Live and Let Di

Fun...but useless

The following was contributed by my friend Andrea...who also contributed dinner to me and my kids when we "happened" to stop over at dinner time...I love that!

Interesting...

At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07. This will never happen again.

And for the record, the title "Fun...but useless" only applies to the information tidbit...not to Andrea who is both fun AND useful (as evidenced by the feeding of three people on a moment's notice!)

Identity Crisis

In the past couple of weeks, several bloggers that I read regularly have questioned the continuation of their blogs because of negative, and even threatening, comments. I have been fortunate that my readership has been nothing buy wonderful and polite whether they agree or disagree with my views.

However, I find myself in somewhat of an identity crisis. I started Di’s Book Blog, etc. in August with the “etc.” in lower case because I really thought I would post a book review every couple of days because that’s the rate at which I normally consume books. But as it has turned out, my book-reading has slumped due to all kinds of factors, including:

-    excessive blog-reading
-    excessive volunteering
-    lots of home and family responsibilities that need to come first
-    a general book slum
-    lack of an utterly compelling book to pull me out of my slump

So my question to those who read this is…are you disappointed that I don’t do more book reviews and book-related posts? Do you enjoy reading the “etc.” posts that usually fall under the category of “Life in Boca” ? Should I re-invent my blog so that its title is more indicative of its content?

Even if you are someone who doesn’t usually comment or doesn’t feel comfortable commenting, I would appreciate it if you would send me an e-mail and let me know what you think. I know how many people read my blog because TypePad gives me those stats. But unless I hear from you, I don’t know why you are reading and how I can continue to capture your interest while also enjoying the cathartic and fulfilling qualities of writing.

Di

Influence

In an early April issue of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King published an article entitled, "How To Bury a Book." His subject was a book called Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. King asserts that it is a "Russian doll of a novel, filled with stories within stories." At the time his article was published, Fieldwork was hovering at 24,571 on the Amazon bestseller list, the victim of an ambiguous cover and a bad job of marketing by its publisher. King asks, "Why, why, why would a company publish a book this good and then practically demand that people not read it?"

As of today, it's at 6,220, thanks, in no small part I'm sure, to King's endorsement. But why does it take Stephen King and a magazing like Entertainment Weekly to put a good book in the hands of the discerning and intelligent reader? How many other quality books are floundering out there for lack of a method of marketing to the reading public? Meanwhile, anything with a stiletto heel shoe or a stylish woman pushing a pram on the cover gets forcefed to the public by appearing front and center at the bookstores and getting a media blitzkrieg that moves books faster than they can be published.

Are publishing companies so certain that the book-buying public is incapable of "getting" quality fiction that they continually push the direct-to-paperback twaddle down our throats? Is this trend going to push fine writers out of the business of creating compelling stories and character studies in favor of formulaic insta-best sellers?

While we ponder these questions, I guess Mischa Berlinski is basking in the glow of success after Stephen King's endorsement...but King can only read and write about so many books. So what do the rest of the authors do? And what do we readers do?

Di

Thursday Thirteen (Vol. 27)

Another week tapping into Amy's suggestions for Thursday Thirteens:

13 Performers I Wish I Had Seen When They Were In Their Prime

1.
Jim Croce - I'm too young to remember where I was when I heard that JFK died, but I remember the day Jim Croce died when I was just 11. The singer/songwriter gave us Leroy Brown and Time in a Bottle...songs that made us laugh and songs that made us cry. Of course, Time in a Bottle was inextricably linked to the TV movie-of-the-week She Lives in which a beautiful young Season Hubley is all brave and tragic as she is dying of cancer...supported by her boyfriend...Desi Arnaz, Jr.???? I remember her...I'm shocked that it was him. The movie aired 8 days before Croce died suddenly in a plane crash. Anyway...I'm a sucker for Jim Croce's music and it speaks to that pre-adolescent stage of my life.

