My Muse

Typical

2007-12-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Just got off the phone with my brother. We were talking Christmas shopping, and I mentioned to him that my sister-in-law (aka: his wife) had told me that she was running out of her M·A·C. Viva Glam V lipstick that I gave her last year. I know she loves the color (who wouldn't? it's the perfect daily lip color for all women) so I told him he might want to get it for her stocking.

He asked how much it costs. I said, "Fourteen dollars." He said, "What the @%#$$%#???? I'm not paying that much."

Dude. She's your wife. Buy her the lipstick. It's not like it's a diamond tiara.

End of year resolution

2007-12-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

I want to get back to my life as a blogger. I've been distracted by work and friendships and settling in my new condo (odd that it's been almost a year, and I still don't feel fully settled) and a relationship (that has recently gone bad) but I miss my blogging friends.

Consider this my official end-of-year resolution. Here's hoping it sticks longer than most New Year's resolutions do!

For just a second....

2007-10-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday To ME!!!

Food Year's Resolution #1

2007-09-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

My first accomplishment? Jarring my own tomato sauce! My friend, C, has done it before, so I invited her over for moral support (and wine, loads of wine!) Believe it or not, this is not as overwhelming as it might seem...

Here's what we purchased at the farmer's market, loads of organic tomatoes and sweet basil.

This tomato was just too cute to eat!

Smush, smush, smush.

Stirring loads of garlic! (Can't have enough garlic.)

The sauce simmers....

Then we sealed the jars in boiling water.

Look how pretty they are! Counting down the days until January when I can eat them!

But first, dinner for me and C!

Oh Britney

2007-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

I had such high hopes for you, girl!

Why?

My so-called domestic life

2007-09-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months, I have been transitioning from the free-spirited life of being a renter into the responsible (though still spirited) life of being a homeowner. Looking around my new space, I realized that it looked like a college student lived in my condo, not an official Capital-A-dult.

I decided to do something.

I bought a rug.

A real, grown-up rug.

Funny, though, but the decision was agony. It tooks week of thinking and discussions with friends, "Should a rug really cost $300????" (Um, yes, they all said. Three hundred is nothing for a good rug.) It was a more complicated process than buying the condo.

And it's only one rug.*

I suppose taking out a hugenormous loan that I'll pay back with my blood, sweat, and tears over the next 30 years is far more abstract and far less real than the concrete feeling of buying a rug. And for a gal who's accustomed to picking up furniture others have abandoned on the city streets, $300 for a rug is a huge deal.

Still it's funny, though.

*Let's not get into the agony over buying table lamps, end tables, chairs, dining room tables, bookshelves....

Food-Year's Resolutions

2007-09-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's inspiring, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which is her family's year-long (really life long!) journey into eating local, organic, seasonal food. Virtually all of their food they harvest themselves (living on a small farm) or acquire from local farmers. They make all of their food themselves (no prepackaged, sugar-laden, trans fat-filled goodies for them!) and cooking and eating become a way for their family and friends to come together. The book chronicles their story and also raises questions about the immorality of the food industry in the United States.

Now, I don't live on a farm, but it's forced me to re-evaluate my own eating habits. Kingsolver doesn't demand that everyone do exactly what she and her family have done, but she does (with the writing help of her husband, Steven, and oldest daughter, Camille) give simple suggestions and compelling arguments for all of us to eat the way humans have eaten for much of our history as a species. For me, on the cusp of autumn, I won't be able to accomplish some of my food goals until summer returns, but I've decided to set some "Food-Year's Resolutions" for the upcoming seasons:

Cook a whole chicken. (This might sound odd to some of you, but as a person who was a vegetarian for 12 years, this is big for me!)
Can something (probably tomatoes or preserves)
Frequent my farmer's market more regularly (we have the fortune of having a year-round one here in Oakland, and it's only a mile from my house!)
Make pumpkin soup that doesn't start with a can
Stop buying meat/poultry/eggs that isn't grass fed or free range
Commit to buying organic dairy
Cut as much processed foods as possible out of my diet (something I'm already doing, but there's still room for improvement!)
Try a new recipe twice a month
Cook -- and eat -- fresh asparagus (FYI: I loathe asparagus, but I'm willing to give this Spring vegetable another try)

I pinky swear with all of you

2007-09-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

I've arrived at this place with my writing where the next inevitable step (if I don't want to wind up like Emily Dickinson, dead and unknown, with my stories wrapped up in pretty, pink bows) is to start sending stuff out to ~~get rejected~~ publishers.

You heard it here first. Watch this space.

2007-08-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Post

2007-07-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's been months and months, and I've fallen out of the blogger world. Just thought I'd pop into my own blog to post a picture of the cutest dog in the world!

One of these months I'll get back into the blogging game, promise!

Why I will never "diet"

2007-03-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

So, D and his boyfriend have decided they need to lose weight. So, they're on this crazy diet where the day's eating is as follows:

Breakfast: Hardboiled egg, tuna in water

Lunch: Plain oatmeal in milk with a handful of berries

Snack: Piece of fruit

Dinner: Regular dinner

They're both big, strong men (let's say 180 pounds or so) and so I told D that he's going to starve and eventually revolt against this stupid diet. He said, "No, honey...I'm not hungry. I promise."

So I decided to test out this revolutionary "diet" yesterday. I ate my egg and tuna at 10 a.m.; by 12, I was hungry, so I ate my oatmeal. I was alright with an afternoon banana until about 4:30 p.m., when hunger hit. I ate a small handful of walnuts (the only thing in my desk) and made it through my late-afternoon class. By the time I got home at 7:25 p.m., I was famished. I ate my regular dinner and was still hungry. I ate a bowl of cereal and went to bed hungry. This morning, I woke up hungry, ate my regular breakfast, and was still hungry.

Everyone. Diets are evil. Evil, I say! Never again!

Oscar disappointments

2007-03-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking fashion (though while we're on the subject of fashion, what was Anne Hathaway thinking?) I'm talking disappointment.

For those who haven't seen Little Children, it's a must see this season. The movie is the story of suburban marrieds and the (unexpected) connections between their lives as they struggle to find happiness. And unfortunately, it earned not one award at this year's Oscars. It was up for three: the divine Kate Winslet for best actress (who didn't have a chance against Helen Mirren; the comeback kid Jackie Earle Haley for best supporting actor (my personal pick, though I knew he'd never win); and best screenplay adaptation. I thought for sure it would win for best screenplay, which would perhaps get more people to watch it. The screenplay is based on Tom Perrotta's novel and was sheer brilliance.

While you're at it, go ahead and read the book, too. Again: Brilliant.

Rain rain, go away

2007-02-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

I can't just move. Other people just move.

I move in the rain.

And it's not just any ol' rain. It's the rainiest storm of the season. And it's not just any ol' rainiest storm of the season. It's the rainiest day of the rainiest storm of the season.

It doesn't end there.

It's not just the rainiest day of the rainiest storm of the season. It's also the day that my car decides to start to leak, thereby leaving a huge stinky puddle of brown water on the floor of my car.

Did I mention that yesterday I slammed my head on the built-ins of my old apartment? No move is complete without blood, is it?

Groundhog's Resolutions 2007

2007-02-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Groundhog Day Everyone!!!

It's that time of year again, time for Groundhog's Resolutions. Last year was a good one. I accomplished a lot (maybe not everything I set out to do, but a lot). I bought a condo (get the keys today), travelled to two new countries, wrote a ton of fiction (okay, I didn't send any fiction out, but I wrote a TON), I stopped wasting money on carry-out and mini quiches, I read many many many books. I could go on. But I'm not finished. Now that I'm a homeowner, I need some smashing new resolutions to guide me through this Groundhog of a year!

Groundhog's Res #1: Carried over from last year, I resolve to send out no fewer than two short stories and one children's book for publication;

Groundhog's Res #1b: I resolve to finish a second draft of my novella;

Groundhog's Res #2: I resolve to paint my new condo, just because I CAN!;

Groundhog's Res #3: I resolve to buy a sofa or a fancy chair;

Groundhog's Res #4: I resolve to read Anna Karenina;

Groundhog's Res #5: I resolve to properly save money to pay my property taxes and not have to hit up my mom for the cash;

Groundhog's Res #6: I resolve to try and establish an actual grown-up relationship with an actual grown-up man;

Groundhog's Res #6a: In accomplishing the above, I resolve to not sit on my butt and watch movies or hang out in gay bars in an attempt to avoid bad dates;

Groundhog's Res #7: I resolve to cook at least two new recipes a month;

Groundhog's Res #8: I once again resolve that should I find the perfect pair of black pumps or a Versace (or D & G) tuxedo at 90% off (Sadly, I still am perfect black pump and tuxedo free) all financial conservation is immediately null & void.

