2012 Book Update – ALL FREAKING DONE

Yes, that’s right. All 24 books (2/month) have been read. I am going into bonus book territory now.  I even ended with a 700+ page book that was really huge and heavy to drag on the subway, thus for the addition of a Kindle to my Christmas wishlist.

The final books are…

1984 – George Orwell

Flowers for Algernon -Daniel Keyes

In the Time of Butterflies – Julia Alvarez

Sanditon – Jane Austen

The Princes of Ireland – Edward Rutherfurd

Currently I am reading the New Yorker magazines that have piled up on my coffee table and then I will tackle my bonus book. Not sure what it will be because I need to make a trip to the store. Another reason a Kindle would be a lovely thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love books, and I love having them on my shelves. I just don’t particularly like having to schlep to a bookstore to buy one when I want it RIGHT NOW and it is raining out. A Kindle will help me focus on collecting hard copies of books I really like, rather than all books.

Now off to decide what goal(s) I will dream up for next year. I feel inspired since I accomplished this one.

Book Update

I know I don’t update this blog, but I feel compelled to update on my book quest! This brings me to 19.

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe – Carson McCullers

The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert

She Came to Stay – Simone de Beauvoir

Animal Vegetable Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver

Coming Home – Rosamunde Pilcher (one of my FAVORITE books, this is a re-read, but I haven’t picked it up for at least 5 years)

Self Help Book X – I don’t need to share my mental exercises with you all do I?

This leaves 5 books by the end of the year. Fingers crossed! I am starting 1984 now. Not sure I ever read it, can’t remember. Need a refresh if I have already, obviously.

Any suggestions for my remaining 4 books? A short one or two would be appreciated…I am notorious for 700 page books.

Book update – Halfway there

I’ve hit 12 books on July 15. Not bad. Especially when I read the last book, almost 600 pages, in 5 days. At that speed I am sure to hit my goal.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan

Welcome to the Monkey House – Kurt Vonnegut (short stories)

My Life in France – Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

East of the Sun – Julia Gregson

I recommend all of them actually. Every one of them was enjoyable. Next up is a collection of Carson McCullers short stories including the Ballad of the Sad Cafe. It should be a fairly quick re. I’m unsure of what I will pick up next.

100 Things I Love

Not only am I a big fan of lists, I am a big fan of the challenge of creating lists. Especially those mind wrackingly important lists of things that make one happy. I forget a lot of the time all the little things that make me happy. Sometimes not only do I need a little reminding, I need a little searching to truly discover them as well. So…I have challenged myself to create a (not-exhaustive) list of 100 things that I love.

1) Giraffes

2) Ladybugs

3) Champagne

4) Sunset and dusk

5) Cathedrals

6) Water in all forms (for drinking and in the form of ponds, rivers, lakes, oceans…and even puddles)

7) Houseboats

8) A complex, robust, red wine

9) New note pads and stationary

10) Pens with colored ink (any color but black will do)

11) Peonies

12) Lilac bushes

13) The numbers 7, 11, 13, 17 and 27

14) Cats

15) Fresh baked bread

16) Ribbons tied on door handles

17) Miss Margaret!

18) Chunky jewelry

19) New running shoes

20) Photographs of doorways

21) Rooflines

22) Boats (and marinas full of boats)

23) Road trips

24) Pasta!

25) Sticky notes in fun colors

26) My great-grandma’s oatmeal raisin cookie recipe

27) Coconut

28) Thunderstorms

29) Brainstorming sessions

30) My yoga mat

31) Fairs and festivals

32) Fresh-squeezed lemonade

33) Happiness and quality of life research

34) Sustainable practices

35) Cocktails outside with friends

36) Balloon and confetti drops at events

37) Dampfnudel with custard sauce

38) Fireworks

39) Fortune tellers

40) Glass (in all forms, glasses, vases, dishes, from the sea…)

41) Old photos

42) Raw sugar

43) Flip flops

44) Crazy high-fashion hats

45) Chatting online (like Google Talk)

46) Historic fiction set before and during WWII

47) Non-fiction set before and during WWII

48) Riding on trains

49) German Christmas markets

50) Mazes

51) Warm apple pie with french vanilla ice cream

52) Dark chocolate

53) California rolls

54) Bougainvillea

55) Quotations

56) 5″x7″ notepads

57) Milky coffee in my Eeyore or Angry Bird mug

58) My boyfriend’s breakfast platters

59) Loofahs

60) Fresh pineapple

61) Evening walks

62) Quality of Life research

63) Walls painted in vibrant colors

64) Walls/fences made from stone

65) Systemic change

66) Party planning

67) Dinner parties

68) Jane Austen

69) Steampunk decorating

70) Art deco era jewelry

71) Samoyed puppies

72) Costume design

73) Neil Sedaka (oh yes, I did just write that)

