Bookish Penguin

But anywho, check me out:  http://www.bookishpenguin.com

My friend John is working on a custom header for me and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.  I made a joke about having a seasonal header and he didn’t even laugh!  He was like, “Well, sure, we could do that!”  Uhh, wow, how nice!  But for now I think I’m going to start with an all-purpose header.

So why do this?  Well, I’ve been having this nagging fear that someone was going to snatch the domain up and I’d have to come up with a new moniker (and this one was already hard enough to come up with and I’ve grown super, super attached to it).  Also, writing this blog for the past half year has REALLY gotten the writer in me back up and running.  I had a gut feeling (literally, in my gut) that I missed writing… I just didn’t let myself realize HOW much because I was 1 – probably lazy and 2 – probably worried about sucking or failing. 

Well, sucking, failing, and laziness be damned.  I don’t know what will become of my little blog – if it’ll ever be more than a catch-all for my own interests, opinions, and obsessions, but I do love it.  I really do.

So pleeeease, please, please, please follow me on over there, okay?  Bookmark the site or add it to your Google Reader (have I mentioned how much I loooooove Google Reader???).

Oh, and for those who asked if it was hard to move over.  Nope, not at all.  I am far from a techie whiz (that’s the hubby) and I did this all by myself (yay, big girl, clap hands).  I’m using SquareSpace for the platform and GoDaddy for the domain.  I even imported all my WordPress entries (they’re under the “The Wayback Machine” link on the new site).

So please check me out: http://www.bookishpenguin.com.  (Once John creates my banner and a matching button, I’m totally going to put up a link button, yay.)

Really?  White?  At a wedding?

Really?  White?  At a wake?

I know we live in a time where people wear jeans to the opera.  I’ve worn jeans to Broadways shows.  College students wear pajamas to class.  Starlets go without underwear.  People buy expensive or fancy or just nice-looking sandals, and then let their crusty, unkempt toes hang out for all to see.

I’m not a body-hair lunatic.  If you’re a woman and you’re rocking a moustache and you don’t care about it, that’s fine – you go on with your bad Frida Kahlo self.  But I think you should be required to make a bit of an effort with the hair on top of your head if you are attending a wedding.  At a funeral or wake, you are grieving and I do not expect you to put extraordinary effort into your hair, although I do expect you to be in dark and respectful clothing.

Witnessed this week:

• a guest wearing a white dress at a wedding (not partially white, not a pattern with white in it – a fully white sundress, seriously)
• boobs out for all the world to see – I understand you’re young and beautiful and single and at a wedding, but it was very, very difficult for me to carry on a conversation with my husband because I (*I* – not him!) couldn’t help but stare at your boobs; they’re a beautiful work of nature, to be sure, but could you at least sit up straight?
• a casual Friday work outfit at a wedding where most people were in cocktail attire
• a flouncy miniskirt with no leggings, at a funeral
• leggings but no skirt, same funeral
• v-neck shirts at the funeral that would have only just been appropriate for the wedding

I could go on, but that’s a fair enough sampling.  I’m not an etiquette lunatic (although, full disclosure: I do own the 900 page Emily Post etiquette book), but I am a big fan and proponent of decorum.  There are certain times in life when certain sartorial choices are necessary; weddings and funerals are two big ones.

Yes, we are undergoing the great casualization of America and I love my jeans and sneakers as much as the next person, but the situation must warrant the pairing.  Be respectful of the situation.  If you have kids, let them know that the skirt is too short for a wake or that they really should button one more button on their shirt.  If your dress really needs you to put on some Spanx, then put them on.

It’s a bit overwhelming to contemplate a marriage and a death in the span of a few days and I apologize for concentrating on this part of it for now, but I do think it’s important.  This way, when you get there, you and the other guests can simply focus on the event at hand and celebrate life and love.

