Listen, no doubt you heard the news back on July 4th about the scientists at CERN discovering evidence of the Higgs-Boson particle. (Or maybe you just saw the viral video clip of reporters asking people in Brooklyn what they thought Higgs-Boson was and them coming up with ridiculous answers like, "It sounds brown" or "That's a metal band, right?" or "A creepy European man who goes around flashing people?" Sigh). Of course, I'd like to claim that I know all about the Higgs-Boson because I am a brilliant genius who can discuss advanced theoretical physics around the dinner table, but the truth is I first heard about it on that show "The Big Bang Theory" (who says TV doesn't make you smart?). Then I happened to come across it again while reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything (if you haven't read it, you should. It's funny and well-written and makes science easy to understand. Or at least enough understanding to not look like a total idiot if some reporter asks you what you know about CERN's latest particle discovery).
Anyway, the physicists are all in a tizzy because they found something that may be the Higgs-Boson particle (which is really a tiny cosmic building block, also know as the "God particle" that indicates mass for everything else in the universe), and because I like to know what Sheldon and Leonard are talking about with their smarty-genius jokes, I was interested in just what all the hub-bub was about. And after reading a couple of articles and being forcefully reminded that I am not, and will probably never be, a physicist, I finally found a link that I think does a pretty good job of explaining just what it is. Or might be. And to make sure that it's totally lay-person accessible, the lovely scientists made it a cartoon.(Because no doubt after watching the guy explain that it sounded like magic, "and by magic, I mean drugs", I'm sure they thought we needed it).
So here it is, because I thought it was neat and that you, brilliant Internets, might like it also.
PS- Lest you think I'm trying to show off how very smart I am, please know that spell check has just informed me that I cannot even spell the word "physicist". Something tells me that the Nobel Peace Prize committee won't be contacting me any time soon for my amazing work in particle physics.
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Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
3/10/11
Memoirs, Moons and When Zombie Cats Attack
It occurs to me that I haven't had an actual blog topic in a while. Mostly the last few months have been baby updates and bulleted snippets of random thoughts. And you may think that this is just me being lazy and not picking a topic and sticking to it, but the truth is that for the last few months my brain has just been baby updates and random snippets, so it's kinda hard to write in a cohesive theme when your brain is going "Baby stuff, baby stuff, baby stuff, I like juice".
(And from what I understand, it's only going to get worse after Baby Girl arrives. So fair warning).
(Although there will probably be more pictures, because who doesn't love looking at a sleeping baby?)
(She is going to sleep some, right? Please tell me she'll sleep).
Speaking of sleep, I think it is a cruel and unusual twist of fate that I can no longer get a decent night's rest. You'd think I'd need it now more than ever to rest up for all those midnight feedings, right? But no. I lost out on comfortable sleeping positions about a month ago, and now even when I do manage to catch a couple of winks, I have weird disturbing dreams. (The BabyCenter articles say that weird third trimester dreams are completely normal, and just my way of getting through any anxiety I have about the upcoming birth. Which I admit makes sense, but I have yet to figure out how my cat secretly turning into a zombie-vampire and attacking the Seester relates to baby anxiety)*.
In other news, I've become completely obsessed with both the weather and the phases of the moon. I have an app for each on my home page, and I spend hours (yes, hours!) checking the 10 day weather and scrutinizing the minute changes of the moon (Currently at 23% of a waxing crescent, if you're interested). Why the fixation on the weather and the moon? No idea. But if any of you have questions about daily rainfalls in the southeast, or cold fronts moving in from the west, or on what day the new moon happened last week, then I'm your girl.
Finally, in an effort to prove that I'm not as boring as this post makes me sound (the weather and the moon phases? Really?) I'd like to mention that I just finished reading Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Lightning Bolt Kid, and I LOVED IT. It's a memoir of Bill's life growing up in the 50's and 60's, and even though I've never personally witnessed either of those decades, Bryson tells the story in such a way that you swear you're right there with him for every adventure. (His narrative style reminds me of the movie The Christmas Story in that it has that same 1950's through the eyes of a child feel, except without the bb gun). Seriously, I've never laughed so hard in my life. In fact, I spent chapters 2 through 6 not even bothering to get off the toilet because even though I'd just gone, I'd laugh so hard at the next page that I'd pee a little more. Now, the book actually came out in 2006, so maybe you've all already read it and you're like, "Have you been under a rock or something for the last 5 years?" in which case the answer is yes. But if you're like me and have been under a similar rock, then go get the book RIGHT NOW. I promise that it is worth it. I totally heart Bill Bryson.
So that's it. Baby Girl is expected sometime within the next 12 days (if she doesn't decide to come on her own earlier, the doctors have scheduled a c-section for Monday morning on the 21st), and I'm spending my last child-free moments reading and watching the moon phases and being chased around by zombie cats.
Really makes you look forward to a post with sleeping baby pictures, doesn't it?
*Sorry Seester...and you might want to stay away from Sebastian next time you come visit.
(And from what I understand, it's only going to get worse after Baby Girl arrives. So fair warning).
(Although there will probably be more pictures, because who doesn't love looking at a sleeping baby?)
(She is going to sleep some, right? Please tell me she'll sleep).
Speaking of sleep, I think it is a cruel and unusual twist of fate that I can no longer get a decent night's rest. You'd think I'd need it now more than ever to rest up for all those midnight feedings, right? But no. I lost out on comfortable sleeping positions about a month ago, and now even when I do manage to catch a couple of winks, I have weird disturbing dreams. (The BabyCenter articles say that weird third trimester dreams are completely normal, and just my way of getting through any anxiety I have about the upcoming birth. Which I admit makes sense, but I have yet to figure out how my cat secretly turning into a zombie-vampire and attacking the Seester relates to baby anxiety)*.
In other news, I've become completely obsessed with both the weather and the phases of the moon. I have an app for each on my home page, and I spend hours (yes, hours!) checking the 10 day weather and scrutinizing the minute changes of the moon (Currently at 23% of a waxing crescent, if you're interested). Why the fixation on the weather and the moon? No idea. But if any of you have questions about daily rainfalls in the southeast, or cold fronts moving in from the west, or on what day the new moon happened last week, then I'm your girl.
Finally, in an effort to prove that I'm not as boring as this post makes me sound (the weather and the moon phases? Really?) I'd like to mention that I just finished reading Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Lightning Bolt Kid, and I LOVED IT. It's a memoir of Bill's life growing up in the 50's and 60's, and even though I've never personally witnessed either of those decades, Bryson tells the story in such a way that you swear you're right there with him for every adventure. (His narrative style reminds me of the movie The Christmas Story in that it has that same 1950's through the eyes of a child feel, except without the bb gun). Seriously, I've never laughed so hard in my life. In fact, I spent chapters 2 through 6 not even bothering to get off the toilet because even though I'd just gone, I'd laugh so hard at the next page that I'd pee a little more. Now, the book actually came out in 2006, so maybe you've all already read it and you're like, "Have you been under a rock or something for the last 5 years?" in which case the answer is yes. But if you're like me and have been under a similar rock, then go get the book RIGHT NOW. I promise that it is worth it. I totally heart Bill Bryson.
