Team 6 - Team Ohana - Check in and introduce!

[shell78]

Corrina: Don't worry about feeling like you missed out on the Rent phenomena...now that it is closing on Broadway, a new traveling production will probably spring up. Plus now it'll be able to tour in the tri-state area - I know there's some crazy rule about licensing and tours for currently running shows on Broadways, like no show (travel or local theater group) can go on within a certain radius of NYC. Now that the restriction is lifted, that's just more places they can go to make cash money. Also, you will certainly get better at the DDR the more you play. I'm starting to be able to AA some songs which is taking some effort, but it is good. I'm also trying to play up on the Difficult level to help try to beat the last songs on the Basic level. It's definitely helping. Plus the difficult levels mean that much more sweat equity!

Happy pacing: I do not think my happy pace exists when running. Walking is a happy pace. Everything else above that is not.

Jeanne: Oh poor Paolo. His story is here

Losties: Here's another link which wiki's everything you've ever wanted to know about Lost. wiki wiki hi. There's only spoilers if you want to read about the upcoming episodes. Otherwise it is just a recap of everything that has ever happened.

Debra: DDR is FUN! They usually have machines at Dave & Buster's if you have one near you and want to try it out. Or find someone who has a copy. I was nervous about playing it the first few times - one of my friends had a copy on playstation - but then I got hooked. I wanted to buy any sort of game console just to have the DDR. When I heard it was coming out for the Wii, and knowing that the Wii in general has active type games, that was the impetus to go out and just buy the whole shebang.

HIIIIII Julie!

Charity Race Q? Are we looking for something in particular? I have no idea yet when I'm getting back into racing, but last year I ran a race (and entered and paid but didn't run a race) which was money for high school kids scholarship funds. Are we looking to do some sort of run which is for a good cause and that's it or some sort of national based charity type thing...

 

[jeanneg]

Welcome, Julie! Just jump right in!

Shell: Thanks for the info about Paolo....sorry to hear about his fate! He was nice to look at.

Dave: don't know what to do with you anymore......you're turning into such a dirty old man! Which reminds me....when I was just a teenager I worked as a page for the NYC Public Library....talk about dirty old men! Maybe someday - preferably after I've had a few - I'll tell you some stories......

This is pretty much just a drive-by today. Tonight is Book Club again and you know the story by now.....about 240 pages to go! At least it's a good book. (Atonement)

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Afternoon!

Yesterday I did my hour on the TM, and trust me, it was all for the Team! Thanks for getting me in gear when I'd rather go to bed with oreos!

Jeanne -- Enjoy your book! I'm currently reading The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry. I love his mystery series. I also need to start Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card. I'm a little behind in my reading list.

Shell -- I have a happy pace, but it varies from day to day. Some days it's almost a crawl, others I'm cruisin.

Julie -- There's actually quite a few of us turning 40 this year. 1968 was a good vintage! Also, there's safety in numbers. Be not afraid, we will all celebrate together!

Jen -- Hope you continue to feel better. The Retreat might just be the rest you need!

Corinna -- I'm a Bostonian and I don't run here I actually walk at Revere Beach or Deer Island (technically in Boston, but you have to go through Winthrop to get there). It would never occur to me to go walk around the Charles. I guess I should think bigger! My little guy is Stitch's biggest fan. I guarantee I've seen the movies, tv episodes, etc. more than any human should. His bedroom is done in Stitch -- bedding, throw, hamper, rugs, wall decorations, shelf, snow globes, plus he has a collection of about 50 stuffed Stitches. I'm not even going to discuss the cousins...

Christa -- I'm with you on the Sunday events. I teach Sunday School to 1st and 2nd graders, and it's really hard to miss a week. Getting a sub is not as easy as one would hope, and then I still feel guilty.

Dave -- Thanks for sending us fresh meat, um I mean a new cousin! I promise we'll try to remain clothed for a few posts...

Mel -- Your website is great. And how accomplished you are!

Amy -- You are always welcome at Team Ohana!

Nancy -- I know you are having a crazy busy week. I can feel you lurking!

Debra -- Dennis (my dh, not DennyHa) and I have two charity races, too, but I don't know if they qualify because they are local -- We will be doing the Harpoon 5 Miler in May, which benefits the Angel Fund, and the Brian Honan Memorial 5K Run/Walk in September, which benefits the Brian J. Honan Memorial Fund.

