All of the Books

So, I readily admit that I have not been keeping up with my reading goal as much as I would have liked.  But just having the goal has made a difference in my life.  I've probably already read more this year than I did in total last year.

That being said, I still am not as spot on with the goal as I'd like.  For instance, I totally didn't read anything in February.  Actually I started The Hunger Games (see below), but really only ready 20 pages or so, which doesn't really count.  And in April, I only read one book, but once you see what it is, you'll see it was book enough for a month.  : )  Here's what I've read since our last update!

January's Books: A Classic Novella & A Bunch of Tricks

One of the items on my list for this year is to read two books a month: a classic and a whatever I damn well please. Since I didn't finalize my list until a week or so into January, I decided I'd better go with something that wouldn't make me feel like a failure right off the bat. *I chose John Steinbeck's The Pearl for my classic and 101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog by Kyra Sundance. Here are my thoughts (don't worry...they're brief).

The Pearl

I first read The Pearl my freshman year of high school. The only thing I remembered about this book is that the word poultice appears in it. Why? Because it appeared on a vocabulary quiz. Of all the words I learned in high school, this is the only one that sticks out. Weird. When I reached that part in my re-read, I smiled.

Other than that, reading this made me wonder why I don't read Steinbeck more often. It's such a simple tale that carries so much heft. And the language is beautiful. The writing is so terse, which always amazes me. As you know, I don't do brevity. : ) I also loved the character of Juana. Everyone talks about Kino, of course, but for me, it was all about the quiet ways in which she was so strong. So lovely. All in all, I'm glad I started off with this; I've been meaning to re-read it for a while.

101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge,

and Bond with Your Dog

This was an easy choice for my second. After all, teaching Ollie one rad trick is on my list, too. I looked through a number of books trying to figure out which one might be easiest for me to follow. A coworker had talked about The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, a lot, but I felt like those books were a little more touchy feely and a little less here's how you can train your damn dog. I have to tell you that I love this book. I've been working on "sit" and "down" with Sir Oliver and it's going well. He's only five months old, so there's sometimes a little bit of cluelessness on his end, but the explicit directions they give and great photos are a huge help. They also give tips for what to do if your dog isn't quite getting it. Super helpful! Plus, in addition to all the standard commands, they have a ton of rad tricks like teaching your dog to get your slippers!! If you are getting a puppy or just want to teach your dog awesome tricks, I highly recommend this book.

And those are January's books. I'm thinking I'm going to have the same dilemma in terms of book length with February since it's a bit shorter (though it is a leap year). I will be completely honest that it was tough to fit in those two books and one was more of a flip-through than anything. So, again, I'm aiming small. I can expand to bigger, better books as my time frees up.

What did you read this month? Anything good? I'm always taking recommendations!

(The Pearl Book Cover via The Occasional; 101 Dog Tricks Book Cover via Barnes and Noble)

*I choose my books each month. Nobody pays me to read them, including John Steinbeck's estate. I am merely sharing what I read with the few peeps who read here. Just wanted to be clear.

Snow Dance

This week has been soooo exhausting. Last night, I fell asleep for two hours after work! And also yesterday, it finally snowed. After 50 degree weather and so little snow, we finally got hit...hard. It started around 10am and continued until today. It was scary driving home from work, with a definite frightening moment where I couldn't break and kept rolling into traffic. Luckily, people were driving carefully and were nice and didn't, you know, kill me. After that, it was fine, but I kept a safe distance from other cars in case the same thing happened again. I also decided not to attend my guitar class. I figured I'd rather live and play next week than die and never play again.

In honor of the snow, I'm giving you another wintry wedding this week. Photographed by Jessica Watson, Veronica and Grant's cozy lodge wedding is so cute, it made me head explode. I love all the details: the thermos vases, the vintage woodland figurines adorning all the centerpieces, and the bride's winter boots. Plus, you have to feature any wedding where the bride braves the cold and exposes herself to the elements for the sake of beautiful photos. Go, Veronica!

