The Wizarding World

This is Lilly Lake. It's pretty close to Fallen Leaf Lake, where I stay when I go to Tahoe. Pretty, isn't it?

I finished all the Harry Potter books. They were really good. But I have to admit I was disappointed in this last book. I did like how she wrapped up the series and how everything came together. What bothered me was that this book should've been two books. There was a lot going on. Too much to put into one book. I also am really upset with the amount of people she killed off. Too many of the characters died. I just don't think she had to kill off that many of the characters.

So, I'm embarking upon "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. It's a very long book, so I think this one will take some time. Plus I need to start studying for the GREs again. I need to somehow get myself on this "applying for grad school" path. Otherwise I'm never going to do it.

2 new girls started in my Martial Arts class. It's pretty nice to have 2 new girls there. Although one of them will be leaving soon. They are sisters, so I hope the other one continues. We shall see. I went to a wedding in Palo Alto last weekend. It was a lot of fun.

I should get some work done...

Harry Potter

I've gone through books 1-4 already and am about 1/4 of the way through book 5. They get much better as he gets older. The last 2 were great. So far, the one I liked the least was the 2nd book. For some reason that one seemed very, very kid-like and was less compelling than the rest. It was a good adventure, don't get me wrong, but if you read these don't expect too much greatness from that one. The characters are now fully formed and have definitely taken a life of their own.

I went to Tahoe a weekend or two ago. The picture up top is on Fallen leaf Lake. Really pretty. It's odd though, as my last memories are from February of this year and there was sooooo much snow. It now looks like that never even happened.

I've signed up on GoodReads.com. Listed all the books I've read over the past 3 years plus a few others. I'm amazed at myself for having read that many. Pretty cool. It's nice to know there are other people who love to read books too. I think that's a first for me, seeing this many readers in one place.

I'm working on my spinning back-kicks. Apparently they are the most powerful kicks. I have to get my aim and power down to be able to break a board to move up to my next belt. I suppose I should practise my form too, as I'll need to do that well too.

Harry Potter-Mania

I finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling yesterday. It was really good. A nice, quick read. It's hard to comment too much on it, as I've seen the movies. I couldn't let my imagination get away from me too much, as I already have an idea what the characters look like. There were quite a few things that I forgot and got to a imagine though. I started the second one and am enjoying it now that I finished the first 2 chapters. This one started out very kid-like. Where she has these parenthetical notes that were bugging me. I think she's finally doing away with them and getting into the story. I can't wait to get to the 4th and 5th ones, where the movies leave off so that I can have way more fun imagining everything. I truly cannot remember the movie for the one I'm reading now, so that's good I suppose. Ia am kinda itching for more characters though and am hoping that I get a glimpse of a few more. Her writing style is good. I do realize that these books are geared more to children, which I think I need to keep in mind more.

Went to my martial arts class last night, back from vacation. That odd guy is still going strong about coming almost daily. I find him very aggravating. It's the personal space that still bothers me. When we're doing our stretches & warm-ups, he somehow inches closer and closer into my area. I hate it. Now, you have to remember that he's really tall & lanky, so sometimes I think he just doesn't realize how much space he needs. But I have to keep moving more and more away. It's super annoying. That's my gripe for today.

More to come on Harry Potter!

After Nantucket

I finished "Cherry" by Mary Karr in Nantucket and then started and finished "Picture Perfect" by Jodi Picoult. "Cherry" was okay. It was a lot like the "Liar's Club", interesting read, but nothing all too captivating. That's it for memoirs for me for a little bit. Although I do want to read the new David Sedaris book and the new Augusten Burroughs book sometime in the future. "Picture Perfect" was utterly captivating. It was a great read and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. I didn't want it to end. She is a great author. Really knows how to grip you from page one. I plowed through the book any free moment I had. Worked out well on Nantucket. It really was a good book to have there. I read on the beach, at our friend's dining table, in their backyard and before I went to sleep. Literally if I wasn't hanging out with someone or swimming or eating, I was reading. So nice. What a great way to spend a vacation. I actually got to relax and enjoyed every moment.

