When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.

With all the publicity surrounding the release of the Where the Wild Things Are movie, I've been thinking about some of the books I read (and loved) as a child.

Now, I can't say that I really got all that attached to many so called "Children's Books." I of course read Where the Wild Things Are, as well as others like Goodnight Moon, the Madeline series of books, and, if you talk to my Dad, What Do Smurfs Do All Day.

But the books that perhaps made the biggest difference to me growing up were the books I read as I got slightly older--the chapter books that I read early in life. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell--I loved this book. In fact, if I'm being honest, I still do. I'm pretty sure this is the book that is responsible for starting my love affair with horses. I remember that after reading this, I spent months giving anyone who would listen a lecture on the evils of the bearing reign. I'm sure my parents were thrilled.
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott--Another of my favorites. I still read this one about every two years or so. As a kid, something about these girls struck a chord in me. I loved spunky Jo, gentle Beth, prim Meg, and pretty Amy. (But I loved Jo the best and wanted to be just like her.) And I still want Laurie to end up with Jo every time.
3. The Babysitter's Club books by Ann M. Martin--I have no idea how many books there are in the series now, but I know for a fact that I read (and owned) at least the first 25 or 30 books and a few of the "Super Special Editions." They may not have been high quality literature, but they certainly gave me plenty of ideas for when I started baby-sitting on my own a few years later. I owe many a saved evening to the girls of the Baby-sitter's Club.
4. The Thoroughbred Series by Joanna Campbell--Another series of books that has continued to expand. I loved horses as a kid and these books fed that love. It also made me want to be a jockey, that is until I had my growth spurt at 10 and ended up being 5'8". Still, little did I know that 15 years later I would be living in Lexington and seeing the places mentioned in the books every day.
5. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume--This book is responsible for me having a turtle. The little boy in this book wins a turtle at a birthday party and I always thought that was the coolest thing. I wanted a turtle too and when I mentioned this to my sister a decade (and a half) later, she went out and found me one. And now I have Dean.
6. Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O'Dell--I loved this book about an eskimo girl who races in the Iditarod with her father's dog sled team. I loved the sense of adventure that this book had and the information it gave me about dog sled racing. In fact, for awhile I wanted to move to Alaska and race dog sleds. That phase passed as soon as I figured out that it was dark for 6 months up there.
7. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George-There was something about orphan books or books where the parents were absent that I loved as a kid. I loved this one and dreamed of running off to the wilderness and living off the land. The only problem was finding a falcon to hunt for me. And I wasn't sure I could find a hollow tree big enough (and I looked).
8. Where the Red Fern Grown by Wilson Rawls--There are only 2 books I've ever read that made my cry. This is one of them. The ending gets me every time. This was also one of the first books I read for school that I really really loved. Sadly, there were not that many more in the future.
9. A Wind in the Door by Madeline L'Engle--I'll admit, I never read A Wrinkle in Time. But I did read this sequel and loved it. It was a perfect mix of fantasy (which I still love) and science (which is now my career). It also introduced me to mitochondria, and I still can't help but think of this book every time I sit through a lecture on mitochondrial dysfunction.
10. The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter--Possibly the only books that held my attention as well as books about horses were books about Native Americans. There weren't many of them for kids to read, but this was one of them.

A Great Man

The world lost a great man today. He was not rich, unless you count the lives he touched. He was not famous, although almost everyone in Glasgow knew his name. He was not a powerful man, but he influenced more lives than most people could ever hope to do.

Mr. Foster (for that is how I will always think of him) came into my life when I was 7 years old. I was in 3rd grade he was my new Principal. Now, the man who held that position before him was a mythic person. Like Sauron in The Lord of the Rings he was a presence often felt, but rarely seen. I’m not sure that, had I been forced to, I could have picked him out of a lineup and I’m almost positive that he had no idea who I was.

Mr. Foster, on the other hand, greeted me by name (first, middle, and last) out in front of the school that first morning and every morning after. Rain or shine he was there to open the car door and start my morning with a hearty “Good Morning Kimberly Marie Carrico, my neighbor!” I had lived down the street from him almost my entire life, but until that first morning I had never spoken to him and the fact that this very important adult knew my name (my name!) made me feel important too.

