and some last few photos from the trip...

Finally got around to processing all these...

Anyway. Mostly food and people, now!

My first meal once I landed in Portland, at The Waffle Window. Matt had a waffle with brie, bacon and basil. Mine was a waffle with ham and swiss (I think). They were both pretty amazing. Who knew waffles were so versatile? (just an aside: I usually suspend my vegetarianism when I go to Oregon... it's just easier. Just call me a waffler. Ha!)

My perfect Portland solo lunch at The Original, which saved me from trudging around in the rain with all my luggage as I waited for the Greyhound bus to take me down to Corvallis. This was the perfect respite. Coffee, a nice salad, a biscuit, some soup (which was good but too salty), and a book. And people-watching. I was very happy for an hour or so here.

Speaking of biscuits, Matt and I went to Pine State Biscuits for breakfast before our ski day. Matt's been telling me about this place for awhile.

He's been raving about this breakfast sandwich called The Reggie.

Biscuit, fried chicken, cheese, bacon, and gravy (Matt's, shown here, also had an egg). Uhhh, wow. That was quite a meal (it was delicious). However, since we at at around 7:30 AM and didn't eat again until around 4:30, and skiied hard all day, this was actually a pretty perfect breakfast. Kept us full and fueled up for a fun day. But I won't be eating something like this again for a looooong time.

A cute, but blurry, photo of Matt and his adorable girlfriend Alison. This was after skiing. I had some great mac and cheese.

We stopped in at Whole Foods to get Matt some tea... I liked looking at the beautiful Dungeness crabs they had. They were nice enough to hold them up for me and let me take a photo.

I painted a crab pot float for my dad for Christmas and wanted to use these as a model (the photos, not the actual crabs). I forgot to take a picture of the completed float, but let's just say I forgot to use the crabs as a model. Oh well.

My best friend Erin's "pet bird." Apparently every year this little bird (or a relative of his?) stakes a claim on this corner of Erin's porch to stay out of the weather. Adorable.

Let's see.... Erin's kids at my dad's house, "collecting eggs." I called ahead to make sure there were eggs available to be collected when we arrived. :)

My dad, in the kitchen of the house I grew up in, making the Worlds Best Fish. I usually dislike fish (although I ate it ALL THE TIME growing up... which does not mean I actually liked it then, either). Dad is an avid fisherman and always has great steelhead in the freezer, and since it's the only opportunity for me to have fish that I actually like, I always request it.

He cooks it over the BBQ, with special applewood smoke, and it is absolutely delicious. You can't get fish to taste like this in a restaurant or from the store.

Anyway. I think that's it for the photos from this trip. Back to photographing lovely Oakland, CA!

Book: Le Divorce

Finally a review! I actually finished this a couple of weeks ago on my Oregon trip, but wanted to wait to review it until after my book club (as it was our January book pick).

The consensus: enjoyable, but mixed reactions to various parts.

The plot is this: a young woman (Isabelle, aimless, unsure what to do with her life) from California goes to Paris to help her stepsister, who is married to a Frenchie, prepare for her second child. She is to help with their toddler, do various odd jobs, etc. She later finds out that actually her sister is supposed to be helping Isabelle find a direction in her life, under the ruse of needing her help with the baby. There are many bait-and-switch moments like this in the book. Anyway, so Isabelle is an American in Paris, and quickly becomes swept into the family drama unfolding. Roxy's (the sister) husband has left her for another woman, and drama ensues.

Among the various dramas: Isabelle's affair with a powerful, sexy much-older man; a pottery-theft operation; various other affairs by various other members of the French branch of the family; a divorce proceeding which turns ugly over a valuable painting; a missing cat; a kidnapping; a murder; a birth and a death. And lots of other stuff.

And also: French-American relations commentary; Bosnian war opinions; domestic details, funny manners misunderstandings; EuroDisney and of course amazing French food.

There's a lot in this book.

And that's where the discussion got interesting. Some people enjoyed all the various plotlines and commentaries. Others (the majority) felt that many of them were extraneous and could have easily been left out. And then we had to discuss what point was being made by including so many plotlines, especially when mixed with beautiful prose and so many scenic, leisurely American-in-Paris scenes. Was it a slice-of-life? Or an overly-ambitious author?

I enjoyed the book but felt it was a little busy. There was a big dramatic event near the end which I felt could have been left out entirely. Although I didn't really find anyone particularly sympathetic (Roxy was too hysterical, and Isabelle very self-contained), I especially enjoyed Isabelle's affair with the older man. Isabelle gains a doorway into a higher cultural experience through this affair, and learns a lot about what sort of person she is and what sort of paths might become available to her. I don't have a problem with May-December romances in general, and could totally see how an adventurous young woman might stand to gain a lot (and enjoy a lot) by entering into this arrangement, especially if it's not forever, you know? It's a classic: she benefits from his attentions, his wealth, his connections. He benefits from her youth, her beauty, her freshness. They both have a good time. It's Paris! Why not?