I even got to go to the record store in Boston that I've been ordering CDs from for the past few years. I bought the new Coldplay there. It was absolutely awesome. I felt just as giddy when I was about 18, fresh in college and my friends took me to Berkeley for my first trip to Amoeba and Rasputin. It was intoxicating. Then an Amoeba finally opened in SF and then finally one here in LA. Although I hate to admit it, but I haven't even stepped into an Amoeba Records in a few years. Strange how that happens. Well, Newbury Comics in Boston had the same feel. It was awesome. I'm definitely going to keep on ordering my CDs from there. Sooo worth it!

I finally started the Harry Potter books. I'm almost done with the first one. They are truly a fun read. I'll update as I finish them...back to work.

Summer Fun

I think summer is creeping up on me. It's starting to heat up. Ugh. I only like the summer heat for a few days and even then I don't like it that much. I guess I hate the heat the most at night. I like wrapping myself in my covers and can't really do that in this heat, even with the fan on.

I finished "Peony in Love" by Lisa See yesterday. It was pretty good. A friend of mine said that it wasn't that great, so my expectations were a little low. But I enjoyed it. Not as good as "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", but I still thought it was a great read. The story was very well-written. I like the way she really makes the characters known. It's a very intimate portrayal.

I got a book I put on hold at the library, "Cherry" by Mary Karr, a follow-up memoir to "The Liar's Club". I just started it last night, so we shall see if I like it. It's kinda funny, because I accidentally put the Large Print book on hold. I guess it's better for my eyes, but I kinda feel like I'm reading a kid's book. Which makes it even more funny when she's talking about sex & drugs. So, I'm hoping it doesn't ruin my perception of the book. I think I'll get used to it.

I've been watching old Star Trek: The Next Generation shows lately. I have to say that I'm enjoying it. My Dad & I used to watch them. Watching them again this many years later, they are still really good. DVR is awesome. We've just been recording them from the SciFi channel and watching them while fastforwarding through the commercials. It's been a lot of fun.

Nantucket Beach

Love Stories

I finished "Mount Vernon Love Story" by Mary Higgins Clark last weekend. It was really good. All about George & Martha Washington. Apparently they really loved each other. I didn't know it was Martha's second marriage and that they never had any children of their own. Martha had a lot of heartache from all but one of her children dying (children from her previous marriage). Totally strange. Anyways, it was a great read and went really quick.

Now I'm reading "Peony in Love" by Lisa See. So far, I'm enjoying it, but I think it's going to get weird soon. I'll let you know how it is.

A little over 2 weeks to Nantucket. I'm getting restless. I have tomorrow off, so a nice 3-day weekend, although I have a lot going on. But it should be a fun weekend. I have a friend in town and am excited to spend time with her.

Fun times...

I'm Talkin' Bout My Grr...

I finished "The Liar's Club" by Mary Karr today. It was great. Really good. But, I don't consider it as great as people are claiming. Not sure why. I absolutely adored "The Glass Castle" and "Tender Bar". I have to say I found those stories way more fascinating. Maybe the writing style was better in tuned with me too. Not sure why, but I think I'd recommend it only after "The Glass Castle" and "Tender Bar".

I'm going to read "Mount Vernon Love Story" by Mary Higgins Clark. I hope it's good. I think there is a death threat out for me if I don't read it, so I am.

3.5 weeks left to Nantucket. I am beyond excited for it. Pretty sad actually. You'd think this was my first and only vacation. But I think I'm just due for one. Haven't been to Tahoe since February. And that was my last real vacation. I'm definitely ready for another.

Well Margaret is back to scoping out our balcony. She hasn't been sitting in any of the plant's pots again, but she & her husband (we've knighted him as Waldo) have been around. So, that's good. I was getting a little depressed that she just left like that. I guess it's good there weren't any eggs. Not sure if I'd really like loud, annoying, baby birds on my balcony that close to my bedroom anyways. Yeah, doesn't sound like much fun.

I just have to say that I can do better push-ups than that tall, weird black-belted, curly blonde-headed weirdo in my class. Yay! Yes, I can do guy push-ups. Always had this weird upper body strength where push-ups come easy to me. Yup.

Nantucket, nantucket, nantucket.....