74) Sharp knives

75) Garlic

76) My boyfriend’s love of 80s and 90s pop culture

77) Accessories (bracelets, necklaces, scarves, etc…)

78) The beach in the winter

79) The countryside in the British Isles

80) Sustainable agriculture

81) Constructivist learning philosophies

82) Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches accompanied by a Diet Pepsi

83) Big-buttoned calculators

84) Shag rugs

85) Documentaries

86) Hidden alleyways

87) Hanging baskets (especially if they are filled with fuchsia)

88) Fresh dill

89) Marigolds

90) Taking the stairs

91) Tea time

92) Yellow

93) Hugs from loved ones (but not strangers…please don’t hug me)

94) Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider

95) Hefeweizen with lemon

96) Party lights

97) Campfires and fireplaces

98) Incense

99) Indian tunics in beautiful, bright fabrics

100) Julia Child’s French Onion Soup (I love Smitten Kitchen too, so I thought the link was appropriate)

Forgot a Book!

I also read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.I liked it, although I have definite opinions. (That means I will discuss with you over wine/beer/coffee, but am way too lazy to write an opinion here).

So I am 8 books into my 24 book total.

I am also wondering what other books I have read that I forgot to write down…

Life As We Know It

My mind is often consumed by how unsustainable life is as we know it today. Economically, environmentally, socially, personally. We work more, earn less comparatively, feel more anxiety, and hold less hope for the future. Ten percent of the American population control 73.1 percent of the wealth, with the median income for the bottom 90 percent at $31,244. (More stats on American wealth distribution can be found in this Mother Jones pictograph article.)

I don’t quite believe that the average person actual GETS it.

Instead they talk about pinching pennies, the government cutting taxes, winning the lottery, and how they just aren’t the privileged class. Yet they create and uphold the system by believing in competition, free market enterprise, winner take all attitudes. One doesn’t want the hurt the miniscule chance that somehow, someday they might, just might, take off their clothes for MTV, make a few million and have the opportunity to lord it over the rest of us and demand glass-bottled water at the perfect temperature carried in by a pink-dyed poodle.

Or maybe they are the few who choose to believe they will start a derivative web-based company with not physical assets . And they dream that company will be overvalued, sold to a media conglomerate, left to languish in mediocrity, and then they can have the opportunity to lord it over the rest of us and demand glass-bottled water at the perfect temperature carried in by a pink-dyed poodle.

Why don’t people actually DO something? Make some changes? Shake some trees?

But the question is how?

My suggestion is refocusing on what is important. Instead of dreaming of becoming mega-millionaires, why aren’t we dreaming of being comfortable and happy? Of having a solid, well-made, well-appointed house; a working, eco-friendly, nice on the eyes car; of having the opportunity to spend time with friends, families, see the world; of having affordable healthcare, education, food? Why aren’t we dreaming of everyone having enough? Not a little, not scraping by. Not an overabundance. Of everyone having enough.

Is it because maybe, just maybe, that fraction of a chance that we may have that dream of glass-bottled water delivered by  a pink-dyed poodle come true? Then we wouldn’t have to worry. It would be other people’s problem, not ours.

And so we continue to distract ourselves and delude ourselves into thinking that this path is the right path, and this way, is the right way.

Or maybe I am just an idealist. Or a cynic. However you want to look at it.

To E-Read or not to E-Read

I am contemplating an e-reader. Not that it would be an immediate purchase, there are other things higher on the priority list (spring clothes, dresser), but my mind keeps flipping it over and over. I do love my hard copy books, but they also take up so much space. And holding a book to read while commuting is tedious. And the electronic versions are a few dollars cheaper than print, which saves money in the long run. I am always jealous of the e-reading passengers (and there are quite a few on the NYC subway).

So, I consider my future e-reading possibilities. But…Kindle or Nook? Decisions decisions. I am currently thinking Nook (not color) because it has fewer buttons, but still retains the button page turners, which are easier to use when standing on the subway holding a pole, swiping actually requires two hands). The Nook color is lovely, but it is a full touchscreen, so no page turning buttons, costs more, and is difficult to read in bright light. I also don’t really care for the additional functionality because I am just going to use my e-reader as an e-reader. So, while it is great, I don’t think it is the right choice for me. The Kindle has that keyboard, which I think looks old school and quite frankly, it’s just not as cute. BUT, I think the e-books on Amazon may be a dollar or two cheaper than those on Barnes & Noble…I’ll need to check that out and see if cost is more “valuable” to me than “cute.”

