January 2018 – Julie Wrote a Book

Let's Go To The Movies

I'm thinking about hosting an Oscar party. (By party, of course, I mean I will invite Denise over to watch with me, and we will drink champagne in our pajamas and look askance at anyone who dares to speak over Meryl Streep or Viola Davis.) I am as annoyed as any feminist by the "Who Are You Wearing?" question that all women get on the red carpet. That said, I LOVE looking at Oscar dresses. This is a fun chart of the most iconic Oscar dress every year. Cher is the obvious winner for straight up crazy, but I'm…

Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

I mentioned in my 2017 book round up that I haven't re-read a Jane Austen book in 2 years, which is unusual for me. They are among the books that I re-read constantly and love more every time. I plan to rectify that situation in 2018 with Mansfield Park, because it's been longest since I've re-read that one. I am feeling very Austen-ish this weekend, so I thought I would hit you up with a whole bunch of Jane links this weekend. What do you think of re-imaginings of classic books, or retellings from the point of view of other characters? I love…

The Shape of Water

There were two women about my age sitting next to me in the movie theater. They smelled like wine, and they were loud and bawdy through the whole movie. I wanted to snap at them You are not in your living room! Please kindly STFU. But I didn’t say anything because God knows I love a tipsy night out with my mains. They giggled like mad at the naked bathtub scenes, they debated the anatomy of the fish-man (“Do you think he even has a dick?”), they were not shy about scoffing and loudly protesting what they thought was weird…

Tacos, Gardens, Sci Fi

Here I go again, bitching about eating healthy. Three of my four kids claim they are vegetarian (even though the youngest hates all vegetables and indeed, most food) so by default we are eating mostly vegetarian food these days. I only prefer to cook meat because it's easy and I don't have to think about recipes, but obviously I want to be like every other red-blooded American in January and eat more vegetables. How is it going for you? I'm not sure these Beer Battered Avocado Tacos really count as health food, but they were delicious and technically vegetarian, so let's call it a…

2018 Word of the Year

I don’t make resolutions anymore. For the last two years, I’ve chosen a 'Word of the Year' and I think that works much better for me. Something about setting a resolution feels like a zero-sum game. Even though I totally know that isn't true; if you set a goal to lose 20 pounds and you only lose 15, you’ve still done very good work. I do understand that. But my brain is all-or-nothing, and I’m tired of beating myself up on December 31 (or, more accurately, around mid-January) for not keeping up with my goals. I was having a hard time…

The Crown

It's no secret that I am obsessed with All Things Related to the British Monarchy. They are endlessly interesting to me, even though yes, I see your point that the idea that certain people live a life of radical privilege due to nothing more than the luck of their DNA while others of this world are starving is lunacy. And I also see your point that the notion that there are people in this world we are required to curtsey to - curtsey! in 2018! - is silly and goes against all of my egalitarian beliefs. And yet. I am totally…

2017 Reading List

While I think we can all agree that 2017 was an epically stupid and oftentimes terrifying year to be a human, it was a magnificent year to be a reader. That has always been the case in my life: books save me from the crazy in my head and the crazy in the world. I read 69 books in 2017, which is a little bit less than what I read last year, but still pretty average for me. In my day job, I edited an additional 28 books for other authors, so I suppose my total book consumption is 97 books. That does…