Being Well Shod

I am a firm believer in shoes. Ask anyone who knows me. I love shoes. One of my greatest joys is to go shoe shopping. One of my second greatest joys is to look at my favorite shoes. (Hello! Christian Louboutins have red the color of Chanel nail polish on the bottom! How amazingly fabulously beautiful shoeiness can you get?)

Anyway, I really want to make sure every day when I leave the house that I am well shod.

Today though I had to leave way earlier for work than I normally do and of course I was running late and of course I was thinking about my busy day ahead (alright, I was really thinking about the pies). I was very proud that I had left close-ish to on time and I was really warm in my car for such a cool day. Then I realized why I was so warm and toasty. I had left with my slippers on. I really don't do mornings well.

Pie Night

The thing I like most about Thanksgiving doesn't actually happen on the fourth Thursday of November. It's the fourth Wednesday I look forward to making pies! I'm sitting in my mom's kitchen right now smelling the cherry and apple pies finishing their time in the oven. The peacan and pumkin have finished and are cooling on the counters.



Mom and I have really gone to town this year. We even made the cherry pie filling from scratch. That means that I get to eat all the left overs. This year I'm thankful for cherry pie filling from scratch. Bakers Square doesn't have anything on us. Marie Calander who? I still have two more to make tomorrow morning. Thank goodness for a large family who likes desserts and who is willing to try new pies.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Perfecto!

What makes the perfect book? Is it the story that's well told? What about the beautiful language the author uses to describe the events that unfold? What about unforgettable characters? Does it require all of these things and then more?

I've read many books in my life. Some of them I've glanced through (Twilight anyone?) and some I've had to savor and go back and re-read time and again just so I understand what it is the author is trying to tell me. Some I really do love. Some I consider brain candy. Each serves their own purpose, and yet I've never learned what the perfect book is. Does it only apply to fiction or can non-fiction works join the ranks of their novel brothers and sisters? How will I know when I come upon that one work that changes me forever?

This weekend I saw some of the earliest writings of civilizations at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago (I'll post more about that later in the week), and it really got me thinking about how important the written language is to the development of civilization. What will be the surviving written language of our generation? Our contribution? Texting?

Top 5 Book for Last 5(ish) Years:
Suite Francaise by Irene Nairovsky
Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Some Serious TV Time...

I have been watching some of my favorite shows as usual this fall and here are a few thoughts on what I've seen this far...

Pushing Dasies
Oh, if every show could just bundle all of the funny and procedural and snark and happiness into one 43 minute show, it would be this one narrorated by the supurb Jim Dale. I want to help Emerson and the gang each week solve the crime. I'm glad that they've moved off the story of Chuck and her aunts this season (altough I am missing seeing Swoozie Kurtz in her eye patch) to delve more into the relationships amoung the four main characters. The more I've gotten to know each of the characters this season and their zany problems, the more I want to know! This show might be on the chopping block though and everyone should watch it to keep it going.

30 Rock
I cannot say how much I love this show. It's only been back for one episode, but it hit out of the park. I just always love them all. Who doesn't want to watch a black man dress as a white woman with monster claws? Plus Oprah!

Heroes
I really love the concepts of this show and I always really love the commitment the actors bring to it. But it's all too...earnest. This season see all of the characters finding new ways of becoming villans and we've seen other characters we thought were villans turn to the light. I want to like it, but I find myself waiting longer and longer before I launch the DVR to play each episode.

The Office
Again this season this show has been a bit uneven. I was so excited to see Michael growing as a person in his relationship with Holly but as most shows do, their investment has to be protected so Michael is back to his sad self...but hopefully not back to Jan. On the Jim and Pam front, I'm glad to see that their relationship has now turned towards the engagement, but I'm not sure what's going on with her in New York. Will Jim be following her? Erm, I have a feeling that Jim might have bigger fish to fry in New York. I am kinda sad though that Andy has become Dwights foil. I liked Jim and Dwight together because Jim never actually means to harm Dwight. This one can only end in a bad place.

