Books: Matilda

Matilda by Roald Dahl

I'm an upper elementary teacher at heart, so don't roll your eyes at me! Stevie made me buy this at Powell's when we were there last week. I think that maybe I read James and the Giant Peach as a kid, but other than that my Roald Dahl experience is next to nil. I've read many parts of the BFG because it seems like every fourth and fifth grade class reads that and when I was substituting I read it aloud a lot.

Well, I'll tell you what - Roald Dahl creates great characters. Kids love outlandish situations. Take anything ordinary, say an overly strict principal, a bad home situation, a sweet teacher, a precocious kid, and then exaggerate it and kids will eat it up.

My favorite thing about this book is that although Dahl creates this almost superficial world, the solution to the central problem is simple, nearly believable, and to the point. No drawn out abracadabra. Dahl, instead, uses his book time wisely by creating the world for the reader, and I believe the reader's imagination is better off for it.

(By the way, I found two typos in this version of Matilda, and although it may seem really uptight, it truly bothers me. Who's not getting paid well enough to edit children's books?)

Mmmmm Socks

Run: 3.9mi/35:41

If you can't tell by now, my running has tapered off. And not tapered in the way that you're supposed to taper, just a lazy me taper. As in yesterday I looked outside and the roads looked a little slick and I reasoned with myself "well it is certainly not a good idea to get injured the week before a half marathon", so I stayed in. Nice reasoning.

One of the best simple pleasures in life is new socks. And that statement needs no explanation.

My parents and I are going to talk about what we do to two classes of high schoolers today. I am already praying to God for protection and serenity. 

Thrifty

I grew up thrift store shopping. I didn't mind it as a kid, thought it was extremely embarrassing as a pre-teen and early teenager, and then finally embraced it in my late teens. A lot of people blow them off because they don't want to spend the time going through the racks, and I can understand that. However, I'd say about 40% of my clothes are second hand, and I'll bet you money that nobody even knows. Except that I tell everyone. On my blog. On the internetz.

You think American thrift stores are bad? Check out what they got going on in Mexico - the globos. The globos is the traveling market, that comes to your town on a specific day of the week. On that day people set up tables in the neighborhood streets and sell a variety of things: Produce, new clothes, crafts, music, herbal remedies, and a whole lot of used clothing.

Except, it's all piled on tables, in no particular organized fashion. You just dig through a pile of clothes. I used to think I couldn't handle it, being the type of person who loves organization, but through the advice of a friend - I got into it. I have learned to look at the fabrics. Gauzy? No thank you, I never wear gauzy. Bright orange? Whatever it is, I'm not going to wear it. It's actually a pretty fascinating skill when you can look at the hem of a jean and realize it's probably American Eagle, Old Navy, or the Gap. At that point, you pull out the jeans from the pile to see if you like the style, the size, and the length. By the way - no dressing rooms at the globos.

With all I've learned from thrifting and from globeando (which is actually a word a church friend said to me!), here are my Tips for Being an Awesome Thrifter Just Like Meghan.

Tips for Being an Awesome Thrifter Just Like Meghan.

#1 - Do not go with something specific in mind. You're going to be disappointed. Saying to yourself "I would really like to get a blue, yellow, and white blouse with buttons up the front" really just means you might as well stay home. Instead you just have to know what you would like to have, in a general statement, such as "I will look at jeans, blouses, and sweatshirts". This is, of course, only applicable if you talk to yourself before you go shopping, like I obviously do.


#2 - Know what works, and what doesn't. Guess what? If it doesn't usually work, it probably won't work this time, either. I've made this mistake before, thinking "hey... this is cute, and cheap, and nice looking, it might work" and then I waste my time trying it on and, just like the last shirt exactly like it, it doesn't work. I know for myself that I don't buy capris because they look hideous on me, polo shirts hate me, and there is only one style of Levi's that actually fit me. I do not try these things on, thinking that they'll work this time. Cap sleeves? In my dreams. It's not happening. Put it back on the rack, Meghan.

#3 - Look in different sizes. I know, I know, you think you're a size 8. Well, guess what? In Gap you're a 10, and in Old Navy you're a 6. And in junior's you're an Extra-Large. Seriously, it's a crazy sizing world out there, and you better brace yourself for trying on something with a number you don't like. 

#4 - You gotta really love it. If you are standing in the dressing room going, "it's okay, but I can't believe it's only $4, so I'm going to get it", then you need to quit thrift store shopping. This has happened to me too many times in the past, and I don't let it happen anymore. Spending $4 on a shirt you're not ever going to wear does not make it cheap.

#5 - Use your time wisely. I can spend an extreme amount of time in a good thrift store because I like to look at everything. But, using that skill learned at globos, I now usually scan the racks because I know what types of fabrics I'm looking for.

#6 - Take your mom with you so you can get the seniors' discount. I'm not kidding.

The Art of the Mix Tape

Run: 3.25mi/33:15

I recently received a mix CD from a friend, and it made me think back to the days of mix tapes. Long before the days of buying (or stealing) music online, the greatest option was to record a song off the radio. I had a CD/tape/radio player and I became a pro and knowing when the commercials would stop and when the song would begin. Of course, the only problem with this was not knowing what song would be played next. It was a lot of gambling. I don't remember exactly what I ever recorded off the radio, but it was probably from KISM FM or Z100, and it was probably Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic" or something from Ace of Base. I'm not saying those were it, but that's my best guess.

Then a few years down the road came the desire to make a mix tape for a friend. Today most people throw together a playlist on itunes, and the computer can tell you just about everything you need to know for fitting all the music on to the disc: how many songs you have, how many minutes you have left to fill, etc.

