What I typed...
"How can I meet"
What Google suggested...
"How can I meet Justin Bieber"
"How can I meet a girl"
"How can I meet One Direction"
"How can I meet Theresa Caputo"
What I was actually searching for...
"How can I meet a dolphin?"
---------------------------------------------------
What I typed...
"Different types of"
What Google suggested...
"Different types of weed"
"Different types of braids"
"Different types of birth control"
"Different types of flowers"
What I was actually searching for...
"Different types of dolphins"
---------------------------------------------------
I was re-reading an old Madeleine L'Engle book with a dolphin in it. Also, Theresa Caputo is apparently the star of TLC's Long Island Medium.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
More Iced Tea Data
I finally took pictures of the Honest Teas that I drank in spring semester of 2012, as well as the few I had on my visited down in the summer of 2012.
The results? Spring semester I drank 20, summer I drank 7. Fall of 2011 I drank 21, so there was a slight decline from fall to spring. (Keep in mind I don't teach in the summer and drive down less than once a week.) However, there is still not enough data to come to any conclusions. I must continue to drink my teas, keep them, and photograph them. I'm already building my fall collection.
Spring 2012
Summer 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Favorite Books
I just made a quick (about two minutes) list of my ten favorite books, as part of an exercise on creativity that I was doing. I thought I'd share it, with the reminder that it's not meant to be a serious, well-thought-out thing: it's my top ten great books that occurred to me while sitting at my desk (away from my library) on a Friday afternoon.
In no particular order:
Anyway, if you've read any of these, please, let's discuss them! I love to talk about books I've read!
In no particular order:
- Open House by Elizabeth Berg
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- The Goneaway World by Nick Harkaway
- The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
- The City and the City by China Mieville
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
- PopCo by Scarlett Thomas
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- This one about memory, about this guy in London...I LOVED it, and I can't remember its title off the top of my head, nor its author.
Anyway, if you've read any of these, please, let's discuss them! I love to talk about books I've read!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Prisoner of Heaven
I just finished reading The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It's the third in his "Cemetary of Forgotten Books" series. I loved the first one, and really enjoyed the second as well. This one was pretty good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
Fermin, a side character from The Shadow of the Wind (book one), has a big problem in this new novel. He wants to get married to his pregnant girlfriend, but there's a problem with his legal documents. Due to some events that happened during World War II, he's recorded as having died years ago. Then a figure from his past appears and leaves him a threatening message.
The bulk of the book is a flashback to the events that happened when he was in Montjuic Prison during World War II. He tells it to Daniel (narrator of book one), to explain why he's so afraid of this figure from his past. When he was in prison, he met David Martin, the writer main character of The Angel's Game (book two). He also met the cruel, pompous governor, who was in charge of the prison at the time. The story concerns his relationship with those men, and his attempt at an escape.
My first problem was just that I thought I was missing a lot because I didn't remember the plots of the first two books very well. Despite a note in the beginning of the book that says the books can be read in any order, I felt I was constantly struggling to recall the importance of different characters. So if you're going to read this, I recommend reading the first two books first.
The second problem is that the book felt short and unfinished. It seems pretty set up for a sequel, with some unfinished issues, which is fine. But really I felt like there was no huge climax. No complete resolution. And it was shorter than the previous books, so it wouldn't have hurt it to go on.
Should you read? If you've recently read the first two books, sure. But I wouldn't bother to buy it on hardcover, like I did.
Fermin, a side character from The Shadow of the Wind (book one), has a big problem in this new novel. He wants to get married to his pregnant girlfriend, but there's a problem with his legal documents. Due to some events that happened during World War II, he's recorded as having died years ago. Then a figure from his past appears and leaves him a threatening message.
The bulk of the book is a flashback to the events that happened when he was in Montjuic Prison during World War II. He tells it to Daniel (narrator of book one), to explain why he's so afraid of this figure from his past. When he was in prison, he met David Martin, the writer main character of The Angel's Game (book two). He also met the cruel, pompous governor, who was in charge of the prison at the time. The story concerns his relationship with those men, and his attempt at an escape.
My first problem was just that I thought I was missing a lot because I didn't remember the plots of the first two books very well. Despite a note in the beginning of the book that says the books can be read in any order, I felt I was constantly struggling to recall the importance of different characters. So if you're going to read this, I recommend reading the first two books first.
The second problem is that the book felt short and unfinished. It seems pretty set up for a sequel, with some unfinished issues, which is fine. But really I felt like there was no huge climax. No complete resolution. And it was shorter than the previous books, so it wouldn't have hurt it to go on.
Should you read? If you've recently read the first two books, sure. But I wouldn't bother to buy it on hardcover, like I did.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Canning Label!!
Isn't the eagle fierce? Aren't the talons serious?
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Canning Eagle
I tried canning this weekend! My friend Rachael and I had been planning it for awhile. She'd grown up canning with her mom and grandmother; I'd wanted to do it for years but had been too intimidated to try on my own.
It turns out it isn't hard at all! (Although I did joke that we should make cute little gift tags for our jars that list the symptoms of botulism.) I made an Indian curry simmer sauce (it's just the base for most of the curries I make: onions, garlic, ginger, a bunch of whole spices, and tomatoes), and Rachael made a berry/peach jam.
The most difficult part was that I'd bought 25 pounds of tomatoes at the farmers' market, and that's a lot of tomatoes to wrangle. But I took them down, because I'm the Canning Eagle (my new canning nickname. what, you don't have a canning nickname?).
