tuckergurl

Books and more books

Quel tagged me with this meme. She's quite the reader. I've been slacking lately.

1. One book that changed your life?
Forever by Judy Blume
Quel actually said this but I have a funny story about this book. I was almost suspended from 6th grade for reading the dirty sections out loud. It actually did not change my life but I have funny memories about it.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X did change my life. I read it the summer before college and honestly had not read any memoirs about any great black leaders at that point. It was so well written and taught me a lot about redemption. That summer, I read many memoirs that I had had around my house, Soul on Ice, Manchild in the Promised Land. My parents had quite the library. It really opened my eyes to all of the things I had not learned about my history. I probably became an African-American studies major because of it.

2. One Book That You've Read More Than Once.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Strangely this is also Quel’s answer. I enjoyed this book but the main reason why I read it several times was because teachers at Wesleyan did not talk to one another and kept assigning this book in multiple classes. I think I had to read this book every year in college.

3. One Book That You'd Want On A Desert Island.
My Gayl Jones anthology (which is currently out of print).
Her books are so captivating and getting through one is a long task. I could be occupied for a long while.

4. One Book That Made You Laugh.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby
Man that book is funny. I love them Brits!

5. One Book That Made You Cry.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
This really has more to do with me though than the book. It hit a little close to home.

6. One Book That You Wish You Had Written.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
I loved that book. I love her. I've always wanted to be her ... just a little bit.

7. One Book You Wish Had Never Been Written.
Sadly nothing is coming to mind. I tend not to read books that I don’t think I will enjoy so I have not read a horrible book in a long, long time. There are probably a few celebrity memoirs that should not have been written. Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritche, Teri Hatcher. Yeah, those books are a few good candidates.

8. One Book That You Are Reading Right Now.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I have had it for a long time but have not been in the right frame of mind. I know it is going to be amazing but I also know it is going to be brutal! I am only on page 5.

9. One Book That You Have Been Meaning To Read.
Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama
I know what you are thinking. You say you love him Angela but you’re a liar! I am. I am. I don’t own a copy and I keep thinking I am going to borrow or buy one but never do. I will need to before I leave my job and go to work for him. (OK, I'm not actually working for him anytime soon but I will ... or at least work on his campaign.)

10. Tag five others that you would like to do this meme.
Beebs, Adriana, Ore … I can’t think of anyone else who has not already done something like this.

Life Path #

I am not 100% sure what this means but it is surprisingly accurate.

Your Life Path Number is 4

Your purpose in life is to build your vision. You are practical and responsible. You work hard, knowing that there are no shortcuts in life. You work for a better life for yourself and those you love, but you are not an idealist. Trustworthy and honest, you also demonstrate great courage. People can count on you. In love, you are a loyal and committed partner. You are the ideal spouse. You don't give up easily, and sometimes you can be too stubborn and unwilling to change. You also can be too conservative at times. You sometime miss out on good opportunities. Also remember that not everyone can work as hard as you, as disappointing as that is!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

No Rhyme Or Reason

This weekend I co-hosted a shower for my preggers gal pal/sister Isha.  She is featured in this animated photo that the talented Ari designed.  I had this idea to do a "Waking Life" version of a pregnant Isha and knew that Ari was the best person for the job.  People seemed to really like the invite.

I am excited for this little boy to come into the world.  I am excited to be a loving, caring, kick butt Auntie/God Mother.  I am sort of nervous because I want to do a good job and I really have no idea what I am doing.  But I am excited to open myself up to loving another human being unabashedly.  It is something I have been holding back on and I think this little munchkin is a good place to start.

Today I have started day one of a two day seminar on Photoshop and other Adobe illustrator programs.  I have learned so much and though I was pretty beat afterwards (and PMSing may I add), I feel good that I have finally have a clue what the hell is going on in Photoshop.  I actually was a star pupil who at times was bored enough to surf a teeny bit on the internet during class.  I found this article about my (and Beebs') beloved director, Michel Gondry.  What a visionary!  I love reading about people like him and I am all over The Science of Sleep.

I came home and had a healthy microwaveable meal (Thanks to the new health food store on Atlantic and Nostrand in Crown Heights.  A single girl's dream!) with a glass of wine from a bottle that my friend bought me for my long past birthday.  I decided to open my mind to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip which I had low expectations for.  I am the kind of person that hates hype around anything.  It makes me avoid it.  But even skeptical old me loved, loved, loved this show,  It was the best pilot I have ever seen.  Who knows what it means for the future but the 60 minutes I watched it were worthwhile!  Everyone is great on it.  Better than they have ever been on the other shows they were on.  (All right, it is pretty hard for Bradley Whitford to be better than he was on The West Wing but everyone else rocks harder here than they have anywhere else.)

