A Relaxing Weekend

I’m feeling pretty derpy, much like this fox. It hasn’t stopped raining since Sunday afternoon and we are going stir. crazy. It’s not just the rain, but also the cold. Yesterday, it was so chilly I could see my breath while I was out on a much-needed run (isn’t running in the rain kinda fun? until it’s not?). I guess I thought it was July or something…

Complaining about the weather is something the Swiss just don’t do. The weather is there, it’s doing what it’s doing and we’re all experiencing it so why talk about it? It’s frustrating because weather is one of those fail-safe topics you can always rely on when you’re, say, sitting next to your neighbor on the bus and want to talk about something in German and you really only know “Es regnet. Es kalt.” (It’s raining. It’s cold.) My sweet neighbor indulged me but it’s mostly because I sound like a small child. I’ll take the small victory. So, in the Swiss vein I will really try to refrain from complaining about the weather. It’s there. It’s going to do it’s thing and our job is to ride it out. Upward and onward!

What are you doing this weekend? Adam and I are going to see this movie tonight, because we just can’t watch one more movie at home this week. Tomorrow I might try to visit the hammam for some detox and relaxation, and I have a feeling Sunday will be devoted to wedding and honeymoon planning. All will involve hunkering down in our sweats and jammies–I suppose it is kinda fun to get cozy in the middle of July. I hope you have a relaxing weekend, and below you will find a few fun links if you find yourself trapped at home as well.

Speaking of movies, do you think you’ll see this one? It looks so creepy! (Did you read the book?)

What if We All Flopped Like Soccer Players? It’s my favorite part of watching the World Cup!

Do you name objects around your house? My sister has always named her car and I never really got it. Until now. 

Privacy from yourself. Introverts, I think you will like this. Reminds me of this funny meme : )

Miracle dress.

This salad looks delicious. Hold the red onion.

20 great books for the beach.

This t-shirt made me laugh.

Two of my new favorite websites for gifts: here and here.

This book looks great. Add it to the list!

A very cool series about motherhood around the world.

Why are urban legends so popular?

Have you ever been to Alaska? It looks incredible and not for the faint of heart.

(image via)

 

The Triplets, 20 Months

Don’t you wish you always had fun like this?

My brother takes so many awesome pictures of the triplets and I wanted to share a few of my recent favorites. Being away from all of our family members is so hard, but not being around to watch these little ones grow up breaks my heart. Thank goodness for Skype, right? I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. It’s a lifesaver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^^I would love to get picked up in a cooler,

^^and discover my nose.

^^how cool is it that sitting at a countertop for the first time can be so fun?

^^a lot of obvious cuteness right here.

The rest of the summer is dedicated to enjoying all the things in their purest form. Kids rule.

Tuesday Book Club: Life After Life

“What if we had a chance to do it again and again until we finally did get it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Such is the impulse behind Kate Atikinson’s Life After Life. It is, to use a Britishism, brilliant. Beyond brilliant. It is undoubtedly my favorite book of the year.

Ursula Todd is born on a snowy night in February, deep in the English countryside. Before taking her first breath she dies by strangulation, the umbilical cord wrapped mercilessly around her neck. Her death is swift and properly mourned.

Then, Ursula Todd is born on a snowy night in February, deep in the English countryside. She finally takes her first breath after the doctor cuts the umbilical cord wrapped mercilessly around her neck. “She nearly died,” the doctor says.

On and on it goes through several decades and two disastrous wars. Ursula dies several times over, yet is quickly reborn only to give life another go, again and again. It’s a deep meditation on the impact small everyday choices have on our lives, yet the futility of obsessing over those small choices is regularly called into question.

Atikinson’s writing is clever and witty and her writing is heavily seasoned with allusions and intertextuality, making it an intensely rich read. The history and detail that went into the book are astounding and inspiring. When Adam’s sister Erin was visiting us this weekend we were talking about The Goldfinch and the lively debate she had with her book club on the merits of the book. Many of the women in her club felt bogged down in the backstory, laden with details. Life After Life is all backstory. The plot moves along of course, but as Ursula is constantly reliving many of the same scenarios the story feels familiar at turns, jarring though those turns may be. That is all to say, if you are not a backstory person, you are probably not a Life After Life person.