OK, here's how we canned: We cooked our foods while simultaneously sterilizing our jars and lids by washing them in the dishwasher. Then we filled the jars with our sauce or jam (I used a canning funnel to make it easier), sealed them up, and dropped them in boiling water for ten minutes. We used a special pair of tongs made to grab jars, but you could use regular tongs. Anyway, after they were pulled out of the water, they cooled, and as they cooled, they sealed! You can actually here a popping sound when they seal sometimes. To test them, you just push on the top, and if the lid doesn't snap back, it's sealed! (If it does snap back, just put it in the fridge and eat it semi-soon, instead of keeping it in the cupboard.)
In summary:
I made 16 pint jars of sauce! And then, tonight, I made 6 pint jars of applesauce! I am truly the Canning Eagle.
It turns out it isn't hard at all! (Although I did joke that we should make cute little gift tags for our jars that list the symptoms of botulism.) I made an Indian curry simmer sauce (it's just the base for most of the curries I make: onions, garlic, ginger, a bunch of whole spices, and tomatoes), and Rachael made a berry/peach jam.
The most difficult part was that I'd bought 25 pounds of tomatoes at the farmers' market, and that's a lot of tomatoes to wrangle. But I took them down, because I'm the Canning Eagle (my new canning nickname. what, you don't have a canning nickname?).
OK, here's how we canned: We cooked our foods while simultaneously sterilizing our jars and lids by washing them in the dishwasher. Then we filled the jars with our sauce or jam (I used a canning funnel to make it easier), sealed them up, and dropped them in boiling water for ten minutes. We used a special pair of tongs made to grab jars, but you could use regular tongs. Anyway, after they were pulled out of the water, they cooled, and as they cooled, they sealed! You can actually here a popping sound when they seal sometimes. To test them, you just push on the top, and if the lid doesn't snap back, it's sealed! (If it does snap back, just put it in the fridge and eat it semi-soon, instead of keeping it in the cupboard.)
In summary:
- Sterilize (in the dishwasher or in boiling water for ten minutes)
- Fill, wipe the sides, seal
- Drop in boiling water for ten or so minutes (time depends on the recipe), remove
I made 16 pint jars of sauce! And then, tonight, I made 6 pint jars of applesauce! I am truly the Canning Eagle.
Photos!
So many onions!
Delicious jam!
We can can!
The finished product!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
MTV
I just finished a marathon read of I Want My MTV, a history of the network from its start in 1981 till 1992. It's by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, and comes from interviews they did with nearly 400 people.
I was obsessed with MTV when I was a kid and a young teenager. I used to fill VHS tapes with recordings of videos I liked, stay up late waiting to see my favorite bands' new releases--I once threw a viewing party for the Video Music Awards. So, as you can imagine, the book was the perfect topic to grab me.
There were tons of hilarious and horrifying anecdotes. I found out David Fincher and Michael Bay both started as music video directors. I found out Kurt Loder used to rip on MTV as a Rolling Stone writer before they hired him. Most of the guys in metal bands come off as sexist in a naive way, like they have no idea why the things they did and the way they portrayed women would be offensive. (Except Sebastian Bach. He comes off like a cool guy.)
The only other book I've read in this style is Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. Please Kill Me is one of my favorite books. When I first read it at 17, I wanted to move immediately to New York City and start a band. I Want My MTV was not quite as inspiring, not quite as shocking, not quite as amazing. Maybe because a lot of the characters involved were just filthy rich. Not the artists, at first, anyway, but the executives and directors and producers. It made it harder to care about their fates. (Even if they got fired from the network, they still remained filthy rich.)
Even with that caveat, the book was still a great read. Lots of fun. I wondered if the year chosen to end it would seem arbitrary, but it didn't. Things did change in 1992 for MTV. "The Real World" debuted. Grunge dominated hair metal and pop. I still watched it for years, though. I think the last time I watched it in any significant amount was, after a long gap, in 2003, in a hotel room in Amsterdam. (I wanted the TV on while I got ready to go out--I was not just sitting around in a hotel for lack of anything better to do in Amsterdam.) They aired episode after episode of "Jackass" and "The Osbournes." No videos. It's too bad. I think if they showed videos, I might still want to watch it sometimes.
I was obsessed with MTV when I was a kid and a young teenager. I used to fill VHS tapes with recordings of videos I liked, stay up late waiting to see my favorite bands' new releases--I once threw a viewing party for the Video Music Awards. So, as you can imagine, the book was the perfect topic to grab me.
There were tons of hilarious and horrifying anecdotes. I found out David Fincher and Michael Bay both started as music video directors. I found out Kurt Loder used to rip on MTV as a Rolling Stone writer before they hired him. Most of the guys in metal bands come off as sexist in a naive way, like they have no idea why the things they did and the way they portrayed women would be offensive. (Except Sebastian Bach. He comes off like a cool guy.)
The only other book I've read in this style is Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. Please Kill Me is one of my favorite books. When I first read it at 17, I wanted to move immediately to New York City and start a band. I Want My MTV was not quite as inspiring, not quite as shocking, not quite as amazing. Maybe because a lot of the characters involved were just filthy rich. Not the artists, at first, anyway, but the executives and directors and producers. It made it harder to care about their fates. (Even if they got fired from the network, they still remained filthy rich.)
Even with that caveat, the book was still a great read. Lots of fun. I wondered if the year chosen to end it would seem arbitrary, but it didn't. Things did change in 1992 for MTV. "The Real World" debuted. Grunge dominated hair metal and pop. I still watched it for years, though. I think the last time I watched it in any significant amount was, after a long gap, in 2003, in a hotel room in Amsterdam. (I wanted the TV on while I got ready to go out--I was not just sitting around in a hotel for lack of anything better to do in Amsterdam.) They aired episode after episode of "Jackass" and "The Osbournes." No videos. It's too bad. I think if they showed videos, I might still want to watch it sometimes.
