Convince Me, or Make a Recommendation

I caused such a stir with my negative-leaning comments about "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" that I wanted to put it out there that I have just finished the book. And I leave the story nearly, but not quite, as underwhelmed as when I last posted about it. I appreciate that people like this book, and that some of you wanted to defend it, and inspire me to read on, but I am sorry, in my opinion, it is not a good book. Not at all. I gave it two starts on Good Reads, where it keeps company with most of the Twilight series and the recent Jonathan Franzen book.

The book just completely failed to capture my imagination, and the characters barely elicited connection. The mystery was just okay. Once the story finally shook off the many false starts and clunky side stories, it was somewhat engaging. But ultimately, when I began to realize what had happened, I also realized I just didn't care. And then I had to sit through more clunky bits in the denouement (which was WAY longer than it should have been.)  I can't be the one to decide if my distaste should be blamed on poor writing, or poor translating (though I think it is probably a bit of both.)

So, Millenium trilogy likers/lovers... do you have anything to say to convince me to read books two and three? If not, anyone have any other suggestions of books you have recently enjoyed? I am heading to Chicago on Friday, and with two plane flights, and a five hour train ride in my future, I definitely need to restock the Kindle before we depart.

PS- I wondered a lot about the title... why pick Salander out as the titular focus? Then I was doing some reading online and learned that the original Swedish title translates to "Men who Hate Women." Apparently it was softened for the English translation. Fascinating, eh?

What I Learned v3

1. To pickle beets.  Things have gotten pretty domestic in my life since moving to Austin, and as a byproduct of that, I have become quite proficient at preserving foods. Pickles, fruit butters or marmalades, I just love "putting stuff up." So naturally, when Tom and I pulled up our small crop of beets last week, I decided to make spiced pickled beets. We ended up with four jars filled with the bright red roots, preserved in a mix of vinegar, sugar, allspice, clove and cinnamon. I cant wait to crack a jar open, but for best flavor, I think we will wait until we get back from our vacation.

2. The Blanton is awesome! Despite my reservations of it being crazy on campus for graduation weekend, Tom convinced me to go with him to the Blanton Museum of Art last Saturday.  It was a great way to spend a hot afternoon, and as a bonus, Staff and Students get into the museum for free every day (I could write a whole blog post about why I LOVE my UT ID card.)  The museum is much bigger than I realized, so we didn't get a chance to see everything before our legs got tired, and our brains were overloaded with all the cool stuff to look at. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to our next visit, so we can see what we missed.

3. I heart SYTYCD even more than I remembered.  My favorite reality show is back, ladies and gents! I think it surprises people that "So You Think You Can Dance" is such a favorite of mine. Do I like it more than Top Chef? Yes. More than Project Runway? Yes, again. SYTYCD is the only place I can think of where you can regularly see transcendent art created and performed on the TV. And I like the absence of silly challenges that other reality shows employ, which seem more and more like they are created solely to mess up the contestants. Don't get me wrong, I do love those other shows too, but Top Chef is not about making the contestants better chefs. SYTYCD gives dancers and choreographers space to discover, to grow and to create beautiful things. Yes, sometimes a contestant has to go outside of their comfort zone (sometimes way outside...Russian Folk Dancing, anyone?) to perform in a style they are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. But more often than not, in those situations we often get a moment that is more than the sum of it's parts. Do any of you watch SYTYCD? What are your favorite reality shows?

4. Homemade arugula pesto is AMAZING! Tom and I have a beautiful and very prolific arugula plant in the old garden.  For the past few months, we have been picking leaves here and there to add to salads, pizzas and sandwiches, but this week Tom got the inspired idea to sub out the basil for arugula in his pesto recipe. The result was really stunning.  The mix of olive oil and pine nuts really mellowed out the sharp bite of the arugula. We made panini the other night with turkey, smoked muenster, garden tomatoes and the arugula pesto. Oh my word. So yummy!! Are the pesto possibilities endless? I mean, what isnt improved by the addition of olive oil and pine nuts?

