Let the Game Begin . . .

Today or tomorrow a new book is going to be released entitled The Game On! Diet by Az Ferguson (a fitness trainer) and Krista Vernoff (a writer for Grey’s Anatomy). How did I hear about this new book? I heard about it from reading book club girl’s (BCG’s) blog posting from early June. This book and game sounded like something I needed to motivate me to “get my Game On!” That is, to eat in a more healthy way and to compete with others to do this so that my motivation will not wane! Not that I’m highly competitive by nature, but accountability to someone else, especially a team, will ensure that I follow the plan and do what is required. Of course, perfection is not possible, but doing the best I can will be very beneficial. I want to thank Dawn from the blog She is Too Fond of Books, who invited me to participate. Today is the first day of our 4-week game and I have been anxious to begin.

Dawn’s posting for today gives a very thorough overview of the game and who all the participants will be and their blog sites, as did the other bloggers! I was glad to find so many other “new to me” and interesting book blogs just getting ready for the game! The 3 teams that are participating are as follows:

Ding-Dongs

Ti (Book Chatter)
Amy (My Friend Amy)
Julie (Booking Mama)
softdrink (Fizzy Thoughts)
Jill (Rhapsody in Books)

Twinkies

Dawn (She is Too Fond of Books)
Jenners (Find Your Next Book Here)
Jenn (Jenn’s Bookshelf)
Beth (Beth Fish Reads)
Me (M Denise C)

HoHos

Kathy (Brain Lair)
Vasilly (1330V)
and a couple more of Kathy’s friends (Bros b4 and The Dirty . . .)

Part of the game involves communication, so you can follow this particular 4-week game on Twitter as well (search for #gameondiet)! Another aspect of the game is that each participant must think of a bad habit to get rid of (and follow through in getting rid of it during the game) and to adopt a new, healthier habit to follow. I have decided that I will no longer fall asleep in bed with the TV going. Sorry, Craig Ferguson. I am going to be dedicated to getting more sleep and without who knows what from the TV penetrating my subconscious any more. The habit I will be adopting is to journal 3 pages everyday with no particular agenda, just stream of conciousness or whatever I feel like writing about at the moment (a la The Artist Way’s morning pages).

I'll be posting about my progress and our team's progress the next three Mondays. Wish me luck and "Game On!"

Perfection

Perfection is the name of the 2006 thriller by one of my favorite authors, Walter Satterthwait. I have previously discussed two of his historical fiction works, Masquerade and Cavalcade, featuring his Pinkerton detectives, Phil Beaumont and Jane Turner. Satterthwait has also written another mystery series (5 books) featuring Santa Fe detective, Joshua Croft. In Perfection, Satterthwait introduces readers to two more detectives, Sophia Tregaskis and Jim Fallon. Tregaskis and Fallon work in the small town of St. Anselm, Florida, and have some grisly murders to solve. A murderous psycho is on the loose and his targets are extremely obese women. The killer cuts, saws, and slices his victims until they become his ideal of "perfection." Satterthwait's character Fallon is a veteran New York City cop hoping for easy duty in sunny, southern Florida, but instead gets a sassy, smart, female partner and a deranged serial slicer. I always enjoy the humor and sarcasm that Satterthwait employs in his characters, but apparently, some were offended by this book's premise of overweight women being the victims of someone who was trying to make them more perfect. Satterthwait addresses this issue on an Amazon blog posting dated the day after the book was released. I enjoyed Satterthwait's introduction of these two new crime solvers, but I have to admit I enjoy his historical fiction to a greater extent.

Why did I choose this book on this day for my posting? Today, I will be starting a diet competition with some other bloggers and already know I won't have a "perfect" score each week during the 4-week contest, but I will be saying bye-bye to treats such as the beautiful cupcake pictured on the cover of Perfection. I'll be posting about the competition later today. Speaking of cupcakes on covers, a blogger has made a list of books (non-cookbooks) with cupcakes on the cover. Twenty-five books are on the list, but I think Satterthwait's cover is the most enticing.

Art at NorthPark

A trip to the best mall in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex is a trip to see art collected by the late Raymond Nasher and his wife, Patsy. NorthPark Center was built in the early 1960s and according to the mall’s website was “one of the first large-scale malls to have unity of materials and a policy of controlled graphics . . .” Also, this mall “. . . set a consistent standard of quality in materials, architectural detailing and use of natural light.”

A few years ago, the mall underwent an expansion and the family management firm retained the services of the original architectural firm used when the center was first built. What was once a u-shaped mall is now a complete square with anchor stores in each corner. This has provided for a new center green area known as “CenterPark,” with more art displayed here as is displayed in the many open areas of the mall.

Some examples of Mr. Nasher’s modern collection in the mall, as well as some unique cactus plants currently on display, follow.

