no other reading in your whole life does.

I’ve toyed over and over with the idea of getting an e-reader. I think I’m one of the only people I know who doesn’t have either an iPad or a Kindle. (Well, I do have a hand-me-down Kindle but that’s not the point.)

The point is that I excitedly loaded a few (free) literary classics that I had been meaning to read and then promptly read none of them. I signed up for an online literature course and downloaded the whole reading list to the Kindle and then read none of those.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of being able to carry ten, twenty books with you at any given time in addition to magazines and newspapers too. BUT I couldn’t get on board with the feeling of it. And I could never put a finger on why. And today, Austin Kleon’s blog included an Mark Athitakis excerpt that just nailed it:

“[I read] almost always with a pen or pencil in my hand, ready to underline a sentence, scribble a margin note or, if I’m particularly struck by something, dash off a trio of exclamation points. I don’t think of this as something I do in addition to reading — it’s how I read. So something always feels a little off when I read a book on my Kindle or iPad… E-books promise all sorts of frictionless interactivity, except the one I really want.

Note taking is just one problem. Books aren’t just in conversation with readers but with themselves: What happens on page 362 harks back to something on page 15 that foreshadows events on page 144. Noticing these connections is part of my work, and it wasn’t until I began reading e-books that I realized how much bouncing back and forth I do in a physical book, something e-books don’t easily facilitate. Readers enthuse about being immersed in a good book, but e-book progress bars encourage us to read only one way: straight ahead, at a sprint.

Basically, in the wise words of Kathleen Kelly via Nora Ephron, “when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does…”

And the way you read that book as a child becomes a part of you. E-readers won’t ever become part of my identity because they’ll never have the same feel or smell or breed the same sentimentally that a good old fashioned book can.

Amiright? Or shall we agree to disagree?

looks good?

I have long struggled with this sentiment because it’s easy to read and harder to do. I think as someone who is a internet-phile (did I just coin that term?) it’s especially hard to not get down on yourself. 

This giant world is made that much smaller by the posting, tweeting, instagramming, vining, texting, trending that happens. Which is a beautiful thing. It also makes you feel like crap sometimes right?

It’s that much harder to go to your boring 9-5 job and plug away at your desk sucking down crap coffee when you see that your friend of a friend just made the Forbes 30 Under 30 List. 

It makes you depressed that your dinner was beef jerky and leftover potato salad from your work meeting when your friend posts pictures of her organically harvested, slow roasted three course dinner.

There’s an interesting discussion that your presence on the internet and social media is no longer just a record of the goings-on of your life. It has become your brand. And let’s face it but no one is putting up unflattering pictures of themselves or posting about their worst nights. So it’s like comparing your life with someone’s highlight reel and that’s not really fair or productive.

SO, I’ve been busy peeking into other people’s lives and getting down on myself for not hitting every career goal, not making enough money, not Skyping enough with friends, not calling my mom enough, not having the perfect outfit, and effing up yet another hare-brained Pinterest project, BUT I’ve also been enjoying the fresh snowfall, trying out Vietnamese dishes, eating an ungodly amount of hot wings, and chilling in a newly acquired onesie.

But you didn’t see all that. Cause it all happened (mostly) offline and it felt good.

And isn’t that what counts?

Friday, Gangnam Style.

Hello friends! Happy Friday and thank goodness right?

I’ve had two weeks in a row where Tuesday has felt like Thursday which is a miserable feeling, let me tell you. But I did have a great time at 826NYC’s Dueling Bingo Event–raising money for creative writing for kids.
That’s me on the right supporting Kathy Najimy’s Bingo win!

Then, last night I had the immense pleasure of re-watching Step Up on the Highline. If you haven’t seen it, you probably should.

Tonight I’m headed to the Intrepid to revisit Jurassic Park. I’m so excited for the velociraptors in the kitchen and Newman getting sprayed in the face. Yes, those are my favorite and most vivid memories of Jurassic Park.

I hope you had a great week and have some plans for this weekend. Here are some things to help the weekend get here faster.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

• The kid  behind the amazing Beyonce Countdown Snuggie video.
• Nothing is objective.
• Did you know I love Post-it notes? I guess these people do too.
• Into the Woods is perhaps the best/worst musical to get stuck in your head. I have a love/hate relationship but apparently these folks really want to see it performed at Shakespeare in the Park.
• Some whimsical photos.
• I want to read more books that make me feel like this.
• I want to visit this neat water tower in Brooklyn sometime soon! It would be a great place for a photo shoot, no?
• Having these might be better than trying to Google conversions while my hands are covered in dough.
• I’m currently lusting after this watch. Early birthday present?
• Some neat ideas for day/weekend trips around NYC.
• Samuel L. Jackson’s take on the Olympics.
• I don’t even understand what’s happening in this music video. Can someone tell me what gangnam style is? My guess is that it’s ghost riding a horse?

