Life is what happens when you are making other plans~ John Lennon
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind~Gandhi
The time is always right to do what is right~ Martin Luther King Jr.


Sunday, July 8, 2018

Rocco: A Mafia Romance (Ruin & Revenge series Book 3) by Sarah Castille

This is the last and final installment of the Ruin & Revenge series by Sarah Castille
Summary
-Rocco DeLucchi is the best in his business when it comes to being a Mafia enforcer. He's cold, hard, takes no prisoners. He's also efficient and clean in his job, leaving nothing behind, which all the more impresses his bosses. One night, he encounters, by accident, the one woman who managed to see past the hard muscle and heavy tattoos in to his heart, to see the one woman who sees him for what he really is-a kind hearted, quick to protect man

-Grace Mantini has spent her life surrounded by the mob. Her father is the don's right-hand man and any time she can get away from things like hits on people and general mob life, she'll do it. One day, Rocco comes back into her life and at first she is annoyed because he betrayed her and broke her heart. She distinctly remembers him as being the man that ferried her and her brother to school, as a driver for their father. But as time goes on, they start to fall for each other once more.

Luca: A Mafia Romance (Ruin & Revenge Series Book 2) by Sarah Castille

This is the second in the Ruin & Revenge series
Summary
-Luca Rizzoli is currently in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He's one of the more powerful crime bosses in Las Vegas, taking over the reigns as Don of the Toscani family from its previous don, Nico Toscani. Soon, the doctors bring in another patient, despite his strict orders that his room was to have only one occupant-him. He quickly realizes that this new patient has been brought in for the same reason-gunshot wound to the chest, only he realizes this "new patient" is of the female variety.

-Gabrielle Fawkes is a member of the Las Vegas PD. She wants revenge against the person who took everything away. She was happily married and nearly nine months pregnant with her first child when she came home one night to find her husband naked and gutted like a fish in their shower, which caused her to miscarry and lose their baby. Now she wants revenge. When she starts to fall for the man she spent one night of passion with, she realizes that he will follow her through the very fires of hell as long as he gets to be with her.

Nico: A Mafia Romance (Ruin & Revenge Series Book 1) by Sarah Castille

This is the first in a series called Ruin & Revenge.
Summary
-Nico Toscani is one of the top crime bosses in Las Vegas. He's the boss or Don in Mafia talk, of the Toscani crime family. The only other rival to him is the Cordano family. But he meets a woman named Mia Cordano, who was brought to his office because one of his security guards caught her trying to break in. He is about to realize he may have just met his match

-Mia Cordano is not your average, typical woman. The daughter of a Mafia boss, she is dying to get out from under that Mafia world. Her father is trying, very stubbornly, to transform her into a typical Mafia princess-obsessed with fashion and appearance and good for only keeping house and raising kids while her mobster husband hits the town with mistresses. She runs a successful IT firm in Vegas and over time, she succumbs to Nico's powerful charm, all the while both the Toscani and Cordano families are battling over control of the city.

In Bed with the Billionaire: A Nine Circles Series (Book 5) by Jackie Ashenden

This is the fifth and final book in the Nine Circles Series by Jackie Ashenden
Summary
-Theo Fitzgerald faked his death and assumed a new identity-Jericho, a shadowy underworld figure who has been working in some not so pleasurable environs. His actual plan is to destroy the criminal empire his corrupt father established, preferably before anyone else does it.

-He has his suspicions that a woman, named Temple Cross, who worked as a personal driver for the mysterious Nine Circles Club in New York, is trying to destroy him as well as the empire. Temple, however, has a personal stake in this. "Jericho" has ruined her life for all and eternity. She wants his head on a silver platter. All the time she's been planning to kill him with all the revenge in her heart, the second she's alone with him, she realizes her assumptions were wrong. He doesn't seem like a barbaric shadow figure, rather a gentlemanly man with an aura of danger around him.

Kidnapped by The Billionaire: A Nine Circles Series (Book 4) by Jackie Ashenden

This is the fourth book in the Nine Circles series by Jackie Ashenden
Summary
-Elijah Hunt had it all-a beautiful wife, a beautiful life, the fact that he was a billionaire and then, he lost it all. Seven years later, he becomes a bodyguard. He wants revenge on the man who took his family away from him. And he'll start small-by taking the daughter of the man he deems responsible. But he seemed to have bit off more than he chew when he takes this daughter.