2.
Carole King - Everyone had the album...everyone. Tapestry was a phenomenon of its time. I was too young (9) when it was released to really "get" Carole King. I didn't know until I was an adult that she was a prolific songwriter long before Tapestry caught the attention of every teen in the early 70's. Believe it or not, she's in her 60's now, but she will always be barefoot in jeans sitting on a window seat in most of our minds. How cool would it have been to have seen her at her piano singing through the Tapestry songs as well as her earlier compositions.

3.

Grateful Dead - I'm not a huge Grateful Dead fan, but come on...people gave years of their lives following them...there has to be something to it.

4.

Bruce Springsteen - I've seen Bruce Springsteen three times, the first time being the Born in the USA tour at the Orange Bowl in Miami. But I regret to this day that I didn't know enough to go see him at the Utica Memorial Auditorium when I was in high school and he came through on the Born to Run tour.

5.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody performed live with Freddy Mercury in full Freddy Mercury mode. Wow!

6.

Barry Manilow - I know, I'm going to get a lot of grief about this. But he's a legendary performer...it would have been great to see him perform Copacabana and I would have cried when he sang Mandy.

7.

John Lennon - My husband suggested the Beatles, but really it's Lennon that I would have loved to have seen. I think he was an amazing poet and promoter of peace. I think he had a brilliant vision for the world and was willing to stand up for his convictions and try to make the world better.

8.

Patsy Cline - 44 years after her death in a plane crash at the age of 30, Patsy Cline's voice can still bring tears to your eyes. I can only imagine the power of her amazing presence combined with that voice singing "Walking After Midnight" at the Grand Ole Opry.

9.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Four words...Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.

10.

Elton John - I think I was about 12 when I came downstairs on Christmas morning to find a five foot poster of Elton John hanging on the wall that my sister had gotten for me. There's a picture of me that captures my elation and ecstasy...and my utter devotion to Elton John. Oh, to have seen him with the glasses and the costumes singing "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer". His success has spanned four decades...and his music is still timeless. Would have loved to have been there!

11.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours is still one of the greatest albums ever and seeing them at their youthful best must have been amazing. However, I am certain that even seeing a performance by Fleetwood Mac in 1977 wouldn't top the VH-1 Behind the Music about Fleetwood Mac which is a perfect blend of melody, melodrama and musical egotism!

12.

Frank Sinatra - I would have loved to have seen Frank Sinatra when he was the skinny kid from Hoboken who became "the Voice"...not so interested in the boozier, chunkier days on the road with Sammy and Liza.

13.

Pat Benatar - She epitomizes everything about the eighties for me...edgy hair, dramatic contrasts and aching intensity. I think that was kind of like me in the '80's...I've got pictures!

So, who would you have liked to have seen in their prime???

Di

Morning After Musings

Vicky got married yesterday and I believe there are many pounding heads in Boca this morning. The weather for the oceanside ceremony was perfect...for people like me with short hair that regularly looks wind-whipped. Those with long hair were carefully pulling it back from where it stuck to their lip gloss!

The reception was lots of fun...especially with the contingent of Maine friends who know how to party!!! Vicky looked stunning. Actually so did Stacy and I! Our perfect spray tans made us the envy of the self-proclaimed "pasty white" State of Maine residents.

We are not talking your run-of-the-mill spray tan. We tanned using the Versa Spa (models not included in the tanning fee) at the Boca Tanning Club. Yes, here in Boca he have a tanning club that is open 24 hours! I know that my readers from northern climes are thinking, why do they need a tanning club in Boca? It's sunny there all year round! And everyone is thinking, why would you need a tanning club that is open 24 hours? Well, here in Boca, we are quite busy...what with driving around town honking angrily at other drivers, meeting with plastic surgeons and shopping in those stores that require an armed guard to protect their handbags (which cost more than my first car!) So it is essential that we minimize the time we spend to obtain the perfect shade of golden skin. We can't be bothered spending hours at the beach with all that nasty sand, seaweed and water that is way too salty for our cholesterol levels! So, if our Ambien wears off at 4 a.m. and we look down to discover, egad, our skin is pasty white like those people from Maine, then we can just hop into our BMW and drop by the Boca Tanning Club before the kids even wake up. (I swear, I think the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce should pay me for this blog!!!)

