Most Recent Read: Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune was amazing.  Rick Riordan is awesome.  And I want a Camp Jupiter shirt.  

Most Recent Read: Momento Nora

Momento Nora was engaging.  It takes place in a futuristic United States, which is hauntingly reminiscent of 1984.  It was a good reminder of why law enforcement should not be privatized.  

In Nora's city, terrorist attacks happen nearly three times a week, forcing everyone to travel in armored vehicles, routinely visit Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic and even move to compounds.  The compounds include malls, schools, movie theaters, etc., so that no one in the compound ever has to leave.  Also, compound members have to have ID chips put inside them, so they can be identified and tracked.  The people who don't have ID chips inside them, have "mobiles", which are also used to identify and track individuals.  

The Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic, or TFC, is supposed to help individuals avoid post traumatic stress disorder by giving the patients a pill to forget traumatizing or unpleasant memories.  But as Nora finds out, some things need to be remembered.  

The following are some of my favorite quotes: "We walked up to our house in silence.  Mom lagged behind as if she were trying to enjoy the scenery.  We do live in a pretty area.  Eighteenth-century town houses in alternating blues and creams and grays.  Tree-lined streets with big oaks and maples forming a canopy over the pavement.  Cobblestone sidewalks" (pg 20).

"These streets used to make me feel safe.  And inside the foyer, the gleaming hardwood floors so shiny you could see your face in them and the historic-trust sage green walls with wide antique white molding-all of which mom had painstakingly restored-used to make me feel safe, too.  Now I wasn't so sure" (pg 20).

"We'd stayed at a little cabin a block from the beach.  The sheets smelled funky, and it had been cold out, too cold to swim.  We'd walked barefoot on the rocky beach, eaten popcorn shrimp and saltwater taffy, and watched the stars at night.  The beach town didn't have a curfew like Hamilton and the other big cities did.  I'd loved that freedom.  the world seemed so much bigger" (pg 60). 

I think there should be a distinction made between memories which effect our lives today and ones which have nothing to do with the present, but still haunt us.  For example, I'm sure there are some war veterans who would love to forget some of the things they have seen.  I think that would be completely justified.  However, if you are in an abusive relationship, and your partner makes you go to the TFC so you won't remember your partner is abusive, then that is wrong and shouldn't be allowed.  

The book made me think about the things I remember, and why it is important to hold onto those memories.  It also made me think about forgiveness.  It is important to forgive people, but that doesn't mean you act like nothing ever happened.  You can forgive someone without trusting them again.  Furthermore, we are supposed to learn from our experiences.  If we just went around erasing the parts of our lives we-or other people-want us to forget, then we lose all that knowledge.

Most Recent Read: Dani Noir

I loved reading Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma.  It is the best book I have read in a while and is definitely one of my new favorites.  The book is about Danielle (Dani), a thirteen year old girl who is trying to come to terms with the fact that her mom and dad are divorced and her dad is getting remarried.  Her best friend just moved away and her brother is at soccer camp, so she spends a lot of time waiting for one of them to call. 


When she isn't sitting on her roof trying to get cell phone coverage, or tailing a "suspect", she is at the local movie theatre, The Little Art, watching classic black-and-white films.  Because of this, even though Dani's life seems pretty run of the mill, she narrates most of her story like she is in a film noir, which makes for some hilarious commentary.  "And her smile, always with that sweet smile, like nothing could ever bring her down.  She's really killing my noir mood. "Dani!" she says, all bubbly. "Want a sundae? On the house!"...Any other day, I'd take the freaking sundae, but this isn't any other day.  My world is crashing down around me! Not even ice cream will save me now!  Do you hear me, people? This is serious."  It is refreshing that while Dani likes to imagine she is a noir detective or Rita Hayworth, she knows she is really only a teenager living in a podunk town.

Even though the The Little Art only has one movie screen, I like the idea of it.  It's vintage, with a movie reel and red velvet ropes.  The films shown are older, like 1940's older, with stars like Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman.  They have self serve popcorn with a variety of toppings, salt, butter, cinnamon, hot-pepper flakes, coconut flakes, brown sugar, cocoa powder and parmesan cheese.  If Matt and I ever opened a movie theatre, I could see us doing something like that.  Except I would probably add a counter that served custom drinks, like italian sodas and hot cocoa.  Maybe even some baked goods like lemon scones and almond filled croissants.  All those buttery flakes would be really hard to clean up afterwards.  Maybe I should just open a cafe.  Or a book store.

Most Recent Read: How to Say Goodbye in Robot

There were aspects of How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Staniford I really liked, and some things that drove me crazy.  I read it really quickly and it was nice to devour a book again.  I liked that the characters were well rounded and dynamic.  While the book only had a small spattering of them, there were some really descriptive phrases I enjoyed reading.  I love this first one because I love the crisp air the winter brings and I completely understand what Staniford was talking about. "One of the beds had a pile of coats on it, still cold and fresh-smelling from the night air."  It reminds me of skiing with my family, and the real mountain air that you can feel in your lungs.  It clears your head and makes it so much more fun to speed down the mountain and feel it whip past your face.

