Reading is FUNdamental: 2012 Book Roll

2012 was, sadly, a very bad year for me and reading. It is true...no books since July! I am not sure what happened there.

January

• Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?, Mindy Kaling
  One of the best books I read all year...loved it so much I wrote about it here!

February

• Bossypants, Tina Fey
  Another one of the funnier books I read this year! I started with the actual book form, but ended up listening to the audio book on a rather long drive. Am so glad I did! Listening to Tina Fey actually tell her own stories was really awesome. A really good overview of how she got into the business, the treatment of women versus men, and the walls that needed to be torn down in order for her & her female castmates to become so successful.
• Swamplandia, Karen Russell
  This was a strange book...recommended because I enjoyed Geek Love. It was a fairly engaging look at a family of crocodile wrestlers forced to give up their way of life because bigger attractions have come into the area. It got a little too weird for me towards the end, and very unsatisfying.
• The Paris Wife, Paula McClain
  A fictional look at Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley -- their meeting, courtship, marriage, and life together. It was a terrific novel, and a fun look at the Lost Generation and the bohemian lifestyle many of them led. Given then many stories we hear about Papa, I enjoyed seeing where he started.

March

• The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins
  So, yeah, had to reread these ones before the movie came out. Again...a couple days, gone.

April

• A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway
  I was very interested in Hemingway after reading The Paris Wife, and this in book in particular, as it was Paula McClain's inspiration to write from Hadley's point of view. A Moveable Feast  was Hemingway's autobiography about his early years in Paris. It was very typically Lost Generation -- a little slow, very introspective -- but I enjoyed the contrast it provided to The Paris Wife.

May

• The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
  Continuing with the Hemingway interest, this is one book I have been trying to read since about college. But god, is it slow. I came to the conclusion after reading this book that the Lost Generation would have LOVED twitter...and it may have helped them from being so verbose about how they ate breakfast. After reading both The Paris Wife and A Moveable Feast, I can see exactly what was going on in Hemingway's life at the point he wrote this, which was pretty awesome.

June

• Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
  This came through on my Amazon recommendations, I assume because I liked the Hunger Games Trilogy. A teen lit book about a car accident and the actions that led up to it. It made me terribly sad.

July

• The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach
  I was looking for a good summer book that I could bring to the beach -- boy did I find it! A look at how one wrong pitch, can send a life tumbling the wrong direction, and how hard it can be to recover from that. A book about baseball and the paths it can open up, and how quickly it can all be taken away. I loved it.
• The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  The last of my Lost Generation books of the year, I wanted to re-read this before the movie came out (which it still hasn't). I hadn't read it since high school, so it was a good refresher, and necessary given it's pop culture relevance. It's also a tough one to get through, because the people are so privileged and so selfish and sometimes you want to smack the self-indulgence right out of them.

God Jul

All I want for Christmas is to have as much fun as Jimmy Fallon & the Roots are clearly having. Feliz Navidad, y'all!

Vote of Confidence

The most recent episode of Survivor was the seen-it-every-season visit from a loved one. I always love this episode, as it usually (with few exceptions) is a rare, honest moment where the most base human emotions are on display. I am not sure I have ever watched it without crying my eyes watering from allergies.

Tonight and I watched, and while tearing up having the typical allergic reaction, it reminded me of a conversation I'd had while watching one such episode with my parents.

We discussed who my brother would have as his "loved one" should he go on the show. I pondered for myself, "I wonder who I would bring..." and as I started to throw out guesses, my dad had a very matter-of-fact reaction:

"Yeah, right...as if you'd ever make it that far."

Funny because it was probably true...I'd be voted off the island quickly as I'd be starving if there were only fish to eat and at a severe level of crankiness...but, wow, thanks for the vote of confidence!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day be filled with shimmy's and a fez-topped turkey.

I'm Sold: SPIbelt

There are a few things I can't do without when I run: comfortable shoes, my keys, a ponytail holder, and music. I generally try to have an ID or insurance card with me, as well, since the drivers in my town pay little attention to things like people crossing the street.

For the past few years, when I am on a solo (i.e. sans doggie) run or in a race, I've used an armband for my iPhone, and shoved my keys & cards in a small pocket in my pants, or perhaps in my socks, depending on what I was wearing. This started to become a less-than-ideal situation, since my armband seemed to start outgrowing my arms, meaning I often ended up carrying the armband-wrapped iPhone in my hands.

I don't really care to carry things in my hands while I run.

