verbatim

They're Doing It Right

I make a big deal on this blog when I feel I've been screwed over by a retailer or service company, so it seems only right that I should say something nice whenever someone does me right.

At the end of June, I ordered Andy eight pairs of khakis from Gap.com—four in one style, and four in another. He tried one of each style, made his selection, and I put aside the four rejects to be returned. I've done this a million times, and I always appreciate the convenience of ordering online (they give free shipping if you spend enough) but returning at the dreaded mall (no shipping). I've also always appreciated Gap's policy of full refunds given at any point in the future, as long as you have your receipt.

This time, the weeks kind of sped by, and I finally got out to the mall today. Imagine my horror to discover that (1) they no longer take returns in stores of items that are available only online (the clerk swore this has always been the case, but I likewise swore that I've never had to ship back anything) and (2) in-store returns now have to be made within 30 days, and online returns within 45 days.

I high-tailed it back home and phoned Gap customer service, my heart beating wildly. I was told that this is indeed the case, but that they were willing to cut me some slack just this once and let me send back the $158 worth of khakis for a full refund. Thanks!

(P.S. I don't read Dooce—not for any particular reason, just because she never interested me all that much. But a few Twitter pals let me know that she caused a big stink about her problems with Maytag [shudder], and her story was of course picked up by all the major news outlets. Hey, Heather, I could've set you straight from the get-go!)

Un-Lull

Well, gee, if I'd known it would be that easy to get work, I'd have whined publicly a few weeks ago. Some 16 hours after my last blog post, I got an email from a brand-new client offering me an exciting editing project! It's trade nonfiction, which is new territory for me—I feel as though I'm at last sticking my little foot through that big doorway. It also sounds like a very interesting book, which is a bonus.

It's worth mentioning here that this gig would never have come about without a connection made via a cyberpal—yes, someone I've never met stuck her neck out for me! You gotta try out this Internet thing.

Lull

I mentioned about a month ago that work has been S-L-O-W—so slow in fact that I have not done any work in the month of August except for one tiny (small in scope as well as low-paying) project. Jobs that were sorta-kinda-promised to me fell through, connections unraveled (for instance, one new contact was laid off right after she told me she'd send me work!), and other projects were either pushed back or canceled entirely. It's rough sailing in publishing nowadays, and I'm just hoping that my clients can hang on until the storm passes. (I'm also owed money on work I completed in June and July; work and cash both seem to be in limited supply.)

I've followed up on quite a few leads, but there's still a fair amount of pavement-pounding to do—which I intend to turn to as soon as school starts (9 days and counting!). In truth, if I had to have a lull in work, this was an ideal time. The kids are done with camp, Andy was off all last week, the weather's been nice, and I'm hoping it will be the last downtime I experience for quite a while.

10 Days to Go

We were up in the White Mountains when the info came about the coming school year's class placements. Luckily, the elementary school sent the news via email, so I got it bright and early yesterday morning along with everyone else. Pete has the same Grade 5 teacher that Steph had, and Julie has the same Grade 2 teacher that Pete had, so we are thrilled. Both kids are with a few good friends, too. The middle school info packets must have been mailed on Wednesday, because beginning on Thursday, all Steph's pals were calling and texting her madly to ask her which "team" she was on, but she didn't know! We got home today and she ran to the mail, where she discovered to her delight that she's on the same team as her two best friends, and even in the same homeroom as one of them.

Of course, none of this guarantees a good year, but it's certainly a positive way to start things off. Meanwhile, my calendar is already filling up with school events, soccer, Hebrew school, and more. Bring it on—I love this season!

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. Dark Hollow - Grateful Dead
2. Lift Him Up - Old Crow Medicine Show
3. The River In Reverse - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
4. All The Roadrunning - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
5. Trains Don't Run from Nashville - Kate Campbell
6. Everything's Comin' Up Roses - Nanci Griffith
7. Happy - The Rolling Stones
8. Paranoia in B-flat Major - The Avett Brothers 
9. Change - Sam Baker
10. It Just Dawned on Me - John Doe & The Sadies

Water Park!

As we do every August, today we took the kids to the Whale's Tale Water Park for a day of paddling about in water that one hopes is pumped so full of chemicals that it's almost toxic in its own right. It was sunny but not as warm as it had been earlier in the week, and windy. So if we weren't in the water, we were cold. The good news was that the chill, plus the mid-week end-of-season timing, meant that there were no lines for any of the slides and no crowds anywhere. I enjoyed the (heated) pool, the hot tubs, and the Lazy River, and this year I did not have to go on any slides—one of the perks of having older kids who can do this stuff themselves now! And Pete decided he didn't want to go on the Banzai Pipeline, thank heavens—I went with him last year and it scared the crap out of me.

A big incentive for going each year is that we have a friend who gives us free passes—and with $30 admission per person, that's a major savings. He always gives us a few extra, and I love to find a nice-looking family to give them to. Last year I chose very poorly; I went up to the mom and said, "Do you want some free passes?" and she kind of shrugged and said, "OK." I wanted to snatch them right back! This year I saw a mom with two sons, so I offered them to her. She looked stunned and said, "REALLY? I could kiss you!" She said they'd been standing in the parking lot debating whether to pay all that money to go in on such a chilly day. So off they went with the passes and big grins on their faces, and I was happy to have made someone's day.

