eMpTy page

MELBOURNE SOUVENIR

2009-07-12T12:33:00.005+12:00

Melbourne was cool.

Bringing home souvenir swine flu was not!

Shhhhhhh

2009-07-03T08:46:00.003+12:00

Something interesting is happening over at The Mum Files.

Someone you know might be there...

(And why don't you email them? You could be next.)

QUEEN OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE

2009-06-29T10:45:00.006+12:00

Well I like to think that I'm the Queen Bee around my small universe but during the weekend I was upstaged by some queens who were larger than life. They were competing at the St James Theatre in Wellington in the Queen of the Whole Universe beauty pageant. It's really just a big fund raiser for AIDs-related charities.

It's the 6th year this event has been staged but the first time it has been held outside Auckland. It was a heap of fun. If you get a chance to see this next year it's a great night out.

THE ANSWER IS NO!

2009-06-26T16:44:00.003+12:00

So, if you had gorgeous red hair like this would you want to dye it brown? Even if 'all the other gingas at school are dyeing their hair brown'? Would you?

LIFE ELSEWHERE

2009-06-12T23:06:00.008+12:00

Over the past few weeks we've been having geography lessons in our house.

DH has had not one but two work trips to the Middle East in the past month. We now know that Dubai and Abu Dhabi are emirates or states in the country known as the United Arab Emirates. And we know that Abu Dhabi is the federal capital of the UAE.We know that Doha is in another country called Qatar and that Qatar is pronounced 'cutter'. And we know that the Americans use the commercial airport in Doha as a base for their airforce planes that fly to Iraq. And we can find these countries on a map.

We've learned all about how the emirates are run
and DH has even met a Sheik. We've learnt that doing business there is quite different to how it's done in NZ. We know that if you want to have a drink in the Sheraton bar you have to show your passport. We know that women in the UAE can hold senior government roles. We know that temperatures in the Middle East at present reach in the 40s and will continue to climb over the next 2 months. We know that the tallest building in the world (the Burj) is being built in Dubai and it makes the other skyscrapers look like toys.

We've learned that DH takes some unusual photos when he is away but these give us more pleasure than the usual tourist shots.

We've been excited to learn about somewhere new.

And we're rapt that DH comes home to us tomorrow.

THE MUM FILES

2009-06-10T21:01:00.003+12:00

Check out Lisa and Ligia's great new site "The Mum Files". Awesome tips and observations about family life and parenting. They both are great writers and have an awesome sense of humour. I'm loving it.

BLOGOSPHERE BOOK CIRCLE

2009-06-09T21:51:00.005+12:00

June Book: The Zookeeper's Wife
Author:Diane Ackerman
Synopsis:
In a nutshell -a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
Verdict: I just couldn't get into it. It felt a bit 'try hard'. After chapter 4 I decided to give up. Life's too short. Maybe I need to try again some other time.

I feel like out I copped out this month so (purely to make me feel better) here's a review of a book I read last week that I did really enjoy:

Title: The Slap
Author: Christos Tsiolkas

Synposis: (courtesy Unwin and Allen publishers)
At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own.
This event has a shocking ricochet effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the event.
In this remarkable novel, Christos Tsiolkas turns his unflinching and all-seeing eye onto that which connects us all: the modern family and domestic life in the twenty-first century. The Slap is told from the points of view of eight people who were present at the barbecue. The slap and its consequences force them all to question their own families and the way they live, their expectations, beliefs and desires.
What unfolds is a powerful, haunting novel about love, sex and marriage, parenting and children, and the fury and intensity - all the passions and conflicting beliefs - that family can arouse. In its clear-eyed and forensic dissection of the ever-growing middle class and its aspirations and fears, The Slap is also a poignant, provocative novel about the nature of loyalty and happiness, compromise and truth.

Verdict: I loved this book. Over the past couple of months reviews of this book seemed to pop up in publications I was reading. And then a week or two back I heard a long interview with the author, Australian Christos Tsiolkas, on National Radio. I knew I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed. It was gritty, fast moving and hard core at times. It made me think. I found myself taking sides. And then changing them. Another observation is that I realised I don't read many books by male authors. Are other people like that? If you don't like sex and expletives it's probably not for you. But I loved it.

