Overrated.

There's a restaurant in the town where I live that a lot of people love. It's located very close to my place of employment, and many fancy dinners have been held there before events in my building. I've only been there twice: once for cocktails and apps, once for lunch - today.
And I'm here to tell you: this place is overrated. Everything is WAY too fancy. I didn't want a braised duck sandwich or a pizza with peas, so I ordered the plainest thing on the menu - a grilled three-cheese sandwich with tomatoes, and a side salad.
OK, my sandwich was awful. Way too much flavor in the cheese. No, I wasn't expecting Velveeta, but they used what I like to call "garnish cheeses," or "salad cheeses." I LOVE gorgonzola on a salad, but as a main component on a sandwich? Too much. And the tomatoes were drenched in balsamic vinegar - so much wang that my I'm sure my face puckered. Then there's the salad, also awful, but to the extreme opposite. It was a pile of greens. Listen up, restauranteurs: if you're serving a pile of greens, call it "a pile of greens." Lettuce on its own is NOT a salad. At a minimum, dressing is required; throw in some shredded carrot, a banana, a walnut - or some gorgonzola - and now you're talking.

Next time I'm invited along, I'm going to have to make an excuse to not go.

bad apps, bad cocktails, bad lunch - D- (points for free)

Cannonball Read - Book 27

Jose Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, and I totally understand why. Blindness was like no book I've ever read before - except for, maybe, The Road, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. None of the characters had names. The punctuation was scant, and sentences ran to half-a-page or longer. Sometimes, that made my eyes hurt. Maybe that was the point.
Blindness is the story of a population suddenly gone blind. People are interred in an abandoned asylum, left to fend for themselves with minimal government intervention, and it's pretty horrifying what happens to these people. Both the good guys and the bad guys suffer awful things, and it can be hard to root for the good guys at times. But then, just when you think it can't get any worse - it doesn't. It's over. The ending was kind of a letdown.
Fancy writer people say the Blindness is an allegory on spiritual blindness. Well, duh.

Blindness - B

Cannonball Read - Book 26

I won't be giving anything away if I write the back cover description of My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming, since the title pretty much says it all:

My name is Howard Dully. In 1960, when I was twelve years old, I was given a lobotomy. My stepmother arranged it. My father agreed to it. Dr. Walter Freeman, the man who invented the "ice pick" lobotomy, performed it. My family paid the hospital $200. And I never understood why. I wasn't a violent kid. I had never hurt anyone. I wasn't failing out of school. Was there something I had done that was so horrible I deserved a lobotomy? I asked myself that question for more than forty years. Then, when I turned fifty-four, I went looking for the answer.

And there you have it. Dully was twelve years old when he got a transorbital lobotomy - which means that Dr. Freeman stuck some sharp pointy objects through Dully's eye sockets, squigged 'em around a little, and called it good. And he's spent the rest of his life dealing with the effects. This book was horrifying. Not graphic - not really. There were a few descriptions I could have done without, and a real effed-up picture. No, it was horrifying because there really wasn't any reason for Dully to have a lobotomy. My guess is, he was bright but bored, sensitive, and probably had ADHD. His stepmother found it hard to control him, and so she found a way for him to be out of the house: the lobotomy. 'Cause after that, he pretty much never lived in her house again - he was in asylums, halfway houses, or jail. The reader is left to wonder if the stepmother wanted him out so bad that she was willing to see him die, which happened with a lot of lobotomy patients. And then poor Howard never really got off the ground in life. Things were rough for him - asylums, jail time, bad relationships, and an overall inability to take care of himself.

As Howard got older and life got a little easier (with a wife and kids and a steady job he liked), he started to wonder more about the lobotomy, and why it happened; one thing led to another, and he was contacted by the fine folks at NPR for the Sound Portraits series. He was able to look at records from before his lobotomy, including notes on all the conversations his stepmother had with Dr. Freeman. And he finally spoke with his father about his role in the whole thing. This section was probably the most devastating in the entire book. His father accepted no blame, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and strangle him.

So: the writing was up and down. There were some passages that were really well written and compelling. But then there were some parts that were, well, choppy (no lobotomy pun intended). They just didn't jive with the rest of the book. But it was a quick read, and I had a hard time putting it down. Good for a short trip, or a solid day off.

