Pretty Much a Perfect Day

Upon reflection, I just realized I just had my perfect day. A balanced day. A happy day.  Note: Last week was underwhelming full of long demoralizing meetings and a generally crappy feeling in the air.

I skipped coffee yesterday or all weekend. It made the coffee I started sipping around lunch time really work.

I tucked myself in before 10pm last night. My sister called at 10:01 and I couldn't move to answer it.

Breakfast was steel-cut instant oats (from TJs) with chopped apple, some cinnamon, and a sprinkle of walnuts. So wholesome and filling and cozy-ish.

I had parent teacher conferences today. The two kids whose parents I met with are such gems.  My eyes watered when I talked about how delightful they are to teach. 

One conference was cancelled. So I took a walk. I walk for about 15 minutes up hill and then 10 minutes back...I keep my athletic shoes in the car and switch out of my work-lady shoes. It is so fun to look at all the beautiful houses and fantasize about what living in a house might be like someday. I love the Mediterranean landscape of Santa Barbara. I  love looking down at the sparkling sea. Ocean views almost make me feel like I'm at the beach. And, I'm addicted to sunshine.

I snuck out of work early enough to run a few errands (a price adjustment on a skirt from Banana Republic).  I happened upon the bustle of the downtown Farmers Market. I missed it last Sunday in my neighborhood. The colorful  dendrobium orchids were 2 bunches for 5 dollars. I'm in love! I feel so happily indulged when I buy myself flowers. And then I greedily bought lettuces, celery, carrots, kale, broccoli.  Everything was so pretty and fresh.

I went to yoga. My favorite and original yoga studio welcomed me back, even though I've been cheating on it with groupons to other places. Andrew always says, "You mean there is ANOTHER yoga studio?" Yaaay, California!  It was a level 2 class which was challenging but luckily still doable. The instructor is so sweet and she plays really great music. And I bumped into a co-worker I admire there. I barely get a chance to talk to her at work. She is so fit and committed and has a frankness about her that impresses me. I am determined to make this a habit (again).

I love driving home in my new car. Andrew installed a bluetooth radio that hooks up to my iPhone. So my phone conversations or audio books play through the stereo. So cool!

Dinner was a BLT: an open faced tomato, fake-bacon, lettuce sandwich and a huge salad with my new goodies...and an improvised tahini/mustard/yogurt/garlic dressing. Andrew and I polished off our refreshing dinner. I got in the bath while he drove down the block to pick up his latest goods from the pottery studio. Which I am now going to admire.

 I know everyone is reading them right now and probably already knows but I am loving a Game of Thrones. I refer to it as a fairy tale because in general the genre of science fiction is rather off-putting to me. It really is so good! Going to go snuggle with it right now...

P.S. Does this blog post look naked with no picture?

The Joy of Reading

As seen in my grandmother's basement...

Haven't changed much, have I?
Still in a classroom,
still surrounded by books and flowers.

I am...

Reading…"The Middle Place."  It has a cancer-theme so part of me thought enough already while the other part of me thought the-cover-is-so-appealing and Oprah-Magazine-recommended-it and there-it-is-sitting in-the-library's honorback-pile.  

Keeping…my spirits up. Yoga, great friends, a fun job (kindergarten!), and an easygoing boyfriend all contribute greatly. So much to be grateful for.

Baking… A gigundo Italian squash a neighbor offered me from his garden.  For ratatouille-ala-Emily.  But thinking about baking coffee cake .

Watching…last seen: Friday night double feature of "Shrek the Halls" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Gosh we are wholesome.

Making… Vegan food. And not deliberately.  I find windows to grocery shop ｗhen not headed home therefore avoiding things that require refrigeration (eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt). Guess I have to fatten my man up on olive oil.

Grinning... over the 2 month-old Bulldog puppy I saw at a coffee shop today.  She was a drawing a crowd with her sparkling-pink-collar and roly-poly piglet-like body. Is my new affinity for bulldogs due to my results on an online quiz entitled, What Dog Breed Are You?

Admiring...the white gerbera daisies sitting before me, carefully arranged in an Andrew-made-vase. Flowers= the best $2 I spend at the Farmers Market each week.

Congratulating…Boyfriend for completing his Oral Exams--now an official PHD candidate, Sister for finishing up her part in decorating the Trump Tower in Honolulu, and Cousin for running the 13.1-mile Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon, to raise funds for a cure for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

What's up in your life readers?  Feel free to comment with a verb from your life.

Collection of Cookbooks

My love of 1970s cookbooks likely began with my mother's well-loved copy of  Laurel's Kitchen, the Bible of vegetarian cookery. Love those vintage aprons and the cast-iron skillet display (collections to discuss on another day...no Teflon for me, thanks).  My adventures in bargain hunting have also blessed me with favorites like:

 

Check out the author and her dear

chicken friend on the back cover:

Another classic find:

Who is this Joseph you might ask?
Well, he strikes quite the figure on the back cover: 

I sort of agree, Joseph.

I find these wacky illustrations and free hand text pretty charming. 

I see his workshop (30+ years ago) was appropriately
held in good ole Portland, Oregon.

