Yearly Archives: 2015

A Different Kind of Girls’ Getaway

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When I hear someone say they are headed off for a girls’ weekend, my mind instantly jumps to images of women wearing fluffy white robes with mud facial masks spread across their faces and cucumbers over their eyes. Or maybe the still photo in my mind is of a line of women sitting in large massage chairs with their feet in tubs of hot water, prepping for the Barbie pink mani/pedis headed their way. If not those images, then one of well-dressed ladies enjoying a nice white tablecloth dinner on the patio of a ritzy restaurant, glasses of red wine in their hands and pates of tapas on the table. The problem with each of these pictures is that my mind can’t really place me in them anywhere!

So, what’s a girls’ weekend to look like when I’m not willing to spend my entire paycheck on fluff and frill? Picture the exact opposite of all of the things above. Instead of billowy bathrobes, imagine sweat-soaked tank tops. Instead of massage chairs and pedicures, imagine long boats and millipedes. Instead of expensive alcohol and pristine table settings, image bags of melted trail mix and bottle after bottle of potable water.

Now those are the building blocks of a fantastic weekend getaway.

I first saw photos of the Malaysian national park at Taman Negara almost a year ago and have wanted to make the three hour trip north, but it seems like weekends are quickly overtaken with school requirements and work obligations. A few weeks ago, sitting at an outdoor steak restaurant (corrugated metal roof, folding tables, plastic chairs and the best Australian beef in town!), the idea was floated and we quickly had five ladies signed on for Labor Day weekend. No froof and fluff for us. We were off to the jungle for a weekend of hiking, river swimming and insect inspecting.

The most relaxing part of the weekend was the longboat ride up the river. Forty-five minutes of peace (minus the outboard motor), complimented by kingfishers sailing by, monkeys catching fish on the shore and one lazily swimming monitor lizard. Once we reached our upriver destination, it was a short twenty-minute hike to a place where the rocks create a natural whirlpool tub, complete with a massaging waterfall. (Maybe our girls’ weekend had a bit of spa-day included after all!) Since all things nature-y freak me out a bit (ironic, no?), I did spaz out a bit each time a leaf wrapped itself around my ankle, sure that it was one of the lecherous leaches we had been duly warned about before leaving Kuala Lumpur. Soon, our secluded swimming hole was overrun by late-arriving tourists (kudos to our guide for always getting us to destinations ahead of the masses, so we were able to spend a chunk of time unmolested by the other jungle trekkers), so we threw back on our wet shirts and shorts (from the sweaty hike) over our wet swimsuits (from the river) and made our way back down the hillside for another idle ride on the river.

The most unexpected event of the weekend was the night trek. I saw this outing on the original itinerary and didn’t think a whole lot of it, but quickly learned that it would have been more appropriately labeled the “Let’s Marvin Gay and Get It On” insect tour. That’s right. I don’t know if the rainforest is that (re)productive every night, but last Saturday there was some serious breeding going on. We were witnesses to everything from stick bug sex (which then led to a long conversation and later, several Googled articles, about what exactly a pregnant stick bug would look like) to leaf bugs and jungle-sized grasshoppers doing it. (Not together. That would make a strange set of baby bugs.) This entire walk took place in the pouring rain, which was no deterrent for the tiny tropical nightlife, but did teach me that my China-made/China-purchased raincoat had absolutely no waterproof abilities. I was as wet as anything out there that evening.

Our ladies’ weekend wrapped up with the biggest undertaking of the trip- a two kilometer trek up the mountain, through the rainforest, to a beautiful viewpoint at the top of the ridge. As with many (most?) Southeast Asia treks, this one was comprised mainly of stairs. So many stairs. And, keeping in mind that I am pretty wimpy when it comes to physical activities, I did my best to not fall behind the pack. (Considering the five month pregnant woman was leading the line most of the time, I had some strong-stamina shoes to fill!)

Up the stairs.

Up the stairs.

Up the stairs. Every time I thought I saw an end, we’d round a bend and I’d look up to see another endless set.