So that's it. Baby Girl is expected sometime within the next 12 days (if she doesn't decide to come on her own earlier, the doctors have scheduled a c-section for Monday morning on the 21st), and I'm spending my last child-free moments reading and watching the moon phases and being chased around by zombie cats.
Really makes you look forward to a post with sleeping baby pictures, doesn't it?
*Sorry Seester...and you might want to stay away from Sebastian next time you come visit.
11/5/10
Just Another Typical Friday
Tony took the day off of work today. At first I thought, "Oh, that's so sweet! He wants to spend a long weekend with me! Maybe go on a quick baby-moon!" but no. He and a bunch of his poker buddies have decided to use the day to take a trip out to Cherokee casino. (Perhaps they thought it would be more fun to lose their money to a casino instead of each other? I'm not sure). Anyway, I hinted strongly that I thought it might be fun for me to go also, even though I'm not a big gambler, but Tony put the kibosh on that idea pretty quickly. Grunt grunt. Guys only. Grunt grunt. Manly-man losing of money. Grunt. No women-folk allowed. (Although he did give me a hug and tell me that it wasn't because he didn't want me along...it's just that he knew I'd hate it. The trip through the mountains would have made me car sick, I'd be bored in an instant when we arrived, and the whole place is full of cigarette smoke, which I shouldn't be around what with my "delicate condition" and all). So no poker trip for me. But I guess that's okay. He's right that I'd hate it, and this is the only time (other than hockey) that he gets to spend out on his own perusing his interests (even if that interest is donating all his money to a blackjack dealer) so I don't begrudge him that.
Meanwhile, I'm at home pursuing MY main interest, which is curling up in front of the fire and reading. I'm currently on book 3 of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and I must say that I LOVE it. (Technically, my library classifies them as Young Adult novels since the main character is 16 when it all starts, but I have to disagree and say that some of the violence seems a bit...graphic and dark for young adults. But what do I know?) Anyway, every year 24 children ranging from ages 12 to 18 are randomly picked in a "lottery" and sent to play in a fight-to-the-death arena for the enjoyment of the tv viewing audience (and as continuing punishment for an uprising against the government that happened 75 years ago). Think Roman Coliseum meets Survivor with a dash of Lord of the Flies thrown in. The books are not only about survival, but also attempting to start a revolution and destroy the Hunger Games once and for all. (I know, I know, I'm doing a lousy job of making it sound good, but it really is a riveting read. I was up until 3:30am finishing the second book. I could NOT put it down). Plus, you know how every now and then you'll come across a book that keeps you up at night thinking about it even after you finished it? These are in that category.
I really do need to quit reading though, because I have Christmas shopping to do. (I know!) Actually, Christmas is coming even earlier this year for the House of Quirk because we're present swapping with my side of the family at Thanksgiving (we couldn't all get together for Christmas). So that means I have roughly 2 weeks to find, order, ship, and wrap presents for my family. The good news is that by spreading the present shopping out somewhat, it makes it easier on me and my battered wallet, but the bad news is that by buying early, I'm probably missing some awesome Black Friday deals. Oh well. It's still worth it to actually be able to watch my family unwrap the gifts I got them instead of just shipping a box of presents across the country and wondering if they liked them.
So that's today. I'm out spending money on gifts, Tony's out spending money on Texas Hold'em, and I can't wait to get back to my little book by the fire to read about more children killing each other in a post-apocalyptic Lions vs Christians manner. How's your Friday?
Meanwhile, I'm at home pursuing MY main interest, which is curling up in front of the fire and reading. I'm currently on book 3 of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and I must say that I LOVE it. (Technically, my library classifies them as Young Adult novels since the main character is 16 when it all starts, but I have to disagree and say that some of the violence seems a bit...graphic and dark for young adults. But what do I know?) Anyway, every year 24 children ranging from ages 12 to 18 are randomly picked in a "lottery" and sent to play in a fight-to-the-death arena for the enjoyment of the tv viewing audience (and as continuing punishment for an uprising against the government that happened 75 years ago). Think Roman Coliseum meets Survivor with a dash of Lord of the Flies thrown in. The books are not only about survival, but also attempting to start a revolution and destroy the Hunger Games once and for all. (I know, I know, I'm doing a lousy job of making it sound good, but it really is a riveting read. I was up until 3:30am finishing the second book. I could NOT put it down). Plus, you know how every now and then you'll come across a book that keeps you up at night thinking about it even after you finished it? These are in that category.
I really do need to quit reading though, because I have Christmas shopping to do. (I know!) Actually, Christmas is coming even earlier this year for the House of Quirk because we're present swapping with my side of the family at Thanksgiving (we couldn't all get together for Christmas). So that means I have roughly 2 weeks to find, order, ship, and wrap presents for my family. The good news is that by spreading the present shopping out somewhat, it makes it easier on me and my battered wallet, but the bad news is that by buying early, I'm probably missing some awesome Black Friday deals. Oh well. It's still worth it to actually be able to watch my family unwrap the gifts I got them instead of just shipping a box of presents across the country and wondering if they liked them.
So that's today. I'm out spending money on gifts, Tony's out spending money on Texas Hold'em, and I can't wait to get back to my little book by the fire to read about more children killing each other in a post-apocalyptic Lions vs Christians manner. How's your Friday?
9/27/10
Oooo, You Make Me Live
Don't you hate it when you make a big stink about something and it turns out that you are double-dead wrong?
And then you have to slink in and eat some crow and pay $30 for a book covered in grossness?
Yeah, me too.
See, I've been having a fight with my local library. (It pains me to even type that because the library and I are BFFs, and up until now we've been seeing each other several times a week, and all the librarians and checkout volunteers know me by name and what kind of reading kick I've been on lately. And it's been years of tea parties and sleepovers and slow-motion romping through daisies together while the Best Friend song from Queen plays in the background). But there comes a time in every friendship where someone gets mad over a misunderstanding (or a little mysterious yellow stuff) and those friends quit speaking for a while.
It all started innocently enough. I checked out a book. I read said book. I returned said book along with several other books through the after-hours book drop. Life was good. But then! Then! One day out of the blue, my BFF library sent me a nasty note. And it said that I had grievously slighted them by spilling "yellow stuff" all over a book and now it was ruined and I owed them $30 for a new book or they wouldn't be my bestest friend anymore SO THERE!