My friend A had been a long-time proponent of a little belt worn around her waist -- almost a fanny pack of sorts, at least to me. I generally don't like anything around my waist, either, but had gotten rather used to it since running with my dog using a hands-free leash. After one last time of my phone ending up around my wrist because I couldn't get the armband tight enough, I caved and bought myself one of these belt doo-hickies.

And I love it.

The SPIbelt is a belt outfitted with a small, neoprene pouch large enough to hold a phone, car key, money, and an ID or card or two. It sits very close to your body, and, the best thing, it doesn't move while you're running. It was so still, in fact, I often forgot I even had it on.

The size out of the package is deceiving...it is so small it's hard to believe it will hold all your goods. But hold them it does. I even had space to spare. And, despite being weighted down with all the goods, it didn't move, at all. I wore it just around my hips, and there it sat.

So call me a convert. How I got along without this gem of an accessory for so long I am not sure.

Like, Gag Me with a Spoon

This past weekend, a group of friends & I tumbled out of bed far too early (well, rather, we had stayed out far too late the night before...rookie move) to head over to the park and participate in the first Awesome 80's Run.

Despite our moods, we were excited to get all dressed up in various shades of neon, put our hair in side pony's or pigtails, and head over to the event. As we rolled up, we could hear the 80's music pounding throughout the concourse, and we were ready to dance (and did...nothing like an 8am dance party).

We took our tutu-clad behinds over to the start line, and that's where things went downhill. The chute for the start was on the opposite side of the street, which meant crossing through folks running the 5K to get there. It also meant getting kind of yelled at if you found a break in the 5Kers to run across and get there. Because of this, we had to wait around 15 or so minutes after the start time to actually get going. It should be noted...it was important to go through the chute itself as that was the only timing mat on the entire route (until the finish).

Before I complain too much, I must say...people got REALLY into the costumes. I don't remember ever seeing so much neon in one place...there were groups of Care Bears, Pac-Man & his Ghosts, Double Dare participants, even dogs in hot 80s colors. At the start, everyone had a smile on their face and were ready to get down and have some fun.

Listen Here: Love Love Love

I heard this song recently, either while I was listening to the album or to Songza (latest obsession, check it out), and it's been haunting me since.

I at first thought it was about an affair, but upon listening to it further, and looking up the lyrics, I don't think that's the case. I think, rather, it is a story of unrequited feelings, and one person taking advantage of the situation.

While it sounds better, methinks, on the album recording, I liked watching the live version so thought I would share.

To the sensitive and tender-hearted among us, I think it will resonate.

Unicorn Sightings

Team "Delta Bravo" and their unicorn

Mer & another supporter of Team DB

This past week, the Red Bull Flugtag event came to San Francisco. 

My friend Meredith (in the 'fro) invited me to tag along with her to support her roommate, who had decided to make a unicorn and try to make it fly.

In which case, wouldn't it be a pegasus? 




We started off the day in the bunker area, enjoying a mimosa or three. Taking a tour around, there were some...ummm...interesting sights, including the Mystery Gang and men in huge red heels (their Flugtag was a huge shoe. Not sure how they thought that would fly, but...). These folks were definitely hoping The Mystery Machine would still be high off Shaggy's special fumes and would take them further across the water. Pretty sure that didn't happen.

The crowd was very excited, hoping to see at least one or two Flugtags make it further than 10 feet. The first couple went off the ramp and fell right into the water. Our Team DB didn't fare much better, taking a dump off the ramp pretty much right after launch.

Team DB's fans eagerly anticipate the launch

Who doesn't?

I know this event happens in other places, but it feels  very "San Francisco." In this this Neverneverland, the thought of so many Peter Pans building something they hope can make them fly, but lacking Tink's pixie dust to get it done, is pretty on the nose.

Please vote!

This isn't another political post (thankfully, those elections are dunzo!).

The Princess Project, which I have talked about several times, is up for San Francisco's favorite charity.

Please take a moment to vote for us!

With your help, we'll get even more comments like these:

Oreo Cookie Cake

Also known as: when baking goes social.

One of the newer social media platforms is Pinterest, which makes us all want to be bakers, party planners, fashion stylists, and home decorators. But, it is also very helpful in finding something fun and a little bit different for a special day!

For me, it was my mom's birthday. I knew she liked chocolate (last year I made homemade Hostess-style cupcakes), and I knew I didn't have a ton of time to make something very complicated (see: homemade Hostess-style cupcakes). So I did a search on Pinterest, and found this recipe.

It's my first Pinterest project, and it looked so yummy, I had to share.