I started out yesterday not quite as bummed as I was Monday night, but still below the water line, so to speak.  The day progressed adequately and soon day became night.  I left work, hurried through Trader Joe’s to pick up a few fresh items for dinner, rushed home, made a salsa and put it in the fridge so it could chill and the flavors could meld, went to the laundromat, washed and dried the clothes the hubby and I need to attend our friend’s brother’s wake tonight, and dashed back home to make dinner (Tex-mex Chicken with Chiles and Cheese).  Fifteen minutes before the hubby is due home, I get a text message:

“Somebody sideswiped my car while I was inside work, scratching the entire driver’s side and ripping off my mirror.”

Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?!  We were *this* close to being caught up on bills in a month or two, not having to juggle so much – and now we have to figure out how to cover $1000 in car repairs (hubby does not have comprehensive insurance coverage and the sideswiper did not leave a note, natch).  Poor hubby was (is) heartbroken; he LOVES his car.  In fact, I’m very lucky that he loves me more than he loves his car because that has to mean he loves me a whole lot because he reeeally looooves his car.

some of the damage

bye mirror

Thankfully, it’s still drive-able and we ordered a new mirror last night so he can replace that by the end of the week (the last thing we need now is a ticket for the mirror on top of the repair costs).  But there’s other stuff that needs to be done – something about a quarter-panel being out of place and a speaker knocked out.  I’m not good with automotive details; I just know we didn’t need something like this.  It could have been worse, yes, but it just really didn’t need to happen at all.  Hubby was parked on a well-lit, main street – not really sure how someone managed to hit him.  Cell phone distraction?  Drunk driver?  Simple idiocy?  I don’t know.

I have a Starbucks caramel macchiato as a treat this morning (with nonfat milk and Splenda, of course), but I really wish it was an Irish coffee.  Too bad they frown on whiskey at work.

1. My friend Nicole’s brother had a heart attack and died over the weekend.  I don’t know his exact age, but it was around 40.  I feel so sad for my friend and her family; this must be an unbearable shock.  Beyond that, being nearly six years from 40, myself, this is terrifying.

2. I was passed over for an opportunity that I wanted very much.  Can’t say much more other than to say that I am significantly bummed out.

3. Not doing a good job in my battle with the scale.  Need to get a grip and just… friggin… focus.

4. Attended my first Catholic wedding over the weekend.  Wow, talk about the land that women’s lib missed.  The ceremony was full of statements about being overjoyed with all the children God grants you (no “if” statements, all very “you WILL procreate!”), about how the husband needs to “be patient with” the wife and how the wife needs “to be nice” to the husband (ohhhhhmg, my head almost exploded), about how the families will be concerned whether “he spoils her as she should be” and whether “she will cook like his mamma”.  OH.  MY.  F’ING.  GOD.  I don’t live in a bubble; I know there are issues with the Catholic church but I never experienced it before.  Holy jeez indeed.

5. Speaking of women’s lib, check out this really insane idea: basically, an Ohio bill is proposing that women get a note from a man before they get an abortion.  You know, like getting a note for skipping gym class or missing school because you don’t feel well.  If you don’t know who the father is, no abortion for you (sexually liberated women must just suck it up and deal).  If it’s rape or incest, you have to prove it first.  Sure, no problem – that’s always easy to do.  Every bit of this makes me sick.

6. That said, I’m reaching a negativity limit.  I can’t take all the complaining and soap-boxing and criticism I run into online every day.  I’m sensitive to criticism and to argument and it’s getting really wearing to read this stuff every day.  Is there a website where people talk about life with a hopeful and optimistic, but still funny and snarky tone?

7. On a lighter note, the hubby and I have been living in our apartment for five months now and we still have only hung up one picture (and that one only because it’s huge and it behooves us to have it hanging on the wall rather than in the hallway, on the floor).  I want to do a little craft project and do a fabric cover for my corkboard and finally figure out what wedding photos I want to print and frame around the apartment.  Just need money and time.  Anyone got some to spare?

No, I don’t need to wear one of these.  This is how I’m built and there’s nothing wrong with it.  Who cares if this dress can cling to cellulite?  Cellulite is natural.  Yeah, that’s right – it should be celebrated!  It means we are living an awesome, fun life.  I don’t need this.  Let’s just try on the dress without it.

2. Anger

WTF, dress?  Why do you hate me?   It’s not fair that I can live on vegetable soup for a week and still need to wear this contraption in order to look passable in this dress – a dress I bought in a plus-sized shop, for chrissakes.