-Violet Fitzgerald is a hippie in almost every sense of the word. She's free-spirited, does what she wants, when she wants, is outspoken, but is caring about everyone. She lived with her roommate, Honor St. James, until she moved in with her new beau, Gabriel Woolf. Elijah quickly realizes that Violet is nothing like her father. She is kind, yet outspoken, caring and she somehow manages to melt the ice around his heart and open him up to see the kind-hearted man beneath the icy surface.

You are Mine: A Nine Circles Series (Book 3) by Jackie Ashenden

This is the third installment of the Nine Circles series by Jackie Ashenden
Summary
-Zac Rutherford is a tough and demanding member of New York's upper crust society circle. He's powerful, demanding, two things that attract him to the underground S&M scene. Women flock to him like bees to honey. But his heart only holds one spot for one woman, a young mysterious woman named Eva King.

-Eva started out her life being forced into the sex trade. Because of what she went through, she has a strong reluctance to let any man touch her. But her past comes back to haunt her and she needs Zac's help to save her, on one condition-she surrender to his every need and whim.

Make You Mine: A Nine Circles Series (Book 2) by Jackie Ashenden

This is the second in the Nine Circles Series by Jackie Ashenden
Summary
-Alex St. James is an international playboy in every sense of the word. He can have whatever girl he wants. To him, things like going all-in on high-stakes poker or going to bed with high-class socialites is fun. But there's one woman who he really wants-his former Russian Olympian bodyguard, Katya. When the chance comes up to enter a high-stakes poker tournament in Monaco comes up, Alex and his bodyguard Katya pose as lovers to enter it. Along the way, they both develop actual feelings for each other, Katya beginning to see through the façade Alex has and see the beautiful, caring soul he is while Alex helps Katya realize true love when she sees it.

Mine to Take: A Nine Circles Series (Book 1) by Jackie Ashenden

This book is the first in a series by romantic author Jackie Ashenden
Summary
-Gabriel Woolf is almost a literal wolf in sheep's clothing. As a former president for an outlaw motorcycle club, he left that world behind to become one of the biggest construction magnates in New York City, forming Woolf Construction. For most if not all his life, he has had revenge in his heart. He wants the man who raped and murdered his mother dead and in the ground. But as time goes on, he will be incredibly shell shocked to find the man who raped and murdered his mother also conceived him, making the man he wants dead and buried his father and a baby conceived via rape.

-Honor St. James is your typical New York socialite. She is more likely to fret over the latest Yves Saint Laurent clothing than anything else. She soon finds out that the mysterious man who picks her up one night from her finance firm, a man with an aura of danger lurking about him, is connected to her father in more ways than one.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The British Knight by Louise Bay

If you know me like my parents do, I don't mind reading a romance story. But it has to have the right balance of suspense, mystery and a little adult time, lol. Not surprisingly, my sister and mom always laugh when they look at some of the romance novels on my Kindle or in my room. They always involve either some aspect or part of London, soccer, Australia, organized crime or Japan.

Sadly, the picture just had me drooling, lol. But, of course, the storyline sounded good and thank God it proved to be a good book! I do, however, have to wonder why is it that most of the romance stories I read involve some part of London or soccer? Maybe it has something to do with my hope of going there some day or maybe it has something to do with the fact that people in Britain were raised with manners and respect for others, which seems to have died out with the Black Plague years ago over on this side of the pond, lol!!
Summary
-Violet is a young woman with no desire to settle down and raise a family. She has a sister named Scarlett and a sister-in-law named Darcy, who lives in London. When Violet is offered the chance to work in London for three months at a London law firm, she could set land speed records with how fast she can pack. She's excited about going to her dream city, London, a city filled with black taxis, red phone boxes, red double deckers buses and more! For one thing, this distraction will be good for her, as it will distract her from the disaster of her breakup with her boyfriend. They both started an IT firm together, but after he broke up with her, he is about to gain millions from going live with the announcement of him taking it over. But, as she's heading to work one day on The Tube, where she says it's nothing but sexy as ever British men in suits, she stumbles and falls against an achingly hot British gent who is as gentlemanly as Mr. Darcy from the Jane Austen novels and as charming as James Bond. Dark thoughts about what she would like to do him start to fill her mind.