By the time I left his school I had read almost every book in the school library, I could multiply (sort of anyway) and divide, I knew the basics of US and World History, and my life long love affair of science had begun. I had learned a great deal about a lot of things, but the most important lessons I learned didn’t come from a book. He taught me about respect by showing respect to everyone. He taught me about responsibility by always taking responsibility for his actions. He even taught me to work hard by constantly being the hardest working person I knew (and the best whistler too).

But the most important thing I learned from him in my 3 years under his care was that, despite my young age, I was important. He was the first adult that spoke to me like I was his equal. He was the first adult to treat me like my opinions were just as valid as his. He was the first adult to make me feel like a person.

Over the years he was always there with a smile and a hand when I arrived at school. He never failed to buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies when I (or any other girl) came knocking. Every Saturday morning I knew to look for him washing his Corvette in his driveway and whistling away. And no matter when or where I saw him, he always spoke to me and called me by name. Always.

My favorite Mr. Foster story is from the summer after my Freshman year in college. A few of my new friends from school had come down for the weekend and I was taking them over to Mammoth Cave. I knew, due to the last minute nature of our trip and the fact that it was high summer, there was no way we were going to get tickets for a cave tour, but I figured we could at least walk down and look at the entrance to the cave. But first, we went into the Visitor’s Center to grab a couple of maps. Who did I find behind behind the information desk but Mr. Foster.

He, of course, greeted me by name, asked after my family, and then proceeded to question me about my first year at school. When he found out who my friends were, he insisted that they see the cave. After I explained that we didn’t have any tickets and all the tours for the day were sold out, he leaned over the counter and smiled. That was no problem he assured me, he was giving a tour in a few hours and if we met him outside then, he would take care of us.

And take care of us he did. We met him outside at the appointed time and he folded us into his tour group. We walked with the group down to the entrance to the cave and stood in line at the gate as the other guide took up tickets. When our turn came, Mr. Foster simply smiled at the guide (who was probably not much older than we were), patter his chest pocket, and said “I have these ladies’ tickets right here.” The other guide nodded his head and we walked in.

I have been to the Cave enough times to recite every tour along with the guide, but I had never been on a tour like that one. He picked on me, of course, because that’s what he did, but I didn’t mind. And my friends left the cave that day as much in love with it as he was. Once again he had made me feel special.

That was his gift. He made everyone he met feel special. Important. Loved. He was one of those rare people who seemed to have an infinite ability to love. And to know him was to be loved by him. Every child who passed through the door to his school (and their siblings and parents) became important to him. He learned their names. He learned their likes and dislikes. He took the time to get to know them. And by doing so, he made each and every one of them feel special.

Yes, the world lost a great man today. He wasn’t rich or famous, but the wealth he left behind him is priceless. Because he lived, an entire generation of children learned to see themselves as important. Because he lived, the world is a better place. And that is worth more than all the money in world.

Caliparication

So, unless you have been living under a rock for the last few days, you know that UK fired Billy G on Friday and that yesterday they announced John Calipari was the new coach. Now, I'll admit that I liked Billy G when they first hired him, but the honeymoon ended and things went south pretty swiftly, so I'm pretty happy with this hire.

In fact, Coach Cal coming to Kentucky has me more excited about Kentucky Basketball than I have been sine 1998 when Tubby and the Comeback Cats won the title. I can't wait for next year!

He is an experienced coach who has taken two different teams to the final four. He has proven to be a great recruiter. He is charismatic. He loves the spotlight. He is saying all the right things.

Am I concerned about some of the issues with the NCAA in the past? Yeah. But from everything I've read and heard, his name is clean. And I imagine that Barnhart and Todd will keep a close eye on things. So, no one is perfect, and we have to accept that.

But this guy seems like a pretty darn good fit for us. Let's just hope he lives up to all the hype.

Ryan Parker did a pretty good job with this video:

Updated Master List

Completed tasks are in blue (because I like blue). Tasks in progress are in red.

