Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Laughing Yoga Frog 14: She says it's like her own Pulitzer Prize

Question 1: What is the Laughing Yoga Frog?
A state of a frog with its head up in the air laughing while in a tree pose that was for sale at the Cracker Barrel.

Question 2: Who is Alex and what does he receive at the end of the book?
Alex is a student at Tallahassee Community College who plans to major in History and Theatre at FSU. At the end of the book, he is given the Laughing Yoga Frog to take wherever his future leads him.

Question 3: How many times did Dr. Soldani visit Cracker Barrel before she bought the Yoga Frog?
Three times. The first time she looked at the frog and proclaimed how much she loved it, but left the store anyways. The second time she found the frog again in the same place it was before, and at a thirty percent discount. When she went to Cracker Barrel for the third time, she saw the frog was gone from it's usual place and put on clearance at eighty percent off, and that was when she bought it.

Question 4: What did Dr. Soldani talk about before passing out the final exams, and what did she give the students after their final exam?
Before the final exam began, she would give a speech about how she found the Yoga Frog at Cracker Barrel. She says it's like her own Pulitzer Prize, and at first the students are confused, but then she explains that this frog waited for her as if it was intended by the universe. After each student finished their final they were given a stone and took a picture with Laughing Yoga Frog.

Question 5: What is the other frog that is given to Dr. Soldani, that is not the Laughing Yoga Frog?
A frog statue that is almost of the opposite of the Yoga Frog. This frog, nicknamed Bugger, was cold ,intimidating, and did not make her laugh.

Questions for you

Question 1: How did these events inspire you to write a book? What made you want to share these chapters of your life with others? -- I love love love telling stories, especially happy stories!

Question 2: How would things have been like if you didn't buy the frog? Do you think that significant moments in your life were shaped after buying it that would not have occurred otherwise? Oh, I would have found something else. I have a gorilla in my office who talks. When you squeeze a button he says GREAT IDEA! and if you squeeze it again he says BRILLIANT and FABULOUS THINKING.  Maybe the book would have been about a very encouraging gorilla instead of a yoga frog!


Laughing Yoga Frog 13: Professor Soldani did you and Alex really have a book signing?


(1)Alex asked Dr. Soldani since he had been added as an author if they could do something after the book was complete, what was it that he asked her if they could do together?
Answer- Alex asked Dr. Soldani if they could have a book signing at the school.

(2)Where is the yoga from currently located and why?
Answer- The yoga from should be in Alex’s possession, because Alex asked Dr. Soldani if he could have it and she said yes, despite some hesitation.

(3) How did Dr. Soldani describe the vehicle that Alex was dropped on in and how did Alex get around? She described Alex as being dropped off from a limousine and he used an electric wheelchair.

(4) After Dr. Soldani bought the yoga frog where did she keep it located most of the time and when was the only time she took it out, and also when she took it out what did she give the students to take home with them?
Answer-She kept the frog on the shelf in her office, the only time she took it out of the office was on final exam day to take photos with the students and the frog. After she took a photo with the students she gave them a lucky stone.

(5) What were two bad incidents which happened during the book?
Alex was robbed by someone who he considered a friend and caretaker, and one of Dr. Soldani’s students passed away.

Question (1) Professor Soldani did you and Alex really have a book signing?: Yes! He has a stamp with a signature he designed. The only way to get a hard copy of the book is to buy it from Alex ;-)

Question (2)

Dr. Soldani have you been searching for a replacement yoga frog? : Nope. My life is full. 

Laughing Yoga Frog 12: The yoga pose and laughing brings out a care free energy

Why did you start taking pictures and giving out your lucky rocks?: Marvin, from Marvin's Book

What inspired you to write this book? I'm a compulsive writer. If wasn't writing about this, who knows what I would've been up to!!
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1.     What was the book about?
The beginning of the book is mainly about your love for the laughing yoga frog and how you constantly thought about it. Then you finally decided to buy it after you thought you would never see it again and realized that you really wanted it. Then throughout the book you talk about the frog and the journey you bring it on with your family and students.

2.     Why did you like the frog so much?
I’m not completely sure but from what I read I think it is because it symbolizes happiness.  The yoga pose and laughing brings out a care free energy. It’s a random object but those are the kind that doesn’t require much thought just the simplicity of it makes you happy.

