Book Review - The World According to Garp

The World According to Garp is the 2nd novel by John Irving that I have read and enjoyed. Like the first book, A Prayer for Owen Meany, it took me a while to get through it, and not because it was dull or poorly written or confusing, but because it was "meaty".

The story has 3 main themes: gender roles, sexuality, and death.

Garp was born out of wedlock, his conception was not from love, but from his mother's want of a child. His mom, Jenny Fields, finds any type of sex act lustful and has no desire at all to be intimate with a man. She takes a nursing position at an all boys school and stays until Garp has finished his studies there. She later writes a book, an autobiography of sorts that brings about her role in leading feminists throughout the world, although she does not herself believe she is one.

Garp turns out to be a caring (and adulterous) husband, a wonderful (and paranoid) parent, and a famous (loved and hated) writer. Throughout Garp's life, many dark and life-changing events, later foreseen by the "Under Toad", shape his character as well as those of his family and loved-ones.

If you like riding the emotional roller-coaster and don't mind removing your rose-colored glasses, you ought to like this book. It is imaginative, tragic and funny...

Employment Part 1 - Edmonton

I like to work. I have had a job since I was 15, so I really don't know what my life would be like without one. Even though it is hard to balance work and family, I manage to do what it takes so that I can be the best possible mom and wife and still have time to put in 40 hours or so in a week. Right now, I have the perfect job to do just that. I have a wonderful amount of flexibility to attend school day functions with my kids and I have all the holidays (and then some) and my summers off to spend with my family. I truly do have the best of both worlds...

Nanny
I moved out of my parent's house when I was 15 and went to live with a lady named Estelle. She had a couple of kids, Shelly (7) and Tyler (3), that I watched for her while she worked at night. She usually left for work around 6 pm and returned home well after 2 am. I was responsible to watch her kids in the evening (feed, help with homework, bathe) and then get up before I went to school/work and get them ready for and off to daycare and school themselves. Estelle was under the impression that I had my driver's license, so I was given the car (when she wasn't at work), a room downstairs, food and a monthly "salary" in trade for raising her kids. I thought it was a pretty sweet deal. I did this for year or so. During this time, I also worked at The Bay, Dapper Dan and George E. Failing. I was pretty busy but I don't remember being very stressed out. I guess you just handle things better when you are a teenager...

Sears Optical, Optician (3 yrs)

I don't have any idea what got me in the optical field. I don't remember interviewing or anything or why they would hire someone that didn't have any training or experience in this field. Either they were desperate or I interviewed well. This job would be the start of a 6 year career in the eye-wear industry. I remember being very nervous when I fit my first pair of glasses and how kind and patient my first customer was. Isn't it funny that I can remember what the frames looked like and that the customer was wearing a suit and tie and had a briefcase? I had many great experiences and met many great people at Sears Optical. Thanks to Facebook, I still keep in touch with many of them. Where are you now, Bob Kowalchuck & Sam Woyawoda?

AOCO (American Optical), Office Manager/Optician (1 yr)

American Optical was actually the company that owned Sears Optical. They closed the Sears store at the mall I worked at and transferred me to the place where they stocked frames and actually made the lenses. While I did most of the secretarial things, like inventory and shipping and receiving orders, I was also trained on how to fill the orders. This was so interesting. Did you know that your lenses actually look like clear, plastic, hockey pucks before they are grinded down and shaped to fit your frame? This was back in the day when coloring your lenses was popular. Do you remember gradient shading in pinks and blues? I loved that part of the process!

Viscon Contact Lens Company, Secretary/Optician (2 yrs)
I don't recall why I left AOCO but I ended up at a place that manufactured contact lenses. This was also an interesting process that I had the opportunity to learn how to do. They only used me when we had a large number of orders or if one of the lab techs was unable to come to work. This place was owned by Rikke or Cora Dootjes. They HATED each other and working with them was always entertaining! All but one of the lab techs were Vietnamese who spoke little or no English. The other lab tech, David, and I spent a lot of time together trying to "survive" our hostile working conditions! He still works there to this day...

Photo Friday #5 - Flower Power

First, I want to wish a happy birthday to Pauline & Mindy. I will blog about them at a later date because I HAVE to include some pictures and I cannot do that until my computer gets better. I can however pull a picture off the internet and blog about that...

This is my favorite flower and in my opinion, the most beautiful flower ever! I love all kinds of lilies, but the tiger is my favorite. One year for Mother's Day, Jill bought me a package of bulbs. I planted them that fall and have not seen them since. That was about 8 years ago...

I would love to have a a tiny piece of heaven in my yard, with an old fashioned swing and a pebble path and lots and lots of flowers...

Dip or Squeeze?

If I have never said it before, I love ketchup. Finally, after 30 + years and many, many letters from consumers like me... ketchup just got better! Leave it to Heinz to come up with this great idea - they just unveiled a new packet design that has a cup-like base for dipping and a tear-off end that still allows for squeezing. And better yet, it hold three times the ketchup of the traditional packet!

Sour Patch Kid

I did not have the pleasure of watching The Fellowship of the Ring in the theater, but in the comfort of my own home. It was Jill, Justin and I and we were at the part where Boromir is mortally wounded by the orc archers. I was getting all choked up, because I kind of liked the guy, when Jill (she was 9 at the time) pipes up and says, "Three darts is too much."

Ever since Jill was a little girl she has had this incredible ability to remember movie lines. Can you guess what movie that line was from?

Ace Ventura

Leave it to my daughter to make me laugh during a sad part of a movie.

Pet Peeve #4 - Mad Cow

Yesterday's post was supposed to be a pet peeve, but unfortunately mad cow took over and I completely forgot. This brings me to...

Pet Peeve #4 - Forgetfulness

Things I have forgotten in the last week:

• my kid at school (again)
• Jace's 2 year well baby check (2x's)
  
• that my hair appointment was on Thursday, not Friday
• Justin's work schedule
• to turn the heat down
• to give Justin's work schedule to the sitter (2x's)
• to buy bread, milk and a shower curtain
• I just thought of something else... and forgot
  
• to turn on the dryer
• to give my daughter a $25 check for school (2 days in a row)

There have been many other things that I have forgotten to do or say and I am sure places that I was supposed to be, but guess what? I forgot...

A Tender Moment

Saturday afternoon my daughter, Jill, comes running up the stairs and into the kitchen to give me a hug. We were embracing when I suddenly let out a big sneeze. Well wouldn't you know the pressure made me fart too. She jumps away from me and says, "Mom, I was about to tell you that I love you and I think you're an awesome mom". I replied, "Well, sorry for ruining that for you Jill."
What else could I say?



You've got to have a big sense of humor to live with me...