I liked this next quote mainly because it was vivid.  "The Ferris wheel whisked us away from the noise and smells of the boardwalk for a few seconds, high over the sand and water.  The moon bleached a strip of the sea.  We dipped down, down through the squeals and shots and bangs and pops and up, up again into the fresh air, the lights of the toy city below.  I wished I could live at the top of the Ferris wheel, just high enough to walk on the clouds if it's cloudy, but close enough to the ground to keep an eye on everybody." And then later, "The pinkish-green air promised rain that never came.  Moisture hung in the atmosphere, weighing down on us.  We were living inside a cloud."

It was random, but funny, one of the characters was Anne, and another was Ann, but Ann was called Awae (pronounced ay-way) for Anne without an E.  I also like the unexpected ending.  Looking back, I really should have seen it coming.  Now for what I didn't like.  I didn't like the swearing, underage drinking and macabre photography references.  Or the Night Light show with Herb Horvath.  Every time I had to read the phrase, "nighty-night" I cringed inside.  I don't know why, but it is now one of my pet peeves.  It doesn't even make any sense.  There are so many alternatives that do make sense, ie: goodnight, sleep well, sweet dreams, so long for now, farewell.  Like I said, I don't know why it bugs me so much, but it does.

So overall, it was a pretty good book that made me think, but not too much.

Recipe of the Week: Peach Clafouti

http://cdn.taste.com.au/images/recipes/sfi/2007/09/17585.jpg

This is another dessert from the kitchen of my Father-in-Law.  It is actually similar to the Backofenschlufer, but it has peaches.  And it is a little lighter.  For the record, it is pronounced klah-foo-tee (that being said, you are welcome to make up silly variations, like my husband does; he calls it klow-footy).  This recipe is from MarthaSewart.com


Ingredients
5 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/4 pounds peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch slices (4 1/2 cups)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting


Directions
Preheat oven to 375°
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and flour until combined.  Add sour 
cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk to combine.  Pour 
mixture into four 2-cup baking dishes or a 3 quart baking dish.  Scatter 
peaches in a single layer in batter.  Bake until custard is browned and edges 
and center is set, 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Serve warm, dusted with 
confectioners' sugar. 

Fall

I have a blog post a year ago saying that I loved the fall weather.  And you know what?  I love the fall weather again this year!  It may be my favorite season!  Especially with the changing leaves.  And the crisp cool air.  And the overcast skies.  The only downside is eventually it will get much colder.  Oh well. :) 

Überraschung!

Last night Matt surprised me by cleaning up the whole kitchen while I was out running errands.  We usually clean it together, but it was so nice to have it done.  Best husband ever!

Most Recent Read: Virtually You

It is ironic that I am writing a blog post about a book that is about our virtual identities.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't finish the book.  Not because it wasn't good, but because it seemed Aboujaoude made some really good points in the first chapters and could have gone without dragging them out the rest of the book.  

The book is extremely relevant for our time and gave me several insights into my own interaction with the internet.  I realized that it really is easier to spend money online, and while Matt and I aren't thousands of dollars in debt because of my online spending (in fact we have no debt), it is good to be aware so that I can be more careful in the future.  Reading this book made me really glad that my husband and I don't feel the need to live our lives vicariously through internet websites like second life.  It's refreshing and liberating to know that who we are doesn't have to be defined by our virtual selves.   

The following quotes are some of my favorite by Dr. Aboujaoude,"Online, we are all still prospectors at heart, looking for a bonanza like everybody else.  And so, many among us believe that if we join enough chat rooms, consult enough blogs, listen to enough podcasts, and look at enough three-dimensional pictures, we can finally discover the unique, perfect, most exquisite...can opener!"

Also by Dr. Aboujaoude,"The internet has become the sure means to almost every brilliant goal, the one common road to myriad things we fantasize about and want to see realized...If our online expedition is expensive, time-consuming, or even of questionable morality or legality, at least it can be rationalized as a quest for a state of perfection that we now know exists and can be found; at least it can be done in the name of discovery and dream fulfillment".  I know I have spent some time looking for the perfect item online, whether is is a floral scarf, an alarm clock where the snooze is activated by shooting a laser at it, or some other random object.  It's amazing how stepping back, and looking at our actions with a heightened perspective can help us understand why we do some things, and how to avoid doing them again in the future.  I know that I will be less likely to spend too long searching online for the perfect flats.  I also realized that sometimes I put up wall posts on Facebook because I want people to notice them and comment back.  But I don't have to use Facebook updates.  I can call a friend and talk to them and then instead of a token comment, I can see how they really are doing.

I also liked this quote in the book by René Girard, "There is nothing, or next to nothing, in human behavior that is not learned, and all learning is based on imitation...If human beings suddenly ceased imitating, all forms of culture would vanish".  This quote reminded me of a quote by Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants".  We are a sum of all the experiences and interactions we have had and I hope that future generations keep those experiences and interactions mostly in the real world, and not the virtual one.