Fall into Fall

On Labor Day the boy and I drove out to his parent's house. On the way there, I made him stop at a Starbucks. He wants to be sure that I wrote down that this was under protest by him. He's just isn't a coffee fan. If he's in need of a caffeine fix he'll always have a Coke.

But back to me! I had my first Starbucks pumpkin spice latte of the season.
I can't quite say pumpkin spice lattes are my favorite, that place is currently held by gingerbread lattes (or gingersnap lattes as Starbucks has started calling them). But maybe in a few months I'll have a taste test to decide which I prefer, because I do think its awfully close!

Since we've officially enter pumpkin spice latte season, I guess that means fall has arrived. The weather has started cooling off slightly in Baton Rouge, but I'm sure there's still a feel days of ridiculous heat coming up. So to everyone out there, happy fall! And do you have a favorite coffee drink? Or do you dislike all coffee in general like the boy?

~Shoshanah

The Tea Rose Trilogy: Book 1

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
My co-worker lent me this book, and if I'm being honest I wasn't really looking forward to reading it, but felt completely obligated too. The book itself was a little long (over 500 pages), and while length isn't really a problem after some of the books I've read recently I was craving a little more fluff. Also while the book is historical fiction which I do enjoy, it takes place at the end of the 19th century, which is not a time period a read frequently.

I did suck it up to read the book, and am definitely glad I did because I wound up loving the book. The book is told from the point of view of Fionna Finnegan a factory working growing up in England in the 1890s. Of course, she's in love the a boy, Joe Bristow, her next door neighbor and a fruit seller. The book itself has a bit of romance, as well as some action and a bit of adventure. It winds up being a bit of a rags to riches story.

I did have a few minor complaints though. One of the back stories were the murders of Jack the Ripper. I do understand that this was what was happening at this time, but I think some of the murder scenes weren't necessarily needed. Also, I felt the book was a bit too predictable. And the book was filled with those almost painful scenes you see in a lot of romance stories. You know, similar to movies where they show both the girl and boy pick up the phone to call, but hang up since they assume the other one doesn't want to talk. I understand they are done to add a bit of suspense, but they always just feel so frustrating to me!

And remember how I was complaining about how long the book was? Well I started it last Thursday, so once I go into it I didn't want to put it down. Of course, having a four day weekend helped the situation.

The book is part of a trilogy, the second of which is called The White Rose. I could be wrong, but I don't believe the final book has been published yet. I would definitely read the rest of the books in the trilogy, mainly because I can't wait to hear what happens to the rest of the characters. I would recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy reading historical fiction.

~Shoshanah

Let's Play a Game

Gamer
I will start off by saying I wasn't a big fan of this movie. The plot line was similar to that of Jason Statham's Death Race in that a prisoner in jail has to play a game (or be in a race) and if he wins a certain number of times he will be released and be reunited with his family. Both movies had a little too much blood and guts for my taste. And of course a lot of death. Pretty much the perfect movie for a teenage boy.

However, there's a pretty big catch in Gamer. The game he has to win is actually a video game. In that there's a human being who is able to controlling the prisoner, and the prisoner doesn't get to make any decision himself. But think about it from the player's point of view instead of playing a game and controlling an imaginary character you're controlling a real live person.

In the movie they say this started out with a different less violent game called Society. This was a game similar to The Sims, except again your sim was actually a human. Its a pretty interesting social dilemma. Yes, the "characters" in the game are being paid for their work, but they have lost the ability to control their own actions. And the person doing the controlling actual gets to live their fantasy life from the comfort of their own living room.

If I'm being honest, if something like this actually existed I think I might succumb to the temptations and play as would a lot of other people. But then you have to think of the type of person who would be willing to sign up to "act" in a game like this. Maybe people who have no drive and don't want to make any decisions, but more likely people who are poor and found an easy way to make money without having to do any of the work.

I'd like to think our society would never deem something like this to be acceptable. But you never know what the future might hold, however unlikely it may be. Luckily one can let this movie stand as a cautionary tell, in that just because you can do something doesn't mean you have to.

On a final note I wouldn't necessarily recommend the actual movie. But I do think the ideas it proposes are interesting. And well, if you do enjoy watching people got blown to smithereens then this might be the movie for you.

~Shoshanah

It's a Surprise

Yesterday laying out at the pool I read this article from the August Real Simple. (No I don't subscribe people normally leave their old magazines in the laundry room and this was one I recycled.) The article was about a group of 6 friends that go on vacation together every year. Not just any vacation, a surprise vacation!

The way it works is that each year one of the 6 is in charge to plan. They're given a per person budget (that's supposed to include airfare) and a weekend to work with when everyone can go, but no other restrictions. The a few weeks before the trip they let everyone one in on the surprise. They then alternate every year. Which means every 6th year you'd have to plan a vacation, but the other 5 you'd have everything planned for you. So far some of the trips they've gone on include renting a house in New England, staying on a ranch in Colorado, and booking a hotel room in NYC.

How much fun would this be to do with a group of friends? I know it can be hard to keep up with friends especially when you like me seem to always more around the country. But this would be such a great way to see everybody every year. And on top of that most of the time you don't have to do any of the planning. Yes, the year you plan would be stressful, but I think it'd be forth it. There's also the fact that its a surprise to look forward to every year. I would so love to do this, maybe with my college friends? Anyone else think this sounds like a great idea?

~Shoshanah

P.S. The first LSU game of the season's on tonight! I stopped by Target earlier today, and I'm pretty sure every person in there was wearing LSU colors. Let's Geaux Tigers!