Jim and Richard --

Anyone watch American Idol? I think David Archuletta (sp), the kid from Utah is far and away the best. I also find it a bit painful until they get down to 12 or so...but ds loves it, so it's a mother-son activity. I figure I'd better get those in before he goes from tween to teen

Losties -- Anyone totally psyched for Desmond week? I am so onboard that helicopter!

Ok, everyone have a great Wednesday!
Maria

 

[deekaypee]

Okay, I've updated the post on the charity events, adding information and clearing up my poorly-edited post (is my face red)! I get the impression that many of us will do more than one this year. I think that's exciting, and I hope that we'll have this lengthy record of events by the end of the year. It's already a great list & I think we can feel good about doing events to support worthy causes & organizations!

Jeanne: I do think it would have been cool for all of us to participate in an event on the same weekend, but not very realistic given all our schedules. This way gives us the opportunity to support something near & dear to our heart, get involved in a local cause, or simply challenge ourselves a little bit more. (And all three for me!) Your Run for Victory sounds like a lot of fun. I know Big Vic is a NASCAR fan, so I wonder if he know about the event. And congrats on your baby's graduation!!!!

I would have told you about Paolo, but I see Shell gave you the skinny. Kind of disappointing, huh? Let us know what you think of Atonement; I've seen the film and would like to read the book now, but it's on a huge waiting list at the library.

Mel: That's a lot of information/options to process about your running options, so I'm glad you have a PT to talk things over with--not to mention DOOM. What did you think of the CHI Running book? I'm working through it bit by bit, doing the exercises in the techniques chapter, and find I'm liking it the more I work through it. I love your Meet the Team picture with the medal; it's like a Hidden Mickey! And your job sounds so cool, in addition to being important!!!

Jim: WTG with the MS 100, and another event for the tracking calendar. You inspire me!

Corrina: A run after a LR? Wow, hard-core. (You and Shell now....) I like the idea of doing the run & then the walk for the race; I'll have to look at the difference in our start times here to see if it's do-able for me. I'm also considering another charity race, but not sure what--there are so many of them around here that it's overwhelming. I might just pick one with "family" in the name. I actually had as close as I get to a happy pace today, the first in a while, and I thought of you!

Amy: I'm so glad you stop by and hang out--I need to come over to your side of the street more often to hear how your training is progressing! It sounds like you've also had some memorable--in a good way--runs at your HP. You know what surprises me about the post-movie soreness? It's that as I get older, my body demands more and more activity out of me, not less. (And more moderation in my activities, darn it!) I guess it's not going to let me settle comfortably into a desired couch-potato lifestyle. Do you think it knows something I don't?

Richard: for adding another event to our tracking calendar! You're going to kick us off to a great start!

Mel & Jeanne: That's it, that's the one for you, Jeanne! Can you think of a better event? You'd remember it forever and you'd so totally win the prize for "Puts Everything Out There For Her Team" award!

Dave: Hah! No such thing as a bad pun. A naughty panda, now that's a different story....

Christa: Another big event! Thanks for the pictures of the Victory Junction Gang & tricharlotte page. There are a lot of tasty-sounding events on that page.

Jen: So sorry to hear you caught what your kids had. I hope you feel near 100% for the quilting retreat with your mom so that you can enjoy it fully. It's kind of cool that you're the baby of your group, but a baby with some serious athletic street cred & the bling to prove it! No pressure/hurry on the race--pick one that sings to you.

Julie: Welcome to Ohana! You're another one of turning 40 yo this year! We're a very special (but not exclusive) group! There's definitely going to be some partying going on during Marathon Weekend. I agreed to go Goofy with my DH--he's called DOOD here--when he turned 40 last year. Now I'm back for the marathon & my own 40th celebration. You'll get used to the marathon anxiety dreams. I was finally convinced I would finish at mile 23 at the marathon because I knew I could do 3 miles even in my sleep--and had done so often!

What training plan are/will you be following? I'm following C25K right now, trying to transition from a R/W program to a R program (or at least a R/W with longer runs and shorter walk intervals)

Shell: I'm definitely looking for a Dave & Buster's! No, you don't need to look for a particular race. Pick something that speaks to your interests. I probably confused the issue when I mentioned a particular event, when I was just trying to think of a charity that was well-known and had lots of local events.