That little plane only seats 10 people, including the pilot. It's the quote, unquote puddle-jumper plane we take from Cape Cod to Nantucket Island. Cool, isn't it?! I love it. Plus the flight is something crazy like 12 minutes from take-off to touchdown. :)

Long Weekend!!!

I love these long weekends. Especially when I get a halfday on the Friday before. So, today I get to leave work early. Yay.

I finished "Sirens of the Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut yesterday. Great. It was a spectacular read. I love the wit and sarcasm. Always a good break from the memoirs and other more intense readings. Don't get me wrong, a lot of thinking is required for Vonnegut novels, but it's definitely a different kind of thinking. I like the humor and subtleties.

I'm going to go back to my memoirs next. The last one for a little while I think. I finally am going to read "The Liar's Club" by Mary Karr. I've been wanting to read this one for a few months now, but couldn't seem to get a hold of it. My friend let me borrow it.

I don't have much planned for the long weekend. I am liking that it's dismal outside though. Beats the 100+ degree weather of last weekend.

That's all I got for now...Nantucket Countdown though...4th of July!

My Name's Elizabeth & I'm a Book Addict

I finished "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. It was awesome. What a great read. Another great memoir. I'm a roll lately with memoirs. My next book is a Vonnegut novel and then I think I'll read another memoir. I'll read the Harry Potter books one of these days soon. I'm being bugged to read them all. My excuse used to be that I had to wait until they were all out. Well, now they are. We have all of them at home, except we're missing the 6th one. Apparently it's in Tahoe. Once we get that one and the series is complete, I suppose I will embark upon the Harry Potter adventure.

I'm listening to Tegan & Sara, "So Jealous". It's a great album. I'm awaiting the newest album of Death Cab for Cutie. I ordered it a few weeks ago & still hasn't arrived. I'm hoping for Monday. It's funny how the wait for my CDs & books is unbearable sometimes. I don't really know why. I just get so excited for it all. It's weird.

This weekend is supposed to be really hot. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't like it when it gets this hot. Granted it's not humid, just dry. I'd rather be in a dry heat. I think I'd rather it be cooler period. Oh well, not really up to me.

My work gave me a blackberry. While it's kinda fun to be out of the office and still be able to check emails, it's still a bit odd that we have all this technology. I mean I had a pager in high school and my friends & I had "pager code" a language we devised where each letter had a corresponding number or numbers. We had it memorized so well, that we could just glance at it and know what it said. Now it all looks just like numbers and I can't see the letters in it. Now we can text each other with the entire alphabet and punctuation. We've definitely come a long way in a rather short period of time. I'm waiting for the time where I can hook up a wire to Grr's head and her thoughts are output onto my blackberry...what would she say? "Feed me". :)

Grr's namesake:

Circus Act

I took Grr to the vet on Saturday, for her annual check-up. She now weighs in at 18 lbs. She's a big cat to start with, I mean she's really long. Add a little bit of fat and fur and there she is at 18 lbs. So I'm thinking she could be a heavyweight, if there were such a thing as "cat boxing". (By the way, my cat would kick your cat's ass!). Or maybe she can tour with the circus as the "Amazing Jumbo-Sized Grr Pickles"! Hmmm.

I finished "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen yesterday. Damn, that was a good book. It had something to do with the Circus (could you tell?). I thought it was very compelling and well-written. I think I'll have to recommend it to people.

Well, Margaret left on Sunday and has not returned. And there aren't any eggs in the nest. So, we don't know what happened. It's pretty sad.

I'm now reading "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. It's a memoir and it sucks you in from the first page. I'm enjoying it. I'm still trying to get a hold of a copy of "The Liar's Club", a memoir that I really want to read. My friend has a copy, so I'll borrow it from her.

I finished "Under The Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer a few days ago. It was good. He's a great writer and you can tell the amount of research he put into it. I really liked how well planned and thought out the book was. The quotes at the beginning chapter were great too. If you're intrigued by the latest news of that Texas polygamist compound or you don't know anything about LDS, especially the fundamentalist sects and want to, this is the book for you. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Then I started reading "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. I've heard good things about this book and know that it's been on a bunch of bestseller lists. I wasn't so sure about it, didn't really know the plot or much more than people saying it was a good read. I guess I was a bit skeptical. Anyways, I saw it at Target and decided to try it out. I have to say that was a good decision as I'm loving it. I'll tell more about it later.