R.I.P., Teddy

President Obama hit the nail on the head today: "Even though we have known this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread." I think I said nearly everything I wanted to say about Teddy Kennedy last May when he was first diagnosed with brain cancer, but it still came as a mighty blow when I learned of his death this morning.

The nation is abuzz today with remembrances of this remarkable man's remarkable life; I was especially moved by NPR's photo timeline and by this blog post (hat tip to Universal Hub for that one), which summed up much of how I feel at this moment.

I said on Twitter today that you'd be hard-pressed to find a single person in the state of Massachusetts who doesn't know a family that was helped directly and personally by Ted Kennedy. His entire raison d'être was to be of service, in a way that not too many think of when it comes to "public service" these days.

Would it be too much to hope that the generation coming into power now will want to follow in these giant footsteps? Let us dream.

Beach Double-Header

Did I tell you that Andy is off this week? And that the weather has been nice so far? Wheee!

Yesterday we went back up to Long Beach in Gloucester, which is such a pretty beach. I was cursing the Weather.com folks when we arrived, because they promised it would clear up by 10am, but at 10:30 the sky was still completely overcast and threatening. It was even sprinkling a bit. But we parked and got out as soon as we saw that the waves were incredible—so incredible that there were a couple dozen real surfers in wetsuits doing their thing! I'd never seen that before in these parts. I didn't have my camera, but someone named Matthew I. apparently did—granted, this was taken on Saturday, but this is exactly what it looked like when we were there:

As we sat and watched the surfers and marveled at their balance and agility, lo and behold, the sky did indeed begin to clear. The next thing we knew, it was an exquisite day, and we were almost the only ones on the beach! The kids had a blast taking in the waves—both with and without their boogie boards. So, thanks to Hurricane Bill, we had a great time. In the middle of the afternoon, however, we saw a menacing black cloud moving in, so we packed up and made it back to the car just as it began to absolutely pour. Nyah nyah, Weather.com!

Today promised to be a picture-perfect day from start to finish, so we decided to head even farther north, to Ogunquit, Maine. Andy and I had both been there many times—in fact, Andy spent his summers there until he was about 7—but only once together. (That was an ill-fated trip in 1999, when Steph was a toddler and Pete was a cranky infant. We were supposed to be up there for several days, but for a number of reasons we ended up staying only one night and then high-tailing it back home.)

Ogunquit allegedly means "beautiful place by the sea" in the Algonquin Indian language, and it sure lives up to that name. The beach is huge and flat and pretty. The water is always pretty cold, but it's clean, and today the waves were still quite powerful from ol' Bill. In the afternoon, though, the tide came in a lot faster than we would've expected it to, so suddenly there was only about 15 feet of dry sand available for the whole length of the beach! It's just as well we left when we did, because at bedtime tonight we saw that Julie had a little bit of a sunburn as it was.

We poked around a bit in the little shops in town and then went over to Perkin's Cove to sit out on the rocks at the beginning of the Marginal Way. We had originally planned to get fried clams at Barnacle Billy's, but it was only about 3:00, so we got ice cream instead and then headed home. 

No, I don't have photos from today, either. I was too busy digging a moat for Pete's castle to take any, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

If I Were a YA Author

Remember the faux CD cover I did a while back? This time it's a young-adult paperback novel:

 

I think Steph would read that, don't you?

To make your own faux YA book cover, here's what you do:

1. Go to the Fake Name Generator to get your author name.

2. Go to the Random Word Generator—the word listed under “Random Verb” is your book title.

3. Go to FlickrCC and type your book title in the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4. Use Photoshop, Picnik, or whatever to put it all together.

(Thanks to the Online Publicist for the fun idea!)

Fun in the Sun

Today dawned as yet another hot and humid scorcher (a "three-bra day," as they say), so we decided that instead of hanging out at the cool and partly-shaded pool, we'd head out to a crowded family amusement place that offers no relief from the heat. Right.

Off we went to Kimball Farm, where we'd never been (you might recall that Pete went as part of his Day Trippers week). It's an extremely clean, well-run place, in the same way that Story Land is. There seem to be dozens of helpful employees at every turn.

It's expensive for a family of five to spend a few hours there, but I can't really say it's outrageously overpriced. For instance, we all rode the bumper-boats and played 18 holes of mini-golf for about $80, which is a lot of cash to shell out, but really not a lot per person when you think about it. We ate lunch (very good burgers and dogs and fries) for about $50—again, not a lot for the quality and quantity of food, but not nothing either. Then, finally, unbelievably huge and delicious ice creams. (I didn't even get one because I knew no one would finish theirs, and I was right. Just as my father calls my mother, Andy calls me "neck of the chicken," as in, "Oh, don't worry about me. I don't need anything special. I'll just have whatever no one else wants.")

We were positively cooked by the time we got home. Steph made a beeline for the shower, and I dove into the couch. Andy, Pete, and Julie suited up and headed straight for the pool. They returned mere minutes later to report that just as they arrived, the pool was being evacuated because someone had, um, evacuated in the pool. Let's all just say "Ewwww!" together, shall we?