Essentially, I hate hiking. I always have. I love the view from the top and I am enamored with the possibility of seeing animals on the way, so I lace up my shoes and head out time and time again, but in the moment, I hate it. As much as I dislike hiking, I fear heights. So, what better way to end the weekend than with a canopy walk on the way down the mountain? (I’m apparently a sucker for self-inflicted torture.) The thing with canopy walks is that I’m terrified of being 150 feet in the air on a tiny walkway with nothing between me and the ground but a layer or two of tropical leaves, but I can’t walk away from the potential awesomeness that exists up there. So, once again, I tightened my backpack and struck out across the dangling bridges, keeping my eyes straight ahead and trying to steady my knocking knees. As I climbed the first set of stairs to the initial bridge, I asked the worker how many bridges there were in the course. He promised three. At the end of that first one, I posed the same question to a worker stationed on the platform. His English was less polished, but he seemed to understand me and answered, “Five.” Hmmm… Those two answers didn’t match up, but the thing with canopy walks is that once you start, you are in it for good. There are no emergency egress routes. There are no escape hatches partway through. The only way out is forward. Now thinking I had four more lengths to go, I headed out, with a mind only to getting through.

Three more to go.

Two more to go.

One more to go.

But wait. That was the fifth one and I was still fifty meters in the air. Someone did not tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. As it turns out, there were eight sections in total, one a swinging staircase that had even the most height-loving of our group regretting their canopy walk decision.

While it wasn’t filled with cucumber eye masks or glittery nail polish or hard-to-pronounce French menus, this last weekend was a better kind of ladies’ getaway. As we sweated through our tank tops on the jungle trails, hummed along to Charlie Puth, commiserated over drenched clothes, and generally enjoyed clowning around in the rainforest together. If girls’ getaway weekends are about bonding, this one was definitely a success!

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Photo credits to Jaclyn, Audrey and Puma

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten (or Seven, as the Case May Be) Characters You Just Didn’t Click With

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten (or Seven, as the Case May Be) Characters You Just Didn’t Click With

toptentuesday(Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish)

This week’s topic is an interesting one, as I tend to easily forget books/characters that annoy me. With no investment in them, as soon as I turn the last page, I’ve moved on, so coming up with ten that I just didn’t love required me to go back to my GoodReads list and look through the books I’ve read over the last few years. I also realized that sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between plots/writing I don’t like and individual characters I don’t like. For all of these reasons, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday didn’t draw me in the way some topics do, so I never did come up with ten. This week is a Top Seven Tuesday instead!

So, who did I really not care for?

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard from Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen – As a main player in a non-fiction work, Dr. Hazzard is a character that no reader is going to “click” with as she was a terrible person, in real life! There is no writing her off as a mere character, as she lived and practiced her crazy “starvation” method of treatment in the Pacific Northwest for years, scamming rich people out of their money, preying on those who had both wealth and ill health.

Husband from The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman- As far as I can remember, the husband in this story does not have a name, but he doesn’t need one to be memorable as a terrible person. Rather than dealing with his wife’s declining mental health (possible post-partum depression), he and the local doctor lock her away in an upstairs room, not allowing her books or other forms of entertainment. “Rest” is their only prescription and the husband stands by and watches as his wife descends into madness.

Job from Mr. and Mrs. Doctor by Julie Iromuanya– I really wanted to love this book. The foundation is strong, about the uphill battle many immigrants face when uprooting their lives to start over in America, but I couldn’t get past Job and his selfishness throughout. My sympathy for him quickly waned as I became frustrated with his choices and the fact that he let his ego get in the way of making a better life for himself and his wife.

Raf from Glow by Ned Beauman- Overall, I struggled with this book. I felt like I had taken some illegal substance as I tried to follow the plot and Raf’s character in no way helped clear up my confusion!  Manic is a good word for both Raf and this entire novel.

Rex Yanakakisb from The Compound by S.A. Bodeen- Unlike several of the other choices on this list, I loved this book, just couldn’t stand one of the main characters. This one was of my favorite read-aloud books to share with my students when I was teaching middle school, as the plot grabs them instantly and holds their attention until the very last page. But, with that said, the father of the story, Rex, is a terrible person who puts his family in an unthinkable position, all for his own selfish reasons. The psychological damage he causes his kids is enormous and yet in his mind, it is all worth the pain as long as he gets his way in the end.

Serena from Serena by Ron Rash-  Another horrible human being. Serena has no redeeming qualities and drags those around her into her ethical black hole. (At least her husband, who is equally lacking in morals, has moments of guilt and regret.) Serena will personally kill or command others to kill anyone who stands in the way of her logging empire. Without giving major spoiler alerts, just know that there is no one exempt from her wrath.

