Good Stuff

I've been listening to the B52s lately and quite enjoying myself.

The B52s were quintessential middle school dance/party music back in my day.  And I can see why:  poppy, catchy beats with kid-friendly themes and lyrics.  I really loved "Roam", which was released on their album Cosmic Thing in 1989.  Holy crap, I wasn't in middle school yet!  So make that "elementary/middle school party jams".

I really liked Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife.  The main character, uncontrollable time traveler, Henry, is a charming college reference librarian (woot! librarians represent!).  He is a bit traumatized and experiences what he can of his younger years listening to punk, going to shows, getting loaded out of his mind, and of course, time traveling whether he wants to or not.

When Henry marries his wife, Clare, a well-meaning artist, he is befuddled and bummed that she likes the B52s.  Too bad, Henry.  The lesson we learn here is that happy pop music nicely evens out the rage of punk frustration.  Even though punks supposedly hate hippies, or retro mod funksters like the B52s.

Time Traveler's Wife was a really good read, I highly recommend it.  I got a bit emotional toward the end, though, so tear-jerker alert.

Gimme some of that good stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8OAPhMZPdM

Year in Review: Book List 2011

Well, hello.  Welcome to my brief selection of books I really enjoyed this year.  Melissa asked me the other day what had I read that was any good lately and I completely had a brain flatliner.  Even simple-named Chester Brown slipped from memory, even though Paying for It really blew my mind.  I didn't include it in my run-down, however, since I Never Liked You had more of an emotional pull on me.

Brown's deliberate line drawings are executed so well; the silent moments resonate deeply in their frames.  I Never Liked You was originally published in 1994 and is based on Brown's teen youth years.  Rife with the awkwardness of these times, plus a troubling family dynamic, Brown captures the complexity of these moments of his memory with breathtaking poignancy.  For me, a heavy-sigher of a book.
Here's an interview with Brown on the AV Club HERE.  Read about Brown's bio on the Drawn and Quarterly site HERE.

Next up, Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeny's Book of Lists.  I'm not terribly familiar with McSweeny's, but I like lists and who doesn't like majestic unicorns? When I spotted this at The Book Thing, a free book recycling center in Baltimore (see their site HERE), how could I not give it a try?  Well, it's pretty awesome.  A chuckle here, a laugh-out-loud there, it's pretty durn consistent with good humor.  Of course, I'm a nerd and have nerdy humor.  Nerds in general may, too, enjoy a titter with this book.

I have also been exploring the concept of happiness and how to achieve said state.  So I picked up some Alexandra Stoddard.  I find her books to be nicely laid out, often in short article form so you can pick a topic and ponder it, leaving the book and picking it up again easily another time.  She references a lot of early philosophy, which I appreciate since I am not well read in that background.  Stoddard:  highly recommended.

I also picked up several books by Hay House, a self-help publisher.  Ugh, doesn't that sound like a bunch of hooey?  Help Yourself!  Experience Your Good Now!  Learning to Use Affirmations: doesn't that sound like a load?  Well, dear readers, it's all about what you want to get out of something.  This little book was a quicky to get through, but it had thoughtful pieces of information I have to remind myself to consider.  And some of it is hard work!  Like to not judge others, and to not judge myself.  Try doing that consistently.  It is tough!  But it can be done.

And to end the list I have P.S. Comics by Minty Lewis.  Genius.  She also contributes to the animated show on Cartoon Network, Regular Show (check out clip on Cartoon Network HERE).  P.S. Comics features talking fruit and animals with flaws and humor like what us humans know.  Brilliant.

Oh, plus I read Patricia Bosworth's biography on Diane Arbus. That lady was crazy!  Interesting, fabulous, bohemian, morbid, thoughtful, sleuthing, and wild!  If you don't already know, she was a daring photographer from the 1940s to the 1970s, taking interest in subjects like folks at da beach, carnival workers, mental health wards, and Americana.  If you google some of her images there may be some you recognize from popular culture.

I hope you enjoyed my list!  What are some good reads you had this year?

Today's breakfast: bread and cottage cheese

Breakfasts

Good morning!  I just listened to an article on NPR about disparities among black and white females and obesity rates. (Read/listen for yourself HERE.)  Turns out social and economic factors play a role in making exercise available and appealing to young girls, as does the typical social pressures of being a teenager.  (I chuckled at the "I don't want to get my hair messy," line from the article.  However, I do recall being a self-conscious teenage and carrying around deodorant in my bookbag 'just in case' I got smelly after gym class, or any part of the day.  Yeesh.)

The radio article mentions keeping eating habits in moderation; evening out carbs with protein (and I assume fruits and veggies).  So, I honored this advice with my breakfast by slapping down a blob of cottage cheese along my pumpkin bread.  Look gross?  Well, it's yummy.  Cottage cheese can be substituted with plain yogurt.  No cracks about substituting it with pounds of bacon, please, although of course I would not oppose.  =)

Not shown:  mug of hot water.  An 80-year-old co-worker from my first job introduced me to drinking hot water, a tactic she used to keep warm.  If you guys didn't already know, I am an elderly woman on the inside.  And sometimes on the outside, as to be evidenced by future posts and my fashion sense.  

What 'weird' foods or beverages do you enjoy for breakfast?

Have a great day!


Image by FreeBalloon via DeviantArt: Part of a Balanced Breakfast

Introducing: Me

Ireland, Spring 2011.  Photo by M. Ionescu

Hello!  Welcome to The Collected Life, a magical place of ponderment, kittens, vintage love, adventuring, family and friends; the stuff of life.  Well, my life -- a lovingly collected life.  

I thought a good intro would be to share an article that changed my life not too long ago. This is from the May issue of Yoga Journal, 2011.  It is an article on identity and how we, despite all our achievements or failures and setbacks, are perfect as we are, and how we are not the identities we or outside foreces craft for ourselves.

This un-awareness is called "avidya" (the ignorance of our understanding of self and the universe") and "vidya" is the opposite (knowledge and wisdom through experience).  I won't try to sum up all the detail, but if you are interested, read the online article HERE.

Why all the fuss over an article in a flexy-bendy contortionists' magazine?  Well, I had a revelation not too long ago that occurred while I was on my hands and knees on my bathroom floor.

I was cleaning and it came to me:  That I would much rather be  creating a pleasant living space, cleaning up fecal matter, piss spray, bacteria and hair, wiping down the toilet, bathroom floors and walls of my home... than doing what I was doing for a living.  

So, I left.  

And while I guess that doesn't make me a school librarian any longer (or a School Library Media Specialist for the 'official' title), it doesn't make me a failure or less of a person, despite the Masters degree and massive debt.  It was an experience, one that brought me great pleasure and pain, including the photo above, from an overseas student field trip to Ireland.  Good times, looking back.  Most things look alright from the back. =)

What's your biggest "A-ha!" moment?  (not sure I like that term, but I get what it means.  I guess for me it was more like, "Jesus-Christ, what-took-me-so-long-to-figure-this-out?!!"-moment)

Kitty Loaf!  Aka Cat Bread / Nekopan!