What I Learned v2

1. Sometimes side-effects are the lesser of two evils. I have been struggling with digestive problems for about 15 years now (yes, fully half of my life) and last week I went to see a specialist who thinks he has figured out a way to help me cope. Two pills a day, and in theory, my body should start functioning more like a "normal body." I started the medication a week ago, and while it may still be a bit too early to tell, all indications are that this medicine is going to change my life. Unfortunately, I am feeling the full force of the medicine's side effects which include dry eyes, dry mouth, and a decreased ability to sweat. This has me drinking tons of water, and rubbing at my eyes praying for the end of the work day to come so I can take out my contacts.


2. Graduation week is one of the most exciting times to work at a University. Today we graduated our 2011 class of BSN, MSN and PhD Nursing students. Graduation is one of the few tangible reminders of why I am working so hard for so little pay, slagging through the bureaucracy of a major University System and the silly red-tape that goes along with being an employee of one of the most backwards states in the Union.


3. I have taken too many good books for granted recently.  Many of my recent reads have been really excellent (A Visit from the Goon Squad and Loving Frank, to name two). Well imagine my shock when I broke that streak with the forgettable The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. This book has reminded me that not all popular, highly recommended books are actually interesting and well written. To be fair, I am only 3 chapters in, but those first few chapters have been klunky and have almost completely failed to capture my interest. I am going to keep on for at least a few more chapters, but I may not make it through this one.


4. Hot Doug's will reopen just in time for my arrival to Chicago! I ain't too proud to admit that I am a fan of Hot Doug's on the FB. Recently they posted about closing for vacation near the Memorial Day holiday, which nearly sent me into a full-throttle panic. Thankfully, Doug has the good sense to re-open the restaurant the day that Tom and I arrive to Chicago for our Midwest tour.  All Hail Hot Doug's!


5. The Dirty Sanchez is the best taco in existence. End of discussion. In my now infamous queso blog, I expounded on the virtues of Torchy's Tacos' amazing queso dip. I know the name is vile, but I am here to tell you that their Dirty Sanchez taco is the absolute best taco on earth. I have been in Austin for nearly two years (and eaten at Torchy's a few dozen times) but had never tried the Sanchez until last Friday night. Scrambled Egg, a fried pobano chile, guacamole, escabeche carrots, and cheese. Heaven.

What I Learned v.1

Hey friends! It should be no surprise to you by now that I am having trouble keeping up with the blog thing. I will blame it partly on an unusually busy few months at work, and partly on feeling like the new car smell has worn off of my Austin adventure. Few things lately seem worthy of the full blog treatment, so I am going to try something new here that I think will help me meet the demands of my adoring readership of dozens.  I am happy to present the new weekly feature What I Learned.

I have seen this kind of thing work wonders on other blogs. From the always funny Awkward/Awesome frequently seen at my friend Stephanie's Big Mario Life to the always admirable Happy Thoughts at cousin Molly's blog A Foreign Land, these structured, reoccurring blog themes seem to be working well for the other bloggers in my life.

The list-like structure should be easy to maintain, and I hope it will also prove to be pressure free. And don't despair, I will still feature the occasional longer blog about awesome stuff in Austin, and photo montages of the amazing and beautiful things happening in my garden (do you have any idea how miraculous and beautiful baby watermelons are?) So... are you ready to find out what I learned this week?

What I Learned...
1. I am not lactose intolerant, or allergic to gluten, shellfish or tree nuts. I am, however, blessed with a spasmodic set of intestines. Thankfully, there is a pill for that.

2. Bevo rides in style. Last Thursday I spied the Silver Spurs's big burnt orange truck rolling down MLK Blvd here in Austin. The big fancy trailer that carries the UT Longhorns's iconic mascot was attached. I got really excited when I realized that Bevo was actually in the trailer. I love Bevo. Honestly, I might join the fan club.

3. I will be really sad to see the 2011 MFA Playwrights graduate. So many of our friends will be leaving Austin within the next few weeks, and that sucks.

4. No matter how many times I meet him, it seems that Beeven Bietz is always going to make me feel a little star struck. And that is so embarrassing.

5. I am geeking out over our upcoming reservation to Alinea. Tom and I will be in Chicago for a little vacay in about a month, and we are splurging big-time on a dinner at Alinea. This week I read the new memoir written by Alinea's Chef, Grant Achatz. It took my excitement level off the charts. You can expect a long blog about the experience sometime later in June!