Monday, June 29, 2009

Nothing's hipper than a Portland hipster

Fashion + Food Carts. Welcome to Portland.

I think our little laid-back democracy here, come-as-you-are (creatively!) vibe Portland gives off is personified best out on the streets. I'm so excited that this lady has started a Portland street fashion blog, celebrating our collective fashionable street sense (how many ways can umbrellas and goulashes turn trendy? Watch and learn).

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

School's out (for the summer)


Congrats to my little sister, who finished her first year of teaching America-style today (the long, thankless hours, the photocopies, the dizzying bureaucracy, the looming budget cuts). The insanely impressive part is this: she taught 23 wiggly little 5 and 6 year-olds to speak fluently (as fluent as a five-year-old can be) in Spanish.

The best part of this story, I think, was her honest surprise (and panic) when she realized she'll be doing it all again, with a new crop of kids, next year.

Buena suerte, mi hermana.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Book Review: The Song Is You

The Song Is You: A Novel The Song Is You: A Novel by Arthur Phillips


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nietzsche once said, "Without music, life would be a mistake." The Song Is You is a beautiful tribute to this. A man lost in a failed marriage and the death of his young son tries to make sense of his life through his guarded relationship with an up-and-coming singer. The prose throughout the book is electric, exactly how life feels sometimes but can so rarely be properly expressed in words (that's where the music helps). The author is talented enough to emote the joy of both words and music, and I found the book inspiring, (not at all one-note - ha).


View all my reviews.