My Lobotomy - B

Cannonball Read - Book 25

Let me start by saying that if you want to read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and have the major plot points unrevealed, don't read the book jacket. The hubs made the mistake of reading the inside of the book jacket, where it pretty much spells out a significant event that otherwise he wouldn't have seen coming. He was very disappointed. So no book jacket - and no big description from me.
I will tell you this: this is one of the saddest books I've read in a long time. David Wroblewski has written a heartbreaking tale of a boy, his family, their dogs, and their tragedies. And I hope I'm not giving too much away to tell you that the segments written from the dogs' points-of-view are gut-wrenchingly beautiful. I don't know if I can ever look at my dog the same way again, knowing what might be going on in his little fuzzy head. I was sad when it ended, on so many levels - the book was over, and these poor people's lives were just shattered.

Wonderful.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - A-

All Grown Up

From this:











































To this:




Happy Birthday, buddy.

Wash - A+

Cannonball Read - Book 24

It's becoming a burden, this challenge. I haven't really enjoyed the last two or three books I've read, including this one, A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain. Perhaps it's because I loved Kitchen Confidential so hard, or because reading this book was sort of like reading eight episodes of No Reservations (although he set out a disclaimer that he was followed around by a camera crew for Food Network while writing the book). More likely, it's because I'm reading to get through it, not to savor anything. I love to read. It's probably my most favorite thing to do. But there should be some fallow time, you know? A time when I'm not currently reading anything might allow me to more fully enjoy the things I do read. But I don't have that luxury. Onwards and upwards.

Also, and this is important: I'm now officially part of the nationwide Cannonball Read network. I'm holding my own against some combatants who entered the race long before I did, and pretty soon I'll be listed as class Honky Tonk Badonkadonk (after that: Rusty Trombone, First Chair). But here's the deal: we're about to have a 5K. Five books in two weeks (April 15-29), and I have to pick one from each of the following five genres: fiction, non-fiction, biography, sci-fi or fantasy, and romance. I have fiction and sci-fi all wrapped up, but I need some solid suggestions on the other three catergories. Remember, over 200 pages - leave your suggestions in the comments!

Back to Bourdain - I'm sorry I couldn't give this one a fair chance. You came at a bad time, buddy, and I'm also a little over your gonzo-ness.

A Cook's Tour - C

Cannonball Read - Book 23

I purchased So You Want To Be a Wizard at my neighborhood used book store, straight out of the Young Adult section, 'cause hey, I like wizards. And I was looking for an easy read. But I didn't love it. I needed more time for Nita, the protagonist, to not be a wizard. And I definitely needed more time for her to be bad at being a wizard. It was like, OK, I'm a wizard now, and I'm not making many mistakes. I also needed the main characters to not be a boy, a girl, a ball of light and a Lotus Esprit. Elves and centaurs I can handle, but a dog-like Lotus Esprit? Far-fetched, even for a book about wizards.

This was written in 1983, so I can't blame Diane Duane for writing a super-lame version of Harry Potter.

So You Want To Be a Wizard - C

Cannonball Read - Book 22

I am officially behind. I should have read 25 books by the end of March in order to be on track for 100 by the end of the year. I'm only a little concerned. I plan to do lots of read on my next mini-vacay, coming up in two weeks.

To the matter at hand: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. Chabon is the author of one of the books on my top-ten-of-all-time list (which, by the way, I intend on writing about one of these days), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. And as every good pageant queen knows, you shouldn't judge one contestant in comparison to another - each should be judged solely on the criteria set forth and how she rates, not on how she rates next to someone else. But as every good pageant queen also knows, this is next to impossible. Try as they might, judges inevitably compare one girl to another; it might be subconscious, but it happens.

So. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. It was quite good. Chabon is a hell of a writer. There was a moment that made me stop reading, say "Wow," then re-read the phrase two more times, because it was that beautiful. Taken independently, this could easily get an A. But I couldn't help comparing it to Kavalier and Clay. It didn't grab me as hard; at times I found the characters unbelievable in their hipness - it was sort of like Juno in that way. Actually, now that I stop and think about it, I never really rooted for most of the characters. And while there were some beautifully written moments, there weren't as many as in Kavalier and Clay. I shouldn't compare the two, but I did, and M of P came up short... but only a little.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - A-

Cannonball Read - Book 21

Chang and Eng was a nice change from What a Girl Wants... because it was good.
Historical fiction - showing itself once again to be a favorite of mine. I like that the conversations are made up, that certain occurences in the novel are created by the author, but there is an undercurrent of fact throughout. And who doesn't love sideshow freaks? Of course, there was more to Chang and Eng than just the five-inch band that tied them together - Eng was the smart, silent one, Chang the ham who played to the crowd. Definitely a quick read, it held my interest, left me wanting more... all the good stuff.

