Happy Hallow's Eve!

Happy Halloween to you and yours.  Hope it is spooktacular!

This year we have a little shark and butterfly to trick or treat with.  And I will be going as the shark's victim :)

And here are a few songs we will be listening to today to get us in the Halloween spirit...


Halloween, The Dream Syndicate

Pet Sementary, The Ramones

Frankenstein, New York Dolls

Brain Pickings: 7 ThingsI Learned in 7 Years of Reading, Writing and Living

Brain Pickings turned 7 this week.  I've written about this weekly digest before, here, and needless to say, since I am talking about it yet again, I am a fan.  I liked this week's list of 7 Lessons Learned in 7 Years: 

1. Allow yourself the uncomfortable luxury of changing your mind.Cultivate that capacity for “negative capability.” We live in a culture where one of the greatest social disgraces is not having an opinion, so we often form our “opinions” based on superficial impressions or the borrowed ideas of others, without investing the time and thought that cultivating true conviction necessitates. We then go around asserting these donned opinions and clinging to them as anchors to our own reality. It’s enormously disorienting to simply say, “I don’t know.” But it’s infinitely more rewarding to understand than to be right — even if that means changing your mind about a topic, an ideology, or, above all, yourself.
2. Do nothing for prestige or status or money or approval alone. As Paul Graham observed, “prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.” Those extrinsic motivators are fine and can feel life-affirming in the moment, but they ultimately don’t make it thrilling to get up in the morning and gratifying to go to sleep at night — and, in fact, they can often distract and detract from the things that do offer those deeper rewards.
3. Be generous. Be generous with your time and your resources and with giving credit and, especially, with your words. It’s so much easier to be a critic than a celebrator. Always remember there is a human being on the other end of every exchange and behind every cultural artifact being critiqued. To understand and be understood, those are among life’s greatest gifts, and every interaction is an opportunity to exchange them.
4. Build pockets of stillness into your life. Meditate. Go for walks. Ride your bike going nowhere in particular. There is a creative purpose todaydreaming, even to boredom. The best ideas come to us when we stop actively trying to coax the muse into manifesting and let the fragments of experience float around our unconscious mind in order to click into new combinations. Without this essential stage of unconscious processing, the entire flow of the creative process is broken.
   Most importantly, sleep. Besides being the greatest creative aphrodisiac, sleep also affects our every waking moment, dictates our social rhythm, and even mediates our negative moods. Be as religious and disciplined about your sleep as you are about your work. We tend to wear our ability to get by on little sleep as some sort of badge of honor that validates our work ethic. But what it really is is a profound failure of self-respect and of priorities. What could possibly be more important than your health and your sanity, from which all else springs?
5. When people tell you who they are, Maya Angelou famously advised, believe them. Just as importantly, however, when people try to tell you who you are, don’t believe them. You are the only custodian of your own integrity, and the assumptions made by those that misunderstand who you are and what you stand for reveal a great deal about them and absolutely nothing about you.
6. Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that. The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living — for, as Annie Dillard memorably put it, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
7. “Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.” This is borrowedfrom the wise and wonderful Debbie Millman, for it’s hard to better capture something so fundamental yet so impatiently overlooked in our culture of immediacy. The myth of the overnight success is just that — a myth — as well as a reminder that our present definition of success needs serious retuning. As I’ve reflected elsewhere, the flower doesn’t go from bud to blossom in one spritely burst and yet, as a culture, we’re disinterested in the tedium of the blossoming. But that’s where all the real magic unfolds in the making of one’s character and destiny.

I love all 7 of these.  But especially #3 "It's so much easier to be a critic than a celebrator".  So very true.  Especially in this digital age of snark and cynicism.  Sitting on the couch or in front of the computer and criticizing somehow gives people the feeling of "doing something" or being better than.  But it is not and they aren't.   And #4, sleep and meditation.  So overlooked and so essential.  Do you agree?

Congrats to Brain Pickings on 7 years!

Have you checked out Brain Pickings yet?  Do yourself a favor and sign up for the weekly newsletter.  Your brain will thank you. 

Image via Brain Pickings, via Inside the Rainbow: Russian Children's Literature 1920-35.

 

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes for your listening pleasure.

I am a huge Velvet Underground fan.  It's truly impossible for me to answer the question who is your favorite band.  But I do remember, once upon a time, in college, being asked this question and answering "The Velvet Underground".  Loaded had been on repeat for awhile, as I recall.