Margaret is still keeping her eggs warm. We should have baby birds soon though. I can't wait!!
My Mom is going to NY to visit some friends in a month I'm really excited for her. Should be fun. I just booked her plane ticket on AAA. Worked out nicely. I even got her a nonstop flight on JetBlue. I think she'll enjoy it.

That lame "wind tunnel" boy is back at my Martial Arts class. I just wish he wasn't so creepy. I don't think he understands the concept of personal space either. It's annoying. I guess it's not so much that I wish he wasn't there, I just wish our teacher wouldn't let him lead us in warm-ups or other exercises. He's just weird. Creepy. Sigh.

New Pet

For about a week or so there have been these birds scoping out our balcony. Now one of them has decided to make one of our hanging plant's pots it's nest. She's been there for a few days nonstop. We named her Margaret. She's really safe there as she's hidden behind the plants and she's high enough up that Grr doesn't even know she exists. We're thinking that we're going to have baby birds soon. Pretty funny. This is Margaret:

In book news, I finished "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk. It is now one of my favorite books. It was wonderfully written and a great story. I'm amazed at how great it was.

Now I'm reading "Under The Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer. This is the author that wrote "Into the Wild". This book is about how this woman and her baby were murdered on 7/24/1984. It's about Mormonism and the fanatics of the religion. It's very interesting as he is giving a full account of the history of the Mormon faith and how these brothers "received a revelation from God to kill this woman and her baby daughter". Strange. I'm enjoying it and it's truly fascinating.

I got my stitches out last week. Didn't hurt at all. In fact, I didn't even feel them removing the stitches. Pretty cool. The biopsy came back clean and I'm back to kicking ass at my martial art class. All good.

In Stitches

I finished "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs. It was a great read. I heard his new book will be coming out soon about his father. I read an interview with Augusten Burroughs, which was really great. He seems like such a sarcastic, down-to-earth, kinda guy. Like someone I might get along with. I think that's why I like reading his books so much, it's almost like reading a friend's work, but I don't know him. Hard to explain, but I think you catch my drift. I'll read his next one.

I'm reading "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk. It's one of the best novels I've read in a long time. I'm enjoying it immensely. I am quite amazed at his stories and writing style. It's all pretty ingenious. If I ever do write, he's the type of author I'd love to model myself after. Well, and Tom Robbins.

I had a mole on my back removed a bit over a week ago. My doctor referred me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist said it looked like strange, so they had to remove it and are doing a biopsy. The crazy thing is how advanced modern medicine is now. It took them all of about 15minutes or less to numb me, remove the mole and stitch me up. I'm not happy about the stitches as they are on my back closest to my right shoulder, where I cannot reach them. I wake my boyfriend every morning to do a quick alcohol swab, neosporin and then another band aid. It's all a bit annoying. It's only 2 stitches, but because it's on my muscle I have to be careful not to extend my arm too much or do anything that might cause the stitches to tear. Firstly it's a bit uncomfortable when they tear, even a little bit, as I accidentally already did that one & secondly, apparently the stitches are there to minimize getting a scar. I get the stitches out Wednesday morning and I cannot wait! I think this is the first time I've ever had stitches.

Over and out!

On Saturday I finished "Possible Side Effects" by Augusten Burroughs. And right now I'm halfway through "Magical Thinking" by him, as well. I really think that after "Running With Scissors" and "Dry" that Burroughs is really coming into his own. His style is much like that of Sedaris, but different enough. I think Burroughs seems to have a grasp on the strangeness of the life that he has lead and is now able to put it into stories and make fun of himself and know how odd it all was. He doesn't bask in it or have any sort of snobbishness that his life is very different then most out there. He seems to take it all in stride, tell the stories and even offer bits of humor along the way.

I went to a movie screening last night and saw "Then She Found Me". It's Helen Hunt's directorial debut. Apparently this film is adapted from a novel. It sounds like a great book. The story was really good and the acting was superb. It had a great cast with Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler and Matthew Broderick. I think it's way more a "girly" movie than anything, not sure if guys will enjoy it as much as I did. I liked it.

I'm ready for a vacation. Maybe I can figure out a way to get back to Tahoe soon...