The List:

1. Take a daily multivitamin for 1 month
2. Take a daily calcium supplement for 1 month
3. Get my weight down to 140lbs
4. Run 3 times a week for 1 month
5. Lift weights 3 times a week for 1 month
6. Go 1 month without fast food
7. Run a 5K in under 29.00min (Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 28.39 on 9/26/08)
8. Run a 10K
9. Be able to run 6 miles without stopping
10. Run the Run Like Hell 5K in Cincinnati
11. Finish a Half Marathon--Flying Pig, Cincy, May 2009
12. Go hiking (10/4/08 Mammoth Cave)
13. Swim in the Bluegrass State Games
14. Visit Europe
15. Visit the Newport Aquarium
16. Visit a Haunted House
17. Visit Waverly Sanatorium
18. Visit a State I’ve never been to before
19. Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
20. Go to the Drive in Movies
21. Go to King’s Island for Fearfest
22. Go to Needles and Angles
23. Go ice skating
24. Go to a midnight Hockey game
25. Take a cooking class
26. Try 5 restaurants I’ve never been to before (5/5) (Bonefish Grill 9/16/08) (Bar Louie's 12/5/08) (Saul Good's 3/7/09) (Old Chicago Pizza 2/28/09) (Tin Roof 3/12/09)
27. Learn to Quilt
28. Learn to make Grandmother Russell’s Special Occasion Rolls
29. Take a Personal/Family Finance Class
30. Read The Greatest Generation
31. Read Jane Eyre
32. Buy the 7th Harry Potter Book
33. Reread the entire Harry Potter series start to finish (0/7)
34. Read 5 books from the Booker Prize Winners List (1/5) (The Life of Pi)
35. Read 5 books from the 50 Essential Reads List (0/5) (Girl with a Perl Earring)
36. Read 4 nonfiction books (3/4) (Reading Lolita in Tehran) (In the Land of Invisible Women) (Dreams From my Father)
37. Read the entire New Testament
38. Read 1984
39. Watch Casablanca
40. Watch Gone with the Wind
41. Watch 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners (0/10)
42. Watch the Godfather Trilogy
43. Watch Schindler’s List
44. Watch all 3 Lord of the Rings Movies (extended editions) in one weekend
45. Put together a family tree (as far back as I can go)
46. Take Dad to see the Eagles in Concert
47. Go deer hunting with Dad (11/8/08 9 point buck)
48. Visit Granddad Russell in Oak Ridge 3 times (0/3)
49. Go sailing with Granddad Russell
50. Do something special with just my sister
51. Go on 3 dates (0/3)
52. See Kenney Chesney in Concert (again)
53. See a play
54. See a musical (Wicked, Louisville, KY 1/31/09)
55. Knit a sweater for me
56. Get a pedicure 4 times (1/4) (12/1/08)
57. Write in my journal at least once a week for 3 months
58. Blog at least once a week for the 1001 days
59. Sew something for myself
60. Go camping
61. Get into UK’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program
62. Get a massage
63. Go to a UK swim meet (1/17/09)
64. Write a short story
65. Be 1st Author on a Manuscript
66. Take the GRE
67. Make a decision about going back to school
68. Learn to do Western Blot
69. Learn to do Slot Blots
70. Create a budget
71. Stick to my budget for 6 months (2/6)
72. Put $250 a month in savings for 1 year
73. Give blood as often as I can (every 56 days)
74. Clean out my old clothes and donate them to Goodwill
75. Volunteer for the Thursday night meal at church (2/19/09)
76. Become an organ donor
77. Bake Cookies for someone just because
78. Knit something for charity
79. Renew my CPR certification
80. Get on the Bone Marrow Donor Registry
81. Knit a sweater for someone else
82. Cook a special dinner for some of my friends
83. Organize and Sort my Photos
84. Organize/Update/Sort the Music Collection on my Computer
85. Clean out my craft supplies
86. Clean out the closet on my balcony
87. Sort and Catalog my book collection
88. Clean Dean’s tank at once a month for 6 months (0/6)
89. Buy a new couch (9/18/08)
90. Buy reusable grocery bags
91. Use reusable grocery bags
92. Kiss Under the Mistletoe
93. Get a new coffee table
94. Join a Gym (Johnson Center 2/2009)
95. Bake a cake from scratch
96. Finish my Dragon Cross Stitch
97. Eat out for lunch only once a week for 1 month
98. Send a secret to Post Secret
99. Reconnect with 1 person I’ve lost touch with
100.Make 1 new friend
101. Update my blog with the list and progress