I loved it, though. I loved the clues and familiar scenarios tweaked by Ursula’s time and experience. While I didn’t identify closely with Ursula, I was still drawn by her inquisitive nature and thoughtful contemplation. She was a very vivid character for me, one that leaves a lasting impression.

“Time is a construct, in reality everything flows, no past or present, only the now.”

It’s a disturbing way to understand life, isn’t it? Especially given how forward thinking many of us are. I am (almost cripplingly) prone to reflection but often find myself worrying about what impact my choices today will have on tomorrow. Thinking that time is only a construction of our society or own mind can be liberating, freeing, because it means that we can change our perspective, and in turn change the course of our lives.

Heavy stuff for a rainy Tuesday morning. Have you read Life After Life? What did you think? Next up is Beloved, just like I promised!

(image via)

New Movie: Life Itself

 

 

 

Last night Adam and I watched the recently released documentary Life Itself. It follows this meteoric rise of the nation’s most influential movie critic and his heroic battle against thyroid, and later jaw cancer.

It’s extremely well made and features an entertaining set of peripheral characters, a motley crew of old friends, current directors, and pervious producers. I remember watching him on television when I was younger and I think we are all familiar with his (and Gene Siskel’s) ubiquitous rating system, “Two Thumbs Up!”, as a defining indicator of a movie’s worth. It was fun to see how his role helped shape the way we see and interact with movies, not to mention the dramatic backstory between Siskel and Ebert. Fascinating!

What was most touching was the love story between Roger and his wife, Chaz. They married a bit later in life, but their love was enduring and so gentle. Watching her take care of him and support him before he died was truly beautiful.

You can see it in theaters in the States, but we were able to rent it on iTunes and watch it at home. Do you have any interest in seeing it? Whether or not you were familiar with him as a writer and a critic I think you’ll really enjoy this documentary. I already posted the trailer a while ago when I talked about some of my other favorite documentaries, but here it is again just in case you missed it:

 

(image 1 // image 2 // image 3 // image 4)

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July to those who are celebrating! Adam’s sister is in town and we’ll be walking around the city looking for fellow patriots and barbecuing at some point.

I’ve always loved this weekend and have fond memories of going down to the lake and watching fireworks explode over the water. I hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

 

(image via)

Animals Dancing

It’s a rainy, gloomy day here in Bern and with the upsets of both Switzerland and the USA last night I needed a little something to cheer me up. Consider it a salve for a broken heart.

(happy hump day;)

Update 2: Reading List 2014

Forty books, huh? In one year? I’m still trying!!

As of Saturday I have read 17 books, and we are exactly halfway through the year for those of you playing at home with a calendar. In other words, I am very close to being on track with fulfilling my goal and I am convinced that I can do it! ::insert positive attitude song here::

I last updated you here with my completed books and since then I’ve read a whole bunch more so I thought I’d share a few of those with you. You can find a list on my Book It page, along with books I’ve read over the years. It’s not completely comprehensive as there were a few months where I abandoned the project, but there are some great suggestions and even a few personal reviews.

To note, I have read all of these but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them all. I’ve put a star by the ones that were my personal favorites from the last couple months:

• The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green*
• The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton*
• Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Oblivion by David Foster Wallace
• The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan*
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell*
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen

I liked my two most recent reads, but I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with Eleanor & Park given how much I had looked forward to it and how much hype had surrounded it. It was just too young adult, too melodramatic. There was a little too much abstract language and hyperbolic love for me to fully commit to the story and its plausibility. That said, I think there are a lot of young adults out there who would really love and identify with this novel, but it just wasn’t for me.

What’s next? Right now I’m reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and I’m hooked. I’m just over 200 pages in (it’s over 600 pages long) and while I get the basic idea of what’s happening I’m not exactly sure to what end they are headed–and I like that. It’s incredibly intriguing and I love the sharp pacing of the novel and quirky turns. It would be great for travel, especially during a long flight somewhere or a lazy afternoon at the park (or beach!).

I’m committed to reading Beloved next, as I’ve been putting it off for so long for no good reason. I’d also really like to read a biography after that, but I don’t have one in mind. Any ideas? Any suggestions for any good reading? What’s new? What’s captivated your interest?

 

(image via)