Last year around this time I wrote a blog entry about teacher gifts. Being a teacher we always receive the same things and of course we know we are hard to buy for. We look forward to the gifts every year. It makes us feel loved and appreciated in a profession that does not always make us feel that way.
Last year I stated some do's and don'ts which you can read from the above link. This year I decided to do an Oprah's style favorite things. These gifts can be used by all and are not necessarily just for teachers.
1. Personalized Stationary - I write so many letters and get just giddy about having personalized stationary. I recently ordered this pattern from Paper Culture. The cards are on a heavy stock and come so quickly. For every order they pledge to plant a tree. Makes me want to order lots more.
2. Reusable Shopping Bags - I know, it sounds like Envirosax is paying me, but I can't get enough of them. I have 3 regular sax, a sling sax, and a mini sax (I use as a lunch bag). They weigh about an ounce and can be easily carried every where. They are sturdy and can hold about 44 pounds, not that you want to carry that much. I have even gotten the tiniest hole in my original bag and it is still the size of a pin point years later. Everyone I have given one to has adored them as much as me.
3. Personalized Stamps - I was given a gift certificate to the Three Designing Women website. I ordered the stamp featured on the side with "This Book Belongs To ......" instead of the address. I am actually thinking of ordering an address stamps and a monogram version to use on stationary. This company offers interchangeable stamps and stationary that is made to have a stamp used with it. I just love personalization.
We all know I love my Envirosax. They are light and easy to carry with you all the time. Plus are amazingly durable. Well they came out with a new style. The Envirosax sling.
This bag has two free straps that you can tie to any length, which means you can make it fit your body perfectly. It still rolls like the original, however it is a bigger roll and does not roll as neatly. Because of the design there is a deep pocket on the outside where the fabrics meet. It is actually the perfect size for a bottle of wine. If you want to seal the bag when traveling you can tie the bag closed and fit it under the seat in front of you.
I love the bag, but I don't think I will be carrying it at the bottom of my purse like the others. I don't carry the biggest purses and this one takes up too much room. I will only have it when I know that I will be using it.
If you are interested in buying this bag or the other bags I have reviewed go to this site. Now through the 28th of November the original bags are 50% off. I know they can be hard to find outside of the internet, but they are well worth it.
So over the past year my family has been in possession of the Kindle 3g and the Nook Color. Even though both companies have come out with new versions. I feel some people may still want to know the differences between the two.
VS.
We originally had the kindle with the 3g and keyboard. The keyboard makes typing easy. However, I find it hard to scroll through websites and lists since you can only use the four directional keys. The 3g means that internet is always available, which is a plus. I will admit that when the ink layer changes it makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. The screen is glare free but you need to buy a light to accompany it to read at night.
I purchased the nook color not long after having the kindle in my life. It works like a tablet computer. You can have music, pictures, apps, books and magazines on this device. The nook even reads children's books out loud. I prefer the search options on the nook since I am able to see the covers of the books. I sometime cannot remember the exact name of the book and the cover always helps me find it. The magazine subscriptions are reasonably priced and are beautiful to look at. Another advantage is you can download e-pub books for free from you local library and read for free. The screen can have glare in the sun, but most people like myself will purchase a screen guard for the touch screen. The major disadvantage is that you must be in range of internet in order to download new books.
Overall, I prefer the nook. I cannot comment on the new versions of either, but you can look at the lists below and make the decision for yourself.
Kindle Nook_______________________________
Black and White Color
Keyboard Touch screen keyboard
Scrolling using directionals Touch scrolling
3g wireless available Must be in internet range
No glare Needs screen/glare protector
Needs light to read at night Back lit
Cannot download from libraries Free books from library
I received the book A Dog's Purpose; A Novel for Humans, by W. Bruce Cameron as a birthday gift from a fellow dog lover.
I love dogs and have owned many over my life. My current dog started life in a not so nice household before making it to our home through the NYC ASPCA. This book sent me on an emotional roller coaster, thinking of her former life.