--Ad Astra, painted steel, Mark di Suvero, 2005

One can reflect on color at NorthPark Center.

--an example of the unique plant design

Some pictures are below of Jonathan Borofsky's Hammering Men. Mr. Borofsky made his first Hammering Man in 1979 and they can be seen in various places all over the globe.

I forgot to look for the title of the above work, but I believe it is by Antony Gormley. Below is another reflection on color.

--small cacti in pot

--20 elements, wood, Joel Shapiro, 2005

Besides the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Mr. Nasher also founded another art museum at Duke University. The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University opened in October 2005. The Patsy R. and Raymond D Nasher Sculpture Garden is another contribution by the Nashers to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

I enjoy walking around NorthPark, even when I have no particular shopping destination in mind, thanks to the lovely art and landscaping that Raymond and Patsy Nasher envisioned.

Wimbledon Begins!

Wimbledon started this morning. Rafa is out with knee problems. Roger has a new jacket (and vest underneath):

I will be a bit preoccupied the next week or so!

June 16, 1904

--Sylvia Beach and James Joyce in front of Shakespeare and Company, 12 rue de l'Odeon, Paris

--Sylvia Beach in her shop, Shakespeare and Company (Gisèle Freund)

Today is Bloomsday and there are tributes to James Joyce on many book and literature blogs. However, I want to pay special homage to Sylvia Beach this day. With her fortitude and determination, Ulysses was published in 1922.

Besides being the subject of her own book entitled Shakespeare and Company, Beach and her determination to get Ulysses published was the subject of the above shown book by Noel Riley Fitch. I recommend both.

The current incarnation of Ms. Beach's shop is now run by a lady named after her: Sylvia Beach Whitman. The website to this store on 37 rue de la Bûcherie, across the Seine from Notre Dame, can be found here. Ms. Whitman's father ran the shop in the new location before she did (with the blessing of the original Sylvia Beach).

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was compiling a list of some of my favorite authors and then thought of my local library growing up, the Casa View Branch of the Dallas Public Library. I was dismayed to find that it will be moving from its current location and building (for sentimental reasons), but was happy that the city is constructing a new library in the area (Lochwood Branch). Casa View and Lochwood are two close neighborhoods in far East Dallas. The groundbreaking for the new library was held in April 2008 and the new building is near completion. This new building (located where the old Lochwood YMCA used to stand) will be "green," will have a theatre and meeting space, and will have all the technological accoutrements expected in a new, modern library. The first photo is from the library's website and the following photos are from the current Casa View Library MySpace page :

This is the main entrance, but most people use a side entrance closer to parking.

The tile is slippery when wet!

Ground zero for my reading life--the Children's section.

If this were a "style" blog--bland 60's surburban decor!

The magazine section now has other media to check out.

Card stacks used to be to one side of the table area. This is where I wrote my junior year Macbeth paper. Now it is full of computers.

And it all seemed so modern to me then . . .

I might have to swing by the old library soon and say good bye to some of my favorite books I read again and again growing up nearby. One of my very favorites that comes to mind when I think of that particular library is Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf. Mr. Leaf’s illustrations are very comical and teach children table manners and other proper behavior. Mr. Leaf’s most well known of his 40 books is The Story of Ferdinand. Written at the time of the Spanish Civil War, this book was thought to be pacifist propaganda. Another author and artist illustrated this book (Robert Lawson).

Another one of my favorites that I checked out again and again (as a teenager) at Casa View was Jubilee Trail by Gwen Bristow. I need to reread it since it has been about 20 years since my last reading, but it is the story of two young women heading west to California. One is going to meet her fiancé and get married and the other is an actress seeking fame in the West. This book was made into a movie and I remember that Forrest Tucker played a major role.

That Texas Weather

--by Michael Ainsworth from the Dallas Morning News

Above is an example of Dallas/Ft. Worth weather the past two days. Lightning and rolling thunder all night long . . . but we need the rain.

Norman Brinker

--from www.brinker.com

Norman Brinker died yesterday, June 8, 2009, on vacation in Colorado. Mr. Brinker was a prominent citizen of Dallas, where he lived for many years. He founded Brinker International, which is the parent company of Chili’s, On the Border, Maggiano’s, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. He also ran other restaurant chains such as Steak and Ale.

Mr. Brinker lived a colorful life and was married to Maureen Connolly, the tennis star, Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and two other women. He was a philanthropist and entrepreneur and he will be missed in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. He wrote a book entitled On the Brink: The Life and Leadership of Norman Brinker. Another link to his book is here.

He Did It!!