RIP

2007-02-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Molly Ivins, 1944 - 2007

Oops I did it....(never) again...

2007-01-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

I've heard that moving is the second most stressful event a person can go through, second only to the loss of a spouse. And now it all makes sense. I haven't even gotten to the actual moving (that part seems easy-peasy) but the steps leading up to it....oy.

It really has been beyond overwhelming. In the past two days, I've cried twice, yelled at my dog (thus prompting the first crying spurt), taken a fake sick day, made 1,023,049 1/2 phone calls trying to get my closing statement, made 8,872 additional phone calls to my broker and my agent just because I can, spent my entire life's savings (thank goodness for payday), and signed and signed my life away. People keep asking me what colors I'll paint the walls. What furniture I'll buy. When I'll have my first housewarming party. Paint? Walls? Furniture? Parties? There are walls and paint and furniture and parties involved in this event?

I hear it's all worth it in the end, but at the moment I feel like crawling back into bed.

Then again, I've also heard that single women now make up 21% of home purchases. I remember just a few years ago, the episode of Sex and the City where Miranda buys her first home and is stunned by the raised eyebrows and the "single woman boxes" that she has to keep checking and checking and checking.

There were a lot of "single women" statements in my paperwork, but at twenty one percent, I feel very proud to be a part of that statistic.

Worst & Best -- Screen Actor's Guild Awards

2007-01-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. You know I love you. You rocked Mean Girls like nobody else could (well, maybe Shannen Doherty could). You have the cutest boyfriend, and I'm thrilled that he's being recognized this year for his killer performance in Half Nelson.

But that does not excuse draping a napkin around your body and calling it a dress. And the hair?!? Please tell me that's for a movie role. What were you thinking?

Let's just hope you're wearing panties.

By contrast, let's check out the lovely and dignified Helen Mirrin, on her way to winning, well, every award for her performance in The Queen. Queen doesn't begin to describe how stunning she looks in this dress.

And check out the back. Even better.

May the gods of fashion forgive us

2007-01-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

As if watching ever Tonya, Debbie, and Henrietta walking around in leggings wasn't bad enough, may I present to you:

Yes, folks. This photo is not a joke. It has not been re-touched or cut and pasted from Winter 2006 Olympic footage.

Leggings for men -- I repeat: leggings for men -- have arrived for the fall. If I have one fashion wish this year -- correction: if I have one fashion wish for any year -- it will be that this is a trend that dies before it ever gets started.

(Though I feel a fashion sin has been committed by the very existence of the concept. I feel as if I should sterilize my closets after looking at that image. Dear friends: What would Audrey think?)

Things to do when your internet is down

2007-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Buy a condo.

In one of the most expensive areas in the world.

Crazy, isn't it?

I'll try for some pictures and more information ASAP!!!

M.I.A.

2007-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

That'd be me.

My internet is down at home, so I won't be blogging until I get it fixed. (This includes my beauty favorites list for 2006!!!) Just thought I'd leave y'all a friendly note so you don't send the FBI out looking for me!

Movie Review -- Thank You For Smoking

2006-12-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

Thank You For Smoking is a hilarious satire that centers around the tobacco industry in this country. Nick Naylor (played by Golden Globe nominee Aaron Eckhart) is a tobacco lobbyist who is one of the most loathed men in America. He holds the seemingly-impossible position of getting new smokers in a world that is tobacco (and tobacco lobbyist) intolerant. But Naylor revels in his position, and his latest job seems to be getting his son to realize why what he does is so important.

This is a tough story to pull off. But it works by making all sides both likeable (and understandable) and loathesome. The movie doesn't take sides (though I will point out that not one cigarette was smoked during the film). Even the anti-tobacco parties -- headed by the always delightful William H. Macy as a Vermont Senator -- come across as full of lies and deception. It isn't a film that is anti- or pro-tobacco as much as it is a film that raises issues about freedom, choice, and personal responsibility; the subject of smoking isn't as important as the larger issues surrounding the debate. Through wit and politically-incorrect dialogue, we realize how all sides manipulate language and images to "sell" their message; we realize how the public is duped by these messages rather than being encouraged to make their own informed decisions. Naylor, as he attempts to raise his son to be a free-thinker, calls to question the self-righteousness that often surrounds politically-correct rhetoric, and his sometimes-surprising logic makes his arguments more powerful. His meetings with the M.O.D. Squad (that would be "Merchants of Death" -- representatives from the tobacco, alcohol, and firearms industries) are hilarious, and throughout the movie I found myself literally laughing out loud (and it take a lot to make me do so).

The cast all-around works (though I'm on the fence about Katie "a.k.a.: Kate Cruise" Holmes as a seductive reporter) but Aaron Eckhart definitely carries the film from start to finish. Doubtful that he'll win an Oscar (or even get a nomination for this; the meaning will sail over too many people's heads!) but it's a great performance nonetheless.

Four stars! An excellent holiday rental!

Goodbye 2006

2006-12-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from My Muse!

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season...

xo

Tech Help!!!

2006-12-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm having problems posting on other people's blogs. Is any one else having this problem???

(Also a note to my readers: I'm not ignoring you; I promise!)

Movie Review -- Volver

2006-12-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, folks. Tis the season when My Muse starts its annual Countdown to Oscar, 2007. D and I have already spent hours on the phone coming up with the best-possible strategy for seeing the most movies that will receive a nomination.

Truly, it's an addiction.

So let's begin the season with Volver, a Pedro Almodóvar film starring Penélope Cruz as Raimunda, the mother of a teenage daughter living in Madrid, Spain who faces both the aftereffects of murder and the ghost of her mother (played by Carmen Maura) who returns after the death of her sister to fix the problems she never resolved while she was living. The mother returns first to Raimunda's sister, Sole (played by Lola Dueñas) who works as an illegal hairdresser from her apartment. It is a film about life and death and family and friendship and forgiveness, both of oneself and of the people in one's life. And in some ways this is a film more than anything else about being female, female in modern Spain, and the bonds between women.

The story is excellent and beautifully crafted, but it would perhaps have fallen flat without such amazing performances all around. Cruz shines in her role; I've never been a huge fan of her films; she has always struck me as a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera, more a pretty face than an actress. But this film changed my view. When speaking her native Spanish, Cruz is a natural and on the same level as some of the great actresses of the day, and her Golden Globe nomination earlier this week is earned, deserved. There is a lot of comedy in the film, but also a lot of drama; Cruz and the other actresses must span a range of emotions, sometimes seemingly contradictory emotions, and every turn of feeling is real and not overplayed. It is a somewhat quiet film without the over-the-top action that dominates so many movies, a film that delves into some of humanity's most shared yet complex experiences.

Hopefully the rest of you will be fortunate enough to see this in the theater. Visually the film takes off on the big screen, though I fear that it won't make it to many towns. I give it four big stars!!! An excellent start to the season's best films!

Hooray for Coats!

2006-12-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

In honor of the folks at Blogdorf Goodman, I thought I'd post this find:

Coats! Max Mara: 55 Years of Italian Fashion

Looks like a fab gift for the coat addict in your life!

The best of the best

2006-12-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

D called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that he had found me the best present ever. He said that it defines our mutual obsessions perfectly.

Something to do with American Idol? No, that's just me.

A signed photo of Michelle Kwan (or even better the entire Champions on Ice cast)? No.

A new ipod? No.

A detailed pictoral book on the history of the Academy Awards? No.

A case of vodka? No.

A new man? Sadly, no.

So tonight, over glasses of California cab, he pulls out a Macy's bag, and hands me this:

Yes, folks. That's right. I am the proud owner of Team Angela's award-winning, Project Runway I.N.C. jacket! And it fits as if it were tailored especially for me.

Audrey Lives

2006-12-05T10:42:00.001-08:00

Audrey Hepburn's stunning dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's has sold for £467,200 at a London auction. The Givenchy-designed dress was auctioned off with proceeds going to the City of Joy Aid charity and is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a celebrity gown. The gown, one of three designed for the film's production, Givenchy's own piece, was recently released by the designer for auction, which seems very in-tune with the late actress's compassion for children and charity.

Well done, bidder. Well done, Givenchy. And of course, well done, Audrey. Well done, indeed.

It's tragic

2006-12-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

I just met a friend for dinner. In my purse, I brought with me three student essays, just in case a moment might arise that I could grade. During dinner. Or maybe in the ladies' room between courses? How sad is that?

