Spring into Action

Spring. For me this means my weekend was filled with fashion magazines and a few new French items for my wardrobe. I made a distinct transition to white reading water. I took long drives, long runs and invested a little more than $15 in a new do. I also started a new book.

The extra minutes of daylight which have been creeping in since winter have lifted my mood. How do you welcome spring?

'Tis the Season

Last Friday I viewed my first issue of Local Table: A Guide to Food and Farming in Middle Tennessee, published by Lisa Shively at (no surprise here) Local Table. It is available free to us at various grocery and health stores in the area. This magazine was included in a small packet of food reference items I received while attending a spring women's mini-workshop. I perused the info during the discussion about local farming as I sipped my (first ever) Juicy Detox Smoothie. One of the best things about Local Table is the Seasonality Chart for fruits and vegetables.

Though some of us have been feeling spring! for about a month now, the official start is nearly here, and my thoughts are drifting to eating fresh fruits and vegetables. This pub is a great resource for local farms who supply vegetables, cheeses and meats. (I was not certain if there were any other omnivores in the workshop so I simply asked about "seasonal proteins.")

Enjoy your week and consider adding something green to your morning smoothie. If you have any questions about the workshop or need a smoothie recipe, let me know.

Nothing so-Sew about it

Recently two friends have recycled magazines my way so I have been flipping through the glossy, mostly [occasionally/partially] recycled pages to catch a bit of inspiration for spring. Colors, patterns, mantras with a concept of fresh and/or contemporary were presented to match the change in season and perhaps new beginnings. It was these thoughts and this past weekend's visit to my parents which inspired me to finish two sewing projects I had started. Okay, one I had officially started; the other I had thought about quite a bit, but two safety pins likely does not a start make. I had hoped to elicit the help of the woman who used to make all of my clothes, my mother.

Though I had forgotten exactly just how many times one needs to try on an item to ensure that sewing is going along according to plan (many), it was beautiful to see my mother take my concepts into an executed form. I merely had to try on the item, describe what I wanted and in a few short hours, I had two finished projects. It was amazing! She also had the patience to teach me a few new things, though I did know better than to press my luck too much after we broke the sewing machine needle. Perhaps you too, can find a way to take something old and turn it into something new this year.

International National

I am still moving along with Shantaram and gained new insight today on the title. I was fortunate to have an hour of leisure reading after my breakfast of pancakes and coffee. This book is going to go on for some time so let's work with the assumption I am still reading unless I tell you otherwise.

My latest periodical was delivered to my front door along with a few groceries when I was feeling under the weather Friday. I am fairly certain it is the first National Enquirer that I have ever had as my "own". I had a hearty laugh as I unpacked the goods and it was pretty awesome to flip through the pages while recovering. [If you are taking care of a sick one, I would recommend delivery of N.E. as a spirit lifter.] I had no idea my mind wanted to know.

December Discovery

Summary
Yesterday my daily habit of on-line news reading lead me to a magazine which led me to a book list which led me to another website which led me to this post.

Details
The Times is a newspaper site that I frequent three to four times a week for news, and last month I discovered their new monthly environment and science magazine, Eureka. The magazine contains a quiz (see earlier post for previous geek revelation), and last night I was in the mood for Issue 2. I should also let you know that my day began by reading an article shared by GBC Kate on art meeting science from the NY Times which may have influenced my decision to read an old article from a previous Eureka issue on books and science. This October article introduced me to both the Cheltenham Festival series and the inaugural Wellcome Book Prize. The intent of the Wellcome Prize is to "celebrate medicine in literature" and the 2009 short-list of nominees was a selection of titles that I had not seen in previous lists of recommended book reads. The books captured my interest and I wanted to share them with you.

Fall Colors

We are just a few weeks away from the November 17th release of The Original of Laura by Vladamir Nabokov. This "book" was intended to be burned after Nabokov's death and was in fact, 138 unordered index cards upon which various scenes were sketched. In 2008 after over thirty years of reflection, Mr. Nabokov's son, Dmitri Nabokov, agreed to publish the manuscript. The book will also contain reproductions of Nabokov's index cards which can be removed and rearranged to change the story. This addition to the novel was the idea of Chris Kidd, Alfred A. Knopf's associate art director. [Upon reading the ability to shuffle the cards, I wondered if Mr. Kidd was a fan of B.S. Johnson's The Unfortunates which was published in twenty-seven sections with the intention of the middle twenty-five sections to be read in random order; the first and last sections are set.]

For those of you who are Playboy subscribers (for the articles of course), you have the opportunity for the first read of The Original of Laura in the December publication (available November 10th) with a 5,000 word passage.

I was first introduced to Nabokov's writing in my first year of college; his use of color in several works was the subject of a term paper for my Honor English class. I wonder if I still have a copy...

Fall Fashion

Today's bit of luxury was perusing InStyle Magazine while having a nice shiny coat of "kaberet" applied to my nails. (Think blue rather than red.) I do not hold a subscription to InStyle, but do occasionally read it when I am out and about in the world of various salons (which is infrequent these days) or friends' homes.

I "read" the magazine from front to back in about forty-five minutes with a few takeaways: a camel coat for winter, riding and/or thigh high boots for autumn, and a cape...if you are inclined. I actually own a black wool cape. It is an item that has survived several closet cleanings waiting, I suppose, for just this season. I have spent the last hour or so pondering whether or not I can cut it for a more appropriate length for more frequent wear.

Sometimes reading gets you thinking about things that you may not have considered in some time...like shoulder pads.

New Mags on the Scene

The weekend seems to be about magazines. Issue 01 of Fringe Magazine is available in the Nashville market. GBC Paige picked up the copy in one of the local independent coffee shops and it’s also available in its entirety online. In fact, I was impressed with the ease of virtually flipping through the pages. The magazine is free and will be published bi-monthly. Although I did not realize that we had a significant model base in the city, the content is likely to include interviews with these “pretty people” as well as entrepreneurs and of course, musicians.

Also, coming soon to the Nashville area is Southern Inspired Magazine. A staff writer, Claire Ploegman, described the free publication as “kind of like Southern Living meets Real Simple.” GBC Paige and I got a sneak peak at the upcoming cover at Frothy Monkey and it's worth a look.

Enjoy the first day of summer and pick up some free reading.