Monday, August 13, 2012
I Require A Ghost
Published again, yay! I have a short piece called "I Require A Ghost" published at punchnels.com (which is an awesome website you should probably read anyway). This is the first time I've had nonfiction published. Very exciting.
Check it out: www.punchnels.com/first-person/i-require-a-ghost/
Check it out: www.punchnels.com/first-person/i-require-a-ghost/
Friday, August 10, 2012
Candy Innovations
OK actually it's not an innovation. It's the same irresistible chocolate egg that I get so excited about every spring, except now the "yolk" is green instead of yellow.
We found them at Walgreens yesterday. The sight of them is disturbing for two reasons. Most importantly, this spring I ate enough Cadbury Creme Eggs to make at least a dozen candy omelets. They're so good. (Very inspiring, too.) This version is like Green Eggs and Ham--weird looking, still delicious. I've had one so far, half-hoping it wouldn't taste as good as the original. It did.
The other disturbing thing, of course, is that Halloween candy is out in August.
The other disturbing thing, of course, is that Halloween candy is out in August.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Airport Delays
How to survive massive airport delays without losing your mind or humanity (as determined by my recent experiences):
1. Don't let yourself get too hungry or thirsty.
I had a little baggie of emergency almonds in my purse.
2. Remember that the flight crew probably has nothing to do with the delays.
They don't want to be stuck on the tarmac any more than you do. Telling them that they should be embarrassed, as one man on my flight did, just makes you looks like a jackass to the rest of the passengers. Be nice to the flight crew, because then they will be nice to you.
3. Bring more to read then you would think you'd possibly need.
I still prefer actual paper books for day-to-day reading, but for traveling, nothing beats my Kindle.
4. Pretend you are a character in a light-hearted movie.
Perhaps a farce or a romantic comedy about a young woman trying to make it as a professional dealing with comically terrible travel luck. Just don't imagine the movie is a thriller or a horror movie. The Philly airport at 1:30am is pretty creepy if you're in a horror movie.
5. When other passengers irritate you, think that your excellent behavior can set a good example for them.
Not for any noble reasons. It's so you get to feel all superior and smug with yourself.
6. Imagine telling it to people later.
"And then we were told we'd be sitting in the plane for another hour! Can you believe it?!"
7. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation, "Treat Yo' Self!"
When I found out I'd be arriving to my hotel at 2a.m. at the earliest, I canceled my early-morning meeting for the next day. I dropped money on a delicious dinner snack thing once I got to the hotel, and I realllly enjoyed it. (Seriously, are you familiar with GoPicnic? I just had one last night. They are so delicious and clever and yummy, and come with little Sudoku puzzles for you to do while you eat.) Then I slept till noon the next day.
1. Don't let yourself get too hungry or thirsty.
I had a little baggie of emergency almonds in my purse.
2. Remember that the flight crew probably has nothing to do with the delays.
They don't want to be stuck on the tarmac any more than you do. Telling them that they should be embarrassed, as one man on my flight did, just makes you looks like a jackass to the rest of the passengers. Be nice to the flight crew, because then they will be nice to you.
3. Bring more to read then you would think you'd possibly need.
I still prefer actual paper books for day-to-day reading, but for traveling, nothing beats my Kindle.
4. Pretend you are a character in a light-hearted movie.
Perhaps a farce or a romantic comedy about a young woman trying to make it as a professional dealing with comically terrible travel luck. Just don't imagine the movie is a thriller or a horror movie. The Philly airport at 1:30am is pretty creepy if you're in a horror movie.
5. When other passengers irritate you, think that your excellent behavior can set a good example for them.
Not for any noble reasons. It's so you get to feel all superior and smug with yourself.
6. Imagine telling it to people later.
"And then we were told we'd be sitting in the plane for another hour! Can you believe it?!"
7. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation, "Treat Yo' Self!"
When I found out I'd be arriving to my hotel at 2a.m. at the earliest, I canceled my early-morning meeting for the next day. I dropped money on a delicious dinner snack thing once I got to the hotel, and I realllly enjoyed it. (Seriously, are you familiar with GoPicnic? I just had one last night. They are so delicious and clever and yummy, and come with little Sudoku puzzles for you to do while you eat.) Then I slept till noon the next day.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gone Girl
Yes, it's been awhile. I've been traveling a lot, and I've been reading a lot. What do you NEED to read? Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It is an absolutely addictive, unputdownable mystery novel.
Nick's wife Amy is missing, and Nick is the prime suspect. He's definitely suspicious, but it's unclear if he's the one behind her absence. Chapters alternate between his point of view in the immediate aftermath of Amy's disappearance and Amy's journal entries from earlier in their marriage. There were probably at least six times in the book where I set it down and shouted "What?! Seriously?!" to whoever was nearby.
Go read it. Now.
Nick's wife Amy is missing, and Nick is the prime suspect. He's definitely suspicious, but it's unclear if he's the one behind her absence. Chapters alternate between his point of view in the immediate aftermath of Amy's disappearance and Amy's journal entries from earlier in their marriage. There were probably at least six times in the book where I set it down and shouted "What?! Seriously?!" to whoever was nearby.
Go read it. Now.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations Nancy! Nancy won a copy of The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller from my first-ever blog giveaway! Nancy's favorite book is Anne of Green Gables, one that I'm particularly fond of, myself.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Tofu, a new way
I made a very springtime-ish meal the other night: tofu, asparagus, and morel mushrooms all sauteed with olive oil and garlic. What was noteworthy was that I tore the tofu into pieces instead of cutting it up into cubes, like I usually do. This made it easier to evenly brown, or perhaps just made the parts that weren't evenly browned less noticeable. (With cubed tofu, there's always one or two pale white sides on the cube when I'm done.) I got the idea to tear up the tofu from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
I reheated some at work (it tasted shockingly good as leftovers), and had two different college kids ask about the tasty-looking chicken dish I was eating. They were right; it looked just like chicken! One of them even thought it smelled like chicken.