So, any opinions, insight, recommendations? Not that I am going to get this for another 6 months or so…unless I come in to some money.

Organics for the Face

My quest to switch to organic facial products has ended…in failure. I tried Burt’s Bees, I tried Yes to Carrots. They are just as expensive as my go-to Clinique and more difficult to find. I don’t feel like they are working any better. And the fact is, I have had a red bump/blemish/spot on my left cheek for the past 6 months. IT WON’T GO AWAY!

So, after six months I am saying screw it. I am back on the Clinique. It took a week of considering and 3 minutes at the Clinique counter.

My face is happier already.

I’ll just have to try harder to keep other chemical intake down. I feel like cleaning supplies, air quality and food chemical residue/processed stuffs are most likely more direct culprits of body toxicity anyway.

Ultimately Clinique isn’t the worst product I could be putting on my face, it is decently good as non-organic facial products go from my research. I tried, but vanity wins out on this one. I am able to admit that.

Cooking update!

Lots of updates because I lost interest in the blog. Not sure yet if I have any interest in the blog again, maybe I just don’t want to do this anymore. Although I do like the outlet for communication/expression/practicing writing skills/etc. I’ll deal with that later.

For now…a cooking update!

French Onion Soup we covered. Julia Child’s recipe just wins hands down. It is also sadly not adaptable to vegetable stock. I tried that, put in the work and hated the result.Since I am more than happy with her original recipe and have no desire for a repeat of a ruined pot of FOS that I KNOW could be addictively delicious, I am not inclined to try more right now. Unless someone else is cooking it, of course!

I have also tried my hand at a few other recipes from the Veganomicon. (I also read this, does it count as a book toward my goal?) I tried the Snobby Joe’s (lentil sloppy joes), which I loved, a veggie cassoulet, which I thought was OK, and pasta fagoli, which was also pretty good.

In addition, I tackled a few new breakfast tricks. First, a new muffin recipe with these healthy morning muffins. A definite keeper, I am going to look at what other recipes on this website. Second, I decided to finally make pancakes from scratch. After a lifetime of pancake mix (my baker mother dislikes breakfast overall and my father isn’t really a pancakes from scratch kind of guy), I was under the impression that pancake mix existed because making them from scratch took too long or was too complicated. SO NOT TRUE! Not only are they delicious, but they are just a quick to make as the box variety. I just used the recipe from the tried and true Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I did learn, however, that “mixed berries” are not a good add for pancakes in general (no blueberries were available!). I don’t think I will be returning to boxed pancake mix again (save maybe on a camping trip).

And finally, one of my new favorites…pizza dough from scratch! And it was good! It does take a few hours head start, but that’s fine for a weekend. I am going to try experimenting with making it ahead of time and putting it in the refrigerator to see if maybe it could be a good weeknight meal. I suppose I could also just make it the night before, I am not opposed to late night cooking projects on any day really (my 10 p.m. cooking baking sessions can attest to that!).

Upcoming cooking projects include another round of pizza making, another vegan recipe from the Veganomicon (or PPK), and probably some sort of dessert from scratch when I go visit mom for mother’s day. Oh! And something with rhubarb! I have been waiting for it to come into season (a few more weeks) because I remember it from when I was little, but I have never cooked with it myself. Any other cooking baking suggestions for the month of May?

Quarterly Book Update

2011 got off to a very strong start for the annual book reading goal. A regular hour-long subway commute (each way) certainly helped. I do have to say that so far the second quarter hasn’t continued with the same strength, but that will change as soon as I secure some new reading content.

What have I read so far this year?

• The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd
• Between Two World by Zainab Salbi
• Know Your Power by Nancy Pelosi
• When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant
• New World Coming by Nathan Miller
• The Birth Partner (3rd Ed.) by Penny Simkin (for doula training)
• Two short books on constructivist teaching methods (gave them back to my mother so I don’t know their titles)*

Not bad right? 7 books on my way to a 24 book total (2/month). My favorites were New World Coming and Between Two Worlds.

Like I said, April has gotten off to the slow start because I was still wrapping up the Simkin book for the first week and have yet to pick up another book. I need to hit 12 by July 1 to stay on goal. I’ll have to make sure I elbow people out for seats on the subway so that I can get some extra reading time in as it is a little more difficult to read standing when you are a tad bit prone to motion sickness.

Next up is The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but I have been having a hard time picking it up, so I might find a light fiction read before tackling another non-fiction.

* Counting these two as 1 because they were very short and on the same topic