Wordstock

I've mentioned Wordstock in years past. It's one of my favorite Portland events. And it starts in 3 days! This year, while the focus is firmly centered on books, there is also a part that is dedicated to food. I love the theme: Don't be a picky reader, be a literary omnivore. I love the tie-ins at local grocery stores.

See you there!

My Fortune in the Recycling Bin

How stupid am I? Well let me tell you... In the name of being organized and fitting all my stuff in my car while being a travel nurse, I ripped pages I wanted to keep out of magazines instead of keeping all the intact issues. That seems smart, right? Well look at this!

Everybody Reads!

Portland libraries have a yearly project where they pick a book, provide lots of copies, get the local bookstores to sell it at a discount, host book clubs and other events, and write a blog about it. While the idea of a city-wide book club might seem a little utopian even in Portland, in past years I've done this and always enjoyed it. A few years ago, while on jury duty, several other potential jurors were also reading the book and we had a little impromptu book group. Always nice when I find like-minded book nerds. Wondering if you should join in, that all depends on whether you see "Everybody Reads" as a suggestion or a command.

When You Care Enough to Hit Send

You know all those IM abbreviations like lol and rotflmao. Well, ever since I found someecards, I have been csak. I can't guarantee these are sweet, endearing, or appropriate, but they are darn funny and free! Here are a few I have either sent or wish I had reason to send recently.

Not Quite What I Was Planning

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But can six words be worth more than six words? After reading this book, I absolutely think so. Not Quite What I Was Planning, written by all sorts of people and edited by Smith Magazine, contains hundreds of six-word memoirs. The intro says, "Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. Papa came back swinging with, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." And the six-word story was born." Hemingway's story is heart-rending. This book contains some that are just as bleak, others that are full of happiness, humor, sarcasm, or hope. Here are a few of my favorites...

Seventy years, few tears, hairy ears. - Bill Querengesser

Saw the world, now where's home? - Hannah Silverstein

Quietly cultivating my inner Lynda Carter. - Joanna Sheehan

Many risky mistakes, very few regrets. - Richard Schnedl

Happy now that I know myself. - Anne Maiwald

Hope my obituary spells "debonair" correctly. - Gregg Easterbrook

Asked and answered, asshole, next question. - Joe Lockhart (funnier if you know he was the White House Press Secretary during the Clinton impeachment trials)

Five feet, but in your face. - Toby Berry (for my short mom who, when people meet her, has been told that she sounded taller on the phone)

Full life; impossible to summarize in - Matt Love

Underachieving... but willing to overcompensate halfheartedly. - Frank J. Lepiane

Well, I thought it was funny. - Stephen Colbert (If he said it, I'm pretty sure it was funny)

This imperfect life, perfect for perfectionist. - Sarah Gardner

Put whole self in, shook about. - Melissa Delzio (I just liked this one but turns out she's a graphic designer from Portland)

Fearlessness is the mother of reinvention. - Arianna Huffington (love her or hate her, reinvention is good)

I'm the fine print; read closely. - Kristina Grish

Must remember: people, gadgets. That order. - Brian Lam

I can resist everything except temptation. - Carolina Conte

Smart, humble, shy. Notice me, please? - Ryan Kucera (this one could be mine)

Share yours here

Top 5 Books to Read on Planes

Once you've completed the in-flight mag sudoku and played the trivia game on the screen in the headrest in front of you, deciding maybe you should sit out a few rounds and give the other passengers a chance to win, you need something to read.

I think a plane book is pretty close to a beach read, just a few differences. Plane books aren't just fluffy, they are funny. Sitting on the beach with or without a book is enjoyable, sitting in a plane for a cross-country flight is not. So the book has to be a bit more fun to make the flight tolerable. Also, the book should be somewhat respected, people might see you. This doesn't mean it has to be Middlemarch or As I Lay Dying, but maybe it also shouldn't be a Harlequin romance (careful if you're at work, and did you know there was a Harlequin NASCAR category!).