Maria: Getting in bed with Oreos sounds kind of kinky, doesn't it? After all, you can't kick them out of bed for leaving crumbs... I've added your local events--local is good. Think global, act local. Be a locavore. Support your local firefighters. Etc. I'm not a big AI fan, but I'm definitely feeling the Desmond love, brother! (I guess that should be sister, but you get the point. )

As for me: What a difference a couple of days and a good run makes! Today, no soreness, not knee pain, no dread of the TM. I was able to complete my C25K w7 run + the training for the Cleveland 1/2. Cross your fingers that this feeling sticks with me a while; I much prefer it to the pain and pity party I threw for myself Monday!


For those who care about my movie-going fetish: As for flicks, we saw the best-picture nominations, shown in this order: Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Juno, and No Country for Old Men. Yeah, real cheery, but my friends say that I'm never happy unless someone dies in a film anyway. So I was ecstatic by the end. And here's the crazy part; I'd actually seen all five films before--this was about hanging out with other cinephiles and being able to see the films side-by-side for Oscar comparison. Yeah, I loved it, even with the physical price I paid.

 

[scuba diver]

Jim and Richard --


Ok, everyone have a great Wednesday!
Maria

Back at you!

 

[chimera]

Back is better so I tried some TM time tonight. I just don't tolerate the TM these days. I swear it feels like running knee deep in a mudpit. Tomorrow's the Wild Thing's b-day (the big 5!) so no training likely.

Julie...welcome to the team! You've just inherited 12 more cousins!

Maria...we watch AI. This year, so far, I like the Aussie guy and the guy with the dreds. For the girls, I like Brooke and Ramiele and Amanda. Maybe you could take the Oreos with you on the TM. One of our first visits to the Y, we saw a lady walking on the TM, eating from a pounder bag of M&Ms.

Debra...I read ChiRunning all the way through last year. My plan was to read it all first then read it again slower as I applied the concepts to training. I never made the second read, but got it out again recently. I did try some of the techniques...I think the forward lean was really helpful.

Jeanne...I always wanted to try a book club but never seemed to find the time. Does your book club have a specific theme?

Jen...hope you're feeling better soon! The quilting weekend sounds fun...I made one quilt for DD15 years ago. We're thinking about trying one of those indoor waterparks for vacation this year...do your kids like them?

Corinna...dude...you are hardcore!

Christa...are you doing WDW this year?

Thanks for checking out my office website! We're pretty excited about it...it's our first one so any feedback is helpful. We have lots of expansion plans, new building, maybe another practitioner so it will be a busy year!

 

[gatorphipps]

Christa...are you doing WDW this year?

You know, that is a good question. I am doing it if my sister does it (it will be her 1st). I am training her for a 1/2 right now (in April) so I am going to see how she feels after that....b/c...dude...a full seems so much further than a 1/2. If I do WDW, I will not be doing it for speed, but just to run it with her. So we will see.

Mel I am so glad your back is feeling better!

WELCOME! Julie!

Debra thanks for all the work you are doing on the Charity race. You rock! If you scroll down to the bottom of the tricharlotte page, you will see my 1st marathon...if you choose to look, remeber that I have lost around 40 lbs since then.

That is all for now...I was at work until 8:30 yesterday. I had so many clients...so when I got home last night, I was SO TIRED! Did not bike. Did run yesterday morning with sis....so my totals will be off this week....I hate that, but work always gets in the way of my fun.

 

[jeanneg]

Mel:I actually belong to 2 different book clubs. Now that I am so busy, it's the only way I can be disciplined enough to read. Even so, I am notorious for reading the entire book that day. When I got up yesterday I only had 40 pages of a 280-page book read, so that occupied most my free time yesterday. One club just reads whatever the consensus thinks might be interesting; the other fulfills specific genre requirements.

Which brings me to a question for all the sci-fi buffs: Every year we struggle to come up with a good sci-fi selection and it usually falls flat. What would you guys recommend? The ones we have already read are "Doomsday Book", "A Handmaid's Tale", "The Sparrow" (loved it!), and "Confessions of Max Tivoli". I know there are some more but that seems to be all I can remember right now. Is there anything that you thought was really fabulous?

