The Eighth Kitchen

260-plus posts, it was time...and I have the morning helper here to bathe auntie, so I have a minute.

Hugs all around! And Stasia, please repost the Alain de Botton quote here?

hugging back ~ Caro too ~ who is sweeter than you?
*smiling *

Glad to see you are getting some help there, Richard.

I am thinking with delirious delight about the prospect of going to the farmers' market later (if my neighbor remembers to bring air home for my very flat tires . . .). If not today, perhaps tomorrow--but fresh fruit and veggies will be had. Oh, joy.

Quote for the day from How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton:

"Psychoanalytic literature tells of a woman who felt faint whenever she sat in a library. Surrounded by books, she would develop nausea and could gain relief only by leaving their vicinity. It was not, as might be supposed, that she was averse to books, but rather that she wanted them and the knowledge they contained far too badly, that she felt her lack of knowledge far too strongly and wanted to have read everything on the shelves at once - and because she could not, needed to flee her unbearable ignorance by surrounding herself with a less knowledge-laden environment."

I can so identify with 'wanting to read everything on the shelves at once.'

I love farmers' markets ... there is really nothing like bringing fresh produce back, and also being able to taste some of the local cheeses, jams, cured meats and baked goods.

Crazy hot dog fest at the house went off brilliantly and there were some pretty odd hot dog inventions (e.g. a jumbo frank sliced in half, with a one half stuffed with brie, one half stuffed with blue cheese, topped with peanut butter and mango salsa) but hey everyone had a good time and lots of laughs, and that's what's important. Everyone's gone home now and my husband is cleaning up ... sweet!

Got the farmers' market at 6:15 to find it closed at 6:00, not 8:00 as I thought. :-(

But managed to maximize my funds at the grocery store pretty well--tacos and spaghetti/meatballs coming up soon (those would be two different meals!).

sounds a blast Caro :)

There's a farmers market in small town "near" me with a small bookstore, but I've never been there. :(

Food and books are always a wonderful combination. In another thread, I found out about a place in the UK that is a "residential library." I had not heard of this concept before, but I'd like to be on the next flight . . . here's a link:

http://www.st-deiniols.com/

I love the description of it as "a health farm for the mind."

BookCloseouts dot com is having a summer fiction sale. Some great books, paperback and hardcover, for under $3.

(Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Deborah

I cannot resist their $1.99 softcover or $2.99 hard cover fiction sale. I confess, I rec'd. the email notification a few weeks ago and spent $50 on a shipment soon to arrive. Now, I have two issues, a) where to put the books when they arrive and b) since my partner is retired and home when the packages arrive, I need to brave the commentMORE books? MORE???

Sharing the joy...and the possible comments that result, here is the thread:

http://www.bookcloseouts.com/

#10 : What a delightful place ... definitely added to my list of must-stay-at places before I die. One of the pictures on the front webpage shows the library, and the architecture and layout reminds me of the Harvard Coop in Cambridge, MA.

*trying to ignore the temptation that Cariola is laying before me*

#10 St Deiniol's Library is a wonderful institution, and a great place to stay. I try to get there every year for a 'reading week'. Sometimes I've left it for far too long between visits, but I have been twice in the past 3.5 years, and hope to go again later this year.

It's great because as well as the library itself, and the peace and quiet to concentrate on your reading all day, there is good food and good company to be had at meal times; you get to talk to each other about what everyone is reading/working on - there are people writing up their dissertations or finishing writing their books, doing research on all manner of subjects, or just catching up on general reading.

Perhaps we should organise an LT convention there!

Sign me up!

>11 Cariola:
Thanks, Cariola. Just what I needed.
(I still haven't read the books I ordered from the last sale.)

uh-oh...book sale?

sale? what's a sale? hmmm....nope, thinking really hard but I don't think I understand the word .... so I guess I should just toodle off and tend to my budding eggplants and tomatoes

I am simply pretending I didn't read that post. *sticks fingers in ears and hums loudly*

#11-13: For my own well-being -

I found this song due to a book I am reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW3IgDs-NnA

Enjoy!

#22 So simple yet a lovely melody. My rudimentary Spanish informs me that her problems involving love and economics led to depression, and she committed suicide in 1967. Did I read that correctly?

#23: Yes, she did commit suicide. What a waste!

BTW - I learned of the song from Clandestine in Chile, so you will run across the reference there when you read the book.

#24 I thought you might have gotten it from the book, all the more reason to look for it.

#25: It is just a brief reference, but it is there.

I love this thread~just sayin'

#22 I know the song from Joan Baez' version, but haven't heard this version, which sounds so sad, although she is singing of things to be thankful for.

I looked up the words and translation for the first time, listening to this. Each verse begins (in translation) 'Thank you to life, which has given me so much'.

The third verse says:
Thank you to life, which has given me so much.
It gave me sound and the alphabet.
With them the words that I think and declare:
“Mother,” “Friend,” “Brother” and the light shining.
The route of the soul from which comes love.

It sounds better in Spanish, of course! But I think we can all join in saying thank you for the alphabet and for words.

#28: I think we can all join in saying thank you for the alphabet and for words.

Definitely!