Lost ... and Not Found

After the July 4 monsoon, Pete's soaked sneakers STUNK like you can't imagine. We tried everything to rid them of the stench, but to no avail. I had planned to buy him new sneakers before school anyhow, so I figured I'd just get them a couple of months early. So, in mid-July, I spent $50 on a pair of Nike sneakers that he loved. He wore them every day at camp for four solid weeks and then came home on the last day of camp with exactly one sneaker—and no CamelBak water bottle. (He had changed into his flip-flops for swimming and plunked the sneakers into his backpack.) On the following Monday I drove him to the camp to pick through the Lost & Found bin, but we were out of luck.

So yesterday we went to Modell's and found that the same beloved sneakers were on sale for $35! That certainly softened the blow a bit. But wait, when we got to the register, they rang up at $20! Even better! I told Pete that if he loses the right one again, he can learn to wear two left-foot sneakers.

I'd have preferred it if he'd lost the whole pair. At least then I could imagine that someone found them and donated them somewhere so that some poor child could have an almost-brand-new pair of sneakers. This way, we each have one. And no way am I throwing away that lone sneaker—I'm convinced that the minute I do, the other one will miraculously turn up.

As for the CamelBak, it's gone. I'm really trying my darnedest to never buy disposable water bottles again, and we were doing great up until now. Sigh.

Cash for Clunkers

Tonight on Twitter (yes, during the Sox's rout of the Yanks, 14-1!), PublishingSpy said this: 

If publishers offered cash for clunkers, what books would you trade in?

My first response was this:

I still want that hour back for "Bridges of Madison County" back in the '90s. <shudder>

Velma chimed in with "Anything by Dan Brown, to begin with," and then Laura with "That Old Cape Magic, by Richard Russo. Usually one of my favorite authors, but this was a stinker!" which made me sad because I love Russo and was looking forward to his latest.

How about you? What book do you wish you could trade in for the time you wasted reading it?

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. Tear Down the House - The Avett Brothers
2. Sittin' and Thinkin' - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3. Get Down River - Bottle Rockets
4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me - Harry Connick, Jr.
5. Buckets of Rain - RedBird
6. Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn
7. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
8. No Money Down - Chris Smither
9. If I Needed You - Dead Ringer Band
10. Sailing to Philadelphia - Mark Knopfler & James Taylor

Time for a Game

I've mentioned countless times here that we are a big game-playing family. I don't think a day goes by that someone in the family doesn't challenge someone else to a round of cards or a board game. And there are plenty of games that the whole family can play together, which is great fun and brings back happy memories of my childhood. (I have a couple of friends who grew up playing games and then married someone who has no interest in games at all—I consider that a mixed marriage.)

The other day I got an email from Emily at Gamewright, a game and puzzle manufacturer located right here in Newton! Who knew? I am familiar with some of their games (I believe we've given Slamwich and Rat-a-Tat Cat as gifts more than once), but for some reason we don't own any. Although when I saw the Gamewright logo, I knew I'd seen it before. Sure enough, when I looked through their catalog, I spotted these card-holders, which my kids all used before their hands were big enough to hold cards:

 

(Check out those funky cards! I'm not sure what game they go to!) If you have kids with small hands, you've got to get a set of these. They saved many a game of Go Fish back in the day.

Anyhow, Emily asked whether I'd be interested in reviewing a few of their newer games! And offering a free game to one of my readers! Um, that's a YES! The next day a big box arrived with the following games:

This Big!: In this card game, you have to play one of your fish cards (each worth 1, 2, 3, or 4 points) to match the color of a lure card; the idea is to amass the most points in your "fish bucket." But there are also "river rubbish" cards that mean you hooked an old shoe or a tin can instead of a fish! Julie, Pete, and I played this one only once so far, but we loved it. In fact, you're supposed to stop playing as soon as someone gets 10 points, but we decided to keep going until the deck was gone!

The Scrambled States of America: You might have seen a puzzle and book with this same title, and Pete had played the game in school last year when they were learning all about U.S. geography. Julie is still a wee bit obsessed with the states and state capitals, so she was very eager to play this one—I don't think most 7-year-olds would be as ready for this as she is. It's the kind of game where you have to be the first one to do something, so I had to hold back a little bit when I played against her. For instance, each player needs to find a state that begins and ends with a vowel, or borders Tennessee, or the like. As familiar as she is with the states and capitals, I'm still faster on the draw. But this game works great with only kids playing, or grown-ups with older kids. (And I didn't tell Julie that I was holding back, so she had a blast.)

Funny Business: I admit that I was skeptical about this "hilarious game of mismatched mergers," but it was by far the unanimous favorite in the family. We've already played quite a few times, and it's really fun. The premise is that two very different businesses merge, and the players compete to come up with the most clever name for the new merged business (there's voting after each round). For instance, the example given on the box is a bakery merging with a barber shop—how about "Cookie Cutters" or "Shave 'n' Cream"? Although it's recommended for ages 12 and up, Julie and Pete were more than able to play along with me, Steph, and Andy—each of us won plenty of rounds! There are 200 business cards, so we've barely brushed the surface of the possible combinations. This is the kind of game that's especially fun to play in a big group (up to 8), and I can totally imagine playing with just adults—at cocktail hour, perhaps?

