if you take away the e, it's also a delicious drink and a paper company

July 3, 1863 marked the last day of fighting of the Battle of Gettysburg. George Gordon Meade, the general for the north, defeated the south and sent the Confederates running. This is an important day for me, as George Gordon Meade is my great-great-great uncle (technically I am not sure how many great’s are involved). Great Uncle George provided both my father and me with our middle names, although I don’t really know how much evidence we have of that. Allegedly there is a picture of Meade holding my dad’s grandmother when she was a baby or something. Whatever the evidence was, it was not enough to win me a scholarship for Civil War descendents that I applied for one time, even though I had a “very well-written cover letter.” Anyways I guess at some point a Meade married an Edmonds and life has never been the same since.

So Meade had not been in charge very long when he took on that sonofabitch Robert E. Lee. But it was a turning point in the war, and family lore has it (or, as my dad likes to say a lot) that if Meade had done a better job following Lee after the battle, he could have definitively won the war and then he would have been the 18th president instead of Ulysses S. Grant. But because he kind of hesitated, Grant was able to come in and really be the shining star at the end there. Did he take the credit from Meade? I’m too polite to say. But you know, we were kind of close there to having our name on money and the like.

When I was a kid, we took a family vacation to Gettysburg and apparently I caused some controversy because I fell quite in love with Abraham Lincoln. Instead of taking an interest in the General Meade statues (and Gettysburg is definitely the only place you can take advantage of the Meade connection), I was more interested in having my picture with the Lincoln statues and buying books about Lincoln in the gift shops and just talking and talking about Mr. Lincoln. Anyways, one day I’ll go back and take more of an interest in Meade. Because we behaved at Gettysburg, we got to go to Hershey Park!

Fun facts about George Gordon Meade:
• He was born in Cadiz Spain
• After fighting in the Mexican-American war he designed lighthouses
• His horse was named Old Baldy

2007 is half over now

Well I have been keeping track of the movies I watched for the first time this year, just as I have been keeping track of the books I read (I'm aware that the book goal is not going as well as planned but I am reading a really long book right now and dealing with about 600 magazines).

Since we're at the halfway point of the year, here are the movies I have seen so far, only counting movies watched for the first time. I have watched 43 movies in 26 weeks, which is about 1.65 new movies in a week. That seems kind of high, like that's too much time to be inside watching movies, but you have to remember that some of those months were winter, and some of those months I had a sprained knee and just getting from the bed to the couch was kind of a big ordeal.

I would like to thank the Seattle Public Library for subsidizing my movie habit so that I can spend disposable income on things like Kettle Chips and Gatorade.

1. Basic Instinct
Morally questionable Michael Douglas...just the way we like him.

2. Cool Hand Luke
George Kennedy kind of creeped me out in this movie.

3. Father of the Bride (1950)
It's hard to pick between the original and the remake. I like Spencer Tracy an awful lot, but I like Steve Martin and Martin Short a lot too. I call it a draw.

4. Boys Don't Cry
Sad movie.

5. American Dreamz
I don't watch American Idol, but it seems like that just based on what clips I've seen of the actual show, that a parody of it should have been a lot funnier.

6. The Breakfast Club
I just really don't like Molly Ringwald, and this movie did not change my mind. It did make me kind of wonder what Ally Sheedy is up to these days.

7. Memoirs of a Geisha
I read this book a few years ago and liked the book a lot better. I don't know how you would have understood this movie if you hadn't read the book.

8. Breaking the Waves
This movie stuck with me for awhile. Bess is a disturbed young woman with an unusual relationship with God. When her husband is injured, he tells her to sleep with other men. She does so, thinking it helps him get better. Interesting concepts regarding the power of belief and faith.

9. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
I realize it's not 1989 anymore, so I can't judge it against the time period in which it was released, but I didn't really see what the big deal was.

10. Melinda and Melinda
I liked it.

11. Thank You for Smoking
Good but not memorable.

12. Cache (Hidden)
This is one of those movies that immediately after you watch it, you should get on the IMDB message boards and just read people arguing about it.