3. Bargaining

Okay, Spanx – if you can get on without making me break a sweat, then it can’t be all that bad.  You’re just smoothing out a few of the wobbly bits (to quote Bridget Jones) that I would otherwise have time to firm up at the gym if I wasn’t off, oh, earning a living and writing brilliant bits for my blog. Now, come on, just… ehhh… uuhhhrrr…. ooph.

4. Depression

*looking in mirror* This sucks.  I may not succumb to many movie-driven fantasies, but who doesn’t want to be the woman in the hot cocktail dress with the stunningly sexy bra and panty set underneath?  I cannot envision a movie-worthy ending to my evening knowing that when I take off my dress, this is the vision.  Unless you are a part of what is probably a fairly small cling-wrap kink community, I’m not sure many men envision literally peeling and rolling their mate’s undergarments off of them after a long evening.  My life is not a movie.  My cocktail conversation doesn’t sparkle, I don’t have the dance moves, and my unmentionables are undiscoverable.

5. Acceptance.

Well, I do like to look nice – and not looking like a lumpy old sofa covered by a fancy slipcover helps.  And I look better than that size 10 trying to manage being squeezed into that size 6 dress.  And this spandex tube keeps me from having any room for dessert, which helps me on the road to needing a smaller spandex tube in the future.  And at least I didn’t need someone’s help putting this on – no one needed to pull corset strings while I exhaled the very last breath of life I have within.  I can put this on all by myself (yay, clap hands) and can remove it in the privacy of my own bedroom or bathroom.  Then I can pretend it wasn’t on at all – and that I had on this cute little set all night, and that my conversation sparkled, and that I didn’t drink a day’s worth of calories in cocktails.  It was a great night.

I have a hard time reading reviews of things I’m as personally, emotionally, mentally, and academically invested in as the Harry Potter series.  I read a bunch this morning that all basically bemoaned that the movie isn’t an exact replication of the book.  Well, duh.  You cannot expect a book as complicated and detailed as HBP to translate literally into a movie; it’s just not possible based on our current movie constructs (i.e. people need constant entertainment and don’t want to sit there for five hours).

I totally LOVED the movie.  I think the screenwriter and director did an amazing job of translating the story to film.  Yes, they added things and subtracted things.  I knew ahead of time what most of the additions and subtractions were and, I’ll admit, I had my concerns.  However, all of those concerns were completely assuaged by how well-crafted the film is.

The young cast really stepped up their acting this time around, especially Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy).  Most of his role is actually unspoken, as is a lot of the film, and he does a fine job (not Oscar worthy or anything, but it shows he’s an actor with some promise if he can reign in a bit of the over-acting).  I think the film Slughorn was even better than the book Slughorn – really, really terrific acting on the part of Jim Broadbent.

I do wish they had done more with Tonks and Lupin, especially regarding the Fenrir Greyback storyline.  I also dislike that they left out the entire Gaunt storyline.  I feel like the “movie only” people are missing out on a key backstory, not knowing more about Voldemort’s parentage (or maybe I just think that since it was one of the key ideas in my thesis).

The scene I was most interested in seeing was the cave scene because I think it’s one of the most (if not the most) disturbing scene in all of the books.  They didn’t fully do it justice, but I’d say they did a B+ level job with it.

Because I know the ending (and won’t fully spoil it here), I will say that I did not expect to be upset at it.  However, when Dumbledore and Harry are standing in the tower and Dumbledore says to Harry, “Trust me.  Trust me.” right before Harry goes below, I started crying.  (Note: wear waterproof mascara to Deathly Hallows Part II.)

The following scenes were okay – a bit teary, but not much… until Fawkes’ song.  I had forgotten about that part (since I didn’t get to finish re-reading the book this week) and it hit me hard… and then the lights came up and the eight-year-old boy next to me looked at me like, “Seriously?  Can you let me out of this row now?”

I feel that the added scenes do an amazingly generous job of summing up all of the text from the missing scenes and I don’t have any quibble with them – at least not today; I can’t say this won’t change as the film sinks in more and I see it again at the IMAX theater in two weeks… but for now, I am so very, totally content with this film.