 

[laughinplace199]

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for welcoming me into your group. I'm so looking forward to getting to know you all on the DIS and maybe meeting you in real life in January!

Welcome, Julie! Just jump right in!

Shell: Thanks for the info about Paolo....sorry to hear about his fate! He was nice to look at.

Dave: don't know what to do with you anymore......you're turning into such a dirty old man! Which reminds me....when I was just a teenager I worked as a page for the NYC Public Library....talk about dirty old men! Maybe someday - preferably after I've had a few - I'll tell you some stories......

This is pretty much just a drive-by today. Tonight is Book Club again and you know the story by now.....about 240 pages to go! At least it's a good book. (Atonement)

I really liked Atonement - it's a great book club book. Enjoy!


Julie

 

[tiberius]

Back at you!

.....and from me, too!!

You guys always find something nice to say. Makes me wish I had to time to stay as active on the Board here.


I will be running my 5K tomorrow, wearing my WISH shirt (pending laundry), and thinking of you guys for support. While my speedy days are long behind me, I will plan to enjoy my time out on the course.


I hope everyone has a great weekend! I hope to, after my 5K it's off to buy a car (whoo-hoo!! ).

 

[chimera]

.....and from me, too!!

You guys always find something nice to say. Makes me wish I had to time to stay as active on the Board here.


I will be running my 5K tomorrow, wearing my WISH shirt (pending laundry), and thinking of you guys for support. While my speedy days are long behind me, I will plan to enjoy my time out on the course.


I hope everyone has a great weekend! I hope to, after my 5K it's off to buy a car (whoo-hoo!! ).

How did the 5K go?

I think car shopping should contain as XT...or maybe mortal combat training

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Hi Everyone!

Well, we're digging out from our snow, but it's nothing like further North -- I'd say 5 or 6 inches that stuck. It's raining now, so hopefully that mean's it's all over.

I didn't do a blessed workout thing yesterday. My plan today is for 5 miles on the TM, which will be my longest workout since the Half. I feel good and rested, so hopefully it will be an energizing event.

Dennis is once again racking up those snow shovelling minutes. It's all good, right?

Richard -- Hope your 5K is awesome!

Julie -- We're just a big bundle of fun! So glad you could join us!

Jeanne -- You are a reading machine! I drive my dh crazy, because I constantly orderbooks from the library online and send him to pick them up. It's kind of addictive -- good thing it's free!

Christa -- As hard as you work, you should not feel bad if you have a few off days. I'm sorry you didn't get to do what you wanted, though!

Mel -- Ok, that is the strangest thing I've ever heard off on the TM. Eating m&ms while you work out?! Even at my laziest, I couldn't justify that as an incentive! I like the Aussie guy on AI, too. I think the "Davids" are all my favorites right now. Other than Amanda and Ramiele, the girls aren't very memorable for me. The blondes all blend together, and there's something about Carly that just doesn't click for me. I like Syesha and Asiah, but I don't think either of them stands out enough.

Debra -- What did you think of the Des episode? I had a bad feeling he's not going to make it back after the ending.

Jen -- I hope you are having so much fun, you will come home refreshed and relaxed!

Corinna and Shell -- You guys are the official HardCore Hotties!

Nancy -- Hope you are able to relax this weekend!


Ok, off to write 2 more posts. I've started limiting myself or I end up at the computer for too long at once!

Go Team Ohana!
Maria

 

[shell78]

Well, I had a very little small victory this week. I was faced with having two days in a row of weight lifting. Doing the same parts two days in a row is Very Bad. Since my knee was feeling pretty good, I decided to try to do some lower body weights again, taking it a bit easy obviously since it's been a month since I've done any at all. It actually worked out very well. The only thing that is still not good is squats/lunges and that hurt BOTH knees (very odd, although maybe it's because of overcompensating or something). But hamstring/quad curls were good which is probably the thing that hurt a lot when I first got hurt. I think I will be able to continue on easy lower body workouts and my atrophy-ing leg muscles are thankful. Oooh, were my quads sore on Friday!