A Dog's Purpose, follows the story of one dog through many lives. The dog learns new things through every life he/she is given. Along the way the dog figures that there must be a purpose for all the reincarnation that is going on. From that point on it is the dog's quest.
I will admit I almost put the book down after the first couple of chapters. I did not realize the dog would be reincarnated and well it took all my power to keep reading and not throw the book across the room upon his first death. Not all of the dog's lives are perfect, but there is a reason for each one.
I promise that this is a tear jerker. I was crying like a baby, even though there was a smile on my face when I finished the book. Of course my dog was there to console me.
Sasha, my proud to be adopted pup.
If you would like to donate to the NYC ASPCA where my girl is from click the link and help another dog find its purpose.
Many of you who know me, understand that I start and stop books, eventually picking them up again. I know it sounds weird but sometimes you are no longer in the mood for the book you are reading. This however was not the reason that I stopped reading The Monster of Florence: A True Story, by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi.
About three years ago my mother was reading this book and I said "What are you reading, it has the 'Rape of the Sabine Women' on the cover?" She explained that it is the true story of an author and an Italian reporter trying to solve the mystery of "The Monster of Florence."
This book is right up my alley. I love mystery, history and crime novels. So why did I stop with 30 pages left and leave it for so long. Simple reason, I was headed to Italy. I figured it would not be the best book to carry around while sightseeing. Especially, since it does not always speak highly of the Italian judicial system.
The book follows a series of murders that occurred between 1968 and 1985. In each of the murders a couple would be murdered while having sex in their cars in deserted areas around Florence. Sounds like they were breaking a horror movie rule. This murderous rampage took 16 lives.
The book takes a turn about half way through, and begins to focus on the Italian judicial system. Why may ask, if there are no clear suspects? Well, the writers are finding more sensitive information and are actually accused themselves. You can now see what it is like to be pursued by the Italian police and prosecutors in the Monster of Florence. Mario Spezi at one point is accused of being involved in the crimes and jailed in Perugia by Prosecutor Giuliano Migini.
Giuliano Migini, may sound familiar. He was the prosecutor in the Amanda Knox case. There is an addendum to the story featuring research into the Amanda Knox court case.
This book has a little bit of everything. You will feel uncomfortable at some point in the book. The murders are given detailed descriptions. The accusations and jailing are equally as detailed. The book makes you squirm and the scary part is its all real.
For over a year I have been meaning to read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender. Of course as many of you know I read multiple books at once and have a precarious pile of books waiting to be read. I finally got around to this one.
The concept of the book is what caught my interest. The main character, Rose, is a young girl who is navigating adolesence with a family of outsiders when she discovers she has an unusual ability. Rose can taste the feelings of the people who handle the food she eats. Imagine that some makes you a meal out of pure love and you can taste every beat of that person's heart. On the flip side you can taste all feelings good and bad.
Rose struggles to grow into this ability. It helps her understand her free spirited mother, but only through painful meals. Her father is almost nonexistent to her, until the very end of the story. I love the relationship between Rose and her brother's best friend George. However, the story line featuring her brother, Joseph, is lost on me. I feel this is where the book went off the deep end.
I love the concept of having an extra sense that can help or hinder you. Especially seeing Rose beginning to understand its usefulness. I liked the book but could do without her brother Joseph and the weirdness that surrounds him. I did not like the ending, but I don't really like endings that leave you hanging. If you are looking for a resolution do not read this book.
I cannot really say whether or not I would recommend this book. I did not love it and I did not hate it. This time you must really decide for yourself.
After reading American Gods I needed more Gaiman. So the next logical book was Anansi Boys. It follows one of the most interesting characters from the former book "Mr. Nancy" who happens to be Anansi from the African Folk Tales. Gaiman brings the mischievousness of the ancient Anansi to the modern world.
The main character is Charles "Fat Charlie" Nancy, Anansi's son. Upon his father's death Fat Charlie finds out about his twin brother Spider and his father's true identity. This information leads Fat Charlie on a long and winding path he will never forget. The magical world once again collides with our world.
