Tea Accompaniments.

ANNE TYLER

b.1941. Lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Pulitzer Prize winner. Very private as she doesn't grant face-to-face interviews, rarely does book tours or makes public appearances.

I won't go through the whole story of my love for this author as it will take too long.

I've read five of her books and will give a small blurb and my own personal rating...because I want to feel like a critic :P



Earthly Possessions (which I found has been made into a film with Susan Sarandon and can't wait to see it)

This book was short, which I liked, because it made the story more powerful. It deals with a 35-year-old woman who is taken hostage by a young man and details their trip to Florida and the unravelling of her life.

I'd probably give it a 7/10.




Morgan's Passing

Now I read this just last week. I hadn't read Tyler for a while and Mum brought this home from the library where she works. It might sound weird but I think I liked it because I didn't like the character. Morgan is essentially this really irritating guy who finds his life so tedious that he adopts multiple personas. He's amazingly eccentric and strange and I think the fact that he annoyed me so much made me really like the book.

Probably 7.5-8/10.



The Accidental Tourist

This was the second or third Tyler book I read. It was great. It's a sad book, but I found I never cried which was nice (I don't usually cry as a result of books). It follows the life of this exceedingly conventional guy, Macon Leary, who writes travel guides as an 'Accidental Tourist', yet he has experienced immense tragedy and life changes which really made me sympathise with him. It's also been made into a film so I think I might see it if I have time.

Most definitely deserving of an 8-8.5/10.




Breathing Lessons

The first Tyler book I read. I absolutely loved it. It is set in a single day, revolving around the lives of couple Maggie and Ira Moran as they travel from their home in Baltimore to a funeral and back - making a commentary on their past, present and the status of their marriage. It isn't a heavy book, which I liked, and I found I was really able to engage with the story line and with the characters.

8-8.5/10




The Amateur Marriage

I borrowed this from the library not only because it was an Anne Tyler book but also because I love red coats and the woman on the front happens to be wearing one.
It was an absolutely brilliant book, probably my favourite Tyler book yet (besides The Accidental Tourist). It chronicles the married life of Michael and Pauline Anton from 1941-2001, a wartime couple who marry with nothing more in common than romantic intention. Their relationship spirals downwards throughout the book, leaving me not only amazed at the masterpiece this novel is but also at the events that unfold.

8-8.5/10. I loved this book!

But then again, I guess I loved all of them. She sets all her novels in Baltimore, which may seem a bit monotonous but it actually isn't, because all the characters are so different from one another (despite the fact that they all want something more out of life). They are all so refreshing.

Each time I finish one of her books I feel so irritated that it's over that I have to start again...meaning I've pretty much read each book twice, if not more than twice.
I am a very sad person, I know.

I am currently reading her book, A Patchwork Planet which is proving to be just as remarkable. When I finish it I might feel tempted to post another review.

Of course not all her books will achieve the same success but i just find her to be brilliant. So different from a lot of novelists around these days.

If you have time to read, if you like books dealing with ordinary characters (they're also reasonably short so they're easy to get through in a day...except for The Amateur Marriage ...which is probably the thickness of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) or if you just want something new to sink your teeth in to, then I seriously recommend this novelist.

Peace and love.

whenever i see that i have a new emal, part of me still hopes that it's from you.

it never is.

may.

so we're at the end of may. oh my goodness.
i can't believe we're almost six months through.

the other day my sister said 'can you believe that brittany murphy died last year?'
i mean, i wasn't actually a brittany murphy fan but i was stunned. time goes so fast.

like i'm finishing my first uni semester tomorrow, which is bizarre.
because i remember my first week like it was...yesterday...?
and i can't believe that i am almost 1/6th of the way through my BA. a bit freaky but cool all the same.

----

but anyway, i'm sidetracking here.
so i just got an email from my lecturer asking me to come to my history tutorial tomorrow because i've already missed two.
like i was considering otherwise.

the first one i missed was about four weeks ago, i was fully prepared to go and had packed and everything, it was 9am, about an hour before i had to leave, and i was feeling a bit tired so i just thought i would lie down and have a ten-minute nap.

i woke up at 3pm.

i heard someone downstairs and was like 'huh? why are they home so early?' because i still thought it was 9:30am or whatever.

so i went downstairs and found my mum in the kitchen and said 'what are you doing home so early?' to which she said 'aren't you supposed to be at uni?'

i was like 'huh it's only 9:30' and she said 'dude it's 3pm'(or something to that extent)

well, naturally, i freaked out. but i wasn't tired anymore so that was a bonus.

the second time i actually was sick so it wasn't a big deal really.