RULE KEEPER

2009-05-29T12:36:00.003+12:00

I have a confession. I am a rule keeper. I obey the rules. In my nearly 44 years I've never had a traffic violation - not even a parking ticket.

So it comes as some surprise to me to learn that I have produced a teenager who is not so bothered about the rules.

This morning I looked at her and said:
Hmm. That wouldn't be eyeliner you're wearing to school would it?

Miss 14:
Whatever.

Ruler keeper:
You could get a clothing detention if a teacher catches you.

Miss 14:
I don't care. T and J (BFs) both have clothing detentions at lunchtime today so if I'm caught I'll just go with them. We'll just chat during detention so it's no big deal. Don't worry about it.

She's right. I shouldn't worry. It's not my problem.

I just wish I was so relaxed.

BLOGOSPHERE BOOK CIRCLE - MAY

2009-05-26T08:28:00.004+12:00

MAY BOOK: The Nineteenth Wife
AUTHOR: David Ebershoff

SYNOPSIS: (courtesy Louisa Thomas, New York Times)

Faith can make troubling claims on believers. In a prison diary — one of the many fictional documents in David Ebershoff’s third novel, “The 19th Wife” — the Mormon leader Brigham Young states one such problem plainly: “I know my faith to be the true faith of God . . . yet I cannot force belief upon others — or can I? Is this not my task, my mission? . . . I cannot know.”

Brigham Young married many women, some more by force than by choice. One of these women — officially his 19th wife (though the number was probably much higher) — rebelled. Her name was Ann Eliza, and she is a central character in Ebershoff’s book. A fictionalized version of her story runs alongside a murder mystery narrated by Jordan Scott, the son of a modern 19th wife who has been charged with killing her husband, one of the leaders of Mesadale, a modern-day fundamentalist community. Devout despite a wretched life, BeckyLyn Scott says she didn’t do it, and Jordan believes her.
THE VERDICT:

I loved this book. It is probably not one that I would have chosen myself. It took me a long time to read it - I think that was because I was taking in all the historical parts. While I was reading it I was conscious that it was fact interwoven with fiction.

The two stories were easy to keep separate and I didn't find them confusing.

I was really interested in the history bits (though I know some of it was fabricated) but you got a broad sense of the early history of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the divisions therein.

I actually found reading about polygamy a bit stressful - I definitely know I couldn't be one of many wives!

Definitely one to recommend.

BOYS AND MUD

2009-05-19T15:42:00.002+12:00

Mr 9 meets me outside school with his scooter but in bare feet. "Can't wear my shoes they are COVERED in mud".

They are. Caked. Can't actually tell what colour the shoes were.

Mother: How did your shoes and socks get so muddy?

Mr 9: Ahh well... it was like this... we were writing narratives and we had to write about texture so we went outside and had to feel something to write about and... well.. I decided to write about mud... but there was no way I was going to put my hands in it!

TICKING OFF THAT 'ONE DAY' LIST

2009-05-13T13:00:00.003+12:00

Do you have a 'one day' list? You know, the list of things that one day you'll get around to? My list includes things like learning to play the piano, going on an African safari, getting over my fear of heights (and birds), being a size 12, living overseas etc

But one thing on my list has recently been ticked off. It was "go to painting classes". I didn't want it to say "learn to paint" because I wasn't really sure if I could actually learn to do it but I did want to try.

I've been inspired by various people. One of them is Cath. Cath has studied art for a few years through The Learning Connexion. When I found out that TLC was only a 5 minute drive from my home I knew I had to try. So I enrolled in night classes. I've only had three classes. I've learned some techniques. It's been fun and hard. There are only 3 beginners in the class. The rest are experienced. Some are third year diploma students. Scary. But mostly I've learned that art is whatever you want it to be. If I make it it is art. So here for posterity is one of my very first attempts.

I'm hoping that in years to come I will be able to look back and see that I've got better!

TECHNOPHOBE OR TECHNOPHILE?