Have you ever read a book and wanted to share it with perfect strangers? Have you ever read a book and realized that is was not for you and now you are stuck with it? Well then Book Crossing is the answer.
Book Crossing is an international free library. All you do is create a user name and password. Then you can search for books you are looking for. Or you can release books into the wild and then track them to see where they go. I have released books at the airport and local bookshelves in public locations.
The tracking works just like wheresgeorge.com, which tracks dollar bills. You can see when your book has been and where it ends up.
You register the book, print a label and release it. It is that easy. If you are a reader like me, but do not have the room for all the books you read this is the perfect way to do it. Give it a try the more people using it, the more books available to the wide world of readers.
I have read Neil Gaiman books many times and even waited in line to meet him. Gaiman is a wonderful person to meet. He took a couple of minutes with each person whose books he was signing. Not the normal two seconds.
I some how never read any of his early books. So on my latest trip to the bookstore I picked up American Gods.
American Gods follows a recently released convict Shadow while he tries to become a member of society again. He is almost immediately hired by a con man, who may be more than he appears. Throughout the book there are short stories of Gods from all religions and cultures. You come to find out that Shadow is torn between three worlds; his own, the Ancient Gods and the New Gods.
This story is great but may take some time to get through. Whenever there seems to be movement in Shadow's story, all of a sudden there is a story of a God. These stories are important to the main plot but they seem to interrupt the flow. All of it comes together in the end.
I enjoyed this books so much that I am now reading his follow up book Anasi Boys.
A couple of years ago my best friend lent me this book. Unfortunately, since I read multiple books at once I have not finished Heat, by Bill Buford, until just recently.
Heat is the memoir of a journalist who after interviewing Mario Batali decides to join the restaurant world. The beginning of the book starts off with a bang. Buford starts as a kitchen slave and works his way up to an apprentice. Anyone who has ever wondered what it was like in a NYC kitchen will get a kick out of the beginning.
Buford, gets so obsessed with following in Batali's footsteps that he actual travels to Italy and to the exact places when Batali stayed and learned. He learns how to make pasta and to butcher all kinds of meats. The pasta making is interesting. Buford, also does research into the history of pasta based on what he learns.
The Dante quoting butcher is an interesting character, however this is where the book begins to fall flat. I know of people who stopped reading the book at this point. Buford has run out of steam when reaching the butcher.
The book held my attention until the final third. If you would like to know what it could be like to work in a high pressure kitchen read the first third. If you would like to know the history of pasta and how it is made in Italian read the second third. I probably would skip the final part of the book.
When searching for a new book I turned to Good Reads. They suggested Beaten, Seared and Sauced; On Becoming a Chef at the Culinary Institute of America, by Jonathan Dixon. Low and behold the same day the book was handed to me.
I will read anything food related and decided to give it a go. It was a quick read and I finished it in two days. However, the book hardly held my attention.
The author Jonathan Dixon was a janitor, messenger, nanny, teacher and writer for Martha Stewart Living before taking the leap to enroll at the CIA. It took him until age 38 to make this decision. This book follows his studies at the prestigious institute. Beaten, Seared and Sauced contains his description of each course and the complaining that went with them.
Dixon seems to be a lost soul who even after completing his time at the CIA is still unsure of what to do with himself. He complains he is too old for most of the book. His girlfriend supports him during his education and honestly if I were her I would have been unable to deal with his indecisiveness and lack of direction.
This book is written like Scott Turow's One L, which describes life as a first year law student. Turow makes you understand how it feels. This book left me wanting more of that feeling. I wanted more passion for the food and the art of preparing it.
This book left me wanting and basically just wanting to say Meh!
A couple of weeks ago I walked into my local bookstore to pick up a book that was ordered. As always I can't even think of going near that store without coming out with something new. This time the book was staring at me from behind the counter. A book about food and becoming a chef, "I'm in!"
I purchased Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef a memoir, by the owner and proprietor of Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton. I devoured this book as I would a meal at her famous restaurant Prune.
