Anansi Boys

I picked this up for another flight across the country and was once again hooked from the first page. Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys follows 'Fat Charlie' Nancy as he discovers that his recently deceased father was actually the god Anansi. In addition to discovering this he also finds he has a brother.

The book was once again very Gaiman - full of myths and legends interwoven within the context of the book. Not as riveting as I found American Gods, but more of a different vein. I think what detracted a bit from the plot were the love stories that seemed to dominate a large portion of the plot. Either way I was engaged right till the end. Definitely recommend picking this up if you are a fan of Gaiman

Earth Hour

Earth Hour

What is it: individuals, businesses, etc. turn off their lights for 1 hour in order to show support for environmental change. Cities around the world have pledged to turn off their lights for earth hour.

How does it work/how can I help?: on Sunday March 28, 2009 for the hour of 8:30-9:30pm local time you can turn off non-essential lighting.

Where can I learn more: http://www.earthhoursus.org/ - check out this website to learn more about Earth Hour, see cities participating, etc.

Where the Wild Things ARe

I have been anxiously awaiting the trailer for Spike Jone's movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. As one of my favorite children's books growing up I was interested in seeing how they were able to take this relatively short illustrated children's book and turn it into a full length live-action film. It looks a bit odd - I don't know if its because I am a die hard lover of the book or just find the direction the movie went somewhat different than I would have gone. Here is the trailer, looks more like an adult indie film based on this trailer then a children's movie:

United States of Tara

My co-workers introduced me to the United States of Tara today - and needless to say I am hooked. A Showtime original show stars Toni Collette as Tara a woman who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID - previously Multiple Personality Disorder). She has several alter personalities including a raunchy teenager, a fifty-ish style housewife, and a man. Adding to this chaos is Tara's rebellious teenage daughter and son. John Corbett plays Tara's husband Max, extremely patient and loving - he is the stable support in the family. Tara's promiscuous sister rounds out the immediate cast. At the center of the show is the continued search for the reason for Tara's split into her alters. If you haven't checked out this show I highly recommend it.

You can check out Showtime's link here

Graduate School

I am going to graduate school!!! I just found out today that I got accepted into my #1 choice graduate school for clinical PsyD. Just can't stop smiling : )

The Tap Project

Tap Project

What is it: The Tap Project raises funds for UNICEF's clean water effort.

Who it benefits: UNICEF is committed to bringing clean water to children all around the world

How does it work/how can I help?: participating restaurants will donate a $1 for every glass of tap water asked for (normally would be served free) and the proceeds will go toward UNICEF. For every dollar donated a child will have clean water for 40 days

Where can I learn more: http://www.tapproject.org/ - here you can learn about the project and what restaurants in your area are participating

Gothika

So I had to pick up one of the crappiest horror (and I use this term loosely in this case) movies for a class presentation I have to do. Needing a scene in a mental institution (and not from Girl Interrupted or Cuckoo's Nest) I remembered seeing this horrible movie years ago starring Halle Berry. My first attempt to pick the movie up from Blockbuster failed - even they didn't carry this pitiful movie. I did however manage to pick up a used copy at Newbury Comics, where they'd deemed it worthy of $3.99.

So what is the movie about?:

Halle Berry plays a psychologist who is treating a young woman (Penelope Cruz) who swears she's being haunted/possessed by a ghost. Through a twist of plot Berry ends up being institutionalized in the very hospital she works at. There she finds out that the "ghost" is no delusion and must try to convince people of this, while also trying to prove she's not insane.

Needless to say there is only one review on the DVD box: "I cherished this movie in all of its lurid glory" - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

In case you need a definition (I had to look it up just in case I was misunderstanding it)--

Lurid: (1) Causing horror or revulsion

- Merriam-Webster Dictionary online

No clue why they chose this review to put on the box. I assume its because it was the best review they got for this movie. Berry probably cringes when she looks at this film. All I have to say is watch at your own risk. As for me...well I hope the $3.99 was worth it and that I get a decent grade for this presentation.

Serious Jet Lag

I am seriously considering scrapping this whole psychology profession and seeing if I can get a job at the Travel Channel. I feel like this last month I have been in Boston a total of a week. Needless to say I am beat and more than just a little jet lagged. It becomes pretty bad when one can cite word for word the entire speech on safety given out before every Jet Blue flight...

I am currently hanging out in Berkeley, California for yet another interview and am looking forward to a 7am flight out of San Francisco (boo!). While it is no secret that CA is not my favorite state to visit I wish I had a bit more time to go explore San Francisco. Berkeley is a very college town (reminding me of the BC area a bit) but its overall a really nice area.

