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Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Musical Gifts That Aren’t Music
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s tough to buy gifts for the music fans in your life. They tend to be the proverbial people who have everything. Buy them a CD, and it’s a good bet that they already have it. These photo-packed, music-related books might be the perfect thing to fill those stockings:
“The Police: 1978-1983,” Lynn Goldsmith (Little, Brown and Company, $29.99). Renowned rock photographer Goldsmith captured the recently reunited trio onstage, backstage and even in the bathtub (well, Andy Summers in the bathtub, anyway).
“For You: Original Stories and Photographs by Bruce Springsteen’s Legendary Fans,” Lawrence Kirsch (Lawrence Kirsch Communications, $50). Springsteen’s fans are a pretty loyal and passionate bunch. This handsome, photo-packed tome is filled with the reminiscences of Boss fans worldwide. Available through www.foryoubruce.com.
“Van Halen: A Visual History: 1978-1984,” Neil Zlozower (Chronicle Books, $35). As you might expect from the title, this one is light on text and heavy on photos. Think of it as a companion to the current reunion tour, which brought David Lee Roth back into the fold.
“Nashville Portraits,” Jim McGuire (The Lyons Press, $34.95). The companion to an exhibition organized by Augusta’s Morris Museum of Art. The subjects of these beautiful black-and-white portraits range from Tammy Wynette to Doc Watson to Jack Ingram.
“Doo Wop: The Music, the Times, the Era,” “Cousin Brucie” Morrow with Rich Maloof (Sterling, $24.95). Take a visual trip back to the ‘50s with this hefty volume by famed DJ Morrow. It doesn’t stop with the ’50s, though. Morrow follows the influence of the vocal group sound into the ’60s.
Paid Self-Park at Phipps
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’ve been to Phipps Plaza lately (since Saturday), you may have noticed new signs for UpFront Plus!
It’s a new parking service at the P3 Peachtree Street entrance being introduced just in time for the holidays.
For $4, you can self-park in one of 140 allocated spots and attendants will help you with strollers, packages, etc. Phipps says the service is great for holiday shoppers and shoppers with children.
For $7 plus tip, you can still use valet.
What do you think a busy shopper should do?
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Bad Sex in Fiction Award
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, it was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it, so once again the Literary Review, a London magazine, has brought forth its annual Bad Sex in Fiction Awards.
I won’t keep you in suspense. This year’s winner is Norman Mailer, who died last month after a towering career and then got this.
“We are sure that he would have taken the prize in good humor,” the judges said at a ceremony last week, and, seeing as how it’s Mailer, they may be right. He was “honored” for a sex scene in “The Castle in the Forest” in which Adolf Hitler’s parents conceive the dictator.
Much of the fun of the “Bad Sex in Fiction Awards” stems from their focus on serious, frequently literary, writing from our best writers, rather than picking on cheesy soft-core porn paperbacks. On the short-list (Brit-speak for “nominees”) this year was Ian McEwan’s “On Chesil Beach,” which is about a bad wedding night, and Christopher Rush’s novel, “Will,” about Shakespeare, in which the bard rhapsodizes about his favorite aspects of Anne Hathaway with a little more specificity than we might like. Paul Theroux and John Updike have been short-listed in the past.
Sometimes, though, readers need to take the awards with so many grains of salt. Or saltpeter. Sometimes a talented novelist writes a sex scene because it’s his or her intention to evoke disgust, or make you think about what’s happening in a specific wayt. Such is the case with Gary Shteyngart’s novel “Absurdistan,” a deftly written book I highly recommend, even though the passage on the LitRev’s website is pretty gross. That’s the point. Same with McEwan’s “Chesil Beach,” and with a recent winner, Tom Wolfe’s “I Am Charlotte Simmons.”
Let’s keep this PG-rated, fellow heavy-breathers, but have you read any of the sex scenes mentioned here, and what did you think of them? How does a really detailed sex scene in a novel affect you as you’re reading it? Remember: PG-rated.
