A Book and a Bagel Bar

On Monday, my sister, our friend Anna, and I got together for our first book club meeting.  We wanted to encourage each other to read, have a reliable schedule for our get-togethers, and get into some real talk, so our book club was born.

I picked our first book, Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World by Linda Hirshman, which is a dual biography of the first two women to serve as Supreme Court justices.  As far as books go, it was disappointing:  great concept, poor execution.  But our first meeting was a success!

I’m a sucker for a good theme, so I decided to plan for a dinner bar (you know, bar, like the law)!  That idea could have gone in a ton of different directions — taco bar, yogurt bar, baked potato bar — but we went with a bagel bar as an ode to Ginsburg’s New York roots.

I went with plain bagels so that we could go crazy with spreads and topping options.  Here’s what was on the menu:

Spreads:  hummus, cream cheese, Trader Joe’s Mixed Nut Butter, local clover honey

Toppings:  sliced tomatoes, slice red onion, radishes, cucumbers, capers, assorted salami, sliced Gouda, sliced Muenster

Extras:  Blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pineapple, red grapes, Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning, red pepper flakes, Hawaiian black salt

Sips:  Mbali Chenin Blanc-Viognier and Josh Cellars Rosé, both picked up at Trader Joe’s

Before sitting down and diving into our book discussion (and its resulting tangents), we each crafted our bagels.  Anna split hers three ways:  nut butter and honey; Muenster with red onions and radishes; and cream cheese with tomatoes, cucumbers, and capers.  My sister kept it pretty traditional with cream cheese, red onions, and capers on the bagel, with a tomato slice, cucumbers, and salami on the side.  I went half-and-half:  Muenster and salami on one side, cream cheese and capers on the other, plus sides of tomato slices and salami.

We all went back for seconds before moving on to fruit and chocolate-covered almonds.

I highly recommend a bagel bar as an easy dinner party option, but we wouldn’t recommend Sisters in Law, so we’re hoping for more success on the book front next time.  We’ve chosen Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty for our next meeting, just in case you want to read along with us.

Podcasting

Way back in February, I promised a round-up of the podcasts I’ve been enjoying.  Now I’m ready to deliver on that promise.  (Plus, my dad asked me the other day which ones I’ve been listening to!)  Here are a few podcasts that are on regular rotation around here:

 

Adulthood Made Easy:  The show is retired now, but there are plenty of episodes for you to binge listen.  (I haven’t even made it through them all!)  The host, Sam Zabell, is easy to like and relate to, and she has some interesting conversations with some really good guests.  A few of my favorites are “Get a Clean Apartment with Minimal Effort”, “Bad Bosses”, “Embracing Failure”, “Gilmore Girls Revival”.

 

 

Happier with Gretchen Rubin:  I go through periods when I am all “Happier” all the time, and periods when I need a break from Gretch and Liz, but this podcast has become a kind of “comfort listen”.  I love that the episodes have a set structure, so I always know what to expect, and there are some great tips!

 

 

 

The Lady Gang:  I’m relatively new to “The Lady Gang”, but it’s great when you’re in the mood for some no-nonsense girl talk.

 

 

 

 

 

By the Book:  I’ve mentioned “By the Book” a few times before, but it’s got to be on this list!  I love the concept and, as a self-help reader, it’s nice to sit back and hear other people navigate a sea of recommendations.  My favorite show so far is “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”.

 

 

 

Strong Opinions Loosely Held:  This podcast is all about analyzing pop culture, often through a feminist lens — this is my wheelhouse.  Without ever being too aggressive or off-putting, Elisa Kreisinger hosts conversations about the “Celebrity (Activist) Industrial Complex”, the commoditization of feminism (in “Please Exit Through the Feminist Gift Shop”), and “The Kardashian Industrial Komplex”.

 

 

 

Gilmore Guys:  Another “comfort listen”.  You know that I am really into the Gilmore Girls universe, so I like to listen to other people talk about it.

 

 

 

 

Stop Podcasting Yourself:  If you’re in the mood for an hour of goofiness, Graham Clark and Dave Shumka have you covered.  You never know quite what you’re going to get, other than laughs, and that’s okay with me.

 

 

 

Let me know what you’re listening to that I need to add to my rotation.

Sunday with Warhol

A couple weekends ago, my parents, sister, and I stopped by the High Museum of Art to see the Andy Warhol Prints exhibit while it was in town.  I distinctly remember this print from a t-shirt my dad wore when I was little, so I’m happy my little family went all together.  It was super-crowded, making it a little difficult to see and appreciate everything, but I’m so glad we saw it at all!

