I ain't no skinny bitch--yet!

My newest endeavor not only includes a new book, but in addition, a new lifestyle.  After reading a measly article in Glamour Magazine’s April issue I have decided to take on the challenge of veganism.  Gasp!  Truth be told I have never been a huge fan of meat.  Chicken and fish are my staples, but beef is not my friend.  However, a Dick’s Deluxe is and forever will remain a tasty treat.  Dairy is my weakness, especially in the form of ice cream.  Larry once told me, “I don’t know if it’s just that when I think of ice cream I think of you, or if when I think of you I think of ice cream.”  In high school, with concerns for my heart health, I sought out a dietician and cut out all forms of cow from my diet with the hopes of becoming less of said mammal myself.  Despite the new diets success, my life and weight reacted like a perpetual yoyo.  Now years later, more than I’m willing to admit, I have decided to challenge myself again mentally and physically by embracing veganism and hot hatha yoga.  

After enduring a few days of both I can already feel the difference in my body and mind.  A coworker recommended Skinny Bitch, a book that changed her mind about the foods she chooses to ingest.  My mom introduced me to Bikram, and within two days I’ve accumulated three yoga buddies to attend classes with me, one being my little brother!  Two books to add to my “to do list:” Skinny Bitch and Bikram Yoga.  I will be inheriting the skinny bitch’s cookbook from my mama soon as well.  I’m excited and nervous about this new challenge and commitment I’ve made for myself. 

 

"Getting Back to What Really Makes the Romantic Masterpiece Live and Breathe"

I have made it a habit of mine to go see movies in the theatres by myself.  In fact, one of my most embarrassing moments to date happened while rushing to see a movie by myself.  Being one of Kiera Knightly's biggest fans I am more than willing to spend the ridiculous amount of money necessary on a cinema ticket to see her on the big screen even without a friend to accompany me in the endeavor.  So a few years ago when her move "The Duchess" came out I of course had to see it.  Kiera in yet another period piece is a given!  Running late, literally running, I headed up the escalator to the third floor of Regal with speed and anticipation.  Unfortunately, in the thralls of my Kiera fandom I wasn't paying attention to my footing and proceeded to fall up, yes up, the escalator as I attempted to make it to my movie on time.  The plummet of my body weight into the moving stairs produced a loud bang as my hands caught my fall.  I was too mortified to even glance back at the onlookers sitting at the table on the level below me.  I mustered the remains of my dignity and headed quietly to my seat to put yet another one of my life's moments down in history as "most embarrassing."  So as I bid Jordan adieu last Monday night on my way to see Cary Fukunaga's rendition of Jane Eyre, he wished me luck and sent me on God's speed with warning against lurking escalators.  I assured him all was well since Jane Eyre is currently playing at one of Seattle's Land Mark Theatres, The Egyptian, and the only things to worry me were overpriced candy and an empty theatre.  I was safe from the later; there were several people at the late night showing, six of which showed up solo, including myself.  Not that I was counting.  I did however succumb to the overly priced Raisinets which, to my horror, I ended up spilling everywhere after only eating a pinchful.  I was fuming in my red chair staring at the chocolate covered raisins scattered across the floor.  I figured I had two options.  One, I could sit there seething over money wasted and with taste buds deprived of candy, or two, I could give in and spend another fistful of cash and be content with sweet delicacies filling my mouth with happiness (that's what she said).  Needless to say the box was finished before the movie even started.  And to get to the point, Jane Eyre was phenomenal.

This new movie has made me reconsider my sworn oath to loath Charlotte Bronte's novel for eternity and actually reread the beast.  Though Jane Eyre may be "poor, obscure, plain, and little," Mia Wasikowska's performance is anything but. Michael Fassbender is remarkably sexy, and as the mysterious character of Mr. Rochester he is perfection.  Jane Eyre is another beautifully mastered Focus Feature film capturing what I now realize to be one of literatures greatest love stories.