3.     Who is Alex?
Alex was one of your students. Something happened in the story between him and his helper Reggie and at first he didn’t want to talk about the incident but later in the story he wanted to share it with others however you decided not to write about it because you didn’t want it to consume his life instead you wanted him to be better than that and write something that represented the real him.

4.     What did you get for Christmas?
Your kids got you a frog because they knew how much you loved the laughing yoga frog. However you didn’t like it because it looked tough and cold and hard and intimidating. No matter how hard you tried to find the good in it you couldn’t and wrapped the frog back up.

5.     What do you do after an Exam?
For the Exam you bring along your laughing yoga frog and your pile of lucky rocks. Once the student is done with the exam they turn it in and you take a picture with them. Then you give them one of your lucky rocks that has a word engraved in it.

Laughing Yoga Frog 11: What did the Laughing Yoga Frog teach the Professor?

Two Questions For Professor:

1.     Is the Laughing Yoga Frog still very important to you today?: Not in the same way. Which is totally OK with me and the frog and Alex.

2.     Do you still have a close relationship with the student Alex from the book? I try! He is in and out of the hospital but I plan to talk to him this week. 

1.     What is the overall story of the the book Prayer of the Laughing Yoga Frog?
           
Answer: The overall story of the book would be the connection the professor had with a statue of a frog. Which leads to having the professor invest time into understanding the relationship between herself and the frog. The connection I understood was the professor helped the yoga frog answer his prayers.

2.  Who was the character Reggie in the book?

            Answer: The character Reggie was a guy that was supposedly  helping a disabled student by the name of Alex around campus which his school needs and personal needs. But in the book it leads to Reggie being a thief and a complete lie that ended with the police involved.

3.  Where was the Laughing Yoga Frog purchased and when?

            Answer: The professor purchased the Laughing Yoga Frog from Cracker Barrel. She bought the frog when she went on a lunch date with a friend and finally retrieved the frog from the restaurant gift shop.

4.  When and why did the Professor show her students her Laughing Yoga Frog?

            Answer: She showed her students the frog during their final exam in her class. The reason she did was to end the semester off with one last piece advice or knowledge.

5. What  did the Laughing Yoga Frog teach the Professor?

            Answer: The professor shares that what she gains from the frog is that if the universe has something in store for you then eventually you will have it. She explains that through expressing how that very thing happen between her and the frog and how it was something worth finding and vice versa.





Laughing Yoga Frog 10: The Quiz with No Questions for Me. Sad Face.

This particular story is between who?
Ans. The story is about a professor and her magical Yoga Frog. One day she was looking at the Frogs in the gift shop, there were three frogs but one of them was special. He had this great balance and smiley face. The professor like him and he was in her mind for weeks.

What are the things that God created the professor for?
Ans. He created her to take delight in cooking and kitchen things. Other great things in this particular professor is that she decided to place herself between happy people that made her get in love with stories, reading, generosity and especially Cuba.

Who did the professor talked to about the Frog?
Ans. The professor talked about the Frog to her daughter, students, friends and even her mother. That’s was really, she shared with others what she saw and felt about this particular frog. I believe it would an interesting to listen to the professor and talk about the Yoga Frog.

After weeks of thinking, did the professor found the Yoga Frog in the gift shop?
Ans. After thinking a lot and trying to hold her balance, she finally decided to go and see the Frog. When the professor got there, she didn’t found him in the place like usual. After while, she asked the cashier and told her that one only got one left in the back. The professor ran and hoping it’s the frog and it was him “Yoga Frog”.  

Did the professor ever took the Frog to her office?
Ans. Ofcurse, in this way he doesn’t get bored and get to see new people. In the way to the College, the professor had fasten the seatbelt on the frog which sounds funny to me. There was a a lot students that used to come her office just to see the Frog and one of was special student that died. I wish God to take care of him and be in heaven.



Monday, January 26, 2015

Laughing Yoga Frog 9: "What exactly did Reggie do to Alex and why did his mother need the picture?"