I also had a good laugh at the gym on Thursday. I go to a gym at work so in general there's not a lot of the "tough guys" (you know what I'm talking about) that you may find at gyms on the outside. Also, in general I'm on the younger end of the gym-goers as its mostly people who are just looking to stay in shape as opposed to getting all bulked up. Well a few weeks ago, a new younger face showed up in the gym and just by what he was wearing my first impression was "uh-oh, we have a tough guy showing up now". He's not bad as far as the grunting and the "oooh look at me and how much weight I can lift", but Thursday it was only him and I in the weight room and I caught him flexing and admiring himself in the mirrors. I had to try soooo hard not to totally bust out laughing.

I also don't feel so bad about being injured and missing last night's Leap Year Midnight 5k that I had been eyeing because it was snowing and wintry mixing last night so I wouldn't have gone anyway.

LOST was GREAT this week! I was screaming at the end of the tv "PICK UP THE PHONE PENNY PICK IT UP".

Richard: How was the 5k? And what kind of new car are you getting?

 

[jeanneg]

.....and from me, too!!

You guys always find something nice to say. Makes me wish I had to time to stay as active on the Board here.


I will be running my 5K tomorrow, wearing my WISH shirt (pending laundry), and thinking of you guys for support. While my speedy days are long behind me, I will plan to enjoy my time out on the course.


I hope everyone has a great weekend! I hope to, after my 5K it's off to buy a car (whoo-hoo!! ).

Good luck, Richard....both with the race and the car-shopping (ugh!) Don't forget, miles covered in an organized event should be doubled for the team tally!

 

[jeanneg]

Shell: too funny about muscle man! What you need to do is learn all the words to that song about Gaston and sing it real loud whenever he is near. You know the one...."I use antlers in all of my dec-or-at-ing....." I am so bad like that....I would so definitely do it!

Maria: I am loving all the boys on AI this season, although I'm not sure what all the names are yet. David is just so cute and talented you could eat him up. I also like the Aussie guy, the one that looks like Orlando Bloom, and the guy with the dreadlocks, but I totally hate his hair. He is really nice looking and has beautiful eyes and teeth, but all I can think about is what's hiding in that rat's nest! If he makes it to the finals I hope the producers can get him to cut his hair. They weren't able to convince Bo Bice to cut his, so probably not. The girls are also pretty good but just not as interesting. I like the 2 black gals, the short Hawaiian/Phillipino one and the Irish one.

 

[deekaypee]

Mel: Glad your back is feeling better! I really like the forward lean for the same reasons. I'm still waiting for the DVD from Interlibrary Loan, and then I hope to show it to DOOD. Then I'm telling him we need to buy a bag of M&Ms to bribe me on the TM. Oh, and how was WildThing's b-day?

Christa: I looked at the link; thanks for pointing you out to me, as I like to put faces with names. (For some reason I pictured you looking like the Queen in Snow White. ) You really are a pretty princess! I so hope your DS does the Disney full, so that you can come (and for you two to run together, of course. It's not ALL about me. ) I hope your work eases off, so you can get in the time & miles you so deserve.

Jeanne: Ooooh, book talk! I defer to many folks who are better read than I in the genre, but I've taught some sci-fi books in class and love speculative fiction. Here's some titles/authors.

• It's hard to go wrong with Philip Dick for his ideas, even if some of his writing seems a bit rushed. I recommend Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which was the basis for the film Blade Runner. It's one of the the only book/film combinations I can think of where the products are equally good but not that similar; each text stands on its own.
• William Gibson's Neuromancer is a classic of cyberpunk fiction and, thanks to film, now seems familiar to us in its depiction of virtual reality. But as a commentary on multi-national corporations and commodification of everyday life, it's a winner. I also like Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.
• You mentioned The Handmaid's Tale. If you like dystopian/speculative fiction from people who have their literary cred from mainstream book reviewers, I recommend either Philip Roth's The Plot Against America or Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union.
• If your book club likes works that challenges one's notions about love and family, you might like any of Octavia Butler's works. She is well known for her Kindred, Xenogensis, and Parable novels, but her last work, Fledgling, might be a nice stand-alone text to examine. Don't let the fact that its centers around vampires fool you; it's sci-fi.
• Finally, there's always Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. I have yet to read it, but it comes highly recommended around here!

Richard: Congratulations on your 5K. I hope it was as much fun, if not more, than buying a car! What was the course/day like, if you have time to respond?

