Did I forget to post about my exciting acquisition of cookbooks?
I think I might have.
Sorry about that.
Yeah, so, I got a whole lot of cookbooks from a dear friend, Friedel, who was downsizing her own collection. And by "a whole lot", I mean she's more than doubled my cookbook collection. In case you don't believe me, here's a before photo of my cookbook collection, and below is the after shot.
So many gorgeous books with delicous recipes, so little time. I've poked through a few of them so far, but really need to flag some recipes to try. I must confess, I've not done much "cooking" this summer. My evenings have been busy, and I've been mostly grilling things on the barbeque or foraging in the fridge, which is easy to do with so much fresh summer produce. Also, when it gets hot I don't usually feel much like cooking. That's what Fall and Winter are for, right?
I'm looking forward to doing some experimenting this Fall/Winter and will certainly keep you posted!
Thanks again Friedel! These books have found a good home!
Remember my update a week ago about how little progress I've made on my 2010 To Do List? Well, I'm happy to report that, thanks to a new friend (who lives as far away as Hong Kong!), I'm finally making some progress now. It's amazing how a reading companion can make all the difference and offers exactly the motivation I needed to get started and (hopefully) get through the book!
So here's our approach:
The book is broken up into 8 sections, and each section is about 100 pages. We're going to read one section a month. It's a very manageable goal and there's still lots of time for you to join in if you are interested. In fact, we'd love for you to join us in our Anna Karenina read-along.
The hardest part I've found about reading this book is keeping the characters straight - there are so many names, patronymic names, surnames that are similar. But Sarah has outlined them nicely (without spoilers) in her Anna Karenina Read-Along blog post, which is an enormous help. And once you get into the story, it gets easier to keep the names straight (or so I'm finding now that I've made a bit of progress).
So, what do you think? Has Anna Karenina been sitting on your shelf for years, like mine has, just waiting to be read? Or, have you always wanted to read Leo Tolstoy but never had the time or courage to delve into his books? Want to give it a try? There's no time like the present!
I'm done! The conference was a success - or at least the reports I'm getting suggest it was. And now I'm free to enjoy the summer. It's surprising how something can really consume every waking moment (and even some of my sleeping moments too!). I hadn't quite realised what I was getting myself into when I agreed to chair the Local Arrangements for a 3 day conference for about 250 people. It was a big job - much bigger than I expected! But everything worked out well, and ran much more smoothly than I expected. Even the weather cooperated. At the beginning of the week the forecast was calling for 70% rain on the two nights we had weather-dependent activities planned....and both days the weather turned completely around and really couldn't have been better!
After the conference I took some time off to escape to the cottage. Knowing that after a full and busy week of being "on", I knew I'd need some time to be "off". I booked the cottage for the week immediately following the conference figuring that would be the best way to shut down and reboot. I guess this defines me as an introvert, eh?Ahh, the cottage is so wonderful! Peace and quiet, no routines, no obligations or responsibilities or rules. I slept when I felt like sleeping, read when I wanted to read, ate when and what I wanted to eat, watched movies, and listened to CBC Radio almost constantly. Such luxury!
My list of 'accomplishments' during my week of solitude: 1. Started & finished "The Secret Life of Bees" 2. Started "Anna Karenina" 3. Watched: "I've loved you so long", "Slumdog Millionaire", and "Everything is Illuminated" - three lovely movies for the cottage. 4. Also watched: Anne of Green Gables and the Sequel...because it's hard to knit and read subtitles (for 2 of the movies in #3)....and because it's also a perfect movie for the cottage. 5. Finished the strangling vines lace scarf I've been working on for far too long. And started & finished a pair of handwarmers from Joelle Hoverson's "Last Minute Knitted Gifts". 6. Went to the Annapolis Royal Farmer's Market bright and early on Saturday morning and came back only with a loaf of brioche. 7. Saw a beaver swimming in the lake and startled it (by accident, I promise) which made it slap it's tail on the water and then dive under out of sight.8. Kept the wood stove going on the one damp chilly day I had while I was there.9. Slept!
Now I'm back in the city, back to work and back to routine. After spending such an extended time planning for this conference, I'm actually really looking forward to getting back into my actual work. The question is....where to start!