13. Nacho Libre
Sometimes it's hard for me to watch Jack Black movies because there are moments when he looks exactly like my brother. Creepily so, and I get distracted. This one was okay though, because he had a mustache and an accent. Here's the best part of the movie:
When the fantasy has ended and all the children are gone
Something good inside me helps me to carry on
I ate some bugs I ate some grass
I used my hand to wipe my tears, to kiss your mouth
I break my vows
No no no no no no way Jose
Unless you want to
Then we break our vows together
Encarnacion!

14. Die Hard
Let's just say I'm not rushing out to the theater to see Die Hard: Live Free or Die.

15. Witness
I wish for Harrison Ford's sake that it was always the 1980's.

16. Wordplay
I gasped while watching this movie, there was that much suspense involved.

17. The Fugitive
I watched this movie all hopped up on cold medicine and don't remember a lot of it.

18. Blue Velvet
If I ever see Kyle MacLachlan walking my way, I am going to turn around and run very fast.

19. Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby
There's not too much that's funnier to me than small kids with redneck accents:
Chip: I can't hold my tongue. These kids are my grandchildren and you are raising them wrong. They are *terrible* boys!
Walker: Shut up, Chip, or I'll go ape-shit on your ass!
Texas Ranger: I'm gonna scissor-kick you in the back of the head!
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Yeah!
Ricky Bobby: Yeah! Now turn up the heat!
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Go on and get some, boys!
Ricky Bobby: Come on!
Walker: I'm ten years old, but I'll beat your ass!
Texas Ranger: Chip, I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey!
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Like a spider monkey! Go on!
Ricky Bobby: Chip, you brought this on, man.
Walker: Greatest Generation my ass. Tom Brokaw's a punk!
Chip: What is wrong with you?
Texas Ranger: Chip, I'm all jacked up on Mountain Dew!

20. Akeelah and the Bee
I didn't expect to like this movie because it was over-promoted by Starbucks. But then it warmed my heart like a mocha on a cold day.

21. Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny
Sasquatch, we know your love is real. Sasquatch, you and Tenacious D are...real

22. Edward Scissorhands
I am a little late in seeing a lot of Johnny Depp movies.

23. Kids
I think this is the scariest movie ever made.

24. Sherrybaby
I think Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great actress and I wouldn't mind being friends with her, particularly if I were to be dating her brother at the time.

25. Alice's Restaurant
I have been an Arlo Guthrie fan since I saw him in concert when I was in high school, and it was interesting to see young Arlo tooling around New England. Alice was kind of creepy. Having an actor playing the dying Woody was kind of creepy also. But having Pete Seeger show up to sing a few songs was AWESOME.

26. What's Eating Gilbert Grape
I am a little late in seeing a lot of Johnny Depp movies.

27. The Last Kiss
It's pretty hard to sympathize or care about any character in this movie.

28. Babel
One of my coworkers saw this in the theater and said the message that she took from it was that having kids was a disaster. I would go a step further and say that this mvoie just made me think that life as a whole is a disaster.

29. For Your Consideration
This was the latest Christopher Guest movie. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.

30. Holiday
Not "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet but the Katherine Hepburn/Cary Grant movie. It was kind of bizarre how fast all the characters decided to be in love or not be in love with other characters but I guess that's how it was in the olden days. Cause they didn't live as long.

31. Strangers with Candy
I watched this movie twice in a row, once by itself and once with the commentary. There are not many movies that I would do that for.

32. The Great New Wonderful
I was having a Stephen Colbert marathon day (see #31), and he gets off the best line in the movie: "He's actually a selfish, incorrigible monster, with a heart made out of shit and splinters." It's a pretty remarkable cast with a sort of weird story to tell, of New Yorkers in the year after 9/11. Some of these people though...and I don't want to say anything too controversial or offensive...but wouldn't a lot of these people still have been as messed up if 9/11 hadn't happened?

33. Shut Up and Sing
This is the documentary about the Dixie Chicks. It was kind of interesting to watch this movie with a communications background, because they needed a little more help there then they got. On the one hand, I wanted to side with them, because I believe in free speech, but on the other hand, they didn't seem to understand why they were right, and they let an awful lot of kinda dumb things come out of their mouths in the aftermath.

