The domesticated life

I am stuck here in my office making phone calls and waiting on hold, so I wanted to write an intelligent entry-- on books, perhaps-- but don't want to slight the good ones I've read recently by writing something like "Um, it was good. I recommend it."

(I do, though, recommend Holly Black's Valiant, as gripping-- and shocking-- as Tithe but with a central relationship that's less idealized and, in terms of genre, more groundbreaking; R. A. Nelson's Teach Me, also both gripping and shocking, a YA novel about a girl who has an affair with her high school teacher-- really intense, although I still think Nelson goes easy on the teacher; and Yuu Watase's manga Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden, a prequel which ticks off a few Watase cliches, like gender-bending and the patented trip-and-fall into the arms of a cute guy, but has a much more aggressive and moody female protagonist than I've seen in her manga before. (She studies naginata! And hits people!) Also, if you're familiar with Fushigi Yuugi, you know that this story is going in a dark direction.)

My plants are thriving, especially the constantly blossoming scarlet begonia and the enormous basil. The latter is starting to resemble Jack's beanstalk, and is perfuming my balcony.

My Company Store watercolor sheets are the best. The combination of the light blue sheets and dark blue cover and the overall watery effect makes me feel like I'm sleeping in some relaxing breathable pool.

I now have all my books shelved. I bought a bunch of Time Life "Food of the World" books at a Goodwill store for a dollar each, huge hardcovers with photos, recipes, and essays on culture and cuisine, and have them in a little red kitchen bookcase. They are also the best. I have Japan (written in 1969, by a WWII veteran who had fallen in love with the cuisine after the war, and was introducing it to an American audience that had never heard of it, but did not simplify it for American tastes), Provincial France (written by MFK Fisher), the Viennese Kingdoms, Germany, and New England. I have been reading them on the kitchen floor while eating lunch. They are great. I want the entire set, and think I will start haunting Goodwills in search of them.

The domesticated life

I am stuck here in my office making phone calls and waiting on hold, so I wanted to write an intelligent entry-- on books, perhaps-- but don't want to slight the good ones I've read recently by writing something like "Um, it was good. I recommend it."

(I do, though, recommend Holly Black's Valiant, as gripping-- and shocking-- as Tithe but with a central relationship that's less idealized and, in terms of genre, more groundbreaking; R. A. Nelson's Teach Me, also both gripping and shocking, a YA novel about a girl who has an affair with her high school teacher-- really intense, although I still think Nelson goes easy on the teacher; and Yuu Watase's manga Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden, a prequel which ticks off a few Watase cliches, like gender-bending and the patented trip-and-fall into the arms of a cute guy, but has a much more aggressive and moody female protagonist than I've seen in her manga before. (She studies naginata! And hits people!) Also, if you're familiar with Fushigi Yuugi, you know that this story is going in a dark direction.)

My plants are thriving, especially the constantly blossoming scarlet begonia and the enormous basil. The latter is starting to resemble Jack's beanstalk, and is perfuming my balcony.

My Company Store watercolor sheets are the best. The combination of the light blue sheets and dark blue cover and the overall watery effect makes me feel like I'm sleeping in some relaxing breathable pool.

I now have all my books shelved. I bought a bunch of Time Life "Food of the World" books at a Goodwill store for a dollar each, huge hardcovers with photos, recipes, and essays on culture and cuisine, and have them in a little red kitchen bookcase. They are also the best. I have Japan (written in 1969, by a WWII veteran who had fallen in love with the cuisine after the war, and was introducing it to an American audience that had never heard of it, but did not simplify it for American tastes), Provincial France (written by MFK Fisher), the Viennese Kingdoms, Germany, and New England. I have been reading them on the kitchen floor while eating lunch. They are great. I want the entire set, and think I will start haunting Goodwills in search of them.