There are so many restaurants here it becomes a bit of a challenge picking just one. I did manage to visit a great Italian restaurant called Venezia which I highly reccomend. It was a bit unfortunate for me that I visited on one of their wine days so I was unable to get seated anywhere else but the bar area, I highly reccomend reservations! I did manage to get a peak at the main dinning area and I must admit it is quite beautiful. Its set up so that it looks like an outside cafe in Italy, complete fountain, clothes hanging on a line, and fake birds! The food was extremely good and moderately priced. The menu is online and is set up for each day. I ordered a potato soup, homemade ravioli with pesto sauce, and tiramisu. For a drink I had a Hibiscus Rum Sour which was fabulous. Service was fabulous and prompt (keep in mind again I was in the bar area) despite the high traffic due to it being a special wine dinnner night there. I highly reccomend checking out this restaurant if you are in the area. (http://caffevenezia.com/)

If I could do it all again I would definitely spend a bit more time in San Francisco - if not just to visit Alcatraz which I was surprised to hear you could do a formal tour of this infamous prison. (http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/) I guess I will just have to wait for next time...

I plan on making a trip out to Chicago again soon so I hope to be a bit more touristy on this trip. As I was feeling pretty under-the-weather on this trip I didn't get to sightsee as much as I would have liked.

Speaking of travel I did manage to catch the later half of Bridget's Sexiest Beaches on the Travel Channel and absolutely love it! As a big fan of both The Girls Next Door and the Travel Channel I was happy to hear that Bridget was getting her own show. Any fan of the GND will know that Bridget was always the most up for traveling and adventure so it seems like a perfect match. The title is a bit of a turn off, but after getting over that I feel like most people will be pleasantly surprised. The first episode in Australia was great. What drew me in was not only hostess bubbly personality but also her willingness to try things that the ordinary traveler wouldn't (or doesn't know about). If you can get over the pervocative title and scantily clad hostess than I suggest checking it out.

Well I hope to be back on the east coast soon and have decided that for my last few months left in Boston I should probably try on being a tourist in my own city. There are so many things I haven't gotten a chance to do in the last few years and I want to see them all before I leave. With the recession I feel this is the perfect time to make the most of what's in my own back yard in terms of sightseeing.

Wishing for Remain Motionless

I literally have not stopped moving for the past two weeks. Between midterms, spring break, and traveling for grad school interviews I feel like I am in a constant state of motion. That being said here are a few cool things that came to my attention in the past few weeks....

Voges Chocolate
This amazing chocolate store houses just about anything dipped in chocolate. I first became aware of them during a flight when I watched a Food Network special on chocolate. I was especially intrigued by their bacon/chocolate bar (which is great by the way), so when I got the chance to check out one of their stores in Las Vegas recently I was floored to see that bacon/chocolate was nowhere near the weirdest/deliscious thing on the menu. Wasabi, chili, curry...anything you name it they have managed to wrap it in chocolate and in such a way that you forget whats in it and just enjoy how great it tastes. Check them out at: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

The Odditorium
Curtosy of the new Lola that I picked up while wandering the streets of Boston, apparently resident snake charmer Zehara Nachash will be performing on March 20th at the YMCA Theatre. In addition there will sideshows, vaudeville theatre, belly dancing, conjurors, and Eight Corner Globe (http://eightcornerglobe.com/) There's a full list of set of performers on Nachash's website on the Odditorium: http://www.zehara.com/odditorium.html Additionally here is a quick video about the event




Needless to say I'm kinda bummed I can't go....

Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand at the ICA
I have honestly been dying to get out the ICA, but just haven't for some reason or another. Finally I have a great excuse. Once again Lola (love this free magazine, definitely check it out if you haven't already) informed me that the man responsible for the red, white, and blue hope posters of the President has his first solo exhibit. Can't wait to check it out.

I am starting to make a list of all the things I haven't done in Boston to prepare for moving out of the city and the ICA definitely falls on that list. Hopefully by the time summer starts and I'm into completing it I will have my camera back to document it all in glorious color, till then I will have to rely on imagination only.

Finally as I prepare to sleep/nap for the next few hours before yet another trip across the country I leave you with a few of my favorite new websites:

• www.fmylife.com - life is humorous you might as well get a good laugh out of it
• http://thisissand.com - its an interesting and something to waste a good five minutes here and there
• www.exboyfriendjewelry.com/ - the title says it all, sell back all the crap from your failed relationships take all the hard earned cash (that's right you heard me, HARD EARNED) and spend it on something nice for yourself
• www.blurb.com - nice books you can make by yourself and in some cases sell to others
• www.modelinia.com - a website about models how original you say....wrong! While its a newer website and still has its fair share of kinks to work out it definitely delievers my dose of fashion/model craving I get every once in a while.

Well hopefully I will be writing again soon - sorry this post is so jumbled, hopefully I will have more time to devote to this blog as my journeys across country end as well as my time here in Boston. Nothing but the best to everyone!