----

i've gotten back pretty much all my assignments and feel so happy about them all. i've really surprised myself which is nice, because i like surprises.

----

yesterday i went back to my old high school because they needed people to read and write for some school exams. it was pouring with rain, i walked to school and my shoes were soaked!
i saw some of my old teachers which was nice, they were really surprised to see me there.
so then i did the reading for this girl who was really struggling, it was yr 10 maths and she was having so much trouble, it felt nice to be able to help in some way even though i couldn't help her with the answers i still read her the questions.
then i walked back to the train station in the rain, caught a train home and walked home in the rain. my shoes are still wet!

----

i have been annoyed at certain members of my family all day but i won't go into it because most likely i will rant.

----

sometimes i wish things could be different. not necessarily easier. just different.
i mean, i have a good life, and i hate it when people who share a similar way of life to me or who are really well off complain about how their lives suck. because they really don't! i used to think my life sucked because i'll admit it, i have to deal with things that most people never encounter during their lifetime. but then i did some volunteer work and met people who were struggling and it made me realise that my life doesn't suck at all! sure there are low points but they are practically trivial to what some other people go through. even though i do have different experiences to most people i consider myself lucky that i have the ability to do things like appreciate myself and others, or to communicate, or to walk outside without fear of harassment or death. we can all appreciate ourselves and our lives if we just take the time to do so. we can all think of what we want to change, but can we actually make them? can we be them?

now i know that if i want things to change i have to change them myself.
because they won't get better on wishful thinking.


peace.

OHMYGOODNESSMASSIVEINSPIRATION!!!!

so if you didn't know, i'm fully observant and make stories up in my head about random people i see. not sure if it's such a good thing but anyway....
so i was at central station last night at like 6pm catching a train home after an epic day at uni and i had just missed my train so i was sitting there reading next to this guy in a green argyle jumper and anyway this girl fully comes up to him and goes:

'this is ridiculous'

bit of random conversation, then the dude goes:

'i had a dream about you last night'

and i was fully like WHAM idea for a story wow.
if i get the time to write it i will.

also i applied for that winter course yesterday which took me ages to do but i knew deep down that if i didn't do it then i would quite possibly regret it forever.

the person i have been thinking about each day for the last six months came back to australia today which is good...but it also makes things more certain...because i want to see him but i don't know if he wants to see me.

anyway my dad keeps saying 'it's time' to me and i don't know what it's time for. probably because i said i'd give him some lemon meringue pie (yes i made another one. hopefully it turned out well)

well...catch you later!

Exam Study.

Tea Accompaniments.

"The Basics: A really useful cookbook"
Anthony Telford

'Tired of cookbooks with a mess of complicated instructions, exotic ingredients, and completely unachievable photographs of food that only a chef could prepare?' (the blurb forgot to mention Photoshop)

Thanks for asking, Mr. Telford. Because frankly, I am.

So I got this book for my eighteenth birthday last year and absolutely love it. It includes simple recipes like baked ham to more complex ones such as *cough cough* lemon meringue pie, all with simple instructions and affordable ingredients. Complete with tips and hints to make every meal a success. No pictures but I think that makes it a better book as I don't feel dejected when my food doesn't come out of the oven miraculously airbrushed and identical to the book's version.
If you like cooking, are seeking independence or just need something to read, this is definitely a worthwhile choice.

Plus the author gives his kids unusual names like Chile and Sapphire.

Lemon Meringue...Die.

So this is what a lemon meringue pie should look like.

Mine looked nothing like this!

We have a lemon tree at home, and it went into production overload and made like fifty lemons. I've always wanted to make a lemon meringue pie and finally after persuading Mum I had the go-ahead.

The pastry went fine, apart from the fact that I had a lapse in concentration and forgot it was in the oven, so it was brown instead of golden.
No matter, no matter, I told myself, progressing onto the lemon custard.

The custard turned out ok, it was really easy to do and I was quite proud of it. The real problem, however, came with the meringue.