I came across a 15 year old copy of The Martha Stewart Cookbook on the bargain shelf at the library.  While I am fond of Martha, I am even fonder of the previous owner of this cookbook, whose inscriptions and sentiments are found throughout this tome.

Love this book--she is very "special." 

the print is small for me. However this is

a tremendously generous amount of all her recipes.

Long ago I did a lot of entertaining 

always liked it, and loved to cook

We had some wonderful picnics.

 

No wonder she's so successful. She is VERY

particular and discerning, has special "good taste,"

and interesting style. She goes the "extra mile."

She has a secret she adds an unexpected 

SENSIBLE "twist" to foods.  She ups the ante 

so to speak--Like Emeril.

She uses her mind and thoroughly 

investigates  all possibilities--is more often correct.

There is a certain excitement in being the first to crack open a brand new book. Still, though second-hand-finds might mostly be a necessity at this stage in my life, I really do appreciate things with a history. They are often quirky and interesting, not simply mass-marketed for today's audience. Rather than an owner, I become a caretaker for my objects--they were someone's before me and might be someone's after me.

Octoberness

My email to the world as Andrew put it.

Hawaii was Hawaii in all the ways I wanted it to be. It is impossibly beautiful--and it's home. I'm feeling more like myself. Ｉchecked in with my people (and miss them even more). Now I'm back in California and I've had a few teensy tiny pangs of homesick but I'm actually more content being here now than I was before.

I hit up my best yoga class and remember why I love it. My muscles are so sore from two days ago that I skipped tonight. I don't think my arms could hold me up.

My vision has worsened, which is supposedly normal. The good part about this is I hadn't realized and now my new contacts make me feel like I have super human vision.

My garden is comprised of clay beds with brown weeds sticking out. I'm visualizing these weeds gone, as well as composty, fluffed-up dirt, and fresh new seedlings. But, what? Any ideas? I'm drawing a blank.

I'm reading "The Tortilla Curtain" and I love it so far. The social commentary is gritty/honest/horrifying. A book hasn't made me look forward to bed time (read-time) like this in awhile.

I'm aware that this is a silly, random posting. I've missed blogging and it's October again. Some have asked and I'm Emily October only in a quick attempt to find a still-available domain name. October is my birth month and one of my favorites.

Love Struck: Dutch Iris Duo

Yesterday I discovered these amazing Dutch Irises blooming in my garden. I planted them in early November and had forgotten which bulbs were what. Waking up to these beauties was a lovely way to start my day.

They are almost orchid-like in their fancy, sculptural shape. I just finished Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief which involves the passion, lust, and obsession for flowers and living things. I'm not quite at that point...yet.

While looking at this picture, I recall a feng-shui principle that says displaying things in pairs is suppose to promote a positive and harmonious relationship between a couple. It must be working!

The Center of Everything: A Novel

The Center of Everything: A Novel
by Laura Moriarty

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I am still thinking about it. The cover made it look like it was going to be fluffy, but it was poignant and well-written.

I tend to like books about smart, under-appreciated poor kids from dysfunctional families (Matilda, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, anyone?). It's a coming of age book, set in the 80's, and I related to the main character. For me, it was a realistic portrait of adolescence. I loved her religious phase and her holier-than-thou attitude toward the people around her who make bad choices, the tense mother-daughter relationship, the mom who is problematic but loving, her stunning but less-than-bright best friend, her unrequited crush, her frenemies, and how she manages to separate herself from the mess around her, yet comes to terms with.

The school dynamic and the religious pulse in her community were true-to-life. I liked that the story is set in Kansas, which on map looks like "The Center of Everything" rather than the middle of nowhere.

I recognized the cover from a review I read years ago in O magazine (which usually has good recommendations) and am really happy that I noticed it on the honor-back shelf at my local library.

View all my reviews.

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was disappointed with this book. Perhaps because I had been looking forward to reading it for some time. I like elephants, I liked the title and the cover, and I saw people I admire reading it. Well, the first half didn't disappoint me, it was well set up. But the romance that takes over the second-half wasn't very convincing. Other than her apparent good looks, I couldn't understand the appeal of the protagonist's love interest. I also had a hard time rooting for them because she was already married.

Both the circus history and the Great Depression historical fiction spliced throughout the novel were fascinating. I liked certain characters, especially his dwarf roommate. I think she did a good job creating the very elderly character the narrator becomes. But I didn't think he seemed like he was the same character as the young protagonist. His voice, opinions, interests didn't matched the version of him as a young man. When he is young he is passive and quiet and as an old person he is demanding, crude, and humorous. People change, but I figured these two versions of the same person would reflect one another more.

The elephant's antics were entertaining and the intelligence of the exotic animals in this story made their abuse even less tolerable. It reminded me of an event that happened when I was a kid growing up in Hawaii. An elephant killed her trainer, broke free from the circus, and went on a rampage, running down the streets of Honolulu. They killed the poor thing of course, and then there was talk of a statewide ban for visiting elephants. The circus hasn't been back since. Ten years later government authorities took away a whole mess of mistreated elephants--from that same owner!

I remember the news coverage was live while it was happening. Here is a video I found, if you're interested. Warning: it's pretty graphic.




View all my reviews.