One note of warning, however: do NOT – DO NOT – offer to walk your dog when you get home after 11pm if you are ordinarily scared walking your dog late at night and have just seen this film.  The man in all black and with a beard at the gas station, who appears to have apparated there because you swear (swear!) he wasn’t there just a second ago, has to be a Death Eater.  And that guy standing on the corner, waiting for the bus?  Totally suspicious.  And that guy that looks like your brother-in-law, riding up on his motorcycle – that’s some fancy Polyjuice Potion work there.  Oh no, wait, he just needs his TomTom mount.  Well, nevermind, that other guy – totally a Death Eater.

As I wrote yesterday, I’ve been reading This Week’s Menu and recently printed out a whole bunch of recipes I want to try.  When the hubby asked if we had a plan for dinner, I realized – yes, we did!  This Week’s Menu to the rescue!

So after work, I stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up ground beef, whole wheat buns, bacon, and potatoes.  I already had at home everything else necessary for Cheeseburgers with Oven Fries and Corn with Bacon and Shallots.  Just typing that out has made me start to drool, it sounds so damn good (probably also because I woke up late this morning and did not have time to pack lunch so I just have fruit for lunch today).

Confession: making burgers makes me nervous. If I bite into a burger that is more than the palest pink or, god forbid, actually red (*shudder*), I will gag and will not be able to continue eating dinner.  So I fear under-cooking burgers but, of course, I also fear OVER-cooking them since a dry, hockey puck of a burger is just as gross as a bloody one (to me).

However, I will now admit – dinner turned out GREAT!  I have never made a better burger and even the fries turned out good (I kind of suck at making potatoes, too, which is shameful in my family).  Even the hubby commented on how juicy and tasty the burgers were.  Score!

The secret to my success (i.e. the recipes I borrowed):

For the burgers:

I took 1 lb of ground beef (I used 80/20 because it was the cheapest) and mixed it with about 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce, 1t of onion powder, and one egg.  I formed it into four patties and cooked them for five minutes on each side and then one minute more as I added American cheese and let it melt.  (Note: I cooked them in a skillet and DID NOT touch them the whole time they cooked, except to flip them.  DO NOT touch burgers and definitely NEVER press them down, okay?  Okay.  Burgers may intimidate me, but I know that much.  No pressing.)

For the fries:

I took 4 russet potatoes (four because that’s what came in the bag – I probably would have just used two if I could have bought them individually – hubby will eat the leftovers anyway).  I sliced them into steak fry shape, poured some olive oil (regular) in a lidded bowl, sprinkled some salt and pepper in it, added the fries to the bowl, drizzled more olive oil and salt and pepper on top, put the lid on, and shook gently to coat all the fries.  I then laid them out, single file, on a baking sheet and baked them for 20 minutes, flipped them, and then 20 minutes more.

For the corn:

I doubled Andrea’s recipe for this since it was all the corn we had left and I knew hubby would (once again) enjoy the leftovers.  So, I took 8 slices of bacon (they were very thin), chopped them up, and cooked them until they were crispy, then laid the bacon out on a paper-towel-covered plate to drain.  I wiped out the pan, leaving some bacon fat, and then added the shallots, cooking them until they were soft.  Add the corn, cook until starting to brown.  Then add the bacon, mix it all up, remove to bowl, add salt and pepper to taste.

Mmmm...

Ta-da (and, yes, I swirl my ketchup).  But, seriously, MAKE this dinner if this is your kind of food.  It wasn’t difficult and it was super yummy.  I would love to try to make the burgers on a grill sometime (um, when we get one).

Tonight the hubby and I are going out to dinner and then to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!  (Have I mentioned my Harry Potter fixation?  Have I?  I have?  Okay, good, just want to make sure.)  So we’re off the hook for home cooking tonight, but I think some more TWM meals might be in store for future evenings… stay tuned!

