Guilty Pleasures.

I can't really explain the attraction I have for these matchmaking reality shows... but I'm, once again, sucked in to one of them... the Bachelorette with Deanna.

Tonight it was down to three men: Jeremy, Jason, and Jesse. Hmmm... all names that begin with J. Do you suppose that's the REAL way she narrowed out Graham last week?

Through the entire season there is one man who has been my favorite. For me, if not for her. :) That stand out is Jesse. I love his attitude, his kindness, and genuine spirit.

As I watched the dates I decided that Jason was pretty cool too and if it was my decision I would send Jeremy home. Something about him seems stiff and unnatural. I think that both Jason and Jesse are relaxed and real with Deanna. In the end, my gut feeling was right on the money. I don't envy Deanna this decision. In truth, either way--Jesse or Jason--I think she's a winner. They are both great guys and I can't wait to see what happens.

In other news....

Weeds is back.
Season Four, baby.

Of course, I don't have Showtime.
I watch it here.

You have to be patient
while the episodes load.

But it's worth it. At least I think so.

Katy Keene

Kate Keene, the Archie comic creation of Bill Woggon, was born into the comic world in the 1945. I didn't discover her until the 1980's when she made a short lived comeback. I remember buying her comic books at Doug and Mary's Red Owl and reading them all right at the rack while my mom shopped for groceries. I've been trying to find info online about this fashion comic that I loved so much but it's a bit sparse. Here's a page from the 50's.

For those of you who never knew Katy, she was a fashion model and lived an exciting glamorous life. There were other characters too. of course. At the end of every comic book there was a page of paper dolls and as I've read wise people didn't CUT theirs out. I wasn't so wise. As a ten year old I didn't have the eye of a collector hoping to cash in one day. Instead I actually played with these. And I still have them today stored in envelopes and labeled with the themes. If I remember correctly people sent in designs and they printed them in the comic as paper dolls. It's a bit like Project Runway only on paper.

Check out these great 80s looks!

Now I understand that Archie Comics is reviving Katy once again and giving her a new look (a bit like our poor little Strawberry Shortcake... only Katy can look modern and get away with it, I think) Here's the new look.




And just because I found these online I have to share them too. There is a charm to this comic book fashion stuff that appeals to the 10 year old bit of me that is still alive somewhere inside and even the me of today. Sure, I'm not about to play with paper dolls (too much work, if you ask me), but I do find pleasure in the nostalgia of something that I once loved so much.

Now Loving.... a day in review

I loved Get Smart as a child and I wasn't sure what to expect from yet another old TV show turned movie. Steve Carell is terrific as Maxwell Smart. I'd recommend this. And for those keeping track there were several times when I laughed out loud.

The Pogues are by no means a new band, even to me, but they are not a band I've spent much time listening to. This album was recommended by Tom and provided by Chris. Thanks for keeping me in the music, guys.


I have my pal Julie to thank for this latest read. As a fellow English teacher she knows how much I love The Great Gatsby and this modern novel goes wild with Gatsby allusions and weaves bits of that book into this one. It's not the BEST book I've ever read but I did enjoy it and appreciated the twists and turns the book offers.
And my latest favorite snack which seems rather hard to find. The Jonagold apple. Sure, as soon as I finally determine which my favorite apple is, it becomes impossible to track down. Forget the braeburn, pink lady, fugi, gala, honeycrisp. It is the jonagold which has captured my heart. Of course now that I've done the research I can see it's a September to April apple and I might need to find a replacement fruit until then.. maybe blueberries (supposedly they boost memory functions).

The First Day of Summer. For Real.

Today was my first day of summer vacation. And it was lovely. 75 degrees. Light breeze. The perfect pace. I woke at 7. Something to do with my internal clock and sunshine, I suppose. I sipped water, whitened my teeth, surfed the internet, read a chapter in my book, and then pulled on my running shoes and hit the streets. I actually ran/walked a happy 3 miles today with a small pit stop at Marci's to visit and to frolic with the new doggie.

Though I'm completely out of shape and running feels unnatural and possibly cruel to my body I felt so good to be doing it. Drunk on the green of my surroundings, I could see the river to my left as I made my way through downtown on the bike path. I love the solitude too--that I could huff and puff all I wanted with no fear or shame. That I could stop running and walk whenever I felt the need and quite literally smell the roses at a few points.

This is what summer means to me. It's the opposite of what my life feels like all school year. Rushing off to work without breakfast because I just don't have time, skipping workouts because they feel, well, like workouts and I just don't have time. Then coming home from work to do either errands or to spend time with loved ones, and all the healthy eating and exercise... well, I just don't have time. But today, I felt like I had nothing but time. Good stuff.

