Sarah's Selections

New Yorker article that provides an excellent historical review of the Conservatism and encompasses (although not concisely) while I am not a Republican - turns out asking people who hate government to govern, not such a good idea.

An editorial about the real issue with state's rights.

I'm usually a big proponent of college for everyone but this piece makes an interesting counter-argument.

Weekend at Mount Vernon

Weekend at Mount Vernon
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

Nicholas and I spent a lovely Saturday at Mount Vernon. We took a cruise up the Potomac early in the morning and arrived at George Washington's home around 10. We saw the grounds and the new welcome center and museum. We had a nice little lunch and did the tour of the mansion right before we caught our boat back to DC.

The weather was perfect and we had really wonderful time.

Sarah's Selection

Absolute #1 pick. For all of you who didn't catch us in The Wall Street Journal , perhaps you'll enjoy the article this month in the NEW YORK TIMES, where we are listed as a Travel Essential for 2008! And I quote: "Paducah isn’t Podunk these days."

Great editorial looking back on lessons learned the hard way.

The truth about the $4 a gallon gas you all want to talk to me about.

Interview with Hugh Hefner's son. Favorite part: “The ones I find attractive are brunet, blue eyes, and that’s about it. An intelligent woman that I can have a conversation with.… That centerfold in the magazine probably wouldn’t be my girlfriend, because I wouldn’t find her attractive. I don’t care about fake boobs if the girl has a good personality, but most girls with fake boobs I don’t find attractive—because of why they got the fake boobs in the first place.”

My obsession with Michael Pollan is well-documented. For those of you have read his book or haven't found time yet, watch this:

Whoa

We just bought tickets to Tunisia...sort of on a lark. Well not really - but kind of.

So, yeah, if you need us August 15-24, we'll be in Tunisia. :)

UPDATE: For those of you wondering about Tunisia (or having to consult a map!), here is a write up from a recent Fodor's article entitled "Where We're Going in 'O8: 7 Places Americans Have Yet to Discover."

"Tunisia: Tell people you're going to Tunisia and you'll most likely get blank stares from Americans. Europeans, on the other hand, nod knowingly. Thanks to old colonial ties, this prosperous and peaceful country, wedged between Algeria and Libya, is a favorite destination among the French. Brits and Germans flock here, too, lured by low prices, a reliably sunny climate, and a jaw-dropping assortment of sites. Aside from the expected medinas and mosques, Tunisia has some of the best Roman ruins anywhere: the coliseum at El Jem and the temples of Sbeitla being only two examples. The real draw, however, is Tunisia's diversity. Within a matter of hours you can drive from the Mediterranean beaches of Djerba (a resort island popular enough to support three Club Meds) through villages that were used as filming locations for the Star Wars movies, and into the Sahara. Visiting the last of these is a mostly "in-tents" excursion. Board a camel for a bare-bones camping experience (contact@libre-espace-voyages.com; about $30 per person) or go upscale at the ultra-chic Pansea Ksar Ghilane (doubles from €129) tent resort. Air France has regular flights to Tunisia from New York and Paris."

Sarah's Selections

So, I read. I read a lot. I read books, magazines, websites, blogs. I read about politics, pop culture, health, the environment, or whatever strikes my fancy at any given moment, and I've realized recently I really love sharing and talking about the things I read. Hence, a new weekly feature here at The Best Blog EVER!!!, where I will share some of the things I've read over the last week. Feel free to comment or leave links to things you've read recently.

#1 pick - completely fascinating article about how shoes screw up our feet, which evolved to function best barefoot.

Great article on Evangelical's interaction with pop culture:
"That's true when you create a sanitized version of bands like Nirvana or artists like Jay-Z, too: You shoehorn a message that's essentially about obeying authority into a genre that's rebellious and nihilistic, and the result can be ugly, fake, or just limp."

Fascinating and disturbing at the same time.

Interview with Sarah Jessica Parker with great analysis of Sex and the City:
"And suddenly I was hooked, enthralled! With each season, I loved the show more; the scariness I’d sensed, the anxiety and the anger, was still there, but so was a sweet fantasy of female friendship. The characters were archetypes and real people at once, a neat trick. As a single woman in my thirties, I was grateful for it all: Wouldn’t you rather have your family fear for your life as a glamour-grotesque than pity it as a Cathy cartoon?"

Good news for every woman in my family :)

Amazing Martha Beck (who I love) piece on religion. She really captures the good and bad of what religion has to offer.

On a final note, not a great article just a great quote -
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Krishnamurti

I have no words

I don't know how many of you have ever heard me talk about this woman but when I saw this headline I literally screamed.

Me and Barbara

Me and Barbara
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

I met Barbara Walters today...JEALOUS!?!? She was signing copies of her new books on the Hill today. I told her I was honored to meet her and a big fan of The View. She was quieter then I thought she would be but very pleasant.

