monday monday

this is my horoscope today: 

Gemini (May 21 — June 21)

Your outlook today implies a strong need to look out for problems that have no basis in reality. Your imagination is powerful now. You must make sure it doesn't cook up some scary monster that could limit your ability to enjoy life.

a scary monster? it really is a horror-scope. it took me years to realize that it was spelled horoscope and not horrorscope. 

last night i took some liquid melatonin to help me sleep. today i am really out of it - time to reduce the dose!

book review: the elegance of the hedgehog by muriel barbery

the elegance of the hedgehog, the review: 

i had to read this book for one of my book clubs. yes, i am in two book clubs. i love books and clubs about them. 

this book was ... good. i liked it a lot more upon reflection after i had finished it actually. i would recommend this book to my friends because it makes you think about the big picture in life: what is the meaning of life, what is the point of living, how different people can affect your life in a meaningful way - that sort of thing. 

the book is divided into parts by two different narrators. there is renee, a 50-something widowed concierge and paloma, a 12-year-old genius who just happens to come from a wealthy family that lives in renee's building. the parts by paloma are definitely more interesting, unless you are really into philosophy, then you might prefer renee's text. i found renee's text to be a lot of blah blah blah. 

i found the climax of the story to come together a little too conveniently at the end of the book. there is a japanese character named ozu who makes the book a lot more interesting, for the characters in it and for the reader. all in all, not something i would choose to read or ever read again, but worthwhile all the same.

movie review: rachel getting married

rachel getting married, the review:

i had wanted to see this one for a while and finally convinced adymm to rent it and watch it with me on saturday afternoon. he wanted to rent benjamin button which i admit i do want to see; it just looks soooooooo long. long movies = no! keep it short, like my attention span. 

i did not really like this movie. i think i misjudged the genre of it. i don't know what i was expecting but it was pretty depressing and slow moving. there were a lot of scenes that didn't need to be there, such as the wedding dance montage that lasted ten minutes (or more). all i need is 30 seconds of dance to realize that it was a good time. they didn't have to bring in dances from every part of the world, either. you are worldly, unusual, musical people, i get it. i do like anne hathaway and i feel like i should mention the acting was good. believable. i also didn't like the way the camera filmed the movie. it was jumpy and very distracting. i feel like i should like it because it's indie or different or something but i just don't and don't want to pretend to either. reviewers that lie to seem cool are ridiculous. i already know i'm not that cool so i don't need a bogus review to prove it. 

rating: one star out of five!

blame it on the rain

it's raining today. i have hangover feelings, even though i only drank two glasses of wine last night. i have three options here: 

1) i am a lightweight who can only handle one drink. we all know this to be false ... i mean, come on. i have years of wine-drinking training under my belt. that can't just disappear in a few days. 

2) the house white at McVeigh's is of very poor quality. number two makes more sense than number one. 

3) the weather today (very rainy) is creating some sort of crazy pressure on my skull, causing my brain to get squished, resulting in a headache that is similar to a hangover. 

i guess a fourth option would be not enough sleep, but i got as much as i usually do. i think. my acting debut was a success. i was told some really nice things and now my ego is even bigger. i'm so great. thanks everybody. ha! everyone laughed and it was a lot of fun. now i am happy to have free time back. what will i do with myself? read a thousand novels, of course. adymm took some photos of me in action but they are on his camera. hopefully he will post them soon so i can steal them. 

acting debut

tonight is my acting debut. i'm in this year's BPPA Cabaret. BPPA means book publishing professional association. yes, i paid to get in. they put on informative seminars. truthfully, i haven't been to one in a while. they fall on nights when i've other stuffs going down. i can't think of exactly what, now, but i'm sure it was something. 

the show is tonight. it's a bunch of skits about book publishing - basically making fun of it all. every industry can be cliquey but book publishing is especially so. i know i'm making it sound like we think we are really great, but that isn't what i mean. people who work in book publishing, especially in canada and especially in toronto are notoriously underpaid. canadian book publishing couldn't even exist without government funding! let's just say you can live on your salary but you can't buy expensive luxury goods. anyway, you have to laugh at yourself and that's what it's all about. i'm hungry. 

do not eat

do you want to know what is sick and disgusting? anything that precedes the word "tartare." don't confuse this with the tasty "tartar" sauce, which is a thick white sauce made from mayonnaise and finely chopped pickled cucumber, capers, onions (or chives), and fresh parsley. thanks wikipedia! 

tartare means a preparation of finely chopped raw meat or fish optionally with seasonings and sauces. typically, a tartare is served as a spread for toast. the name is popularly derived from the tatars. The dish is very popular in poland. HA! 

 

last week adymm took me to this fancy french restaurant to celebrate our 29 monthaverski and for an appetizer i ordered the venison tartare not knowing that tartare means RAW MEAT. i am not french and i dropped out of french class in grade nine at my earliest possible opportunity. the idea that it could be raw never even crossed my mind. i mean, what kind of place would serve a gross concoction of raw meat in a weird gelatinous bubble shape? i tried it and adymm spat his out in the napkin. can you even call cloth napkins napkins or would they be serviettes? i will look into that another day. 

take a big bite! 

jackie collins

i know they're trashy but i love them, i can't help it. jackie collins novels. i've never read one but i'm on my second audiobook and i'm hooked. i think reading the actual books will be more fun. it's like reading without thinking. here is a list of her books. i'll check them off when i'm done reading them. maybe i can be done in ... one year?

The World Is Full Of Married Men (1968)
The Stud (1969)
Sinners (first published as Sunday Simmons & Charlie Brick) (1971)
The Love Killers (first published as Lovehead) (1974)
The World Is Full Of Divorced Women (1975)
Lovers & Gamblers (1977)
The Bitch (1979)
Rock Star (1988)
American Star (1993)
Thrill (1998)
Lovers & Players (2006)
Married Lovers (2008) READING NOW
Poor Little Bitch Girl (October 5th, 2009)

Hollywood Series

Hollywood Wives (1983)
Hollywood Husbands (1986)
Hollywood Kids (1994)
Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (2001)
Hollywood Divorces (2003)

The Santangelo Novels

Chances (1981)
Lucky (1985)
Lady Boss (1990)
Vendetta: Lucky's Revenge (1996)
Dangerous Kiss (1999)
Drop Dead Beautiful (2007) READ
Goddess of Vengeance (2010)

Madison Castelli Series

L. A. Connections (serialised novel):
Power (1998)
Obsession (1998)
Murder (1998)
Revenge (1998)
Lethal Seduction (2000)
Deadly Embrace (2002)