Life
I love this show for the character of Charlie Crews. If this show were just his character walking down the street, I would watch it all the time. (Besides Damien Lewis has been on my list as my favorite red head since watching Band of Brothers over and over again.) I wish that they would get back more to the arc story, less of the procedurals, and WAY less of that stupid stero-type of a boss that they're forcing upon Crews' partner, Dani Reese. Plus more Ted. I mean, who doesn't like Adam Arkin? And who doesn't like Adam Arkin with Christina Hendricks playing Crews' new stepmom Olivia?

Ugly Betty
Favorite part of this new season? THEY'RE FILMING IN NEW YORK! I always love to see people filming on location and loving the locations. Least favorite thing about this season? Pretty much everything else. I feel like Betty (the show and the character) have reached the point that she needs to figure out how to move up and on so we can too.

Dancing with the Stars
So this isn't a show you so much watch and let it go through you like a $1.50 burrito at Taco Bell on a Saturday night after you've been drinking too much. It's only tolerable if you fast forward past Samantha. No one has really grabed my attention this season. The new pros that have lasted are whiney (Lacey) and I think the game is now rigged that Brooke is a shoe-in (or foot-in) to win.

I know all of those are shows that have either been on for a while or returned from last season, but I did try a few new shows this fall too...no mixed results there.

Kath and Kim
Avoid this like the STD that these ladies are probably carring. Seriously not funny. Just sad.

Curose
I wanted another island adventure to hold me over until Lost comes back Januauary 21, but this was not to be even with all the manly beauty.

Fringe
Even the furrows of Joshua Jackson's eyebrows were not deep enought to suck me into this show. It just kindda sucked.

My Own Worst Enemy
I was hoping it'd be a fun spy show like Chuck. It is a spy show, just not fun.

To sum up...I will not be watching any new shows this fall. I cannot wait for the mid-season replacements! That's when Dollhouse comes out. Although from what I understand we won't be able to see it until February.

So what it comes down to is that I have to wait until January for the continuing saga that has become Lost. And of course I'm just waiting for January 16 so I can get some closure on Battlestar Galactica. I don't know how I'll get past March when it all ends.

But in the mean time, I have to content myself with rememberences of Mad Men. In honor of that I'm including the link to the Mad Men Live Revue.

Honorable Mention
House
Bones
Stargate: Atlantis
Graham Norton

Veterans' Day, Part Deux

I'm not sure how to approach this...but what I'm about to post is what happens when people's intentions to honor our soldiers meets Americana at its, erm best.



I salute you! But is this really how we see our military?

Veteran's Day

Love love living in this country of ours and I'm especially greatful for those who have fought to make it what it is. Especially you, Mike. I'm very proud of you. I feel a great deal of indebtedness to those who have done something that I know that I'll never do, but I can remember them.

So even though I'm not from our great 51 state...erm I mean Canada I really love the following poem and it means a lot to mean on today for the 11th hour of the 11th month.

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the the crosses, row on row,
That mark the place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up your quarrel with the foe:
To you from falling hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
-Lt. Col. John McCrae

The Monday Blahs

I've decided that I really should not do Mondays.

That goes double for Monday mornings.

I should just not do anything for them. Stay at home, in bed, preferably asleep.

I'll have to figure out how I feel about Tuesdays tomorrow, but I don't think that the future looks very bright for them.

Where Were You When...

That's the question we all asked our parents about certain big events in history that have shaped our lives.

Last night I was doing something about those events. I was voting for the 44th President of the United States of America.

I'm one of probably thousands of people across this country who can say that we've met Mr. Obama on a campain stop. I've voted for him in every primary and every general election I could because I not only agree with his politics, but I genuinely believe he represents what he said about America last night in his acceptance speech. We are the change that can be wrought in the world, not because we want to force our ideals on anyone else or because we have the greatest and the best. We are that hope of building on our past towards a better future. "Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow." That's what our President-Elect told us last night. That's what he's been telling us for the last 21 months. That's why voter turn out was the highest it's been in 40 years. That's why I fell in love with the political process again and contributed.

Thank you Mr. Obama for inspiring us to particiate these last two years. Thank you for letting us know that it was what we can do on an indiviual basis that swells our numbers to that large crowd we saw last night in Grant Park.

Now let's go be the change.