Cover Imitating Life

Who would like to guess Nicholas's reaction when this cover came in the mail? ;)

Flower Market and other fun

This weekend we went to the Flower Market on the grounds of the National Cathedral. It was a splendid day and we had a great time exploring all the vendors and their wares. We had a famous lobster roll and did the climbed the Tower. At the top, we captured some really magnificent views of the city and got a lesson on the bell ringers. I actually forgot my camera and while I'm a bit sad, I have to say I was better able to enjoy the moment since I wasn't obsessed with getting the perfect shot.

We had our neighbors Danny and Laura over for dinner on Saturday night and had a wonderful chatting till almost midnight. Nicholas made another delicious meal and I think both his meal and my dessert were a hit.

He went out fishing Sunday. He caught several blue gill and one heck of a sunburn. I laid around most of the day after walking my booty off Friday night (we walked home from the movie theater, which is over 2 miles) and most of Saturday.


Overall, we had nice, slow weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Weekend in Kentucky

So, the fact that it has taken me almost a week to blog about this week is a testament to how much fun was had by all.

Seriously, y'all. I am tired.

We did one heck a trip through Louisville and Lexington, visiting all our favorite people along the way. We did Friday night with Annie and Kyle at The Grape Leaf and Saturday morning at their table being fed all types of yummy locally-farmed goodies. Before we left for Lexington, Elizabeth picked us up and we finally got around to getting Erin a wedding present almost five months later (whatever Emily Post says you get a year! don't judge me!). You can see the photos of that gift below.

We got some quick Fazoli's and then segregated by sex for the ride to Lexington. We allowed an exception for baby Jack Jack, who was a complete doll all weekend. I can't speak for Nicholas and Seth but the girls' car was delightful! Once we got to Lexington, we went by campus and checked out the chapter room and gift shop. Then we went back to Catherine's to get ready for the reunion. I have to say we all looked mighty snazzy, although Elizabeth won best theme for the evening which was "I look hot in my minidress and I've had two kids!" Real winner don't you think?

The reunion was actually a tad uneventful, especially since we missed the major freaking events -- the picture (I don't want to talk about it) and the welcome speech! Luckily, we gathered a fun group for pie and coffee afterwards and had a great time catching up.

The next day we got some breakfast at Magee's Bakery and headed back to Louisville. Erin, Seth, Nicholas, and I met our good friends Tim and Emily for lunch. Time and Emily are also a hoot to be around - the imminent birth of their first child really took the hilarity to a whole new level. I can tell you that much.

Since I decided to cram in as much visitin' and eatin' in one weekend, we had dinner with my high school friend Reagan and her new man and my friend Smith and his girlfriend Linda a mere three hours after having lunch. However, it was worth it because we had a fabulous time.

I can only speak for myself but I was sort of sad to leave Kentucky and all our beloved friends at the end of the weekend.

Reason #49850980 that I don't eat meat

"Factory farming takes a big, hidden toll on human health and the environment, is undermining rural America's economic stability and fails to provide the humane treatment of livestock increasingly demanded by American consumers, concludes an independent, 2 1/2 -year analysis that calls for major changes in the way corporate agriculture produces meat, milk and eggs."

Read the full article here.

Two Makeovers for the Price of One

After out big bathroom redo, we still had the old moldy blinds in the window.  I'd wanted to change it for awhile and finally found the privacy screen I wanted. I installed it last weekend and I think the result is fantastic. Not only do we have privacy, we have a ton of natural light. Plus, we don't have to struggle with the screen when we need to raise the window for ventilation. 

Before:                         

After:

This weekend while in Louisville, my good friend Erin asked me to redecorate one of her guest rooms as a (very) belated wedding present. So, Elizabeth, Catherine, and I went in on a little room makeover and I think the end was result was pretty good. It certainly made Erin happy which is all that matters. 

Before:    

After: (Ignore me acting as a nail)

Living With Less

So, we're back from a bit of a hiatus, boys and girls. I know you missed us!

Last week Nicholas and I took Oprah's Live With Less Challenge.  Two weeks ago she did a show on waste and spotlighted two families for intervention. For a week, they were asked to:

• live without TV/laptops/iPods
• take 5 minute showers
• use no paper products
  
• not shop or eat out

The show was really powerful and at the end Oprah challenged everyone to try it themselves. Well you know Oprah says jump and I say how high? So, I let Nicholas know the rules. Oprah allowed 1 hour a night of TV and I changed it to laptop or TV because I thought I would want to blog about our progress.

However, as the week progressed, I really got into the challenge and I didn't use of the hour until Thursday. I mean sometimes you just need some Jon and Kate Plus 8 in your life and that's that. The rest of the week though I really enjoyed the challenge. I felt like Nicholas and I spent more times actually interacting rather than just sitting in the same room together. I know Maggie benefited because we took her for several long walks at night. The only thing I was surprised by was how often we forgot to turn light out. I felt like I spent a lot of time walking around turning lights out - now I know why my parents got so frustrated all those times! 