This is the view I enjoyed for a long afternoon at the cottage.And these were the sounds - a light breeze and the rippling lake against the wharf:
One of the delights of the cottage is the luxury to sit down with a good book and not have to get up for anything. It's a perfect place to shut out the world and immerse yourself in the world of your book. In my case, the book I was reading took me back to pre-American Civil War times in Kentucky. I finally finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, and I have to say this book shot way up to the top of my favourites. First of all I was completely caught off guard by the underlying themes. Yes, I knew the book was an indictment against the injustices of slavery and was very forward-thinking of its female author. In fact, Harriet Beecher Stowe has become a sort of hero to me now. The text, the language, is very pointed to particular social groups and at the time it was written in 1851 it had to have been very shocking to its readers. HBS was very counter-cultural and I dig that! But what I didn't expect was the message of hope and forgiveness in the midst of some of the worst kinds of treatment a human could endure by the hands of another. Uncle Tom's heartfelt desire was not really for his own earthy freedom, because he knew he would receive freedom in Heaven one day. No, his heartfelt desire was for his Master's freedom - freedom from that which has separated him from God, and freedom that comes from being released in forgiveness.
This is a long post, but I have to share these passages from the book with you. I hope they give you as much food for thought as they did for me. AND, if you haven't read Uncle Tom's Cabin - do!
On the abuses of slavery, the author writes to the reader:
"Patience! Patience! ye whose hearts swell indignant at wrongs like these. Not one throb of anguish, not one tear of the oppressed is forgotten by the Man of Sorrows, the Lord of Glory. In his patient, generous bosom he bears the anguish of a world. Bear thou, like him, in patience, and labour in love; for sure is he is God, "the year of his redeemed shall come." (Ch.12)
And when George, a slave who doubts the presence of God, finds refuge in a Quaker home:
"This, indeed, was a home, -- home, -- a word that George had never yet known the meaning for; and a belief in God and trust in His providence, began to encircle his heart, as with a golden cloud of protection and confidence, dark, misanthropic, pining, atheistic doubts and fierce despair melted away before the light of a living Gospel, breathed in living faces, preached by a thousand unconscious acts of love and good-will, which, like a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple shall never lose their reward. (Ch.13)
And from St. Clare, on the hypocrisy of the church's support and justification of slavery:
"Religion! Is that what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion that is less scrupulous, less generous,less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, not for something beneath."
Two boxes of books from my undergrad days! Hooray! I've been looking for these books since I've been back in Nova Scotia, but couldn't find them. As it turns out, they were packed carefully in boxes and tucked safely away - so safe, they weren't found until now!
Opening these boxes was like Christmas all over again! They're mostly books from my undergraduate degree in English Literature, and a few books from my childhood. The children's books are some of my favourites that I pulled out of boxes years ago in 3rd and 4th years, with the idea of using them for my Children's Literature classes.
So, here are the favourites found in these 2 boxes:
How to Make Pop-Ups by Joan Irvine. My favourite craft book as a child and I've often wondered where it disappeared to. It would be a really fun activity for my "Little" and I to do together.
Maggie Muggins & Mr. McGarrity by Mary E. Grannan. The first chapter book I remember reading all by myself. I don't remember the story at all so I'm half-tempted to reread it.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiesen. A book from my Writer & Nature (I) class. This came to mind recently as I've been reading through Three Cups of Tea. Both books are about self-discovery in the moutains, and reference the same moutaineers.
Tales of Terror books. My last year of University I took a Tales of Terror course. It was one of the most difficult courses in my academic career, but the subject matter was one of my favourite. I mean, c'mon, who WOULDN'T love reading all the gothic classics. And every once in awhile - usually during a storm - I have a craving to reread one.
I spent some time this evening finding new homes for these strays. I still have a bit of room left, but may have to consider another bookshelf eventually.
While I was in Toronto, I went on a little shopping spree. I wasn't shopping clothes at designer shops, or for anything extravagant. I was shopping for things I knew I could get cheaply in Toronto, that I would pay more for here.