This was definitely a fun, good read, although somewhat more complicated than it needed to be. It's a few steps above typical chick-lit, which I generally can't stand, but not too heavy. Had some nice language (some book club members felt the vocabulary was larger/fancier than warranted, but I appreciated an intelligently-written book), and certainly any sort of cultural-commentary book about Paris is fun to read. Once character is constantly trying to "crack the code" of Parisian women: how do they do that thing with their hair? What's with the scarves? What kind of perfume is the correct perfume? Why all the fancy lingerie? All the mysteries of Parisian femininity. I enjoyed those parts and wanted more.

So, overall, pretty interesting with lots of fascinating details about Parisian domestic life. With a bunch of other plotlines thrown in.

It's funny, I finished this in the airport and so had to buy another book. The book selection was TERRIBLE so I bought The Bourne Identity, which I've sort of wanted to read for awhile but my library acutally DOES NOT HAVE (how can they not have this?!), so I felt okay about buying it. It's also set in Paris, and is kind of incredibly long (well over 500 pages, but I will finish it tonight), but of course is a very different book from Le Divorce. Still, they have some similarities. While The Bourne Identity is what I would call a "man-book" (and of course there are also "man-movies"), it's somewhat better than what I typically think of as a man-book/thriller. Le Divorce could possibly be labeled as "chick-lit", but it was definitely a step or two above typical beach fluff. It's enriched fluff. Kind of like whole-grain Wonder bread.

I think I would like to watch the movie, although the sisters in the book have dark hair and in the movie, they are both blondies. Still, I'd like to see it.

Next up: Finishing Bourne, then finishing Tales of the City, and then perhaps The Song Is You or Ghost In Love or Never Let Me Go (next month's book club pick, chosen by me). So many good books in the pile. Such a good feeling.

Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood

I already shared my goofy ski videos but here are some more images from the trip to Mt. Hood Meadows. We drove up through the Columbia Gorge because it's so beautiful and one of my favorite places on earth.

Got some really interesting shots out the incredibly dirty windows of Matt's car...

and of course the Gorge is always happy to oblige with photogenic green trees and mists...
We used to stop at Multnomah Falls all the time on our way to my mom's family in Eastern Oregon. We always had to peek in the creek to see if we could find any fish. Usually there were a few to be found, but none this time.
Sooooo many memories of playing around this creek and looking for fish...

And just one more because it's so pretty.

Then onward to Mt. Hood! My mom calls this "her mountain" because you can have a great view of it from where she grew up, in Eastern Oregon (a small town called Grass Valley). I think of it as her mountain now, still.

Such a gorgeous day at Mt. Hood Meadows.

And pretty, pretty mountain scenes on the way back to Portland.

Mushroom Trophies (1,000th post!)

Happy 1000th post to me! Hard to believe. That's a lot of posts.

My poor brother's birthday is three days after Christmas, so that means that he usually loses out on the birthday presents. But not this year! (actually, last year, I guess...)

He has said in the past that he wants to start collecting "sister art" (meaning, art made by me... altogether now, "Awww!"). So every once in awhile I remember this and make him something. This year he had a great idea: you know how hunters mount their trophies? Antlers and such? Well, Matt is a mushroom hunter, so he thought it would be cool to have "mushroom trophies." I took this idea and ran with it!

Yes, sculpted mushrooms, in three varieties: morel, chanterelle, and porcini...

mounted on trophy boards, of course. (these were plain pine, but I stained them to look like walnut or some other dark wood).

They turned out so awesome. I love these. Here are the morels:

And the chanterelles:
The underside of the chanterelles:

And the porcini:
I used Super Sculpey and it was so easy to use! I love this stuff now. I sculpted the mushrooms, and then cured them in the oven. Then, it was easy to paint them with acrylics. I used epoxy glue to mount them (I had to stain the epoxy with paint first, so it wouldn't show... apparently it dries in a cream color). Anyway, these are kitschy and fun and perfect for Matt. He loved them and that's what matters most!

Sleep Challenge

I saw this post somewhere today and feel suddenly inspired to try it for the month of February:

The Huffington Post Sleep Challenge For Women

I usually do fairly well with sleep, although when I add it up I realize that I usually only get around 7 hours a night which I know is too few for me (sometimes if my book is really good, I get less, and then I really start to falter). I refuse to have more than a cup or two of caffeinated beverage a day, so I really do need eight to feel my best. So my guess is that I need to turn out the lights at... 10 p.m. Ok, there you have it. 10 p.m. lights out on work nights (Monday through Thursday, for me) for the month of February. Let's see how it goes.