Wilderness

I finished "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer. It was very interesting and fascinating. Not only does he go in depth about Chistopher McCandles, but he ties in other stories of people who have similar adventures. He even talks about some trips that he did. I don't really understand the fascination of rock climbing or making it in the "wild" or anything, but I now have a deeper appreciation for people who can do those things. I saw the documentary "Touching The Void" a long time ago, which is a great documentary. Now I'm super interested in reading that book too. "Into The Wild" was a good read. I really liked how the author wrote it. The amount of research he did sounds like a ton, just to tell this story & by reading the book you can see how much of himself he put into it.

Now I'm back on my memoir kick with some Augusten Burroughs. I'm reading "Possible Side Effects" which I'm loving. This one is very reminiscent of Sedaris, which I like a lot. Instead of a memoir book told from start to end, each chapter is a memory of something that happened in his life. And most of them are pretty funny. Next I'll read "Magical Thinking" also by Augusten Burroughs. That will complete my readings of his until he puts out another book.

In other news, I've been watching a lot of Netflix. Saw a lot of great movies. Too many to even think of right now. I now have an office. Been posted here for almost 2 weeks now. It's really nice to be able to shut my door to eat lunch & read. I could get used to this.

Penguins from the aquarium in Atlanta:

Moving on Up

So today we're packing everything up in our office to move from the 2nd floor to the 18th. Time for me to say goodbye to my cube with a view & hello to my new office. I've been in this cubicle, with a lovely window, for a few years now. I've worked in 4 cubicles on the 2nd floor in the 6 years I've worked here. My 6-year anniversary is in a few weeks too. It'll be nice to have an office finally. I'm more excited to have one than I expected I would be.

I just finished "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey. It's his follow-up book to "A Million Little Pieces". I have to say I enjoyed this one much, much more than "A Million Little Pieces". This one had some fun, interesting twists (probably embellishments), but were much more real than the last one. I thought it was very endearing and well-written. I cried along with the narrator a few times and was happy along with him too. It was nice to have the base of "A Million Little Pieces", but I think this book could stand on it's own too. I'd recommend "My Friend Leonard" whole heartily.

I'm starting to read "Into The Wild" by Jon Krakauer. It'll be my in-between book while I wait for a few that I put on hold at the library. I saw the movie a few weeks ago. It's kinda slow, but well worth it. I really enjoyed the movie. It was really good. And from what I hear, it supposedly stayed close to the book. So, I'm thinking I'll enjoy this book too. I'll let you know. Wish me luck with the move!

Sitting by the pool

I just like this picture. Taken while driving on the 5 freeway from Tahoe back to LA. Looks good.

Today has been nice. Went and sat by the pool with my book. Got a little bit of sun and read for awhile. I think that's the best. I finished "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey about a week ago. It was okay. I liked it up until the middle. Not that I hated it, but I'm not overly fond of it. Although I really liked the character of Leonard, so I intend to embark upon reading "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey also. My friend says she read "A Million Little Pieces" when everyone thought it was real. She feels so duped that she refuses to read another book by him. I'm glad I read it when I did, as I think I would've felt the same way. I have to say that I think I wouldn't have believed it was real if I was told that. Only because I know that most of that stuff couldn't have happened. It was a little too unreal and too perfect. All wrapped up in a nice ribbon. Couldn't have happened that way. I didn't like how it was embellished so much. I definitely could've done with it a little toned down. We'll see how I like his next book.

I also just finished (sitting by the pool today) "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk. I really, really enjoyed it. I can see why so many people have recommended this author to me. His writing style is very simplistic, but really good. And the story was great. Just the right amount of sarcasm and wit that I enjoy. I think I'll have to read more books by him. Kinda like Robbins or Vonnegut, but different. Has his own writing style, which I enjoyed. It's funny how it seems that I'm on this quest to read about addictions or something. It's my next theme, I suppose.

I'm actually going to have to start writing in this blog from home now. No more sitting and drinking coffee at work in the early morning typing away here. Our company has blocked blogs now. Funny. I suppose it's not because people are reading my book blog. So, I get to find some downtime at home to "tap-tap" away at the keyboard and reach out to the few people that read this thing. I still think books are good for the soul. And if there isn't a soul, it's still good for you. Like vitamins, a little a day. That's my advice anyways. Go curl up in your favorite sunspot and read about Alice chasing the white rabbit. Expand the mind and get away from the world for a minute, hopefully a bit longer...