It has always seemed ironic to me that my older sister, who was definitely not a reader, taught me to read and yet had no idea how profoundly grateful I was to her for that.

Love the song .. aren't you clever finding it, Stas. Of course you know this is just another incentive for me to find a copy of the book sooner rather than later.



Enjoy the holidays to all who celebrate this day!

:) back at ya Caro!

So tell me, have you ever heard of Stubbs Barbecue Sauce?

I am not a fan of such sauce, but I have some ribs ( that have been dry rubbed ) in the oven ( very low) and Dan likes the stuff. I thought I had some, did not.. did not feel like making some so went out to pick some up. I found something I had never seen before in thes Stubbs...

They also had a Buffalo Chicken sauce that I picked up...
The picture of the nice man sucked me in..and it says "My Life is in these bottles", I had to refrain from practically filling up my cart..

now I have to use the stuff.. lol

don't like ribs either, btw.. maybe I will just eat pie?

I ran across this quote, from a forgotten American writer, William Dean Howells:

"...I think for poor people...rotted into one of the sodden tramps whom {one meets} now and then, looking like some forlorn wild beast, in the light of {Central Park's} autumnal leaves. That is the great trouble in New York; yu cannot anywhere get away from the misery of life. You would think that the rich for their own sakes would wish to see conditions bettered, so that they might not be confronted at every turn by the mere loathliness of poverty...Sometimes I think that as Shakespeare says of the living and the dead, the rich and the poor are 'but as pictures' to one another without vital reality." --from "Impressions and Experiences", published in 1909; no touchstone

And in the intervening 101 years, there has been little if any change.

funny you should mention that, rdear~~~

>34 mckait: Why funny? You're not about to wander into Central Park, raving and smelling and cursing passers-by, are you? *trembles in terror*

Well, I have felt forlorn, myself.. but I have never been to Central Park..
just a discussion, a brief one, about the homeless. ( Elsewhere of course)

eta

I see, you had found the discussion as well. I missed your post as I was posting as well.

>36 mckait: *sniff* That's not the real truth, is it? You *sniffsniff* don't pay *teardrop* attention to my posts, do you? *sniff*

Where is that eye roll gif when I need it ???

32: Aw, I love ribs!

34: Huh? Mention what?

36: Central park...scary.

38: They're always hiding when you need them the most!

Huh, odd, there seems to be some holes in your thread, Kath. Hmmmm, what am I missing here...

*reads post 37*

Oh...OH!! Uhh, errr, ummm, h-hey Richard! :)

Geez, that was a bit of a stretch for such a lame joke, huh? :)

ETA: Crap, not Kath's thread. See!? :(

#31: Good! Run out and get the book.

I have gotten lost among the threads myself Stephen :)

Just trying out the new touchstoning system. If this says "Blindness" (a book that has always had a bit of a touchstone problem), it's an improvement. :-)

Blindness

If it doesn't, I'm unclear what the point of the change was...

new touchstones???

>43 mckait: Yes...now permanently sticky, per Tim. Here's the thread wherein he made the announcement.

Well, I'll be danged

or something

good news!

>45 mckait: Sorta. Still not all the way impressed, but am looking forward to incremental progress.

#42 Tad : I think it depends on which book you're intending to reference. The touchstone for your Blindness pulled up Saramago's book. But there's also another book by the same name by Henry Green.

I got this in my A Word A Day subscription, which I was catching up on today:

"Bibliophilia: the love, and collecting, of books. No problems there... But watch out. The next step up may be bibliolatry: an extreme fondness for books."
David McKie; The Baron of Bibliomania; The Guardian (London, UK); May 5, 2008.

Yeup. That's me. Bibliolater.

>48 richardderus: But where does bibliomania fall on that continuum?

uh oh... I think I have that...

Congratulations to Joanna (joannasephine) whose The Summer King has just won Australia's Mary Gilmore Award 2010 for best first book of poetry.

congratulations Joanna!

Very impressive!! Congrats, Joanna.

Way cool! Congratulations, Joanna!

That's the bee's knees, Joanna, and may it lead to the best sales seen in poetry since Chaucer!

Way to go, Joanna! Congratulations. I hope you're celebrating this impressive achievement.

The word on this hot and muggy day is .... HYDRATE, people .. don't forget to hydrate, even if you're not feeling thirsty!

Woo Hoo, Joanna! That is quite a feat!!

>47 cameling:: That's part of the point of the new system, Caroline. You can specify which book you want Touchstone from books with similar titles. That way, you don't have to re-select it if you edit the post.

Just heard part of a BBC Radio 4 Bookclub broadcast - an interview with Henning Mankell about his novel Sidetracked and more generally about writing the Kurt Wallander character and stories. Link is here for any who are interested.

Posted this to my thread also.

Its 4.43am here, can't sleep, can't read (to much coffee and stress). My husband never came home last night, won't answer my calls, txts, etc, and I have no idea what's going on in his brain.

>62 dianestm: Diane, my heart goes out to you. Anxiety like that is so very hard to bear. I hope all comes out well, and soon.

Diane, hang in there. Hope everything works out.

Diane, {{{hugs}}}.