This Is Where I Leave You

Somewhere in between sleeping in til noon, watching new GLEE episodes, going out for coffee dates, doing dishes, eating B& O desserts, shopping for cosmetics, drinking multiple beers on Saint Patrick’s Day, singing “Landslide” while making new friends at the infamous Crescent Lounge, and finally getting back to work I managed to finish yet another book from my to do list.  Over the span of two night shifts I finished Jonathan Tropper's New York Times Bestseller This Is Where I Leave You.  No stranger to the interworkings of a dysfunctional family, I instantly fell in love with the dynamic between all of Tropper's characters who, in his hilarious novel, all come together to sit Shiva after their fathers passing.  Over the span of seven days of mourning Tropper creatively weaves themes of self reflection, love, loss, and forgiveness through what may be the funniest book I have ever read.  The prose and characters of This is Where I Leave You are a true joy.  As I read this book I not only found myself laughing out loud, but my mind and heart also contemplated how I wish to be remembered and how I hope to remember my loved ones.  I recommend this book to readers of all shapes and sizes!

"Oh Baby, Never Let Me Go"

Only two films come to mind when thinking of which I prefer over the novels upon which they were based:  The Painted Veil, and more recently, Never Let Me Go.  In John Curran's adaptation of The Painted Veil, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts play a couple estranged by the lack of love and trust within their marriage.  As punishment for her infidelity Walter Fane (Nortan) drags his wife Kitty, played by Watts, through a cholera epidemic deep within the Chinese mountains.  Similarly to W. Somerset Maugham’s original novel, “The Painted Veil” beautifully portrays the power of change and forgiveness; however, I prefer Hollywood’s version of the story, which is why “The Painted Veil” has been dubbed one of my favorite movies and thus found it's place among my exclusive DVD collection (I must admit I am somewhat of a movie snob, just ask Larry). 

In the novel, the reader experiences Kitty's personal growth first hand, but I never felt as though she reached her full potential among Maugham’s pages.  Admittedly my perception may, in part, be skewed by the fact that I saw, and fell in love with, the film first and therefore read the book with how the story should end in mind.  However, I still stand by my opinion that I was inspired more by Kitty's growth from a high society snob to a compassionate young woman while watching the film than I was by the lack of true character development in the novel. 

Now available on red box is another movie I would recommend over its novel.  Through themes of innocence and knowledge, ignorance and enlightenment, Kazuo Ishiguro writes a gripping novel entitled Never Let Me Go.  Fascinating as it was, Ishiguro’s dystopia was more heartfelt on the big screen.  The way Ishiguro wrote Kiera Knightly’s character Ruth was more impressive than her screen role in that while reading the novel I couldn’t stand the manipulative snake, but while watching the movie she was just mildly annoying.  However, I never procured particularly strong feelings for his other characters while reading his novel.  Maybe the lack of connectedness I felt was because the characters and their relationships developed through the narrator Kathy’s memories, and therefore became just that, a distant memory.  Whatever the reason, I preferred the range of emotions I experienced while witnessing the love, loss, and coming of age on the big screen over the impressionless characters I found within Ishiguro’s words.

"The whole thing's illusion..."