Chang and Eng - A-

Cannonball Read - Book 20

I like books, OK? I like to read. I think all books are wonderful, simply because they're books. I started this challenge knowing that a book would be hard-pressed to get an F. And if you look back at the rest of the books I've read so far, you'll see that the lowest grade I've given so far was a C- (read more about that less-than-average book here. It just pains me to think of giving a book, probably what has given me more pleasure in my life than any other thing, a failing grade.

With that...

THIS BOOK WAS TERRIBLE. Once I got about 40 pages in, I thought, OK. I can quit reading it now and not be much more behind in the challenge than I already am. But then I thought, And deny myself the opportunity to give a bad grade? Never! When I bought WAGW at the used bookstore downtown, I knew it wasn't going to be amazing. Four very different friends, meeting once a week for breakfast, one always in crisis... sound familiar? But a cheap knock-off, for sure, and I was OK with that going into it. Like I said, I wasn't viewing this as the next great literary masterpiece. But OH MY GOD, was it bad. For one thing, the characters never seemed to come together. You never had a "Carrie's the glue, but Samantha and Charlotte really love each other independently of Carrie, too" moment. It seemed like two of the four characters were always at odds and didn't really like each other all that much. Another thing was, Hayley, the "Carrie" of the group, didn't have too many redeeming qualities. She was vapid, totally self-absorbed, stupid with men, and pretty boring, actually. I never cared about her. Or the other girls, for that matter. I would say this book was a total waste of time, except for this:

What A Girl Wants - F

Cannonball Read - Book 19

Finally. This one was a doozy. It doesn't help that I'm incredibly busy and only have about 20-30 minutes a day to read, but Suite Francaise was more intricate and meaty than most of the books I've read lately. It's two novellas about the German occupation of France in World War II, beginning with "Storm in June" and Parisians fleeing the city, and "Dolce" with German troops occuping a small village and the surrounding farms.
But the best part of the book is the story behind the story: Irene Nemirovsky wrote it in 1942, which is just about the same time that the novel is set. All signs point to that being pretty remarkable - to write, as one New York Times critic penned, such "exquisitely shaped and balanced fiction" while the events were taking place around her was no mean feat. It's not a diary - far from it. It's a gorgeous, lush, completely fictional story, and I really liked it.
And then there's the other story: Nemirovsky was killed at Auschwitz later in 1942, and the book wasn't published until 2004 - Nemirovsky's daughter had the manuscript, but thought it was a personal diary and didn't read it, "fearing it would simply renew old pains" (thanks NY Times critic). So it's pretty incredible that it got published at all.
So - glowing review? Not quite. I got bogged down a few times, and after "Storm in June" ended, I sort of just wanted it to be over. I think it was really good, but I didn't love it. I just liked it.

Suite Francaise - B+

My Favorite Words

I got to use one of my favorite words yesterday, and I was so excited about it that I had to share it with you:

PELETON!

I love the word "peleton." I love the way it sounds, I love that there's a word for this thing that could just be described by so many other words (pack and field come to mind), and I love that knowing this word makes me feel smart and cool. I love that it always makes me think of my brother, who is notorious for using a 25-cent word when a 5-cent word would do (he was quoted in the newspaper as saying "You see these bums and vagabonds in the street and it's appalling." When he was 10). And I love that it's a word that doesn't come up very often, so that when it does, I feel EXTRA smart and cool. Thanks, peleton.

What are your favorite words?

peleton - A

ER

I am so happy.

George's (and Julianna's and Eriq's) return - A+

Let The Countdown Begin

Tonight is the first night of the top 13 on American Idol... which means that, in less than four months, So You Think You Can Dance will be back on! YAY!!! I LOVE this show. It rules my life in the summer. I tolerate other reality shows (not you, Project Runway, you're in a class by yourself... come back to us!) but I adore SYTYCD. Have you watched it? If you have, we can stay friends. If you haven't... well, you really should, because otherwise we'll have nothing to talk about from June to September.

