Ship Happens

Today I inexplicably received a shipment of books from Amazon that I never ordered. And there's apparently another shipment on the way. And this was all inexplicably charged to my credit card. Ah yes, there's nothing I like better than hanging on the phone with a corporate behemoth on my day off, unless that would be waiting on line at the post office to affect a return. Did I happen to mention that this was inexplicable? And may I add expletive deleted?

Next Year, Jerusalem Avenue!

I attended a small community Seder yesterday evening at a Reconstructionist synagogue, where I believe we may have been among the very few Jews present ("Oh, hi! We're the Manischewitz Maguires!"). Even the Cantor seemed a bit suspect to me. In any case, we were able to score a couple of lovely Haggadahs, titled something like "A Night of Questions." Or, as I prefer to call it, "A Night of Indigestion." Happy Passover!

My New Favorite Writer

I love-love-love Cintra Wilson's writings on fashion for The New York Times. From this week's (4/17/08) column:

• "A tiny Prada jacket in wadded leather with an elastic waistband is probably what all the A-list plumbers in post-Soviet Munchkinland are wearing these days ($2,780)."

and

• "....something Brigitte Bardot might wear if Jean-Luc Godard were guest-directing an episode of "Seame Street.""
  

She's terrific!

Cool Book I'm Reading

If you're a "girl" of a certain age, you must drop whatever it is you're doing and pick up a copy of Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, a fabulously juicy bio of Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carole King. Weller isn't afraid to dish the dirt and name the names ("Coyote?" Sam Shepard!) A great read for doctor's office waiting rooms (and other places)....

My Freudian slip is showing

While in Washington, I bought another painting (not this one, but something similar) by an artist I really enjoy, B.J. Anderson, featuring utility (i.e., "telephone") poles. When I got home, I realized that oddly enough I have a few paintings that feature this ubiquitous aspect of the american landscape. And much of the rest of my, ahem, art collection, features depictions of open windows...

Greetings from our nation's capital!

Or is it capitol? After avoiding packing for as long as possible (getting my nails done, going to the chiropactor, even visiting my mother, for Pete's sake!) I finally got down to it, and flew out this morning for Computers in Libraries down in Arlington, Va. Visiting with friends this weekend before conference begins. Come on down - it's Cherry Blossom time!