December 2011
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“We apologize for the delay but the plane arrived broken. We should be on our way shortly.”
— The flight attendant on my plane back to Seattle from Boise today.
I’m already a nervous flyer so hearing this didn’t ease my anxiety. Thankfully, we landed without any issues.
Next time, dear flight attendant, at least let us know if what was “broken”...
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My 2012 Motto
“You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t. You take the action, and the insight follows: You don’t think your way into becoming yourself.”
— Anne Lamott (source: “Becoming the Person You Were Meant to Be”)
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Seattle Finally Bans Plastic Bags
As a tote-bag toter for a while now I’m pretty excited about this. After all, every year Washingtonians use more than 2 billion single-use plastic bags and Seattle goes through approximately 292 million, only 13% of which are recycled.
That is a lot of bags for the 13th most populous state. Can you imagine how many are distributed in California (#1), Texas (#2), and New York (#3)?
Right...
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Where's the Love for Contemporary YA Fiction?
Over the past few years, thanks to the explosive popularity of The Hunger Games and Twilight, paranormal and sci-fi/fantasy teen lit has become hot. It seems that every week there is a new novel about girls with special talents, romances that span centuries, and the latest trend—living in a restrictive society that has banned love, caffeine (**shudder**), and pretty much anything else that is...
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On Jake Ryan vs. Johnny Castle
Last night some friends and I watched Sixteen Candles and Dirty Dancing . Yep, it was a pretty awesome evening. Yet one very important question could not be settled among the three of us.
Who is the better love interest? Johnny Castle or Jake Ryan?
So I laid out the pros and cons of both.
Jake Ryan
Pros:
Jake Ryan picks up a letter Sam intended for someone else that explicitly says she wants...
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Happy Birthday, Mom!
Today is my mom’s 70th birthday. Because she is very special to me, I have decided to write a public thank you to the woman who is largely responsible for who I’ve become.
So, mom, here are just a few of the many reasons I’m grateful for you:
Inspiring me: You got your GED later in life and graduated from college in 1995 when you were in your 50s. I am glad I got to see you in...
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Things I intended to do this past weekend:
Write another chapter (or two) of my novel
Go to the gym or for a run around Green Lake (Sat)
Go to a yoga class (Sun)
Eat well (mostly salad greens and veggies)
Finish The Help
Make banana bread to bring in for my co-workers on Monday
Not drink any alcohol
Things I actually did this past weekend:
Snuggled with the dog we’re dog-sitting...
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WatchIf you know me, you know I’m not exactly at the forefront of the ‘cool’ music scene. If you don’t know me, here’s why this is true: I thought I ‘discovered’ MGMT… in 2008. Also, Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits album, discs 1, 2 and 3, are in my top twenty of all time. FYI parents and parents-to-be: this is what happens when you raise your kids...
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You can't control anyone else. You can only...
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Yet Another Reason Why YA Lit Rules
I love young adult authors (in this case Daniel Handler & Maira Kalman) because they do things like this.
Get a tissue, guys. Maybe two.
“Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority,...”
– Hillary Clinton, in an appearance at the United Nations yesterday, declared that it is a “violation of human rights” to commit violence or discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. WATCH.
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WatchI always thought that listening to my own voice on an answering machine was the worst kind of personal torture.
I was wrong.
It’s actually watching myself on camera while wondering whether my temperamental lazy eye will wig out.
Potential mortification aside, I got to interview the popular (and super personable!) young adult author Lauren Oliver… And that’s pretty cool.
