Style all over!

I’m writing for a new style site! -R- started it to be a different sort of fashion blog, one real people who don’t necessarily wear cutting edge fashion could get ideas from, as opposed to a lot of sites out there that feature stuff too expensive, too out there, or too sponsored (who else is sick of constant sponsored posts?). You’re wondering where I come in, aren’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever been described as fashionable, but so far they haven’t kicked me out.

My first three posts are here:

Wear a skirt as a dress!

My Favorite Accessory: ModCloth Through the Wire Headbands

Belt it!

Check out the blog! There are a bunch of lovely ladies over there and I’m sure you’ll find something to interest you. Even if it isn’t me. (Be honest, though, it totally is, right? Right?)

Gone Girl, Lucky Man

I don't normally do book reviews here. I've always intended to start, but never seem to get around to it. I love my Goodreads page and wonder how I'd handle both - do I post the same review both places? Direct Goodreads friends to the blog post? Post shorter summaries (in a "all the books I've read this year/month" format) here? I'm still not sure, but I've read two incredible stories recently and feel like telling everyone I know to read these books! Immediately!

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

You've probably already heard allll about Gone Girl. I can't really say much, because this is one you just need to experience. It's a mystery/thriller that manages to be unpredictable and I don't think I know anyone who has read it who didn't immediately get sucked in and have a hard time putting it down until they finished. I spent most of the book thinking "wow, that detail/phrase/plot decision was brilliant." I requested the author's other two books at the library right away.

Lucky Man: A Memoir, by Michael J. Fox

The next book I read was quite different. I wasn't sure whether to give it five stars, but I can't stop thinking about it. It's not a lights-and-fireworks, vowing to stay up until 3am if that's what it takes to finish kind of book. It's quietly compelling. Most celebrity memoirs read as if they're written by the actor's famous persona, being careful to edit out things that don't match the image or are too personal (with the exception of a few explosive! revelations!). I don't blame people for not wanting to lay bare everything about them, but comparison to other memoirs makes Michael J. Fox's unflinching honesty all the more incredible. The writing doesn't always flow smoothly, but that was part of what made it so compelling. These are his words (no ghostwriter).

I went from bemusedly reading about his childhood hijinks at the beginning of the book to scouring the Michael J. Fox foundation website looking for updates in their search for a cure for Parkinson's since the book was published in 2002*. I went right to the Kindle store and bought Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, his more recent memoir (my Gillian Flynn books haven't come in yet!).

*I will warn you, there's a section about stem cell research at the end of the book. If you want to avoid the politics, though, there's a very natural ending just before. It actually feels like the stem cell section was added afterwards, more like a postlogue.

Quick Takes Friday

1.      I had a problem with a flexible spending claim a while ago, tried to get it fixed, and got shot down. I then stewed and muttered under my breath for months (since April!). I finally got up the courage to call them again yesterday and be firm. It took about 10 minutes of explaining the situation several ways, then they said "Oh! We're so sorry! We'll deposit $429 in your account by the end of the day!" I WIN.

I feel like the definition of the parenting axiom if you give in to your child, even just once, they'll never stop trying to get you to give in again. Give me all your customer service problems! I am emboldened to keep insisting until they solve everything!

2.     There was a big flurry of Blathering registrations a couple weeks ago. I finally added all attendees to my Twitter account and am now having a hard time using Twitter. There’s too much! Too many people I don’t know yet, too many tweets to wade through, too many conversations to try and wedge myself into.

3.     You know what else there’s too much of? Political retweets. Are you kidding me with this? By all means, tweet your own political views, if you like, but don’t flood my feed with incredibly partisan retweets. I don’t even like seeing the ones I agree with. (By the way, is there an option to not have someone’s retweets show up in my twitter stream?)

4.     My taste in pumpkin spice lattes seems to vary year-to-year. Some years I can’t taste anything but the spice and feel like I’m drinking some weird herbal thing. This year I’m finding them quite tasty (I think the key is the whipped cream. Mellows it.)

5.      Last week I saw a license plate that said LUV2PIN. Do you think it’s talking about Pinterest? Would someone really put that on their license plate? That seems drastic.

6.   I think I’m ready to buy a nice (read: expensive) pair of jeans. It's time to give up the hope I’ll be losing a ton of weight in the near future and stop putting purchases off. What is your favorite brand? Bonus points if I can find it at Kohl’s, which I have 20% off coupons for.

7.  Me: "It's not my job to always know where your crayons are."

      Meg: "It is your job. I want them now."

Jamming

I know it’s been established people of all ages are allowed to like the songs Call Me, Maybe and What Makes You Beautiful, but that doesn’t change the fact I feel rather immature sitting at work bopping along to them. Especially One Direction. Are mature adults allowed to like them?

(Cut it out. I am too mature.)