These games are all exceptionally well-made. The instructions are clear, the artwork is whimsical, and the cards and other materials are sturdy and carefully constructed. Such a pleasant change from the chintzy games we've gotten used to! Not surprisingly, Gamewright games have won dozens of awards, including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Mensa Select, Dr. Toy, and many more. I am just delighted that these high-quality, fun, interesting, creative, and unique games are being created right here in my hometown. 

So, what about that giveaway? Just leave a comment below and tell me about a game you like to play with your kid(s). And also mention what age group your kids fall into so Emily can choose an appropriate game for your family if you're the winner. I'll take entries until midnight on Monday, August 24, and then I'll choose a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. Good luck!

Books, I Got Books!

I have twelve new books to tell you about, and I didn't spend a penny on any of them.

The first two are a pair of cookbooks I edited last summer: The Joy of Pickling and The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves, both by Linda Ziedrich. Wow, I loved working on these books! I've never tried home canning, but these books made me feel as though I could actually do it. Both books contain recipes for the very ordinary (dill pickles, orange marmalade) as well as the most unusual (kimchi, cantaloupe jam). It seems there's nothing you can't put up during the summer to enjoy when winter comes. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, so you don't have to worry. (Yes, receiving the finished product is a huge bonus of working on cookbooks!)

The other ten books were a prize I won in a contest hosted by Boston Mamas! The books all come from the Hachette Book Group: The Secret Speech by Tom Smith, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Obama's BlackBerry by Kasper Hauser, A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand, When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, Any Minute by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford, The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer, Kill for Me by Karen Rose, and Miscarriage of Justice by Kip Gayden. Some of these books are not my favorite flavor, so I'll pass them along, but I'll let you know which ones I do read. I'm especially looking forward to the new David Sedaris collection.

More DFW-inalia

1. In case you're not reading Infinite Jest with the rest of the Infinite Summer gang but want to participate in some (much smaller) way, you might want to read "This Is Water," Wallace's 2005 commencement speech given at Kenyon College, and join in the discussion of it over at Infinite Water. It's only 137 sentences. You can do it.

2. Here's a nice article about the many drafts of Wallace's last, unfinished novel, The Pale King, which is being put together into publishable form by Wallace's agent (Bonnie Nadell), widow (Karen Green), and long-time editor (Michael Pietsch).

3. Speaking of Pietsch, you must read this entry over at Infinite Summer about what it was like to edit Infinite Jest, complete with comments from Wallace on various edits made by Pietsch. Can you even imagine? How I would love to pore over that marked-up manuscript!

4. Someone saved the syllabus from a class she took with Wallace at Pomona College in '05. 

5. Finally, here's a memorial tribute written by Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a colleague of Wallace's at Pomona.

Back to the Garden

It was 4o years ago today ... that Max Yasgur's Farm finally cleared out after three days of music, love, peace, and a whole lot of rain. I wasn't there (give me a break, I was only 7 at the time!), but I have always had a fascination with that whole era in general and that event in particular. I've watched the "Woodstock" movie countless times, so it was a real treat to receive a review copy of The Woodstock Story Book, a collection of nearly 300 photos from the festival—including some from the days before and after, during the set-up and clean-up efforts.

Photographer Barry Levine shot roll after roll of film, until his shutter-finger and advance-knob-thumb were blistered. There are familiar photos we've all seen over the years, but there are also many never-before-seen shots of everyone from Jerry Garcia to Joan Baez to The Band and much more. I can't stop looking at them, but I find myself equally drawn to the images of the people who came to hear the music and just be part of the experience.

The book also contains the "story" of Woodstock told in verse (written by Linanne Sackett); this is really lame stuff and adds nothing at all to the book. No text is needed when you've got photos like these!

Many thanks to the Online Publicist for the opportunity to pore over these wonderful photos! You can learn more about the book here.

When I Was Young

Tonight we had dinner at Legal's with Andy's sister and her friend, Sheila, who are heading back to London tomorrow. It turns out that Sheila and I both waited a while before having kids—during which time we did all kinds of fun things with our husbands. "Like drive around Spain without an itinerary?" I said. "Like stay in a $4/night hut in New Zealand?" she said. Yes, all those things. Andy and I were together for nearly a decade before Steph came along. During that time we worked all day, went out many nights each week, and traveled the world. It was fun.

Other friends of ours had kids right away. Now their kids are in college or beyond, and they can do as they please. Sometimes I envy their freedom, but then I think about the age difference. There are things Andy and I did in our late 20s and early 30s that we're not likely to ever do again—certainly not in our 50s and 60s. So I feel glad that we got all the crazy stuff out of our system when we were young and bold enough to do it, rather than wait until we were too "responsible" to give it a whirl.

Did I ever tell you about the time I got thrown out of the boat while white-water rafting in Costa Rica?

Week of Pete

This past week Pete was a "Day Tripper," which was a week-long program in which he and 20 other kids (including 3 pals) got taken somewhere awesome every day. And I know it was awesome because every day when he came home and I asked how it was, he grinned wearily and whispered, "Awesome...!"