Oh, Diane, I'm sorry! I hope things get better.

Oh, Diane. I'm sending you good thoughts and strength. I hope things get better soon.

Sending positive energy to you Diane.. and hoping things sort out quicly and well.
Horrible thing to bear.

#62: I am sorry to hear that you are going through this, Diane. I hope all is resolved now!

#62 So sorry, Diane! I hope things will be OK.

Located him this morning, huge misunderstanding which we resolved today. Two days with very little sleep and I'm exhausted.

Thanks for everyones thoughts.

#71: I know there must be palpable relief felt at your home. I hope that you get some rest!

#71 - Diane - glad to hear that it's sorted.

For those who like interesting art: http://vimeo.com/13085676

I am glad to hear that all is well... and that he is safe. Can i hit him over the head with a pan now, for worrying you? I would have suggested a bat, but this is the kitchen...

*hands Kath his best 12-inch cast-iron skillet*

*thanks rdear* *practices swing*

#76: If you need help with the swing, Kath, I am available. I am a switch hitter.

*sigh of relief*

I finished and reviewed a sentimental favorite comedy that held up really well: Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, in my thread...post #54.

It's fifty-five years old this year, and doesn't look a day over...a day! Of course, now it's an historical novel. I think that would make the late Mr. Dennis feel suicidal, but it's still a barrel of laughs.

an historical novel

Oh, how I hate "an" in front of H-words, unless the H is silent. :(

Just thought I'd let you all know that some of us are getting together for a group read of the Scarlet Pimpernel. We're starting next week if any one is interested, go Here.

>51 avatiakh:- 59
Thanks, everyone, for the congrats. (Just back from Sydney, hence the delay.)
Still floating around cloud nine …
:-)

I found this in my husband's recent copy of the AARP Bulletin and thought I would pass it along:

"Can't get to your local library? Let the library come to you. 'Libraries are eager to find new ways to engage older adults,' says Miguel A. Figueroa, acting director of literacy and outreach at the American Library Association. For example, a phone-in discussion group is a recent addition to the Queen Library's Mail-a-Book program in New York, which provides 700 homebound individuals and 32 assisted care facilities with books, movies, and music for free. Twice a week, participants dial a toll-free number and enter a code. For up to two hours, they chat about books, poetry, current events, recipes or 'what life was like in the 1920s,' says library manager Madlyn Schneider. Others phone in when it's time for bingo or trivia. Between 10 and 20 people are usually on a call."

I think this is a terrific idea, but fear that far too few communities have the resources to actually do it.

(posted to my thread as well)

That's a great idea ... but you're right, Stas ... it will need resources and not many communities have them to spare.

Arrgghhh... my allergies are acting up today for some odd reason ... my eyes are so itchy i feel like clawing them out.

eeek! no clawing, makes reading difficult at best...

Benadryl works better than clawing--I have tried both.

Benadryl does work better than clawing. The problem with Benadryl is that it makes me fall asleep with my face in my book. *yawn*

I drowned my eyes in an eyebath last night and they are fine today. But now I seem to have developed a heat rash on my neck and jaw. *sigh* .. great .. so if the rashes don't go down by Wednesday, I just know someone at the airport is going to surreptitiously call the CDC and take me away in a bubblesuit before I step on the plane to Tokyo.

Have you ever been to the CDC? request Gourmet popcorn....
Wonder if they have cells or?

good luck !

Hmmmm.... you can request gourmet popcorn at the CDC? cool .... what's the least disgusting pain-free communicable disease that I could get?

Maybe you can just get ebola and then take lots and lots of pain medication?

which part of 'disgusting' did you not get, Stephen? ;-) I don't want to have bloody pus-filled blisters or be spewing every other minute or so. Oh, I need to add another condition... I also don't want to be covered with scars when I recover ... I already have enough scars as it is.

You could wrap your head in a small garbage bag so you can't see the blisters. Errr, though that may cause the "spewing" condition to become a bit more...problematic...

Nice .....NOT!.... just when I'm about to step into the kitchen to fix dinner.....

Oh, you're right of course. That's a totally disgusting thought. How about we tape a funnel around mouth and poke a hole in the bag, and then we can just funnel any spewings outside?

Maybe we should stop now... :)

God, yes, please do. This is the kitchen, remember?

whatcha cookin' ?

I'm not eating tonight -- too busy trying to pry the foot out of my mouth . . .

Ugh, it's too hot to cook anyway. Tomorrow I'm making a vat of pasta salad and auntie can eat it or starve! campanelle, chopped spinach, cannellini, one pound each; one bottle each prepared Italian dressing and grated parmesan.

I'm still eating leftover chicken etouffee; finished the gazpacho and can't wait to make more--could eat that every day.

great minds rd. I too, plan to make pasta salad. chunks of cheese, peperoni, tomato, perhaps ham? ( ick) . Too hot to cook real food.

It was actually nice out yesterday, so I threw a whole red snapper on the grill and made a lime, garlic and red peppercorn sauce for it, tossed a little salad and heated up a crusty baguette.

