90s stretch pants comin' at ya!

Remember wearing stretch pants like these in elementary school (ours were a little cooler, I mean we had the loops to go under out feet)? Well according to Kohls and Lauren Conrad they are back in style!

The good news is that you needn't be ashamed of your embarrassing clothes from back then. The bad news is that just because something is "in style" that doesn't mean not embarrassing.

Sadly, I did not buy these fantastically ugly leggings. I believe stretch pants from the 90s are better left in the 90s.

Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke

via she treads softly

I was really excited to learn more about Judy Garland, I think she is an amazing talent! I was already aware that her life was fairly unhappy and tragic, but this book really lets you know. There are some pretty ugly things you learn about Judy and other people. You probably shouldn't read this if that will bother you.

By the way, this book is very researched. Clarke has an appendix at the end of the book that states every source (most of which were interviews).

If you like biographies and Judy Garland, this book might be for you.

Goodness, she's wonderful!

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

via HarperCollins

I really loved this book. I even highlighted several passages. Instead of tell you why I love the book, I'll just post some passages from the book. That way you can see for yourself.

We put our kids to fifteen years of quick-cut advertising, passive television watching, and sadistic video games, and we expect to see emerge a new generation of calm, compassionate, and engaged human beings?

Of all my father's teachings, the most enduring was the one about the true measure of a man. That true measure was how well he provided for his children, and it stuck with me as if it were etched in my brain. I didn't know where I was going next, but I knew that failure wasn't an option.

What I'm saying is that by having very little, I had it good. Children need a sense of pulling their own weight, of contributing to the family in some way, and some sense of the family's interdependence. They take pride in knowing that they're contributing. They learn responsibility and discipline through meaningful work. The values developed within a family that operates on those principles then extend to the society at large. By not being quite so indulged and "protected" from reality by overflowing abundance, children see the bonds that connect them to others.

I must ask myself what I've done to support that vision of the future. I know that one can never do enough. "To whom much is given, much is required" the Bible says, and I give money to this and to that and lend my name to certain causes. But where I've invested most in the future of this planet- unreservedly, and from the deep heart's core-is through the lives of six talented and intelligent young women, truly beautiful human beings, whom I burst with pride to call my daughters.

I'm responsible not for what happens but for what I make of it. It's up to me to take my own measure, to claim what's real, to answer for myself.

I've only seen three of Poitier's movies, but I highly recommend them:

The Making of the African Queen by Katharine Hepburn

via Pat's Books Read, Reviewed, To Read

If you haven't heard already I adore Katharine Hepburn. A lot. She's my favorite actress of all time. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when a friend gave me her copy of this book and told me I could keep it!

This book is perfect. I could hear Hepburn's voice as I read this book, it was written exactly the way she speaks. Naturally she is very honest and humorous.

I have always loved learning about anything extra I can regarding the movies I love. If you're like me, this book is just the ticket! Hepburn tells stories about everyone from the director to the hired help. You also get to learn about all the little mishaps before and during filming.

I'm so happy to have this book in my collection. It's a must read for any film buff.

Ahab's Wife or, The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund

via goodreads

I stumbled upon this book at a thrift store. I don't general buy books I've never read before, but this one caught my eye. When I found out it was inspired by a passage in Moby Dick, I had to have it.

I read some reviews online before I started it and it seemed that people either loved the book or hated it.

I loved it.

I've never actually read Moby Dick, but a love the movie (Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck are both great) and what it teaches. After reading this book I really want to give Moby Dick a try (in an abridged form, though- I've heard there is a lot of whaling information that is hard to get through).

First of all this is a long book, 157 chapters and 666 pages. It reads like an autobiography (written by the main character, Una). It has a little bit of everything in it including; romance, adventure, and history.

I enjoyed it because it's about a young girl (and then a woman) struggling through life. Her trials are much larger than could even be imagined by me, but they shape her and work very well in the story.

I can't really guarantee that you will like this novel and I probably wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I'm so glad I found it!

PS - This book is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; was named in Time as One of the Year's Five Best Novels; and Naslund has received the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writer.

I'm totally normal.

It's normal to go to a thrift store in search of vinyl albums right? Of course it is.

That's what I did on Thursday afternoon when I got off work and I made out like a bandit! 20 albums for 11 dollars! I was a happy lady walking up to the cashier. I even came away with six of Herp Alpert and the Tijuana Brass albums. Happy, happy, happy!

Well as the cashier is ringing me up his coworker could not stop staring at me. Honestly, she was gawking. Finally she said something like, "I didn't know anyone used those anymore." I cheerfully explained that it's my favorite way to listen to music and then the cashier chimed in saying his father was a big Tijuana Brass fan (I do love connecting with people). It was a really fun visit. I swear I shocked that girl out of her mind. I'll bet she went home and told people about me the same way I told about her. I can only hope that I peaked her interest. Maybe she'll try out some vinyl sometime.

Hello, little black bear cub!

Looked up from my paperwork and there he was! Isn't he cute? He kept looking at us and then up in the willows - probably at mama bear. So we grabbed our gear and got out of there! After snapping a few pictures....