The exhibit is arranged chronologically, so it was fun to see where Warhol’s art started and follow his creative development.  As you walk through, you get a look at his experimentation with different art techniques, his entrance into pop culture art, and his more adult works (there was a dedicated room, with warning signs!).  Here’s a little peek:

While I love what Warhol did with pop culture, I had never seen his early work and I really loved it!  His sketches were my favorite part of the whole exhibit, but it’s all worth a visit.  The exhibit is at the High until September 3.

Can we talk about Gilmore Girls?

I have watched every episode of Gilmore Girls many times — I’m definitely in the double-digit count of viewings.  Granted, I’m not always paying attention; Gilmore Girls is one of those feel-good shows that I like to have going in the background when I’m home alone or working on something.  But, full attention or not, I’ve watched it a lot.  (Not A Year in the Life, though.  I’ve only watched that twice:  once in a state of complete disappointment and once to try again.  I haven’t collected my revival thoughts yet.)

My sister mentioned that I must really love the show and that got me thinking:  Do I love Gilmore Girls that much?  I don’t think so, but I do think I like it because the show is loaded with things to think about.  Mother-daughter relationships, privilege, pop culture, and more!

The fun thing about having seen a show a bajillion times is that, after the first few viewings, you can watch critically.  You’re not learning about the characters anymore or trying to keep up with the story; you can think about every little thing that made it into the show.  It might seem a little silly to think so hard about a show like Gilmore Girls, but it’s an influential, loved show that has impacted lots and lots of people.  So I will continue to watch and think and if you’re the same way, there are a few not-so-great things I’d love to chat about …

Can we talk about how rude Lorelai is to anyone and everyone when she is in a bad mood?  While it seems like something that’s written into her character to make her “real”, but also as a comical aspect of her personality, it really just makes her seem immature and inconsiderate.  It’s not your mother’s fault that you exploded at Sookie, Lorelai.  And maybe, instead of pouting every time you’re upset, you could work on your communication skills.

Can we talk about how the Gilmores did the same thing to Dean when Rory brought him to dinner that the Huntzbergers did to Rory when she started dating Logan?  Lorelai gives Richard a pretty easy pass when he has his hissy fit, but that courtesy doesn’t extend to the Huntzbergers.  I would argue that, while both incidents were terrible and unnecessary and melodramatic, the Huntzbergers had a better case!  Rory wasn’t likely to end up with her high school boyfriend, but it is significantly more reasonable to think that Logan, a college guy bringing his girlfriend home to meet his family, might end up with her.  The Huntzbergers’ concerns might have been unfair and antiquated, but they were a little bit more realistic.

Can we talk about the way non-circle female characters have to turn into monsters in order for their story lines to move forward?  Gilmore Girls is about a lot of things, but the relationships of women to other women are central.  It’s interesting to me that there is this girl power, tribe mentality that exists in Lorelai’s circle, but it only applies to the women who are already included.  Sure, we see Rory supported unconditionally, we see Sookie initiate her relationship with Jackson, we see Lane pushing boundaries, we see Paris being a boss, and we see Emily put her foot down and demand respect from her powerful husband (in what seems, otherwise, to be like a very “traditional gender roles” kind of relationship).  They’re in the circle.  But outside of the circle, we see Sherry abandon her daughter and relationship because she’s resentful of Christopher, we see Rachel as someone who always leaves and breaks hearts in the process, we see Nicole ask Luke to stick it out in their relationship only to betray his trust, and we even see April as a romantic problem instead of a person.  If you ask me, that’s unnecessary.

Artsy Weekend

We’ve been pretty ~!* artsy *!~ around here lately.

A couple weeks ago, on Friday night, my family went to another concert together.  We saw Lambchop at Terminal West.  It was a pretty mellow show — very intimate, which I enjoyed.

On Sunday, my sister and I took advantage of the free Second Sunday deal at the High Museum of Atlanta to see the Cross Country:  The Power of Place in American Art, 1915–1950 exhibit.  The exhibit will be leaving the museum soon (May 7th is its last day), but it’s definitely worth visiting.  The whole thing was pretty cool to see — Dorothea Lange’s iconic Migrant Mother is included!

We also stopped to take in Daniel Arsham’s Hourglass exhibit.  Even with the description of the exhibit plastered on the wall, it’s still over my head.  But it’s nifty-looking.  If you’re looking to be wowed and confused, check it out by May 21.

The day was gorgeous, so my sister and I decided to take in some neighborhood architecture.  It’s crazy to me that these houses sit right off of one of the busiest roads around town.

Oh I’d love to get my hands on this little cottage …

Since this little adventure, it’s been go-go-go around here.  I’ve been busy celebrating family birthdays, learning more and more at work (did I mention that I started a new job in January?), trying to read more, getting in the habit of meal planning on prepping on Sundays, etc.  So I apologize for the period of blog silence!