1) Bridget Jones's Diary - The first time I it read was on a plane. I wished I had it on my most recent plane trip. It's funny, I relate to it, perhaps a bit too much, and it's more respected than most of the other rom-coms.

2) I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Bill Bryson is the consummate travel writer. Maybe not as a guide book, but as a companion to travel or a friend to help you reminisce after you get home. I have loved every book of his I have read. This one was so funny I was embarrassed on the plane. And then I read several parts out loud to my dad on the ride home from the airport.

3) Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris is always funny and I can't wait till this Friday for his lecture. And this book is my favorite. Maybe it's because I grew up in SC, he in NC, and we have both lived in France, feeling so lost in a foreign language and culture, and yet loving it at the same time.

4) The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing - One of my all-time favorite books. I think I have read it twice, both during travel. There is one weird, out-of-the-blue chapter in the middle but keep with it and it will make sense in the end.

5) To Kill A Mockingbird - While it may not be funny or especially light, it is the book I have re-read more than any other and my favorite book of all time. I like to read it on a train, or on a plane, in a box, or with a fox. I like to read it here or there. I like to read it anywhere!

The holiday season is almost here and that means lots of travel... Any suggestions?

Your Right To Read

I love reading. I got my new Multnomah library card this weekend. I thought it was a good way to celebrate Banned Books Week. Here's a little more info:

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary. BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

Wondering what to read? Here's a list including my favorite book of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird

Wondering what you can do? Here are some ideas.

And if you live in Portland, you can go to this event.

Saturday, October 4, 1–2:30 p.m. - Central Library, U.S. Bank Room
Please join us for Banned Books Week, an annual celebration that highlights the importance of intellectual freedom and reminds us to cherish this precious democratic right. Lawyer Steven T. Wax will be our guest speaker. As head of the Oregon Federal Public Defenders' Office, Mr. Wax was responsible for representing inmates at Guantánamo. He also represented Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon lawyer who was falsely linked to the Madrid train station bombing. His book, Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror — A Public Defender's Inside Account, examines this and other cases and the erosion of civil liberties in the wake of 9/11.

A Loss for Words?

Take this quiz to see how many of the 100 most common words you know.   It's harder than you think.  I got 43.

826 - Reading Fun for Everyone

Have you heard about the 826 program? Here's a little bit about it:

"826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations in seven cities across the country. Our goal is to assist students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. Our work is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success."

If there isn't a program in your city, there are probably other literacy or writing programs. And if not, you can always support an 826 center by shopping at one of their online stores. They each have a unique theme and items you probably can't find anywhere else.

826 Valencia (San Francisco) - The Pirate Store - All sorts of treasures like Pirate Dice and Eye Patches
826 Chicago - The Boring Store - The name must be ironic, none of this stuff is boring. I want A Sunday Afternoon Hotdog Meal. It's a field guide to Chicago written by 200 elementary school students.

826 Michigan - The Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair Store - How can you resist a CD called I'm Not a Philosopher, I am Just a Green Monster: Songs of Monster Protest.

826 NYC - The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. - They don't yet have an online shop but don't these capes, canned muscles, and bottled elastic fantastic make you want to stop in.
From 826 Seattle - The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. - No online store yet but the promise of space travel is very enticing. And you can peek in to see what's going on.

826 LA - Echo Park Time Travel Mart - This is the store that first caught my attention. Amy Martin's (blog, flickr) Time Travel Agency posters are so beautiful. I want them all but especially this one:

Pretty, Pretty Words

Summer is the season of parties, BBQs, and other events that require invitations. There are so many wonderful letterpress companies out there but if you want to make your own, a nice font is one way to personalize them.

