Chicago Winter

Image by dresmall via Flickr

When I first told people that I planned on movin g to Chicago for school the number one thing people would ask me about was how I was going to handle the winter. My general response was something along the lines of "it can't be that bad." Cue March when I emerged from my cave after two months of self-imposed hibernation swearing that next winter I'd be better prepared. Needless to say I've developed a nice stockpile of winter survival tips over the years and I figured I'd share a few:




Clothing

• Layers are a Chicagoian's best friend.  Not only do they help with the frigid air outside, but they also help with the inevitable overly-heated office or train car
• Waterproof boots are a definite must.  There is nothing worse than feet getting wet due to slush when the temp is in the negatives.  Additionally, boots usually offer more traction for dealing with the occasional icy sidewalk

Beauty

• Despite the cliche-ness of saying 'drink more water' in the case of Chicago winters and warding off dry skin its true. 
• As the unfortunate recipient of naturally dry skin, winter is particularly troublesome.  As a result, I own just about every kind of moisturizer available.  Here are just a few I've found helpful: Aquaphor (aside: CVS makes an excellent equivalent of this) hand cream, Egyptian Magic, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer, Oil of Olay's In Shower Body Lotion

Home

• Only recently have I begun to recognize the amazingness of humidifiers, what did I do before I got mine?  Oh wait I know I suffered through static, dry skin, sore throats...you name it.  While no means the miracle cure for winter's ailments, I definitely recommend getting a humidifier for those who (like me) must content with the drying factors associated with some heating units.  I love the one I picked up from Bed Bath and Beyond, it works fantastic and it kind of reminds me of R2D2
• Lastly, I have embraced the old college-standby of using the cellophane-looking like products to seal my drafty windows.  Attractive? no  Beneficial? Definitely

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I have a long standing tradition of going opening day to all the movies.  This year was no exception and I was first in line with my friend opening day.  Needless to say I wasn't disappointed... 

Broad Overview:
This movie starts right where the last movie left off.  We rejoin Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they prepare for the final battle against Voldemort for the magical world (geez even as I right this I am cringing at the adolescent geekiness that is Harry Potter).

Review:
I had the chance to read a couple of reviews prior to seeing the movie and found that the majority of complaints with film seemed to be around the lack of development with the plot/characters.  While I can understand the frustration with this I felt that overall the film was generally setting the stage for the final film.  Realistically, any translation from book to film will always leave out some information.  There are few examples where the film is really able to capture everything the book is able to.  As the Harry Potter books are notoriously long, I think it really is a lot to ask of a film to capture everything the book is able. 

Anyone who hasn't read the books is in for a real shock as the latest installment is quite dark (as is the book).  I find it quite refreshing that the tone of the films has changed in accordance with the books and age of the characters.  I am looking forward to the final installment and hope that it leaves this series on a high note as this film in my opinion has left a solid base for a spectacular finish

(picture from wikipedia)

Quote - Gone with the Wind

Cover of Gone with the Wind

No, I don't think I will kiss you — although you need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.

- Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara, Gone With the Wind



Heart This - Glee's Teenage Dream

The Liar's Club

Cover of The Liars' Club: A Memoir

I recently had the pleasure of reading Mary Karr's memoir "The Liar's Club."  The book tells the story of Mary Karr's childhood growing up as part of a dysfunctional family in Texas in the 1960's.  Karr's childhood was filled with unstable family dynamics, alcohol, drugs and yet she managed to rise above what most would consider a traumatic filled childhood to become a bestselling author.  In addition "The Liar's Club," Karr has also gone on to write "Cherry" and "Lit" about later portions of her life.

I've basically described this book to just about everyone I've met.  I've described it sort of like watching a beautiful train wreck -  so horrified you want to turn away, but at the same time are increasingly fascinated to watch.  This is probably the easiest way to describe Mary Karr's memoir.  Though short, its not a light read.  I'm sure that as psychology student I read way too deeply into this book, but I promise you it does go deep.  Just when you think it can't possible get any deeper, it does.  As the ending jumped several year ahead in Karr's life, I almost planned on skipping it in case I decided to read her other memoirs, I am so glad I didn't.  I doubt there are many people out there like me who read this sporadically, but in case you do...do not skip the end!  I promise you it will be worth it. 

Final thoughts: I highly recommend reading this book if you get a chance, its definitely not light reading but its worth reading

City of Bones

Cover via Amazon

My family recently came up for a visit and I was gifted with the first three books in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series.  I just finished the first book, "City of Bones" and needless to say I'm hooked.  I still haven't finished the "Hunger Games" series and I also just obtained the new Nicholas Spark's book ("Safe Haven"), the pile continues to grow...

But back to "City of Bones."  The story is about a girl named Clary who following an incident at a nightclub gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters.  This world is populated by vampires, warewolves, fairies, witches, and all sorts of magical creatures.  While the story isn't terribly original (teenager finds out that they are actually a lot cooler than they thought they were and that there is a magical world), the way it is carried out is.  The book is oddly compelling, I find myself extremely happy that I have two more books to go and that Clare just started a new series...

The Hunger Games

Image via Wikipedia

Here is the basic gist of the plot: In the future North America is split up into districts and is ruled over by the Capitol. At some point in time there was a rebellion against the Capitol the resulted in District 13 being decimated. Every year as a reminder that the government controls the people, each district must participate in the hunger games. This basically consists of each district picking 1 boy and 1 girl to participate in a fight till the death show that's broadcast as television entertainment.


Review: The book was entirely engaging. A couldn't-put-it-down, wish-it-didn't-end kind of book. The plot, while grim, was entertaining. The only real criticism I have about the book is the poor editing. There are some basic words missing (think "a," and "the"), as well as some past/present confusion. While I still enjoyed the book it did create a somewhat stunted reading experience as my concentration would be broken occassionally by the poor editing. I've read a few reports that stated that this is a well known problem with the book so I guess I'm not the only one. I'm several chapters into the second book ("Catching Fire") and this does not appear to be a problem.


Bottom line: I highly recommend picking up this book if you get a chance. It's proof that there is actually some great new reading in the young adult section.