My favourite purchases were from one of my favourite stores in Toronto, Andalous. It's an import store where you can sometimes find neat things for really cheap, and then other times you find nothing at all. This time I found a cute purse (on sale from $28, down to $10), and 2 leather belts, one black one brown, for $5 each. I also made a trip to Chinatown to get supplies for a Chinese theme night I'm having in about a week. I picked up 3 new pairs of chopsticks, chopstick holders for beginners, paper lanterns to decorate with and a Chinese fan as a souvenir for a little girl I know.
And, of course, I couldn't resist a little wool shopping. We stopped at Lettuce Knits in Kensington (how did I miss this shop when I was in Toronto?), but I showed restraint and saved my money for Romni. Romni is probably not the best knitting store in Toronto, but it's definitely the most amazing! It's not difficult to be overwhelmed when you walk inside.
The shop is big, and it's piled high with fibre of all kinds. There are at least 5 of the aisles like the one above, and then there's the basement (which is even more cramped), and a side room by the entrance where you can find knitting books and more wool. The prices are reasonable, for the most part, and naturally they have a huge selection of everything to do with wool. It was hard to decide on what to get and I ended up with an armful of wool that I had to reject (for the sake of my bank account). I settled on this Malabrigo Silky Merino. It's my first Malabrigo and I have no idea what I'll knit with it - I really just loved the colour (Redwood Bark).And I also came back with a few books. Not as many as I had hoped because I missed the St. Michael's College Booksale, but I did spend some time browsing BMV and Book City and came away with three books that look promising. One in particular, Three Cups of Tea, I've been wanting to buy for quite awhile now, so I was especially pleased with this purchase.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with my purchases. I actually didn't spend that much money, but came home with a few things I'll get lots of use out of!
I was tagged with this little exercise and decided to take up the challenge and go through my bookcase.
Here's what I've read, from A to Zed:
Alcott, Louisa May, Little Women Buck, Pearl S., Imperial Woman Carr, Emily,Hundreds and Thousands Diament, Anita, The Red Tent Eliot, George, Middlemarch (does it count if I skimmed most of this one?) Frye, Northrup,The Bush Garden Golding, William, Lord of the Flies (o.k. so I'm digging back to high school for this one) Hosseini, Khaled, The Kite Runner Itani, Frances, Deafening Johnson, E. Pauline,Flint & Feather: The complete poems of E. Pauline Johnson Kogawa, Joy,The Rain Ascends and Obasan Lewis, David E., A Lover Needs A Guitar McKay, Ami,The Birth House Naipaul, V.S., Miguel Street Ondaatje, Michael, The English Patient Poe, Edgar Allan, The Tales of (for my "Tales of Terror" class) Q Rutherfurd, Edward,London Snicket, Lemony,A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginnings Theone, Bodie & Brock, The Zion Chronicles and The Zion Convenant series U Vanier, Jean, Becoming Human Winchester, Simon,The Professor and the Madman X Y Z
I tried list the most recent books read, though I seem to have read a lot of books by authors with names starting with L, M, and R.
This reminds me, I'll be in the Valley this weekend, and will have to make a point of going through some of my boxes of books. My mother is anxious to see some of the boxes gone. Little does she know, I'm actually hoping to target some of the books from her boxes that I read and are my favourites.
I've been on a bit of a "chick lit" kick lately. Since the Fall I've read a number of books that tell the story of strong female characters.
As it turns out, three of the books focussed on the lives of women who were midwives. It was interesting to read these books together and to compare and contrast the role of the midwife in three different cultures and historical contexts: a rural Nova Scotia village ca. 1915 in The Birth House ; a nomadic tribe of Israel ca. 1850 BC in The Red Tent; and a trival village in Sierra Leone, ca. 1757 in The Book of Negroes. Folk/tribal traditions, the art of learning from an experienced and respected matriarch and rites of passage are all common themes when it comes to midwifery in these books. There are also common underlying themes of 'leaving' and 'returning' which reflect more than just a change of perspective, but also a definition of self identity.