Here are a few videos to get you started:

Katee and Will's pas de deux. I can't abide David Archuleta, but this a beautiful piece by two of last season's best dancers.


Sabra and Neil's jazz piece from season 3. Out of control. Their paso doble that night was ridiculously good, but there's no good video of it. If you find one, let me know.


Sara and Jesus, also from season 3. So good. So very very good.


Hok's hands. Jaimie's feet. Sigh.

There's more where that came from - I can't wait for season five!

So You Think You Can Dance - A+

Cannonball Read - Book 18

Nate claims to have read Ender's Game when he was five. I think he's exaggerating - he probably read it when he was seven. But don't go thinking that this is a children's book. It's about children, yes, and was probably written with children in mind, but it totally transcends age groups and acts more as a commentary on war and education than on "kids."
Here's a little synopsis, courtesy of the back of the book:

Once again, Earth is under attack. Alien 'buggers' are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers.
But who?
Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.
Recruited for military training by the world goverment, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.
Right?

And there you have it. To be honest, I didn't like how predictable Ender's Game was. I totally saw the ending coming. But, it was a long road to get there, and I enjoyed every step along the way.

Ender's Game - A-

Interlude.

In honor of the upcoming arrival of NaiveNiece-or-Nephew, and to commemorate a little incident that took place yesterday, I'd like to share with you an anecdote from my tween years. When my buddies and I first began shaving our legs, around 6th grade or so, we use to share "war stories" on awful nicks and cuts. And I've never forgotten what my friend Katie told me: her mom said that the only pain in the world worse than a shaving mistake was...?

CHILDBIRTH.

Really? Um, I think maybe you don't know how to shave your legs, lady.

shaving mistakes - C+

Cannonball Read, Book 17

I just finished Lucy by Ellen Feldman, and it cements something I've thought for years: presidents are NAUGHTY! We have this image of a fine, upstanding citizen, smart, serious, not funny... or else you think that Bill Clinton had the market cornered on being cool. Not so. Franklin Roosevelt was a cad. He wore a straw boater, drove a convertible (of course, they might all have been convertibles in the teens) AND he had an affair. Not sure if he played the saxophone, though.
This book also confirms that I like woman-driven historical fiction. Two of my most faves are The Eight and The Red Tent, and while I don't think that Lucy will complete the triumverate, it was a solid read that made me want to do research on the real story. And, it left out some things that might be obvious, historically speaking, which I thought was kind of cool - it made me feel like I was in the know.

Lucy - B+

Cannonball Read - Book 16

I thought I hadn't read Heat before, but I had, about two years ago, and just once, so it counts. Heat is the story of a writer-guy who spends a year cooking in Mario Batali's kitchen, followed by a long stint in Italy learning how to make pasta, then how to be a butcher (both pig and cow). It's a book about food, for people who like food - and I like food, so I liked the book... but not as much as I liked Kitchen Confidential. I would say this was the thinking man's Kitchen Confidential, but I don't want to be the thinking man. Food shouldn't be so cerebral - or wordy. I would have liked more swear words.

Heat - B

Cannonball Read - TRIPLE Shot!

It's hard to find time to write when I spend every waking free-time moment reading. And watching the Oscars. And American Idol. And going to Chicago. But yes, I'm still reading, and the time on the train to and from CHI really helped me along (remember when I read a whole bunch on my way to and from California? I need to go on a trip every month). First up: The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. Some of you may know Pullman for his His Dark Materials trilogy - and some of you may not know him at all. Nate gave me this book for Valentine's Day, and since it was short and written for teenagers, I thought I'd give it a whirl and bump it up to the top of my list. There's mystery and intrigue, drugs and beatings, dead fathers and stolen diaries... so basically, it was kind of lame. It just didn't hold my interest. I finished it, but just because the protagonist is female and it's a book for teens, that doesn't mean I have to love it. Sorry, Nate.
Next up was Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There, about his excursion through Europe. I read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods last year, and then something else he wrote, and again, these funny writers just aren't that funny to me. Also, I've never been to Europe, so reading about the roads in Italy or the nasty food in Austria didn't really mean much to me. I think I'm done with Bryson for a while.