Have you seen this. geoGreeting, a site that uses the shapes of buildings as seen from above to spell out your message.
I think this one is perfect for spring/summer. The Butterfly Alphabet. You can order pictures, posters, and send e-cards. And you can choose the butterfly alphabet
or the nature alphabet

Helvetica is great, so clean and simple. Anything Crate & Barrel uses is good enough for me. But sometimes you need a more decorative font. I love this site. They have so many cute fonts and themes. And they're FREE!!!  I just spent about 2 minutes looking around and found all these.  Imagine the possibilities.

Top 5: McSweeney's Essays

I love McSweeney's and have Lizzy to thank for that obsession. We even saw Dave Eggers at Wordstock in 2006.

So here are my top five essays. And I should really preface that with - in recent history - it's so hard to remember all the brilliance and pick only 5, I just couldn't put them in specific order. And apparently I couldn't only pick 5 so consider the other 2 bonuses, one for each day of the week.

1) YAHOO'S MAILER-DAEMON AUTOMATED REPLY FOR FAILED E-MAIL DELIVERY IS GETTING A LITTLE TOO INTIMATE.

2) RILKE'S LETTERS TO A YOUNG PLUMBER

3) THE GIRLS OF THE HILLS VISIT IRAQ

4) UNDERSTANDING FOOD LABELS YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER AT WHOLE FOODS.

5) FAVORITE GERUND MOVIE TITLES, UN-GERUNDED

6) "OH MY SWEET CAROLINA" BY RYAN ADAMS. Essay by Nick Hornby

7) THIRTY-NINE QUESTIONS FOR CHARLIE DANIELS UPON HEARING "THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA" FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS.

Chick Lit?

A few years ago in Portland I went to a lecture at McMenamin's Kennedy School by Whitney Otto, who wrote How to Make an American Quilt. (There was also another female author lecturing but I don't remember who she was). I had seen Whitney the year before at Wordstock and she was funny so Lizzy and I went to see her again. Well, the discussion turned to books by female authors that are most often read by women. The question - Is Chick Lit a derisive term? They wondered why there wasn't a similar term for books most often read by men? If there were a term, what would it be? Dear blog readers, will you be offended if I tell you that the best suggestion was for calling it dick lit?  Or is it that most books are either read by both genders or women only.  Does the category read mostly by men only already have a name - comic books?

Anyway, I just read Austenland, by Shannon Hale. It's about a girl obsessed with Mr Darcy to the detriment of her own love life. Her grandmother sends her to a "camp"in England where you get to spend 3 weeks acting and dressing like the Regency period. The book was cute and if you too are obsessed with Mr Darcy, Colin Firth, Pride and Prejudice, or Pride & Prejudice, it's worth reading. But here's something interesting I noticed in the front of the book, in the Library of Congress info where they categorize the book, did you know there is a category for Chick Lit?

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A Love Reaffirmed

I love NPR. And here in DC, although it's a big city with lots of colleges, the radio stinks. Which means I listen to NPR almost constantly in my car. And today, while driving to Trader Joe's (about half my credit card bill is there every month), I was reminded of why I love NPR. Here's something I never thought I would see together in a sentence - NPR reviewed the new album by Britney Spears, and actually gave it a positive review. Hearing this reminds me of what I love about myself and also so many of my friends. The intelligent, serious, responsible side that also holds a funny side that loves pop culture. Nothing like hearing the Fresh Aire credits being read over a little Britney.

The Line That Divides Man and Bum

Am I turning into George Costanza?

I live in a large apartment building with a big wall of mailboxes and a big trash can for unwanted mail for those who don't recycle. Yesterday, I checked the mail, and sitting on top of the trash can was an issue of The New Yorker and an issue of Elle Decor. They were on top of the can, not in it, not sitting near the top but technically below the brim, but ON TOP. Anyway, they aren't there anymore, they are now on my bedside table. Is that gross or just environmentally conscious since I'm reusing and I'll recycle them when I'm done?

I'm Getting In Late But I'm Still In

Apparently November is National Blog Posting Month. I've been quite the blog slacker lately and this may be just the kick in the rear I need. Lots of people are celebrating by posting everyday. Well, I've already missed the first few days and probably won't post everyday with my work schedule, but I am going to try to post more. No guarantee I won't sacrifice quality for quantity.