-Little does she know that this gentleman is her boss. She soon finds out that his devilishly handsome man, who makes her drool at the thought of him, is short tempered, moody and the most arrogant man she's ever met. Which means she's automatically attracted to him.

Keeper by Amy Daws (Harris Brothers series Book 3)

This is the third book in the Harris Brothers series
Summary
-As the youngest member of the Harris Brothers, Booker Harris is a Bethnal Green FC player as well. He's tired of living in the shadow of his older brothers Camden and Tanner. He's managed to carve out a path in life for himself-as a player on the Bethnal Green FC team instead of being just Camden and Tanner's baby brother.

-His childhood friend, Poppy McAdams, has left London to study abroad in Germany. When she returns, she is staying with Booker Harris until she finds some space of her own. Little do they both know that chemistry will soon take over and these two will be falling head over heels for one another.

Endurance by Amy Daws (Harris Brothers series Book 2)

This is the second book in the Harris Brothers series
Summary
-First and foremost, the second oldest Harris Brother, Tannis Harris, is a total manwhore. He will screw anything on two legs. He's tall, dark and handsome, with tons upon tons of tattoos. He's a footballer, playing for Bethnal Green FC, where his younger brother Camden plays as well. His most recent incident, getting caught stark naked with his hand in front of his privates, means he's just called his last shot

-Dr. Belle Ryan is your typical no-nonsense doctor who works as a surgical fellow at the same hospital where Dr. Indie Porter works. Belle's job is stressful; she works as a foetal surgeon, who is able to operate on babies inside the mother's womb to repair any damage to their tiny bodies so they can be born healthy and beautiful. Besides being a high-risk job, it's also high-stress. When Tanner tries to call Indie to come pick him up in the East End, instead it's Belle who comes, to his rescue. It's then considered an idea that both Dr. Belle Ryan and Tanner Harris should fake being a couple. It would have fringe benefits for both of them-getting the paparazzi off Tanner's back for being a total manwhore and Belle's parents off her back for getting married finally. As time goes on, the two fall in love for real.

Challenge by Amy Daws (Harris Brothers series Book 1)

As judging by the title, this book is only the first in a series called The Harris Brothers. Not shockingly, it's a romance series involving English footballers and London
Summary
-Camden Harris is one of the famous "Harris Brothers" of London football. He and his brother Tanner are both on the same team, Bethnal Green FC. Both are tall, handsome and inked. After Camden wrecks his knee, he's taken to a hospital where he first meets a doctor named Indie Porter, who is often known as "Specs" because of her choice of wild eyewear. Despite his stay in the hospital, he tries to woo her with his charm

-Indie Porter, on the other hand, is a highly intelligent doctor working at an East End London hospital. One thing she does not want to be labeled with is "30 year old virgin". She wants to meet someone to help her give life an interesting boost and she thinks that she may have just met her life booster-Camden Harris. Of course, over time, the footballer and the doctor will fall for each other hard.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

For those interested in historical fiction, specifically Victorian England-era, you might like this story, despite the fact that it is targeted to teens. Sometimes teen stories like this are pretty good. This story is especially good if you are interested in the famous Jack the Ripper history
Summary
-Audrey Rose Wadsworth is not your typical Victorian society girl. Born in to money because of her father being a lord, she has to appear like your normal society girl-afternoon teas and luncheons, etiquette lessons from her Aunt Amelia, fittings and shopping for new dresses and shoes, etc. But she leads a secret life. Her uncle is a forensic scientist and she harbors the same interest in forensic science and medicine, despite everyone's beliefs that a woman's place is running a good household. She will often sneak away to her uncle's laboratory to study the dead-perfecting her autopsy techniques, studying the cause of death, testing theories about cause of death and more. Her work will drag her into the case of the legendary Jack the Ripper, a Victorian England-era serial killer with no known motive who stalked the East End London neighborhood of Whitechapel, killing prostitutes. Together with medical student Thomas Cresswell and her uncle, these three, along with Scotland Yard, will attempt to unmask this mysterious killer.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

The Help (2011)

This is the movie based on the book of the same name by Kathryn Stockett
Summary
-Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is an aspiring author in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi who writes a tell-all memoir of the black maids' point of view working for white people in the South during the civil rights movement