2009-05-02T13:37:00.008+12:00

I admit it - I am not into technology. I have no techno-envy when friends show me their latest iPhone or laptop. Sure I like to use it - but I just want my phone/laptop/iPod to work. I don't care how. And when DH (Techno Man) buys an amazing (read 'we-could-have-bought-another-car') stereo which he's been researching for months online and via his subscription to Tone magazine it's nice but... well... whatever. It doesn't rock me.

So this weekend I have a small problem. The PS2 has been shifted from one room to another and needs to be hooked up. But can I do it? No. And where is Techno Man when you need him? In the Middle East. True.

I try every possible installation option. Nothing. I can't install it.

I decide to email TechnoMan halfway across the world for assistance. Maybe I'll get a response tomorrow.

In the meantime Mr 9 is playing with the TV connections and yells out “I’ve got it “. And he has. I tried for 20 minutes – he tried for 2.

“It’s because you’re a girl, Mum, and I’m an ICT monitor!”

Hummpfff!

This is Mr 8 turning into Mr 9 a couple of weeks ago.Did you notice the tshirt slogan: How to spot a gamer. Apt.

FEEL GOOD

2009-04-20T11:05:00.001+12:00

How cool is this? (You'll need to copy and paste.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

SHOW SOME PASSION

2009-04-16T10:45:00.009+12:00

Just back from a few days in Taupo. What amazing weather for this time of year.

Mr 8 is no longer. He turned 9 while we were away. We went to Rotorua for his birthday and he chose to visit the Paradise Valley Springs wildlife and trout park. Oh it also has lions. Mr 9 took a gazillion photos (with my Canon). The story behind the one of DH and I below took my fancy. DH was over posing for photos. So Mr 9 pipes up "Come on Dad. Show some passion!" A fashion photographer in the making?

On our last day in Taupo DH took the kids on the lake trout fishing with some friends from Wellington. Between 5 of them they landed 10 trout. 6 were keepers. Kids pretty excited about catching such big ones. But note how Miss 13 refused to actually touch it!

Blogosphere Book Circle Book of the Month

2009-04-06T10:11:00.010+12:00

APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH: In Defence of Food
AUTHOR: Michael Pollan

SYNOPSIS from www.michaelpollan.com
"Food. There's plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it?

Because most of what we're consuming today is not food, and how we're consuming it --in the car, in front of the TV, and increasingly alone -- is not really eating. Instead of food, we're consuming "edible foodlike substances" -- no longer the products of nature but of food science. Many of them come packaged with health claims that should be our first clue they are anything but healthy. In the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become.

But if real food -- the sort of food our great grandmothers would recognize as food -- stands in need of defense, from whom does it need defending? From the food industry on one side and nutritional science on the other. Both stand to gain much from widespread confusion about what to eat, a question that for most of human history people have been able to answer without expert help. Yet the professionalization of eating has failed to make Americans healthier. Thirty years of official nutritional advice has only made us sicker and fatter while ruining countless numbers of meals."

DID YOU LIKE/DISLIKE THE BOOK?:

Having spent the past 4 years on a healthy eating/living journey I have read more than my fair share of books on eating. I liked this book because it offers yet another/same perspective. I enjoyed reading non-fiction, too, this month.

It's basic premise is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants". End of story. Ha!

You know what sucks? I like food. A lot. It's like my own personal brand of heroin. (Thanks for the line, Edward Cullen.) Cathy says it better than I could.

DID IT AFFECT YOU IN ANY WAY?:

I can't say it affected me but I guess it's another reminder to keep on the straight and narrow.

If only it were that easy.

Want a gift from me?

2009-03-30T17:47:00.001+13:00

Want a gift from me?

Mim is being crafty and is going to share her talents and she's inviting her readers to do the same.

The deal is that I am supposed to follow these rules:

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It'll be done this next month.

4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or something sewn (but if you know me well you'll know that sewn is highly unlikely). I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! I do promise fabulosity here folks...

So, who's in?