Please, let it be true!

2006-12-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

So, I've been biting my nails this past week, hesitating to speak too quickly, fearing that if I type the words, they won't come true. But the rumor mill has started to spin, and last week's Us Magazine reports that there are potential plans to bring Sex and the City to the big screen. Of course, the rumors in 2004 about why the movie was put on the backburner in the first place swirled stories about friction between castmates (well, between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker....Samantha, Carrie, play nice). But, fingers crossed, here's hoping those alleged tensions are gone, dead, buried. We need our girls back!

Blah blah blah

2006-11-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah! Blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah divorce?

Grrrrr

2006-11-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

How much longer will I be on hold with the bank so that THEY can fix THEIR error with my account? (Second phone call, I should add.)

Thirty more minutes? An hour? Will I make it to work on time?

Is it finally and really and truly happening?

2006-11-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

Is K-Fed about to transform into Fed-Ex?

C'mon, Britney! You can do it, girl! Some of us still believe in you!

Everything's under control!

2006-11-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

So my dearest friend, L, is off working as a nanny with a family who is traveling around the world this year. She and I had a few rough spots over the past couple of years, but we've worked through everything and are as close as ever (in some ways even closer).

I just received a birthday card from her. She included a card from I, one of the little girls in the family. The card reads:

To: T.J. Happy Birthday. L misses you. I am keeping her company. From: I

Total sweetness. I feel much better now, knowing that L is in such good hands!

Speaking of The Bachelor

2006-10-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

On tonight's episode, after this 25-year-old fruitcake named Lisa (you know, the one with the marriage and babies timeline) appeared in front of her beau wearing a wedding dress, a tiara, with a stack of wedding magazines on her coffee table, she said:

Lorenzo, seeing me in the wedding dress was like, Oh my
god. I could marry this girl.

So what'd that crazy romantic Bachelor do? Run away? (Like any sane man would do.) Nope, he promptly gave her the next rose.

Guess I should re-think my dating strategy; desperation in mighty doses is apparently so-very 2006.

Oh no!

2006-10-30T19:36:00.001-08:00

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe have split. Maybe I'm a bit naive and romantic, but I really thought they would make it!

Drum roll, please

2006-10-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

For your entertainment pleasure, my new blog, A Dater's Life, commences!

Birthday (er, wedding) pictures

2006-10-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

It's a little tough, going to a wedding on your 35th birthday. But it's survivable with the help of your friends!
Me and D, at the reception.

The Happy Couple gets ready to cut the cake!

B and I at the reception (don't we look HOT?)

The four of us together again and having a marvelous time!

B and I before the wedding (looking sober and fresh) on the balcony of our hotel. (Look over our shoulders, and you might get a glimpse of the ocean!)

I Hate Mondays

2006-10-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Though I suppose that's stating the obvious, isn't it?

I'm finding the commute to and from work to be very stressful, exhausting, horrible, and I'm contemplating moving closer to my job. The problem? I live in one of the greatest cities in the world and work in the armpit of the universe. (How is it possible that such a dreadful city can be so close to San Francisco?) There's a condo for sale (yes, you read that right: FOR SALE) in D's building that is within walking (again, you read that right) distance of my job, but even so....do I want to live there?

I'm back and forth with it, but then today, I had car trouble and it took me over two hours to get home. Uggh. And my car is still stuck over by my workplace which means tomorrow it will take over two hours to get to work. (If I'm lucky, my car will be ready then, otherwise I won't get home until midnight.)

So I've spent the evening searching for condo listings in hip parts of Oakland. Watch this space.

34 years, 363 days, and counting

2006-10-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

As I'll be going to a wedding on my 35th birthday (grumble, grumble, when did my life turn into a lost episode of Sex and the City? grumble, grumble) I decided to take the day off to treat myself right. First it was off to buy an ugly pair of boots (again, sorry Julia). Then to shop for the wedding. I've had a dreadful time finding the right dress to wear to the damn wedding (actually that's not entirely true: I've had a depressing time thinking of buying yet-another dress to wear to yet-another wedding). So I decided to treat myself to classic Tiffany's.

Okay, it's not exactly diamonds, but I can't really afford diamonds. (Or as Holly Golightly once said about diamonds, "I think they're divine on older women, but I don't think they'd be right for me. You do understand.") Then it was time for lunch at a rooftop cafe: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; Rare, seared tuna on a bed of fresh greens with pickled ginger and gorgeous tomatoes, avocodo, and the tastiest wasabi vinagrette; then for desert (what gal can't have desert on her almost-birthday?) chocolate fudge truffle layer cake. With a candle, of course. And singing.

I think Holly Golightly would approve!

I'm sorry, Julia

2006-10-19T15:39:00.001-07:00

But I bought these boots today. I know they're ugly. In fact, I know that ugly doesn't begin to describe them. But they're very comfortable, and I have a birthday looming; I'm craving comfort today.

Plus, they'll be perfect for late-night, chilly doggie walking, right? Right?

(Pathetic attempt to justify ugly purchase. Again, I'm sorry.)

Random Celebrity Observation

2006-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

So this Nick Lachey character is on The View this morning, babbling about his relationship and blah, blah, blah.

You know what? The man absolutely cannot sing. Cats fighting have better pitch than he does.

He does have nice dimples. And he was married to that blonde bimbo (you know which one). Is that all it takes these days to be a celebrity?

Loco Confession

2006-10-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so in my desperate attempt to avoid grading "Fuck Poetry" (another post entirely) I'm watching The Bachelor.

It is such a bad show, as it's always been a bad show. But this year it's gone from bad to stunningly worse. ABC has gone and found a real-life prince for 25 desperate women to fight over. Apparently, all women (or at least all women under the age of 25 as the vast majority of the women are in their early 20s, all just ticking away to get married) are all waiting for Prince Charming to give them their fairy tale romance.

Haven't they gotten the memo yet? It's 2006, girls.

Am I the only one who sees the irony in this show?

Why can't they have just one cynical woman there to talk about how she's seeking her Anti-Prince Equal? Even better, why can't one just look at him and say, "Ewwwww....."?

In Memory

2006-10-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been two years (and three hours and thirty minutes) since I received the phone call that my father had died. It's easy to say that it feels like it happened yesterday, but it does. Odd, but I still sometimes forget that he's gone. The other night, I happened to stumble upon a memory of a friend of mine from grade school, and I realized I had forgotten her last name. The first thought, the first thought that entered my head was: I'll just call Dad. He'll remember.

He always knew everything, always remembered everything. And even though he didn't seem to have much to say, his wisdom was apparent to everyone who met him. There is so much I never learned from him, so much I'll never know. I have no regrets over this, as I know we never can know someone completely; I cherish the 33 years we had together, but the thought that I can't just pick up the phone to ask him XYZ fills me with sorrow. The thought that I'll never have the chance to say goodbye leaves me feeling hollow.

Last night, D asked me if I think October 3rd will ever not carry this weight for me. I said, No, the date is permanently etched in my brain as the day my father left this world.

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes -- Gloria Naylor

Poll Time

2006-10-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Do you like this blouse? It looks pretty darn good for $79, and I have a gift card that's about to expire with about that exact amount left on it. But I'm feeling too sick to think about going to the shops to try it on.

Sick. Sick. Sick.

2006-10-01T11:47:00.001-07:00

Answer this: Why do I always get sick when I'm invited to a hip party thrown by a hip French woman and attended by hip, sexy, straight French men?

Instead of sneezing all over everyone and everything French, I've holed myself up in my apartment, drunk tea, eaten carry-in Chinese, graded horrible essays, and watched most of Season One of House.

For enlightenment, check out what makes people sneeze!

Confession of the week

2006-09-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

This one is hard, even for me, to admit. Maybe it was a lack of sleep or a lack of iron or a lack of sex, but last night, when I was watching the season premiere of America's Next Top Model, I started crying when one of my favorites, Melrose, was almost eliminated.

Methinks it's time for a holiday.

A word on: Leggings

2006-09-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm being honest, gals, when I say to you: Every outfit you put on does not look better with the addition of black leggings. In fact, most outfits you put on do not look better with the addition of black leggings.

Case in point: Today at lunch, I spotted a gal wearing a stylish, grey blouse; tailored, black, knee-length, asymmetrical skirt; cowboy boots; and, you guessed it, capri-length black leggings. Not only did the leggings ruin the line of her skirt, but they made her already-average lengthed legs look short. Actually, now that I think about it, most women's legs -- unless you happen to be Christy Turlington -- look short when wearing capri-length black leggings.

