Sookie Stackhouse #8

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
It's been a while since I've finished one of the Sookie Stackhouse books thinking that this might be the best book of the series. But so much happens in this book it's easy to so why that might be the case. It's hard to come up with the true plot of the book, since again so much happens there's no central theme except Sookie survives.

But what exactly does she survive? Well to start off with there's a werewolf war, and completely separate from that is a vampire war. And on top of that there's a least two other near death situations Sookie finds herself in.

Besides all the wars, Sookie also discovers long lost members of her family, and unlike her cousin who was barley alive for a single book I have a feeling these member are going to stick around for books to come.

And the ending of the book, I wouldn't call it a true cliffhanger, but it's as close to a cliffhanger as I've seen in the book. The way it ends I really can't wait to read the next book. Luckily I won't have long to wait, since it's already in print. It is a little disappointing to know that there's only two books left in the series, and after that I'll be waiting like everyone else for the next book to be published.

~Shoshanah

Not Quite Triple A

Every since I could drive I've been on my parents triple A account. I remember once in college calling, and the women on the other end saying, "I'd like to thank you for your 30 years as a member, but I don't think you've actually been a member that long." But I always kind of assumed I would be a member just as long. So when my parents sent me the bill so I could actually start paying on my own, I was a little surprised that he advised me not to renew. His reasoning was that if anything went wrong with my car he would be able to take car of it all.

Well that got put to the test this past week, when I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. I doubled checked my AAA card just in case, the actual expiration date of the card was a few weeks ago, but I do still have the renewal bill sitting behind my computer. The boy was still in bed sleeping, so I woke him up freaking out a little.

He got dressed and dropped me off at work, and I was there on time and he was able to get to campus in time for his class as well. At the end of the day he stopped by the Toyota dealership, which is around the corner from my work, and picked me up. He had a night class and due to timing I wound up having to head back with him. I had One Day, which I was reading at the time, to keep me occupied. I also was able to check out some of the renovations to LSU student union that have been completed since I graduated. I'm definitely a fan, and wish parts of it were there while I was still working on my Masters. After class we headed back to the house, where he was able to put the new battery and my car was good as new the following day.

So basically I was able to easily get through car trouble without triple A. But on the other hand what if this had happened on a day when the boy had left before me. I would have pretty much have been stranded. So the question is, do have have triple A or not? And if you have it have often do you really use it? Or if you don't have it, what do you do when you have car troubles?

~Shoshanah

Breaking the Fast

After being in services and fasting all day yesterday for Yom Kippur, I met up up with the boy to watch the LSU game and for break fast. We went to the Fox and the Hound, which is a faux English pub. (Faux because they give you your food not on newspaper, but on regular wax paper that's printed to look like a newspaper.) So after I had an appetizer (fried mozzarella sticks) and my stomach started to feel normal I decided I needed a drink, since we were watching a football game.
I decided to order their Krytonite-rita. You can't completely tell from the picture but this thing was huge! And even though I wound up eating a pizza (BBQ chicken if you must know), this clearly wasn't the best idea after fasting the whole day. I got about halfway through, when I knew that if I drank anymore my stomach would really not be happy with me. It felt pretty wasteful not drinking most of such an expensive drink, but I guess it would have been more wasteful if I drank it the rest and well, it came right back up again.

So really the moral of the story, is not to order crazy large drinks after you've been fasting for the day. It's really quite simple, and I feel a little ridiculous for making such a crazy misjudgment.

~Shoshanah

Living Room Tour

When Kelly last did her tour of houses, I was living in this apartment. I didn't wind up stumbling on Kelly's Korner until the end of the tour, and so was never able to participate. Since then my boyfriend and I bought house, and we're still trying to figure out exactly how we want to decorate. So hopefully looking through these posts will give me some inspiration, and I'll be able to get some good advice. So starting with the living room.
This is the view when you walk in from the front door. While there's some pieces of furntiture I'm not a huge fan of, almost everything in here was a hand-me-down and so free. While I'd love to be able to replace some of this, I'd rather save up for some amazing pieces instead of replacing items just because.
Speaking of not all the furniture being perfect, the couch doesn't quite fit in the room. So we have this somewhat random section of the couch to create somewhat of a little reading nook. You can also see from here how the living room leads into the dinning room/kitchen.
The fireplace is probably my favorite part of this room. Although we didn't use it at all durring our winter here, I'm hoping we have the chance to this year. On top of the fireplace is a candle and a piece of Venitian glass, which is really only there because I don't know where else to put it, nor am I sure what else I want to put up there. To the right is really on only artwork or pictures in the entire room, and to the left is a pile of blankets (topped with my LSU snuggie), since I always want a blanket when I'm sitting on the couch, even if it's already ridiculously hot.
The TV and TV stand are really the only new things in the room that we've bought. Boys will be boys afterall. To its left is probably the oldest piece of furniture in the house. That chest was actually used by the boy's father as a toychest when he was little.

As you can tell the room still needs a little bit of work. (As you'll see in the weeks to come, so does the rest of the house.) I'm thinking of repainting the room, maybe a light grey to correspond with all the blues throughout the rest of the house. I also want to find something to hang on the walls, but I really want something I love instead of something just to put there. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear them, and I'll definitely be heading over to Kelly's Korner to hopefully discover some great ideas.

