Have a terrific 4th of July weekend if you are in the US or a terrific regular weekend if you are not.
Friday, July 04, 2025
Thursday, July 03, 2025
Three on Thursday
As this week comes to an end these are the things I am currently thankful for.
1) That even though my blood sugars are still pretty high my doctor is still hopeful that we can get things under control and maybe get me off the insulin eventually.
2) That I am feeling better physically and mentally even though things are not perfect yet.
3) That tomorrow is a holiday so it is a long weekend.
Wednesday, July 02, 2025
Books Read: 2nd Quarter 2025
This quarter was pretty slow reading wise. I only finished two books in the quarter. Here are the books I finished.
1) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - this one has been on my to-read list for awhile. There were some interesting insights into how our personalities are formed. She also had a few good ideas on how to use power of introversion.
2) Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant bu Curtis Chin - Chung's was a very popular and famous Chinese restaurant in Detroit. This is the memoir of the son of the owners as he navigates his Asian identity while also coming to terms with his homosexuality in the 1980s. I really enjoyed the book and liked reading about places I am familiar with.
Tuesday, July 01, 2025
True Life Tuesday: Jane Wallis Burrell
Jane O'Neil Willis was born on September 22, 1911 in Dubuque, Iowa. Her father, James Harold Wallis, was a newspaper editor, writer and local politician. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1921 when her father became a speechwriter for Herbert Hoover, then the Secretary of Commerce. She graduated from Holten-Arms, an all-girls school, in 1929 She then studied French and English literature at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts. While at Smith she was president of the French club. She also studied in Montreal and at the Sorbonne in Paris. She travel extensively across Europe spending time in Germany, Italy and Spain. She ended up graduating from college in 1933. That year she eloped with David Burrell and moved to New York state where his family had a dairy machine business. She continued her French and English literature studies at Columbia University between 1936 and 1937.
In 1943 Jane and David moved to Washington, D.C. when David was assigned to Naval Air Station Anacostia. In 1943 Jane was appointed to a junior clerk position with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). She analyzed pre-war photos of Nazi occupied Europe to develop maps and find potential targets. She was then sent to London in December 1943. After the war she worked in Germany helping to track down German officials and debriefing them after capture. She also worked to help track down cultural works looted by the Nazis. She returned to D.C. in November 1945 to serve in the Strategic Services Unit which replaced the OSS. She and David separated in January 1946 over her intention to return to Europe. She ended up returning to France in July 1946. She joined the Central Intelligence Agency when it was established in September 1947.
In January 1948 she went to Brussels to provide testimony for George Spitz who was accused of collaborating with German occupiers. As she was returning to France on January 6, 1948 her plane crashed while landing at Paris-LeBourget Airport. The plane rolled on its side and caught on fire killing 15 of the 16 people aboard. She was the first CIA agent killed in the line of duty. The CIA downplayed her involvement stating that she was a clerk returning from vacation. The CIA also did not send a representative to her funeral. The Paris station chief, Phillip Horton, ended up apologizing to her father for this. Since she died on a commercial flight she was not included on the CIA Memorial Wall. Her parents established a scholarship at Smith College in her name to assist students with studying in france for a year. Her work laid the foundation for the CIA's approach to anti-Soviet inteligence, particularly in the recruitment and handling of spies.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Monday Musings
As the month of June comes to an end these are the things currently on my mind.
1) The year is half over and I feel like I have made no progress toward anything this year. I am trying to not be to hard on myself and go into the next half of the year with a positive attitude.
2) I am getting very frustrated with my blood sugars. I eat well and my fasting is high, I eat bad and it is lower. I really don't know what is happening.
3) Trying to get Clark to take Preston outside for 30 minutes everyday is way harder than it should be. We got into a major fight about it today.
Here are the pictures for the last month (there are a lot).
Brothers at the kindergarten picnic.I was afraid he was going to fall off the couch.The nurses at our local hospital were on strike and had this giant inflatable rat where they were picketing. Preston thought it was hilarious.We have a kindergarten graduate.Our newly minted HS junior.At the library summer reading kickoff party with the biggest bomb pop I have ever seen.Happy Father's Day!Preston with his creation he made a Lego time at the library.This is 49.Hanging out with dada.Friday, June 20, 2025
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Three on Thursday
As this week comes to an end these are the things I am currently thankful for.
1) That I am feeling a bit better today that I have been the last couple of days.
2) Even though I try to avoid them at all costs that I was able to get a portable air conditioner for Clark's room that will be delivered today from Amazon before the weather gets very hot this weekend.
3) That I finally found the bag with our bathing suits so I can have the boys try theirs on before we go to my dad's house for swimming next weekend.