Internets, if I’d been born rich instead of good looking, I’d be running off to Plum Village in southwestern France to study with Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and visionary, and I would also hire Stephen Viscusi, “America’s Workplace Guru,” to be my personal coach.

Then Beth Pattillo and I would start a Home for Wayward Girls and Knitters, and I’d be the head librarian and yarn gatherer.

Sigh.

Yes, that is what I would do.

But since I cannot, I will content myself with their books. “Sweetgum Knit Lit Society” is a gem of a book (pssst — “The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love” is skedded for release in June). Meet Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, Camille and their reluctant teenage knitter, Hannah. (WaterBrook Press, 2008, 342 pages, $14.) Look for Ms. Pattillo over here.

Mr. Viscusi’s book, subtitled “4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out On Top At Work,” is a compact volume that goes expand-o once it hits your brain. I like this guy. I like his anecdotes, his chop-chop way of writing, his take on things. Get a copy of this book, even if you don’t think you need it. (Collins Business, 2008, 171 pages, $19.95.) Look for more tips from Mr. Viscusi at bulletproofyourjob.com.

Now. Mr. Hanh is someone who my ministers at church quote often, and I am always moved by his words, his philosophies. I finally picked up a copy of “Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World.” (Free Press, 2003, 208 pages, $14.) It is… I do not know how to describe this book. It has brought me some sorely-needed peace. It has brought on tears, and smiles, and a roadmap. I am always looking for roadmaps. We are all so in need of them. I’m tired of refusing to stop to ask for directions — sometimes I need them so badly.

I admit, when I read the title of the book, I thought (flip, as always), “Sure, let’s get going on that.” Funny thing is — he does. He has been working on this for decades now.

Dear Reader (he begins), as you read this book, please do so with the understanding that peace is already here and now. It is already a part of you. Please read these pages slowly and calmly, so that the very act of reading is peace. Remember, the practice of peace always begins right here, right now.

It does.

You will find more from Mr. Hanh at Plum Village.org.

Reviewed today:

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“To be nobody but myself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.” -ee cummings, poet (1894-1962)

Just read the best book with the kids — “Snowflake Bentley,” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrations (woodcuts painted with watercolors) by Mary Azarian (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998).
Of course I can’t put an Amazon pic for you, because my husband just reformatted my HTML or something and I just deleted an old post, trying to edit this post. Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what happened, either. But here are some links in case you want to learn more about this amazing guy who was born 100 years before I was. You will find the books here and here. His parents bought him a microscope camera and off he went. Cool man, inspiring photos, and the kids’ book about him was just incredible.

Just the thought of concentrating on one thing — like snowflakes — for my entire life — one thing and nothing else, no distractions, no chaos, just total focus — can you imagine that? I cannot.

It’s a snow day over here today. Lots of snow. Lots of chaos. Very. Little. Focus.

Got it!

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* snowy icky warming freezing raining freezing slipping sliding icy ick.

* we have enough vodka do not fear.

* possibly not enough to last through the weekend, seeing as how this is only… (have no idea what day.) (not too close to the weekend, though.)

* kids happy. Simpsons Christmas, backgammon, Mysterious Benedict Society’s Perilous Journey.

* next batch of chocolate crinkles just coming out of the oven, gotta go.

wet freezy kisses,
wm

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Only we don’t eat turkey over here. Still, we’re grateful. I’m grateful for bacon, cuz that clam chowder I had for dinner last night was so good. My son is grateful for pigs. Live pigs. He has requested that I give up bacon. And his sister has requested that we buy them a Wii or Nintendo DS.

Wouldn’t hold my breath on any of that.

And dear readers, I am grateful for you, for America’s new president, for my new job, that I love so much. It is a cool thing to finally, after years of searching, find the right career. And it was there in the library, in the stacks, right under my nose, this whole time. (I needed to look between Cormier, Robert, and Creech, Sharon. Between DiTerlizzi, Tony, and Draper, Sharon. It just took me awhile to get there.)

I’m grateful for Hockey God, who is the yang to my yin, every day without fail. I’m grateful to my kids, who are funny and kooky and remind me of what’s important. (”We are. Over here. Don’t pay attention to anything else. Give us chocolate.”)

I’m thankful for the Nekkid Neighbors, cuz if it’s wasn’t for their love of gadgets, pots and pans, I wouldn’t be cooking Suzanne’s Crockpot Stuffing right now. (If you haven’t already, go sign up for a Book Club or two.)

I’m thankful for Suzanne, and all my Internet buddies. And I’m especially thankful for all my “real-time” buddies. This year will be better. It has to be. I just know it, that’s why.