~Shoshanah

Once a Year

One Day by David Nicholls
There's been a lot of hype about this book lately, especially since they're in the middle of filming the movie. And once I had a basic idea of the book's plot I knew I had to read it.

The one day, in the book is July 15. That is the first day Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew meet, after college graduation in 1988. Each following chapter is told the next year on the same day all through 2007. Basically we've given a snapshot of how Emma's and Dexter's relationship evolves throughout the years.

I was really curious how the unconventional storytelling would work out. I was a little afraid that somehow it would feel like I was missing something, but only seeing this single day. And while it was true that some chapters ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, never did I feel like vital information was left out. I do think that the way the story is told turned this from a good book to a great book.

One thing about the way it was written is that I kept waiting for something awful to happen. Throughout the book it feels like you reading the tale of star-crossed lovers, so really it shouldn't come as a surprise when or if something tragic happens. And yet... Well I'll just leave it as that.

So yes, the book is worth all the hype. I can't wait to see the movie, and yet I'm still skeptical how they're going to be able to pull this off in movie form. But it's something I can't wait to experience.

~Shoshanah

Fall TV Line Up

It's that time of year again. It's starting to get cooler (although not really in Louisiana), the leave are changing colors (again not really in Louisiana), and my tv shows are coming back. (This is actually happening in Louisiana.) So for your viewing pleasure he's my tv line-up. All times are central because I live in the central time zone. Can you tell you that when I was trying to decide if I should move to Louisiana one of the cons was getting used to watching things in central times? Also if a show has already started airing, a premier date isn't listed.

Sunday
7pm - 8 Amazing Race (Premiers 9/26)
8pm -9 Desperate Housewives (Premiers 9/26)
9pm -10 Brothers & Sisters (Premiers 9/26)
Although I don't normally look forward to Sunday night, these shows change that a little. Housewives has been a little weak lately, but I'm too far into the show to turn away. And I love Brothers & Sisters, but I'm a little sad Emily VanCamp will be leaving the show.

Monday
This night's actually open for me. If the boy gets home on time I'll probably be watching House with him. And there's a good chance I'll be tuning into Kate Plus Eight and Quints by Surprise on TLC while their on, but overall it's looks pretty empty.

Tuesday
7pm - 8 Glee (Premiers 9/21)
7pm - 9 The Biggest Loser (Premiers 9/21)
8pm - 8:30 18 Kids & Counting
9pm - 10 Teen Mom
9pm - 10 Parenthood
Anyone else see a problem this night? This is the reason I really need a DVR, because I'm going to wind up watching one main show during each time period and flipping to the other during commercials. Not really an ideal solutions.

Wednesday
7pm - 8 Survivor:Nicaragua (Premiers Tonight!)
9pm - 10 Top Chef Just Desserts (Premiers Tonight!)
Sometimes I feel like the only one still watching Survivor. But I seriously love it. It's probably one of my favorite shows! And I just can't wait for this new Top Chef. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Thursday
7pm - 8 My Generation (Premiers 9/23)
8pm - 9 Grey's Anatomy (Premiers 9/23)
After last season's finale of Grey's I can't wait for the new seasons. And My Generation is the only new show I'm planning on watching. I think it looks really promising. Plus it's about former high school classmates 10 years after graduating, and somehow, not really sure how it happened, my own 10 year reunion is going to be coming up in just over a year!

So that's it! Well besides Friday & Saturdays but I tend not to do a lot of tv watching those nights. Anyone watch the same shows as me? Is there anything you think I should be watching? And what's your must watch show?

~Shoshanah

Angel Hair con i Funghi

When I first moved to Louisiana in 2006 it was my first time living on my own without the aid of a college dinning hall. Which meant I was responsible for my own meals. What I did almost every night was boil some pasta and top with store bought sauce. Not that exciting, but I could easily eat pasta every night. But then I started dating the boy, and he wasn't too found of the fact I cooked the exact same thing almost every night.

While I still love pasta I don't make it ALL the time like I did in my first apartment. Not only that, I try to get a little creative instead of just dumping jarred sauce on top of noodles. On a whim a bought a crate of mushrooms the other day and was trying to find something to do with them. I wound up finding inspiration in The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed, which my mom gave me when all I was eating is pasta. Their recipe is Bucatini con i Funghi, which is a fancy way of saying Bucatini with mushrooms. Although I used angel hair pasta, and made a few small tweaks, so I present you with...

Angel Hair con i FunghiIngreadiants
1/2 lb Angel Hair Pasta
Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic
6 oz fresh mushrooms
Salt & pepper
Parsley
Directions:
Heat oil and add finely chopped garlic.
Add sliced mushrooms and salt & pepper to taste.
Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes over low heat, then remove and keep warm.
Meanwhile, cook pasta.
Add chopped parsley to mushrooms and stir into pasta.
Mix and add a little more Oilve Oil.
Enjoy while warm.

Their recipe also adds lemon juice at the end which I omitted since I didn't have any in the house. Also I added a touch more garlic than they called for. But it's really so simple that you don't need a recipe. Except if your someone like me, who really can't decide what to cook unless you have an actual recipe to inspire you. Anyone else like that, or do you have the ability to actually come up with your own recipe based only and the indgrediants you have access too?

~Shoshanah