A perfect vacation, whether at home or off in some foreign land is really more about the pace of life and the freedom to do whatever rather than the binding ties of work and responsibility. I am an escapist and hedonist somewhere not so deep inside and well, summer really suits me. Enjoy your day, wherever you are!

My Mosaic.

I had some fun using flickr. Each image represents one of these:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. A picture that you took.

Get the full directions from Sara at Midwestern Position and check our her mosaic too.

Reading Watching, Listening..... May in Review

What I Was Reading in May
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers by Michael Optiz
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack

I read The Children's Blizzard for book club and didn't really enjoy it. There was far too much meteorology and history of meteorology for my taste. It's pretty bad when you look forward to the stories where small children died from exposure, but that's the only joy I found in this book. I liked that I knew all the places it referred to, but it felt a little like Giants in the Earth for me and THAT is not a good thing.

I knew a lot of the content in Books and Beyond, but it works for me to use as a rationale for some of the choices I make in my regular English class and in my Title 1 Reading class. I thought it was pretty interesting and well written. Fairly easy to whip through. However, not really all that cutting edge. No section on graphic novels and not too much about online texts. Oh well.

I've been on a real young adult/juvenile literature kick lately and The Invention of Hugo Cabret was just one more recommended title. Only it wasn't. This is an unusual book. It's incredibly thick but I read it in two sittings. It's part picture book, part novel and it's illustrated and written by a favorite children's book illustrator, Brian Selznick. So, the style alone is cool enough to warrant a read, the Caldecott award suggests I'm not the only one who thought it was good and the very coolest bits are how it explores the life of early French filmmaker, Georges Méliès. Even if it's in a fictional way, I think it's cool to expose young readers, or any readers for that matter, to bits of history. If a book makes me look something up after I've read it, to learn more, then that book has succeeded in some way. I highly recommend this book for young readers. It's just too cool. And in the end it winds up being a nice story about belonging and being true to yourself...

This is my second Zusak book. It's another young adult book but it feels more universal than all that. This one was quite different from Zusak's book "I am the Messenger but equally as good. I was fighting tears while donating plasma when as I finished the book. Its narrator is an unlikely one--death. Though that might be appropriate for a holocaust book. I am not typically drawn to that sort of story, but I did enjoy this one. It's about a girl who loves books. How could I resist?

What I was Watching in May
On TV
Lost
Heroes Season 2
The Bachelor: London Calling
Brothers and Sisters
Desperate Housewives

Lost season finale did not disappoint. My mom and I spent far too much time analyzing it and trying to make sense of it all. I am not sure WHY I watch Desperate Housewvies and Brothers and Sisters. I guess for something to do. I was thrilled that Matt picked Shayne on The Bachelor.

On Film
Die Another Day
Moliere
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Lust/Caution
Nancy Drew
I'm Not There

Die Another Day was one more in my quest to watch all things Bond. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Soon, I'll be done with all the films and I'll have to simply start all over again since it's been so long and I barely remember the likes of Dr. No and From Russia With Love, for example.

The French film Moliere was decent, but not fantastic. It was fun for me to learn more about the life and love of this famous playright and I enjoyed the performances of the actors in the film. It was beautiful, sexy, amusing and worth a rent. At least for me.

Walk Hard wasn't nearly as funny as I'd hoped. It was much like those spoof films "Not Another Teen Movie" or "Scary Movie." Having seen all the films it spoofed I did get a kick out of it, but I wasn't bowled over.

Nancy Drew, on the other hand, turned out to be much better than I expected. In my childhood I was a big fan of the books and I am still a bit fascinated by girls series books, namedly the Judy Bolton ones, but whatever. Nancy Drew offers comfort to a person. She's reliable, she's smart and her books are fun but predictable too. Sometimes I crave a nice safe read that launches me back into my childhood. The film was a modern one, but Nancy was a bit traditional and stood out from the crowd because of it. The film featured Nancy and her dad in LA rather than River Heights and I missed Hannah Gruen and Bess and George (though the girls who portrayed them seemed young and a bit silly). In fact, Nancy seemed a bit too young for the way I remember her. But I would still recommend this wholesome entertaining flick.

Lust/Caution was steamy, true to its NC17 status. It was an interesting tale of the subversive efforts of a young radical group attempting to infiltrate and destroy the Chinese who collaborated/cooperated with the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of China. I enjoyed it, but wish it had ended differently.