Susan from Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman- Horrible person! I almost didn’t finish this travelogue because I found the narrator so awful. You would think if you were given the chance to write about yourself, you’d attempt to shine a light on your positive aspects, but Gilman just comes across as selfish and spoiled, easily fulfilling the role of “ugly American” in her China travels. This book should be a perfect fit with my thesis on contemporary travel writing, but there is no way I can face months and months of delving into it again and again, so it’s cut from the list! This is probably the character that I feel the strongest about from this entire list, probably in part because she is an actual person who behaved so terribly.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Would Be On My Syllabus If I Taught (When I Teach) Contemporary Travel Literature 101

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Top Ten Books That Would Be On My Syllabus If I Taught (When I Teach) Contemporary Travel Literature 101

toptentuesday(Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish)

What a fitting topic as I head back to school in less than a week! As I am looking down the long (and yet, in some ways, not long enough) tunnel of writing my thesis on contemporary travel literature this term, thoughts of what I would teach in a course like this are rattling around my brain. The genre is huge and there are so many directions a professor could take, but since this imaginary course is a “101,” I think overview is the way to go!

I had to whittle this list down two different times, as I couldn’t decide which books would be best for an overview course. There are so many great options and routes that could be taken. If I actually taught this course, I may end up doing a handful of assigned books and then requiring students to choose one or two individually and then present them to the class. How else do you cover so much material?!

(As always, my list is presented in alphabetical order. )

Bird of Life, Bird of Death by Johnathan Evan Maslow- This is one of the oldest books on the list, written in the mid- 80s, but I like the way Maslow mixes ecology, politics, history and mythology into his travelogue of his search for the quetzal bird in Guatemala. While some authors are very inward focused in their journeys, Maslow takes a different view, leaving himself out of the equation and focusing on the trip and its background.

Blood River by Tim Butcher– Also a great travelogue that focuses on history and culture, Butcher’s book includes more personal tales and takes a decidedly more inward-view of his travels. We learn as much about the author as we do the Congo in this example of contemporary travel writing.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon – A great look at travel in the United States. Often, when we think of travel, we think of far-flung locales, but Heat-Moon has created a beautiful reflection of “off the beaten path” USA.

Chasing the Sea by Tom Bissell – Returned Peace Corps volunteers are a staple of the travel writing genre and any course on the topic has to have at least one. (While Bissell did not complete his service in Uzbekistan, his seven months in-country were the basis for why he returned and wrote his book.) While the stated topic of the book is the disappearing Aral Sea, the bulk of this travelogue is more about Bissell returning to the place where he previously struggled, tying up loose ends and making connections he missed out on the first time around.

Looking for Lovedu by Ann Jones- Another book based in Africa, but this time from a woman’s point of view and with an extremely different goal. While Butcher is retracing the steps of a famed journalist, Jones is searching for a matriarchal tribe based in southern Africa, but decides to traverse the continent from north to south on the way there.

The Cambridge Introduction to Travel Writing by Tim Youngs- Since we are talking about a college course, having some theory and background in travel writing is key to fully understanding the genre. Rather than just reading travelogue after travelogue, a discussion of the history and literary past is key. Youngs book is a perfect introduction to the genre.

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux- No course in contemporary travel writing would be complete without a taste of Theroux!

Tourists with Typewriters by Patrick Holland –Another book of theory on the travel writing genre, Holland takes a critical look at where the genre has been and what the future holds for it. He brings up important topics such as imperialism and privilege within the genre- topics that are a necessary part of any academic discussion of contemporary travel writing.

Travel Writing by Carl Thompson- This would be the *first* book my students read as a part of a course on travel writing. Thompson breaks down where the genre has been and the basic literary theory that makes up the foundations of academic study, but does so in a very digestible way. I would consider this a must-read for an academic course on this genre.

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier- Frazier’s travelogue is long, but worth the read for students, not only because his book deals with a different region than all of the others on the list, but because he does a great job of tying together the personal narrative/memoir aspect of the genre with historical and political background of the places he travels.

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Tea with Tales and Tails

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Three weeks in Idaho were not just filled with gun ranges, rodeos and county fairs (see those stories here!); it had a softer side was well. In between picking up casings and stepping over piles of farm animal poo, I squeezed in a bit of “girl-time.”

