10 Things From The Weekend.
1.) The weather was WARM and WONDERFUL. I had creemees Saturday and Sunday.
2.) Bonfire + red wine on Sunday night. I ended up reminiscing about Ireland with another person who had traveled there. We both gushed about Doolin! I came home and looked at all of my Ireland pics again. So if anyone is thinking about traveling to Ireland, head to Doolin, which is a tiny town on the western side near the Aran Islands and known for traditional music.
3.) Reality television happened. Jen and I are out at 3 Needs having a beer on Saturday night. I’m telling her about Bethenny Ever After and she’s telling me about The Bachelorette. (I know, I know…..no one talked to us! I wonder why.) I babble on about how I never watch that show because the relationships never work out. It seems fake. Blah diddy blah. But, Jen the psychologist, starts breaking down potential suitor behavior and it’s HILARIOUS. Also, she says that there is a gorgeous guy – a Dutch race car driver – who is just dreamy. I don’t believe her since we never think the same guy is cute. Thus, I come home at midnight and watch The Bachelorette. And she’s right…about everything. I’m hooked! It’s on our calendars for tonight. I’m not ashamed. I might even tweet during it.
4.) Lots of reading time! I spent some time reading at North Beach.
I spent some time reading on the grass, listening to Radiohead and a playlist from my sister Allison.
5.) I just discovered Robyn. I liked a song on Girls last week (Dancing On My Own) and had to SHAZAM it. I told this to Allison.
She sighed. “I’ve seen her like five times in concert, Sarah.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know who she was.”
She sighed again. “I’m sending you a playlist on Spotify right now.”
6.) I dusted off my bike, put some air in the tires, and went for a nice bike ride on the Burlington bike path. I stopped at the beach and put my feet in the water. HEAVEN. I’m a wimp when it comes to biking up hills though.
7.) Cooking-wise, it’s been ‘what-can-I-make-with-an-English-muffin’. Pizzas. B-L-T’s. Egg sandwiches. Peanut butter sandwiches. Hoping that I come out of it soon…..
8.) Whipped up a batch of cold-brew coffee because I got so hooked on the iced coffee in New Orleans.
9.) Happy First Birthday Merlin! I think. The vet says May or June. I am the brave soul (or crazy person) who took in a stray cat that I found on Craigslist after I read a very nice post (it was well-written) on how his mother died or abandoned him, a couple found him at their lake house malnourished, but they were headed back to Atlanta and couldn’t keep him. Hundreds of dollars later, he is flea-free, worm-free, tested negative for feline leukemia (my mom had to come up and go to this appointment with me), neutered, and overall a very happy kitty. I would never do it this way again, but I’m so glad Merlin is in my life. There are a few strange things though. I worry that he wasn’t around his mom long enough. He doesn’t meow. And he doesn’t sit like a normal cat.
10.) Sunset watching. Will be doing more of it this summer.
BOOK REVIEW: The Marriage Plot.
It’s supposed to be, like, unbelievably nice outside this weekend. Blue skies with temps hovering around 80 degrees F. I want to go on bike rides and read in the sunshine.
I read this book earlier in the year, but never wrote about it because I feel majorly unqualified to review this book since Jeffrey Eugenides is a Pulitzer Prize winning writing GENIUS, but I’m going to get all crazy and do it anyway.
Title: The Marriage Plot
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Published: October 2011
Pages: 416 pages
Genre: Fiction (Not Young Adult either….woah.)
I. Overview:
It’s 1982 and college graduation weekend at Brown University. We’re quickly thrust into the lives of Madeleine Hanna (beautiful, sweet, English major who enjoys tennis and Victorian novels), Leonard Bankhead (tortured philosophy major who is also a scientist), and Mitchell Grammaticus (intelligent Religion major who is soon to travel the world in search of truths). Mitchel likes Madeleine and Madeleine likes Leonard and Leonard is….lost. We’re sort of voyeuristically following all of them the year after graduation, as their lives intertwine and unfold.
II. Analysis:
1. Setting:
I loved every single setting in this book. Even Leonard’s dingy apartment. And I MUST visit Brown now. My friend Ashley, who recommended this book to me, went to Brown. I kept thinking that it had to have made the book extra exciting and special to read. What else? Cape Cod. Paris. Europe. India. New York City. Etc. Etc. I now want drop everything and go traveling the world in search of truths.
