Sunday Matters: Soon

Sunday Matters

It’s hard to believe but my son comes home this week! His birthday is on Tuesday and it will be his first birthday not spent with us but he returns very soon after and we will celebrate then. He’s not sure what he wants to do but we are all excited.

Right Now:

Church, some lunch and then it’s movie night with the high school ministry in the outdoor amphitheater. It should cool down by then. I hope.

This Week:

Trying to get The Girl motivated to finish her summer school packets so we can spend the weekend doing fun things and not history.

Some big changes happening in the workplace. Yep, again. I am not sure about it right now. My thoughts are all over the place.

Reading:

I am starting The Immortalists this week. It’s for book club and it’s my pick so I hope it’s something we can discuss.

Also finishing up Florida. It’s kind of silly but I wanted to read this book before my son left Florida and I should be able to accomplish this.

Watching:

I am not watching a thing but I am very excited about the trailer for the new Halloween movie. Basically, they are pretending that none of the other sequels happened, which is fine by me because most of them were horrible. Here is the trailer. It’s written by John Carpenter!

Making:

I haven’t made much lately but chopped salad bowls appeal to me right now. I am envisioning chopped, seedless cucumbers, grilled marinated chicken, roasted bell peppers and big cubes of Feta.

Grateful for:

The return of my first-born. Please pray for a safe flight back. I’m sure his emotions will be all over the place. He had such a good time over there and made so many friends. He returns on Thursday.

Here is a question for you. What is the one summer food or drink that you must have or it’s not summer?  For me, it’s roasted corn and watermelon. Oh! And a really good burger. That, there, is a meal my friends.

Review: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
By Frans de Waal
W. W. Norton & Company, 9780393353662, April 2017, 352pp.

The Short of It:

An interesting look at animal intelligence.

The Rest of It:

This was a fascinating read and also an interesting choice for a book club selection. Definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. Basically, Frans de Waal’s work involves experiments and tests to determine just how intelligent animals are and whether or not some of their intelligence is inferred by humans.

What I found interesting is how difference species would solve the same problem in different ways, given their exposure to certain situations and whether outside influences such as being fed before a study could affect the outcome. A lot of these experiments are food based so a chimpanzee who has been fed beforehand, may react differently than one who has not.

I have a dog. I think she is brilliant. I believe she has full thoughts and works through problems in a systematic manner. But after reading this book, I realize that most of her action is cued by me, unknowingly. The way I stand, the way I may look at a certain object are giving her clues on how to behave. Interesting, huh?

If you have any interest in animal intelligence at all then this book will fascinate you. Frans de Waal has a VERY interesting TED Talk on his work if you’d like to check it out.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.