1. Tumblr

What is Tumblr?  It’s another social networking site, sort of.  It’s kind of like a mix between WordPress and Twitter.  It functions like Twitter in that you post a list of things which can be random and only related by the fact that you posted them.  You can have your blog feed in; you can link to Twitter, post pictures, links, anything.  How it functions for me is that it lets me post nifty or interesting things I find that I don’t want to clog up WordPress or Twitter with (even though I’m having Tumblr feed to Twitter, hm).  So far I’m enjoying it; we’ll see where it goes.

2. The Sartorialist

Simply stunning fashion photography.  It’s inspirational to me that there are people out there really trying to, as I see it, make themselves into art.  If we were food, they’d be five star cuisine and I’d be Wendy’s.  Must work on this.

3. The Daily Puppy

Every day brings a new photo of an utterly adorable puppy that I want to take home and just hug until I fall asleep.  Seriously cute stuff (way cuter than Cute Overload, even).

4. This Week’s Menu

This blog features the details and photos of the writer’s (Andrea) meal plan for the week.  The photos are always beautiful and the food sounds totally scrumptious.  I envy the people who make a serious, full-week meal plan on a regular basis.  Must adopt that life skill.  (The first post on the page as of this blog entry is for Shells and White Cheddar with Fresh Corn, Thyme and Burst Tomatoes.  Excuse me while I lick my monitor.)

5. Pajamas and Coffee

This writer and mother of four is totally hilarious – AND she named her blog after two of my very favorite things in life.  (One day when I am at a loss for blog topics, I will post about my obsession with pajamas.)  Just go to her About Me Page (amusingly titled, “Who are you? Who? Who?”) and read the descriptions of the “players” in her blog (i.e. her family members) to get a glimpse into her humor.  I haven’t gone back and read old posts yet, but I will be at some point soon.

6. Mighty Girl

Yes, another Mommy Blogger (found her through Momversation) – but she and her blog are so much more than that, actually.  The whole picture is that she’s Mighty Maggie – and she has the Mighty Closet, a great number of things to say, and the Mighty Life List (kind of like a 101 in 1001/bucket list) – which has recently been picked up and sponsored by Intel, no kidding!  Lucky gal!  Her pictures are great; her clothes are great; her ideas are interesting – what more could you want from a blog?

7. Food & Fizz

People submit their food and beverage photos to this site, then the site owners choose the best and post them daily.  They have a really helpful food tag cloud that lets readers find the posts that interest them or you could just click “Randomize” and see what you get.  It’s an adventure every time!

So I hope this was helpful and interesting and that you find at least one new site to read, explore, and possibly follow.

Note: I view all of these blogs (and many, many more) by using Google Reader.  No, Google is not paying me or forcing me or even encouraging me to point you their way (but, boy, wouldn’t that be great to be paid by Google?).  Still, I highly, highly suggest that you get yourself logged in to Google Reader and use it to manage all the blogs you read.

The bonus is that every day when you wake up, you get to log in to your Google Reader and see who’s posted new blog entries.  It’s like a little list of presents waiting for you, every day!  (Seriously, that is how it feels.  It’s wonderful.)

Happy reading!

When I was younger, a writer was one of two things: 1) someone who made their living by writing (or, conversely, was independently wealthy and could spend their time writing, regardless of the income it did or did not bring in) or 2) someone who was so passionate about writing, that even though it wasn’t their primary vocation, they found themselves filling all their free time with writing, practically craving the activity.

I have never been either of those, really.  Certainly not #1 and only occasionally #2.  Something is shifting, though, and I find myself sprouting ideas throughout the day – both for the blog and some personal writing I’ve been starting to work on.  There’s still that feeling of inadequacy, though – that the writing I do (here and otherwise) doesn’t actually qualify me as a writer.

So what will it take?  I suppose having something published would do it – that would satisfy the “income earned” qualification.  Beyond that, I don’t know.

I’m feeling like a writer lately, though – and that counts for now.

Yesterday the fam and I went to my godson’s (little cousin’s) 5th birthday party.  My cousin (his mom) always has themes for her kids’ birthday parties; this one was a music theme so they had inflatable and real instruments for the kids to play with and a little stage area for them to perform, plus some musical chair-type games and a cake with a musical carousel on it.  Kids love making noise, so needless to say, everyone had a great time.