On Monday they went to Kimball Farm, where they rode the bumper-boats, played mini-golf, and had the best ice cream on the planet. On Tuesday the weather forecast was lousy, so instead of going to the beach as planned, they went to the Metro Rock Gym, which was a great day of climbing (and it ended up being sunny all day—whoops!). Wednesday was the day Pete had been waiting for all summer: Canobie Lake Park! It was very overcast but they still had a blast riding all those awful upside-down spinny rides. Thursday was supposed to be the rescheduled beach day, but it was pouring rain, so they went instead to Laser Craze for a few hours of two-level laser tag insanity. Finally, on Friday it was time for kayaking on the Charles River. They never did make it to the beach, but I don't think anyone minded.

This program was offered for 8 weeks, with other great trips like a Pawtucket Sox game, a whale watch, a water park, a roller rink, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to be 10 years old again?

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. God Only Knows - Joe Henry
2. Sorry - English Beat
3. Come Together - Paul Weller, Paul McCartney, & Noel Gallagher*
4. White Man in Hammersmith Palais - The Clash 
5. Stage Fright - Steve Reynolds
6. Another Star - Stevie Wonder
7. Come On In My Kitchen - Cat Power
8. How Long - Eilen Jewell
9. At Last - Eva Cassidy
10. Tower of Song - Leonard Cohen

*Check out the video for this song:

Man, I just love Paul Weller's voice.

UPDATE: What, ho! Is that Johnny Depp at about 1:23? Andy spotted him for me. I was so busy listening to Paul Weller than I wasn't really watching anyone else. Oh my.

Day of Steph

Today was the big day! We got up early, dropped off Pete at a friend's house for his camp carpool, and then headed up to get Steph! It was great to see her, and Julie kept saying over and over, "I missed you so much!" There wasn't much chance for me to shmooze with old friends because of the rain, so we just loaded all Steph's wet, stinky stuff into the car and headed home.

I spent most of the day doing laundry. I can't even describe how gross everything was. I washed every single thing, even the stuff that looked like it had just come back from the camp laundry.

Andy went to work after we got back, so the girls and I went to Bill's Pizza (of course!) for lunch. Steph said she had been dreaming of bacon pizza all summer.

For dinner she requested that we try out Big Papi's Grille in Framingham. She knew that Papi himself wouldn't be there (he had just finished a busy afternoon of not getting any hits at Fenway—cough, cough), but I think she somehow still expected him to walk through the door. It's just your average bar and grill, with burgers and steaks and such. The food was fine—not bad but nothing special.

So now things are back to "normal" around here, whatever that means.

Campers, Then and Now

Tomorrow's the big day, when we drive up to camp to pick up Steph! This will be a big "double dip" for her, as she is eager to come home but will surely miss the fun of camp and all her pals. As in past summers, I'm sure she will be somewhat weepy tomorrow night, because it's such a big transition to leave a cabin full of girls and come home to your own bedroom. I remember that feeling very well—not really knowing where I belonged!

This evening I went out for drinks with a bunch of old camp friends; one was in town from LA to pick up her kids tomorrow too, so it was a perfect opportunity to get together. I almost didn't go because I was feeling exhausted and preoccupied, but I said to Andy, "I know I will regret it if I don't go," so I did. And I was right—it's just nice to see these people I knew so intimately so many years ago. Now we're all parents and involved in our own lives, but there's a bond that remains. I hope that Steph will go out for drinks with her friends 35 years from now on the night before they all pick up their kids from camp.

(For the record, we met at Bokx 109, which is the new bar/restaurant inside the Hotel Indigo. It has a very hip and funky atmosphere and menu, but try as I might, I can't seem to forget that it was until recently a Holiday Inn.)

Infinite Mid-Summer

I haven't mentioned the Infinite Summer recently, but that in no way means that I've given up on Infinite Jest! Indeed, I am right on schedule, which means that I've finished half the damn thing already. I am relieved to know that I have another 500 pages or so to go before I have to bid farewell to my one-time-only first reading. ("You never forget your first time.") I've decided that there are two types of people in this world¹: Those who can't get through IJ at all, and those who not only get through it but continue to reread it. I will clearly be in the latter group.

My biggest regret is that I didn't read this book before David Foster Wallace killed himself. So far in the book there have been two attempted suicides (both very depressed young women), one of whom who describes her depression thus (p. 73):

It's like something horrible is about to happen, the most horrible thing you can imagine—no, worse than you can imagine because there's the feeling that there's something you have to do right away to stop it but you don't know what it is you have to do, and then it's happening, too, the whole horrible time, it's about to happen and also it's happening, all at the same time.

When a psychiatry resident asks her whether she was trying to "hurt" herself, she says, "The last thing I'd want is more hurt. I just didn't want to feel this way anymore." (There has so far in the book been one completed suicide, a sort of, um, comical one, and always referred to as a "felo-de-se.") But another character died (albeit by murder, not suicide) and was described to have shed "his body's suit" and be "free" and "soaring" home. All I can think of when I read this stuff is DFW's own suicide. Is that how he felt? It breaks my heart and makes my mind race all at the same time. I wonder what it would have been like to read this book without having DFW's suicide first and foremost in my mind. So I envy those who read it back then and are re-reading it now.