And I, reacting a bit strongly to the idea of my library breaking up with me over a horribly false accusation, called them up to be like, "What yellow stuff!?! I didn't spill any yellow stuff on any book! I would never do that to a book! You're a dirty dirty fibber, and I don't want to be friends with dirty fibbers SO THERE!"
And then the library yelled "Fine!" and I yelled "Fine!" and then we both slammed some doors and went home to play by ourselves. (Metaphorically speaking anyway...in actuality, the library and I were both professional adults where I exclaimed confused but polite dismay and the library professed apologetic but polite insistence and we were both very polite about the whole thing. But the underlying feeling of door slamming was there).
In my head, "yellow stuff" looked like French's mustard, which I do not eat, so why would I smear it all over a book? Why would the library claim such lies about me? Actually, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was actually the library's fault! They're trying to set me up! I left the book safely in the book drop. Maybe some grubby-handed child visited the library and was playing in the book drop receptacle! Maybe some careless volunteer was eating a mustard sandwich on rye while checking in books and got some on the cover! Formally-bff library is trying to make me the fall guy!
So I sat in my room alone for a few days, feeling abused and missing the library terribly but refusing to admit it, and the library did the same. (Oh sure, they have other patrons, but none of them are BFFs like me). And for a while I tried to make new friends with Borders and Barnes and Noble, but they were more interested in a commercial relationship with me rather than one where they let me read their books for free. And it was horribly lonely.
Then one day a few days later, the library left a message on my answering machine, cautiously suggesting that I come in and see mysterious yellow stuff for myself. It wasn't exactly an overture of friendship, mind you, but at this point I was desperate to see them again, so I agreed.
Driving over, I told myself that if the library admitted that they were wrong, I would take them back graciously. If I told them that I had nothing to do with the yellow stuff and they believed me, then we would put this whole ugly mess behind us. If they said they were sorry and they wanted to be my friend again, I would immediately check out 8 books and make us matching "Friends forever" bracelets. Overall, I was feeling very benevolent and forgiving about the whole thing.
And then I saw the "yellow stuff" they were talking about.
Which sucked, because I recognized it instantly.
And it meant that I was 100% in the wrong, and the library was right.
Darnit.
It was not French's mustard. It was a little thing we like to call kitty barf. And since the library does not have any cats, it was a pretty safe bet that it came from my house, where there are several little furry barf factories of the feline persuasion running amok and having full access to library books. I have no idea why I didn't see it when I scooped the books up to return them, but I didn't. And so I gave the library a hairball-covered book. Mea culpa.
Of course, there was nothing to do after that other than to hang my head and apologize profusely while paying the library $30 for their new book. I am a bad book renter. I do not have the proper respect for the written word. I let my four-legged charges abuse a Times best-seller. I do not deserve to be the library's friend.
The library, however, would hear none of it. (Oh, they still took my $30, but there was no reason to beat myself up over it). These things happen, they said! Who can control kitty barf, they said! Of course you are forgiven! The library has a new book, and I have a commemorative barf-covered one. We shall speak of the matter no more. Bestest best friends again.
So we are back. Braiding each other's hair, passing notes in Social studies, and delivering those hard to find books through the inter-library loan system. And I have learned an important lesson about not being overly defensive, and checking my books carefully before returning them, and keeping loaned books at least two feet off the floor so kitties can't get to them.
Cue the Queen music.
And then you have to slink in and eat some crow and pay $30 for a book covered in grossness?
Yeah, me too.
See, I've been having a fight with my local library. (It pains me to even type that because the library and I are BFFs, and up until now we've been seeing each other several times a week, and all the librarians and checkout volunteers know me by name and what kind of reading kick I've been on lately. And it's been years of tea parties and sleepovers and slow-motion romping through daisies together while the Best Friend song from Queen plays in the background). But there comes a time in every friendship where someone gets mad over a misunderstanding (or a little mysterious yellow stuff) and those friends quit speaking for a while.
It all started innocently enough. I checked out a book. I read said book. I returned said book along with several other books through the after-hours book drop. Life was good. But then! Then! One day out of the blue, my BFF library sent me a nasty note. And it said that I had grievously slighted them by spilling "yellow stuff" all over a book and now it was ruined and I owed them $30 for a new book or they wouldn't be my bestest friend anymore SO THERE!
And I, reacting a bit strongly to the idea of my library breaking up with me over a horribly false accusation, called them up to be like, "What yellow stuff!?! I didn't spill any yellow stuff on any book! I would never do that to a book! You're a dirty dirty fibber, and I don't want to be friends with dirty fibbers SO THERE!"
And then the library yelled "Fine!" and I yelled "Fine!" and then we both slammed some doors and went home to play by ourselves. (Metaphorically speaking anyway...in actuality, the library and I were both professional adults where I exclaimed confused but polite dismay and the library professed apologetic but polite insistence and we were both very polite about the whole thing. But the underlying feeling of door slamming was there).
In my head, "yellow stuff" looked like French's mustard, which I do not eat, so why would I smear it all over a book? Why would the library claim such lies about me? Actually, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was actually the library's fault! They're trying to set me up! I left the book safely in the book drop. Maybe some grubby-handed child visited the library and was playing in the book drop receptacle! Maybe some careless volunteer was eating a mustard sandwich on rye while checking in books and got some on the cover! Formally-bff library is trying to make me the fall guy!
So I sat in my room alone for a few days, feeling abused and missing the library terribly but refusing to admit it, and the library did the same. (Oh sure, they have other patrons, but none of them are BFFs like me). And for a while I tried to make new friends with Borders and Barnes and Noble, but they were more interested in a commercial relationship with me rather than one where they let me read their books for free. And it was horribly lonely.
Then one day a few days later, the library left a message on my answering machine, cautiously suggesting that I come in and see mysterious yellow stuff for myself. It wasn't exactly an overture of friendship, mind you, but at this point I was desperate to see them again, so I agreed.
Driving over, I told myself that if the library admitted that they were wrong, I would take them back graciously. If I told them that I had nothing to do with the yellow stuff and they believed me, then we would put this whole ugly mess behind us. If they said they were sorry and they wanted to be my friend again, I would immediately check out 8 books and make us matching "Friends forever" bracelets. Overall, I was feeling very benevolent and forgiving about the whole thing.
And then I saw the "yellow stuff" they were talking about.
Which sucked, because I recognized it instantly.
And it meant that I was 100% in the wrong, and the library was right.
Darnit.
It was not French's mustard. It was a little thing we like to call kitty barf. And since the library does not have any cats, it was a pretty safe bet that it came from my house, where there are several little furry barf factories of the feline persuasion running amok and having full access to library books. I have no idea why I didn't see it when I scooped the books up to return them, but I didn't. And so I gave the library a hairball-covered book. Mea culpa.
Of course, there was nothing to do after that other than to hang my head and apologize profusely while paying the library $30 for their new book. I am a bad book renter. I do not have the proper respect for the written word. I let my four-legged charges abuse a Times best-seller. I do not deserve to be the library's friend.