Since I started working four 10-hour days, my stress level is much less, but I also know that I'm sleeping less because I didn't adjust my bedtime, so I'm sort of screwing myself out of the full benefit. I still turn out the lights around 11 (or later, if I"m being honest) mostly because I want to read another chapter or two or three. It's a bad habit.

And why am I reading so late at night? Well, mostly because I am playing on the computer, reading stuff or emailing or whatever. Wasting precious reading time. I've been trying to turn off the computer by 9, but I think it needs to be even earlier.

So let's talk it out. What do I need to do in order to turn out the lights by 10?

I need to turn off the computer by 8 pm (or earlier), and get out my book. I like to read for at least an hour every night. At least.

Maybe I just need to go ahead and say no TV or movies past 9 pm for me during the work week, too. So, let's just say no electronic media past 9 pm.

Dinner needs to be eaten by 7:30.

That all sounds reasonable and do-able for four nights a week. And I'll keep track of how much sleep I get and how good/bad I feel on some sort of little meter on the side of this blog. I'll figure that out this weekend.

A few years ago I took February and turned it into Take Care of Daphne month. Maybe I should do that this year too. Get more sleep, focus on eating better, spend more time doing art and exercising. I've been feeling really run down lately so I think this would do me a lot of good. We have a lot of important things/decisions coming up this spring so I need to be in really good health and with a sharp mind. Sleep and better overall health will help that.

***

Important Update: remember yesterday where I said it would be dangerous if the grocery store near my office carried my favorite greek yogurt? Well, shoot. Today I discovered that they DO. In my favorite flavors (honey and fig) and for CHEAPER than at Berkeley Bowl (which is a little shocking). I think this will be replacing my infrequent I'm-frustrated-and-need-a-treat chocolate bar. What? Replacing chocolate with yogurt? Is it really that good? Yes, it is. And how awesome is it that there is a grocery store within a five-minute walk of my office? Truly one of the perks.

Also, and related: I had a giant lettuce-tomato-avocado salad for lunch today which completely made up for my disgusting cooking failure yesterday. I can't wait for spring vegetables.

It Makes Me Smile

(stole this idea from Tammie)

Wow, I am in a totally blah space. I'm pretty run-down healthwise for some reason (I guess a staph infection plus a sleepless vacation plus an allergic reaction plus getting my period will do that to a person...). I'm not exactly in a bad mood, just low energy and feeling like hibernating. It's gray and cold and rainy out (my favorite weather) which also makes me feel like curling up in a warm little ball in my bed. The cats are setting a perfect example, which is difficult to resist.

However, despite my blank and gray frame of mind, and a number of things to worry about (aren't there always?), there are still some things making me smile these days.

* The first-time homebuyers seminar! Woohoo! It was very informative, and gives me more than a little hope that we will be able to buy a house sometime soon. I am going to finish filling out our paperwork this week to get the process started. It's very exciting. Even if we have to start with a small townhouse, as long as it has an outdoor space, we'll be thrilled.

* My recent upswing in book success! I've had three good ones in a row. Actually two of them are nearly finished: The Bourne Identity and Tales of the City. The third, which I haven't blogged about because it's my book club book and I wanted to see what my fellow bookclubbers thought of it, was Le Divorce, which I also really enjoyed. Also a rare case where all three books have been made into movies and/or series, so I can enjoy them further. I actually really liked"The Bourne Identity" movie, and have many thoughts about comparing it to the book, which will be in my review once I finish it. I can't wait to watch "Tales of the City," and "Le Divorce" looks like it might be sort of fun as well.

* Epic cooking fail! I'm on a bit of a roll with being kind of ridiculous (see before-mentioned health issues... seriously? WTF!), but yesterday I topped it all off with a pretty amazing cooking disaster. I usually have pretty good success with my cooking experiments, but my attempt to combine a couple of Ethiopian-inspired dishes did not succeed. There is a dish that I love which has cabbage, onions, potatoes and carrots all cooked together, and another one with sweet potatoes. So I sort of put it all together in the crockpot, with tumeric and cumin. Sounds good, right? I don't know if it was the ratio or if I added too much water or what, but it turned out absolutely disgusting. I took some for lunch today. Usually I try to suffer through at least one serving of my mistakes, if only to teach myself a lesson (and not waste it). However, even with generous salting, I couldn't eat more than three bites of this. Seriously disgusting. The whole batch goes into the garbage. Thankfully it was a cheap experiment, but I hate wasting food like that. Next time, I'm following a recipe before experimenting. Still, it amuses me that it was such an absolute, unquestionable failure.