34. The Queen
I didn't realize Tony Blair was such a big part of the movie. It was interesting. I like monarchies.

35. Half Nelson
Man watch this movie if you want to be depressed for an hour and a half.

36. Because I Said So
I didn't know whether to be more embarrassed for Diane Keaton or for Mandy Moore.

37. The Science of Sleep
I wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did. There was this quote I really liked in the movie, but I can't find it on the internet, and it'll be awhile before I'll sit down to watch this movie again. So it's forever lost, kind of like some dreams.

38. The Departed
I liked it.

39. You Me and Dupree
For being a comedy, this movie got really dark and disturbing.

40. Catch and Release
I think this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I felt bad for Jennifer Garner; my dad knows a guy who saw her naked once, because the guy went to Denison, and so did Jennifer Garner, and the guy's roommate was dating Jennifer, and so the guy saw her once getting out of the shower. So, you know, because of this connection I'd like her movies to do well.

41. Cars
It was cute but also a statement on how the highway might have ruined America.

42. Music and Lyrics
My archnemesis Drew Barrymore managed not to embarrass herself too badly, except, you know, when she actually had to act. The best part was the music video that was in the trailer.

43. Notes on a Scandal
I read this book back in January so I could see the movie. I read the book imagining Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench in the roles they played, so the movie was about what I expected. I don't know if it would have been different if I'd read the book without knowing who was going to play the parts.

Happy birthday, John Cusack

Well, today is John Cusack’s 41st birthday. I might have been blogging about John Krasinski last night, but it is fairly well-known that my longest running and most enduring celebrity crush is John Cusack. In honor of his birthday, I present you with a film-by-film review of Mr. Cusack’s storied career.

I got this filmography from Wikipedia, and it seems only okay…it leaves out a brief cameo in Broadcast News as “Angry Messenger”…a blink and you’ll miss it role, where a very young John walks through the newsroom, slams down a mailbag, and yells, “this is bullshit!” And no filmography seems to mention a great JC cameo…in Ocean’s Eleven, John Cusack plays the thief who gets shot outside a casino. It’s where they’re doing the flashbacks to other people who have tried to rob casinos. As “Take My Breath Away” plays, John Cusack, holding money, runs with a cigarette in his mouth. Then he gets shot. It’s a really really great performance.


Class (1983)
Is it weird that John Cusack has been making movies for almost as long as I have been alive? I don’t think so. I haven’t seen this movie.

Sixteen Candles (1984)
I haven’t seen this movie, because I just can’t stand that Molly Ringwald.

Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
I don’t think there’s any conceivable way to even see this movie anymore.

The Sure Thing (1985)
Here is where things start getting good. The Sure Thing is a road trip movie, and a romantic comedy where John teaches a frigid Daphne Zuniga how to let go a little, how to live it up, and most importantly, how to love. My favorite line of this movie is, “Cheetos in Albuquerque, I can hardly wait!”

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
Ah, this is a movie I remember liking as a kid, and then when I grew up and realized that it was John Cusack, well, it made the memory all the sweeter.

Better Off Dead (1985)
This is one of the best John Cusack movies of all time. It is so funny and imaginative. Somehow it even ended up on Entertainment Weekly’s Best Sports Movies of All-Time, because surely Entertainment Weekly has realized that this movie should be mentioned as much as possible. I tried to find a YouTube clip of the best moment of this film (the musical number in the restaurant), but it’s sadly unavailable.

One Crazy Summer (1986)
People like to compare and contrast Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer, since it’s the same director and uses some of the same techniques (animation), and while Better Off Dead is the much better movie, that didn’t stop me from watching this movie like 150 times that crazy summer when it was on Comedy Central all the time.

Hot Pursuit (1987)
In this movie, John Cusack has a hot girlfriend, and he wants to go on a Caribbean vacation with her and her family. He fails chemistry though (which is TOTALLY HER FAULT, BECAUSE SHE DISTRACTS HIM FROM STUDYING AND HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE TEST. OH MY GOD SHE IS SUCH A BITCH, JOHN CUSACK, I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO YOU) but luckily the chemistry professor gives him a freebie because he knows the chemical formula for coffee. So John runs after that stupid whore but has to fight off pirates instead.