MARCH BOOK CLUB REVIEW

2009-03-28T12:56:00.003+13:00

This month's book:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Synopsis (thanks Janine): Oskar is nine years old and grieving after the death of his father, in the 9/11 attacks. Oskar comes across a key that is tucked away in an envelope labeled “Black.” He is convinced that finding the owner of the key would somehow lead him to answers about his father’s death. The event of finding the key becomes the backdrop of the story as Oskar sets off to track down everybody with the surname Black in the city. Interwoven into the story are stories of Oskar’s grandparents who came to America from Dresden, Germany.

Did you like/dislike the book:
I point blank didn't like it. I tried and tried. The different voices confused me at times, sometimes I wondered who was speaking. I perservered through about 3/4 of the book then skimmed to the end and read the last chapter hoping all would become clear. It didn't.

I did like the illustrations throughout which added a slight quirkiness.I kept thinking they were cool.

Penny said she struggled to comprehend that a nine year old would think these things but I concede that a 9 year old (was he autistic?) kid might. My Mr Nearly 9 never ceases to amaze me with his thought processes.

The best thing about the book was the title.

Did it affect you in any way?:

Well reading a book I didn't like reminded me that it is good to stretch myself sometimes. But it made me feel like a loser because i just didn't 'get' it - made me feel intellectually inept or something.

This book remined me that it's OK not to waste time reading stuff I don't like!

2009-03-24T10:22:00.005+13:00

Thanks, Lisa for this cool blog award:

Now it’s my turn to share the love around.

Here’s the deal…

First, share memories or thoughts of childhood or adulthood sister-friends. Funny, sad, whatever.

1. As a kid I remember we 3 girls on road trips with our parents. We'd be in the back seat of our red Holden Belmont and we'd sing and sing (not usually all singing the same song) until our parents would beg for some peace.

2. I remember as a young teen singing a ghoulish folk song by Steel Eye Span over and over to torture Miss K (4 years younger). It had lyrics including "We will prick him, we will pinch him; we will stab him with a pin. And the nurse will hold the basin; for the blood all to run in". She would scream and get my parents to make me stop singing.

3. On a recent Joseph girls excursion to the Martinborough Fair the Joseph girls (me, my two sisters and our Mum) watched the Mamma Mia DVD and relived our youth. We all sang.

4. As a grownup it occurs to me that the girl friends I enjoy spending time with the most are those are still aren't afraid to sing.

Is there a music theme here somewhere???

Second, pass the award on to however many bloggers you’d like to share this with- but make sure you share this award specifically with bloggers that you feel a kinship with. Bloggers you learn from or feel that you teach, bloggers you’ve connected with in a really familiar and friendly way.

So my award goes to:

Penny
Janine
Delys
and anyone reading this who wants an award. It's OK to give one to yourself. You have my permission!

STICK FIGURE FAMILY

2009-03-20T08:50:00.003+13:00

Ok this is Penny's fault because she directed me to a time waster (but it was fun!)

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

NO GO

2009-03-17T13:31:00.003+13:00

When you're a seven month old labrador retriever you cannot fit through the cat door.

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE...

2009-03-15T22:03:00.009+13:00

When you're nearly 14 you can't go to Vodafone Homegrown unless you're with an adult so DH unleashed his indulgent Dad/inner child/midlife crisis gene and took C and her 2 friends.

They came home with this...

... Miss Nearly 14 (centre back with cap) and her friend, J, and the entire lineup of Kiwi band Good Night Nurse - their favourite Kiwi band. Apparently they had to beg to get into the signing tent as the queue had officially closed. But when you're Nearly 14 begging comes naturally.

And I hear there was the incident of Miss Nearly 14 by herself (friends too scared)in the mosh pit when heavy rock/metal band Blindspott were playing. DH was at the venue but not totally aware of where C was. I don't really want to know any more about it. But I hope it doesn't mean that I have to be the chaperone next time!

ROCK CHICK

2009-03-05T12:16:00.015+13:00

So Miss Nearly 14 asks us if it would be OK for her and two friends to go into Wellington by themselves at night to see the Summer Jam concert at TSB Arena. Four bands: P Money, Midnight Youth, The Veronicas and... drum roll.....direct from the U.S.... Metro Station (featuring Trace Cyrus- Miley's way cool step brother or something and demi-gods to Miss Nearly 14 and her friends).

