January 04, 2009
Lit Lust
I received my $25 Amazon Visa rewards check yesterday and promptly blew it on some new to me selections up Amazon way. I can't believe I've never ordered used books off of their sellers before - some of them were only $0.99. Say whhhhuuut? I know much, kids, but I do pretend to know that if this recession has taught me one thing, it's how to reign in my consumption yet still get everything I want.
Ascetism. It's the new awesome.
Anywhizzle, here they are:
Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited by Nabokov
The Oxford Book of American Short Stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates
Ooga-Booga: Poems by Frederick Seidel
The Safety of Objects by A.M. Homes
I look forward to both having at them and having my way with them. It's how I maintain my youthful glow.
Posted by Bree at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2009
2008: Ain't She Great
To continue on my self-serving me-meme (as if there's any other sort of meme to be had on a personal blog), here's a little game I picked up on Your Ill-Fitting Overcoat:
1. Look up your first post of the month from every month this year.
2. Copy the first few lines from each post.
3. Link to the original post at the end of the quote.
Here goes with an addendum that I only used written posts, not videos or pictures. Between the partying, the vacationing, the purchasing, the critiquing and the working on my home and my business, I think we've got a fairly accurate summation.
January (and I'm already cheating by posting the whole durned piece)
In 2008, I resolve to listen to more Master of Puppets-era Metallica. I resolve to to pick out paint colors for my guest room, dresser and mantel and look into the benefits/drawbacks of fabric softener. I resolve to update my ipod more frequently, respond to e-mails with gusto and be much more vigilant in the leg shaving category. I resolve to take vitamins and stop eating cereal three times a day. I resolve to visit Liz and Nick in Sydney in the fall and actually buy condoms rather than relying on the vanilla and orange UTI specials brought to me free by Planned Parenthood.
I also resolve to figure out this whole "career thing."
And buy a new couch.
Brother Matt (or "BM" as he's known around the house) just called to say he passed the Series 7!!!!!!!!
WHOOOOHOOOO! to the whee power.
As phase one in my Internet addiction therapy (don't be fooled - I'm not in Internet addiction therapy. Nor is there a phase two.), I DELETED ALL OF MY GOOGLE READER FEEDS yesterday. The constant pressure to read every last published piece that came up on my monitor was unhappily reminiscent of the early aughts - back when I had a dial-up modem...and subscriptions to 15 magazines and newspapers.
April
I've hired Angela's friend Becky of Moontree Press to make my business cards and thank you notes for the bidness. Moontree Press is hot hotty hot. I've heard - and seen - nothing but awesome stuff about - and from - this shop. Wow. That sentence really doesn't work.
For some reason, I loathe writing about vacations. So bear with this short description: it was fun, relaxing, and full of good, quality sleep (10 hours a night) and lots of time sweating at the beach. We rented a car and drove around the island one day, went snorkeling, swam in the pool at our place, read, bought rum drinks, freaked out about bugs (me), freaked out about lizards (me), went fishing (Matt) and ate a lot of buttery meat that came in shells.
Question for you: is there something wrong with this picture? Head-size-wise, I mean? The more I look at it, the more confused, ashamed and embittered I feel.
Well, maybe not the last two.
But I'm definitely not buying those shorts.
July
Readers! Use code "briggles" at Design By Humans for 20 percent off smoking cool t-shirts for the ladies and the germs. Do it, donuts!
Tonight, Matt and I are hosting the Sticks and Stones Party. Similar to 2007's Ball Ball, Sticks and Stones will pay tribute to ball-based cuisine but this year we've thrown a spoke in the works. Or a stick in the spoke. Whatever. Stick-based cuisine will also be on the menu.
September
My front yard has two garden plots on either side of the porch steps. When I moved in, these were covered with pretty, unobtrusive ground cover. Yet, my need to tackle projects beyond my skill/know-how being what it is, I soon (1 1/2 years after moving in) added the ground cover removal/new bush addition task to the ever-expanding list of things to do.
October
The problem with buying expensive toiletries is that I buy them, and then don't want to use them because they're far too expensive to waste on days when the only people I see are a. the people who scan my card at the gym or b. the people who come to my door trying to sell me magazine subscriptions or beef.
The yule is being served up early in these parts: not only am I getting my KILLER parka today, but Matt's Christmas gift arrived as well. And since his birthday is also on Christmas and I won't be here to celebrate either of them with him, and since he picked it out and sent me the link and I told him I bought it, I figured I should just, you know, hand the Fed Ex box to him immediately. No fan of delayed gratification, I. SO...what, pray tell, could it be?
