It Wouldn't Be Summer Without:

1) A summer blockbuster—make it Super 8 so you can relive the magic of the first time you sat through E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. When you put the creator of Lost with Spielberg's genius, the result is a film that's as charming as it is suspenseful. Props to both for presenting an alien we haven't seen in theaters yet (as a total alien-movie nerd, I was pretty sure I'd seen them all). Definitely see it in the theater to maximize the suspenseful jumps and nostalgia that will ensue (preferably with a fantastic date to hang on to for the scary parts).




2) Peter and I will be hitting up the farmer's market this weekend with coffee in hand. In the age of bazillions of recipes available online, I can easily justify buying green tomatoes (to be made into fried green tomatoes, of course), jalapeno jam (for glazing salmon), and Japanese eggplant (um...jury's still out). It's actually tradition that I bring home a full Greek meal of soup, spanakopita, dolmadakia, and baklava whenever I go so we'll be reliving that.
The downtown one is getting almost completely outta control—if I want to buy candles, barrettes for a small child, and baked doggie treats I'll go there but Peter and I prefer the low-key, dogs-allowed, granola-eater's market on Sunday morning off of Old Cheney. God love the hippies!
I love to haul home big bouquets of mustard greens, fresh feta from the dairy, multi-colored peppers (purple's my favorite), and spicy radishes. Peter and I always try to out shop the other by finding the most exotic food and though he usually wins, I put up a pretty good fight.

3) Curling up on the couch with an ice-cold limeade(I made up my own concoction by squeezing a pile of fresh limes, making a muddle of basil and sugar water, and adding cucumber slices) and starting a summer read while it's storming outside. This year it's Moby Dick.

4) An art project. I haven't decided what this will be but I'm open to ideas. I have a few possibilities but so far lack the weekend during which to execute them. Last year it was learning how to knit once and for all.





























5) Weddings! I luuuuurv weddings, what's not to love? You get to watch two people in love commit to one another forever, followed by food and dancing. The dancing is obviously the best part, but still. I can't get enough of weddings and I'm proud to tell you that it's not b/c I'm taking notes for my own. I'd be very okay if that were a long while off. The only thing I know about my someday wedding is that it will be comfortable, easy going, with the best food ever and lots and lots of dancing. I took this shot during the lovely Leslie Davila's wedding last summer (GREAT wedding) of The Test Nest.


6) Long morning jogs/walk with lots of sweat, long cool shower, and lunch outside with a friend is the perfect way to start any day.





9) Fresh flowers from Daddy's garden (they smell best when they're just brought inside all warm from the sun).




8) Summer music is absolutely one of the sweetest things about summer. Most of these are old, some are new, some are "what's old is new again":

Mumford and Sons — "The Cave"

I can't believe it, Fleet Foxes did it again with — "Helplessness Blues"

Sorry for no video, but this song is the sound of my first summer in San Diego. Totally under celebrated is Jacob Miller's — "Charlie Brown's Lament"

Not sure how new this is, but it's new to me as of this week and I can NOT sit still when that guitar gets goin'! The Wooden Birds — "Two Matchsticks" The vocalist sounds identical to that of Death Cab for Cutie, any relation?

Oh Animal Collective led by Panda Bear's Noah Lennox, you have my heart —"Summertime Clothes" (don't miss "My Girls" and "Brother Sport")

This was summer 2009 for me, The Temper Trap's — "Sweet Disposition" thanks to the movie 500 Days of Summer

Hey Rosetta! — "The New Goodbye"

If you haven't heard of Karmin yet, you have now. I'm a little obsessed with her rendition of "Look at me Now" originally by Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes

Long Time No Post

I tell others that successful blogs are like pets; if you don't feed them, they die.

The good news is, I don't have a "successful" blog by anyone's standards, I just have a lovely parking spot on the internet for all the books, artists, projects, and ideas that inspire me.

The next project is on hold; I was trying to create some blocks of time that haven't been and continue to be unavailable to me that I need to make it happen but I'm still stoked about it and it will happen, just not right now.

Until then, I'm back and will be posting regularly (at least as regularly as I used to).

Here are some items since I last posted:

1) Read Hunger Games, it's fine, not spectacular but a really easy summer romp. The movie next year should be entertaining though they picked a really odd director for such an action-packed story—Gary Ross, the guy who did Pleasantville (great movie), Big (yeah, the one from the '80s), Seabiscuit, and Dave...we shall see.

