Sacre Bleu: A Review

Sep 132012
 

Have you ever read anything by Christopher Moore? I just finished his new novel Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art, and I have mixed feelings.

Christopher Moore, to me, writes like a modern-day Shakespeare: his writing is smart and funny, but in a bawdy, low-brow way. I loved his Lamb and Fool, a retelling of the life of Christ and King Lear from the fool’s perspective, and as far as specifically “funny” books go, I’d probably rank them in my top 10. (Seriously, if you haven’t read them, I suggest you do so immediately.) But to me, Sacre Bleu, just wasn’t as good.

Set among the 1890s Parisian Impressionists, Sacre Bleu is essentially the story of this supernaturally-based woman inspiring all the great works of art of the time. It’s EXTREMELY silly, even for Moore, and while I really liked the characters—particularly that of  Henri de Toulous-Lautrec, who, from what I know of the actual historical figure, seemed to be spot-on—the plot was too much of a stretch for me. The idea was interesting, but it made only limited sense and the action didn’t really go anywhere. It’s almost as if it would have made an amazing short story, but Moore was having such a good time with his characters, he didn’t want the fun to end.

My rating: A solid B; entertaining but not memorable
Who should read it: Fans of Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, and British humor in general (he’s not British, but he employs that brand of silly comedy)

 September 13, 2012  books, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , ,  No Responses »

Working Girl

Sep 112012
 

Several people have asked me to post about how my new job is going and if I still love it.

Here is that post: It is going great, and yes, I still love it!!

I get to write a lot, which is awesome, and I also get to brainstorm ideas for events and activities, which allows me to come up with fun/silly ideas.

A few weeks ago, I took part in my first big work meeting. And when I say big, I mean 300+ people. I didn’t play a huge role, but I did act as behind-the-scenes support, and it was fun and exciting in a way that reminded me of “opening night” when I do a show. Also, they had me drive on of the AutoTrader.com branded cars over to the meeting site. YIKES. Those of you familiar with my driving activities know what a stressful situation this was for me, but it turned out fine. Here is a pic of me behind the wheel looking very stressed out. Don’t worry: I took it in the parking deck, not on the road.

Oh dear.

Another great thing about my j.o.b. is that when I had only been there about two weeks, I won a prize—and I never win things! Courtesy of the company, JP and I went to see Jason Mraz at Lakewood. I’ve always really liked his music, but I had never put down the cash to see him play in person. It was super fun and a great show!!

Additionally, my job is so close to my house that a few times a week I just head home for lunch. I feel like this is going to come in extra handy during Crock Pot season (some of those recipes are done after only 5 hours!). I’m now trying to convince JP there is a dog in our near future; however, I did just get cast in the ensemble of a local production of Legally Blonde: The Musical, so our “near future” may not arrive until after the new year. I mean, how will I become the dog’s favorite parent if I’m never around to hang out with it? Exactly.

Atlanta friends: More to come on LB:TM in the future, but until then, be sure to save a November weekend night pre-Thanksgiving for me!

 September 11, 2012  goals, random, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , , ,  1 Response »

Old Books…Catching Up

Jul 092012
 

So…remember that time I sat atop my high horse and proudly proclaimed that I would read 12 classics this year, and then it was July and I had read a total of NONE OF THEM!

Oh, dear! Sometimes my reading eyes are bigger than my reading stomach!

Stack of books

I wanted to include a plate with books on it here, but the search only brought up bookplates. Lame.

Continue reading »

 July 9, 2012  books, goals, what you wanted to know Tagged with: ,  2 Responses »

I Fought the Law (and You Know the Rest)

Jun 112012
 

So…I got a speeding ticket. I was really upset about this, not because I wasn’t speeding (I definitely was) but because it was 11 a.m. on a sunny weekday and I was just loving life so much I didn’t even notice! No, really! When the officer pulled in behind me and turned on his lights, I changed lanes because I thought: “Uh oh. Better get out of the way so this cop can go about his business of arresting a real criminal.” When I figured out he was, in fact, coming for me and pulled over, he was like, “What was THAT about?” As if I had been attempting to ELUDE him. Oh, brother. Continue reading »

 June 11, 2012  random, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , , ,  1 Response »

Busy Work

Jun 082012
 

Not too long ago, I read a post by a fabulous blogger I follow that quoted the following from the book Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is Harming Young Women, and what that author said really resonated with me:

We are the girls with anxiety disorders, filled appointment books, five-year plans. We take ourselves very, very seriously. We are the peacemakers, the do-gooders, the givers, the savers. We are on time, overly prepared, well read, and witty, intellectually curious, always moving… We pride ourselves on getting as little sleep as possible and thrive on self-deprivation. We drink coffee, a lot of it. We are on birth control, Prozac, and multivitamins… We are relentless, judgmental with ourselves, and forgiving to others. We never want to be as passive-aggressive are our mothers, never want to marry men as uninspired as our fathers… We are the daughters of the feminists who said, “You can be anything,” and we heard, “You have to be everything.” Continue reading »

 June 8, 2012  design, fitness, goals, random, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , , ,  1 Response »

Extreme Home Makeover

Jun 062012
 

I feel like I’ve been at camp. We’re getting our air conditioning replaced for a more efficient/hopefully money-saving model, but that means we’ve had to sleep sans AC for the past two nights. Our old unit has been removed but the new one hasn’t been put in yet, so we’re dealing with the general stuffiness of sleeping with open windows and a box fan in June. Luckily, the past few days have been surprisingly cool, but they’ve still left me with that general “summer camp” feeling. Except when you get ready at camp you just throw on a t-shirt and shorts, and this morning I had to put on work clothes and a full face of makeup. Not cool (in any respect). Continue reading »

 June 6, 2012  design, random, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , , ,  2 Responses »

Back and Better than Ever: Or, What I Learned on my Summer Vacation

May 292012
 

I was just gone for like a week. I didn’t tell you, dear blog readers, because while I’m sure the majority of you are nice, super-sweet kiddos who just want to read a bunch of book reviews, some of you may, in fact, be burglars, and as discussed in a previous post, I prefer to be neither robbed nor “robbed.” That said, I learned some valuable lessons while I spent several days lounging in the warm, early summer sun at my parents’ lake cabin.

Continue reading »

 May 29, 2012  books, fam, goodtimes, travel, what you wanted to know Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »
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