My other experiment, puffed millet treats (as opposed to rice crispy treats) turned out pretty well. They're not crispy (next time, I will buy crisped brown rice), but they are relatively healthy and don't taste too bad either. It's what I ended up having for lunch, anyway.

* Golden Temple Coconut Almond Granola! I finally figured out where this is in the bulk foods section at my beloved Berkeley Bowl. It kept hiding from me, and I would buy a different kind, thinking it was the right one, but it was not. However, I located it again, and my goodness, this is the perfect granola (for me). Crispy, not too chunky, with toasted almonds and perfectly toasted large shavings of not-too-sweet coconut. I seriously love this stuff. If I felt like being completely decadent I would eat it with my other current favorite, The Greek Gods full-fat greek yogurt (my favorites are honey and fig). Unfortunately it's a little expensive (and full of fat, although delicious) so I don't buy it often. But OMG, seriously people. Good stuff. I wonder if the grocery store near my office will carry it soon (the yogurt)? That could be dangerous.

Anyway. Book Club is this Thursday, so I will log a report about Le Divorce after that, and I expect to finish my other books very quickly, so a flurry of book reviews coming soon! In the meantime, you can find me (and Terri, and Cleo and Katie) snuggled in our bed, in our WARM (yes, I said it!!) bedroom, crunching on granola, reading books and watching lamentable TV.

Foggy

Oh, hi there blog! Wow, where have I been?

Oh yeah, on vacation, and then at work, and then it's been a weird weekend, and here we are and it's Monday and I'm totally out of the loop.

Friday was weird. I woke up with giant puffy, swollen eyes. I have never in my life had eyes that swollen -- I couldn't even see to drive. I was a little freaked out. In retrospect, it's probably not that big of a deal, but at the time, I could not imagine what had happened and I was a little (a little?) anxious about it. After a few hours I realized that I had tried a new eye makeup color the previous day, as well as had two immunizations in the last two weeks, so my body just freaked out a little. I've never had any sensitivity to eye makeup before, so hopefully it's just the grand confluence of immunizations, a new color, oh and getting my period as well. I would be very sad to have to completely start over with hypoallergenic eyemakeup, or egads, no makeup at all!! Noooo! I will wait another week before trying anything, just to be safe.

We did get a good space heater, and put it in the kitchen. Although it takes a little bit of time to warm it up, it's nice to have the kitchen brought up to a decent temperature, you know, like 60. I'm waiting for the temp to reach 65 -- won't that be a grand day? It doesn't exactly warm up the rest of the house, but it's nice to not freeze when you need to get a snack. If we are still here next year, I think we're going to invest in an Eden heater.

On that note, went to a first-time homebuyer's seminar on Saturday. Very, very encouraging and inspiring. We're going to move forward with getting all of our ducks in a row, knowing that we'd like to buy this fall (for a number of reasons) but wanting to get the process started now. I feel like we have a very short window of opportunity here in the Bay Area and I don't want to lose it. So that was exciting.

However most of the last few days have been extremely foggy (in my head). I was already tired from my trip, and then having the allergy reaction (and all the subsequent antihistamines, which I am very sensitive to) tired me out, and then I got my period, and basically I have no idea of anything going on around me at all. What? We need groceries? What? I should do some laundry? What? I was supposed to meet a friend for a walk this morning and completely slept through it?

Sigh. Some days (weeks?) are like that.

I have two books which I hope to finish today and tomorrow, so book reviews coming soon, but mostly I've been completely out of it. I hope to wake up this week! How are you all?

that kind of a (week?)

If you are a Neil Gaiman fan, then perhaps you read his journal or follow him on Twitter. And if you do, then you know that he has a very very sweet blind kitty. Who is now very very sick. I read about this last night and it has been breaking my heart ever since. I know that kitties get sick all the time (and it's awful every single time) but this little one reminds me of my Little and when kitties have that certain sweet look, I tear up and am full of misery and loss all over again.

However, a very sweet story about Gaiman's little girl here, and a picture of the darling, here. Send some good thoughts to little Zoe if you can. (stopping now, before I start crying again)

***

Some bad/good things:

Thankfully my leg (she of the recent staph infection) is healing, but this morning I woke up with my eyes completely puffed over. Apparently I am allergic to my new eyeshadow. Three hours of tea bags and one Claritin later, I could see well enough to drive to work. Benadryl for me tonight!

