French Milk

Sadly, spring break has come to an end. I should be finishing up an Anthro midterm and writing two English papers that are due tomorrow but instead, I find myself here.

Chance and I went to the Green Valley Book Fair this weekend. We came home with about $100 worth of books. He bought mostly Anton Chekhov and Oscar Wilde. I, on the other hand, loaded up on a random assortment including a collection of New York magazine essays and The Color Purple. Among the stash was this little gem:

Although I haven't read too many graphic novels, I picked this one up because of its adorable cover that faintly reminded me of a past post from A Cup of Jo. I started reading it on the way home and was hooked. The illustrations are so fantastic and the story is fun. The book documents Lucy Knisley's trip to Paris with her mom for several weeks in celebration of their birthdays. Lucy was turning twenty-two at the time (which is how old I'll be this year), so I could easily relate to her tone, mood swings, and fear of failure upon approaching graduation from college.

I love the book's journal quality as well as the mixture of illustration and photography. It made me feel like I was listening to my friend recount stories from her trip. Lucy was great company on a dreary day. I was actually disappointed when she was gone until I discovered more of her work here. Hooray for the wonders of the internet!


(Images via comicsreporter.com)

Sprout Film Festival

Alison and I recently attended the Sprout Film Festival. This traveling film festival is supported by the awesome Sprout, a non-profit organization based in New York. The short films showcased during this event are made by and deal with issues related to people with developmental disabilities. This is one of my favorite films featured at this year's festival in my hometown:



This is a fantastic idea. On the rare occasions that people with developmental disabilities are depicted in film, they are often played by people without developmental disabilities (a la Sean Penn in I Am Sam). The films showcased by the Sprout Film Festival are making huge steps to make people view developmental disabilities in a different light. I so, so enjoyed the films at this year's festival. Please check this website to find out when the Sprout Film Festival will be in your area. If you don't see your home on the list, request it! Until then, I hope you enjoy this fantastic video as much as I do.

Heartburn

I know I have expressed my love of Nora Ephron before. Nonetheless, I must do it once again. I just recently finished reading her book, Heartburn. I picked it up and could not put it down. I just love Nora's witty, conversational style of writing. Her ability to turn a negative situation into an amusing and entertaining story is a true talent. I found myself literally laughing out loud at the depiction of Rachel Samstat and her deteriorating marriage (which, I know, doesn't sound the least bit funny).



After reading the book, I rented the movie version of Heartburn (1986 Mike Nichols film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson). Although the movie is worth viewing, I found the book much more entertaining. If you're looking to add a book to your reading list, I would highly recommend it!





(Images via trashionista.com and moviefone.com)

Go See Alice

Last night, Chance and I went to see Alice in Wonderland with my best friend, Alison. Although I thought the 3D made the price a bit steep, it turned out to be totally worth it. I have never read the Alice books and I did not particularly enjoy the original Disney movie, so I wasn't sure if I would like the movie; I ended up loving it. Johnny Depp is a great Mad Hatter (no surprise there) and I like Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Nonetheless, I find myself most taken with the Cheshire Cat and Bayard, the dog.



If you haven't seen Alice in Wonderland yet, I would most certainly recommend it!

Truman Capote

I am intrigued by Truman Capote. Did you know Harper Lee based the character of Dill in To Kill A Mockingbird on Capote, who was her childhood friend? TKAM is one of my all-time favorite books and I find myself thinking differently about it knowing that little fun fact.



Anyway - I decided to finally read Breakfast at Tiffany's as one of my fun reads for spring break. It's surprising how much the short story was altered in its transformation to film (SPOILER! for example, the writer-narrator remains nameless and does not have a relationship with a rich, older woman, Holly becomes pregnant and has a miscarriage, they don't get the cat back after Holly pushes him out of a cab, and the story does not end happily ever after with Holly and the narrator in love). Although the portrayal of Yunioshi expresses racist sentiments in the film, the short story also uses some less-than-p.c. language about homosexuals. The short story Holly makes me feel differently than the Holly portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film. I love comparing books and movies because they are such different mediums - it feels immensely interesting to think of all the differences between them and the varying methods used to express the same message (or, in this case, maybe a different message).

Oscar Night

Last night, my sister and I had the opportunity to attend Oscar Night America at the Paramount Theater thanks to my lovely boss at the magazine. We dressed up as if we were going to prom and then walked the mini red carpet, took a picture in front of a huge image of an Academy Award, sampled delicious treats, and sipped lots of wine. We got to watch the 82nd Academy Awards on a large HD screen in the ridiculously beautiful Paramount Theater. It was a great way to watch the Oscars and made me feel just a wee bit fancy.

In terms of the Oscars, I thought the ceremony ran a bit long. I adore Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as a pair but I don't think we saw enough of them as hosts. My favorite ladies of the night were Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Nonetheless, I thought there were more horribly dressed women in attendance than there were divinely dressed ones (hello, Sarah Jessica Parker and Charlize Theron?!). I most enjoyed Sandra Bullock's acceptance speech and the tribute to the beloved John Hughes.

Images via www.oscar.go.com

Hello, March!

How do you do? Come on in and stay awhile!



I am so glad to see February go and March come rushing in! I hope that the beginning of March means the end of snow (although there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow). I don't know about you but I am ready to see green grass, daffodils, and bright, sunny days.

This month feels more like a starting-over, new-beginning month than January or February did. There are lots of things I'd like to alter or improve about my life this year. I hope to get the ball rolling this month. Among other things, I'd truly like to start eating better. More vegetables and fruits, less starches. I want to try yoga or some other form of relaxing exercise because I feel really lackluster and down-in-the-dumps (I think that's the lack of sunshine and the lack of movement). I'd like to get some of my energy and motivation back. I'd also like to cut back on my bad TV intake and increase my good book levels. First on my list: Breakfast at Tiffany's and Heartburn. That's a rather daunting, general list but I think I'm on my way toward progress. We shall see!


(Image courtesy of www.wallpapersphere.com - I thought I'd share my current wallpaper with you!)