I'm Not There was a fun examination of the life of Bob Dylan. I really enjoyed Cate Blanchett's performance and that of Richard Gere. I thought this was a really cool idea for a film and it's something I think Bob Dylan fans should watch.. just to see one more artistic impression of his life. Love it or leave it, it's fun to watch and discuss. And the music is great.

What I Was Listening to in May

She & Him Volume One
I just discovered that Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward will be performing live at First Avenue in Minneapolis on August 7th... for a whopping $16.00. I can't believe it. I wonder if there are still tickets available.

a random sampling from my MP3 player here are my posted shuffles:

That Ain't Love by REO Speedwagon
Girl Sailor by The Shins
Wheel's on Fire by The Magic Numbers
Does Your Mother Know by ABBA
Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

Devotion by Tracy Chapman
Hungry for Love by Patsy Cline
I Don't Love You by My Chemical Romance
I Know it's Over by The Smiths
The Price you Pay by Bruce Springsteen

A Girl's Best Friend?

Meet Dakota... wrapped in a loving embrace.

I have mixed feelings about dog ownership and I find that it all makes me sound callous and unloving to the little creatures. Of course when they are all soft and adorable at this age who could turn one away? For me it's a series of other dogs I've known over the years that spoil the experience for me. I have issues with dogs that jump up on me, the crotch sniffers, their hair on my clothes or all over a house, slobber, urine stained carpet or a house with that dog odor however faint, and the barking... oh Lord, the barking. A number of breeds have been eliminated from my list of preferred dogs and one might think that because of what I just wrote I don't like dogs nor do I want one. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

I have longed for the day when I have a house where I could have a dog of my own--the day when I either live close enough to work or share a home with someone else so the dog wouldn't be neglected during the day. I long for the day when I get to pick out a puppy or adopt some loving older dog who needs me. Yet, somehow this stage of my life continues to elude me.

On the downside, I watch friends who have dogs struggle to find a place for them when they travel. I hear complaints from non-dog owners when dog owning friends show up for a visit with multiple dogs in tow. Both children and dogs alter one's life but at least children are more portable. And I've seen owners with good intentions neglect their little furry friends because their lives are simply too busy to truly accommodate their pooch and thus it remains kenneled for hours a day. I grew up on a farm where the dogs roamed free and there was no poop picking up. I loved that our dog could wander free but still had us right there taking care of it. I realize that's not a likely scenario for my future with dogs since I no longer live on a farm, but I want to have a dog that isn't lonely, neglected, or stinking up the house. It's a delicate balance.

I have breeds of dogs I do like. Mainly based on a few good little canines I've loved. One breed I love is based on two dogs... Casey and Sparky--two Shetland sheepdogs (miniature collies), sweet quiet well behaved, tender dogs. I didn't know either of them as puppies and so maybe they were just well trained or grew into their kind mellowness, but I would welcome one of them into my home, despite the ridiculous amount of shedding. Maybe. (I really do hate the shedding) Another inspirational pooch, is Rosie, the best dog ever--a little black shih tzu who loved me completely and I was only the "babysitter." This doggie didn't bark or misbehave. She was well trained and sweet tempered and cuddly and playful and well the list goes on. If I could clone this pooch I'd get a dog today and sacrifice every lunch break to go home and let her out. Of course I can't have dogs in my apartment, but that didn't stop three other tenants from doing so. Still, somehow my own selfish desire for a Rosie-girl, doesn't seem fair to the dog. Not yet.

I guess I know where I can visit a new little bundle of fur, and escape when I've met my limit. Welcome to a Family of Five, little Kody.

Art Fest is the Best.

A lovely example of pottery I appreciate but don't need.

Two little ducks. An Art Fest hit.

Music outside Amazing Grains.

A print by Andy Van Schyndle that I wanted to buy. I considered the $35.00 size but I couldn't think of a good place to display it. I would use this in a child's bedroom, I think. It's imaginative and fun.


The Ring I did buy. I loved it so much, I bought another one. Couldn't resist. Powerless.

Stuff.

Things I want but don't need.

the latest David Sedaris book


The Rabbit Corkscrew

a great poetry anthology


Two CDs I own digitally, but would like to have a REAL copy to treasure.

Music to Summon the Sunshine.

