August 2013 – Lakesidegirl

Tomorrow I’m moving to Mexico, so my review of August needs to be posted early. I liked things, so here is What I’m Into, modeled off of HopefulLeigh’s “What I’m Into” series. (I’ve never been good at introductions.)

My main TV conundrum here at the end of August has been what seasons to take with me to Mexico. While I mainly rely on my best friend Netflix in America, I’m cancelling it for the months I’m away in Mexico. I’ve accumulated a slight TV DVD collection over the last few years of my favorites, particularly Chuck and Bones. I also found Season 2 of Project Runway at Half Price Books in Dallas, so that’s making the trip. TIM GUNN EVERYBODY. What makes the cut depends on the size of DVD case I can find and how much I end up deciding I actually “need.” Let’s face it, Chuck, I need. Yes, I have a problem and no, I don’t care.

I began Season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I liked it, but I quickly realized how much crossover there was with the “new” series Angel (and when I say new, I mean new when season 4 of BTVS started, not new as in it premiered last week). And I didn’t have the time or the inclination to try to watch both shows at once and figure out the overlaps and crossovers, so Buffy/Angel is going on hold until after my Mexican adventure.

I forgot how much I loved Battlestar Galactica. While debating with myself on deciding a new show to watch next, I watched the first episode of Season 1, “33,” and now all of a sudden I’m almost done with season 2, having pressed Next One! Next One! Next One! repeatedly. (That link is to a clip from Portlandia–their over-the-top take on binge-watching Battlestar Galatica is hilarious and also accurate). I loved Battlestar Galactica the first time I watched it over a year ago, and it is still awesome. I’m pretending the parts in the 4th season where Apollo/Lee/Jamie Bamber has the worst hair in the history of ever just don’t happen. BSG is bleak and upsetting and I love it. It’s not for everyone, but if you like drama, ethical conundrums, realism in a bleak world, and ridiculousness, BSG is for you. Also, if you like women to be in your shows and to be spectacularly awesome, this show is for you. PS I want to be Starbuck, but not really, but I do. Also, CYLONS.

Books

When I get busy, reading slips down my list of priorities. August has been a flurry of surprise nannying, visiting friends in Arkansas, meeting lots of people for coffee, spending time with my parents, and just getting ready to change my life. So, I’m tired, and when I’m tired books are hard, so I bond with Netflix instead.

Two books, though, did make their way into my hands: Insurgent and Cuckoo’s Calling. Unfortunately, I only read one, Insurgent. I felt similarly about Insurgent as I did about Divergent. It was fine, there were parts I didn’t like, but also parts I really enjoyed. While reading Insurgent, the author, Veronica Roth, celebrated her 25th birthday. Upon discovering that fact, I felt a little bit unaccomplished in life, as I am also 25 and feel as though I have yet to have any accomplishments as impressive as publishing three books (or, almost three, Allegiant isn’t published until later this fall). Then I remember that I have played a part in potty-training 3 small children and I feel like my life has more meaning.

Sorry, Cuckoo’s Calling, I wanted to read you, but Insurgent was easier and you had to go back to the library for someone else to read.

I’ve discovered a number of new books that I’m interested in reading, including March by John Lewis. When I discovered the existence of March last night after watching a special on the March on Washington in 1963, I immediately wanted to buy the book for my trip. Alas, at both Barnes and Nobles it is out of stock. I also discovered that Cory Doctorow wrote a sequel to his awesome and publicly/freely available Little Brother at some point, and I never knew. The sequel is called Homeland, and it continues the story of kids trying to survive what the blurb on Goodreads describes as a “tyrranical security state.” Both books deal with hacking, security, rights, and America–I highly recommend Little Brother and can’t wait to read Homeland. These are just two examples of books on my to-read list, but alas they will probably have to remain unread until my return from Mexico.

Packing for three months with a 50 pound limit makes one appreciate ebooks. While I did remove two pairs of shoes to make room for a book, not many physical books will be making the journey to Mexico. This pains me, but I need clothes and tea bags and kleenexes. And somehow they add up to 50 pounds even before I pack books? Alas. Thank goodness for ebooks.

A book available only as an ebook that I’m currently reading is Every Shattered Thing by Elora Ramirez. I knew her from her blog, and grew to know her brother through participating in her Story 101 Community. She’s a brilliant writer, and just released Every Shattered Thing within the last week. I have an ARC, but I’m buying it. Come on, it’s $2.99! You can get it as a Nook edition or a Kindle edition.

Music

I’ve mostly been listening to Vampire Weekend, Ellie Goulding, and the XX. It’s unlikely that I will be discovering any new music in the next few months.

Magazines

I love my September Vogue. There’s something about such a giant tome of fashion, culture, and sometimes weirdness that is so fascinating. And you know what’s great? I’ll be in Mexico shortly, and there’s a magazine store that I love that has Mexico Vogue and Spain Vogue AND MAYBE I CAN GET TWO MORE SEPTEMBER ISSUES TO READ IN SPANISH ONCE I LEARN IT. I just hope they’re still in stock when I get there.