This makes me think that tearing up tofu and sauteing it would be a good food to serve people afraid of tofu, as a sort of entry-level dish. On the other hand, maybe it would just trick them, since their mouth and their eyes would be giving differing reports... Regardless, if sauteed tofu, asparagus, and morels sounds at all good to you, definitely try it! Super springy and delicious!
Don't forget to enter my contest for a free copy of The Year of the Gadfly and a tasty snack! Deadline Monday May 7th at noon, CST.
I reheated some at work (it tasted shockingly good as leftovers), and had two different college kids ask about the tasty-looking chicken dish I was eating. They were right; it looked just like chicken! One of them even thought it smelled like chicken.
This makes me think that tearing up tofu and sauteing it would be a good food to serve people afraid of tofu, as a sort of entry-level dish. On the other hand, maybe it would just trick them, since their mouth and their eyes would be giving differing reports... Regardless, if sauteed tofu, asparagus, and morels sounds at all good to you, definitely try it! Super springy and delicious!
Don't forget to enter my contest for a free copy of The Year of the Gadfly and a tasty snack! Deadline Monday May 7th at noon, CST.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Giveaway!
It's time for my first giveaway! Would you like to win a copy of The Year of the Gadfly BEFORE it's released? Since (as I said in my review in my last post) I got a review copy, I want to give it away, to share it with more readers.
I also will give the winner a snack to enjoy it with, as there's nothing I love more than eating and reading. Snack will be pre-packaged and is to-be-determined.
The deadline to enter will be next Monday, May 7th, at NOON. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with the title of your favorite book, one you think other people ought to read if they haven't. Also include a way for me to contact you. If you don't want to post your email address, you can email me with it.
I will choose a winner randomly next Monday afternoon.
Bonus! To get multiple entries email me (holden.elizabethann@gmail.com) with a link showing you posting a link to my blog on your own blog, or on Twitter, facebook, or Google +; or use feedburner to subscribe to my blog (feedburner link is on the right side of this page).
I also will give the winner a snack to enjoy it with, as there's nothing I love more than eating and reading. Snack will be pre-packaged and is to-be-determined.
The deadline to enter will be next Monday, May 7th, at NOON. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with the title of your favorite book, one you think other people ought to read if they haven't. Also include a way for me to contact you. If you don't want to post your email address, you can email me with it.
I will choose a winner randomly next Monday afternoon.
Bonus! To get multiple entries email me (holden.elizabethann@gmail.com) with a link showing you posting a link to my blog on your own blog, or on Twitter, facebook, or Google +; or use feedburner to subscribe to my blog (feedburner link is on the right side of this page).
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Year of the Gadfly
I just finished reading The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller. This was one of those books where I had to stay up late to finish it even though I was exhausted and had to get up early the next morning. It was actually a really great Friday night. I was in a hotel, traveling for work. I laid in a huge comfy bed, ate a vending machine snack or two (Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips), and read a great mystery novel.
The Year of the Gadfly is about Iris Dupont, a new student at Mariana Academy, a posh prep school not far from Boston. Iris is recovering from recent terrible events involving her best friend Dalia, and her family has moved into the house of the former Mariana headmaster. Iris soon finds out that Mariana Academy is full of secrets, like the existence of a long-hidden group within the school called Prisom's Party. These secrets turn out to involve the new biology teacher, Jonah Kaplan, as well as Lily, the former headmaster's daughter, whose bedroom Iris is currently staying in.
I liked this a lot. Besides the central mystery, there are a lot of thematically interesting things about moral ambiguity, fitting in, and fallibility. It also, as books about teenagers often do, made me so glad I'm no longer in high school!
It goes on sale in a couple weeks, on May 8th. (Yes, I got to review it ahead of time! Yay!) Order it here: The Year of the Gadfly
The Year of the Gadfly is about Iris Dupont, a new student at Mariana Academy, a posh prep school not far from Boston. Iris is recovering from recent terrible events involving her best friend Dalia, and her family has moved into the house of the former Mariana headmaster. Iris soon finds out that Mariana Academy is full of secrets, like the existence of a long-hidden group within the school called Prisom's Party. These secrets turn out to involve the new biology teacher, Jonah Kaplan, as well as Lily, the former headmaster's daughter, whose bedroom Iris is currently staying in.
I liked this a lot. Besides the central mystery, there are a lot of thematically interesting things about moral ambiguity, fitting in, and fallibility. It also, as books about teenagers often do, made me so glad I'm no longer in high school!
It goes on sale in a couple weeks, on May 8th. (Yes, I got to review it ahead of time! Yay!) Order it here: The Year of the Gadfly
Monday, April 23, 2012
Thank You Package!
Awhile ago, I posted a blog entry about my collection of Honest Tea bottles in my garage. (Currently I've had 12 this semester.) I put the photo and info on here and then didn't think about it. Well, last week I got an email from someone at Honest Tea who said they saw the post and that they wanted to send me a thank you package. Is that not totally awesome? I was shocked and excited.
It arrived today!
Here it is! What could be inside? Tea, perhaps?
Indeed, tea! Twelve bottles!
Six bottles of unsweetened green and six bottles of unsweetened black, my favorite kinds!
Also a nice reusable shopping bag and a bracelet!
Thanks, Honest Tea!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
1Q84
I just finished reading 1Q84, Haruki Murakami's latest. It was really not very good! Not good at all! It shocked me, because I've loved almost all of the books of his that I've read so far. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles was absolutely amazing, for example. But this--I was disappointed.