Seriously. Is that not the bravest thing you've ever seen? I got a chill just looking at those photos of her bare shoulders and legs in the snow! But totally worth it. And what a gorgeous wedding (and only 14K!!!)!

So, this weekend, we are (sadly) taking down the tree, though we'll probably hold off on carrying the heavy boxes down the back stairs which are always scary when it snows/rains. I'm always sad to take down Christmas decorations. I love having the tree all lit up in the apartment. Lately, we've been turning on the tree and then just a few lamps throughout the apartment. We call it our "soft lighting" and it's super cozy and makes an evening hanging out on the couch feel instantly intimate.

Other than that, I'm grateful for the 3 day weekend. I know I was just on vacation, but I didn't really have a lot of opportunities to sleep in and relax. So, this weekend, I say bring it! Depending on the weather, too, we may brave the cold and go see a movie. I really want to see Young Adult or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so it's all about whichever I can convince A.P. to see. What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun?

In the mean time, here are your dance moves for the week:

Craft Room supplies getting out of hand? Try these inventive organizational tips!

50 Non-Photoshopped photos that make you remember how beautiful our world really is

Bleeding Heart Cupcakes

Knot Pony

Thousands of kids + Thousands of Stickers = Amazing

This would be such a simple gift to make for people...

...And you could package it in oh, so pretty mason jars!

Have you heard of Whichbook? I'm going to use it to help me pick some of my books for 2012!

Add this to Your Man's Blogroll: The Art of Manliness

The History of Tanning

(Friday Dance Photo via here; Veronica and Grant's Oregon Wedding photographed by Jessica Watson via Intimate Weddings)

Marriage Mondays: Opposites

One of my favorite movies is High Fidelity (it's also one of my favorite books). I love it for so many reasons, so much so that it might almost deserve a post completely to itself. However, one of my favorite lines is when John Cusack is talking about how he and his slacker record shop friends, Dick and Barry (played by Todd Louiso and Jack Black accordingly), decided that it wasn't what you were like that mattered, but rather what you like. Music, movies, books...that was the stuff that mattered. If that is true, then man are A.P. and I f*cked.

In so many ways, we couldn't be more alike. Our attitude towards money, children/animals, housework (in that we don't like doing it and don't get too down about a cluttered house), to name a few, are exactly the same. We both like music, movies, and books, too. However, our tastes couldn't be more different. I like all kinds of music from early blues/country to Bruno Mars. I love country, hip hop, rap, classical, etc. Some people say they love all kinds of music and it's not true, but I really do. A.P. likes rap/hip hop, indie music, and that's about it. He listens to current stuff, but isn't solid on the older stuff, which is kind of my bread and butter. I get sick of a lot of indie stuff because it's so clearly a rip off the old stuff. He likes it anyway because it reinterprets older sounds.

Our disagreement also exists with books. I read fiction, nonfiction, magazines, blogs, etc. He reads articles and blogs, and nonfiction books on occasion. He never reads fiction, my great love. We can't even talk about classics unless he read them years ago. It's kind of a bummer sometimes. Movies is more of the same. He likes documentaries and dramas. I like comedies. Luckily, I'm a film nut, so I'm way more open to watching anything and everything than he is.

You would think this wouldn't be such a big deal, but it is. It makes going to the movies or to concerts difficult. We have to find an artist or movie we can both agree on, which makes for slim pickings sometimes. Also, driving is problematic. We have a rule. When A.P. drives, he plays his music, when I drive, it's my music. It's nice we've taken to creating rules to not annoy the crap out of each other, but I long for the days when I could just blast music when I wanted and dance around the place.

Still, it makes me think...are we the only ones like this? Sometimes I wish we had this stuff in common. It makes for boring conversations. And we can never listen to music together. Or recommend books to each other. Sometimes, it gets sad around these parts. Do you have this stuff in common with your husband/wife? Or are you opposites, too?

Would you like to submit a Marriage Monday post? If so, check back later today for details!