Cast
-Emma Stone: Skeeter Phelan
-Viola Davis: Aibileen Clark
-Bryce Dallas Howard: Miss Hilly Holbrook
-Octavia Spencer: Minny Jackson
-Jessica Chastain: Celia Foote
-Ahna O'Reily: Elizabeth Leefolt
-Allison Janney: Charlotte Phelan
-Anna Camp: Jolene French
-Eleanor Henry: Mae Mobley
-Emma Henry: Mae Mobley
-Chris Lowell: Stuart Whitworth
-Cicely Tyson: Constantine Jefferson
-Mike Vogel: Johnny Foote
-Sissy Spacek: Missus Walters
-Roslyn Bluff: Pascagoula
-Leslie Jordan: Mr. Blackly
-David Oyelowo: Preacher Green
-Dana Ivey: Gracie Higginbottom
-LaChanze: Rachel











 




Did You Know?
-Kathryn Stockett's book of the same name was rejected sixty times before it was finally published






-Tate Taylor, who directed the movie and Kathryn Stockett were friends growing up in Jackson, Mississippi
-It is never mentioned in the movie how "Skeeter" got her nickname. In the book, however, she got the nickname because she had a pointy nose and thin body, leading her brother to say she looked like a skeeter (mosquito)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-Despite the fact the book takes place in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, the movie actually takes place in 1963, amidst the heating up of the civil rights movement. About an hour in to the movie, actual news footage covering the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers is used. The reason being that he was assassinated in his own driveway in front of his wife and kids in 1963. It's also referenced in the book
-In order to gain weight for her role as Celia Foote, Jessica Chastain, a vegan, ate soy ice cream melted in the microwave
-Three of the books referenced in the original novel that make an appearance in Skeeter's room are Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
-Bryce Dallas Howard, who played Miss Hilly Holbrook, was pregnant during the filming of the movie
-One of the books on Skeeter's book shelf is Native Son by Richard Wright. While Skeeter has the best intentions in her heart, she is completely naïve and unaware of the potentially harmful damage she is doing by interacting with the black communities. This closely mirrors Mary Dalton's treatment of Bigger Thomas in Wright's story
-According to the novel, Skeeter's old maid, Constantine, died three weeks after arriving in Chicago
-In the story, Constantine's daughter Rachel was born with light, pale skin, referred to as "high yellow", leading most everyone to suspect that Rachel was not Constantine's child because she appeared white instead of black.

July Birthdays

Since it's July, time to say Happy Birthday!!!

Lauren Harris
-DOB: 7/6/1984
-Where: Essex, England
-Not surprisingly, she is the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist/founding member Steve Harris
Geezer Butler
-Birth name: Terence Michael Butler
-DOB: 7/17/1949
-Where: Birmingham, England
-He left Black Sabbath in 1984, saying he was "sick of it all", most likely referencing all the issues plaguing the band at the time. He did return in 1991 to record two more albums-Dehumanizer in 1992 and Cross Purposes in 1994 before leaving again.
Sylvester Stallone
-Birth name: Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
-DOB: 7/6/1946
-Where: New York City, New York
-He suffers from partial facial paralysis, which resulted from doctors using forceps to pull him out while his mother was giving birth to him. The forceps severed a nerve in his left cheek, paralyzing that side and resulting in slurred speech and speaking out of the right side of his mouth
Ringo Starr
-Birth name: Richard Starkey
-DOB: 7/7/1940
-Where: Merseyside, Liverpool, England
-Earned his nickname "Ringo" from his habit of wearing a lot of rings
Ronnie James Dio
-Birth name: Ronald James Padavona
-DOB: 7/10/1942
-Where: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
-DOD: 5/16/2010
-Where: Los Angeles, California (complications from stomach cancer)
-He was credited with creating the so-called "Metal Horns" gesture after picking it up from his Italian grandmother who used the gesture to ward off evil spirits
Mick Jagger
-Birth name: Michael Phillip Jagger
-DOB: 7/26/1943
-Where: Dartford, Kent, England
-Auditioned for the role of Alex in A Clockwork Orange
Eric Carr
-Birth name: Paul Charles Caravello
-DOB: 7/12/1950
-Where: Brooklyn, New York
-DOD: 11/24/1991
-Where: New York City, New York (cancer)
-Worked as a stove repairman before joining Kiss
Daniel Radcliffe
-Birth name: Daniel Jacob Radcliffe
-DOB: 7/23/1989
-Where: Fulham, London, England
-He can play the bass guitar
Geddy Lee
-Birth name: Gary Lee Weinrib
-DOB: 7/29/1953
-Where: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
-Loves to collect baseball memorabilia
Helen Mirren
-Birth name: Helen Lydia Mironoff
-DOB: 7/26/1945
-Where: Hammersmith, London, England
-Even though she has a Russian birth name and Russian ancestry, she does not speak Russian. She is, however, very fluent in French