Here's my quick plot review. It's a little spoiler-y (no end-of-the-book spoilers, but some mid-book ones), so you're warned:
Tengo and Aomame met when they were ten, and then were separated. They've been basically in love with each other ever since, even as they've gone on to get jobs, sleep with other people, etc. Now they're 30, and it's 1984. Tengo is a math instructor, and just ghost-wrote a novel created by this strange seventeen-year-old girl. Aomame, besides teaching at a gym, kills abusive men in a way that makes it look like they've died of natural causes.
Both of them have somehow been transported to another version of our world, one slightly off. Aomame names it 1Q84. This world has something to do with Fuka-Eri (the seventeen-year-old writer) and her novel, which turns out to be true. 1Q84 has two moons, and historic events aren't quite the same. Most importantly, it has "Little People," tiny beings that remind me of faeries (the mischievous, dangerous type). Little People crawl into the world out of dead things' mouths, and somehow control events. There's a cult built around them, a cult led by Fuka-Eri's father, who Aomame gets assigned to kill.
We'll leave it there.
I have no problem with fantasy, or even a sort of magical-realism half-fantasy. So the Little People, the two moons, etc., were not an issue for me. What I hated was the writing itself. It was repetitive. Like, OKAY, I've got it, Aomame is in perfect health and very fit, but is insecure about her breasts. (I feel like writing to Haruki Murakami and saying "No real woman thinks about breasts this much!") And I've got it, Fuka-Eri has a strange way of talking. Every little point was just beat to death, and taken incredibly seriously.
The very beginning of the book follows Aomame as she kills a man. It struck me as almost a typical action-y novel where the protagonist is unrealistically perfect and hot, and we never really learn what makes them tick, and they do all this bad-ass stuff. I didn't have that impression for the whole book, but I will say, I never warmed to Aomame, and I never really felt like I understood her or Tengo. I was told why they felt certain things (told many times) but it never felt true.
I could say lots more, but there's no need. The point is, I just read a 900-page book out of a mix of stubbornness and confusion (confusion because I've loved his other books so much). I don't recommend it.
Here's my quick plot review. It's a little spoiler-y (no end-of-the-book spoilers, but some mid-book ones), so you're warned:
Tengo and Aomame met when they were ten, and then were separated. They've been basically in love with each other ever since, even as they've gone on to get jobs, sleep with other people, etc. Now they're 30, and it's 1984. Tengo is a math instructor, and just ghost-wrote a novel created by this strange seventeen-year-old girl. Aomame, besides teaching at a gym, kills abusive men in a way that makes it look like they've died of natural causes.
Both of them have somehow been transported to another version of our world, one slightly off. Aomame names it 1Q84. This world has something to do with Fuka-Eri (the seventeen-year-old writer) and her novel, which turns out to be true. 1Q84 has two moons, and historic events aren't quite the same. Most importantly, it has "Little People," tiny beings that remind me of faeries (the mischievous, dangerous type). Little People crawl into the world out of dead things' mouths, and somehow control events. There's a cult built around them, a cult led by Fuka-Eri's father, who Aomame gets assigned to kill.
We'll leave it there.
I have no problem with fantasy, or even a sort of magical-realism half-fantasy. So the Little People, the two moons, etc., were not an issue for me. What I hated was the writing itself. It was repetitive. Like, OKAY, I've got it, Aomame is in perfect health and very fit, but is insecure about her breasts. (I feel like writing to Haruki Murakami and saying "No real woman thinks about breasts this much!") And I've got it, Fuka-Eri has a strange way of talking. Every little point was just beat to death, and taken incredibly seriously.
The very beginning of the book follows Aomame as she kills a man. It struck me as almost a typical action-y novel where the protagonist is unrealistically perfect and hot, and we never really learn what makes them tick, and they do all this bad-ass stuff. I didn't have that impression for the whole book, but I will say, I never warmed to Aomame, and I never really felt like I understood her or Tengo. I was told why they felt certain things (told many times) but it never felt true.
I could say lots more, but there's no need. The point is, I just read a 900-page book out of a mix of stubbornness and confusion (confusion because I've loved his other books so much). I don't recommend it.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Infinite Jest
So. I read Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace's 1000-page monster of a novel. I've owned it since 1997. I got my first job when I was fifteen, at little bookstore, and Infinite Jest always looked interesting to me, sitting there on the shelf. So one day I bought it. Then I hung onto it for 15 years.
I started it last fall because a friend asked if I'd ever read it, and said it was great. I'd been reading for a long time about how amazing David Foster Wallace is, but a recommendation from someone I knew finally pushed me into opening it up.
I'd tried to read it before, of course. But it takes place in the near future, where the years are subsidized by companies (The Year of the Perdue Wonder Chicken, for example, instead of, say, 2006), and it switches characters a lot initially, and it was just too much.
But my friend assured me that after the first 200 pages, it got a lot more readable, so I vowed to stick with it for at least 201. By the time I got past 200, it was still kind of tough, but I was already 20% in, so I decided to stick with it.
It's not especially readable, particularly in those first 200 pages. At first it follows Hal, a teenager at a tennis academy, then Hal's football player brother Orin, then Don Gately, the ex-junkie and -thief, then other random characters, all mixed around. And you don't know how their stories relate. And there are tons of footnotes. And you don't know if you aren't understanding references to things because you missed something, or because it will be revealed in time, or because it's the future and things are different and it's okay if you don't understand all of it.
But eventually, things settle down, focusing on Hal, Don, and Steeply and Marathe, two undercover agents having a meeting on a mountain in Arizona. There's a video, referred to as The Entertainment, that kills people, essentially. When you watch it, you get so entranced and entertained that you lose your mind and can't function anymore.