2) Reading The Remains of the Day a poor choice to read simultaneously because Ishiguro's prose can easily outsing any other contemporary voice in writing as it is, let alone a tween author. It's a beautiful novel and I'm savoring it but will have to finish it by book club on Monday. I'm hosting and because the book's all about a butler I'm having everyone dress in black and white and I'll be serving a traditional English meal at Meg Manor.

3) I've decided to never buy wrapping paper ever again. I'm just going to buy huge rolls of brown paper and dress them up in creative ways so I can save money and customize each package for the recipient. "Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things..."





4) I plan to photograph Lincoln more this summer than ever before and how can I help myself? The city is dressed up for farmers market, Jazz in June, First Fridays, and all the doors to all my favorite local haunts stand propped open and inviting. I hate the humidity but I love love love summer.

5) I've been cooking a lot more lately and I'm going to be cooking some delectibles from my wonderful friend's blog, The Test Nest. I've also been commissioned to make a new logo for the blog so I'll be working on that very soon—I'm pretty excited. Recent forays into cooking include a white chocolate bread pudding with fresh berry sauce, down-home beef stew with thyme and a whole bottle of shiraz, and strawberry rhubarb pie from scratch.

More later but for now that's what I've got. If, and I don't flatter myself that there are probably more than two of you, you followed my blog up until I stopped posting there for a while, my apologies and thanks for hangin' tight!

The Last of the Summer Reading

How it's already the middle of August I'm sure I don't know. I feel like I just got out my summer dresses, just found warm-weather recipes I wanted to try, and just got around to buying sunscreen and already it's nearly September. But I'm not complaining. Unused to the summer heat of Nebraska after living in San Diego for the last two years, I am prepared to welcome fall with open arms.

What I read on vacation:

One Day was a good book, a big one, but a good one. Someone who reviewed the book ont he back cover said it best, "it's the best weird love story since The Time Traveler's Wife." And while The Time Traveler's Wife made a good book and a bad movie, I have a hunch that the opposite is true for One Day which is slated to star Anne Hathaway as the frumpyish love interest, Emma, of the swarthy Dex (Dexter). What sets the book aside is its formatting which, at worst can be called gimicky, at best is a refreshing take on your typical love story. The novel spans a couple of decades but takes place on a single date—15 July, St Swithin's Day, destined to be the anniversary of several key events in the lives of the two principals. So every July 15 we revisit the couple from 1988 to 2005 and witness what happens to them.
Often sad and sometimes anxiety-inducing, overall this book delivered but I would suggest you hold out for the movie before you commit to the 400+ pages.

Currently Finishing:
I have about 25 pages left in Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller's follow up to his raging success, Blue Like Jazz. Not nearly as good as Blue Like Jazz, Miller still takes the reader on a not-too-uptight journey of Christian philosophy and in his usual comforting way breaks down intimidating parts about being a Christian without taking away from the majesty of God (which makes him comparable to C.S. Lewis in my mind). Much less organized than Blue Like Jazz's lovely topical apologetic prose, I found this book less engrossing but still definitely worthwhile. Commendable job, Mr. Miller; I will be reading your newest release as soon as I get the chance, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

Currently Reading:

I've taken on the beast: Anna Karenina. A book club through Grace Chapel is going to review the book in September (they take the summer off and, thus, chose a book bigger than a cinder block) and I didn't want to miss my chance to discuss the heavy read (literally and figuratively) with fellow church goers and book lovers. I've almost completed part one of eight (Russian authors have no reserve—thank you Tolstoy). So far I must admit that it's dense and delightful at the same time. Will keep you posted on this (eternal) process.

Also reading A Separate Peace by John Knowles as I assigned it to my Edgy Bookworms reading group. I was looking for a classic under 200 pages and found this and so far it's wonderful. It's such a seemingly simple story with such big, philosophical implications. What I LOVE about this book is that the author will deliver an emotional blow very subtley and he doesn't, in a literary sense, elbow you in the ribs as if to ask "Did you see what I did there? Did you get it?" and give away his subplot. It's a wonderfully humble way of telling the story and puts confidence in the audience culminating in appreciation from the reader as well as a sense of accomplishment that the meaning was not lost on him/her.