Just stop it. Enough already. The end.

Celebrity Confession

2006-09-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

So, it's common knowledge around here that I'm not a big fan of Mr. Tom Ick Cruise. It's further common knowledge that I'm a big supporter of Free Katie (er, "Kate") Holmes. And when the two collided on the cover of this month's Vanity Fair, I had to say, "Enough already."

But I must confess, damn....that Suri is one cute kid.

3 Things A Man Should Never Do On A Saturday Night

2006-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

(1) Wear (fake) hipster glasses and a red bandana. Can someone say, "Makes you look like a serial killer"? (Actually, we did say that, but that's another post entirely.)

(2) Use as his pick-up line: You have such nice full lips; I'll bet that means you're a great kisser. Shall I find out?

(3) When that doesn't work, turn to above-mentioned woman's friend and say: Your lips are narrow. Does that make you a bad kisser? Shall I find out?

Forget looking like a serial killer. This guy's just a loser!

My (technological) confession

2006-09-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

After years of technological discrimination, angst, and fear, I finally broke down this weekend and bought: a cellphone. That's right, folks. I've finally decided to enter the 1990s. It's a big step (aided by an enormous hangover on Sunday). I'll need lots of support. But I'm sure (as everyone has told me) that my entire life is about to change! Here it is. I think I'll name him "Kermit."

Two months in the world of on-line dating

2006-09-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

2 months ago: Cute guy views your profile

1 1/2 months ago: Cute guy "hotlists" you

1 months ago: Cute guy "winks" at you

29 days ago: You wink back

15 days ago: Cute guy sends first e-mail, apologizing for taking so long, but he's been out of town

13 days ago: You e-mail back

10 days ago: Cute guy sends second e-mail

9 days ago: You e-mail back

9 days ago: Cute guy sends third e-mail

7 days ago: You e-mail back, cute guy e-mails back, you e-mail back

6 days ago: Cute guy e-mails, asking you for coffee

5 days ago: You e-mail back, saying that this week is busy, how about next week?

As of today: Nothing

Why on earth is this so difficult? I mean, all of this time and energy is all for ONE DATE that probably won't happen. With someone I've never met. With someone who isn't all that exciting to begin with. (Well, he's more exciting than the 55 year olds living in Florida who like to e-mail me.) Seriously, I'm starting to think that arranged marriages aren't that bad of an idea.

Role Model? Heiress? Just stupid?

2006-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of drunk driving. Bravo, Paris! Nice work.

(Just one thing. If you're an heiress, don't you have a driver?)

It gets in my eyes....

2006-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Jules, you'd be so proud of me. Remember my eyeball phobia? Well, it's gone. Entirely. I just lost my contact in my eye, and gutsy me managed to fish it out without either (1) losing my baby greens; or (2) barfing.

So proud!

(Yes, this really is the most exciting thing to happen to me all week!)

Book Review -- Tete-a-Tete

2006-09-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ah. The drama. The passion. The lies. The sex. That's right gals. Time for my review of Melrose Place! Er, I mean, time for my review of Tete-a-Tete by Hazel Rowley. Rowley's brand-new book is the biography of the decades-long relationship between Simone de Beauvoir (aka: The Beaver) and Jean-Paul Sartre. She starts as the two meet as students in 1929 and takes us through their deaths fifty years later. Through her detailed examination of the two -- and their ever-changing, wide circle of friends and lovers (and ex-friends and ex-lovers) -- we start to understand the evolution of the two brilliant writers and philosophers and the existential movement that swept the world in the mid 20th century. Even a person who had never heard of the two would be drawn into their unconventional and riveting story.

As an English geek and women's studies student, I've studied a wee bit of J-P S and S de B, but Rowley's in-depth, careful analysis reveals what was beneath the surface of their writings and teachings. We see the impact of the world on their philosophies and the impact of their philosophies on the world. Their non-traditional, sometimes rocky, but oddly stable relationship might seem odd to many of us, but for them it worked and it endured. Yes, it's easy to get irritated at the deception and womanizing of Jean Paul Sartre (okay, he was a genius, but what is up with some of these women?); I found myself at times sympathizing with Simone de Beauvoir's struggles to keep her most-important love going.

Rowley's research is extensive and doesn't glorify or condemn either writer. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in the countless names and places and people that the two encounter, but overall it's a fairly readable and gripping biography.

Question

2006-09-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

If your relationship didn't survive the fourth break-up/get-back-together sequence, what makes you think it will survive the fifth?

That is all.

Only 16 1/2 more weeks until winter vacation!!!!

2006-08-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

(not that I'm counting or anything.....)

Movie Review -- Little Miss Sunshine

2006-08-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Let's just get right to it: Go and see Little Miss Sunshine. The always-delightful Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear star as the quirky parents in a quirky family of misfits (including the hilarious Steve Carell as a gay, suicidal Proust scholar). On the surface, the family seems dysfunctional and unhappy, but they pull together (albeit a bit unhappily) in order to get their young daughter, Olive (played by adorable Abigail Breslin) to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant on an unexpected (and seemingly never-ending) road trip from New Mexico (three cheers for my home state!) to California. The trip is life altering on many levels and full of unexpected discoveries.

It's a comedy, sure, and witty from beginning to end; its sometimes dark humor is never predictable and you will literally be laughing outloud. But more importantly, this little film is a story about family and love and belonging, and in between your laughter, you may discover a few tears. The beauty pagent is over-the-top hilarious, and.....well, I don't want to tell you any more. Just go and see it! FIVE BIG STARS!!!!!

Whoa!

2006-08-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson split!

I was not seeing that one coming!*

(*Yes, I realize that all celebrities split eventually -- unless you're Paul and Joanne or Tom and Rita or even Goldie and Kurt -- but even so....)

A quote that breaks my heart...

2006-08-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

...and makes me not want to go back to teaching English:

The average adult reads less than one book a year. According to the American Booksellers Association, 80 percent of households have not read a book in the last twelve months...Brian Tracy, Time Power

Just sadness. How can so many people not read ONE BOOK a year? One. Book. No wonder I have students approach me every semester and say, "That's the first book I've ever read." As shocking as that might sound, it seems it may unfortunately be true.

Yoo Hoo! Julia!

2006-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Check out Kate's photo for the cover of this month's Vanity Fair!

Back to reality!

2006-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back from visiting my family in smalltown U.S.A.! Will post a nice update tomorrow, but for now, I've posted my most-recent Books for 2006!

BBC -- Part Three

2006-07-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

We've decided on our third selection for the Blogger's Book Club: Hazel Rowley's Tete a Tete. If you're interested, pick up a copy and post about it in your blog (or comment on my blog or Vanessa's blog) around the end of August/beginning of September. Here's a review to get you thinking about whether or not you're interested!

From Publishers Weekly:

Though Rowley identifies her engaging and accessible chronicle as the "story of a relationship," it is in fact the story of the many relationships forged by two of the most brilliant, unorthodox and scandalous intellectuals of the 20th century: Beauvoir and Sartre, who from 1929 until Sartre's death in 1980 remained "essential" to each other but never monogamous. Without undue prurience, Rowley (Richard Wright) romps through the major entanglements, loves, triangles, friendships and affairs engaged in by the authors of, respectively,the seminal feminist work The Second Sex andthe controversial autobiography Words. And to place these fascinating interactions into literary and biographical context, Rowley draws from vast stores of published and unpublished writings, correspondence and interviews. Though Beauvoir is the heroine of the book, Rowley offers revealing insights into Sartre: including the extent to which he juggled, depended upon and supported his many mistresses and the compulsive need he had to seduce women far more beautiful than he, despite his tepid sensuality. Intrigues aside, however, Rowley concludes that, for both Sartre and Beauvoir, the most enduring commitment was not to each other or to their many lovers but to their writing, politics and philosophical legacy. (Oct.)

Oh and another thing....

2006-07-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Friday night, I'm out at a bar with friends following a cocktail party. Well, not exactly out with friends. I'm out with a good friend and her boyfriend, D, who I've never quite gotten along with. I've tried -- we've tried -- and I don't exactly hate him, but he's just someone I do not connect with for far too many reasons to go into here.

Anyway, D is pretty drunk (one thing he's very good at) and getting in my face with a bunch of hoo ha. I'm doing my best to just brush him off, aided by my friend (who is, like me, getting frustrated at her boyfriend's antics) when he suddenly says to me:

Why don't you have a boyfriend?

Okay, I know I'm not alone here when I say, Is there ANY WAY to respond to this question?

