Archive for February, 2010

have a great weekend!

I can’t believe how much snow we’ve gotten already and it’s still going. I’ve always hated snow but this season I’m finding it so beautiful. Maybe because I’m able to stay home and watch it from my window. I’d love to drink some Glüwein (hot spiced wine) and snuggle up with The Shack (the book I’m currently reading) but tonight I’m going to meet some friends for drinks in the East Village and dinner at Stanton Social.

Hope you have a lovely weekend filled with hot cocoa, snuggles, and snow covered branches.

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Utah booked!

In a moment of temporary insanity I booked tickets to Utah yesterday. Am I unemployed? Yes. Am I broke? Yes. Well, now you can add crazy to that checklist.

My girlfriends and I have been trying to plan a getaway and this seemed to be the cheapest option that also fit into our their calendar. After haggling with Priceline Negotiator for an hour I put in my credit card info to purchase and crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t decline. The tickets were over my balance limit by $6 so I needed to pay this months bill early for it to work. But before I paid the credit card bill I needed to check my bank account to make sure I had enough money.

The boy said to me, “Maybe this isn’t a good time to be booking a trip if you need to check your accounts to see if you have enough money.” I told him, “Please just let me live in la la land for a little bit longer.”

3 weeks till Utah! la la la…

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francophilia

With all the sick days I’ve had lately I’ve had plenty to time to catch up on movies and TV shows. I’ve watched a lot of Seinfeld reruns (does it ever get old?) and finished season 2 of Californication. I also watched a random selection of movies (Hitch, Eagle Eye, Harry Potter) and last night I finally gave in to watching Julie & Julia.

At first, I thought it would be an entire movie about cooking that would bore me to death. A movie about cooking it was, bored to death, I wasn’t. It was an adorable film and I love that it was partly set in Queens, NY. I found myself at times relating to Julie Powell’s character, someone who’s nearing 30 and doesn’t feel like she’s accomplished anything. There was a scene early on where she goes to lunch with her friends and they’re all talking about how busy their lives are with their careers and Julie, who was clearly not as busy or established, sits there feeling…lacking. I was like oh my god! That’s how I feel when I see my girlfriends! I’m always calling them in the middle of the day and they’re like, “Gah, I’m so busy. I’m in the middle of a meeting. Can I call you back next week?” And I’m left sitting there staring at a blank phone screen, feeling like a total slacker just because I’m not as busy. Anyway, adorable film, go see it.

If you loved Julie & Julia, I highly recommend reading Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunée. The writer’s memoir takes you through her journey from Korea to New Orleans to the south of France in search of herself and ultimately finding her sense of place through her cooking. Such a beautiful and poetic book.


In keeping with the French theme, I just recently downloaded the Amelie soundtrack. (I know, I’m years behind!) It’s so sweet and whimsical. I listen to it while I work.

OK, are you ready to book your flight to France yet?

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mon amour

My sweet little nephew is growing up so fast!

I think he’s decided to start training to be a ninja.

Even a ninja needs his nap. (isn’t his monkey dummy cute?)

With all the slushy snow that’s falling outside, wouldn’t you love to be napping in a hammock on an island in Thailand right now?

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breakdowns and books

I was having a terrible day yesterday. I’ve been working on a personal project for some time now and I knew going in to it that it would not be easy . I sat in my room crying for hours, contemplating giving up. My friends called to see if I was OK but I said I needed to be alone for a while. Sometimes you need to just let yourself wallow to get it out of your system.

Once I was ready to stop feeling sorry for myself I decided to get out of the apartment. I’ve had tonsillitis and haven’t stepped outside in days. I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up a reference book I needed. Every time I go in there I want to buy everything in sight so this time I went with my To-Read list so that I wouldn’t get distracted, even though I shouldn’t be buying anything at all right now.

I walked past a book that had a catchy title that made me think of a certain boy and picked it up, debating buying it for him. I read the author’s name and couldn’t believe that it was someone I knew. He had told me he was writing this book 2 years ago and it was funny to have stumbled upon the finished product, on the Discover Great New Writers list, nonetheless. I flipped through the first few pages and had to buy it. Before I got to the Reference area I stumbled upon another book by an author I knew. Jesus. I want that to be me. I had a mental breakdown right there at the New Non-Fiction table.

I texted the boy to tell him: I found a book for you. And  I’m losing my shit at B&N. He replied: Pull your shit together, woman! What a simple suggestion. I decided to listen to his advice and left B&N. I’m so excited for my new purchases but I feel slightly guilty. I came home and looked at my bookshelf and decided to pull out all of the books that I haven’t read or haven’t finished because something newer and shinier came along. I counted 12. Twelve! I’m putting the books aside on their own shelf so that I know what to read after I’m done with the 2 I just bought.

Books I have that I haven’t finished:

  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  • Tourist Season by Enid Shomer
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
  • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
  • Smile When You’re Lying by Chuck Thompson
  • The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
  • Early Bird by Rodney Rothman
  • Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
  • Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

    When I’m done with these I can purchase books from my To-Read list:

    • Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott
    • I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
    • Perfection by Julie Metz
    • It’s Not Me, It’s You by Stephanie Wilder-Taylor
    • Lost and Found: Stories from New York by Thomas Beller
    • You Are Not A Gadget: A Manifesto by Jaron Lanier
    • Beg, Borrow, Steal; A Writer’s Life by Michael Greenberg

    Have you guys read any of these? Is there one that should be moved to the top of the list? OK, I’ve got a lot of reading to do!

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