I enlisted the help of my sister, who has sufficiently more meringue-constructing experience than myself. She was whisking the eggs and I was finishing the custard, and then we poured the meringue on top and put it in the oven.
Then five minutes later she asks me 'Did you put sugar in the meringue?'
And I, thinking she was joking, replied 'No. Did you?'
To which she said 'No'.

So when I took my pie out of the oven, it had a mound of cooked eggwhite sitting on top. Disappointing, but fun, and I sure am going to make another one of these again.
It took up most of my day but boy, was it worth it!

i'm going to do it!

so for a while now (well actually like a week) i have been deliberating over whether to do a winter term at uni.
the unit i would do is an english lit course on australian literature/creative writing. it sounds so fascinating! i am a bit of a casual writer myself and so think it would be amazing.
it would be 13 hours a week for 3 weeks, instead of holidays. that might seem like a bummer but i don't really care...it's writing, i love writing, and plus what else would i do with my time?
so i think i am going to apply. slight problem being that i don't have a job at present...but there is a thing called commonwealth support which i think i may have to take up.
13 hours a week of writing. it's like heaven. i don't know what my parents think cos each time i've asked them what they think they've been like 'mmmnnnn' or something equally noncommittal.

it's things like this that make me feel independent and like i'm taking initiative.

musings.

can't wait till tomorrow - because then i can get two assignments off my back.

i really need to see people. i hate feeling lonely. my life has become so busy and i can't seem to find the time to get on top of being social. it drives me insane, seeing the same people all the time (i.e. my family...as much as i love them it's like...no...). i do have friends at uni so it's not like i'm some crazily hectic loner but i just miss so many people and i feel like i'm growing apart from them and as much as i know that it's inevitable eventually it just makes me feel so crappy. i hardly ever talk to my school friends anymore, it's like we never even existed together, and i'm really missing them like crazy. it would be so nice just to get away and make friends who can't speak english so you don't have to talk, all you can do is hug and smile at each other.

i want things to get better. i have been sick for the last couple of days and it has been hell. i hate staying home, not just because it's boring but because i feel so unproductive it's not funny. plus it doesn't help that my throat is on fire 24/7. i missed uni on friday, my history lecture and tute, and it was seriously the crappiest thing ever, because i love history.

i really miss my mum at the moment. she just started full time work again after 18 yrs and it's been so crazy. she leaves home about 6:30 am and doesn't come back till 6pm. it's just sad not having her at home or spending so much time with her, it's sort of like i've lost a close friend. a lot of the time during the week i am alone at home, i have two days off during each week, and it is so lonely. i've started doing heaps of housework to help out which i don't really mind about but it's like noooooo don't leave! but it makes her happy and for that i am happy too.

i really need to read 'mrs. dalloway' by virginia woolf for tomorrow's english lit lecture but i am so not motivated. not that i hate virginia woolf or anything, i've never read her so i can't actually have an opinion on that, but i started reading the book and even though it's short i died after eleven pages because it was really something i wasn't expecting. and my lecturer (who is so small and nice and too polite to say that anyone is wrong) was like 'yeah it's really complex, read it in one sitting'. which is like climbing mt. everest for me (or sailing around the world, a.k.a. doing a jessica watson). it's like impossible. i have to start reading and then stop for a bit to read the five other books i have going at the same time. that's how i roll. right now i'm on three so it's not that bad yet.

my sister's birthday is on friday, not-so-sweet-17. i can't wait. i love her so much! plus i am making her something awesome (which i am yet to start) and i can't wait for her to see them.

sometimes i really regret my choices, and i know that's the worst thing to do but occasionally i find myself feeling bad about what i've decided, like:

having operations...sometimes i wonder what it would have been like to just live with myself. i often wish i could have waited a couple of years more, because at least then i would have had some sort of a memory and some idea as to whether i wanted to change. i had my first operation at seven and i guess even though my parents would have asked me what i wanted maybe i didn't know what was going on at the time.

choosing a BA...i guess cos of the whole 'it's pointless' thing, because it's so broad. i don't even know if i want to teach any more. i don't know what i want to do. i hate it. even though i really like the units i'm doing i have no idea what exactly i want to do with my life...and the only real thing i can do is teaching. everyone else seems to be so sure of themselves and here i am going 'doodeedoo hmmm maybe i'll do this, maybe i'll do that' and it sucks like crazy because i need some certainty here.

so yeah, that's my life at the moment, for whoever reads this.