Although my head is still a little fuzzy, the third cup of coffee is kicking in and I want to close with this completely random thought: I think that Prada should come out with a line of baseball cleats and have all of the Tampa players wear them. Because then they could use the catchphrase:

The Devil Rays Wear Prada!!!

Di

Thursday Thirteen (Vol. 26)

With special thanks to Amy:
My Thursday Thirteen well had run dry, so I sent an SOS to Amy and she responded with WEEKS of ideas.
So, for this week:

13 Things My Kids Take For Granted that I Didn't Have as a Kid

1. More than one bathroom in the house. Seriously...when I was growing up, four people and one bathroom. And I don't remember it being a huge deal.

2. ATM's. Money was dispensed from one source only...my Mom...until I was old enough to earn it babysitting

3. iPods. Instant access to just about any song you want (except anything by the Beatles). We had to wait for the songs to come on the radio...and sometimes, if we were really high tech, we would tape the song on our cassette recorder. And at a party we had to listen to whole albums at a time...no party mixes.

4. 21 as the legal drinking age. Ha! There's at least one thing that was better for me! The drinking age was 18, so I never experienced this whole getting carded and wearing a wristband to tell if you can drink thing.

5. Self-Serve Gas. When the attendant came up to your car, you asked him to put in $10 or whatever. "Fill 'er up" was for the rich kids. Now you can get gas, pay for it and get a receipt all without speaking to a soul.

6. Media Centers and Media Specialists. All we had were lame libraries and librarians! Oh, they are the same thing. Well their name certainly has a more modern sound to it.

7. Free Long Distance. Pretty much everyone now has access to free long distance either through a home calling plan or a cell plan. Calling long distance was a BIG deal when I was a kid. You had to ask permission. You waited until Sundays after 10 p.m. or whenever the rates were lowest and kept an eye on the clock. And when the bill came, my mother would present it to me with my calls circled, totalled and the tax added in to pay her back!

8. Instant Messaging. When I was a kid, bad grammar and misspelling were negative things. Now they are talents cultivated for the world of IM.

9. Adults have First Names. All parents now are called by their first names. Even in North Carolina, parents are referred to as "Miss Barbara", "Mr. Tim", etc. We were only vaguely aware that parents HAD first names!!!

10. Superstores. We used to have to go to the grocery store for groceries, the drug store for prescriptions, the bookstore for books and a clothing store for clothes. Now you can get all of these items in different places. You can get coffee at a bookstore. You can get clothing at the drug store. You can get prescriptions at the grocery store.

11. Hair Care Products. My daughter can get products that are so specific to her particular hair that I almost expect the bottle to have her name on it. I think we had Prell and Breck.

12. Dishwashers. And they still manage to complain about being asked to load them or empty them. My parents had two dishwashers....Diane and Linda.

13. DVR. There's no such thing as missing your favorite show anymore! It's recorded. And if it's not recorded at your house, it's probably recorded at your friend's house.

I wouldn't trade my childhood for their childhood...but I still have to wonder how my dating world would have been different if there had been caller ID and voice mail!!!!

Di

Books that leave a Legacy

Sometimes when my husband travels he reads USA Today and brings back articles that he thinks will interest me. This is very thoughtful on his part and it's usually something that I really AM interested in, not 10 steps to keeping the laundry room organized or how to get 25 hours out of a 24 hour day. This week he brought home a piece called Books that leave a Legacy..."25 titles that made an impact on readers and the publishing industry over the past quarter century." Some of the items on the list made me think....and made me think about what other books might qualify.