The house has been at around 50 degrees all week (inside the house), which is insane; however, we made the thrilling discovery last night that the bedroom can handle a higher-powered space heater without shorting out the entire house (which usually happens in other rooms, which is one reason why the house is 50 degrees). So tonight we will be going to Sears to purchase the best goddamned space heater they have. And maybe a programmable oil radiator for the rest of the house, to take the chill off. If it won't burst all the fuses. Or burst into flames. Either of those options are not good.

Other assorted goodness/badness:

Terri's car won't start.

I'm loving The Bourne Identity (book). Mindless fun.

Terri has discovered she makes a mean split pea soup in the slow cooker.

Terri found a good GI doc.

I'm going to a first-time homebuyers seminar tomorrow. W00t!

Apparently I am in full-on PMS mode.

It's been raining buckets, which is lovely, but makes our house even colder.

Yippee! Come on over to our house this weekend. Hopefully we'll have some heat, and I'll make popcorn and we can forget about the world.

the day

It started with the oil heater fritzing out, first thing. Luckily we had another one. But still.

Then my soup leaked into my purse. So much for being all frugal and bringing my lunch.

Then, went to work. (enough said)

Then, came home to a sweetie-sicle (sweetie-pop?). Our house is just too freaking cold. It's ridiculous. I bet it's barely 50 degrees in here. With the heat on. (what passes for heat in this house) I pulled out the little inefficient fan-type space heater to try and warm her up (the sweetie, not the house. I've given up on the house). I just noticed this little heater has stopped oscillating. Two heaters down in one day! Yes!

Then, went out for my walk, in the freezing rain. I like rain. A lot. But I was already cold and although I'm glad I went, I am now wet and cold and frustrated.

(Did I mention Terri's car won't start, too?)

Anyone have a suggestion for the World's Best Space Heater?

Or want to come over and insulate our apartment?

it's my favorite color for a reason

I have more photos, but here are just a few from the weekend up in Oregon.

Driving to Eugene on the backroad of Highway 99...

And in the Columbia Gorge, on the way to Mt. Hood for skiing...

And my favorite waterfall of all time, Multnomah Falls.

I was happy to come home to Oakland, but I do love, love, love that Pacific Northwest green.

inspiration

This morning, Shea (my boss/coworker/partner-in-crime at work) calls me into her office to show me a photo of "who I want to be when I grow up."

Here she is, Iris Apfel, in all her glory:

I love it. Love it!!

I have been thinking about her all day. Just looking at her fabulousness makes me feel frumpy. I look at what I'm wearing today: black pants, black cowboy boots, slouchy black sweater with purple t-shirt underneath, paisley scarf. It's not so bad... but it needs work. I needed a bigger scarf. More jewelry. Different pants. I look tired, frumpy, not put-together.

I love this woman's philosophy: don't be ashamed of your body shape, and don't worry about your age. Just be fabulous (those are my words, not hers, but if you read the article, that's basically what she's saying)

She's not thin and tall and tightened and awful. She's wrinkly and exuberant and joyful and wears kooky huge glasses. She is the antithesis of over-surgerized Hollywood and I love it.

It got me to thinking about my own clothes. My own, natural inclination definitely leans towards the kooky (ask my best friend). If left to my own devices, I will choose bright paisley, bizarre shades of mustard yellow with gold trim, purple velvet. I love vintage clothes, and I don't mind if they are tattered. I love old jewelry and have tons (but not enough).

But what do I wear? Boring, boring, boring. Part of it comes from where I work: it's fairly conservative (not Wall Street, but not exactly artsy-fartsy). I don't have the money to be "well-dressed" (meaning = expensively) so I go for understated, but (hopefully) well-made basics. Which turns out looking incredibly dull. Yawn.

And part of it is that when I moved to California, I got rid of bags and bags of clothes which I'd collected since high school. Thrift-store vintage, costume dresses, tons of jewelry and shoes. Most of it needed to go, but I still think about certain pieces and wish I'd kept them. That red lace 60s dress. That plaid jacket. That gold frilled blouse.

And then part of it is that in the Bay Area, unless you have lots of money and buy a big house, you do not have big closets (generally speaking). So I have been paring down and trimming my wardrobe for the past 10 years until it is now at a pretty bare minimum.

And guess what: I'm not very happy about it.

So this year, I think that I'm going to bring out the few fabulous pieces I do have. The purple velvet jacket which I LOVE but have never worn to work. The satin shirt which I'm always afraid won't 'go'. And then I'm going to dredge up some old habits and when I go to the thrift store, if something looks velvety/shiny/brocaded/fabulous, and I love it, I'm going to buy it. And wear it. If I love it, I will be comfortable. I will find a way to wear that fabulous green Ann Taylor jacket I bought because it looked so good on me, but which I never wear because it feels too stuffy. It needs a pin, a bright blouse, some capri pants and red shoes.