On the Edge: My Story by Richard Hammond

Now, if you're familiar with the BBC program Top Gear, you'll immediately recognize Richard Hammond as one of the presenters. He's often called "The Cute One" by the show's female fanbase or "Hamster" because of his short height or hyperactive personality. He seems to be the daredevil of the group because he seems to be the one to volunteer for the more dangerous stuff- camping out and trying survive like Bear Grylls on Wolf Mountain in Canada (BTW, this episode has it's funny parts, like when Richard angrily says "I'm a television presenter from Birmingham, not Bear F---ing Grylls" or he yells at the top of his lungs "Where the bloody hell are they?!?" or when he makes stick figures of Jeremy and James and throws rocks and knives at it, waiting for rescue), racing Jeremy and James on a bicycle through Moscow and more.

Curiosity got the best of me one night and I decided to see if there were any books about him. I discovered On the Edge: My Story. I just finished it last night and it was wonderful, funny, insightful.

Overall, a VERY GOOD book!!!
-There's a lot you probably don't know about this particular gentleman. He went to art school and is passionate about art, whether it be sketching or drawing. He's an avid cyclist, often using exercise as a way of fending off stress. He has been an avid petrol head, as anyone nearly obsessed with all things revving motors and cars in England, is called ever since he was a child.

-He has two brothers, Nick and Andy. Growing up, he always wanted a motorbike. And when he got bicycles, if they broke, he would strip them down to every last nut and bolt and rebuild them back up, even better than new. So it's no surprise to know he's good with motors and good with his hands. Like every kid growing up in England who wanted money but didn't want to ask their parents, he took up a paper round. As he got older, he got into jobs in the media, working with various broadcasting shows. In 2002, he auditioned for a new show that was to premier, called Top Gear. For those who have not seen it, Top Gear is about cars. It has three presenters: Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson. They all have odd stunts and missions with cars. With each stunt or mission, there are series of tasks issued to them by people in white lab coats.

-In 2006, while test driving a jet-engine car on an airfield in York, a tire blew out and it sent the car into a 360 spin, taking Richard Hammond with it. The car flipped several times before coming to rest in a grassy field, upside down, with Richard Hammond still strapped in. Luckily, he had been wearing a specially made helmet that protected his neck, but with his head thrashing about, his brain virtually rattled against his skull, causing it to hemorrhage. He was taken to the hospital and was told he had severe swelling of the brain. Luckily, no surgery was needed, but he was in the hospital for a while. His wife Mindy tells the story of what it was like to care for him in the hospital.

-She describes all the things that happened to him. Things like when he was able to get up and walk around, he wanted to use the bathroom like a man usually does. He stumbled and was very angry that a nurse was there to help him relieve himself as long as she promised not to look. She mentions that when Richard was first taken into the hospital, the doctors would have to gauge brain activity by inciting pain and this would cause him to thrash about, fighting off doctors and nurses. She mentions that he was constantly ripping out the drips that fed liquid and food into him, that he single-handedly removed the breathing tube, which his wife Mindy described as "like watching your husband commit suicide", he basically ripped the catheter out himself, which up until a certain point, had been helping him to relieve himself of bathroom troubles. She said that he was very funny about going to the bathroom, being, not surprisingly, very private about that. She says that even if he is the only one home, he will still close the door to relieve himself.