P.S. I also updated my blog's color scheme in honor of my new determination.

Wrapped Up In Books

I like to read. See there on the right, the very first thing I list is the books I like or am reading. I keep a journal of what I read. My dream house would have a library with extra-tall ceilings so I would need one of those rolling ladders to reach the top shelf. So it makes sense that Kelly just invited me to join goodreads.com and I love it. You can find books you have read and rate them. You can "linkup" with friends and see what they have read and how they rate those books. And they have book groups so you can join groups with similar interests and see what they are discussing. And it's all FREE!

P.S. That picture used to hang in my room when I was a little girl.

Bad Grammar Makes Me [Sic]

I recently visited friends at the Jersey shore and all along the boardwalk were examples of bad grammar and spelling, jalapeno popper's, ceaser salad, etc. We were delighted. So imagine my joy when driving home yesterday, I saw a car with a Westminster College sticker and a license plate frame that said "Yeild to the Princess." Way to advertise your education and call it into question at the same time.

I like grammar but know I make my own fair share of mistakes. One of the worst is that now, after learning French on a mission, a language where "there is" and "there are" are the same, I make that mistake all the time in English.

But the bright side is, I know how to use the subjunctive tense.

Funny Things from This Week

The past few nights I had a patient with TB. It's not as scary as it sounds but it does require all sorts of warning signs on the door, a special negative pressure room that sucks in air so his infected air doesn't go out into the hall, and since I haven't yet been fitted for a mask, I get to wear a filter strapped around my waist attached by a tube to a big plastic hood over my entire head, that's hot! As funny as that mental image is, what made me laugh was the poster in his room. He's a young guy and obviously has a good sense of humor about having TB and being in the hospital.
Then today, I went to the library to get a funny book, Naked by David Sedaris, for my flight tonight. While on the elevator I overheard this gem of a conversation:

Guy with questionable taste in music: "So do you know Savage Garden?" My friend said I could borrow some of his CDs. But I'm not sure I want to listen to 90s pop."
Musically clueless girl: "I'm not sure about that but the 80s did have some good music."
GWQTIM: "Oh yeah, like what?"
MCG: "Simon and Garfunkel."

And then they stepped off the elevator before I could educate them. I realize Flock of Seagulls had some crazy hair but did she really think anyone in the 80s would have had Paul's mustache or Art's Jewish 'fro?

Nurse's Week - Fifth and Final

So this post is a day early becuase I am going out of town tonight. More on my trip to Portland later. Nurse's Week was good, my patients were fairly healthy and the management bought us pizza.

I feel I must make one confession/clarification; I don't actually own these books, I was looking for an image for Nurse's Week and found a few of the covers and they led to this website, more for your enjoyment there.

"The tall, leggy blonde grinned at Poppy. 'Frankly - I was so glad to get out of that Alice-in-Wonderland outfit that I bought myself ten new uniforms!' She stood up. The nylon uniform hugged her curves like skin. 'Who'd like to take bets on whether I marry a rich patient or a rich doctor?'"













"You nurses make me sick to my stomach," she snorted. "Letting on that you're so much better than other people. Money doesn't matter to you. You're only interested in being noble and dedicated." Her voice mocked. "Everyone has his price, sweetie. What's yours?"

Nurse's Week - To the Fourth

"Oh, I gave him the brush-off tonight,” the blonde nurse declared. “Big car, big talk—and big promises, none of which, I found out, he had any intention whatever of keeping. It seems to be the story of my life, getting stuck with such crumbs. I wish there was a lab test that would show up the fakers and chiselers—or are there any other kind, where men are concerned?”










"It isn’t as simple as that!” “No,” he said quietly. “It isn’t. Because love has to be a little of both. It has to be idealistic, yes. But it has to be physical too. One is no good without the other. You can’t love a man with your mind.”