bibliophile waxes erratic*

thanks to the significant amounts of airport time, flight time, and drive time i've had recently, several books have made their way from my 'to read' shelf, to my 'currently reading' shelf to my 'read' shelf. note: this is both figurative (this is what i've titled my goodreads.com shelves) and literal (this is also how i organize my physical books). i will comment on a few of the highlights for your enlightenment.

outliers - malcolm gladwell
i am no lover of non-fiction books. however, one author has consistently found his way through the wall of my fiction obsession, first with the tipping point, then blink. some of you may have read them (and if not, why not?), and outliers is his lastest venture.

what appeals to me about the author's topics is that they are interesting! (really, i don't ask for much!) blink, for instance, is a book that examines perceptions and biases. how quickly they form, how often we are unaware of our own and those formed about us... there is a great passage in blink about the relationship between height and power, which you can actually read an excerpt of here. trust me, it's interesting.

outliers deals with the topic of success--however not in the way, say, a stephen covey would address the subject. instead he deconstructs recognizable successes -- bill gates, the beatles, the canadian hockey league — and pinpoints the various contributing factors to those successes. by and large the success factors boil down to timing and opportunity, not talent or intelligence. one of the early discussions in the book - that of the canadian hockey team - literally dropped my jaw. it all seemed so simple and yet also had me thinking 'what the heck?!' i enjoyed it immensely as it allows me to blame all my failures on circumstances out of my control :)

hunger games - suzanne collins

this is another book outside my 'norm' - i guess that's the advantage of having a lot of time where i'm forced to sit around and wait...or voluntarily spend days worth of hours in a moving vehicle. i've come to trust trish's literary taste as being very similar to my own, and when i saw her recommend on goodreads, i decided to give it a shot.

i loved loved loved this book. the best description i can think to give it is, lord of the flies, in the future, with girls. but that doesn't even really come close to covering it. it pulled me in and never let me go. and with only a couple of complaints. it was a bit predictable in places, but overall i really liked the nuances of the story. the other complaint was more major...until it wasn't.

when the book ended, i was in shock. it was the worst book ending i'd read in a very long time, and i was seriously peeved. then i found out that there is a second book on it's way and i felt much better about my life. i still think it would have been nice if the author had wrapped it up a bit more cleanly, instead of leaving the gaping wound to fester until september 1st, but at least that wasn't it. i do have a great fear that this is on it's way to a trilogy and i will be equally as peeved after book 2, but i guess i'm going to risk it, because i want to see what happens next!

city of bones, ashes, (and probably glass) - cassandra clare

very much 'in' my norm, a youth fantasy vampire tale, sort of. i'd probably describe it as more closely resembling the golden compass than twilight, although there is a developing love story, which, at the moment admittedly, has gotten a little creepy (i've finished the second, about to start the third). actually, now that i think about it, more buffy the vampire slayer, although to be clear, not a lot of vampire action going on. it's a fun easy read with all the requisite monsters and demon hunting, in which i still feel attached to the characters. i'm excited that my computer is back from apple repair waiting for me at home so i can upload the last book:)

the crowning glory of calla lily ponder - rebecca wells

from the author of the divine secrets of the ya - ya sisterhood...which always makes me a little skeptical. there aren't many writers whose words can keep me entertained indefinitely, and the more prolific an author becomes, the more i know at some point they will break my heart.

this recommend came from an old high school friend, and since southern lit wrapped it's polite little tentacles around me my freshman year of college, i have a hard time turning a blind eye to a recommend falling in this genre. i'm glad i didn't read the reviews first, or i would have been talked out of it, feeling sure that this would be the heartbreak moment. but THAT would have been a terrible shame. this would have to rank at the top of my last 10 reads.

i LOVE the voice of the south. i don't necessarily love personally spending a week in july in new orleans, but i do love reading about it. and i understand. when wells describes the landscape of louisiana - geographically, climatologically, and demographically - i get it, and that draws me in to the story. the reviews, which i read after, were in large part terrible - in one case even citing the author's battle with lyme disease as the probable cause for this disaster of a book. and i honestly don't know what they are talking about. this was a read i just fell into. i don't know why, but i can't get this analogy of lazy rivers (found at various water parks across the country) out of my head.

it took me a little bit of time to settle in to the tube, get comfortable, and force myself to relax. but only a little bit. next thing i knew i was head back, arms out, butt in the water, completely unaware of anything happening outside my little circle of silence. and by the time the ride came to an end, i was wishing the ride guy (i'm sure that is the technically correct term, if not the politically correct one) would let me just stay on and go around again.