Show Us Your... School Pictures

No I'm not skipping work today. I'm actually taking my floating holiday, and I figured what better way to celebrate the start of my FOUR day weekend then by participating in Kelly's Koner's Show Us Your Life. This week's theme is school pictures.
I'm not a big fan of throwing away anything, which means I still have (almost) all my school ids. And when I say I have them, I mean I kept them in my wallet. So anytime I need a good laugh, or a conversation started I can whip them out and let everyone see me grow up before their eyes. And now you can too!
6th gradeThis might have been one of the last times my hair was short. And I rarely wore jewelry to school. I'm pretty sure I wore that necklace only for the actual picture.

8th GradeMy 7th grade ID seems to have disappeared. I do think this 8th grade picture might be one of my favorite ID pictures.

9th GradeThis was taken as registration instead of part way through the way like in middle school. High school also meant I would be going to school the boy I'd been crushing on all through 8th grade. So I went all out make-up wise hoping he'd see me. I think I might have overdone it a bit, at least for me.

10th GradeI took the opposite approach here. As in I'm too cool for school and really don't care how I look or what people think. Yeah... not sure that was the best approach.

11th GradeI do think this is a pretty good compromise between both 9th & 10th grade.

12th GradeThis pictures actually from about half way through the year. I thought I lot my ID so got a replacement. I think this is a pretty good picture of what I looked like on an average day senior year. And I did find the ID in my sweatshirt pocket about a week later. Not sure where it is now though.

CollegeI got to keep this ID picture for all 4 years of college. But the end I was a bit of a fan of how young and innocent I seemed to look in it. And yes, I do realize I'm not looking at the camera.

Grad SchoolThis is my LSU ID (if you look closely you can see an eye of a Tiger in the background). I used to love this picture, except for the fact that the color is fading! Umm... how does it happen that the color on my 6th grade ID is fine, but my ID from LSU which is less than 3 years old is fading? Anyone else see anything wrong with that picture?

If you're here from Kelly's Korner, thanks for stopping by! And maybe you'll stick around a while? Also, if you've had as much fun looking as these old pictures as I did, that's a lot more to look at, at Kelly's Korner.

~Shoshanah

Julie & Julia: The Book

I finished reading Julie & Julia today, the book I won in a giveaway from Sweet Tea Diaries. To start with back when I saw the movie a lot of you asked if it made more sense to see the movie first and then read the book or to do the opposite. At the time, I couldn't really give a good answer. But now I can say, I'm glad I saw the movie first and then read the book.

What the movie seemed to do is book a only few key plot scenes and turn them into the core of the movie. For example the main to big cooking projects that stick out in the movie are boeuf bourguignon and cooking live lobster. While both are in the book as well, they are two small adventures no more important than say making mayonnaise. Something that seemed to happen a lot in the book, but was no where in the movie. I guess watching people make mayonnaise isn't very exciting. I do think if I had read the book first and then seen the movie I would have been disappointed as to some of the details they chose to cut.

Of course a lot of this is due to the fact the movie focused a lot more on Julia Child's story. While most chapters do start with an imagined scene of Julia Child's life, one of which contains one unforgettable Julia Child line from the movie, it doesn't tell Julia Child's story. But then its not supposed to.

As a blogger one thing I liked about the book was the blog talk. I've read books by bloggers before (books by Christine Coppa of Glamour's Storked and Jen Lancaster of Jennsylvania) And while both Christine and Jen talk about the blogging itself, its nowhere near to the point that Julie talks about if. For example, she talks about the type of discussions that break out in her comment's after she writes a post, or when she actually writes her posts. Little things them almost seem unimportant but somehow make it all feel more real.

I also liked the ending of the book quite a bit more than the movie. I do apologize if I'm spoiling the ending, but the movie ends with, "Julie's blog got made into a movie." Why yes, I just so happened to sit through that movie now didn't I? Not to big of a surprise. The ending of the book seems to be a much more he artful piece from Julie Powell that actually feels meaningful, and not "well, duh."

I am glad I both read the book and saw the movie. And I'm pretty sure I'll read her next book Cleaving after in comes out in December. I'd say if you enjoy reading blogs (which you must if you're reading this, right?), then I'd definitely say you'd enjoy it. And if you enjoyed the movie, you'd probably like this too. I guess there's only one thing left to say. Bon Appetit!

~Shoshanah

The Flavors of Runts Past.

This morning when I went into the kitchen a work to get a cup of coffee I noticed they had restocked the vending machine. I had no know if they added anything exciting, and was met with a yummy surprise. They had one of my favorite candies, Chewy Runts. Not only that, there were no flavors in the bag. Which meant of course latter that afternoon I had to try a bag. What were these new flavors? Well first let's explore the flavors of Runts past.

The ones I remember growing up were banana, strawberry, orange, lime, and cherry. When I was in high school they changed it up and replaced lime and cherry with watermelon and blue raspberry. Those two didn't last long, and while I was at LSU they were replaced with mango and pineapple. But the new runts in the vending machine had replaced them with green apple and grape. Which means the total runts line-up is banana, strawberry, orange, green apple, and grape.

My thought on the new flavors is that they aren't nearly as good as mango and pineapple. Although, honestly I think they should go back to the original and bring back cherry and lime flavors. Has anyone else seen these new flavors around?

~Shoshanah

P.S Did anyone else hear that the Duggar's are expecting their 19th child? I think they should go for an 20. I do think its pretty amusing that Michele & Jim-Bob's first grandchild will be older than the 19th kid. Pretty crazy.

P.P.S. Remember the waste of money Stacy's Pita chips? I finished the last of them last night. Which means they lasted about two weeks. I'd say they turned out to pretty worth it, don't you?