If I need to buckle down, I turn the music way up and can really get stuff done. While simultaneously trying not to suddenly burst out with “and this is craaa-zy” out loud.

Doesn’t really matter, anyway, because my current favorite work music is the Titanic soundtrack and feeling immature while listening to Call Me, Maybe has nothing on feeling immature while listening to My Heart Will Go On.

(Really. It’s a great work CD. It’s virtually all instrumental, but interesting instrumental with Irish flutes and a range of tempos and moods.) (Seriously, shut up.)

I probably shouldn’t even tell you I also own Back to Titanic, right? But it’s great, too, with the violin quartet version of Nearer My God to Thee, Irish jigs (I recommend Jack Dawson’s Luck) (listen, I didn’t NAME the songs), and the piano version of My Heart Will Go On – way better than the melodramatic vocal version, which I almost always skip.

(I’ll stop now.)

What embarrassing music do YOU listen to?

*Links to songs are Amazon affiliate links, because I could find no other site to link to. How do you people link music? I tried YouTube, I tried iTunes, nothing.

Crappy Day Presents

I’ve participated in three crappy day present (CDP) exchanges this year and keep meaning to tell you about them because they are so fun. Rachel organizes the exchange and assigns everyone a person to mail gifts (you can request a specific person and/or tell her whether you want someone you do or don’t know). She has a full explanation of the exchange here with links to examples of boxes she’s received. Registration is currently open for the September round of the crappy day present exchange. She's also doing one in October if you're not ready to jump in yet.

I was really nervous the first time. How many presents should I send? What if my person doesn’t like the gifts? What if she sends way more to her person than I send to her? Will she feel ripped off?

Once you receive a box of gifts, though, you know that’s not possible. Even if there was only one thing in there, it’s really really fun to receive a surprise present. The four or five people typically send makes you feel really spoiled. I’m sure you’ve noticed me on Twitter going on and on about my presentsJ

To give you more of an idea of what is typically exchanged, here’s a few of the boxes I’ve sent or received.

What I’ve sent: These are from the first two rounds I participated in. I forgot to take a picture of the third round.

Round #1

Round #2. The fuzzy socks got cut off in the picture
and I also included k-cups not pictured.

And a few of the things I’ve received each round:

This wasn’t even one of the presents (the mug was – and I love it so much it’s the only one I use anymore), but I was really excited when Maureen included chickens to play the chicken game. I keep meaning to buy more to include in my packages. They remind me of one of my favorite books, Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same (affiliate link). Unfortunately, in our house it's usually the cat who finds and hides Mr. Pickles.

The toes were not part of the gift.

FYI, this polish is amazing. It lasts forever.

My stash of CDPs waiting to be opened! 

Learn from my mistakes - the hospital bag

This is another one from the drafts folder. This was originally a comment I wrote when Kate asked for recommendations on packing a hospital bag before giving birth. I saved it intending to expand on it for a hospital bag post, but I think it’s funnier as a this-is-what-I-did-wrong post.

**********************************************************************

The first time I didn't bring makeup and WHOO BOY do I look like shit in all those pictures. I was all "I should look like I just gave birth, not like I'm entering a beauty pageant!" Ha! What I looked like was like I got beat up and also had the worst breakout of my life (which I did) (the break out, not the beat up).

So the second time I brought makeup and thought "who needs those fancy hospital gowns people are buying these days, I did just fine without it the first time!" Yeah...I have visible side boob in at least half of the pictures from that hospital stay because of the breastfeeding openings in the maternity ward gowns. Thanks a lot, husband behind the camera for not WARNING ME. Also, my brother-in-law was there, so *cringe*. My face looks great, though!

In summary, I recommend makeup and clothes from home, whether you buy a specialty gown or not. Nursing tank, maybe? The makeup and my cell phone (for Twitter) were all I used, though, so no need to go overboard on the packing.

Questions for you! Part four, apparently.

Hey, remember way back when that meme was going around that had something to do with elevens? And everybody was sick of it, so I decided to write eleven questions, but split them up and post a few periodically? It's ok. I don't really remember, either. But I still have more questions! So here are three of them:

1. What are you reading right now? Do you like it? 

2. What’s your favorite non-current TV show (as in, they don’t make new episodes anymore)?

3. What’s your favorite show available on Netflix? If it’s the same show as in question #3, then tell us about your second favorite.

My answers:

1. I'm kind of in a reading funk, so I downloaded Little Women (free!) for my Kindle. I haven't read it since I was in middle school, so I'm hoping re-reading as an adult doesn't ruin it. 

2. This one's pretty obvious: Friends. 

3. I wrote this question so I could find some shows to watch in Netflix, because I've never found that much for TV shows in there. The shows I watch are usually on Hulu instead. Do you have suggestions for me?