Eight Men Out (1988)
This is a great movie.

Tapeheads (1988)
Once I found this on VHS in K-Mart for a dollar. It’s hard to argue with a movie with both John Cusack and Tim Robbins, except when that movie is Tapeheads.

Say Anything (1989)
Well, there’s so much to say about this movie. It was my first introduction to John Cusack and is probably 89% responsible for me moving to Seattle, because I thought at the town would be crawling with Lloyd Doblers (or at the very least, Campbell Scott’s from Singles). While perhaps this film has given me and other females of my generation a warped sense of love (see Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs), at least it did so in a quotable way. Movie #1 of the Cusack trifecta.

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
It’s kinda hard to believe that a movie about atomic bombs featuring Paul Newman and John Cusack wasn’t a bigger deal. I like the scene where John Cusack teaches Laura Dern to dance.

The Grifters (1990)
I think John has spent most of his movie life chasing the attitude of this movie, the kind of character he played in this movie.

True Colors (1991)
This movie is kind of weird because John Cusack is the bad guy and James Spader of all people is the good guy. James Spader as the good guy? But they meet at the University of Virginia and start climbing the ranks of law, politics, etc. As you can tell, I’m biased, but I think this is actually a great movie with a great John performance…the way he hides where he’s from to get to where he wants to be.

Shadows and Fog (1992)
Thus begins the dark days of the Cusack Career.

Bob Roberts (1992)
A bright light, a cameo, in the midst of the dark days.

Roadside Prophets (1992)
These days were dark.

Map of the Human Heart (1993)
How dark were these days.

Money for Nothing (1993)
In the midst of the dark days, came this film, which seemed to run a lot at random times on like, HBO2 or something. I have probably seen this movie like 50 times and that is nothing to be proud of, but I can tell you some interesting things about this movie. John Cusack plays Joey Coyle, who found $1.2 million when it fell off an armored truck. Then his life goes to hell, as he has to deal with his family, his demanding girlfriend, and mobsters/bookies. It’s based on a true story, with the real Joey Coyle committing suicide shortly before or after the movie came out. Features a young James Gandolfini as John Cusack’s brother.

Floundering (1994)
Dark days.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
I think I was too young when I saw this movie and should probably watch it again.

The Road to Wellville (1994)
This is a weird movie where John Cusack is trying to come up with a competitor for Kellogg’s corn flakes. I remember this movie more for Dana Carvey playing Anthony Hopkins’ insane son.

City Hall (1996)
This movie features John Cusack attempting a southern accent. It involves Al Pacino and political corruption.

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Movie # 2 of the Cusack Trifecta, and a near-perfect film. This movie is a swift kick to the head that alters your reality forever. Look, I don’t want to get into a semantic argument, I just want the protein. Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head? I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. Hey Jenny Slater. I sell biscuits and gravy all over the Southlands. Some people say forgive and forget. Nah, I don't know. I say forget about forgiving and just accept. And... get the hell out of town.

I think my favorite moment is anything that happens in the Ultimart, but particularly when it’s playing the Muzak version of “Live and Let Die”. Sometimes I put this movie on to listen to while I go to sleep, but then I end up waking up when there is shooting.

Con Air (1997)
Always quick to disarm critics, John Cusack liked to point out in interviews for this movie that he wasn't selling out to do a pithy action movie; rather, he was the first post-Biblical action hero who wore sandals. I think this anecdote shows humanity as an actor and as a person. Also, an ability to look on the sunny side of life. I don't know. It's a pretty frickin' enjoyable movie, even if you dislike Nicholas Cage doing a southern accent as much as I do.

Anastasia (1997) (voice)
Here we have some solid voice work, as an animated John Cusack takes on Russian history. This movie features an irresistably catchy song that goes, "Have you heard?! There's a rumor in St. Petersburg! Have you heard?! There's a rumor in St. Petersburg!" When I was spending the summer in Russia, I would frequently sing this song to myself as I walked around and whatnot, imagining vacations with John Cusack during the White Nights.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
I used to watch a tape of this movie while I did homework a lot. I didn't read the book, so I couldn't be disappointed (which I gather a lot of people were). Features several scenes of John Cusack looking quite dapper in a tuxedo. I think both John Cusack and Kevin Spacey are very good in this film.