--from www.rolandgarros.com

Roger, that is. Roger Federer won the French Open today in Paris, finally receiving the Coupe des Mousquetaires, presented by his friend and former rival, Andre Agassi. He won against Robin Söderling of Sweden in three straight sets: 6-1, 7-6, and 6-4. Söderling started badly today and Federer took advantage. By winning today, Federer won his first French Open title and tied Pete Sampras’ record for number of slams won (14). So now I have two free weeks until Wimbledon.

--AP photo

During the second set today an intruder jumped onto the court and looked like he was trying to throw a flag over Roger or something. Actually, the guy was trying to put a beret on him. I was watching and it happened very fast. Security chased the intruder who then jumped over the net. A security guy from the other side of the court then knocked him down and he was carried out.

Enrique's Journey

Immigrants ducking and holding on to a train passing underneath some tree limbs, just one of the many hazards faced on the journey north.

--from www.enriquesjourney.com

First published in 2006, Sonia Nazario's account of a young man’s frightening travels from Honduras to the United States through Guatemala and Mexico to reunite with his mother was very disturbing. Enrique’s Journey is the true story of what the life this one particular boy was like before, during, and after his struggle to get to his mother. The mother, Lourdes, left her two children, a boy, 5 (Enrique), and a girl, 7, to seek work in the U.S. She left them with family, sending money as she could. Enrique was determined to leave his life of poverty, drugs, and family drama when he was old enough to make the journey by himself. Like most of the immigrants from Central America, the greatest hurdle was making it safely through the state of Chiapas in Mexico by hopping trains. Each day, many are caught by Mexican authorities and deported, if they don’t happen to lose limbs (or their lives) as a result of riding the rails. Ms. Nazario has done extensive research and followed Enrique’s route herself and talked to many of the people Enrique encountered on his trip.

Enrique painting on a job in the U.S.

--from www.enriquesjourney.com

Not only are the trains a danger to those who make the journey, but immigrants also have to deal with lack of food and water, lack of cleanliness, gangs, thieves, corrupt police, and illness. Enrique was severely beaten on his journey but survived solely due to the kindness of strangers. Many people that live along the train routes give what they can to the constant stream of immigrants heading north. Most of these people barely make a living themselves but still manage to find something to offer the travelers such as water and snacks.

I found that the saddest thing for these immigrants is the emotional toll taken by both the parents who leave their little children to come to America and by the children who feel abandoned and unloved by the mothers (and fathers) who try to better their children’s lives by working in the U.S. and sending money home. Many of the parents who work in the U.S. do begin new lives and meet and marry new spouses, which only add to the emotional problems of the children left behind. When Enrique reached his mother, who was then living in South Carolina, Lourdes had a long-time boyfriend (his father had split from his mother back in Tegucigalpa, Honduras), as well as a 9-year-old daughter born in the U.S. Once the children reunite with the parent (if they ever do), then there is much anger and resentment by the children. The parent cannot easily understand these feelings as their lives have been no picnics striving to send money back home.

Ms. Nazario has won two Pulitzer Prizes for the articles she wrote for the Los Angeles Times about Enrique and his journey to the U.S. These articles were the basis for her book. This short blog posting only skims the surface of what can be learned and understood from reading Enrique's Journey.

The Search for Joyful

A couple of weeks ago I was in a bookstore killing time and it also happened to be my birthday. I was walking down the fiction aisle checking to see how much The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway (Finca Vigía edition) cost when the name Benedict Freedman caught my eye in the F's. He and his wife, Nancy, wrote a fictionalized account of the true story of Katherine Mary Flannigan. The book was entitled Mrs. Mike and was introduced to me by my mom when I was 11 or 12 years old. I can still visualize the beat up paperback that I read and reread many times.

Not too long ago, there was an article about the Freedmans in O, The Oprah Magazine that I skimmed and later read in detail. I was surprised that the Freedmans were still alive as Mrs. Mike was published in 1947! Apparently, they have written two more novels continuing the story of Kathy Flannigan’s adopted daughter and granddaughter (along with many other books). The first of these was the book I happened to spot at the bookstore and is entitled The Search for Joyful. Written 62 years after Mrs. Mike, I was thrilled to revisit the characters. The story of the Flannigan’s adopted Indian daughter and her experiences as a nurse during World War II in Montreal was the perfect book for me to find on my birthday.

The Blue Hour

The very current book I am going to read next is pictured above, both the front and back covers. I ordered it from a used book seller through Barnes and Noble. It appears to be some sort of advanced reading copy that hasn't been fully proofed. The Blue Hour: A Life of Jean Rhys by Lilian Pizzichini is about Jean Rhys, an author whose most famous work was Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Jane Eyre written in 1966. The book was released on May 26th.

Thanks to An Aesthete's Lament for the recommendation! By the way, the "blue hour" is the time of day between full daylight and complete darkness . . .