Book Club

I went to my monthly book club meeting last night, something I really LOVE to do. We meet at the Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Charlotte which is lovely both inside and out. I enjoy using my brain for something other than medical stuff and sometimes the books we read truly challenge my abilities, but that's why I do it! The book we read for last night was a doozy, but I'm glad I read it. ("Koolaids - The Art of War" by Rabih Alameddine.) Some of the other books we've read have been "The Storyteller's Daughter" by Saira Shah, "My Name Is Red" by Orhan Pamuk, "The Wedding" by Dorothy West, "The Space Between Us" by Thrity Umrigar, "Independence Day" by Richard Ford, "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde, "Pillars of Salt" by Fadia Faqir, and "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Our next book for the November meeting is, "Dancing To "Almendra"" by Mayra Montero. It's about mafia-dominated Cuba before Castro took over in 1957. See? I would never read that on my own.

I took a picture of these planters for Saeed.

Drought or no drought, they must be watering these!

Looking down you can quickly see this store has much more than just books. It's really a gift shop with lots of books.

A wall celebrating independent booksellers, which are retail shops not owned by large companies, that sell books to the general public.

The cafe inside this store is called Bronte's Bistro (for Emily Bronte, the British author most well known for "Wuthering Heights.") This is where we meet so that those of us who have come straight from work can have a very nice meal.

I came early enough to take these pictures before the diningroom got too full. I decided not to take pictures of my book club buddies; they may not want to be on my blog.

This circular booth is our table. Once in a while we have to give up our cute little round corner table for a larger one. Personally I like it when our group is small so I can get a word in!

Those chairs look so inviting.

This is a real fireplace that they light when it's not 90 degrees out. During the summer they use it as a display rack.

Throughout the store there are many many displays. This table was about the environment. If you can see the dark pink book on the right - it's cover says, "It's Easy Being Green."

I have never seen so much Vera Bradley in my life!

This is in addition to what you see above.

There's a whole room just for kids. I can't wait to bring my grandchildren here.

Pink dress up costumes must distract children from the books, but when I was little....

..... this is what would've appealed to me!!

Happy Birthday To My Triplets!

Last night I went out with my old friend, Cara. We had a great time as we caught up on our lives. She's one of those friends that you may not see for six months but when you do it's like nothing's changed. Coincidentally her birthday is today too, so, Happy Birthday to all three of my girls!

Cereal Buddies

All Chappu has to do is hear Saeed get the box of cereal and she comes runing. It's a ritual. He even stands in the cereal isle at the store trying to remember which one she likes the best. He says she likes the organic Kamut Flakes best because they're tasty and small.

They must be good; she's licking her chops.

Listen To This

Not too long ago I put up a fun post about Kashif Memon on "America's Got Talent" imitating a Bollywood dance.

This time you need to see Paul Potts, the cell phone salesman from Wales who is actually very good. He won "Britain's Got Talent" 2007 talent show. He's no Luciano Pavarotti but has already been signed on to a recording label and has his first album out.

Sorry, I don't have a quiz to go with it called, "How Welsh Are You?"!

I'm Famous

Early in Shirin and Gabriel's blog Gabriel wrote about the online book swapping group called "BookMooch." I have been busily using it and enjoying it.

Recently the originator of BookMooch, John Buckman, suggested a way to give someone a point (these points are the currency with which you can get someone to mail you a book for free) to show your gratitude or to let someone know that they are in some way really special. He wanted to call it "Secret Admirer." Some fellow moochers weren't crazy about the term, even though they like the concept. 57 people wrote in with their opinions, including me. I suggested calling it a "BookSmooch." If you go down a few entries you'll see John Buckman's comment regarding my suggestion: I really like “Book Smooch”, as in “give someone a Book Smooch” - yes, it’s even more intimate than Secret Admirer, but it’s funny, a pun (thus literary!) and good branding.“Book Smooch!”

