So I'm taking a break from running errands and overpacking, and thought I'd request advice from any of you around this weekend. Usually I'm the queen of packing light, sincerely: a backpack will get me almost anywhere. However, for a weeklong family reunion in the New York Berkshires (leaving tomorrow, woohoo), I am bringing the following:Too many books (3 Nero Wolfe novels; Happiness is an Inside Job, Sylvia Boorstein; In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan; This is your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin; The Appeal, John Grisham; and finally, because of JPX's post below, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wm. Shakespeare)
Too many DVDS (Spinal Tap, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Family Guy season 1 and 2, Twin Peaks boxed set, Blazing Saddles, Blade Runner Director's cut)
Keep in mind the house we have rented, though rural, is fully furnished with a pool table and a ping pong table, hot tub, bonfire pit, private stocked pond, deck, hammocks, and boats; I'll be hanging out with beloved family, some of whom I haven't seen for a year; and perhaps most importantly, I will be coordinating a week-long Olympic Games for the kiddies so their parents can get lots of R & R (yes I am the best Auntie ever). Seriously, how many books and DVDs am I gonna get to? Do I need an intervention, or should I just load up the car, knowing I won't get to use most of what I packed? Any advice appreciated, though not necessarily followed. Thank you very much!
23 comments:
My 2 cents AC:
Lose the Shakespeare, come on it's a vacation.
Get rid of the Family Guy. A hard lesson learned with my own child. Kids love the cartoons, and parents (and wives) do NOT appreciate you explaining the jokes in FG to them.
My Dad has a lake house in the Poconos we are at all summer, and I believe in sucking all the light out of the day before watching TV/movies. So, it maybe an overabundance of DVD's, but if it rains...
Finally, I am officially declaring that I am in love with you AC, and will leave my wife at your request.
Any women who packs Family Guy, Blazing Saddles and Blade Runner MUST be my soulmate. (I am also available for torrid affairs if you REALLY love the husband...)
AC, what's interesting about your choices for entertainment is that it appears that you're bringing books and DVDs that you've already read and seen a million times. I always use vacation time to read and see stuff I've never checked out before. With so much out there why not check out something new (just not The Love Guru!).
Miko, you're right, ac is a cool chick!
lol and thank you very much miko. i already knew we were soulmates but will take the offer of torrid affairs and/or homewrecking under advisement.
excellent advice about taking advantage of daylight while in the mountains. funnily enough we were in the poconos two summers ago for this very same reunion and all loved it. the lake house must be an awesome resource for you.
jpx, thank you for your thoughts; my rationale for bringing movies i know and love is that i particularly enjoy watching them with my brother and this is an exceedingly rare opportunity to do just that. that being said, if there's something new and really good on dvd i'd consider branching out; suggestions anyone?
Books: I can't recommend John Connolly enough. Start with his first novel, "Every Dead Thing". It appears to be a crime/detective/horror novel, but becomes much more as the book and series continue. "Bad Men" is a stand-alone, outside of his series...good, but not quite AS good.
DVD: Your taste is so impeccable, how could I possibly suggest something you don't already know about?
(Why am I not surprised that my soulmate would be a psychologist? I may not be your soulmate after-all, perhaps just a good medical paper...)
AC, I really liked Woody Allen's latest, Cassandra's Dream. I'm currently reading Robinson Crusoe, which should appeal to your LOST sensibilities =)
Also, if your brother is as cool as you I'm sure he's already seen all your faves!
I think your DVD choices are excellent - although depending on the kids' ages I might agree w/miko on Family Guy.
I'm no good on books because I just finished re-reading all the Harry Potter's and haven't gone to anything new yet.
We are in the midst of a family get-together ourselves here - although sadly w/out the West Coast contingency. Annoyingly, I have to work through much of the week which is bumming me out!
Have a great time AC! (PS - I am also available for torrid affairs!)
miko: i just looked up connolly online, and from the description his writing sounds exactly my taste (admittedly the darker side). thank you for recommending a new author for me to sink my teeth into. have you read dennis lehane at all?
thank you too jpx, unfortunately i have to boycott woody allen (sleeping with a girlfriend's daughter is almost as bad as being a scientologist in my book). how is robinson crusoe? i must have read it as a kid but can't remember it at all.
dcd, the youngest kid is turning 10 next month. where does that put family guy in terms of appropriateness? i am totally up for re-reading all of potter but not this trip (hardcovers are heavy). how did you find them this round through? do you have a favorite potter (i have a preference for number one but will now get yelled at by everyone else)? what is your family doing for the reunion? and why do you have to work? that is uncool! do you need a union?
all right, no more torrid affair talk on the blog! miko, see what you started? scandalous!
(First of all, I will stop talk of torrid affairs, but have to comment that the thought that DCD was offering AC a torrid affair, was my favorite part of the weekend so far...)
AC, I saw Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, and am not a fan of little kids in jeopardy (becoming a parent f-up'ed my fictional choices). Is there a Lehane book without the "kids as victims" theme you would recommend?