The library, however, would hear none of it. (Oh, they still took my $30, but there was no reason to beat myself up over it). These things happen, they said! Who can control kitty barf, they said! Of course you are forgiven! The library has a new book, and I have a commemorative barf-covered one. We shall speak of the matter no more. Bestest best friends again.
So we are back. Braiding each other's hair, passing notes in Social studies, and delivering those hard to find books through the inter-library loan system. And I have learned an important lesson about not being overly defensive, and checking my books carefully before returning them, and keeping loaned books at least two feet off the floor so kitties can't get to them.
Cue the Queen music.
6/4/10
Windows and Walls
I just read something really interesting, so of course I thought I'd share with ya'll. The topic happens to be infidelity, and before you ask, no, there isn't any trouble in paradise. I'm not cheating on Tony, he's not cheating on me. Things are good here in the house of Quirk. We're disgustingly happy together. I just happen to enjoy reading a variety of behavioral studies, that's all.
Yes, I know that makes me a dork. But at least I'm an informed dork, so neh.
Anyway, this particular article was from a study done by Dr. Shirley Glass, who literally wrote the book on infidelity. Behavioral studies aside, I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to this one except that the question Dr. Glass was answering was, "How did this [infidelity] start?". (And just to be clear, she's not talking about the serial cheaters...she's talking about your regular couples who love their spouse and have no intention of cheating ever, right up until it happens one day). So the question is, why? How did this happen? And I was like, yeah! Why does that happen? What were they thinking? Because I'm pretty sure no one just wakes up one morning and goes, "You know what? I feel like having an affair today".
According to Glass, the road to most affairs starts when one person makes a new friend. The new co-worker, the gym buddy, the neighbor next door. Now, there's nothing wrong with making a friend of the opposite sex (or even same sex, if that's your thing). The point is, these guy friends are completely normal. (Which is good, because I'd have to say that most of my friends are guys. The people I hung out with in high school were guys, the people I worked with were guys, the people I went hiking with on weekends were guys. I relate to guys. Not only that, but Tony has female friends. He still gets invitations to "Girls night out" with the group of girls he used to work with at the zoo. A table full of girls and Tony, meeting up for margaritas. So when I first read that thing about the new friend being the problem, I was like, what!? That can't be right.)
But the friend is not the issue. Have your guy friends and feel fine. The problem, (and this is the really interesting part), happens when walls and windows start moving around. See, every healthy marriage has what Glass refers to as walls and windows. The windows are the parts of your marriage that are open to other people...friends and family and co-workers and such. Your birthday, what you had for dinner last night, hobbies you enjoy...that kind of stuff. The stuff you'd tell anyone, because they aren't secrets. By contrast, walls are barriers behind which you guard intimate secrets about yourself and your marriage. Your deep dark secrets, your insecurities, the personal parts of your relationship with your spouse. The secrets only they know. And the problem begins when you start moving windows and walls around.
It starts innocently enough. You're having coffee when the conversation accidentally drifts into personal areas. And you find yourself leaning forward to share one of these deep dark secrets about yourself with your new friend. And they totally get it, and they've got your back, and you feel absolutely wonderful! So close with your new friend! Now they know the "real" you, and who doesn't want someone to know the "real" them? Except you've just built a window where a wall used to be. It used to be only your spouse knew X, Y, Z about you or your relationship, and now your friend knows too. And there's a flip side too. Not wanting your spouse to feel jealous of how close you and your friend are, you keep these details of your friendship secret...and suddenly there's a wall with your spouse where a window used to be. You've changed the structure of your marriage without even knowing it.
I'm going to be honest here. I've totally done that before, completely by accident. (Well, not the wall part, but I was a little too honest with a co-worker once and ended up sharing more of my personal life than I meant to. He was telling me about his hopes and dreams, so I shared mine, and it wasn't until the end of the conversation when I was driving home that I realized that I just unloaded a whole bunch of personal stuff with someone I wasn't married to. So it happens. Easily).
The trick, according to Dr. Glass, is to immediately tell your spouse everything. You may have opened that window by accident, but you don't have to wall off your spouse. And yes, if you have a good hubby who cares about you, they're going to be a little worried. (Tony's not the jealous type at all, and he totally trusts me 110%, but when I related what I had accidentally told my co-worker, even he was like, "Not cool, little goose. I'm not liking where this is headed." And while it was completely unintentional on my part, and was nothing worse than us just talking in a parking lot, he was totally right). So I had to make a conscious effort to stop opening windows with my friend. Friends have different boundaries than spouses. There are things only your spouse should know about you. And those intimacies are important. That good feeling because someone knows the "real" you? That's a spouse thing.
The good news is that one accidental window probably won't hurt. You just have to be careful not to keep doing it. I guard my (and Tony's) privacy fiercely now, both in person and on the ol' blog here. I'll tell you about the silly things, the enduring things, the funny things, but there's a wall around the personal things. It may not be as interesting, but I won't weaken the structural integrity of my marriage by filling the walls with holes.
Anywho, something to think about. I read the article (which I think was an except from one of her books, although I forget which one) and went, huh. And I kept coming back to it, because it really resonated with me. So I thought I'd share. Maybe you can use it, maybe you can't. But interesting to know regardless.
Yes, I know that makes me a dork. But at least I'm an informed dork, so neh.
Anyway, this particular article was from a study done by Dr. Shirley Glass, who literally wrote the book on infidelity. Behavioral studies aside, I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to this one except that the question Dr. Glass was answering was, "How did this [infidelity] start?". (And just to be clear, she's not talking about the serial cheaters...she's talking about your regular couples who love their spouse and have no intention of cheating ever, right up until it happens one day). So the question is, why? How did this happen? And I was like, yeah! Why does that happen? What were they thinking? Because I'm pretty sure no one just wakes up one morning and goes, "You know what? I feel like having an affair today".
According to Glass, the road to most affairs starts when one person makes a new friend. The new co-worker, the gym buddy, the neighbor next door. Now, there's nothing wrong with making a friend of the opposite sex (or even same sex, if that's your thing). The point is, these guy friends are completely normal. (Which is good, because I'd have to say that most of my friends are guys. The people I hung out with in high school were guys, the people I worked with were guys, the people I went hiking with on weekends were guys. I relate to guys. Not only that, but Tony has female friends. He still gets invitations to "Girls night out" with the group of girls he used to work with at the zoo. A table full of girls and Tony, meeting up for margaritas. So when I first read that thing about the new friend being the problem, I was like, what!? That can't be right.)
