Table for Sixteen

“I like large parties, they're so intimate. 

At small parties, there isn't any privacy"

F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is one of the few Friday photos which isn't my own but it's a great nod to the recent GBC meeting for The Great Gatsby and quite delightful for a Friday.  I wish I could have been able to join.  Hope your weekend is stellar and full of good reads.

Photo Credit:  Michael Emrick
The Mad Platter Restaurant, Nashville, TN
October 2012

"The World is Ahead"

I remember the cover of my first The Hobbit book.  I think I purchased it from one of those magazines at school where you could buy three books for a few dollars and everyone's books delivered on the same day like one gigantic bookworm Christmas in the spring.  I'm pretty sure I still have my copy but one of the downsides of sorting your bookcase loosely by genre, book type, and height is that you really can't lay your hands on a book quickly when you want to write about it in the few moments you have before departing for the office.  There is a chance it's with my sister.  She liked The Hobbit too.

Today the Peter Jackson film premieres in New Zealand, and I'm pretty sure this will be on my viewing list.

The Truth is Out There

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens would make a fascinating book for GBC discussion.  The novel has been attempted to be finished by various persons at least three times and is currently the feature of a musical at Studio 54, Drood.  The novel was intended to be completed in 12 installments however only six were published, leaving the disappearance of Edwin Drood to remain a mystery.  Wiki has a pretty thorough entry but I'd suggest holding out to read the story and draw your own conclusions   

Table the Motion

How did you spend your post-holiday Saturday?  Mine was divided into little segments of activities;  some were dedicated to chores and others to pleasure.  My run was a bit of both.  Some moments were stolen away for reading little articles.  I even took a test.  The Guardian's Thanksgiving thinking: feasts in fiction quiz was quite fun, despite the fact that my score was akin to my dressing, a tad underwhelming.  I'm sure you could fare better.

A Day Off but On

Yesterday was a day of prepping, tasting, adjusting, cooking, sipping a glass of reading water or two, and being thankful for family and friends.  The highlight of the day included a special visitor from the GBC.  We spent most of the evening chatting so I hope you'll forgive my miss to post anything yesterday.

So this morning, both GBC P@1ge and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.  True to club form, we both have our cup of coffee (cafe con leche); she's reading a book and I'm thinking about reading while typing.  In this calm moment, I think I can say that we're both happy and thankful.  I hope you are as well.

Alt Life of Pie

There's a small little coffee shop near the house which serves "Biscuits & Gravy" on Fridays and homemade beignets on Saturdays.  It has live music on occasion, a half a dozen tables and is connected to a used book store.  Coffees run the gamut and I've a fair bet that there are a numbers of teas.  The menu is on chalkboard so the items can be changed on a whim or as ingredients allow.  As I'm sitting on the floor, having a coffee and tapping away on my little laptop, I am pondering what it would be like to spend the day sifting through books and infusing myself with caffeine rather than the full day of meetings that begin in one hour.

List it Off

Just a reminder that you have a few very short days for the following:

• Finish The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian for GBC Book Club
• Determine if you have space and/or the emotional capacity to attempt to brine a turkey
• Squeeze five days of work into three
• Make progress on your "Swim the English Channel" competition
• Co-organize a relay
• Clean the house
• Catch up on all your overdue personal correspondence
• Determine what you want to accomplish the last 45(ish) days of the year
• Breathe
• Remind your multi-championship winning co-workers that your alma mater is undefeated (okay, that might just be me)

Hope you've had a delightful weekend and that you're continually reminded (like I am) of the many things for which to be thankful and in which you find joy.

Sweet Home...

Chicago, IL
October 2012

Sometimes when you're out running, it's good to turn around and have a different look.  If you're lucky, you'll have your camera.

Hope your Friday is lake luster.

Never Stop

It was one of those days that didn't stop from the moment that the alarm went off, through one cup a coffee, a quick cold run with inadvertent ending through sprinklers at 34 degrees on to two more cups of coffee, straight through a series of meetings, standing lunch, emails, coffee, reports and then finally before you know it you're standing in Target just before closing buying dinner and a bottle of reading water.

It must be the type of day which inspired The Bad Plus.  (It is a music month, isn't it?)

Sounds Like...

It's Monday.  It's raining, and for those of you who don't have the day off (like me), you might want a little melody to get you moving.  NPR's All Things Considered will do the job with its flashback to 1972 and this number one hit by Adriano Celentano.  The story behind the song is rather entertaining but you will absolutely lose three minutes and forty-five seconds if you start the video.  It's mesmerizing.  It reminds me of something Madonna may have thought about doing in one of her videos with a slight hint of Paula Abdul if Ms. Abdul was going for stark and Italian.  The melody?  I'm afraid it just may be with me for the rest of the day.

Please Stand By

The scheduled Saturday blogging has been interrupted by a seventy degree day in November, party baking, and early evening perusing for airline tickets.  The normal programming schedule will resume Monday.

Hope a nice weekend!

A Quick Note

If October was poetry month, this month is shaping up to be music month as I am finding my inspiration from songs, new bands, and a bit of live music.  I've even had my hands on a piano, but haven't found the "key" to this renewal.  Autumn in full force? Training for fun rather than racing? Suppressed desire for caroling?   Someone quoted yesterday that you always remember the way that people make you feel.  Maybe there's something to that, but I'm trying not to think about it too much.  (That side of the brain is always way too active.)

What's inspiring you today?

Send Your Vote To College

It's my first Presidential election where I'm not voting in my home state.  In reviewing the sample ballot last night and reading "Turn Ballot Over," this may also very well may be my first paper ballot.   (Don't get me started on the 22 races with only a single party represented.)  One of the things I will miss this election is seeing my GBC neighbors standing, smiling, and waving at the very long poll lines.  As a throwback, here's a little reminder to vote from School House.

Rock the vote, y'all!

I'm Smitten

I'm already a fan of her blog, so I'll go ahead and endorse Deb Perelman's new book, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  For an introduction to the book, check out this NPR interview from November 1st.

Hope your Sunday was filled with a bit of cooking or, like mine, finding a shelf (or several) for all your cookbooks.

Let's Hear it for...

New York,
December 2010

"New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York"
          - Jay-Z, Empire State of Mind

 Friday love to the Big Apple and neighboring cities affected by the storms.