After spending another stormy Seattle day cooped up in my third story apartment, hibernating in nothing other than my pajamas, I finished Sara Gruen’s third novel Water for Elephants.  I spent the majority of yesterday making a significant dent in the novel until my loyal Larry lulled me out of my cave, took me for Vivace coffee, and grocery shopping.  Keeping me content and dry Larry cooked us a delicious meal of ground turkey and quinoa stuffed bell peppers, a recipe we put a little chipotle twist on to make things more interesting (my lack of pictures to capture the delicacy is due to a tragic event involving my camera and intoxicants:  I don’t want to talk about it).  We spent the remainder of our night snuggled up on my couch with herbal teas and books in hand; he a tragically intense novel he kept exclaiming in suspense over, and I, my new endeavour, Water for Elephants.  I woke this morning to Mum alarming “We Have a Map of the Piano.”  After much reluctance I sent Larry on his way; and after devouring a hearty bowl of yogurt, fresh berries, and granola I crawled back under my blankets committed to finishing the novel I stayed up late reading out loud to my patient and sleepy friend.  Now with yet another book under my belt and successfully added to my list of “Books I’ve Read” by Rachelle LaRose, I am ready to spill forth my opinions.  Paralleling the biblical story of Jacob from The Old Testament, Gruen writes her own story of Jacob Jankowski who, during the alcohol prohibition of the Great Depression, drops out of his last semester in veterinary school after his parents’ death in a fatal car accident landing himself in the midst of the Benzini Brother’s Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  Withstanding adventures of treachery, friendship, and love, Jacob finds his destiny within the cars and tents of this small traveling circus. Despite the circus being one grand illusion, the reader is able to delve into the intricacies of a train circus through Gruen’s carefully researched text.  This, in the end, is how the text felt: researched.  Despite my hopes to fall wildly in love with this book, I regrettably left feeling mildly entertained.  Water for Elephants was written with a very much “this is what happened” kind of style, which I think is what made it into such a quick read.  In hindsight, this makes sense; before and in between writing novels Sara Gruen wrote for tech companies, content of which included information about server databases and data files.  However, I will admit I did laugh out loud at moments and was eager to find out what happened next, but I wasn’t left with any strong feelings for Gruen’s characters.  Intermixed within Jacob’s past in the circus, the novel includes chapters of Jacob’s ninety (or is it ninety three) year old present self, a character I did feel for.  I’m not sure if in Jacob’s old age he pulled at my heartstrings simply because of his situation and how he reminisced on the past, but he left me saddened yet optimistic.  I had originally intended on reading Water for Elephants with my lovely friend Ashley Whipple on our excursion abroad, but we were both already immersed in different books at the time.  Girlfriend, I look forward to talking through this read with you since clearly I was left with a shit tone to write about.  Truth be told, I have never been a woman of few words.

P.S.  I am thoroughly excited for Hollywood’s version of Water for Elephants; whether it’s because of all the glitz and glam I hope will be captured by the big screen or because the main character is played by RPattz, I’ll never tell!

Bargain Books

After a much needed trip to Whole Foods, mi hermano and I visited Half Price Books a few blocks away from my apartment.  As a frequent flyer I browsed through the “Super Buys” once I walked in the store and there were quite a few treasures to be found.  While my brother walked away with a two dollar paperback copy of The Shack per my urging, I snagged a dollar copy of Cold Mountain, both of which I intend on adding to my list of “Books I Want to Read.” After much internal debate I also took away a six dollar copy of Girl with a Pearl Earring.  I left Half Priced feeling fairly accomplished, after all making decisions isn’t my forte.  Feeling empowered, my brother and I went out for dinner and then to Elliott Bay books to return some ridiculous purchases he made a few weeks ago with a gift card from our mother.  We put the money from the return towards two books I have been admiring for months.  As I mentioned before making decisions is not my strong suit, so literally since this past summer I have been perusing every which bookstore looking at the same two novels yet never mounting the courage to actually purchase them.  My new idiosyncrasy is to wander through the bookshelves admiring the cover art, reading the synopsis on the back, and carrying the books I’m interested in throughout the store.  As I go to check-out/leave I put the books back on the shelf and walk away with nothing.  It’s a problem.  My purchases yesterday marked a big step for me.  Admittedly my two purchases at Elliott Bay were at my brother’s expense, I did cover the difference in price though!  However, I can now proudly say I share partial custody of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Jonathan Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You.  I am thoroughly excited to read these gems and then recommend them to others.  Now I’m off to crawl under my covers and begin new adventures in Water for Elephants.

Sassenech

Since Bernhard Schlink’s inspiring “Reader” I’ve had the pleasure of immersing myself in Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha as well as Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.  Conveniently I have been keeping a log titled “Books I’ve Read” by Rachelle LaRose, a Christmas gift intended for one such use.  Not only does my tiny journal include books of past, but also books with present intention to read.  Starting this evening, come find me with a cup of coco in one hand and misty Seattle rain outside my third story apartment window while I explore Sara Gruen’s world of Water for Elephants for the first time.  But before I leap into another literary dream I must first share my passionate love for Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series.  Not only have her two first novels of a seven part series left me all kinds of hot and bothered, they have also rekindled my love for Scotland.  I have every intention on sealing a pact with friends to return to The Fridge of the Scottish Highlands.

