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Bride Wars - I like these brainless chick flicks. They are so wonderfully predictable. Entertainment purely for entertainment's sake. It's just want you want and expect from Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway as two best friends who feud with passion as their mutual wedding date draws near. Fun and easy to watch.
Mostly Martha - You may remember that this movie arrived from Germany with much critical fanfare about a year ago. I never read reviews, and knew only that it was about a manic chef named Martha. It is, but it's also a story about a sister, a child, and a romantic Italian. I just discovered that in German, it's called Bella Martha, which I would have preferred to the "translation" Mostly Martha. Charming.
A Wolf at the Table - A Memoir of my Father by Augusten Burroughs - This is the story about Augu
sten's life at home with his parents before the events that occurred in Running With Scissors. I couldn't put it down. This guy knows how to write, and he's got a personal truth to write about that grabs you and doesn't let you go until you've read it all 'til the end. It's amazing that they all survived.
Today my plan is to possibly take a cold walk to the library in order to get some pre-Thanksgiving day-food-fest exercise. I don't really like the foods of this holiday, but love a good dessert, and therefore am going to make a fabulous Pumpkin Cheesecake. After much thought and deliberation, I've chosen the Paula Deen recipe over the Martha Stewart. They are remarkably similar, but Paula's seems to have a little more oomph.Taking the advice of the reviewers, I hope to bake it in a water bath to prevent it from cracking. I'm working on ideas for a thin topping that will give it a bit more of a punch.....Perhaps a simple sour cream-swirled with cinnamon sort of a thing. I'll put a picture of it here tomorrow. The cream cheese and eggs are out on the counter sliding down to room temperature even as I write. The shelves at my little Jewel were empty of pumpkin last week, with a sign saying essentially "sorry". Even so, I asked three employees whether the larger Jewel in town might have any pumpkin left. They thought "no", but the third person I asked, said he'd call them for me just to make sure. About 5 minutes later, he appeared with two large cans of Pumpkin in his hand. They were on his desk, and he doesn't know how they got there. Would I like them? I only need a cup or smaller can for the recipe, no matter which I make, so I decided to buy one can, and let the fates be kind to the next customer who asked. So this pumpkin pie will have that, too. A little back story of how it almost wasn't going to come into being. You can buy it on ebay, but no one is. Canned pumpkin, not my soon to be Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - Unfortunately I started reading this without reading the flyleaf, and was halfway through, wondering where we were going, when I realized that these were short stories. They take place in the same town, and many of the characters play bit parts in each others' stories. I settled in and enjoyed every word after that. There is a timeline of sorts here, and I ended up loving this book. It's about the people in a small coastal town in Maine, and of course, Olive Kitteridge. You'll know Olive from many different perspectives by the end of the book. It's for you to decide whether or not you like her.
The Secret Lives of Teen Girls-What Your Mother Wouldn't Talk about but Your 
Daughter Needs to Know by Evelyn Resh - Excellent. It's a non-fiction parenting book, and the author very non-judgmentally shares her life experiences to advise mothers to take joy in their daughters' adolescence. She's not saying this is an easy thing to do. She's just saying that in order to raise a well-adjusted child into a healthy adult, one has to be honest and straightforward, open and thoughtful. Not reactive, not controlling, and certainly not mean or rude. I'll recommend it to all my friends who are mothers of teenage daughters, and even to the mothers of boys who are interacting with these girls. These pages are packed with wisdom. You might not like all that you read within these covers, but I'd ask you to acknowledge that this is written with love. I'd also ask you to acknowledge that each of us is a different entity, and that includes mothers different from daughters.
I'm having a little movie escape week here. I love movies, but with all the other pulls in life, haven't been watching as much of late. I tape them, then end up erasing them when the DVR fills up. Just as I was turning on the TV last night, Peter came in the room to see if there was anything we could watch. We checked out the list, saw The Rocker with Rainn Wilson and decided we'd give it a few minutes which is all it takes to launch right into the craziness. Then yesterday Valerie wondered if I wanted to see Precious today. Although I didn't want to see it at the movies because all the previews I'd seen on Oprah were so intense, I said sure because I'm in this escape mode, and this would be the way to see it sort of without direct responsibility. I'm so happy that 
we went. The movie was fabulous. I wouldn't be surprised to see it nominated for Oscars in many many categories.
The Rocker: This movie is packed with comedians and character actors, and it's so much fun. Riann Wilson is a wild man. About a has been rocker who'd been down on his luck. It's really funny. For anyone who ever loved an 80s rock group. Or as I noticed it called on Wiki....an 80s hair band.