Not so back in the day. If you wanted a supreme mix tape, you had to know how long those songs were and add up all the time. While some tapes or CDs told you how long the songs were on the packaging, some did not, and you had to figure it out for yourself. I usually ended up with a 60 minute blank tape, which allowed for 30 minutes on each side. If I added up 6 songs, and they were over 30 minutes, one had to be cut. Not a big deal, unless you end up with 4 minutes of blank space at the end of the tape. Not cool. Obviously not planned out. Rookie mistake.

And don't forget the flow of songs. Today we're used to skipping around to whatever we feel like. I do it on my running playlist on my ipod all the time. Don't want to listen to it? Skip it. On a tape, it's a little harder to do, so the ideal is to fill that tape with not only good songs, but songs that go well together.

And finally, the packaging. This was always my weak area. I was never quite as creative as my friends, and I usually, in my very organized way, just wrote down the songs and artists in order.

These days it's the mix CDs, and still, every once in a while, I get out a mix CD from early college and remember when.

Did you ever make mix tapes?

And right now I'd like to take the opportunity to say how excited I am for Duck football tonight. Anybody else watching?

Books: Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I'll just admit this right out here in the open: I never read a lot of that "required reading". I don't mean required reading like the selections chosen for you by teachers, but the books that every young person is supposed to read. I've discovered over the past few years that I just don't like being told what to do - and that translates to everything. So  - I'm supposed to read The Diary of Anne Frank? Forget it. I've got better things to do. Great attitude, right?

Somehow I ended up with a copy of this book. I don't know how most books end up on my bookshelf, but I think I took this one from the last community house that I lived in, where past residents had left books behind. It was the perfect size to bring on my trip, and I've enjoyed pulling it out to read Anne's thoughts as she spent two years in hiding and growing up.

I don't think it would have surprised anyone if Anne had grown up to be a successful writer. At 13, her observations on interpersonal relationships and the personalities of others is remarkable. I'd like to chalk it up to living in isolation, therefore giving her a greater opportunity to read people, but she starts off from the very beginning of her diary as thoughtful, insightful, and inquisitive. By the time Anne turns 15, she has an outstanding ability to understand herself and her emotions.

A bunch of stuff

Run: 10.8mi/1:51:00

Some day soon God and I are going to have a talk. And this talk will consist of me explaining to God that hail is not okay. Also, I think it should be a rule that if you start out a run on an overcast morning without rain, it should stay rainless. But, this is Portland and those prayers will be laughed at. Wet feet, wet pants, wet shirts, wet ponytail.

Lest I complain more, I will say that it was actually an enjoyable run - I felt completely okay the entire time, I ended well, and it didn't feel like work. That's always a good sign. I missed my tempo run this week. Actually, scratch that. I didn't miss it, I just couldn't seem to do it. We'll leave it at that.

I know, I know. Five years ago I said Ugg boots were ugly and that there was no need for them. I have found their niche, and it's to wrap my tired feet in shearling goodness after an 11 mile run. Can't imagine it? It's like tucking your feet in for a nap, wrapped in a blanket of rainbows and glitter.

It's been busy around here, and I apologize to all my readers (Mom), who have missed my posts. I've had a couple Portland-y days, which have been nice and a good reminder as to why I love this city so much. #1 reason why I love this city so much is that people I love live here. That's a good reason. In the last couple of days I have:
1) Eaten at Ken's Artisan Pizza
2) Belted out some karaoke with my best friends at Voicebox
3) Grabbed dessert at McMenamins
4) Visited the Rhodedendron Gardens
5) Picked up books at Powell's downtown
6) Eaten nachos and burrito at The Taco House, an old family favorite
7) Partaken in Korean bbq
8) Gotten to check out Pix Patisserie
9) Run on my favorite part of my favorite trail, which will remain a mystery to all of you stalkers out there.

And tonight - #10 - College basketball.

Pretty good, no? And now it's time for pictures.

The lovely creeper glasses made a special trip, all the way from Mexico. Safely tucked away in our minivan's glovebox, they anxiously awaited to be on Stevie's face again. In case you missed it last time, the creeper glasses made their debut at my parents' dining room table in Mexico, and then again at a dinner among friends.

Thursday night they made their debut at karaoke.

 But somehow they didn't make it on Amanda's face. This will be remedied in the near future.

One day, one day I will learn how to take pictures that are not blurry. In the meantime, my friends do not stop moving during karaoke, and therefore this is the best karaoke shot I got.

 Stevie gave me the 20 bucks she owes me for drinking hot dog juice. That was a great, great moment.

And pictures from the rhodedendron garden.

 And this guy's walking around, flaunting his style like Kanye. You can't blame him, he's lookin' pretty fly.

Crafty McCraftypants

Have I mentioned how crafty my friends are? I mean, I have talked about my own craftiness (which sounds like I'm scheming up something evil), but my friends are pretty good at it, too. The best part about this is exchanging gifts.

I made brown sugar body scrub and lip gloss for my friends this year. Their usefulness and practicality are a little questionable, and I had to tell everyone that. But I tried. 

My friends, however, knocked it out of the ballpark. Stephanie made personalized t-shirts for us. Okay, she personalized t-shirts for us, she didn't actually make the t-shirts. But how cute is this?

(That M stands for Meghan, guys. Get it?)

And then Amanda did a bang up job personalizing tote bags for all of us. Mine is two-sided and she said I can wear it according to how I feel. This bag will probably be my market bag. I'm sure of it.

 Absolutely, positively perfect. (Do my friends know me, or what?)

 The bag that Amanda made for Stephanie was "I *heart* sweatpants", which is a completely true statement about Stephanie. Natalie's bag has her new nickname on it, but for some reason I don't feel a public place such as this is ready to hear that nickname. This is a family friendly blog.