But the friend is not the issue. Have your guy friends and feel fine. The problem, (and this is the really interesting part), happens when walls and windows start moving around. See, every healthy marriage has what Glass refers to as walls and windows. The windows are the parts of your marriage that are open to other people...friends and family and co-workers and such. Your birthday, what you had for dinner last night, hobbies you enjoy...that kind of stuff. The stuff you'd tell anyone, because they aren't secrets. By contrast, walls are barriers behind which you guard intimate secrets about yourself and your marriage. Your deep dark secrets, your insecurities, the personal parts of your relationship with your spouse. The secrets only they know. And the problem begins when you start moving windows and walls around.
It starts innocently enough. You're having coffee when the conversation accidentally drifts into personal areas. And you find yourself leaning forward to share one of these deep dark secrets about yourself with your new friend. And they totally get it, and they've got your back, and you feel absolutely wonderful! So close with your new friend! Now they know the "real" you, and who doesn't want someone to know the "real" them? Except you've just built a window where a wall used to be. It used to be only your spouse knew X, Y, Z about you or your relationship, and now your friend knows too. And there's a flip side too. Not wanting your spouse to feel jealous of how close you and your friend are, you keep these details of your friendship secret...and suddenly there's a wall with your spouse where a window used to be. You've changed the structure of your marriage without even knowing it.
I'm going to be honest here. I've totally done that before, completely by accident. (Well, not the wall part, but I was a little too honest with a co-worker once and ended up sharing more of my personal life than I meant to. He was telling me about his hopes and dreams, so I shared mine, and it wasn't until the end of the conversation when I was driving home that I realized that I just unloaded a whole bunch of personal stuff with someone I wasn't married to. So it happens. Easily).
The trick, according to Dr. Glass, is to immediately tell your spouse everything. You may have opened that window by accident, but you don't have to wall off your spouse. And yes, if you have a good hubby who cares about you, they're going to be a little worried. (Tony's not the jealous type at all, and he totally trusts me 110%, but when I related what I had accidentally told my co-worker, even he was like, "Not cool, little goose. I'm not liking where this is headed." And while it was completely unintentional on my part, and was nothing worse than us just talking in a parking lot, he was totally right). So I had to make a conscious effort to stop opening windows with my friend. Friends have different boundaries than spouses. There are things only your spouse should know about you. And those intimacies are important. That good feeling because someone knows the "real" you? That's a spouse thing.
The good news is that one accidental window probably won't hurt. You just have to be careful not to keep doing it. I guard my (and Tony's) privacy fiercely now, both in person and on the ol' blog here. I'll tell you about the silly things, the enduring things, the funny things, but there's a wall around the personal things. It may not be as interesting, but I won't weaken the structural integrity of my marriage by filling the walls with holes.
Anywho, something to think about. I read the article (which I think was an except from one of her books, although I forget which one) and went, huh. And I kept coming back to it, because it really resonated with me. So I thought I'd share. Maybe you can use it, maybe you can't. But interesting to know regardless.
3/1/10
A Little of This, A Little of That
Happy first day of March, ya'll! I feel like this is the turning month for having survived what feels like the LONGEST. WINTER. EVER.
I was in Target yesterday, and I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that they've put the swimsuits out for sale. Seriously, I did a little happy dance right there in front of the Mossimo sign. Not that I have a particular love for bathing wear, mind you, (or the tone classes that I'm going to have to take to get back into swimsuit shape) but the fact that Target thinks that it's time to put them out must mean that warm weather can't be too far behind. (I say this as the last of yesterday's snow fall still lingers on the lawn). And if Target is confident that we will one day soon feel the sun's warm rays again, I trust them. Target knows all.
***
I'm currently reading a book titled, The sociopath next door: The ruthless versus the rest of us by by Martha Stout. Don't ask me why. It was just a book I saw and thought I'd try. My tastes are varied and unpredictable. As far as I know, none of my neighbors are sociopaths...or ARE they? (Peeks through slit in the curtains suspiciously). Anyway, the book premise is that that a shocking 4% of the population (or, said another way, a scary one person in twenty-five) has a sociopathic mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that the person has no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. Further, to them, life is a game where they win by doing whatever they want through power and manipulation.
The good news is that no one's face popped into my head as I was reading it. (No one I knew personally anyway. I can, however, think of several famous people who sound suspiciously sociopathic based on what I know of them). And I doubt any of you are sociopaths, since they do not really care about anyone else, and reading this little ol' blog serves absolutely no purpose other than for us to reach out and share our lives with each other out here in cyberspace. So that's good news. I'm okay, you're okay, and whatever else we have going on, at least we aren't sociopaths. If you're worried about someone else though, you might want to pick up the book. She gets a little repetitive in some places, but all in all, not a bad read.
(In the mean time, what lesson can we draw here? I think it's obvious: People who do not read this blog clearly have a mental disorder). :-)
***
Which reminds me. A few weeks ago, I was talking to someone who reads this here blog and she said, "I know you aren't really like this because I know you personally, but sometimes you come across as a little mean in your blog." And I was like, WHOA! WHAT?!? THAT'S CRAZY TALK! Because I'm like, the nicest (and most modest) person I know! But then I got to thinking about it, and I maybe she's right. Not that I'm mean (or, at least I try not to be, anyway), but I think sometimes it's hard to see the good-natured joking when all you have are printed words. I tend to write like I tend to talk, and a lot of my humor comes from making exaggerated comments. (See everyone who ever met me nodding their heads vigorously). Granted, this works better in person because you can very clearly see my "I'm just messing with you" face, but if you didn't know me, you might occasionally read this and think that I'm a real jerk. Or at least vain. And sarcastic. And maybe a little too snarky.
When I was in high school, my art teacher would tell us that you had to really exaggerate highlights and shading so they would stand out. Make your lights lighter and your darks darker than what they really are...otherwise other people are going to look at your picture and see gray. So rather than be gray, I write a little lighter and a little darker than who I am in "real" life. (Although it's also accurate to say that I write from my internal dialogue, and sometimes you can't help but think things that, even if they're true, you're waaaaay too polite to say out loud in person. And then, yes, those things end up on the blog. So maybe I'm not a saint after all). But if you're ever reading something and you go, Ouch, That's a little brusk or negative or whatever, please know that I'm wearing my "just teasing" face, and I've laid the shading on thick for extra contrast. Because I really am a very nice person on the inside. Nice and polite and refreshingly optimistic. A treasure to all who know me.
And did I mention modest?
I was in Target yesterday, and I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that they've put the swimsuits out for sale. Seriously, I did a little happy dance right there in front of the Mossimo sign. Not that I have a particular love for bathing wear, mind you, (or the tone classes that I'm going to have to take to get back into swimsuit shape) but the fact that Target thinks that it's time to put them out must mean that warm weather can't be too far behind. (I say this as the last of yesterday's snow fall still lingers on the lawn). And if Target is confident that we will one day soon feel the sun's warm rays again, I trust them. Target knows all.
