YOBAY–It’s been a month. September 16, 2011

The quest towards improved badassery is off to a good start.  I have taken two violin lessons, small steps towards being able to play a waltz.  I can ride my bike for half an hour on city streets and have started riding it to the community garden I manage.  The biggest bonus of this quest is that I keep meeting neat people and then as I get to know them, I realize that they are also badass and that we have a lot in common.  For example:  My violin teacher decided, when he turned 27 in December, that it’s a year for awesomeness.  I’d like to think that being his student will help him achieve it, but then I’d have to reduce the squawking of my bow on the strings.

Additionally, I can do an average of 10 pushups at a time, a far cry from my ultimate goal of 50.. but headed in the right direction of Michelle Obama arms.  I’ve started working on my soccer fitness so I can play indoor this year.  I may end up with rock hard abs in the process.  Combine Obama arms with rock hard abs, biker butt, and classic JB wit and I will be irresistible.  Watch out future friends and hopefully existent self-confident nerd of my dreams, who dances AND drinks beer!

The moral of the story is that I can’t wait to see the progress I’ve made when I write this report next month.  For now, it’s time to go work on my fitness and then figure out how to dehydrate apples.

Summer Reading September 14, 2011

My goodness, I have read a number of books in August and the first half of September.  Let’s see if I can remember all of them.

1. Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge: A coming of age story in graphic novel form.  The illustrations are great and spot on, but some of the prose feels stilted and unnatural.  Still, I would recommend it to creative adolescents who are navigating the journey of the self.

2. Bossypants by Tina Fey: This is everything I wanted it to be, funny, smart and memoir-y.  I do love Tina Fey, so I was inclined to love Bossypants before I started reading it.  My favorite chapter is the one about her dad.

3. Eve by Anna Carey: Comes out in October.  Disappointing dystopian future book in which spineless protagonist never develops a spine.  Read Hunger Games again instead.

4. Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins: Excellent new collection of poetry from my favorite poet.  Whimsical, serious, brooding, and fanciful.

5. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos: Fun young adult novel where the protagonist, Jack, is grounded for the entire summer and his only escape is to help the town’s obituary writer.  I’ve already sold two copies of this because it is one of the few appropriate books for boys in their early teenage years.

6. Terroryaki by Jennifer Chung: What could be better than a mysterious cursed teriyaki food truck that haunts the suburbs of Seattle?  Nothing, I assure you.  Terroryaki was written as part of the three day Labor Day writing contest and Chung also thanks Nanowrimo.  I will probably end up buying all three copies our store has and sending them out  various friends.

7. The 100 Foot Journey by Richard Morais: Foodie novel with a non-white male protagonist.  Refreshing.  You’ll drool.

8. Fables books 1 and 2 by Bill Willingham et al: I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to this series of graphic novels.  What was I thinking?  Read it, especially if you’re into mythology/ fairy tales.  Love the shout out to Neil Gaiman.