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Happy Holidating!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you survived Thanksgiving and all those well-intentioned relatives asking about your dating life, congratulations! You cleared the first holiday without sinking into a funk about your lacking love life. Being single and dateless during the holidays doesn’t have to spell doom. For all of us who are single during the holidays, here are some tips on holidating:
Mingle: You know all those e-vites that are sitting in your inbox for holiday gatherings? Open them! Even if you don’t know who you want to take, just RSVP and go! The goal should not be to score phone numbers, though. Relax, be yourself, and laugh. When you aren’t focused on the numbers game, I think you are able to enjoy the people/experience more. Trust me. I’ve had the most fun at holiday parties without a date. I played the card games, sipped on yummy drinks, and grabbed random hot guys to stand under some mistletoe! (Yes, I have been known to carry my own. Don’t judge me.)
Venture out: It’s getting cold, the days are shorter, and the single people seem to disappear! This just means you need to be more creative and go where lots of people are gathered. Ice skating rinks, sporting events, bookstores, museums, or a cozy restaurant/cafe with comfy surroundings. Relaxed people are sexy. I bet you could strike up a conversation with interesting people who share similar interests.
What are other activities single people can do during the next few weeks? Lots of days off which means plenty of leisure time! What do you plan to do for fun during the holidays?
Do single people try to avoid meeting someone new because they don’t want to get caught up in that holiday trifecta: Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day?
Do you ever “relax” your dating standards just so you can get a snuggle buddy for the cold, winter nights? I have to admit that the thought of having a sweetie to curl up with in front of the fire is awfully tempting!
Is it wrong to do the “expiration” dating thing just for the holiday season? How does one even pull that off?
What are the perks for being single during the holidays?
Wise Diva is co-writer of the popular Misadventures in Atlanta dating blog
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Let it snow — but only in the movies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I really like snow. But I don’t want the bone-chilling cold that comes with it.
That’s probably why I live in Atlanta. We rarely get flakes that stick, which means much less hazardous driving. And if metro Atlantans love anything, it’s being behind the wheel of a fast-moving car.
I can get my snow fix from the movies. During the holidays, I’ll always grab one of these on DVD and watch — as my oscillating space heater blows warmth on my body:
“White Christmas” — For the longest time, there’s not any snow — but Bing, Danny and the girls make do by piling up white napkins and creating a white powdery-looking ski scene, singing, “Snow … snow … snow … snow … snow!”
“Fargo” — The blinding white and pounding music score can make me feel like I am entombed in bitter cold.
“Doctor Zhivago” — It’s hardly my favorite David Lean movie but I do like it when Omar Sharif enters the country home that’s been overcome by ice and snow.
“The Ice Storm” — The scenery is icier than the cold hearts of some of the characters in Ang Lee’s so-sad drama of neighborly secrets and lies.
“March of the Penguins” — What makes me chilled is the scene where all the papa penguins gather in a big huddle with the eggs perched on their feet as they wait out raging gusts of bitterly cold wind.
“The Shining” — Just imagine: no seemingly way out through miles and miles of mountainous snow and Jack Nicholson’s lurking nearby waiting to greet you with an ax.
“Way Down East” — This is the old silent film with Lillian Gish being carried over dangerous ice floes in a raging river. Perilous and fun to watch.
What’s your favorite cinematic snow?
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Stay on Track this Holiday Season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re already into fitness, or just getting started, the holiday season poses its challenges. Not only are you confronted with sweet treats on a weekly (if not daily basis), you’re schedule becomes more hectic as you try to schedule trips, tend to relatives, buy gifts, etc.
Let’s face it, there is a lot going on during the holidays that can throw you off track. However, that does not mean you have to quit altogether. If you miss a workout one day, postpone it to the next day. If the boss throws in a last minute meeting during the time you were going to go workout, make-up for it by coming in at a different time another day. When you’re used to getting three sessions in, don’t throw in the towel if you are only able to get two in this week.
What matters is that you keep moving forward. Getting fit and losing weight are lifetime goals. Remember that one of the reasons you exercise is to also “beat up” some stress. This is especially true during the holidays
What matters most is consistency. So, if you have an “all are nothing” attitude, be very careful as you may be setting yourself up for failure. Keep doing what you know you need to do and don’t let anyone stand in your way.
Do you have any tips to stay motivated during the holiday season? If so, please share.
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What are your Hanukkah family traditions?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hanukkah begins tonight. The Jewish Festival of Lights is an eight-day commemoration of rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians.
Because it usually falls in December, Hanukkah has become increasingly compared to Christmas in recent years, even though the two holy days are vastly different within their religions.
Still, some Jewish families have started their own family traditions that become part of the family’s observance of Hanukkah, just as Christian families have done with Christmas.
What are your Haukkah family traditions?
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