Finished "Salvation of a Saint" by Keigo Higashino. Kusanagi is sort of a Columbo who needs help from academic Yukawa. Low key murder mystery police procedural. I could see where it was going right away, but still enjoyed it. Read it! I'll be returning it on Monday.
Still reading "Renegades Write the Rules" by Amy Jo Martin, who uses social media in her PR work. She's not the best writer - in fact, I'm tempted to edit her writing! - but the name-dropping is interesting. We'll see if I finish it.
What are you reading?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Read this book
If you like books written by smart people. Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz, of Mission Street, were in Honolulu in September to talk about their book at indie Kaka'ako bookstore R&D. I didn't get to their book talk, but I did borrow the only copy of the book in the public library system.
It's the story of the son of immigrants. His parents wanted more for him than they had, and while he went to college and worked in market research for several years, he wasn't happy. He went on a trip around the world to experience different food and cultures. When he came back to America, he worked as a line cook, but he didn't forget his father gave food to the homeless. They were among the first to popularize food trucks and probably the first to do popups - dinners at established restaurants on their dark nights. And they admit social media was a big part of communicating who they were and are. Recipes? I would make the panna cotta and jicama pickles!
This is the book. This restaurant no longer exists, but they have a mini-empire that includes Mission Street Chinese in both SF and NYC. The NYC outpost, helmed by Danny Bowien, just won an Eater award. Commonwealth and Mission Street Bowling club are also part of the group.
While they were in the 808, Myint collaborated with Prima Kailua and Whole Ox Deli to do two popup dinners. I'll write about this on my other blog, Lives to Eat. Soon, I promise!
When we left that dinner, folks in line for the second seating asked us how it was. "Fabulous!" The best part is that Mission Street donated $10 from each dinner to GreenWheel Food Hub, an initiative to bring SNAP electronic food stamps to farmers' markets. In fact, they have started doing this at the Wahiawa market. So terrific!
It's the story of the son of immigrants. His parents wanted more for him than they had, and while he went to college and worked in market research for several years, he wasn't happy. He went on a trip around the world to experience different food and cultures. When he came back to America, he worked as a line cook, but he didn't forget his father gave food to the homeless. They were among the first to popularize food trucks and probably the first to do popups - dinners at established restaurants on their dark nights. And they admit social media was a big part of communicating who they were and are. Recipes? I would make the panna cotta and jicama pickles!
While they were in the 808, Myint collaborated with Prima Kailua and Whole Ox Deli to do two popup dinners. I'll write about this on my other blog, Lives to Eat. Soon, I promise!
When we left that dinner, folks in line for the second seating asked us how it was. "Fabulous!" The best part is that Mission Street donated $10 from each dinner to GreenWheel Food Hub, an initiative to bring SNAP electronic food stamps to farmers' markets. In fact, they have started doing this at the Wahiawa market. So terrific!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Not about books or libraries; for your maintenance
Observation #1: Although I'm the Manicured Librarian, I rarely write about health and beauty. There are too many other fun things to comment on!
Observation #2: The larger and more prominent your lips are, the more you need lip balm.
Even in a mild climate like Hawaii's, we need protection. When I'm out and about, I'm wearing lipstick or lipgloss. Or both. But when I'm at home, it's just lip balm. I thought I'd share my opinions of these because they work for me, and I've been using them for a while.
Here are my picks for keeping lips smooth and moist at home:
Day: Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine or Cherry Me. These have taken the place of Fresh lip balms as my daytime favorites. They taste and smell good, will slightly tint your lips, and cost about $4 - less on sale. They are .15 oz., and there are other flavors.
Night: Pangea Ecocentric Lipcare in Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom. I'm usually neutral about lavender, but love the slight fragrance of this. Check out all the natural ingredients, too. They are very moisturizing, and the tubes last long as they are huge - .25 oz. There are two other flavors. The cost - $12 - will throw you off, but I did get mine on sale for 1/2 price.
By the way, those Fresh lip balms are $22.50 or more!
Observation #2: The larger and more prominent your lips are, the more you need lip balm.
Even in a mild climate like Hawaii's, we need protection. When I'm out and about, I'm wearing lipstick or lipgloss. Or both. But when I'm at home, it's just lip balm. I thought I'd share my opinions of these because they work for me, and I've been using them for a while.