Taking my husband out for dinner tonight for an early birthday dinner since I'll be away on his birthday, and I thought, to make up, we could stop in at the bookstore and I'll buy him a book as one of his presents. I've got his other presents hidden in 2 of his drawers for him to find on the day itself .. or rather, I'll have to tell him where to look when I call him.

you are such a romantic!!

:)

oh, and pasta salad in progress..

bought some stuffed cabbage at a little catering/ diner place and ordered broasted chicken for tomorrow. I am very serious about not cooking.. lol. I bought some tuna too.. and EGGS!

>102 cameling: Awww...that's so sweet!

>104 mckait: So long as the eggs remain far, far away from the tuna, all should be well. Otherwise, the Gulf Oil Spill will look like the world's second-biggest environmental disaster.

ha!

Well, I couldn't resist...I read Around the World with Auntie Mame because, well, why the hell not. It's a delight even 52 years later. I've reviewed it in my thread...post #62.

Apropos of absolutely nothing other than I'm tickled pink...

My son had the dates of his camp wrong and had to go a couple days earlier than his parents understood. Unfortunately, we had booked him to run the dog in an Agility trial. So, rather than forfeit, I ran the dog...something I had never done before. On our first run, Duncan got his first "Q" (qualifying run) ever.

Here's a link to a picture. I didn't want to actually put the image here because it's copyrighted, though I have ordered a copy. :-)

Tad, I am apparently "Forbidden" to see it b/c I "don't have permission"!

But it sounds like fun!

>109 Cariola:: Hmmm, Deborah, that's interesting. I just tried it on a couple of machines and no problem.

Well, the image should be waiting for me when I get home and I have permission to put it up if I attribute it properly...so I will. :-)

It was fun. Nerve-wracking...but fun.

I am forbidden as well.. and hey, my dog is named Duncan too.. I want to see your duncan!! ( mine is on my profile )

eta

oh yea, congrats!

>111 mckait:: His site must have dropped a cookie on my machine that allowed access to the picture. Oh well, here. I'm the shoe.

Slightly different breeds of "Duncan". :-)

Pretty dog! No comment on the shoe.

Go, Duncan! He's adorable. (And knows it, I'm sure.)

VERY cute! thank you for sharing :)

>115 mckait: What?! You're here? I thought you were reading!

Oh, he's adorable! What a fine dog! Congratulations!

You can just see how proud he is of himself there, or maybe it's just what fun he's having!

I want a Duncan too. :0(

Quote for the day from Heist Society by Ally Carter:

"There was, after all, something to be said for sleeping in the same bed every night and always knowing the way to and from the bathroom in the dark. She'd absolutely adored the library - an entire building where anyone could take things they didn't own and feel no remorse about it."

My only remorse about libraries is that they always want their books back!

(posted to my thread too)

Just popped in before heading to my room ...

and morning came so fast!!

Yes, that is one cute dog! Should we combine topics and start talking about what the dogs are eating? (I don't have one, but it would be fun to read anyway.)

My only remorse about libraries is that they always want their books back!

Don't I know it! If I were to start buying books (Oh, how I wish!) I'd spend all my money on books I've already read, since I've read so many I'd like to own...

>112 TadAD:: Duncan looks like he's having the time of his life! Can't tell much by the shoe, but it sounds like you had fun as well, Tad.

>122 JanetinLondon:: Janet, my dog (a blonde Lab) eats anything and everything (except watermelon!). It shows, too. He would have trouble competing in the agility trial like Duncan did.

>124 Donna828:: He absolutely loves it. Duncan also eats anything (except pesto). Fortunately, he's still young enough and active enough that he burns off anything. It's hard to tell with all that fur, but he's actually a rail. When he gets a bath, he comes out looking like a large chihuahua.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/94750&newpost=1#top

Cathy Buchanan wrote The Day The Falls Stood Still. Above is her visiting author thread.. lets visit! :) I know that I am not the only one who liked the book!

Thanks for the link, Kath. I have not read it yet, but that is one that interests me greatly!

>125 TadAD:: what kind of dog IS Duncan? Who looks very pleased with himself going over those rails...

>128 tiffin:: He's the rough-faced variety of Pyrenean Shepherd, Tui...generally referred to as a Pyr Shep.

If you look at the first picture under the Appearance section on that link...the blue merle rough-face...that is almost the spitting image of Duncan except that he's a bobtail.

Well he's as cute as can be. I haven't met one of those yet.

#112 Duncan is very cute. With all that bounce and energy, he looks like he's probably a handful.

I am feeling very well-fed and contented right now after a large plate of salmon with jerk spice, plus rice and sweetcorn. I couldn't be bothered to cook anything complex, and now I'm glad I was lazy.

And speaking of fish, aren't these photos amazing? Ugly creatures, but amazing photos.

Duncan's such a cutie .. and he looks so happy too. Great pic, Tad.

It's hot and humid in Tokyo ... bah, I could be home if I wanted this weather... at least the food's making up for my discomfort of having to wear a suit and move around in this weather. Great sake, delicious beef sashimi, grilled eel, grilled meats and vegetables on skewers and later today, I will indulge in some fantastic sushi and sashimi.