Just this week, while listening to a new compilation my hubby made me, a Lou Reed song came on that I was not familiar with. Not surprisingly, I really liked it.  It reminded me of college and of being a kid.

And the next day Lou Reed died.  And I felt old.

R.I.P. Lou Reed, to me, you never get old.

Sweet Jane, The Velvet Underground

Wishlist

A few things I have my eyes on...

From the looks of this list I am fully in Fall, cozy mode and getting ready to hibernate for winter.

From Top:

Rosetta Stone Spanish.  I pulled the trigger!  Tad and I have been doing this for about 30-45 minutes, 4-5 times a week.  Muy buen!

L.L. Bean Wicked Good Moccassins.  I am in the market for some cozy and warm slippers.  These are at the top of my list though I just read a rave review (Tomboy Style) for these L. L. Bean Wicked Good Slippers.

J. Crew Stadium Cloth Cocoon Coat  I think this coat looks way cuter in person.  I am always cold and would like a simple WARM coat to throw on for morning school runs which are already freezing and only getting colder.

The Most of Nora Ephron.  I love Nora but have never formally read any of her books (just articles and excerpts and such).  I think this needs to be remedied stat.

What better to sit and read with but some yummy fall treats??  Fall cannot go by without a batch of pumpkin cupcakes for me to stuff my face with!  Okay, maybe I'll share.  One.

Tuesday Tunes

Tunes for your Tuesday (Halloween Edition)

Night of the Living Dead, The Misfits

Really Nailing This Parenting Thing

This article from BuzzFeed, 24 People Really Nailing This Parenting Thing, made me laugh.

Wish List

A few things I'm wishing on....

From Top:

Done to Death Projects "Diane Keaton Shirt". Because it's her.  And I'm me.

Seaweed Bath Co. Seaweed Detox.  Supposedly this stuff is magic in a bath.

American Apparel Flex Fleece Hoodie in Navy. My old one bit the dust and navy is my favorite.

Gold Flats.  I am a sucker for gold flats even though I have terrible luck with them.  They never last me.  The gold rubs off.  But, as I said, I'm a total sucker and am jonesing for another pair and better luck.  The pair pictured here aren't available right now but I'm on the hunt.

Camping.  We have a camping trip coming up soon and I cannot wait.  Want. it. now.

How To Make A Movie

Last week Vulture featured a series called How To Make A Movie.  I haven't finished reading every article yet, but the ones I have read have been really interesting.  If you love movies as I do, I thought you might want to hear from the likes of Wes Anderson, Spike Jones, Diablo Cody, too.  Read on crouton, and maybe you'll learn a thing or two about making a movie.  And if you do make one, I'll take a thank you credit, sure.

How Casting Directors Find and Make Stars
How a Former Movie Head Thinks the Movie Business Has Changed
How Wes Anderson Made The Royal Tenenbaums
Diablo Cody: The 7 Things No One Tells You About Being a Screenwriter
6 Rules For Creating A Superhero Costume
How Spike Jonze Made the Weirdest, Most Timely Romance of the Year
How to Make a Killer Film Score
5 Things They Don't Tell You About Being a First Time Director

Recipe Round Up

I can't tell you how much I love this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas.  I could eat this every week, if not everyday and be such a happy lady.  I would do just that, and in fact I kinda tried, but my family started to complain about you know, eating something other than Cauliflower once in awhile.  No joke.  So, I am down to only making this about once a month.  Bum out.  Anyway, hopefully you like this as much as I do and more importantly your partners, family and roommates do too, so you can all be living in Cauliflower heaven.  Yes, there is such a place and I just gave you the keys to the kingdom.  (Your next stop would be the Fried Cauliflower from Open Sesame in Long Beach. So good. Don't even get me started).

Image and Recipe via It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen.

Bonus:  Interview with Julia Turshen the co-author of It's All Good who seems like a rad lady.

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes (Halloween Edition)

The Fly, The Mummies

Rita (and Kris and Bob)

Rita Coolidge must seriously be the coolest of chicks.   There she is, in the middle of a Kris/Bob sandwich, cool as a cucumber.  No big deal. My mind just about explodes while I contemplate this scenario.  I mean....

Image via Tomboy Style

Wish List

Wish List wanderlust...

Madewell Zip Pouchette in Calf Hair  Had me at Calf Hair.  This is essential.

Madewell Five Point Bangle Um, Yeah. No brainer.

Emerson Fry Camiknicker Flamingo Silk Kills me. 

Interwoven The Kate Vintage Sari Kantha Quilt  I have a pillow by Interwoven and could not be a bigger fan.  This quilt is next level though.  