The only book that didn't fit this theme was Imperial Woman. This book was quite the opposite, about a woman who rose from a concubine to the Empress of China by her skills and wisdom and her unrelenting drive for power. Of the four books, this one took me the longest to read because it's written in a very different style. The language is not emotive, but instead describes in a matter-of-fact way the events that unfold throughout the novel. And there's a lot of repetition of events which makes the book sometimes tedious to get through. I found it difficult to sympathise with Tz'u Hsi, the Empress, because she was so hard-hearted and so consumed by her greed for power and control. But yet the culture and the history reflected in the plot (the transition from a China rejecting Western influences, to a China that embraces Western influences) are fascinating and well worth the read. I should also mention that Pearl S. Buck is a Nobel Prize winner, which automatically makes her worthy to read, right!? :)
I heartily recommend all 4 books! So stop reading this blog, and go read one!
746.43 is the Dewey Decimal reference to Knitting.
I've finally gotten around to activating my library card. I've had it for months, and even popped in to my local library to check it out but, being pressed for time, I didn't actually activate my card. Well, this week I finally made a trip to the library close to work and got the deed done.
Of course I went with a purpose...I wanted a book! Thirty minutes later, I left with 3 books + 2 DVDs + 1 CD, and a request for another CD at another branch. Here's what I borrowed:
I'm very pleased! Mostly because I found what I wanted AND I'm saving money! Two great reasons for more frequent visits to the Library.
On another note, let me rant for a quick minute aboout how disappointed I was with Pride & Prejudice. Perhaps it's because I recently watched the BBC (1995) mini-series version of P&P - all 5 hours of it! It was truly wonderful and I'm not ashamed to admit that I crushed on Colin Firth thereafter (though I think I'm over it now). This film version didn't do the book justice, and didn't hold a candle to the other version. It seemed to me that this version was almost schlocky with it's predictable filmography and cheap shots (ie. very unconvincing city scenes) and with Keira Knightly's so-called "classic beauty", but not so classic acting skills. Anyway, if you're going to see Pride and Prejudice, don't bother with the 2005 version. Instead plan to set a block of 5 hours aside some time to watch the 1995 BBC version.
Post-tropical storm Noel has come and gone, and none of us here in my little corner of the world seem any the worse for wear. Millie and I hunkered down last night for a quiet evening in (taking a pass on a family birthday party) to listen to the storm.
In the video you'll see the start of the storm - heavy rain, the blowing bushes and trees, and the wind blowing the water on the pavement (it's being blown up the slope of the parking lot). It was quite spectacular. And that was only the very start at around 5pm. The worst of the storm hit around midnight, but I was sound asleep and missed it all.
About 3am, the wind took out the power. According to CBC about 150,000 households in NS were without power; 60,000 of those in Metro Halifax. So I made the best of a dark and stormy morning with lots of candles, my solar powered radio, and a good book.
I'm half-way through Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck, and quite enjoying it! It was a struggle reading this morning - all cozy under the quilt in candle-light. I kept falling asleep! Read 1 page, sleep for 20 mins, wake up to feed the cat, read 20 pages, doze for awhile. What a great way to spend a morning!
And while I was relaxing, Millie was keeping watch and guarding our apartment from any rogue leaves blowing by the patio door. This kept her occupied for hours, and was quite funny to watch.
Now it's back to normal. The storm has cleared, and the sun was out this afternoon. Our power came on at 4:30. I'm glad to have hot water again.
I bought it last night at a Public Lecture given by Raymond Moriyama at Pier 21 in Halifax. He was invited to speak as part of the Nova Scotia Architect's Association's 75th anniversary celebrations.
When I saw this event advertised, I was excited to finally have an opportunity to hear Moriyama in person, and possibly even meet him. After spending so much time with his work, I'm starting to understand a bit more about the process, and about how Moriyama connects the mind, body and soul into the architectural design of his buildings.
His topic for this lecture was "sustainable architecture". And he talked mostly about the design of the Canadian War Museum, and the subtle details of the museum's architecture which reflect the stories of war. It was absolutely fascinating. For example, did you know that the windows along the hall are morse code for CWM (Canadian War Museum), and "Lest we Forget"? Did you know that the pool of water in the Remembrance room was designed for sacred reflection (not a wishing well to throw change in), and an invisible water source drops a drop of water ever twenty seconds into the pool - twenty seconds being the breathing cycle in meditation? And at exactly 11:00, Nov. 11th, the lighting hits the window to the room where the tombstone of the unknown soldier resides, and illuminates the tombstone perfectly? ...and so many more stories!