2. Characters:
Separately, I enjoyed all of the characters, but when they intertwined with another; then no, I didn’t like them. And it’s because I didn’t feel the emotional connection they supposedly had for one another. At times, I thought, “Sheesh, Jeffrey, this could have been a bit better!” But, but, but, then it got me thinking to most (ALL) of the relationships that I had in my twenties. I was selfish. They were selfish. We were trying to figure out who we were and survive this time. And while our paths crossed, ultimately, we never worked well together. JUST LIKE THE CHARACTERS. After this revelation I thought Jeffrey was BRILLIANT. And that the entire premise of his book, the marriage plot that dominates Victorian novels taken into a modern-day context, was clutch.
3. Writing:
The writing – the descriptions and even the sentence structure – blew me away. It’s so f*cking good. From the very beginning, I just started writing down sentences that I liked.
“Semotics was limited to ten students. Of the ten, eight had taken Introduction to Semiotic Theory. This was visually apparent at the first class meeting. Lounging around the seminar table, when Madeleine came into the room from the wintry weather outside, were eight people in black t-shirts and ripped jeans. A few had razored off the necks or sleeves of their t-shirt. There was something creepy about one guy’s face – it was like a baby’s face that had grown whiskers – and it took Madeleine a full minute to realize that he’d shaved off his eyebrows. Everyone in the room was so spectral-looking that Madeleine’s natural healthiness seemed suspect, like a vote for Regan. She was relieved, therefore, when a big guy in a down jacket and snowmobile boots showed up and took the empty seat next to her. He had a cup of take-out coffee.” pg. 25 (I LOVE THIS. The snowmobile boots guy is Leonard!)
In bed on a Friday night, wearing sweatpants, her hair tied back, her glasses smudged, and eating peanut butter from the jar, Madeleine was in a state of extreme solitude. pg. 49 (And this is still my normal nightly routine.)
It had to do with Leonard. With how she felt about him and how she couldn’t tell anyone. With how much she liked him and how little she knew him. With how desperately she wanted to see him and how hard it was to do so.” pg. 49 (Um, this too is still my routine….)
I could go on….I have pages and pages…..but I won’t.
4. Storyline:
Eugenides weaved a coming of age tale into something incredibly highbrow. I was a hot mess the first (few) years after college. It was full of highs and lows, uncovering self truths while I made a million mistakes, much like these characters are experiencing. Except Eugenides writes in a way that makes them all seem so brilliant that you, the reader, feel like the actual hot mess.
I would say that there was a lot that flew over my head in this novel. Maybe I learned it in college? (Hopefully….) But it was interesting to read and connect with this time in my life, yet also not connect or want to go back and reconnect. He dedicated it to his college roommates, which makes sense.
I liked that each character had their own narrative in the novel, which felt very different than any Victorian novel I’ve read. At times Leonard’s was sad to read. (I also learned a lot about drugs for bipolar disorder.) Or it was tough to read about an affection that was never meant to be. Nothing seemed swoonworthy about the story-line, like something I might get from my young adult books. At times, I missed having that element in a book.
But a novel doesn’t necessarily fall apart without it.
The best of any book. Talking Heads references, college – senior year, love triangles, Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse, traveling, Paris, real talk on UTI’s, scientists, The Cape, Jane Austen, Betsy Johnson dresses, tennis, and Portland boys.
III. Conclusion:
Do yourself a favor. Read it this weekend. It’s one of those books that I keep thinking about, replaying in my mind, like a movie that touches you. I liked it, then I didn’t like it, and now I’m back to liking it. I’m still thinking about it and I think that’s the hallmark of something incredibly well done.
IV. Future Implications:
I need to read more books by Jeffrey Eugenides.
V. Additional Resources
New York Times Book Review: Jeffrey Eugenides on Liberal Arts Graduates in Love
NPR: A ‘Marriage Plot’ Full of Intellectual Angst
Badass Digest BOOK REVIEW: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Still on my nightstand: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (almost done!) and An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer
Okay, here it is. The last recap! I think I string them out to keep them close. I always get a bit of the post-vacation blues, similar to when I finish a really good book and know it will be a while before I find one I like that much again.