Beginning in Outlander, an ex-army nurse by the name of Claire Randall takes a vacation with her husband to the Scottish Highlands post World War II in the hopes of rekindling her marriage after the two were separated while fulfilling their individual roles within the war. While exploring their small vacation village Claire finds an ancient stone hedge and upon her discovery she falls through two stones and thus falls through time landing herself in the eighteenth century, a time when Scottish clans inhabit the rolling highlands.  This new Scottish realm in which Claire falls into is one I have fallen madly in love with as well.  Gabaldon’s first novel Outlander is sheer perfection.  I’m obsessed.  With the hope of savoring the story and characters of Outlander how they were originally written, I nearly abstained from reading the next novel in her series.  However, overcome by the temptation to delve deeper into the intricate relationships Gabaldon so beautifully created, I picked up Dragonfly in Amber and carried it all the way to Europe with me.  I couldn’t have asked for greater company than the love between Gabaldon’s characters Claire and Jamie Frasier as I crossed over the big pond to the city of love.  J’taime Paris!

            [Tangent:  It’s funny how the human mind works, how it fosters imagination.  While in Paris I ventured off on my own for a few hours to explore the Musee D’Orsay and the infamous works of Monte, Renoir, Van Gogh, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Whistler to name a few.  Tucked away in the corner of an exhibition there was a sculpture of a seated man hunching over with long wavy hair and immediately I drew a connection with the character in my book, Jamie Fraser.  Despite the lack of silvery scars lining his back and the missing peach fuss lining the body of a red haired Scott which characterize Jamie’s exterior, the smooth sculpture captured the likeness of a man I have created in my imagination.  Weird, to say the least.]

I finally took the opportunity of my eleven hour flight home to finish Dragonfly in Amber and after catching up on much needed sleep I am excited to leap into Voyager and discover what is in store for my dearly beloved characters.

A Reader

About a month ago I was gifted Bernhard Schlink’s novel The Reader, and upon finishing it I allowed my mind to revisit the idea of blogging.  Schlink tells the story of a grown woman and a teenage boy who share a summer’s affair while highlighting the value of literacy and the shame of its counterpart.  The Reader emphasized the power of my own literacy, not only my ability to read such literary treasures but also my ability to write about them.  In this post graduate life of mine I made the bold decision to live without television.  I still value “my shows” and frequent the internet for the necessary episode updates, but I am currently living without cable and T.V.; a life choice which I have reaped a new found blessing from: the passion for reading. 

Truth be told I have embarked on a new life journey, one of which includes embracing the time and space to read for pleasure.  As I trudge through this new life I have built for myself consisting of student loans, twelve hour night shifts, one bedroom apartments, long distance friendships, and karaoke bars why not take advantage of this online community of bloggers to process through the shit at the end of the day and all the novels in between.

To Blog or Not to Blog

Last summer I attempted to create my first blog:  this post serves as proof to its failure.  As I designed my very own personal online confessional, what I ridiculed my friends for creating actually began to feel therapeutic.  After submitting two entries I felt the sudden impulse to share with loved ones my contribution to the online phenomenon of our generation referred to as blogging.  Considering my blog to be stooping to a new low (one in which I have added to an ongoing list of shame), I only shared my entries with a few individuals, one being my life’s most honest critic:  Jordan King.  In his usual tone of tough love, he asked me, “What’s the point?”  He pointed out that usually people create blogs when they embark on a new journey in their lives and thus use the internet as a medium to share their adventures; for example, running, studying abroad, getting married, traveling, starting a family, cooking, you name it.  What was the purpose of creating my blog, to share with others the mundane contents of my post graduate life?  Embarrassing enough, that is exactly what I felt compelled to do. 

            After Jordan so kindly put me in my place I decided to research what it means to blog/be a blogger if that is in fact what I had turned myself into.  I reached out to my trusted source urbandictionary.com to shed some light on this new topic I so recently decided to become acquainted with.  Apparently to blog is to create a blatantly dull online diary that captures the narcissism of an individual while maintaining the illusion that others actually care about his/her uneventful life.  Bent on not perpetuating myself and as one of those said individuals I deleted my existing “blog” and banned the idea from my mind.  Yet here I am again attempting to make sense of this fad:  blogging.