I need a few things in order to make this work (a place to have my jewelry, so I can choose what to wear) and I need to start my thrift shopping again, with an eye for the fabulous. But this year, the year of Just Do It Already, I'm going to try to pull out that 17-year-old girl who loves funky clothes and find a way to make it work as a 35-year-old in an office.

I'm Back

I'm back... had a great trip. Must process pictures and catch up on sleep, etc.

It's also wonderfully stormy outside... perfect snuggle-in-and-read weather. I just finished two great books and am starting on a third... reviews to come! (TK in newspaper-speak)

Shreddin' the Gnar (skiing videos by Sister and Brother)

For your viewing pleasure... what I did today. (I have no idea what "shreddin' the gnar" means but it sounded all good and ski-like and stuff.)

Out For A Few Days

I'm heading up to Oregon for a belated holiday visit with family and friends!

Photos and silliness when I return on Tuesday (or so).

Book: Floor Sample (by Julia Cameron)

I shouldn't be reviewing this right now; I'm really tired and bound to be slightly crabby about this rather odd memoir.

Julia Cameron is the author of The Artist's Way as well as about a bajillion other works of fiction, non-fiction, plays, musicals, essays, etc. She has had quite a life (an understatement).

The book follows Julia from childhood through present(ish), through two marriages (one to director Martin Scorsese, and the other to Mark Bryan, collaborator on The Artist's Way), alcoholism and drug addiction, professional despair and great success, moving from Chicago to New York to Los Angeles to Taos to New York to Chicago to Taos to New York to Los Angeles to Chicago... (you get the picture), and finally psychotic episodes and a return to (shaky) sanity.

What a ride.

I liked The Artist's Way, but I find her style of writing to be a little... choppy? Over-simplified? I don't know... it's easy to read, but not at all lyrical. Maybe perhaps because her life has been so jam-packed with events and ups and downs, she seemed to skip or gloss over certain events (such as the development and impact of The Artist's Way), while long passages were devoted to her lapses in sanity (which, to be honest, were pretty interesting).

The book is both extremely linear and very muddled. I don't know -- the content was interesting, but I didn't love the writing style.

However, let me tell you, this lady is the EXPERT at "pulling a geographical." When life gets rough, just pull up stakes and haul ass to New York, or Los Angeles, or Taos, or Chicago. I lost track of how many cross-country moves she undertook... often traveling to a place "on vacation" and then just never returning home -- just having her things packed and shipped. That's one way of (not) dealing with life, I guess.

I kept reading because the course of her life was pretty interesting, but I can't say I loved the book. While undoubtedly extremely talented and gifted, she strikes me as (I hate to say it but) rather unstable in all sorts of ways. Her poor daughter Domenica gets pulled around through all these moves, and she (Julia) remains somewhat a victim to poor choices in men and an avoidance of facing facts. Which is interesting, considering that her most-famous work is based on 12-step recovery programs.

Anyway. I didn't find this very engaging, but it was an incredible account of a very creative, full, occasionally happy but ultimately kind of unsettling life. However, I do want to do The Artist's Way again. I feel like I've been through the wringer since I did it last, and I might actually "get" it this time. Maybe later this year.

just hand over the cheese and crackers...

...because I'm pouring out the whine. I feel like a huge baby and I need to vent. Then I'll hush up, promise.

Today started out just fine. No problem. My neck was a little stiff, but no biggie. Until I started driving to work, and noticed that my shin (moving on from neck, now I'm talking about my leg) was, well, burning. At the next stop light, I felt my leg and it was hot.

Terrific.

I get to work and take off my boots and look at my leg. There is a big yucky blister surrounded by red, and another smaller blister further up my leg.

Nice.

I immediately think "spider bite" because that's what the doctor said last time this happened. However, the fact that it happened again, and the fact that I work in health care (at the corporate office, but still), made me start freaking out thinking about MRSA. People, do not use the internet to self-diagnose. Instant heart attack.

Anyway, luckily I was able to get to the doctor by 10 am. She looked carefully at the blisters and said they were most likely staph infections, but that they didn't look like MRSA. Probably got them from small cuts from shaving my legs or something. I seem to be susceptible to staph infections (I also get ear infections easily and they usually turn out to be staph). While I'm very glad they aren't MRSA nor do I have a homicidal spider loose in our bedroom, still, staph infections are nothing to sneeze at.

And then she says, "Oh, and you need a tetanus booster." Did I mention that I really, really don't like shots?

