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Mary-Laure, whom I often mention here (she of the beautiful and insightful blog Aurea) recently presented me with two blog awards. As you may have guessed, this totally made my day. Even if I'm nowhere near the vicinity of "hip", it's nice to dream. Thank you, Mary-Laure!
I'm delaying awarding other blogs because I'm a bit shy about tagging/awarding people (lame, I know). I think I'll take a bit of time pondering 10 great blogs to award. Which really shouldn't be very hard, as the blog world is chock full of interesting, talented people whose creativity I drool over daily. TBA!
I can't think of a better time for injecting a little romance into one's life than the week leading up to Valentine's Day. And I don't mean in the bedroom sort of romance. I'm talking about enhancing the subtle nuances of the everyday with a little glamour. For me, it's buying a lovely freesia bouquet, the color and smell of which I find just intoxicating.
It's also losing myself in the romantic entanglements and intrigues of a great love story, which sounds just about right at this time of year. I bought these books from the Penguin Great Loves series ages ago, and I can't wait to dust them off and dive into them tonight. I chose Thomas Hardy's A Mere Interlude, Leo Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata, and Forbidden Fruit from the letters of Abelard and Heloise. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I am *OBSESSED with Penguin Classics UK. They come out with terrific editions of classic books with the most compelling covers which either aren't available in the states or are extremely hard to find. Needless to say, this only provokes my lust for them even more. If you're at all interested in how the cover designs were created for the above books, then by all means click here! *Another reason I'm in love with Penguin: I read this Valentine's Day essay by Victoria Coren years ago and its humor and insight have longed stayed with me. Regardless if you're single or attached, it makes for a great Valentine's Day read. Doesn't hurt that the authors she writes of are Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, two of my favorites.
One of the resolutions I've made for myself for 2009 (and for life, really) is to read more books. Particularly, a book a week. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially when my typical week day (i.e. work, long commute home, gym, dinner, shower, nightly chat with T, and getting to bed at a decent hour so I can do it all again the next day--living the American dream, I am.) leaves very little time for reading. The fact that I've grown rather addicted to blogs in recent months certainly doesn't help in my quest to read more literature. Since graduating from UCLA with a reading-intensive English degree, I've been a sporadic reader at best. It's when I recently calculated that reading a book a week over the next fifty years would mean only reading 2,600 books that I started panicking. Doesn't this seem like a shockingly low number (or am I coming off as a major book dork here? Don't answer that!)? With my list of must-reads ever expanding and the time in which to read them slowly shrinking, it's quite possible that I'll never get through all the books I want to read in my life. And what's worse, I've already failed at my resolution, having only finished three books in the month of January. Still, I'm trying to focus on the bright side; I'm spending more time reading, which is always a good thing. And there's always February. So, a quick breakdown of my January reads:
Mrs. Woolf and the Servants by Allison Light. The always wonderful Mary Laure introduced me to this book, which I've also mentioned twice before. I've only dipped my toe into the captivating world of Virginia Woolf, so I'm looking forward to reading more of her biographies, novels, journals (which I own and should really crack open again), etc. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. I'll go ahead and say it: I preferred the film to the book. I know, I know, this almost NEVER happens, but what can I say? The Coen Brothers had me on the edge of my seat when I saw it in the theater last year. Literally. Plus, Javier Bardem chilled me to the bone. I couldn't help but picture him in that god-awful haircut while reading the book. The book itself is positively heart-thumping and still worth a read. No Country for Old Men is my first western, and I have a feeling it won't be my last.
The Amnesiac by Sam Taylor. I randomly came across this book in a bookstore. I was totally struck by the cool graphic cover, as well as the synopsis on the back. It had me at "remnants of nineteenth-century manuscript of a murder mystery" and "part detective story, part haunting gothic tale." Done and done. Turns out that it was a pretty entertaining read and the writing was very solid.
I plan on finishing the two books I'm juggling by the end of this week. There, I've said it. Nothing like a declaration in print to make you stick to your word!
T and I love this tiny tapas place just off of Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. And when I say "tiny" I truly mean tiny: Bar Pintxo only fits about 30 people and is just a stone's throw away from the super touristy 3rd Street Promenade, so needless to say the place fills up fast. Which is why we tend to stop by before the dinner crowds descend, usually on a week night or around mid-afternoon on the weekends.
Our go-to order every time we come is the crimini mushroom with jamon and diced vegetables for him and I die for the tuna stuffed tomato with garlic and parsley (both of which are ironically not pictured here. Sorry!). Today we tried the mouthwatering "gambas al ajillo" (white shrimp, garlic, parsley and lemon) and "espinacas a la catalana" (wilted spinich with pinenuts, garlic, apple and raisins), and paella with squid ink whose name I don't remember since T ordered it on the sly.
And when I saw "patatas bravas" on the menu, I knew I had to order it, if only to satiate my curiosity about the dish that emanates all the way back from my high school Spanish class days. They also have an extensive list of Spanish wines which, if you don't know wine, and even if you DO, can nevertheless be a debilitating experience. Which is why I tend to tell the waitress whatever I'm in the mood for that day (which can be anything from full-bodied and hearty to something a bit fruitier with a hint of blackcurrant and plum--the latter is what I requested this afternoon, almost verbatim!) and she'll bring me back something so flavorful and perfect that I've come to just trust the system and no longer bother with the menu anymore. And yes, everything is as delicious as it sounds.
One of the reasons I adore this place, apart from the scrumptious food, is the old world ambiance. Each time I step over the threshold I feel as if I just entered a cool, off-the-beaten-path bar in the middle of Barcelona or Madrid. The dusty wine bottles lining shelves on the wall, the elegant chandelier dangling overhead, the chalkboards featuring the day's specials in Spanish, all of this lends a very down-to-earth, yet elegant European vibe to the place. It's only when your American waitress cheerfully asks what you'd like to drink and you can see the glistening Pacific Ocean from your perch at the bar that you realize where you really are. I find the transporting quality to Bar Pintxo only adds to its considerable charms.
I am so charmed by this little window display. The nutcracker appears to be doing quite a convincing job of guarding all these ballet flats at London Sole. I mean, would you cross him? I wouldn't! I imagine I'd be very happy indeed if I had a pair of these chic little flats waiting for me beneath the Christmas tree. I didn't fare so well last year, but there's always next Christmas. Those silver ones are calling my name.
One of my resolutions not just for 2009 but for life is to have more flowers around my apartment. These lisanthus flowers hung around for a little over a week, which in flower time is quite a long time. At least, for me it is!
I took these snapshots on the morning of President Barack Obama's inauguration. There's so much promise in the dawning of a brand new day, not to mention in a new presidency. If you couldn't already tell, I'm really excited and optimistic about the future and where our country is headed in the next few years.
Mary-Laure, whom I often mention here (she of the beautiful and insightful blog Aurea) recently presented me with two blog awards. As you may have guessed, this totally made my day. Even if I'm nowhere near the vicinity of "hip", it's nice to dream. Thank you, Mary-Laure!
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