#133 Does grilled eel taste like chicken, as I've been told iguana is similar to or does it have a fishy taste?
Either way I'll pass on that and just take a bit of sake and beef sashimi.

>134 Carmenere:: Either way I'll pass on that and just take a bit of sake and beef sashimi."

Actually, grilled eel sounds relatively normal. A walk along the "Street Meat" vendors of Beijing showed me just how unadventurous I'm content to be (blurring due to camera phone...didn't have my real camera with me):

grilled eel tastes like fish. It's really good. they have a nice glaze on it before they grill it gently over charcoal. I think if you like grilled salmon, you'll like this ... it's lighter than seared salmon, tender, with a nice crisp skin, with a delicate flavor. mmm mmm good.

Oh yeah Tad .. i've walked past those vendors too in Beijing .. never found the courage to try any of them.

One season on The Amazing Race the contestants had to eat starfish. It looked like you needed very strong teeth just to bite into them.

I remember eating grilled starfish when I was in Seoul .. it tasted like squid, so not bad if you like calamari.

#135 uh,uh - if it's not included on the buffet at Loong's seafood and chinese buffet I'm not having it, nooooo sir.

My husband on the other hand enjoys sampling a bit of the native culinary delights while I sit there impressed, mesmerized and yet repulsed.

>140 Carmenere:

" . . . impressed, mesmerized and yet repulsed."

LOL!!

repulsed is a good word....

>132 Eat_Read_Knit: I've not seen anything that ugly since the coelacanth!

>135 TadAD: Centipede is surprisingly tasty. So is tarantula.

Tash posted this in the 'interesting articles' thread and since I think a lot of people would like to give it a try, I am posting it here as well: http://iwl.me/

So, which famous author do you write like? Supposedly, I write like Oscar Wilde, who I know is turning over in his grave at that notion!

LOL .. that was fun. Apparently I write like Raymond Chandler ... does that make me mysterious and thrilling?

I absolutely stuffed myself with incredible sushi and sashimi at lunch today. Didn't manage to gate crash a wedding after all because it was just too terribly hot, so I elected (wisely I might add) to go shopping in the air conditioned malls instead. There is seriously nothing like sashimi and sushi in Japan ... the fish here I think is of a much higher grade than that available in even the expensive Japanese restaurants in New York and Boston .. they literally melt in your mouth.. I actually was thinking this afternoon that teeth are unnecessary in Japan if one were to dine exclusively on sashimi.

#145: I would never have suspected you of being a closet Raymond Chandler, Caroline! I am now anxiously awaiting your book - I like noir :)

haha... I'd be anxious too ... my book might just turn you off noir altogether and off to chick lit instead.

Posting two separate passages from two consecutive pages of the SAME piece of writing gets me Charles Dickens and Stephanie Meyer. Posting a section from a few pages later gets me James Joyce.

I am not entirely sure which of the three worries me more.

Trying a couple of other pieces of writing gets me HP Lovecraft, Dan Brown, Kurt Vonnegut and Margaret Atwood.

I think I'm definitely worried now. :D

David Foster Wallace

#148: I think I am glad I only tried it once!

I didn't know who David Foster Wallace was...had to go to Wikipedia. So, basically, I write like someone who was suicidal. That's just great.

148> I also entered three different paragraphs from the same theatre review and came up with, sequentially, Jonathan Swift, David Foster Wallace, and J. D. Salinger.

Well that's funny! Came here to post the url for the writing thing and see that Stasia has already found it. I entered three different paragraphs and came up as:
David Foster Wallace, Nabokov, and P.G. Wodehouse. Am delighted about the latter.

Tad, I had to look up D.F. Wallace as well, as I haven't read a thing by him. Post-modern? Moi? I don't think so.

Caty, Dan Brown to Atwood? But 3 out of the 4 are terrific!

I copied 6 paragraphs from a few of my most well-thumbed reviews (When Elephants Weep, Pox Americana, Fist Light) and got: David Foster Wallace

Then out of curiosity, I copy/pasted 5 paragraphs from recent reviews that were less popular (Microterrors, Garage Band, Into the Silent Land) and got: Stephen King.

So...what does that say about David Foster Wallace and Stephen King? :)

OK, I tried some different pieces of writing and got Stephen King, William Gibson, and H. P. Lovecraft.

Ha, I got James Joyce! This means I'm either brilliant or totally incomprehensible. Now I'm scared to try again.

#156: Like I said up above, I am glad I only tried once!

>156 JanetinLondon:: brilliant AND incomprehensible. What fun!

ha! I see I found it late.. typical eh?

Today must be David Foster Wallace Day as he was my result as well. I had never hear of him before either but I'll check out at least one of his books to see what he's about. Perhaps this is a new kind of marketing tool for a new book, ya think?

Hmm...
I analyzed a few reviews and got J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown and H.P. Lovecraft.

I just received this little quiz in an email from Oprah's Bookclub. See what your next read should be......mine came up The Passage by Justin Cronin.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/What-to-Read-Next-Os-Summer-Reading-Quiz_1

mine came up: The book for you to start reading now is
9478025::THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE by Julie Orringer.

