Books - February 2006

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Funny and sad and fascinating and I loved it even though there's quite a bit of math involved.

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Some Venetians are testy about this book, but at least he promises that it's really nonfiction. My next weekend trip, perhaps?

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
I actually started eating plain yogurt after I read this book. I figure, if the CEO of Cristal can do it, I can too.

Love Bug by Zoe Barnes
I had to read something on that long train ride, didn't I?

Blessings by Anna Quindlen
A sweet story, and if someone could buy me the featured home for my birthday, I'd appreciate it.

The Best of Montana's Short Fiction edited by William Kittredge and Allen Morris Jones
Maybe by the time they publish the next edition, there will be a section devoted to former Montanans' blogs?

Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver
These stories aren't gonna cheer you up, but they will scare you and you won't be sure why.

Blythe's Oscar Poll/Pool

I will be rising at 2a.m. on Monday morning in order to watch the Oscars LIVE via satellite. We even upgraded our TV package so that we now subscribe to the channel where it will be broadcast.

Doesn't my Oscar geekiness inspire you to want to enter my oscar poll/pool? Even if you don't care about the Oscars, use this as an opportunity to hone your online form completion skills. And to let me know you're out there.

Did I mention that there will be prizes?

After you've completed the Oscar poll, check out this awesome supervillian showdown. My money's on Goldfinger. I'm a sucker for the classics.

Idol Chatter

I've finally watched all 2+ hours of American Idol this week. I know you're interested in my opinions, especially since I possess no musical talent and don't even know what "pitchy" means.
-It's the year of the boring skinny long-haired white girls. They're pretty but I only remembered one of them for more than two minutes after she left the stage. I'm glad to see that two of them are already outta there.
-Simon is a genius. If he were quicker with cleverer comebacks, he could kick Randy and Paula offstage completely. He says what I'm thinking EVERY TIME. That guy's smile bugs me too, and singing Copacabana sealed that guy's fate. And attempting songs by the Jackson 5 reeks of high school talent shows. I'm with you, Simon!
-The girl with the attitude must go, on the basis of her dance moves during the final credits alone.
-I went to high school with someone named Bucky, and he looked very much like that sweet kid Kevin. Does that qualify as some kind of six-degrees thing?
-Yeah, Ace is pretty, and he sang a great song that I hadn't heard in a long time. And he's obviously been auditioning for soap operas and TV commercials because he knows how to work the camera. So why does he remind me of the icky Constantine? I'm trying to keep an open mind, though.
-Least favorite performance: David singing one of my favorite Queen songs like a bad Harry Connick Jr. impression
-Loved: Mandisa rocking that Heart song, and that guy who came straight from a karaoke bar and killed the Stevie Wonder song, barely stopping long enough to pull the chaw out of his lower lip.
-Biggest surprise: I started out liking Taylor but I thought the harmonica/Ray Charles impression was a little too much. Then he was joyful and genuine onstage, so although I thought he was going to irritate me, I'm back in his corner.
-My pick: Chris, who I thought was cool even before he did such a good job with classic Bon Jovi.

Doesn't Jeff look like Patrick Dempsey?

His sister says so, not as much in photos but especially in action, and I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to post a photo of Dr. McDreamy. And, the American Idol guy got voted off before I even mentioned him.

Doesn't Jeff look like an American Idol?

Check out this guy. (Thanks, Sandi, for the heads up.)
For all my fans who have never met Jeff, here he is.

Don't worry, they're airing it on our TV too.

What I did on my winter vacation

La Cadiere d'Azur

-Ate a fresh oyster
-Explored Nurnberg like a tourist
-Found the lint trap in my dryer (Honestly, my mom did that. Leave it to Mom.)
-Read a book about Venice while riding in a train through Switzerland and France
-Giggled with my niece
-Ate homemade spaghetti sauce
-Watched Jeff golf in the sunshine
-Downed two steaks, two big plates of fries, heavenly secret sauce, and profiteroles. For lunch.
-Downloaded the latest Coldplay album (I know, I'm way behind)
-Won the remote control battle and watched Olympic figure skating
-Sat in the sun
-Bundled up against the snow

Space Shuttle

Our precious spot

Our parking space is the most fascinating thing about our apartment, for several reasons:
1. It is a double-decker space on an elevator (yes, seriously), so it is possible to park our car, then lower it below ground level so that another car can park above us.
2. The garage is very small, so Jeff has perfected the ten-point turn he must execute when pulling out each morning. Most of the time he doesn't crash into the recycling bins that live directly behind our car.
3. We chose a car that is an EXACT fit for the parking space, meaning that if we increase the length or width of the vehicle by so much as a bumper sticker, it will no longer fit in the space.
4. Its existence means we don't have to fight for parking on the street outside our building. YESSS.

Wilkommen

We're back in Deutschland after a jaunt through French-speaking Europe. I started to use the word "whirlwind" and then I remembered how many hours we spent on the train. Today, we stayed at home and watched the Olympics. British TV coverage is a whole new way to experience the games - I, for one, did not realize that I could become interested in a curling match. I just googled "curling rules" and read up on the scorekeeping system. Alas, I did not find a "Curling rules, Dude" website. Opportunity awaits.

There's a place in France

This dispatch comes to you from the south of France, where my mother ate a duck liver for lunch and where I bought a big old bottle of olive oil from a place where you could taste it like it was wine. The sun is shining, herbs are growing out of the sides of the road, and I'm wondering why Jeff's company picked snowy Bavaria for its headquarters. We are off to Paris on Tuesday. Oo la la!

Visitors!

Mom & Ken

We've spent the weekend entertaining my mom and her husband, who are visiting for the next few weeks. See how cheerful they look, even though they are freezing their butts off?

We are headed out of Deutschland and away from the computer (aack, withdrawal) for the next couple of weeks, so I won't be able to post. But when I return, I'll have all kinds of fun stories about stinky cheese and train conductors (not stinky train conductors). I promise.

This one is rated R

My friend gave her grandma a massage pad for her chair as a Christmas gift. She received this email the other day:

HI, I'M LEARNING THUS MACHINE WHUCH YOUR DAD GAVE ME (HE GOT NEW COMPUTORS FOR THE OFFICE). CAN/T SEEM TO TYPE SMALL LETTERS!!!! OH WELL I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE VIBRATOR THAT YOU GAVE ME. I PUT IT ON THE CHAIR THAT I'M SITIING ON RIGHT NOW, .
LOVE IT. I'M HAVING A HECK OF A TIME TYPING THIS LETTER--------ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. ----- LOVE GRANDMA.

Lists

Consumer products I wasn't sure I would find in Germany, but they are here
1. Swiffer
2. Brita water filters
3. taco seasoning
4. peanut butter
5. Clinique
6. Mr. Clean eraser sponges

Consumer products that I can buy here but would have a hard time finding in the USA
1. Canned kiwi
2. Robbie Williams's latest album
3. Milka chocolate (mmm...smoooooth)
4. Thai chili flavor potato chips
5. Biodegradable everything
6. Shoe cupboards
7. Horse sausage