#14 The Potter Books

I finished Chamber of Secrets and dragged the dude to the library so that I could pick up Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. I'll have to slow down eventually--things need to be done around the house!

Fiction: 10

#14 Read 16 Works of Fiction

I've decided at this late date to reread all the Harry Potters before I read the last one. I started on Tuesday, and I finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone last night after the ball game. I started Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets today, but I really have to try to finish my contest entry for Craftzine's Stitch n Pitch thingy by tomorrow night. So I'll try not to read tonight until I've worked on it. And I'm in a race against the clock to get to book 5 before July 11th, well 15th, we wouldn't see the movie before the weekend anyway.

Fiction: 9

#18 Subscribe to the New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly

On magazine trends from the Chicago Tribune

INFLUENTIAL EDITORS: One of the most influential editors - and I'm not just saying this because I work for him - is [Rolling Stone founder] Jann Wenner... And secondly, I'm just going to say a name everyone else says: David Remnick. Even if you aren't reading his magazine, the New Yorker is so well-regarded that it's the only magazine where intelligent people feel deep, existential shame if they don't have a subscription.

We gave up the subscription, but I do not feel one iota of existential shame. Maybe it's because I'm not a regular "intelligent person." I'm superhuman in my intelligence. Seriously. The other day my boss introduced me to a consultant as the resident genius. I think I should get paid a whole lot more for that position--I only signed up to be the associate director of alumni and development communications.

The New Yorker didn’t give us time to breathe, to absorb, to fucking read it. Every time I got the mail there was a new one. We’re sticking with the Atlantic. We both like the extensive coverage of one topic and a whole month to look at it. And I greatly prefer Word Fugitives to coming up with captions for the world's worst cartoons.

#5 Visit Elfreth's Alley

The dude and I actually went into the city on a weekend! You'd think we lived 100 miles away instead of 9. But the traffic coming home did convince us that the surface streets--or even public transportation--was a much better way to go.

I forgot my camera, but I do have crappy camera phone evidence:

So, what's the deal with Elfreth's Alley? This National Historic Landmark is the oldest continuously inhabited street in the United States. The houses are, mostly, privately owned (one's a museum and another is a gift shop). Many of people who live there kindly open their homes twice a year, once in the summer and once around Christmas.

I thought it would be cool to see it, and I thought it would be neat to show the (English) dude that we have old stuff too. Of course, when we got to the first house, he says, "I grew up in a house older than this." Which of course could have been brought to my attention when they were still living in the house! Apparently, the kitchen cupboards were even original. I never went into the kitchen in that house. His "divorcing" parents sold it, so I will never get to really poke around in his old house.

But I did get to see some original cabinetry in these old houses. One of the most interesting things about the Alley is that it was originally inhabited by tradespeople, so it is an example of a working class neighborhood. In the late 19th/early 20th century the homes were occupied by immigrants. Now, of course, it's pretty upscale.

#23 Consult a financial advisor

So the dude, Mr I don't need no stinkin' budget, consented to come with me to the appointment with the financial advisor. He has changed his tune, fortunately. We've hired her, and we'll be changing the way money flows around here. I also believe she'll do a lot to help us with #22 (contribute additional $$ to retirement) and #24 (write a will, including all attendant documents).

So, see, #57 has really paid off!

#14 More Fiction

A couple of weeks ago, Cheryl in DC wrote to tell me about Confessions of a Teen Sleuth: A Parody by Chelsea Cain. It had been recommended by Nancy Pearl on NPR. Pearl let on that in the book Carolyn Keene had been the real Nancy Drew's roommate at my alma mater, Bryn Mawr, and that clinched it. Plus I was such a huge fan of Nancy Drew when I was a kid (Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo--I still love me a good mystery. And since Scooby Doo is my niece's favorite show, and now that she is reading chapter books, I know just what to get her for Christmas!)

This book was fun and quick. I guess I never realized how annoying those Nancy Drew books were. I loved the chapter where George, now a feminist professor, gathers the heroines of teen mysteries to discuss what kind of role models they were. Some parts of the book are really rather clever. It's entertaining, but never laugh out loud funny. Well worth reading if you read these books as a kid and wondered what happened when Nancy settled down and grew old.

Fiction: 8