CURRENTLY READING

This book is totally interesting for anyone who loves to craft. Especially if you have an indie edge!
The Author, Faythe Levine also has a documentary with the same name that I look forward to seeing later this year. Disappointing that I missed her presentation at CHA. Get it, read it, enjoy the inspiration.

BOOK OF US

Our romance in 150 questions. I bought a similar book that I'm planning to fill out for Nate and give it to him on Valentine's Day. We'll be somewhere in Mexico celebrating the sunshine and our free right to snorkel ten times a day. I'm sure he'll be sun drunk and he'll absolutely love it. Here are a few of the questions included in the book.

If this had not happened, we never would have met....
My very first impression of you and what attracted me to you was...
This is how I remember the first time we met...
The traits I most admire about you are...

If you had time and creative energy, I think it would be fun to custom write your own questions in a personal design and then hand write the answers. I have to go with the pre-made book with my busy schedule.

WHAT A CUTE BOOK

"Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane."
When I have kids, and they are old enough to have an attention span beyond 20 minutes, I'll read this book to them when they are sick. They will snuggle up to be with their fever-sweat and I'll teach them the story of a rabbit that learns the importance of loving and being loved. Then I'll make them some tomato soup and tuck them in for a nap. Thanks Ryan and Ruth!

WHAT I'M READING

I'm prepping for my new job by reading some marketing books I've been meaning to read for a while. Here are a few of the titles I've got bedside. Go Amazon.

BEG BORROW AND STEAL

Amie has a great post over at The Din. She talks about the book called "Not Quite What I Was Planning". I like the idea of writing my life story in just six words.

Amie's six words: "wakeup in control, retire in vice"
My six words: "i should not have eaten that!"

WHAT WOULD JACKIE DO?

Kym gifted me this book and I love picking it up and reading it when I have a few extra minutes. Such great tidbits; I'm going to share it from time to time. I hope you find it as humorously wise as I do.

Page 174: "Perfect your stare-through glare. Nothing says "leave me be" like a stone-faced mug. No need to affect an angry or mean look, of course- Jackie's go-to-hell-gaze was ever so benign. By refusing to visually engage or acknowledge people, you are telling them to stay out of your orbit."

14 DAYS OF VALENTINE: DAY 4

Write your own love story and then give it to the one that made it all possible.

NEXT NEW READ

Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, wrote a new book called, The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature. I heard him talking about the book on NPR {or course} and decided it would be my next new read for the fall. It's scholarly and smart and sure to make me feel all "back to school". It's time to pull out my birkenstocks and hunker down for a good read.

TWILIGHT HAS ENDED

A few nights ago I finished Twilight by Stephenie Meyer {a BYU grad} and I'm anxiously awaiting New Moon and Eclipse to come via amazon.com. In the meantime, and because suddenly I'm addicted to reading again, I'm starting a new book by Wilkie Collins called, The Woman in White. I read Moonstone, also by Wilkie Collins, last year and LOVED it so I'm hoping this one is just as good.
Does anyone else have good summer reads they'd like to share?

AUSTENLAND: READ IT ON A RAINY DAY

I've had a crush on Shannon for almost ten years but after finishing her most recent book Austenland it's grown into love. Not, "I love these new suede flats love", but, "I think she's so talented and brilliant and genuinely gorgeous love". I'm so glad fate brought us together because she has made my life a better thing to behold.

OFFICE BULLIES; WHO NEEDS THEM?

I'm not sure what motivates the office bully. It doesn't gain them more respect, acceptance or a harder working team. I've met personalities in regular life who get what they want out of intimidation, abrasiveness or, worst of all: passive aggressive behavior . So, I guess, on the surface they may seem, and consider themselves, successful. But I also know what people say about them. How they are REALLY thought of; not well! And I also see the quality of their life and it's not so appealing to me. I have to think that if someone is intimidating me and using that wicked passive aggressive behavior, imagine what they do to their family. Yuck.

Robert I. Sutton published a book this year with Warner Books entitled: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't. Please forgive some of the language in this review from Publishers Weekly, but, quite frankly, if we think it why can't/don't we say it?























"This meticulously researched book, which grew from a much buzzed-about article in the Harvard Business Review, puts into plain language an undeniable fact: the modern workplace is beset with assholes. Sutton (Weird Ideas that Work), a professor of management science at Stanford University, argues that assholes—those who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who focus their aggression on the less powerful—poison the work environment, decrease productivity, induce qualified employees to quit and therefore are detrimental to businesses, regardless of their individual effectiveness. He also makes the solution plain: they have to go. Direct and punchy, Sutton uses accessible language and a bevy of examples to make his case, providing tests to determine if you are an asshole (and if so, advice for how to self-correct), a how-to guide to surviving environments where assholes freely roam and a carefully calibrated measure, the "Total Cost of Assholes," by which corporations can assess the damage. Although occasionally campy and glib, Sutton's work is sure to generate discussions at watercoolers around the country and deserves influence in corporate hiring and firing strategies."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kai Ryssdal interviews the author of No Asshole so listen here. I especially like the description of the "kiss up, kick down" mentality. Boy, don't we all know someone like that? I know a few.

