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striped bedspread
floral bedspread
More from Last Breath...
Humans are by far the most dangerous predatory species on the planet.
Humans kill 940,000 people through war and 200,000 through violent crime every year
Snakes are the next most lethal animal killing 100,000 humans every year
Crocodiles are next killing 960 humans/yr
Tigers are next killing 740
Surprisingly the ostrich is more deadly than a shark killing 14 by kicking and scratching with its feet
Sharks claim 9 victims per year
Grizzly Bears are less deadly than Ferrets which kill about 4 unattended babies a year
Some friends mailed me some new music today and it has really kept me inspired. I love them all. Cat Power, Damien Rice, Jolie Holland, Bonnie 'prince' Billy, Sheryl Crow, and some mixes! I hope you all have music this great to listen to in your homes when you are avoiding the snow and the cold and the great outdoors.
You probably won't believe this, but I'm going on my 4th day of never leaving the house. I hope this doesn't disturb you. I am trying to not let it disturb me. I keep making excuses of why certain errands can wait for tomorrow.
I know, it sounds horrible.
I felt like taking a break from blogging for a few days. Not much has occured- I read two books that I liked but didn't like quite as much as the others, and so I gave them a red color code and didn't write about them. Now I'm reading Last Breath- I thought it was adventurer's tales of near death, but its not. Peter Stark wrote stories to go along with the scientific progress of dying in various forms (avalanche, hypothermia, scurvy, drowning, etc). It was very informative and now I feel better equipped in extreme weather/circumstances. Like if you fall out of a boat in rapids, don't follow your instinct and paw your way up. Instead swim downward and out, its the only hope you have. And ironically, I feel more happy after reading these harrowing tales because I am still alive and just a little smarter.
Sam watched the golden globes with me. We mostly agree with the choices (except al pacino) and felt the show was a bit boring. Anyway, I want to go see Monster now, and a few others. Sam was a trooper watching it because he didn't want to. Meagan said that its part of the deal, like buying a floral bedspread now.
I liked this movie, but I do agree with some people saying that this movie is Tim Burton's Forrest Gump. One day I will write down some of my own dad's tall tales.
Lorrie Moore was first brought to my attention by reviews of other authors. I finally picked up this book in particular after my sister told me that David Sedaris recommended it to the audience at one of his readings. This book is a collection of stories, all are told from a female voice. She has such a unique way of observing. I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for short stories.
Sam and I both had interviews today. It is no fun having an interview 20 miles away where the bus schedule isn't running and you have to wait in the freezing cold weather with your nylons on bare legs and no mittens or earmuffs or tennis shoes cause you don't have a place to stash them. It was a miracle that cornell wanted to interview me -among the 70 that applied for this job. I don't think I'll get it though because after they determined that I might have enough qualifications and job experience without a masters degree, they were worried that I would be understimulated. A rock and a hard place.
I was happy to see Sam (the contender) go just to not hear anymore football analogies. Troy secured his position by getting his legs waxed, no one would put him in the loser's circle.
Jose Carlos Somoza wrote a really clever book- well a book within a book. Its a fun mystery set in Ancient Greece that is one of the best fiction works I've read in a while. There are more mysteries than one to figure out, and its philosophical, funny, and intriguing all at once. Please get it from your local library. I read it after Salon's recommendation
Sam's mom and my mom both sent us articles from this small newspaper. At first we thought it was one or the other, both were sent from 'mom', but now we know that it was coincidental. Or do we....
Progressive Newspaper Movie Review
We saw this "vegas movie" tonight for $5. It was okay. I'm finding myself harder and harder to please when it comes to movies. They have to really be original or really make me happy. I don't go for violence or tragedy often. Sam thinks it is cause we're getting older. I'm not sure. Maybe we just need to see less movies.
I fell in love with this album by Gillian Welch. I have 2 other albums by her and I love the song Revelator, but I didn't expect to love a whole album, especially this cd for some reason. Anyway, it happened- I fell in love.
I had a dream about Larry David last night. He was in a playwrighting class with me during a previous semester and this semester he was teaching a screenwriting class I was in. I was giving a presentation and he started marking me down like 20 times for one incident. I called him outside and said "I know who you are, I've seen your show (lots of people hadn't in my dream) and I started arguing with him like he could only mark me down once per incident. Arguing sense- just like his show. We were arguing and it was working. He seemed to like being stood up to. Then back inside he was teaching me that there are 4 stages in writing. And we omit stage 3 initially because we can't remember the details and lose track of everything when beginning a story. Stage one was like an outline and people's names, very superficial. Stage 2 was ideas, stage 3 was more details, and we never got to stage 4. Anyway, I was making all this crap up in my brain while dreaming, like I was teaching myself to write - stuff i'd never heard before- coming in the guise of Larry David's tutelage.