Precious - This is an amazing movie based on a book I'm going to read asap. It's so much more than the previews and hints and intense teasing scenes that Oprah has been showing for months. It's a rich, engrossing story. It feels real and it makes you feel. It's one that will stay with me for a long time. It's a perfect movie all the way around. Not for children.
Let's talk about artwork; neither the Rocker dvd cover, nor the Precious poster are very effective in delivering any kind of message about either of these movies. A better Rocker poster would be one of the band, or of Rainn Wilson on the drums. A better Precious poster would be one of Precious herself, in one of the scenes where she is in a positive situation. This is such a don't miss movie, and that poster does nothing for it. I see the symbolism of the poster, but wouldn't know it until I saw the movie.
Not Becoming My Mother & other things she taught me along the way by Ruth Reichl -
Wait, two books a couple of days ago, a book yesterday, a movie last night, and another book this morning? Just call it avoidance of getting to work on making things to sell at the artisan show, and avoidance of the yearbook orders collection job I volunteered for this year. Hey, when you want to escape, what's better than a book, movie or TV show?
This little book is a tribute to Ruth's mother, especially sweet since in her previous books we were a little grossed out and horrified by some of the culinary adventures in which her mother engaged. Here we get to know a woman who was told that she was smart not pretty, and that somehow she had to find a husband before being labeled as a spinster. And then it's about how that woman raised her daughter to be strong, empowered and confident....although the daughter might not have known or appreciated it at the time. And such is life. So who are we? Are we the selves that we are when we are young? or middle aged? or older? Are we the selves that were the happiest? Or are we the selves that were the saddest? Maybe the most emotional either way? I think we're all those selves. The ending of the book spoke volumes to me. This is a lovely little read.
Duplicity - I just got home from watching this fun Julia Roberts/Clive Owen agent/double agent movie with our neighborhood movie group. It twists and turns back and forth, and you're never sure what might happen until you find out at the very end. Which is what makes this good. Most of my second guesses were wrong throughout the movie. Maybe you'll figure it out better than I did!
Generation Text Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything by Dr. Michael Osit - I usually don't read non-fiction, but the principal of Peter's school recommended this book in one of his newsletters, so I decided to check it out. It's a must read for any parent who is fighting the onset of this new technological age of cell phones, texting, ipods and ieverything else. He talks about how our socially accelerated culture is driving children to ever younger exposure to a fast moving world. He talks about parenting realistically in this culture of choice, and his ideas will help any parent to make decisions that are best for their own children and family. I like that he acknowledges that everyone is different, and I think he advocates parenting with a lot of thought, heart, communication, honesty, open-mindedness and love. Hmmmm....maybe I could write a book!
If you had to read one book of this parental-advice-in-the-new-millenium genre, this is the one I'd recommend.
Olympia - This is an incredible film by Leni Riefenstahl documenting the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The beautiful introduction takes us back to ancient Athens and the ancient Olympians, yet it's absolutely modern in its feeling. You'll see a morph from grecian statue to muscled athlete, you'll see the Olympic torch being run from Greece, through Europe, and into the stadium. You'll see the opening ceremony where the athletes of some of the countries extended their arms toward Hitler, others covered their hearts, and still others walked in only facing Hitler's box, but with no other acknowledgment of him. Right away, the games begin. I originally rented the movie intending to quickly watch the opening sequence which you can check out on You Tube, then find Jesse Owens' races and be done. Instead I was glued to the screen for the duration of the film. The Olympians of 1936 would now be men and women in their 90s. Beautiful, moving, documenting, honest.
Before Sunrise - This DVD has been waiting for me for weeks; I'd remembered sort of falling asleep to it when I first saw it in 1995. I knew it was good, just must have been so tired that day! It's a great little film. Julie Delpy is beautiful and so engaging. The story is age old. Travelers meet on a train, connect for a day and part. The conversation, scenery and characters come together perfectly. Love not love is always a great topic! And in this case, you can resolve all when you rent Before Sunset.
Running With the Buffaloes - by Cris Lear: Sounds like a historical novel set in the old west, doesn't it? But what it really is, is the story of the University of Colorado 1996 Men's Cross Country team. It's a diary documenting their coach, their training schedule, and their lives as individual runners and as a team. It's a first hand look at what it takes to run competitively at the collegiate level. The UC Buffaloes are a group of boys becoming men....who run....and run....and run some more. After reading this book, you'll think of running as an extreme sport. It's just the person out there running. No special equipment except for shoes. Any weather, any terrain, long distances and varied pace and timing. It was a dramatic year for this team, and this is a great read on many many levels.