Chicago Cab (1998)
I missed this one.

This Is My Father (1998)
He's in there for just a little bit playing a pilot.

The Thin Red Line (1998)
This is a long movie to watch when John Cusack is just a supporting character. Do you remember the hullabaloo when this movie came out? It was right after Saving Private Ryan and everyone was so fatigued by three hour long war movies that no one really knew what to do with another one.

Pushing Tin (1999)
This movie is perhaps more famous as being the movie where Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton met, but it's an interesting statement on how people compete with each other, and the struggle to be the best at something. Also the struggle between contentment and wondering if you can stay in this stasis of contentment for the rest of your life. And also a statement on the fragile mental health of air traffic controllers. I have probably watched this movie like 100 times.

Cradle Will Rock (1999)
This is a large ensemble cast featuring Cusack playing Rockefeller. It's a really great movie, and even just thinking about it now is making me think about watching it again sometime soon.

Being John Malkovich (1999)
This movie would be brilliant even if John Cusack were not in it, but it is made even more brilliant by his appearance. I don't really have anything original to say about this movie, so I am just going to list the John Cusack quotes from this movie that I like:

--Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

--I mean, it raises all sorts of philosophical-type questions, you know... about the nature of self, about the existence of a soul. You know, am I me? Is Malkovich Malkovich? I had a piece of wood in my hand Maxine. I don't have it any more. Where is it? Did it disappear? How could that be? Is it still in Malkovich's head? I don't know! Do you see what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is? I don't see how I could go on living my life the way I've lived it before.

--The symbol on the left is not a letter, sir?

--You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse. I think. I feel. I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work. And they won't allow it... because I raise issues.

The Jack Bull (1999)
In this movie you can watch John Cusack ride horses!

High Fidelity (2000)
#3 in the Cusack Trifecta of essential movies. I spent so much time in college thinking about this movie and all the subtle nuances of it. I heavily identified with that passion for music as a lifestyle, of finding songs that were so much like you and what you were feeling that it physically affected you. I don't do that so much anymore, because even though I love music, living that way can be kind of exhausting, and frankly, a lot of good songs can be ruined that way. Other things: perhaps I don't call them Top 5's, but I do a lot of lists in my blog and there's probably some direct lineage from this movie. I don't think it's any coincidence that 2/3 of the Cusack trifecta are movies that John wrote or adapted or was pretty heavily involved in the making of. Hopefully he can do more of that in the future. I think the girls who were cast in this movie are kind of lame (exception: Joan Cusack of course), but here we have a star-making performance by Jack Black (Let 'em riot, we're Sonic fucking Death Monkey) as well as great cameos by Tim Robbins and Bruce Springsteen.

America's Sweethearts (2001)
Well, if there's one thing we learned from High Fidelity, it's that Catherine Zeta-Jones can sure play a mega bitch, and she returns in fine form here to play John Cusack's estranged wife. Is it selling out to be in a romantic comedy with Julia Roberts? I don't know. I think the good scenes here are: the scenes of John Cusack at the wellness center, including the flashback of how he went crazy when he saw Catherine Z-J with Hank Azaria; the scene where C Z-J and John are doing interviews all day long at the press junket. I do not like the scene where John Cusack goes, "Remember when we were in Carolina shooting a movie and we rode on go-carts?" Because I do not like it when people do not specify which Carolina they are talking about. It makes them sound too interchangeable.

Serendipity (2001)
I enjoy watching this movie, and I enjoyed walking around New York City last year looking at places that were in the movie. I like watching John Cusack and Jeremy Piven play friends and I am very concerned about the rumors earlier this year that they have had a falling out (due to John being jealous of Jeremy's success in Entourage). But I can't really understand the premise of this movie, because no matter what you believe about destiny or fate or serendipity, I really really really think you should give John Cusack your phone number if he asks for it. So I have no sympathy for Kate Beckinsdale's character in this film, or understanding of her at all.