***
I'm currently reading a book titled, The sociopath next door: The ruthless versus the rest of us by by Martha Stout. Don't ask me why. It was just a book I saw and thought I'd try. My tastes are varied and unpredictable. As far as I know, none of my neighbors are sociopaths...or ARE they? (Peeks through slit in the curtains suspiciously). Anyway, the book premise is that that a shocking 4% of the population (or, said another way, a scary one person in twenty-five) has a sociopathic mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that the person has no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. Further, to them, life is a game where they win by doing whatever they want through power and manipulation.
The good news is that no one's face popped into my head as I was reading it. (No one I knew personally anyway. I can, however, think of several famous people who sound suspiciously sociopathic based on what I know of them). And I doubt any of you are sociopaths, since they do not really care about anyone else, and reading this little ol' blog serves absolutely no purpose other than for us to reach out and share our lives with each other out here in cyberspace. So that's good news. I'm okay, you're okay, and whatever else we have going on, at least we aren't sociopaths. If you're worried about someone else though, you might want to pick up the book. She gets a little repetitive in some places, but all in all, not a bad read.
(In the mean time, what lesson can we draw here? I think it's obvious: People who do not read this blog clearly have a mental disorder). :-)
***
Which reminds me. A few weeks ago, I was talking to someone who reads this here blog and she said, "I know you aren't really like this because I know you personally, but sometimes you come across as a little mean in your blog." And I was like, WHOA! WHAT?!? THAT'S CRAZY TALK! Because I'm like, the nicest (and most modest) person I know! But then I got to thinking about it, and I maybe she's right. Not that I'm mean (or, at least I try not to be, anyway), but I think sometimes it's hard to see the good-natured joking when all you have are printed words. I tend to write like I tend to talk, and a lot of my humor comes from making exaggerated comments. (See everyone who ever met me nodding their heads vigorously). Granted, this works better in person because you can very clearly see my "I'm just messing with you" face, but if you didn't know me, you might occasionally read this and think that I'm a real jerk. Or at least vain. And sarcastic. And maybe a little too snarky.
When I was in high school, my art teacher would tell us that you had to really exaggerate highlights and shading so they would stand out. Make your lights lighter and your darks darker than what they really are...otherwise other people are going to look at your picture and see gray. So rather than be gray, I write a little lighter and a little darker than who I am in "real" life. (Although it's also accurate to say that I write from my internal dialogue, and sometimes you can't help but think things that, even if they're true, you're waaaaay too polite to say out loud in person. And then, yes, those things end up on the blog. So maybe I'm not a saint after all). But if you're ever reading something and you go, Ouch, That's a little brusk or negative or whatever, please know that I'm wearing my "just teasing" face, and I've laid the shading on thick for extra contrast. Because I really am a very nice person on the inside. Nice and polite and refreshingly optimistic. A treasure to all who know me.
And did I mention modest?
2/10/10
"I'll Take Quirky Thoughts for $1000, Alex"
So I'm reading this book about Microsoft programmers in the early 90's, and the author does an interesting thing...he introduces each of his friends by stating what categories they would have in their dream game of Jeopardy! So of course, that got me thinking. What categories would I completely and totally rock if I were able to pick my own Jeopardy! board?
This is what I've come up with:
Ways to feel busy yet waste an entire day without really accomplishing anything
Romantic comedies where at least one major character speaks with a British accent
Siamese cat group-think
Things to do between the hours of 11pm and 4am
Marketing books that sound interesting but have no discernible application
Best ways to identify the Roasted Garlic Triscuit with the most seasoning
Which cardio machines at the gym get the most direct flow from the air conditioning vents
If I had that board, I'd be daily doubling all over the place. Not even the great Ken Jennings would stand a chance. I'd be all, "Bring it, Alex!".
What's your dream Jeopardy! board? I'm curious to know what your categories would be.
PS- The book is called Microserfs if you're interested. It's written in journal form and not half bad.
This is what I've come up with:
Ways to feel busy yet waste an entire day without really accomplishing anything
Romantic comedies where at least one major character speaks with a British accent
Siamese cat group-think
Things to do between the hours of 11pm and 4am
Marketing books that sound interesting but have no discernible application
Best ways to identify the Roasted Garlic Triscuit with the most seasoning
Which cardio machines at the gym get the most direct flow from the air conditioning vents
If I had that board, I'd be daily doubling all over the place. Not even the great Ken Jennings would stand a chance. I'd be all, "Bring it, Alex!".
What's your dream Jeopardy! board? I'm curious to know what your categories would be.
PS- The book is called Microserfs if you're interested. It's written in journal form and not half bad.
10/11/09
Corelli's Mandolin
I know I keep doing book reviews on here, and you're probably all "Quit reading and go do something funny and/or humiliating already", but I just had to pop in and say that I just finished Corelli's Mandolin and I absolutely loved it. I laughed even as I cried, and by the end of the book, the characters will feel like family to you. It was brilliant and witty while also being horrifying and brutal. The writing is honest and laugh out loud tongue-in-cheek. It'll tear you up and turn you inside out, but you'll love every minute of it. I'm putting the other books of the "trilogy" on my list right away".
10/8/09
Spinach and Broccoli and Tofu, Oh My!
I mentioned in passing a few days ago that I'd been cooking with the Sneaky Chef recipes in an attempt to eat more veggies painlessly. (I know I should be eating fruits and vegetables...I'm just to lazy to actually do it. Something about the buying and the washing and the dicing and the cooking makes me just want to throw my hands up and reach for a frozen pizza instead. Plus, those suckers seem to turn moldy and mushy seconds after I get them into the crisper. Nothing destroys a vegetable's will to live like disappearing into the never-ending abyss of my refrigerator). So when I saw the Sneaky Chef books, I thought what the hey, I'll give it a try. That was last week, and I wanted to come back and give ya'll a follow-up on how that's working out for us.
Which, in a word, is AWESOME.
Now, I'm not much of a cook. Never have been, probably never will be. Toasting a pop-tart is about the extent of my culinary prowess. However, these Sneaky Chef recipes arefool me-proof! One, she has a lot of tidbits about adding things to pre-packaged stuff like Spaghetti O's and Kraft Mac and Cheese and instant chocolate pudding, so it's not like I had to immediately go from my previous "open can, dump in bowl" style of cooking to gourmet chef overnight. We still eat a lot of box mac and cheese. Only now, we do it with cauliflower and zucchini hidden in it.
The other thing is that when I actually feel like trying to cook something, the recipes are easy to follow, don't require a lot of weird stuff, and don't take long to throw together. Tonight I made a homemade lasagna that was delicious, and not much of a fuss at all. (Tony was so impressed! He normally approaches all of my dinner attempts with wary concern. You make one tomato pie with a graham cracker pie shell by accident, and you never hear the end of it...) But this one was great! Annnnd, he got 4 servings of vegetables in one meal, and didn't even know it! Hee hee!
