Ransacked Goods

Caine's Arcade

This is totally cute.It will make your day. I wish we could all be so inspired and rewarded with generosity.

 

 

The Horse Boy

Have you seen The Horse Boy? One of the most touching and inspiring documentaries I've seen in a long time. Firstly, these parents are amazing and secondly I've always been facinated with Mongolia but I see it completely differently after watching this family's journey. Check it out.

Upcoming Earth Day

via www.marthastewart.com

In advance of Earth Day this week here are some links to reducing the junk mail you receive. Seriously one of my pet-peeves.

Is there any greater disappointment than a full mailbox stuffed with only junk mail? Here's how to keep the unwanted at bay.... (keep reading)

Bay Area Junk Mail Reduction Campaign

YellowPageGoesGreen

Also if you haven't watched No Impact Man yet, go right out and do it. While it admittedly has it's flaws it's very thought provoking. I was really drawn to the transformation his wife Michelle Conlin but honestly what I thought it lacked as insight into their lives as parents. I really wanted to know more about how their child functioned under these constraints and how they managed it as a family. How did they feed her without refrigeration, what kind of child care was she going to, did they pack any lunches for her?

As for us, we'll be celebrating my husband's birthday on Earth Day. There is a reason they both share the same day and have been around just as long as one another.

Paper Heart

If you need some feel goods to warm you up for Valentine's Day check out this film. Watched it last night, excellent.

Whip-it

I saw Whip-it this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Why didn't they make more filx about girls who don't fit the mold but kick-ass when I was in high school? And seriously their Hurl Scout uniforms SOOOO remind me of what I wore for 6 years in Catholic school. Lately I've been lucky enough to spend some quality time with my 3 favorite friends in their teens. These young women come from the most diverse backgrounds you could possible imagine and you know what, they amaze and impress me. They are just starting to settle into the personalities they will have as women but they have so much life to start exploring. After high school one wants to be come a nurse, the other travel in Europe, and another has no clue what she wants to do in college - go for it, find out who you are and who you want to be. What I liked about this movie beyond making women feel physically strong is that we all have the power to re-invent ourselves if the passion is there and that can happen at any age.

Here is the original book which I don't have plans to read... I'd like to sit down and have a lengthy conversation with the grandmother of one of my friends above, who will be turning 79 next month. She rolled with the derby when she was a young woman and they used to race for pink slips. How cool is that! I asked her if she had pictures once but she just brushed it off like it was too long ago. Oh well.

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

One last question, do any of you have any other suggestions for quality movies for high school girls past or present?

Here Comes Julie & Julia

 

I’ve been eagerly anticipating going to the opening of Julie & Julia on Friday. I’ve been asking myself what kind of gourmet snacks could you sneak in to the movie? Parmesan Pepper Popcorn, Fleur de Sel Caramels, Spiced Herbed Nuts... I think I could go on and on. Any suggestions? If you haven’t read Julie Powell's blog based book, check it out, lots of fun. It's fascinating how this woman's inspired blog project became such a successful phenomenon, one of the lucky few. And I'm certainly putting Julia's memoir on my summer reading list which I've been meaning to do for a long time. She was an amazing woman who reinvented herself late in life with great happiness and lasting influence.

My Life in France by Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell

And if you’re up for paying your respects to America's most iconic chef on her August 15th birthday next month, here’s a suggested menu I ran across in Gourmet.

Movie to Check Out

I saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday. One of the best flix I've seen in a long time so go out and see it or put it in your queue. And if you've ever been to India the sights and sounds will be very familiar. Makes me want to get busy and travel again!