The Green Book

The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen

2007

Weight: 11.2 oz

Method of Disposal: Giving Away

Things I liked about this book:

• Please God, we need to do something about climate change. This message is clear in the book.
• The authors try to meet you where you are at and often.  They do not say "do not fly in an airplane."  They say limit your flight or, if you do fly, do these things while you travel to limit your damage to the environment.
• The use of famous people to make it more trendy.
• I found there are some things that I know better than to do them, but I had grown lazy about it.  This book helped remind me that even the little things can matter.

Things That Work Less For Me

• It was published in 2007 so there is a lot that is irrelevant now or the conversation has changed.  PDAs, camera film, and beepers are rarely used so are no longer worth mentioning.  Often, while reading, this would give me hope that we had already done things that would help us so much just because certain items had become antiquated.  Then, we would get to the next page, and I would realize e-waste and increased electric usage had likely wiped out many of the improvements we had made in other areas.  It is time for a revised addition! 
• The use of famous people may work for some folks but also felt a little superficial to me.  These people are not living paycheck to paycheck.  They can buy any car they want, multiple cars, and they can buy anything and everything energy efficient.  Sacrificing seems less painful if you have so much.
• On the one hand, I want people to do the easy things and make a difference.  On the other hand, I want to be sure that people know that, just because they brush their teeth in the shower and don't buy farmed fish, there is still so much more that needs to be done and so much of that is systemic.

North and South

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
1996
Weight: 15.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating to AKS

This was a gift from Harriet's mother on a recent trip to the states and so I, of course, started reading it the day she left for England.  True to what I have read by other classic British women authors there was a love story between two people who absolutely misunderstood each other, talked past each other, made mistake after mistake, and the tension just grew and grew until you were about to throw the book across the room if they didn't just admit that they loved each other!  It was much more than that though.  There was an examination of class, business, labor struggle, management, strong women, human weakness, compassion, and friendship.  I found myself deeply invested and having empathy to all the characters, even the ones I initially had disdain for.  Also interesting to think about the North and South divide then and now.  I hope someone else enjoys this book as much as I did!  Thank you, Sarah!

Loyalty Unleashed

Loyalty Unleashed: Pit Bulls and the People Who Love Them  by Sue Torres
2014
Weight: 1.2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating to the AKS

This beautiful beast is named Pongo, and he is available for adoption!  He is around 1 year old, and he loves dogs, cats, and people of all ages.  Let me know if you are interested!

It has been 6 months since I last wrote on this blog.  So much has changed since my promotion to shelter manager and since I got married.  The number one change is that I am at work all day and night.   I get home very late and then want to spend my last hour or two with my wife.  Hence, the drastic drop in my reading and blogging.  Besides, with her in the U.S. how many people left are out there are reading this thing?

It has been a very difficult year at the shelter and very stressful for me, but it has also been wonderful.  Adoptions are up, and we have adopted out every single dog that had been there for a year or longer.  We adopt out many more pit bulls now, which is my main goal in life.  There is a lot to be proud of.  We have taken in 640 animals, and we have adopted out 585!  That is over 100 more than last year.  I have met a lot of wonderful new volunteers and staff.  I have learned a lot about the people I have worked with for years.  And I have learned a lot about myself as a leader.  Here's to hoping 2015 is even better and that I am able to improve on my weaknesses and those of the shelter to save even more lives.