Have a great weekend, y’all. We’re going to eat root vegetable soup with greens, stuffing with vegetarian herb gravy, TWO KINDS of cranberry sauce (in honor of my Mom’s family, who can never agree on a damn thing), pumpkin pies and real whipped cream, and brownies.

I wish you and yours all the best.

xxox

wm

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Helloooooooooooooo, Book Lovers!

You know I’m happiest when I’m reading books or writing about books or checking books out to kids or buying books for my own kids. Or checking books out for my own kids. Or, alternately, checking books out for myself. Or buying myself cookbooks and then not cooking anything from them. (more…)

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I’ll write the reviews tomorrow (or possibly Tuesday) and give you some recipes, but wanted you to see what I’ve been reading this weekend. (Along with Harry Potter 3, yay Harry Potter. Now I can see why everyone has been waiting in lines all these years for him.)

Happy Sunday, babies!

Recommended:

edited to add this:

Ayun’s book is funny. She’s a funny girl. She’s especially funny when she’s describing how her father stole her Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cook Book from her after her parents divorced. To my own father I would like to say, Peace, Dad. You killed yourself, you killed my dog, you left us alone. You left me longing for something I would never have. Ever. You wrecked my life in a lot of ways, but at least you never stole my favorite cook book so you could have the hamburger recipe like Ayun’s dad. For that small favor, I thank you.

(Also, you will find the delicious recipe for “Ham” Loaf Hawaiian, the first meal I ever cooked for my mom, dad and sis, on page 68, under the “Meats canned meat” section of the Betty Crocker book. I know because I just picked up my copy off the shelf and thumbed through it. I was also fond of making the Mad Hatter Meatballs on the opposite page. And the bunny salad. There is a lot of Internet love out there for this book, by the way. Ayun and I are not alone. Here’s someone who wrote a book about “Ham” Loaf Hawaiian.)

Here’s a good one from her book. I’ve already made these three times. I didn’t have chocolate chips, so I subbed sweetened cocoa. Good… but they’re not chocolate chips. Give it a try, and don’t blame me if you eat the entire pan.

gub-gub brownies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 2 sticks of butter. Sweet Jesus.

Then add 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Better taste some to make sure nobody poisoned it.

Thank God you’re still alive to add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Discuss boys for 5 to 10 minutes to give the dough a chance to cool off a little.

Add 2 cups of chocolate chips. (But first, as a favor to me, do a little Internet research to see which brand is owned by a conglomerate that gladhands its infant formula to impoverished families in developing countries in order to create “customers” who can ill afford a product they didn’t need in the first place and now mix with dirty water. Then buy another brand.)

Don’t forget to discuss those boys, though. Remember, the Internet didn’t exist back when I was in high school. I wouldn’t have known an instant message if it bit me in the ass.

Pour in a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.

These suckers have a long shelf life, so mail them to all your friends who have already left for college.

(from “Dirty Sugar Cookies”)

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Alternately titled, “Abbie Hoffman Killed Himself Because of Idiots Like Me.”

We just finished watching “Chicago 10″ and it was good. Better than good — it was great. (more…)

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Today we had facials. Da-da-daaaaaaaaaaa. We did not go to church. Here are three books for you to read:

Recommended:

That’s all, just three books. Why do I like these? I say they’re good. Du-du-duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.

(Edited with a note from her mother: I am looking forward to the new Pippi, with illustrations by one of our favorite artists and writers, Lauren Child. But the others? No, they are no good. That’s why I took them off my library shelves and discarded them all.)

I SAY THEY ARE GOOD. Cuz they are really good — the writing is nice and scary in Goosebumps. In Rotten School, it’s like… yeah. It’s really, like, um… I just like them. All kids do, actually. That’s all.

See you later,

Wacky Girl

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You know who is an amazing writer? Lois Duncan. And she just has never, ever, ever, gotten her proper respect, as far as this humble reviewer is concerned. More on that in a minute. First off — why am I reviewing in a hodgepodge today? Because it’s my blog, that’s why. No, because I promised books to a reader who is expecting, and before I hand them over, I must review. (more…)

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Finally, a memoir where someone doesn’t lie their head off. “Grace After Midnight” is the story of Felicia “Snoop” Pearson (who played Snoop on the acclaimed HBO series “The Wire”). (Grand Central Publishing, 2007, $22, 233 pages.) She is one amazing Baltimore woman. As a teenager, she landed in Jessup State Penitentiary for killing a woman in self-defense.

Whether Pearson is writing about her birth (as a three-pound, cross-eyed baby who was addicted to crack), about her mother tearing the dress off of her baby girl’s body and selling it for drugs, or about her knack for selling dildos and perfume in prison, she writes it raw, pure, and poignantly. She’s got a sense of humor, too, thank God for her. (more…)

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