Finally, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This book won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and Stephen King (and Nate) loved it, and even though I tried to read it last year and didn't get very far, I decided to give it another whirl. And - WOW. This book is out-of-control awesome. I ANNIHILATED it on the train - started somewhere around Valparaiso and finished outside of Jackson. McCarthy has created a terrifying world and two wholly compelling characters, both of which you as a reader know so little about (where are they? what happened?), and I found it hanuting and sad and horrifying - which I thought maybe I would like, but didn't know I would love. And it made me think that maybe we need to have a can opener in our apocalypse survival kit.
The Ruby in the Smoke - C
Neither Here nor There - C-
The Road - A

Oscar Picks

UPDATE: I got 18 out of 24. AGAIN. That's the best I've ever done - I just can't break that 75% accurcay barrier. Maybe next year.

For those of you who are interested, here you go, my Oscar picks:




Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE "Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST DIRECTOR Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire")

BEST ACTRESS Kate Winslet ("The Reader")

BEST ACTOR Sean Penn ("Milk")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Viola Davis ("Doubt")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Heath Ledger "(The Dark Knight")

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "Waltz With Bashir" (Israel)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST EDITING “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

BEST SCORE “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman

BEST ART DIRECTION "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West

BEST ORIGINAL SONG “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar

BEST ANIMATED FILM "Wall-E"

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306,"A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

BEST MAKEUP “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom

BEST ANIMATED SHORT “Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

BEST SOUND MIXING “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King

BEST SOUND EDITING “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

WACKIEST OUTFIT man: Sean Penn; woman: Freida Pinto (bless her, she just doesn't know any better) or Meryl Streep

Cannonball Read - Book 12

This one wasn't so easy. Ian McEwan is lauded as one of the world's most brilliant contemporary writers, and this book was exceptional, but it was a bit of a tough read. Here's a quick synopsis: this guy Henry has a day off, and does all kinds of shit and all kinds of shit happens. Makes you want to read it, right? But it's so intricate, and while reading it, I really felt like I was along for the ride on Henry's Saturday. The details are rich and layered, and not overwhelming, but it's not the kind of book you can just read at night before going to bed. You need to dedicate some waking hours to reading. Shelve it until you can hunker down with it, that's my advice. I was definitely drawn in to Henry, the main character - he's so well-developed that at times I felt I was reading a true account of one man's day, instead of a fictional tale.
The weirdest part of this experience? Saturday is set on Saturday, February 15, 2003. I started the book on February 13th, and finished it on the 16th. Completely unintentional.

Saturday - B+

Cannonball Read - Book 11

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld is book 11 for the year. You may know Sittenfeld from her novel Prep, set in a boarding school (loved it!). American Wife is the fictional story of Alice Blackwell, a librarian who falls in love with a rapscallion with a storied family, a not-so-smart goof who drinks too much and ultimately ends up buying a baseball team - and who then becomes President of the United States. Sound familiar? Sittenfeld obviously based her protagonist on Laura Bush - but it's all fiction. But not. There are many aspects of Alice Blackwell that are ripped from Laura Bush's life, but she remains a fictional heroine, and certainly there are things that Alice says and does that we'll never know if Laura said or did...
This book is OUTSTANDING. I loved it and can't wait to a) loan it to all my friends and b) re-read it when this year-long project is over. There were lots of twists and turns, but encompassed in an incredibly familiar story - familiar because it's based in truth, in a woman that was part of our lives for over eight years. Now that George Bush is out of office, I wonder if Laura will come forward and speak about her life - now that I've read this book, I'd like to hear more about the real Alice Blackwell.

American Wife - A+

Cannonball Read Double-Shot

I'm still reading, but at a slower pace than in Janaury. Fewer holidays, busier weekends, that sort of thing. I am concerned that I will not meet my February goal, but I've also determined that I need to read 25 books every three months. Sounds doable, right?
Book 9 is Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen. I've only read one of Hiaasen's books before, and they're a nice diversion for me, as I don't usually go in for ecological mystery/thrillers about sport fishing, turtles or rednecks. Lucky You was a good read, kept me entertained, but I didn't LOVE it. It hasn't catapulted to the top of my all-time favorite books list, nor will I ever read it again. But that doesn't mean that it was bad. I guess I'm ambivalent.

