Vote for Naughty Secretary Club

My friend Jen Perkin's charm bracelet kit was chosen as one of Fred Flare’s Next Big Thing Winners.

She has a chance to win big $$$ and an editorial feature somewhere if she is voted as the favorite. So be kind and go and vote for Naughty Secretary Club. Click the part that says click to vote!

Summer = reading

It's summer and it's piping hot outside so I've been reading indoors to avoid the heat. I finished Random Family which was very good but extremely depressing look at poverty and how it effects generation after generation with no end in sight. Instead of switching to something more lively, I'm now reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. I figure this book would provide some background into the origins of polygamy and be a good companion to HBO's Big Love. This may not have been the best choice..I definitely need something more up beat to read next! I try to carry a book with me at all times. I have discovered that books make me a patient person. If I carry my book with me I have no issues with waiting and actually look forward to waiting rooms.

I like YOU

Such a sweet title, how could you not want to read it! I recently got this book as a gift and I loved it! It's a well needed break from the bleak Cormac McCarthy novel I described a few blogs entries ago. I really enjoyed flipping thru her book and reading all of her witty antidotes about cooking, crafting and living. I'm familiar with Amy Sedaris's crafty ways from interviews with her in Bust magazine but she surprised me with her ideas on hosting a party. She talks about creating a party journal where after each party you write down guests likes and dislikes and overall what worked and didn't work. I ventured out to her website. She lists her favorite books and movies. I noticed Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. It looks interesting. Hmm...maybe I'll swing by the bookstore on my way home.

My New Favorite Jams

I tend to heavily listen to one record at a time. I've been hooked on Gravenhurst's Fires in Distant Buildings album for most of last year. The bands based in England. I wish they would tour the US. I personally love the song Cities Beneath the Sea. My friend's favorite song on the record is The Velvet Cell which is kinda menacing ...listen to it and you'll know what I mean.

Finally I switched up the mix earlier this year and now play The Isles's Perfumed Land repeatedly. They're based in NYC. I got to see them play at SXSW. The Smiths got me through adolescence so you'll see why I like The Isles. As an review stated "Let's get one thing straight: The Isles are not a band looking to copy their predecessors. The Smiths may be the first band to come to mind as Perfumed Lands begins its musical journey, but you'll find no pseudo-Morrissey crooning or Johnny Marr-esque riffage. In fact, The Isles quickly find their own niche throughout Perfumed Land."

Sunday Feast

Soprano's has started a Sunday tradition of cooking up a feast and watching the countdown of the final season. Only two episodes left and I'm hoping for a Reservoir Dogs ending. For tonight's feast, I made some oatmeal cookies. Not sure what the main course will be yet. For the last episode, we went all out with Veggie Tacos...yummm yummy!
Here's the recipe for these oh so delicious oatmeal cookies:

• 1cup butter


• 1 cup brown sugar


• 1/2 cup granulated sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 tsp vanilla


• 1-1/2 cups flour


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp sea salt


• 3 cups oatmeal


• 1/2 cup raisins
  

1. Heat Oven to 350 degrees


2. Beat butter and sugars till creamy


3. Add eggs, vanilla; beat some more


4. Add the combination of flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt; mix well


5. Stir in oats and rasins; mix well


6. Drop by rounds onto ungreased cookie sheet. I flatten a bit since they don't spead much on their own.


7. Bake for 12-14 minutes


8. 
   
   Cool and gobble up.
   
   Makes about 2+ dozen. Oh I bet some chocolate chips would makes these cookies even yummier!

Blood Meridian

Have you read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy? This book is not for the faint of hearts. It was given to me by a friend who I was visiting last Labor Day. I needed a book to read on my journey home and he so graciously gave me this book. He loved it. I had seen the movie "all the pretty horses" and somewhat knew what I was getting into to, but, as always, books let your mind visualize events more gory then a director besides Takashi Miike could deliver. I read the first third of this book fairly quickly then took a break. I picked it up and read the next third and really needed a break from the ongoing depiction of one bloodbath after another. Finally I finished the last third this weekend and, oh my, hopefully my dreams will be filled with sweet innocence once again.