This week I ran into a scheduling snafu with my Motherhood by Design posts and after a couple of days of fretting and stressing over it and coming up with no great way to solve the problem, I decided I needed to just go with a completely different approach. On the plus side though, I have a few amazing interviews coming up in the weeks ahead - including a multi-part series from Anna Maria Horner! I had the pleasure of chatting with her for over an hour and believe me, her interview is packed with juicy behind-the-scenes info. Now just to transcribe and edit it all... Hopefully the series will be back on track later this week. In the meantime, here's a fun diversion. I thought about the things I chat about when catching up with a friend, and compiled them here. I'd love to hear your answers to these too, so tell me in the comments below!
The Latest Book I Finished
The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion
This book is a NY Times bestseller and truthfully, I’m not exactly sure why. But I did enjoy the book, it was light (but not too light) and entertaining. The story is about a research professor named Don, who has Aspergers and goes on a quest to find a wife. It’s definitely a little bit predictable, but the charm in the book is viewing the world through Don’s eyes. He narrates the story so you experience the tale through the lens of someone with Aspergers, which is enlightening and as you can imagine, humorous in many instances. There is a sequel called The Rosie Effect: A Novel, which I haven’t read, and the first book is coming out as a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence.
The Latest Movie I Watched
Bulworth starring Warren Beatty and Halle Berry, 1998
I heard this movie is hysterically funny and I don’t agree with that. Yes, it is definitely funny, but it’s more of a dark, edgy, ironic humor. That said, I really, really enjoyed it. It’s about a liberal politician who becomes suicidally disillusioned and takes a contract out on his own life. Knowing he only has a few days to live, he decides to say exactly what’s on his mind, often in hip-hop rhythm and style. The layers of characters and humor are what make this movie so good, but be forewarned, it deserves every bit of it’s R rating for very adult language (used in context, not gratuitously, but still, definitely adult).
The Latest Meal I Cooked
Thai-style Basil Shrimp with Basil Coconut Rice from the September issue of Food Network magazine
This recipe calls for a ton of basil (4 cups) and I ran short, prompting me to plot a raid on my neighbor’s basil plants while they’re away on vacation. All I can say about this recipe is yum, Yum, YUM! It looks like it would be long and complicated to prepare, but in reality, it came together very quickly. I didn’t serve it over salad greens like the recipe calls for, I just laid the skewers over the rice, so I left out the extra basil, the bean sprouts, the lettuce and the peanuts. It was a hit with my whole family and we’ll be making it again soon, maybe next time as chicken kabobs. The recipe is on the Food Network site.
The Latest Trip I Took
New York City
This past Monday Winnie and I drove to New York City for the day. It’s about a 4.5 hour drive from our house, so why the long trip for just a day? We did it for Jammy, our dog - she auditioned for a Broadway show! “Sylvia” first premiered in 1995 with Blythe Danner, and it’s coming back this year staring Matthew Broderick and Annaleigh Ashford, and the dog character plays a pivotal role in the story. Jammy didn’t get chosen, it seems they were looking for a small, fuzzy dog, but we had a great time anyway. She definitely made us proud! And to thank us for auditioning her, we received two tickets to the show once it’s in previews. It was a super-fun day all around!
The Latest Purchase I Made for Myself
Fabric (of course)
Mmmm, look at this sweet Liberty of London fabric! I got it a couple of weeks ago when our DC Modern Quilt Guild met at Finch Sewing Studio all day, and Nicole, the owner of Finch, very thoughtfully offers us a discount on anything we purchase that day. I was powerless over the charms of this wonderful Liberty print and snapped up a few yards with plans to make a button-down shirt for myself for the fall. Maybe a bit ambitious, and I’ll definitely have to make a trial run of the pattern before cutting into this precious fabric, but it will be worth it in the end!
The Latest New Restaurant I Tried
While at that quilt guild meeting, a bunch of us set out on the streets of quaint little downtown Leesburg to find some lunch. Someone suggested we go to a place called Doner Bistro, which sounds kind of weird, right? But my oh my, I was not disappointed! The place bills itself as German street food but a friend who was with us who is actually from Germany said that the food is more Turkish than German. I had the Donerbox which is a large boxy cup filled with shaved and perfectly crisped beef, seasoned fries, and a garlicky, creamy yogurt sauce. It was heaven! I’m not sure if this is the forefront of some kind of trend, but if you see a place like this near you, you have to try it!
Now it's your turn - what's your latest? Share in the comments below!