Gabrielle Hamiltion maps out her life in three sections. Blood gives the background of her troubled childhood. Her description of the family parties and her mother's pantry make you feel as if you were there stepping into the stream for a cold brew yourself. This section also describes the abrupt dismantling of her home life as well. You learn the basis of her love of all things food.
Bones, tell of how this young and restless youth supports herself and finds her calling in the process. Butter is the latest installment of her life, her own family. Hamiliton has a successful restaurant and is wooed by an Italian professor. Although her life is not the fairy-tale you would believe it would turn out to be.
Her prose is beautifully written. You can see, hear, smell and taste all she describes. If you love food read this book. If you love a great read pick it up.
I just returned from a trip to Maine to see my close friend and fellow blogger Moriah. This drive is 7 and a half hours for me. That length of a trip can not only make your rear end numb but your brain as well. My solution is to rock out and sing along to my favorite tunes.
I haven't been on that long of a road trip in a while but my tried and true go to's still work. I love techno but it tends to make me a speed demon, so let's choose something to sing along to. Well that leads me to one of my all time favorite bands. . . Erasure.
They are an English synth pop band which started in 1985. Needless to say I have been a fan for quite a long time. Their music is all about love and the loss of it. The beat keeps you bopping you head and wide awake for your drive.
They even released an acoustic album which has a more folk/country style with their own pop synth twist.
My addiction to this bad has led me to see them live during their last tour in the U.S. Andy Bell the lead singer is such a showman with multiple costume changes per show that the new pop stars could take a lesson form him. Vince Clarke the consummate songwriter keeps me coming back for more. I can't say enough about this band that has been in my play list since my childhood.
I stumbled upon this series while my flight was delayed at the airport. I was using a kindle for the first time (the vote is still out on that one) and didn't want to read what was on it. So I started a search and came upon Moon Dance - Vampire for Hire #1, by J.R. Rain. At $0.99 how could you go wrong?
I know, I know another vampire novel. Yes it is similar in many ways to other vampire books. Lots of other supernatural beings and the usual vampire problems. However, I just adore Samantha Moon the protagonist. She was a soccer mom and a federal agent before one night changed everything. Now she is living with an unusual "skin disease" and is a private investigator.
I think the reason I love this series is that she is still dealing with every day struggles as well as the struggles of being a vampire. Kids, husband, family members and running your own business is hard enough for anyone, let alone someone who is allergic to the sun.
Needless to say this is a guilty pleasure. All of the books in the Vampire for Hire series are currently only available digitally. There are some editing mishaps along the way but in general they are fun reads.
I am already waiting for the next book, Moon Child, in this beach read series which will be released in July. J.R. Rain has lots of e-books and many of the books are featured at the end of the Vampire for Hire books. I am sure there is something for everyone there.
My brother from another mother has teamed up with his coach Yanni atUp Top Martial Arts Academy to support me in the San Francisco AIDS walk. If you donate we are offering free Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Kick Boxing classes!!!!
Donate:
$25 - $49 and Receive 1 week unlimited Jiu Jitsu and Kick Boxing
$50 - $69 and Receive 2 weeks unlimited Jiu Jitsu and Kick Boxing
$70 and up Receive 1 ENTIRE MONTH!!! of unlimited Jiu Jitsu and Kick Boxing
See the schedule for details, this also includes the Friday MMA class and Sunday open mat)
I think I might have to give up on Sookie. This book was extremely disappointing. Once again the book took forever to get going and when it did there were inconsistencies with the plot.
I am afraid that Charlaine Harris did not have a clear story arc in mind. Unfortunately, it seems she is grasping a straws to tie up all the loose supernatural ends to complete the series. I was glad to see Alcide again, but really that was all that interested me.
This could possibly be the end of a guilty pleasure.
When someone recommends a book to you it always starts with trepidation. They love the book and expect you to as well. Will you? That is the big question.
Someone very special gave me the book to read, I was worried this memoir would be sad. The Tender Bar is written J.R. Moehringer who is trying to find himself while also trying to find a father figure. Most of it takes place in a bar first called the Dickens and later the Publicans. The bar was the only constant in his life, other than his mother.