Book 10 is Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen. I got this book for Nate for Christmas, because the cover was TOTALLY AWESOME. And the story sounded great, too: Brooklyn after the war, family rivalry, the diet craze, the Mafia, disinheritance... but ultimately, it was too much. The story was great, and certain sections were totally captivating and engrossing, but then there would be a whole separate section on a totally different topic and I couldn't quite stay plugged in.
Overall, I'd say two minor missteps in the year in books so far.

Lucky You - C+
Sweet and Low - C+

The Settlers of Catan

I've always been a big fan of board games.and When I was a little girl, I loved the Cabbage Patch Kids game, and yes, I played Girl Talk as a teen (talkin' bout Dateline!). Nowadays, I'm into Apples to Apples, because it's just awesome. You're having a game night? I'm there. And I'm bringing games.
We got a game this Christmas called The Settlers of Catan. I'd never heard of it, but I was assured it was incredibly cool. It's a little like Risk, which I never liked, and (so I'm told) a little like Civilization, which I've never heard of, so I was a little skeptical at first.
My first round changed all that. This game is OFF THE HOOK. The goal is to be the first to score ten victory points - but in order to get victory points, you have to build settlements, cities, and roads - but in order to do THAT, you have to have resource cards, which you acquire based on where your settlements are... I'm pretty bad at explaining it. Usually I let people who've never played before read the rule book. It's not complicated, just thoughtful. The only downside to Settlers of Catan is it's a 3 or 4 player game. Not two. Not five. If you want five people to play, you need to pick up an expansion pack at your friendly neighborhood board game shop. If you want two people to play... well, you better start looking for a friend to come over, 'cause it ain't happening with two.
In the photo above, Wash is surveying the game board, contemplating where to build his next road.
You can learn more about the Settlers of Catan here.

The Settlers of Catan - A

Cannonball Read, Book 8

I finished Melissa Bank's The Wonder Spot a couple days ago.  This is another collection of "short prose," same character throughout the collection of short stories... so it's not a short story collection, but it's not a novel (so it IS like Moral Disorder).  Are there lots of books like these?

'Cause I like 'em.

I've read Bank's The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing at least four times, so I knew what I was getting into.  I liked the stories quite a bit, but they all left me feeling unsettled - they all sort of veer away from a nice, neat ending.  That's OK, but sometimes I like nice & neat.  I wanted Sophie to get the guy and live happier ever after, and I'm not sure that she does... but maybe the whole point of the book is to leave you wondering.  Like the spot.

The Wonder Spot - B

Oscar Nomination Predictions

UPDATE: 74% accuracy without my runners-up, 80% with. Like I always do. Worst category? Best Original Screenplay - only one right guess. Best category? Best Adapted Screenplay - 100% accuracy!

I've been making Oscar predictions for the last eight years, but have only made nomination predictions for the last three. Here are my predictions from 2006, 2007, and 2008. I've never done better than about 80% accuracy in my nomination predictions - we'll see how I do this year.

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
runner-up: The Wrestler
I wish: Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
runner-up: Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
I wish: Colin Farrell, In Bruges

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road (note: Kate's nomination was for The Reader, so I got a half-point)
runner-up: Angelina Jolie, Changeling
I wish: Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City... not really

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
runner-up: James Franco, Milk
I wish: Emile Hirsch, Milk

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
runners-up and I wish: Amy Adams, Doubt and Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married - I love them both

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
runner-up: Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
I wish: Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married

Best Original Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Joel and Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading
Tom McCarthy, The Visitor
Nick Schenk, Gran Torino
Robert D. Siegel, The Wrestler
runner-up: Andrew Stanton, Wall-E
I wish: Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married

Best Adapted Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
David Hare, The Reader
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
runner-up: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
I wish: who knows? these look good to me

For a complete list of Oscar nominees, click here.

Gonzales

I need you to watch this.

I assure you you won't regret.

Working Together - A+

Cannonball Read - EXTREME EDITION!

Long distance flights are great. There's plenty of time for reading. There's also plenty of time for listening to Carmine from Laverne & Shirley tell stories about his newest project on Broadway, and how he played chess with Kiefer Sutherland when he appeared on 24. I, of course, had NO idea who he was. Sorry, Eddie.