Let alone, is there any way to respond to this question when it comes from the mouth of someone like D? Is there any way to respond to this question in a way that doesn't make me sound like a total narcissist (Dude, it's not me, it's them) or someone who totally hates herself (Woe is me. I'm so lonely)?

Of course, D doesn't shut up there. He's on a roll (one sprinkled with sesame seeds). He says:

When I first met you, I didn't know what to think. But now that I've gotten to know you, I think you're pretty cool. I mean, you're not ugly. And you can fight it if you want to, but I just want what's best for you.

Gee, thanks, buddy. You can't imagine how flattered I feel.

The number shall be....Four?

2006-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Jules to give you my life in 4s!

A) Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. Copyeditor
2. Camp Counselor
3. Instructor
4. Janitor (yes, I cleaned public restrooms)

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset (not really cheating...they're a unit!)
2. How to Marry a Millionaire
3. Footloose
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's

C) Four places I have lived:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Somewhere Hot in Texas
3. Santa Fe, NM
4. Yosemite National Park

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. House
2. American Idol (guilty pleasure confession!)
That's it for new shows! But in re-runs, I'll watch
3. Will & Grace
4. Sex and the City

E ) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Costa Rica
2. Brazil
3. New Zealand
4. China

F) Four Websites I visit daily:
1. Many blogs
2. Lonely Planet
3. Ummmm.....does checking my e-mail count? Yahoo
4. IMDB

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. A wide variety of pasta dishes
2. New Mexican cuisine
3. Perfectly-ripened peaches
4. Chocolate Truffles

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Right where I am
2. Somewhere cool, shady, calm
3. In a rental car, driving around Tasmania
4. Italy, always Italy

I) Four people I think will respond:
Could be anyone. Surprise me. Will it be YOU?

One of those weeks

2006-07-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd pop onto my own blog to say "hi" to my eager readers (all five of you) and let you know that absolutely NOTHING is happening in my life. So there's nothing to post.

Unless you want thousands of words about my writing process and how I've been literally staring at the computer screen for about five hours a day, frustrated and annoyed and producing very very little (in between watching Season One of House again and again and walking the dog). But I don't think anyone wants to hear about that! (I, for one, certainly don't!)

Will return to reality shortly, I'm sure.

Blogger's Book Club Part Three!

2006-07-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Time to choose the third book for Blogger's Book Club! We've decided to stick with the original list, so let me know what looks good (or if you have another suggestion, feel free to let me know). We'll start reading mid-July.

Tete a Tete by Hazel Rowley.

From Publishers Weekly: Though Rowley identifies her engaging and accessible chronicle as the "story of a relationship," it is in fact the story of the many relationships forged by two of the most brilliant, unorthodox and scandalous intellectuals of the 20th century: Beauvoir and Sartre, who from 1929 until Sartre's death in 1980 remained "essential" to each other but never monogamous. Without undueprurience, Rowley (Richard Wright) romps through the major entanglements, loves, triangles, friendships and affairs engaged in by the authors of, respectively,the seminal feminist work The Second Sex andthe controversial autobiography Words. And to place these fascinating interactions into literary and biographical context, Rowley draws from vast stores of published and unpublished writings, correspondence and interviews. Though Beauvoir is the heroine of the book, Rowley offers revealing insights into Sartre: including the extent to which he juggled, depended upon and supported his many mistresses and the compulsive need he had to seduce women far more beautiful than he, despite his tepid sensuality. Intrigues aside, however, Rowley concludes that, for both Sartre and Beauvoir, the most enduring commitment was not to each other or to their many lovers but to their writing, politics and philosophical legacy. (Oct.)

Little, Big by John Crowley.

Amazon book description: Little, Big tells the epic story of Smoky Barnable -- an anonymous young man who meets and falls in love with Daily Alice Drinkwater, and goes to live with her in Edgewood, a place not found on any map. In an impossible mansion full of her relatives, who all seem to have ties to another world not far away, Smoky fathers a family and tries to learn what tale he has found himself in -- and how it is to end.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros.

From AudioFile: "Tell me a story, even if it's a lie." So begins Sandra Cisneros's delightful second novel. The Reyes clan piles into three cars to make a trip to the "other side" (Mexico City) to visit the Awful Grandmother and the Little Grandfather. Celaya (Lala) Reyes is the youthful observer of her family's vida loca. Cisneros has written a poetic, fictionalized family saga made memorable by a raucouscollection of characters. They slip in and out of time, weaving truth and "healthy lies" into the family's history. The story overflows with music, food, fantasy, and fiesta. Narrating the tale herself, Cisneros is most successful in her interpretation of the young Lala. Her reading lends charm and authenticity to this witty gem of a novel.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson.

From Publisher's Weekly: The narrator's insistent voice and breezy delivery animates this enchanting first novel by a British writer who won one of the 1993 Ian St. James Awards for short stories. Ruby Lennox is a quirky, complex character who relates the events of her life and those of her dysfunctional family with equal parts humor, fervor and candor-starting with her moment of conception in York, England, in 1959: "I exist!" Ruby then describes the family she is to join. Her parents own a pet shop; her mother, Bunty, bitterly rues having married her philandering husband, George, and daydreams about what her life might have been. Ruby has two older sisters, willful Gillian and melancholy Patricia. Through its ambitious structure, the novel also charts five generations and more than a century of Ruby's family history, as reported in "footnotes" that follow relevant chapters.(For example, a passage about a pink glass button reveals the story of its original owner, Ruby's great-grandmother Alice, who will abandon her young family and run off with a French magician.) Ruby's richly imagined account includes both the details of daily life and the several tragic events that punctuate the family's mundane existence. Though the "footnote" entries are not quite as gripping as those rendered in Ruby's richly vernacular, energetic recitation, Atkinson's ebullient narrative style captures the troubled Lennox family with wit and poignant accuracy.

Possession by A.S. Byatt.

From Publishers Weekly:Two contemporary scholars, each studying one of two Victorian poets, reconstruct their subjects' secret extramarital affair through poems, journal entries, letters and modern scholarly analysis of the period. PW called this Booker Prize winner "an ambitious and wholly satisfying work, a nearly perfect novel."

What about love?

2006-07-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

So last night, I was all ready to sit down to watch my favorite train wreck, How to get the Guy, when I realized that ABC was showing back-to-back episodes of Supernanny instead.

Oh no! Could it be that the world's-worst-television-show-that-I-can't-seem-to-take-my-eyes-off-of (WWTSTICSTTMEOO) has been canned? It appears this may be the case.

Where's the love, people? Okay, it's true that I was mostly waiting for the women to fall flat on their faces (and hopefully knock their corny love "coaches" into the San Francisco Bay) but even so: What purpose is there to my life without being able to mock my masochistic lovestarved San Francisco sisters on my favorite WWTSTICSTTMEOO?

What is left in the world?

What a Friday

2006-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just came back from spending the day at the hospital while my friend, M, underwent open-heart surgery. Things are looking good -- he's still in ICU and still out, but things went well.

Still, fingers (and toes and even legs) crossed for a speedy recovery.

Whoa!

2006-07-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm excited about the second installment of Pirates of the Caribbean just as much as the next Johnny Depp obsessed gal. And, no doubt, Ms. Keira "I Look Like I Have To Poop" Knightley falls into this category as well, seeing as how the first installment shot her into superstardom. But will someone please give Ms. Knightley a cookie? Or twelve?

(Image from Getty Images!)

Movie Review -- The Devil Wears Prada

2006-07-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

The Devil Wears Prada is the long-anticipated film based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger. Anne Hathaway plays Andrea (aka: "Ahn-dre-ah"), a recent college graduate with huge aspirations to be writing for The New Yorker someday. However, her first job is working for Runway magazine as the assistant to the devil herself, editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (played by the divine Meryl Streep) in "a job a million girls would die for." Andrea starts off as a less-than-fashionable young woman (who mocks the very product she represents) who nearly crumbles under Miranda's terror, but soon she is pulled into the viciousness of the fashion industry.

The movie drifts from the novel in some of its plot points. However, don't let this turn you off. Ultimately, the essence of the book remains. I think that one of the things that emerges in the movie that isn't as present in the book is the fact that Miranda is an actual human being. She isn't "nice", no way; however, she (like all of the other characters) has a soul. While the book is a fun read, in a way it is one-dimensional in its portrayal of the characters; the film neither bashes nor glorifies the fashion industry or Miranda. In a way, the film comes across as much smarter than the book in its exploration of what is necessary for one (we could even say for "a woman" as the film brings up the notion of whether or not Miranda would be perceived in the same way were she a man) to become a success. And in doing so, it raises the issue of whether or not we are all disposible or replaceable, whether we have expiration dates (and the lengths one will go to maintain her status).

