You can tell just how strange of a person I am by looking at
my bucket list. I don’t have any of the normal things like skydiving or
visiting the Taj Mahal, although I wouldn’t mind the last one. For instance, I
would really like to host an epic dinner party.
When I was a kid my parents
often had dinner parties where their guests included artists, writers, fellow
professors, etc. I remember the delicious dishes my mother would prepare and
the conversations that would last for hours. I learned how heated discussions
didn’t necessarily need to end in arguments or grudges. And when I got older my
parents told me I didn’t need to sit in on those dinner if I didn’t want to.
But as long as I lived with my parents I was more than happy to attend. I
served as my mother’s sous chef and learned some great tricks. And although I
wasn’t always sure enough of myself to participate in discussions, I soaked it
all up like a sponge.
The first couple of places I’ve lived in after moving out of
my parents’ home were not big enough to host the kind of dinner parties I dream
of. And still my dinner plates don’t all match. But I would like to try my hand
at inviting the right mix of people even for a buffet style dinner party. And
here are some books that have helped me come that much closer to my goal.
"Corey Mintz hosts dinner parties in his home every week. Before that he was a restaurant critic. And before that he worked for a living, as a cook. He began hosting without napkins or stemware, serving wine out of Nutella jars. But after entertaining politicians, artists, academics, monkeys, librarians, chefs, sommeliers, cops, lawyers, psychologists, a spy, a forager, a rabbi, a gambler, a drug addict, and a mayor, he's become a pro." Here he is in front of the Type Bookstore window with his book, How to Host a Dinner Party. He's truly an inspiration for us normal folk who don't have a giant dinner table that seats at least 12. His book is also very thorough and reads almost like a manual for those like me who really appreciate the step-by-step guide.
I saw this book on the Design Sponge website and I have still yet to pick it up but I can't wait! In A Curious Invitation, Suzette Field chronicles forty of the greatest fictional parties from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park to Douglas Adams' flying party above an unknown planet in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Field describes the hosts, venues, guest lists, dress code and what was served at each party. What a great idea to focus on such a minor and, yet to Field -- monumental moment in each novel.
You either love lists or you hate them. But when my friend @caitlinptov asked me to exchange our top 5 Movies, books, musical artist/group and TV shows I thought it was great fun. It's amazing what you learn about your friends when you break it down to the things we love. And you may even discover an artist or book that's new to you and find something new to put on your list of favourites.
So here is my Top 5 list.
Movies:
1)Casablanca (1942)
"Here's looking at you kid." This is the epitome of Hollywood drama and glamour. How could Rick give up the love of his life and save her new lover on top of it all? When there are spies and war to think about I guess you'll do anything. Also, never have I heard so many catchphrases in one place. "We'll always have Paris." *sigh*
2) Gone with the Wind (1939)
Rhett Butler is the original bad boy. Perhaps I'm a romantic at heart (I'd have to be with my movie choices) but I just thought that Rhett and Scarlett's relationship was the most complicated, destructive and most beautiful thing in movie history. There's also the civil war for you history buffs.
3) Lost in Translation (2003)
Another amazing Hollywood relationship but this time its between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen…er, I mean their characters. This is my favourite scene - a bed scene with no sex - because they talk about how hard life really is and how beautiful that is at the same time.
4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
If only we could erase those who hurt us from our past. Because it's amazing how much the people we love can hurt us. What I loved about this movie, besides its premise, was the dreamlike qualities it took on and the drug induced memories Joel has about his past. I also can't get enough of funny men in serious roles as you can see from Bill Murray, Jim Carrey and Will Farrell.
5) Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Harold Crick is an unassuming IRS agent who's life is calculated down to the last minute. Little does he know that he is the character of a novel and that his death is eminent. This doesn't work for Harold Crick because he's just found the love of his love. There are so many favourite scenes in this movie that it was difficult for me to pick just one.
Books:
1) A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark
Our heroine Mrs. Hawkins is a war-widow living in a rooming house in South Kensington working as an editor for a failing publishing house. Her fellow housemates are experiencing the negative ramifications of a stalker, someone that Mrs. Hawkins knows and detests but who can and will ruin her life. This was a book that inspired me to eventually (one day) work in the publishing industry despite its failing qualities even in the 1950s. I was also inspired by Mrs. Hawkins, a young 20-something year old who finds out that only she is in control of her life.
2) Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd
A coming of age about an art student who enrols in a state university where his demanding (and possibly crazy) graphic design instructor challenges his very being let alone understanding of art. This novel is loosely based on the real life experiences of the author who studied at Penn State.
The book itself is a piece of art that you can only appreciate when you hold it in your hands. So go get a copy!
3) Portnoy's Complaint by Phillip Roth
Believe it or not my parents got me this book to read when I was a teenager and it totally blew my mind that they would think of me as an adult because boy oh boy are there some adult situations in this book. Let's just say there are certain scenes I will never get out of my head. Also Phillip Roth is a genius and this was my introduction to him. Holy crap.
“Do me a favor, my people, and stick your suffering heritage up your suffering ass_ I happen also to be a human being!” ― Philip Roth, Portnoy's Complaint
4) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Never have I been more frightened then when I read this book. (I probably scare easy but this was intense.) At the same time as I was terrified of Jean-Baptiste I also felt sorry for him. He was a product of his environment and although he was a 'monster' could he really help it? The movie does not do this book justice. This was another recommendation from my parents. My folks are awesome.
“Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us up, imbues us totally. There is no remedy for it.”
5) Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman
The classic immigrant tale of a young girl who leaves behind all that she knows for the land of opportunity. This book explores many different types of relationships the most important one being that which we have with language. This was one of the first diasporic stories I have read and it really struck a chord with me. Finally, there were other people just like me.
“If all neurosis is a form of repression, then surely, the denial of suffering, and of helplessness, is also a form of neurosis. Surely, all our attempts to escape sorrow twist themselves into the specific, acrid pain of self-suppression. And if that is so, then a culture that insists on cheerfulness and staying in control is a culture that—in one of those ironies that prevails in the unruly realm of the inner life—propagates its own kind of pain. “Perhaps perversely, I sometimes wish for that older kind of suffering—the capacity and the time for a patient listening to the winds of love and hate that can blow you like a reed, for that long descent into yourself in which you touch bottom and recognize the poor, two-forked creature that we all are.”
I've been trying to read more non-fiction recently. It's my New Year's resolution that I'm starting kinda late. I've been in a rut lately and I thought the best kind of non-fiction book would be one about self improvement. So, I picked up Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs.
Although Jacobs gets called 'the king of shtick lit' I enjoyed his book immensely. I got the sense that he too thinks our culture's obsession with exercising and dieting is a little warped. Not to mention our relationships with daily toxins and plastics among the many other things that are bad for us. But for the sake of his belly and a book contract he gave it a try and sets out to be the healthiest man he can be. Over the course of 2 years he examines almost every body part in his quest to reach health nirvana. He doesn't just join a gym he tries Cavemen workouts. Which as a women I can't see myself doing. I guess I'd be too busy getting dragged around by my hair.
Jacobs advocates a plant based diet. He tries juicing and a raw diet. He tries to quit sugar which studies have show is as addictive as heroin. He gets so desperate he asks his wife to write out a cheque to the American Nazi Organization telling her to send it if he cheats. He talks a lot about things I already know but don't actually do myself. I admit, I don't sleep enough, or eat a plant based diet, or take the stairs. But it's highly entertaining to read about a man who lives his life by the health obsessed rules.
I did learn some neat tricks like using a smaller plate with a small fork or chewing my food more per bite. I'm willing to admit that the way I approach my food is unhealthy. And I'm finding myself adopting Jacobs' chewdaism when I'm eating alone. I'm also intrigued by the idea of a treadmill desk and wonder if my employer would be supportive of such an idea. The book also touches upon how dependent we humans are on our brains. I'm convinced my brain is a muscle and if it grows flabby from disuse it does't matter how many sit ups I can do.
"WHO defines health as a state of emotional, mental, and physical well-being." (168)
For my next non-fiction book I'm going cerebral and reading The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge. I'd love any recommendations to help me in my next non-fiction choice. Perhaps something on emotional health?