This is happening. Bright and too early tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to Mexico with my sister. I will have internet, but no iPhone (and I just got one!) service. Fortunately I finally figured out how to suspend service for 3 months without billing, which is fantastic! So I’m going, no strings attached, to learn Spanish. On Sunday I’m going to be on the beach, drinking a Mexican Coke and eating a shrimp cocktail. On Monday I’ll start language learning. As Hermione says in the movie version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: “Everything’s going to change now, isn’t it?

Well, July happened. I went on a family vacation and then bridesmaided in another wedding. I just got a short-term 2-3 day a week nanny job to make a little money before I move to Mexico. And I liked things, so here is my What I’m Into, modeled off of HopefulLeigh’s “What I’m Into” series.

Because I was traveling a lot in the early parts of July, I really didn’t watch a lot of new TV. I was enjoying my family and doing nothing, and then I was bridesmaiding. There was a lot of rewatching of my perennial favorites, like 30 Rock and and HIMYM, but for most of early July, I didn’t delve in to new TV. Also, all my traveling caught up with me and I got some kind of allergies/cold/sinus infection combination and I pretty much laid in bed for many days. Along with continuing rewatches, I picked back up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched the first season sometime last year, but then just dropped it. It is my new favorite thing, and I’m already almost done with Season 3. It’s crazy and weird, but it’s fascinating.

Books

My family vacation to Lakeside is where I read. A lot. Hours in the car and on the porch of our rental home are spent reading, reading, reading. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you will see many pictures from various family members of this years time at Lakeside, and in nearly every picture, I’m reading a different book. I finished quite a few books this month, and started/got stuck/abandoned quite a few, too.

I love being able to catalog my reading habits on Goodreads. It frees up a little space in my brain, so I don’t have to remember every single book on my to-read list (which is ridiculous) or even recently read list. It’s also fun to catalog my thoughts as I read. See especially my reading updates on Killing Kennedy, in which I quoted it’s ridiculous foreshadowing of Kennedy’s upcoming assassination. Spoiler Alert: Killing Kennedy is about the Kennedy Assassination.

I finished 8 books on my vacation (including the aforementioned Killing Kennedy). Two favorites were Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm and The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School. Both of these books are memoirs of women who left their normal life and decided to do something crazy, something that they’ve always wanted to do: working on an oyster farm and going to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, respectively. I really enjoyed these books, because I love memoir and because I highly identified with stories of crazy life change. Shucked, I happened to find on Anthropologie’s Instagram. Yes, that’s weird, but it had a pretty cover and hey I judge books by their covers. Let’s face it, I love memoirs, and I wish I had brought a dozen more.

When I last went to Mexico, I read America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines by Gail Collins, which detailed the history of women in America for its first 400 years, up until about the 60’s. Somehow, I had no idea she had also written a “sequel”about the incredible changes for women since 1960, When Everything Changed The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. I highly recommend both of these books if you enjoy history. Neither are action-packed, but they’re fascinating.

When it comes to “beach reads,” I have a very low threshold for inanity. However, after taking The President’s Club to read on the dock, I quickly realized that I needed to bring something a little less educational. The answer was Divergent. Once I conquered the slow first few chapters, the book LITERALLY jumped a speeding train and became a fascinating and quick read. I finished it in about a day, and my cousin and sister were able to finish it by the end of the week. If you like dystopia or young adult lit, give this book a try. I’m on the waiting list for its sequel at the library and I’m just hoping it arrives before I leave.

My other favorite of books I read on vacation was The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. I first loved Maureen from her fabulous twitter. She is constantly hilarious about all sorts of random topics. Now that she has a puppy, she is on fire. I email my best friend tweets from Maureen about 10 times a week. Madness Underneath, sequel to The Name of the Star, was simultaneously great and horrifying (in the best way), which is exactly how I like my entertainment these days. I typically don’t enjoy books about supernatural phenomena, but Johnson’s spin on a ghost story is different from any paranormal story I’ve previously encountered. If you like England and humor, try it.

Music

I’ve been trying out Spotify’s “Discover” feature, whereby it suggests similar music to what you have previously listened to or it reminds you to listen to a song you haven’t heard in awhile. Their suggestions are good, but I’ve rarely ever found music that I fell in love with from an algorithmically chosen suggestion. My enjoyment of music is rooted in what the music is paired with. For example, was the song in an important scene in a favorite TV show? Which really means, was it in Chuck? See nearly all of my recently played music for more than the last year on Spotify. Wanting to listen to music from Chuck was 90% of the reason I used Spotify in the first place. Vampire Weekend and the Head and the Heart are examples of bands I have started to enjoy based on liking more of their songs than what appeared in Chuck, etc. The recommendations and suggestions from a computer program just aren’t the same.

Magazines

One of my favorite air traveling pastimes is to buy a New York Times or an unexpected magazine while I wait in the airport. Apparently, Dallas Love Field does not sell the New York Times, or they had just sold out by early afternoon. In protest, I went the complete opposite direction of the NYTimes and bought a $3 Teen Vogue with Emma Watson on the cover. It was hilarious and terrible and totally worth $3.

Next month, I will start posting from Mexico. I don’t know what media I’ll be consuming once Spanish school starts, but I’m sure I will find a way to stay entertained. It just might be in Spanish.

Month: August 2013

What I’m Into: August 2013

What I’m Into: July 2013