I am loving this book. I am dazzled. Wallace does things with language that I just didn't know you could do. He sends me to the dictionary. He makes me work at making connections. He cracks me up—loudly, and often when I'm at the pool, which causes all the other parents to look at me funny. I think he knew more about language, math, and tennis than I do about everything in my life combined.

Many people complain about the endnotes. They feel annoyed at best, manipulated at worst. I guess I'd prefer that they were footnotes, just so I wouldn't have to keep flipping back and forth between my bookmarks, but I enjoy many of them. Sometimes I feel as though there's this inside joke DFW is sharing only with those readers patient enough to bear with him.

Much of the action takes place in the fictitious town of Enfield, MA, which seems to be based on Brighton, MA. DFW mentions many landmarks very familiar to me, like the Newton-Wellesley Hospital, but he also invents places, like East Newton (we have only a West Newton). He nails many of the traits of Bostonians, particularly the way we/they speak. It's been a huge bonus for me that so much of the book is based right here where I live.

Those of you who have read or are now reading the book will know what I mean when I say that it's become a little like "The Entertainment" cartridge to me: I want to do little else beside read it. I would gladly hole up in my room with nothing but a good lamp and my copy of IJ. "And so but" at this halfway point, I am grateful that I finally got it together enough to read this book, eager to keep reading, and already mildly mournful that when it's over, there ain't no more.

1. (A footnote in honor of DFW) You know the old joke, don't you? There are two types of people in the world: Those who divide the world up into two types of people, and those who don't.

Up, Up, and Away!

Today was the beginning of Julie's Week of Nothing, which we inaugurated with a viewing of "Up" at the West Newton Cinema (you know, the one with real butter on the popcorn!). Wow, what an amazing movie. I did not expect it to be so touching and sad that I would find myself bawling my eyes out for the whole first 20 minutes or so, and then again toward the end! I don't want to give anything away, but it tells such a gorgeous story of life-long love, and all I could think of was the song "This Is Us" by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, which is about an elderly couple reminiscing over a photo album. There's also a lot of fun and adventure and comedy, with talking dogs and crazy chases and unbelievable Pixar animation all the way through. I really recommend this movie, although it might be too much for some of the more sentimental kids out there. Julie loved it, although she did say it was very sad.

Movie Night

After I saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and admired Brendan Fraser, people started recommending other movies he'd been in. I didn't do so well with "Gods and Monsters," but last night I watched and enjoyed "The Quiet American."

I've never read the Graham Greene novel on which this movie is based, but I have a feeling I would have gotten lost in the politics of it anyhow. It takes place in 1952 Saigon, and I'm more than a little rusty on the Communist vs. French stuff going on there at the time. Anyhow, Michael Caine plays a British journalist who reports from Saigon, where he lives with his beloved, Phuong, played by Do Hai Yen. His wife, back in London, won't grant him a divorce.

Enter the eponymous "quiet American," Alden Pyle, played by Brendan Fraser. He too falls in love with Phuong (and who wouldn't?). Pyle may not be what he seems to be, and I have to admit that there was a wee-bit-too-abrupt moment when I realized who he was. Otherwise, it all felt true to me. Caine was outstanding (which he almost always is)—as Roger Ebert says, it's "a performance that seems to descend perfectly formed. There is no artifice in it, no unneeded energy, no tricks, no effort. It is there."

I can't say you must rush out and see this movie, but if you are a fan of Michael Caine or Brendan Fraser or have a particular interest in this time period in Viet Nam, that it's well worth watching.

Shop Talk

Yes, I stayed up through the 15th inning of the Sox-Yankees game last night; no, I don't want to talk about it.

But the players sure do seem to want to talk. As I mentioned on Twitter some time ago, whenever I see a catcher and pitcher conferring during a game, I hearken back to "Bull Durham" and assume they're talking about an upcoming bridal shower: "Candlesticks always make a nice gift." Indeed, nearly every time there's a pitcher-catcher conference behind masks and gloves, I mutter "Candlesticks." Andy knows what I mean, but other people just look at me funny.

Lately, however, I'm noticing that the players on opposing teams are chatting pleasantly during the game—namely, the runner and the baseman. Like Jeter and Youk, or A-Rod and Martinez—what the heck are they talking about? Andy thinks they're saying, "Hey, where can I go out for a good steak around here after the game?" It seems really weird to me, but they're looking all comfortable and friendly-like. Anyone have an inside scoop on this phenomenon?

Fat

It has come to my attention that, once again, I forgot to blog yesterday. So that means August 6 and April 13 are days that will go down in history as Verbatim-less. (I briefly considered hanging on to the coattails of Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and all the other major sites hit by the DDoS attack yesterday but was fairly certain no one would believe me.) Anyhow, faithful reader Elena has suggested that an additional post today would make everyone feel better, so here goes.

Last night at dinner Pete was trying to demonstrate his "six-pack" abs—I didn't laugh, but honestly, you could count that kid's ribs right through the skin and muscle; he's like a stick of spaghetti. Out of nowhere Julie said something about having fat on her stomach. Andy and I turned to her, incredulous. For one thing, if there is any way to describe her other than "absolutely perfect," it would be "ever-so-slightly underweight." In the last year, she grew a lot in height but not quite as quickly in weight, so she's above the "average" curve on height and below it on weight. But only slightly; really, she has such an ideal size and shape I sometimes can't keep my eyes off her. Her proportions are just magnificent. So "fat" is hardly a word I'd use to describe her. But moreover, Andy and I don't use that word at all (short of talking about a "big, fat pumpkin" or something like that). We talk a lot about being healthy and strong, but never about weight.