#2 The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard (1996)
I remember my boss's wife recommending this book to me because she heard about it on Oprah...and it was indeed Oprah's first book club selection. Love her or hate her (and I lean toward the former), Oprah has had an incredible effect on the publishing industry and the reading public. There are those who criticize Oprah for having the audacity to "decide" what we should be reading...but no one can deny that since Oprah's Book Club started, more people are reading and more people are talking about books. Now who could possibly find an issue with that?

#11 Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (1998)
The dawn of chick lit...not a favorite of mine for its content or its suspect use of the possessive apostrophe in the title. My internal jury is still out on what this means for the world. Has chick lit given a voice to women that they haven't had before? Or has it belittled female authors and forced them to conform to a confining niche and have shoes and purses on their covers in order to secure space on the shelves of our bookstores? There is, however, one thing I am sure about...when Helen Fielding wrote the book, she didn't visualize Bridget as Renee Zellwegger "porked out" at 125 pounds!

#17 The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe (1987)
This was a book that I couldn't get through, but I know that it caught the attention of the reading public and may have been the original fictional depiction of what John Edwards has come to call the "Two Americas". Although Tom Wolfe clearly had the better marketing and name recognition, I would posit that T. C. Boyle did a better job with this subject in The Tortilla Curtain. Could Tom Hanks be any more embarrassed about a movie? Well, maybe Joe vs. the Volcano.

#23 Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (1997)
For the 61 weeks that Cold Mountain occupied a slot on the New York Times Bestseller List (in hardcover), it seemed that you couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone toting that distinctive blue covered book. To me that was the beginning of the Book Club era. Publishers seemed to finally get that readers were hungry for more than bodice-rippers and Danielle Steele. I personally thought that Cold Mountain was a bit slow and plodding, but I appreciated the beauty of the language. Not sure Frazier had Zellwegger and Kidman in mind here and somehow the Inman of my imagination was not as attractive as Jude Law, so the movie left me wanting as most movie adaptations of books do.

If I could add to this list, I would include:

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (1993) - how bizarre, a modern gothic murder story...non-fiction, no less...set in Savannah and peopled with a black transvestite, a variety of people of uncertain sexual orientation, the creme de la creme of Southern society and a slimy, unlikeable murder victim sits on the New York Times Bestseller List for OVER FOUR YEARS in hardcover (take that, Cold Mountain!) This book singlehandedly made non-fiction sexy, put Savannah back on the map as a tourist destination replete with tours based on locales in the book and scared the hell out of people who made a habit of waiting for books to come out in paperback!

I LOVE Kevin Spacey and think his looks capture the essence of Jim Williams. And John Cusack lives in my heart as Lloyd Dobler, boom box over his head blasting "In Your Eyes", resolute in the rain and unashamed of his unabashed adoration of Diane. But overall, the movie disappointed.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (predates the 25 year time frame) and The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield - I'm sure I'm missing something, but to me these books exemplify the literary equivalent of psychobabble. A lot of people ran around expounding on how these books changed their lives, gave them new insights, etc...but in the end, no one really understood them and they didn't change anything. The movie version of this for me was The Gods Must Be Crazy.

The Green Mile by Stephen King - Stephen King has made a tremendously successful career by continuously surprising the reading public. Who could have predicted that he would momentarily resurrect the serialized novel, a genre made famous by Dickens (someone correct me here...because I'm sure I'm wrong), and leave my friend Lauren and me counting the days until the next episode was published? And in this case, the movie was quite good! 

 

Marley and Me by John Grogan and Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand - I know these don't qualify, but they hold a special place in my heart because you gotta love a book with an animal protagonist!!!

So...this BEGS the question...what books have left a legacy with you (no 25 year time frame need apply)?

Di

Thursday Thirteen (Vol. 25)

My friend Stacy, (shown here with my husband) a self-proclaimed JAP from Long Island, visited us in NC last week.