Figuring out who made the tape, and where the master copy is, and how to get it, could be considered the main plot of the novel. But there's a lot more to it than that. Like Eschaton, the complicated tennis-based world-domination game played at the tennis academy. And Madame Psychosis, a drug addict radio host who is also Orin's ex-girlfriend and also wears a veil to cover her deformities. And Alcoholics Anonymous. And Hal's relationship with his dad, and his dad's relationship with his own dad. And all these random objects at the academy disappearing and moving on their own. And a million other things.
I'm glad I read it. It was intense. It wasn't easy to read. It didn't tie everything up in a neat package. But I don't think I'll forget it quickly.
I started it last fall because a friend asked if I'd ever read it, and said it was great. I'd been reading for a long time about how amazing David Foster Wallace is, but a recommendation from someone I knew finally pushed me into opening it up.
I'd tried to read it before, of course. But it takes place in the near future, where the years are subsidized by companies (The Year of the Perdue Wonder Chicken, for example, instead of, say, 2006), and it switches characters a lot initially, and it was just too much.
But my friend assured me that after the first 200 pages, it got a lot more readable, so I vowed to stick with it for at least 201. By the time I got past 200, it was still kind of tough, but I was already 20% in, so I decided to stick with it.
It's not especially readable, particularly in those first 200 pages. At first it follows Hal, a teenager at a tennis academy, then Hal's football player brother Orin, then Don Gately, the ex-junkie and -thief, then other random characters, all mixed around. And you don't know how their stories relate. And there are tons of footnotes. And you don't know if you aren't understanding references to things because you missed something, or because it will be revealed in time, or because it's the future and things are different and it's okay if you don't understand all of it.
But eventually, things settle down, focusing on Hal, Don, and Steeply and Marathe, two undercover agents having a meeting on a mountain in Arizona. There's a video, referred to as The Entertainment, that kills people, essentially. When you watch it, you get so entranced and entertained that you lose your mind and can't function anymore.
Figuring out who made the tape, and where the master copy is, and how to get it, could be considered the main plot of the novel. But there's a lot more to it than that. Like Eschaton, the complicated tennis-based world-domination game played at the tennis academy. And Madame Psychosis, a drug addict radio host who is also Orin's ex-girlfriend and also wears a veil to cover her deformities. And Alcoholics Anonymous. And Hal's relationship with his dad, and his dad's relationship with his own dad. And all these random objects at the academy disappearing and moving on their own. And a million other things.
I'm glad I read it. It was intense. It wasn't easy to read. It didn't tie everything up in a neat package. But I don't think I'll forget it quickly.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Norwegian Wood
I read another Haruki Murakami book last week. Norwegian Wood is the first book of his that I've read that has a linear, explicable plot. It takes place in Japan, in 1969 and 1970. A college student falls in love with the ex-girlfriend of his dead best friend, and feels understandably conflicted about it. She has some issues of her own. He also befriends an outspoken, funny girl and a confident, woman-chasing man. The cultural revolution is going on in the background.
It's great. And I have to admit to being so relieved that there was a tidy narrative structure, with answers and everything--particularly because I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Infinite Jest took me about six months, on and off, and it was definitely not tidy or explicable.
It's great. And I have to admit to being so relieved that there was a tidy narrative structure, with answers and everything--particularly because I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Infinite Jest took me about six months, on and off, and it was definitely not tidy or explicable.
Friday, April 6, 2012
The Marriage Plot
I read The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides a couple weeks ago. Loved it. Couldn't put it down. It's about three college graduates in the early 1980s: Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell. It's a love triangle, but so much more. Mitchell travels abroad, first to Europe and then India. Leonard struggles with bipolar disorder. Madeleine gets consumed by her relationship with Leonard. It's very real, and the ending made me happy. It ended on a positive note but didn't seem tacked on or false.
It was the first book I read on my kindle, instead of a paper copy. I have to admit, reading on the kindle isn't as good. But it does have advantages. I will be going to Europe for two and a half weeks this summer; the kindle will be packed full of books, and my suitcase won't be.
It was the first book I read on my kindle, instead of a paper copy. I have to admit, reading on the kindle isn't as good. But it does have advantages. I will be going to Europe for two and a half weeks this summer; the kindle will be packed full of books, and my suitcase won't be.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
"Turn the Beat Around" (homophone edition)
Homophone:
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Published Again!
I meant to post information on this weeks ago!
I have a short story, "The Dog," published on Fiction365. Fiction365 publishes a new short story every day, and then archives them. I really like all the ones I've read there, AND it's the first time I'm being paid for my writing! Yay!
Check it out. Select "February 7th 2012" on their little calendar.
Go Here: Fiction365.com
I also have a short story, "Ella Hart's Mother," published on Every Day Fiction. Every Day Fiction operates the same as Fiction365, sending flash fiction each day and archiving it, but they also have the option to send the stories in an app to your phone or tablet, which is pretty neat. You can also vote on and comment on stories. The author of the highest rated story each month is interviewed on their site.
Check it out. Look for "Ella Hart's Mother" by Elizabeth Holden in the "recent stories" sidebar, or search for it in their search box.
Go Here: everydayfiction.com
I have a short story, "The Dog," published on Fiction365. Fiction365 publishes a new short story every day, and then archives them. I really like all the ones I've read there, AND it's the first time I'm being paid for my writing! Yay!
Check it out. Select "February 7th 2012" on their little calendar.
Go Here: Fiction365.com
I also have a short story, "Ella Hart's Mother," published on Every Day Fiction. Every Day Fiction operates the same as Fiction365, sending flash fiction each day and archiving it, but they also have the option to send the stories in an app to your phone or tablet, which is pretty neat. You can also vote on and comment on stories. The author of the highest rated story each month is interviewed on their site.