I never heard of it, but for fun I will take a look.

eta

trying to make the t-stone stay put

blasted touchstones

That is not a book I would choose.. so much for Oprah :)

Seeing this is the kitchen, I'l post a link to David Foster Wallace's essay for Gourmet magazine - Consider the Lobster. It's about his visit to the 2004 Maine Lobster Festival and challenged Gourmet readers to 'consider the lobster'.
I analyzed a few random blog entries and got David Foster Wallace 4 times and also James Joyce.

nice! thank you !

eta:

read and enjoyed it and want to go to the festival.

@162 I get Dombey and Son, which I actually would like to read, but which (being a 1000+ page tome) I will not be picking up any time soon.

#167 I got Dombey and Son as well, not likely that I'll rush to read it either.

Another Dombey and Son. Not on the top of my TBR stacks at the moment.

I tried an interesting thing with the "Writes Like . . . " link. I posted an excerpt from a well-known author, Mary Gaitskill, just to see what came up. Apparently she writes like Stephen King. Now, I would never have made THAT connection!

No new book forthcoming from David Foster Wallace, unless it's posthumous or literally ghost-written.

I got Dombey and Sons too. How odd.

#169 I liked your idea so I went and pasted in a chunk of text from Blinky Bill (a well known Australian children's classic), and it spat out Raymond Chandler as the author most like it. Then I tried some Louisa May Alcott and it suggested Stephen King. Hmm. I think we're seeing a pattern of slightly unreliable results from internet quizzes - I am shocked. Well, not that shocked.

#169 She said what?! DFW is dead?! And I hardly got to know ye. Must google.

Your "interesting thing" had me LOL!

Dombey and Son here as well!

Quote for the day from China Court by Rumer Godden:

" 'Books are not meant to be bargains.' Jeremy Baxter is triumphant too though a part of him disapproves. 'Buy books for what is in them, Miss Eliza' - to the very end he keeps his punctilious way of addressing her - 'for what is in them.' "

(posted to my thread too)

Happy Sunday to all.

The home page this morning lists the following hot reviews:

tymfos (Terri)
Cameling (Caroline)
Sjmccreary (Sandy)
Ape (Stephen)
Brenzi (Bonnie)

Congratulations to you hotties!

opps...I typed to quickly, here is another!

Squeakychu (Madeline)

Has anyone tried entering the same text twice to that "writes like" thing? I am suspecting it's just random. I'm not trying it, because I don't remember what I entered the first time!

176> I tried it, and I got H. P. Lovecraft three times in a row, so there must be some sort of rationale/analysis behind it.

I tried the same passage two or three times (I think it was the passage it said was like Dickens) and got the same answer each time. I don't think it's entirely random, but it's certainly not particularly sophisticated. Maybe the average number of words per sentence or something like that?

178: Well, it says word choice...so, it could be a simple formula where they attribute certain words with certain authors, and then it simply tally up which author you hit the most. *shrug*

Obviously, the more text you paste in the box the more accurate it would be, so instead of doing it 3 times with three different paragraphs people should try pasting all 3 paragraphs in 1 analysis, it should give a better answer. If you were to post, say, 20 paragraphs from reviews, and then 20 different paragraphs from different reviews, you might find more consistent results... ...but, I doubt it. It would take a lot of text, I think, to truly get an idea of how a person phrases their sentences.

Has anyone tried, say, posting the same several paragraphs into it in different orders? I'm in a lazy mood right now, but it would be curious if that gave you different results.

OK, folks, look what we've done.

"I Write Like erupts online, authors scratch heads."

"I Write Like erupts online, authors scratch heads."

Brilliant! Plus, now we know how it works - more about individual word use plus a bit of sentence length, matched to 50 authors he loaded in. Maybe we can get him to write an option that lets us try to match to each other!

ty for the link..

This whole thing is hilarious! I love it.

The best part is Margaret Atwood writing like Stephen King. Hysterical!

Quote for the day from The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis:

"Mildew. Rotting paper. Amy smiled. There was nothing more intoxicating than the aroma of old books."

I completely agree with that sentiment!

(posted to my thread too)

185- That quote makes me sneeze! *achoo* :)

#186: Dust allergies? or old books? lol

Haha...Mildew and dust make me sneeze...I can usually find a way to read a dusty old book if I really want to read it. I have allergy medicine for emergencies! :)

Here's my best tip picked up from selling books on Amazon: if you have a book that really smells musty, put it in a ziplock bag for a few days with kitty litter. The kitty litter absorbs the odor.

189: Awesome! But...then how do you get the kitty-litter smell out?

Well, it's best to use kitty litter that hasn't also been used by cats ;-)

190, 191- LOL...

Dryer sheets (unscented) and a plastic grocery bag work for the Righteous and Sensible who don't have cats.

A ziplock bag with a sprig of mint leaves works well too.

So I got back from my trip and had a monstrous day at the office yesterday .... except for a big hug and kiss from my boss welcoming me home ... for some odd reason, he thought I was caught in a hurricane that had been sweeping through Hong Kong. Nice to know he would have missed me if my plane had gone down in the storm! ;-)

Not sure if bookshelfporn has been mentioned here before but it's definitely worth a look if you want to find new and interesting ways to display your book collection.

ummy, mint! I like that one..

