December 2010
31 posts
Favorites of 2010
Books Read:
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Films Watched:
Tangled Food, Inc. Shop ‘Til You Drop The Business of Being Born
Recipes Made:
Mexican Lasagne Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo...
I should know better.
Me: (Whilst dusting indiscriminate areas of our room, in no particular order.) I feel like I'm on crack.
Mark: Did you have coffee this morning?
Me: Yes.
Mark: Well...
2010's Resolutions
/ Regain the urge to create (especially in writing, but also with music.) Somewhat, especially recently, but not as much as I would have liked. / Get A’s in all of my college classes. One B this year. I blame a bad teacher. / Find a better paying job. I did, but then I got laid off. + Go to Wales (Mark’s home) this summer. Success! / Learn to be a more forgiving, less angry, happier person. I did...
Milestones of 2010
I started to care about my diet (and decided never to diet again.)
Mark and I went mostly-vegetarian.
I argued with a college professor, was right, and got a B anyway.
I got my passport even though it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to.
I killed several basil plants.
…and tried to start a garden anyway. Which, of course, died.
I stopped wearing foundation.
I lost my job as a...
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This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
This was a really fast, enjoyable read. I laughed out loud several times and didn’t want to put this book down. While it didn’t feel like it illuminated any of life’s mysteries, This is Where I Leave You was a whirlwind adventure in family, friendship, and the instances where life drop-kicks the breath out of you.
Definitely the kind of book I would pass on to someone in the...
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The Lottery
I found this documentary eye-opening and saddening, but also extremely one-sided. It follows four students in Harlem who enter into a lottery trying to get their children into a Harlem charter school, where many of these parents feel like it is the only place their child can get a good education.
The pros:
Shows how well charter schools can work
Show that schools can really benefit from...
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Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon
I have found that books about war and the people involved in them can be some of the most heart wrenching but hopeful books out there, but this was not the case here. While I didn’t find fault with the technical writing of Lost City Radio, it felt bland. The psychic distance was close, but I felt detached from all of the characters, caring little about who they were, their past, and their...
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The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez
This novel begins during the Vietnam War and tells a story about two girls who forge a friendship: Ann, a fiercely political upper-middle class girl with a deep affection for the less fortunate, who often says, “I wish I had been born poor and black”, and her roommate, Georgette, who comes from a poverty-stricken part of the country and is no stranger to abuse. At first, Georgette...
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Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut
I opted for yet another Vonnegut novel and was not disappointed. Deadeye Dick is classic Vonnegut. It focuses on life and death and the tragic story of a boy, who, after mistakenly killing a pregnant neighbor, is nicknamed Deadeye Dick. Of course, Vonnegut goes on to tell about the boy’s other strange, quirky adventures, including writing a play about a local hero who goes to Katmandu to...
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Love the hair support!
You are so not alone, this happens to me all the time. The thing is I have fine hair but I have a LOT of it. The shampoo/conditioner I was using was okay but I had to really be careful to wash it out just right because if I didn’t, it would get heavy, and if I washed it out too much, my hair would be dry. No fun. But I wanted to keep using it because it was organic… but I caved and...
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Anonymous asked: It doesnt clump up at all. You just put some on your finger tips, start with a little bit, and just slap it on your hair part. Comb your fingers through your hair, both down and back like you are pulling your hair into a pony tail. Use more as needed. Sometimes you can use a little too much and your hair will get a white tint, but brush that through and it should even out. If you're still not...
Anonymous asked: Baby powder usually helps hair look less greasy, but it doesnt really get rid of your "gross" feeling. Hope that helps?? =)
Nothing puts me in a bad mood faster
than when my hair feels greasy and heavy.
Especially if I already washed it and the conditioner decided to freak out.
Cue my bad attitude today leading to some old man saying, “Young lady, smile!” in the grocery store when I was power walking to the shampoo aisle to pick up some hair products that didn’t make me feel like unwashed dog.
I mean, that was sweet and all old man,...
My Mom's Birthday and Christmas Decorations
My Mom’s birthday was yesterday. She’s not a big fan of holidays, but she is a big fan of spending time together as a family, so every year she uses her birthday as an excuse for us all to sit around and chat and make decorations for our Christmas tree. We don’t own a single pre-made ornament, which we like because it means we also don’t have to store them, and every year...
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A Chocolate Walk, here, is where a bunch of local businesses within walking distance of each other make their own special chocolates (some of them just buy chocolate, but most go out of their way to make it) and townspeople buy tickets (ours were $20 — my Mom and I shared one because HOLY MOUNTAIN OF CHOCOLATE) and walk around. It gives adults an excuse to stop by all of the businesses and...
Slam Poetry: Pretty by Katie Makkai →
For the days when I don’t feel pretty, I try to remind myself of this.
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Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta
I borrowed this book from a friend. I was looking for a really engrossing, pulls-you-in kind of novel, and this one definitely did the trick.
The story is about a man and a woman who are involved in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War, and one of their more destructive protests goes horribly wrong, forcing them to separate and get new identities.
I really appreciated the language in...