We make a conscious effort not to talk about weight and fatness around the kids, but it's not a hard thing for us to remember, because we wouldn't normally be talking like that anyhow. Neither of us is overweight (well, not by more than a few pounds here or there in any given month), and we are both hyper-aware of the overemphasis on weight and appearance in the media, particularly for young girls.

So somewhere (from a camp friend, perhaps?) Julie got this idea that she is fat—or, as she put it, that she has fat. We assured her that she is exactly the right size and shape, that she is healthy and strong, that the pediatrician even says so every year. Then we talked about how you have to have fat to live, including in your food. She said, "Really?" and we told her that you would die if you didn't eat any fat. We reminded her about how we're always saying that you need to eat everything, just certain things in moderation. We said that you'd get sick if you ate nothing but protein, and you'd get sick if you never ate protein. Or fat. Or anything, even salt and sugar.

It was not a long conversation, and we certainly didn't dwell on it. It was not at all a "big deal" to her, just an offhand comment, so we didn't want to make it seem like one to us either. A minute or two of "You're not fat. Everyone needs fat on their bodies. Everyone needs to eat food with fat in it...." and that was that.

By coincidence, today when I was catching up on recent NPR podcasts while waiting in line at day camp pickup, I happened to hear an interesting story about how certain foods that everyone knows are nutritious are actually much better for you if eaten with fat. For instance:

Tomatoes are certainly nutritious — a good source of the antioxidants lycopene and beta-carotene. But consider this: if you eat a tomato without adding a little fat — say a drizzle of olive oil — your body is unlikely to absorb all these nutrients.

So it's better to have regular old oil and vinegar on your salad instead of fat-free dressing, and better to have a dollop of mayo on your tomato sandwich instead of going without. I'm never one to shy away from adding fat, so it was nice to hear that I'm enhancing the nutrients as well as the flavor!

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. Birthday - the everybodyfields
2. Remedy (live) - The Band
3. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case
4. Girls Talk - Elvis Costello
5. Ecstasy - Crooked Still
6. Memories of East Texas - Michelle Shocked
7. Fever (live) - Chuck Brown & Eva Cassidy
8. Tide Is High - Blondie
9. Mississippi and Me - Kate Campbell
10. The Golden State  - John Doe

Karen Watching a Movie

I try not to watch trailers or read movie reviews, because I find that they invariably contain spoilers (even tiny ones), and they often color my thinking about a movie before I've even seen it. A certain amount of hype or buzz is unavoidable, but I do frequently find myself in the satisfying position of sitting down to a movie that I know very little about. (This sometimes backfires, as when I thought that "The Sixth Sense" would be simply a psychological thriller and it ended up scaring the crap out of me—so much that I had to sleep with the light on when Andy went away on business the week after I watched it.)

So when I sat down to watch "Rachel Getting Married," directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Anne Hathaway, I expected quirky (I got that) and fun (wrong, oh so wrong!). This movie was such a downer, but I am still very glad I watched it.

Hathaway (who I now know is extremely versatile) plays Kym, a 20-something addict who gets to get home from her rehab program in order to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. Rachel is played by Rosemarie DeWitt, who I didn't know because I don't watch "Mad Men," but I liked her very much. I really enjoyed just looking at her. Rachel is finishing up her PhD in psychology, so both sisters feel they know quite a bit about mental health, but neither thinks the other is right about anything. Many sisterly conflicts and injuries from the past are alluded to (or told to us, in some cases), and I think that the two sisters' relationship is the most realistic part of this movie. They love each other and hate each other—and with good reason.

I had some complaints with the movie. For instance, a huge part of the plot centers around a past family tragedy, and I thought that in many ways it was unnecessary to tell us all about it—or possibly even to include it at all. Indeed, some of the scenes that were meant to be the most climactic and dramatic fell flat for me (I'm thinking of the scene in which Hathaway confronts her mother, played by Debra Winger). The smaller scenes were much more successful, with facial expressions telling much more than the words being spoken. (I guess this highlights my opinion that the acting was great all around, the script less so.) I also found that the wedding reception itself, which was great fun to watch, went on for too long without adding anything new to the plot or the character development. Demme was clearly having a blast with all the musicians and dancers, but we didn't get anything more out of it by that point.

On Twitter, Nancy suggested that it was one of the few movies that might fare better on the small screen because that would lessen the vertigo-inducing effects of the hand-held camera. And then Laura sent me this article about the genesis of that dishwasher-loading competition scene between the father (played wonderfully by Bill Irwin) and the groom (played by Tunde Adebimpe, but it's actually a very small role).

Because It's There

Today Julie's group at camp invited parents to come for the first activity of the day, which was a choice between Art and Adventure Challenge. As much as Julie loves Art, she can never resist Adventure Challenge, which is a giant climbing structure and ropes course. So I got to tag along.