But back to the reading: between my flight out to California on Thursday and my flight home today, I read THREE BOOKS! Hooray! First up: The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies. Davies lives and works right here in my town - so I'm thinking local - and The Welsh Girl is his first novel, although he's written some acclaimed short stories and poems.  Well, I liked the meat of The Welsh Girl, but it had a prologue and an epilogue that I didn't really love.  They were completely necessary to tell the story, to provice nice bookends for the plot, but I don't know why they weren't included as chapters.  Be that as it may, The Welsh Girl was quite good - a story of war, Wales and love.  Or something passing for love.  Companionship?  Shared secrets?  But I kept superimposing it with this book. I think I would have liked The Welsh Girl a lot better if it had been book ten or twenty instead of book five. But I shouldn't really fault it for its placement.

Next up: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I'd never read any of his books before, although I love the movie version of Fight Club, and my husband really liked this when he listened to the audio book... which makes me wonder a little bit about him. Because this book was CRAZY. And I definitely shouldn't have read it on the plane, because I didn't want people reading the phrase "she was throttling my dog" over my shoulder. At any rate, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it is very clever and quite funny, although parts of it were heart-hurty. I don't think the character got a lot of love as child. And there's a nice twist, which I didn't see coming - which I always like.

Next up: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I've read this before, but just once, so I was read it again. If you want to know more, read this. Just as good the second time around.

Four days. Three books. Seven down, 93 to go. I can make it!

The Welsh Girl - B
Choke - A-
The Glass Castle - A

Cannonball Read - Book 4

I think might love Margaret Atwood.  I seem to recall really liking Alias Grace, and I KNOW I loved The Handmaid's Tale... and Moral Disorder, a collection of short stories, was completely brilliant.  As soon as I was finished reading it, I wanted to immediately start it again (but that's foolish).  While it's short stories, they all feature the same female character - but it's not a novel.  It's better than a novel.  It was so DENSE, and rich, and... haunting.  The first story, "The Bad News," sucked me in; when I finished it, I actually said "wow."  Out loud.  Then I just kept reading.  And shaking my head - because it's that good.

Moral Disorder - A

The Edies Are At It Again

Drew Barrymore. Some people love her. Some people hate her. I fall smack in the middle - but right now, I want to help her. I'm afraid that Drew is back on the sauce. Did you see her last night at the Golden Globes? Here's a review:
Beautiful dress? Check.
Phenomenal purse? Check.
Gorgeous cocktail ring? Check.



Crazy hair? CHECK.

Seriously, honey, what is this?  Are you back on the crazy train?  Please don't be on the crazy train.

And then there's THIS one:

Too whack for words.

Drew and Jessica, besties for life - D+

Cannonball Read - Book 3

Success!  I feel caught up!  Book 3 is Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance by Lloyd Jones.  First good thing about it: it's SHORT - 275 pages.  I need more books this length.  Any suggestions?

Next best thing about this book: everything else.  It was outstanding.  And so, so sad.  Not crying on the couch sad, but when I closed the book, I felt a heaviness in my heart, and I said, "Wow."  So it's THAT kind of sad.  I cared about the characters and the changing geography and timeline... and it really made me want to learn to tango.

Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance - A-

Cannonball Read - Book 2

My second book of the year is Empress Orchid by Anchee Min, an historical novel about Tzu Hsi, concubine-turned-empress of China.  It's "an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder and endless intrigue... she alone seems campable of holding the country together" (thanks, book jacket).

I think I'm going to look back on the year and not rank Empress Orchd in the top ten.  It was very good, and definitely one of those books that, while I was reading, I was completely engrossed, but with just a little time away from it, it feels like the poor man's Memoirs of a Geisha - not quite as rich, the characters not quite as likeable, and long.  It seemed to go on forever.  Of course, that could just be because I'm ten days into the year and have only read two books.  Must.  Read.  Faster!

I would certainly recommend this book to all fans of historical - but if you haven't read Memoirs of a Geisha, what are you waiting for!?  Read it first!

Empress Orchid - B

New Year, New Look

Check out my fancy new rotating blog headers. They were created and added to my blog by my good buddy Jenny (you can read her blogs here and here). She also made this sweet January calendar. She's very talented, I tell you.

a new look - A

Time Marches On

Since my 30th birthday last year, I have been more acutely aware of the passage of time. Seasons still move at the same perceived pace, I don't feel myself aging (although I do have some seriously creaky joints), but what I notice is how things that happened a long time ago seem to have just taken place yesterday.