Maria: Good luck with the 5-miler! Tell Dennis I admire his dedication to the cause of earning minutes through snow shoveling--I was dedicated yesterday, but it required some profane language on my part. As for Lost, that too required some profane language. Like you, I've got a bad feeling about this. (I get this feeling whenever I sense some sort of closure.) At least he's someone else's constant, even though I suspect it's a red herring. And dang! And now I have to reread Slaughterhouse-Five (okay, so that's actually a good thing) if I want to become "unstuck in time."

Shell: Be careful with those knees! Sore--good. Painful--means no more DDR for you, young lady! (Hah--you're grounded! ) I love your story about the primping tough guy. We don't get many of those in my gym, but when they're there I enjoy the spectacle. It makes the TM go faster.

As for me: DOOD and I snuggled in last night and watched the Korean film The Host. Let me save you some time--don't watch it. It was very highly reviewed by The New Yorker's Anthony Lane and, while I get it was a comedic send-up of the monster-horror genre, I guess I just didn't get it. I laughed twice, I think.

I know some of you have done/are doing C25K so... I finished week 7 of C25K! It was really nice to have a strong finish today after a rocky start earlier; okay, I skipped a workout on Monday, but I'm moving ahead to week 8 anyway. I'm combining it with MfM training for a 1/2 marathon R/W to prep for the Cleveland 1/2. It seems to be working, and I'll decide exactly how to approach Cleveland depending on how the training goes.

 

[laughinplace199]

Just thought I'd stop in and say hi. My little one is finally down for a nap so I have a few minutes...

Thanks again to everyone for welcoming me. I'm so happy to be part of your team!

Maria - I like the idea of going to bed with Oreos, or maybe a hot fudge sundae...I guess that doesn't really fit in with training for a marathon, but I can dream.

Debra - Pardon my ignorance, but what is C25K? I don't really have a training plan right now. I started running in January. I usually run 3-4 times per week and so far I've worked my way up to 3.5 miles. Unfortunately, I hurt my ankle so I've had to take some time off.

Mel - I'm very glad to have inherited 12 new cousins.

Have a great week everyone.

 

[jeanneg]

Julia: Don't forget to post your miles and minutes for the week on the other thread. I know your name does not yet appear on the spreadsheet, but I will take care of that ASAP. Thanks!

Debra: Thanks for all the sci-fi recommendations. I can tell you are a voracious reader. Keep in mind that this particuliar group of ladies is not very edgy. I'm thinking the ones by Octavia Butler might be good for a hearty discussion. Is there any one you would recommend over the others? I so appreciate your input.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Julie -- I am so unobservant, I just noticed you're in Boston! Are you in the burbs or the City? I'm a real Bostonian, and I have the parking sticker to prove it! LOL

For those of you scratching your heads -- it's almost impossible to park in the neighborhoods of Boston, and every neighborhood has their own sticker, which allows you to park on the street in that area. Even with one, there are some places where it's impossible. DH and I are extremely lucky in that we have a garage and driveway. We technically control 3 parking spaces (you can block your own driveway). So, we don't have to be out there with chairs in the street to save a spot. Yep, it can get pretty ugly...

Congrats on a great week, Team Ohana! I just read through our miles post, and we ROCK!

Maria

 

[deekaypee]

Julie: C25K is Couch-Potato to 5K, a training plan available at Cool Running. A lot of people here use it to begin running, come back to running, or to recover from injuries. I'm using it to incorporate more running into a R/W, which is how I survived the marathon weekend. (Well, actually more W than R, but there's always this year! )

From your description, you're already at the 5K distance----but I still recommend taking a look at the site. It has training plans for 5K, 10K, and so on. And in case you're looking ahead to the '09 marathon, I think I'll be training again with John Bingham's Mararthoning for Mortals (Mfm). It got me through last time and I love his writing, so...

Jeanne: Not very edgy? Okay, scratch all Octavia Butler off the list. Her books raise issues of race, religion, gender, sexuality, and kinship relationships (including a critique of the dominant ideal of the nuclear family). Most of the stuff I mentioned might be a hard sell, except for maybe Roth. I'll need to give it more thought. If your group liked Atwood, though, you might find Oryx and Crake a good book. It deals with some of the same issues as the other books, but focuses a lot of the discussion on genetic engineering & commodification. I should note that my taste in sci-fi is rather dark, though, and so it might not be a good one for your book club.

Maria: This is an image available on a t-shirt from the site http://www.wearpittsburgh.com/: