As promised, more pictures from my UK trip. We were in the Lake District for a few days, near Lake Coniston. I always love a water view..and there was lots of good hiking.
Some things I saw in my travels.
Have a great weekend!
put a smile on your face…
Every week, I spend a lot of time packing up food to take to work with me. Because I’m running around in the morning, and my appetite doesn’t kick in until I’ve been up for a bit, I pack a breakfast…then there’s the rest of the day. Midmorning snack, lunch, afternoon snack. I do stock some foods at work (nuts to add to my yogurt or oatmeal mostly), but generally, I spent about 10-15 minutes a night planning out my food for the next day (if I try to do it in the morning, I always end up leaving later than I planned).
My food packing brought to light a major difference between mr. strivingcynic and me. You see, mr. sc can pack his food in containers and “fold and close” plastic bags. I try to use containers..and I’ll use fold and close for things like apples…but given certain klutzy certainties of my life and packing style, I need the bags with the “zippers.” I once made the mistake of trying to pack a sandwich in a fold and close and lost the sandwich between the kitchen and living room due to my poor handling technique (I had forgotten to pack it in the kitchen, my lunch bag was already in the living room…). I just cannot fold in a way that seals.
Over the course of a week, I’ll try to reuse plastic bags when I can. The bag that held pretzels on day one can easily hold a sandwich on day two. So, that makes me feel better about spending the money/not just using them once and throwing them away. Usually, I buy these at the supermarket, and aside from the fact that the zip bags always cost more than the fold ones, have never really paid attention. Then I bought a double pack of the Target brand Up and Up…and I noticed something.
a box of bags…
A closer look…
who you looking at?
Aside from “aww…that’s so cute,” I can’t help thinking “umm…would anyone ever seriously try to pack an open face peanut butter sandwich into a plastic bag?” I can tell you when I pack pb sandwiches that are “closed” I usually end up with blobs of peanut butter all over the bag (making it unreusable…). And yet the peanut butter in this photo looks so pristine…I can see the knife/spread marks and it makes me picture a mom (I know it could be a dad..) pushing the knife back and forth over the bread before cutting the little pieces of fruit onto the slice. This “sandwich” is just adorable. But I don’t think it could exist inside a plastic bag in reality.
Of course, the fruit face makes me smile or laugh every time I see it.
Fold and close or zip? And if you pack food, what is your “technique”?
books we’ll be reading 30 years from now…and some flashbacks
It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s challenge: Top Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years.
This is another topic that I am completely at a loss for. Reasons:
1. A lot of the books that came to mind were written more than 10 years ago…and I’m talking books I thought were recent (time flies and all that..).
2. I think a lot of the more recent books I have read are either chick lit, or mysteries. And not that I don’t want people to be reading them in 30 years, but it’s hard to say what makes one so distinctive over another…
3. I can’t quite figure out what my criteria is for this challenge. Should I say people should read a book in 30 years because I liked it? Should I only choose “important” books?
4. I haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books…or the Hunger Games books, which I think will be on a lot of lists…so I can’t add them!
I just couldn’t find my way into this challenge…I’m probably overthinking it. Why not just say that I hope people are reading Sue Grafton mysteries in 30 years because they’re good?
This challenge brought to mind the experiences I’ve had when I’ve seen lists of bestselling/prizewinning books. I’ll recognize some of them..and others I will not have heard of. I always wonder why one book survives and the other falls to obscurity, just as I’m fascinated by how an author’s work will be ignored until one day it’s acclaimed (I heard a story on NPR recently about Herman Melville and how Moby Dick was not received well and didn’t get accolades until after his death).
Let’s look at this challenge another way and go back to the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list for 1982 (eg, 30 years ago..) (from Wikipedia)
- E.T., The Extraterrestrial by William Kotzwinkle
- Space by James A. Michener
- The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum
- Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon
- Mistral’s Daughter by Judith Krantz
- The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel
- Different Seasons by Stephen King
- North and South by John Jakes
- 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Man from St. Petersburg by Ken Follett
Now, I’ve heard of all the books and/or authors in this case, but which of these do I think people read widely today? Probably the King, the Auel, and Clarke…maybe the Ludlum and Follett since their works are still pretty popular. I’m floored by the E.T. book, that’s got to be a movie novelization, right? Does that genre still really even exist anymore? Whether it does or not, does anyone still read E.T.?
And let’s go back another 30 years:
The Publisher’s Weekly list of bestselling books for 1952 (courtesy of Wikipedia)
- The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain –I’m not sure I’ve heard of this. It does sound familiar
- The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk–Yes, heard of it, saw part of a movie version on tv
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck–Have a copy at home
- My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier–Read it and have included it in previous top tens.
- Steamboat Gothic by Frances Parkinson Keyes–Never heard of it. Might have heard of the author
- Giant by Edna Ferber–Heard of it (assuming it’s the same Giant as the movie..)