That's all! I've started The Billionaire's Vinegar but won't be finishing any time soon now that Anna K. and I are hanging out. Happy reading!

Summer Reading List (so far...)

Here’s my list so far, but I am desperate for ideas for summer reading. Can you help me find a book that takes place by the ocean or somewhere exotic and tropical? Something like The Life of Pi, The Wide Sargasso Sea, or Island of the Blue Dolphins (a childhood favorite)? Please please comment if you know of a good one!


Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
—I loved this book. It’s a graphic novel of Iran in the 1980s to 1990s of the life of a girl from childhood to adulthood as she survived revolution, failed relationships, misogynistic oppression, and her fierce loyalty to her family and her struggle with patriotic identity. Not as poignant as the Maus books nor as climactic, this book still gave a great snapshot of what it must have been like to live this girl’s life and, as a graphic novel will, once you get to reading it’s hard to put down because the pictures and words almost flicker to life so it’s like you’re watching a movie rather than reading thought bubbles. I highly recommend.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
—A book club pick for May; I’m not loving it but neither do I hate it. The author uses metaphors that shouldn’t work but do. It’s about two sisters, one beautiful and one so big that she’s a veritable giant in height and breadth living in the country and has a touch of magic realism, like the movie “Big Fish” or something.

Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
—I watched the movie starring Reese Witherspoon and was reminded how much I enjoyed this fabulously lush social commentary satirizing 19th century Britain. I can’t believe how many similarities lie between that period and today and it’s little comfort to know that the world of 1850s Britain bears such a close resemblance to our present vanity fair (taken from John Bunyan’s allegorical story The Pilgrim’s Progress where vanity fair describes a countryside where vanity and worship of worldly things is king). What would Thackery have said about Glamour and Vogue magazine, I wonder? This book is absolutely wonderful. I have much left to read but I love what I’ve finished.

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
—Had higher hopes; it’s basically junk food lit but I promised an old friend I no longer have contact with that I would read it. Not something I’d widely recommend, but if one must read it, summer is certainly the season. It’s about a woman who left her southern hometown to get away from her past and the oppression of small-town life but is summoned back though she swore she’d never return. She brings back a boyfriend her family will highly disapprove of and has to cope with the secret she left behind and decide whether to divulge it to those closest to her or bury it deeper inside. I’m not quite finished with this one but will push through. I has good momentum, but I’m lacking connection with the characters.

Never Let Me Goby Kazuo Ishiguro
—Recommended by a coworker, Kori, I can’t wait to read this sci-fi book that landed itself among the TIME 100 best English-language novels between 1923–2005. It sounds a little like that movie with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannson did, “The Island” but much more sophisticated. It’s about a boarding school where the students are clones of real-world owners who had them created in order to harvest compatible body parts if necessary to extend the owner’s life should disease or calamity strike. I am such a sucker for dystopian novels and I can’t wait to read this highly acclaimed piece.

Naked by David Sedaris
—Hmm, I read one of the excerpts of this book in a college English class and I was one of the few who was actually not in love with his prose. I don’t find his humor especially titillating but I think it would be good for me to read his style of writing for something different. I also plan to read Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduroy at some point.

The Hummingbird’s Daughterby Luis Alberto Urrea
—I know little about this book or its plot, but I know it took the author two decades to write it (that’s five years less how long I’ve been alive!). I believe it will be a magic realism novel—something about a girl dying and coming back to life and being able to form milagros (miracles) of healing. It’s a long ‘un so we’ll see if I get to it.

Books I said I would read but haven't yet (hopefully to be finished this summer):
—The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
—Possession by A.S. Bryatt
—Raise the Red Lantern by Su Tong (one third of the way through)
—Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
—Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Bookin' It

So I've kicked off summer reading with three girly period pieces, I might be ready for some more manly reads soon! However, I've one more girly period piece on my list before moving on, I'm reading Wives and Daughters with my beloved Aunt Sarah.
1) The Woman in White, it was one of the more verbose reads I've had in a long while, but it was actually really entertaining! It was written by Wilkie Collins and is considered one of the first sensationalist novels with it's melodramatic themes, characters, and circumstances. Very fun for an old read, I liked how all the characters ended up and the writing was gothic and yummy.