Max (2002)
I can see how it possibly appeared to have Oscar written all over it, but I just don't think the world was ready for a film that explored trivia such as whether Hitler enjoyed lemonade (the lemonade anecdote being one that John Cusack really liked to throw out in interviews regarding this film. BTW, whatever happened to Leelee Sobieski?

Adaptation. (2002)
A brief cameo to recapture the Being John Malkovich glory.

Identity (2003)
I watched this movie by myself one night in college and nearly died of fright. It does not take much for a movie to frighten me though if I am home alone.

Runaway Jury (2003)
This is a highly enjoyable thrill ride of a film, bringing together talented actors that include Cusack, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman. It is based on a John Grisham book, but they changed the lawsuit from cigarettes to guns in the movie. I think my favorite part of this movie can be summed up in two words: Madden Challenge.

Must Love Dogs (2005)
I like to watch this movie and fast forward through any scene that Diane Lane is in where John Cusack is also not in the scene. I chalk this up to something I learned from the internet, which is the director of this movie gave John Cusack the script for this movie and told him to readjust lines to make them sound more natural, as needed. And John Cusack completely re-wrote his lines and his part as a result. So I think his scenes have a little more natural, realistic feel. I like that two of the character’s quirks were a love of Dr. Zhivago and a passion for making wooden boats. John Cusack, if you are reading this, I really like Russian literature and boats! We can talk about it!

At the beginning of his career, John really railed against playing high schoolers and being in 80's teen comedies. But I can't imagine that playing love interests for 40-somethings is that much more fulfilling, so I wonder which one he'd pick now if he could.

The Ice Harvest (2005)
This was a pretty underrated movie. I would recommend it.

The Contract (2006)
I missed this one.

1408 (2007)
I am going to try to go see this movie during the weekend, but I am nervous about getting too scared (see: Identity)

John Krasinski, I am not quite sure what to make of you

Dear John Krasinski,
If you have been reading my blog, and I know you have, I have previously mentioned my belief that if I had gone to Brown instead of Emory, and majored in Creative Writing, then we would have met there and we'd be married by now. There would be People Magazine stories about how no matter how much "Jim" is tortured over "Pam," that "John" is not tortured in real-life because of "Molly."

Anyways, John Krasinski, right now I am watching you on David Letterman and you are being awfully witty and precious, but it has not escaped me that you are promoting a Robin Williams movie. Why are you in a Robin Williams movie? It's not even a Robin Williams movie like Good Morning Vietnam or The Birdcage or even Being Human. It's a Robin Williams movie that looks to be in the vein of RV, Man of the Year, Jack...Bicentennial Man.

John, I know you are new to movies, and this is a fairly high-profile move for you. It is important not to be typecast as the guy from The Office forever. But I, your alternate universe wife, would advise you to stick with your darling little cameos in movies like The Holiday, For Your Consideration, and Kinsey over films like this. We don't need the money, because I am a famous novelist in this alternate life I imagine. You can keep doing things like adapting David Foster Wallace for the big screen.

At the very least, please don't make movies with Robin Williams so I don't have moral dilemmas about whether to support you at the multiplex. I am very very VERY encouraged by this move of yours to start making films with George Clooney (Leatherheads--coming December 2007). Let's keep on making films such as this, with this kind of co-star. Might I suggest a buddy cop picture with John Cusack?

I hope if I ever meet John Krasinski that no one tells him I have a blog where he is mentioned.

I can't draw monkey hands

Today at work I was trying to think of a new backdrop for my computer screen, something that lets people passing by know who I am and what I'm about.

For some reason I kept thinking of this painting that I saw at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. I only saw it once, because when I went back to look at it again, I couldn't find it. It had a very sad title, something like, "The Organ Grinder's Lament," or, "The Tragedy of the Organ Grinder." It showed a young boy sitting on a log crying, looking at a dead monkey. It is my favorite painting of all time but I only have the memory to go on, because Google has absolutely no idea what I am talking about.

Please enjoy this painting of a monkey that I did.