101 Things Updates....

I realized that I haven't updated my list in awhile, so I thought now was as good a time as any. First, a few lose ends to tie up:

#1 Take a multivitamin every day for a month: I started this the first of January and did pretty good for most of the month, but I don't think I managed to hit every day. I'll have to try again.

#57 Write in my journal once a week for 3 months: This one failed spectacularly. I did okay for a few weeks, but things have fallen off since. (Not surprising since I haven't had time to do much of anything lately).

#58 Blog once a week for the 1001 Days: Obviously I haven't done well with this one, but I'm trying to do better. Sometimes life just gets busy and blogging isn't high on the list.

#61 Get into UK's Ovarian Cancer Screening Program: I called, made my appointment, and kept my appointment so I'm calling this one Done! I even have my next exam set up.

Now, a few things that are In Progress or Completed:

#11 Finish a Half Marathon: I am planning on doing the Flying Pig Half Marathon up in Cincy in May with my cousins Gerrie Anne and Jean. I've been training and going to the gym more theses days (although this week hasn't been so good for the gym). And my goal isn't to run the whole thing, it's to just finish it, so I think this one is within reach.

#26 Try 5 Restaurants I've never been to before: This one is actually going quite well. I have already mentioned my trip to Bar Louie's (actually now it's been like 5 trips, but whatever). I've also eaten at Saul Good's a couple of times (most recently on Saturday with Jenny) and Jenny, Jenny, AJ, Brent, Ashely and I went to Old Chicago Pizza the the Saturday before which was good, but kind of disappointing since I didn't get my Chicago style crust like I wanted (they ran out apparently). So, now I've completed 3/5. Only 2 more to go.

#34 Read 5 books off the Booker Prize Winner's List: I finished The Life of Pi by Yann Martel just last week. I enjoyed it, but I also found the beginning to be very slow. Still, overall it was a good book and I'm glad I read it.

#35 Read 5 books off the 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors List: I nearly forgot, but I did read Girl with a Perl Earring by Tracy Chevalier and enjoyed it very much. It reminded me a lot of another book I had read, the name of which escapes me now, but it was very good.

#36 Read 4 Non fiction books: This one is another place where I've made significant progress. In fact, I read 3 non fiction books in a row (although not by design).

The first was Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi which was a really interesting look at the life of an English Literature professor in Afghanistan during the revolution and how she, and her female students, felt about the new restrictions placed on them. If you want to know what dose on underneath all those veils you see on the news, I highly recommend this book.

The second was a very similar book called In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed. As you might guess, it is about a female doctor raised in the UK, trained in the US that takes a job at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Her perspective is very unique in that she is a Muslim woman, but also very western. Hearing about her journey to find her faith and try to fit it among people that are both similar to her and very different, was fascinating. Another book I highly recommend if you want to try and understand a little bit more about the women in fundamentalist Muslim countries.

The third book was Dreams from my Father by Barak Obama. I picked this one up on inauguration day, mostly because I was curious about the man who was now our President. Parts of it I found interesting. Parts of it I found dull. Parts of it I wish everyone had to read because I think it would put to rest the idea that Obama is some kind of closet Muslim terrorist. I did find the honesty about certain things very refreshing, and thought that learning a little more about his childhood made certain things about him make more sense. Still, by this point I was a bit burnt out on non-fiction reads and wanted something with a little more plot. (My next book was Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich--it's not on any list, but boy was it fun!)

#54 See a Musical: Jenny, AJ, and I went to see Wicked in Louisville January 31st, and yes, it was just as good the second time around. I'm also excited to go see In the Heights on Broadway next week when I'm in NYC!!