Example: it was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO TODAY that little Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed by that big meanie Tonya Harding. OK, Tonya didn't actually club Nancy... and what did Nancy ever do to her except have big teeth and skate well in a pretty dress? Nothing, I tell you. And Nancy still won a silver medal and Tonya broke a skate lace and cried to the judges and left in disgrace. And then became a boxer. Way to come out on top, Harding.

growing old - B- (why? why?)

Cannonball Read - Book 1

Happy New Year.

I kicked off my Cannonball Read endeavor with Pirates!, a young adult novel on girl pirates in the 18th century.  It was a solid way to start the project - relatively short, somewhat frivolous, lesbian overtones, and only a couple mentions of scurvy (but no scurvy dogs).  Nancy is fleeing an arranged marriage; Minerva, a life of slavery.  They join up with a band of pirates, and yes, blood is shed, but hearts are also led to love.  Like I said, girl pirates.  They don't make out or anything, but they do bathe each other a couple times.  It was fun, not too brain-taxing, and I enjoyed it.

I wonder why Celia Rees felt the need to put an exclamation point in the title of her book.  Is Pirates! any better than Pirates?  Would readers not understand that book is in fact about pirates if the exclamation point were not presents?  Then I got to wondering: what would the titles of other solid literary works be like if they too were punctuated so emphatically?

Brothers!

Geisha!

Jane! (take your pick)

Atonement!

Pirates! - B+

I Like The Shiny Ones

As the year draws to a close, I pause to reflect on a gift that kept on giving: my Shoe-A-Day desk calendar. When I was presented with the calendar on Christmas morning 2007, I thought, What a strange gift. I like fun shoes, but a page-a-day calendar? An interesting choice, but will it catch on?

Did it ever! The calendar is a HIT in my office! The facility manager (a burly, hooded sweatshirt-wearing, shovels-show-while-he-smokes kind of guy) comes in almost every morning to see the new day's shoe. Some days are mundane - just how many strappy black sandals does one calendar need? - while others are just ridiculous - lace-up spring-bottomed moon shoes? Really? But no matter the shoe, be it lovely or loony, a conversation was always started, and I grew a little closer to my office mates and learned something about fashion, too.

Next up: the 2009 purse-a-day calendar. I can't wait!

shoe-a-day - A

So... What's New?

I love Facebook.  I really do.  I have over 400 Facebook friends - some of whom I see every day, and some of whom I haven't spoken to in over ten years.  It's fun.  I find it's an easy way to stay "connected" to people that you may just want to say hi to every now then; on the flip side, it's also easy to send messages to your co-workers in the next room if your boss can access your email.  Not that I do that.  My boss is one of my Facebook friends.

But I digress.  The thing I DON'T like about Facebook is the question "so what's new?"  When someone asks me what's new, I want to tell them the NEWEST thing I can.  For example: what's new with me?  Well, the theater where I work is going to show The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is cool, and I got a Christmas box from my dad yesterday, which is awesome, and I really need a pedicure.  That's what's "new" with me.  But someone you haven't talked to in over ten years doesn't want to hear about your janky toenails... but I can't in good conscience start the "what's new" answer with "Well, I graduated from college."  Because that would be answering "what's old?"

Facebook - A-

"What's new?" - C-

Christmasy Things

I've wrapped the presents, decorated the tree, addresses the cards (they're going out later today)... and later this week, the gay carolers will be at work!  Yay!  Let the holidays begin!

happy cartoon lesbian carolers, especially the one with the stereotypical haircut - A

Cannonball Read

When is a resolution not a resolution?

When it's a challenge.

I have decided to participate in Cannonball Read in 2009.  The objective: read 100 books in one year (you can read more about it here).  That's about two books a week, and there are rules: No books smaller than 200 pages.  Short story collections only count if they are at least 6 stories long.  No graphic novels.  And I'm adding my own rule: if I've only read it ONCE, it's fair game (I'm talking to you, The Glass Castle and Water for Elephants).  

I'm a little scared.  This will probably drastically cut into my TV time.  But I'm up for it.  I will come out of it smarter, maybe, with tired eyes, for sure, and hopefully with some new-found inspiration for blog posts.

In the meantime, please send your book suggestions!

Cannonball Read - incomplete, but I'm thinking it's going to be an A+