December 15, 2017 BABY IT'S COLD OUT THERE

Winter running. Although it can be a challenge--I love it--MOST OF THE TIME. You just have to DRESS for the weather and force yourself to get out there--IT'S REALLY NOT SO BAD--HONESTLY. Yes--it's REALLY COLD --but the crisp air is REALLY  refreshing. It was a balmy 25 this morning with a west wind of 8. Thankfully the SUN was ablaze --SO it was great--except for the BLACK ICE. That's the scary thing. One minute--all is well--and the next--you're on your butt--wondering if anything is broken. HA! Seriously--just take it slow--keep your eyes on the road and you'll be FINE. What better way to see the winter wonderland this morning. It snowed last night--and with all the houses decorated for Christmas--It's LOVELY--and really gets you in the spirit of things. I really love the holiday season--the whole SHEBANG--and the SNOW is the icing on the cake. Too bad it hardly ever snows in Shanghai or perhaps the main character of When We Were Orphans may have had better memories of his childhood.

 In this novel of 2000, Nobel Prize winner Ishiguro explores the idea of memory--how much of our present is determined by our past--or the way we remember the past. Christopher Banks, the narrator of the story, is an English boy who spends the first 9 years of his life living in Shanghai with his parents. After his parents disappear under suspicious circumstances, he is sent to live with an aunt in England. Twenty years later, Christopher becomes a famous detective and decides to return to Shanghai, during the Sino-Japanese war, in order to solve the mystery of his parents disappearance. Christopher must sift through his memories of the past--good--bad--real-- invented--to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what really happened to his parents. Find out for yourself when you read this thought provoking book.  It's about 310 pages or a 4.5 mile run that will have you rethinking your own past.