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway–Heard of it and have read other Hemingway
- The Gown of Glory by Agnes Sligh Turnbull–Never heard of it or the author
- The Saracen Blade by Frank Yerby–Never heard of it or the author
- The Houses in Between by Howard Spring–Never heard of it or the author
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger–Had to read it in high school. Suspect everyone’s heard of it
(Incidentally, this was the only list I saw with 11 on it, presumably because of what the book was).
Some of these are ultra famous, some I know, and some I venture, most people haven’t heard of.
What are your thoughts on what will still be read in thirty years, and the bestsellers of 30 and 60 years ago?
more pretty photos
This gallery contains 10 photos.
a small sampling
Now that the UK vacation is over, I’m left with pleasant memories. And lots of photographs. I’ll be going through them more this weekend, but thought a very small sampling of five photos from Yorkshire and the Lake District might be nice for now…and I’ll hope to get more photos up and out in the next week.
Have a great weekend!
in-flight entertainment
As my reappearance on the blog scene in the last few days indicates, I’m back from my vacation “across the pond” (funny, I find this expression obnoxious, but I can’t help using it)! I was visiting my family in England, which meant that I got to take 2 transatlantic flights in a little over a week.
I have no complaints about the flights..they went really smoothly. It’s just amazing to think you can get on a plane, on the ground, in the US…hang out for 7 hours in the air, and then next time you touch ground, be in the UK.
One of the things I’ve grown to love about the US to UK flight is that I can commandeer my own little tv embedded in the back of the seat in front of me and watch movies or tv to pass the time on the flight. Between the two flights, I ended up watching umpteen tv shows and three movies.
The great thing about plane movies is I watch things that I sort of want to see, but probably wouldn’t make the effort to at home. Two out of the three movies I chose fit this category.
Movie number 1. What’s Your Number? Now…I love a good in-flight chick flicks and for some reason, have caught a number of wedding-y chick flicks on flights (27 Dresses, Man of Honor, Bride Wars…I’m also fairly sure I saw He’s Just Not that Into You on a flight). What’s Your Number? does have a wedding in it, but the story is about a woman named Ally (played by Anna Faris) who reads in a magazine that women who sleep with more than 20 men usually don’t end up getting married. Her solution having just hit number 20? Track down all her exes and see if she’s compatible with one of them so that she can avoid being an “over 20″ statistic. It was a fun movie, but nothing special…although Anna Faris was really funny [best moment involves a cartoon dancing, um...male body part...that was the moment mr. strivingcynic looked up from whatever movie he was watching to look over at my screen and shoot me quizzical looks].
Movie number 2. Ugh…this one was the classic “I’ll probably never watch this otherwise.” One for the Money. This was okay…but this was not good. And I guess it depressed me since I really wanted Stephanie Plum’s leap to the big screen to be spectacular. And it just wasn’t. Part of this was just how not right all the New Jersey depictions were (people born and bred in central Jersey don’t sound like they’re from New York; and there wasn’t too much that actually looked like Trenton or Hamilton to me). And I never felt that Katherine Heigl and Jason O’ Mara were Stephanie and Morelli. As I was watching it, I kept thinking this might have turned out better as a Lifetime movie…
Number 3. I totally would have watched this at home…The Muppets. I grew up with The Muppet Show and was excited when the movie came out last year since I have a soft spot for them. I thought the movie was fun and sweet and hit all the right notes for Muppet fans with moments to appeal to the sweet and cynical sides of us all. I actually got a little misty-eyed from nostalgia at one point.
If you fly, how do you pass the time on flights? And if you’ve seen any of these movies, please share your thoughts!
top ten non-book blogs I read
I’m back from my vacation and looking forward to getting back into the swing of blogland. For my first “I’ve returned” post, once more, it’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s challenge: Top Ten Blogs/Sites You Read That AREN’T about Books.
This one is actually easy for me…most of the time, I do not inhabit the world of book blogs as much as I enjoy my visits there. The blogs I visit, I came to through “healthy living” blogs, but I think most of the bloggers (myself included) do not consider themselves healthy living blogs…I think although we were inspired by them, we’ve come to blogging about the quirks of day-to-day living.
So, who do I read..
1. Cathy over at 1970KikiProjectBlog. I first clicked on Cathy’s blog thanks to seeing her blog title in a comment. I was going to turn 40 in the not too distant future, and wondered if the 1970 might mean she was about my age. I’m glad I clicked. I aspire to be Cathy when I get to be her age (which I already sort of am since we’re about a year and a half apart in age). Her posts are funny and fun and so is her attitude towards her adventures.
2. Stephanie at Clay Baboons. I found Stephanie through Cathy. She had another, more healthy living, blog, but decided to focus on her clay figures (she calls them plasticine…same thing?). Sharply observed, funny as hell, surprisingly heartbreaking at times…Stephanie is one of a kind.