The Deal With Spinach

In the continuing adventures of me living beyond my means, I was getting my third meal this week from Whole Foods when I noticed a sign:

FDA Alert Regarding Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach

Here's the deal : The FDA has alerted consumers that packaged fresh spinach may be contaminated with E.coli O157:H7, which could cause serious illness or possibly death. Consumers are advised NOT to eat fresh bagged spinach at this time. As a precaution, Whole Foods Market has temporarily removed ALL fresh loose and packaged spinach and fresh salad mixes containing spinach that comes in packaged form.

Do you know how much bagged spinach I eat? I easily eat a bag of spinach a week. Geez! I guess I have to give lettuce a chance.

Dear Delta,

I have been flying your airline for quite sometime now.  I have 50,000 miles.  So why oh why am I treated so badly by you?  The client that we made the industrial for is paying for me to fly to Las Vegas on any airline I want and I choose you.  You.  And how do you repay me?  By throwing away my shampoo and contact lens solution.  By giving me a bag of Sun Chips, two beverages and Nacho Libre on a teeny screen six feet away for a five hour flight!  By, after waiting a half hour for my luggage, throwing three pieces of luggage on the baggage claim ramp to distract me from complaining and then a half hour after that, finally giving me my luggage at 11pm!

I know you went bankrupt and got rid of my fave airline, Song but you would think that you would want to treat your last few customers well.  I am using my frequent flyer miles and never flying your airline again!  (This entry is a shoutout to Giulia's Dear Douchebag blog.  One of my faves.)

Crank

Yeah, I saw it. I figured I should admit to the bad movies as well as the good ones. Jason Statham is hot. What can I say? I am weak. Man that movie was funny and probably not in the way it meant to be. I had a good time though.

I am a bit confused about why Amy Smart is in this movie. Bill collectors must be beating down her door man. It must be bad.

The highlight of the film though was the commentary afterwards. This group of friends were trying to have this intellectual conversation about the quality of the film. One guy even said that the film should have used another film stock. Isha and I could not look at each other because we were going to laugh in their faces. The movie is called Crank. I mean, it's not a real movie.

Half Nelson

It is probably too soon for me to write about this film because I only saw it a few hours ago but I could not include this film in my last random entry. It deserved a shout out all its own. Half Nelson is fantastic!!

I have a bit of a history with this film and have been waiting for months to see it! I love Ryan Gosling and just had a little feeling that he was going to be fantastic in it. I was right. He really gives an incredible performance. It is hard to believe he is 25. He really is an old soul. (And I am not saying this because I have a crush on him. See this movie and you too will be in awe of him.)

I was a bit nervous that the film was going to be irritating. The whole white teacher in inner city public school thing gets on my nerves. But this film is really effective. It goes there in every way and you've gotta see it to get what I am talking about.

I liked this movie so much that it got me hoping I could make a movie that good. Here's to hoping!

Some Random Things In No Particular Order

-I did not write anything about The Emmys because well, they sucked. I do not think I can add a lot to what has already been said. However, I do have one question: Why give out the Emmys for Best Guest Actor and Actress at an earlier ceremony and then essentially give them out again at the Primetime Emmys? If you guys are so worried about time, I have some ideas on where you can cut.

-The VMAs were ok. I prefer music award shows because at least I can see people perform. In my next life, I want to come back at Beyonce. I heart her. Her performance was pretty hot! I do have to say though that a world where The Black Eyed Peas win Best Hip Hop Video for "My Hump" is not a world I want to live in. What are the VMAs, the Grammys? I thought you were better than that. I sort of liked The All American Rejects performance. They just sang. No naked dancers. No gimmicks.

-I know no one watches this but Tara and I but Prison Break is really good this season. William Fichtner is making the show a lot better. I mean, I know it's a poor man's 24 but I have no problems with that.

-There has been a lot of talk about how yoga can help beat depression. I always knew I needed to do more yoga.

-Lately I have been thinking a lot about the lack of access to healthy food in inner city communities and how the "food movement" is sort of a classist issue (long story as to why). When I talked to my friend about it, she referred me to this interesting article about how breast feeding is a luxury for the rich. Fascinating.

-Vera Farmiga is going to be huge. She was incredible in Down to the Bone and Adriana and I are the only people who love her. This Times article will help change that. The article was a little whiny in tone though. Yes, there are few parts for amazing actresses like her but the writer could have gotten the point across in a less annoying manner.