All This Useless Beauty (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/profile.php/blog/thatonegirl Ugh, I never know what to title these entries, anymore. It was easier when I was unhappy and writing entries about that, because there's no shortage of songs to capture that. But nobody writes good happy songs. Is that a thing? Elvis Costello, for one, has probably never written a happy song in his life. Like they say about the un-complex good...[Read Full Post] Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:18:18 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/746896 [Link: 'http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/the_making_of_gay_marriages_top_foe/singleton/'] This profile of Maggie Gallagher, probably the most vocal opponent of same-sex marriage around, reads like a supervillain backstory. Seriously! Personal trauma leads to vicious vendetta against the world. Get the lady a cape so she can crusade properly...[Read Full Post] Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:32:18 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/746726 [Link: 'http://www.themillions.com/2012/01/most-anticipated-the-great-2012-book-preview....'] God, 2012 looks like a fucking wasteland. This does not make me happy, since everything I've read lately has been middling at best: The Revisionists Thirteen Reasons Why The Beginners Pigeon English Zazen Actually, I kind of l...[Read Full Post] Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:28:26 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/746390 Sick again last night. I woke out of a deep sleep at 2:30 burping, which is bizarre, because I rarely burp (or need to). The burping was a sign. Sick again, same as a week ago exactly, but for about an hour instead of all night. So I guess it is neither food poisoning nor a stomach virus? Barf. Literally. This blows. I do not have the time or ene...[Read Full Post] Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:15:31 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/746366 Mostly better, but I still get such a bad stomach ache every time I eat. That's not normal, right? Maybe I got a tapeworm or something. Ickkkkkk. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:51:56 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/746227 Food poisoning. Me. Miserable. I would never have gone to the place on my own, which somehow makes it worse: when I saw that its health department score was a B and not an A, it should have been a sign. But I was there with seven coworkers who raved about the place, so it's not like I could say, "Whoa, guys, did you see that B?" Indian-...[Read Full Post] Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:15:19 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/745795 Since I am working in a new area of Manhattan now, I've been taking walks at lunch to some new places. It's pretty exciting to see new things, which sounds cliched, but I am still in awe of living in such a vibrant city. Maybe I always will be. I only let myself buy lunch once a week - I pack a lunch every other day. Eating out is so expensiv...[Read Full Post] Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:05:34 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/745699 I've just finished reading Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, which was why I picked it up. Critics of this year's list were right: it didn't deserve to be there. It wasn't that good. It wasn't terrible. The voice was interesting and engaging, and I guess the rich, white British people...[Read Full Post] Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:52:47 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/745215 A--- and I are watching last night's Republican debate, and there is something that I just cannot get over. Santorum and Gingrich are spending a lot of time criticizing Romney for being a "vulture capitalist" who pays an unnaturally low tax rate and takes advantage of working- and middle-class labor. But they also think we need ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:57:04 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/745087 There is a Korean bakery near my new work. Today, I dropped in to pick up a mochi donut for A--- and I to try. (We love mochi!) When I saw a red bean donut, I had to get that, too. And take a bite immediately. And gobble the rest of it down immediately. And start considering a second trip in one afternoon immediately. It was so good. It was li...[Read Full Post] Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:47:30 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/745026