3. Fran at Broken Cookies Don’t Count. Ha. I found her through Stephanie. Another New Jerseyan who chronicles her life adventures (and food). She is also never happier than when she finds a good book for 50 cents at goodwill. A woman after my own heart.
4. Alex at Raw Recovery. Alex is just amazing. She’s scary bright (I get to say that because I’m 40 and she’s…23? she’s very young and she’s much smarter about everything than I was at her age). Alex writes about her recovery from an eating disorder, living with borderline personality disorder, philosophy, finding a happy place in life, and her sweet dog Angie. I’m always blown away by how articulate she is (I feel patronizing saying that though…more about what I was like at her age…).
5. Lindsey at Happy Or Hungry. Lindsey’s adventures pretty much make me laugh until I cry. She draws cartoons for her blog that are just perfect accompaniments to her stories. Check two of my favorites out: The Time I Almost Got Arrested and The Party and the Rowboat.
6. Fit and Forty Something. Kalli is another person I found because of a comment (and of course, her blog title spoke to my quest to find other bloggers my age). She is always on the go…always doing something fun and exciting..and is inspiring in her ability to get so much done.
7. Vampy Varnish. I don’t go here as often, but I like to look at the cosmetics reviews. I like the fact that VV focuses on cruelty free cosmetics (although they’re getting harder to find these days).
8. Renxkyoko’s space. She doesn’t post as often as the others, but I always get a laugh reading Renxkyoko’s stories and observations.
So, that’s only 8…and although I do look at other blogs, these are the ones I visit the most!
What are some of your frequent non-book blog haunts?
stress bunny
I’m still away from the blogosphere…but here’s something I scheduled for while I’m away.
One thing that drives me nuts about myself is that I let things get to me. Way too many things. Most of the time. So, I’m constantly trying to figure out how to manage stress. Over the years, I’ve figured out some things that work (exercise good, ability to distract self with fun movie or book also good), but I’ve never managed to cultivate that “this is small stuff that’s not worth worrying about/stressing over” attitude that I think would make me feel a little (ok a lot) saner at times.
I’ve had times where I was successful at distracting myself from my stress, only to wake up at 3 in the morning unable to get the “stress thoughts” out of my head. I will tell myself it’s silly being awake at 3 am and I’m better off getting some rest…but the thoughts will keep coming until I finally fall asleep again.
So, I always look at vacations as a time to decompress…but also as a time to try to figure out how to “reset.” The problem is, even when I get away and get that “I shouldn’t let things bother me” vacation relaxation attitude…I’m unable to keep this beyond a day or two back in my real world. (I go from serene to cursing in a matter of hours!)
But maybe this time will be different! And in the meantime, if anyone has some “how I got over being a little stress bunny” tips, I’d like to hear them!
which ten authors would I like to see duking it out on a desert island?
I’m out of town and away from the blogosphere for a week, but I couldn’t resist scheduling in a post for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s challenge (even though I won’t be able to link to the site this week) as stated on the B and B website,
Top Ten Authors I’d Like To See On A Reality Show (and which one).
I couldn’t really picture any current authors (although I would love a makeover show with chick lit authors…that would be fun). But when I started thinking about authors no longer with us…it got a little more fun. So, my picks would be.
1-3. Bronte sisters. I’ve heard Emily was a bit of a “mean girl” (or a little on the dangerous/eccentric side), so she’d make a fun contestant on a competitive show.
4. Jane Austen. With her observational wit…how could I not pick her?
5. Charles Dickens. I think a gentleman from Victorian England would definitely perk things up…especially if there were shenanigans.
6. F. Scott Fitzgerald. To help provide a party atmosphere.
7. Ernest Hemingway. Somehow I think the idea of Hemingway on a reality show is hilarious
8. Anais Nin. Because you need someone to go on nonstop about sex to liven up those quiet moments
9. Oscar Wilde. Man, he just seems….totally appropriate.
10. Herman Melville. I think his ponderousness would add something to the mix.
(Just for the record, I have read something by each of these authors…)
Now, as for which show….I kind of love the idea of Survivor…just to see who gets down and dirty (strategy-wise, not in a canoodly way), but then I thought about mixing them all up with Donald Trump as the cast of The Apprentice. That could be pretty interesting.
And I’ll just add…no matter what the game…Team Jane (Oscar as second)!
Any authors you’d want to see on a reality show? Which authors? Which show?
roam
So, it’s on the road again time! Off for a family visit for the next week and a half.
No worries: I’ve scheduled a few posts to appear while I’m away. But, I won’t have much internet access, so I probably won’t be reading or commenting on other blogs…or even replying to comments on my own!
It’s probably a good thing I’m getting away, as I’ve noticed that I’m getting crabby in the way I get crabby when I need a break! But, I’ll miss my bloggy routine.
And I’ll definitely miss this guy!
What?
[Couldn't resist using that picture again]!
Don’t worry about him either. He will be looked after…