On that odd note, have a fantastic weekend and see you on the other side!

Friday Reflection & Round Up

It’s Friday and it’s been a busy and productive week. I’m happy that I’ll be able to sleep in tomorrow. It’s the first time in a while where that’s been the case. I hope you get to sleep in too–you know, if you’re into that sort of stuff.

Here’s some other stuff you might be into too:

• My friend, Afarin, is raising funds for Camp Kindle–an amazing organization that does fantastic things for kids affected by HIV/AIDS. Consider supporting her today!
• For you voracious readers out there, this might be a good resource to save some moola and try out some books.
• The NYT just ran an article about the challenge of making friends.  In a new city, in a new job, I can relate. I hope it gets easier.
  
• Apparently, you should avoid going to hospitals in July. Here’s why.
• What is this sorcery?
• TimBieberLake. Just think about that for a second. And then watch this.
• Planning on supporting 826NYC next month and playing some Bingo! Join  me?
• You’ve got to sell your heart.
• Trying to arrange a skype date with seven people in three (or four) time zones is tough work. So is planning hang outs with friends in the city you live in. Doodle  is a neat tool you can use to help streamline the process.

And lastly, I want to close by sending my condolences and well wishes to those who were affected the by the awful shooting in Colorado last night. I usually keep the fare here pretty light-hearted or upbeat, but I thought I would take a moment to talk about this.

This resonates with me on so many different levels but mostly because when I heard this particular piece of news, I thought of this:

This picture was taken late one night in 2008. We were home for the summer from our second year of college. We were excited to be together and excited for a movie. We played cards and ate dinner on the sidewalk. And in that moment, we didn’t have a worry in the world–aside from nabbing good seats for the show.

And it’s that moment I think about when I hear news like the shooting today. My heart goes out to those kids who had their lives irrevocably altered at a moment that was supposed to be outside of the world of problems we face every day.

Why do we go to movies? It’s a chance to hop into a theater with friends and leave your life at the ticket counter. That for two hours, you get to be in a different time and place, and look at a world that is easier than the world you live in. Where there are bad guys, and soundtracks, and the suspension of your disbelief. Where anything is possible.

And I’m so sorry that that secret, safe place where cinema can take you was brought crashing down by the stark reality of the troubled world we live in. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

For those in Colorado, my hope is they find that sense of peace and safety again. And soon.

Free Drinks Friday

For realz.

To beat the heat today, Starbucks is offering free 12 oz. samples of their new “Refreshers.” I would not lie about free things to you. Ever.

I hope all of your Fridays are lovely. I’m excited because this weekend I shall be reunited with Suzanne and Holly.

I don’t think the three of us (top row) have been in the same room in at least a year. Probably longer. But that will be remedied this weekend!

Also, I miss that bottom row dearly as well.

Here are some things happening around the web to distract you this fine Friday.

• Whoever is in charge of the TacoBell twitter is sort of fantastic. (My twitter is cool too.)
• In case you like LCD Soundsystem. Apparently, I totally missed this boat.
• I wish I thought of “Where the Hell is Matt?” and made this awesome around the world dance video. It makes me smile.
• Who knew Katie Holmes was so sneaky.
• And Nicki Minaj defines the difference between a “buhoss” and a beezy.
• I don’t even understand how this works.
• I want to try this subway stop adventure! Also, those kids are too cute.
• In concept a loop-de-loop water slide sounds fun. In real life, it’s not the best idea. (You have to scroll down to “Waterworld” to read the description.)
• Pintester. Her tagline is “Effing up pins so you don’t have to.” Well, thanks!
• And another Thought Catalog piecebut this time about how nice us twenty-somethings should and can be.

Hope you have a fantabulous weekend where you get to see your friends, enjoy the sun, and have something good to eat. I plan on doing all three!

Tardy Tuesday…

Does time ever get away from you? Do you lay down at night and ever wonder where all those hours went? Is this starting to sound like one of those informercials that play late at night?

Well, it seems like the last few days have gotten away from me. I had a fantastic weekend that was busy and relaxing at the same time. There was a beach day on Saturday at Far Rockaway which was a smashing success but left me drained for the rest of the day. And then a day spent indoors cleaning and cooking–we made beef bourguignon a la Julia Child.

Blog post to follow.

But let’s get back on track first.

So here’s a belated “Monday Monday” if you will.

