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Job: A Comedy of Justice
My first Heinlein novel may still be my favourite. It’s called Job: A Comedy of Justice but it could just as easily be called Alec and Margrethe: A Romance of Love because this book is dripping – dripping – in adorable little scenes like THIS: AWWWWWWW! (it earns bonus points for awesome because that penultimate…
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Trader Joe’s Tuesday: Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup Tastes Like: Spaghetti-O’s without the noodles. Boom. Light and sweet, tangy tomatoey flavor. Great With: Rice cakes on the side, or dipped in. Small broccoli florets tossed on top. And maybe just the TINIEST garnish of cheese. Perfect For: Quick and filling (yes!) snack on a…
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Stranger in a Strange Land
Once you grok this book, you won’t be able to put it down. Stranger in a Strange Land, my most recent Heinlein conquest, tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, “Mike” to his friends, a human being born on Mars. Raised by Martians, Mike returns to Earth to grok our strange Earthling ways and teach…
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Trader Joe’s Tuesday: Dilettante Fruit Medley
Dilettante Fruit Medley Tastes Like: Moist fruit chunks ensconced in a thick layer of chocolate with a sweet layer of white chocolate on the outside. Dense and chewy and lush and tangy. Great With: Coffee in the morning, tea at night, more and more of these. Chocolate addicts, pay heed! Trail mix lovers, delight! These…
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Trader Joe's Tuesday: Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Trader Joe’s Nonfat Greek Yogurt Tastes Like: Fage – tastes just like Fage but at a fraction of the price. Thick, rich, ever-so-slightly bitter in that perfect Greek yogurt way. Great With: A dash of raisins stirred in. Or some wacky flavoured jam! Or scooped out like dip for navel orange wedges or Granny Smith…
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The Colossus of New York
Once you read Colson Whitehead’s Colossus of New York, you’ll never look at the city again. His keen observations in short snippets are the perfect bon mot to pepper your conversations with annoy your friends with. “Colson Whitehead says “…you are a New Yorker the minute you say, ‘That used to be Munsey’s, or That…
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One Hundred Demons
Fear not! One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry is not entirely scary! It is sweet, insightful, revealing…and because of that, it is completely terrifying. Lynda Barry’s demons take the form of all of our fears and hopes gone awry. I don’t want to spoil a single moment of this beautiful memoir-esque collection of tales, but…
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Trader Joe's Tuesday: Eggplant Garlic Spread
Trader Joe’s Eggplant Garlic Spread Tastes Like: Kind of like moist, savory baba ganoush… Great With: Spread, as they suggest, on rice crackers or corn cakes. A dip for carrots (my favourite)! Perfect For: This would be a great spread for sandwiches. I used it in a pasta dish with spiralized zucchini and heirloom tomatoes…
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Currently…in July 2014
FEELING: Dotty and dopey and dripping with dandyness! Sunny days are here at last and I’m making the most of it, stretching my legs on the sidewalks and giving flight to my fancies. I’m taking strolls and seeing sights so sweet it’s like my heart could burst. WATCHING: Monday Night is still Hulu night as…
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Trader Joe's Tuesday: French Vanilla Coffee
Trader Joe’s French Vanilla Ground Coffee Tastes Like: Nutty, bitter, and dark…just how I like my men. Great With: something sweet at breakfast-time. Wonderful for machines, but perhaps a little too rough-ground for pour-over method. Perfect For: MORNINGS. Must Know: labelled Kosher on the package! Costs: $6.99 – pretty competitive for ground coffee!
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Storied Lives
Telling stories is just in my blood, I guess. As a child, my dad’s autobiographical rambles were often met with groans at the dinner table. Yet I remember them now. My mother was a professional storyteller – she even got paid! Sometimes in pie. That’s a true story. So I suppose ending up as an…
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Trader Joe's Tuesday: Coconut Body Butter
Trader Joe’s Coconut Body Butter Tastes Like: DO NOT EAT THIS PRODUCT! Dab a little of the rich, thick-churned creaminess onto your skin and rub it in and you’ll feel good enough to eat. And you’ll smell like a pina colada. Great With: Itchy, dry, or cracked skin. Perfect For: Overshare? My psoriasis breakouts. Dry,…
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Diggin’ on Degas
My favourite collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is unquestionably the Degas pieces. There’s a couple of rooms of sketches, statues, and paintings by the Impressionist master Edgar Degas just close enough to the rooms housing your big names – Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso – but secluded enough that you can stand almost uncomfortably…
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Identity Crisis
So much is said about Identity Crisis when really, so little can be said without revealing major spoilers. Let me introduce you to a couple of very special ladies. First of all, meet Sue Dibny. Adoring wife to Ralph Dibny, The Elongated Man. I’ll let you go ahead and stare at how beautiful that panel…
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Trader Joe’s Tuesday: Yogurt-Covered Raisins
Trader Joe’s Yogurt-Covered Raisins Tastes Like: Soft, supple, yeilding. Sweet and creamy and a little tart. Plump, juicy raisins lushly coated in a thick layer of creamy yogurt. Snackity, snackity heaven. Great With: Dark Chocolate Edamame and almonds as a trail mix, or just by themselves with a cup of tea. Perfect For: Munching in…
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Trader Joe’s Tuesday: Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacamole
Trader Joe’s Reduced – Guilt Chunky Guacamole Tastes Like: Sour cream and guacamole blended together with strong overtones of red onion. If you blended a perfectly piquant guacamole with a summer cloud, it would be this. Tangy but light and refreshing. Great With: Carrot sticks, probably chips also. I can’t seem to make it last…
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Day at the (Metropolitan) Museum (of Art)
Finding myself alone and with no plans on a rainy Friday morning, I swallowed my pride and took myself on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had a couple concerns going on a solo date to the museum: Concern #1: That I would feel awkward being alone and not know what to…
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Trader Joe’s Tuesday: Dark Chocolate Edamame
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Edamame Tastes Like: flaky, savory crunch with a hint of bitter dark chocolate. it almost reminds me of “crunchy” or pretzel M&Ms, but salty and sophisticated. Great With: Trader Joe’s Yogurt-Covered Raisins and salted almonds. The soft sweetness of the raisins is the perfect foil – plus it looks chic in…
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French Milk
A long time ago, somebody (so long ago that I forgot who!) recommended to me that I read French Milk by Lucy Knisley. When I discovered how difficult it is to find, I crossed it off my to-do list until I stumbled across her website and fell in love with her archives. I managed to…
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Attack on Titan
Fair warning: DO NOT start watching Attack on Titan if you have anything important happening in the next 24 hours. Because that shit is just not going to happen. Now I finally understand why NYCC ’13 was overrun by cosplayers in white leggings with electrical tape detail and brown leather jackets. It’s because Attack on…