Sunday, 5.6.12
Despite the late night, I still got up early. I went downstairs just as Mr. Chip and Alison were headed out to a French bakery down the street. Um, um, um, wait for me, I’M COMING TOO! (I never miss an opportunity to go to a bakery, a bookstore, or a grocery store.)
The bakery was only a block away and adorable, just as I imagined any bakery in the French Quarter to be.
So many options at the bakery! I picked out an almond croissant, which was HEAVEN.
Speaking of….we saw nuns there. It was cute.
Then Alison and I went to pick up some iced coffee at the grocery store. I, of course, am distracted by the marketing for ice cream.
The gems I find in other grocery stores. This is why I go. You’d never see some coach (I’m sure he’s famous, but it’s lost on me) selling fudge bars or a 5-year old in make-up and pearls selling ice cream sandwiches in Vermont. I love it.
I went up to the balcony – actually, they tell me it’s technically called a gallery, which fits since the entire house is like a museum – to eat breakfast and read. Everyone else was either not up or wanted to stay in the air conditioning. Chloe was the only one who followed me.
Isn’t this a lovely view? Chloe and I had a wonderful morning.
I know, I know. Another picture of me reading Insurgent and drinking coffee in the morning.
There’s this great quote (from some famous person I can’t remember) that says, “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” It’s so true. I get sick of rushing out the door most days, so this – waking up very early and doing absolutely nothing for a few hours – is all kinds of awesomeness.
And while I was up there reading it started to rain. Sa-woon!
It only rained for a short while. After it stopped, I walked around the French Quarter looking for some gifts for Jen (who was watching Merlin) and my coworkers. It’s spectacular. There are about one million flowering plants overflowing on balconies and windowsills. STILL LIVE MUSIC, even in the a.m. Arts galore, and not the dorky/kitschy kind. People everywhere, but never rushing anywhere. I was walking around with one contact in wrong which left my right eye bloodshot and wearing the t-shirt I slept in from the night before and didn’t feel judged. I still meandered into shops and people still smiled at me. Stuff like that just makes my day.
After lunch at a cute BBQ joint, we headed back to Baton Rouge. I had a flight to catch early the next day. Boo hoo.
But I was excited to make red beans and rice for dinner!
Earlier that weekend, I asked what foods Shelby and Kate, the two two-year olds, liked best of all. (Aren’t you curious too?) And it was red beans and rice. REALLY? I think mine, much to my mom’s chagrin, would have been Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream or something equally sugary. (Friends, the sweet tooth started young.) I’ve never even made red beans and rice as an adult.
I had to have it. Laney told me that we would make it on Sunday night. A fitting last night in Louisiana meal.
We ate our bowls while watching House Hunters International and doing my laundry so that I could unpack clean clothes. If that isn’t happiness…..
Laney’s Red Beans + Rice
Supposedly, this is a big Monday night dish because you use a ham bone from Sunday’s dinner in this dish. I had NO IDEA how easy this was to make. You just dump everything in a Dutch oven and let simmer away. All it takes is a little planning.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- red or black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Tobasco sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- water to cover
- 1-2 pounds andoiulle sausage (depending on how meaty you want this dish)
- cooked rice (for serving)
- scallions (for garnish)
- cornbread (We used Jiffy. The box kind. It’s delightful!)
Directions
- Soak beans in water to cover overnight.
- The next day, rinse the beans. Cover with water in heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven. Add ham bone (fat trimmed off) and remaining ingredients, except sausage. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours.
- Add sausage (which has been sauteed in a skillet).
- Just before serving remove bay leaf and add a little more fresh parsley For added thickness, remove about a cup of beans from pot, mash them thoroughly and return to pot.
- Serve the beans with rice and chopped scallions. Corn bread also goes extremely well with this dish. Also, Laney said this tastes even better the next day. It’s a winner!
Previous Recaps: Day 1: Off to NOLA, Florence + The Machine, Jacques-Imo’s, Day 2: Alison’s amazing hallway, PINK cruisers, and the French Quarter, Day 3 Recap: Courtyard reading, back to Jazz Fest, and balcony gathering.
