just in case you're keeping track

Here's a list of all the books i've read so far this year, in no particular order:

A Visit from the Goon Squad


The Swimming Pool

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

How Did You Get This Number

The Year of Eating Dangerously

Gear For Your Kitchen

One Day

Hedge Fund Wives

The Cookbook Collector

Lit

The Help

Not Buying It

The Girl Who Played Go

The Improvisational Cook

Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks

How to Pick a Peach
 
           plus . . .
 
In Progress:
The Invisible Circus
Good Omens
 
           and . . .
 
Checked out but not yet started:
Keep the Change                                           5 days
Pro Nail Care                                              14 days
A Million Little Pieces                                  19 days
It All Changed In An Instant                         19 days
The Spellman Files                                       19 days
The Kitchen Detective                                  renewals left
plus two books I just checked out yesterday
 
Why is it as soon as I have fewer than about 30 items out from the library I go crazy checking things out again?

almost time . .

For 30 days of biking.  Since my bike is currently at my parent's, that's going to make tomorrow difficult.  Good thing I have the evening to myself tomorrow?

books update

Just finished The Girl Who Played Go.  So good, although it saddens me how stories set in the East often end with everyone dying.  Why do I continue to read them?

p.s.  as excited as I am at the possibility of seeing Lisa See in June, I'm really hoping that Dreams of Joy won't end up the same way.  We had enough of that with Shanghai Girls.

Books so far this year: 17?

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”


Arnold H. Glasgow

Headline today: Julia Stiles gets old.

People, she’s only 30!  How do we expect to accomplish anything if we’re not allowed to age?

10 creative ways to use disposable cameras

I like.

10 most beautiful waterfalls

Travel, anyone?

For when I (finally) get an iPhone

to check out

Sepiatown.com

books update

I finished how to eat a French fry and now I’m working on Jennifer Egan’s debut novel The Invisible Circus.  I really really liked her latest novel (and so did everyone else apparently) so I’m hoping that this will be good also.  But so far I really don’t like Phoebe, and I’m afraid of where this is going.

I also finished the Cookbook Collector, and although I liked it, I wasn’t mad about it the way I thought I would be.

Finally finished Brilliant food tips and cooking tricks

Much Rejoicing!!

Steve Dublanica, I’m coming for you . . .

emails to my husband

Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 9:12 AM
Subject: please?

Any chance, on a scale of one to 10 that you could pick me up from work today as I am woefully underdressed for the rain and smell like a drowned rat?

(sexy, right?)

(ah, the glorious smell of wet wool)

Hope you’re having a good day.  And Yay!  It’s Tuesday! X-*

R

It's days like today, with asshole-callers and crazy queue times that I'm reminded why I think The Killer's Hot Fuss is my all-time favorite record.  It may not be the Beatles.  It may not be Bob Dylan.  But for me, nothing else comes close.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

books update March 20th, 2011

In progress:
Brilliant cooking tips and tricks (yes, still)
the cookbook collector (yes, still.  Although I'm really enjoying this one, and am limited by the amount of time I spend in the car, by myself)
How to Pick a Peach (yes, still)

Finished:
Not buying it, which was less of what I was hoping for, i.e. more insightful ideas on how to spend less money rather than "simply" stop buying lattes everyday.  I don't buy lattes everyday.  I don't buy lattes more than  once a month!  It was more an examination on why we spend and how shopping constantly has inserted into our American dream and psyche.  However, being published in 2003/4, it was slightly outdated, what with the battle cry against Bush and 9-11 being so fresh.  I would like to think that the Great Recession has possibly reset the spending habits of Americans, but the truth will be revealed whenever we get out of this mess.  But I know that it's certainly reset my spending and saving habits.  Never the less, I've wanted to read this book for a long time, and I'm glad I did.

Updates:
book title                                          Due in
Brillant cooking tips                             6 days
How to Pick a Peach                          9 days
The Girl Who Played Go                   12 days
The Invisible Circus                           12 days
Keep The Change                             16 days

Looks like I have some serious reading to catch up on.  Here goes nothing!

I love when my husband remembers things about myself that I'd forgotten. It makes me love him even more.