Superpowers Playlist Two

1. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
2. Bad 4 You by Alannah Myles
3. I Want to Hold Your Hand by T.V. Carpio
4. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright by Indigo Girls with Joan Baez
5. Burning for You by Blue Oyster Cult
6. Against the Wind by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
7. It Ain't Me, Babe by The Turtles
8. Change is Hard by She and Him
9. Teenagers by My Chemical Romance
10. Turn on Me by The Shins
11. Does Your Mother Know by ABBA
12. Forever for Her (Is Over For Me) by The White Stripes
13. I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen
14. Never Going Back Again by Fleetwood Mac
15. I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher
16. Baby Boomerang by The Shins
17. Kamera by Wilco
18. The Outdoor Type by The Lemonheads
19. I Know There's Something Going On by Frieda
20. All Summer Long by Kid Rock

My Midwestern Mix discs have been some of my favorites and an inspiration for me to try to create my own. So, here are 20 songs eclectically collected by me for you. If you'd like a copy of the disc let me know via email or in the comments and I'll get one off to you.. just because it's summer and that is a great time for melding memories and music.



P.S. I know there are TWO Shins songs on there and I tried to resist but I just got Boomerang Baby and it's great and it's actually a cover of a T. Rex song so I hope that still means the perfect blend. I think so.

True Colors

My latest love is a cool consignment shop called True Colors. I can't praise it enough. I am a person who never finds things to wear either in my size or price range. For some reason other people's castoffs seem to work for me. And I just can't say no to shoes for $6.00 or shirts for $9.00. I think I spent $50.00 last time I was there and I bought three skirts, two pair of shoes and two tops. It's a thrifty shoppers dream.

This must be the year for black and white. Or was that last year? I can't seem to quit buying black and white clothing. At least most things match.

Here's an exception.

This is one of the three skirts I bought last time I was there. Guess what? All of them were black and white. That means I now own ten different black and white skirts. Seriously.

All North Dakota Educators, Citizens--Take Note, Take Action.

IN THE MAIL: Vote Laird for state superintendent
Grand Forks Herald
Published Thursday, June 05, 2008

GRAND FORKS — Clarion cries for political change surround us this election year. However, change is needed in more offices than just presidential. It is time for a change in the office of the state superintendent of public instruction, too.

Wayne Sanstead has occupied this position for more than 20 years. It truly is time for a change.

So on June 10, mark your ballot for change: Vote for Max Laird.

Laird is a teacher who is not only knowledgeable about the politics surrounding education, but, more important, he is passionate about kids. He believes that all young people deserve equal opportunities, no matter their socioeconomic background, their ACT score or the location of their school. All kids matter to Laird.

It’s easy to talk about change, but what has Laird done to make a difference? He has been involved at the local and state level in making changes that help young people. He works in the classroom and knows firsthand the problems and the benefits of No Child Left Behind. He knows what parents and teachers face in educating young people. He is active in education and has been for more than 25 years.

If you want to continue life as we know it at the state level, vote for a man in his 70s who hasn’t been in the classroom for more than 20 years. But if you want to see real change happen educationally for all students, rural and urban, vote for Laird.

Laird will work with legislators and educators to bring about needed improvements in our state education system. He’ll be an advocate not only for parents, but also for kids. That’s the kind of change we need in North Dakota.

Eileen Zygarlicke

A Thoughtful Gesture

When I came home from work today, my mom had a bouquet of fresh picked lilacs waiting for me on my kitchen table. When I was young she always picked me lilacs for my birthday but we lived up north where they bloom later. Here in the valley they are usually done by the end of May. Not this year. I guess all that cold weather is good for something. Thanks, Mom. What a kind gesture. It makes me feel young again!

It Came Out of the Swamp....

This morning on the way to work I heard a song that brought joy to my heart. "Rock and Roll Girls" by John Fogerty. I know it's nothing profound or spectacular but something about the base line beat and Fogerty's sweet voice playing out the words "ro-de-o" and "tel-e-phone" -- well it just does something to me. I really need to listen to his latest release, Revival. I have it all loaded up on Imeem to play, but I never seem to sit still long enough. Nevertheless here's this song from me to you, at least in a 30 second format.

Chicken and Sage Risotto

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:
- 4 cups fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Mediterranean Blend spread, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried sage leaves, crushed

Instructions:
In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth over high heat just to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover.

Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Mediterranean Blend spread spread over medium heat and cook onion and yellow pepper, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until tender. Add rice and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Stir in hot broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed and rice is creamy and tender. Stir in chicken and cook covered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in cheese, sage and remaining 1 tablespoons Mediterranean Blend. Serve immediately and sprinkle, if desired, with additional grated Parmesan cheese.


Nutrition Information per serving:

Calories 440, Calories From Fat 120, Saturated Fat 4.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 13g, Cholesterol 70mg, Saturated Fat 660mg, Total Carbohydrates 47g, Sugars 2g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 33g, Vitamin A 10%, Vitamin C 90%, Calcium 15g, Iron 6g

Original recipe can be found here.