Quote #1 – “Tattoo!”

The kids all got press-on tattoos, like little rock stars.  TJ’s dad has tattoos so he already knew what they were and was very excited to have a tattoo, just like Daddy.  He kept pointing at it, grinning, and saying, “Tattoo!” with the emphasis on the second syllable.  So cute.

Quote #2 – “Boo!”

No matter how many times we play peek-a-boo, it never gets old.  My sister said she’s going to be playing peek-a-boo with him as he leaves for college.

Quote #3 – *Excited sucking sound*

Whenever TJ is excited about something, he sucks in his breath and makes this, “Eeee!” noise.  He does this when he’s on a swing or hears his dad on the phone.

Quote #4 – “Oh boy!  Wind up liederhosen!”

No, seriously.  My godson, Erik (whom you may recognize as the ringbearer at my wedding) said this when he saw these toys with his birthday cake.  The boys are half German and enjoy going to Oktoberfest and other similar festivals.
Note: Erik is actually wearing liederhosen in this photo.

I vote the wind-up liederhosen as the quote of the day.

1.
I actually slept in late; I didn’t get out of bed until 9:30!  That’s insane for me.  I’m up at 7am every day and usually can’t sleep past 8am, maybe 8:30am on the weekends.

2.
I lazed around, drank coffee, ate a yummy Hungry Girl* breakfast, sat around reading blogs and watching Food Network.

3.
Rebecca Woolf posted not one but TWO blog posts today!  One on her site and one on her Babble blog.  A great day, indeed.

4.
I cleaned the bathroom AND the kitchen.  Why is this great?  Because they were gross, that’s why, and I can’t think straight when my living space is messy.  I need to get my husband to feel the same way, somehow.

5.
I got to babysit my nephew, TJ.  My sister had a doctor’s appointment so I went over a bit early, spent an hour with the two of them, then watched him for an hour, and then spent another hour with them.  He is SO adorable and sweet and entertaining, but also SO Jekyll and Hyde: happy laughing one minute, and screaming tantrum the next.  He’s almost 16 months old and already knows 40+ words, so perhaps the terrible twos are making their way early as well.  Regardless, I could still spend all day with him (although my sister and I had an interesting conversation about how neither of us could be stay-at-home moms and totally revere those who are, but those are thoughts for another time).

6.
I took my previous “chicken and salsa” slow cooker recipe, substituted pork chops for chicken, and ended up with super yummy salsa pulled pork, which I then put on nacho chips and sprinkled with cheese.  Mmm.  I also made a tomato/avocado salsa that my husband and I are obsessed with lately (courtesy of Cooking Light).

7.
I only needed half a lime for the salsa, so the other half got squeezed into a glass and I enjoyed a super refreshing homemade limeade.  Mmmm, so good.

I only hope next Friday can live up to this one.

*The Hungry Girl Easiest Egg Breakfast Ever

I swear to you, I believe she was wearing this perfume.  I have to believe that because why else would my brain dredge up this scent memory?  It’s not like I’ve thought about this perfume recently – although, however, I have been humming the song since the day I smelled it.

These days, everyone has a perfume: Britney Spears, Beyonce, Shania Twain, P. Diddy (Sean John), Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez.  But how many of theirs are based on hit pop songs?  I did a quick check and I can find none.  They’re the equivalent of a movie written specifically to make someone into a star.  These aren’t inspired perfumes, oh no.  They stand on their own without a song to back them up.

Electric youth, feel the power
You see the energy comin’ up, coming on strong
The future only belongs to the future itself
And the future is electric youth
It’s true you can’t fight it, live by it
The next generation, it’s electric

The future only belongs to the future itself.  Whoa.  Deep… and very pretty smelling.

The perfume did remind me of youth.  It smelled sweet and earnest, not like it was trying too hard or trying to be sexy at all.  It said, “Hey, boy, I hope you notice me” not “I’m half naked, wanna come home with me?” like most tween-intended products seem to say these days.  It made me wish that I had saved some of mine, but how could I have known that something like this would seem so precious and fleeting later on.

