Artists of the Month
- Basement Jaxx: "Raindrops" on repeat, baby! Still not even close to being tired of this song
- Passion Pit: Manners is an excellent album, and "The Reeling" is definitely Summer jam #2
- The Duke & The King: their songs sound like things that I've known my whole life, even though they are brand new; so soothing and comforting. A cross between Ben Taylor and Chris Bathgate.
- Federico Aubele: Fell in love with his song "Luna Y Sol" at first listen. It's gorgeous and makes me think of being someplace sundrenched.
- Calvin Harris: this month Calvin brings it with an exclusive for Coke called "Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La." There are cute little monsters with big black eyes involved. The only thing that could make it better is Scotty's little sidekick from Star Trek.
Things I Cooked
- Grilled flank steak
- Curried rice with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts
- Chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies
- Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, asparagus, capers, and shrimp in a lemon vinaigrette
- Zucchini and egg-white frittata-ish things
- Smoked salmon, dill, and butter on rye
Movies
- Tell Tale
- Moon
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- Star Trek
- Star Trek (yes, twice - it IS that good!!)
- Angels & Demons
Books
- Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon. The first Chabon novel that I have ever been able to breeze though; even his young adult book about fantasy creatures and baseball was an uphill struggle, but this one was an easy reading pleasure. I haven't seen the movie since it first came out when I was in high school, but I couldn't get Michael Douglas's voice out of my head as the narrator. he was really good casting for the part of Grady, or at least it seems so in retrospect. And it was another book that featured Passover - what's up with that?
- In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan. Omnivore's Dilema is one of my favorite books, and Pollan doesn't quite deliver the same shock in awe moments of that book in this follow up. However, he does provide some good tips on how to eat better and navigate the products of agribusiness with which we find ourselves face-to-face every day.
- Why We Buy, Paco Underhill. Somehow I missed reading this essential retail marketing book when I was in Farnham. I just don't know how it could have slipped by.... Unfortunately, his catch phrase that "The ovious isn't always apparent" isn't so true when one has read as many other business and marketing books as I have. It was good to read it, and I was able to plough through it in one day, but it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know.- The Alienist, Caleb Carr. Highly recommended by Jules and my mother. It took a little while to get into it, but once that happened, I read it voraciously. A good mystery story; sort of a proto-CSI. Also, the historical aspect of the setting was fascinating. Interesting to think about what life in New York was like in the late 1800s - so much was different, but also so much has stayed the same.
- The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde. Bryce told me it was odd, and indeed it was. Can't say I would recommend this one. It's too all over the place, trying to be a lot of things and not succeeding at any of them.
- Brooklyn, Colm Toibin. A really lovely book with solid, honest characters. I greatly identified with the main character who moves across the Atlantic and must learn to adapt to a new environment and deal with homesickness - themes to which I can relate just a little bit.