My best friend, who has a fantastic new job as a traveling nurse (I must admit to not totally understanding the logistics of the program, but love the fact that if we got posted to DC next, there is a chance she could take a gig on the East Coast and we could be neighbors for a few months) flew up to BOI to spend a few days of what turned out to be non-stop chatter and catching up. As we yakked endless with stories of her new job and my new home, we did find time to do a bit of shopping and not just any old shopping, but shopping with a mission- a Marine Ball dress! She and her husband are going to be in KL this fall, arriving just in time for the annual gala, so a fancy new dress was on the “to do” list. After wandering through the mall and surrounding shops, trying on shimmering dress after glittery dress, she eventually settled on a gorgeous navy blue gown that is going to be perfect for the ball. So pretty!

BFF dress shopping was at the start of my time home, but not content to get away with just one major shopping excursion, I book-ended my vacation with another (bigger!) outing at the very end. This one was with my older sister and two nieces, who needed new outfits for their trip to Washington DC. My sister won a national STEM teacher of the year award and as part of her prize package (yes, there was a whole package!) she got to go to the White House to meet the president and she figured the clothes hanging in her closet weren’t quite White House-worthy, so back to the mall we went! This time we were in search of a couple nice dresses for her various events, as well as for the girls who were invited to the awards reception.  After an entire day at the mall, I think they walked out with six dresses (two each), three pairs of shoes and enough accessories to have everyone sparkling just right.  I do think I created a monster though when I introduced the idea of “holding” a dress while you look at other shops. I don’t think this was on either of their radars and suddenly, tough delicious about which dress to pick were put on the back burner so we could continue to pursue the mall. Put all the dresses on “hold!” In the end, everyone came out looking fantastic. Another successful styling/shopping trip in the books!

Girl-time wasn’t all filled with swipes of the credit card though (luckily most of these were not mine!), as I did get to participate in this year’s annual teddy bear tea party, hosted by my mom for the little girls. This year’s theme was “Tea with Tales and Tails.” We invited the two youngest girls (first and second grade), who were each requested to bring along a favorite tale and tail. Both girls came bearing fantastic picture books and a fuzzy stuffed friend. After hauling out piles of animals from Grandma’s teddy bear stashes, we were ready for our tea party.  A few rounds of “crazy apes” (the dollar store version of crazy 8s), we were warmed up and ready for a lunch of Uncrustables and bananas with pink lemonade to wash it all down. This tasty meal for four was accompanied by everyone reading their favorite book from the pile. Our lovely tea party wrapped up with brand new coloring books and crayons for the littles, which were promptly opened and a fantastic session of coloring commenced.

Looking back, my three weeks in Idaho were actually a well-balanced calendar of “Idaho!” and girly-girl time. Guns were shot. Dresses were bought. Cowboys were thrown from bulls. Picture books were read just in time for back to school. Take a bit of this plus a bit of that, throw them together and you get the fixings of an All-American hometown vacation.

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#BPLComiccon15

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Idaho friends, don’t pass up this chance to check out a great activity in Boise in just over a week. The email below is from the event’s most-magnificent organizer, long-time friend and one of our regular overseas couch-surfers, Josh.

Be there or be square!

________________________________________________

There are only nine days until the 3rd Annual Library Comic Con arrives on Aug. 29th! Excited? Terrified? Wholly indifferent? Too full of competing emotions to have a clear idea of what you’re feeling? Maybe this email will help.

First, I’d like to share a few new things that we’re trying out for this year’s event:

  • The Friends of the Library will be selling a specially commissioned commemorative LCC15 poster during the con. The artwork is by local creator Adam Rosenlund http://www.adamjrosenlund.com/ Adam has also recently designed a traffic box wrap for the city, which will be installed either later this year, or next summer. The Friend’s poster will be 13×19, printed on nice paper stock, limited to 250 copies, and sold for $10.
  • To really spruce the place up this year, several team members, with the help of our wonderful pages, constructed post-it note artwork, some of which will be involved in a Super Mario themed scavenger hunt. Wonder Woman was completed yesterday, and is currently guarding the Artist’s Alley.
  • Local artist Jim Sumii is in the process of constructing a “Pikture Booth” where, for a small donation, he will draw caricatures of passersby. He plans to donate all proceeds to the Friends.

Additionally, we’ll be bringing 14 amazing special guests to Boise, including Nate Powell, Steve Lieber, Emi Lenox, Farel Dalrymple, Joëlle Jones, and many more. You can read about all of our LCC creators here: http://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/classes-events/library-comic-con/2015-library-comic-con-guests/

There will be three food/drink vendors: Fanci Freez, Pie Hole, and St(r)eam Coffee. The 501st Legion will be attending all day (Stormtroopers!), as will the R2D2 Builders group, with at least three, life sized droids. Why hasn’t there previously been any LARPing, you say? What is this LARPing thing, you say? It’s Live Action Role Play, and it’ll be happening this year! There will be a Zombie Walk, (no, I’m not just talking about the staff at the end of the day). Need to know how to make a wand? Don’t worry, Dave Ultis from Citizen Scientific Workshop has you covered!