Last week she had told me that she was the only one in the group who went to the top of The Centipede. I was impressed but in truth had no idea what she was talking about, even after she described it in detail. It sounded like a tall pole she shimmied up.

Well. My little Julie made her way up a series of 5 swinging (that is, not tethered to the ground) poles attached by ropes, that I estimate to be about 50 feet high! I couldn't believe it! She was fully harnessed, with a counselor belaying her, but still!

I was also impressed with the quality of the video taken by my new iPhone. Here's a sample:

Download IMG_0042

(Hopefully, if you click there you will see a Quicktime movie of part of Julie's climb. Let me know if it works!)

Summer Days

Summer's a funny time. On the one hand, there are altogether too many weeks of nothing to do—and three very different kids to not do it with—but on the other, it's relaxing and relatively stress-free. While Steph's at sleepaway camp* and Pete and Julie are at day camp, I have little to worry about beyond making sure to keep one step ahead of the swimsuits piling up in the laundry room. I don't have to pack lunchboxes, buy art supplies for special projects, remind gently (or not so gently) about practicing instruments/reading/doing homework, or figure out carpools for sports games/practices or Hebrew school or various other after-school activities. Yes, I'm still working, but I don't feel as much like I have a "second job" waiting for me at the end of the day.

I have exactly 4 more days of this peace. Julie finishes up camp this Friday, Steph comes home next Thursday, and Pete's all done the following day. Then we can look forward to 3.5 weeks of not a heck of a lot going on, except that Andy will be off for one of them, so we'll try to cram in some extra beach time and other fun activities.

I know some people hate when summer is over, but I don't. I still get excited when a new school year approaches, and I do welcome the routine (even with its stresses and logistical inconveniences). Soon enough I'll have a second grader, fifth grader, and seventh grader! (For all you southern readers, we don't start school this year until September 8! You'll probably be having mid-terms by then, eh?)

But, for now, we allow extra treats, later bedtimes (which are generally not taken advantage of, because the kids are cooked after long days running around outside in the sun), longer time on the computer or in front of the TV, and just general downtime. I think we can all use some of that now and again.

*Speaking of which, after last week's sad-sounding letter, followed by a few days of no letters whatsoever, we returned to our regularly-scheduled steady stream of happy letters from Steph. She said she had felt a little homesick for a day or two but was back to loving camp and dreading its end.

We Gather Together

I'm picky about my social media. As you know, I love Twitter and would feel lost without it; that more than anything else saves my sanity as a work-at-home mom who usually spends all day either alone or with my kids, with nary an adult to tip my teacup to. Facebook, on the other hand, feels more like a necessary evil to me—necessary because it's "the" way to organize events like reunions or to find someone from the past, and evil because I'm not particularly keen on getting found, although I do know lots of people who've struck up old friendships via Facebook. As I've said before, between blogging and Twitter, I have no real need for Facebook. I do log in once in a while, but I rarely stick around for more than a minute. And I'm brand-new to LinkedIn, which surely seems to be the way to go for business networking. I'm still getting my feet wet over there, but I like that it is indeed "all-business." 

Well, now Mom Central has introduced me to Gather, which is unique in a couple of ways. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, you don't have to "follow" or "friend" anyone; you just join. Then you ... well, you gather. There are zillions of groups that you can check out; for instance, I clicked on "Books" and found 546 groups, including "Great Books for Kids" (currently 160 members), "Paperback Swap" (224 members), and "Publishing and Literary News" (397 members). How about cooking? 229 groups. Parenting? 136 groups. You get the idea. And if you can't find a group that suits you (gardening? politics? music?), you can easily create your own. Then you simply gather with others to chat, to share, to ask and answer questions, just as in a regular old-fashioned face-to-face group.

An intriguing feature about Gather is that you can earn points for sharing content with others. These points can be cashed in for gift cards to Amazon, Target, the Gap, and many more retailers, or you can just redeem your points in the form of cold hard cash (via PayPal). I haven't tried out this feature yet, but it looks interesting.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Protect Your iPhone

I made an amazing discovery today—one that made me very popular on Twitter. Here it is:

An iPhone fits perfectly in a snack-size zip-lock bag, and (here's the kicker) the touch screen works right through the bag! Which means that taking photos and videos at the beach is no longer a damp, sandy, and altogether dangerous prospect.

You're welcome. (And yes, sorry, the photo is flopped—I used Photo Booth, what with my iPhone being otherwise occupied.)

Electric Dirt

Did you notice in yesterday's " iPod Random Ten" list that "Tennessee Jed" came up—but instead of by the Grateful Dead, it was by Levon Helm? It's the first track on Helm's brand-spanking-new CD, "Electric Dirt." That track, and a few others, have a very definite The-Band-y feel to them. It's hard to describe, but whatever it was that made a song sound like The Band, this has it in spades.

Other tracks have a more rootsy, gospel feel, more like Helm's 2007 release, "Dirt Farmer." You may remember that I loved that CD, and I love this one too. I think I could happily listen to Levon Helm sing the ABCs—if he was really into doing it, that is. Some people are complaining that his throat cancer left his voice not as strong as it was; maybe so, but it is still one of the most soulful voices I know. There's a certain longing, a twang, that only he can muster, and it gets me every time. Right here.