So we agree.

So they catch the bus into Wellington after school and change at DH's work (hmmm.. was there makeup? I hear there was.) They go a couple of hours early to queue.

"We want to be up the front."

And we arrange for DH to collect them at the end.

"Could we walk back to Dad's work (in Featherston St) and have him collect us there?" (Not cool for Dad to collect you from the venue.)

So we agree.

And when DH collects them they scream their lungs out because guess who they met outside Dad's work? Two of the guys from Metro Station who had snuck out after their set to find food.

"And they shook our hands. And he said Hi, I'm Mason. MASON MUSSO!!!! He's the lead singer. And ANTHONY IMPROGO - he's the drummer!!! We got photos with them. OUR FRIENDS ARE GONNA DIE!!!!"

So we agree. That is very cool.

"And can we have tomorrow morning off school 'cos we're not going to able to sleep after this?"

And we said no.

Because there are some times when parents have to draw the line.

(Edited - photo from The Edge website - spot the redhead in the second row - Miss Nearly 14)

THE INTERVIEW

2009-02-23T14:24:00.011+13:00

I've been interviewed by Penny
1.One of the things I admire about you is your amazing weight loss journey and the way you have turned your lifestyle around by choice. I'm currently trying to find some ideas for healthy snacks or ways to deal with the 4.00pm munchies... any suggestions?

Well journey might not be the the right word - sometimes it feels like a monumentous uphill battle. I'm certainly no saint - the chocolate biscuit box gets the odd hammering. It's a neverending challenge - which I struggle with day after day. But like you I get the 4pm munchies and while there are lots of things I can and do eat at this time (rice crackers and hummus were on the menu last year) I've recently made a rule that at 4pm if I need to eat then it can only be fruit. I'm the rule queen (she who has never had a parking ticket!) and I think that if I make myself some rules this just eliminates some of the bad choices I could make.

2. Your career sounds awfully interesting. Tell us some more about it. What do you find the most challenging? What do you find the most rewarding?

I find that I laugh at the term 'career' because I never really planned any of my jobs - I fell into them. When I was a kid I wanted to be a lawyer, a journalist or a speeech language therapist. I became none of these. I left school half way through the 7th form when my parents could see I was mucking around and they got me a job interview in the Justice Department (that wouldn't happen now!). I worked for over 20 years in the Public Service - the Justice sector and the land arena. One of my most interesting roles was in the late 80s when I worked simultaneously for the Indecent Publications tribunal (there aint a dirty book I haven't seen!), the Abortion Supervisory Committee and the Committee of Inquiry into the Sharemarket crash. Most of my 'career' was spent working for the Registrar-General of Land. I had lots of different roles including NZ Operations Manager which was challenging and fun when it involved looking after 12 offices round the country but not so fun when we had to close 7 of them. Through that experience I learned heaps about performance planning, HR, project management, strategic planning, audit, and more and I became very involved in change management. They were really useful experiences when I took up management consulting over the past couple of years. I now work for a very little company on a range of things from reviews of organisation structure, to project managing small projects to leadership training and individual coaching. My favourite thing is the individual coaching. I am fascinated by people and their life experiences and love working with people who want to improve themselves. Coaching others has been good for me, too as it's forced me to look at myself. As a coach you need to be pretty sure about who you are and how you can help. I'm a real talker, though, and in my coaching role I have to constantly remind myself to shut up - it's about them not me.

Interestingly I don't have a degree - I have one law paper I did part time. Lots of people over the years have told me I should study but I've always wondered why? What would it give me that I don't have now? I think I came from the last generation where it was possible to have roles I've had without a degree. It wouldn't happen these days.

PS I also had two and a half years as a stay at home mother and, while I did get bored, it was the most rewarding job of them all. It was during that period that I finally had the time for myself and was able to start my weight loss and ftness journey as well as be there for my family. It's a cliche but true.

3. What is the thing that most surprises you about being a grown-up?

As a 'grown-up' I don't feel any different to how I felt as a teenager - maybe more confident in myself - but I remember as a teenager that I thought I would die before I turned 20 because I couldn't imagine how my life 'being old' would be. I am so pleased I hung around to find out.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?