Here are my picks for keeping lips smooth and moist at home:
Day: Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine or Cherry Me. These have taken the place of Fresh lip balms as my daytime favorites. They taste and smell good, will slightly tint your lips, and cost about $4 - less on sale. They are .15 oz., and there are other flavors.
Night: Pangea Ecocentric Lipcare in Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom. I'm usually neutral about lavender, but love the slight fragrance of this. Check out all the natural ingredients, too. They are very moisturizing, and the tubes last long as they are huge - .25 oz. There are two other flavors. The cost - $12 - will throw you off, but I did get mine on sale for 1/2 price.
By the way, those Fresh lip balms are $22.50 or more!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Joy of Living
in a condominium
NOT!
We came home to find a puddle of water outside our kitchen window. Of course we checked to see if OUR plumbing was leaking, and NO, it isn't. Then we realized the water was dripping from the top of our window frame, which means it's coming from above, and it's inside the wall.
Yes, TWO DAYS LATER, it's still happening. I know for a fact that plumbers do work on weekends. From the building manager, we learned the occupants she contacted are renters; hopefully they've talked to the owner of their unit. Hopefully the owner isn't an absentee landlord. Meanwhile, the leaking goes on, all the way down to the parking lot.
GRRR!
_____
In other news, the Topless Neighbor has been sighted. No, she wasn't topless. She was walking down the street, away from me. Wearing clothes.
_____
Sign posted next to an apartment building: "PICK UP YOUR DOG POOP". The fact that you even have to put up such a sign speaks volumes, doesn't it?
NOT!
We came home to find a puddle of water outside our kitchen window. Of course we checked to see if OUR plumbing was leaking, and NO, it isn't. Then we realized the water was dripping from the top of our window frame, which means it's coming from above, and it's inside the wall.
Yes, TWO DAYS LATER, it's still happening. I know for a fact that plumbers do work on weekends. From the building manager, we learned the occupants she contacted are renters; hopefully they've talked to the owner of their unit. Hopefully the owner isn't an absentee landlord. Meanwhile, the leaking goes on, all the way down to the parking lot.
GRRR!
_____
In other news, the Topless Neighbor has been sighted. No, she wasn't topless. She was walking down the street, away from me. Wearing clothes.
_____
Sign posted next to an apartment building: "PICK UP YOUR DOG POOP". The fact that you even have to put up such a sign speaks volumes, doesn't it?
Monday, September 3, 2012
September 2012 - What I'm Reading
Unbelievable, it's September already!
In keeping with my ongoing interest in food, I'm reading "Chew", a graphic novel with story by John Layman and art by Rob Guillory. The title will get your attention first, the art second and the story finally. But the story's a good one with reminders of "Soylent Green" but gone wa-yyy out of control.
Unfortunately, the library system has only the first volume, and there's only one in the entire system. Since 2009, 5 other volumes have been published. The DH has already finished reading it, and is wanting MORE. Any readers out there have these and willing to donate? My influence in this section goes only so far with our reduced budget for this fiscal year. Sad.
It may not seem like it, but I AM interested in other things! Style. Visual Design. Which is why I'm reading the Illustrated Elements of Style by Strunk, White and Kalman. I don't know about you, but I am definitely a visual person, and Kalman's images really bring these guidelines for clarity in writing to life. I need my own copy.
Unfortunately, the library system has only the first volume, and there's only one in the entire system. Since 2009, 5 other volumes have been published. The DH has already finished reading it, and is wanting MORE. Any readers out there have these and willing to donate? My influence in this section goes only so far with our reduced budget for this fiscal year. Sad.
It may not seem like it, but I AM interested in other things! Style. Visual Design. Which is why I'm reading the Illustrated Elements of Style by Strunk, White and Kalman. I don't know about you, but I am definitely a visual person, and Kalman's images really bring these guidelines for clarity in writing to life. I need my own copy.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
All's Quiet with the Manicured Librarian
Yes, it's been very slow here. That doesn't mean nothing's been happening - I just haven't deemed it ready to write about. However, here are some recent thoughts:
Rape Aren't we all tired about this Akin/Ryan/Romney GOP debacle? Still, this - from jezebel.com - is one of the best articles I've read about how America has tried to legislate abortion by defining rape. Just let women make our own choices about our bodies.
