a quickie during lunch

Decided to take a walk for a few minutes during the noon-hour and treat myself to yet another iced green tea (unsweetened, obvs) and still looking for the last piece of my puzzle of a costume. Just can't quite get it down - so close though!

Met Karim lounging at the Starbucks at the Beverly Connection. He kind of reminded me of Rick Fox but that's a whole 'nutha story...

He's reading the classic Joseph Keller novel Catch-22. Oddly enough I can't recall if I've ever read it. Odd I know. This is his second time reading it. He had read it many years ago and remembered how it was funny so decided to pick it up again. He says he needs a good laugh nowadays. Karim currently works for a hedge fund in Newport Beach and its been quite interesting lately, to say the least! It's been very stressful so he decided to take the week off hence the lounging and reading in the middle of the work week. When asked what he would write about he said he'd like to write a book about his work environment. Should be fascinating reading.


Karim normally doesn't read novels. He generally sticks to "boring non-fiction" as he calls it. Mainly historical or political leaning. And, of course, books on the economy and the like. The last books he read were Commodities Rising by Jeffrey M. Christian and Hot Commodities by Jim Rogers. He usually gets his book recs from reading reviews online while browsing similar books he likes or has read.

Random factoid for the road? He loves all things Toni Morrison. As I walked away I totally meant to go back and say, "Toni made and served white okra to someone I know..." but the moment had passed...

Have you been reading alot about the financial crisis?

And random non-book related question: What are you doing or going to be for Halloween?

Book-related addendum: What are your favourite Halloween books/stories?

Secret Sex Wars

After lunching and partial costume shopping avec maman, a refreshing iced green tea (unsweetened) was next on my list. At the Starbucks @ the Plant in Van Nuys. Brian is sitting by the window with a book in hand and a Bible by his side. He's reading "Secret Sex Wars - A Battle Cry for Purity" by Robert S. Scott, Sr. Brian tells me it's a book about helping young men overcome lust and temptation in a world saturated in sex and sin. The book is geared towards Christian men and this book was actually recommended to him by a few people in his small all-male church group. The book is "very practical and down to earth", he tells me.


Brian has been reading alot of non-fiction, books similar to this one, books related to Christian teachings. The last book he read (and finished - because he's reading many books at once right now) was The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative: A Study in 18th and 19th Century Hermeneutics by Hans W. Frei. That title actually sounds really interesting! May have to check it out. Brian also just finished a biography on the preacher Martin Lloyd Jones. Anything that has to do with theology, philosophy, and Bible related are fair game for him.

When asked what kind of book he'd write if he had the chance he said it would be a book about theology. I dug a little deeper and wanted to know what specifically he'd like to explore and share with the world. He thought about it and told me it would be about both the Old and New Testaments. He'd like to compare the two and see how much of the Old Testament the New Testament uses. There are many debates about this subject matter and he'd love to see how the two inter-lay.

Non-fiction isn't Brian's end-all-be-all. He admits that many novels wouldn't be his cup of tea however he did just read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and really enjoyed it! Clovis and him should get together and discuss it!

Growing up his mother read to him alot before bed. Lots of children's books and definitely the Dr. Seuss collection. He could always count on extra time with his mother before he nodded off to sleep.


It seemed like Brian reads alot of books that I would never really initially think of reading so I asked him what book he'd recommend to people or just someone like me. It really depends on the person, he says. Books are very personal. However if he were to recommend a book to someone it would be Knowing God by J.I. Packer. He says it's a great book about the basics of Christianity and perfect for someone who doesn't know much about Christianity, is curious and would love to learn more about it.

What book would you recommend to everyone?

Manic Mondays

Hectic week is an understatement! Monday was pretty insane it was only Monday! And the fact that I am posting this on a Wednesday night is proof that this week is merciless. I did just come back from art class (intro to drawing), a class that forces me out of the office before 6pm. Got some free-form drawing in, played with watercolors and charcoal -- I feel better about things!

I managed to find some sanity on Monday when I took time to leave the office and get "lunch". And by lunch I mean in liquid form but I had to pick up lunch for a fellow pea so on to the Baja Fresh next door to the Jamba Juice.

Clovis (like the city in California) was sitting by the window and the salsa bar. I was pressed for time so I initially walked out on this op to talk to him but I couldn't stop staring at him through the glass as I was walking away. Volte-face!

Clovis is originally from New York and was only in LA for work for a few days. He's reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This happens to be a book he bought at the airport bookstore. "I'm actually amazed by the great books I've come across in these places!" (Krakauer happens to be the same author of the novel turned major motion picture Into the Wild.) Into Thin Air is about a man who climbed Mt. Everest with a team of about 10, based on a true story. 9 of the climbers died and the story revolves about the surviving member.