Trip to The Getty.  I've been jonesing for a visit for months and now that the tourists have fled and the weather is cooling down, now is the time.  Oh yes, now is the time. 

Book Report

I'm overdue for a Book Report around these parts.  Truth be told this hasn't been my best year for reading.  I'm busy, I'm tired, you know all the usual excuses.  My favorite book I've read this year (so far) is Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief.  You may remember I first mentioned this book in my wish list here.  Well, wishes do come true and this book, ladies and gents, is a  winner.  I loved it.  I suggest you dig in, pronto.  I know you've probably heard some crazy stories about Scientology, I certainly had, but it's so much crazier than I thought.  I mean, we are talking serious cray cray.  Maximum Cray.  For. real.  I found it so interesting to learn about L. Ron Hubbard, his life, how it all started, how it evolved and where it is today.  I had no idea and I can't believe more of this isn't out there.  My favorite part was the early days of L. Ron Hubbard in Los Angeles in the 50's and his involvement with the science fiction community and certain cult figures. If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for L.A. history from the 50's, 60's and 70's.  But the whole thing is downright fascinating.  My jaw was on the floor the entire time.  And yes, the Hollywood, Tom Cruise  stuff is pretty darn interesting.

So read away and let me know what you think.  Bonus points if you watch The Master afterwards and try and search out the Scientology parallels and influence.

Tuesday Tunes (on a Wednesday)

We are battling a cold/flu bug over here so please excuse the disruption in our regularly scheduled program.

Tuesday Tune (on a Wednesday) for your listening pleasure. Continuing with our Halloween theme this month.

The Cramps, Human Fly

Wardrobe Update

Do you remember when I wrote here about the 10 piece wardrobe?   I thought I would give you an update on that post and my intentions of whittling down my closet to the bare minimum of essentials, you know, only the things I adore and nothing more.

Well, this (shoddy) photo of my closet says it all, don't you think?  That's right. Epic Fail.

Now, I do share this closet with my husband so not everything you see here is mine, but a good 85% of it is and it's kinda ridiculous.  Since my last post, I did clean out my closet and I was pretty brutal with what I gave the heave-ho.  Honest.  But I still didn't get anywhere near 10 pieces.  I did try to baby step a little and put all my favorite shirts in a single drawer and all summer made an effort to wear only those shirts.  You know, the essentials. But I still haven't ditched the ones that didn't make the cut.  Sigh.  Part of the problem is that I don't have a lot of stuff I adore.  Years spent shopping at the bargain stores has left me with a lot of quantity and not quality.  It's the quality stuff that makes the 10 cut easy.  The rest of the stuff that I'm just sort of 'meh' is what makes up most of what you see here.  You know the stuff that I don't hate and it's fine for the school runs so I just keep hanging on to it.  But it's just too much stuff.  Oh and I've had to confront something about my personality that I've never really addressed before. While doing all of this, I start thinking "oh but if I only have 5 shirts, then people are going to talk about how I always wear the same thing.  What will people think of me?" For shame.  I mean really?  Who is going to say this? Who is really even paying attention?  And most importantly, why do I care?  I think it might be time to get radical here friends.  Ditch it all.  I mean, it's just clothes.  What am I afraid of?  Nothing bad will happen if I just let go.  So alright, who's with me?  Anyone??

Before I Forget

Anita started Kindergarten this month.  She loves it and is having the best time and I am having so much fun watching her grow and learn to be such a little lady. She is 5!  How the hell do I have a 5 year old?  And on top of that I have a 2.5 year old.  Say what? My baby boy is not so much a baby.  I don't know how these things happen, people.  We were having a conversation about Felix, the not so much of a baby boy, possibly going into pre-school next year.  It's just two mornings a week, but still, this is throwing my mama brain for a loop.  We are pretty certain we are done with the two kiddie pies.  But I'm not gonna lie, sometimes they are just so cute and sweet and darn right edible and my brain wanders into the what-if zone.  What if I just had five more of these awesomely adorable little creatures?  I will also tell you that these moments are often short lived and interrupted by screaming, tantrum filled chaos and me ranting to myself about "too many kids and too many dogs!"  I'm glad I found this article to remind me (in a much calmer manner) of what new babies are really like.  Yes, they are cute and all, but there's a lot more to it.  Don't get me wrong - making babies is awesome and you should do it.  If you want. (Especially if your name is Sara, Diina or Marie.) But I'm pretty sure two kids is our personal sweet spot.