the school district. The districts there are quite large. In AZ I went to a business that specialized in taking fingerprints. Here in AK I had to go to the local police department and was escorted in the back portion in order to actually get my prints, which totally made me nervous. I felt like I was in trouble even though the officer was really nice.
Anyway, I have filled out much of the paperwork and am waiting for all the extra stuff to come in the mail. I sometimes wonder how we are one country. It was easier to get a teaching job in the international circuit than it is to get one in another state.
After a couple years of hearing my mom talk about Etsy, where she sells her handmade jewelry at her shop perkicreations http://www.etsy.com/shop/perkicreations and after getting married to a crafty guy, I’ve finally created some things and have them on Etsy at our new shop Zieak and Pepper http://www.etsy.com/shop/zieak . You should come check us both out.
We also went to a town market yesterday where we sold some magnets, scrabble coasters, and glass cups made from wine bottles. Jordan sold root beer floats.
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