Nicholas had a tough time with the only 30 minutes (we split the hour between us) of laptop time. He used all 30 minutes on Monday and Tuesday and went way over on Wednesday and Thursday. I think part of the problem was once he cracked the computer to put in receipts it was hard to close it. This was part of the reason I didn't blog because I was afraid once I opened it up and got on the internet to update it would be difficult to let it go. 

For those of you who watch Wife Swap, this is the part when I say what's changed and what's stayed the same after the challenge. I'm going to keep timing my showers because otherwise it's too easy for the time to get away from you. We'd already talked about stop buying power towels so this was just an easy way to start. I'd also like to do one TV/laptop free night a week. Overall, I'm coming away with a better of understanding how of we can check out and be pretty wasteful and how good it feels to turn that behavior around.

As usual, Oprah enhances our lives. ;)

The Kite Runner

I read this book because of peer pressure. I felt like I constantly saw people reading it on the metro and several of my friends had read it and liked it. I caved to the pressure and decided to read it myself. As we say in the South, that'll learn me.

Don't get me wrong. This book is not terrible but it's not necessarily good either. One the most basic level, it is moderately interesting story. Unfortunately, I do not think the author was terrible talented and any appealing aspects of the narrative were lost among his merely average writing skills.

My main problem was that he told the story chronologically, which really prevented the true drama and emotion of the main character's struggle from coming through. Instead of introducing us slowly to this conflict and the effect on his life, he just marches us through the story piece by piece. There was no drama or complexity. There was a secret revealed at the end of the story but it felt very unnecessary and a little forced.

So, semi-interesting story stripped of all appeal by the storytelling itself.

Our Magical Wedding Weekend

The Happy Couple
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

We spent the weekend in New York City celebrating the marriage of our wonderful friends Laura and Dan (now Sinrod). We arrived Saturday afternoon and met Nicholas's high school friend Joseph and his girlfriend Annie for pizza at the famous Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. I'd never been to Brooklyn so I thought popping over the bridge for

one of the city's best pies sounded fun. We tried the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and walked back across the Bridge to our hotel.

That night Dan's parents hosted a party for the out of town guests at City Hall Restaurant. We started the night with cocktails in their Granite Room, which apparently used to be a Prohibition Era speakeasy. Then we had an amazing dinner upstairs where I got to try matzo ball soup for the first time. While the food was wonderful, the best part of the evening were the heartfelt toasts from the wedding party. I even added my own when they opened up the floor, toasting Laura the only person I know who might love Oprah more than me and Dan the only man who might be more tolerant of his Oprah loving spouse than Nicholas. ;)

On Sunday, we met my friend Dave and his sister for lunch and walked around the city a bit. The wedding started at 5 so we went back to the hotel pretty early to get ready. Both the ceremony and the reception were held at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, which is really the most gorgeous, magical space. The entire place was decorated with huge arrangements of cherry blossom branches and candlelight. The effect was completely enchanting.

Needless to say, the mood was set for Laura's entry and she did not disappoint. Her dress was nothing short of a work of art but Laura WORE that dress and not the other way around. She was magnificent. It was the first Jewish wedding I've ever been to a

nd I was really touched by all the symbolism but also the personal touches Dan and Laura added. I was also completely stoked for the breaking of the glass, even if it took Dan a couple tries. ;)

After the ceremony we moved up to the balcony for the cocktail hour, where I had my first ever grilled cheese with truffles. I proceeded the stalk the waiter with said grilled cheese the rest of the evening. We had dinner and dancing downstairs and there was some hard freaking partying for a Sunday night I'll tell you that. This was due in large part to the great live band. I've always been a bit skeptical of live bands but they rocked it and kept the party going late into the night.

So, yeah in a nutshell, it was definitely one of the most amazing weddings I have ever been to and we will be forever grateful that Laura and Dan included us in the festivities.

True that

WTF!?!?

This better be some sort of joke.


UPDATE: It seems the highly offensive synonyms for weaker have been removed.

FURTHER UPDATE

Unreasonable

I love my dog. I love her like she's my child. What I do not love is the amount she sheds? We finished up our spring cleaning this weekend, which basically means clearing the house of Maggie's hair. She had just gotten grooomed the day before but we decided to use our shedding blade to clear any last hair. We had no idea how much there would be. Honestly, we could have done it for another hour and still gotten hair off her.

Wife Swap

Sometimes people say things on Wife Swap that are so ridiculous, they are all but completely unbelievable. For example:

New Wife: "Your 10 year-old son eats dinner by himself!"
Dad: "I just want to be clear that he only cooks dinner and eats by himself Monday through Thursday."

OH! Well, ONLY Monday through Thursday! So glad we cleared that up.

Clear Eyes Full Hearts Can't Lose!

"Friday Night Lights was also granted a reprieve, though will not return until the winter."

Apparently, the show will begin Oct. 1 on DirecTV's Channel 101 and then next winter on NBC. I'm not exactly happy about maybe having to wait until next winter but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

All that matters is that Riggins, Saracen, and MOST importantly Tami Taylor aren't out of my life forever.

Now, who has DirecTV? ;)