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Literart*

When I was younger, I always imagined a home with an entire wall of books. My old apartment and my current home feature this and I'm not going to lie that it's one of my favorite things about my apartment. One day when I FINALLY get around to taking nice photos of my place and doing my home tour for you all, you'll see my wall of books. Now that we're trying to save for and eventually buy a home of our own, though, I envision more...I envision a whole room devoted to my books. An entire library. And in it, I imagine awesome posters framed on the wall of my favorite literary figures. Similar to a real library, but with less cats hanging from tree branches and more awesome art with a literary flair.

And so it was with that in mind that I happened onto the awesome Standard Designs. I fell in love with the London based etsy shop for its Recession Books, but then I saw the awesome author/artist portrait prints and could not help but bookmark two to purchase as soon as I find the space! The designs are not only well done, but also cheeky and hilarious. Check out a small sampling!




*Yes. Literart. It's a word I made up. You know you love it. Literary + art = Literart.

(Photos via Standard Designs etsy shop)

The Free to Be You and Me Club

Growing up, I listened to records. In fact, I had a little box with all my 45's, including a pretty awesome Star Wars read-along. But by far, my favorite record was Free to Be...You and Me. The cover was worn and falling apart from so many of us playing the record over the years (remember, I'm the youngest of five...and by a long shot).

If you're not familiar with Free to Be...You and Me, it was an album (and then a book, too...and yes, I had both growing up) created by Marlo Thomas that had songs, poems, and stories that were all about rejecting gender stereotypes. So, you had songs like "William Wants a Doll", "It's All Right to Cry", and of course the title song, "Free to Be...You and Me." It also had many stories and poems, including my personal favorite, "Atalanta," about a princess who wishes to see the world, but whose father wants her married to a nice prince. He holds a race and the fastest man gets to have her hand in marriage. However, Atalanta, being the modern princess that she is, begs her father to let her race, too. If she wins, she gets to see the world. If she loses, she'll marry the prince. Of course she ties with a boy from the village named Young John. He is awarded her hand in marriage, but refuses, saying really he just wants to get to know her. Atalanta says she cannot marry him without seeing the world first. So the two remain friends saying that maybe one day they'll marry, or maybe not, but they'll be happy in the end. People, this is feminism at its best!

I would post a picture of my record, which I still own, but unfortunately when I was a kid, I got really possessive and wrote my real name all over it in crayon. Then, in 1991, my grandmother wrote my name and "dedicated" officially making it mine. I love that and it only makes that record even more special.

When I went off to college, one of the first things I did was to get nostalgic. I went to a Coconuts Records (remember those??) and special ordered the CD of Free to Be...You and Me, which I would then put on when I wanted to nap and fall asleep to it. Yes, that's right. Even at 18 years old, I found comfort in this old recording.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that knowing about Free to Be...You and Me is like being a part of special club. It's one of those things that when its mentioned, you smile because you "get it." And if something I love (e.g. a TV show, a radio station, an actress) mentions it, I get super excited! So far, I've seen references made by Gwyneth Paltrow on Inside the Actor's Studio (it was her answer to what inspires you), Sex and the City ("The Right to Shoes" episode), Half Nelson (the family listens to "It's All Right to Cry"), and Target used the title song in a commercial not too long ago.

The thing is, I'm starting to realize, too, how influential that silly, little record has been on my life. I really believe that I'm the independent person I am and that I approached love the way I did because I listened to Atalanta more times than I care to share. It's also why I hate housework (listen to Carol Channing's awesome reading of the poem here). It's why ages ago, I decided I'd never be my mom and slave over housework all day long. It's also one reason, albeit a tiny one, why I want to have kids one day (one day far, far away)...so I can share the awesomeness that is Free to Be...You and Me with them.

Do you know Free to Be...You and Me? Are you part of the cool kids' club? If you weren't before, consider yourself inducted. : )

(Free to Be...You and Me album cover via here)

Book Geek

A.P. made fun of me A LOT the other night because I became obsessed with this site after finding it on Avoision. Better Book Titles tries to summarize a book with a new title. The result is hilarious! Here are some of my favorites.

Macbeth

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Great Gatsby

Beowulf

(All Photos via Better Book Titles)