Cup of Coffee

I like drinking coffee in the morning at work. There's something so nice about getting in early, getting a cup of coffee and just relaxing at my desk with it for a moment.

I just finished "Snow Flower & The Secret Fan" by Lisa See. It was a wonderful read. Did you know that in China women had a secret language so that they could communicate with one another through embroidery & notes? It's so interesting. The language is only written and called nu shu. Apparently it's derived from the men's written language & since women were supposedly illiterate, they italicized the characters of the men's writing and made it look elegant, so it looked like art. I ordered a documentary on this women's writing, so I'll have more to say on it after I watch it! This book was very well written and was about friendship and the lives of women. You can tell that the author did a lot of research. Her depictions of life for these women was so vivid, from the foot binding to the types of foods they made and ate. I highly recommend this book!

I'm now reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. I know that it's supposed to be a non-fiction memoir and that a few years ago it came out that most of it is untrue. I am still enjoying it. Whether or not it happened is of no concern to me. It's a story. It'd probably be a bit better if it were true, but even if it's not it's written well and it's a crazy, fun story. I know that there is a sequel, so that's going on my booklist and after a few more books, I'll see if I can get that from the library, as well.


Life is going, not too much else to talk about. I'm still going to movie screening. Going to a documentary tonight & I saw The Bank Job last week. It was a really good movie. Now that one is based on a true story and is a pretty incredible tale. I'm trying to think if I there are any other movies I've seen lately that were awesome. Hmmm. Stardust. Not sure if I mentioned this movie before, but it's awesome. They are marketing it as a darker Princess Bride. And that is the truth. It's funny, witty, sarcastic and fun. Really great movie. I own it now and throw it on in the background when I'm cleaning or can't find anything else on TV that I want to watch.


My martial arts is going well. I think I've decided to test for a brown belt on the next test. I have a lot of practising to do in the next few months. I have to work on my back-kick, as I have to break a board with it. So far, my aim is getting better. The strange boy that I talked about nearly a year or so ago has been coming to class again sporadically. I still want to start cracking up every time we practise things & I hear is "woosh, woosh" (he does this funny breathing thing when he punches or kicks). At least he hasn't tried to talk to me again. Fun times!


I know Easter is coming up, so I'm going to share this. It makes me laugh every time I see it!!!

Another Year, Another Day

My birthday was last week. I'm now officially in my last year of my 20s. Not too shabby. I have to admit, although I wish I wouldn't age I like getting older. If only I knew & had experienced all I have now when I was 21. I know I shouldn't really be lamenting like that. I'm still really young & in my prime. I still look like a High School student (especially when in my martial arts uniform, I've been told I look 16 still). It's just strange to think that 2 weeks ago I was 28 & now here I am and I'm 29. As with everything in life there are many ups & downs to getting older. It's kinda fun, I do like knowing that there is still a lot ahead of me. I just wish that I could actually push myself and figure out what I really want to do. Ah, one day.

Enough of the "old" talk! Time for books! I just finished a memoir entitled "The Tender Bar" by J.R. Moehringer yesterday. I really, really enjoyed this book. It was written so well. It was especially profound in that everyone can relate to the story. Moehringer tells us about growing up in Manhassett without a father and how he came to love the bar down the road and embraced all the men as fatherly figures. Intertwined with him growing up and trying desperately to help his Mom and find himself. It was very heartfelt, but not overly done. He depicts himself in his primes and his most humiliating moments. There really is something for everyone in it. I think it's a book I'm going to recommend to a few more people. My friend let me borrow it and I put it off for awhile, as memoirs tend to depress me. Most of the time they are about these people who have lived through awful circumstances (remember "The Kiss"?) and how they overcame it, etc. But this one was actually nothing like that. This one was anything but depressing.

I've put a few books on hold at the library, but they are taking awhile to come in. While I wait, I've picked up "Snow Flower and The Secret Fan" by Lisa See.