Book #15: Shopaholic & Baby

The book: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

What is this book about: This book continues the adventures of Becky Bloomwood, previously documented in Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, and Shopaholic and Sister. In this book, Becky is pregnant and is dealing with shopping of course, and also the fact that her obstetrician is her husband's ex-girlfriend.

Why did I read this book: Because the Shopaholic series is my guilty pleasure.

What did I think of this book: Overall it was good. There were a few times that I wished that something in Becky's life could just be simple, and she could avoid so many Amelia Bedelia kinds of blunders and embarassments. But that wouldn't make for a very good fictional character, I guess. There was a whole lotta suspense in this one, because it seems that Becky's husband might be having an affair with the above-mentioned obstetrician. I don't know how much further this concept can be stretched...although, despite the title, Becky is pregnant the entire book, so the next book can actually be about shopping with ethe baby, I suppose.

What was my favorite part of this book: The obstetrician was really bitchy, so there were some good scenes there. Becky gets to have the kinds of confrontations that I wish I could have all the time, and in this book, they were particularly satisfying because she gets to say everything the way the reader wants her to say it.

What did I learn from this book: 1. Never trust ex-girlfriends. 2. Everything will turn out perfectly if your name is Becky Bloomwood, even if it seems like things are going to crash down on you for 300 pages.

What grade do I give this book: B+ (and I realize it's a little embarassing that I'm giving a Shopaholic book a higher grade than some of the other, more mature things I've read. But that just goes to show, do not underestimate the power of good chick lit)

Some thoughts about doughnuts

I was going to post about doughnuts yesterday, because yesterday, June 22, marked the 160th anniversary of the invention of the doughnut. I didn’t make it, but I don’t think it matters, because when I was doing a bit of Google research, no one is really all that sure exactly the when or the who or the how of inventing the doughnut. Maybe it happened on June 22, 1847, or maybe it didn’t. Maybe Hanson Gregory invented the doughnut or maybe not. Some say that he was aboard a lime-trading ship when he was 16. Tired of other forms of greasy dough and of the uncooked part in the center, he stamped out a hole in the middle. Others say he put it on the spoke of a wheel while he did something else, and others say angels appeared to him to provide the recipe.

But one thing is not disputed, and that is how much I love doughnuts.

While it is no secret that I love most forms of fried dough (see also: funnel cakes), doughnuts have a special place in my heart. Here is a brief timeline of doughnuts through my years:

--My mom had major doughnut cravings while pregnant with me. She worked in a bank and every day she ate a whole box of Krispy Kremes.

-- Based on the first point, Krispy Kreme was the main doughnut brand in my household. You really have to admire a place that will turn on a light for you, so that you can tell the best time to go. In college I kind of got into Dunkin’ Donuts, mainly because I had friends that liked to study there. There are people that argue that the coffee, the doughnut holes, and the cake-like doughnuts make Dunkin’ Donuts a better place to be than Krispy Kreme. I don’t really like these people or respect their eating habits. Krispy Kremes are like eating little pockets of miracle air.

--When we weren’t eating Krispy Kremes, we got to have French doughnuts for breakfast when we were growing up. My dad would fry us up some beignets, from Café du Monde mix. These beignets were the most delicious thing in the world, and also Jimmy Buffett-approved (“The coffee is strong at the Café du Monde, the doughnuts are too hot to touch. But just like a fool, when those sweet goodies cool, I eat till I eat way too much” – The Wino and I Know, 1974)

--In Seattle, there is a great place called Top Pot that has hand-forged doughnuts. They have sour cream or magic in them, I guess, because they are heavier than a Krispy Kreme. They are a filling doughnut, the kind you can eat for lunch. They are also sold at Starbucks. There are definitely times when I crave such a gourmet doughnut, but I’m probably looking more for that experience of light fluffiness, where you can sit with a Krispy Kreme and eat six in a row, or approximately 1000 grams of fat.

--When I was on vacation in Las Vegas, I tried the new whole wheat Krispy Kreme. It’s okay. It can make you hate yourself a little less for having a doughnut, but really, if you’re going to indulge, INDULGE.

--If the right kind of icing is involved, I will get a filled doughnut, but I prefer the ring doughnut.

--Doughnut wedding cakes….I support this idea.