Day 13 - your favorite book/series of books

Ah, ok. Books. For this question I usually throw The Fountainhead out there. When it really comes down to it, though, I'm not entirely certain that it's my ultimate fave book of life. I love it, I love the characters, I love the writing. I don't love author Ayn Rand's philosophy (if that's what you're calling it) and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts Rand was a super bitch (not sure why I think this).

My reading time has been shamefully dwindling these months. But since I was just talking about this novel with my sissy yesterday, here's my unsolicited plug for what I thought was a champion book: Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I'm stunned that it appeared on a summer reading list for Holy Angels Academy, since they mostly like to waste time with weepy contemporary lit that deplores the state of helpless African Americans. True, Poisonwood is a member of Oprah's Book Club, and it does deplore the state of helpless Africans. I don't care. I'll even call it an important book. So there.

While we're on the topic of books, and for once I don't feel like I'm about to collapse from staggering fatigue - can you believe that guy who's rewriting Huck Finn?!? OK, not totally rewriting, but he's removed every occurrence of the word "nigger," and replaced it with the word "slave." Does this outrage anyone else? Am I completely overreacting? Possibly. I'm almost delirious with anger when I think about it. Just another instance of this crazy world's obsession with sterilizing anything that's not perfectly P.C. Go ahead - remove the N-word so you can teach the book in schools. Makes sense to me. While you're at it, why not modify the history textbooks too? Hey, let's go nuts and rewrite anything we please to suit our finicky, sensitive tastes. A load of hooey.

Day 12 - anything that makes you smile, every time

babies/toddlers in sunglasses.

Day 11 - your favorite meal to eat for dinner

I'm taking the liberty to tweak this one. Instead of my favorite meal to eat for dinner, how's about we talk "last meals." Last meals are a funny thing. Ask someone what they'd eat for their final meal on the planet and you may turn up some startling revelations. Take my sister, for instance. She's been a staunch vegetarian for 2 or 3 years, and you know what she's got on her menu? Freakin' meatloaf.

I'm distractedly tired, so let's cut to the chase.

Liz's Last Meal Menu:

- Spanakopita. An impossibility, but I'd have it the way my grandmother used to make it - the old Albanian way: with cottage cheese replacing the usual feta so that it's oh so creamy and perfect. We called it "spinach pie," and it is honestly one of the things I miss most about holidays from my childhood.

- Lobster.

- A custard from Anderson's. Twist. On a sugar cone, please.

- An assortment of expensive sushi.

- 4 slices of bacon.

- Veal parmesan.

Day 10 - a picture of you and your best friend(s)

First: The King's Speech was phenom.

Second: My computer is kaput. Meaning my picture selection is limited to what's already posted on facebook. Meaning these pictures are old and outdated. But still, they represent some of the best times spent with some of the best people.

One of many nights spent dancing in Marty's basement to The Who with the lovely Jessica Page and Christina Patti. The Keystone Light can is just a prop. We were drinking something much better...yeah.

I often feel wistful for the carefree exuberance that we felt in these photos. I mean, I had red hair and a rainbow flag - life just doesn't get better than that.

This shot includes a few of my favorite people. On a gorgeous spring day by the water. Oh, to be young again. jk. but really.

We interrupt this 30 days (or 30 weeks...) challenge to bring you the Gabriel quote of the day:

Aunt Liz: "So Gabe, where does Santa live? He lives at the North Pole, right?"

Gabe: "Yeah. And at the mall, too."

Day 9 - a song that makes you cry. good or bad cry.

I am a champion crier. Beauty and the Beast? Cry. A sublime line from Shakespeare? Cry. Stumbling upon a forgotten toy from my childhood? Tissues, please.

I don't know what it is. People used to tell me I was devoid of emotion. They would say: "Liz, you need to tell me when you're excited or mad because I can never tell what you're actually feeling." But the truth is: I am incredibly emotional. I feel huge feelings all the time. At every little thing. But those feelings are for me. I don't broadcast them. Just me being my solitary, introverted self.

So, ahem, sad song?

Wild Horses, as covered by The Sundays



This song has made me cry on more than one occasion. Was it a good or bad cry? Probably good. I love crying. Usually. It's so refreshing. Also, I will bawl at mostly anything from Sufjan Steven's Michigan album. And U2's All I Want is You. God, that song makes me ache all over.

Day 8 - your favorite movie of all time

Like I said, I don't do favorites. So this is like, I dunno, one of my top movies. Top 10? Top 50? Something like that.

As Good As it Gets, 1997

It's funny, it's sad, it's romantic. Greg Kinnear is a doll. And the dog is cute in that ugly-dog way, which is the best kind of cute. If this movie is on TV, I'll probably put the remote down. I think that qualifies as a favorite. All time? Sure. Why the hell not.

If my posts have been less than bombastic (which is what I aim for) blame it on 60-hour work weeks. The writer'y part of my brain is sloppy.