The highlight of the film is (no surprise) Streep's portrayal of Miranda. (Here's hoping for Golden Globe and/or an Oscar nod, though the Academy seems reluctant to recognize comedy. Damn, Meryl Streep can do anything!) Streep manages to make her "evil" without turning her into a caricature of evil. There is a genuine sadness to Miranda beneath her tough-as-nails exterior. Anne Hathaway holds her own opposite Streep. She is charming and sweet, and genuinely believeable as she crosses over to the dark side. My main irritation comes from Andrea's love interests: her live-in boyfriend, Alex (played by Entourage's Adrien Grenier; and bad-boy writer, Christian (played by Simon Baker). One, I didn't really care whether or not Andy and Alex stayed together; they're, what, 22? People change and grow apart. Life goes on. (Plus, with all of his babbling about buying $5 strawberries or whatever, I found it hypocritical that he was so judgemental of high fashion.) And Christian? Ick. He was just too old and grose for Andrea; no way did I buy that relationship. No way.

I've already talked about the fashion, so I'll sign off by giving this four big stars! Great summer fun!

Finally!

2006-07-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

May/June books are finally posted on my book list!

Enjoy!

Allez les bleus!

2006-07-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

France 1, Brazil 0

The Devil Wears Prada -- Teaser #2

2006-06-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Interesting critique of The Devil Wears Prada at The New York Times. The article claims that the fashion image presented in the film is not a realistic image of the fashion industry but is instead a bit forced and over-the-top (not surprising, given that Patricia Field styled the film, but even so). The article quotes Anne Slowey from Elle:

Those costumes are "a caricature of what people who don't work in fashion think fashion people look like,"...Conceived and styled by Patricia Field, who assembled the wardrobe for "Sex and the City," "the clothes are a little too head-to-toe perfect."

And what does Patricia Field have to say in response?

For Ms. Field, the costumes were never intended to match reality. "Did Holly Golightly represent reality in a Givenchy dress? I was in that zone," she said. "My job is to present an entertainment, a world people can visit and take a little trip."

Sounds vaguely familiar to her response to criticism that the Sex and the City wardrobes were unrealistic as well!

Movie Review -- A Prairie Home Companion

2006-06-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to seeing Robert Altman's latest ensemble film: A Prairie Home Companion. PHC is an odd little movie about the final episode of Garrison Keillor's real-life radio program (Keillor wrote the film and plays the lead, GK, in the film). The cast is packed full of celebrities -- Kevin Kline as the film's narrator, a security guard for the program; Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep and Meryl Streep play the singing Johnson Sisters (with Lindsey Lohan as Streep's suicidal daughter); Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly play the cowboy duo, Dusty & Lefty; and Virginia Madsen plays an angel (yes, you read that right) otherwise known as the "Dangerous Woman" who appears in the theater on its final night to....oh, I'll just let you watch the film for that. In smaller roles, Tommy Lee Jones plays a wealthy business man who has bought (and is prepared to break down) the theater and Maya Rudolph (from SNL) plays a very-pregnant stage manager.

What a fun, fun, fun movie. At one point, the guy behind me was tapping his feet so hard, my entire row was shaking. But I didn't care, because my feet were a bouncin' right with him. Streep and Tomlin, especially, are too funny for words; their comic timing is sheer perfection, and I could have watched two hours of just the two of them getting ready to perform in their dressing room. But they weren't the only amazing performances -- Reilly and Harrelson are hilarious as somewhat-raunchy cowboys; Kevin Kline is (of course, as always) his own brand of subtle humor, his "seriousness" a nice contrast to the over-the-top antics of the radio performers. And, while it was no Mean Girls or Freaky Friday, La Lohan has finally taken a brilliant turn as an actress; even though her role is supporting, she has finally stepped into adult roles in adult films, and hopefully (along with keeping on some weight) she'll continue to play such mature, complex roles. Go Lindsey! All of the actors performed their own songs, according to IMDB, live in the theater instead of in a prerecorded studio. That energy makes the movie more alive; you could tell the actors were having a fun time in their roles.

I'm kind of mixed about Virginia Madsen's role as "Dangerous Woman." It gave the movie more of a plot (beyond the closing of the theater) but it just wasn't working for me. Though I love Madsen in any role, it distracted me from the fun on stage.

But overall, this was such a fun movie, perfect for lazy summer afternoons. I give it FOUR STARS!!!

The Devil Wears Prada -- Fashion Teaser!

2006-06-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Since the countdown to The Devil Wears Prada has officially begun, I thought I'd get the party started with some of the fabulous fashions from the film. This dress that Anne Hathaway is wearing as Andrea (also known as "Ahn-dre-ah") has gotten tons of attention. Expect hordes of fahionistas to be belting their dresses this fall.

This Calvin Klein Trench looks classic but simultaneously fresh with a cute newsboy cap and to-die-for t-straps.

And anyone who knows me at all knows that I'm salivating over this look: David Rodriguez boatneck top, Miu Miu white shirt, Chanel cap and Chanel jewelry. If I could dress like this every day (any day) trust me, I would.

(Top photo from Yahoo Movies; bottom two from Yahoo News!)

Christmas in.....June???

2006-06-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I just started this new short story that's set around Christmas time. So, to give me the right sound and mood for the piece, I downloaded a bunch of Christmas music and have been listening to it all afternoon.

My head's spinning. I think I need a drink.

BBC -- Review of Bone

2006-06-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I simply could not get into this book. In theory, Bone is exactly the type of novel I enjoy reading as it's a story about the necessity of story for our very survival, the need for story to reveal the truth behind one's circumstances, and how story helps us understand our identity, as individuals and as members of families, cultures, and communities. The story of the Leong family -- its tragedies, its joys, and most imporantly, its secrets -- is an intimate portrayal of life in San Francisco's Chinatown as told by first-person narrator Leila. And it is a story that the tour books and history books don't tell.

The narrator's urgency in understanding her heritage, both in the past and in the present, is the heart of this story; the narrator's inability to understand who she is as a Chinese-American woman, a woman torn between her traditional Chinese heritage and the modern "American" world she lives in, drives the story forward, Chinatown representing the two worlds coming together. And it is primarily the secrets of the family -- the unexplainable suicide of middle daughter, Ona; the story behind the disappearance of the narrator's biological father; the true lives of the three daughters in contrast with the images they present to their parents; the failure to return Grandfather Leung's bones to China -- that create the tension in the story. The characters' refusal to confront these issues head on only perpetuates this tension; it seems crucial for Leila to face this tension through her storytelling. For her entire life, Leila has only received fragments of her life's story, and it seems vital for her to piece her story together, bit by bit, through whatever means she can. Only through story can Leila face who she is and perhaps create a stronger, more authentic sense of self.

Okay, I get all of that in theory. And I'm not sure why I didn't connect with this novel. I admired the relationships in the story, felt the pain as the family struggled with dealing with tragedy. The prose was admirable, poetic, smooth, real...especially for a first novel. As narrator, Leila tells her story with brutal honesty; she doesn't sugarcoat herself or her experiences. But the story felt choppy to me; I got lost in when things were taking place (is Leila married yet? is Ona dead yet?) and kept having to flip back to previous pages to try and piece it all together. And at the same time, things felt rushed via too much exposition as opposed to carefully drawn-out scenes; so much took place in under 200 pages, I wondered why the author didn't write 400 pages instead. Sure, it's a good book, no denying that, but if someone wants to read a story about Chinese-American experiences, I'm going to suggest The Woman Warrior. And if someone wants a story about the damaging impact of secrets on a family's survival, I'm handing them Beloved.

(Though perhaps that's an unfair expectation for any author -- I mean, Maxine Hong Kingston and especially Toni Morrison are about as good as it gets!)

Unreal

2006-06-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I met this real estate guy at the dog park and made the grave mistake of telling him that I *might* be contemplating buying an apartment in the near future (that's a pretty might-y *might* as this is San Francisco and everything's way way way expensive). Well, pretty much every day since then, he approaches me with another real estate gem.

Today he hands me a brochure for a studio in a pretty crappy neighborhood. No parking. No real storage. Starting at the bargain price of $258,000 (a STEAL in San Francisco) I can get 260 square feet. That's a 16 x 16 foot room to house my kitchen, bathroom, closet (oh, the shoes alone), books (I currently have 5 bookshelves), bed, workspace, living space, dog, etc. etc. I figure the entire studio would be about 1/3 of my current apartment.

I mean, I could probably afford the starting price, but c'mon. Give me a break.