Seraphim Falls
Very pretty. Also, very pointless.
Posted by Bree at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2008
Tagging That Ass
The inestimable SOG tagged me to play a little game with you all. Apparently, I have to tell you seven things you don't know about The Fancy Briggler. Number 1A being that "The Fancy Briggler" is what I want my cat burglary name to be. You know, when I start my cat burglaring career. Which is a dream and an ambition.
Here's how Stephen says it works:
1. Link to your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
2. Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged.
And I trust him, so here goes.
1. My extended family is small. In fact, I have one cousin and had one aunt (now deceased). That's it.
2. I came in FIRST IN THE STATE in a creative problem solving competition in the sixth grade. Following, I competed nationally at the University of Michigan (and thus missed the class trip to NYC when Bridget barfed out of the school bus and it came back in and landed on someone) and was a finalist. Michael Dukakis misspelled my name on my official certificate of awesomeness ("Neeley") but my parents still framed it and hung it in the most low-budge guest room.
3. I grew up in the same house my mother grew up in. Part of it was built in 1801, part of it in 1901 and part of it in 2001. It has been a farmhouse, a rental to Williams college professors, a speakeasy, a vacation house for rich New Yorkers and a nursing home and many, many people (including my great-grandmother) died in it. Nonetheless, it's not "really" haunted.
4. My reasons for hospitalizations and emergency room visits include iritis, urinary tract infections (x2), pneumonia, bronchial pneumonia and a broken wrist, among others. I also once broke my toe running into the wall in a vain attempt to get my boyfriend to pay attention to me (aka throwing myself repeatedly at the corner of our room mumbling, "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!") but we didn't go to the hospital.
5. When I was 17, I went and lived with an Italian family on the Adriatic coast for two months. It was the best summer of my life. When I left at the end, my "mother" ran along the track, beating on the side of the train, crying. I guess they had forgiven me for drinking too many Heinekens and puking all over their bathroom.
6. I had a guinea pig named Squirtiss when I was but a small child. He had an enlarged testicle that he dragged around after him. The vet said as long as he kept eating, he was probably fine. He kept eating and he and his giant nut lived for about ten years in a dog kennel in our butler's pantry.
7. I still haven't made up my mind about what I want to do or where I want to live or who I want to be. I'm hoping I figure it out at some point, but have given up being worried. I've also given up on wearing blush. It just doesn't look right on me. I prefer a more cadaverous affect. (And, yes, that's the correct use of "affect," so put down your grammar guns, toughies.)
TAG TIME
1. Angela, because she brought me to the airport at 7 a.m. last week and I so clearly owe her
2. Anittah, because she's the best ex of an ex I've ever known
3. Jessica, because she's the best best friend of an ex I've ever known
4. Emily, because she needs to blog more, even if it is under 700 nom(es) de plume(s)
5. Daniel, because I'm hoping he'll tell the reasoning behind his purple and green period
6. Jamie, because I always want to hear what she has to say
7. Hubs, because I've never met him but I like the cut of his steeze
Posted by Bree at 09:22 AM | Comments (1)
December 28, 2008
Lardass
'nuff said. Pass the nog.
Posted by Bree at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2008
Telling It Like It Is
I swear I'll be back soon. I'm still recovering from drinking my first ever glass of scotch last night...and subsequently puking up my first ever glass of scotch last night at about 1 a.m. Typical family Christmas. Really wouldn't be the holidays if I didn't have the SPINS. And all I have to say about effing scotch is, tastes like ass on the way down AND the way up.
Tonight, I'm out to dinner with my high school lady friends (Kirsten, Nicole, Becky, Kerri-Ann) and then over to my brother's for a party with HIS high school lady friends (Jeff, Dan, Duff, Noyes, Pete, etc.). Tomorrow, I'll be installing Quickbooks on my mom's computer in between my weight gaining activities and football consumption (Jets/Miami at 4:15). Interesting shit, right? Fuck you, Rick.
Oh I kid. I love you. Now please come back to Denver so I can move into your house for two weeks and Matt can redo my bathroom. :))) I know last time we talked, I asked you to father my children but next time it will be ALL about me living in your basement. I give and give. We can gather 'round the cozy glow of the framed Obama sign your renters put on the side of your home and you can tell me over and over again how much James Salter wanted to get in my pants as I eat your Cheetos. The times!!!
Posted by Bree at 02:43 PM | Comments (2)
December 23, 2008
Home
I knew I was in the house I was raised in when I found this atop a pile of books in the hallway. There's nothing like coming home to remind you of why you are the way you are.
Posted by Bree at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