AC, I'm really digging Robinson Crusoe! There are so many classics I've never read that recently I purchased a bunch in an effort to catch up to the rest of society. What I haven't read is shameful.
Miko, AC turned me on to Lehane's Shutter Island, which I loved.
AC, I hear you on Woody Allen. He is vile for the reasons mentioned but I was introduced to his stuff before he became a creepy, incestous weirdo and I haven't been able to resist his annual offerings.
AC, I absolutely wouldn't lose the Shakespeare. I currently rereading Taming of the Shrew, and Quartet by Jean Rhys (my avatar), and last night JPX just gave me a copy of Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride which I'm eager to start reading. I've read all of her novels except this one and one other.
Atwood is definitely an author I'd recommend. I love everything she writes, but a couple of my top choices are Oryx and Crake and the Handmaid's Tale.
I don't care how creepy or incestuous Woody Allen is, I still love him. I won't even muster up an argument of defense because I’d probably get rotten tomatoes thrown at me; though, I do feel one exists or maybe I’m just blind to Allen’s charms.
Last but not least, I might want to get involved in this torrid affair. JPX never needs to know.
you know what miko, lehane's books do often include themes of kids in jeopardy, though not all so centrally as the two you mention. i adore shutter island and it is mostly about adults, but bad stuff did happen to kids in it too. let me look over his other books and let you know if one or two are reasonably clear of that theme.
i'm with you jpx; considering how many books i've read in my life, it's shameful how many classics i haven't gotten to. usually when i do read them, i discover they are great. i'll totally look for robinson crusoe next time i'm at the library; any other recommendations?
woody allen used to be a fave of mine too (annie hall, hannah and her sisters) but i can't just boycott actors and directors i don't care about.
miko, i think your take on dcd's comment is just wishful thinking on your part. dcd was just expressing her well-known fear of missing out, no matter what the activity! :)
wow, thanks whirlygirl! funnily enough i recommended oryx and crake to johnny sweatpants a few months back, though i haven't yet read it, because of husband's highly positive response. maybe i'll bring that novel along too.
it is fine to love woody allen despite the ick factor. it is perfectly reasonable to leave an artist's personal choices out of the equation. if you look closely at anyone's life, perhaps especially high profile/famous/rich people (imnotmarc can back me up on this) no one but george clooney can survive the scrutiny. i'm the irrational one here.
fine, i give up, torrid affairs all round! though i think jpx may figure it out, whirlygirl.
"dcd was just expressing her well-known fear of missing out, no matter what the activity!"
OMG, AC - laughed my butt off at that! Got me pegged there. Too funny.
Getting back to your question @ Potter. Book 5 actually stood out for me this time, but I think it was because I knew what was still to come. When 5 first came out it was my least favorite, it just had so much angst! Knowing what I did about the rest of the story though, I really got into it this time round.
I have to work because I work in a resort hotel in Newport and summer is our on time. In fact we are not allowed to take vacation days between May 15th and Oct 15th. Man, I need a new job.
AC, we have all neglected the most important question of all. Shall we be without your wit for the entire week?!
DCD, I cannot imagine dealing with people on the weekend of their weddings. I hate people when they aren't losing their fuckin' minds!
Whirly, don't worry about JPX finding out, you being younger, he is just happy to have you, and will make concessions...
dcd, once i'm through my current mystery kick, i will put the potter series next. i never read all seven books consecutively and that seems like an excellent project. of course you're right, knowing where things will be going should make a difference.
that work schedule is brutal, yikes. do you work behind the scenes or are you dealing with people alla time? do you have any good bridezilla stories?
miko, i am guessing we will have minimal internet access this week. i'll have blog withdrawal!
I wish I was behind the scenes! But, no. Dealing with the people - alla, alla time. We have had some bitchy brides in the past, however (knock on wood) I have not had to deal with any real horror shows.
I am more involved in the guestroom side though, so I have to deal with any complaints on that end. Did I mention that I hate conflict? Would one you head Dr's please tell me why I am in this line of work!??!?
poor dcd! there must be something redeeming there. job security? nice coworkers? some version of mother's hours? a short commute? the opportunity to short-sheet (or "ocean's thirteen") 300 beds?
Well, you can't beat the view.
And, the hours in the winter are pretty great. And, although completely crazy down to the last one - the people I work with are a lot of fun. Okay, it just sucks in the summer!
wow, what a gorgeous property dcd! glad to hear there are some upsides to the job, though having a predictably hellacious summer does suck.
JPX will have to make concessions for posting my emails to him on the blog.
AC, I would definitely bring Oryx and Crake or put it on your list for another time. I've bee trying to get JPX to read it for awhile, but he has his mind set on the classics he says.
DCD, I think the place you work at is gorgeous. I haven’t been inside it in years, but I remember enough to know why it's such a popular wedding location.
thanks all- i'm off- everyone have a great week!
I don't have time to read all these comments, so sorry if someone already said this.
Buy an ipod and get a subscription to audible.com. Put all the books you want on there and all your music, too. Then you can just carry it all on your ipod.
Post a Comment