So recently there have been two developments in the student loan game that sort of negate one another. First off, President Obama just signed off on a bill that would keep student loan interests fixed at 3.4% for the next year. Which is good. I mean it helps out thousands of students this upcoming school year who are going to take out loans. But that fixed interest rate is only guaranteed for a year. Who knows what it’ll just up to 365 days from now. It’s a start though.

Secondly, starting this past Sunday, graduate student loans going forward will no longer have a grace period. Traditionally, you take out your loans, finish school, have six months to scrabble together some income and then your loans start accruing interest. Now loans will start accruing interest while you’re still in school. So by the time you graduate your loans have already been billed interest for the last two or four years or more if you’re in a PHD program…

Every now and then I think about going back to school to pursue a graduate degree. In what exactly? I’m not sure. But the idea of tacking on more debt terrifies me. So as much as I would like to increase my skill set, actively learn, and have summers again I’m hesitant to take on more schooling with no guarantee that I’ll be able to make ends meet afterwards.

I just found this resource on Kiplinger–a personal finance site–that breaks down the best value colleges for those considering a return to school. They have a ton of other related tools as well including information about stocks, taxes, and general basics.

Interested in learning more about your loans? If they’re held by Nelnet you can attend a webinar for more information on their Money Mondays!

Now here’s what I really want to ask you…

Do you want more informational posts like these or more personal ones about what I’m dealing with? A little of both?

I want to hear from you!
So comment, email doogenblogs@gmail.com or tweet @doogencreates 

Second Friday!

Hello hello! Happy Second Friday of the week! Because July 4th was in the middle of the week it felt like we had two itty bitty two-day weeks. Monday Friday Saturday. Monday Friday Saturday Sunday. Right? Or was that just me?

I hope everyone had a lovely day off. I slept in for a bit, headed to the park for burgers and frisbee playing, saw Ted (which was funnier than I thought!) and finished it off with some fish tacos. All in all, a good day. I did miss CA and BBQs and pools and fireworks but change is good.

Last Friday, I was headed off to Maine for Julia’s wedding and we stayed at a cottage on the water with this as a backyard…

As we drove across the state line, I noticed that Maine’s state motto is “The way life should be.” Which I thought was a little pretentious and pompous of them. But then I woke up on Saturday and went swimming in the river, ate eggs benedict with blackberry lemonade, stopped by an exhibit about Frances Perkins because the Museum’s Board Member, Morrison, (with full gray beard & Gilligan boat hat) told us to, and then headed for a rustic wedding complete with strawberries, lobster, and blues/folk dancing. The sun was shining and people were friendly. The way life should be. Oh Maine, you’ve weaseled yourself into my heart.

On the road I also spotted some New Hampshire license plates and their motto is “Live Free or Die.” Live.Free.Or.DIE. John McClane would be proud. Yippee-Kay-yay…

Some internet findings that I liked this week:

• Sisters doing it for themselves. And an article about how realistic this is for average working women.
• Another Motto.
• Well, now I really can’t leave the UWS.
• Some writing tips from McSweeney’s that make me smile.
• Tom Hanks remembers Nora Ephron.
• Is being busy all in  your head?
• Love these pictures of bloggers. If you work on your computer,  you know the feeling.
• Wish I had these Pop-Ups in my books when I was a kid. Or now!
• This neat planter waters your little green friends for you. Or if your thumb really isn’t green, these little guys can’t be killed! And are so freaking adorable.
• Oh, the power of Twitter…for finding bicycles!
• If you’re looking to adopt from a shelter in NYC, this website is full of bright, personable descriptions and big pictures!

Hope your weekend is full of sun, sunscreen, and watermelon!

Sushi Chef.

Every time someone starts talking about winning the lottery and what they would do I always have two answers that come after buying my parents their house, paying off my loans, smart investments, etc. The second is to have a hair stylist do my hair whenever I want. The first is to have an on-call sushi chef. Legit, right?

Well, now I can check one of those off my list!

Brett surprised me and got together all the supplies for some at-home sushi making.

And it’s much easier and cheaper than you would think to make some of this delicious stuff yourself.

First, you’re going to want to make your sushi rice because you have to let it cool before making the rolls. I  just followed the recipe on the sushi rice bag but here’s a good recipe to use if you’d like. While it cools you can cut up all your other ingredients. Multi-tasking at its finest!

If you’re impatient, and hungry, you can use a fan to help cool down your rice…

Like so.

And now you can start adding your favorite fish, vegetables, and other accoutrements to your rolls.