I think he just wanted an excuse to smooch on you Caro..

and nice link!!!!! very nice :)

>196 avatiakh: *drool* (carefully, not on the books!)

#195 - Ah ha, thanks! Something new to do with the mint that's taking over the garden!

I need a bit of help. A week ago, google would not let me access my igoogle page. It said fraud or something . I followed the intructions given and all was well. Yesterday, Google stopped loading for me. I am not a happy camper. I must have my google. Can anyone help?

eta

firefox and safari

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idAxvWW2sNk

please listen and share.. this is my friend Bob who can play like an angel and gives me joy.

#201: I love Pachelbel's Canon in D! Thanks for sharing that, Kath. Sorry I cannot help with the Google problem.

Google responded to my pleas or perhaps my threats and curses..
or maybe to cory, who posted on fb that he bets it is back now..
and has returned in full glory... should have mentioned that.

#203: Good!

I have about 20 different recordings of the Canon. I think the only one I don't really care for this the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas carol version.

My favorite is the one done by a string quartet we had at our wedding ;-) but, following that, a great one done by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

Btw, have you ever heard the Pachelbel Rant about the Canon from the celloist's perspective?

#201 Oh, you posted the link here, too! Maybe I should go and listen again and see if it's as good as it was on the other thread. Just to make sure. ;)

...

...

...

Uh-huh. Still excellent.

Tad, that is hysterical! I love it!

Quote for the day from Seven Summits by Dick Bass:

"We spent the rest of the day sitting in the tent, tearing apart our only paperback novel and passing it around in installments."

Ha! Mountain climbers! They needed some LTers with them on the expedition. Only 1 paperback?

(posted to my thread as well)

I found this really fun AND educational site last night. It has short, factual bios of classic British authors, written in a very amusing manner and with hilarious footnotes. Just had to share it with you all!

#210 : That was a fun link .... thanks for sharing. I had to share it with my friend who love British literature.

Hot and muggy day today ... but perfect for a lazy day indoors watching the last day of the Tour de France and then having a cook out later with friends .. must remember bug spray this time.

Years ago, a public radio station here in NYC had a unique fundraising idea...they played different recordings of the Canon in D *all day long* and would come on periodically to announce that this was Pachel-Hell, and until the fundraising goals were met, all we'd get was the Canon.

Two hours in, an anonymous donor paid up, and regular programming resumed.

>212 richardderus:: that's a hoot, Richard!

Went back and listened to both links. Loved BobB's Milli Vanilli comment! After hearing the rant, it makes me proud that it happened at Penn State, my esteemed alma mater.

I loved the NPR idea of playing various versions of Canon until their fund-raising goals were met.

The most lugubrious thing I've ever heard in all my life is an organ arrangement of the Canon in D. Talk about four hankies and a pistol!

We have a service organization on campus that did something similar for a fundraiser last fall. They set up shop right in front of the student union and played this at an unpleasant volume until their goal was met.

They called their campaign "Stop the Bop."

Edit: Thanks, Stasia. It's fixed now.

#217: Stephen, the link did not go anywhere?

OK, I am reading (for the third time) The Uncommon Reader (it is all your fault since everyone else is reading it right now), and I got to the passage about Ivy Compton-Burnett:

"Yes. I remember that hair, a roll like a pie-crust that went right round her head."

So I just had to look: http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ivy/

The Queen describes it exactly!

(posted to my thread too)

>217 swynn: That's...that's...unspeakably cruel! And bound to violate more than moral laws! Echhh

>216 richardderus: *snort*

#217 Now, that's just mean.

217 lol

Okay...this feels like a dumb question but...

How do I find my 'saved posts'?

A little while ago we got the new feature where you can bookmark a certain post to return to. I bookmarked several...and now I can't get back to them!

On the left-hand side at the top of the page there's a list of options, one of which is "favorite messages." That should take you there.

225- Got it, thanks!

OK, but how do you save them?

See how right above this message there's 'Message 228'? Click on that - and choose from the list...

...and I should add...don't be like me and forget how to find them again, lol! ;)

Thanks--easy peasy!

Okay, I have a question for technology lovers...

At some point I need to buy a laptop. I have one, but it's really old and slow.

If you could use my current laptop, you'd see that my standards are pretty low. Anything would be better than what I have.

Could anyone recommend a laptop/netbook that is as inexpensive as possible and would allow me to do the following things...

-Surf the web

-Play youtube videos

-Basic word processing

-Have a cd/dvd drive

-Install one or two programs, including...
Installing my wireless printer software to print documents

-Have a usb port

That's all I would probably use it for...I checked out my options and there are so many that I got overwhelmed. I trust you guys, and I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.

I'm sorta hoping that whatever I pick will be available on amazon, because I get amazon gift cards every so often and I'm saving them up.

Thanks!

>230 BookAngel_a: I'm thinking about needing a new laptop soon, too, as my hard drive is about full and this laptop isn't quite as zippy as I'd like, either.

I don't know how significant your desire to buy this on Amazon is, because I'd recommend taking a look at TigerDirect.com. They tend to have great sales, they ship very fast, and I suspect you'd do better price-wise.