Like most people I have these dreams of living in a foreign land but if I really think about it the dream is really to just take an extended holiday.3-6 months in one spot would do me just fine - not too fussy - Rarotonga or France or Italy or the States. New Zealand will always be where I would plan to come home to. We have a dream about living in Mapua (in the Nelson region) but maybe the holidays we take there will suffice. Home is where the heart is. Anywhere with DH suits me just fine.

5.Floral, oriental, chypre... what perfume (if any) do you gravitate towards? Do you have a signature scent?

I like florals mostly. I hate musk. I love perfume but unlike most women I do not have a collection of perfumes. I generally have one bottle of expensive stuff which I use and use and use until it is used up and then I get another one. I love Jean Paul Gautier (those torso bottles!) and although I've never owned a bottle, Chanel No 5. At the moment I wear Bvlgari everyday. I'd never worn it til DH brought it home from an overseas trip. I only ever buy perfume duty free so when I run out I have to wait for an overseas trip or (if I'm waiting too long) get someone who's travelling to pick it up for me. I have my eye on Issey Miyake next.

I do have a question. Why do I not like the cheaper fragrances? I'd love to pick up a bottle or two of those pop star perfumes - you know Brittney's or Celine Dion's. They're cheap and I could have a few of them. But when I smell them - nup they don't do it for me.

When we were in Rarotonga recently we went to a place called Perfumes of Rarotonga and I brought a couple of bottles home as gifts. I kept one and opened it recently. Wow - in Raro it smelled of, well, Raro. It was florally and heady and great. At home? The only thing you could use it for is an airfreshner - so it sits on the top of our loo!

If you would like me to interview you just leave me a message and say 'interview me" and I'll email you some questions.

I'LL TAKE THAT

2009-02-18T19:13:00.002+13:00

Mr 8 and I were having a laugh while playing The Simpson's Operation board game. Suddenly he stopped and our conversation went like this:

Mr 8: Don't make me laugh so much Mum, that's Dad's job.

Mum: What do you mean?

Mr 8: You know. Dads are the funny bone and the brains.

Mum: So what are mothers?

Mr 8: Mothers are the heart and soul.

I'll take that.

Blogosphere Book Circle Book of the Month

2009-02-17T16:46:00.002+13:00

February is month one in our online book club (see Penny's blog on the side bar for the full list of participants). Our first book was:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society / Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.

Synopsis (copied from Penny, she who oganises our book circle):
"Set in London/Guernsey just after the war, this book is written in the format of letters to one character to another which takes a little getting used to... Julia Ashton is looking for her next book topic and discovers it when she is contacted by a man who has bought a copy of a book that used to belong to her. Thus begins a correspondence that quickly evolves into more as Julia gets to know each member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and their life on the island during the German occupation. Each letter reveals a little more about their stories, their perspectives island life, characters who live there and connections. Julia eventually visits the island and finds more than just her book."

Did you like/dislike the book, did it affect you in any way?:
I LOVED this one. It's probably not the type of book that I go for so I am rapt that in month one the Book Circle has turned up trumps. I loved how the book was entirely composed of letters. I felt sad at the end when I read that the author died before the book was published. I loved that the content was both frivilous and shocking. The accounts of war experiences were not what I had expected when I started readiong. I loved how some of the most memorable lines were in letters from not the main characters but from the bit characters.I loved the quaint turns of phrase. I liked the humour and the heartache.

These little snips tickled my fancy so much that I wrote them down before I returned the book to the library:

"I have a parrot in my keeping - her name is Zenobia and she does not like men" (This made me laugh out loud.)

Which contrasted considerably with this:
"The SS forced the prisoner's orchestra to play music as we lugged the corpses- and for that I hope they burn in hell with polkas playing"

And this:
"He looked like the German you imagine - tall, blond hair, blue eyes - except that he could feel pain."

And this:
"My aunt says she will never set foot in our house ever again, and Mother hasn't spoken to me since. I find it all very peaceful."

I tried to read it slowly (unlike my usual reading style) to savour it for a bit longer. I was disappointed when it was over.

10 out of 10.