This book follows J.R. from an eight year old in Manhasset, N.Y. to the now famous Pulitzer prize winning author. You would think with all the trials and tribulations of his life he would be a down-trodden character. However, he paints his life and those in it, in a light and amusing way. You can picture each character and situation with his descriptive prose. They all seem larger than life, but you know that with the care that he gives each one they are as real and as flawed as he shows them.
The book is hard to put down and all along the way you are rooting for him to make it. You know he will but the ride is what is important. We are all who we are because of what has happened in our lives and J.R. is no different.
You can hear him describe his own book in the NPR interview & review. The book was published in 2005 and I can't believe how long it took me to put it on the reading list. It is a quick read and you will want to pass it on to others when you are done, just as this gem was passed to me.
Months ago I decided with my best friend to participate in a great cause, the AIDS walk in San Francisco. It is a 10K walk in Golden Gate park, whose fundraising is purely from donations.
This year is 25th anniversary of the walk in San Francisco. It benefits the San Francisco AIDS foundation, which is trying to stop the HIV epidemic in the city it began.
I have set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1,000 and I need your help in order to reach it! It would be amazing if I could go above and beyond.
Since 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has raised nearly $74 million for San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other HIV/AIDS organizations in the six Bay Area counties. Established in 1982, the Foundation refuses to accept that HIV transmission is inevitable. With the unrestricted funds raised by AIDS Walk San Francisco, the Foundation is able to provide direct services to promote health among those living with HIV and implement ground-breaking prevention programs to create sustainable progress against HIV.
Even though there has been success with drug treatments that are prolonging some people's lives, they don't work for everyone. These treatments can also take their toll physically, and for many cause awful side-effects. I am also concerned that so many young people in San Francisco are getting infected. And above all, there is still no cure in sight.
I would really appreciate your help. Please sponsor me for AIDS Walk San Francisco. You can support me and my team Sparkle Pony here. It’s fast, easy, and safe to make a donation online with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal! After making your donation, you may be able to double your donation with a matching gift! Please consult your human resources department or use the matching gift search engine on the AIDS Walk San Francisco website to find out if your company has a matching gift program: www.aidswalk.net/sanfran/raisemoney/matchinggift.html
Thank you in advance for supporting AIDS Walk San Francisco and my fundraising efforts!
Team Sparkle Pony, myself and the walk thank you!
I will even give you a personal shout-out here on my blog along with a personal thank you.
A friend from college started this jewelry line using reclaimed items. The items include skeleton keys, key holes, bottle openers (Natty Boh), and scrabble tiles. The items have a hint of whimsy and a bit of roughness because they are used in their original state.
You can find the jewelry in stores on the East coast but you can also find them on their own site or at their Etsy site. The items below are the ones I have purchased.
Whenever I wear this key I get tons of compliments.
I purchased this for my mother, it hangs off center when you wear it.
For all of you Judd Apatow fans out there get on Netflix and add both Freaks and Geeks & Undeclared. Both of these short lived series, one season each, are laugh out loud funny.
Freaks and Geeks was produced by Apatow in 1999. The story line is about teens in 1980 at a high school outside of Detroit. It follows the older sister Lindsey Weir who leaves the ranks of Geeks to join the Freaks. The Freaks may seem amazingly familiar, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Busy Phillips. It also tracks the life of Lindsey's younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) who is clearly a Geek along with Sam Levine and Martin Starr. All of the characters are flawed which makes you feel for each of them. No one's high school experience is without drama and neither are the stories in this show.
I will admit Jason Segel was my favorite character in Freaks and Geeks. So when I moved on the Undeclared I was ecstatic to see him again. His timing and willingness to make a fool out of himself make for hilarious characters.
Undeclared aired in 2001. It follows a group of freshman at college. Many of the same actors from Freaks and Geeks can be seen in this series. Seth Rogen is back as well as Jason Segel. Other than the size of the dorm rooms I believe this is the most accurate portrayal of college life. I particularly love the episode with the keg, which needs to be finished before its return. So they fill every possible container with beer and attempt to finish it.
