Category Archives: Bookish
Visits to book releases, signings and any author or book related event.
Five Things (4)
We are in the fourth month of the year 2013. Spring has officially begun, but Mother Nature didn’t get the memo. I’m thinking we need to rename the seasons, there is Fall from November to January and then Winter from February to April. May is Spring, June/July is summer and everything else is a sort of muggy uncertainty.
Enough with the weather, that universal topic of conversation; it’s time to talk about FIVE THINGS!
— Thing One —
I love Broadway, so I try to go to a show at least once a year (or more). 2013 started off with Rock of Ages, and it was wonderful! I would recommend this show to anyone – it’s electric!
— Thing Two —
I love getting together in small, intimate groups with friends, especially friends that I consider dear to my heart. This past month I got to hang out with some of my old workmates who are dear friends of mine. We met at someone’s house and spent the day around the table, having brunch then supper and talking about life, work and babies! I think I’m going to pass on the babies! haha
Since it was a brunch get together, we each made dishes and I decided to try a recipe that I found on Pinterest. I’ve done a few successful ones and some not so successful ones, my fave being the Personal Lasagna Rolls, but ever since I started my “Delightful Dishes” board, I’ve always wanted to try the French Toast Bake. So, after some consideration, I made it for brunch and, I have to say, it was DELICIOUS! Instead of brown sugar, I only had white sugar in the house, so I added some molasses (yeah, we have that and not brown sugar) and it gave the base a sort of pancake syrupy taste. Of course one serving was about 500 calories, but, hey, it’s the weekend, I can let my hair down (and loosen the belt).
Other such intimate hangouts included time spent with three other ladies, one who I haven’t seen in a loooong time due to time and distance. That was an awesome evening, I started out hanging with C and we talked about a ton of things and I shared some funny (and disturbing) stories about men, that I was experiencing at the time. Watch this space for a detailed post in a month or so. (hehehe)
Then spending the night at the movies with my soon-to-be-published cousin A.J., watching Jack the Giant Slayer and making fun of the predictable plot. I don’t usually talk during movies in cinemas, but when there aren’t many people there it really is a lot of fun laughing and talking about what’s going to happen next. So predictable.
Then this past Sunday there was a spontaneous Sunday lunch (well I had two lunches, like a hobbit) because I was missing some faces, but only lunch #1 was considered intimate. Large gathering does have it’s time and place as well.
— Thing Three —
Girl Scout Cookies!!!!! The Girl Scouts know about demand and supply. I can’t tell you the number of cookies I’ve consumed in the past two weeks … I’m ashamed to count them! But those Thin Mints and Tagalongs are just SO GOOD!
Just the other day I was on my way to the threading salon where I passed a group of Girl Scouts strategically located right outside of the salon, I was going to purchase 1 box of Thin Mints, but ended up purchasing 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 1 box of Tagalongs. I’m a little tempted to buy a bunch and hoard them, but I’m afraid that might lead to the over-consumption of cookies over the span of a few hours.
— Thing Four —
This might have been my first bookish event this year – I’m slacking, I know! I saw Andrew Jenks, Alaya Dawn Johnson and Eireann Corrigan. I wrote a bit about the event on my book blog, so you can check it out there if you’re interested (and see photos from the event).
— Thing Five —
Finally, The Good and Beautiful God book club met for the second time a few weeks ago. I love reading and discussing books with others, it really does amaze me how two people, reading the same text, can find different insights. I love the sharing of inspiration and ideas that come out from the text. I also love how everyone reads differently and react differently to the text. Discussing books shows me how diverse our world is, I absolutely love it!
~ * ~
Potted Potter: 7 Books in 70 Minutes
Take two guys, seven books, seventy minutes and an assorted array of props and you have Potted Potter! This is a show that Harry Potter fans will truly enjoy.
Dan and Jeff take the audience on a hilarious ride from Platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts as they fearlessly battle dragons, Slytherins and You-Know-Who. There’s a bit of crowd participation with a rousing game of Quidditch and tons of opportunities for laughter. There was hardly a time that I wasn’t laughing!
The one and only issue I had with this show was the closing number – there were times when I couldn’t understand what they were singing, I’m not sure if this had to do with the audio in the theater or the fact that they were singing really quickly and I just couldn’t make out the words, either way, it would have been great to hear all the words of the song! Since this was the very end it felt a bit anti-climactic, which was sad because I thought the rest of the show was hilarious!
Overall, it was a fun experience. I don’t think they are playing in New York anymore, but if you do get the opportunity to see the show in another state/place, it’s definitely a show to watch.
We Were Infinite*
A beach. A long stretch of sand bordered by a layer of large rocks. The sound of the waves gently touching the shore. The smell of salt. The feel of sand between my toes.
The air. The tension in the air is thick. A storm rages outside the metal box where 150 strangers sit. Lightening flashes between the stormy clouds, and the audible sound of breaths being held can be heard. Finally, we fly out of the storm; safe.
Water and colour. A first former approaches and asks, “Can I put powder on you?”. We race around the school yard, avoiding water and powder, but not nearly as concerned as we pretend to be. Then the after, we laugh together.
Whether it was a lazy moment, a funny moment, or the calm moment after an intense experience, there are times in life when we are so present in that moment, so aware of what is happening, not just seeing it unfold but being an active participant in its unfurling. In those moments, we were infinite.
* This post is inspired by The Perks of Being a Wall Flower. Not only is it a great book and (now) awesome movie, but it’s a wonderful story of the difficult life that we face, and the pockets of joy we experience. Each paragraph is a memory.
Dear iBooks, Why You No Open on Macbook?
Apple, this is a problem. Nook’s doing it, Amazon’s doing it, Adobe Digital Editions is doing it, why are you so far behind? The expectation that comes with purchasing an eBook is that I can read it ANYWHERE! On a plane, on the train, in the house, with a mouse … you get the picture?
Not all Macbook owners have iDevices, so I really think it will increase your profits if your users can consume content across all Apple devices, don’t you? You might even win a few people over! It will only be better for your bottom-line, and you know, cloud readers are all the craze now, so why not jump on that crazy-train?
Cordially yours,
iThings consumer.
Eat. Read. Blog 