Pedometer: a love story

So I've only had this thing for two days and it spells love.

First full weekday: approx 8000 steps. including: 20 minute walk to work, two break walks (approx 15mins/ea) and 20 minute walk home plus incidentals.  equals approx 1 hour of walking.

Next step: tomorrow, retrace paper route that I finally quit and see how much walking I need to make up for over the course of the week.

Weight update: After two weeks of no paper route, it appears that I have not gained any weight, however, I have not lost any additional weight either.  These next few months are critical to my success.  I must continue.

the library:

As tempting as the bookstore, but everything is free!  How on earth do I stop myself?

Items on loan:  approx 30

Items on request:100

I have approx 4 books in process and 7 more books I must read in the next few months.  And I bringing home another today.  It's a sickness I tell you!

book update

Finished:

The improvisational cook

Gear for your kitchen

In Process:

Brilliant food tips and cooking tricks (not really digging it and only at letter O)

How to pick a peach
Not Buying it

The cookbook collector

Call volume still low.  I’m am both grateful they’ve kept me on and grateful I have copius things to keep me entertained while I wait for the calls to come in.

On another note:

Happy FRIDAY!!

housing

For a long long time, I had some serious house lust.  I wanted to buy a house soo badly.  But I think I’m pretty much over that at this point.  Despite seeing my friend’s newly purchased pad, I have no desire to buy.  And even if I could, I wouldn’t.  I am committed to paying off my debt, which will take the better part of the next two years.  Then once that happens, we’ll see.  My husband will need to clean up some of his debt, and we’ll have to amass some serious savings.  But I’m totally comfortable with that.  Although it would be nice to buy, I don’t really see us buying until we have kids.  Maybe we’ll move to a nicer apartment.  Enjoy the single in the city experience a little longer.  I’m really happy for my friend.  But that house just seems way too big for my britches.

Beginner's luck

I love pita bread.  And I like to think I a bit of a culinary wiz.  But there’s something about pita dough that seems to flummox me.  I’ve been using the recipe out of Julia Child’s baking book, and the first time I made it, it was wonderful.  Though lacking the tell-tale pocket.  Each subsequent time, it got worse and worse, even having raw spots in the middle of the pita.  Having recently bought some hummus, and the fact that I go through massive amounts of pita, I decided to make some last night.  And I think it was my worst batch yet.  The Pita feel heave and dense, and although I haven’t cracked them open yet, I’m quite sure they are raw inside.  Bleh.

So I’ve been doing some research online, and I think my issues stem from too high a temperature and not rolling out the dough sufficiently.  I never bothered to roll it out because it would just spring back.  Turns out, I have to let it relax a bit, and then try again.  Hopefully it will work this time.

to try out

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-cookiesrec4dec13,1,4340575.story?coll=la-headlines-food

any chance these could be like the one’s from Rustica?

 

music to download

The missing tracks from that Solid Gold album

Minus the bear-My Time

Check swapacd.com for that josh rouse album.

the bouncer's reading list

Reading List

Here are the last few books I've read:

Spies of the Balkans - Alan Furst

The Tourist - Olen Steinhauer

The Game - Doug Glanville

Broom of the System - David Foster Wallace (3rd time)

Emergency - Neil Strauss

The Game - Neil Strauss

Prince of Thieves - Chuck Hogan

Devils in Exile - Chuck Hogan

(also, some book starting with "Penny loafers and . . . ")

books on my to read list:

Improvisational cook by sally schneider

Gear for your Kitchen by Alton Brown

Brilliant Food Tips

How to Pick a Peach by Russ Pearson

Anyone else seeing a theme here?

p.s. I finished Mary Karr’s Lit.  I’ve come to the conclusion that for memoirs dealing with sobriety, loss, religion and the meaning of life, I prefer Dani Shapiro.  I feel like the vast majority of Ms Karr’s books fly right over my head despite their ease to read.  The Liar’s Club left me underwhelmed despite all its praise from, well, everywhere.  And yet, I still make a point to read her books.  Go figure.

Apparently a little kitchen adventure is just what I need to recover from her sobriety.