This reminds me of a trip to Killington where we "needed" to finish the keg before its return. Red solo cups in hand we attempted the impossible. Our end was very similar to the end of the episode.
I personally like Undeclared more but I believe watching them in order gives you a better understanding of the growth of Apatow, Segel and Rogen.
When reading one of my favorite blogs Dooce a couple of months again she reviewed the artist Robyn. Let' s put it this way I looked for every link I could. She is a swedish artist that sounds like a combination of 80's alternative, techno and pop.
She is my new work out music. I will need to admit that sometime I want to start dancing and singing out loud on the elliptical. Her music does keep the workout going.
I love classic movies. Especially ones that caused a stir when first released and still make people cringe. M, is one of those.
This movie was released in 1931 in Germany. The plot includes a child murderer who is terrorizing Berlin. He is snatching children off the street and the police are at their wits end to find him, searching the criminals for the pedophile. This lead the criminals to launch their own search for the man.
For much of the beginning of the movie the murderer is only seen as shadow or a hat & trench coat. He is most easily identified by his whistling of "The Hall of the Mountain King."
This classic film is amazing. The cinematography is second to none, especially when you suddenly remember that it was filmed in 1931. There is a scene where director Fritz Lang flips between the police and the criminals making a plan, the flips are almost seamless. Make sure you play close attention the police with state that there is one big question mark and the criminals table will have one big question mark made out of nut shells on the table. Nothing was forgotten.
The film is eerie without the modern gore. You know what is happening without needing to see it. The one problem you may encounter is that the movie ends abruptly, so abruptly that it seems to end mid sentence.
I will not tell you who the child murderer is, but I will tell you that it was his first film. Amazing job, you would never know it was his first. It makes sense he is someone you will recognize from many American classics.
If you have two hours and feel like reading German subtitles give this classic a try.
I know, I know another book. I am on a roll and I don't plan on slowing down any time soon. I wish I could read more, but I might feel guilty otherwise.
I read the original Freakonomics many years ago and loved it. So when I finished the 900 page behemoth I wanted a quick read. Enter Superfreakonomics, I was done in a couple of days.
I was not as impressed with the sequel as I was with the first. The authors claimed that the first book did not have a unifying thread but this one is based on everyone striving for a reward. This reward seeking is seen through prostitution, simple fixes and altruism.
It is an interesting read, but I felt like I was making myself finish this one. They still prove that you can make anything true through statistics.
Every time I travel I take advantage of my free time and get back into the reading habit. Unfortunately, I also underestimate how much I can read in that time. Which usually leaves me half way through the week without a book. This time my best friend searched his shelves for something for me to read. I turned down the first couple but then settled on an enormous book.
The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber is an interesting 900 page adventure which takes place in the underbelly of Victorian era England. There are three story lines that eventually run all together. Sugar the smart and unusual prostitute who is writing her own novel. William Rackham, a heir to a perfume business and his mentally ill wife Agnes. Lastly, is the story of the pious brother Henry Rackham and the widow he loves Emmeline Fox.
The book does start in an unusual way, Faber speaks directly to you and has you follow smaller characters to set the tone. Eventually you are introduced to Sugar and William, each of who are living in different strata of England. William is a down-trodden, broken-down man, who is just looking for someone to give him the support he needs to take over the company he never wanted and to merely survive his life with his ailing wife. This is where Sugar the scaly skinned prostitute with mind of a man begins to change everything.
I can't quite explain why I loved this book, but I could not put it down. Every character changes over the course of the story. Sugar is one of the most identifiable characters and she makes you want to root for her even though she is not the protagonist that you would expect to support.
I would tell more but then your journey would not be what Michel Faber would have wanted. If you have the time to read the voluminous pages you will enjoy this period piece.
A mysterious tube arrived in the mail for my mother, I am normally notified to watch for packages but not this time. When she saw the tube she was visibly excited, and opened it up to the most beautiful silk screened print.