I've been to a few movie screenings over the past few months. I even voted in IFC's Spirit Awards. That was fun. I have to admit that I didn't get to see many of the movies up for the Oscars this year though. So I've put a bunch on my Netflix, but everyone else had the same idea and there is a long wait for a bunch of them. I'm going to a screening of "The Bank Job" tonight, hopefully it's a good film. I did notice that the movie "21" is coming out in a few weeks. This one is based off of one of the best books I've ever read called "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T Students Who Took Vegas For Millions" by Ben Mezrich. The book was such an amazing read. Partly is because the story is so crazy. I love true stories that are like that. So I'm going to check out that movie in another month or 2. Speaking of great true stories, a really great documentary that won the Spirit Awards, "Crazy Love" is another amazing movie to see. The story is awesome and true. Check it out!

Okay, I've babled enough. I probably should do some work.

Here's a pic from Nantucket. It's pretty.

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I {heart} Tahoe!

Tahoe Forever!!! I got to go snowboarding again. And I think I'm finally feeling comfortable snowboarding now. I still can't go backwards or do any tricks, but I've only gone about 10 times over the past 12 years or so. It's a little rough, wish I lived closer to the snow and could go more. But if I can go about twice a year I think I could get better. There was so much snow in Tahoe this last time we went. It was crazy. We couldn't even get to the cabin through the front door, had to use the basement door.

I finished "Voices from the Street" by Philip K. Dick. I read somewhere that this was his first novel. I'll believe it, only because it has no traces of science fiction in it. I'm guessing after this first endeavor that he started delving into the world of scifi. I have to say that I liked this book. I think it was better than that last one I read. This being only my 4th Philip K Dick novel leaves me a little lacking. So far my favorite by him is still "Ubik". I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of his though. His writing style is good and I do get wrapped up in his novels; however there isn't any of that charismatic twists & turns like in Murakami that I so crave. It's hard to explain, but I do think that from what I've read of Philip K Dick that he could have done it and always falls short.

I'm now reading "The Tender Bar" by J.R. Moehringer, a memoir. So far, I'm enjoying it and I'm less than 50 pages into it.

That's it for now. Isn't my cat sooo cute???

Pretty Jellyfish

Not the greatest picture of jellyfish, but you get the idea. They are cool looking creatures. Thankfully I've never been stung by one. I hear that it hurts really badly and the only thing to make it feel better is vinegar or if someone pees on where you got stung. I'd much rather go with vinegar, not so much into someone peeing on me. I wonder who figured out that one and how? I guess I don't need to know, I suppose I'm not that curious.

I just finished "Wild Ducks Flying Backward", a short writings compilation all by Tom Robbins. There are short stories, essays, retorts, poems and just his views on things. It was pretty damn funny. It has a lot of really good stuff in there. Really shows how great a writer he is. He's able to turn the most mundane into something witty and interesting. And he keeps things very lighthearted and is able to play with words in such a way that I envy it, but also wonder if it takes him a long time to do all the word-play or if it just comes naturally.

I'm embarking upon another Philip K Dick book. This one is entitled "Voices from the Street". I hope it's good. Cross your fingers for me.

Time for the Emperor

I realized yesterday when I finished the last book I was reading that the 2 books that I just read over the last few weeks have the word "Emperor" in the title. Strange. I wonder what that means?

I read "A Guest of the Emperor" by Alphonse A. Seubert. My friend's Dad is the Author. It's his memoirs from being a Prisoner of War in WWII. He was in a Japanese Prison Camp for a time. Al passed away a few years ago and I am one of the lucky people to have not only met him, but have been welcomed in his home and got to hang out with him. He was a very loving man. He had a green thumb and I think could make plants grow just by saying hello to them. He worked very hard to keep Sign Hill in South San Francisco green. He grew the trees there and has a grove named for him. Years ago I did a documentary on him and his trees. I won a few awards for it even. But the greatest thing was to see how much of his heart and soul was put into these trees and making sure they survived. It was more than the greenery or putting oxygen in the air or all those plethora of reasons to plant trees. Al Seubert loved them. He nurtured them and had a lifelong friendship with them. I have a feeling that his soul resides in all the trees. Gives new meaning to hugging a tree; if there is even a pinch of Al Seubert in that tree, you'll know. It'll do you good, try it some time! The book was really good. I don't think it's in print. I'm a big fan of Al's daughter, who happens to be one of the best people I know. She lent me a copy to read. I read it in a day and immensely enjoyed it. The best part for me is that it's written how Al spoke. So, while you're reading it, you can just imagine him sitting in his living room telling you the story. It's also a fascinating story. Hard to believe what he went through. It sounds maddening. But not only did he simply survive it, he made the best of what he had and went on to live a very meaningful life. Pretty damn amazing.

