Mathis Party

    On Aug. 3 we had a Mathis party. Martha, Nick, Madalyn, Andrew, and Nathan were out from Virginia. David John was out from Mississippi, and Murray, Kimalee, and Kaizlee came out from Idaho. Other people who came to the party were Uncle Stan, Aunt Ann, Uncle Lee, Anna, McKay, Kriz, Marikit, Isagani, Uncle Wayne, Aunt Dianne, Ann, Adam, Jacob, Lexi, Michael, Jenny, Aaron, Grant, Sami,  Aunt Mary, Uncle Boyd, David, Kara, Jackson, Lilly, Asher, Corinne, Anna, Paul, Bell, Millie, Evie, Mom, Mandy, Mary, Meg, Aaron, and of course, me.

Here are a few pictures from the afternoon. I didn't think to take them earlier when everyone was still there, or have anyone look at the camera.  It was a great party and great to see everyone. Until next time!

 

The Sisters Brothers June Library Book Club

From Amazon: "NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL, JOHN C. REILLY AND JOAQUIN PHOENIX

A BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn’t share his brother’s appetite for whiskey and killing, he’s never known anything else. But their prey isn’t an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm’s gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living-and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters-losers, cheaters, and ne’er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love."

If you want a tale of the Wild West, this is it. This book has shootouts, horse riding,  gold mining, and some romance. We discussed how the violence in this book is like other Western books, or for me, the Hunger Games. We discussed morals, how we develop them, and how they change over time. We discussed what characters we related to, if any. It was another great discussion. Thanks to all that came.

May Library Book Club: Cursed Bunny

This was the library's book club book for May. I did not make it to book club this month. I was initially planning on it, but I decided to go home for Mother's Day and did not make it back in time for book club. This book is a short story collection. I found them a little odd, but interesting. Thanks Alex for picking an interesting read.

From Amazon:

"SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE AND WINNER OF A PEN/HEIM TRANSLATION GRANT

"Cool, brilliantly demented K-horror—just the way I like it!" —Ed Park, author of Personal Days

A stunning, wildly original debut from a rising star of Korean literature—surreal, chilling fables that take on the patriarchy, capitalism, and the reign of big tech with absurdist humor and a (sometimes literal) bite.

From an author never before published in the United States, Cursed Bunny is unique and imaginative, blending horror, sci-fi, fairytales, and speculative fiction into stories that defy categorization. By turns thought-provoking and stomach-turning, here monsters take the shapes of furry woodland creatures and danger lurks in unexpected corners of everyday apartment buildings. But in this unforgettable collection, translated by the acclaimed Anton Hur, Chung’s absurd, haunting universe could be our own, illuminating the ills of contemporary society.

“The Head” follows a woman haunted by her own bodily waste. “The Embodiment” takes us into a dystopian gynecology office where a pregnant woman is told that she must find a father for her baby or face horrific consequences. Another story follows a young monster, forced into underground fight rings without knowing the force of his own power. The titular fable centers on a cursed lamp in the approachable shape of a rabbit, fit for a child’s bedroom but for its sinister capabilities.

No two stories are alike, and readers will be torn whether to race through them or savor Chung’s wit and frenetic energy on every page. Cursed Bunny is a book that screams to be read late into the night and passed on to the nearest set of hands the very next day."

Eastering 2024

    Another Easter has come and gone. The Mathis Family got together on March 30 and went Eastering. We went to a place/hike called Wild Horse Window. On the way, we stopped to get sandwiches at Subway. That took forever. I don't know why the sandwiches for the group in front of us took so long, but I don't think we (Mom, Mandy, Mary, me, Avan, Aunt Ann, Uncle Lee, and Nathan) moved for like 15-20 min. We were a little late meeting up with Aunt Mary, Uncle Boyd, Kate, and the girls (Anna, Rinni, Millie, Evie). Meg and Aaron had gone to get sandwiches at Blipmies. They waited for us in the Subway/gas station parking lot and left when we left. 

    We finally made it and it was a little chilly up by the cars. So, we put on our jackets and ate lunch. Then it was time to set off for the hike. We went down the trail, which ended up being a lot warmer and some of us shed some layers. We also did an Easter Egg Hunt. We did it a little bit differently. The girls hid all the eggs and it was up to the adults to find the eggs as we hiked down to the caves. We found all but 1 of the eggs the girls had hidden. We explored the caves, took pictures, and just enjoyed the outdoors. Soon it was time to head back to the cars. When we got to the cars we ate some snacks, chatted for a bit, and then headed back to Aunt Ann and Uncle Lee's to spend the rest of the day together.

    It was a great day and I'm incredibly thankful for this family of mine. I love that we still get together and do things as an extended family. Thanks Mandy and Kate for sharing the photos you took so that I, along with mine, could put this post together and keep these memories.