After purchasing the print my mother received a hand written thank you card for the support and donation. Please take a look at the link and I am sure you will want to purchase the aptly named "home" print.
When I go on vacation I am a voracious reader. I will admit I like to read fluff most of time during vacation though. I guess it is a kind of way of unwinding.
On my latest trip I searched the house for a paperback I had not yet read. Unfortunately to my dismay most of my books were hardcover. I don't know why but I hate to travel with them. I finally found the one right before the bags were finished being packed, Hooked, by Jane May.
Hooked has a bright cheerful cover, with a happy little fish. I figured what's not fluffy about that?
Jane May took the classic story of the Fisherman's Wife and wrote it with a modern twist. Clarence "Woody" Woods, the main character, loves his job, boats and the water in general. What he doesn't have is someone to love. Woody is a character I fell instantly in love with myself. He is sweet, shy and a little bumbling at times, but a genuinely well-rounded protagonist.
On a fateful day he meets and is instantly smitten by Madalina a waitress at the yacht club he works for. The story unfolds showing how he wins her with the help of a talking fish. All along the way I was hoping Woody would get what he wanted. However, I am not sure what he wanted was what I wanted for him.
I read this book in two and a half days. It is a super quick read, and will make you smile and think about life in a fanciful way.
I love to read and was convinced to join a book club last year. Needless to say it didn't last long since the club consisted of more than 50% retired teachers and their choices tended to be the same themes. Doom and gloom, if I read any more of that I would have put my head in an oven.
At the last meeting we pull names from a hat and buy a gift book for that person. I was scared to see what I would be given. When I first received the book The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, by Jamie Ford, I was thinking I am never going to read this. It is a book about internment camps. More doom, or so I thought.
The book takes place in two time periods in a Chinese American's life. In the 1940's the main character at the age of 12 falls in love when a Japanese American girl. It later tells of all they go through to stay together despite their age. The other time period is 1984, shortly after the same character's wife passes away. During this time he has become obsessed with finding a record from the 1940's that has a special meaning and where that adventure leads.
I know sounds like something you would read if you wanted to be miserable, but this book is uplifting and sweet. I could not believe the beautiful message it conveys. It is a quick read and definitely worth your time.
I read about this lip balm in many magazines, but thought is seemed a little weird. Why would I want my lip balm in the shape of an egg? Believe it or not it is perfect, you can use it in an direction you want. The fact that it is 100% natural and 95% organic is always appealing. The lip balm stays on without being sticky and stays on for an amazing amount of time. I have the summer fruit flavor and it makes me think of warmer times even though there is about 3 feet of snow and ice outside.
You can find these in many stores or through their website Evolution of Smooth.
As many of you know I am a Netflix instant play junkie. They leads me to scroll through many different choices and many of them include documentaries. One I recently watched and loved is The Art of the Steal, which follows the collection of Dr. Albert C. Barnes.
Barnes was an avid collector of post impressionist art. He was able to do so after creating an antiseptic drug called Argyrol. He used his money to collect 181 Reniors, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos and many other amazing and valuable paintings. During the collecting he even befriended many of the artists, leading them to believe that Barnes's intention for the art was the only way it should be seen.
You may think Barnes was the kind of man that collected Art because that is what people of the time with disposable incomes would do. However, he used the collection to create an art school. The collection was to be used for educational purposes only, never to be sold, loaned or removed.
Barnes believed so strongly in that belief that he attempted to write an iron clad will. The will has been challenged numerous times since his death in 1951. The documentary shows you how politics can practically destroy a will and a man's beliefs.
I will not reveal the result of this long and stressful battle. I will tell you that I intend to see the Barnes collection the way it was meant to be seen before May of 2012. If you are interested check out http://www.barnesfoundation.org/index.php
1. Personalized Stationary - I write so many letters and get just giddy about having personalized stationary. I recently ordered this pattern from Paper Culture. The cards are on a heavy stock and come so quickly. For every order they pledge to plant a tree. Makes me want to order lots more. 