Oh, studios with lofts (which pretty much looks like storage space, not sleep space) start at $335,000 and quickly enter the $400s, and one-bedrooms start at $441,000.

Happy Pride 2006!

2006-06-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

To all of my gay, lesbian, bi, & transgendered friends and readers, Happy Pride 2006 from (believe it or not) sunny San Francisco!

The Bestest-est-est feeling

2006-06-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Finishing a draft of a short story and sending it to your first reader.

Ahhhhhh......kind of like giving birth (er, a metaphoric birth, so as not to offend any mothers out there!)

Now really

2006-06-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine waking up next to this?

How to get the guy, part deux

2006-06-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

As I've been overwhelmed with my own dating disabilities (well, and also simulateously -- and perhaps somewhat ironically -- I have somehow acquired a life), I've gotten behind on my television. Last night, I finally got a chance to watch episode two in this season's trainwreck of a TV show, How To Get The Guy. And I must say, while the show is still a disaster filled with cliches and archaic advice, Monday's episode had one redeeming segment. Literally, the women went on blind dates. The women (and their dates) were blindfolded and then had a 3-course dinner date with two different men; for course one, one of the men sat with them, and for course two, the second man came in. The women had to choose which man they preferred for a blindfold-free dessert.

Not surprisingly, the women were stunned by the results. One of them (the "free spirit") picked a guy who was the opposite of the "type" she normally goes out with; he's a Jersey guy who's a bit rough around the edges and definitely not the earthy, new-agey character she typically goes out with.

Okay, the show is still summer-filler-fluff-garbage, but it got me thinking that, logistics aside (for how many of us walk through life with literal blindfolds on, as opposed to metaphoric ones), this is an excellent way to meet, really meet, potential partners, as so much of what we base our decisions on amounts to nothing. It's an obvious concept, dating blindly, and yet still so often we're rejected (or we reject) because we don't meet a certain "type."

And it's not at all surprising that so many of us -- in spite of how much we might complain about our situation and claim to have open minds -- are still alone.

That was close!

2006-06-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not really a loyal-product gal. I tend to buy whatever is cheapest or easily available when it comes to toothpaste, lotion, razors, deodorant, etc. etc. with a few treats thrown in every so often. Sales and "gift with purchases" are my favorite things. The one exception has been my near year-long obsession with MAC's Viva Glam V lipglass, which we all know (or you should know) is the perfect lip color. (It's gotten to the point that I stop at every MAC counter, even if I'm not buying anything, just to make sure that they aren't, in fact, taking it off the market.)

So, it will come as a surprise to hear that I nearly had a heart attack when I went to three different drugstores plus Target (and I HATE Target) and found that my Olay® Complete Defense SPF 30 Daily UV Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin was nowhere to be found. We fair-skinned gals need our SPF 30, dammit! Luckily, I have discovered Drugstore.Com for all of my beauty needs (and not needs) and have just purchased three bottles of MY mousturizer.

How on earth did we survive without the internet?

Score!

2006-06-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

To give some sweetness to my life, today I was lucky enough to find a shop in San Francisco that sells my favorite Australian treat: Tim Tams. Just in case there's a blizzard or a Tim Tam shortage, I bought six packages. For those not in the know, I highly suggest ordering a package (or even better: buy twelve!)

The Joke Is On....Me

2006-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I'd experienced every possible dating scenario.

I'm writing a short story about a woman who becomes addicted to dating seminars. As research, I've attended a couple of seminars, and tonight was one of the ones I've signed up for. The seminar was about how to meet people (not really a problem for me as I've never been shy) and about 80% men (which is just fine by me as I've always been flirtatious). Right away, I start flirting with the very foxy guy (VFG) sitting next to me. I'm thinking, Score one for me! Research AND a cute guy!

So the seminar is all yadda, yadda, yadda...nothing new...but the final bit of advice (pay attention, boys and girls) is on how to turn meeting someone into asking someone on a date. The instructor advises us to keep it simple using a strategy he calls, "DQD" -- Declaration, Question, Declaration:

D) I've really enjoyed chatting with you;
Q) Are you single...or Are you seeing anyone?;
D) I'd like to see you again (followed by asking the person out)

Seems simple enough.

After the seminar ends, VFG and I keep chatting and flirting. We walk together to the subway, get on the same train, keep talking and flirting. We happen to be getting off at the same stop, and as we're getting ready to part, VFG says, "I've really enjoyed chatting with you. Do you want to get together sometime?"

I laugh and say, "Of course....But you forgot to ask if I'm seeing anyone."

He says, "Are you?"

I say, "Of course not! We met at a dating seminar."

He says, as I hand him my phone number, "Oh, I'm in an open relationship."

End Scene.

Sigh.

Friday's Fashion Fantasies

2006-06-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

While everyone else is still thrilled about summer fashion (yawn) I'm already thinking of autumn. I just love fall, with woolen knits and layers and perfectly-tailored suits.

How about these funky Dolce & Gabanna Platform Oxfords? (I'm not so much into platforms, but I love these shoes.)

And I'm loving this Armani turtleneck sweater and tiered skirt. Would be perfect for teaching, and we all know that Ms. Audrey would approve.

I'm salivating over the back of this Roberto Cavalli matte jersey dress. Not that I would look remotely as good as the model does in it (who would?) but still, a girl can dream!

(All fashion from Nordstrom Designer Collections!)

Things that are beyond "ick"

2006-06-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Creepy-Men-Whose-Movies-We-Never-Ever-Want-To-See Club has a new king, and his name is James Woods. In the June 26, 2006 issue of Us Weekly, James Woods, 59, is quoted as saying of his girlfriend, Ashley Myrick, 20:

She has it all: beauty, brains and charm. I knew her when she was a little kid.

Ummmm....does he mean "when she was a little kid" as in two years ago? Ick doesn't even begin to describe that.

Two Weeks: A Comparison

2006-06-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last Week = Pathetic

Jury duty
Paint bedroom purple
Watch paint dry
Watch entire Sex And The City series -- again!

This Week = Sublime

Lunch with D on Tuesday
Dinner with K & N Tuesday night
Dinner with I Wednesday night
Symphony on Thursday
American Conservatory Theater on Friday
Saturday TBA
Madama Butterfly on Sunday

So bad....it was really bad

2006-06-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

"I'm not exactly sure what to think about this date. Mike's a really nice guy, but I just keep asking myself, 'Am I really having an entire conversation about sour Blow Pops on a date right now?'" -- The Party Girl

Tonight I decided to check out ABC's How to Get the Guy, the newest how-to reality show on dating and love. I must admit that I was drawn to the show initially because it's set in my beautiful city, San Francisco, a city with a (false) reputation of being a dreadful place for single, straight women to find single, straight men. And I was also drawn to the show because its subject feeds directly into the fiction I've been writing this summer.

The show focuses on four different women, each of whom gets instantly categorized into a different stereotype of single womanhood, The Dreamer, The Girl Next Door, The Party Girl, and The Career Girl (their real names and real personalities seem insignificant to the show as we are constantly reminded of the "type" of woman that each has been labelled as rather than who the real woman actually is), and the difficulties that they have finding "The One." They are "coached" by two alleged experts in dating, but I'd think "pimped" might be a better word for it; their coaches offer supposedly inciteful "rules" of dating such as: Drop the hankie (make eye contact for four seconds, smile, proximity). They kept repeating this one again again again, and I think it was supposed to be some sort of metaphor or symbol, but it never worked; women don't carry hankies these days, do they? Maybe I just wasn't taking detailed-enough notes. In response, the women (and the men they meet) offer loads of cliche responses about finding the one and being incomplete without him (or her).

Is this supposed to be revolutionary learning? Are we supposed to be enlightened? Is this really going to inspire anyone to run out and "drop the hankie"?

The coaches often sound like they're reading bad dialogue from a Lifetime For Women movie starring Gabrielle Carteris and Lisa Dean Ryan. The women often just laugh uncomfortably. It was so bad, I found myself asking, "Is this supposed to be ironic? It has to be. There is no way people living in 2006 can believe this nonsense." Are women so stupid and desperate that they must be talked to -- and portrayed -- in such a condescending, one-dimensional way? And why is virtually every man they show a total loser? I live in San Francisco, and I can attest that there are plenty of smart, interesting, funny, monogamy-professing men here (and plenty of smart, interesting, funny, monogamy-professing women looking for them).

I'll keep watching it of course, as there is so much material here for my own writing. And like a 40-car pile up on I-80 (preferably one involving a turned-over truck carrying chickens, jars of honey, elephants, and clowns on unicycles) it's something I simply cannot keep my eyes from.