*i will be using this as my tagline in the near future. don't even think about stealing it;)

wrapping up

the rest of my vacation was truly relaxing. kelly had departed for a work trip to virginia and dylan to a work retreat outside of portland, leaving me alone in the house for my last day in the city. it was blissful. i slept in, and did pretty much nothing all day....well, almost nothing.

spencer and i enjoyed a delicious breakfast prior to my departure, where he attempted to eat three pizza-size pancakes and earn a picture on the wall of fame. though i knew he didn't have a chance, i was impressed that he made it half-way through, after having also eaten a rather large omelette. impressed, or disgusted...not sure which exactly.

he's still a little green after his adventures in pancakes

i made a quick drive up to vancouver, wa to pickup another stamp at the national historic site, and then left the pacific northwest heading towards northern california to meet julie.


the drive was a little longer than expected as a result of numerous and large fires raging through that part of the state. the road i would have originally taken was closed and i was forced to go around. the timing still worked out quite well as julie, her mom annette, her 3 kids and her niece were driving up from a couple hours south to meet me at our home away from home for the next couple of days.

the neighbor

that 'home' was the cabin of a family friend who had agreed to host us in her secluded retreat. and a retreat was right up my alley. with no internet and two tv channels (both of which were pbs), we actually got the opportunity to disconnect a bit from the outside world, and enjoyed the time sitting around just talking and laughing.

it wasn't all talking and laughing though - there was some eating too. :) in addition to the talking, laughing, and eating, there was another motivator for the excursion. annette had suggested that i might enjoy burney falls, and after checking them out on google, i thought she might be right.

gorgeous. the falls ain't half bad either!

teddy roosevelt once called these falls the eighth wonder of the world, and though quite beautiful, one does have to wonder how much of the world roosevelt had seen at that point :) that being said, i was actually pleasantly surprised. the falls exceed the expectations the pictures i'd viewed had created. julie and i left baby taggert with her mom and friend, and she and i headed down to the base of the falls with madison, cooper, and caitlyn.


once at the base of the falls we decided to do the 1+ mile loop that winds up around the top. though not much of a hiker, i wanted to see the top. unfortunately, it wasn't one of those moments where you think to yourself, wow, this was so totally worth it. it was more like 'so, um, WHERE are the falls?' sadly, you could not see them from the path through the brush at the top. but, it was a beautiful day - unseasonably cool for this time of year (80 degrees instead of 115!), the company was good, and the scenery was still quite pretty!


after burney falls, we headed back to burney for lunch, after which, annette took cooper and taggert back to the cabin, while julie and i headed to the subway caves with madison and caitlyn. the drive to the caves might have been boring, but for the fact that we were driving on the road that had been closed due to fire on the previous day. the landscape was blistered and black and still smoking...and in some cases, still burning. we saw more than a few flames close to the road, though none significant.

the charred remains

we stopped at the ranger station near the caves and were told that they were closed. in a conspiratorial manner, however, the ranger suggested we park outside and walk in. things that are closed are so much more interesting than things that are open, don't you think?

we had purchased flashlights before arriving at the caves, and it was a good thing. there were places that, had we not had light, would have been impossible to see your hand in front of your face.

girl time, wandering around in cold dark caves

the tunnels were formed from lava flow and very much resemble your average subway tunnel - hence the name. as the majority of the tunnels (though not very large) are completely dark, the girls were a bit nervous to begin with. but after they adjusted, the darkness and our aloneness somehow turned into a great adventure.