Well, I'm here to tell you that they went with my term "BookSmooch." I'm famous! :-)

Hot Date

We had a nice date tonight at Earth Fare (aka Fart Fare; see final photo.) It's one of our favorite places to go. Have we been married too long? They have great food in their cafe. First we eat and then we shop. And incidentally, the colors at this store are very vibrant - none of these pictures have had their color intensified.

Outside the store were displays of pumpkins and gourds.
(I love fall)

These were a collection of different types of peppers.

I think these potted plants were called cherry pumpkins.

The little cafe inside.

Poor guy, can't even eat his dinner without getting his picture taken.

Shirin always likes a picture of the food itself.

Vegetable paradise, most of it organic.

All their milks and soymilks are organic,

Can you believe I didn't alter the color in this picture?
Pomegranates on the right.

Just as yummy: smelly candles and skin oils.

Bulk grains, rices, nuts, trail mix, beans, etc.

Bread made from grains I never knew existed, all organic.

On our way out to the car we notice the sign is missing the "h".
Saeed gets creative with the camera (and a neighboring car's antenna) and takes a picture of "Fart Fare."
I can't let him have the camera any more!

A Watched Pot Never Boils

On a previous post I wrote about how excited I was about our town finally having an Indian restaurant. My desire for Indian food is strong. I go every day after work to see if they are open yet, but every day I'm disappointed. At least the sign has added a teaser - Opening Soon. Will I survive the wait?

National Vegetarian Month

I can't believe I missed it, but National Vegetarian Month is kicked off on October 1st by World Vegetarian Day. The Humane Society of the United States—the nation's largest animal welfare organization—is encouraging consumers to try delicious meat alternatives that are not derived from the routine abuses billions of farm animals endure. The HSUS also provides recipes for healthy, mouth-watering vegetarian meal ideas.

With increasing awareness of the way farm animals are treated and growing consumer demand for more humane alternatives, it's never been easier to prevent animal abuse at every meal. In local stores you can now find a wealth of vegetarian alternatives, including patties, nuggets, soups, milks, bacon, sausages, and even drumsticks, that can replace their animal product counterparts in any meal or recipe.

I will save you the horrifying photographs, but just this year alone, approximately 9 billion cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and other animals will be killed for human consumption.






The vast majority of these animals are confined in restrictive, filthy warehouses, pens, and stalls, causing tremendous frustration and suffering.






Some seem to think fish don't suffer the same abuse but just because they're not warm-blooded land animals doesn't mean they don't suffer.







Farm animals also routinely endure agonizing mutilations without painkiller, and their shortened lives often end in painful slaughter.







Virtually no laws protect farm animals from even the gravest mistreatment, and most state animal cruelty laws exempt routine agricultural practices that are abusive to farm animals.






The HSUS encourages people to learn more about humane food choices through its Guide to Vegetarian Eating, available at HumaneEating.org

I encourage you to look honestly at your plate. Do you see a nugget or a piece of a dead chicken's body?

Clue: it's not a nugget.

For HSUS's favorite recipes go here.
For an eye opening video giving reasons to go vegetarian go here.

The Wild Kingdom

After Cha Cha moved to California with his mommy I began washing all the doggy beds and comforters from his room. I set this one down on the kitchen table and when I came back to carry it upstairs it was very heavy. After an initial shock I realized there must be a wild animal seeking shelter inside it. I came around the open end of the folded comforter and this is what I saw:

After reacting to my presence the wild animal decided I wasn't a threat and...

... settled back down for a snooze.

As you can see, however, I wasn't the only interloper.

Frosty had to check out the quivering comforter.

He and Calvin circled like wild lions...

...but Chappu didn't budge.

Even under direct potential threat she remainded brave.

Ultimate resolution? Each wild animal settled in its place. Whew!

Baby Walrus

I'm sure you've never had the chance to name a baby walrus before, so here's your chance!
A baby walrus was born in June at the New York Aquarium. The aquarium has selected four names (in an Eskimo language perhaps?) and is giving the public a chance to vote on them. I wish they had left it open for any name. I like Rotundo myself :-)