Well, I seem to have recovered from the impromptu pity party I decided to throw myself last week. I spent the weekend reading and watching my favorite uplifting movies, and by the time 'Garden State' was through, I was my old self again. Emerging unscathed from the depths of despair, I had resolved to accomplish two things by the end of the summer:

1. Zach Braff shall be mine. (Sorry. Shameless, adolescent cliche there, but I couldn't resist. I am but only human.)

2. I'm going to make an honest start on that murder mystery I've always wanted to write. So I'll be spending some time consorting with James Ellroy and Caleb Carr for inspiration. If anyone has any other recommendations, I would be obliged. As long as it's not Patricia Cornwall. Yeah, yeah, I know everyone says she's a genius, but with the exception of her Jack the Ripper book, she's never really been my cup of tea.


Summer has finally descended up here, and there's something about warm, sunny days that always makes me want to read the books I read as a kid. And you know what that means. Yep, toaday's list. I haven't put the author down because I can't remember all of them, but if you really want to know, just ask and I'll look it up for you.

My Favorite Books As a Kid

1. Wait Till Helen Comes. My favorite ghost story when I was little. It's actually still a little creepy to me now, so I really like reading it on a rainy day.
2. The Facts and Fictions of Mina Pratt. I probably always liked this because it's about a girl who plays in a string ensemble, and I play the violin. But it's also really well written and touching. It's great when you want something uplifting.
3. The Little House Books. I always read 'Farmer Boy' in the summer, but I love the rest of them, too. I guess it just depends on what I feel like. I've never really been all that nuts about 'The first Four Years', so I haven't read it nearly as often as the others.
4. The Trixie Belden Series. They're kind of like Hardy Boys meets Nancy Drew. Very campy and a little sacharine, but also flat-out entertaining. The only bad part is that they're out of print and kind of hard to find. Which is also the cool part, since there're well over 30 of them and I've only managed to get a hold of 10, so I'm always scouring second-hand bookstores for them. I found a website that sells them really cheap, but somehow that feels like cheating and I'm not sure if it would be as satisfying.
5. Nancy Drew Mysteries. I'm talking the originals from the early '60s, not those horrible 'updated' ones that came out in the '80s. I'm not sure why I like them so much, since they're so completely unrealistic, not to mention chock full of classism and racist stereotyping (for some reason all the black people in them are domestic servants and talk like the maid from 'Gone With The Wind'), but when you get past that they're really entertaining. Really, who wouldn't want to zip around the countryside in a little coupe thwarting criminals, all the while being pursued by a dashing coed and looking fabulous to boot?

Yet another school year has ended and I am, predictably, no closer to graduating than I was last fall. Here's what I learned this year: enrolling in the best culinary school in the state means you will spend yet another year taking crap general classes while you give yourself an ulcer trying to get into the actual program. Which you will ultimately fail to do because they only offer one section of the prerequisite class once a year, and because fate spends most of its time making rude gestures at you, you are not one of the chosen 30 to get in. But, hey! At least I got to spend 8 thrilling months living in Detroit! (Somebody kill me, please.) Anyhow, this is about the time that I say fuck it, and transfer to another school. Doesn't have quite the prestige, but at least I'll be able to graduate this decade. Besides, this other school is in a much nicer area. (i.e., free of crackhouses.)

So it's back up to the great North for the summer. And another crisis has been averted, as I've found a job at the local library, which is nice, since I'm currently about as broke as broke gets. Which sucks, because in the next 6 months I'll have had the oppurtunity to go to both Instanbul and Hawaii. For weddings, unfortunately. (if, between my dislike for both children and weddings I sound like a hateful bitch, keep in mind that I worked in a bridal shop for 2 years, which pretty much sucks all the mystique and romance out of it. If I'm never in the same room as white taffeta again, it'll be too soon. On other hand, as further testament to my genius, I was damn good at it. Watching me say "Wow, ivory looks great on you!" with sincerity would make Glenn Close hand in her SAG card. ) Anyhow, I'll be cooling my heels at home for the next few months, so the big challenge is how to entertain myself while not at work. My sister, who usually serves as my tu-tued, tricycle riding bear is still away at grad school, so it appears I'm actually going to have to apply myself to one of the many hobbies I've started over the years. Ironically, while disliking small children, I have the attention span of your average toddler.

So, kids, the moral of todays story is that everyone has to leave lots of diverting comments on my blog for the rest of the summer. I would be ever so grateful.