Apr 23, 2013

Crossed

 
 
Doctors' Diaries was a special on PBS that followed med school students and then revisited them later in their career.  It was really good.  The doctors had a variety of focuses and their ultimate directions was really surprising in some cases.  It felt like watching the real-life version of Scrubs (a show I absolutely adored) crossed with the 7 Up documentaries (which I also deeply into). 7/10.  

Apr 22, 2013

Normalish




Diving Belles is a short story collection that was right up my alley.  Each story had an element of the fantastic - mermaids, ghosts, people turning to stone, etc - but those elements were treated as entirely normal things that every day people deal with.  The story titled "Notes from the House Spirits" hit me in the perfect spot - perhaps it comes from living in an old house.  8/10.

Apr 21, 2013

Apr 20, 2013

Losing


Every Day has a plot that I couldn't resist.  Each day, the protagonist  A wakes in a new body - a person with their own life.  It can be male or female and from any walk of life but always the same age as A, but A is never in the same person more than one day.  And then A falls in love.

Love love love the idea.  The novel not so much.  The author tries to cram in some Lessons.  And those lessons were a bit too ham fisted and obvious.  I wish he'd resisted the urge.

The concept though made me a bit panicky when I thought to much about it.  It reminded me of reading Still Alice, an absolutely amazing novel about a woman with Alzheimer's.  The idea of losing yourself like gives me chills.  This book was similar in that the protagonist has no one to tie themselves to or that would remember them once they'd gone. 

I just wish this book had done better by its idea.  4/10.

Apr 15, 2013

Broken

This segment of This American Life broke my heart a bit.

Apr 14, 2013

Sweet



Loving Lampposts is a documentary with a sweet and insightful look into people on the autism spectrum.  It felt like a labor of love by the director. 

Apr 13, 2013

Hysterical



This book ROCKS!  I laughed so hard while reading How to be a Woman as well as wanted to pump my fist many times over.  Ms. Moran is hysterical and honest and really could be my new best friend.  The chapter on underwear is hilarious.  I bought a copy for my sister before I was even 1/3 of the way into the book.  8/10.

“We need to reclaim the word 'feminism'. We need the word 'feminism' back real bad. When statistics come in saying that only 29% of American women would describe themselves as feminist - and only 42% of British women - I used to think, What do you think feminism IS, ladies? What part of 'liberation for women' is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? 'Vogue' by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good shit GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY?”

also


“But, of course, you might be asking yourself, 'Am I a feminist? I might not be. I don't know! I still don't know what it is! I'm too knackered and confused to work it out. That curtain pole really still isn't up! I don't have time to work out if I am a women's libber! There seems to be a lot to it. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?'
I understand.
So here is the quick way of working out if you're a feminist. Put your hand in your pants.

a) Do you have a vagina? and
b) Do you want to be in charge of it?

If you said 'yes' to both, then congratulations! You're a feminist.”  


Nicely obsessive

Hogwarts made out of legos.  Wowee.

Apr 2, 2013

Not even there yet

The Honest Toddler is my favorite twitter feed these days.  Find it at @HonestToddler

Apr 1, 2013

Fungi



These long threadlike mushrooms, enoki, are my current obsession.  They are fantastic in soup.  Like extra chewy noodles.  Mmmmm.........