Make sure if you get raw fish you want to make sure it’s sushi/sashimi grade–salmonella is not something you want to mess with. I got mine from Chelsea Market’s fish market. You can tell them how many rolls you want to make or how many people you plan on feeding and they can recommend how much you should get.

Salmon. Tuna. Cucumber. Avocado. Eel. Crab Stick.

Now that you have your cooled sushi rice, fish, and vegetables, you can start rolling!

I covered my bamboo mat with plastic wrap so that my rolls wouldn’t stick to it and get it dirty. You’ll want to lay down a sheet of seaweed and make a small ball of rice with your hands and put that on top.

You can eat the excess rice off your hands if you so please.

Construct your favorite combination and then roll away! I found that putting a dab of water on the very edge of the seaweed paper helps the roll stay together.

Now just run your knife under some warm water (to keep it from sticking/tearing your roll) and cut into bite-size pieces. It should end up looking something like this…

A. Masterpiece.

Now all there’s left to do is enjoy! And figure out my new number one frivolous service in case I win the lottery one day.

But for now, I’m just excited I can have sushi all day. Every day.

Money Monday$: Guest Blog–A Drop of Jewel

Happy Monday ladies and gents! I hope y’all had a fantastic weekend. I know I did. I headed up to Maine for Julia and Eric’s wedding and it was so lovely to see them and take part in their special day. It was a wedding straight out of Pinterest but still so reflective of who they are as individuals and as a couple.

In a tiny and fun little Fiat 500!

And here’s a car rental tip if you live in NYC or another large city:

When you’re researching a rental try using a pickup location just outside of the city. Instead of picking up our car in Manhattan, we got it at the Westchester airport instead which is a quick train ride ($7 each way) and bus ride ($2.25) away. It took us about the same amount of time to get to the Westchester airport that it would have taken to get the car out of the city and the rental was at least 30% less. Just because we changed locations! Try it out the next time you rent a car and let me know how it goes!

In other moola related news…

It’s an exciting day because Jewel from A Drop of Jewel will be guest blogging about some money saving tips and tricks for the recent grad…and pretty much anybody! She spent the entire month of June blogging about finances and budgeting so head on over and take a look for more tips!

“So college is over and you’re out on your own. You’ve traded in juggling books for juggling bills. I can bet that managing your personal finances was not part of the curriculum either. Student loans are knocking at your door waiting to be paid back along with the rest of your debts. If you’ve managed to land a good job, congratulations you’re ahead of the masses. My suggestion to you would be: Be confident in your position at work but never get too comfortable. Layoffs, downsizing, and unemployment for degree-holding graduates are at an all time high
just like everyone else.

That is why it is so important to save some of your earnings. No one ever wants to think they will be laid off from their job, but it certainly does happen. The question is how prepared will you be if that should occur? Sure, you may qualify for unemployment should you get let go but unemployment is barely enough to survive off of. If you’re not prepared, unexpected unemployment can easily cause a chain reaction in your life. When you lose your income, you can’t pay all your bills. When you can’t pay all your bills, you get late charges tacked on until it gets to the point where your bill is sent to collections. Once it gets to collections and you still can’t pay, it goes on your credit report. Your credit becomes all messed up making it harder for you to buy anything else on credit, harder for you to rent or buy a home, and ultimately harder to land another job (as most good jobs do credit checks these days).

Credit lenders don’t care whether you have a job or not. They want their money either way. So to avoid this chain reaction, start saving NOW! The ideal amount to have saved up is about six months worth of your salary. This may sound like a lot and almost impossible to do, but it’s not. The following are just a few tips to help:

• Pay Yourself First: I’m sure you’ve heard this expression before, but it’s such good advice I had to repeat. I hear friends say all the time that they can’t save because they have too many other financial obligations. Well…there are always going to be other financial obligations. Once you decide on a reasonable, comfortable amount for you to set aside each month for savings, just do it off the top. Before you pay anyone else, take the money out your check and put it in your savings. A lot of jobs these days allow you to link your direct deposit into two different accounts so you can have it transferred to your savings automatically. This is the best way because you don’t  even miss it. Really.
• Take Baby Steps: Six months worth of salary is a lot. Whatever your salary may be; it may seem like it will take forever for you to save that amount of money. So start small. When I first started building my savings, I only saved $25 from each paycheck. Once I started paying off other debts and loans, I was able to increase the amount little by little. Whenever I got a pay raise, I would increase the amount again. You can do it too !
• Get a High Yield Savings Account: This is something I’ve been looking into lately since American Express keeps sending me the advertisements for it (lol). This is a safe secure way to have your savings make money for you while you are still adding to it. American Express and ING Direct are two that I know of that are offering high interest on savings accounts. These rates are higher than your regular, traditional savings accounts and some of these high yield accounts have compounded interest. This is a small way to help get to your goal a little faster.
• Don’t Touch!: Some of us are good at saving, yes. However, we sometimes find ourselves dipping into the stash. The best advice I can offer is to pretend the account doesn’t even exist. Of course there are some types of accounts where you can get penalized for withdrawing from the savings, but I don’t really care for those. I like having access to my money without any threats of penalty. However, if you know you don’t have the self-discipline not to touch, then this type of account might be good for you. Whatever you have to do to get control, do it and stop dipping into the savings.

