A Book Review: Dearie

Okay, the full title of the book is Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, but that was just too many colons for one blog post title.

Julia

I just finished this one up on Tuesday, while sitting out on Joey’s deck and remarkable is right!  It’s interesting to me that Julia Child is such a huge name in the cooking world, yet before reading this book I knew next to nothing about her.  I didn’t know she grew up in California, didn’t know she was that tall, didn’t know she had a career with the secret intelligence agency before embarking on a career in cooking, didn’t know she didn’t begin that career until she was almost 40, didn’t know hard she worked and how much she did right up until her death just two days before her 92nd birthday.  Remarkable.

photo

While I’m not sure I loved the style of Dearie — it seemed like a lot facts and quotes and was a little dry for my taste — I totally fell in love with the character it depicted.  By the end, I felt like I had been friends with Julia Child.  And what a spunky and fun friend she was.  I don’t think anyone who knows anything about Julia Child can deny that she was one of a kind.  When I reached the end of the book, I was genuinely sad.  Sad that I was too young to know who she was when she was still living, sad that I never got to watch her shows, sad that the world will never see another like her.  But what a legacy she’s left behind.

P.S. Do not read this book while hungry 😛

2013 Summer Bucket List

Gosh, “Bucket List” makes this post sound morbid, doesn’t it? Anyways, I know it’s not technically summer until the 21st of this month but if you ask me (and I suspect most people would agree), summer already started on Memorial Day. So let the summer bucket listing begin!

photo 2

Go vegetarian for one week

Laughable that this used to be a piece of cake to accomplish. I’m totally fine with eating lots more meat than I was a couple years ago (especially during the summer — burgers, brats, hot dogs, oh my), but it would be a fun challenge to see if I could forego meat for one measly week.

photo 1

Attend Film on the Rocks

I say I want to go every.single.summer. then somehow it slips my mind and by the time I remember, the movie is sold out and I’m saying “maybe next year?” Not even letting it happen again this time.

photo

Finish all the books on my “Summer Reading List”

I’m going through a serious dry spell in terms of reading. For some reason, Twitter has convinced me that I should spend more time with it at night than with a good book. Wrong, Twitter. You’re wrong. I’ve got 4 books on my list for this summer: The Paris Wife, The Night Circus, Dearie and The Storyteller. Here’s to being a bookworm this summer.

IMG_0936

Go to Movie in the Park

They show movies (for free!) on Saturday nights in both Boulder and Denver and the line ups for this year look great! Last summer was actually the first time I’d done this before and I had such a blast. I’m definitely up for it again this year.

IMG_0631

Try a new hiking trail

As much as I love love love hiking the Royal Arch in Boulder, I know there’s tons of other equally-beautiful hiking spots in Colorado and I’d love to try a new one this year. Also, totally sad that I have yet to take a single hike yet this year!

Screen Shot 2012-09-05 at 7.09.44 PM

Go one day without social media

This might be the ultimate summer challenge for me. Help, I’m addicted.

IMG_3564

Run a 10K

I’ve been digging the whole run for fun/not training for anything habit I’ve been in for the past couple of years, but after running the Bolder Boulder I’m reminded that 10K’s are a really fun distance. Also, a totally do-able distance without any training. The real challenge will be finding one that doesn’t plant me right in the middle of some kind of summer heat wave.

IMG_0865

Bike to work

Joey and I had noble aspirations to get our bikes into working condition this past weekend, but I think a 2.5 hour nap snuck in and there went that plan. I know Joey has ridden his bike to work in the past so I know we can make it. Don’t think it will become a daily (or even weekly) habit, however.

IMG_2813

Give my office some personality

Thank goodness I work with a bunch of guys who don’t care about office décor or I would feel really embarrassed about my completely blank walls and utter lack of beauty in my office. I don’t think I have a designer bone in my body so I’m probably talking about something simple like a fun lamp, some flowers and a giant portrait of myself (not!) but that’s better than nothing.

Carousel

Go to an amusement park

Because nothing’s more summer-y than roller coasters and corndogs, right?

IMG_2920

Brew an IPA

Even though I’ve totally come around and am a total beer drinker now, Joey and I still don’t see eye-to-eye on the type of beer. I love anything wheaty and Joey is all over anything hoppy. He loves IPAs and is always hinting that he’s like to brew one. I’ve been successfully skating the subject, but I guess I could take one for the team.

IMG_0723

Make/eat s’mores

Every time we drive back to our apartment at night during the summer I can see a few people gathered around the fire pit and think to myself that it looks like the perfect spot to roast s’mores. I would hate to let the s’more making opportunity pass me by again this summer.

IMG_0806

Drink a root beer float

Another one of those fleeting summer cravings that I need to give into.

Go to the cabin (and don’t complain :P)

True Story: I’ve never been camping. Roughing it just isn’t my cup of tea. For years Joey has been begging me to go to his uncle’s cabin for a weekend with him and for years I have been saying no and loving that Joey has a short memory and doesn’t remember to bring it up more than once a year, but I think my list of excuses is running out.

***********************

What’s on your summer bucket list?