Questions to you:

 Why didn’t you buy the frog the first time you seen it? Was it expensive? I'm just not the kind of lady that buys a frog the first time she sees him, even if she can afford him. 


2)   Was the frog a coqui? I don't think so.  But he keeps secret. We can ask Alex.


Questions from the book:
      1)   Why did you take pictures with your students?
            -You took pictures with your students because a student died and you want memories with your current students. You took pictures with each student after they turned in their test.
      2)   Why did you call the frog a “Laughing Yoga frog”?
            -You called the frog a “Laughing Yoga Frog” because the way it was posing. It stood strong like a tree and it was in a basic yoga position, and it seemed to have a laughing smile on its face.
      3)   What was the name and meaning of the frog that your children gave to you for Christmas?
            -The name of the frog was Bugger the Lucky Frog. Bugger is a slang word used to refer to anal intercourse’ a curse word to express dissatisfaction.
      4)   What did Alex dream about?
            -He dreamed that the frog wanted to live with him. You hesitated about giving him the frog but ended up giving it to him in a paper bag that hung from the back of his wheel chair.
      5)   What exactly did Reggie do to Alex and why did his mother need the picture?
            - The book didn’t exactly say but he did something very illegal. He probably took money from Alex’s bank account and Alex’s mother needed the picture that her son took in class with the professor and Reggie as proof to show to the police.

Laughing Yoga Frog 8: The Rock Picks The Student


Prayer of the Laughing Yoga Frog

1.     Who is Alex?
Alex is a student in the professor’s class. Although his body is physically restricted, his mind is not. He helps the professor discover the purpose of the laughing yoga frog as well as inspires the book.

2.     How did the professor acquire the frog statue?
The laughing yoga frog came from the Cracker Barrel gift shop, a place the professor likes to go for an egg breakfast. After going back to Cracker Barrel three times in two weeks and pondering if she should buy the frog, she finally decides to get him. He is now the last frog available and 80% off. Score.

3.     Who is Bugger?
Bugger is the new frog statue that the professor’s kids get her as a Christmas present. Bugger has not only a horrible name, but also looks cold, hard, and intimidating, which is far different from the laughing yoga frog. The professor isn’t very fond of the frog that isn’t green and isn’t funny.

4.     What do the students get on exam day?
On exam day the professor brought the yoga frog to class. After explaining the meaning of the frog and getting some questioning glares, the professor gives the students the exam. Once finished the students get to pick a rock (or rather the rock picks them) and take a picture with the professor.

5.     Who is Reggie
Reggie is someone who assists Alex. He started out nice, even took a picture with the professor, but ended up being a bad seed. Reggie steals from Alex without him knowing. Not only breaking the law but Alex’s trust. 


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Two Questions for You:
1.     Was your inspiration to write the Prayer of the Laughing Yoga Frog Alex?  And were there any other sources of inspiration?   I love telling stories. After writing Marvin's Book (which made me cry 10,000 times), it was fun writing a happy tale.


2.     How long did it take you to get the book published?  The hardest part of publishing a book is writing it. After that, it's all downhill. 

Laughing Yoga Frog 7: Is this a True Story?



1)    What restaurant did the professor keep visiting and why?
a.     The professor kept visiting Cracker Barrel because she enjoyed the eggs, and she was obsessed with the praying yoga frog. She would come back to see if her obsession went away, also to see if it would go on sale.
2)    How did the professor’s pictures with the frog come in handy?
a.     The police were able to get a recent picture of the suspect that drained the student Alex’s bank account. It seemed like they were out of options sense he went by a different name.
3)    What frog did the professor’s children get her for Christmas? Did she like it?
a.     It was a frog named Bugger that looked bug like, silver, and space aged. She didn’t like it because it was, cold and tough looking. It also was intimidating.
4)    Why does the professor like frogs?
a.     She likes them because they start out one way and go through a transformation period. When they finish transforming they become something that’s stronger and are able to move forward in life.
5)    Does the professor give Alex the frog? Why? Yes she does because she sees the importance of allowing things become gifts instead of eventually becoming a loss.

 For Dr. Soldani:


Is this a true story? Yes. Crazy as the story is, it would be crazier to just make it up, right???? 

How long did it take you to write this book? Less time than it would have taken to go Christmas shopping.