Clovis is becoming a fan of Jon Krakauer's work and also read Into the Wild. He also watched the movie. Always curious to see how people feel about books turned movies I find out that Clovis actually did enjoy the movie adapation of the novel. Yes, the movie did leave out many details, as most movies do, but he feels that the film was pretty faithful and entertaining.

Clovis is such an avid reader and admits to getting lost in books whenever he can! When he's not with anyone you can always find him absorbed in a book. Sunday brunches alone? No worries! All he needs is a book and sometimes he just likes spending Sunday brunches hunched over his meal and a book. I shared with him my Sunday brunch story from the day before at a new place in Silverlake called Local. I noticed many solo diners accompanied with their books. It was so great!

The last book he read was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and really appreciated and became entranced by the story. Most of the books he reads, if not all, are friend recommendations. He's not really one to pick a book on a whim from bookstores. He'd rather get the thumbs up endorsement from a friend. One thing he did mention was that he carried a list of books he wants to eventually read. We all day we have a list of sorts but Clovis actually whipped out his wallet and showed me a physical list! No joke! A few books on his list I noticed were The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, and Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson.

Favourite book of all time? Willa Cather's Death Comes For the Archbishop because it's about New Mexico in the 1850s and seeing as this was his home state he felt a kinship with the story. That and it was well-written.

Growing up Clovis enjoyed Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Clovis loved that she was this child spy spying on all her friends. He loved this idea so much that he had his own spy notebook and attempted to solve crimes and mysteries on his own!

If he were to write his own book it would be about growing up gay. He'd love to write about his own experiences growing up and have it be a memoir. Clovis says that it would be in the same vein of The Best Little Boy in the World by John Reid and Andrew Tobias. Hopefully his book can be a book other people can turn to and be helpful. It's a tough time in someone's life and it would be nice to have a book/experiences for them to turn to for insight and guidance.



What life experience of your own would you like to write about?

Minutes before clock-in

Inside the Albertson's @ Van Nuys on Van Nuys and Sherman Way, still on the hunt for flowers for the new mama bear. Lauren works at the Starbucks inside the store and I spot her getting some reading in before she has to clock in. I absolutely loved finding her tucked away in a corner perched on the scooter shopping carts!

Lauren is reading Come Back by the mother-daughter team Clair and Mia Fontaine. It's a memoir of sorts documenting the mother and daughter's journey through Hell. Literally through Hell. Trials and tribulations involve the daughter's drug addiction where she finds herself at 14 years old, addicted to speed balls! What's up with the child drug addicts lately?

Lauren found this book on a whim at Barnes and Noble where she initially went in to buy Nights in Rodanthe (the Diane Lane/Richard Gere movie out in theaters now is based on this novel) by Nicholas Sparks. Come Back happened to be sitting next to it at the display table and coincidentally was on sale so grabbed it. Plus the teaser blurb on the back of the book hooked her. Lauren tells me that she is usually swayed by these blurbs.

Lauren is a quick reader and already finished Nights in Rodanthe lickity split! She meant to watch the movie before work that day but didn't have enough time. She ended up spending most of that morning getting into this new book.

Growing up Lauren enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird, the Harper Lee classic. When she was even younger Dr. Seuss was her main man! We definitely shared a "Fox in Sox" moment :)

If she were to write her own book it would be an autobiography but focussing on how she raised/is raising her 2 younger sisters (while her parents are going through a divorce/are divorced). "It's a tough job especially when you are a kid yourself so I think it would be nice to put something out there for others in my situation to read. This way they have someone to relate to and get guidance from."


What specific aspect of your life would you like to write about?

And yet another photo of the new mama and baby D. Man, I still can't get over the fact that I have a friend who just gave birth! She experienced pregnancy and childbirth! Astounding!

En route to baby

Baby Dorian James arrived into these interesting times on Sunday just after pumpkin hour. Pre-hospital visit I armed myself with the essentials: baby clothes, blanky, onesies, binkies, and box of diapers. Then off to the local grocery store to purchase Mums for the new mum.

Sitting on a small park bench in front of the Albertson's in Van Nuys on Sherman Way and Van Nuys Blvds. I spot Brooke reading a mystery by Stuart Woods' Palindrome. It's about a battered woman whose steroid-pumped husband goes on a rampage to hunt her down, killing her lawyer and anyone else who gets in the way. Brooke has read alot of Woods' books. "Once I encounter an author I love I tend to read everything they've ever written." Woods' track record? 11 books since this 1991 edition of Palindrome and Brooke's sure that he's probably written more since then.