By this time my stiff neck has turned into made-of-wood-neck and I can barely look down. It feels like it did the day after I got rear-ended this summer. I've been stretching it lately and must have done too much. So I've got that going for me as well.

Anyway. I go back to work, finish up what I can, and go to the pharmacy to get my antibiotics, which takes an hour, and by the time I get home I'm about four years old. My leg aches and burns. My arm hurts and I'm getting a headache. My neck is incredibly stiff and painful. I feel like I've been pushed off a cliff.

So now, at 3 pm, I am in bed, with a heating pad on my neck, antibiotics and ibuprofin in my system, and am not feeling particularly happy about any of it.

Well. I could go on and whine a whole lot more, but you get the picture.

If anyone wants to come over and bring pizza and a giant pie for dessert, I would not say no. :)

i can haz a funny

Making me laugh uncontrollably every time I think about it:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Now THIS is what I'm talking about

My horoscope from current favorite astrologer:

A reader calling herself Rebellioness collaborated with me to come up with five revolutionized approaches to the art of rebellion. I present them here for your use, as they identify the kinds of behavior that will be most nurturing for you to cultivate in the coming weeks.

1. Experimenting with uppity, mischievous optimism.

2. Invoking insurrectionary levels of wildly interesting generosity.

3. Indulging in an insolent refusal to be chronically fearful.

4. Pursuing a cheeky ambition to be as wide-awake as a dissident young messiah.

5. Bringing reckless levels of creative intelligence to all expressions of love.

This is making me VERY happy. I intend to follow this advice. Woohoo!

Things Which I Realized Last Night At 11:30 PM

Behold, my late-night brilliance:

* I forgot to plug my cell phone in.

* I'd better get moving if I want to get a few of these goals marked off by age 40. Wait, 40? (breathe, Daphne, that's five years from now)

* Life is supposed to be enjoyed, even and especially the little things. No, really!

* I might want to try The Artists Way again.

* I think I might be able to accomplish all my before-age-40 goals. Wait, is that optimism?

* There's no point in drooling over perfect, affordable townhouses on the outskirts of Oakland which have no yard, because one of the reasons we want to buy is for a yard.

* I need warm work shoes.

* I forgot, yet again, to transfer my handwritten notes into a workable document.

* If I stick to a not-too-demanding schedule, I could even get those goals done BEFORE 40. Huh? Who IS that in my head?

Amazing what two hours of solid creative work, dinner (prepared by Terri and not me!), and a few days of rest will do for you. Well, apparently not much for my memory. But besides that.

Book: 12 Days on the Road; The Sex Pistols and America

Although readers on Amazon give this book at least 4 stars, I have to be a true punk and go against the mainstream and say that this book was kind of, well, boring.

How can a book about the Sex Pistols be boring? How can a book written by the Sex Pistol's tour manager be boring? That there takes real talent.

Written by Noel Monk, who was there every step of the way on the Pistols' 12-day disastrous American tour, this should have been a pretty good time (watching the god-awful bad time these poor guys all had). However, it reads like a couple of dumb, drunk frat boys decided to write an epic tale about their trip to Mexico over the summer.

It's also very confusing, as it skips between present tense ("We are all on the road to Tulsa. Johnny looks out the window and makes yet another caustic remark.") and various other tenses, as the authors see fit. I also didn't like how there are entire conversations transcribed as if someone had had a tape recorder at the time, complete with "yeah" and "um" and so on. If the band and crew were as drunk as they say they were on the tour, there is no way they could have remembered the conversations 15 years later. That sort of thing annoys me. Especially when it's written in present tense, which should have some kind of excitement pushing things forward. Instead, the entire text is dead boring.

The author(s) are also omniscient, which bothers me in a nonfiction text. How could they know what ALL the band members and crew are thinking? In present tense? Annoying.

However, terrible storytelling style aside, the actual event of the Sex Pistols American tour is a pretty fascinating thing. The Sex Pistols as a group are totally fascinating. Were they a real band at all? Or a twisted version of today's formulated boy bands? Was Malcolm McLaren really as much of an asshole as history seems to present (I say yes)? Was Johnny Rotten a genius or a puppet? How in the world did four street kids come up with enough talent and attitude to pull off such a stunt as to spark an entire music revolution? The entire history and mystery surrounding the Sex Pistols is so interesting. Nobody seems to know exactly what happened for the entire two and a half years they were together. One amazing album and a whole lot of mayhem and destruction. Upon reflection, if that's not rock and roll, I don't know what is.

I first heard the Sex Pistols when I was a sophomore in high school. I knew NOTHING about them, except some vague idea that they were a punk band and kind of important. However, once I heard their album I had to have my own copy, and I've loved it ever since. Although I've never exactly been an uber-punk-rocker, I've always loved punk. It makes me happy. It sparks creativity and gives me energy, and wakes me up. When I'm mad or frustrated or feel like the whole world is stupid, punk is there to say, "Hell yeah! Now go break some stuff!"