Anyway, this is a post to offer support and empathy to all those who may be in the middle of their worst day ever...or something like that. Chin up.

OLDIE NOT A GOODIE

I've claimed the Torrents of Spring by Hemingway to be one of my favorite books, ever. But on our recent trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival I reread the book and as it turns out, it's not one of my favorites afterall. It's good and interesting but not my favorite. I'm still clinging to the notion that I love Immortality by Milan Kundera. It's truly a brilliant piece of work. Aren't they both handsome in a distinguished miserable sort of way?

THE WILD TREES

I watched Richard Preston, author of The Wild Trees, on The Daily Show and then later listened to an interview on The Diane Rehm show (on Monday). Such an unusual and fascinating topic. I think a canopy trek would be so much fun, but obviously impossible to manage since it's some kind of secret society. I think I'll get this book because it sounds so interesting.
Nate isn't much of a recreational reader {he codes for recreation!} but maybe he'd read this one if I get if for his birthday.

POSTCARDS: MORE THEN MEETS THE EYE

Today on NPR Doug Fabrizio interviewed Frank Warren, Author of the postsecret blog and author/compilor of PostSecret: Extrodinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives, My Secret: A PostSecret Book, and The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book.
Frank started this amazing social art project where people send in handmade postcards and include a secret they've been keeping {some happy, some sad, some haunting}.
This originated in the DC area where Frank handed out 3,000 blank postcards with directions {he also stuck some in books at the library and other places where people would seridipitously find them} with his address already filled in. The project has perpetuated and he now gets nearly 400 postcards a day. The postsecrets blog is updated every sunday with new selections he's received that week.
Totally fascinating concept. I wish I was motivated to do such a thing.





























































Another conceptual art project? "Greetings from New Orleans" explores the morality of pedestrians. If you found a postcard, filled out, addressed and stamped, would you drop it in the post? Justin Lundgren ran such a discrete study. Read what he discovered here. Justin took original photographs around New Oleans, printed them as postcards and then wrote messages on them. He addressed them all to his parent's home in Ohio and waited to see how many, if any were actually found and mailed. Here is a sample of his work.












Message on back read: "Dear Jen, Greetings from New Orleans, Forgive me for getting a tad nostalgic about our trip here last year, but the memories are strong. Zydeco at the Rock-n-Bowl, cabbage catching at the Irish parade, faking your birthday at Bayona for a free dessert. No disrespect to Sophie but this trip has been kind of blah. Frankly I don't see this thing going on much longer. You think I could give you a call when I get back? Jake"

SADNESS HAS A SEASON AND WILL PASS

I'm reading "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. I've seen the movie inspired by the novel but I'm very much looking forward to the details and the experience of reading the story.
I'm already hooked at page 25.

MARIA KALMAN

My mom gave me a copy of the illustrated Elements of Style by Strunk and White. She knows I love language and words - their use and order and my delight in the perfect sentence. So it was an ideal gift! The illustrations, rendered by Maria Kalman, are beautiful!
You can see Maria's work in The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, several books, and more.
Altogether, Maria is a talented artist who continually attempts challenging and unique projects; a confidence I completely admire {and, admittedly, one I covet}.
Here are some of the illustrations she did for New York Times Magazine covering the couture shows in Paris in 2000.

TOUCHING THE VOID

I'm nearly done with this book and I must say, I'm riveted. And nearly cured of wanting to climb any treacherous mountain peaks.

OLD BOOKS, NEW LOVE

The first really old books I bought came when I lived in Chicago. I was walking along a street just outside the loop where I discovered someone having an urban yard sale. Same set up, mostly the same kind of junk, just no muddy grass or old copies of the Ensign like I was used to. But the lure was still there.
After a few minutes of browsing I noticed a beautiful set of old books, probably about 30 total being sold for $20. I didn't even hesitate - I knew I wanted them. There were great titles {i.e. A Tree Grows in Brookly by Betty Smith} and all were in great condition. I carried that box of books about two miles to my brownstone and have loved them ever since.
Kym gave me an old hardback copy of "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" by Katherine Anne Porter and I'm loving it's spiteful passages like this one, "but they had learned by indirection one thing well - nice people did not carry on quarrels before outsiders. Family quarrels were sacred, to be waged privately in fierce hissing whispers, low choked mutters and growls. " Wondering why you should read it...click here.

GIVIN MOTOWN ANOTHER GO

I heard a story about Motown on NPR during my 15 minute commute {I used to drive an hour!} and I've decided I am going to give motown another go. Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations. I think I'll get some tunes for my iPod and mix them in with my regular indie artists. I'll let you know how it turns out.
The story on NPR was promoting a new book called, Motown in Love, by Herb Jordan. If you want to hear the story or listen to some classic motown, click here.

GIRLFRIEND GIFT #9

I think this book is just lovely. Anything feauturing the Tiffany blue is sure to please. With the same corny factor as any other etiquitte book, this one is sure to make you giggle. And it will look just heavenly on a coffee table! Get it at Amazon {on sale} here.