#63 Go to a UK swim meet: Jenny, Jenny, and I went to watch UK swim against Alabama on January 17th. It was fun, although I had forgotten how long meets can be. Still, I'll try to go to another meet next year.

#70/71: Create and stick to the Budget: This I did back in January and so far so good this year (2 for 2) We'll see how it goes.

#75 Volunteer for the Thursday Night Meal at Church: Did this on February 19th. Technically, I had to since it was my month to serve the meal as an elder, but I did go and it was nice. I'll have to do it more often.

#93 Get a new coffee table: This is did back in January as well--we technically I had the coffee table before January, but it wasn't at my house. Now it is and I love it. I'll try to get a pic of it sometime. It is pretty.

#97 Join a gym: And this is now done. I joined the Johnson Center in February so I could get ready for the Flying Pig and it has been good. I've been going at least 2 times a week so far (although this week hasn't been good).

So, I think that's all for the update. It's a long list right now, I know, but I hadn't updated in over a month, so a lot of stuff had happened. I'll post an updated master list soon.

PS. So, before I could get this post finished, I finished up #26 by eating at the Tin Roof. I went there for lunch and to watch the CATS play today (Go CATS!) so I guess that means I'm done with that. :)

I Saw God Today...

Well, actually it was yesterday, but hey, who's counting.

It's been a long, rough couple of weeks and I'll be the first to admit that this week I've just been tried and pretty much given up on everything. And, yes, I've been feeling sorry for myself. But I've found that generally when things get to that point, something comes along that turns your head and makes you realize that things aren't always as bad as they seem.

Yesterday for lunch I walked down to the Penn Station that isn't too far from work. The weather was nice and I just needed to get out of the building for awhile. I went by myself because I haven't been in the most social mood lately (see previous comment about feeling sorry for myself). As I was going in, I noticed a homeless man standing on the sidewalk outside the strip of stores/restaurants.

Now, I've seen this guy around before, and I'll admit that he kind of creeps me out. He tends to stare. And in the past when I've been eating outside at Gumbo YaYa's, he'll come sit down at on of the other tables and just sit there and watch me eat. I know that he's probably okay, but still, it creeps me out.

Well, yesterday when I saw him, I made a point to avoid him. I'll admit to that. But later I noticed that he was outside Penn Station and I started thinking about how much it must suck to be a homeless person dependent on other people during a recession (not that it's ever a good thing to be homeless). I was pondering all this stuff when a nice normal looking college guy walks into the restaurant. I'm assuming he was in college anyway. He looked to be in his early 20s and was dressed all in UK gear, which at lunch time generally means you don't have a real job anywhere.

Anyway, so this kid comes in and gets in line to place his order, but he keeps looking back out the window at the homeless guy. Finally, he gets out of line, goes outside and starts talking to this guy. Now, as I was inside, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a few minutes, the college guy comes back in with the homeless man. They both get in line and when it comes time for them to order, college boy tells the homeless guy to "Order whatever you want."

By this point, I was done with my food and had to get back to work, but that stuck with me all day. Here was this kid, probably in school, probably doesn't have much money, and he takes the time to do something really nice for this person he doesn't even know. This person that I had seen and avoided because he made me uncomfortable.

I like to think that I'm a good person. That I don't judge others based on what they look like or dress like or whatever. But the truth is, I could have done the same thing for that guy, but I didn't. In fact, it never even occurred to me that he might be hungry. And yet, this kid took it upon himself to make sure that he had something to eat that day.

It really makes you think about what you could/should be doing every single day....

Some things Never change....

So this basketball season has been quite the disappointment, but nothing will ever touch "The Shot" and the heart break felt round the Bluegrass that day. Not that we can ever escape it since it get's replayed countless times every March (most notably at the beginning of every CBS broadcast of NCAA tournament games). Now, it's even been parodied into a commercial with Christian Lattner--who really is a total asshole (I saw an interview with him the other day on ESPN while I was at the gym where he said he wants to be an NBA head coach, but he doesn't want to have to fool with paying his dues as an assistant somewhere first) and Rick Pitino for Vitamin Water. While disturbing, it is actually kind of funny, especially Rick's line at the end.