Sitting in the auditorium I became very aware of the fact that I was out of my league. I was probably the only non-architect in the room! I did, however, discover an untapped resource of single men! Who knew?! I should be hanging out with architects more often!!
After the lecture, we were invited to an exhibit hall to see an architectural exhibit and for a wine & cheese reception. I had a feeling this invitation might have been for the architects specifically, but they weren't checking credentials so I crashed the party. Raymond Moriyama was there to sign copies of his book "In Search of a Soul". I waited in line, and when it was my turn, I introduced myself as "not an architect but an archivist". His response was autographed below:
As many of you know by now, I'm in the middle of a move. A big move. I'm leaving the big smoke for the bonny shores of Nouvelle-Ecosse. And though I'm looking forward to being "home" again and closer to my family, this move is proving to be rather traumatic. Not only am I saying goodbye to the dear friends I've made here and my church family (who really are like a family to me), but I'm leaving my comfortable and conveniently located apartment, the amenities I have at my fingertips, and the city I have come to know as "home" for the last seven years. It's all a little surreal.
On top of the emotional upheaval, is the physical upheaval. I have to pack and move all my stuff 1100 kilometres. And hiring movers is proving to be no easy task! I've had 3 quotes, each of them wildly different in their own ways. The cheapest I had originally scratched off the list, but is now back on the list because ...well because he's the cheapest. Deciding between the three is really tricky. What can go wrong, what will go wrong, and how much will it cost me - those are all the questions I need to consider before I commit to one.
Packing is relatively easy, and slightly theraputic. Boxing and labelling your life puts things into perspective, particularly when you literally have to weight the value of it. "Is this worth the cost of its weight to move?" And then there's the purging. I've literally purged an entire closet of clothes. For the last 1.5 years I've spread my wardrobe out into my two bedroom closets. I've now condensed my clothes into one (and feeling quite pleased with myself for doing so). Then there's the load of "junk" I've accumulated over the years that's destined for my church yardsale, including the particle board/laminate/assemble-yourself furniture I've acquired to store the junk. That's not going with me either. I can make do without it.
And last but certainly not least. There's the next big hurtle - finding a new home. This reminds me so much of one of my favourite books as a child "Home for a bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown.
Read it.
So dear friends scoped out a few places for me, which is so very kind and thoughtful. But I have to say none of them really hit me as being "home". I have to resign myself to being content with one of them, at least for a short while (for a 4 month summer sublet), and then find a more permanent place to settle. A home for this bunny.
I'm very pleased with myself today. For a long time I've been watching craigslist for furniture for my apartment. Actually, I have very specific ideas about what I want and have most things picked out from various stores (Ikea, Sears, etc.). Really, I've been watching craigslist for that "perfect and unique" piece (whatever it may be). This week I found something I was looking for - a tall bookcase. For the last 5 years or so I've been making do with a small bookcaseI bought from The Bay when first moved into my bachelor apartment. This bookcase served its purpose, but over the years I've accumulated more books than it can hold. Lately I've been doubling up two rows of books on the shelves or books stashed in every available space. You can tell from this photo.
Then on Thursday I noticed a posting on craigslist for the same bookcase I had on my wishlist from Ikea. For less than half the price!! So I contacted the seller, made the arrangements, and picked up the bookcase with the help of a very dear friend. My original plan was to fork over the cash and take a taxi-van from the seller's location to my location. This would've cost $20 + the fare of about $15. Fortunately, however, the seller had disassembled the bookcase, which made it smaller and easier to carry, and possible for us to transport via streetcar. Opting for the cheaper option, we took the streetcar most of the way. Have I mentioned how dear my friend is?? She went along with it, even though it meant carrying 7 ft pieces onto the streetcar, riding a ways, trying to get them off the streetcar in a small window of time, then waltzing down the street with them. I carried the shelves.