-One funny incident she describes is when his brain activity started to heal, she seen Richard fumbling around underneath a blanket covering him and she asked the doctor what he was doing. The doctor was cracking up as he said that Richard was a "scrabbler". Unfamiliar with the term, he informed Mindy that term applies to people, mostly men, who want to make sure that the one organ on their body that brings them joy with the opposite sex, was still there. He had apparently reverted back to the mindset of a ten year old, wanting to make sure all his appendages were still there and in working order.

-Mindy does most of the talking through this part of the book. She describes how heart wrenching it was to leave the kids with a sitter while she ran off to Leeds, where the hospital with Richard in it was. Throughout the whole experience, she said that she still loved him no matter what, that she worried constantly about a man she loved, one she described as funny, highly intelligent, artistic and very loving. Doctors told her that he would experience a roller coaster of emotions; he could go from the highest of highs, such as ecstatic, happy, excited, to the lowest of lows, such as raging, depressed, or even sad.

-One incident that scared her was when she had run to use the ladies room she came back to find Richard rocking back and forth in his bed, with his hands behind his head, his face in the pillow. When asked what was wrong, he was complaining of severe head pain. Another funny incident involves Mindy sleeping on a mattress on the floor next to his bed and waking to find her hair and ear all wet. When she looked around, she found Richard's head was against the bars on the side of his bed and he was drooling in his sleep. She said she was angry that people would take advantage of his short-term amnesia, which was an unfortunate side effect from such a severe injury. When he would think that a lot of people in his room were there for a party, some would joke about it and take advantage of the situation by saying they were heading upstairs to the party while his patient, loving wife would have to set him straight and tell him there was no party. Friends and family constantly came to visit him, including the whole Top Gear crew, especially James and Jeremy, who often stayed there to relieve Mindy so she could go and sort herself out and not have Richard waking up alone and worrying.

-She said it was hard on their kids, Willow and Isabella aka Izzy, to see him. His left eye had sustained severe damage. It was swollen shut and nearly black when he first entered the hospital and Mindy wondered if his eye would recover. It has. Mindy worried that when their daughters first saw their father, they would be scared of him, with all the bruises and damage to his face. They were more happy just to see him and they made cards for him and kissed him on the head, which made him feel better. She discovered that with his short term memory, as a result of the injury, he was like a dog in the sense that if you left momentarily and came back, he would get excited. He always worried about where she was and she resorted to leaving him notes, letting him know she would be back and he would be fine. As time went on, he would get better. One tender moment towards the end of his stay in the Leeds hospital involved him coming back from the bathroom unaided by people and his wife holding him in a way that was unusual for man and wife. She held his head to her heart and patted his back, saying soothing things and telling him that everything was going to be okay.

-By this point, plans were being made for him to move to Bristol, to a hospital more specialized in brain injuries to finish his rehabilitation there. Once he was done there, doctors advised him and his family to go somewhere quiet to relax. With Richard Hammond being a pretty well known figure because of the Top Gear series, he and his family were constantly worried about photographers trying to take pictures of him when he was at his most vulnerable. During the ride in a medical helicopter to Bristol, Richard was on a gurney and his wife and a doctor from Leeds Hospital, who was escorting their patient, talked to Richard to keep him calm. The doctor and Mindy sensed that Richard was stressing out because she had been warned that too much stimuli in the brain could cause convulsions.
-Once in Bristol, he finished his rehabilitation there and it was decided that he and his family needed to go somewhere quiet to finish his recovery. It was decided that the Scottish Highlands was perfect. It was quiet, calming and perfect for a stressful event. Two ex-special forces guys would help him and Mindy out of the hospital quietly because there were numerous reporters and photographers just waiting for that million dollar or in this case, million pound photo of Richard. The ex-special forces gentleman went and collected Mindy and Richard's daughters, Willow and Izzy, and took them to a house in the Scottish Highlands via a Land Rover vehicle. There, he would re-learn everything he needed to know. He would regain his memory and Mindy warned Izzy and Willow to be patient with their father, especially if it seems like he was asking things 1000 times or if his moods took a bad swing.

-He eventually started taking up running and walking on the nearby nature paths and it seemed to help him recover. It helped him regain his muscle tone that he had lost while in hospital. One somewhat funny incident Mindy mentions is that Richard said he would be gone for only 20 minutes, which evolved into about 30-40 and she was about to go out searching for him, thinking the worst. But then, here into the house he comes, sweaty and muddy and flashing a huge smile.