I gave her all the warnings ahead of time. People might wave at you even if they don't know you. If you hear a car horn, it's more likely that someone is driving by and waving than that they are annoyed that the car in front of them is moving too slowly. There won't be a car in front of them. People are really, genuinely nice. She ended up having a wonderful time and fitting right in, but with:

13 Things that Stacy did in Fuquay Varina Last Week that She has Never done Before:

1. Ate pickle chips.

2. Wore a Wolfpack Red NC State sweatshirt.

3. Ate at Waffle House.

4. Was stunned to see that people smoke at Waffle House.

5. Realized that it comes full circle and the child becomes the parent and the parent becomes the child (sorry...only she will get that).

6. Discovered that a bonfire can be the centerpiece of a great adult social event!

7. Attended the annual Papa Jack Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt.

8. Helped the Easter Bunny prepare Easter baskets.

9. Learned that a garage can be considered an entertainment area.

10. Spontaneously used "y'all" in a sentence.

11. Went several days without applying make-up...and looked great, I might add!

12. Allowed her daughter to sleep on a couch with a boy.

13. Slept in a house that is under 2,000 square feet and has a carport, a shed, a pond and is decorated entirely with donations from friends.

All in all, she fit right in and was a great addition to the neighborhood.

Di

Thinking Blogger Award

Jen from J's thoughts and Musings has tagged me for the Thinking Blogger Award. There are rules that go along with the award:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, (click on the thinking blogger award)
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

I love to think. I think, therefore I am. I read, therefore I am. I blog, therefore I am. I think, therefore I blog more, read less and still keep thinking. One of the reasons that I read less is that there are so many blogs out there that make me think...and therefore make me read more blogs...and therefore make me read fewer books.

When it comes to Thinking Blogs, I must list the following:

1. Maternally Challenged - I found Tracy Thompson's blog after reading her book, The Beast: A Journey through Depression which led me to her newest book The Ghost in the House: Motherhood, Raising Children and Struggling with Depression.  Tracy's blog makes me think, whether she is dealing with motherhood, depression, inequities in our legal system or the craft of writing. She has become one of my favorite bloggers and favorite writers...and I'm proud to say, a cherished e-friend!

2. verbatim - Karen writes on a variety of subjects including motherhood, not wearing make-up, her cats (which would normally completely preclude me from reading her blog), books, grammar and music. Whatever she has to say, captures me and makes me...oh yeah, think! That's what this is all about! It pisses me off that she doesn't wear make-up...as her picture on her blog shows that she's stunning!!!

3. Cheaper than Therapy - Ali writes from Toronto in a wonderful community of bloggers. She writes just about every day which makes visiting her blog very rewarding. She ranges from Grey's Anatomy reviews to husband issues to parent issues to children issues to living in Canada issues to, well, someone has to say it, curling!!! Yes, Ali has curled and lived to blog about it.

Y'all are tagged (forgive me...just got back from 11 days in NC)...so you're it!

Di

Fond Farewell to Fuquay

As we bid Fuquay adieu, I have some miscellaneous things to clear out of my mind:

1. Karen, the winner of my BAFAB contest, can look forward to a special little extra surprise along with her book selection, Winner of the National Book Award by Jincy Willett. I hope she will guest blog her review when she finishes it!

2. We're back from 11 days on the road. I have a huge pile of mail and an unending to-do list, but this is what I spent a good part of my morning doing:

3. I am still suffering from all the pollen I breathed in during my stay in NC. This morning I am sneezing about every 30 seconds with each sneeze more painful than the previous and each one leaving my head feeling like it is going to explode. My eyes, skin and even the inside of  my ears are itchy. This is all making me REALLY irritable…just ask my kids!

4. We placed third (our lowest finish ever) in the Duffy's trivia contest last night. It's all Donnie's fault since we know he would have gotten the Superman question and the C-city in Ohio with the biggest population!

Di