So far this week, we've eaten carrots, sweet potato, blueberries, spinach (if he only knew!), cauliflower, zucchini, great northern beans, broccoli (another of Tony's "never!" foods), rolled oats, whole wheat, and tofu (yes! Tofu! Normally I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, but it was invisible and tasteless in the lasagna! And really filling!) all hidden in our food. Tony doesn't have a clue, and even I can't see, taste, or detect a change in texture, and I'm the one who put the stuff in there!
The Sneaky Chef is targeted towards getting your kids (or husband) to eat better without telling them (thus the sneaky), but I find that it works just as well for the completely aware yet stubbornly veggie-phobic. I KNOW that they're in there, but I swear I couldn't tell you that anything in the recipe was healthy. And while I'd tell Tony if he asked, it's so well hidden that it doesn't occur to him that his pizza has an extra boost, so why should he care? It's health without effort.
Believe it or not, I'm not being paid to endorse these books. Sneaky Chef doesn't even know I exist. I just came across the books in the library one day and thought I'd try them out. And since they worked like a charm, I thought I'd pass the information on to you. Think of it as a "Works for me Wednesday" only on Thursday.
You're welcome. Can you please pass the spinach?
Which, in a word, is AWESOME.
Now, I'm not much of a cook. Never have been, probably never will be. Toasting a pop-tart is about the extent of my culinary prowess. However, these Sneaky Chef recipes are
The other thing is that when I actually feel like trying to cook something, the recipes are easy to follow, don't require a lot of weird stuff, and don't take long to throw together. Tonight I made a homemade lasagna that was delicious, and not much of a fuss at all. (Tony was so impressed! He normally approaches all of my dinner attempts with wary concern. You make one tomato pie with a graham cracker pie shell by accident, and you never hear the end of it...) But this one was great! Annnnd, he got 4 servings of vegetables in one meal, and didn't even know it! Hee hee!
So far this week, we've eaten carrots, sweet potato, blueberries, spinach (if he only knew!), cauliflower, zucchini, great northern beans, broccoli (another of Tony's "never!" foods), rolled oats, whole wheat, and tofu (yes! Tofu! Normally I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, but it was invisible and tasteless in the lasagna! And really filling!) all hidden in our food. Tony doesn't have a clue, and even I can't see, taste, or detect a change in texture, and I'm the one who put the stuff in there!
The Sneaky Chef is targeted towards getting your kids (or husband) to eat better without telling them (thus the sneaky), but I find that it works just as well for the completely aware yet stubbornly veggie-phobic. I KNOW that they're in there, but I swear I couldn't tell you that anything in the recipe was healthy. And while I'd tell Tony if he asked, it's so well hidden that it doesn't occur to him that his pizza has an extra boost, so why should he care? It's health without effort.
Believe it or not, I'm not being paid to endorse these books. Sneaky Chef doesn't even know I exist. I just came across the books in the library one day and thought I'd try them out. And since they worked like a charm, I thought I'd pass the information on to you. Think of it as a "Works for me Wednesday" only on Thursday.
You're welcome. Can you please pass the spinach?
9/30/09
Much Ado About Nothing
I'm calling this post Much Ado about Nothing since none of the things are really exciting enough to be a post on their own. (Actually, it's not even really much ado. It's more like A Passing Mention About Nothing, but that didn't sound as good, which I'm sure is why it didn't make it past Shakespeare's editors either).
I'm currently reading Bram Stoker's Dracula as part of my classics book list. And I admit that while I'm woefully out of touch when it comes to vampire lore, I was shocked to discover that Stoker's Dracula is light years away from your more "modern" vampires such as Anne Rice or Twilight or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For one thing, Dracula has more rules than the Old Testament. He can't fly over moving water. He can't come in unless invited. He needs his home dirt from Transylvania. He's OLD. (Which isn't really a rule so much as just a shock since all the Hollywood vampires are young and dashing). Despite the limitations however, Stoker still manages to make those modern vampires look like cuddly little bunnies by comparison. (Ooooh! That just reminded me of Bunnicula, the lovable children's books about the rabbit who sucks the juice out of vegetables. I loved those books when I was a kid!) Not to say that Stoker is all grisly and graphic like you'd expect in today's books, but he writes so that you know Dracula's coming for the character and there's not a thing anybody can do about it. (I was up until 3:30am last night reading and yelling, "Don't open the window! He's out there! Don't open it!") I'm not normally a fan of the whole horror genre, but I must say that I'm really enjoying this one. Still, that Dracula? Seriously. Bad. Dude.
So I've invented this fabulous new snack recently, and rather than package it commercially and make a fortune off of it, I'm going to share it with you for free because that is just the kind of warm, loving person that I am. (You're welcome). Anyway, it's kind of based off of Garlic Triscuits which are hands-down one of the top five most awesome snack crackers in existence thankyouverymuch. (I can throw down an entire box of those things in one sitting if I'm not careful. Loooooooove the garlic triscuits!) As a matter of fact, that's really how the whole invented snack thing came about, because I was blowing through Triscuits faster than, well, something really fast, and was all, "I need to find a better outlet for my garlic wheat cracker cravings". Hence, my garlic Triscuit homemade knockoffs! Tris-quits! Or Garlic-o's. Or whatever.
9-10 cups of spoon size shredded wheat cereal (original, not flavored or frosted or anything)
1 packet dry Hidden Valley Powdered Ranch dressing
2-3 tbsp garlic powder (depending on how much you like garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread cereal out on baking sheet.
Mix oil and ranch powder and garlic together in bowl. (It turns a freaky shade of green. Don't worry about that).
Pour oil mixture over cereal, stirring to coat evenly.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Eat as many as you want because it's basically just shredded wheat, and everybody's grandma knows that shredded wheat is crazy good for you, right?
So here I am, reading my book and popping my Tris-quits until garlic oozes out of my pores. And with Dracula, don't think that that was a coincidence.
Finally, because even pointless posts need three points (Commandment seven of the Bloggy 10 Commandments), I'll tell you that I've just picked up two Sneaky Chef books in an attempt to get the House of Quirk eating more veggies. I'd like to claim that I'm just doing this as a way to totally sneak veggies right in under Tony's nose, and while I suppose that is technically true, I'm also sneaking veggies in under my own nose. Veggies that I'd never normally eat. Veggies that I do not even like to look at. But I gotta tell you, it really works. Tony is completely oblivious to the extra ingredients, and even though I know that they're in there, I can't taste them or see them or pick up on them at all. So far, I've only tried two or three recipes, but everything we've eaten has been totally me and Tony-approved. So we're eating healthier and not having to sacrifice taste. So hooray for hidden veggies! Just don't tell Tony about them.