1.
I have to do some in-class presentations next week and absolutely LOVE that the presentations are now narrated wmv files instead of Powerpoint slides that I have to narrate.  Basically, I get to go into the class, hit play, and smile.  I don’t mind giving presentations (I do it all the time, plus I teach) but these tend to be a bit dry and happen either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, so it’s nice to have it be a passive activity.  (I’m lazy, whatever.)

2.
Last night the hubby, his brother, and I had dinner at Bobby’s Burger Palace, Bobby Flay’s sort-of-fast-food restaurant.  It was super, super good.  The burger I had isn’t on the menu because it’s the monthly special: the Mulberry Street Burger, which will sound familiar to you if you watch The Next Food Network Star because it was the winning burger in a recent challenge.  It has mozzarella and basil on it (and other stuff I forget).  It was sooooo very yummy.

3.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the film) comes out next week but IMAX doesn’t have it scheduled until July 29th.  WHAT???  I think I might actually go see it in the local (non-IMAX) theater this weekend and then go see it again when the IMAX one is out – because I am that obsessed.  (Did I mention my grad thesis was on Harry Potter?  Yeah.  It’s a way of life.)

4.
I have another internet idol (idol #1 being Rebecca Woolf of Girl’s Gone Child, of course).  I love Slices of Life because it is exactly what it promises – a slice of this woman’s life.  Every day she posts a picture of what she’s wearing, where the pieces are from, what she has packed for lunch, and what the plan for dinner is.   For many of us, I believe that really is one of the largest “slices” of our life.  Sure, based on feelings, our spouses and children and families and friends are far more important, but life is just as much about the daily in-and-out details and sometimes making those wardrobe and food decisions are just as taxing and annoying as an overwrought conversation.  I love the idea and wish I thought of it first so I could make a “Slice of Life” page on this blog.  Darn.  I never have the good ideas first.

5.
I hate when people thank me for speedy email replies when it took me more than an hour to respond.  Why are there still such low expectations for email?  Are you really amazed that you emailed me yesterday at 3pm and I responded at 10am today?  I actually felt bad about how long it took me to reply.

6.
I never mentioned visiting my best friend’s new daughter, Madison.

baby madison

Her dad, Mike, has been one of my best friends since I was 20 (so almost 14 years now, crazy to think about) and was my “Man of Honor” at my wedding.  When I got to their house, he was out walking the dog so I hugged his wife (who is also my good friend, of course) and squee’d over Madison.  When he walked in the house, though, I burst into tears and said, “Damn.  I knew I was going to cry when I saw you.”  It was just so emotionally moving to see this friend I grew up with (because, really, we grow up in our 20s) as a father now.  It was so wonderful and I can’t wait to be a part of Madison’s life as she grows up.

7.
I want to write a book.  Is that crazy to think I can do that between my two jobs, grad school, housework, and future family raising responsibilities?  Probably – but I still want to do it.

I have off on Fridays for the summer, so today is my Thursday-pseudo-Friday.  Hurrah!  What’s better than a few extra minutes of shut-eye on a Friday morning?

Love, Loss, and What I Wore
written and illustrated by Ilene Beckerman

This is a truly charming little book.  Ms. Beckerman traces her life from the 1940s to the present through her clothing, from her Brownie uniform to the clothes her granddaughter plays dress-up in.  There is something so magical about women’s clothing from the 40s and 50s; her descriptions are absolutely enthralling (if you’re interested in the history of women’s fashion).  She talks about her t-strap shoes and Revlon nail polish, her crinoline and her 70s pantsuit.  This book made me wish I had such a personal relationship with my clothing (her mother made most of her clothing when she was a child) and I couldn’t help but think about how we are now so removed from the clothing we buy (just like we’re so removed from the food and other necessities we buy).

I borrowed this book from the library and read it while I did laundry at the laundromat tonight – and I only needed half the time at the laundromat to read it.  It’s definitely the sort of book you read and the re-read slowly, perhaps not even in order, finding your favorite outfits again and letting them spur you on to remembering some of your favorite outfits and where you were and what happened when you wore them.