2) Just finished Rebecca, and was MOST disappointed. I had huge hopes for this book, it read well and had a nice writing style but nothing to write home about or anything. I've waited a long time to read this novel as I'd really been hoping to savor it; now I'm just glad it's behind me, thanks anyway Daphne Du Maurier!

3) Am wrapping up The Thirteenth Tale which is FABULOUS, it's such a fun read, beautifully spun yarn with all kinds of unpredictable twists and turns without causing the reader to get lost.

Purely for your enjoyment, this is what I get for trying to look cute during book photos:

1) Camera goes off the same moment I realize glasses are tangled terrifically in my hair.


2) ...nevermind, the rest are pretty self-explanatory.

The Essential Summer Flicks

Summertime should be spent outdoors. Period. But once our energy and the day are spent and biting bugs force us indoors, balmy summer nights are best spent with a great film, some friends and/or family, and wine. Here are my picks for summer flicks:

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
This movie is spectacular, a character-based drama that all takes place on a sultery southern plantation. Elizabeth Taylor sizzles and, I'm convinced, is the only woman whose looks could compete with the delicious Paul Newman. This film makes me want a mint julep, a drawl, and a brass-frame bed. (movie based on play by Tennessee Williams who won the pulitzer for it in 1955)

Summer Magic
Speaking of Burl Ives, he stars alongside Hayley Mills in this adorable Disney picture. I grew up on this movie with it's cheesy musical numbers, but it's overall a very sweet movie and it's my favorite starring Hayley Mills who's just on the cusp of becoming a woman when this was made. If you've ever heard the Disney song "Ugly Bug Ball," this is where it originated. The story goes that Disney didn't like the song at all when songwriter Bob Sherman presented it. Sherman explained to Disney that to bugs, other bugs weren't ugly, even if they are to us. Disney was sold and it because one of the most popular Disney songs of that time (1960s).

Benny and Joon A brand new favorite, I saw this for the first time just last night. Depp is splendid, Quinn's eyes are fathomlessly blue (Benny), and Masterson's (Joon) inquisitivness about Depp's character is what makes their little love story sing. Now all I want is a dozen perfect pink roses and to play "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers on repeat.

Mystic Pizza My all-time favorite Julia Roberts film, it's original tagline was "A romantic comedy with the works," and it is. You really do have to see it to understand, but it's sort of a coming-of-age, clash of socieites, East coast, essential '80s movie. Guys, not gonna like it so much. Girls, rent it. I know you'll love it.

Stand By Me LOVE this movie, warning, language from young mouths...it bothers many mothers. But I borrowed this movie from a coworker (thanks Blake!)this Spring and loved it. Of course, you stick Richard Dreyfus on anything and I'll eat it up, non-Dreyfus fans don't be deterred, he's just the narrator. River Phoenix, rest in peace my friend, you rocked this film. (Bonus: The movie is based on the novella, The Body by Stephen King)

Jaws Based on Peter Benchley's novel and set off by John William's unforgettable cello score, little needs to be said about this fantastic summer suspense that's enough to make you afraid of the kiddy pool in your own backyard.

A Streetcar Named Desire If you thought Vivien Leigh left us with only her stunning performance in Gone with the Wind, you're dead wrong; and if you thought that she was maltreated in that film, Scarlett's got nothing on Blanche. Not a happy film, but worth it just to watch the fabulous Marlon Brando storm and brood. Great performances, great scene settings, and oh so sultry. So once again, one of Tennessee William's screenplays makes the list.

Runners up:
Swiss Family Robinson (another cheesy but great Disney flick--and it has pirates!!)
Pirates of the Carribean, we all know it's best enjoyed with a huge pina colada (extra rum). And for Pete's sake, only watch the first one, the other two are a waste of rump time.
Finding Nemo, I shouldn't have to even list it
American Graffiti
The Sandlot
The Blue Lagoon

I think there will have to be a part II to this post, but for now, these should help you beat the heat. Enjoy!

A Book That's Just Dandy

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

This is what my vintage copy of Bradbury's book looks like, it's cover price is only 50 cents.