They have refurbished and off-lease laptops for under $300, for example, and a bunch more in the overstock category for under $500.

This site: http://www.consumersearch.com/laptops/reviews
gives links to a number of other sites that rate best laptops.

One of the top-rated laptops is the Toshiba Satellite T235, which Amazon sells for $549.99 but which actually comes from TigerDirect, so you could use your Amazon gift cards and get Tiger's prices.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/95973&newpost=1#top

Tim is looking for some help.. if we can...

Thanks for the link, Kath. I'm not much help because my internet is so slow, but I think I'll load up a page here and there every once in awhile and try to contribue as much as I can. :)

Stephen dearie... Tim said not to bother if you have dial up..
don't do it!! I would hate to see your regular posting slowed :)

Thanks for posting that, Kath. It's no trouble to just leave that window open in the background as I'm doing other stuff, and I love to help out Tim and LT.

Welcome!

I rarely catch posts outside of the 75ers. I figured that just in case there were one or two others like me.. a post would get them to help. We get so much from this site, I love being able to give back.

Kath: Oh well, it only slows me a little...well ok , a lot, but I don't mind. I got 1,000 of them all to myself already! :D

236: I know, I wish things like this were announced more broadly. I browse other boards from time to time, just not very often, and I always miss this stuff. I'd be happy to help, if only I knew when I had the opportunity! Perhaps in the future The Kitchen can be used to announce such things to fellow 75ers, when one of us catches an announcement? :)

I saw that Stephen!! I was shocked! I am also thinking that you are very generous. My speed was down for a few days and I was angry and whiney and annoyed and no way would I have helped.

Also.. I know, but for me it it my ownfault. I just look at my posts most of the time.. bad.

okay

weird

instead of the little number of unread posts disappearing after I read the thread.. it just stays there and looks different.. like if I use the back option instead of refreshing.. what is up with that and am I alone?

ok weird

nothing is posting...

Generous, me? Nah, I'm just a cooped up social-phobe with too much time on his hands. :)

hey! I am a social-phobe myself... no wonder I like you

Quote for the day from Dreams in a Time of War by Ngugi wa Thiong'o:

"The choice and arrangement of the words, the cadence, I can't pick any one thing that makes it so beautiful and long-lived in my memory. I realize that even written words can carry the music I loved in stories, particularly the choric melody. . .Written words can also sing."

(posted to my thread too)

231- Thank you for your helpful reply!

fun link, Kath ... and so pretty ... the only danger is that I am so tempted to keep peeking at the changing book covers and wanting to click on them ... and possibly not getting to do any work. Oh well ... perhaps this will be good in helping me build ... err... character and discipline?

perhaps this will be good in helping me build ... err... character and discipline?

It's helping you build a nice big amazon shopping cart, at the very least. ;)

I have over 9,000 now. Woohoo, no ridiculously slow internet connection is going to stop me! >:D

Stephen ... you astound me. LOL

I did enjoy it. I can't do any more, but it was fun while it lasted :)

Wonderful weather out here in MA today ... mid 80s, low humidity, sunshine and a lifting breeze ..... blissful after that monster heatwave. I was considering baking a cake this afternoon after I get back from my dental appointment but hubster is on a diet. hmm.... maybe I'll make some mini cupcakes instead.

I've got a chicken marinating with rosemary, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil ... will be just ready for the grill this evening.

maybe I'll make some mini cupcakes instead.

Wait...this is genius. If you eat the same amount of junk food, but in smaller bites, does that decrease the calories!? Why, I never thought of that!! :D

Or did I read that the wrong way? Hehe, shucks, I thought Caro and I just made an amazing discovery...

Stephen ... you astound me. LOL

Yes, I know, for someone to be so completely devoid of a social life to have the time to stare at a computer for all those hours... yes, it must be quite astounding. :P

We have social lives. They just take place here, that's all.

#250: True!

LOL.... mini red velvet cupcakes have been made, hollowed out and I'll shoot some soft vanilla ice cream in it just before eating it. Hubster's already fallen for the small means less calories ticket. :-)

Was at the supermarket on my way home from the dentist and they had beautiful sea bass. So I couldn't resist and have picked up a whole chilean sea bass. I plan on baking it with the rind of lime, some ginger, chopped lemongrass, a bit of chopped chillis and soy.

What with the chicken I've got marinating in the fridge, there'll be too much food for the 2 of us, so I invited 2 neighbors over to join us for dinner. I'll just make some champagne risotto and toss a salad. I have some beautiful ripe strawberries so that's dessert taking care of itself. Fruit's healthy after all.

LT counts as a social life? Cool! LT has given me lots of things, but I never thought it'd give me one of those. I don't suppose I could find a sex life around here somewhere as well, could I?

(Oh, dear, sorry! But we needed a new thread anyway... :P)

#250: True!

*once again wishing to be Caro's neighbor*

Quote for the day from Work Song by Ivan Doig:

"I have always felt at home among books, so when the woman from the desk plopped my requested two in front of me, they seemed like old friends dropping by."

My books are definitely old friends!

(posted to my thread too)

So, here's the ninth of our Kitchens.