| 
Read the Goober Diary Archives
August
19, 2004: Unbounded Domesticity
I skipped July, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. Heavens, no! In fact, I have been busy preparing a tasty menu and acquiring matching dishes and furniture so that I can invite you over for dinner sometime. Really! So don't think I've forgotten about you because I haven't.
As you know, I got engaged at the beginning of June, and then, at the beginning of July, my true love and I moved in together. It sounds so simple when you put it like that, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. A word to the wise: don't sign a lease on a house that is not in the exact condition it will be in when you move into it. In other words, don't do what we did. When we signed our lease, the former occupants of the house were still living in it, and there were lots of problems with the house, all of which we were told would be fixed by the time we moved in. They weren't. Some of them still aren't. All of our big projects for the past couple of months have involved the house, and we are both very tired. However, we cling to our belief that the place has potential, that it will have been worth it, and that it's still a good deal given what we pay in rent. Also that it will make a groovy and happenin' rehearsal pad for our groovy and happenin' kick-ass BAND - which will make its debut Labor Day weekend at Java House in Conyers. We're playing Friday, September 3rd, starting at 8:00 p.m., and my good friend and former guitar teacher Matthew Trautwein will open the show. If you're in town, come out - this will be a good show! I'm particularly excited because it'll be my first in a while, and even though I've been dragging my feet about making the booking calls and hanging the posters, I am really, really psyched to play again! Nesting has been lovely, but I've got to get back to work.
In the same vein, Derik and I have resolved to spend more time at live shows of bands we like because that, more than anything else, is what inspires us to play. Music is like life; it begets itself. The more music I hear, the more music I write, and the more music I see live, the more I want to play. This week's excursion will be Paul Melancon at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park, in case anyone would care to join us.
Speaking of getting back to work, if there's a little coffeehouse or club in your hometown that you think would be just perfect for a Lindsay Smith show, e-mail me and let me know. I'm starting to set up some tour dates, so here's your chance to put your town on my schedule!
In addition to trying to find the pathway to my own domestic bliss, I've been spending quite a bit of time this summer celebrating the domestic bliss of others. I went to four weddings this summer and will go to one more next month. By the end of September I will have been a bridesmaid three times this year, which I'll admit is a little bit of work but which I never get sick of. Yay, girlie stuff! Next month I'll give you the rundown of all the weddings and present the first annual Goober Wedding Awards. Because I know how much you guys love reading about all the weddings I go to (at least, I hope you do because that's pretty much all I talk about). Just be glad I'm not regaling you with stories from the gallbladder surgery I had at the end of July; I was doing that for quite a while, but I'm finally over it now. (I'm still happy to show off my scars, though; just ask!)
We haven't done a Goober Book Club in a while, so let's talk about some books. Ready?
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth - This is my favorite book I've read in a while. It's the story of a violinist who plays in a touring string quartet. There's a love story, but my favorite thing about the book is the way in which the author manages to describe in words what it's like to play music with other people. He also captures the classical music world and the characters who populate it vividly and accurately. If you've spent any time in the world of classical music, this book will ring true to you.
The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner by Jill Conner Browne - My mom gave me this book last weekend because she knew I'd enjoyed the others. This book contains recipes that sound like they're being given to you over the phone. (An example: "Two fairly heaping tablespoons of cocoa. Get the regular old Hershey's cocoa in an can; anything else is different and will mess it up.") If you are watching your weight or your health at all, you will not be able to use a single recipe in this book; you've been warned.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - OK, so I realize I'm way behind the curve on this one, but I'd never read it! My friend and fellow songstress Susan Hickey gave it to me to read when I was sick, and I'm so glad she did. It made me smile. (Note: the sequels are not highly recommended; they are only OK. Just read the first one.)
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - If you're already a Barbara Kingsolver fan, you've probably already read this; if you haven't, I can tell you that you're going to love it! If you don't like Barbara Kingsolver, this book won't change your mind. If you don't know who I'm talking about, Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, for the following reasons: 1. she writes awesome male characters whom I would totally date, 2. she writes awesome female characters with whom I would totally be best friends, 3. I love the way her characters talk, 4. she loves nature and describes the settings of her characters' lives in loving detail (but without being boring about it), and 5. the stories move slowly at first until you suddenly realize you're so invested in the characters and what's happening to them that you're flipping the pages as though it were an adventure novel.
How to Have the Wedding You Want (Not the Wedding Everyone Else Wants You to Have) by Danielle Claro - All I did while recovering from surgery was read wedding books, and this one was by far the most fun to read. While Bridal Bargains was more practically useful and informative, this book has a lot of good advice and good ideas. More importantly, it's very personal; the ideas and tips are actual case studies, starring real people who've been there, done that. If you're planning a wedding, put this one on your list. (Or e-mail me; I'd be happy to lend it to you.)
You know that I try to stay positive here in the Goober Diaries (though I make no bones about being a chronic whiner in my livejournal), but even so, I feel that I must warn you against the worst books I've read since last we spoke. Do not give into the hype surrounding Shadowmancer, which is supposed to be the biggest fantasy book to come out of England since the Harry Potter books. The book is not terrible, but if you've ever read any fantasy book or any children's book or any book with a "good vs. evil" type of plot, you'll feel like you've read it before. The other book I cannot in good conscience recommend is a chick lit book called Wedding Season. Read it if you must, but be warned that the descriptions of the weddings did not even hold my attention (and you know how much I love to hear about weddings, so that should tell you something right there) and that the book does not have a happy ending. How lame is that?
Happy reading, and I'll talk to you next month!
What’s
in my stereo at home:
What’s
in my car:
- mix tape I made for Derik
What's
in my CD player at work:
What
I'm reading:
|