Check it out. Look for "Ella Hart's Mother" by Elizabeth Holden in the "recent stories" sidebar, or search for it in their search box.
Go Here: everydayfiction.com
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Tea bottles
I drink a lot of tea. Hot tea, iced tea. Loose leaf or in tea bags. Day or night.
On many afternoon I stop at Driftless Market to get a bottle of Honest Tea iced tea, usually black but occasionally green. Their unsweetened flavors are just amazing. (Sweetened might be okay, but I hate sweetened bottled tea, so I've never even tried it.)
I decided last semester to track just how much of this delicious stuff I drink. It started because I accidentally left a few bottles in the garage: somehow they didn't make it the short distance from my car into my actual house. So I started collecting them. Below, all the Honest Tea I drank in the fall 2011 semester:
I drank 21 bottles. Not as many as you might think, but Wisconsin winters are cold, and by December I didn't really want a chilly iced tea for my commute home. All but one were black tea.
What will be interesting (well, to me) is when I have done this for several semesters. Then I will build the photos into a bar graph, showing tea drinking as function of time, in semester increments.
At this point in the spring semester I have had 9 bottles. I think that number will pick up as the weather gets warmer. I'm sure everyone will be excitedly awaiting the results.
On many afternoon I stop at Driftless Market to get a bottle of Honest Tea iced tea, usually black but occasionally green. Their unsweetened flavors are just amazing. (Sweetened might be okay, but I hate sweetened bottled tea, so I've never even tried it.)
I decided last semester to track just how much of this delicious stuff I drink. It started because I accidentally left a few bottles in the garage: somehow they didn't make it the short distance from my car into my actual house. So I started collecting them. Below, all the Honest Tea I drank in the fall 2011 semester:
I drank 21 bottles. Not as many as you might think, but Wisconsin winters are cold, and by December I didn't really want a chilly iced tea for my commute home. All but one were black tea.
What will be interesting (well, to me) is when I have done this for several semesters. Then I will build the photos into a bar graph, showing tea drinking as function of time, in semester increments.
At this point in the spring semester I have had 9 bottles. I think that number will pick up as the weather gets warmer. I'm sure everyone will be excitedly awaiting the results.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Being An Adult
If you can't occasionally buy a horse's head mask for yourself on a whim, then what's even the point of having a job and making decent money? I've been telling my friends and family that, after emailing them this photo with no explanation. That, a friend of mine decided, is what being an adult is all about: having the means and the decision-making power to buy yourself a horse mask when necessary.
The dogs love it, although one of them is a little nervous it might bite.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Another Ferret
I thought I posted this already, but apparently it didn't work. Anyway, here's another ferret drawing. This one has a shortish tail but a nicely proportioned head. Also, the french toast was delicious the next day with maple syrup, blueberries, and walnuts.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Discovery
I found this while cleaning the fridge. Does vinegar go bad? It is deliberately aged, so does this mean my vinegar is just extra vinegar-y? Regardless, check it out. There are children who were born after the 'best by' date who are now in school.
(If you can't read that date, it's "04/10/07")
Thursday, January 19, 2012
What I Should Have Done To That Squash!
The meal I made with pasta, butternut squash and sage (which I described in the previous post) was yummy, but not identical in flavor to the restaurant version I was imitating. The squash at the restaurant had a little bite to it, a little tanginess that I wasn't able to replicate. I didn't know why--I thought maybe it didn't caramelize well enough or something.
But today I was skimming a cookbook and saw a recipe for something with butternut squash and balsamic vinegar, and I realized it immediately! That's what I should've added! Balsamic vinegar next time, for sure.
But today I was skimming a cookbook and saw a recipe for something with butternut squash and balsamic vinegar, and I realized it immediately! That's what I should've added! Balsamic vinegar next time, for sure.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Pasta, Squash, Sage
I made another tasty pasta dinner the other night. Normally my boyfriend and I eat a lot of rice, so this is somewhat unusual.
So this dish is a quick, fake version of a meal I had at an Italian restaurant last week. I had butternut squash ravioli with sage at the restaurant, but that's too hard for me to bother to make myself. So instead I made penne pasta with diced butternut squash and sage. It was very tasty.
I cooked the pasta while in a separate pan sauteing the cubed squash and fresh sage leaves in Earth Balance fake butter, cinnamon, and chili powder. Once the pasta was almost done, I mixed it with the squash etc., and cooked the whole mess together for a bit.
I felt like I added a ton of Earth Balance, and yet my dish was soooo much less buttery than the one I had at the restaurant. I can only imagine how much butter they used there.
Oh yes, and credit to my mom for realizing the dish could be imitated at home. Thanks, Mom!
So this dish is a quick, fake version of a meal I had at an Italian restaurant last week. I had butternut squash ravioli with sage at the restaurant, but that's too hard for me to bother to make myself. So instead I made penne pasta with diced butternut squash and sage. It was very tasty.
I cooked the pasta while in a separate pan sauteing the cubed squash and fresh sage leaves in Earth Balance fake butter, cinnamon, and chili powder. Once the pasta was almost done, I mixed it with the squash etc., and cooked the whole mess together for a bit.
I felt like I added a ton of Earth Balance, and yet my dish was soooo much less buttery than the one I had at the restaurant. I can only imagine how much butter they used there.
Oh yes, and credit to my mom for realizing the dish could be imitated at home. Thanks, Mom!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Restaurant, Book
Another idea: A Japanese/Mexican fusion restaurant called Tako Taco. (Tako is Japanese for octopus.) Perhaps a cute cartoon octopus wearing a sombrero as the mascot?