on the way back from the caves, i asked julie to make a small detour to lassen volcanic national park, where i, of course, picked up a few more stamps. the final trip stamp tally was 13 :)

the following day was d-day. departure day. mostly a driving day, i had two stops to make. the first was in grover beach, about 3 hours north of home, to see some very old friends whom i haven't seen in a decade. their oldest, 11 now, was 1 the last time i saw her. as you might imagine, she had changed a lot! ;)

i am often pleasantly surprised at how easy it can be to begin again right where you left off, even after 10 years. we slid into natural rhythms and patterns almost immediately while catching up on the last 10 years! we did so while enjoying some tri-tip bbq, which is not insignificant.

tri-tip is HUGE out here. people love it. LOVE it. i don't recall ever having seen it on a menu before my move here, but it's difficult to find one here without it. and only then usually chinese or mexican ones exclude it. i'm not particularly adventurous when it comes to food and several months ago, i had decided to give it a shot. it was terrible. oh my goodness i wanted to throw up. i was eating with some coworkers and one of them had also ordered it. i asked him what he thought of it (a more regular tri-tip eater) and he called it delicious.
so i counted myself out for tri-tip.


imagine my dismay upon arriving at tim and holly's and learning that we were having bbq tri-tip for dinner. that would be a great way to make a second first impression - throw up the meal they had made for me.

but i sucked it up--a little green as i went to take my first bite--and shock of all shocks, it was delicious. it must be texture or flavor or a combination of both, but this was a great meal, accompanied by great conversation. after dinner, and after getting a blu-ray education from tim, it was time to be on my way.

my last stop of the trip went longer than anticipated in santa barabara with jesse. i had initally debated about staying the night as it was already very late, but i decided i was ready to be back in my own bed. so at 3am, i was. and i've been there ever since. well, not consistently, but every night since my vacation, i've been able to relish being HOME. reminding my dog of my existence. reminding my roommate of my existence. reminding myself of my existence in my own life and actually getting to experience it for a little while!

mt. hood

monday morning, spencer met us at the house and the merry foursome headed over to bumblekiss for brunch. bumblekiss is this great little place near dylan and kelly's that has never disappointed.

after food, it was on to the mt. hood ski bowl. like many winter resorts, mt. hood has various summer activities available on the mountain, and the first order of business for us was the alpine slide.

spencer humors my obsession with self-portraits, but just barely ;)

we headed up on the ski lift and did a few runs, getting the feel of the sleds and the slide itself. all in all, it was pretty tame.


we headed over to the east side of the bowl to try out some of the other activities. first up was the bungee tramp. i was able to get one backflip in before the bungees tightened up and my arms tired out. spencer, on the other hand, lasted longer and was more successful at multiple double-backs. (video below, for all you bloglines/rss readers)



after the bungee tramp, it was time for ghetto mini golf. they don't really call it that, but it really was pretty ghetto. we made the most of it though and had a good time. spencer got his first hole in one ever - or so he says. true or not, i think he was pretty happy about it:)


from mini golf, it was on to the batting cages. i gave spencer my token for an extra 10 pitches, and watched as he, dylan, and kelly all struggled a bit to connect. i was certainly entertained.


then for the final activity of the day; back to the apline slide for a little friendly competition. originally spencer and i were matched and kelly and dylan were racing buddies. i got pretty well smoked by spencer, and kelly by dylan. so we decided to switch racing partners. the first race i won, but barely. the second was a completely different story.

my war wound took a little time to manifest,
but i finally got the proof that i wasn't whining for no reason :)

my sled had to have had wings. i got a late jump off the start, and once i started to get going, i realized that this sled was much faster than my previous ones. i realized it as i was starting to come out of the sled and onto the track. after picking up a really painful concrete burn i rolled myself back in to the sled, and somehow managed to not only catch up with kell, but FLY by her. i think we were both a little in shock, and i was in more than a little pain!