Then yesterday I finished "The Emperor's Children" by Claire Messud. This book was given to me over Xmas and I was very excited to read it. I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but the cover art had me. It just seemed like a good book. I just got that feeling. I loved it. It's about these friends in NY in their 30s and they are just trying to live and figure out their lives. It was a wonderful tale of friendship, love, expectations and work with a hint of sorrow. Reinstates that we are all in the same boat and just trying to figure it all out. Nobody knows what they are doing. That's the big life mystery...what do I really want to do? Which of course can be put in limitless contexts. The characters were well-rounded and full of life. I am still a little upset that it's over. But all things must come to an end (good & bad).

Now I'm delving into the fantastical, crazy, fun times of short writings by Tom Robbins, called "Wild Ducks Flying Backward". The only tears I'll be choking back in reading this is tears of laughter. Yay. I think I need a little comedy.

Shorts

I just finished a book of short stories by Haruki Murakami, called "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman". I think it's safe to say that I am obsessed with this author. It's like I cannot read enough of the things he writes. I added some books about him onto my wishlist at Amazon. I just get so involved in his tales & want to live in that world. I've tried very hard to get more people to read his books, but truthfully you have to have a particular taste for his tales. They are definitely unlike most other novels and have an element of strangeness. Plus it's very hard to give an accurate description of any of his novels. It ends up sounding like a stupid, horrible story. I can never put into words how great his stories are. I always end up getting tongue tied. I've gotten a few people to read "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of The World". Still few seem to grasp the genius of it. It's one of his shorter novels and I feel it eases you into his worlds. If you like it, then you'll love all of his work. If not, I don't think you're cut out for Murakami. I suppose it's like many other authors, you either enjoy them or don't. But I have to say that I think his novels are different, along the lines of Vonnegut or Robbins, but he's definitely not comparable to many authors out there.

That's my rant & rave for the day. Just trying to bide the time until this 3-day weekend is upon me. I need the extra day.

Grr in a box!

Happy New Year!

My Holidays were nice & New Years was good too. I got some good presents as well. It was nice. I got to see my Dad & Stepmom the weekend before Xmas. They were in town for the day that Saturday. They got to see my apartment and took us to dinner. It was nice.


A few weeks before I went to Tahoe, it was absolutely gorgeous & I went snowboarding one of the days. I even went to see The Golden Compass. I loved the books, so I had to see the movie. I really liked it and thought it did the book justice. I'm excited to see the next two. I also finished the "Griffin & Sabine Trilogies" while in Tahoe. Such great books!! I love them, they are like adult pop-up books. And the stories are super interesting. The ending was much better than the first trilogy. No wonder Nick Bantock had to write another one.





I finished "Replay" by Ken Grimwood. It started out slow, but turned out to be a really cool book. A great story. I think it would make a great movie. And lastly, I read "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick. It was really good, as Philip K. Dick novels go. My only real qualm with it is that he tried to put a lot of religious undertones into it. It kinda bothered me in that, I'd rather make those assumptions on my own from the story, rather than him telling me to think that.


I just saw "There Will be Blood", "Kite Runner" & "The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair" over the weekend. "There Will be Blood" is a very creepy movie. Daniel Day Lewis is extremely talented & amazing. I still am unsure whether I liked it. It's not entertaining per se, but it is a great movie. It's tells a crazy story & had me enthralled throughout the entire 3 hours of the film. "Kite Runner" was really good. Actually was very close to the book and the acting was magnificent. I really enjoyed it. "The Prisoner" was an amazing documentary. I really thought it had a little bit of everything & was very well put together.

That's all I got for now. Tahoe in another month...I can't wait. So awesome.