High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips: I love to read about a life, and this was no exception. Mackenzie has experienced life in all its excesses, and she leaves no truth untold, no matter how amazing or painful the telling can be. She's a survivor of every bad thing that could happen to a person. It's the story of a famous actress, and addict, a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, wife and mother. She is amazingly truthful, and it's truly amazing that she is here to tell it. I couldn't put this down, and a few days later, am still processing all I read.
On a personal note, last week I continued to chat about how I wanted to have a driveway sale this fall. Except it was already November, and the weather was getting colder, and any sale will be better in the spring, and I was making all kinds of excuses. Then I mentioned it to my neighbor Kelly, who said she'd bring some stuff over if I had it. Now someone else was depending on me. The weather forecast last Saturday was for a beautiful day, and there were a few advertised garage sales in our immediate area, including a conducted estate sale down the street. It turns out that the Winnetka Modernism Show was that day, too. So I put up my green and pink signs, moved my stuff from inside the house to the driveway outside the front door, and Kelly filled in the holes in my available merchandise by bringing over a table of toys and a table of clothes. As in previous sales, "If I put the stuff out there, they will come" .....And buy. And they did! I moved less than 20 things back in the house. You never know what you'll find at my sale. Except that you'll always find it priced to sell, it's always clean, whether new or old, there are always a few things marked "free" throughout the sale, and I'm always here to cheerfully tell you that I don't want to take anything back in the house after the sale. (which is my way of saying MAKE AN OFFER! I'll say yes!) A watercolor painting that I've been moving around our lives for years sold first thing. $25.00. An old Chenille cutter bedspread went to the Deerfield High School stage for a 1930s play $10.00. Heavy books about curtains, cooking and gardening went to many places for $2.00 each until the end of the sale when the last 5 gardening books were picked up for $5.00. They were still pulling into the driveway after I'd brought the few things that were left inside, and a lovely neighbor whom I'd never met bought two of my little gold lamps. It was a win/win day for all. I hope there are some good sales this weekend. The weather is supposed to be sunny and beautiful once again.
Yesterday upon returning from Florida, I took the plunge and sent in my check to buy a table at a small Artisan Fair on the north side of Chicago on December 5th. The original plan is to sell my jewelry, but I'm allowed to sell whatever other things I make, and gift items. They should all have a handmade artisan aspect.
So I'm on my way. Valerie gave me an idea yesterday when I was "discussing" with her all the things on my list and the lack of time to complete said things because I get so distracted. She said "just do three things, and those things will at least be done". So I did, and it even led to my completing extra tasks! Today I decided that every day until the Fair, I'll make at least three things to sell at the fair. If you saw my calendar this week, you'd know that this will be a great challenge for me. However I'm halfway through the first three things. Oh, there's the phone.....and it's Amvets. I agreed to a pick up tomorrow! So I've got to finish these three shawls pronto and get the Amvets
bag ready.
Here are the shawls, not quite complete, but almost......
I've just returned from Florida where I spent a few days visiting my Auntie Kaye. She lives with Angel, her Bichon Frise, and has a great group of friends and neighbors who I consider my friends as well. We enjoyed two girls' nights out....one at Noce where we listened to a musician play what the girls called "motown" but what was really a nice mix of easy listening and reggae tunes. I loved the music, but by the time the singer upped the tempo a bit with Sir Duke, auntie Kaye was finished with motown. She calls Sinatra motown. The next night we ate a delicious meal at Brio, known as Bravo in some parts of the country. I had my favorite mushroom ravioli al forno, which I think I've pictured in this blog before. I went to the pool every day, and read two books. Ate lots of marshmallow sundaes with chocolate ice cream, and came home rested and motivated to do stuff. Here's Angel on resting on the new dog bed I found for her:
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan - is an incredible book of stories of modern day troubled Africa. It's composed of 4 separate stories, and I couldn't put it down. The last story will be with me forever. It personifies the very worst of what men will do to each other. This was an Oprah recommendation, and I hope I haven't missed the follow up show about the book. It might have been on while I was away. It's beautifully and powerfully written.Calendar Girl by Naome Neale was the perfect easy anecdote for Say You're One of Them. It's a sweet not 
sugary story about a low key New York 29 year old making her way in the world. We follow her through a year in her life, working temporary jobs and living in the strangest space you can imagine.
A great little light vacation read. Now I can get back to my serious reading again!
Dinner at Brio with Barbara, Dianne, Auntie Kaye and Stephanie.