our day o'fun had come to an end and it was time to head home.

testing testing

See my Tabblo>

portland

saturday morning meant a quick trip to the farmer's market with kelly. i love the farmers market - all the fresh fruits and vegetables, the music, the breakfast burritos. i wish huntington had a saturday farmer's market, but alas, we do not.

after a shower, i left dylan, who's not been feeling well, at home, and kelly on her way out to a work function, to make a little visit to the nike employee store. this is a visit i always enjoy making, and a nice perk of having a brother work for the company. i'll admit it, i like the feeling of superiority it gives me to be on 'the list'. just provide the employee number, my id, and i'm in! though everyone knows how athletic i am;), i am always able to find some great deals. this time, my shopping was limited to a few t-shirts and a very cool jacket.

i learned later from dylan, that even though the store is DEEPLY discounted from retail prices, nike still makes a slight profit from the store. due to the sheer volume of traffic coming through, it is the highest grossing store anywhere.

dylan and i had some downtime at home before kelly's return, and that downtime may or may not have involved a little catnap.

when kelly got back the three of us headed out to meet her mom and sister for a movie. i always enjoy spending time with them and feel grateful to have the connection. i don't think most people get to hang out with their in-law's family, and i always have a good time. doesn't hurt that i'm quite fond of them!

the movie was 500 days of summer, and we all dug it. if you like quirky artsy movies, or if you just like zooey deschanel, i'd recommend it.

the rest of the evening was spent relaxing, and sunday wasn't much different.

i joined dylan and kelly for sunday dinner with her family, then headed back to meet spencer at the house.

we spent some time catching up before dylan and kelly returned, and the four of us spent the evening laughing and talking and playing games.

and, we're off!

wow, have i been in need of a vacation! i set out on thursday, heading to northern california for a stopover with julie and her family, before making my way up to portland.

on the way, i'd decided to pick up a couple of national parks passport stamps at sequoia & kings canyon national parks. i had debated about whether to stop here or at yosemite since i only had time for one park. ultimately i made the decision based on never having been to sequoia before. though i'm missing the stamp for yosemite, at least i've seen it:)

before even entering the park the landscape began to change, as i traded the somewhat barren california highway scenery for trees, trees, and more trees. and while i have no complaints about living in huntington and my close proximity to the beach, there is just something about mountains and forests. fresh air is the perfect remedy for stress relief.

at every stop i made in the park, i was met with the most delightful smells. i don't know if clean air really has a smell but if it does, this would be it.


i stopped at the sentinel tree and the general sherman tree, which is the largest redwood in the world (by volume), but my favorite stop was an unexpected one. upon crossing over a lovely stone bridge, i noticed a group of people playing in the water below. i just couldn't resist, so i hiked down in my skirt and flip flops (perhaps not the best choice for the day), and did a little wading. i was surprised at how perfect the water temperature was - cool enough to be refreshing, but not so cold as to curl your toes. it was a wonderful break from the drive.


eventually it was time to dry off and get back on the road.


i arrived several hours later at my stopover and headed out early the next morning.

day two saw another national park stop, and one that i was reallly excited about! i'd been to crater lake in my teens and i remembered it as being spectacularly beautiful. i was curious to see if the memory would hold up in my adulthood.

it absolutely did. i wasn't sure if the blue waters of my memory were truly as blue as i recalled. and they absolutely were.

the vivid blue color is the result of both the depth and purity of the water, and it is most certainly a sight to behold.

beyond the water, there were other treasures to enjoy...

the wildflowers


and the wildlife :D


having satisfied my curiosity about crater lake--and picking up the stamp of course--it was again time to get back on the road.

my little detour took kept me off the highway for most of the remainder of the trek, which made the drive extremely enjoyable. i spent much of it parallel to rivers and lakes and pure gorgeousness.

i arrived in portland in the early evening to begin catching up with dylan and kelly and to settle into my home away from home for the next few days.

apparently, you can't do this anymore...

cliffs of moher, ireland, 2003