I'm currently reading Bram Stoker's Dracula as part of my classics book list. And I admit that while I'm woefully out of touch when it comes to vampire lore, I was shocked to discover that Stoker's Dracula is light years away from your more "modern" vampires such as Anne Rice or Twilight or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For one thing, Dracula has more rules than the Old Testament. He can't fly over moving water. He can't come in unless invited. He needs his home dirt from Transylvania. He's OLD. (Which isn't really a rule so much as just a shock since all the Hollywood vampires are young and dashing). Despite the limitations however, Stoker still manages to make those modern vampires look like cuddly little bunnies by comparison. (Ooooh! That just reminded me of Bunnicula, the lovable children's books about the rabbit who sucks the juice out of vegetables. I loved those books when I was a kid!) Not to say that Stoker is all grisly and graphic like you'd expect in today's books, but he writes so that you know Dracula's coming for the character and there's not a thing anybody can do about it. (I was up until 3:30am last night reading and yelling, "Don't open the window! He's out there! Don't open it!") I'm not normally a fan of the whole horror genre, but I must say that I'm really enjoying this one. Still, that Dracula? Seriously. Bad. Dude.
So I've invented this fabulous new snack recently, and rather than package it commercially and make a fortune off of it, I'm going to share it with you for free because that is just the kind of warm, loving person that I am. (You're welcome). Anyway, it's kind of based off of Garlic Triscuits which are hands-down one of the top five most awesome snack crackers in existence thankyouverymuch. (I can throw down an entire box of those things in one sitting if I'm not careful. Loooooooove the garlic triscuits!) As a matter of fact, that's really how the whole invented snack thing came about, because I was blowing through Triscuits faster than, well, something really fast, and was all, "I need to find a better outlet for my garlic wheat cracker cravings". Hence, my garlic Triscuit homemade knockoffs! Tris-quits! Or Garlic-o's. Or whatever.
9-10 cups of spoon size shredded wheat cereal (original, not flavored or frosted or anything)
1 packet dry Hidden Valley Powdered Ranch dressing
2-3 tbsp garlic powder (depending on how much you like garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread cereal out on baking sheet.
Mix oil and ranch powder and garlic together in bowl. (It turns a freaky shade of green. Don't worry about that).
Pour oil mixture over cereal, stirring to coat evenly.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Eat as many as you want because it's basically just shredded wheat, and everybody's grandma knows that shredded wheat is crazy good for you, right?
So here I am, reading my book and popping my Tris-quits until garlic oozes out of my pores. And with Dracula, don't think that that was a coincidence.
Finally, because even pointless posts need three points (Commandment seven of the Bloggy 10 Commandments), I'll tell you that I've just picked up two Sneaky Chef books in an attempt to get the House of Quirk eating more veggies. I'd like to claim that I'm just doing this as a way to totally sneak veggies right in under Tony's nose, and while I suppose that is technically true, I'm also sneaking veggies in under my own nose. Veggies that I'd never normally eat. Veggies that I do not even like to look at. But I gotta tell you, it really works. Tony is completely oblivious to the extra ingredients, and even though I know that they're in there, I can't taste them or see them or pick up on them at all. So far, I've only tried two or three recipes, but everything we've eaten has been totally me and Tony-approved. So we're eating healthier and not having to sacrifice taste. So hooray for hidden veggies! Just don't tell Tony about them.
The Book List
For those of you who are my Facebook buddies, you're going to recognize this list as one of those trivial little quizzes that everyone publishes in their notes section. I apologize for the redundancy. However, I thought it was an interesting list, and I wanted to share it with the non-Facebookers (you know who you are).
So I found this list of 100 books. Perhaps they're classics. Perhaps they're just popular. Perhaps they're favorites of the person who made the list. I don't know. Both where the list came from and why it exists have been lost in the annals of Facebook's copy and paste history. The reason I bring it up is because it happens to be a good list of very good books, and I, for one, am always on the hunt for the next good book. Not that this list is exhaustive, obviously, but it's a good place to start. I've bolded the ones that I've already read, in case you were curious, or just looking for a reason to have me guest-speak at your next book club.
Without further ado, "The List":
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (read and reread...a favorite!)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (read in 8th grade)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (read starting in 2002)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (read in 6th grade)
6 The Bible (partially)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (read in 2009)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (partially...I've read all the comedies)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (first read in 7th grade...reread over and over since then)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (loooooved it!)
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (read in 1995)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (tried it once...I couldn't keep all the characters straight)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (read in 2009)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (read in 1996)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (can't remember...might be worth a reread)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein
38 Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (10/11/09)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (on my library list)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (read in the 7th grade)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (a favorite)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (read in 1998)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (reading it now)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (read in 1996)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (read on 10/1/09)
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (partially)
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
For most of these, I can thank my English classes for assigning, but there are others that I managed to discover on my own. Some I loved (Austin, Tolkien) and some were decidedly less cherished (cough-Steinbeck-cough), but I wouldn't argue that each one isn't special in its own right. Feel free to comment about the ones you've read, or would like to read, or additional books that you would add to the list. You can never have too many books.
***Edited to add: I've continued to bold these as I read them. So at the time of the post, I had 25 read, but I've finished some others, so I've come back to bold them also.
So I found this list of 100 books. Perhaps they're classics. Perhaps they're just popular. Perhaps they're favorites of the person who made the list. I don't know. Both where the list came from and why it exists have been lost in the annals of Facebook's copy and paste history. The reason I bring it up is because it happens to be a good list of very good books, and I, for one, am always on the hunt for the next good book. Not that this list is exhaustive, obviously, but it's a good place to start. I've bolded the ones that I've already read, in case you were curious, or just looking for a reason to have me guest-speak at your next book club.
Without further ado, "The List":
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (read and reread...a favorite!)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (read in 8th grade)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (read starting in 2002)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (read in 6th grade)
6 The Bible (partially)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (read in 2009)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (partially...I've read all the comedies)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (first read in 7th grade...reread over and over since then)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (loooooved it!)
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (read in 1995)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (tried it once...I couldn't keep all the characters straight)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (read in 2009)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (read in 1996)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (can't remember...might be worth a reread)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein
38 Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (10/11/09)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (on my library list)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (read in the 7th grade)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (a favorite)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (read in 1998)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (reading it now)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (read in 1996)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (read on 10/1/09)
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (partially)
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
For most of these, I can thank my English classes for assigning, but there are others that I managed to discover on my own. Some I loved (Austin, Tolkien) and some were decidedly less cherished (cough-Steinbeck-cough), but I wouldn't argue that each one isn't special in its own right. Feel free to comment about the ones you've read, or would like to read, or additional books that you would add to the list. You can never have too many books.
***Edited to add: I've continued to bold these as I read them. So at the time of the post, I had 25 read, but I've finished some others, so I've come back to bold them also.