So what is the overall takeaway from this? Start saving your money. By putting some money to the side, you will be able to save yourself in the event you should ever face difficult financial times.”

Thanks Jewel for the great post!

Thanks for F-O-X.

Every few weeks, for what has been the majority of my life, TNT or ABC Family or USA or Bravo or Lifetime has aired You’ve Got Mail. And I’m sure in the coming weeks this programming will just exponentially increase (alongside her other works–When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie & Julia–heard of them?) in the light of Nora Ephron’s passing.

Tangent: It always astounds me how quickly the NYT and its peers can turnaround such well written, fully fleshed out, and insightful obituaries about people like Ephron overnight. It makes me wonder if there are a few people tucked away somewhere in these big print companies who are solely tasked to write post-humous, pre-death articles to keep at the ready for notable people. I’m sure those measures are in place for big name heavies like the President but I wonder if there are pieces about Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Zuckerberg, or Sophia Grace in case of untimely death?

In any case, although Ephron is most celebrated for When Harry Met Sally, the work that means most to me is You’ve Got Mail. I’m not sure when my first viewing was but I do know that the opening sequence kickstarted with an AOL Dial Up tone was totally relevant. I was well acquainted because of typing and internet classes (?!) at my elementary school. What I do know is that it resonated with me on some strange cosmic level because I didn’t really understand a lot of what was going on those first few times. I just knew that I liked it.

I liked it because Joe Fox’s Aunt Anabelle and brother Matt mirrored the age gap between me and my siblings. Because it’s funny to hear grown-ups trying to sing in a round. And because I completely subscribed to and still believe Kathleen Kelly’s belief that “when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does…”

And a movie you love as a child, and then as a teenager, and as an adult becomes a part of your identity in a way that I can’t begin to tell you about.

Every year when I pass the Back to School section in Target I think about a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.

Every time the elevator stalls I think back to Patricia’s inane conversation and realize what I don’t want in a relationship.

Every time someone bogarts a part of seven-layer dip or scrapes additional topping onto their plate I think “That is a garnish.”

And now that I live in New York, and on the Upper West Side more specifically, I find myself living this story I love so much.

When I pass Cafe Lalo and grab the fence saying “She had to be. She had to be!”

On a nice fall day when I’m walking down to 72nd street, I feel like there’s not a sound on the city streets, just the beat of my own heart.

And when I stop into Zabar’s I’m always wary of the cash only line. “She has no cash. She has no cash? She has no cash.”

When I recount the days of the week, “Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday…”

When I run past the 79th St. Boast Basin and yell “HELLO NEW JERSEY!” (I really do do this. People smile and then politely run around me.)

When I mentally psyche myself up because I’m a lone reed. Standing tall. Waving boldly. And then promptly punch the air in true Meg Ryan fashion.

And when I walk through Riverside Park, listening to dog collars jingle, I think of Brinkley.

But more than all the perfectly timed quips–and there are a lot of them–it makes me feel like everything will be alright. And I know how ridiculous of a statement that must sound like but it’s true. Sometimes I write not because I want a response but just to send something out to that void. And when I wonder about my life, I’m comforted in the knowledge that I lead a small but valuable life. And when you find that life has stood you up, boycotted your company, and you’re living in your boat, closing down your mother’s bookshop, or entering the Over Thirty Chat Room, is that things can and will turn out better.

In Nora Ephron’s Commencement Speech to Wellesley grads:

“What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it will be like, but surprises are good for you. And don’t be frightened: you can always change your mind. I know: I’ve had four careers and three husbands. And this is something else I want to tell you, one of the hundreds of things I didn’t know when I was sitting here so many years ago: you are not going to be you, fixed and immutable you, forever.

Did I say it was hard? Yes, but let me say it again so that none of you can ever say the words, nobody said it was so hard. But it’s also incredibly interesting. You are so lucky to have that life as an option.”

When life found me on another coast, in a new job, missing CA friends & family or after a less than pleasant wedding experience it also found me curling up in sheets and visiting with NY152 and Shopgirl.

Thanks Nora.