Also, I am halfway through the book The City and The City by Chica Mieville. I am absolutely fascinated by it. I started it for a brand new book club a friend started, and I'm so glad I did.
Before I started reading it, I didn't realize that it was sort of sci-fi. Sci-fi isn't quite the right word... There are two cities in Eastern Europe that are made up, where the action takes place, but otherwise the rest of the world is the same. The two cities, Beszel and Ul Quoma, are intermingled, geographically, but their citizens ignore ("unsee") each other. There's some great made-up language, like "topologanger."
Also, I am halfway through the book The City and The City by Chica Mieville. I am absolutely fascinated by it. I started it for a brand new book club a friend started, and I'm so glad I did.
Before I started reading it, I didn't realize that it was sort of sci-fi. Sci-fi isn't quite the right word... There are two cities in Eastern Europe that are made up, where the action takes place, but otherwise the rest of the world is the same. The two cities, Beszel and Ul Quoma, are intermingled, geographically, but their citizens ignore ("unsee") each other. There's some great made-up language, like "topologanger."
Friday, January 13, 2012
Ferrets
I usually draw a ferret on my to-go boxes from restaurants. (I had ferrets in college, not that that is really any sort of explanation.) My ferret drawings are ephemeral, gone once I'm done with my leftovers. So I've decided to record and post them here, at least some of them. You'll also get to see what I ordered, since usually the ferret has a speech bubble with that info.
Here is a recent one (he's saying "butternut squash ravioli"). The tail is a bit heavy but otherwise I'm pleased with him:
Here is a recent one (he's saying "butternut squash ravioli"). The tail is a bit heavy but otherwise I'm pleased with him:
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Ideas
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I keep a notebook in my purse that I use to write down all the ridiculous ideas I have, among other things. (Other things include stuff like the titles of books I want to read, drawings of expensive dresses I want but can't afford, haikus I've written about my softball team or Cadbury Creme Eggs, and encoded messages.) I thought I'd share some of my ideas (which range from insane and impossible to just goofy) here from time to time. A sampling:
I keep a notebook in my purse that I use to write down all the ridiculous ideas I have, among other things. (Other things include stuff like the titles of books I want to read, drawings of expensive dresses I want but can't afford, haikus I've written about my softball team or Cadbury Creme Eggs, and encoded messages.) I thought I'd share some of my ideas (which range from insane and impossible to just goofy) here from time to time. A sampling:
- A tattoo of an accordion on a woman's stomach. Why? Well, one concern with tattoos is that, depending on where you get them, that body part might not look as good as you age. But think about this: the woman gets pregnant or fat, the accordion stretches out. She gets stretch marks, the accordion looks 3D. It's perfect! It's also just about the ugliest thing I can imagine, but that's not the point.
- Cinnabon Tower. Build a narrow tower with a Cinnabon at the top. Make it the right height so that by the time you get to the top, you've burned off all the calories in one of their giant cinnamon rolls.
- Cup-holder bracelets. Don't you hate when you go to a show or sporting event, and you want to clap but you can't because you're holding your drink? If you have a bracelet that can convert into a temporary cup holder, you can set your drink in there, free up your hand, and cheer away!
There's lots more.
As a bonus, here's a haiku:
sweet milk chocolate shell
thick to guard precious contents
white and yellow creme
Thursday, January 5, 2012
A dinner
I made "Pasta della Helen Werner" the other night, a dish named by me and invented by my sister, (you guessed it), Helen Werner.
Brown (pressed, cubed, extra-firm) tofu in a heated pan. Brush it with a mixture of olive oil and spices of your choice (I used olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder), and turn it periodically. Concurrently be cooking pasta. After the tofu is starting to get a little crispy, add chopped up asparagus. Cook it around. Add the pasta, cook it some more. Continue occasionally adding more of the olive oil mixture while doing all this. Serve it with avocado sliced on top.
There was something that sounded really weird to me about tofu and pasta together, but then I thought, hey, there are tons of pasta dishes served with grilled chicken, so why not? Also, pasta and avocado seemed a little scary, but the authors of The Veganomicon, my favorite cookbook ever, assure me it's yummy.
And indeed it was!
Brown (pressed, cubed, extra-firm) tofu in a heated pan. Brush it with a mixture of olive oil and spices of your choice (I used olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder), and turn it periodically. Concurrently be cooking pasta. After the tofu is starting to get a little crispy, add chopped up asparagus. Cook it around. Add the pasta, cook it some more. Continue occasionally adding more of the olive oil mixture while doing all this. Serve it with avocado sliced on top.
There was something that sounded really weird to me about tofu and pasta together, but then I thought, hey, there are tons of pasta dishes served with grilled chicken, so why not? Also, pasta and avocado seemed a little scary, but the authors of The Veganomicon, my favorite cookbook ever, assure me it's yummy.
And indeed it was!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Shoes
I just got myself an excellent new pair of shoes. They're Steve Madden flats, very comfy. And although they look like they belong at New Year's Eve parties, I think I can wear them to work with pants and a sweater.
Also, I've already broken my New Year's Resolution, reading comments on articles. But at least I still haven't read any on Slate.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Resolution
My New Year's Resolution is seemingly small, but could be tough. I'm no longer reading comments on articles online, unless it's on the AVClub (or on here or a friend's blog, obviously). The comments on Slate, besides eating my time, were just making my blood boil. I'd find myself getting mad at people I never have and never will meet. Useless.
So here we go. No more reading comments on Slate, or The Hairpin, or MLB, or (God forbid) Youtube, or anything else.
So here we go. No more reading comments on Slate, or The Hairpin, or MLB, or (God forbid) Youtube, or anything else.
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