Growing up Brooke read alot of Nancy Drew - her love for mystery books started early! It's the intrigue of figuring out how the storylines unfold that she finds interesting. I don't think I've ever really gotten into mystery books so if I were ever to start Brooke suggests anything by Marcia Muller.

What is your favourite mystery book?

And now...some pictures from my hospital visit. More on Facebook soon!

We take our lunch in liquid form

Busy days call for speed lunches, usually in liquid form. And with that freak heatwave that hit us late last week anything in cold liquid form will do just fine. Jamba Juice to the rescue! While waiting for my mango-a-gogo I borrow a pen from my co-worker and slink out the door to talk to Chantel. She's reading Winged Creatures by Roy Freirich, a book she bought on a whim with no prior knowledge about it from Book Soup on the Sunset Strip. She's just a handful of pages into it but from what she can decipher the book is about a robbery and there are different storylines that look like they may intertwine later on.



Chantel prefers reading fiction and tells me her favourite book so far is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the same author of Kite Runner.
Growing up she enjoyed reading the classics like Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I tell her how I didn't start reading those books until just recently because I somehow managed to avoid all those adolescent givens. Chantel shares the same feeling because she realised that she never read 1984 or Catch-22 and just recently purchased them so that she can cross these reads off her list.

She's not working right now so she is taking advantage of this time to catch up on her pleasure reading. She just finished Law School @ Rutgers in New Jersey and recently took the Bar exam (she finds out the results around Thanksgiving). She's originally from Philadelphia but moved here in May.

If she were to write a book of her own? Tough question. It wouldn't be an autobiography, at least not right now. She would want to write about travel seeing as she travels alot. She shares that her mother is from Europe so she visited the Old World often when she was younger. Perhaps she will use this free time to pay another visit.



What book have you been meaning to read but haven't had a chance to get to it yet? Is there a reason why?

I personally have been meaning to read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. It was left to me by a guy I used to date. It is his favourite book and he wanted me to read it so that we could discuss it over poached eggs and coffee. We parted ways before I ever got to the book and like an old flame's shirt the book has become a POW. The sheer size of the book intimidates me but since this book ain't going anywhere so I've got all the time in the world 'til I feel like tackling it. I also feel like I should read it soon as an homage to the late Wallace. But first I've got to get through my 2 current books :)

Part of my morning routine

For weeks, without fail, I notice this reader at the corner of Beverly and Crescent Heights. He's always there waiting for the bus and I always see him with a book. And for weeks I always mean to pull over and talk to him but I'm either running late or in someone else's car or just wanting to remain in my own little world before my work day gets started. I finally make a mental note to remember to pull over to speak to him lest my almost daily sightings come to an end. With my dime in the meter this buys me 12 minutes to get a conversation in before work.

I open the floodgates by confessing to Yohei that I've been eyeing him for weeks. With his interest piqued I explain myself and with a big smile he lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh ok, for a second I thought you were going to mock me or something."

Yohei just started this book. It's in Japanese and about a real-life incident that occured in the 80's about a CEO of a huge company and a conspiracy revolving around him (in a nutshell). He loves reading about other people - intrigued by biographies (or documentaries as he initially referred to them). If it's non-fiction then he's fair game. It's been his genre of choice for as long as he could remember! As a child he read alot of history books, mainly concerning the period post WWII. When asked what in particular he found fascinating about post WWII he could not say. "It just was."



Since he had a fascination about other people I wondered if he would want to write a book about his own life for others to read. Definitely not! But he wouldn't mind writing a biography about the Beach Boys, namely about Al Jardine. Yohei felt he was underrated, the one who was always in the background. He would like to interview him and ask him what it's like to have been part of the Beach Boys for all these years. Yohei is a musician himself (been into music for many years but really started hunkering down these past 4-5 years) hence being drawn to another musician.

Being the girl with an attention to detail (and sounding like a total stalker) I mention that I noticed he was reading a book with a green cover last week. Yohei laughs and was impressed with the memory and eagle eye! It was another Japanese book however the book before that was "Songs In The Key Of Z" by Irwin Chusid. It's a book about "outsider music...outside art" - offbeat art with no real rules, per se, and makes no sense but it makes sense only to the artist himself. "It's crazy beauty and I like this type of art." It's like jazz, very non-sensical but just...is. No restraints. Outside the box.

He's off to work in Beverly Hills but I'm sure I'll see him perched on the same planter in front of the Michael Kohn Gallery (which happens to be showing David Korty's art). Before I walked away Yohei gave me a little chuckle. "I'm so glad I wasn't reading a biography on, say, Jenna Jameson today!" Oh the things I could've found out about him if I had!

What do you like to read in the morning before you get your day started?