Peep Peep!

2006-06-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

As in shoes (not packaged marshmallow delights!)

I am obsessed with finding a pair of peep-toed pumps. Is there anything more elegant that you can put on your feet?

These by Marc Jacobs are classic, but still funky.

Then there are these by Kate Spade that I just love, love, love!

(Shoes are, of course, from Zappos Couture!)

A Very Imporant BBC Announcement!

2006-06-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hope all of you are reading your copy of Bone for this month's BBC reading selection. If you aren't, there's still plenty of time!

We've decided the "deadline" for the book will be the 26th of June, so if you want to join in the discussion, give me or Vanessa a holler and make a post on that date (and/or come read and comment on what others have to say).

We'll have the book choices for July's BBC book up in a few days!

Whoops!

2006-06-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Four-Million-Dollar-Photo-Leak!

If this is true, will People ask for a refund?

Edited to add: The plot thickens! The article has been "removed" from the above site.

(Blogger's 5-second editorial: Give me a frickin' break. It's a baby, not an alien sighting, bigfoot, or the loch ness monster.)

Things that make you go "HUH????"

2006-06-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

I know many of my readers are site meter obsessed (just like I am!) so I thought I should post the latest site meter bafflement.

I clicked on my site meter today and noticed that I already have more than the average number of hits I get per day. Odd. I mean, it seems like I have some lovely new readers, but it's not even 10 a.m.; what the heck's going on?

So I look at referrals. And there are about thirty searches for "Catalonian Dish," from all over the U.S.A.

Okay, is there some sort of Catalonian Dish revolution going on that nobody told me about?

Edited to add: OMG! And I'm the first thing that comes up at Google! Craziness.

Today's inspiration

2006-06-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

No one lives his life.
Disguised since childhood,
haphazardly assembled
from voices and fears and little
pleasures, we come of age as masks.
Our true face never speaks.

Somewhere there must be storehouses
where all these lives are laid away
like suits of armor or old carriages
or clothes hanging limply on the walls.

Maybe all paths lead there,
to the repository of unlived lives.

Rainer Maria Rilke
Rilke's Book of Hours
Barrow & Macy, tr.

The World According to Mister Rogers

2006-06-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Imagine my joy when I opened my mailbox this afternoon and found in it a little gift from my mom: The World According to Mister Rogers.

Here's my favorite excerpt thus far:

If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

Movie Review -- Friends With Money

2006-06-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's just get this out there. I am a long-time member of Team Aniston. Consider the facts: (1) Jen's slimy ex, Brad Pitt, is the vice president of Creepy Men Whose Movies We Never Ever Want To See (second-in-command solely to Mr. Tom "Ick" Cruise); (2) Above-mentioned ex left dear Jen and flaunted his relationship with Angelina "One Week I'm Making Out With My Brother And Poking Myself With Knives While Dressed In S & M Gear And The Next I'm The Poster Child for U.N. Diplomacy" Jolie; (3) A.J. is, well, strange. (While we can never truly hate Angie (for she was, after all, Gia) we can still say, "WTF are you thinking slapping the sisterhood in the face like this with that weasel of a man? Why don't you just stick with making out with your brother which was more fun for us to watch?")

But I must confess that I bypassed Jen's recent Derailed and Rumor Has It after lukewarm reviews made me think they are, at best, There's-nothing-else-I-haven't-seen-at-Blockbuster rentals. But Friends With Money looked to be just what Jen needed to catapult her out of Rachel and into her next chapter.

In an outstanding ensemble cast (including Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack, Greg Germann (from Ally McBeal!)) Jen plays Olivia, a woman who seems to have been left behind by her friends -- in terms of money, relationships, work, family. She is a single, pothead, ex-teacher working as a maid who is still hung up on her ex (who cheated on his wife to be with her) while her friends are all married, with children, and financially well off.

The film raises the question of whether or not friendships can survive such crossroads; would they even be friends with Olivia were they to meet her today? But I think the questions the film raises about happiness and intimacy (both in romantic relationships and in friendships) run far deeper. What strikes me as most important about the film is how real the relationships are; these aren't fluffy, never-talk-about-each-other-behind-each-other's-back relationships. The women (and men) gossip and are critical of each other (and their men) while simultaneously loving each other, just as in real life. For a rather short movie, all of the characters have well-developed conflicts and issues that they are dealing with as individuals, and it is through their interaction with each other that these issues come to the surface. The stand-out relationship was between McDormand (who, of course, steals every second she is on-screen) and her "Is he gay or not?" husband (played by Simon McBurney).

I could have seen the movie being longer, but primarily because I was so drawn to all of the characters. The movie ends a bit ambiguously, but I suppose that life never has neatly-resolved solutions to problems; like life itself, our issues go on and on.

A quiet film, but one worth watching. I give it FOUR STARS!!!!!

You Know You've Surpassed Sloth When...

2006-06-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

...you aren't working (in fact, you aren't doing much of anything besides watching SATC on dvd) but your apartment is a disaster (because who cleans when SATC is on?) and the laundry is starting to block the TV so you decide to send it out to be cleaned (because why would a person who isn't working or (in fact) doing much of anything have time or energy to launder her clothes herself?) but then contemplate just hauling out your 80s clothes (tube tops and Hammer pants, anyone?) because the cleaners is a whole half a block away and that would require actual walking (with a huge pile of laundry strapped to your back) and who wants to walk that far when SATC is on?

Alright, Mom. I'm going.

Dylan McKay is back!

2006-05-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

In primetime on the new NBC series, Windfall. The show's about a group of 20 people who win the lottery and how they all respond differently to their new lives with money.

Whatever. I'll be tuning in, that's for sure. It's Dylan McKay, looking very middle aged, but still as smoldering as ever (can he do anything but smolder (even without a weathered leather jacket)?) He has the same receding hairline and a few more facial lines, but just one question: Where the heck are Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor?

Things I don't understand

2006-05-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Or maybe I do.

I can remember lying in bed with L, about six years ago now, and thinking to myself, "I could just leave. I could just get up and get dressed and walk out of the room and never see him again." I didn't even really like him. He was selfish and controlling and arrogant and borderline emotionally abusive. He wasn't even good in bed.

But I didn't leave. I stayed and was miserable.

I left L eventually, but only after I had let my self-esteem take a royal ass-whooping. So I guess I do understand on some level. But sitting at this vantage point, from my Happily-Single-in-the-City throne (or so the story goes) I cannot fathom what makes a woman (okay, a person) stay in a relationship where she (or even he) is self-proclaimed miserable. Where she has articulated more than once that the partner probably doesn't even love her, that it feels like a waste of time, that it's been this way from day one, that things will never change (do they ever?), that she cannot imagine a future like this, that she hates herself for taking it again and again.

I don't think it can be as simple as insecurity or fear of being alone. Sure these things are wrapped up in it, but in a world where we can proclaim our self worth (and where bookstores are crammed with books celebrating singlehood and independent living) what makes us turn so quickly into accepting a life of misery?

Book Snobbery

2006-05-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

I am a total book snob. On so many levels. I read my share of trash, sure (the Shopaholic series brought me great pleasure, but I also take great pleasure in the irony of this fact) but my snobbery stems more from not wanting to read what "they" (aka: the masses) are reading. It's an intellectual (and artistic) rejection of things popular, and it's been something I've rejoiced in ever since I first started writing seriously fifteen years ago.

Case in point: The Da Vinci Code. I will not read it. Or perhaps I should say: I have not read it. I don't even need to read it to know it's a poorly-written, overrated book; my sources who have read it (aka: my equally-snobbish, though perhaps more curious colleagues) confirm this. But when I was out traipsing around Spain, a friend left me an article from SFWeekly. In it, Karen Zuercher discusses the snobbery of certain readers and what made her "lower" herself to finally read the book and what made her realize that she actually enjoyed it:

...I admit I felt kind of dirty for having read The Da Vinci Code, even though I'd joined about a zillion other people in doing so. With all the fabulously written books in the world, why waste time and lower your literary values with that one? It's entertaining, yes. It's easy on the brain, definitely...Mostly, though, it was just nice to read something lots of other people were reading.

It makes me think of one of the reasons people do read, to feel a member of a community, to feel, as Zuercher says, "connected" to their community through story. Ordinarily (and perhaps ironically) I shun that community (at least on literary terms) because I tend to perceive myself -- as a writer, as an instructor of Literature, as a lover of words -- as above that community. When perhaps I should just admit that I am a part of it.

So, should I? Dare I?