I confess that I was put off by this book initially. I like to read a science fiction novel every cusp-of-summertime. This genre serves me well as the thrill of rising temperatures, switching out winter clothes, and blockbuster movies make it difficult for me to focus on reading. But when I began Dandelion Wine I had to check the author's name again on the cover to make sure I was reading the same writer I'd supposed. This collection of summery coming-of-age short stories reads more like Mark Twain and less like the grandad of sci-fi.
I consulted an expert concerning the issue, and he assured me that I wouldn't be disappointed. He convinced me by relating this, "you can clearly see that he's trying to evoke memories of summer and childhood...you'll fall in love with Greentown, and lime-vanilla ice cream."
I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet, but click this link to a recipe I found on Epicurious.com for lime-vanilla ice cream (I love this site it for its recipes and it's creative name). I'm determined to try the recipe out as soon as it gets hot enough.
While lime-vanilla ice cream waits for me in later pages, so far I've enjoyed these quotes and exerpts from the story already:

"...the water was silk in the cup..."

"...it was only important that the darkness filled the town like black water being poured over the houses..."

"Gardening is the handiest excuse for being a philosopher. Nobody guesses, nobody accuses, nobody knows, but there you are, Plato in the peonies, Socrates force-growing his own hemlock. A man toting a sack of blood manure across his lawn is kin to Atlas letting the world spin easy on his shoulder."

"I'm Alice, she's Jane, and that's Tom Spaulding."
"How nice. And I'm Mrs. Bentley. They called me Helen."
They stared at her.
"Don't you believe they called me Helen?" said the old lady.
"I didn't know old ladies had first names," said Tom, blinking.

I'm sure there are many more quotable lines to come and many that have passed without my notice, but all in all, this is the perfect book to kick off your summer.

She is most herself in the summertime

I stealthily sneak past my parent's bedroom, down the hall and into the family room where I switch on a lamp in one corner and cross to the other to the patio door. I deftly and quietly unlatch it, casting a glance over my shoulder to ensure I'm alone. I cautiously step down onto the patio and a leaf crunches under my bare foot. I'm always paranoid, as I cross the threshold, that I'll feel the loathsome silk of a spider web against my bare skin as arachnids possess a certain affinity for building across doorframes; you'd think they'd cotton on after having them ruined so often and build their fragile homes on better real estate. However, tonight I am met only by the balmy night air which varies from my own body temperature by a degree or two. I ease the door shut behind me and turn to our old set of patio furniture we've owned since I can remember. I settle into a chair whose chrome and plastic thatching belie the comfort it affords.
I light a clove cigarette - a vice I rarely indulge in but nevertheless relish - close my eyes and lean my head back as I exhale. I open my eyes and they alight on the stars, my old and eternal friends. The Big Dipper, suspended high above seems to scoop up the lush branches of a tall beech tree that looms overhead. I follow Ursa Major's points of light to Draco's winding body and connect his bright dots with my finger that seems too clumsy and substantial an implement for such a task.
I close my eyes again and try to count all the sounds that fill my ears: crickets stringing, living leaves rustling in the trees and dead ones skittering dryly on the pavement, a far off motor rumbles, a few rogue firecrackers pop and water trickles from the neighbor's artificial pond.
In the process of collecting sounds, my head has lolled back down, automatically panning my view back to earth. Upon opening my eyes I observe fireflies socializing in the yard. I focus my attention on one pair in particular who are flitting around at a distance of a few yards, now they flirtatiously wink at one another from a couple of feet away from one another, now they've brought their frenzied coquetting within inches of one another circling round in elegant figure-eight motions. I look away and feel a certain prude embarrassment for having voyeuristically spied on their courtship.
After having watched the insects, paranoia sets in once more and I fancy that my skin is crawling with unwelcome six- or eight-legged guests. To counter this, I let my wet hair down out of its haphazard bun and let damp, unruly waves of it graze my shoulders and back so that now I'll only think it is my own hair I feel. The smell of my shampoo now overtakes the sweet, green smells that filled my nostrils - combining with the sickly sweet tobacco smell of my cloves while a gentle breeze playfully untucks a strand of hair I'd smoothed behind my ear.
A great many things threaten to crowd my mind but for now I am sharing a discourse with God and asking him to help me redouble my efforts to see things the way He does. It helps for me to look into the sky as I do this and I notice that a lone cloud is obscuring the big dipper. I make a silent promise to my constellation that I won't go back inside until the cloud dissippates, because I know it would be rude to take my leave without saying good night.