Topless Neighbor You read this post, and now you've come back looking for something new and tit-tillating, but there's nothing to tell. I haven't seen her, and to his great relief, neither has the DH.
New Neighbor They are directly above us. I'd like to shoot them, as they get on the treadmill AT 7:30 AM ON SUNDAY! This is one of the few days I get to sleep in. Apparently, the treadmill comes with the apartment, because I've heard it through the last 3 occupants.
More to come, I just have to finalize it all in my mind!
In the mean time, you may want to take a look at my other blog, Soos Lives to Eat. After all, we all need to eat, at least twice a day.
Rape Aren't we all tired about this Akin/Ryan/Romney GOP debacle? Still, this - from jezebel.com - is one of the best articles I've read about how America has tried to legislate abortion by defining rape. Just let women make our own choices about our bodies.
Topless Neighbor You read this post, and now you've come back looking for something new and tit-tillating, but there's nothing to tell. I haven't seen her, and to his great relief, neither has the DH.
New Neighbor They are directly above us. I'd like to shoot them, as they get on the treadmill AT 7:30 AM ON SUNDAY! This is one of the few days I get to sleep in. Apparently, the treadmill comes with the apartment, because I've heard it through the last 3 occupants.
More to come, I just have to finalize it all in my mind!
In the mean time, you may want to take a look at my other blog, Soos Lives to Eat. After all, we all need to eat, at least twice a day.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
July/August - What I'm Reading
It took me months to get a library copy of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. While many have talked about this book, I think School Library Journal's review did a good job of putting it in context, and explaining why teens should read it, too. I decided not to buy my own copy, and I'll nudge the debate about eBooks by saying that even though it's 600+ pages long, I can't imagine reading it on a device.
In an earlier post, I wrote about how smart people do dumb things. Well, Steve Jobs was that: creative, obnoxious AND a "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". Isaacson says that Jobs stood at that nexus between the humanities and science, the arts and technology. While he was always fascinated by electronics, he went to liberal arts Reed College. If he hadn't dropped out, he wouldn't have audited a calligraphy course which influenced the fonts (typefaces) in the first Macintosh, and those in all other computers. As an aside, Reed is one of the handful of schools I considered applying to.
_____
I'm also reading "Darth Paper Strikes Back" the sequel to "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda" by Tom Angleberger, about folded paper and middle school. Why? It's fun!
And I'm reading "Runny Babbit" by Shel Silverstein, because the next storytime is August 18th, National Bad Poetry Day. Writing bad poetry, I've discovered, is very hard. So we'll concentrate on rhyming words, visual rhymes, Spoonerisms and the creative process. And I love to tickle children's minds!
Read this: Anil Gupta and his search for innovation - I love this! There is creativity and invention everywhere. Now, if only they could find innovaton for their power needs.
See? In my universe, it's all related, circular - comes back around!
In an earlier post, I wrote about how smart people do dumb things. Well, Steve Jobs was that: creative, obnoxious AND a "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". Isaacson says that Jobs stood at that nexus between the humanities and science, the arts and technology. While he was always fascinated by electronics, he went to liberal arts Reed College. If he hadn't dropped out, he wouldn't have audited a calligraphy course which influenced the fonts (typefaces) in the first Macintosh, and those in all other computers. As an aside, Reed is one of the handful of schools I considered applying to.
_____
I'm also reading "Darth Paper Strikes Back" the sequel to "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda" by Tom Angleberger, about folded paper and middle school. Why? It's fun!
And I'm reading "Runny Babbit" by Shel Silverstein, because the next storytime is August 18th, National Bad Poetry Day. Writing bad poetry, I've discovered, is very hard. So we'll concentrate on rhyming words, visual rhymes, Spoonerisms and the creative process. And I love to tickle children's minds!
Read this: Anil Gupta and his search for innovation - I love this! There is creativity and invention everywhere. Now, if only they could find innovaton for their power needs.
See? In my universe, it's all related, circular - comes back around!
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