Interestingly, Sex Pistols music does not translate well to ones' car stereo. It only sounds good (to me) blasted at home in the living room or through headphones. Somehow it loses something in the car (which is where I listen to most of my music, except for when I'm doing art). I wonder why that is? Perhaps the juxtaposition of listening to raw Pistols whilst driving in a little tame Corolla proves to be too much of an insult and the music sags under the weight of embarrassment?

No matter. Even if it was a bad book, it was still fun to look at some of the pictures and to ponder the incredible contradiction that is the punk rock music industry. And to feel sorry for Sid Vicious, a tragic image of stupid self-annihilation if there ever was one. That is one point over which I agree with the book's authors: poor kid should have gotten some help, instead of being pushed off on inept handlers.

So, if you are a Sex Pistols fan or interested in punk rock history, you might as well read this book. But it's not exactly worth your time otherwise.

Book: Death On The Nile

Ah, the first book post of the year! Actually finished this New Year's Day but am just now getting around to writing about it.

I definitely like Hercule Poirot mysteries. I haven't tried any Miss Marple yet, but the oh-so-humble (said with tongue in cheek) Monsieur Poirot is delightful.

This is another international one (like my first Christie, Murder on the Orient Express). The beautiful English heiress is on her honeymoon with her unlikely groom, on a tour down the Nile in Egypt. Coincidentally, also on the tour is famed detective Hercule Poirot, a variety of amusing secondary cast characters, and... the groom's ex-fiancee?!? This can't be good, right? Right!

What follows is a dark and murderous journey down the Nile, with stops for temples and sphinxs, and lots of danger and mystery along the way.

What I loved about this one is the generous motley handful of clues (a velvet stole, a nail polish bottle and a pearl necklace?), the full cast of quirky characters (although there were a few too many for me and I kept getting the men all mixed up), and the rather sinister feel of the story, which was a welcome change after my last Christie, By The Pricking Of My Thumbs..., which I found kind of silly.

Some random thoughts:

Were Egypt and Nile tours popular as vacations and honeymoons back in 1930s? Many references are made to other people going to Egypt on their honeymoon, and most people on the boat are there for leisure. I'm trying to remember... was that when King Tut's tomb was discovered? Maybe that was the 20s, in which case I suppose the Egypt craze might still be continuing. I also remember from my art history classes something about Egypt and Oriental art influencing Art Deco, which was 30s.

(which reminds me again that there is a King Tut exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco right now, and I really should go.)

Also, lots of talk from the characters about "the Orientals" and "the Oriental character." Some other slightly derogatory chatter about "the natives" (as per usual from books of this era, or most English books pre-1960s...). I was annoyed by this but tried to keep it in perspective, i.e. the period during which this was written, and also that it was partly a commentary on the unhappy, ignorant, privileged lives of the rich.

One thing I've noticed about Agatha Christie mysteries is that you are given most of the clues, but not all of the clues, so I don't feel quite so bad that I couldn't figure out the main mystery (the whodunnit). There were certain key point that Poirot pulled out of his hat in order to demonstrate his theory, and they existed only in his head, nowhere else in the story. I can't decide how I feel about that. I'm a mystery novice -- I rarely read mysteries -- but I sort of assume that it's bad form to keep clues hidden from the reader, and then to pull them out at the last moment in order to keep the mystery a mystery. Isn't part of the fun of mysteries to solve them yourself?

That said, you really do get most of the clues if you pay attention, so I was able to figure out a few of the side mysteries along the way, and the main one became clear enough right before Poirot reveals the murderer. It was a pretty satisfying solution, I suppose.

The charm of these books to me isn't the murder mystery -- mysteries aren't really my thing. It's more the era in which these are set, and all the quirky characters, and Mr. Poirot himself is pretty delightful as well. This one was perfectly cozy and engaging and a perfect way to bring in the new year. I will definitely be reading another Christie this year. Next time, perhaps Miss Marple? I also want to reread some Sherlock Holmes. I haven't seen the new movie, but I read a ton of Sherlock stories in high school and they were so satsifying!

A Twilight Walk In Golden Gate Park

Took a walk in Golden Gate Park over in the city tonight with some friends. Beautiful evening.

The new De Young museum, where there are two exhibits currently I really want to see, the King Tut and an Amish quilt exhibit...




Gotta remember to take my camera with me all the time; it's so much fun to play around with photography! I love this night photo stuff... but I need to take my tripod next time.