Oryx and Crake: Better than the Blind Assassin in my opinion and in the same vein as A Handmaid's Tale. I enjoyed it mostly. And truth be told, I find TC Boyle's books much more frightening than Atwood's. I'd recommend it for those that like scifi~mystery~easy reads.
I think this connotation is pejorative. Sam doesn't agree. But I think it conjures up an image of a yuppy mom in a bubble- unaware of the world's situation. And who brags "yeah, i'm a soccer mom..."...?
I'm still loyal to Troy- I was happy to see him teach Sam (the employee) to relax.
I agree with the elimination.
Donald Trump needs to stop letting his girlfriend style his hair. I think he has a toupee.
The Arctic's Inuit are being contaminated by pollution borne north by winds and concentrated as it travels up the food chain.
You may have to sign up if you don't already subscribe, but it is worth it.
A new phenomenon has emerged in our winter lives. When we walk outside in the coldest of weather, our nose hairs freeze, making a tingling feeling in our nostrils. FYI.
Thank god. I can't explain how we take things like having a kitchen sink or hot water or a running toilet for granted. We had to do without all these things, without any water at all for too long. It was wondrous to have everything back again. We did the dishes quickly and hope that with our water main now insulated, it won't happen again.
Don't go see this movie. I don't know why we were recommended to see it. I don't know why the reviews were good. It is tragic and depressing and I just don't have time in my life to see any more sad things.
I've had it with this show too. Too many hookers that kiss with no hesitation and cut down eachother's fake boobs.
I've had it with winter related issues. We have had no water in the kitchen for 3 days now. The pipes froze cause our downstairs neighbor turned off her heater before skipping town. After letting our dishes pile up, we finally had to do some, so we had no recourse but to do them in the bathtub. Gross. And, its a good thing we took showers this morning because we had no hot water to do the dishes with- now our hot water pipe to the bathroom is freezing up. We called the landlord once. I hope this isn't a regular occurence all winter long. There is a big difference between 20 and 0 degrees.
Sam and I watched part of this show the other night. I think it may be a discussion topic in school later on. Anyway, I'm rooting for Troy, and Sam is rooting for Amelia. This is before we have seen their tactics and I reserve the right to change my mind after 2 more episodes.
Some new books worth mentioning- no one ever comments on my books!
Ithaca, NY
Temperature: -4 ºF
SUNNY
Wind Chill: -17 ºF
Humidity: 54%
Wind: NNW - 6 MPH
Pressure: 30.42
Visibility: 10 Mi
Ithaca, NY 14850
Temperature: 16 ºF
BL SNOW
Wind Chill: 0 ºF
Humidity: 44%
Wind: WNW - 17 MPH
Pressure: 30.09
Visibility: 10 Mi
So I've been seeing a lot of movies over the break. In the theater recently we have viewed: LOTR 3, Cold Mountain, School of Rock and In America. I guess I'd give all a thumbs up, because I try to see the best in everything. In America was tonight's $5, and it was so dramatic and powerful. Makes me want 2 little girls myself. School of Rock was last night and it was also with kids, and we enjoyed it although sometimes Jack Black needs to chill. Still, I feel it! Cold Mountain was a great epic -historical and romantic -just didn't have any black people in it. And LOTR was -well you know.
We rented Raising Victor Vargas and that was also with teens, and it was great. And I Capture The Castle was an English movie about young romance, and it was great in the beginning but towards the end Sam started giving voice-overs "blah blah blah blah blah". But I still think some of you would like it. Ararat was intriguing, and involving history we don't know much about. Nicolas Nickelby was pure Dickens. Legally Blond 2 put me to sleep. And finally, Seabiscuit was okay but I think the book was better, even though I read only half of it. Phew- that was hard to remember. Now can I get some comments?
Sam's parents left and I felt a let down. After having them around for 2 weeks I'd gotten used to entertaining and I loved the company. And then they left. We didn't do much all day yesterday but rest and get caught up. I'm trying to get used to a routine but the weather makes me want to stay in bed. I need to job hunt and I will hopefully do some of that and start wedding planning this week. The seasons really can take their toll.
We had an amazing time in Montreal. I'd move there before I'd move to a lot of other cities in the US. The food was excellent and cheap(er). The town was walkable, a great mix of old europe and modern metropolis. The museums were worthwhile and the quebecois culture was a treat. People were mostly friendly, and the spirit of the city radiated good feeling. My favorite parts were walking around Mont Royal, sledding, eating, and touring the old town- which was very unique. I'd highly recommend anyone visiting Montreal. Even in the winter there were plenty of places to see and at which to be seen. haha. An underrated treasure!
Montreal Images