Re-assembling the bookcase turned out to be fairly easy. I didn't even need the instructions (though I was surprised to find out the seller had kept them!). It was as simple as fitting the pieces back together again. There are a few nicks and scratches, but for half-the-price, I can live with them. And, it's to be expected with softwood. They add character. Once it was assembled, it didn't take me long to load my books on. I now have lots of room to add to my little library! Not to mention the space it adds. It's a much more efficient use of the space to have a tall bookcase. And it now evens out my livingspace with the bookcase on the south side of the room and my Alve Ikea desk on the north side. I'm so very pleased!
I finally finished Blue Like Jazz this morning. I've been working through the book since August - it took far longer to read than I expected.
I wanted to read the book because it was highly recommended and touted as a live-changing book by a couple people from my church. Over the last few years, I've noticed more and more how trendy certain things can become....and I think reading Blue Like Jazz is a bit trendy right now. I say this because stores like Chapters-Indigo can't keep it stocked for very long. I picked up my copy at Crux on sale for about $5 (regular price $19).
The book itself was interesting, and I wouldn't say it was a waste of time to read it. The author, Donald Miller made some interesting points about Christians and Christianity - how we miss the mark in so many ways with the way with interact with our friends, our community, ourselves, and our God. Blue Like Jazz is as its subtitle reads: Nonreligious thoughts on Christian Spirituality.
My problem with the book seemed to be more in the delivery. I found the author's approach really difficult to follow and to "engage" in. I didn't connect, and I couldn't relate to the author's perspective. First of all Miller writes in a stream-of-consciousness style, throwing grammar and punctuation to the wind. Now I can't claim to be an expert when it comes to grammar and punctuation (and I commit similar crimes regularly), but I am slightly appalled by what Miller can get away with in this bestseller. Didn't they edit the book before it was published?! I found following Miller's thoughts equally as frustrating. It's like following his thought process, but without knowing quite what he's thinking. You follow the story blindly wondering what the heck he's talking about, and hoping he gets to the point soon (perhaps this is the "Sensing" part of me coming through). I also found his male perspective coming through much stronger than I was expecting. I don't find I have the same kinds of questions Miller has about Christian Spirituality - I don't feel like I'm missing the mark. I'm not sure this was the book for me, but I don't want to say it's not worth reading.
I'll close this with one of my favourite passages from Blue Like Jazz : "We would eat chocolates and smoke cigarettes and read the Bible, which is the only way to do it, if you ask me. Don, the Bible is so good with chocolate. I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn't. It is a chocolate thing." ~ Donald Miller (p. 47, Blue Like Jazz)
One of the advantages of living so close to campus, is the annual booksale at Victoria College. It's madness and it's everywoman for herself (or man for himself). Everyone is looking for discounts - students especially - which means a lot of pushing and shoving. In the end, I got a bunch of good books (and I'm not finished yet - I plan to go back!).
So what did I pick up? Here's my list: Anna Kareninaby Leo Tolstoy - a classic I've had my eye on for awhile, but never felt like I wanted to spend the money to tackle it. Kim by Rudyard Kipling - a book I've always wanted to read. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - two of my friends say this is their favourite Bronte book, and I'm inspired to read it after watching the theatre production in London Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - this is my favourite Bronte book (okay, well it's the only Bronte book I've read....so far) Toronto: A Literary Guide by Greg Gatenby - who knew I wasn't the first person from the Valley to live on my street A Brief History of British Kings & Queens by Mike Ashley - This might be the solution to my constant confusion around the kings and queens. Archives: Mirror of Canada's Past- a hardcover book highlighting some of the archival materials from the Library and Archives of Canada. I have the 2003 Archives of Ontario book - this new addition seems to fit nicely with that.
The first five books were on my Chapters wishlist. So I can scratch those off and feel pleased with myself for saving a lot of $$. Most of the books are brand new; the spine hasn't even been cracked! And all books were a steal!
I think I'll go back. My trip today only covered one room - the Canadiana, Literary Classics, Poetry, Drama and History room. I wouldn't mind checking out the fiction room, the religion books and see what else is out there.
In Search of a Soul, by Raymond Moriyama 
Once it was assembled, it didn't take me long to load my books on. I now have lots of room to add to my little library! Not to mention the space it adds. It's a much more efficient use of the space to have a tall bookcase. And it now evens out my livingspace with the bookcase on the south side of the room and my Alve Ikea desk on the north side. I'm so very pleased!