This is the website for LCC15, which has more information as well as specific times for events. http://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/classes-events/library-comic-con/ And if anyone would like to share this information with friends, family, random people on the street, that neighbor that keeps complaining about your lawn, your child’s harried school teacher, the local fishmonger, or just on your own social media, please feel free. We even have a hashtag to use this year: #BPLComiccon15, because we’re fancy like that!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors

toptentuesday(Sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish)

Yes, there are authors whose books I buy, sight-unseen. I don’t need to read a review or cover blurb. If these folks have books coming out, they are usually preordered and ready to be shipped/downloaded as soon as they become available. It’s quite an eclectic list, from narrative non-fiction works to fluffy reads for my many airplane trips. I’ve put them in alphabetical order because it is easier than trying to rank each one, but I would definitely put Erik Larson at the very top of the list if I were to number them 1-10.

Bill Bryson- I read first read A Walk in the Woods on a road trip. Thad drove. I read. We laughed out loud at many of the predicaments he found himself in and we were grateful for semi-soft hotel beds each night as we followed his tale of woe and discomfort on the Eastern Seaboard. I’m a little dismayed to hear about a movie coming out, but I usually am when it comes to book-to-movie adaptations. After A Walk in the Woods I was hooked and have read nearly everything else he has published. Always entertaining!

David Sedaris- I love Sedaris’ outlook on the world. At times it can be a bit harsh (I remember a particular short story about China that I thought was a little rougher on the country than it needed to be), but overall his slightly bitter, slightly sardonic wit keeps me coming back for more.

Erik Larson – This is my number one when it comes to auto-buy authors. Larson is the author who drew me in to narrative non-fiction nearly a decade ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I started with Devil in the White City and then proceeded to read through his entire library. While I didn’t absolutely love each one (I found Thunderstruck quite baffling), I do love his style of weaving several tales into a single story. I can’t wait for his next publication!

Jodi Piccoult- This is my fluff-pick on the list. When Piccoult first started publishing, I loved her works and bought each one the day it came out, but then after a few, the twist at the end became predictable, so I quit reading them for a while. I had to walk away. But, in the last year or so, I’ve jumped back on the bandwagon, caught up on the missed novels and am ready for a new one. These books have ended up being the perfect reads for long trans-Pacific flights from the US to Malaysia.

John Green- He’s definitely the go-to author in the YA world right now, but he’s more than a flash in the pan. He is able to mix tough topics with an inviting writing style that draws in not only the teenage crowd, but also those of us who have a few more candles on our cakes. Again, I haven’t *loved* every single one of his books, but that doesn’t stop me from picking up his latest publication as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Khaled Hosseini – Hosseini comes close to the top of my must-purchase author list. I have loved all three of his novels and will gladly pay hardback prices to get my hands on his next book as soon as it comes out. His characters and tales are haunting, sticking with me long after the last page has been turned. Please tell me there is something from him on the horizon!

Liane Moriarty- This is my other go-to for plane reading.  Moriarty’s thrillers of mystery and intrigue are the perfect fit for a fourteen-hour flight. They don’t take huge amounts of concentration, so when the dude next to me is snoring his way through Avengers, I can still enjoy flipping through the pages of her latest twisting plot.

Mindy Kaling- Does it count if she only has one book out? I don’t care. I loved her first and am hoping she follows it up with another. Soon.

Sarah Vowell – Another great narrative non-fiction author, Vowel is a master storyteller, drawing me in to topics I wouldn’t normally imagine myself interested in. I love that about her. Ask me if I have a deep desire to read about presidential assassinations and  I will probably tell you no, but then give me the first few pages of Assassination Vacation and I am hooked.

Wally Lamb- You need time if you’ve got a Wally Lamb book on your hands. They are never quick nor easy reads, but they are powerful and thought-provoking. Lamb’s ability to tackle tough topics in a sensitive manner is admirable and while his books often portray situations that are painful to contemplate, they are also a part of the world in which we live. He doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations and I will always buy whatever he puts out next.

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